Previously: Spencer tries to talk to Maeve, who's been avoiding him ever since their fight. He hears her throwing up in the girls' bathroom because she's distraught about Bobby cheating on her with Diane, which Spencer didn't know about at the time. Hotch recalls events with Emily to Haley's grave, such as debates in classes, fights with teachers. He pleads his case on how he's not being unfaithful to Haley by speaking about Emily.
Chapter Fourteen: Ditch Day
"We'll be back on the second of November," said Mrs. Prentiss ever-so-formally, glaring at her only daughter, who was joined by Mr. Prentiss. They, along with their daughter, were standing outside of their house with suitcases packed. Emily stood outside with her arms crossed, both for shielding herself from the chilly weather and to show how pissed off she was with her mother's holier-than-thou attitude.
Her father wasn't too great either. "Young lady, do not have friends over, we mean it."
Emily smirked hostilely. "What friends, father?"
Mr. Prentiss scowled, his firm features on his face standing out more than before. "Please, you have friends."
"Not suitable friends, either," Mrs. Prentiss added, snorting in disapproval. "Like that pregnant girl..."
Emily resisted the urge to blurt out her secret from last year. "JJ is a good person."
"Good, sure, but not smart, who on earth gets pregnant at that age?" her mother hissed, making her daughter's fist curl up on her side.
"Behave," his father warned.
"I will," complied Emily, giving her parents one final smirk that she knew they hated. "Anything for you two." The pair gave their cold daughter one last look that told her that she better have absorbed everything they said, even though they secretly knew she didn't. For the past sixteen years of her life, she never did. They put their suitcases in the trunk of their car and drove off. Emily smirked, having the house to herself, though it was very common.
"Wow," a voice said, sounding impressed. "Your parents are sugar and spice and everything nice."
Emily scowled at the bitter voice, knowing exactly who this was. "How do you know where I live?"
"You're joking, right? Right after you came to my house that day and watched Jurassic Park I offered to walk you home."
"I told you not to, yet you ignored me," said Emily, rolling her eyes.
"Well it was dark out, and I didn't want to be responsible for you get killed or something." Emily noticed how his face softened when he mentioned being responsible for getting her killed, and it was like he wasn't speaking directly to her.
Hotch looked to the direction where Emily's parents drove off. "God, your parents are just peachy."
"Thank you," Emily said sarcastically. "Why are you here?"
"Because I want to show you something." Hotch had said this a little too quickly. He met her cold eyes with her confused ones. "I didn't show you everything." Emily studied his face and saw traces of pain and anguish all over it, she felt her stomach churn, like something was wrong.
"Hotch, I don't understand," Emily admitted honestly, her cold and sarcastic tone from before washed away completely. "What do you mean?"
"Her grave, I need to show you her grave," Hotch said urgently, making Emily's eyes go wide in surprise.
"Don't do this to yourself," advised Emily. "You don't have to."
"So many selfish assholes in this school have seen her grave, and you're the only one that knows that I have her journal," Hotch said seriously, trying to make a point. "You need to see her grave, right now. It involves cutting the rest of the day."
Emily nodded. "Count me in."
"A great joke has died."
"Shut up, Luke."
Ever since the day that Matt told Luke that he kissed Kate, he hasn't heard the end of it. All in all, Luke was happy for Matt that Kate became his girlfriend and that they kissed, he's just sad that Kate would no longer be known as the girl who never kissed anyone. Ashley looked like she disapproved of Luke's comment, but Elle found it highly amusing.
"What? He's right. It's about time Kate gets some action."
"Please. Matt and Kate aren't getting action, they're the most Christian couple I've ever seen."
Elle covered up her laughter with a snort following Luke's comment.
Matt glared at the dark haired girl. "You know Elle, you haven't been seeing anyone as of lately, how come?"
"Immaturity," stated Elle, as if it were obvious. "Plus, their lips taste like fast food and I hate fast food."
"Oh really? We can't tell," Luke said jokingly, adding a laugh.
It's amazing how one sentence could change the atmosphere of an environment.
Surprisingly, even Matt cracked a grin, but Elle and Ashley weren't amused.
Elle especially wasn't amused. "Are you calling me fat?" she snapped, as if the last word she said was a swear. "Because let me tell you something, I'm not!" She paused, surprised at her outburst and the look of fear on everyone's faces at her table. She says more quietly this time, more to herself: "I'm not."
Luke blinked twice, holding his hands up in defeat. For once in his life, he actually looked serious and concerned. "Elle, I was just kidding...You're not fat."
"Yeah you're thin, Elle," agreed Matt. "Real thin."
Elle eyes the boys coldly, while Ashley looked concerned. "Elle..."
The girl threw her food tray in the trash can angrily, before saying: "I'm going out by the bleachers."
Now Ashley felt she was being unreasonable. "Luke was joking, Elle, don't take it so seriously!"
Elle turned around to face her best friend with an angry glare, gathering her belongings. "Well it's too late now, alright?" When she said that, she didn't notice how Kate had just arrived on the dramatic scene, when Elle brushed past her and stalked outside.
"Guess she isn't coming to English," noted Matt, moving over to the left to make room for Kate.
Kate was still in shock, that she didn't sit down. "What just happened?"
"She's being a drama queen," said Ashley, with a roll of her eyes. "Kate, sit. We saved you a seat."
She was still baffled by Elle's quick mood swing but nonetheless sat next to her boyfriend.
Meanwhile, at another table, Cat wanted to strangle Diane and her ex-boyfriend that was now her boyfriend again. They were practically groping each other under the table like it was their regular Friday. Listening to the oh-so-dramatic proclamations of love by Diane, though not too long ago she hated his guts. Cat and Lindsey exchanged a glance, a glance that said everything about this situation. They hated it.
Cat didn't think for a second that those words she used to comfort Diane about her break-up with Bobby, stating that he'd come running back to her, would actually come true. Now she curses herself for saying that, wishing she could take it back. Now the whole Bobby drama would start up again, and that's the last thing she needed to hear. She was having problems with her own boyfriend.
She and Tobias weren't fighting, per se, but it was more like they were having more problems than usual. Tobias normally had his routine of picking her up from her house as they walked to school together. Today, however, that wasn't the case, when he decided to cut school with the seniors, George, Peter, and Ian. She was late to school, because Tobias didn't text her until much, much later. That wasn't really why she was a little more than annoyed, but it certainly didn't help. Cat loved control. If she lost control, hell would probably break loose.
She knew it probably didn't matter to her, that it shouldn't matter to her, but Cat noticed that Maeve wasn't here today. She shouldn't have cared, but she did. Sure, she and Maeve are no longer friends, but...it wasn't fair to her. She was annoyingly goody goody, annoyingly goody goody to the point where she didn't deserve this.
Cat sighed as Bobby and Diane laughed together, looking so damn happy together, and all she could think about was that Maeve was heartbroken the way Diane was, when Bobby called it off with her. Cat knew Maeve wasn't one for relationships, she was socially awkward at best, and chippy and happy even though she knew it was a lie. Maeve wasn't an attention seeker like Diane was, so she'd suffer in silence.
Cat thinned her lips, fed up with the way Bobby said that he was right about dumping Maeve. Cat stood up and left the cafeteria.
She didn't like this.
Others have also noticed Maeve's absence from another table.
"Maeve's not here today," said Spencer at his lunch table, frowning in disapproval. All the usual seats were filled, other than hers and Hotch's. Derek and Penelope had gotten Kevin to join their table today, with Derek feeling much like a third wheel although the other two weren't dating. Alex was rolling her eyes, as usual since Jason and Dave across from her were discussing pointless matters.
"Sweetie," Alex started to explain calmly. "When you're in a special relationship with someone, and that certain someone does a bad thing, it really can break the other person's heart. It's very, very complicated."
"I...I just—" Spencer couldn't talk, and it wasn't because of those shutdowns he'd usually have. No, this was because of anger. Anger that he didn't know how to express. When he learned about what happened with Maeve, when her boyfriend cheated on her with his ex-girlfriend, Spencer wanted to rip this guy apart, but then again, he was five feet tall, barely.
Spencer couldn't express his anger with words, and everyone watching him knew that he was dealing with an internal struggle right now. Everyone knew that Maeve was his best friend, his first real friend, and to imagine her pain, to see her pain, it just hurt intensely. Jason made a note of all of this, going into a deeper meaning, Spencer's hands were shaking, Jason knew this was not good.
"I'll be right back, I'm gonna use the bathroom," muttered Spencer, he had barely gotten those words out. His friends watched with worry as he got up from the table and left.
Once he was out of earshot, Jason spoke: "Something's coming."
Dave nodded, not arguing with Jason for once. "I figured."
Meanwhile, everyone else looked confused, Penelope in particular was. "What do you mean?"
"I can feel it," said Jason. "The kid's going to explode, well...something is going to happen."
"You're being vague," said Derek. "Plus, that kid isn't known for exploding. I'm not sure I believe you."
"Trust me," reassured Jason, looking distant. "Keep an eye on him, something is going to happen."
"Such an asshole," muttered Elle to herself as she got under the bleachers, frustrated with the jerk freshman known as Luke Alvez. She popped a cigarette into her mouth, it longing to be smoked. "People wonder why I'm not dating, because boys are all assholes!" She exclaimed to herself. She was about to reach into her pocket where her lighter was, only to notice a hand reached over and clicked their own lighter to light the cigarette for her.
Elle knew that bright purple nail polish from cheer practice, so she wasn't surprised when she turned around to come face to face with Cat Adams, who was smoking her own cigarette. "You've got a point there, Greenaway," she agreed. "Boys are assholes." Elle remained quiet for a while, taking in the cold breeze that was threatening to put out her light.
"Why are you out here?" inquired Elle, taking a puff.
"Because," Cat paused, looking around to see if anyone was around, thankfully, no one wasn't. "I have a heart."
The younger girl blinked in confusion, wondering why the sophomore thought that this was some big secret. "You say it like it's a bad thing."
"Because it is," clarified Cat. "I'm supposed to be an ice queen, a stone cold bitch."
"You think it's better to be feared than loved, that's what you think, isn't it?"
Cat smirked, highly impressed. "You know something? You remind me a lot of myself."
Elle could only look at her. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
Cat laughed, actually laughed, even if it was a little. "Both." She frowned that her cigarette was almost finished.
"One example on how?" Elle asked, not to be mean, but curious.
"That thing in your hand," said Cat, pointing to it with her free hand that wasn't occupied with her own cigarette. "When did you start?"
"Seventh grade," answered Elle, inhaling it.
"As did I," Cat said, laughing again. "You know that saying 'smoking kills'?"
Elle didn't know where she was going with this, so she nods as Cat says, "It does. It kills you slowly, just not all at once. Until it does kill you, you live a little bit before it happens." Elle nodded in understanding, taking it all in, even if she didn't understand. "So, why are you so gloomy?"
There it was. "Luke Alvez called me fat, and it just pissed me off."
Cat rose a brow. "Luke? That little freshman shit in Communications? Don't let him bother you. Tobias used to be a bit immature, but he grew up, so know that I get it."
"There's a difference, I don't like Luke," confirmed Elle, with all the seriousness she had. "You actually like Tobias."
"I do," admitted Cat. "I actually do like him, we're getting more serious, and that's why boys are assholes."
"Doesn't he like you back?"
"He does." Cat was sure of this.
Elle was more confused than ever. "Then what's the problem?"
"Because some boys claim they like girls, but in reality just say that to smash," Cat explained, putting out her cigarette. "Some guys like to act all tough, like it's a contest. And us girls have to pay the price."
Elle gave some thought to that, based on recent rumors and events she'd heard circle around the school. When she scanned her memories and found something, it instantly clicked. She knew exactly what Cat was referring to.
"You're talking about Maeve Donovan, aren't you?" Cat didn't say anything, which only confirmed that it was a yes. Elle explained even further. "That sophomore in our Communications class. The one that dated Bobby for about a week before Diane managed to get him back." Cat gave Elle a lingering look, a look that wondered how Elle got that information, but remembered that it was all Diane was talking about in cheer practice recently.
Cat nodded once. "Yes."
"I think that's terrible," said Elle.
"It is," agreed Cat. "She's never hurt anyone, really." Elle looked at her curiously, putting out her own cigarette. When Elle studied her face closely, she noticed that Cat looked awfully distant, distant in a way that explained a long history of something, a long story.
"You're friends with her?"
Surprised by the sudden question, Cat didn't answer for a while before looking away from Elle. "She was my best friend."
Was. That word rang in Elle's head, it intrigued her, made her more nosy than before. It made her wonder what changed, and why it was some secret that Cat Adams used to be best friends with the nerdiest girl in Communications class.
She had to ask. "What happened?"
Cat was a bit hesitant, but she really enjoyed that last cigarette, and she figured that her mini-me would keep her mouth shut. So, Cat could tell her. What the hell. "Let's cut the rest of the day," offered Cat. "I'll tell you." Elle got up from the bleachers, and began to walk with Cat out of the school. It was surprisingly easy to do. Cat frowned, she felt something funny in her stomach, and it had to do with Elle.
"Elle," Cat said, catching the freshman's attention, since Cat usually called her by her surname. Elle met Cat's eyes, which were showing...concern? "You do know you're not fat, right? You're actually really skinny."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Elle said a little too quickly, like she didn't want to talk about it. Cat did not press the subject matter, but kept a close eye on her for the rest of the day until the school day would've ended for them.
Hotch was taking Emily to show her his dead girlfriend's grave. The grave where he talked about the girl he was bringing. Haley must've been so thrilled, bringing a girl other than Alex to her resting place. Hotch hoped that she knew his reasons for doing this, and sometimes, he thought that there were other deep meanings for why he was doing this, but he immediately brushed those thoughts aside. He had to remember, this was for Haley, and only Haley.
It was just like it was left many times before, he would make sure that he'd visit whenever he could. He wouldn't let anyone touch it, he's sure he'd throw a fit about it and be more grouchy and stern than before.
"Haley Brooks," Hotch stated a bit awkwardly, shoving his hands in his pockets and he glanced down at the grave. "She was sixteen, and she was smart, and so pretty, and...in every way, amazing."
"Lilies," was what Emily said, staring at the flowers surrounding Haley's grave. "They symbolize restored innocence, and the majesty and purity of the deceased." She paused, nodding her head in agreement. "This is fitting."
For the first time since this trip, his eyes went to Emily's, glaring at her. "Haley hated white lilies. She loved the wild life, she hated to be thought of as innocent." A dramatic pause, his glared at those flowers with hatred. "I also hate white lilies."
"I like white lilies," said Emily, being counterproductive with his statement. "You just don't understand the meaning."
"It's about innocence, and Haley doesn't want to be thought of being that."
"Restored innocence," Emily corrected, not angry, but understanding. "It's implying that if she made any bad decisions in her life, things that she regretted, or if anything god forbid happened to her, then it would be restored. Like a clean state." Hotch could only stare at her, just for a moment, but it in reality it seemed like it was forever.
Hotch looked away at last, before saying, "I never thought of it like that."
Emily gave him a kind laugh, it was gentle, not like her usual roaring laughter. "Yes, don't jump into conclusions. Look at the rest of the saying. Majesty and purity of the deceased. She was pure and majesty in your eyes, maybe not to someone else's, but definitely yours." He doesn't say anything, his eyes more focused on the grave, like he was trying to solve a puzzle.
"She was...she was something." A special something.
"My first love," said Hotch, and he meant it too. But will he ever have a second? He took one look at Emily, who was watching him with concern.
She smiled at him, hoping to lighten the sad mood. "Let's get ice cream."
"Hm..." Ms. Strauss scanned the room, making note of how many significant absences there were. "Smaller crowd than usual." Yes, because it was. Maeve was absent, Tobias and the senior guys cut school, Emily and Hotch cut school, and Elle and Cat cut the rest of their classes. There were less than twenty students in the classroom. "Well I guess we might as well continue with the lesson today. The show must go on."
Ashley resisted the urge to gasp aloud, because she felt like the show couldn't go on. Not without her best friend. Sure, she was highly annoyed that Elle wasn't here and that she got upset over what was a poor joke, she should at least be here.
Even Luke felt sorry about it, and Luke Alvez was never sorry for his actions. For example, Luke was never sorry that he got a baseball bat and slammed all the mailboxes in his neighborhood with much older friends when he was thirteen. Luke was never sorry that he got a ton of Pop Pop fireworks and threw it off a roof like he saw in a viral Youtube video. Luke was never sorry for petty vandalism, but here he was sorry about calling Elle Greenaway fat, which she wasn't.
Will was concerned. He saw the way JJ was wincing. According to the blonde, the baby's kicks were getting harsher and harsher. Though the doctor said it was normal, it didn't mean it would stop hurting. If anything, since the due date was getting closer and closer, it was becoming more and more painfully annoying..
"Babe," Will spoke up quietly to her. "You alright?"
"I have a giant watermelon in my uterus that needs to be pushed out in a month," spat JJ. "Of course I'm not okay." Will knew better not to mess with a hormonal Jennifer Jareau, so he just muttered a timid, "Okay," and moved on to doing work that Strauss was beginning to write on the board.
On the board, Strauss wrote: HOBBIES WHEN WE'RE SAD.
Derek rolled his eyes when she finished. "What bullshit is this?" He whispered to Penelope.
"Alright, this assignment is self explanatory," Strauss announced, not hearing Derek's bitter comment. "Write down a hobby that you enjoy that always cheers you up when you're upset. Prepare to share out."
For the next five minutes, students wrote down things that would make them happy, according to what the assignment was suggesting. When the five minutes were up, Strauss insisted that everyone bring their desks into a giant circle so they could share. Dave was now envious of those who skipped class, and he's sure everyone else in this class currently felt the same way.
Like Jason told everyone to, they were keeping an eye on the eleven-soon-to-be-twelve-year-old, who just stared at his blank piece of paper, who couldn't bring himself to write down a sentence or two about what made him happy when he was sad. He couldn't do this as he was sad right now, when all he wanted to do was talk to Maeve and hear her voice, whether she was arguing on who really invented electricity or the way she'd recite Edgar Allen Poe's works, especially that of "The Raven."
Technically, without writing it down, he had answered the board's question.
"Spencer?" Strauss calls his name, but he doesn't hear her. "What did you write?"
He doesn't answer her directly.
Maeve.
He just felt... so empty.
With no sign of her best friend, Ashley headed back home directly after Communications. What she didn't expect, however, was Elle already in her house, on her phone to what looked like she was playing a game: Candy Crush. Finally, she looked up. "Oh hey."
"Hey?" Ashley seethed. "That's what you say when you're missing for the rest of the afternoon? You say 'Hey?' I mean..." She paused, her mind pondering as she looked at the door that was unlocked. "How in the world did you get in here?"
Elle smirked and held up the spare key. "Keeping this under a mat? You and your mother are so painfully basic."
Ashley struggled to keep her temper inside. "Do you want to tell me what that was all about?" She asked, almost sounding very out of character and rude because, she was the shy one, but then she got a piercing, and that seemingly changed everything, according to Cat. This wasn't the point, though. "You go by the bleachers and I don't see you for the rest of the day?"
"Oh yeah, Cat and I left. We cut the rest of the day," Elle said casually.
"Elle!" Ashley exclaimed, sounding horrified. "This is our freshman year, we can't afford to cut class!"
Elle's eyes flashed with rage. "That's what you're concerned about?"
"What do you mean?" Ashley asked, confusion written all over her face. "Defend you from what?"
"Luke called me fat," snapped Elle, pissed that Ashley had already forgotten.
"You're mad because Luke made a joke?" Ashley asked doubtfully. "Sure Luke is an asshole, but he's not that much of an asshole, he made a joke."
"Well I don't think he was joking."
Now Ashley was concerned. "Elle, you know you're skinny right? You're not fat."
"Don't you think I know that?!" Elle retorted, almost a little too quickly. Ashley openly gave Elle a once over, taking note of how pale she had become, and how she looked like a skeleton more than a healthy fourteen year old girl. How she had been moody, how she had taken Luke's joke seriously, how she had been avoiding the topic of food. And then and there, Ashley knew she had to be brave.
"Elle...I don't think you do," she admitted with honesty. Immediately right after she said that, she knew it wasn't the right thing to say. Anger crossed Elle's face, her eyes forming into such hatred that Ashley never experienced herself from her. She had seen this look be directed at other people, but not her.
"Ashley, what are you implying?" The dark haired freshman's words were dripping with so much venom, it scared Ashley.
But she knew she had to address this. "Don't you notice that you've been losing weight? That you've been dropping it like crazy?"
Elle sighed. "I just haven't been eating my usual junk food."
Ashley tried to argue. "Yeah, but..."
"That doesn't mean I'm...I'm starving myself or something." Elle almost couldn't say it. It made her feel sick inside of the word, that underlying problem.
She grabbed her things and rushed out of the Seaver residence. "I just can't believe you don't trust me." She left the other girl behind in a state of confusion, shock, and worry.
Things were changing, and Ashley didn't like it.
"Shit, is this what we do with an eighth?" Peter said, laughing madly while at the Doyle residence. "Where did you get this?" He asks him.
"A guy," Ian answered casually, grinning like the dope he was. "Strawberry kush is the shit, my friend."
"So we had to spend a whole day to smoke it?" Tobias asked, but he really didn't seem to mind.
"Fuck yeah, man," George answered, a bit too loudly. "You know what I got?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out several pills. "Oxy."
Tobias turned serious. "Whoah, whoah, whoah, put that shit away, man! Are you insane?"
"It's just a couple of white pills that I can crush."
"No fucking way, man," Tobias said, shaking his head, while the other guys looked amused.
Peter was grinning. "With a last name like Foyet, I'd be surprised if you weren't insane."
"But for now, put that away," Ian said to George. "I'm rolling another one." He takes part of the substance they've all been using it and putting it into a paper of some sort. When he had gathered it completely, he sealed the end by licking it, like an envelope. "I swear, I have magic fingers."
"Wait, why did you roll another?" Tobias asked.
"Oh yeah, I invited Bobby over," Ian answered, then he began to laugh. "He's impressive, fucking two girls."
"The boiler room drama is going to start all over again," noted George. "Diane's a wacky psycho, you know that."
Peter rose a curious brow. "And you're not?"
"Good point," said George.
They heard the doorbell ring, which Ian was sure was Bobby.
"He didn't barge in? He rang the doorbell?" George said, on the verge of bursting into hysterical laughter. "What a pansy."
"Stop," Ian said, trying to suppress his own laughter. "I'm getting the door now." He opened the door to reveal exactly who he thought it was, which was in fact Bobby Putnam. They greeted each other with a specific handshake all guys did at school
"Fuck, man, I can't believe you," Ian said to Bobby, all giddy and chipper, which probably had to do with the usual smell of high school, consisting of marijuana. "I can't believe you managed to get some action from two girls at once." Peter handed the joint to Bobby, which the latter took and inhaled.
"Yeah, I planned that shit well," said Bobby, laughing as well. The other boys deduced that he was lightweight, clearly the effect was starting too soon, or maybe he just was that happy. The boys just went for the latter, as per usual. "I'm a genius."
"You sure are," praised George. "How'd you do that?"
Bobby shrugged. "I dunno, it just happened. Maeve is really upset though from what I've heard. She didn't come to school."
"That's the prude that wears those animal sweaters, right?" This statement from Ian not only makes Bobby laugh cruelly, but it makes him nearly collapse on the floor.
"Yeah, man, that's her. But beneath those animal sweaters, let me tell you, she has a hot body."
"Oh I believe you," George said, highly amused. "We see it."
It happened out of the blue. One minute, all the guys were laughing, all in good fun. They all believed in that moment that smoking was just adding to their fun, hell, it always was. They couldn't feel their gut instincts telling them that something bad was going to happen, that something shocking was going to happen. None of them realized the situation that was about to come until Cat Adams burst through the door with a murderous look on her face.
The guys froze like deer in the headlights. They were pretty sure that Cat's look was so murderous that she would probably kill whoever was pissing her off at that moment. They knew she wasn't capable of killing, though, no matter how demented she looked. She says one name: "Bobby."
"Fuck, what did I do?" exclaimed Bobby.
Cat flashed her eyes madly at him. "You're a man-whore, that's what you are! You use Maeve Donovan and then fuck Diane in the boiler room?!"
"Look, why do you care? She used to be your best friend, she isn't anymore!" Bobby tried to argue.
"That's not the point, it could've been anyone!" Cat thought up a scenario, and it made her laugh loudly. "If you were trying to use Tobias it wouldn't make a difference! It still doesn't mean it's not fucked up!"
"Hey, hey, hey, leave me out of this." Tobias said, not wanting any trouble. He paused, a tool no one else seemed to notice in Cat's hand caught his attention. "Babe," He said to his girlfriend, trying to remain calm. "Why do you have a baseball bat in your hand?"
"Because she's a fucking nut case—"
WHACK!
"Ow! Fuck!" Bobby held his privates, where Cat had hit him with the baseball bat. "Are you insane?"
"Cat, put the bat down!" Tobias protested.
"Let me tell you something you son of a bitch," spat Cat, ignoring her boyfriend as she watched Bobby squirm on the floor. "When you break Diane again, and I'm pretty sure you will, I won't be picking up the pieces this time. Nope, no way. I'm tired of your bullshit." With that being said, she stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind her with her baseball bat in hand. When she was out of earshot, the boys spoke.
"If I'm crazy," George said, still looking rather in shock of what just happened. "Then Cat Adams is fucking deranged."
Though Jason said that something was going to happen, nothing had seemingly happened for a while. Nothing during lunch, nothing during Communications, not even when they walked to Alex's house. They put on a random movie, which Spencer watched in silence, munching on popcorn. Penelope and Alex exchanged glances nervously, and Derek looked doubtful, but Dave explained to Derek that often Jason was right in these situations.
It was after the movie when it happened.
Everything was quiet and happy, with all of them minus Spencer talking among each other on how much they loved that nineties movie Penelope recommended to the group. Although it was a chick flick, starring Alicia Silverstone and the late Brittany Murphy, the guys even liked it. Well, they didn't know if Spencer did, since he just watched the movie with a blank stare on his face, remaining quiet.
Still, even Dave started to doubt Jason's words, but then after a long period of silence after the conversation was over—
"We've waited long enough!"
—he exploded. That tone was never heard from the boy. It was so uncharacteristic for him. "Maeve is my friend, and all you keep saying is to wait it out! Look where that has gotten us!"
Alex's house was supposed to be a wondrous place without feelings of anger, well...at least not at each other. Alex's house was prone for people to rant about their own problems about other people, but those people will never be under the same roof. This was the only time someone was legitimately angry at not just one person in her house, but everyone. When Spencer shouted like that, it had creeped or terrified the hell out of everyone there in some shape or form.
Alex was almost positive her neighbors heard that scream. Penelope was sure that the walls vibrated. Dave blinked and reminded himself to ask Alex if he's really too young to smoke, because it looked like he needed it. Jason didn't know how such a loud voice could be in such a tiny body. Derek was afraid of his own shadow.
"Never mess with a girl's broken heart," mumbled Alex, though Spencer heard her and let out a sour laugh.
"Wow, Alex! Didn't you say that about a girl's infatuation?"
"Yes, and if you didn't remember, I was right," snapped Alex, tired of this sudden change in attitude.
"If we got her to believe us, if we didn't wait, then her heart wouldn't be broken!" exclaimed Spencer.
"We didn't get her to believe us, that was the point," said Jason, with a neutral tone. "If you want to go talk to her about it, you do it."
Spencer swallowed a lump in his throat, stopping the pacing he's been doing back and forth ever since he got to Alex's house. He gave Jason a hard glare, before saying: "I think I will." That being said, he stormed out of the house, intending on meeting Maeve.
As soon as the young genius left, Dave spoke up. "Guys?" Some of them had to turn in order to face Dave. "It's starting already."
Alex nodded knowingly. "It was only a matter of time."
Stopping by a local ice cream shop called Esme's Scoops that Emily went to with JJ, and a place where Hotch hasn't been in since Haley died, it was a lovely place to chit chat among students at Quantico High. JJ would go there with Emily when she was craving ice cream, especially strawberry ice cream that she would drench in chocolate syrup and sprinkles.
"I haven't had ice cream in forever," Hotch said, playing with his spoon in the vanilla cup he had just bought. "Vanilla's my favorite, always has been."
Emily smirked and ate her chocolate ice cream. "Chocolate. I love chocolate. Have you ever had gelato?"
"A what now?" Hotch said, frowning at the unknown name. "A gelato?"
"It's basically Italian ice cream," explained Emily. "Back in Rome, I was obsessed with them."
"Why'd you live in Rome?" Hotch asks curiously.
"Parents, work. All that nonsense."
"Gross."
"Oh thank you," replied Emily sarcastically, making the latter smile. Emily took a mental picture of it before saying, "So how's your ice cream?"
"Esme's has the best ice cream, great as usual," answered Hotch, taking a mouthful of vanilla.
Emily raised an eyebrow with an amused smile. "If that's the best ice cream you've had, you need to try a gelato. Hell, everyone in this town desperately needs a gelato if they think this is the best ice cream."
"You don't like yours?"
She shrugged. "It's alright, it's just not Italy. I miss Italy."
"I can tell, your eyes really light up when you mention it," Hotch noticed.
"What was Haley's favorite ice cream flavor?" asks Emily.
Hotch smiled fondly, thinking about the times when Haley wasn't worried about her already thin figure. "She loved rocky road."
They both laugh, yes, even Hotch laughed, and eat the rest of their ice cream and chat.
Spencer knew the way to Maeve's house, he memorized the address the first time he'd gone there. He knew he should've been going home by now, but he needed to tell Maeve how sorry he was, and how he wished he was wrong for once. She wasn't in school today, and that worried Spencer on how distraught she was. She didn't seem the type to miss out a day of school over something like this.
He knocked on the door ever so politely. The person that opened on the other side was Mrs. Donovan, who gave him a warm, yet sad smile. "Ah, Spencer, how are you?"
"Hello Mrs. Donovan," said Spencer, with a polite smile back. "Is Maeve okay?" What a stupid question, he thought. Of course she wasn't okay. She had caught her boyfriend all over his half naked ex-girlfriend in the boiler room after only a week.
"She could be doing better," Mrs. Donovan said with that same sad smile.
"May I come in?" asks Spencer, but Mrs. Donovan shook her head.
"It seems like she doesn't want any visitors. Joe tried talking to her," Mrs. Donovan paused, referring to her husband. "Joe tried to speak to her, but she was hiding in her room with her door locked and she screamed for him to go away." She shook her head in disappointment. "I've never seen her so upset."
"Mrs. Donovan, please can I help? Please," Mrs. Donovan was about to say to come back another time, until she heard the way Spencer's voice pleaded with care, with how this boy, this boy who's always managed to put a smile on their daughter's face, looked lost as Maeve was, without the other.
Mrs. Donovan spoke. "I've always trusted you, you know," she says lightly. "Not so much the other friends she's made, but you've immediately earned a place in my heart of trust when Maeve came home from school excited that she made a new friend." Spencer's heart felt very warm, especially when Mrs. Donovan stepped to the side to let Spencer enter. "Come in."
"Mary, who is it?" called her husband from the kitchen.
"It's Spencer," Mrs. Donovan said back.
"Oh... alright," said Mr. Donovan.
Mrs. Donovan smiled at the eleven year old. "Good luck."
Spencer nodded and ran to Maeve's room, but stopped short when the door was locked. He could hear the sniffles coming from that room, making Spencer's heart break by the sound of it. He knocked on the door timidly, like he always would.
Maeve immediately knew who it was. "Why are you here, Spence?!"
"Because I care," he replied, remaining serious. "Maeve, I really miss you. I was so worried when you didn't come into school today. Let me in, I understand!"
"You won't understand, Spence, go away!" Maeve wailed, her voice telling him that she was getting fed up with him.
Spencer wasn't going to let this go. "Then help me understand, Maeve, because I'm not letting my best friend slip away from me because some idiot hurt you." When he paused, he heard silence coming from the other side of that door. There were no protests, so Spencer explained further. "I miss seeing you walk down the hallways with a book by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle." He began to smile, visualizing it happening. "Even if you sometimes bump into walls." He swear he could hear Maeve smile at that. "Anyway, Maeve, you can't avoid school forever." No response.
Spencer frowned, beginning to plead. "Please open the door, I need you, I don't wanna lose you." We can't lose each other.
God was on his side that day. He was entirely grateful when he heard the sound of a door unlocking. She threw the door opened and then retreated back to her bed, her face into her pillow before Spencer could see the despair. "Close it." Her voice was wobbly and shaky, and Spencer didn't want Maeve to be angry at him, so he closed the door like he asked her to. Spencer did not see her face, but he saw that she was wearing a pink robe with pink slippers, and that her hair was messy, yet it was somehow perfect.
Spencer's eyes softened at the sounds of Maeve's sobs. "Please don't cry."
"You were right, Spencer..." Maeve sniffled, finally lifting her head off the pillow. Spencer finally saw how this hit hard for her. This was her first boyfriend, to her, at least. It didn't matter if it was a week or less. It would seem like a decade for Maeve, since she had a crush on him for so long, and now it just hit her in the face. It didn't just hurt, it shattered her heart. "You were right about him."
"I really wish I wasn't," Spencer said quietly.
"You know, why did I even bother?" Maeve said, sitting up and taking a box of tissues. "Why is it always bad when I open up to someone?" She took a tissue out and began to wipe her puffy eyes. "When I trust someone, it gets thrown back in my face."
"I understand the feeling," said Spencer, and he did.
She looked at Spencer. "I should've listened. I'm so sorry."
"Please don't be sorry," Spencer said, resting his head on her shoulder as a way of showing his comfort. "I should be sorry, I didn't mean to be right about this."
"I'm sorry too that it happened," Maeve said, running her fingers through her unkempt hair in frustration. "God! I should've known that something like this could've happened! God, I'm so stupid!"
"You're not stupid," Spencer said, desperate to get through to her. "Maeve you're one of the smartest people I know... you're smarter than me."
Maeve let out a bitter laugh. "Don't lie to me, Spence. How many freshmen are in trigonometry?"
"How many sophomores are in physics?" Spencer countered. "Besides, you're smarter than me in a lot of ways that doesn't involve intelligence. I'm... I'm lost. I'm socially clueless and oblivious. If you hadn't entered my life, I don't think I'd have any friends."
Maeve was touched by this. She lifted her arm up to put around her best friend. "You know I adore you, right?" Spencer didn't know what to say, so he just nodded as she continued. "Promise me that when you get a girl, that you'll never treat her the way I was treated."
"But I'll never get a girl."
"Spence, shut up, I don't want to hear that from you, you will find that someone. Now, promise me."
Spencer nodded seriously. "I promise."
A/N: That was a long one, Jesus...Originally this was supposed to be 5k but...I got carried away...LOL