¶ Whenever You're Ready ¶

Beyond The Game

"You and Jordan are better than this." Patience sniffled, as she and Spencer sat at Coop's bedside. "A piece of metal isn't worth losing throwing a friendship away."

"It's not about the state trophy or the game," Spencer grunted, not wanting to get into this discussion at Coop's side.

"Look at where we are at, Spence." Patience demanded angrily, "Look at where we are, and tell me you and Jordan ain't beefing because of some petty ass drama."

Spencer's head hung low, unable to observe his surrounding.

"We almost lost Coop." Patience cried softly. "My heart was almost ripped from under me in a matter of hours, Spencer. Life is too short for bullshit like what going on between you the guys."

"Don't worry about none of that," Spencer advised calmly. "I'm going take care of all that later."

"Take care of it now, Spencer." Patience argued, staring at Coop's heart monitor. "You never when you might lose the chance."
----------++---++---------------

Chances came and went for the people of Crenshaw and Beverly.

From Coop's shooting to Asher's ruined football future. His story was also becoming a life lesson for his friends.

"It was the steroids, man." Asher voiced to Jordan.

"I thought it was hereditary," Jordan recalled from the first night Asher disclosed his condition.

"No one in my family has even had it." Asher sighed heavily, "The doctors my dad consulted all said the same thing. It was the drugs."

"But you weren't on steroids for that long." Jordan rationalized, as he and Asher crashed on the sofa.

"The amount of time doesn't matter," Asher explained with his head hung low, "All it takes is one bad reaction, and it's game over."

"Damn." Jordan sighed, shaking his head in disbelief of the conflict. "That could've been me, man." He thought aloud, seeing a different reality had his early training with Spencer went wrong. Dragging out a long groan, Jordan stressfully dragged his hand across his face. "What the hell was I thinking?"

"All the mess we put ourselves through. For a state title only to gave loss in the end." Asher grimaced, thinking back to the night of the state championship. "Don't get me wrong, Jay. I love football and I'm gonna miss playing, but I can't believe how much we risked for it."

"Our lives, man." Jordan moaned in agreement. "Our friendships."

"Everything....all for a game," Asher concluded, reaching a light in the cave of his darkness. "After talking to my mom and Vanessa, a part of me is excited to see what is out there for me beyond just a game." He eyed his close friend carefully. "It might not be so bad for all of us to see beyond the game."

Jordan nodded, deciding there are he too wasn't willing to lose over a game.
----++++------------++-----

"How's Coop?" Liv asked over the phone, finally able to reach Spencer after days of radio silence.

"She's getting better," Spencer informed his girlfriend lightly. "Maybe you could drop by with me next time."

"Yeah, maybe." Olivia agreed half-heartedly. "Maybe Jordan could join in. I know they aren't close, but he wants to be there."

"I ain't stopping him." Spencer lumped his shoulders from his end of the conversation. "Not for seeing Coop, or anybody else in Crenshaw."

"Not even yourself?" Olivia questioned, ready for their rift to end.

"He knows where I live. He has my number. If Jordan had something to say, he would tell me." Spencer summed up, unsure why he should be the one compromise on a reconciliation.

"We are honest with each other, right?" Liv asked, wanting to deliver a piece of truth to her boyfriend.

"Always," Spencer assured.

"Good, then I think I should be honest and say both of you are acting like asshats," Olivia grumbled. "Coop is in the hospital and instead of rallying together you guys are bitching over who sold out who."

"Jordan is wrong for starting the fight, to begin with," Spencer concluded, unwilling the shift the blame onto himself.

"Yeah, he is. And I told him that he is a hypothetical ass for fighting you after everything you've done to help him." Olivia agreed. "But that doesn't make you coaching him while he was recovering from his concussion any less right."

"Liv, he would've trained with or without me," Spencer added hastily.

"And you could've blasted to our dad or coach Montez." Olivia shrugged. "Both of you had bad judgments calls and both of you could've done better. So why bother acting otherwise?"

"So you want me to apologize." Spencer moped.

"I don't give a damn who apologizes first or second. That's up to you two." Liv stated passively. "All I want is for you to stop acting like asses, and move on. There are so many more important things going on."

"I'll think about it." Spencer sighed from his line.

"You will so more than just think about it, Spencer." Liv lectured as a concerned girlfriend. "Do it."