My name is Tobias Cavanaugh. I'm a wanted criminal in the state of Connecticut and I'm on the run. I bought a bus ticket to some strange town called Rosewood. My intentions are to find a job, earn some cash, and move on with my life. While I rode on the bus, I met some guy that lives in Rosewood. He kept talking about his girlfriend and being in love with her. The whole time I just wanted to jump out the window.

"Is money all you care about?" He asked me.

I tried to hold back a laugh as I said, "What else do I have to live for? I'm not the type to get serious with a girl. I don't have time for that. In my opinion girls are too moody and over dramatic about everything. I don't have the patience for that kind of crap."

"It's hard, but if you love them then you find out that they're worth the trouble. If you're there for all the bad stuff, you'll be there for the good. Being in love changes you."

Once again, I couldn't help myself from laughing, " I'm sorry, dude, but that's just not me. I'm telling you I will never fall in love with anyone. When I say that I'm not that type of guy, I mean I'm not that type of guy. Girls take a lot of work and I just don't have time for that. I've never met a girl who's worth the trouble."

"Don't say you'll never fall in love because you don't know that. Falling in love isn't something you plan to happen, it just happens. You may think that way now, but the moment you look into that special someone's eyes, it just hits you like lightning."

"What girl could ever be that special to me? I don't think there's anyone in this world for me. Falling in love may be something that happens to a lot of people, but I promise that it will never happen to me. There is nobody in this world that will ever steal my heart."

Spencer. Everything about her kept running through my head. Her eyes, her hair, her soft skin, her legs, her arms, her smooth hands, her smile, her laugh, the way her bare feet feel against mine in the morning. I keep thinking about the way her lips feel against mine when we kissed. Every moment I spent with her was like Christmas. The memories that happened in the last hour keep playing over and over again in my head. Spencer being tortured, my dad helping Brice, Brice stabbing Spencer, Spencer lying on the floor close to death, Spencer being rushed to the hospital. Everything that's happened since I moved here keeps swirling through my head. This was not how I pictured my life to be.

Spencer was rushed into the ER as soon as they got her here. I was forced to sit out in the waiting room instead of being able to go back with her. Now, all I've been doing since I arrived, is waiting. All of her friends showed up and they are now sitting in the waiting room waiting with me. I don't know how this whole thing will play out. I don't know if Spencer will live or die. I'm hoping she will live because, I can't live without her. The old me would've slapped myself for saying that but, it's true. I don't think I could move on in a world without her. I've gotten over people dying before, but I know now that if Spencer doesn't make it, I will never get over it. Spencer is the sunlight during my darkest times. She is the melody of my song. She is the voice of my angel. She is what keeps my heart pumping and blood flowing. She is my life.

My cellmate, Joe, sniffled for the thousandth time today. This guy is really starting to piss me off. He keeps crying over his dead grandmother. I rolled my eyes and sat on the edge of my bed.

"Look," I said. "I get that you're upset about your grandmother dying, but crying for this long over your grandmother is ridiculous."

"I lied," he said.

"Lied about what?"

"My grandmother didn't die well, she did, but it was like three years ago."

"Wait, I don't understand, why are you crying then?"

"My girlfriend Tammy died in a crash on Friday. She was hit by a drunk driver."

"I didn't know you had a girlfriend."

"Nobody did. I kept it a secret. Actually, I'm in here because of her. She had a horrible reaction to some drugs she took one night and did some things. When the police showed up, I knew what would happen so, I told the cops it was me. Now, Tammy's gone and I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye."

"Are you seriously telling me that you let a girl screw up your life and now you're crying over her?"

"Tammy didn't screw up my life. She changed my life."

"That's some bullshit. Any man who changes for a girl is nuts."

"Well, if loving Tammy was wrong then I don't want to be right."

Can I just build myself a time machine, go back in time, and slap myself? I'd like to take back every bad thing I said about being in love because right now, that's how I feel. Spencer changed my life and I never want to go back to the person I was before. The moment my eyes met hers, I knew she would be something special to me rather it was aquatints, a friend, the person who eats my French fries, or even just my waitress. All along, I knew she'd be something to me.

An hour has passed by and I still haven't heard anything from the doctors or nurses about Spencer. I don't know how she is right now. I don't know if she's going to live or die. How do I know she's not already dead? Her friends look just as worried about her as I do. Right now, they're sitting away from me. They probably still don't trust me. I finally swallowed my pride, got up from my seat, and walked over to them. Hanna gave me a look as I sat down two chairs away from them.

"Look guys," I start. "I know you all don't trust me and I know I don't deserve your trust, but you have to believe that I care about Spencer. After I met her... She's just... She's my life and I don't want to live without her anymore than you do, so please stop looking at me like the guy I was a year ago."

They four of them shared a look with each other. Emily whispered something to them, then Hanna got up. She walked over to me and sat down on the chair across from me.

"You've got a great girl in there," she said.

"I know."

"She trusted you and somehow she still does. You better not destroy that trust again or it will be you who's lying on the table struggling to survive."

"I understand. I'm not going to hurt Spencer, I never wanted to."

"Well, okay then," Hanna smiled and touched my arm gently; "Thanks for rushing to save Spencer. Even if she doesn't make it, we'll know that you tried and Spencer would've been proud of you for that."

"Thank you, Hanna."

The rest of the gang came over to sit with us. Twenty minutes later, Ezra showed up to comfort Aria. Jason was also here, so it got a little awkward. It was like watching 'Twilight.' Aria couldn't figure out if she wanted Ezra or Jason. More time passed and finally, a nurse wearing blue scrubs came out into the waiting room.

"Are you guys here for Spencer Hastings?"

"Yes."

We all stood and waited for her to say something. The nurse looked at her chart then explained what was going on.

"The knife that Spencer was stabbed with went into her side and she lost a lot of blood. Before we could take the knife out we had to make sure that it wasn't poking any important organs such as the heart. The doctors managed to remove the knife safely and we stitched her back up."

"So, is she going to be okay?" Emily asked.

The nurse nodded, "She's going to be just fine. If she's strong enough she might be able to go home tomorrow."

"Can we see her?" Aria asked.

"Are any of you family members?"

"I'm her brother," Jason said.

"Yes, you guys can go see her, but don't all of you stay in the room for too long. Normally we like to keep it three guest per room."

"What room is she in?" I asked.

"C418."

"Thank you."

Spencer's POV

At the age of seven I started to wonder what my future would be like. My mother and I used to stay up late and talk about it. She would tell me that I could do anything that I set my mind to. Before bedtime she would brush my hair and we would talk and talk and talk. I'm always asking her for advice.

"Mommy, what do you think I should be when I grow up?" I asked.

Due to my missing teeth, my voice came out in a little bit of a lisp.

"Well," my mother combed the brush through my thin, brown hair; "You can be anything you want, baby."

"Really!?" I smiled. "Can I become president?"

She chuckled, "Sure. You can do anything that you set your mind to. If you want to be president, then go for it."

"But wait," I frowned. "Women can't be presidents."

"Who says so?"

"Daddy said that. He said that if a woman became president, the world would explode."

"You're father was just teasing, darling. Men only say that because they think that they're the only ones that can rule the world. What men don't seem to understand is women now a days are a lot stronger and have more power. Women would make just as good presidents as men do. Since the beginning of time men have always underestimated women, but now is our chance to show men just how strong and powerful we women can be. If you want to be president, I say spread your wings, little butterfly, and fly."

"Don't worry mommy, I'll show those boys just how powerful us girls can be."

She smiled and said, "Good."

"Hey, mommy?"

"Yes?"

"Why do people get married?"

"Because they love each other."

"What about all those arranged marriages that we learn about in school? That doesn't sound like love."

"In some countries, marriage is their way of keeping the family name alive. A lot of people miss the importance of two people combing their lives as one. People should get married because they love each other, not for money, power, or because it's trendy."

"Was your marriage with daddy an arranged marriage?"

"No, sweetie."

"Then why is daddy always yelling at you? If he loves you, why does he treat you like that?"

"It's complicated, sweetie."

"I have one more question," I said.

"What, sweetie?"

"What is love?"

"Well, love is a very strong feeling. A feeling that you will feel for some lucky boy or maybe even a girl some day."

"How will I know what it feels like if I've never loved someone before? Is it like the way I say I love you?"

"Kind of, but the love between a man in a woman can sometimes be stronger than the love you share for your family. One is romantic and one is just neutral."

"What's romantic?" I asked.

"That's enough questions, Spencer, it's time for you to get to bed."

"Alright."

My mother tucked me in then turned out the light. She shut the door behind her when she walked out and I shut my eyes.

I opened my eyes to bright lights shining down on my face. Something beside me was beeping constantly and loudly. My right side felt numb and I could hear muffled voices around me. It sounded like I was underwater. I squeezed my eyes tightly together for a couple seconds then opened them back up. My vision came out more clear and so did the voices.

"Do you think she would mind if I ate her mashed potatoes?" I heard a male voice say followed by the sound of someone smacking that person on the arm.

"Caleb, stop eating her food."

"She's asleep, she won't care," he argued.

"Should I order you some gravy for those potatoes?" I mumbled.

"Yes, actually that would be nice... Hey!" Caleb exclaimed. "You're up!"

As I looked around the room, I saw that Hanna, Caleb, and Emily were spread out around the room. Where's Aria and Jason? Where is Toby? Did he get locked up already? I didn't even get to see him. Hanna walked over and sat down on my bedside. She laid a comforting hand on my arm.

"How are you feeling?"

"My right side hurts a little, but other then that, I'm fine."

"Good."

I looked around the room and tried peeking out into the hallway. There's no sign of Toby anywhere. Why isn't he here? Hopefully the cops didn't take him back to jail. I really need to see him. Hanna must've sensed my concern.

"He's here," she said.

"What?"

"Toby," she said. "He's here. The nurses just have a limit of three guest in the room at a time. They don't want us to crowd you. Aria and Jason are here and so is Ezra. He came to support Aria."

I rolled my eyes, "Of course he did."

Hanna stood up and straightened out her black pants.

"I'll go tell him you're awake."

"Hanna, I just woke up you don't have to leave yet."

She smiled, "I know that you want to see him."

Hanna walked out of the room leaving me alone with Caleb and Emily. Caleb was busy sitting on the couch eating my mashed potatoes. Emily came over and sat next to me.

"How are you feeling?" She asked. "Really?"

"I'm fine, I'm just really tired."

"Are you in any serious pain?"

"Not serious."

"Do you remember what happened?"

"Vividly. I can remember Toby, Toby's dad, and Brice. I can still smell the scent of my own blood. All I can remember thinking in that moment was don't let Toby get hurt."

"Did you just say Toby's dad?" Caleb asked.

I looked at him, "Yeah, turns out he was helping Brice. He was the one who sold Toby out and who sold me out to Brice."

"That bastard," Caleb muttered.

"But you're okay now." Emily said.

"Sure," I said.

Some footsteps came down the hallway and into the room. I turned my head and nearly cried at the sight of him standing there. His eyes were a grayish blue color and the white part of his eyes looked a little pink. Caleb and Emily stood up.

"Spencer we're going down to the cafeteria before Caleb eats the pillows too," Emily said.

"What?" Caleb said. "I was hungry."

They walked out of the room now, it's just me and Toby. It took him a moment to work up the courage to step all the way into the room. He finally managed to sit on the chair next to my bed. Neither one of us said anything. We just kept looking at each other like we were trying to find our words on each other's face.

"Oh my god, will you guys just kiss already!"

We turned our heads and saw Caleb, Hanna, and Emily still standing outside the door. I thought they left.

"Hanna," Caleb said while putting his hand over her mouth.

Caleb lead her away from the room. Emily gave us an apologetic look and closed the door before walking behind them. I rolled my eyes. I turned my gaze back on him and he was looking at the floor.

"Toby."

He looked back up at me and my heart nearly broke at the sight of him. Toby's eyes were watering and a single tear threatened to spill out of his left eye. I've never seen him cry before. It's like looking at a hungry puppy that's just been kicked. I reached out with my right arm and put my hand on his cheek. A mixture of watery blue and brown stared back at each other.

"Spencer," he spoke in a hushed voice. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I should have just been honest with you."

"Toby I..."

"If I had just been honest with you from the start, none of this would've happened."

"Toby I'm trying to..."

"If I could go back in time and change the way things were, I would. It's because of me that you're here lying on this bed. I'm sorry, Spencer, for everything."

I put my pointer finger over his lips to shut him up. He finally stopped talking and looked at me.

"Will you shut up so I can tell you that I love you!" I said.

"How can you forgive me when... Wait, what?" he paused; "What did you say?"

"I said shut up."

"No, after that. After you said shut up and after that."

"I said, 'I love you.'"

"You do?"

I smiled and nodded. He smiled and reached out with both of his hands to smooth the hair out of my face. I whipped the tear of his cheek with the back of my hand.

"I love you too."

"Tobias," I faked gasped,"Such strong words coming from you."

"I don't care," he smiled, "I'm in love with you and I don't care who knows."

Toby leaned down and pressed his lips on mine. Kissing him again after what feels like two years was like coming home. I wrapped both of my arms around him not even caring if I might rip the IV out of my wrist. We were too busy kissing to notice the door open back up and all of our friends standing there.

"Alright Caleb," we heard Hanna's voice.

We broke apart and looked at them.

She continued, "You lose the bet."

"What are you talking about?" Caleb said. "I didn't lose the bet."

"We bet on them falling in love in a certain amount of time," Hanna said.

"They are in love!" He exclaimed while pointing at us. "Look at them!"

"The bet was that they fall in love within six months. It's been longer than that."

"Ugh, fine," he said. "But you do owe me for the bet on those two becoming friends within a week."

"You guys made a bet on us after we met." I said.

"No, don't be silly," Hanna said. "We made the bet before you two even even knew each other."

"If that's the case, then Caleb won the bet," Toby said. "Because, I've loved Spencer since the moment she said, 'This isn't a truck stop, asshole, this is a diner.'"

"Aw, you remember my first words," I said with a smile.

"Like I could forget?" He smiled. "It's the first time anybody got away with talking to me like that."

"Well, serves you right."

He chuckled and said, "I love you."

"I love you too."

He smiled and leaned down to kiss me again. This whole moment is perfect, but it won't be like this for long.

This chapter was a little bittersweet in my opinion. Just to give you guys a heads up, there is one more chapter left to this story, so next chapter will be the last. The possibility of writing a sequel to this story is undecided. With the lack of reviews for this story it most likely won't happen, so I don't. We'll see. Anyway, thank you guys for all your support. Keep a look out for the next chapter.