crushed ambrosia ( jasper hale )

fourteen. - railings are meant to be jumped

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

MONDAY. February 1st — forks high school

FEBRUARY first marked a day Eric Yorkie would not let anyone in the small town of Forks forget. He would mark it on every calendar, twice circled, underlined it three times, and spent the entire month of January reminding people in the least subtle was possible. Their friends had already figured out the plans for the day, and it was all Ezra could do to follow their lead and grin at the overly hyper black haired boy that seemed to find someone new every two seconds to wave his brand new driver's license in front of their face. Despite all the teasing Ezra was happy for him, though he seriously hopes he was never that annoying with his new driving privilege, and he was certain his picture was better.

"You're coming tonight, right Ezra?" Eric asked as they walked to first period, rain and snow nowhere in sight, a fact that delighted Eric, who then proceeded to make a fool of himself with a whole display about how his 'godliness stopped even the worst of weathers' that had everyone else rolling their eyes.

"Of course, I can't wait to freeze my ass off at a beach in February." Ezra responded in as syruppy a tone he could manage, sarcasm coating each word, but that didn't seem to stop Eric from grinning and firmly patting his shoulder.

"Cheer up flash, I thought you loved the cold?" Eric called as he walked towards the math building and Ezra couldn't help but roll his eyes again, because of course he had to be this dramatic about literally everything.

Getting to history with minutes to spare Ezra takes his seat and gives Jasper a nod as he grabs out the notebook he now actually uses and makes a show of opening up the front cover, if just to make Jasper snort and give one of those amused half grins Ezra has grown to like seeing.

"Hey, I was wondering, could you grab whatever work we do in chem for me?" Ezra asks softly as the bell rings, looking over at his companion but making sure he doesn't look him in the eyes for too long, as to not insight the little flutter in his chest more than just being in his presence does.

"Skipping now, are we Newton?" Jasper drawls out, looking faux scandalized and making his honeyed southern accent even thicker.

Ezra most certainly certainly does not get goosebumps.

"It's Eric Yrokie's birthday, I'm surprised you don't know, he's very adamant the day be marked in history." Ezra explains while running pale fingers through messy blond hair, giving the male to his left a sharp smile.

"Ah yes, he does quite seem the type. You're skipping with him?" Jasper asks, held tilting in the manner it so often does when he's curious. The mannerism seems to be an unconscious thing that has Ezra's heart flooding with an emotion his head wants to label endeared.

"Uh yeah, the whole gang's going to the diner for lunch and then heading over there probably." Ezra explains the plans while looking firmly at his notes, only looking over, if at the windows behind Jaspers head, when he finishes with his sentence. Jasper is looking at him with that same curious expression when the blond finally wills up the courage to look him in the eyes.

"You have a very good friend group." The southern male seems to decide on, and the statement leaves Ezra trying to find words because yes, they are amazing. Ezra knows this in the abstract way all teenagers know things that cannot be measured in anything but that value you place on them and Ezra is not in the business of placing value on things when he can just take them for granted. They had been there with him for years now, and Mike even longer than that. They had seen him through middle school, through the beginnings of high school. They have been a constant in his life for all the years where constants are a necessity, and they are everything he could ever want, but still, he does not think too much on how lucky he is.