KEEP CALM AND ROLL TIDE!

“Forever young?” He asked, knowing when to change the subject. “I dunno– I think m’ready to fully embrace the old man yells at cloud attitude. When I have kids I’ll remind ‘em about how I had to walk fifteen miles in the snow every day to go to work– nevermind the fact that it’s my actual job,” he joked. “No gray hair yet?” He asked with a raised eyebrow. “Jenny Washington was a savage,” he told his old friend with a wince. “Sounds like she was setting you up.” His lips turned into a full grimace as he tried not to imagine the scene. “Can’t judge you on that one– I’ve done stupid stuff to impress girls too at least. Not at the expense of my stomach lining of course.”

“Forever young. I like the sound of that.” If he could freeze time, he definitely would. At least until he was ready to actually grow up. “Really? Why would you yell at clouds?” He looked at the other man, confusion obvious on his face. “Like, all the clouds? You want to yell at them? Even...even the ones shaped like puppies?” Dick and Jacob lived totally different lives and had different ideas on what was fun. This being an obvious one. “You’re probably right. The nuclear wing challenge was part three of a five things I had to do to prove I was man enough. What’s the stupidest thing you’ve done for a girl?” 

“I still have a boatload of candy from lack of trick or treaters, which I know doesn’t sound like a real problem but it’s like temptation is sitting in my cupboard,” Davis said with a giggle. @frostfordstart​

“We should eat it,” he responded without hesitation. Dick was generally very good at not overindulging in candy or junk food. But October to December, those were all considered cheat days for him. There was no way he was going to resist Halloween candy, an extra slice of Thanksgiving pie or Christmas cookies. “We should just watch a bunch of movies and eat the candy. Get it out of the way now before you get anymore candy added to the pile.” 

“Oh, no. I just can’t get into it.” Eleanor shook her head. “It’s way too early for me. Christmas starts the day after Thanksgivin’ in my family. Christmas movies and music any time before just aint allowed.” @frostfordstart​

“Can you tell my mom that,” he asked, pulling on the neck of the scratchy, snow flake themed sweater his mother had told him to put on before he was able to make it out of the house that morning. “She already got down some of the decoration boxes from the attic and asked me if I’d help hang lights up over the weekend.” 

“Hm, excuse me but…” Bradley said approaching with a frown on his face. “What the hell are you doing?” He stopped walking as he still trying to figure out what was going on there. “Should I be worried?”  @frostfordstart​

“Walking lunges,” he answered as though it was a completely normal thing to say, slowly rising from the lunge position before taking a step forward. “I’m trying to squeeze in a quick exercise on my way back to work,” he added as a further explanation, positioning himself for another lunge before dropping down. “Why would you be worried?” 

Most people paid attention to the game, but when she came up, they listened to her since she was the one brining the beer. Lacey sighed slightly. “I’ll be back shortly then.” She nodded and headed to the next table, hoping they knew what they wanted.

He didn’t know why he needed more time, this was Bootleggers. He was in there every game day and got pretty much the same exact thing every time he was there. And of course, as she walked off, he couldn’t help but feel a little bad, as though he was inconveniencing her for not being ready. So, he forced himself to actually read the menu while he waited for her to come back so he could be ready. 

Lexa looked over at him just in time to see him and flexing and she couldn’t help the giggles that erupted past her lips as she shook her head. “Oh yeah, totally,” She drawled sarcastically as she held her small arms up and did the same with no real muscles to show for it. “I think I definitely stand a chance I mean these seem pretty comparable.” She teased, it wasn’t even close.

Continuing to hold his arm up, he moved closer to the blonde so that their arms were side by side. “Can barely tell the difference,” he teased. It wasn’t surprising to anyone that Dick was muscular. Physical fitness was always important to him, especially when he played football. And even though he no longer played, he still made it a point to work out a little every day. “C’mon, let’s get to rollin’,” he laughed, dropping his arm back down to his side as they headed toward the area designated for bowling. 

“You think my mother would be happy that I came home to be with them. Instead, I get like asked if I’m marrying and having kid soon, not in that order. I know it’s because they’re not getting any younger, but c’mon…” She groaned, “I hope the start of your day isn’t as awkward as mine?”

( @frostfordstart​ )

He let out a soft laugh and shook his head. His mother liked asking those kind of questions, especially whenever she sees or hears him speaking with a woman. “I want to make something crazy up to help you out but no. My morning has been pretty normal. But I’m sure that topic will be part of a main conversation at Thanksgiving this year.” 

Some of the girls at bootleggers hated the sunday football crowd, but it was something Lacey thrived in. She loved sports, and could talk with the best of them, sometimes earning her a good tip. She watched quickly as a field goal was kicked in, and walked to a table. “How ya’ll doing, need anything right now?” She asked them . @frostfordstart​

The game was on so obviously Dick was spending his day at Bootleggers. He had been planted in the same seat for quite some time, his eyes fixed on the television, hardly paying attention to any of his surroundings. So, when the waitress suddenly appeared, it caught him off guard. “Uh, sorry...what?” He stared at the woman for a moment before glancing down at the menu. “I think I need more time. Sorry.” 

It was easy to reminisce with someone like Dick. The conversations with the two of them were so easy and not in the mean way, there was no difficult conversations to be had with him, which might have been why they always found themselves wrapped up until they’d gotten entirely too distracted. “You ever miss it, man? I mean I wasn’t even that great at it and I kinda get nostalgic. Makes me feel kinda weird when I show up to watch all the games at the school, like I’m way too old to be there.” It was the main reason he participated in the alumni game in the first place. Dick, in particular, he figured would miss it. With a low whistle, Jacob laughed, shook his head. “You ever wanna see a grown man cry?” He asked. “Have you ever tried those wings? I dunno how those people on the wall do it. I can’t even smell them without my nose starting to run.”

Dick could talk sports all day long, which came as a surprise to absolutely no one in town. But talking about his own sports career could be a bit of a sore subject for the usually cheery man. He could’ve gone all the way, as people liked to remind him. “Yea, I miss it,” he answered with a bit of a sigh. “Whoa, no. If you’re too old than I am too old and I’m not ready to have old associated with me yet.” He definitely didn’t want to think about that just yet. Especially considering the fact that he was no closer to being married or having kids or moving out of his parent’s guest house. “Have I never had them? Do you remember Jenny Washington?” He asked but then continued without waiting for a response. “I asked her out in ninth grade and she said she only dates real men and that I needed to prove myself by eating the nuclear wings. And if you do remember Jenny Washington, you’ll remember....she stopped talking to me in the ninth grade. And that’s because I tried the challenge, got halfway through it and then threw up on her.” 

“In my defense,” she started and though she knew very well that anytime a sentence started with those words nothing good would come of it, she continued anyway. “I hadn’t seen the movie either, I just thought it was gonna be a little scary.” Hazel was not going to give up easily, grabbing Dick by the arm and linking hers through it. “I know,” and her lips widened in a smile that was all too affectionate for him. “What if tell you about all the scary stuff before we get to it?” She promised and this wasn’t the first time she’d offered this. “I helped my parents plan it out.”

As her arm wrapped around his, Dick knew there was no way he was going to get out of going through the haunted house. He could rarely say no to Hazel in the first place and as she gave him that sweet smile, he was really at a disadvantage. “Alright,” he sighed, deciding to give in. “But after that, can we pretty please go to the petting zoo?” 

Lexa knew that look well, it was the one most people got when they were trying to figure out if it was her or Lizzie. Thank the lord Dick seemed to get it because she would have totally knocked him upside the head for forgetting pumpkin bowling. Well, not really but she dramatic so it was a fun thought. “What’s half of 0, again?” Lexa said jokingly. “You’re on! Don’t go easy on me alright? I want to earn this win.” She said nudging him towards the pumpkin bowling station. “I may be at a slight disadvantage you’ve been working out a lot since were little.” She teased.

The confused look reappeared at her response as he actually attempted to do math in order to answer her question. He gave up before he could figure out the answer. “I won’t go easy,” he pretty much lied through his teeth. No way was he going to get overly competitive with Lexa. But he would at least pretend to be making an effort. “Just a little bit.” he joked along with her, lifting his arms up and flexing his muscles. “How’s your guns coming along?” 

He’d always had the sort of adaptive personality that seemed to adjust with who he was talking to. At least that’s what he liked to tell himself, because when it came to his friendship with Dick, he couldn’t help but be distracted as all hell. “You got more faith than I do,” he told him tossing the clinic’s mail on the counter and slinging his bag over his shoulder. Anyone else might have left. “I mean I know realistically we haven’t lost to them in years but this is kinda close isn’t it? Little too close for comfort for me.” Although he’d never been a serious player in high school like his friend had, he took the college game a bit too seriously. “I’m gonna take a page out of your book and think positively cause I’m gonna have to go watch the damn game at Bootlegger’s and I don’t need anyone in public seeing me that upset.”

Dick reached forward, grabbing the stack of mail that would need t be sorted and handed to the appropriate people within the office. One of the easier jobs he had to do throughout the day. “At the end of the day, faiths all you got, man.” He began shuffling the mail around, though not actually doing any sorting. He was too involved in the upcoming game to actually do real work. If things are being ran any way like when I was on the team, the coaches have back up plans on back up plans.” He always remembered his coach being cool under pressure and having the answer to anything. Then again, Dick was known to have a brighter recollection of moments than how things actually played out. Plus, in his mind, Bama could do nothing but win. “Get some nuclear wins so if you do get a little heated, you can pretend it’s just from them,” he suggested. 

Lexa spotted Dick amongst the crowds of fall festival and she made her way over to him. “Hey there Dick,” Lexa said with a grin. “You think I can kick your ass again at pumpkin bowling like I did when we were 12?” She left out the fact that he pretty much beat her every other year after that. Being athletic helped with that but it was fun to tease her old friend. 

@dickgrcy​

As the familiar voice called out to him, a smile grew on Dick’s face. Of course, the blonde could’ve been one of two people and he often confused Lexa and Lizzie with one another. But the moment she made a comment about pumpkin bowling, he knew exactly who he was talking to. “Uh, probably,” he answered with a laugh. In all honesty, there was a small chance he wouldn’t completely crush the girl. There were very few sports that Dick didn’t excel at. “Same bet as when we were kids; loser forfeits half of their Halloween candy?” 

It had taken some convincing considering the fact that she only worked on the farm during the holiday seasons but she’d managed a night off on the first day after promising to drive the hayride the next few days. Hazel had already grabbed them a few bags of popcorn and cups of cider and as soon as she spotted Dick she handed them to him quickly. “We’re going through the house this year, right? I promise I’ll tell you where everything is ahead of time. It’s not even scary.”

@dickgrcy​

Before he could even say hi, Dick was considering running into the corn maze and hiding from Hazel for the rest of the festival. He loved her, he did. But purposely going into a haunted house to get scared? No, he wasn’t a fan of that idea. “Hazel,” he whined. “You said that about that Cabin in the Woods movie. I thought it was about people going camping. It was not,” he reminded her. “And you know I don’t like being scared. It’s scary!”