A/N: Cute lil friendship chapter!

Sucking back on her water bottle as she walked beneath the bars, JJ opened her phone, expecting to peruse lightly through her phone notifications in the short break she had between drills.

What she wasn't expecting was a text from Lani. It wasn't the text itself that was surprising, although Lani texting her at nine on a Wednesday morning wasn't totally like her; they saved most of their conversations for the weekends when they were both free. No, it wasn't the text, but rather the content of the text.

clay and i broke up. two this morning. i hate myself.

Lani's texts could often be vague and strangely worded… but something about this one immediately didn't sit right with JJ. Lani and Clayton had been together since they were fifteen, and while JJ knew statistically, most high school relationships would end up fizzling out, especially when long distance became involved during college, she also knew just how much Lani adored Clay. They were goofy and sweet, and Clay was the calmer side to Lani's wild side, keeping her grounded and secure.

The last part of the text was also concerning at best. I hate myself? It was no stranger to any of their friends that Lani had been on anti-depressants since she was thirteen, but it was managed. She hadn't had a major issue in years. Would breaking up with Clay be enough to tip her over the edge again?

"Uh… Nick?"

"Yeah?"

JJ took a deep breath. "I… I think I need to go, I… one of my friends has just sent me a message and… I'm a little concerned"

Nick's face saddened. "Concerned how?"

"Well… I feel like I might be overreacting, but she's been on meds for like seven years, and she's just broken up unexpectedly with her boyfriend, and the message she sent me was… I don't know, it's not really sitting right with me"

"Go," Nick said gently. "Your friend is more important, ok? I also don't want you training distracted, that's a recipe for disaster"

"Are you sure?"

"Just go, JJ… friendships are more important than training," Nick pushed, gesturing towards the front door. "If you didn't go, and something happened to her… you'd never forgive yourself"

Taking a deep breath, JJ nodded, turning towards the lockers. "I'll text you and let you know when I'm coming in… she's in Philly, so if I have to go out and see her, I might be gone a couple of days"

"It's fine JJ. It's not going to hurt you. You need to make sure your friend is ok"

She knocked lightly on the door, ducking her head as a few girls passed her in the hall. It wasn't often that she was recognised in public, now that the Olympics were nearly two years behind her, but she didn't want to take the chance. Today, she was here for Lani.

A chat with her mom upon arriving home from the gym had led to her booking a ticket to Philadelphia. And now, on the evening of receiving that text, she was standing in front of Lani's dorm room door.

The door opened in front of her, revealing her best friend looking pale and tired. Her eyes were red from crying, and one of Clayton's old hoodies hung from her frame. Her eyes widened when she saw JJ standing in front of her, seconds before she burst into tears.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" she sobbed, stepping back as JJ came into the room and immediately wrapped her in a tight hug. "God, JJ, I don't fucking deserve you"

"You're hurting, and I felt like you needed someone… so I came," JJ said softly, the door clicking shut behind them as they stood in the middle of Lani's room. "I know you're Lani and you're tough as nails, but you don't have to hurt all by yourself"

Pulling back, Lani pressed her sweater covered fists against her eyes, her shoulders heaving as she tried to regain her composure. "I felt… I felt like it came out of nowhere, but at the same time, I should've seen it coming… we've been growing apart for ages… I don't know why I didn't just end it before we went to college"

"You love him, Lani. You really love and care about him… it's not stupid to hang on. What if it had just been a rough patch?"

Lani let out a watery breath, dropping into her desk chair as JJ walked over and began gently smoothing out the covers of her bed. "When did you get so relationship smart?"

JJ chuckled. "I've spent a long time listening to you"

While listening to Lani pour out her heart and soul, JJ had methodically made her way around the tiny dorm room, gathering up trash, straightening up Lani's things, picking up clothes, until the room seemed to breathe fresh air itself. She had then gone down the road to get a pizza for them to share, before the two of them had snuggled up side by side on the twin bed, Lani's tears now slowed as they nibbled on pizza and shared stories that made each other laugh.

"Jayje?" Lani said as she picked at the remaining crusts in the box. "Why… why did you come all the way out here?"

JJ looked up at her friend, giving her a smile and squeezing her hand. "Because… you're my friend. And I was worried about you"

"Yeah, but… I feel like you and I are kinda going down different paths lately. Which is totally fine, and normal after high school. I just… don't you have training?"

"My friends are always more important Lani. Without a doubt," JJ said softly, tossing a crust into the box as Lani smiled and tipped her head onto JJ's shoulder.

"Just so you know… if Will ever makes you feel this way… I'll hunt him down and string him up by his balls"

JJ laughed. "I don't doubt that for a second"

"I mean it though. I don't have any hard feelings towards Clay, because like I said… I kinda guessed it was coming. But with Will it would be different, and I've got your back. Not that I think he would ever do that to you because he's so stupidly in love," Lani said with a giggle. "You guys going ok?"

"Yeah," JJ said, a small smile crossing her face. "Really good"

"Good. You deserve to be happy"

Turning to look at Lani in the low light, JJ took her friend's hand again. "So do you Lani. You're gonna find someone who's the calm side to your wild side, just like Clay was. And I think you and Clay will always still be friends, because you both care about each other. But you're both gonna head down new paths and meet new people, and in time, this is gonna suck a lot less, because you're both gonna grow from it"

Lani sniffed, clearly holding back more tears. "Remember two years ago when you had no clue about all this?"

JJ chuckled. "Yeah…"

"I know we don't talk as much lately, but I love you Jayje. Thank you for coming out here… it means the world to me"