POV: Alexandria Colbin
I made my way upstairs, taking careful steps to avoid stomping. My heart was racing after finding Erik in the kitchen, and hasn't managed to slow down, even after 45 minutes.
As I neared Spencer's room, I took a breath and let out some tics, so it was easier to suppress once I got in there. I knocked a few times, waited a second, then went in, where I huffed out a soft laugh at the state of the kid.
He was tangled up in at least three blankets and sheets, with his feet on his pillow and his head at the opposite end of the bed. One arm was draped over his forehead, and the other fell towards the floor, barely above the ground.
I stepped over to him and unwrapped a blanket or two.
"Hey, bud! It's time to wake up, can you do that for me?" I asked in my softest voice that wasn't a whisper.
He groaned and attempted to flip over, but I placed my hand on his shoulder before he could.
"C'mon, Spencer, you can do it." I tried again, attempting to keep the laugh out of my voice.
He opened one eye and looked at me, then closed it again. "'M asl'p still." He mumbled.
I let go of his shoulder and moved to grab his last blanket, then yanked it off of him.
"Noooo! Give it baaack!" He dragged out, sitting up in the bed. I watched him blink a few times and rub his eyes before glaring at me. "Le-ex!"
I simply smirked at him before dropping the blanket on his pillow and stepping closer to him. I carefully grabbed under his armpit and lifted, causing him to squeal.
"You've gotta get up, bud. It's almost lunchtime." I laughed as he stood up. He gripped my shirt once he was on his feet, and I mentally facepalmed, reminding myself that he'd be dizzy when he first stood up. "You want a piggy-back?" I offered.
"Yeah!" His face lit up and I knelt down, allowing him to jump onto my back while I held under his knees.
I stood up and made my way out of the room, switching to using one hand to support him while I knocked on Londyn's door.
I heard a faint "Come in!" and turned the doorknob.
As I gazed around the room, I saw Londyn laying on the carpet, playing with a Nintendo Switch™. She barely cast me a glance before sighing and pulling off her headphones.
"Hm?" She looked extremely bored and I had to remind myself to not scold her. She's not my sister, after all, so I can't treat her like it.
"It's time to eat, please come downstairs. Erik is *click* waiting for us." In the effort it took to not get mad at her attitude, I forgot to focus on suppressing until after I clicked.
"Uh, okay?" She slid her headphones back on, then looked at me one more time. "I'll be down in ten, let me finish my game."
I nodded, taking a breath as I turned away, and started back towards the stairs. I could faintly hear her saying "I've gotta go in like 10 minutes because my brother's girlfriend is being annoying, so let's finish up so I don't get grounded."
I rolled my eyes and started down the stairs, Spencer still digging his chin into my shoulder from his position on my back.
"The stairs are really bouncy." He commented.
I chuckled a little. "Yes, they are. Do you want me to make them even more bouncy?"
"Yes!" Spencer exclaimed, and he giggled as I over-exaggerated each step we went down.
I walked over to the couch, where Erik was still sitting, and plopped his brother down next to him. He looked at me for a second before turning to Spencer, a smile taking over his face, even though it looked a little forced.
"Hey, Spence! How're ya doing?" He asked enthusiastically.
"Good! I got a piggy-back ride on the stairs, but Londyn is being mean again, though." He bounced a little in his spot, and licked his lips a couple times, flicking his tongue in and out of his mouth like a snake.
I turned to Erik. "Bennett's gonna be here in like fifteen *whistle, click* minutes, so I'll set out the food and then grab Paige for you."
He nodded, and turned to tickle Spencer before he could complain.
×
"Is he okay?" Bennett asked me in the car, on our way home.
"Yeah. He has POTS, *click, head jerk* though, so that'll be a *click* struggle." I responded, resting my head back in the seat as I ticced again.
After a moment, Ben asked, "Are you okay?" Her gaze flicked to me and I sighed.
"I think so? I don't know. Londyn *whistle, click* thinks I'm Erik's girlfriend, even *click* though I've known him for not even a week."
Bennett nodded and pulled onto our street. "Yeah, that's gotta be uncomfy."
Soon enough, she parked the car, and I beelined for the shower. Church was in two hours, and I needed to get myself ready.
After my shower, I blow-dried my hair and pulled the top half back, securing it with a small claw-clip. I tapped some concealer under my eyes, and brushed some peach-colored blush across my cheeks and on my nose. My mom yelled for me to hurry up, so I added some waterproof mascara and threw on my clothes at lightning speed. I wore some light grey straight jeans and a coral-pink button-up shirt, tucking it into my waistband.
As I ran out the door, I grabbed my phone from the nightstand.
×
We pulled up to the church, and I let a grin take over my features as I saw Lainey hanging out out front, like she always does.
"Hey, Lex! How're you?" She called, jogging over and slinging her arm over my shoulder.
I laughed a little bit. "I'm tired, but good! Glad to finally *click* be here. You?"
"Y'know, I'm pretty good. I need'a read my Bible more, because I've totally been skimping on that, though."
"Ugh, same. I've been so *whistle, click* caught up in everything."
Lainey paused as we reached the sanctuary, sitting down at our usual spot in the back row. "What do you mean, 'everything'? What happened?"
My eyes widened, and I shot a glance at her. "Oh my gosh, I haven't told you anything." My head jerked, and I glanced at where the timer above the stage stated that we had just over three minutes until worship started.
I started ranting to her about everything that had happened, watching as her eyes grew wider and wider the more I spoke. Eventually, though, the worship team ran up onto the stage and started singing, so we paused our conversation.
"Remember those walls that we called sin and shame? They were like prisons that we couldn't escape. But He came, and He died, and He rose. Those walls are rubble now."
They continued singing the song This is Our God as we all sang along. The words and music washed over me, and peace rushed through my veins. This is what I needed this week.
"This is our God! This is who He is! He loves us! This is our God! This is what He does! He saves us!"
Y'all will not believe what I've been doing this past bit. Anyways, sorry for the long wait! Rest assured, I'm not abandoning this fic.
Love for almost 6K views!!! Never thought I'd get here!