I have no excuse for my 4 year abandonment of this. But I'm here now!

Chapter 11

"I just feel…sad" Spencer said as she wriggled down her pillow a little bit and tried to make herself more comfortable, despite the current topic of conversation. "I'm feeling a lot of other things, but sad, that's topping the list right now."

Aidan nodded slowly and gave a reassuring smile. He could tell that the blonde was hoping that was their 'talk' over, but he knew better. The boy raised one eyebrow just enough to encourage her to continue.

"And stupid, I feel very stupid for thinking she might want – oh, I don't know," the blonde shrugged her shoulders a little and rubbed a hand across her swollen face, "...to be my friend! God, I am actually back in High-School, upset because the cool kids don't want to play with me!"

Chuckling next to her, Aiden shifted his weight and bent his arm to rest his head on a large bicep. "Spence, you have nothing to feel stupid for. Christ, the girl brought your drunken ass home from a club, poured you and your best friend into bed and then spoke to you all the following week. Of course, you'd think there was a budding friendship there, because that is exactly what was happening."

"Urgh!" Feeling exposed, Spencer put her hands over her tear stained cheeks and covered her red eyes with her fingers, "Dude, what is going on with me? Why is this so hard?" She turned her face dramatically into the pillow and blew a deep breath out through her hands, "Why does it hurt?"

Chuckling gently, Aiden readjusted the fort's roofing and pushed her shoulder gently so she was facing him again. "It hurts, because you care, Spence," blue eyes dropped to look at the mattress, unable to bare any scrutiny as the boy continued, raising his free hand in a gesture of submission, "and I'm not implying anything scarier, than the fact that you care."

He nudged her chin and caught her eyes with his own, that raised eyebrow telling more than his words could. "She's a friend right?" the blonde shrugged again and nodded slightly, "OK, well if a friend had made me a promise like that, to come and be part of something I was passionate about, then bailed on me without even a 'soz pal, I got a better offer, catch ya laters' text, then I'd care and I'd be pretty sad too."

Spencer released a heavy breath and disappeared into her own head. Aiden was right. She was sad for so many reasons but mainly she was sad for her new friendship and what it could have been. As her mind wandered over the brief, but strong connection she had felt with the brunette, Spencer's thoughts from earlier in the week came flooding back - realisations that maybe her emotional reaction to Ashley was not her usual norm, deciding to stop thinking so hard about something so confusing, choosing to follow where this new friendship led and maybe, just maybe, taking a leap of faith.

"Stop thinking so hard"

She let a small smile play on her lips at the repeated phrase, then let silence fall between them again as she tried to organise her swarm of thoughts into something sensible. Looking down the hem of her baggy PJ top, a thought rushed to the forefront of her mind, suddenly scandalised, she blurted "Did you put me in these last night?!"

"Ew, no! I am still recovering from having to put you in that killer dress in the first place!"

"Oh," She tugged at a loose thread, "well, that's ok then."

"Spencer." She lifted her eyes to his and rolled them dramatically when she realised he was not letting her divert the conversation. "Talk to me."

"Fine. I am feeling a lot of feelings okay? Most of them too overwhelming and too confusing and too hard to process in the safety of this duvet fort!" She gestured around them, hitting the roof of the fort in the process. "Can I not just be angry that she let me down and maybe a bit upset that I thought she was going to be a really good friend but she's turned out to be a douchebag? Can I not just feel normal things a friend feels when another friend has been a total shithead? It's been a week! Why am I so upset over a friendship that's existed for a week!" As the material settled over them once more, she felt a frustrated tear creep out the corner of her eye.

Aiden tugged at the cuff of his shirt and caught the rogue tear, staining the white material with mascara. "Some friendships form slowly over time, like yours with Chelsea, and others explode," he puffed the air out from his cheeks and made the 'boom' gesture with his hand, "like ours did, like it did with Ashley." Spencer cringed a little at the mention of the other girl and curled up into herself as the pain reappeared in her stomach. "I know we've not known each other very long, but you're like the annoying sister I never, ever, wanted but can't help loving a little bit anyway," he gently reached out and captured her hand, smiling as he did so. "all these things you are feeling, whether they are friendly, best-friendly,…lesbi-friendly" he wiggled his eyebrows at her as she frowned deeply, "whatever they are, they're normal. And when you are ready to process, I'm here." He squeezed her hand and gave his best smile.

"and me, I'm here too." An amused voice spoke out from outside the fort walls. The pair smiled at each other, and pulled apart to lower the duvet roof and poke two, slightly flushed heads out into the real world.

Aiden was first to react. "Shiver me timbers! Another wench has boarded the Jolly Aiden!"

Spencer's mood changed so quickly she wondered if emotional whiplash was a thing. A bellow of laughter erupted out of her. It wasn't that she found him particularly funny, it was more that the entire situation was completely ridiculous. Here she was, in bed with her gay best friend, tip-toeing around the tricky subject of her own potential swaying, after only knowing the girl a week! And now, Mr Advice has turned into Captain Hook.

It was all very surreal.

"Arrggh, I be no landlubber wench! I am Buccaneer Chel-Sea!" The friend joined in on the role-play as she climbed onto the bed.

"Batten down the hatches Carlin! That there, son-of-a-biscuit-eater is boarding the Good Ship Dennison!" Aiden swiftly pulled himself out of the tangle of sheets and clambered to his feet on the wobbly mattress, thrusting an arm holding an invisible sword in Chelsea's general direction.

"Avast ye old, very smartly dressed seadog, or you'll be heading for Davy Jones' Locker!" Chelsea got to her feet and pointed an equally invisible sword towards Aiden's gut, making quick stabbing gestures as he dodged out the way.

It was a lot of movement for an emotional early morning.

"I'm wishing ye had left me marooned on that island Captain Dennison! I don't seem to have my sea legs yet!" Spencer watched as her two friend's continued their antics until Chelsea successfully struck a blow to Aiden's chest and he crumbled onto the duvet in a heap, bringing Chelsea down with him.

Pizza boxes decorated the coffee table and full bellies expanded in their sweatpants. It was Spencer's choice for lunch and given that she insisted there was no requirement for Ben or Jerry as no heart had been broken, pizza was the dish of the day. Chelsea had decided, however, that as a 'Shitty New-Friend of the Year' award had been dished out to Ashley, that meant a lot of pizza was needed, and maybe some sides…and a box of warm cookies.

Spencer had pleaded 'depression' as she claimed the two-seater, her head cradled in Chelsea's lap as fingers idly ran through the length of her blonde hair. Aiden had draped himself across the single chair, head leaning against the back rest and legs sprawled out over the other arm. Somehow, he was comfortable.

It was Chelsea who tentatively broke the peaceful silence, "So, for fear of having my head bitten off, where do we stand on the whole 'why hasn't she text back yet' thing?"

Spencer had not heard from Ashely since the mid-afternoon. Ashely had text to say she was finishing up at work, nipping home to shower away the stench of coffee beans and then heading to the exhibition. Spencer had text three times since then.

"Nowhere. She's not bothered to beg forgiveness or explain away her shittyness, so I'm not going to keep crying out for attention."

Aiden looked at the sad girl, curled up on her best friends lap and his heart broke a little for her. "Well, if she's ghosting you then you've clearly had a lucky escape. Ain't nobody got time for that!" He whipped out his campest finger clicks and pouted for effect, earning himself a chuckle and a smile from the girls.

As the afternoon passed, the pair set about distracting their friend with daytime re-runs and chatting their usual drivel. "Who even needs a window vacuum? Like, why would you hoover your windows?" Aiden asked as the commercials started airing. He looked around the room for support.

"Maybe they get dusty?" Chelsea offered half-heartedly.

"But how though, dust falls to the ground. How can it cling to the side of a shiny, glass window?"

"Maybe it's for spider webs." She pitched again.

"Ew, gross." He fell silent for a beat, "They have dusters for that though and like, actual hoovers, for the floor with those extend-y bits." He moved his arms around to explain his logic.

Chelsea stilled her hands in Spencer's hair and looked at Aiden. "I genuinely hate that you've made me think about this for so long."

"It's been like 90 seconds."

"That is a whole 90 seconds too long – and counting!" She started playing with the blonde locks on her lap again, trying to think of anything but why a vacuum would be made for windows.

"It's for the water." Spencer said unexpectedly, shrugging like it was obvious. "On the windows. Like condensation or whatever. It's for that."

Aiden looked over at Spencer, fixing his eyes on the side of her head like it would help him work out were the hell she pulled that bit of knowledge from. "How and why, on God's green Earth, do you know that little fact?"

"Mum's got one," she turned a little to look at the boy, "does your family not have one?" He shook his head no. "Surely your mum has one Chels?" She also looked lost. Totally appalled that this conversation was being prolonged.

"No, Spence, my mum has window cleaner and a cloth, like any other normal house-proud human."

As they were talking, the news report had started playing on the tv and a particular name caught the blonde's attention before she could jump in to defend her mother's strange house cleaning habits.

"…the daughter of Rock Legend, Raife Davis, is reported to have been in a serious car crash over-night and is now being cared for at Cedars-Sinai."

The room fell silent as both Aiden and Chelsea realised what they were watching.

"Reports state that the 19 year old was driving alone when she was hit by a the oncoming car at approximately 8.30pm on Westwood Boulevard."

Spencer felt her heart fall into her stomach. All of her feelings and emotions were back, as confusing as ever but the overriding one now, was fear. The screen changed to show helicopter footage of the car wreck, the flashing lights of the emergency services vehicles lighting up the dark street.

"Witnesses who alerted the emergency services stated that Miss Davis was driving through traffic lights as her car was struck on the driver's side by the second vehicle which ran a red. Miss Davis was assisted by paramedics at the scene while the fire service cut her free from the wreckage. She is believed to be in a stable condition in hospital.

Next up…"

Silence. There was only silence.

And then utter chaos and sheer blind panic.

Aiden jumped up and ran to his room, emerging seconds later in a pair of jeans and a zippy hoody, his car keys hanging from his lips as he hopped to get his feet into trainers. Chelsea caught on moments later, moving Spencer off her lap and grabbing her jacket from the back of the sofa.

"What are you guys doing?" Spencer asked as she righted herself on the sofa.

"Urm," Aiden snuck his right foot into his shoe and stomped on the ground to wriggle it in, "surely, we are jumping into our valiant stead and rushing to the bedside of Raife Davis' daughter!" he shook his head in shock as he announced the last few words emphatically. "Chels…tell me I'm right?"

The curly haired girl zipped up her jacket and slipped her feet into her Vans. Checking items off on her fingers, she replied, "She was on her way to the Exhibition. She was in a car crash. She hasn't ghosted Spence. I'm back on being Team Ashley."

"Spence?" Aiden asked, waiting.

What am I supposed to do?