Tension's Like a Fire

“You know the funniest thing about Alex and Jack?” Rian prompted as he Zack and Jazz sat around eating ice cream. “They used to be best friends.”

Hours had passed since the fight that had occurred that morning. Alex staying in his room most of the day and Jack ducking into his room to avoid Alex when he did come out for food or to go to the bathroom.

But now Jack had gone off to bed and Rian, Zack, and Jazz would soon follow. They just wanted a little dessert.

Jazz’s eyes expanded in total disbelief. “No. Are you serious? Why are they always at each other’s throats? I’m not sure if I can believe that.” She laughed to herself. “You know I just found out that people can have superpowers and I can’t believe that two guys used to be best friends.”

“Yeah,” Zack spoke up. “Before we all came into our superpowers. Alex was a different person, not as bitter. He was funny and insane in a way that complemented Jack’s insanity perfectly. He just never dealt with anything properly. He moved to America from the only home he’d ever known; He pretends that he’s fine with it. His kid sister runs away; he’s at band practice the next day not talking about it. His older brother commits suicide; he’s locked in his room for a few days writing a new song and he never says anything about it. He “falls in love” with a girl who cheats on him; he starts having one night stands to avoid being hurt. He becomes a “freak” that decides to leave; He shuts down, becomes what he is today. Jack loses his best friend and watches him suffer everyday. It’s all shit really. For everyone involved.”

Jazz sat there taking in all she just heard. That was the worst thing she’d ever heard.

Rian chuckled despite the horrid things that they were talking about. “You stepped in the middle of a war zone. You do have bad luck.”

“When we were at my apartment I heard Jack and Alex fighting before that guy teleported in. Jack didn’t even touch the brother subject. Why would the brother be a more touchy subject than the sister?” She didn’t want them to know she heard the fight before but now her curiosity loosened her tongue.

“There was always hope for Sally.” Rian replied lightly knowing there was more to it but he wasn’t going to be the one to say it.

“Plus he didn’t find her dead.” Zack on the other hand wasn’t going to spare her.

She gasped. “He was the one who found him.” Her sympathy was almost overflowing. Her eyes welled up a little.

“Yeah.” Rian said putting his head down feeling bad for his friend himself.

“Shit.” She muttered standing up taking her now empty bowl to the sink. “Night guys.” She spoke softly as she walked to Alex’s room.

She knocked softer than any man would cluing Alex in on who was at the door.

“Jazz, just walk in. We’re sharing the room.” His voice was gruff and exasperated.

She opened the door slowly peeking in before bringing her body all the way around the door. He was in front of his closet again having just finished changing into pajamas.

She just looked at him feeling guilt for every thought she had where she called him an asshole. She just wished she didn’t relate so well to his solitude -his lack of family and home- because that’s what caused her to do what she did next.

Tears began spilling down her cheeks and she moved to him wrapping her arms around him tightly and sobbed onto his bare chest.

His face contorted in confusion. She just came in, looked at him with sad eyes, then began crying and attacked him with a hug. Slowly and stiffly he wrapped his arms around her tiny frame.

“Jazz what’s wrong?” He couldn’t just stand there and not ask.

Her words were broken by her sobs. “They told me.” Deep gasping breath to keep herself from suffocating while sobbing. “It sucks so much. I’m sorry I ever thought you were an asshole!” Another deep breath. “I can’t believe all of that happened.”

“What did they tell you?” He asked pulling her chin up so she’d look at him.

“About you.” She spoke looking up into his eyes with her bottom lip still quivering.

He knew exactly what she meant.

He wanted to be angry. Angry at the guys for telling her his business. Angry at her for pitying him. But he couldn’t be.

Her feelings were so honest. He couldn’t lash out at her for that.

He dropped her chin and wrapped that arm back around her. Pulling her tighter, no longer concerned about her tears soaking his chest.

“Yeah. It does suck.” He whispered.

Another morning that Alex wakes up first and escapes Jazz’s grip without waking her. This time it’s different though. He gazes at her; her face that didn’t even look peaceful in sleep -although it’s hard to look peaceful when you’ve heard and seen all that she had in the past few days-, the curve of her hip that was made so obvious by the fact she was laying on her side, her tank top that rode up just enough to show a tiny bit of her milky white skin.

He had wanted so badly to hate her, to even dislike her a little.

But he couldn’t.

And that scared the crap out of him.

He walked out of the room and the rest of the guys were in the kitchen all scattered about with bowls of cereal.

“Morning.” He said softly as all the guys looked up staring at him waiting for something to pop off.

The simple fact that he acknowledged them with more than a dissatisfied grunt told them something was different.

“Morning Alex.” Rian said cautiously as his eyebrow arched thoroughly confused.

Alex looked around and it was like he was seeing things for the first time in years.

The past years he’d been too deeply consumed by his bitterness to really see the scenes playing before him. It was as though he had been looking at them through a steamed-up window.

He looked at them all looking at him like they were waiting for him to explode and he realized how much of an ass he’d been.

His face turned ashamed instantly but he pulled a smile to it as best he could. “Morning fellas.” He was waiting for them to tear into him for behaving so shamelessly.

The guys faces changed Jack’s the most noticeably, his mouth instantly formed a lopsided grin. He already had his hopes up. His hopes of getting his best friend back.

The room became more comfortable as Alex walked through going to the cabinet and grabbing his own bowl for cereal. Everyone could sense the change, they only wished they’d known what caused it.

After making his bowl of cereal he stood leaned up against the edge of the counter looking at his cereal as he ate.

“Why’d you tell her?” His voice was gruff but not his bitter gruff. He didn’t even look up to talk to them.

Zack and Rian looked at each other almost guiltily. Jack looked at everyone confused.

“What did they tell who?” His head cocked to the side with confusion as his brow furrowed.

“We told Jazz about... umm...” Rian spoke to Jack skipping Alex’s question awkwardly.

“They told her about my life.” Alex said simply as he brought another spoonful of the off-brand fruit loops to his mouth.

Jack’s mouth instantly dropped into an “Oh”.

Alex finally looked up from his food and saw Jack’s face.

He couldn’t stop the smirk that hit his face.

“Your mouth makes that shape really well.” He couldn’t stop that blowjob joke.

A smile replaced the “O” without hesitation. “You should know.” He shot back just like the old days.

Rian and Zack were smiling at this. Things were feeling normal for the first time in a long time.

“You’re right I’ve never had a better blowjob. I want to fuck your mouth just thinking about it.” Even he’d missed the crass sex jokes. But he had to get back to the point. “But why’d you tell her? She didn’t need to know. She came in crying because it upset her so bad.”

The guys all realized what caused the change in Alex. It was the girl who was in his room listening at the door unbeknownst to them.

They all internally kicked themselves for not thinking of it sooner. Of course it would be a girl that would get to Alex.

“We weren’t trying to upset her,” Zack reasoned. “We just wanted her to have an idea of what brought us to where we are.”

“She’s got a big heart, full of empathy and has honest feelings of remorse for the things that happen to people.” He tried to say it as analytically as he could, he still didn’t want to like her. “It hurts her to hear that sort of crap.”

When she heard this she smiled against the wood door. “He’s trying to protect me.” That was the most endearing thing he’d ever done.