Hello, I hope you all are doing well :)
Enjoy chapter seven!
Spencer and Emily were sitting on Emily's bed in silence, Spencer flipping through her math textbook as Emily typed up a paper on her laptop. Spencer looked at Emily, just sitting there absorbed in her writing, and her heart rate started to quicken slightly just looking at her; she couldn't fathom how she could possibly feel so much adoration for another person as she did for Emily. It seemed that her love for her deepened every day, and she was incredibly grateful. She felt like the luckiest person in the world.
Emily looked up from her laptop to see Spencer's warm, chocolate-colored eyes gazing back at her. Spencer blushed slightly, having been caught staring.
"I've been thinking," Spencer said quietly.
"Uh oh," Emily said with a teasing smile. Spencer grinned and playfully swatted at Emily's leg before turning serious again.
"I think I'm ready to tell my parents," she said. "Like, today. And if you want to, you can tell your parents, too." Emily waited for a few seconds, allowing the words to sink in, before taking Spencer's hand.
"Are you sure? I don't want you to feel like I'm pressuring you. I only want to do this if you're ready for people to know."
"You've never pressured me. I really think I'm ready. I want them to know, and I want them to be okay with it. And if they aren't, well... I'll figure it out."
"We'll figure it out," Emily corrected her, causing Spencer to give her a warm smile.
"Do you want me to be there? Would it help?" Emily asked.
"I think this is something I have to do alone."
Emily nodded in understanding and Spencer leaned forward to kiss her, then pulled her in for a hug.
"I love you," Emily whispered into her ear.
"I love you too," Spencer whispered back without hesitation.
Emily was elated that Spencer had decided that she didn't want to keep their relationship a secret anymore. Her father was overseas, but she knew he would call them from his army base when he found some free time, and she would tell him then.
As for her mother, she was almost excited to tell her. She had become so much more supportive over time, and Emily knew how much she loved Spencer, who was the most ambitious and high-achieving of her friends; she thought of her as a good influence. Of course, she was slightly nervous, but that was to be expected. She and Spencer's relationship was getting more serious, and telling her about it was a big deal.
Emily and Pam were now standing in the kitchen, cleaning up after dinner. Emily took the plates that her mom washed and she dried them and put them away, one by one. They cleaned up quietly for a few minutes before Emily spoke.
"Mom?"
"Yes?" Ms. Fields answered, her eyes still on the plate she was washing.
"I'm dating Spencer," she said simply. Pam raised her eyebrows and turned to her daughter.
"Really? I'm surprised," she said. "Well, Spencer's a good kid. Maybe her work ethic will rub off on you."
Emily smiled at her mother's teasing, having predicted she would say something like that.
"We just want you to be happy, Emmy, your father and I."
"Thanks, mom," she said, giving her a quick hug.
"But, no more sleepovers, at least not without Aria and Hanna there too," she said, half-joking, to which Emily rolled her eyes, amused by her mother's ways. When she had first come out, she never would have thought her mother could come to accept it, and now here they were, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She had reacted... casually. And to Emily, it meant the world.
Meanwhile, Spencer found herself sitting at the dining room table with her parents and Melissa in one of their awkward family dinners, fidgeting and bouncing her leg up and down, filled with nervous energy.
"Melissa, how was your day today?" her father asked.
"It was good. I got an A on my research paper," Melissa said proudly.
"That's fantastic. You worked so hard on it, you deserved it," Veronica said.
"How about you, Spencer?" Peter asked.
"Oh, um, my day was okay," Spencer responded. She took a deep breath and steeled herself. "I have something to tell you guys."
Her mother looked up in slight concern. "Okay, what is it?"
"I'm... dating someone."
Peter laughed dryly. "Yeah, we know about Toby, remember? I'm not thrilled, but there isn't much I can do."
Spencer gulped and glanced at Melissa, who gave her a barely-visible, reassuring nod.
"Um... I- I'm seeing Emily," Spencer said, her voice shaking slightly.
The table was silent as they took in the information, shocked. Maybe they're okay with it, Spencer thought, though it was more of a hope than an analysis of their reaction.
Veronica cleared her throat. "So, you're..."
Spencer merely nodded. She'd done her part; now she just had to hope they would be supportive.
Her father scoffed. "Spencer, why would you... is this your way of trying to be rebellious? Why would you want to squander your future like this?"
Spencer was too shocked to reply immediately, but luckily Melissa spoke for her.
"Dad, haven't you noticed how happy she's been recently? Since when has happiness been a bad thing?"
"Well, there are more conventional ways to be happy, ways that aren't..." Peter trailed off.
"Aren't what?" Spencer challenged, finally finding her voice.
Peter just closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. Spencer looked at her mother, who had been quiet the whole time.
"Mom?" she said pleadingly. Her mother looked at her tentatively and Spencer could see that it wasn't a look of anger, but it wasn't one of support either. She shook her head in disbelief and walked to the door.
"Well, when you guys decide whether me being myself is more important than this family's reputation, come find me," Spencer said angrily, opening the door and storming out of the house, grabbing her car keys from the table as she left.
She sat in her car for a moment, trying to process what had just happened, when the front door of the house opened. She had a fleeting hope that her parents had come outside to apologize, but she soon realized it was Melissa. Spencer wiped the tears from her eyes and watched as Melissa walked down the steps and headed toward the car, motioning for her to roll down the window. Once she had, Melissa leaned against the car door, not speaking.
"I'm sorry," she finally said, and Spencer could tell it was sincere.
"I don't know what I expected," she answered dejectedly. "Thank you for sticking up for me, though."
Melissa nodded and Spencer turned the ignition, starting the car. "I'm gonna see if I can stay at someone else's house tonight."
"Okay," Melissa stepped away from the car slightly. "They'll come around, Spencer. Don't worry."
Spencer didn't answer; she just pulled out of the driveway and made her way over to Emily's house, needing the comfort and solace she knew only her girlfriend could provide.
Emily was reading a book on her living room couch when she heard the doorbell ring.
"I'll get it!" she called to her mom as she headed toward the door to see who it was. When she opened it, she was surprised to see Spencer standing there, looking distressed.
"Hey, what's going on? Are you okay?" Emily asked, gently leading Spencer into the house.
"I-I told them, they-" Spencer tried to explain. "They're upset."
Emily sighed and hugged Spencer, who buried her face in her shoulder, feeling inexplicably better once she felt Emily's strong, protective arms around her.
"I'm so sorry," Emily whispered in her ear, pressing a kiss to her hair. Pam came into the room at that moment to see who had rung the doorbell. Noticing her, Spencer cleared her throat and separated from Emily.
"Hi, Mrs. Fields. I'm sorry to bother you... do you think I could sleep over tonight? My parents, they-"
"Of course, you're always welcome here. I'll set up the guest room for you. I think we have an extra toothbrush somewhere," she said kindly, turning around to look through a cabinet.
Spencer raised an eyebrow at Emily, realizing that she must have told her mom they were dating. Whenever the four of them used to have sleepovers, there was always an unspoken arrangement that they would all sleep in Emily's room, so the fact that she was being offered the guest room meant she had to know something. Reading Spencer's thoughts, Emily nodded, and she could see Spencer's relief that Pam had taken the news well.
"Ah, here's one," Pam said, holding out a new toothbrush for Spencer to take.
"Thank you." Spencer took the toothbrush with a polite smile, grateful that Pam didn't seem to want to question her about why she didn't want to stay at her own house. Pam smiled back and motioned for Spencer to follow her down the hall to the guest room to make up the bed. She assumed that Spencer's troubles at home were related to her relationship with Emily somehow, and she didn't want to press her or question her about the matter; it was improper to ask about a private family matter, and Mrs. Fields was nothing if not proper.
"In a little bit, I'll come in so we can talk, okay?" Emily whispered. Spencer nodded and followed Emily's mom into the room.
Spencer and Emily were now laying on the bed in the guest room after Emily's mom had gone to bed. Spencer rested her head on Emily's shoulder and Emily absentmindedly ran her fingers through Spencer's hair lovingly.
"So... what happened?" she asked softly.
Spencer sighed. "They just... I don't know. There was no yelling, but they certainly weren't happy. Melissa stood up for me, but my parents... My dad said I was 'squandering my future' or something like that. And my mom barely said two words the whole time, she just had this thinly veiled look of disapproval."
"God, I'm so sorry. All I can say is that they'll come around. But until they do, I'd love it if you'd stay here. I can't say I mind the extra time with you," Emily said, trying to cheer her up a little. Spencer laughed and leaned in for a chaste kiss before leaning her head back on the pillow.
"So, you told your mom, too?"
Emily nodded. "I wasn't really that worried, I mean of course a little, but she's been so great and accepting recently that I figured she would be okay. And you're like her idea of a perfect daughter, so that doesn't hurt."
"Well, that's one thing out of the way." Emily smiled sadly and untangled herself from Spencer, standing up.
"I should probably go to bed, I have a long practice tomorrow."
Spencer groaned, not wanting her to leave. Giving in, she gave Emily's hand a final squeeze and let go. "Okay. I'll see you in the morning."
"Goodnight, Spence. It'll all be fine, I promise you," Emily said, turning out the light as she left the room.
"Thanks, Em. See you in the morning."
Aria, Hanna, Spencer, and Emily had gone to the Fields residence after school the next day, settling down in the living room. Hanna had noticed that Spencer and Emily had driven to school together, which they didn't usually do, and she spent a lot of time trying to think of the best way to tease them about it.
"So, I noticed you two lovebirds drove to school together this morning. Did you guys have some kind of secret sleepover?" Hanna said provocatively. Emily blushed at the sexual nature of the question, and to her relief, Spencer answered for them both.
"No, Hanna. Last night I told my parents that we were together, and they didn't take it so well," she said. Hanna immediately felt guilty and turned serious.
"That's horrible. If you need a place to stay, you can always bunk with me," she offered, and Aria nodded in agreement, her eyes filled with concern.
"That's okay. I think I'm gonna stay here with Emily for another day or two, assuming it's okay with her mom. That's why we came to school together, it didn't make sense to come separately," Spencer said.
Suddenly they all heard a phone ringing, and Spencer pulled her phone out of her pocket to see that she had another call from her mother; she had been getting calls from her all day, which she had ignored, but she figured she should at least tell her mom she was okay. Seeing the caller ID, Emily rubbed Spencer's shoulder as she stood up and walked into the next room to take the call.
Spencer answered the call and waited a moment before speaking.
"Hello?" she said warily.
"Spencer, where did you go last night? Why would you run off like that?" her mother said, clearly distressed.
"I'm fine. I stayed over at Emily's," Spencer said pointedly. "What do you want?"
"Just come home, Spencer," her mother said, exasperated.
"Why would I do that?" Spencer said, starting to get angry. "Dad basically told me I was ruining my life, and you clearly don't disagree."
Mrs. Hastings sighed on the other end of the line. "Spencer, we want you to be happy. It's just a lot to take in."
"Yes, I know that! But I thought maybe you guys would have been just a little more supportive! I never asked you to understand right away, but I expected at least some respect for my ability to make my own decisions."
"Spencer-"
"No, you know what? When you and Dad are ready to start accepting this, I will come home. But right now, I really don't want to have to deal with this," Spencer interrupted.
"Spencer, please. Just come home. Your father's here. We'll talk, okay? Please."
Spencer had never heard her mother sound so desperate, and she sighed, weighing her options. She could refuse and continue to ignore her parents, or she could go and see what they had to say. She thought of Emily's mom, a religious army wife, who had become extremely supportive of Emily relatively quickly. Her parents, while they were very proper and uptight, were far less conservative and religious than Emily's mother.
Impulsively, Spencer decided to give them a chance. "Okay, fine. I'll come over now."
She hung up and walked back into the living room.
"Hey, sorry guys. I actually have to go, I'm gonna talk to my parents."
"Are you sure?" Hanna asked, to which Spencer nodded.
"We're here for you if you need us, Spence," Aria said supportively.
Spencer smiled appreciatively and Emily got up and pulled her in for a tight hug. Spencer closed her eyes and inhaled Emily's scent, pulling her body closer to her and burying her face in her shoulder. Reluctantly, she let go and waved to her friends before heading outside, getting into her car and going home.
Walking through the door, Spencer saw her parents sitting at the table. She sat down next to them, clearing her throat awkwardly.
"Spencer, I want to start off by saying I'm sorry for what I said last night," her father said. He wasn't one to apologize, and Spencer was slightly surprised. She nodded, grateful for his apology. Maybe, just maybe, things were going to be okay.
"I can't say I completely understand. I'm still... confused. But I do know that Emily's a sweet kid."
"We know you're capable of taking care of yourself and making responsible decisions. And we just want you to be happy," her mother added.
"Okay," Spencer said. "Thank you."
"Now, will you please come home?" Peter said sternly.
Spencer laughed a little and nodded. A wave of relief coursed through her. She knew it would take time for her parents to be completely comfortable with it, but for now, they were making an effort, and Spencer knew that was the first step.
Now it was Saturday morning, and Spencer had gone over to Emily's to hang out. The two girls were in her bedroom, getting their schoolwork over with for the weekend.
"Hey, Em, do you have a hair tie I can borrow?" Spencer asked.
"Sure, check that top left drawer."
Spencer opened the drawer Emily was pointing to and something caught her eye. She pulled out a worn purple bracelet that had Emily's name on it; she recognized it as the one Ali had given her.
"You still have this?" Spencer asked, holding it up.
"Oh, that. Yeah, I kept it."
"Can I ask why?"
"What do you mean? It was special to me. I guess I just keep it as a reminder of her."
Spencer thought for a second. "Now that I think about it, I don't think I have anything of hers as a reminder."
Emily shrugged. "I wouldn't expect you to."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Spencer asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.
"You weren't in love with her. I was. Maybe that's why you guys moved on so much more easily than I did," Emily said, sounding more hostile than she intended.
A pained look flashed across Spencer's face, and Emily immediately felt guilty; she'd basically insinuated that Spencer didn't care about Ali as much as she did. Spencer tried to conceal her hurt, but her body language gave her away. She grabbed her sweatshirt.
"Whatever. I should get home," Spencer said unconvincingly, heading toward the door.
"Wait, Spence, I'm sorry-" Emily called, but she was already gone. She sighed and rubbed her temples, upset with herself.
Emily had moped around her house for a few hours, feeling terrible about how her conversation with Spencer had gone. Why had she made that comment about Alison? The four of them were all still dealing with her death in whatever way they could, and Emily knew that she grieved differently from the others, but it didn't mean she had it worse. She hadn't meant what she said, and she didn't want Spencer to feel like she was harboring any animosity to her.
Deciding to call her, she picked up her phone, but was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. She headed to the door, not in the mood for human interaction.
When she opened it, she saw Spencer standing there.
"Hi," she said with an apologetic smile.
"Hey," Emily answered. "I'm so sorry, Spencer, I didn't mean what I said before."
"No, I'm sorry. I realize how much harder everything involving Ali must have been for you. I've said this before, but I wish I had known what she was doing to you."
Emily lowered her head, and Spencer took a deep breath and continued. "And I think I got so upset partly because I don't like the thought of you being in love with anyone else," she admitted quietly. "I know it's silly, I just-"
Emily leaned forward and captured Spencer's lips in her own, catching her off guard. Spencer sighed and put her arms around Emily. The kiss was slow and sweet, and the feelings and emotion behind it reminded Spencer of why she had wanted to be with Emily in the first place. Spencer marveled at how deeply connected she felt to Emily; each touch and glance they shared conveyed so much that was unspoken.
With one final peck, Spencer broke the kiss and rested her head on Emily's shoulder. As she felt Emily's chest rise and fall with each breath, Spencer had a cliché thought: standing there in Emily's arms at her front door, she felt more at home than she ever had in her life.
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