Uniting As The Ten- Part Two Of The Conclusion To The United Series

Chapter Twenty Six

Jason's POV:

I know that I can trust her, so I explain everything; the weird feelings I can't explain with what Ivan does, maybe feeling jealous when him and Nine started kissing in the living room.

"Wait, Nine and Ivan kissed?" She had asked. I nodded my head and she shrugged.

"Okay."

"You're just going to accept that?"

"Well I'm pan, so..."

"Oh...wait, what?"

So apparently she's Pansexual, and has been for awhile now. Why the Pluto am I now just learning about this? Gods, I know nothing about this girl.

"So...what do you think is happening?" I ask her. She purses her lips and knits her eyebrows in concentration. She always does this thing where she slightly quirks her lip downwards when she's thinking. I'm pretty sure she doesn't know she's doing it.

"Maybe you are really starting to like him, but your feelings for Piper are getting in the way of you realizing it." She explains simply, as if it's no big deal. I know she isn't a love expert like children of Aphrodite, but she's had some experience. Maybe with this very situation.

"Like you with John and Leo? When you were dating John?" I guess. She freezes for a second before nodding her head.

"I guess so." She replies.

Okay, so maybe I am starting to like Ivan. Whoops.

"So, uh...I have a crush on a boy." I state simply. Max nods her head and smiles up at me.

"Maybe we can talk about boys with each other." She jokes. I chuckle and smile at her.

"And girls, too." She adds in, winking at me, and I don't think the realization that Max likes girls as well as boys has hit me yet.

"So...you're going to get tattoos." I tell her.

"Ugh, don't remind me of that." She replies, rubbing her right arm where the tattoos are going to be- between her shoulder and her wrist. I still can't imagine Max with tattoos, even though I've already seen it on her. Sure she already has a tattoo, but literally up and down her arms? That seems like something Nine would do, not Max. But okay, I guess.

"How...How are you going to tell everyone?" I ask her and she freezes up completely. Her bright green eyes seem to turn darker, and any trace of a smile fades from her face. She bites her bottom lip and stares down at the floor.

"I don't know. I know I have to do it, but I think I'm just going to rip the band-aid off and get it over with quickly." She answers bitterly. I nod my head in agreement. It's better if she just gets it over with as quickly as possible.

"So let's go." She adds in and now I'm surprised. She wants to do it now? Like, right now? Right after she got back?

"Right now?" I ask her. She nods her head, her hand already on the doorknob.

"Uh...okay." I say. She turns the doorknob but hesitates before opening the door.

"Thank you, by the way. For not telling anyone." She thanks me, smiling up at me warmly. I smile back down at her and ruffle her curly red hair.

"No problem." I reply and she gives me one last sad smile before opening the door and walking out without anymore hesitation and a determined look on her face. I'm pretty sure we both know that everyone is going to do something; yell at her, get angry or be disappointed in her (and show it clearly), or throw her a not-so-surprising-surprise pity party, and she hates all three of those.