Disclaimer: I do not own Pretty Little Liars.
Episode: Misery Loves Company.
She slapped him. Toby left the house before Spencer could say anything. Spencer. Clutching at the hoody once he was inside the truck he tore it off. Damn it. He held the Radley pass in his hand, how could she have found it? He hit the steering wheel before pulling into the road. He knew he'd gained her trust completely and, tonight he'd broken it. He swerved through the traffic stupidly. She'd been lying to him for months and it had hurt him, which had mattered until now. Now he wondered how much he should have cared when she looked at him that way. He'd been looking at her the same way for months, but she hadn't noticed. She hadn't seen her dishonesty reflecting off him.
He knew why the A team did the things they did to start with, but it was losing sense these days. Was it enough when people kept dying and he hurt Spencer?
Spencer lay against Toby's door, tears still trickling down her face. Her voice had become hoarse talking to the person on the other side. 'Toby,' she wondered if he would ever explain his motives.
Mona smirked through the blinds as she thought about her plan; it had come together quite nicely. When Spencer had lied some more, how could she resist. Spencer had such an eye for detail, Mona knew there was no way she would miss it.
Raising herself on shaky legs Spencer didn't see Toby round the corner as she stood. Pulling himself against the wall he watched her wobble down the steps. Her long legs he had become enamoured with were uneasily carrying her weight. He took a step towards her and forced himself to stop. Clenching his fist, he could hear music coming from his flat, he put the pieces together and knew Mona was up there, watching.
Spencer wandered aimlessly near the road causing Toby to tighten his grip on the wall.
She pictured their meeting, the conversations, and the kisses. Tears fell from her eyes anew this was insane. How much more of this could there be? Her father lied to her, her brother was keeping things from her, and now Toby? What had he done, had he killed Maya?
Who could she trust? Remembering the girls she headed for Emily's. 'Em,' she knocked weakly on the door and waited for her friend. Emily opened the door and saw Spencer's face. 'What is it?' Emily said taking in Spencers gaunt face, she looked like she'd seen A.
'Toby,' Spencer said hugging Emily and trying to stop her mind spinning. The more she thought about it, the more it hurt. The pressure in her head grew making her screw her eyes up. As the tears racked through her body, more words fell out of Spencer's mouth.
'We know who A is,' she said meeting Emily's eyes.
'Toby?' Emily said not letting her self believe it as she pulled back. She had been friends with Toby first, practically introduced him to the girls and convinced them to trust him.
Spencer nodded, an involuntary grimace on her face. 'He lied, about everything.'
Emily pulled Spencer inside, looking around for him as she shut the door. The two of them didn't eat and when Emily asked Spencer to stay, she didn't have the strength to say no. She couldn't imagine explaining anything to her mother right now. They didn't sleep, didn't really talk either, they just lay there mulling on the horrifying revelation.
Arriving at school late didn't matter, any excuse would do. They weren't heading in bright and early for whatever the next step on the A team ladder was.
Emily spotted Toby waiting and left Spencer as she went to her class. Coming up behind him 'I know who you are,' she hissed at him.
Toby turned to his old friend but didn't say anything. Em, how he wished things weren't the way they were between them now. 'Stay the hell away from Spencer,' she said not losing ground. She lost her fear when people did things to her friends. She turned to leave, sick of the sight of him.
'You better not be thinking of telling Aria and Hanna. Never know what might happen next,' Toby said, pasting on his unemotional face as Em heard him. It was the line he had been fed. After Mona saw Spencer's next step, she wanted to create a little more confusion in the group.
He wanted to spit the lines Mona gave him on the ground and tell the truth. Tell them what had happened between him and Alison. Why the A team had done these things to them. He knew better than to try that.
Emily considered the person she had trusted. Her eyes were glassy as she answered him. 'You said we were thick as thieves. Well, I'm telling you now, you have no idea,' Emily stalked off.
Toby watched her go. Mona shouldn't have expected Em to take this lying down. 'A' had killed her girlfriend and the girl she'd been in love with. She had all kinds of secrets, they were all murderers now, but Em wasn't a bad person. Had he become one?
Aria snapped her fingers again at Spencer. 'What's wrong with her?' she looked from Emily to Hanna. No one was offering any hints. The girls sat around their usual table, but unlike usual Spencer wasn't theorising or even conversing.
'Maybe Toby doesn't like five inch heels,' Hanna said doubtfully wrinkling her nose. She wanted to lighten the mood but received heavy glares from the other two. Emily carried on eating her lunch to try and defuse the situation.
'Guys, I'm sure she'll tell us when she's ready,' Emily said watching Spencer out of the corner of her eye. She couldn't imagine the betrayal; she'd been friends with him. But she knew Spencer; she'd been in love.
Spencer flinched when her phone went off and the other girls looked sad for her. Everyone at that table knew the terror of texts and they wanted to take it for her, almost.
Look at you all alone in a crowd. I win! - A
Spencer's stomach dropped further, Toby was getting sick enjoyment out of destroying something that had been so precious to her. Pressing delete she said it was a text from her mother.
Toby watched Mona texting beside him and looked up in time to see Spencer flinch. Her eyes scanned the text, but she brushed it off to her friends and stood quickly from the table. Bumping into some guy he'd seen her with maybe once she apologised but he steadied her.
Following her out of the yard they confronted each other under the archway. Toby didn't know what they were saying, but he wanted to know.
Coming up around the other side he listened.
'Andrew, I can't trust anyone,' Spencer said wrapping an arm around her waist.
'Mona giving you trouble again?' Andrew asked bending to catch the eyes that refused to meet his.
Toby didn't like the feeling of this guy talking to Spencer in such a familiar way. There'd been guys in the past for Spencer, but this wasn't one of them. When had she started talking to him?
Spencer considered saying Toby but spotting him behind Andrew she stopped. He didn't know she'd noticed.
'Someone hurt me and, I didn't get a chance to ask them why. I just want to be able to talk to him, face to face.'
'If this person is someone who really cares about you, I'm sure they'll give you that chance,' Andrew said offering his sympathy. 'If not, I'd stay away.'
Toby's phone buzzed and he pulled it out to silence it.
Out with the old, in with the new. Looks like she's done with you - A
AN: A few clues here and there as to where this is going, and some more to come if you let me know you want it. - R
