Hi guys. Thanks for all the reviews last chapter, and shoutout to gidgegirl for your polite and supportive response, and for giving me something to think about. This will be my regular update day from now until further notice (at least until the end of the year, but probably a while longer), so unless I say otherwise assume that I'll be updating every week. That doesn't mean that reviews aren't welcome, though, because as always they are much appreciated. So enjoy, review, and I'll see you next week (and please forgive the fact that I am incredibly immature at times; you'll see what I mean when you finish the chapter).

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"I'm just saying, you could totally pull that off." Hanna waved her carrot around, as if to emphasize her point.

Spencer rolled her eyes. "I'm not dyeing my hair red."

"It would look totally hot," Hanna insisted. "Something in the strawberry family. Or maybe a cherry -"

"Hanna, no." Spencer sighed, leaning forward to rest her head in her hands. Aria had seemed better this morning, but she hadn't thought to ask her how things had gone with Ezra. And Aria hadn't brought it up, so that probably meant she didn't know it had been Spencer who'd spoken to him. "Have you spoken to Aria today?"

"No," Hanna said, swallowing. "How's she doing?"

"She's okay, I think. I mean, she seemed better this morning."

"That's good." Hanna finished her lunch, then waited a polite amount of time before steering the conversation back to hair care. "Seriously. You already turn so many heads, even though you dress, well… like my mom."

"Your mom dresses well," Spencer pointed out, not sure whether she was being offered a compliment or an insult.

"Yeah, for a mom. But you should branch out, switch things up a bit. Do your hair different, or wear something more bold, daring. Like Aria -"

At that very moment Aria walked past, throwing them a quick greeting on her way to the library. She was still wearing the cardigan Spencer had given her earlier, and somehow it seemed to suit her, even though it was much more subdued than the neon-colored skull-covered clothes she usually wore. Hanna blinked at her, and then turned back to Spencer.

"Never mind," she said. "Don't dress like Aria. In fact, tell her to stop dressing like you."

"She's just borrowing my cardigan," Spencer defended herself, sure now that she was being insulted. But she didn't much mind; it was enough to see that Aria was happier again. Maybe whatever Ezra said had worked, and maybe the worst was behind her now.

Hanna shrugged, pulling a small purse out of her pocket and using her compact mirror to adjust her already flawless makeup. Spencer watched her, and it suddenly occurred to her just how good her friend looked today. Hanna normally looked fabulous, but there was an extra shine today, something especially glamorous, and although Spencer couldn't put her finger on what exactly it was, she knew it was there.

"You look good today," she commented.

"Don't I always?" Hanna said, but a slight pink tinge spread across her cheeks, letting Spencer know that her hunch had been correct.

"So." Spencer steepled her hands and raised an eyebrow suggestively. "Who's the lucky guy?"

"What?"

"You only ever look this good when you're trying to impress someone. The last guy was Caleb, and before that it was Sean, and – need I go on?"

"Please don't," Hanna said with a mock grimace.

"So spill. Who's the guy this time?"

"It's nobody," Hanna said, in a voice that made Spencer wonder whether she was even trying to convince her or just going through the motions. "And on a completely unrelated note, do you mind if I ditch you? I have somewhere else to be."

"Mhm," Spencer said teasingly. "I'm sure you do."

Hanna slumped back in her chair slightly. "So do you mind, or not?"

Spencer's attention had already been caught by a figure over the other side of the cafeteria. Ezra was talking to a couple of students, but as she watched they walked away, and he stood there for a moment more. If she was daring enough, she could ask him what had happened –

"That's fine," Spencer said. "I have to go talk to someone anyway."

Before Hanna could say anything, Spencer was on her feet, wending her way through the crowd until she reached the English teacher. She was so intent on her purpose that she didn't notice the way Hanna watched her go, or the look in her eyes.

"Hi," Spencer said, slipping up beside Ezra. "I was wondering -"

"Yes," he said, not even letting her finish.

"Sorry?" She blinked, taken aback.

"If you're going to ask if I talked to her, the answer is yes," Ezra explained, a good-humored glint in his eyes. Spencer wondered if that glint was feigned – was he really okay with the fact that Aria had broken up with him, for whatever reason? "And if you're going to ask if I can tell you what I said, or what she said, then the answer is no."

"I wasn't…" Spencer trailed off, suddenly embarrassed. Maybe she shouldn't have tried to talk to Ezra - or was she meant to call him Mr Fitz again, now that he was no longer dating her best friend? – about this. "I mean, thanks."

Ezra nodded, understanding. "You don't need to worry about her so much," he said. "She's going to be okay. And I'm sure she'll come to you when she's ready."

Spencer bit her lip, not sure how to respond, but at that moment another student hailed Ezra, a novel clutched in their hands and an I-have-no-idea-how-to-write-an-essay-on-this look on their face.

"Duty calls," Ezra said, heading over to them. "Good luck with everything, Spencer."

She watched him go, and it was only when he was out of sight that she noticed something. He'd seemed happy enough, like he was okay with the fact that he was no longer involved with Aria. But his words, his tone, said something else. He'd sounded sad, but also… resigned. And, if she wasn't much mistaken, a little bit resentful.

Wondering what she possibly could have done to elicit a response – or even if it was her doing – she made her way through the cafeteria until she found her next target. Emily and Paige were tucked away in a corner table, laughing at a picture in a Biology textbook. When Spencer approached, Emily snapped the book closed and did her best to suppress her giggling.

"What?" Spencer asked, looking from one to the other. "What is it?"

"It's nothing," Emily said, still snickering.

"You wouldn't find it funny," Paige added, grinning.

By now Spencer was too curious to listen to them. "Come on, just show me."

Emily shot a look at her girlfriend, shrugged, and opened the book. Spencer looked at it for a long moment, trying to make sense of it at the angle it was at. Then it clicked, and she rolled her eyes.

"You guys really find it amusing that someone drew a picture of boobs in your Biology textbook?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well," Paige said, giggling, "yeah."

"Right." Spencer watched the two of them laughing, and although she did feel a little amused – the person had drawn them right after a paragraph on the blue booby, a bird with an interesting mating ritual – she decided not to dwell on it. "So, Em, mind if I borrow your girl for a minute? I want to talk to her about that extra credit project."

"Be my guest," Emily said, closing the book and looking at her friend. "Just be sure to bring her back before the end of lunch. We have some… studying to do."

"Studying," Spencer said, amused. "I'm sure."

Paige gave Emily a quick kiss on the cheek and then followed Spencer over to an empty table, leaving Emily alone to actually attempt to do some studying. Spencer spread a pile of papers out on the table, sifting through it to point out the things she'd picked up from the readings that morning.

As she handed over a folder full of notes to Paige, she said, "It's good to see things so easy between you two."

She was referencing the fact that for the past month Emily and Paige had been going through some troubles, something to do with the swim team or a swim meet or something along those lines (in her defense, she'd been trying to prepare for her debate meet when Emily had explained the story, so she hadn't been able to give her full attention). It seemed like things were settling down now though.

"Yeah, things are good," Paige agreed, looking over at where her girlfriend was sitting, still on the same page of the book. "Sorry about back there, by the way. Sometimes we forget that not everyone finds breasts as amusing as we do."

Spencer rolled her eyes, suppressing a laugh. "I'll keep that in mind. If I ever want someone to talk to about boobs, I know where to go."

The two girls laughed, and then fell silent as they went about their work, sorting through the mass of information Spencer had collected. And as Spencer worked, she felt like a weight had lifted off her shoulders, and she let herself smile. Things were good, for all of them now it seemed.

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Teaser from the next chapter:

"You think you might have feelings for girls?"
"One girl," Aria corrected quickly, and then cursed herself. It would be a lot easier to hide this if she was general about it...

See you there. ;)