Hey guys! Sorry for taking so long to update, but I've had some serious writers block with this story. But anyway, here's another chapter, and let me know what you think! As for where this story is going, it might be nearing its end. I'd say we have about 5-10 chapters left. But keep reviewing, and let me know how you like it! Your reviews seriously mean the world to me, I hope you all know that forever and always. I was smiling for so long at your responses to the last chapter, and hopefully this chapter will get similar responses!
Ella walked up to the door to her apartment with Emily and Hanna close behind, fidgeting nervously. Hanna was twiddling her thumbs, trying to calm herself down, mainly just so that Emily wouldn't see that she was scared of what they'd find behind that door… or what they didn't find. And Emily was practically pulling all of her hair out, tugging at her once silky tresses until she had a huge wad of dark brown hair in the palm of her clammy hand.
Ella walked up to the door, and then pivoted her feet so that she was facing the girls. "Relax, alright?" she reassured. "They're in there, and they're safe. But I want to make sure that you're prepared for what you're about to see-"
Emily couldn't take it. She marched forward, snatched the key out of Mrs. Montgomery's hand, unlocked the door, and then threw herself into the apartment, on a frantic search for her two best friends.
Ella stared after her, her mouth agape, and Hanna followed close behind, sneaking Ella an apologetic glance as she entered the room.
Emily walked circles around the room, looking around feverishly for any sign of Aria or Spencer. She looked like a riled up terrier who had picked up on the scent of a nice, juicy steak, only she had picked up on the scent of her two best friends.
Or at least she thought she did.
"I don't see them," she said worriedly. "Where are they?"
Ella, who was still confused, and a little disoriented by Emily's outburst, calmly led the girls to the bedroom where she figured Aria and Spencer would be.
But when she walked up to the bedroom door, her heart stopped.
All she saw before her was a dark room with an unmade bed and an uneaten muffin on the floor, along with a porcelain plate that was promptly shattered.
Emily and Hanna walked up so that they were directly behind Ella, and the sight before them evoked the same reaction out of them that it did out of Ella.
Emily's complexion went from olive tan to sheet white in an instant. "Mrs. Montgomery," she said softly, "where are Aria and Spencer?"
Ella kneeled to the ground and examined the shattered china before her. She held up a shard to the light. Someone had definitely dropped the plate in shock.
She looked up to the girls, expressing the same worry that they had been for the first time that day. "I have no idea."
"God, my head is killing me," Spencer muttered, putting her warm hand up to her throbbing forehead, which was resting in Aria's lap on Toby's couch.
Aria glared down at her. "Yeah, no shit," she muttered. "This is what you get for downing, like, 20 shots in one day!"
"You know what..." Spencer started, sitting up now to face Aria.
"Both of you, cut it out," Toby said sternly as he walked into the room with a bottle of Gatorade in his hand. Spencer and Aria both grumbled halfhearted apologizes as Spencer collapsed back into Aria's lap and Aria went back to stroking Spencer's hair with care.
Toby did his best to suppress a laugh. They're just like an old married couple, those two, he thought to himself. They toggled between bickering like bratty little kids and caring for each other so easily. But it made Toby feel a lot better knowing that their constant fighting was merely out of love.
He walked over to the couch and kneeled next to where Spencer's head was. He held the bottle up to her. "Drink."
Spencer sat up slightly as she looked at him in confusion. "What?"
He giggled slightly. "Drink the Gatorade, Spencer."
Spencer continued to stare at him, truly disoriented by his request. "Umm..." she began. "I'm pretty sure you're supposed to drink coffee when you're hungover."
"And I'm pretty sure that's bullshit," Toby said with a laugh. "Trust me. The electrolytes in Gatorade work loads better than coffee. Just drink it."
When Spencer didn't move, Toby just sighed as he unscrewed the cap and brought the blue liquid up to Spencer's lips. Spencer eventually complied, and let him give it to her in slow, subtle sips.
As she swallowed the cool liquid, it traveled from her throat up to her brain, calming her nerves and causing her headache to subside greatly. It wasn't gone completely, but she did feel better.
Aria watched as Spencer's face contorted from one of pain to one of relief. She looked up at Toby, impressed. "How did you..."
Toby just gave her a warm grin. "I picked the trick up somewhere along the way," he said cheekily as he stood up, bottle in hand, and placed the bottle on the table on the other side of the couch.
"What way?" Spencer asked curiously.
Toby, to Spencer's surprise, placed his hands on the table that he had set the Gatorade bottle on, gripping it so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He then turned back to the girls, and something in his face changed. The cheeky grin he had worn earlier was replaced with a look of pain, of sorrow.
"Ever since we broke up a couple weeks ago," he began morosely, "I haven't taken it well. I've been drinking a lot." He hung his head in shame. "I had a wicked hangover one night, and one of the guys at the bar gave me suggestions to cure it."
Spencer's face softened, and Aria grabbed onto Spencer's arm in shock.
"Toby," Spencer whispered, "that's the sweetest thing any guy has ever said to me."
Toby's face lit up. "It is?"
"Yeah," Spencer nodded her head, trying to shake off the tears that were forming in her eyes.
Toby hung his head again as he walked back over to the couch. Only this time he actually sat down, across from Spencer and Aria, taking Spencer's hands in his. "I can't help but feel like this whole thing is my fault."
"What thing?" Aria asked, although both she and Spencer knew the answer.
"What Wren did," Toby said, not bothering to hide the contempt in his voice. He turned back to Spencer. "If I had just... not allowed you to slip away, maybe this wouldn't have happened."
"That's ridiculous," Spencer claimed, shocked that Toby could possibly even consider putting the blame on himself. "I'm the one that broke up with you, remember?"
"But I just sat back and let you break up with me!" Toby exclaimed in rage.
But it wasn't at Spencer. It was rage at himself.
He raised his eyes so that they met Spencer's, the sadness in his a perfect match for the devastation in hers. "Maybe I could've protected you."
Spencer just sighed and shook her head. "Toby, I didn't mean what I said earlier-"
"Yes you did," Toby said simply. "But that's okay. You were right."
"But I wasn't," Spencer said confidently. "Something tells me that Wren had wanted to do this for a l-long time..."
She faltered at the end of her sentence, finding it hard to keep going. Aria rubbed her arm comfortingly. "It's ok. Just try not to think about it."
But Spencer couldn't stop thinking about it. In fact, since she made the decision to open up to Aria and Toby, it was all she could think about.
"I just wanna know what I did to make him hate me so much," she whispered brokenly.
Aria wrapped her arms around Spencer, and Spencer leaned into her embrace. Toby took Spencer's hands that were interlocked with his and gave them a loving kiss. Spencer was happy to have them here with her, but something still felt incomplete.
"I should have never broken up with you," she said softly. Toby's ears perked up, and he leaned forward, trying to listen to what she had to say.
Spencer sat back up, looking him in the eyes. "I've missed you," she whispered.
Toby felt himself crumble under her broken, lost gaze. "I've missed you, too."
Spencer lowered her head, breaking the eye contact. "But I'm not sure I'm ready to be in a relationship right now," she said, regret dripping from her voice. This was killing her, but she couldn't be with him. Not until she was ready. "That being said... I still love you."
Toby wilted slightly at first, but then pulled himself together after a second. He tilted her chin up with the fleshiest part of his finger so that she was looking up at him. "That's good enough for me," he said compassionately. She gave him a watery smile in response and leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek.
One day they'd be back together, but for now they'd have to let their love for each other make up for it.
Their moment was interrupted by intense knocking on the door. The noise sent Spencer's head back into its intense pounding pattern, and she groaned loudly. Aria looked up at Toby, confused. "Expecting company?"
"No..." he said warily as he got up to answer the door. As he did, Aria turned to Spencer and gave her shoulder a tight squeeze.
"I am so proud of you," she whispered with satisfaction. "That was really brave of you."
"Thank you," Spencer whispered as she leaned back into Aria's arms. She couldn't stay there too long, however, based on who was at the front door.
Toby opened the door, and gasped in surprise as the last person he expected to see entered his apartment.
Cliffhanger! I can confidently say that none of you will guess who's at the door, but give it a shot anyway!