"You're all dressed up for our parenting class," Esme complimented Spencer as she entered the living room wearing a plain t-shirt with tight-fitted jeans. Spencer paused; he had forgotten about the class.
"Esme, I can't make it to that tonight. I double-booked myself, and I'm supposed to be meeting Trina." The smile on the brunette's face dropped, "Spencer, you promised. I already bought our tickets!! This is an annual class, so if we miss it, we'll have to wait until next year," She vented with a deep frown. "Esme, we always have the next class." Spencer combatted.
"Spencer, you can't miss one class and attend the next. The guidelines said that; I told you this already!" She raised her voice as her frustration grew. "This is for Ace! The baby brother you've been abandoning recently!"
"I have not been abandoning him!" Spencer's voice hardened at Esme as his anger built. "I've been doing my part; I have a life outside of Ace that I need to keep balanced. I'm not your 24/7 call dog!" He gritted out harshly as he tried keeping his volume leveled to avoid waking the baby.
Esme's jaw clenched as she nodded, "Fine, go watch fireworks or whatever your plans may be. I'll just not go; I booked this class for you to feel more comfortable taking care of Ace and for us to come to an understanding for your brother." She sneered as she turned around, walking back to her room.
"Wait," Spencer called out to her in a defeated manner. Esme paused her movements but kept her back turned to him, "It's just an hour, right? Let's go; I may be able to still make it to Trina after." Esme softly smiled to herself before turning to Spencer. "Thank you, the nanny should be here in a few."
Spencer collapsed on the couch with a deep frown. He pulled his phone from his pocket to call his girlfriend — he was hesitant and decided to text her instead. "Trina, I'm so sorry, something came up. I'm going to be an hour late,"
The doorbell rang as Esme returned with a now awake Ace. "That's the nanny!" She exclaimed with excitement. She opened the door for the lady and introduced her to Ace and vice versa before she and Spencer left for a silent drive to General Hospital.
*****
Trina sighed in disappointment as she read the text from Spencer after finishing her makeup. She continued getting dressed without responding to the male, deciding to drive herself to the metro court for the independence celebration.
—
"So, am I the third musketeer or wheel?" Trina joked as she approached the blonde duo. Josslyn smiled as she hugged her best friend, "Well, technically, it seems like I'm the third wheel on the date." Dex laughed as he looked at his attire which was different from the blonde and ebony. "It was my idea," Joss mumbled, "Where's Spencer?" she followed up.
Trina shrugs, earning a head tilt and confused expression from her friends.
"He isn't coming?" Joss asked again, "he said he'd be late, but I'm not holding my breath. I assume it's Ace-related," Trina informed; Joss sucked her teeth as she folded her arms — her confusion turned to annoyance. "Meaning it's Esme related," Joss instigated. Trina gestured to her friend, "We're not going there, not tonight." She grabbed onto Josslyn's hand, "Let's have fun," Trina smiled as she encouraged more positivity.
—
Spencer occasionally glanced down at his phone, waiting for Trina to reply to his texts. He felt an elbow nudge his arm; he looked at Esme — who sent him a glare. "Pay attention!" She snarled under her breath to keep the class undisturbed. Spencer rolled his eyes, releasing a dragged-out but subtle exhale.
