Always Us

heavy mind

"Run it again," Spencer growled as he sent the football spiraling back at his best friend and quarterback.

Jordan caught the ball. But instead of following his friend's order, he let his arm drop. "How much longer are we gonna be here?"

"Until I stop fucking up my routes," Spencer clenched and released his fist, itching for Jordan to stop asking questions and get back to throwing.

The quarterback ignored his friend's clear agitation. "It's okay to have an off day. Or in your case, an off week... but we can't keep doing this every day. Practice ended two hours ago, man."

"Throw the ball, Jordan."

"No, I'm out," shaking his head, Jordan spiked the ball at the grass, "I still got work to do and a little something called dinner to get to."

With no one left to assist in his drills, the brooding football player had no option but to collect the scattered footballs and follow after his friend.

"Now what did that bag do to you?" Jordan arched an eyebrow at Spencer. The zipper of his duffle bag had taken over as his new emotional outlet.

"I just got a lot going on," Spencer sighed, letting go of the zipper and finally bringing his anger down a notch.

"Why don't you just call my sister," Jordan suggested, knowing that his twin was the only person who could calm him down on days like this.

"They having girl's night," Spencer explained as he threw the bag over his shoulder and stalked towards the exit. "And anyways, I got some work to catch up on, too."

"It's okay to take breaks," Jordan offered, but he was met with silence.

As he followed the wide receiver out, Jordan did what any friend would do in this situation; he pulled out his phone and sent a much needed text.

_____

At the Baker house, the ex-roommates crowded around the kitchen island as Patience and Coop showed off the latest TikTok dance that the singer had forced her girlfriend to learn. Hips were shaking, and Olivia was doubling down in laughter when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

Once the hoots and hollers had died down, she reached back to check who had messaged her. It was Jordan.

Spencer needs you.

Her smile quickly faltered, and she immediately headed for the stairs, head down as she texted her brother back, without any explanation to her friends.

In her room, she headed straight for her closet and pulled out her emergency overnight bag. On nights like this, the last thing she wanted to be doing was packing, so she always kept it ready. Before heading out, she took a detour and grabbed a few extra items from the bathroom.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Coop called out when she reached the bottom of the steps, but before she could sneak out undetected.

"Um, yeah. I'm just going to go to Spencer's for the night."

"What is he more fun than us?" Patience feigned offense, and Layla playfully rolled her eyes.

"No, um, something came up," Olivia explained, her hand already on the door handle, ready to go.

Sensing the seriousness in her tone, Coop laid back on the teasing. "Aight bet, let us know if you need anything."

"I'm good, but thank you." And with that, she was out the door.

_____

For his junior year of college, Spencer had decided to rent a one bedroom apartment near campus in lieu of rooming with Jordan. He enjoyed the space to himself, and on most nights, Olivia joined him for dinner and to spend the night. After years of sharing close quarters with family and friends, they both appreciated the privacy.