Clockwork

thirteen.

POV: Alexandria Colbin

I climbed into the passenger seat of Erik's car after the soccer game, smiling as he clipped his sister into the backseat. Spencer sat in the middle seat, and Londyn was behind me.

"So, it was nice to meet you guys! I'm *click* Lex." I started.

As Londyn mumbled a 'hi' and Spencer started rambling, I noticed Erik's eyebrow furrow, then snap upwards, then furrow again.

He looked at me confusedly, then mouthed, 'Lex'. He then shook his head, letting out a breath, and climbed into the car. "Alright, so L- uh- Lex is going to come to our house for a bit, to help me with my homework. You guys can be in your rooms, you can play, whatever, just don't fight, yeah?"

"Okay! Do I have to shower, or can I just do that later? 'Cause, I mean, I'm not sweaty or anything, but I dunno, maybe I smell bad. I can't tell, but Londyn always-" Spencer rambled again.

"You'll shower after Lex leaves." Erik cut him off. "Londyn, you don't need to do homework just yet, wait for me to be available to help you."

"Okay." She mumbled.

I smiled, then jerked my head. I could hear it pop a little from the sudden movement, and cringed.

Although it was gone quickly, I did not miss the worried glance that Erik sent me before driving off.

×

Wow, his house was big. I did not remember it being this huge when I came over last time! Erik quickly undid his seatbelt and got out, starting to take off Paige's buckles as well. Londyn climbed out of the car and trudged up the stairs, and not too long after, I heard a door slam.

Spencer, however, just hugged me, with no warning. I was taken by surprise and ticced multiple times in a row before hugging him back. "You good, bud?" I asked.

He nodded enthusiastically. "Yep! I just wanted to see if you have good hugs."

I laughed. "Well, what's your *whistle* conclusion?"

Spencer let go of me and backed up a few steps. "Hmm." He placed a hand on his chin, pretending to think. "Pretty good. I give it... nine out of ten, because you took a couple seconds to hug me back."

Ruffling his sweaty hair, I smiled. "Well, you caught me off guard! If I know it's coming, it'll *click, click* definitely be a ten out of ten."

"Well the most important life skill is being able to hug properly under pressure. You never know when someone might need it!" He bounced a little on his feet as he said this, and grinned at me.

"Hmm. In that *click* case, I think I need hugging lessons. Do you know any te- *whistle* sorry, teachers?"

"No... But I can teach you!"

"In that case, we'd better head inside, instead of hanging out in the garage the whole day. But Lexi- uh, Lex has stuff to do right now, and that includes me and my D in Spanish. Go ahead and go upstairs for now, Spence." Erik cut in, cradling Paige carefully.

The kid bolted inside, and I laughed before following Erik in. I sat down next to him as he laid Paige in her electric baby-rocker, then pulled his backpack out of nowhere. "You good to start?" He asked, and I nodded.