Hi guys! My regular readers will probably notice I've been dabbling in Spoby a lot recently, but after a prompt from SpariaToTheNextLevel I have returned to my first love - you guessed it - Sparia! Now, this is a bit of change of pace for me, because this story will have minimal angst, no character deaths, and no twist endings. Promise. This will mostly be drama, fluff, humor, and other light-hearted things. It's not set during any particular season, and there's no A; it's just using the characters. If anything's not clear or you want me to elaborate on anything, feel free to PM me or leave it in reviews. I'm not sure how often I'll be updating this, but I'll try to do it reasonably frequently, especially if I see people are enjoying it. So as always if you like it and want to see more, review! I'll see you guys next chapter (or maybe in some of my other stories? Hint hint).
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"Come on," Spencer urged. "You don't even have to stay for long. Just five minutes. Please?"
The lanky brunette shifted her position, crossing one leg over the other and gazing imploringly down at her friend.
"Spence, I told you. I'm fine." Aria folded her arms and looked away, knowing that if she looked Spencer in the eyes the other girl would be able to see through her lie.
"If you're so fine, why are you still in sweats?" Spencer playfully tugged at the hem of Aria's pants, earning her a weary glare.
"Because they're comfortable," Aria grumbled, drawing her knees into her chest. "But really, I'm okay. You guys go without me."
"Uh uh." Spencer shook her head firmly, then got to her feet and started searching through Aria's closet. She pulled out a pair of jeans and tossed them onto the bed where Aria was sitting. "You're coming with us. So get ready. Emily's picking us up in ten minutes."
Aria rolled her eyes, but Spencer was currently wearing her 'Hastings face', which meant she wasn't about to argue or accept any excuses. With a sigh Aria grabbed the jeans and smoothed a couple of the creases, then stood up and looked at Spencer. "Look, I'm getting changed. Happy? Now go wait downstairs. I'll be down there in a minute."
Spencer gave her a searching look, trying to decide if she was genuinely going along with it or just planning on locking her out the second she left. "All right," she acquiesced. "But if you're not down there in five minutes, I'll -"
"I'll be there," Aria interrupted, already pulling a shirt out from her drawers.
"Good, because I couldn't think of a way to end that threat." Spencer waited a few minutes more, to make sure Aria was actually going to get changed, and then she turned and made her way downstairs.
Despite the brave face Aria was putting on, Spencer knew how heartbroken she was. It had been almost two weeks since Ezra had ended his relationship with Aria, who at first had seemingly taken it well, but had slowly been sinking into some kind of situational depression. She hadn't been to school in three days, she'd stopped eating unless someone literally placed a plate in front of her and watched her eat it all, and she wouldn't even open up to her friends. Spencer was craving some Sparia time, but all her attempts to initiate it were being shot down.
Spencer settled down on the sofa to wait, still contemplating. Five minutes later there was a knock at the door, and before she could respond it had swung open.
"Morning!" Hanna called brightly as she stepped over the threshold, sporting a new handbag to match her designer dress. When Hanna was upset, she shopped; and having an inconsolably heartbroken friend definitely upset her. Every time Spencer saw her, Hanna was wearing or carrying something new; she'd switch between buying herself new things and buying them for Aria, who'd just try to smile and then let the new dress or scarf or earrings fall to the floor.
"Hey," Spencer said, shuffling over to make room for Hanna on the sofa.
"Any change?" Hanna asked, sinking onto the seat beside her and casting a glance at the stairs, as if hoping Aria would bounce down them and declare herself over Ezra and ready to party.
Spencer shook her head. "I think I've convinced her to get out of her sweats and come to the Brew with us, but she is not happy about it."
Hanna slumped back against the sofa, cradling a cushion and looking thoughtful. "You know what she needs?"
It only took one look to know what she was thinking. "No," Spencer said firmly.
"But -"
"No. Aria does not need a one night stand to get over Ezra. She needs time, and love, and support from her friends."
"There's only so much support friends can give. What if -"
"Hanna. No. That's not what Aria needs."
The blonde opened her mouth for a sharp retort, but snapped it shut again as a voice spoke from the stairs.
"What don't I need?" Aria asked, trudging down the last few steps.
Spencer was relieved to see that Aria was dressed normally – well, what passed as normal for her. At the very least she wasn't wearing sweats. She hadn't put on any makeup, and her entire appearance was more subdued than usual, but the healing process had to start somewhere.
"Nothing," Spencer said hastily, and was saved having to come up with a decent lie by another knock at the door. "Hey, that must be Emily."
Ignoring the suspicious look that Aria was giving her, Spencer led the way to the door. Emily was standing on the other side, looking like she was about to ask how Aria was. Then she saw Aria herself and changed tactics. "Hi! Are you guys ready?"
"We sure are," Spencer chirped, and all but shoved Aria out the door. Helping Aria mend her broken heart was going to be a challenge, but Spencer had never been one to shy away from hard work. Whatever it took, she was going to get her best friend through this. She made the promise to herself as she stepped out the door, and even she could never have predicted just how true that would turn out to be.
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