Hey there, Sparia fans. Great work reviewing last chapter! I was tossing up between updating this story and updating my new Spoby story, but this one had more reviews so I decided to go with it first. So give yourselves a pat on the back, and enjoy this next chapter.

Oh, and just in case you're tempted to stop reading, here's a teaser: next chapter will be an Ezria one, and you will find out why Aria called it quits. Stay tuned, guys, things are about to change...

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When Hanna and Aria emerged from the restroom, the first thing Spencer noticed was how flustered they both looked. Aria sat down across from her, her face carefully neutral, only her slightly trembling hands giving an indication of her unease; Hanna sat down too, giving Aria a confused look.

"… so then she asked if I knew anyone who'd be willing to help her out, and I said you'd be up for it," Emily was saying, and with a start Spencer realized she'd tuned out.

"Sorry?" she said, dragging her attention away from Aria and Hanna.

Emily rolled her eyes and explained, "I said, Paige is doing this extra credit history project, but it needs more than one person. I'm too busy with work and swimming and everything, but I was thinking you'd be interested?"

"An extra credit project?" Spencer echoed. "Do you even have to ask?"

Hanna snorted. "You can practically hear your heartbeat speed up. Seriously, can anyone else see her glowing?"

"So I like getting extra credit," Spencer said defensively. "Forgive me for wanting to get into a decent college and be successful and do something with my life."

"Hey! I'm going to do be successful," Hanna protested. "I have a plan and everything."

Spencer shared a look with the others, and then gestured for Hanna to go on. "Let us hear this wonderful plan of yours then."

Hanna spent the next ten minutes detailing her plan, which seemed to involve winning the lottery, starting her own fashion company, and marrying the man of her dreams who conveniently had connections to billionaires who wanted to sponsor her company.

Although Spencer tried to listen, her mind and eyes kept drifting back to Aria, who was seeming further and further away with each second. When Hanna finished talking Emily asked her about some of the finer points, and Spencer took the opportunity to reach under the table and give Aria's hand a reassuring squeeze. Aria jumped at the contact, jerking her hand back.

"Woah, are you okay?" Spencer asked, concerned.

"I'm fine," Aria mumbled, not meeting her eyes.

There was something different about her. Spencer thought back to the last time Aria and Ezra had broken up; Aria had been miserable for weeks, but she'd reluctantly let them help. And in time her broken heart had healed – incidentally just in time for Ezra to ask her out again, and the whole thing to start up again. But it wasn't like that this time. Aria was actively pushing them away, shutting them out, and Spencer felt powerless to help. While Emily and Hanna chatted about fashion and marrying millionaires, Spencer's mind started whirling with ideas. She had to cheer Aria up, no matter what it took.

The waitress arrived a few minutes later, bearing their dessert orders. Even the prospect of a caramel sundae didn't even bring a smile to Aria's face, although the others all dived into their meals with gusto.

"There's a movie starting in about half an hour," Hanna announced as they finished. She scrolled through her phone, evidently looking up the theater, and added, "It's that new one you mentioned to me last week, Aria. The comedy about the curse and the musician and stuff. Do you want to go see it?"

"That sounds great," Emily said, jumping in before Aria could say anything. Sometimes Emily's enthusiasm could be infectious, and there weren't many times when anyone could say no to her winning smile – but today was not a day for smiles or enthusiasm.

"I don't know." Aria looked down at her hands, uninterested. "I'm not really feeling up for it."

"Come on, you were excited to see it," Hanna pressed. "I'll even shout you."

"Han, that's sweet, but not necessary. I think I might just head home now."

"Are you sure?" Emily asked.

"I'm sure. Sorry, guys. Maybe some other time." Aria daintily placed her napkin on the table, left enough money to cover her food and a tip, and then trudged out of the Brew.

An uncomfortable silence followed her departure. A mother and three children came into the café, the kids all shrieking and running about while she waved her arms and growled half-serious threats. Finally she picked up her takeout order and ushered the kids out the door, and an even greater silence followed.

"I'm worried about her," Hanna admitted after a while.

"Me too." Emily picked at the edge of the tablecloth, then abandoned that so she could tug at the edge of her sleeve, clearly agitated.

"We've gotta do something," Spencer said, watching Emily fidget. "We can't just let her… wallow. We've let her mope and skip school and all the things she usually does, but it doesn't seem to be helping this time. I think it's time for a different approach."

"Like what?" Hanna dug her nails into the table. "We can't just force her to be okay. And it's not like it usually is, so -"

"What do you mean?" Spencer interrupted. "Not like it usually is?"

Hanna bit her lip, slumping back in her chair. "Nothing."

"No, not nothing." Spencer gave her a stern look, backed up by Emily. "You know something. Spill."

After wrestling with herself for a moment, Hanna sighed. "Okay. But you can't tell her I told you this, all right?"

Spencer and Emily nodded vigorously, and Hanna leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table.

"Earlier, Aria told me… something. She said Ezra didn't break up with her. She broke up with him."

"What?" Emily raised her eyebrows, trying to comprehend this.

"If that's true," Spencer said slowly, working through the implications in her mind, "why wouldn't she have just told us? That doesn't need to be a secret. It doesn't make sense for her to keep it a secret."

"She could have told us," Emily agreed. "It's not like her to keep things from us."

"It's also not like her to break up with the love of her life," Hanna said. "No wonder she's so down."

"Did she say why she broke up with him?" Spencer asked.

Hanna shook her head. "She didn't say, and I didn't have time to ask."

"Do you…" Emily bit her lip, and then forced herself to continue. "Do you think Ezra cheated on her? I can't think of anything else that would make her act like this."

"It's possible," Spencer mused. "Although I still don't see why she couldn't tell us about it."

"Come on," Hanna said, taking a bite out of her cookie and giving the others an incredulous look. "If Paige cheated on you, or if Toby had hooked up with some other girl while you were dating, would you have told us?"

Emily looked down at her lap and didn't answer.

"Point taken." Spencer exhaled slowly, deep in thought. She had to do something for Aria, something to bring the old Aria back and out of her Ezra-inspired depression, and she was beginning to get an idea. "I promised Melissa that I'd help her paint her room, but I'll see you guys tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure."

"Yeah, see you."

By the time she reached the street, her idea was more than a shadow, more like a thread. And she knew exactly where it was leading her.

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Hmm, what's Spencer up to now? Let me know what you think, and I'll see you next time.