Wow, thank you for the reviews, everyone! Special shoutouts to insertnameherex, KooshGID, and RinShade, who reviewed both this story and 'Darkness'. Thanks guys. And in answer to your question, TeamSpobia167, yes, Mona's good in this; there's no A-Team so no actually evil characters - Mona is just one of Hanna's, and by extension Toby's, friends.
Also, confession: I actually adore Wren. He had to be the villain in this story because it didn't make sense any other way, but try to keep the Wren-bashing in the reviews to a minimum, everyone. ;)
So here's the next chapter. Let me know what you think!
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The next time he sees her is two days later, in the same class. He sits in his usual seat, Caleb beside him and Hanna and Mona further down the row. Toby has been trying not to think about her, but he can't get her face out of his mind. Rumors have been spreading like wildfire around the school, and for once he makes an effort to listen; but it's all so jumbled and confused that he can't make any sense of it. Everyone has theories about her, and since she refuses to talk there's no way to dispel or prove any of them. All they know for sure is that her name is Spencer Hastings, her family's from Philadelphia, and she's gone through something unspeakably awful.
There is one other thing he knows about her. He knows that whenever he tries to approach her his legs get wobbly and his hands shake, and this bothers him. Despite his friendship with Caleb and the girls, he's not that interested in human company. He's a loner, and he likes it that way. So why does he get excited – in a terrified, trembling sort of way – at the thought of talking to her? She has some kind of power over him, even though they've never even met, and it both irritates and intrigues him.
At the end of class he gathers his nerves and walks up to her, but before he can so much as open his mouth someone bumps into him from behind and he goes toppling forward, crashing into her and causing her to drop all her books. The person behind him sniggers and keeps walking, and Toby rights himself, flushed.
"I'm so sorry," he stammers, reaching down to pick up her books.
She bends down too, but doesn't acknowledge his apology. She just snatches up her books, gives him a sort of panicked look, and then flees from the room. He stares after her, unsure what just happened. But then he shakes himself out of his reverie and heads out the door.
He reaches his chemistry class just a minute before the teacher, who gives him a disapproving glare as he slides into his seat beside Emily.
"You're late," she comments as she pulls out her book.
"I know." He doesn't offer any more explanation, and she doesn't ask.
As they start taking down notes that the teacher is feverishly scribbling on the board (he's under the mistaken impression that students are actually interested in his subject), Emily leans over and writes on the edge of Toby's paper.
Are you free this Friday?
He pauses, then writes back.
Depends who's asking.
She reads the message, then looks up at him and rolls her eyes. She glances at the teacher, considers whispering, and then decides that writing is safer. She's already had a couple of run-ins with the principal this year; any more and she may risk being removed from the swim team.
There's a party at Noel's cabin. Aria and I are going. Do you want to come?
He's not a social person by nature, but whenever Emily bats her eyelashes he finds that his willpower drains away and he almost wants to talk to people, just to see her smile.
I'll be there.
She beams at this response, and then starts doodling on his page. By the end of the class she's drawn a surprisingly accurate (but wildly inappropriate) sketch of their teacher, an anime-style kitten with ridiculously wide eyes, and a picture of what Toby would look like if he was a rockstar (this last picture she replicates for his birthday later that year and hangs up inside his locker, much to his chagrin).
At lunch he is uncharacteristically quiet. He sits with his friends, but everyone is too distracted to notice that he's not himself. Hanna and Caleb are deep in conversation, talking so low he can't quite hear. Noel, Mona's current love interest, is leaning against the edge of the table, while she flips her hair and laughs at all his jokes. Toby doesn't say a word beyond greeting all of them; he just sits down and picks at his food.
A few minutes after he arrives, a murmur sweeps across the cafeteria. He glances up, wondering what's happening, and for a moment he can't see the source of the commotion. But then the crowd parts and he sees her. Spencer.
She's standing in the doorway, looking uncertain. She's holding her tray so tightly her hands are shaking with the effort. In front of her is a group of boys from their grade, and before Toby even has time for anything more than a flicker of unease, one of these boys reaches out and very deliberately knocks Spencer's tray to the floor. The contents, which had been neatly stacked and organized, topple to the ground and scatter at her feet.
Without thinking, Toby jumps to his feet and, ignoring Mona's cry of 'Where are you going?', marches over to the group. A few people step out of his way, well aware of his reputation and unwilling to incite a confrontation, but the main guy, Chris, doesn't even blink.
"Go back where you came from, slut," Chris says to Spencer.
Toby inserts himself in between them, using his body as a shield in case Chris tries to touch her. For a tense moment nobody moves.
"What do you want, freak?" Chris laughs, like he's said something witty, and his group laughs along with him, although some of them look less than thrilled.
"I want you to leave her alone." Toby's voice is close to a growl, and it makes Chris stiffen. Toby doesn't normally talk to people much, and very few people have seen this side of him. He can be very intimidating when he wants to; add his impressive physical presence to his reputation, however untrue, and most people take a step back when he looks them in the eye.
Chris stands his ground, but he looks a little less sure of himself.
"You don't want to get into this with me," Toby warns. "Walk away."
The crowd, who up until now have been silent, being to talk amongst themselves. Some even take bets on who they think will back down; most people assume it's going to be Toby, but a few brave souls put their money on Chris.
An eternity passes. Toby can sense Spencer behind him, and he can faintly hear her sniffling. He wonders if she's crying, but he doesn't look back. He needs to keep his eyes on Chris, or he may not be able to bluff his way out of it.
Finally Chris relents. He passes it off as being bored, but everybody knows that this is, for all intents and purposes, a defeat. "Let's go," he mutters to his friends, "this place is lame."
They stalk out of the cafeteria, leaving a stunned silence in their wake. Toby notices that a few people are looking at him with new respect, while others' eyes are filled with fear. He doesn't really care either way. He just needs to know Spencer's safe. But when he turns around to ask her if she's okay, she's already gone.
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The next chapter will be up as soon as I have some time to write it, so stay tuned. And just a hint, I'm motivated by reviews. ;)