A/N:

I spent all afternoon yesterday and today writing this and before I had even realised it, is was becoming super long, and so I was like:

"Woah, Claire, calm down, save some for the next chapter!"

So that's exactly what I did.

The next update will be a continuation, finishing how this chapter ends and then straight into the upcoming event. I wanted to finish this all together but then I remembered I wouldn't have enough to write in the next one.

I've just realised that whole paragraph probably made no sense to anyone, but hopefully once your finished reading this chapter, you might understand what I mean.

Probably not.

Highly unlikely.

I don't even know what I mean most of the time.

Oh well...

Read, Enjoy, Review. :)

Peaceskies.

SolitudeMyLove: I'm Irish :P though I didn't use '18' instead of '6' for any particular reason, I guess Spencer just has a digital watch in this story. :P

So, it was Monday, the start of the week again, and a week and a half since Aria and I's first date. Everything was perfect. Aria was being amazing and patient with me and I couldn't be happier right now, we were kind of inseparable, much to Hanna's annoyance and Emily's disappointment. We had spent pretty much every single day together since we became a couple. Mostly in the confinements of our houses where people couldn't necessarily see us together, but nonetheless we were constantly together.

I got lost in my thoughts for a moment before I realised I had walked straight past where the girls were sitting at our lunch table.

"Spence? Earth to Hastings? DUDE We're over here!"

I turned around to see Hanna staring at me like I had two heads. This clearly wasn't the case. If I did have two heads, there was no way I could have been stupid enough to forget where I was going at lunch.

"What? Oh, hey sorry, I was distracted." I sat down next to Aria and placed a light kiss on her cheek.

"Are you okay?" she asked, placing her hand on mine on the table.

"I'm fine, I was just thinking about you and got lost in my thoughts again."

"Awh, Spence." She hugged me tightly.

"Spence, you're such a softie." Emily said with a small smile.

Hanna was silent. We all looked at her, waiting for a comment. She looked up from her food, stared at all three of us and spoke.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're adorable, you're so cute, blah blah blah, vomit." And then she began eating again.

"Nice Han." I said sarcastically.

"What? We get it, you two are adorable together, but you don't need to flaunt it in our faces the whole time."

She got up and left.

"What the hell?" I asked annoyed. "I'm going after her."

"Spence! Wait!" Aria and Emily both yelled after me to come back but I was already out the door.

I saw Hanna go into the bathroom and followed her in. She was leaning against a sink staring into the distance.

"What the hell is up with you?" I questioned.

"What are you talking about?" She asked.

"You've been a pain in the ass since me and Aria got together and I want to know why. You know how much I love her and she loves me, we're supposed to be your best friends, aren't you happy for us?"

"Best friends? Really? That's hilarious Spence, the last time I checked, best friends were supposed to hang out together, they were supposed to gossip and they were supposed to be there for each other. Since you two started going out, I've lost both of you, you're not my best friends anymore." She started out angry, but her voice cracked right at the end and I could tell how upset she was.

"Han, we can still do all of that. But, Aria and I just started going out, we need time alone together, just the two of us, while we figure this whole thing out. It's still so new to us, and we're just trying to get it right. Please believe me when I say that neither of us want to lose you or Emily, we need you two, we're a family and I don't know what I would do without you."

"Okay…" she sniffed.

"Listen, I have a plan for my second date with Aria, but I want it to be a surprise, and I know Emily can't keep a secret, can you help me out with that? It's gonna require a lot of time spent with me… I hope that's okay?" I nudged her in the side lightly with my elbow, and I saw a smile tug at her lips.

"That sounds… bearable… only just, and you better not start all that smart talk, you know I don't understand those big words you use." She pushed her hair over her shoulder and strutted off.

"I wouldn't even think about it Han." I said laughing, following her from the bathroom.

-XXXX-

The next day at lunch the atmosphere was much less fickle. Hanna seemed in a good mood and everything was right with us again. That was until Aria walked in and slammed her bag down on the table.

"Ar? Are you alright?" I asked, placing my hand on hers like she had done to me the previous day.

"No, Mr. Collins is such a… a dick!" she yelled.

"Your math teacher? What happened? What did he do?" Emily asked.

"We have his really important test coming up and he has been telling us since Christmas that it would be the end of March."

"That's not for another three weeks though?" I asked confused.

"Exactly, and last period he told us he's moving it forward, to this Friday."

"What? He can't do that, can he?" Emily asked in disbelief.

"What an idiot!" I said angrily.

"Yeah, and I haven't even started studying for it, I'm lost in algebra and I'm gonna fail, my parents will ground me and I'll never have a life again, and all because that jerk doesn't want to spend his Spring Break correcting our tests." Aria's anger had slightly dissipated , and was replaced now with sadness and disappointment.

"What am I gonna do?"

"This is what you're gonna do." I stated simply.

"You're gonna go home after school today, you're going to eat something substantial, you're going to write down a list of everything you don't understand, then you're going to wait until 5pm at your house, for me to finish Field Hockey and we're going to have a study date. And that same thing is going to happen for the next three nights, until you're an expert."

"Spence… you can just give up the rest of your week to help me study."

"Of course I can, math is my thing remember? I'll get you an A in that test, I guarantee it."

"Seriously? You would do all that for me?" She asked.

"Of course, you're my best friend, and my girlfriend and I love you, I'd do anything for you." I paused and turned to Emily and Hanna quickly. "That goes for you guys too, if you ever need anything, you come to me, got it?"

Aria moved closer to me, and spoke quietly.

"I really wish we weren't in the middle of the cafeteria right now because I really wanna kiss you… like, everywhere…"

I breathed heavily.

"You can kiss me when you ace that test, oh and there will be no kissing during study time, we get distracted too easily and you need to study."

"Awh, but Spence, I…"

"No buts, it's not happening, only study breaks are for drinking, eating and kissing. No other allotted time."

"Okay, you have to stop being so bossy, you taking control is really turning me on."

"Oh… crap, sorry Ar…" I blushed and turned away from her.

The bell for the end of lunch rang and we all made our way to our lockers to get our books. Aria moved over and kissed my cheek.

"Thank you so much Spence, I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Anything for you sweetie." I smiled at her as she and Emily headed for their next class.

"Spence?

"Yeah Hanna?" I said turning to face her as I pulled books from my locker.

"I thought you didn't have Hockey practice on Tuesdays? And I thought we were supposed to be planning your date tonight?"

"I don't have Hockey on Tuesdays, and we are planning it tonight, but Aria really needs my help so I have to help her study. We have about an hour after school to plan and then I'll head to Aria's."

"You're a genius." Hanna said smiling.

"Yeah. That's kind of why she needs my help to study?" I said sarcastically.

"You're so cocky, I'll see you later Spence." She said laughing and heading for class.

"Bye Han." I grabbed my last book and closed my locker before heading to math myself.

-XXXX-

After school, I quickly got in my car and made my way over to Hanna's.

"Hey Spence." She greeted my happily at the door and we walked into her kitchen and sat down.

"So, what did you have in mind for this date?" She asked before handing me a cup of coffee.

"You know that exhibition that's on next week in Philadelphia?"

"You mean the art show that Aria has been talking my ear off about for the past like 70 years?" she said sarcastically.

"It hasn't been exactly 70 years but yeah, that one." I said taking a sip of my coffee.

"Hasn't that been sold out for, like, ever?"

"It has, but my dad gets free tickets to random exhibitions every year because he buys a lot of the art, so this year, he got tickets to the exhibition next week. I asked him if I could have the tickets because he and my mom are going out of town that morning for over a week, and he said yes."

"That's amazing, Spence. But…" the look on Hanna's face told me she didn't quite agree with me on this.

"What? You don't think it's a good idea?"

"It is a good idea. It's a great idea. A fantastic idea. In fact, it's probably too good."

"How can an idea be TOO good?" It wasn't often that Hanna would be the one confusing ME, but that was the case right now.

"It's only your second date with her. What about the rest of them? You'll never be able to top that."

She was right. Again. Goddamn it, I'm an idiot sometimes.

A thought occurred to me, and I remembered something. Suddenly all I could hear was Aria's voice.

"You took date advice from Hanna? Did you not have any ideas?"

"Thanks for the advice Han, but… I think I'll go with this." I said, smiling slightly thinking about Aria's words.

"It's your decision Spence, I just wanted you to have my honest opinion."

"Thanks Han, I appreciate it."

"Okay, so let's talk clothes!" Hanna jumped excitedly.

-XXXX-

It was almost 5 o clock when I pulled up at Aria's house. I quickly grabbed my bag from the passenger seat and got out of the car, locking the door behind me, before walking that familiar stretch to the front door of her house. I knocked lightly before immediately being greeted by Aria.

"Hey Spence"

"Hey, so how's it looking so far?" I asked, following her into her living room and setting my bag down on the couch next to hers.

"Horribly, I can't do anything, and I'm gonna fail so bad and I just don't understand integration, I mean why the hell would you want to do ANYTHING backwards, Nevermind math and I just found this page that says…"

I cut her off quickly by roughly kissing her, holding her face in my hands. She immediately moved her hands to the familiar spot on the back of my neck and running her fingers through my hair. I kissed her once more, longingly before slowly pulling back.

She moved her eyes to meet mine, panting slightly. We looked at each other for a minute before she spoke.

"I thought you said no kissing outside allotted time?" she said smiling.

"Technically we haven't even started yet so we were still in allotted time."

"Now you're just making up rules." She said leaning against my shoulder.

"Well, I'm good at it, so i'm allowed."

"True… Hey, Spence?"

"Yeah?"

"If this is a study date, does this also make this our second date?" she wiggled her eyebrows. I laughed.

"God no, I have a much better plan for our second date." I wiggled my eyebrows back at her.

"You do? What is it?"

I put my right index finger against the side of my nose and held it there. "Don't worry your tiny little body about it. Now come on, let's get started."

-XXXX-

"Okay, I'm finished those questions." Aria said, tiredly. We had been working all night and it was getting pretty late.

"Okay, I'll have a look at them."

I examined the piece of paper Aria gave me as she leaned back against the couch, resting her head and closing her eyes.

"Ar, these are all exactly right, didn't I say you could do it?" I looked over at her to see she was sleeping.

I stood up and moved my hands around her before picking her up and brining her upstairs. I lay her down on her bed and pulled a blanket over her. I gently kissed her forehead before writing a quick note and leaving it under her phone beside her bed. I looked at her once more before leaving and shutting her door behind her. I made my way back downstairs and began gathering my things, shoving them into my bag.

"Spencer, are you two finished for the night?" I heard Ella say from behind me, I quickly turned to answer her.

"Yeah, Aria's exhausted so she's upstairs sleeping, I'm just getting my stuff and then heading off." I pulled my bag over my shoulder.

"It's really good of you to give so much of your time up to help her, I'm so glad she has such a good friend like you, one that she can count on."

"I'm just doing what I can to help her out, I know how worried she is about the test so…" I trailed.

"Well, regardless, I'm very grateful."

"It's no problem, really, I better get going, I'll be over tomorrow again to help her, of course, only if that's okay with you?"

"That's perfectly fine with me; I'll make extra spaghetti tomorrow."

"Oh, great thanks. Goodnight Mrs. Montgomery."

"Goodnight Spencer."

I closed the door behind me before making my way back to my car. I drove the few minutes to my house and pulled up in the driveway. I made my way inside and straight upstairs. I fell onto my bed and fell asleep instantly.