Walking further around the lake, Alex's curiosity bubbled.
They abruptly stopped at the foot of the surrounding woodland. The sounds of birds above and the rattle of bike chains were distant in it's density.
"Wanna be feral?" Stevie chuckled and turned to Alex was, yet again trying to swat away a fly. "Really?" Stevie rolled her eyes and grabbed Alex hand in a bundle in her right hand and flicked the fly away with her left.
"My hero" Alex dead paned and Stevie let go of her hands.
"So what do you say... should we go?" Stevie peered through the trees, it appealed her just to be surrounded by nature.
"How long will it take, I think I have to..."
"You want to go back?" Stevie rose her eyebrows and Alex almost slapped herself.
"No, let's go" Alex jogged onto the track and Stevie followed taking her time.
The sun shone in broken blades through the tree tops, lighting only a few patches of ground and leaving the rest in a dull shade.
The trunks towered over their tiny frames as they walked, it was easy to get lost in the feeling of being so small next to the trees.
The sound of brushing branches above made the trees creak and the sound of a wooden ocean washed over their heads.
Stevie smiled up at this rarely trodden land.
"Do you know where we're going?"
"Nope" Stevie hummed her words and felt the damp undergrowth tickle her bare ankles, as if it were playing a game.
"So we're just walking aimlessly?"
"Pretty much" Stevie looked at Alex's stubborn hunch as she walked.
She had to do something about her.
"Come on, I'll race you" Stevie jogged over to her and nudged her shoulder.
"What? Uh, it's a kids game!" Alex still kept her pace and Stevie jogged backwards so she was able to face the girl in her protest.
"You really need to lighten up"
"And you really need to quit it" Alex huffed and looked away.
Stevie still jogged backwards, every so often glancing over her shoulder to see if anything lay in her path.
"Quit what?"
"Being" Alex motioned at her. "You"
"Stop being me?"
"Yeah, it'd make my life a whole lot easier"
Stevie shrugged, not as affected as she'd thought she'd be with the girls words.
"Fine" Stevie stopped jogging and stood with her arms crossed. "I'll just be like you then"
"That's childish... do you know how childish you actually are?"
"That's childish, do you know how..."
"Stop it"
"Stop it"
Stevie had taken on Alex's posture and walked by her side, mimicking every tiny movement.
They walked in silence for five minuets before Alex tried to make her stop again.
"Okay, that's really annoying"
"Okay, that's really annoying"
"God damn it!"
"God dam it!" Stevie gave a charming grin and Alex halted in her tracks.
"Just stop" she spoke bluntly.
"Just stop"
Alex shoved her, but realised the mistake and yelped when Stevie shoved her back.
Stevie chuckled and Alex stormed off in front. Stevie rolled her eyes and followed in for pursuit.
Alex heard the crack of broken branches and the thuds of well balanced feet in the earth behind her.
"Stevie just stop" Alex turned around, neither girl really took notice of each other and landed with a tumble of limbs into the soil.
Stevie landed atop of Alex, their faces flushed with the shock.
Alex felt a tiny smile creep on her lips and Stevie's hands were instinctively clamped on her hips.
"I'd love to say here and chat... but my legs are gonna go numb" Alex smirked and Stevie rolled off her.
"Well that was fun" Stevie got up and brushed the dirt and leaves off her clothes.
Alex did the same and giggled.
"What?" Stevie furrowed her brow.
"You've got dirt on your nose"
Stevie went cross eyed in hopes she'd be able to spot the offending smudge of soil.
Alex approached and wiped it off with the tiny scrub of her index finger.
Stevie pouted at the action.
They both stood looking at each other, wondering, waiting what either one of them would do.
"You better... walk" Stevie gulped and glanced over Alex's shoulder.
"Oh! Yeah, walking..." Alex turned and headed off down the track. Stevie ran a hand through her hair.
"You're going the wrong way" Stevie motioned with her thumb in the other direction.
"But that's going back... I want to look around some more!" Alex protested and upon Stevie's grin, knew she'd said the right thing.
"Just, try not to kill me" Stevie chuckled and quickened her pace to join Alex by her side.
"You knocked me over" the raven haired girl huffed.
"You didn't see me!"
"Oh I saw you, you just didn't see me"
Stevie chuckled at Alex's protest.
"You saw me?"
"Not like that Stevie!" Alex nudged her, an action only friends really shared.
Was Stevie becoming her friend?
No, she couldn't let it happen.
"Ha, you soooo love me" Stevie skipped backwards and turned to break into a steady run.
"Wait, where are you going?" Alex stopped in her tracks.
"You're it you ass hole!" Stevie laughed and Alex rolled her eyes.
She might as well pass the time somehow.
Alex ran after her, keeping a close eye on the sprinting girl ahead of her.
Alex pushed herself to tun faster, the strike pattern hit the track with crunching leaves and the overhead singing of birds.
"Stevie!" Alex shouted after her, her voice echoed around the woodland, a few birds flew from the branches and Stevie calmed her sprint into a jog.
"Where are you going?" Alex panted, catching up.
"To the other side of the lake" Stevie waited up for her.
"Why?"
"So I can pretend to be a fish" Stevie rolled her eyes. "I'm gonna swim"
"But..."
"But, it's hot and I've just ran half way through this place, I need to cool down..."
"Race you then" Alex challenged, she could just see the shimmer of the waters edge in the distance between the trees.
"You're on Russo"
Both girls started off down the rest of the track, shouting at each other during their race.
