"Spence." Hanna Marin called her friend but no answer "Spencer!" The blonde called again in a louder tone to get the attention of the girl who was glazed outside the window.
"Hi?" Spencer murmured without looking at her.
"So it's true that Melissa is pregnant?" Hanna was lying in bed curious to hear the news, but talking to Spencer at that moment seemed out of the question.
"That's what I heard." She was more interested in seeing the house on the other side of the street, more precisely someone across the street.
"Oh." Hanna appeared on Spencer's side, finally understanding what was holding her attention "He's handsome. Very much." Hanna confessed.
"Yes." Spencer agreed.
Toby Cavanaugh was in front of the house where he had moved a few weeks ago, was washing his motorcycle, one of the only belongings he brought with him. Her father remarried, and the new family decided that Rosewood would be the perfect city to live in. He had several doubts about that. Everyone there seemed to look crooked, and the news that he had spent a year in reform school had spread like viruses.
He did not want to explain that it was all a mistake, and no one wanted to know his version of the facts either, so why would he waste his time.
Something in the front house caught his attention, he saw when two figures in the window disappeared quickly, but not without distinguishing one of them. The girl who lived in the big front house. The daughter of the senator and the lawyer. Toby had seen her a few times, from the distance, Spencer seemed out of tune with her family, he had noticed that.
He noticed, too, her beautiful brown hair and the way she moved. She noticed the hard look, the sad expression, but it was not his problem anyway. He decided his bike was already clean enough the way he wanted and then went inside the house to take a shower, after this he would ride on his bike and go without knowing exactly where, he had many things to think about.
Spencer still felt her heart beat hard and fast when she left for school a few minutes later, Hanna laughed at the panic-stricken face her friend had.
"We were looking outside the window, that's all. You don't need to worry about this" Hanna said as she entered the passenger side of Spencer's car. "Emily just texted me, she needs a ride."
"Right." The brunette replied, forgetting her new neighbor, and beginning to think about the many homework she would need to do that week. She who had always been good at math was struggling with trigonometry and still had a super-important French test.
"Are we going to Noel's birthday on Friday?" Hanna asked.
"If you all are..." Spencer shrugged. "I think it might be cool."
"Of course it's going to be fun, Spence." Hanna rolled her eyes. "He may not be a good guy, but all the parties at his house are epic."
Spencer stopped in front of the Emily Fields house, her other best friend. Spencer, Hanna and Emily along with Aria and Alison were inseparable, they are friends for many years, grew up together and it was funny how Spencer still felt alone even surrounded by them.
"Sorry for making you change your path, Spence. Ali couldn't come to pick me up today. "
"No problem, Em." The three of them headed to Rosewood High, where Ali and Aria were already waiting for them. The day was tiring for Spencer, she did not remember signing up for so many classes, much less attending all those clubs that even included theater and spelling.
"I don't know how you can do all this," Aria said as she sat down at the breakfast table at lunchtime.
"Melissa could do it," Alison teased, getting an ugly face from Spencer.
"Ali!" Emily scolded her girlfriend.
"But she's right." Spencer snorted. "Melissa could do all of this AND." she emphasized the conjunction 'and' - "Have active social life. Which mine is totally non-existent."
"Speaking of social life," Hanna interrupted. "Shall we go to Noel's party on Friday?"
"Absolutely!" - Alison was the first to confirm, followed by them all until arriving at Spencer who was the last to do it.
"Spence, can you be the driver of the round?" Aria asked, hugging her friend aside.
"I always am, I don't trust none of you anyway, I prefer it myself." Spencer smiled giving a quick kiss to the top of Aria's head - "I have to go, see you later girls."
It was 4:00 p.m. when Spencer finally got to the outside of Rosewood High ready to finally go home, she was carrying a pile of books because not even at home she has free time. Her car was practically the only one still there. The drive to her house was not so long, especially when she cut down a less busy street, and that's exactly what she did it.
In the middle of the way her car stopped and hung up.
"Damn." - Spencer tried to start again, but this time he did not even work - "What the fuck!" - She got out of the car and went over to the front of it opening the hood, hoping the answer to the problem would appear in her sight. Spencer knew a lot of things in this life, he even knew how to make a Flan or a costume identical to the execution of Mary, the Queen of Scots, but when it comes to cars? Oh, that she didn't knew.
A sound of a motorcycle approaching caught her attention, and her heart raced as she realized who it was.
"Need some help?" Toby parked the motorcycle and stepped down from Spencer's side.
"My car stopped, I do not know what happened." The girl spoke a little shy, she was not comfortable telling others that there was something she could not do.
"Let me have a look." Toby examined for a few minutes. "Try to start the car," he ordered, and Spencer did.
"The panel is working," Spencer said confused.
"It's the battery." He closed the hood and she got out of the car, facing her. "It's good to call the winch." Toby heard Spencer sigh, the girl in front of him looked incredibly fragile, but he knew she was not - "Are you okay?"
"I think I'm going to get the flu," Spencer said as she waited to someone to answer her call, as soon as they answered she told them the problem and the address where the car was and turned off . "They said they'll be here in twenty minutes."
"I'll wait with you. I'm Toby. Toby Cavanaugh by the way," He said a little sheepishly. They both knew the name of each other, but they never we introduced formally, so he thought it would be valid at that moment.
"Spence," She smiled. "Spencer Hastings."
"After I can give you a ride home, I'm algo going there."
"On the motorcycle?" Spencer's eyes widened in a terrified expression and Toby laughed.
"Are you afraid?" He teased.
"No!" Spencer replied quickly, then paused to think, "Well, maybe a little."
"You can hold on to me, I will not let you fall." Toby leaned closer to her, he could smell the incredible scent emanating from her and to her astonishment. She took that phrase quite seriously. She knew he wouldn't let her fall.
"Thank you," she murmured, not quite sure what to say. "I'll get my stuff from the car." Spencer shifted the subject to safer terrain. She started taking her belongings out of the car, having a hard time carrying all the books inside, one of them fell to the ground, and before Spencer could pick it up, Toby did.
"L'attrape-coeurs." - He read the title in a lousy french - "The heart catcher?" - Toby asked a little surprised and Spencer smiled.
"It's catcher in the rye. I guess there's no literal translation." He helped save the things Spencer considered important in the small compartment of his motorcycle since it did not fit everything in her bag.
"I always wanted to learn french, I find it a fascinating language." – 'As you' he wanted to add.
"One day I can teach you ... if you want." Spencer said shyly, the idea of spending more time with him is very tempting.
The tow truck arrived a few minutes later, not long in the spot, Spencer signed some papers and the mister promised that her car would be ready on friday morning.
"Ready?" Toby asked, handing her the extra helmet and getting on the bike. Spencer looked suspiciously, she'd never ridden a motorcycle in her life, she might even hear the voice of her parents berating her for it. She pushed that thought away, then put on her helmet and climbed onto the rump.
"Ready."
"Hold tight in my jacket." Toby instructed and Spencer obeyed a little awkwardly because of the contact between their bodies, but as soon as he pulled away she hugged him and closed her eyes tightly. Toby could not explain, but having that girl on the rump of his motorcycle, hugging him that way, was the closest to happiness he'd felt in years. "Open your eyes," Toby shouted over his shoulder because even without looking, he imagined she had them closed.
Spencer opened first one, and then the other one, the feeling she had was as if she was flying, she had something extremely comfortable and familiar inside her.
The ride ended too early for them, after a few minutes they arrived in front of her house, having to separate.
"Thank you." Spencer took off his helmet and returned it to him as Toby took the things from her that were stored away.
"Anytime you need it." He smiled, did that much close to her, Toby realized. Spencer waved before entering his house and he walked over to his.
"What does that mean, Spencer?" Peter Hastings was sitting on the living room sofa, waiting for her, his hand on his chin showing that he had something to rebuke her.
"Dad. I didn't know you were back already." She tried to change the subject. She knew well what her father wanted to talk about.
"I came back today. Now you can explain to me what you were doing on that offender's motorcycle." Peter uttered the sentence with all the disgust he felt, it was all he needed, his daughter making friends with Toby Cavanaugh.
"My car stopped in the middle of the street, he was just passing by and gave me a ride. Just that." Spencer rolled her eyes, her father was never present and when he was only treated her like that, with disdain and even with a touch of contempt. She had given up trying to make him proud of her, she would never succeed anyway. It was as if Peter and Veronica had only one daughter, and that was not her.
"I do not want to see you with this boy again. We're going to have dinner at home tonight, her sister comes from Philadelphia with Ian and some of my workmates too, I want you here." Peter closed the conversation and left a static Spencer in the middle of the room, she simply hated that kind of occasion, her parents would only want to show her as a trophy and to complete her nightmare Melissa would come too.
For the rest of the day Spencer spent in her room reading and taking notes, spoke quickly to Emily on the phone, and then returned to study. She only noticed the time when her mother knocked on her door.
"Are you not ready yet?" Spencer felt his mother's reproachful tone.
"I got lost in time." The girl got up quickly. "Thirty minutes and I'll go down."
"Thirty minutes," Veronica agreed, but not without casting a icy glance at her daughter's direction. Spencer snorted and suppressed the urge to cry, she was no longer struggling with that house, that family.
As agreed, thirty minutes later Spencer was coming down the stairs to the living room, the place was full of people wearing suit and well-dressed women, some people Spencer recognized, but most of them she'd never seen before.
"Here's my daughter, Spencer." She tried to smile, but it came out more like a grimace, several people greeted her, making Spencer wanted to escape to her room, but she remained there, in perfect position. She was a Hastings after all.
Spencer did her best overnight, the climax was when Melissa confirmed that she was pregnant, sealing the news with a passionate kiss on her husband Ian, which made the younger sister roll her eyes. Dinner was delicious, her mother always knew and liked cooking, but she never had time for it. Spencer talked to a few important people who made her some internship proposals, which would certainly be great for getting into an Ivy League college.
The event still happened when Spencer warned his mother that he was not feeling well and that he would go to the bedroom to lie down. The first thing she did upon arriving in the room was to look outsid the window, hoping to find him, but Toby wasn't there. The sadness that she felt surprised her, she had seen him this afternoon and was already wanting to see him again, for God's sake! This feeling frightened her, or better, completely terrified her, so she closed the curtain quickly and sighed loudly trying to push Toby out of her mind.
Toby had just had an ugly fight with his half sister. Jenna was a real snake when she wanted to be, except when she was in front of her parents when she always was the defenseless blind.
The accident that had blinded Jenna had taken place a few months after his father married her mother, before they moved to Rosewood, and it was caused by fireworks, no one knew who caused it, but it was Toby who paid the price. Since then Jenna had been treated with the minimum of pampering and caring, she became a very bad person, more than she was before losing her sight.
Toby decided to leave the house, go to the high point of the city, near the exit. Since he had discovered the spot had become his comfort zone where he could just sit and watch the small and scary Rosewood from above.
It was having a party in the front house at Spencer's. He automatically stared at the window he assumed was from her bedroom since it was where Toby saw her watching him this morning and realized the light was on. An idea occurred to him, maybe Spencer would like to join him.
He approached the side of the house, not wanting her family to see him there, Toby took the first stone he found, threw it in the window, and waited.
Spencer didn't show up.
He threw it another and then another.
Maybe she just was not there.
Toby was almost giving up when the window opened and the girl who had not left his mind since the meeting that happened in the afternoon appeared in his vision, but his memory was not up to her. Spencer Hastings was beautiful. Very much.
"Hey. What are you doing here?" She smiled when she saw who it was.
"Do you want to go for a ride?" Toby nodded. The thought of her clinging to him while riding a motorbike, and the thought of spending time with Spencer made him happy.
"Where?"
"Surprise." He teased her. Spencer closed the curtain and a few minutes later appeared beside him.
"It's all right. I trust you." She smiled. Her night had improved considerably and she was happy to be with him.
Toby helped her up the rump the same way she had in the afternoon, and likewise Spencer clung to his jacket. They both felt complete.
Ten minutes later they reached Toby's favorite spot.
"I've lived in Rosewood my entire life and never stopped here." Spencer commented in surprised tone. The sight was really beautiful, Rosewood looked small and not scary at all.
"I like to come here. It gives me a sense of freedom. Even if it's only for a few minutes. " Toby walked over to the sign 'you're leaving Rosewood' "I like to think that someday I'll leave here."
"You could just keep going. If that's what you wanted." She was leaning against the bike with her arms crossed, watching him.
"I don't like running. I've done too much of it."
He approached where she was standing, facing her just a few steps away - "Besides that, I now have reasons to stay." - Spencer looked down, embarrassed, she was not sure if he was talking about her or what he meant.
"I've never seen you in school." Spencer changed the subject. "You will go back to school?"
"No. I had classes with a carpenter, I think I'm going to look for a job. I'm good at it, Spencer. The school is just not for me."
"You have to do what makes you happy."
"Is that what you do? You do what makes you happy? "Toby threw the question at her. Spencer was silent for a few seconds, she had never realized how his eyes were so blue, she could almost get lost in it. Then her gaze fell on Toby's lips, they looked too tasty for her own good.
"It's late," Spencer grunted. "I need to get up early tomorrow," Toby agreed, he could not stay out of the house for so long, his father would get upset and he could not stand another fight.
On the way home, Toby did not run as much as usual, he wanted to delay the moment to say goodbye. When the moment of separation was inevitable, they both had a sad smile on their faces. Spencer was about to enter the house when she turned back to him.
"Friday will have this party, at Noel Kahn's house, you could go..." For Spencer his presence would make everything lighter.
"I don't know if it would be a good idea, I don't know anyone but you." - Toby wanted to spend more time with her, he might even think twice about going to that party if that was what it took to be in her company. But he had a better idea. "Why I don't meet you there and we can do something together? We can and get something to eat."
"I'm the driver of the round." Spencer whined.
"We can leave and come back before the party is over," he suggested.
"Okay. It's all arranged then." Spencer went to him and laid a quick kiss on Toby's cheek, after she ran back to her house, leaving him with a silly grin on his face.
The rest of the week flew by, Spencer was - as always -, full of things to do and having to split herself into a thousand to be successful. Her father had not traveled until the day before, which meant she had no contact with the boy in the front house, and being totally honest, she was counting the minutes to see him tonight.
She spent all day dreaming awake and wondering how it would be when she could be near him again, even her friends were surprised by Spencer's happiness, but do you want to know? She didn't care. She was happy, yes she was, and there was nothing she could do about it.
Early in the evening Spencer stood in front of her mirror, changing clothes for the third time. She had never done this before, she had other boyfriends before, but never cared what they would think of her, or if they thought that she is beautiful. Toby was different, Toby made her feel different.
When she finally got to the look that made her totally satisfied, she sent a sms to Hanna, Aria, Emily and Alison warning that she was coming, and soon they all arrived at Noel Kahn's house. Noel was one of the most popular boys at Rosewood High and his parties were known to be the best.
Em and Ali went to the photo booth that was in a corner. Hanna met Caleb, her boyfriend, and disappeared. Aria and Spencer were left alone for a moment until Aria left to speak on her cell phone.
Great. Spencer thought when she was alone, it was good that soon she would have company because she was not going to spend the whole party in one corner.
Her cell phone rang and a big smile appeared on his face.
Spence, I'm coming. :)
Okay.
She looked around and no sign of the girls, they were all too busy to pay attention to her, Spencer ran up the street and there he was leaning against his motorcycle waiting for her. Toby's face lit up as he saw her running toward him.
"Hi."
"Hey. You look beautiful." Toby could not help himself. She always looked beautiful, but at that moment she looked simply wonderful.
"Thank you." Spencer smiled, looking down at the floor. She was always so adult, independent, blushed like a little girl in love for the first time. Spencer kicked herself mentally, forcing her brain to reason. "So ... let's go?"
The night was more beautiful than the other time they were there, the sky was starry and the moon illuminated everything. Toby spread a rug on the floor so they could sit down and pulled a bag of sandwiches and other things to eat and drink from inside his motorcycle compartment.
"Wow." Spencer joined him a few seconds later, sitting next to him. "Did you do it all by yourself?"
"I did. Do you like it? "- he asked smiling. Toby wanted to please her, Spencer was special.
"Yes, very good. You're a great chef," she replied after taking a bite of her sandwich "some other secret talent I need to know, Cavanaugh?"
"Some others, you may know them later, Hastings." Toby tried to leave his voice to playful, but his gaze said something else, he was interested in the beautiful girl with bug, sad brown eyes in front of him. This time Spencer did not run away, on the contrary, the girl matched the look in the same way. - "Tell me about yourself."
"What do you want me to say?" She smiled.
"I don't know." Toby shrugged. "Anything you want, I want to meet you."
Spencer first doubted, did not know what she could say, but then, to her own surprise, she began to tell about herself. She could talk for hours with Toby, he always knew the right thing to say, he did not make her feel like a failure, instead, he always put her up, this boy made Spencer feel really special, intelligent and beautiful. She could easily fall madly in love with Toby Cavanaugh.
Hours later - what seemed to be only a few minutes later - they were still talking, nothing serious, trivial things now. Toby and Spencer closed the subject, keeping quiet for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's company. Spencer's smile died when she remembered his family, the house of Hastings was not her safe place to land at the moment how it used to be years ago.
"What's it like to run away?" Before she could think of speaking the words had already jumped out of her mouth.
"Cold... Didn't you ever run away?" He looked at her.
"Once. I think I was seven." Spencer smiled wistfully, surely remembering something of her past. Toby let her ramble in her memory. "My sister and I had an argument over something, and my parents took Melissa's side."
"What were you fighting about?"
"Some great injustice I can't remember now." She laughed quickly, but soon returned to the story "But they sided with her, so I made a tuna salad sandwich, and I ran away."
"And where did you go?" He asked genuinely curious.
"The movies. It was something animated. There was a princess, and everybody was singing." Spencer replied, sinking back into the memory. "Then I got lonely. And I ate my tuna salad sandwich and I came home."
"Were your parents worried?"
"They hadn't even noticed I was gone." She looked down, shaking her head slightly to repress the sad thought. This had happened when things started to get worse in her house, until then she and Melissa had a good relationship, but when her sister became a teenage everything went ugly, her parents began to fight and each time they sank deeper and deeper into their respective work.
"Do me a favor." Toby called her attention back to him.
"What?"
"If you ever get the urge to run away again call me first, okay?" He smiled at her, looking deep into her eyes. Toby was being serious when he said that, if it were up to him, Spencer Hastings would never feel sad or lonely or unimportant ever again.
"Fine," she said softly. Toby slowly grasped her hand, entwining his fingers. They both looked for a few seconds where their hands touched, both wished that exact moment never ended.
Spencer's cell phone started ringing, it was the alarm clock announcing that it was time to go back and get her friends. She released his hand from his, soon regretting it when she could no longer feel the heat emanating from Toby's body.
The return to Noel's house was slow, it was getting harder and harder to separate.
"So that's it." Spencer returned the helmet back to Toby who hung up on the bike.
"Do you have to go now?" He asked, Spencer thought he was a little nervous, but didn't give much importance.
"I guess I still have a few minutes, why?" She barely finished saying the sentence when Toby approached and put their lips together for the first time. Nothing they had felt so far could compare to this, Spencer felt Toby's tongue ask for passage, which she promptly relented. If they could choose a moment in their lives that could last forever, it would be that there and now. Toby hugged her around the waist and Spencer had his hand on his chest, for a few seconds they just kept their lips glued, neither of them wanting to break the contact.
"I wasn't expecting that." Spencer managed to formulate a phrase when they parted, their smile was ringing from ear to ear.
"Me neither," Toby confessed. Not that he hadn't imagined what it would be like to kiss her, and eventually he would do it, but he didn't know it was going to be at that exactly moment, all he knew was that he desperately needed to feel Spencer's sweet lips on his.
She felt the phone vibrate in her pocket. When she picked it up she saw Emily on the display. Spencer looked at Toby apologizing that she would have to return to her friends. He gave her a quick kiss and another kiss on the forehead, telling her he would send her a message later, and he went away.
A little more than a week went by, Spencer and Toby stayed together every day, it was not too difficult since Spencer was alone at home, Peter was in Washington, Veronica was at a convention and Melissa did not even remember her sister's existence. He was sitting in the armchair reading a book while Spencer made some notes of english in his bed.
"You know, one day you promised to teach me french," Toby said drawing her attention. Spencer giggled.
"Whenever you want," she replied, watching Toby get up from where he was and sit next to her on the bed "Do you know something? Anything."
"Hmm ..." He thought for a moment "Je m'appelle Tobias Cavanaugh." - Toby spoke in a bad french before laugh "I think that's it."
"Okay, let's see." Spencer ran to her closet looking for some book in french. Her homework getting totally forgotten.
Toby watched her as she was on her back, admiring her. Spencer was beautiful inside and out, and best of all; she was yours. How that girl liked him Toby did not know, he must have done something very good in his life to deserve her. Her brown hair fell down her delicate back, he liked to play with her hair, curl a lock between his fingers, smelling them. It was like heaven.
"Je t'aime." Toby murmured softly.
"What did you say?" Spencer had finally found what she was looking for and returned to bed.
"I also know how to speak je t'aime," he repeated.
"Oh." That was all she could answer. She didn't know what else to say, but it was not necessary, soon Toby's lips were on hers again. They had done it a few times since the first, but it was always a unique sensation, getting better and better.
Spencer had his hands gripping Toby's hair deepening the kiss, he was holding her by the waist bringing her closer to him. The boy passed the kisses to her cheek then to her neck. She leaned over him, laying their bodies horizontally on the bed.
Spencer finish the kiss with a few kisses and then looking at him closely, Toby put her hair that had fallen behind his ear. Their eyes never leaving each other.
"My parents are coming back tomorrow," Spencer said.
"Spence, there's nothing you need to worry about. We'll find a way, I promise. There's nothing they can do to separate me from you," He gave her a quick kiss on her nose, making her smile.
"Look, I never had ..." Spencer paused searching for the right words before speaking again. "I've never had a safe place to land, but now I feel like I do."
"If you need anything I'll be here for you." Toby was being serious, he wanted her to understand. In a short time Spencer Hastings became his whole world, the most precious thing he had in his life, he never had a reason to be happy since his mother's death but now he found someone in her to belong to.
"I love knowing that." She smiled as she pressed her nose to his in a gentle caress before kissing him again.