"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Spencer hissed at her roommate.
"Spence, you are wound WAY too tight. You need to let loose once in a while or you're going to explode."
Spencer didn't budge from her spot against the wall, arms crossed tightly against her chest. "I have an Econ midterm on Tuesday."
"Exactly. On Tuesday. It's Friday night! Besides, you know the material better than the professor."
Spencer scoffed in agreement. Maddy had a point. Besides, it could be interesting to observe what happens at these parties her roommate is always going on about. It could be like research. Maybe she'd write a sociology paper on it.
"Fine. But I'm only staying for an hour. I'm not missing my Tae Kwon Do class in the morning because I was out too late with these neanderthals."
Maddy rolled her eyes as a tall boy in a red polo shirt came over with three beer bottles in his hand. He handed one to his girlfriend and draped his arm around her shoulder while simultaneously tossing his head to get a lock of brown hair off of his brow. He extended the other arm to Spencer, who made no moves to accept the offering.
"It's unopened, just like you asked."
Spencer narrowed her eyes at the brawny brunette, but kept her arms crossed.
Spencer's roommate rolled her eyes, took the bottle from her boyfriend, and pressed it into Spencer's hand, forcing her to loosen her grip on her own torso. She stepped out from under her boyfriend's arm and met Spencer's challenging glare. "Just give it a shot. Tryto have fun." Maddy pivoted her body so she was standing next to her roommate and gestured out to the crowd. "And maybe they are neanderthals, but look at how much FUN they're having."
Spencer looked out at her classmates dancing and thrusting into each other and scrunched up her nose in disgust. Maddy sighed. "Fine. Just stand there then. We're going to go dance, try not to spontaneously combust before we get back." She flipped her bleach-blonde hair over her shoulder, grabbed her boyfriend by the hand and led him away, into the throng of people and out of sight. Spencer shifted her weight impatiently and scanned the room again. She saw a couple with their tongues down each other's throats get up off the couch and start stumbling over each other to head upstairs, so she made a beeline for the spot they had left vacant. If she had to stay in this cesspool all night, she might as well be comfortable. She squeezed through a group of girls whispering excitedly about someone who just walked through the door and made her way to the now-empty spot on the couch. She sank down into the seat as close to the armrest as she could to avoid getting too close to the couple next to her who were staring lustfully at each other, presumably talking, though Spencer doubted they could actually hear each other. The couch was so close to the speakers, she could feel every beat of the bass come up through the floor and vibrate her entire body. She shifted back on the couch until she was leaning against the back. She used her free hand to smooth the front of her navy blue blazer and matching skirt. She looked at the beer in her hand and shook her head.
Spencer looked around the room again, trying to see if she could spot her roommate. She saw two girls standing a few feet away from her staring and whispering to each other, so she followed their gaze. When she realized their eyes were shifting judgmentally from her outfit to her unopened beer bottle, she felt her body tense. She quickly twisted the top off and shot them a fierce look and swept her own intense eyes over their skimpy outfits. Realizing they'd been caught, the two quickly slithered away towards the door to the kitchen. Fuming, Spencer looked more determinedly for her roommate. She was leaving this party, even if she had to throw the small girl over her shoulder and remove her. But Spencer wasn't about to aimlessly shove her way through this crowd, she needed a plan of action, so she kept a hawk's eye on the party. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of blonde from the center of the room, where most of the dancing was taking place, and looked hopefully in that direction. What she saw instead was a sight that made her breath hitch.
There, in the center of the room, was a petite blonde who seemed to glow in the dim lights of the party. She stood out, not only because of her classic beauty, but also because of what she was wearing. Instead of the uniform of short skirts and skimpy tops Spencer had noticed on everyone else, this girl was wearing a simple sundress, pale yellow with little white flowers outlined in black. She had a black headband that held her short blonde hair out of her face as she spun and jumped to the beat of the music that filled the room.
Spencer absent-mindedly took a sip from her bottle, never taking her eyes off the beautiful stranger. Her eyes drifted downward and Spencer noticed that the girl wasn't wearing shoes. She danced on the balls of her feet, nimbly staying balanced as she continued to bounce and twirl. She was smiling, but not at anyone; her eyes were closed and her hands were above her, occasionally resting on her head, only to be raised again a moment later.
Spencer snapped out of her trance and looked around to see if anyone else was as enthralled by the dancing girl as she was. She saw a few people glance over at her curiously, others who followed her movements with their eyes as they walked past her, walking in a wide circle around her so as not to run into her. They all seemed to regard her as something to be wary of, someone unpredictable that they had to keep their eyes on. She seemed to demand their attention without actually having to demand anything at all. And Spencer, too, obliged, though she couldn't put her finger on why.
When the music transitioned from one song to another, the beat changing slightly, slowing a little, the girl opened her eyes. Spencer immediately looked away, taking another swig from her bottle, and pretended to resume her search for her roommate.
When she felt like enough time had passed, Spencer stole another glance at the blonde girl. To her surprise, the girl was looking right at her. Spencer found herself unable to unlock her eyes from the green-eyed stranger's, who was still moving and swaying to the music. Spencer felt her heart race as the girl made her way across the floor to the couch. She extended her hand to Spencer, a silent invitation. Spencer quickly downed the rest of her beer and placed it on the floor beside the couch before placing her hand in the stranger's and standing. She followed her back out to the center of the room.
While they walked, Spencer's eyes darted around the room, wary of the eyes that had been on the girl earlier, but when they reached the center of the room, the smaller girl spun and faced Spencer, letting go of her hand.
Her body swayed to the music and Spencer was entranced once again. Everyone else seemed to disappear. Suddenly she felt two hands rest gently on her hips. Spencer felt a jolt of electricity shoot through her body, intensified by the music that enveloped them.
Spencer let her hips follow the gentle direction to move with the other girl. Her skin was tingling and her heart racing as she draped her arms over the shoulders of her dance partner and pulled her a little closer. She leaned down and spoke into the girl's ear, "Spencer."
The girl popped up on her toes slightly, tightening the loose grip she had on Spencer's waist a little, "Quinn."
Quinn's voice was sweet, but sound of it sent another jolt through Spencer and she pulled her head back to meet Quinn's gaze. She saw her green eyes flicker down to her lips and a coy half-smile appeared on Spencer's face. Quinn, too, began to smile as Spencer closed the distance between them. Their lips met with equal parts passion and softness. The kiss was intense, but not sloppy. Spencer's hand rested on the back of Quinn's head as she deepened the kiss while Quinn's hands simultaneously pulled Spencer closer, pressing their bodies together.
They pulled apart as the song ended and Quinn smiled sweetly up at Spencer, who couldn't help but smile back. Her body was vibrating again, but this time it wasn't because of the music. She felt Quinn take one of her hands in her own and give it a gentle tug. "Follow me."
Not one to take orders from anyone, Spencer's natural instinct was to resist. But that initial feeling quickly passed and she found herself following Quinn into the stairwell. When they reached the top of the stairs, Spencer saw a door clearly marked as an emergency exit. "Quinn, I don't think we-"
Before she could finish her sentence, the blonde had pushed open the heavy door. Quinn giggled when she turned to see Spencer flinching in anticipation of the alarm that never sounded. "The boys disabled the alarm the first night they moved in here. I like to come up to the roof when the parties get to be too much."
Spencer followed Quinn out onto the rooftop, ignoring the voice in her head that was reciting all the reasons they could get written up if someone caught them. All thoughts of rules went out of her head as soon as she saw the velvet blue of the night sky, shimmering with stars. She heard another soft giggle and realized her jaw had dropped at the sight. She quickly pressed her lips together and went over to sit next to Quinn, who was already perched on the edge of the building, legs dangling.
"Why did you come here tonight?" Quinn asked, looking over at Spencer curiously.
"My roommate invited me."
"But why did you come?"
Spencer looked away from the blonde and back up into the sky. Why did she come? She had said 'no' to her roommate a hundred times before.
"I guess...I missed my friends."
She glanced over at Quinn, expecting an eye roll or a raised eyebrow, but instead she saw a sympathetic look and an almost imperceptible nod encouraging her to continue.
"I was in such a rush to get out of my hometown, I guess I didn't realize how...lonely it could be without the people who knew me. Who REALLY knew me."
"The people who already know all your secrets."
Spencer looked up at Quinn and met her understanding gaze. "Exactly."
Quinn reached out and placed her hand on top of Spencer's. "I understand."
Spencer looked into Quinn's eyes and saw compassion, kindness and a hint of pain in those sparkling green eyes. She hadn't met anyone since she left Rosewood that she truly connected with, and here was this beautiful stranger who seemed to be able to see into her soul. Overwhelmed, Spencer leaned in and kissed Quinn, who returned the kiss with equal fervor. When they ran out of air, they paused, foreheads pressed together, both girls smiling.
"I'm so glad my roommate talked me into this."
AN: I do not own Pretty Little Liars, Glee, or any of their magical characters. I know these characters were a little different than the show versions of themselves, but I figured I could be a little creative since we haven't met college!Quinn or college!Spencer yet. The title of this story is Look At You because the original inspiration of the story was Hanson's song with the same title, though the story eventually took a slightly different tone. Thanks for reading! :)