Despite the fact that I've never spoken to her at school, here I was, talking to her like a long lost friend in the middle of the night.

Ever since that day, at exactly 10:50, I snuck out of the house to meet her. The first couple of times it felt odd, but after a few more times, it became like a bedtime routine.

Press ear against the bedroom wall to make sure Dad was sleeping.

Stuff pillows underneath blanket with reused sticky-note.

Walk out of the house to the sound of Dad's snores.

It was the only thing I looked forward to everyday, even if it only lasted for 16 minutes.

"Hey Vince?" she asked out of the blue.

"I'm listening..."

"Do you ever wonder whether aliens exist?"

I turned towards her, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh, not really...You believe in aliens?"

She shrugged in response, her gaze never leaving the dark sky above us. A light wind stroked her cheeks, causing stray wisps of hair to sway gently in the breeze.

"I guess I do. I mean there's got to be something out there right? It's too big of a universe for us to be alone."

I nodded my head in agreement, stretching out my legs.

"I guess so."

Suddenly she let out a light chuckle, her lips tugging into a lopsided grin.

"You know, if there is something else out there, I bet they'd probably be wondering the same thing, whether something beyond their reach is living and breathing just like them. But here we are, living and breathing without anyone else in the galaxy even realizing. Doesn't that make us just as alien as them?"

I leaned forwards, resting my palms on my knees.

"I suppose so. So you're saying we could've been the aliens this entire time?"

She nodded her head, her hazel eyes shifting to mine. After a second a soft sigh escaped from her lips.

"That's one heck of a plot twist right there. The ones that speculated about the existence of aliens were aliens all along...wow."

I chuckled as another rush of crisp wind flew by us, sending an icy tingle across my face.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Slowly, I turned my head towards her again, finding her bright hazel eyes through the overwhelming darkness of the night.

"Go for it."

I took a deep breath, trying my best to properly gather up the many words swirling around in my mind. I opened my mouth to say something, but after slight hesitancy and second thoughts, I abruptly closed it. Finally, after formulating a proper sentence, I spoke up.

"Well, I uh, kinda feel weird 'cause I don't really have a name to call you by, and since you know my name, I was wondering if I could get yours...?"

As I averted my eyes from hers, heat threatened to spill over my cheeks. I felt really, really stupid now...asking a girl who I've been talking to every night for her name? It seemed pathetic.

But before I could take back any of my words she giggled, the scarlet cherries hanging from her earlobes catching a whiff of limelight as she tilted her head playfully.

"I need a name? I'm your wish buddy remember?"

She flared her perfectly straight teeth as her lips parted into a smile, and I couldn't help but smile back.

"No, I mean your name, your real name. Why don't you tell anyone your real name?"

"I dunno...Even if I do tell you it's not like it'll change me. I guess I just felt like having this mysterious aura around me or something."

"You like having a 'mysterious aura' around you?"

She shrugged her shoulders lamely in response, her head tipping briefly with the movement.

"I guess so."

With that she pressed a button on her watch, closing her eyes and tilting her head upwards immediately after.

"Make a wish," she whispered, staying still in her spot.

I closed my eyes, mimicking her actions.

Unlike all the other mindless 11:11 wishes, this time was different. Because as cheesy as it sounds, at that moment, I knew exactly what to wish for.