Jump For My Love

[Ezra Cooper]

"But I am!" Ezra exclaimed. And so he was. His ability wasn't flashy. It was actually very defensive and subtle. The only way he could look cool wielding his power was if he walked through or on fire. Or waded through ice maybe. But other than that, displays of his abilities are far and few in between.

Quietly, he ducked into the water before swimming out to Alex and then splashing her with water from underneath. "Hello!" He said in a comical voice.

[Alexandra Lawson]

"You shouldn't be." Alex insisted as she moved through the warm pocket of air that lingered from the rare display of her power with a satisfied smile. There was still a tightness in her chest she couldn't deny that reminded her of how far she'd come and how she still had such a long way to go before she could say she'd mastered her fear or her power.

Coming back to reality, Alex found Ezra had slipped beneath the surface of the water while she'd been distracted. "Oh no!" She called, shaking her head as she turned this way and that, trying in vain to catch a glimpse of the long, lean form that was surely headed her way. Alex was no stranger to this game and she didn't like it one bit. "You bett-" Her adamant declaration was cut off by the sudden emergence of the young man in front of her. A shriek of shock and alarm erupted and she jumped back, flailing her arms in both surprise and frustration at having been caught. Again.

"Why, Ezra, why?" Alex drifted through the water away from the young man. Her face was twisted in a mask of mock hurt and sadness. "I give you my friendship and you give me a heart attack. That doesn't seem fair."

[Ezra Cooper]

Ezra couldn't help doubling back with laughter at Alex's reaction. He supposed he really should stop teasing his friend. The tiny one probably couldn't stand too much anyway.

"Okay okay I'll stop." Ezra splashed a bit of water in her direction before chuckling. "Okay now I'll stop." He cleared his throat and held a finger up. "I'll even give you a free shot. Hit me." He spread his arms out to his sides and gestured with his fingers for her to give him her best shot.

[Alexandra Lawson]

Alex's eyes narrowed as she scrutinized her friend. There was very little of the playful teasing she couldn't handle and, in fact, preferred it when things were less than serious. She always felt more at home in such an environment. She tended to lose herself in the moment, for better or worse, and these were the shared moments between her close friends that were growing more rare with every passing year she would fondly look back on.

"Oh no." She said, turning slightly to the side as she folded her arms across her chest and tilted her head back. "I'm going to be the bigger man here and not retaliate." Of course, she'd come to this conclusion thanks in large part to knowing there wasn't much she could do that would be a proper come back. At least not now. Alex rarely forgot when she owed someone shenanigans (bald-faced lie) and often thought of herself as a mischief mastermind (also highly inaccurate). Revenge would come later for the tall, lanky boy. Hopefully when he least expected it (or Alex would simply forget by the end of the day).

[Ezra Cooper]

It was hard for Ezra not to find everything Alex did to be adorable and that pouty huffy look she had on with her arms crossed in front of her was as cute as they came. He wanted to just scoop her up and place her in his pocket forever.

He shook his head slightly of the image and looked at Alex properly.

"Suit yourself. You're going to regret it." He jumped slightly in the water and tilted his head back to start swimming away from Alex. "Barry would at least give me a good noogie."

[Alexandra Lawson]

Alex let out a little huff at the mention of their portly, mutual friend. There wasn't any true offense showing in her eyes, though she did make sure to look at Ezra with the saddest, most pitiful (and yes, she also knew achingly adorable) pout she could possibly muster. "Find then." She said, even throwing in a little fake sniffle in there for good measure. "You can go running with Barry in the mornings." Something she doubted her lovable teddy bear would be too keen on doing.

"Hey, so..." Alex slowly started pushing herself through the water toward Ezra. Alex's disposition changed just like the wind. With her mind a constant whirlwind of random thoughts, pop culture facts and other assorted curiosities, real, serious topics generally popped in at the most random of times. "You know that guy I told you about?" She asked, drifting closer to Ezra. "Artemis. The guy that took me to prom?"

[Ezra Cooper]

Ezra was not in the position to actually have seen the pout but he knew it was there. And he knew it was adorable. Which was most likely why he didn't turn. Alex had this...pull over him that he wasn't entirely sure wasn't a mutation of hers.

"Aww come on...that's our thing." Ezra whined a little bit before paddling closer to Alex in the hopes of apologising. But she was already pushing close to him so he just waded the water, enjoying the warm sun and the semi-cool water on his back.

The air suddenly became a little still as Alex brought Art up. Art was a cool guy. Didn't have the friendliest of sisters if rumours were to be believed but as a dude, Ezra liked him. He thought the guy was sweet on Alex but it was never really quite official between them, even though Ezra kind of knew.

"Yeah? What about him?" Ezra asked, hiding whatever jealousy he had that of all people, she decided to bring him up.

[Alexandra Lawson]

Alex couldn't keep up the little, playful pout she was carrying beneath the weight of Ezra's feigned disappointment. She'd never trade in their quiet morning runs for anything and, while she suspected Ezra knew as much, it almost felt as though she'd crossed the line by implying she would. "Yeah, I know." She said with a nod, drifting closer to Ezra. The tone in her voice let him know he'd won this round. As easily swayed by the tiny redheaded girl as Ezra may have been, Alex was equally as susceptible to the feelings of her much taller friend.

"That's the thing." Alex said as she came to a stop next to Ezra. Even though he could probably touch the bottom of the lake still, she was forced to tread water. "I don't really know." She gave a frown as the playfulness left her demeanor. There was an admission waiting to happen and she didn't know why she'd been so reluctant to say anything until everything was troubled and uncertain. "See..." She paused a moment, uncertain of the consequences that would come from continuing. "At prom he asked me to be his girlfriend." The words themselves sound corny and childish. They were too old for that sort of thing to be the norm, right? "But he's been gone most of the summer and I'm having second thoughts..."

[Ezra Cooper]

Ezra's smile faltered just slightly before he picked it up and shone at Alex when he realised he had won. Won what, he wasn't quite sure but it felt like a victory and he was going to take it.

Instinctively, Ezra reached out and grabbed Alex's hand before getting on to his back and floating. His free hand lazily flapped up and down as he listened to Alex. When the inevitable finally came, Ezra didn't really react as he wasn't all that surprised but her second statement did and he went back to his standing position, looking at Alex curiously.

"About being his girlfriend?" Ezra asked, throwing out any hope he might have felt.

[Alexandra Lawson]

Ezra felt like that constant presence Alex would forever have at her side. He was one of the first people she'd met when she arrived at the Academy and he'd immediately endeared himself to the girl. She never cared for feeling like a burden to her friends but Ezra seemed like the one person who had always forced out whatever problems she was having and taken the weight upon himself regardless of the nature of Alex's trouble. This eventually gave way to Ezra becoming Alex's rock. The guy she made a beeline for whenever she had a problem. He never judged, never seemed to grow tired of her complaining, and always seemed to know exactly the right things to say to make her feel better.

"Yeah." Alex replied with a nod. The concerned expression on her face had waved when she felt Ezra's hand close around hers and for a moment it looked as though he was going to be content with floating side by side, though he quickly stood upright before Alex could join him. "I know what I want." She said, her eyes following Ezra. "I mean, I care about him, I really do. But it's hard to build on something that's so new by yourself, you know?"

[Ezra Cooper]

He nodded when she confirmed his question. Suddenly, he was torn between being a friend and possibly finding an opening to be something more. Just as suddenly as the thought crossed his mind, he banished it, thinking that it was the most selfish thing he could have ever expected of Alex. She was having doubts about a new relationship and all he could think about was himself? Some friend he was.

He was careful not to let any biased emotion come through, leaving only a concerned frown on his face.

"Has he given any indication that he is slipping away? I mean...you guys are still in contact right?"

[Alexandra Lawson]

"I don't know." Alex replied with a little whine touching her voice. It was all such a complicated matter than filled her with uncertainty and doubt. She found herself bounding back and forth with it all and was usually left with no answers and a steadily growing list of questions. "We talk... some." She offered with a shrug. "But, you know, he's busy. And three thousand miles away." She sighed. "Again." It seemed as though just as soon as her boy in question had suddenly arrived, he was gone again.

Alex let out an exasperated sigh as she swirled her arms about, causing her to drift in a lazy circle around Ezra. "This is why there are cat ladies, you know?" She said sternly, looking up to Ezra. "It's starting to sound more and more appealing. Just me and thirty-seven cats in my small house in the suburbs."

[Ezra Cooper]

Again, Ezra listened. He didn't interrupt, knowing Alex would indicate when she needed his input. He chuckled when she mentioned it was more appealing to be a cat lady.

"Alex come on. How long has it been? Prom was just...a few weeks ago. You're looking too deep into it." He reassured her with a small sigh. "For all you know, it's torturing him to be so far away from you. He probably wishes he was back here. I bet you anything he wishes he was here rather than somewhere else."

[Alexandra Lawson]

"Three months." Alex slipped the correction in there with a light sigh. Ezra's point was still relevant, though the time frame they were talking about would bring her little comfort. "And he's been gone most of it." She didn't know why she felt the need to point that out. It wasn't a mark against the boy who had came out of nowhere to capture her heart so much as it was a saddened resignation of the fact.

"Yeah. I guess you're right." Alex said with a slow nod. There wasn't much that could be done and she did know very clearly how Art felt about her. That was something that he had never left unsaid. She gave a frown at the idea of him being upset about not being around. While she was sure this was the truth she wondered if it was different since he was the one off doing something new and exciting while she was left to sit around and wonder what the summer could have been.

Regardless, Alex was determined to not let it keep her down. Or, at least, she was certain Ezra didn't want to sit her and listen to Alex whine about her boyfriend all day. "Alright, alright." I feel better now. She said, still making her lazy circles around Ezra in the process. "I'm still not ruling out cat lady status." She said sternly, though a thin smirk touched her lips as she looked up to Ezra.

[Ezra Cooper]

"Wait it's been three months? Why am I surprised you're just telling me now?" Ezra chuckled and shook his head. Alex was just not the type to air things like being in a relationship out in the open. It was one of many things that had endeared Ezra to her.

To be perfectly honest, Ezra didn't even mind her talking about another boy. He may have thought it to be a nuisance when she started, but if it kept her talking to him, he was willing to make the necessary sacrifices. Added bonus, he actually managed to make her feel better.

"You're gonna have to deal with me being there with you as a cat gentleman too." He shrugged and splashed her with a little water. "You ain't gon' get rid of me that easily. Or Barry. Or Addie. Or Jack." Ezra trailed off, wondering who else Alex had in her life.