"Make yourself comfortable. The rest of the girls should be here soon but you know as well as I do that our friends being on time seems to be a physical impossibility" Spencer attempted a laugh but it was more of a huff laced with annoyance than anything. "I'm going to go get the popcorn started. One good thing about being early is you get to choose your spot for the sleepover and none of the others can argue." This time Spencer's smile was genuine and she motioned into her room while nodding at Emily "Go for it. I will be right back with snacks."Being alone in Spencer's room wasn't weird. The girls spent so much time together at one another's houses that they all felt like home, really. So Emily made herself at home while Spencer gathered snacks. After tossing her overnight bag and pillow onto the floor she turned and caught sight of the pile of dvds on Spencer's bed. Picking them up she started to look through them until she decided it didn't matter what she wanted to watch because Ali and Spencer would inevitably end up arguing over what to watch and they'd just give in to Ali to shut her up.Putting the dvds back on the bed Emily now turned and started to look at the things in Spencer's room. She had been there a dozen times but it always seemed she found something new to examine each time. She walked around, sliding her fingers over pictures of the Hastings family, awards in their frames, and half finished books on the shelves. When Emily reached Spencer's dresser she paused to look over the ever growing collection of jewelry that helped Spencer stand out in the group. She smiled as her fingers traced a few over sized necklaces, the red one being her favorite.Then something caught Emily's eye. She glanced over her shoulder to check for an immediate arrival of anyone in the room and when it seemed the coast was clear, Emily reached for the bottle. She picked it up and smiled at how vintage and classy it looked. It was like a perfume bottle from old black and white movies with a wide base and a little ball that you squeezed to spritz yourself with the scent.She brought the bottle to her nose and inhaled deeply. Immediately she felt warm from head to toe as the very essence of Spencer Hastings filled her senses. Her eyes closed and for a moment she let every good feeling that Spencer brought to her fill her up. A soft smile came to her lips and her eyes fluttered open. She loved the way Spencer smelled, nothing bad could happen when that scent was near her.Then an idea struck. Emily turned and checked the doorway again. When once more there was silence in the hallway, Emily quickly stepped to her bag and bent down in front of it. She unzipped the main pocket and after digging around under her outfit for the next day, her hand emerged with the stuffed shark Spencer had given her a few weeks prior.She smiled and quickly set him on top of her bag. With her eyes on the doorway, she gave a few quick squeezes to the little ball and covered the shark with the intoxicating scent. Satisfied that the smell would hold for a while, she quickly stuffed the shark back into her bag, gave a quick zip to lock in the smell, and then stood to return the bottle to its proper place on Spencer's dresser."No Hanna, you can't have butter on your popcorn." Ali's voice broke the silence in the hallway and grew louder as she approached the room. "You are trying to lose the so called baby weight, remember? So no complaining unless you want to be Hefty Hanna forever."
"Its just butter" Hanna argued as the girls now entered the room. Her face lit up when she saw Emily was already there and she immediately went over to greet her with a hug "Hey Em! Sorry we're so late Ali wouldn't let me leave the house until I changed out of my sweats.""We're just at a sleepover at Spencer's" Emily shook her head and looked at Ali "I sleep in sweats.""But sweats are not all that you wear in public, dear. Hanna needs to break the habit and start showing off her bod. She's lost ten pounds you know.""I think she should wear what makes her comfortable" Spencer spoke now from the doorway, her hands full of snacks in bowls. "Stop trying to change Hanna, she's fine how she is.""We're in high school now, Spence. I am trying to help Hanna survive. These people can be cruel. We don't want our friend being miserable do we?" Ali batted her eyes and spoke in her most innocent tone, as if she really cared.Spencer wasn't buying it and just rolled her eyes, mumbling under her breath "You mean you don't want anyone else making her miserable.""So what are we watching tonight? And where's Aria?" Emily spoke softly hoping to break the tension and change the subject."Here" Aria said with a smile "Sorry I'm late. There was a family dinner that I couldn't escape. Something about touching base with us all to keep us close in our busy lives." She shrugged and waved it off "I didn't miss anything did I?""Just the usual" Emily said, glancing between Ali and Spencer who were already vetoing each others dvd choices.Aria nodded and tossed her bag on the floor the propped herself up on her pillow before patting the spot next to her "Sit here, Han. I'll braid your hair during the movie."Ten minutes later they had miraculously decided on something to watch. Hanna laid with her head on Aria's lap, munching on butter-free popcorn while her hair was being braided. Ali had put herself right in the middle of the floor, where Emily's pillow had been, because she wanted the best view. Emily had been forced to sit off to the side where she could hardly see the screen because of Ali taking her spot."Em" Spencer whispered softly from where she laid on her stomach in her bed. When Emily looked up, Spencer smiled and patted the space on her mattress next to her "Room for one more and it's a Hell of a view."Emily was glad the only light in the room was the glow from the tv because she was sure she had just blushed. She scrambled up off the floor and quickly lay next to Spencer on the bed. "Thanks.""Shhh" Ali hissed and glanced back at them with a glare before folding her arms and turning back to the screen.Spencer bit back a laugh, amused by the scalding their friend had just given them. She held up her finger in front of her lips, mocking Ali's shushing noise before giving Emily a playful nudge with her shoulder.Emily just nodded, chewing her bottom lip and fighting a smile. She watched Spencer turn and get back into the movie but couldn't tell you what happened next because the only thing she focused on the rest of the night was how every time Spencer moved, their forearms brushed together softly.
"Crazy isn't it?" Spencer's voice came from behind Emily, breaking up the memory she had been so immersed in.
"What's that?" Emily asked softly, slowly turning her head to look over her shoulder at her friend.
"How time flies" Spencer said with a shrug, pushing off the doorway where she had been leaning and walking into her room fully now. "How many crazy times we've had together, how many of those times started or happened right in this room." Spencer glanced around then sat on the edge of her bed next to where Emily had taken her seat.
"I was just thinking about that" Emily said with a laugh "Why did we ever rent anything if Ali just ended up hating all the choices anyway?"
"I did it to piss her off" Spencer said with a smirk and playful shrug. "It always worked."
Emily gasped, and then giggled shaking her head and smiling widely at her friend "You've always been something else, Spence. Different than the rest of us. I never understood why you were our friend."
"Are you kidding me?" Spencer reached out and patted Emily's hand "I'm the one who always wondered why you guys wanted to be friends with me."
"You're a great friend. The best friend a girl could ask for. I don't know how I would have survived without you" Emily was trying to keep her composure and speak calmly but all she could focus on was Spencer's hand on her own.
"I don't know how I would have survived without you guys. You especially" Spencer gave her a soft smile and nudged her gently with her shoulder. "Level headed Emily, the voice of reason. I've always loved that about you."
Love? Did she just say love? No that's not what she meant. Love for a best friend is what she meant. Emily nodded quickly so as to not expose what had just raced through her head. She offered a smile and returned the shoulder nudge. "Now where are the other two? All these years and they still can't show up on time."
As the two shared a laugh, Aria and Hanna finally arrived. The girls all greeted each other with hugs then chatted about the exciting things they had all been doing in preparation for the next step in their lives. After a half hour or so they had quieted and settled down a bit.
"Alright ladies" Spencer said with a smile "Let us, for the last time maybe ever, start our movie night sleepover. Em" She turned and handed Emily the dvd case "If you wouldn't mind?"
"Aye aye" She gave a playful salute before moving to the tv and sliding the disc into the player. As the menu began to load, Spencer patted the bed next to her "Come on, you don't want to miss the previews." And as Emily slid into her spot on the bed next to Spencer she felt fourteen again. As Hanna braided Aria's hair on the floor, Emily silently whimpered each time Spencer's arm brushed hers. This would be the last time Emily wouldn't pay attention to a movie because of Spencer Hastings and that realization was too painful to bear.
