Adventures of Scott and Ezra

Scott gave him an odd look, and he closed his eyes, trying to clam down. This wasn't anything like the Ezra he knew. Something happened that night, and he needed to know what. At his random outburst, his eyes widened, and he quickly tried to push him off. "Ezra, what is wrong with you! This isn't you! Get off!" he said, but he was obviously struggling. Whatever it was gave him strength. "If you were so angry about it, why didn't you say anything?" he asked, still trying to push him off. This was going to be a struggle.

Ezra glared at him and snapped, "Because, I was always trying to be a good friend! You are always so mopey and complainy, and I am sick and tired of it! Maybe if people listened to me, you wouldn't have been in the hospital for the month, or killed Tatum's brother. Or had Tatum's father hate you!" Once he got started, he just couldn't seem to stop. He was burning with hatred, but he didn't understand why. "And don't tell me this isn't me! I am more me than I have ever been my entire life. After all these years of living in your shadow, I have finally realized that I don't need you. I never needed you, and I will never need you!" he yelled before he did the last thing he ever wanted to do. He punched his best friend.

Scott felt like he couldn't even breathe after his words. He was right. He killed Toby. The kid's blood was on his hand. Tears fill his eyes. Every time he thought of how he promised him to help him or that night, he started sobbing. It was all his fault. He should have been the one to die. He cried out in pain when he was punch, and he tried to pull him off without hurting him. He knew that this wasn't the Ezra he knew. This was nothing like him, and he was going to save his friend. "Ezra, calm down. This isn't you," he said. He could feel the blood trickling down his cheek from his now bleeding nose. "Take a deep breath."

Ezra gritted his teeth and reared his arm back to hit him again. "You were always so annoying. Making fun of me for getting hyper over candy, for being clumsy, for having ADD. I was always the one who was more fun to be around. Who secretly made straight A's but told no one because that would be social suicide. Who never could quite make the football team, and was always the water boy instead. I am tired of being second to you," he snapped, and just as he was about to hit him again, the fire died away. Ezra dropped his gaze to Scott, and his eyes widened in horror. He got off of Scott and offered him a hand. "I don't know what came over me. I didn't mean that. At least...," he trailed and looked away. Even though he would never say the words, some of it was true. He hated being outshined by Scotf all the time. He would never tell Scott, especially not like that. This was exactly what he wanted avoided. It was like his inner demon was forcing him to say things he didn't want to say and do things he didn't want to do.

Scott quickly pulled away when he snapped out of it, and he kept his gaze to the ground. "No, it's fine. It's all true. I was a horrible friend," he said quietly, feeling the tears slip from his face. "I'm a horrible friend, and all I am is this stupid, lonely kid who is too stupid to realize that everything that I have in high school wont matter. I'll be working at some fast food place when I'm forty because I'm too stupid to make the grades that you do. Sports won't get me anywhere. I'm not good enough to go pro, and I never will be, no matter how hard I try, and just because I'm associated with historical people doesn't give me anything. I'm just a worthless piece of crap that's going to die poor, and exhausted, and alone because I'm a horrible friend!" he yelled before he started sobbing. He hated himself more than he could explain. Maybe that was why no one wanted to be around him. He was a bad friend to Ezra, he killed Toby, and his parents didn't have anything to be proud of him for.

Ezra shook his head and glanced away. It wasn't true, and he didn't want Scott to believe it. So it wasn't enough that he happened to hurt Scott physically, but he also had to hurt him emotionally. What was going on with him? What happened that night? He finally lifted his head to turn to his friend. "It's not true, Scott. Don't say that, all right," he whispered before he slowly reached out and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You have that mechanic thing you like to do, and...," he trailed and let out a long sigh. "Look, it wasn't me talking, all right." He had said things he didn't want to say. That night kept coming back to haunt him. "I'll just go," he murmured as he stood. "I'm the horrible friend."

Scott looked up at his friend, and he closed his eyes, trying to stop the tears. He was alone in the world, and he didn't understand why it took him so long to realize it. No, he wasn't alone! What was wrong with him! Why was he thinking that! He looked at Ezra when he spoke, and without say a word, he ran to him and wrapped his arms around him, putting him into a tight hug. "Ez, you can't get rid of me that easily. I'm like a tick. You are going to have t go through extreme measures to make me leave, and until then, I am stuck like glue to you," he said. He gave him a small smile, but saying those words also made him realize how much he missed Tatum, but she wouldn't speak to him. It was his fault that Toby was dead after all.

Ezra thought he had really done it; no, he hadn't done it. Someone, something else had. He just didn't know what was going on with him, and now he was sure he had just pushed his best friend away. Luckily, Scott wasn't going to drop him that quickly. He returned the hug and managed to mutter, "A little tight there buddy." He let out a long breath once they pulled away. He smirked ever so slightly and lifted his hand to give his friend a high five. "Good, because every Robin needs his Batman," he said with a smirk. Well, there was a spark of the old Ezra.

Scott smiled when he seemed to be back to the old Ezra. Now this was the Ezra he knew! He five-hived him back and shook his head. "Nah, I was thinking more along the lines of Caption America and Iron Man. I have the sarcastic quip and you are the brains of the operation," he said with a smirk before he took the game out. "Hey, how about the play that Barbie video game you got me as a gag gift for Christmas," he said, and he grabbed the game, putting it in. He was made fun of a lot for having it, but it was from Ezra. He couldn't get rid of it! Ezra was like his brother, and he wasn't going to treat his brother like trash.

Ezra rolled his eyes and chuckled as he replied with, "Whatever floats your boat. You get the point." He was just glad he was back to his old self, well sort of. He didn't know how long it would last, or if it would last. He plopped down beside Scott and laughed as he mentioned the video game. "I can't believe you still have that," he said with a shake of his head. He had only gotten the gift in the first place for a laugh; he hadn't actually thought Scott would keep it.

Scot rolled his eyes, and he smiled at him. "You're not my sidekick. You're a superhero on your own," he said before he out the game in and sat down, looking at his friend. He had to admit, he was a bit surprised that he hadn't gotten rid of it, but every time he tried, he couldn't do it. "Well you gave it to me, Ez. I couldn't just throw it away like it was nothing. Besides, and don't you dare tell anyone this, it is sort of fun," he smirked before starting up the game. He sometimes wondered how him and Ezra lasted so long. They were so different, but they somehow connected and were able to be friends for so long.

Ezra rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Hardly. I can barely do one push-up, and remember that time I tried to run track? I couldn't walk for a week," he said with a chuckle. He didn't feel like a superhero. He was just a wimp who could make great grades. He rose his brows at Scott's response and smiled slightly. "Fun?" he repeated with a laugh. "I will be sure to tell everyone you said that," he joked; although, he would never do that. They had been friends for so long that it was like he actually did have a brother. "What did I do to end up with a friend like you?" he inquired as he started the game.

Scot couldn't help but roll his eyes at him. "It doesn't matter that you're strong. Last time I checked, I'm the one failing two classes, not you," he said. He leaned back when the game started, and he shook his head. "No way. You are not telling anyone," he said jokingly, and he pushed him playfully. He couldn't help but smile when he spoke. "I'm not really sure. You know, I think the same thing a lot," he told him. He wondered what he did to get a friend like Ezra and a girlfriend like Tatum, but then he lost it all. Maybe Tatum was he chance to be something different. Of course he screwed it up. He screwed everything up. "Hey, maybe we can help each other. You help me with my grades and I can help you with sports!"

"But in hero movies, it's always the one with the strength who has the spotlight. The brains just does the thinking part of the whole thing," Ezra pointed out, rolling his eyes. He could hack into computers, solve math equations, and track phones all day. But he would never be like his father. He would never be great with a gun or strong. He chuckled softly at Scott's answer. They had been friends for as long as he could remember. "I guess I am glad we had met, though," he replied. Scott was the only friend he really had. Sure, there were other pals he would talk to now and again, but Scott had been his friend the longest. At Scott's suggestion, he rose his brows. "That could work. That is, I don't fall on my face."

Scott shook his head, and he smiled up at him. "So. Without you I would be lost," he said, and he could help but burst out laugh. "That sounde way different than I meant it to." He smiled as he started to play the game, and he then started to customize his character. "You know, I think my character looks a lot like me if I was a girl. Don't you think. I'd be pretty hot," he joked, and he looked at him with a smirk. He couldn't help help laugh at his last words. "Oh, you are going to fall, a lot. But it's not like you'll die or anything. I fell so much when I first started. It was bad, but hey, it could be worse. At least your head won't explode while trying to solve an equation," he said.

Ezra smirked and shook his head. "Ironic, because when we met, I was the lost one," Ezra stated, rolling his eyes. In the middle of sixth grade, his family had packed up and moved, and Ezra had been the new, gangly kid, always being too tall and extremely clumsy, not to mention he had no clue where he was going. When Scott spoke again, he couldn't help but laugh. "Still the same old Scott," he said, nudging him. When Scott commented on the character, the door seemed to open at just the right- or maybe in Scott's case, wrong- time. "What did I just walk into," Dominic sighed, facepalming. "Please tell me I am dreaming, and you two aren't playing a Barbie game."

Scott smiled, and he shook his head. He remembered when he first met Ezra. He was short and hadn't quite hit his growth spurt yet, but it seemed that Ezra had. He bumped into him while, here's the shocker, trying to flirt with a girl. She turned him down, and then Scott ran into Ezra. He dropped all of his thing, and Ezra, being the nice person that he was, helped him pick his things up. The two talked, and then he was invited over for games. Their friendship sort if blossomed from there. Even though they were different, they became best friends. His face went red as he saw his dad. "Oh, hey, dad. I'm just playing the game that Ezra gave me as a gag gift. Doesn't my character look like me? What should I name her?"

Dominic shook his head and sighed. What had he just walked into? "I take it I'm not dreaming then," he muttered, barely hearing Scott's comment. Ezra spoke up then, trying to hide a smirk, "No, Mr. K. This isn't a dream." Dominic closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. "Scott, I wonder about you some-" he began, but was cutoff when Ezra spoke up. "Name her Pot! Get it? Scott, Pot?" he said with a smirk, which only made Dominic chuckle. "That's actually pretty funny, Ez," he stated before he plopped down beside him and stole the controller from Ezra. "Let me see that," he muttered before he started to make a character of his own.

Scott laughed at his father, and he rolled his eyes as he took the controller from Ezra. He handed his controller to Ezra, and he smirked. "Put the finishing touches on Pot. I need to make a call," he said, and he grabbed his phone, walking out of the room. Even though he was glad to have his Ezra back, but he was still worried about him going insane. Something happened that night, an he was going to find out what, but he was going to need the help from the one person that didn't want to speak to him. Before he called her, he sent her a text. "This is urgent. I need you to call me right now. I wouldn't be sending this if it wasn't important." He looked over the message before sending it. Maybe she would take him seriously.

Ezra chuckled as he took the controller from Scott and began to makeover the character. He would have to ask how Scott knew if the game were fun or not later. It must have meant that he had played it before. Meanwhile, Tatum was giving her father a tight hug and trying to remain calm. He had been called back early, due to the war picking up. After losing Toby, she wasn't really wanting her father to run off and potentially get himself killed as well. Once he drove away, she slowly made her way back up to her room. She would just have to suck it up. She had shut everyone out after that night. It always happened when she were hurt or confused. When she noticed the text, she frowned in confusion before she finally called his number.

Scott was pacing in the hall, waiting for Tatum to call him. He was getting a bit worried that she wouldn't, but then he saw her phone pop up on his phone. He quickly answered. "Tatum...hey," he said awkwardly. Way to start a conversation Scott! Of course he was going to be awkward. "Listen, I know you probably hate me and don't want to talk to me, but please, listen to me. There is something wrong with Ezra, but I'm not sure what exactly yet. He's been acting a bit weird lately, and I invited him over. It was okay, but then he went off on me about how I always complain and about how he lives in my shadow. He punched me too, and that's nothing like Ez. I think something happened to him that night. Something huge."

Tatum was about to ask what in the world he wanted, but Scott started speaking before she had a chance to get a word in in edgewise. She frowned slightly and tried to block out the horrors of that night. When the ambulance had arrived, they had informed her that it had been too late for Toby. She remained quiet as he explained what happened and took everything in. It definitely didn't sound like Ezra. "Are you sure it isn't just temporary?" she asked, but she highly doubted it. She remembered hearing about things like that in history books. What was it called? "Tracker Jacker Venom. Someone must have given it to him...when he had fallen," she whispered, glancing away. Great, it was her fault that Ezra turned out that way. She should have waited on him.

Scott closed his eyes, and he sighed to himself. "No, I know it isn't something temporary. There was something in his eyes and the way he spoke. It was like he was being controlled. It wasn't Ezra," he said. He felt like it was all his fault. "I know someone who knows quiet a bit about the track jacker venom. Maybe we can go and talk to them," he said, but then he stopped himself. "Well, you don't have to go. I mean," he stopped himself once more and sighed. He tried to stop his tears, but he couldn't. "I'm so sorry, Tatum. I'm sorry for everything. I-I'll leave you alone."

Tatum furrowed her brows as she thought it over. She knew he was right, yet she couldn't help but have hope that it was like a cold. That Ezra would be fine after a bit. However, she knew how serious it actually was, and it couldn't be fixed without major help. She hesitated and glanced down at the ground. She was losing enough people as it was, and she still felt it was partially her fault. She had dragged Ezra into it. If she had tried to figure it out on her own, maybe he wouldn't be like that in the first place. "Ezra is my friend too, Scott. Just name a time and place. We can talk about...us later."

Scott listened to her, and he sighed to himself. "Yeah, this is about Ezra," he said quietly, and he tried to keep calm. He finally spoke after a moment. "I'm going to be honest here. This call wasn't just about Ezra. I want to talk to you to. I-I miss you, Tatum. When Ezra went off on me about how bad of a friend I was and how even worse of a person I was, I realized how much I needed you. Tatum, I love you," he said, and he closed his eyes, trying to hope that she would love him too, but he secretly knew that she would forever hate him. He lost any chance that he could with her.