Hey everyone! Thanks as always for the reviews last chapter. I'm still kind of in shock that anyone would actually want to read, and bother to write a review for, my writing, so every single review still leaves me speechless and giggling like a little girl. So keep it up, guys, I couldn't have made it this far without you.
Now, a quick (and probably unwelcome) announcement: there will be no update next week. I know, I know, what kind of a holiday present is that? The thing is, I don't want to ruin your Christmas day with the next chapter, because you guys may not like how it ends. So I guess that makes this the last update for the year. Rest assured, I will pick up the very first Wednesday next year.
If you're bored in the meantime, feel free to watch the trailer video I made for this story (PM me if you want the link), re-read old chapters, or check out some of my other stories - I currently have one other in-progress Spoby story (C'est la guerre) as well as a few one-shots (Falsehood's Flame, Blue Skies, and Grip around my heart). And, if you guys want, I can send you each a little snippet of Chapter 30 next week at the regular update time; if that's something you'd be interested in, just mention it in a review or send me a PM.
Enough babbling, right? Enjoy the chapter. This one is also one of my favorites so far - you'll see why (and I think you guys will like it too). So, here it is; don't forget to review. Happy holidays, everyone!
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Eventually Toby's wild flight comes to a stop and he slumps against the nearest wall, sliding down to the ground. His hand automatically goes to his pocket, searching for his piece of wood, before he remembers that he lost it. Spencer's cry echoes in his ears; when he'd fled from the room she'd shouted his name, just his name. He knows he shouldn't have left her, but the world was closing in on him and he knew he had to get out of there. Now that his breathing is under control and his heart is slowing to a normal pace, he considers going back in to find her.
Before he can, however, he hears footsteps coming down the hall. They're quick but hesitant, and he gets to his feet, ready to leave if he needs to. He doesn't want to talk to anyone right now, not even Caleb or Emily, so chances are he'll have to leave. But when the person comes into view, all thoughts of leaving stop.
Spencer approaches him cautiously, and he marvels at how much of a role reversal this is. Not for the first time, he is the more vulnerable of the two, and Spencer is taking on a gentler role, approaching him like she's not sure if he's going to turn and run.
"Hey," she says, coming to a stop a few feet away from him.
"Hi." He leans back against the wall, trying to find the words to apologize to her for the scene back there, and for leaving her there. He wants to be able to explain how he feels, but he's never been good at that, and he doesn't want to scare her off.
"You okay?" Spencer takes a couple more steps forward, until they're close enough to touch.
"I'm fine," he says automatically, but to his surprise she doesn't leave it at that. She keeps looking at him, and behind the ever-present sadness in her eyes is a question. "No," he admits quietly.
Spencer gives him a sympathetic half-smile, and then moves to stand beside him. She leans against the wall too, and for a moment they stand there in silence. Then she asks, hesitantly, like she's not sure she wants to know the answer, "Was it… was it something I did?"
"What?" Toby pushes himself off the wall so he can turn and face Spencer. She isn't looking at him now; her eyes are downcast, and she looks more like the girl she was when he first saw her than the girl she's become since then. "Why would you ask that?"
"I don't know," she mumbles, but this time it's Toby's turn to keep watching her until she gives him an answer. "I just… We kissed. And then your father spoke to you, and then before I knew it you were gone. You didn't say anything to me, so what am I supposed to think?"
Toby is reminded of one of his first endeavors in carpentry. He had been attempting to make a mirror, but the actual mirror wasn't the difficult part – what took him the longest was the intricate carvings around it. He worked on these for an hour every afternoon for a week straight, and finally, just when he was close to being finished, his hand slipped. It was the tiniest thing, just a minute tremble, and the blade slid barely an inch. But it slid across a line he'd already carved, creating a cross where there was meant to be a swirl. He had thrown the whole thing out, because that tiny mistake has ruined it.
Now he's worried that the same thing has happened. All this time spent getting to know Spencer, opening up to her, and one wild impulse may have ruined it all.
"It wasn't you," he promises, and she relaxes slightly, as if she wants to believe him but isn't quite sure she should. "What we did… that was wonderful," he says, and she allows herself a small smile. "The problem was my father."
She looks up at him now. "What did he say?"
Toby sighs, knowing he has to explain but wishing that instead he could just enjoy being here with someone he cares about so much. "Apparently Jenna told him that I ditched her. She'd called me to say she didn't need a ride, and, like a fool, I believed her. So now my own father doesn't want me under his roof."
"Oh, Toby," she whispers, resting a hand on his shoulder as he slumps against the wall again. "I'm so sorry."
"It's fine," he says, distracted for a moment by the feel of her hand. Then he shrugs and says resignedly, "He has a point. It's probably best for a lot of people if I just disappear."
"Why would you say that?" Spencer asks, and Toby feels his heart jolt at the pain behind her words.
"You've seen how people treat me," he says, sliding back down the wall. Spencer does too, so that they're sitting side by side. "I'm an outcast, the black sheep of Rosewood High. I doubt anybody really wants me around."
"Well," Spencer says, wrapping a strand of her hair around her finger, "you're not the only one who feels like that, you know. In case you haven't noticed, people aren't exactly tripping over each other in their haste to be my friend."
"You have friends," he points out. "Emily, Aria, Hanna, Mona, Caleb…"
"Only because they were your friends first," she reminds him. She rests her hands on her knees and looks down the hall, as if looking for the courage to say what she wants to say. "I never thanked you. For everything you've done for me."
He turns to face her, and their eyes meet for a moment. "You don't need to thank me."
"Yes," she says quietly. "I do."
Her words hang in the air between them, and for the second time that night Toby feels his breath catch in his throat and his heart fill with happiness. He holds her gaze as he leans in, willing to pull away if she shows any hesitation. But she's leaning in too, and the second before their lips meet she whispers, "Thank you."
Then he closes his eyes and the world falls away again, but this time instead of falling into a state of panic, the kind that makes him want to run away, he falls into somewhere else entirely. There's a slight edge of desperation to this kiss, as Toby realizes that he could have lost her tonight. He'd thought that in that moment, when he chose to run rather than to turn back to her, she might have turned away from him too. But she's kissing back passionately, and as her hand comes to rest on his knee he suppresses a shiver of delight.
The kiss breaks off abruptly as his phone rings. With a groan he pulls it out, as Spencer watches dreamily, still under the spell of the kiss. The message is from Jenna: You're in big trouble now.
Instinct kicks in and Toby is on his feet in a second. He's aware of Spencer standing up behind him, but his mind is on other things. He doesn't want to get her caught up in the middle of this, and evidently his actions haven't been enough to keep her out of it so far.
"Where are you going?" she asks as he starts walking down the hall.
"Home," he says. "To talk to my lovely stepsister."
"Jenna?" Spencer says, and something in her voice makes Toby turn around. "She's already here. I saw her talking to one of her teachers a few minutes ago."
Toby clenches his fist, nods sharply, and keeps walking. Spencer catches up to him, and he feels her fingers curl around his fist. Without thinking he relaxes, and she intertwines their fingers as they walk. She doesn't need to say the words for her meaning to be clear: You're not alone.
When they reach the reception area Toby's father is still there, and Jenna is talking to her Math teacher. Toby also catches sight of his friends scattered around the room, waiting for the awards ceremony to start. Caleb and Hanna are sitting side by side in one corner, holding hands and talking softly; Aria and Emily are sharing a drink, which, judging by how flushed their cheeks are, is most likely alcoholic. Toby glances at them as he marches over to Jenna, but they don't notice him.
"We need to talk," he says without preamble, grabbing Jenna's arm.
Startled, she excuses herself from her conversation with the teacher and follows Toby over to Mr Cavanaugh. Spencer stays a few steps behind, and her hand slips from Toby's as he approaches his father. She wraps her arms around herself, clearly uncomfortable with this kind of confrontation, and Toby turns, gives her what he hopes is a reassuring smile, and reaches for her hand. She returns his smile and squeezes his hand, and he realizes that he's not just reassuring her; she's doing the same for him.
"What's this?" Toby's father asks as the others approach. He focuses his gaze on Jenna and adds, "I thought you were just having a quick word with Mr Frost and then we were going to leave."
"I thought so too," Jenna grumbles, "but apparently my brother has other ideas."
"I know you don't believe me," Toby says to his father, ignoring his stepsister, "but I need to set the record straight. I have never laid a hand on Jenna, and I never intend to. I don't know why she did what she did, but it wasn't because of me."
"Toby," his father says, looking nervously at Mr Frost, who is watching their interaction with undisguised curiosity. "Now is neither the time nor the place."
"No, it's exactly the time and place, since you won't listen to me anyway."
Mr Cavanaugh folds his arms, his gaze sweeping over Jenna and Spencer and landing on Toby. "Fine," he says, clearly wanting to avoid making a scene. "State your case."
"I know you want us to be one big happy family," Toby says, the bitterness making his voice sharper than usual, "but it's not going to happen. Forcing me to spend time with Jenna is only going to create more tension. If you would just give us space, maybe we could learn to live under the same roof."
"Whether you like it or not, we're a family," his father says sternly, "and I think we should act like it."
"With all due respect, Mr Cavanaugh," says a new voice from just behind Toby, "I don't think families are supposed to be quite so dysfunctional."
As one Toby and Spencer whirl around, to see Caleb standing there, with Hanna behind him. Caleb catches Toby's eye and winks, and Hanna rests her hand on Spencer's shoulder; the taller girl doesn't even flinch, yet another sign of how much progress she's made. The four of them face Mr Cavanaugh and Jenna, who seem taken aback.
"I mean," Caleb goes on, "I'm no expert, but I always thought families were supposed to be a little more understanding."
"At the very least you should hear Toby out before dismissing his ideas entirely," Hanna adds, with a sharp glance at Jenna.
Mr Cavanaugh narrows his eyes, but before he can speak Toby notices Emily and Aria approaching them.
"Is there a problem?" Aria asks sweetly, leaning against Emily, who flashes Toby's father a charming smile.
While Mr Cavanaugh stares at the group in front of him in bewilderment, Toby feels a rush of gratitude. He's always tried not to ask much of his friends, partly for fear of being a burden but also for fear that they would say no. But now, without being asked, they've come to his aid, and although he knows he'll never be able to repay them, he's glad they're here.
Knowing that if he chooses to argue now he'll make a scene – there are still a few people hanging around, since the awards ceremony hasn't started yet – Mr Cavanaugh bows his head slightly and says, "Fine. We can try it your way, Toby. I'll give you space. But if the two of you can't work it out, we're going to have to revisit this problem. Am I clear?"
Weak with relief, Toby nods. He feels Spencer's hand curl tighter around his and he squeezes back; it's a small victory, and it will probably only be temporary, but for now he's more than happy to take it.
Mr Cavanaugh opens his mouth, then closes it again and shakes his head. "Come on, Jenna," he says wearily.
Toby watches silently as his father heads for the door, Jenna in tow. As they reach it Jenna turns back and smiles, a sinister expression that makes Toby's skin crawl. Then the door closes behind her and the feeling subsides. Toby turns to his friends, intending on thanking them, but Caleb claps him on the shoulder and says, "Don't mention it."
"Do you think it's really that easy?" Emily asks worriedly. "That he'd just let it go like that?"
Toby shrugs. "I doubt it, but for now let's just hope for the best."
The group is silent for a moment, and then Spencer turns to Toby and asks, "So what do we do now?"
"Well," he says, unable to stop the smile that creeps across his face, "I thought we could go and enjoy the party."
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See you guys next year!
