This chapter is a little shorter than the rest, but it's still a chapter.
It's the third month of college and Toby's still stressing over it. Who knew business school would take up a lot of his time. On the side, he does building jobs for anyone in need of a quick and cheap repair. On top of all that, he hasn't seen Spencer in a long time. They usually talk on the phone everyday, but for the past four days, they've missed each other. It's hard to pick a good time to call when they live in different time zones.
On Friday afternoon, Toby got back to his apartment building after being out all day. His day started with a three hour class. Then, he took an online quiz. At 1 pm, he had work until 6. After work, he went grocery shopping since he's getting low on food and other household utensils. Toby climbed out of his truck and tried balancing all four bags of groceries while searching his pocket for his house key. He cursed when his phone started ringing. Since his hands are busy, he can't answer it right now. It's probably Spencer calling. She usually calls at this time. It's 11 at night where she is. Toby struggled to set the bags down on the counter then hurried to answer his phone.
"Hello?"
"Hey," Spencer responded. "Good, I was beginning to think that I would miss you."
"Oh, no, sorry it took me so long to answer. I just got home and had some stuff to carry in."
"Now you're making excuses not to answer my calls."
"No, no. I wasn't trying to avoid you. My hands really were full…"
"Relax," she cut him off with a laugh. "I was just kidding. Hey, what are your plans tonight?"
"Mine?" He questioned. "I'm just staying in all night watching movies."
"Oh, really? What movie?"
"I don't know. I'll have to look at my movie selection."
"Well, go look then," Spencer said. "I want to know that way I can watch the same movie and pretend we're watching it together."
"When did we became the sappy couple?" He teased while heading back to his bedroom where all the movies are.
"Well, excuse me for wanting to be able to do things with her boyfriend even if we're a thousand miles apart. To think I'd get some credit for missing you enough to do all of this sappy crap."
Toby opened up the door to his bedroom and almost dropped the phone. There standing in the middle of his bedroom was his smiling girlfriend. Spencer stood there with her cell phone against her ear. The heat on Toby's cheeks rose and so did his heart beat.
"I gotta go," he said into the phone. "There's a beautiful girl standing in my room."
Spencer giggled, "she better be worth it."
Toby hung up his phone and ran over to envelop Spencer in a hug. She giggled when Toby lifted her off the ground and spun around.
"What are you doing here?" He asked once he set her back on the ground.
"I'm on fall break, so I thought I'd come here and surprise you."
"You sure did surprise me. How long can you stay?"
"Well, school starts again next Monday, so I have to leave Saturday. That means you're stuck with me for eight days."
Toby smiled and put his arms around her, "I'm really glad you're here. I missed you."
She hugged him back and leaned her head against his shoulder, "I missed you too. So, what movie did you decide on?"
"Well," he pulled away from her to pick up one of the DVDs. "I'm thinking about watching 'The Notebook' since that's my girlfriend's favorite movie."
"Wow," Spencer smiled. "Your girlfriend is a lucky girl to have a boyfriend like you."
Toby usually does a pretty good job of obeying the speed limits. Even when he was a police officer he wouldn't speed. Unless it was necessary. In this case however, speeding is necessary. Aria is riding along with Hanna and Caleb in the car behind them. Emily's knuckles grew whiter, her hand gripped onto the seat when Toby flew over another speed bump. Alison is in the backseat wearing two seatbelts just in case. When Toby gets worried about Spencer, he doesn't always think properly. Especially when he's driving down the street at 80 miles per hour.
"Toby," Emily tried talking to him. "I know that you're worried about Spencer, but we're not going to get there safely if you don't slow down."
Toby didn't pay her any mind. He just continued on driving the way he has been. Emily glanced back at Alison who seemed truly terrified at the moment. Clearly she's never been in a car with him during a Spencer emergency. Turned out, this is Emily's second time being in the car with him during one of these. The last time was before the whole gang split up to go to college. Toby and Emily were getting coffee when Toby got a message from Spencer that she needed him to come pick her up on the side of the highway. When Toby got the message, his heart raced and a million thoughts raced through his brain. He tried calling her back, but she didn't pick up. Toby assumed the worst and rushed to get to her. It turned out that Spencer's car had a flat tire and the reason she couldn't call him back was because her phone died. Plus, the phone serve where she was wasn't too great. Spencer was lucky she was able to leave him a message. Toby ended up being able to fix her tire thanks to the spare she had in her trunk. Emily rode back with Spencer just in case she got stuck again while Toby drove closely behind them.
Screech! The tires on Toby's car came to a sudden halt when Toby stopped the car outside The Radley Hotel. He jumped out of the driver's seat and flew through the building faster than he's ever ran in his life. He could hear the footsteps of his friends trailing close behind him, but never bothered to look back. Right now, his main focus is getting to Spencer before it's too late.
"Hurry!" Aria shouted from behind.
"I'm trying!" Hanna groaned. "Do you know how hard it is to run in heels?"
"Hanna, take off your shoes and move!" Alison shouted.
They all raced up the stairs and finally got to the stairs that lead to the roof. Only thirteen more steps to Spencer. Toby got half way up the stairs but paused when he heard the horrifying sound of a gunshot. The other's paused behind him and stood puzzled. Emily's eyes grew wide and she swallowed over the lump caught in her throat.
"Please tell me that was the sound of a rock being thrown hard against all and that wasn't the sound of a gunshot," Hanna whispered.
Toby walked up the last nine steps, put his hand up to open the door, and paused. He can't do it. He can't open that door. It's not locked or anything. He's just afraid to. What if he opens up that door and the first thing he sees's is Spencer's lifeless body lying on the floor of the rooftop covered in blood? He's not sure if he could handle seeing that. No, he is sure he wouldn't be able to handle seeing that. The image of the woman he loves lying dead in front of him would forever be etched into his brain.
After swallowing his pride, Toby pushed full force on the door and ran out onto the roof. The others sprinted out after him. At first, they didn't see anyone anyway. They searched around for a bit before they heard the sound of hiccup sobbing noises.
"Over there!" Emily pointed at something.
Over by the ledge of the roof, behind one of the air conditioners, there was a stream of dark red liquid coming from a body. The gang rushed over there and gasped at the sight in front of them. There lying on the concrete ground lay the lifeless body of Yvonne. Blood drained out from her left ride and made a red pool around her. Spencer stood a few feet away from her holding a gun between her trembling hands. Aria noticed that Spencer's purse is opened and a few of her belongings rolled out. Mona, who had been knocked out when Yvonne shoved her to the side, began to wake. Hanna and Caleb went over to help Mona up while the other's went to Spencer.
"Spence," Toby called her name, but she didn't respond. She just sat there frozen in place with her eyes wide open. Her hands are still clenched around the gun.
"Spencer it's over," Emily tried telling her. "Yvonne's gone. She won't hurt you anymore."
Again, Spencer remained silent. The other's shared a look of concern. It was if Spencer didn't even notice they were there. Toby kneeled down in front of her so he was eye level with her.
"Spencer," he spoke gently. "Spencer look at me."
Hesitant, Spencer slowly turned her gaze in Toby's direction. She still wasn't completely focused, but he knew that she knew he's there. Her hands trembled and her whole body is shaking. in the distance, they could hear sirens wailing.
"There's an ambulance pulling up and cop cars coming," Aria said.
"What are we going to tell the police?" Hanna asked.
"Easy," Alison said. "It was self-defense."
"Are the cops going to see it that way?" Hanna asked.
"There's no other way to explain it," Spencer spoke up finally. "I killed her."
Emily checked Yvonne, "her heart's still beating. It's a slow beat, but she's not dead yet."
"Yet?" Caleb said in a questioning tone.
Spencer still held the gun between her hands even when the officers made it up to the roof. They ordered everyone to put their hands up and freeze. Spencer stood frozen alright. She couldn't get herself to move even after the officers told her to step back. Toby didn't move either. He stayed kneeled down in front of her.
"Spencer I know you're shaken up," Toby whispered. "But we got to go."
He reached for the gun and Spencer allowed him to take it. Then, he took Spencer's hand and stood up with her. She was still shaking even when Toby wrapped an arm around her. The gang made their way downstairs and outside to the hotel parking lot. The police tried asking a lot of questions, but weren't getting many answers. Spencer didn't tell them anything. Alison tried explaining to them that Yvonne tried to kill both Spencer and Mona. Now, they're heading to the hospital so Spencer and Mona can get checked out for any serious damage.
Before Toby and the girls showed up tonight, Yvonne was about to shoot Spencer. Spencer managed to crawl over to her purse and found her father's gun inside. She had completely forgotten that gun was in there in the first place. Instead of putting it back in her gun safe, she left it in her purse. At the last second, Spencer pulled it out of her purse and fired it at Yvonne. It happened faster than the blink of an eye.
"You may see Spencer now," a short blonde nurse told them.
In a hospital room, Spencer sat on the edge of her bed looking out the window. She hadn't heard the door open when Toby and the others came in. Her back is turned to them and her eyes gazed out the window like she was in a daze.
"Do you think she knows we're here?" Emily whispered.
"Spencer," Toby reached to put a hand on her back.
Very slowly, Spencer turned around and faced them. She forced a smile as a way of showing strength. Everybody knew she didn't need to prove how strong she was. They already knew. Spencer's the strongest one out of all of them. She swung her legs over to the other side of the bed so she sat facing everyone. Toby walked over and sat beside her.
"How are you doing?" Toby asked.
"Alright," Spencer's voice came out a little scratchy. "A little tired."
"The nurses said you're good to go if you're ready," Aria said.
Spencer nodded, "I'm ready. How's Mona?"
"Oh, she suffered a non-minor concussion," Hanna said.
Spencer scoffed a laugh, "and died she tell you why she decided to help Yvonne? After everything, that girl put us through!"
"Mona hasn't woken up yet, so I don't think she'll be doing much talking," Hanna said.
"Alert me when she does," Spencer huffed after she stood up with help from Toby. "Because the minute she wakes up, I'm going to rip her head off."
"Spencer, come on," Hanna said. "She pushed Yvonne out of the way before you got hurt. Mona risked her life for you!"
"She risked her life for me!?" Spencer screeched. "She helped Yvonne kidnap me and took me up to the rooftop! Mona helped her get rid of Charlotte. Who knows what else Mona helped her with?"
"Just give her a chance to explain before you jump on her," Hanna said.
"No," she shook her head. "I'm done giving that girl chances because every time I do, she ends up screwing us all over. If Mona tries coming around me, Toby, or my family again, I'll end her!"
Hanna shook her head and walked out of the room with Caleb. Nobody said anything during the drive by to the Hastings barn. Aria went home with Ezra and Emily went with Alison. When Spencer and Toby got back to the barn, the first thing Toby did was get hot water going. He knew Spencer is too shaken up to try to sleep now. Making her a cup of tea should help calm her down. He waited for the hot water to boil then pour the water into a mug. He brought it over to Spencer who sat Criss-crossed on the couch underneath a blanket.
"Have you heard anything about Yvonne?" Spencer asked after he sat down.
"She's gone."
She looked at him, "gone as in she's dead gone or she got away?"
"Gone as in she's dead."
Spencer stared off into the flames of the fireplace. Her eyes began to water. The dry feeling in her throat made it harder for her to speak clearly.
"I killed her."
"Spencer," Toby put a hand on her back.
She shook her head and a tear ran down her cheek. "There's no other way to say it. I killed someone. I took the life of a human being. Somebody who was once living and breathing is now dead because of me. There's nobody else to blame but me."
"You did what you had to do. Spencer, Yvonne was going to kill you. It was self-defense."
"Yeah, I know that, but that still doesn't change the fact that I killed her. How does that make me any different from Bethany or Charlotte?"
"You had to make a quick and uneasy decision in that moment," Toby told her. "It was either her or you. You didn't plan on killing anyone. You didn't want to hurt anyone."
A soft laughing sound came from her. She faked a smile and looked at him.
"You want to know something? Between holding the gun and actually firing it at her, my eyes were shut the whole time. I didn't even look to see who I fired at. Just point and shoot. That's what I did."
More tears came streaming down her face. Toby tucked his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. Spencerfull on sobbed into his chest causing his brown shirt to get all damp. He didn't mind. He's had many nights in the past with her where Spencer would spend hours crying on him. It's something he had learned to live with. It's something he doesn't mind living with. Everybody has their moments. It just always hurts him seeing her like this. And to feel her body shaking with sobs. It always tore him apart. It still does.
Spencer shot Yvonne! In case any of you got confused how she did that, Spencer still had her father's gun in her purse. That's where she got the gun to shot Yvonne with. You'll find out what Mona's intentions were in the next chapter. Do you think she can be trusted? Thanks for read and as always, leave a review!