Chapter 1

"Cannonball!" Howard and Randy leaped into the water of the lake, creating a huge splash. Almost all of Norrisville High's students were at Lake LaRusso that hot day. School was scheduled to start the very next day and everyone was at the lake celebrating their last day of summer vacation.

"Be careful! My book was in danger of your cannonball!" Nomicon shouted from his shaded chair, holding a book close to his shirtless chest in an attempt to protect it.

"Lighten up, Nomi! We were aiming for a big cannonball! If it hits your book, then it means we were Bruce!" Howard laughed from the water, Randy swimming next to him.

"Be nicer to Nomi, okay? He doesn't want to ruin his skin or book, so let's let him." Lex chuckled from her own chair, sunglasses hiding her purple eyes.

"I'll let him, but what about you? The water's great!"

"I don't need you two dorks pulling me underwater."

"We won't do that, right Randy?"

"I promise we won't pull you under. I can't say anything about splashing though." Randy said, smiling up at Lex while silently pleading for her to swim with them.

"Still no."

"Why? It's not like you're tanning in a T-shirt and shorts!"

"First of all, it's warm lying in the sun with a soda next to me. Second, I don't like wearing a swimsuit around so many people…"

"That's it? What, is it a two piece?" Randy's face instantly became pink at the very thought of Lex in a bikini and he tried to push the thought aside.

"No." He breathed a tiny sigh of relief and looked back at Lex.

"Then c'mon! I promise that no one's going to look at you with me here!"

"Because Randy Cunningham is absolutely terrifying. That's sweet, but I don't want to."

"Lex!"

"No."

"Please Alexandria?"

"…no."

"PLEASE?!"

"Ugh, fine! But you are so buying me another soda after this. Nomi, can you be a pal and watch my sunglasses?"

"Gladly." Nomi smiled, Lex handing him her glasses before grabbing her bag and heading for the changing room.

"You just wanna see her in a bathing suit, don't you?" Howard asked with a sly smirk.

"No! T-that's not it at all!" (Sure it isn't Randy…sure. 😏)

"Mhm. Keep telling yourself that."

"S-shut up!" They got into a splashing contes immediately, their laughs and Nomi's filling the air along with the chatter of the other kids swimming and hanging out at the lakeside. Howard sent a wave of water at Randy, making him go underwater for a moment before returning to the surface and blushing at the person standing on the shore. Lex stood there in a turquoise one piece with dark blue lining. It was simple, but it was still enough to make Randy turn the color of the ripest tomato.

"I-I-I changed, h-happy?" Lex stammered, shuffling from foot to foot nervously.

"N-not until you swim with us!"

"Fine…" Lex began walking away from them and Randy thought he'd said something. That is until she came running back and dived into the water with a splash that nearly got Nomi again. Lex resurfaced and shivered, pouting towards the boys.

"The water's great MY FOOT! It's freezing!" Lex said, splashing Howard and Randy in retaliation for tricking her.

"Hey, you believed us!" Howard chuckled.

"Nomi back us up!"

"It's Nomicon. How many times must I say it? I'm on Lex's side."

"Suck up~!"

"I am not! I just feel that you could've warned her beforehand!"

"Can you put that book in Lex's bag really quick?"

"Of course, wh–!" The second the book was in her bag, Nomi was hit with a wave of water. He stared at the laughing duo that was Randy and Howard before glaring and standing up.

"You did not just do that."

"Oh, but we did!"

"This means war!" Nomi ran to the water and jumped in, quickly shaking the water from his eyes and attacking them all with splashes. They all laughed and tried to fight back, leading Nomi to laugh along as well as they all tried to get someone to give up in their little water war.

"Stop Nomi!" Lex laughed, leaping at her friend to stop him.

"Not until I get an apology!" Nomi laughed back, aiming another attack at Howard and Randy.

"Sneak attack!" Nomi suddenly turned on Lex, throwing water in her face.

"You cheater! Randy, avenge me!"

"Aye aye, captain!" Randy attacked Nomi with the help of Howard and the battle continued on for who knows how long. All fun must end eventually, seeing as they got tired and sat on the edge of the dock and watched the setting sun.

"You all had to get me to join you…now it's still freezing." Lex shivered, wrapping her towel tighter around herself.

"I must agree, but you must admit, that WAS fun." Nomi said from the comforts of his towel hood.

"I know, but now I'm all cold! How is Howard not cold?!"

"Blubber is nature's jacket." Howard joked, though he had also covered up.

"Dude, you're not a walrus."

"As far as you know."

"Oh my gosh, my friend's a walrus."

"That sounds like the title of a bad sitcom."

"My friend's a walrus?"

"Yep."

"That was super random and a bit wonk."

"You're opinion. After all, you did believe me and Cunningham when we said the water was fine."

"Shut up!"

"Calm down Lex. We only have today and then school." Randy said lightly.

"Fine. Only 'cause you're giving me that stupid puppy look." Lex continued to pout, scooting closer to Randy and resting her head on his shoulder.

"I love you." Lex's pout gave way to a blush at Randy's words and she hid her face in her hands. Randy chuckled, blushing just as much as he put an arm around Lex's shoulder.

"Get a room!" Howard joked, embarrassing the lovely couple even more.

"HOWARD!"

"Sup kiddos! I need to take you guys home." They all turned to find Mordea standing with a beach bag slung over her shoulder and a tiny smile on her face.

"Do you have to?!" Lex whined childishly.

"Yes I do. If Randy would like to remove his hand from my sister, we can get going. We don't need coming over and seeing this cutesy moment, do we?"

"We certainly don't!" Lex stood up hurriedly, looking at Randy apologetically.

"He likes you, Randy, but he isn't boy friendly."

"I understand. Kinda." Randy grinned, standing up with everyone else and heading to Mordea's sleek crimson car.

"So, you four ready to be sophomores? It's better than being freshman, but still not easy."

"Of course we are! We fight robots and monsters on a daily basis during the school year!"

"It's not the same, Lex. Classes increase in difficulty and people like Bashford know you better. I mean, c'mon. We all know Bucky's still doomed."

"He's such a jerk. Why are you dating that doofus again?"

"H-he's not as bad as you think. He can have sweet moments."

"Example?"

"Example…I stopped him from hanging Bucky on the flag post on the last day of school!"

"You do know he hung Julian up there instead, right?"

"…oops?"

"Mr. Bannister got him down, don't worry."

"Thanks goodness! Nothing happened other than that, right?"

"He didn't stank out, calm down. Trust me, the whole school would've known."

"True." They drove on in comfortable silence until they reached the suburbs.

"See you sophomores tomorrow!" Mordea waved as the boys all exited the car.

"See you, senior."

"Bye guys! I'll be seeing you in homeroom tomorrow morning!" Lex said before Mordea pulled into their own driveway. The sisters entered the house to see their dad sleeping peacefully on the couch, a broom from his cleaning that day still clutched in his hand.

"He must've been busy today." Lex observed, taking the broom and setting it in a closet.

"It's easier when no one's home. No one can mess up the perfection." Mordea chuckled, covering their dad with a blanket and kissing his forehead.

"We gotta let him sleep and you have to get to bed for sophomore year young lady!"

"But I'm not tired!"

"Upstairs, in the shower, then straight to bed!"

"Fine…" Lex followed Mordea's ordered before settling down and letting a sudden wave of drowsiness lull her to sleep.