Sorry this is a little late; I slept in this morning and I've been playing catch-up all day. But that last set of reviews were so great, and I'm really excited that people are enjoying the story... so here's the next chapter, and don't forget to let me know what you think!

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November 2nd

"I don't get why you're so upset about this." Aria stood with her hands on her hips, watching as Spencer methodically ripped books from her bookshelf and started organising them according to genre and author.

"I'm not upset," Spencer replied, but the strength with which she was gripping a leather-bound copy of Pride and Prejudice gave her away. "I just don't think it was a good idea, is all."

"It's not like it was somebody I just met," Aria pointed out. When her friend didn't respond she sat down on the end of the bed and clasped her hands. "I know it was kind of sudden, but I really like this guy. You've met him, too. Mason – remember?" She paused, considering her friend. "I thought you'd be happy for me, Spence."

"No, I'm happy." Spencer straightened up, shoved Wuthering Heights into a random place in the shelf, and turned around to face her friend. "I think it was a great idea to screw someone you've only just met. Ten points for spontaneity, Aria, great job."

She knew she was being too hard on her. She was letting her emotions get the better of her, taking her frustration out on Aria, who, despite her ill-advised decision to sleep with Mr Business (she didn't like to use his actual name, because that made him sound more important than he should have been), didn't deserve it. And now Aria was looking up at her with eyes that were brimming with tears.

"I'm sorry," Spencer said, making an effort to keep her voice even. She'd been frustrated, yes, but she'd never meant to upset Aria. She didn't want to make her cry; she only ever wanted to be the reason for her smile. She sat down on the bed beside her and sighed. "I don't think it was a good idea, but it's not my place to judge. I'm your friend, and I should be supporting you."

"I could probably use the support," Aria mumbled, looking away.

Something in her tone made Spencer's heart stop. "What do you mean, sweetie?"

"Nothing." Aria wiped away some of the tears that had spilled down her cheek, and plastered a smile on her face. "It's just been a long week. I'm seriously craving some Sparia time."

Although Spencer wasn't buying into her sudden fake enthusiasm, she didn't want to make things worse. So she hitched a smile onto her face and said, "Sure. What are you in the mood for?"

As Aria rattled off a list of places they could go and things they could do, Spencer noticed how agitated she was. She was wringing her hands, and when she reached up to brush her hair away her hand was trembling. And there was a thin bruise circling her wrist, like someone had grabbed her.

"Hey Aria," Spencer said suddenly, interrupting her when she was halfway through listing the best places to get a manicure, "can you hand me that book over there? Yeah, that one."

Aria looked at her curiously, but reached over and grabbed the book, the sleeve of her shirt sliding up her arm. Spencer thanked her, but her eyes were locked on Aria's newly-revealed arm, which was a mosaic of bruises. Aria caught her looking and pulled her sleeve down.

"Then there's that new place across town -" Aria went on, clearly trying to distract her.

"Aria." Spencer waited until her friend was looking at her, then, gesturing to the bruises, she asked, "What happened?"

"Oh, that?" Aria asked breezily, although her quivering lip was at odds with her attempt at airiness. "Nothing. I just fell down some stairs yesterday. It's no big deal."

When Spencer was younger, she actually had fallen down some stairs. She and Melissa had been running around the house, playing some made-up game that somehow involved a feather duster, a rubber duck, and a book on Latin verbs. She'd come barrelling around the corner and tried to take the steps two at a time, but her balance had been off and she'd ended up tumbling down. The bruises she'd got from that looked nothing like Aria's arm now. These ones looked… deliberate.

"Aria, did someone hurt you?" Spencer asked, terrified to hear the answer. "You can tell me anything, remember?"

"Nobody hurt me, Spence," Aria replied, with a grimace that almost passed for a smile.

"If someone did that to you, there's no reason to protect them," Spencer pressed. "If you're in trouble -"

"I'm not." Aria's voice was firm, but slightly shaky. She stood up suddenly. "Now would you please just back off?"

"I'm sorry," Spencer stuttered, alarmed by her reaction. Aria hadn't been this closed off or defensive in a long time; they usually shared everything. "I didn't -"

"Spencer, drop it," Aria said sharply, moving toward the door. "I told you because I thought you'd be supportive. I thought you'd be happy for me."

"Aria -" she started, but her friend was already gone.

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