This is my first time writing something like this, so hang with me, please! I would appreciate no hate:)

Chapter 1

She cries and cries and cries. She cries for seconds, minutes, and maybe even hours. To her, it feels like she's been crying for eternity. She needs somebody to be at her side and to hold her while she cries and tell her it will all be ok in the end, but she doesn't have that. She has three other supportive friends, but they're in a web of hell themselves. They have to worry about themselves, too. They're going through what she's going through, too. But they don't have it as terribly as she has it. She has it the worst out of all of them. She doesn't know what she did to deserve this hell, but she's in it. She's caught in the hell, too. Why? It's a mystery that even she can't solve.

Yes, she's going through what seems to be the same thing as the three other girls, but it's different. Oh-so-completely different, actually. It's different on another level. It just isn't the same, if you look at all the facts. Sure, there's -A in all four of their worlds, but -A isn't the only problem. Well, -A is a huge problem, but it's definitely not the only one out there. There's plenty of other problems in her life, actually. To everyone else, they see that she has zero problems, too. They all think she's just some snobby, stuck-up bitch, but there's more to the story. There's a whole novel behind everything she's dealt with and is still dealing with.

She's supposed to be perfect, but she doesn't feel perfect. She doesn't feel the perfection that she's supposed to be running through her veins. She sees the perfection in Melissa. Her sister has perfection in her blood, and running through her veins. Her mother and father admire her sister. They see the perfection in her sister, but they don't see it in her. And she can see why. She doesn't feel perfect herself. There's supposed to be no flaws in her, but she feels like she could pick out a million flaws in herself, and none in her sister. Everyone in her family is absolutely flawless, but she's not. She wishes she was. She hates when all those Hastings family members come over and compare her to her sister. She knows she's not as perfect as her sister, and she doesn't need other people stating it again. It's already quite obvious to her.

Knowing that you have to be perfect, and that you're not... it's like someone was stabbing her fragile heart with a knife. She had to put on a good front, and pretend like she really was perfect, but she didn't feel like she was. She had to pretend to be this flawless person that she wasn't. It was like pretending to be someone that you're not, and she hated that feeling to death. She knew everyone in the world had flaws, but her family kept those flaws so well-hidden. They couldn't afford to not be seen as one-hundred percent perfect. They couldn't have one remote flaw in their family name.

It was a lot of pressure. It wasn't fun being under such stress. If you come home with a grade that they don't want, they instantly judge and criticize you. They tell you that you're not good enough for the world. They tell you that your sister is doing much better than you in life, and you just want to run upstairs to your room and cry your heart out, but you can't. Crying is a flaw. You can't cry, or you're no longer perfect.

She hated pretending to be so well put together when she was the opposite of that. She was built to break. After being built up like this, she was fragile. Her best friend died, she had a stalker who tortured her, she was supposed to be perfect... It was building her up to a point where she was just ready to break. And so she did. She broke down. She cracked into a million pieces. She couldn't handle this anymore. She didn't love herself as much as her family was supposed to. She was at a point where she even felt sorry for herself.

But there was him. He kept her from breaking every second. She needed a stable rock, and he was just that. He was her rock. He was the thing that kept her breathing. She didn't know if she'd even still be alive without his support. He was her true love. He made her actually feel loved. She didn't love herself, but he told her he loved her every day. He told her she was perfect. He told her she was the best thing in his life, and she actually felt like she was worth something. She actually felt like somebody wanted her and needed her in their life. She didn't just feel like she was some pest in the family that stirred up trouble and was worthless. She felt like she had a reason to smile every once in a while.

So he held her close and whispered, "Spencer, I love you. I love you so much, actually. Don't cry, or I'll cry. When you cry, I feel like my heart is breaking. I can't watch this. I feel like I'm watching a sad movie for the first time every time I see you like this. Don't listen to what your parents say. You're perfect in my eyes. If you even have a flaw, I wouldn't care, because I love you."

She pressed her lips against his. The tears finally stopped flowing. Toby Cavanaugh made the tears stop. He was the only one who could ever make them stop. She wasn't afraid to cry in front of him, but she felt like she didn't need to cry when she was around him. There was no need to cry, actually! He was hers, and she was his, and she was very happy that it was like that. She didn't know what she'd do without him.

He wraps his arms around her in that soothing manner that always calms her down. He squeezes her waist ever-so-gently. And he asks her, "What did they do to you today? I want to know."

She knows if she tells him the story, she'll start to cry again, but she doesn't care. He deserves to know. After being her stable rock for so long, he deserves this at least. So she seats herself in his lap and leans on his soothing chest. "They told me that Melissa's accomplished so much in life, and I've done nothing. They make me feel like I'm a worthless piece of shit, Toby! They do it every god damn time! They always make me feel this way, and they don't even notice! I doubt they'd care if they knew, anyways. That's just the way they are. They can't help it. That's who they are." The tears start falling.

He dries her salty tears with his thumb and kisses her cheek. He says, "They're silly. They don't know who they're talking about. Spencer, you're the most accomplished girl of your age. I've never seen a girl your age who has been through so much. You're stronger than them. Everyone needs to break down from time to time and just let it all out and cry. I cry, you cry, they probably cry when nobody's looking, too. They just don't want to admit that they have their own flaws. Yes, you have flaws, but so do I, and so does everyone. But I love your flaws. You wouldn't be my Spencer Hastings without those flaws."

"Toby, I love you more than I've ever loved anybody. You're the only one I can say anything to. I'm totally and completely freaking in love with you, Toby. Please, don't ever let me go. I beg you not to." She pleads, and whimpers into his chest.

He smiles at her sincerely and lifts her head up so she's facing him again. "I don't want to let you go. I never will. I'll never let that happen, Spencer. My love for you is greater than anything on this planet. Having you in my arms is worth more than a million dollars. You are priceless to everyone, and not just me. Maybe they don't say it out loud, but they all know you're priceless."

"Kiss me. Please." She pleads. "I need you more than you understand."

He gladly fulfills her wish. He kisses her right on the lips, and they both just want to stay in that moment. They feel like they're the last people left in the world, and that's how they always feel in each others' arms. Whenever they kiss, she feels like she's falling in love all over again. She could never ever get tired of seeing his amazing blue eyes, or hearing his soft and soothing voice. And he could never get tired of seeing her beautiful face or kissing her soft pink lips. He loves everything about her, from her stellar qualities to her minute flaws. He loves every detail about her.

She felt like she found the one person in the world that actually understands her. He gets her, he gets everything about her! She has nothing to hide from him. When they make love together, she doesn't have to feel insecure about her body. If she was making love with any other guy in the world, she wouldn't feel the same. He made her feel beautiful and like she had nothing to be insecure about. She loved that feeling. There was no other guy for her on the planet.

She remembered when her god damn parents used to tell her that Toby Cavanaugh was no good for her. They told her that he was a bad boy, and a bad influence on her. They told her that he would ruin her reputation in the world, but she didn't listen. She let her instincts do the work, and she found her way right back into his arms, and she was more than happy she did. Sure enough, her parents accepted their love over time, even though they weren't fond of Toby. But she was glad that she didn't stay away from him, because she found love with him, and he made her feel amazing. Whether they were just comforting each other, chatting, or even getting intimate together, she always felt good with him.

She couldn't believe that her parents almost kept her away from this amazing young man who she was resting in the arms of. What would she have done if she had listened to them and stayed away from him? He wouldn't have been her stable rock, would he have? He wouldn't have grown this close to her. Their love would have been put to rest. She was glad that she didn't listen to them. Now she had her stable rock, who she could freely talk to and kiss. That way, she felt like she was really loved by somebody. It wasn't artificial, like it was with her other boyfriends.

And she forever wanted to be in Toby Cavanaugh's arms. That was no lie. She wouldn't trade him for anything in the world, and that's a promise. All the wealth in the world wasn't worth him. He was saying how priceless she was minutes ago. She felt the same way about him, too. It was good knowing that he reciprocated the feelings towards her, so she could freely have a shoulder to lean on.

"Beautiful... I should get home, shouldn't I? The sky's getting pretty dark, and your parents would be glad to escort me out once they see me here..." Toby warns her, as he continues to hold her anyways. "I know I'm leaving, but that doesn't mean you should stop staying strong, baby. You are strong, so stay that way. You can cry, but don't let them get to you. They don't understand you like I do."

She smiles at him, but realizes he's leaving. She doesn't want him to leave. She grabs his arm tightly and says, "Toby, I told you not to let me go. Please... don't leave, Toby. I want you here. No! I don't just want you here. I need you here."

"But Spencer," he argues, but only for her sake, "if your parents see me here, they will only get angrier with both of us. Shouldn't I leave, for your sake, too? I don't want them to get angry. I promise I will come by first thing in the morning."

Spencer shakes her head, "They won't know. I'm locking the door. You better stay the night, Mister. I need you here, and you know that. I can't live without you for a second. I can't help but get overly-attached to you. I just love you."

"I love you too. Please, please lock the door. I'll hide if they demand to come in," he says.

"We'll be fine," she assures him.

She locks the door, and makes her way back to the bed, and into his arms. She turns off the lights and lays there in Toby's arms. She cuddles into his chest, and holds him close, not wanting to ever let go. Most people would have thought that the couple would take advantage of their locked room and time together to make love, but not them. They just wanted to hold each other close and feel the good feeling of knowing that the other one was really there for them.

He kisses her lips one last time before they drift away into a slumber while they still hold each other close. They knew life was going to have many more obstacles in the way, but they were glad they had each other to rely on for love and support. They always felt like the other would be there, through thick and thin. That's the magical and wonderful bond they had built up throughout their loving relationship.