I'm really, really sorry it took me so long to update. Lately, I've been having writers block and finding it hard to find time to write. Again, sorry for the long wait. Here's another chapter finally.
Days when the sun is shining, the temperature is the mid-60s, and skies are mostly clear are wonderful. Days like these are too nice to be cooped up inside. That's not necessarily the reason all the prison guards let some of the inmates go outside. Thanks to the fight in the cafeteria the other day, everybody who was in the room at the time was put on clean-up duty. Meaning they have to pick up trash outside the prison yard. They have almost five guards in every corner of the facility keeping an eye on them so nobody tries running away.
Spencer took a well-earned break after working outside non-stop for the past four hours. She sat down at a picnic table under the shade of a walnut tree. As she sat there, looking around at all the cars racing by on the road, she wondered what her life would've been like if it was normal. What if her mother never died? What if her father wasn't such an asshole? What if she never got pulled out of her home and sent to foster care? What if Gary never harassed her? Her brain right now is filled with a bunch of 'what ifs?'
-AU-
"Mom!" seventeen-year-old Spencer came running down the stairs trying to get her dress tied behind her back.
"Spencer," Veronica ran into the family room.
Her mother had her work glasses on. That must mean she was busy working on something. Spencer always feels a little guilty interrupting her, but she could really use a second opinion.
"My date is going to be here shortly and I can't decide if I should wear my dark blue dress or keep on my black dress," Spencer began ranting.
"Just wear the dress you have on right now. You look fine."
Veronica walked over to help zip up the back of Spencer's dress. Her hair is down in dark, thick curls. It's her first date and she's very nervous. What if something goes wrong? What if she makes a full out of herself.
"Veronica, Spencer," Peter called when he walked through the front door.
Spencer snapped her head to the left and saw her dad walk in with his briefcase in hand. He sets his briefcase on the kitchen counter, then takes off his suit jacket. He just now noticed his wife standing with her youngest daughter who's all dressed up.
Peter smiles, "you look great, Spencer. What's the occasion?"
"Our daughter is going on a date," Veronica smiled and gave her daughter a side hug.
"Wow, how exciting. That boy better not get you pregnant," Peter warned.
Spencer rolled her eyes, "oh, dad."
Veronica also rolled her eyes but remained smiling. She walks to her husband's side and kisses his cheek softly.
"Don't worry, dear. I think our daughter is smart enough to take care of herself."
"Well, if you say so then it must be the truth."
The three of them were interrupted by a gentle knock on the door. Peter went to answer it while Veronica helped Spencer find her wrap. A few seconds later, the two women were accompanied by Mr. Hastings and Spencer's Friday night date. The kid who lives down the street, Toby Cavanaugh, is Spencer's date tonight. They've been friends since childhood, but their friendship was put on hold when Toby went away to college. When he came back, he asked Spencer out on a date. Spencer was over the moon about it. Toby followed Peter into the room and smiled at Spencer. Peter stood in the family room next to Veronica.
"I didn't know that Cavanaugh kid was the one taking you out tonight."
"Toby's a nice boy," Veronica jumped in.
"All boys seem nice until they come across a nice girl like my daughter."
"Dad," Spencer rolled her eyes. "I've known Toby for most of my life. We both know that Toby would never hurt me."
"He better not," Peter growled, staring at Toby.
"Sir," Toby spoke up. "I can assure you that you're daughter is in good hands as long as she's with me."
"Alright, fine," Peter waved them off. "Have a nice night you two and have her back by eleven!"
-Reality-
Spencer was shaken from her thoughts when a vanilla envelope was plopped down in front of her. She was confused even after seeing Toby standing above her. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do with the envelope he gave her. Toby stood there for a second before finally speaking.
"You may not know Cora, but she sure knows you. Seven years ago, your dad was a lawyer on one of her father's cases. Apparently your father was the reason why her father got sentenced life in prison."
Spencer looked at the papers and frowned, "this is so unfair. Why is she mad at me for something my dad did?"
"Maybe because you're the closest thing she has to get revenge. What better way to do that then to go after his own daughter?"
"My father hated me. Going after me won't do anything for him."
"Well, she doesn't know that and in her mind it makes sense."
She sighed and slumped down on the bench, "why does everybody want to hurt me?"
"Not everyone."
"I should probably get back to work," Spencer said.
After her ten minutes break, Spencer stood up and got back picking up pieces of trash along the road. Toby sighed and stood up from his place. How much long will she have to be stuck in here? He was hoping to get her out on temporary probation, but after her fight in the cafeteria, that's going to be harder to earn.
Night time in the detention facility is usually quiet. It's the time where everyone lies awake on their cots thinking about things. Some people think about their family back at home. Other people might think about what they'll do when they get out of here. Spencer curled up on her side trying to get herself to sleep. She's been having trouble because whenever she closes her eyes, she sees the faces of the people who try to kill her.
Walking around when it's dark and foggy Isn't the brightest idea. Spencer's not sure what she's doing out on the streets so late. There's not much light to guide the way. There are no cars on the streets. No people around either. It's just Spencer out here alone. It's kind of chilly out. She can see her breath every time she exhales.
The sound of footsteps echoed in the distance behind her. Most people would look back to see who's there, but Spencer's first instinct was to run. Her chest rose and fell with every step she took. Whoever's behind her started running as well. They are after her. Spencer ran until she came to a dead in. There's no way out. There's a ten-foot brick wall surrounding her. The footsteps behind her got closer. When she turned around, Gary was coming towards her with a wicked grin on his face. Spencer backed against the wall begging him to stay away.
"Get away," she cried. "Don't come any closer."
Spencer tripped over her own feet and fell down on the cold, hard ground. For some reason, she couldn't move. She tried to get up and run away, but she just couldn't. Gary smirked and held out a silver handgun. Spencer used her hands trying to distance herself between her and Gary, but he wasn't back down. Gary aimed the gun at something, but it wasn't her that he was aiming the gun at. Spencer looked around and saw somebody else standing in the alley. Her eyes widen with horror when she realized who it is. It's Toby. Before she could open her mouth to say something to him, Gary fired the gun and a bullet hit Toby right in the chest. Toby had a blank expression on his face as the blood trickled down his light gray shirt. He looked at Spencer then stumbled to the ground. A million actions were going through Spencer's head right now, but she could only do one thing, scream. She just witnessed Toby getting shot by Gary and all she could do was scream.
"No!"
Spencer shoots up in her bed breathing heavily with a pool of sweat streaming down her forehead. She had to take a moment to look around in order to remember where she is. They're is a cement walls and white a ceiling. She's in a closed off dark space. Not even a second after she woke, her door slide open making her jump. From across the room, she could see the silhouette of two prison guards.
"Hastings, why are you making so much noise?" One of the guards asked.
She trembled over her words when she tried to speak, "g-get officer c-Cavanaugh. I need to see him n-now."
"Ma'am, officer Cavanaugh is off duty for the night."
That is not the answer Spencer wants to her. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, reached for a book on her nightstand then, threw it right at the guard.
"I said to go get officer Cavanaugh!" She yelled. "Now, go get him right now! I don't care if you have to call him in just get him here. I need to see him!"
The two officers looked at each other then sighed. Spencer sat back against the wall with her knees bent against her chest. She would not stop shaking until she saw that Toby was okay and standing right in front of her. That whole dream seemed so real. One minute she was walking freely down the street and then she was being cornered in an alley somewhere by Gary. At first, it looked like he was going to shot her, but instead, she witnessed Toby getting shot. The whole thing felt so damn real. She knows yelling at the guards to go get him make her seem crazy. She just has to see that Toby's alive and well.
It took maybe thirty minutes. It could've been longer or shorter. She's not really sure how much time has passed. The clock in her cell has been broken for a few weeks now. None of the guards felt the need to put new batteries in it. She never moved from her current position. For all the time that's passed by, she's stayed cuddled in the corner of her bed, hugging her knees tightly against her chest.
Too many moments later, the door was reopened. She looked up and saw one figure standing in the doorway. A bright flash of lightning lit up the room and she was able to recognize his face. She let out a sigh of relief as she jumped off her bed and ran over to hug him. She nearly knocked him over with her extra burst of energy. His arms were around her in an instant.
If this would've happened at any other moment, Toby probably would've put some distance between them just in case anyone who happened to around saw them. That's not the case here. He was called during the early hours of the morning by one of the guards concerning Spencer. His first thought was Garrett got to her and hurt her in someway. Then he heard them mention that she woke up screaming and started lashing out. They said she wouldn't calm down until she saw him personally. So, Toby put on a pair of jeans, a black shirt, and his police jacket then raced out to his cruiser. He got to the facility in record time. Not even bothering to park his car in the right parking spot. Now, he's here holding Spencer who is just sobbing and shaking into his chest, and he has no idea why.
"Hey, hey, hey," he whispered into her hairline. "It's okay. You're okay. It's okay."
She didn't say anything after that. Her sobs continued to erupt through her chest so violently that even Toby started shaking. He tightened his arms around her, and kept rubbing his hands up and down her back in soothing motions.
"I should probably go tell them…"
"No!" He started to move away from her, but that only prompted her to cling onto him tighter. "Stay with me," she whispered.
"Okay," he whispered. His arms went back around her. "I'll stay, okay. I won't leave. Just calm down."
When she made no effort to move, he picked her up and walked her towards her bed. He set her down on the bed first and moved away from her to take off his shoes. It's risky being here and lying in bed with her, but what is he supposed to do? She's clearly having an emotional breakdown right now and he's the only one who knows how to handle these. At least, when they were kids he knew how. All he would have to do is let her lay in bed with him and hold her. He tried adjusting the pillow against the wall in a way that could pass as almost comfortable. He scooted back against the pillow then allowed Spencer to lean back against his chest. Once again, his arms wrapped around her tightly, but not enough to crush her.
"I'm sorry," Spencer mumbled after a long moment of silence.
"For what?"
She shook her head, "for everything." She looked down and her lip began to quiver. "For making you think I was dead." She was crying now.
"Spence." She shook her head and tried turning so he wouldn't see the tears.
"I don't know how you got through it," she cried. "I don't know how you were strong enough to live with the idea of me being gone for good. It was probably easy knowing that you no longer had such a big burden to take care of."
"Now wait just a minute," he stopped her. "When I thought you were dead, it was not easy for me. The whole time I kept thinking how I could move on with my life when my best friend wasn't here to live it with me. That was until my mom told me that you would want me to move on with my life. She told me that you wouldn't want me to give up living my dreams just because you weren't around to live yours."
"Well, she was right," she whispered. "I would want you to move on. I would want you to forget that big, problematic mess that is your friend."
"Spencer," he curled his hand around her chin and turned her head in his direction. "You're not a mess and you're not a burden to me. You're my best friend. I would walk through the fires of hell for you. When you love someone, you find out real quick that protecting and looking out for them is worth it."
"Sometimes I envy you because I know that I'm not as strong as you."
"Do you want to tell me why you attack the guards in order to get me here tonight?"
She shook her head and stared off into space, "it was a just dream that seemed all too real."
"What happened?" He leaned his head against hers encouraging her to share.
She managed to swallow over the lump in her throat, "in the dream I was walking down the street. It was dark outside and foggy. Then, I heard a noise and all I could think to do was run. I ran until I came to this dead end. There was this ten-foot brick wall surrounding me. Gary showed up with a gun and I tried screaming, but I couldn't make a sound. I tried to move, but I couldn't even lift a finger."
"You had a dream about Gary shooting you?"
"Not me," she said, staring blankly at the wall. Tears threatened to spill out of her eyelids. "Gary raised the gun, aiming it at something behind me or beside me. I couldn't remember where. He aimed the gun," she folded her fingers in the shape of a gun to show him. "Then a bullet was fired and it hit you right in the chest. Her hand fell and tears streamed down her face.
"I saw you stumble to the ground without even making a sound. There was no light in your eyes. Your chest wasn't moving to show any signs of breathing. You just lied there dead on the ground. All I could do," she paused to shrug her shoulders. "Was scream. That's all I could do."
"Spence," he pressed his lips into her hair. "It was only a dream. Look at me, I'm here. I'm right here. I'm alive and breathing."
She shook her head as more tears spilled out, "what if my dream was warning me about what will happen now that I let you back in? This guy is dangerous. You could end up dead because of me."
"That's a risk I'm willing to take for you."
"But I'm not," she snapped her head towards him. "I'm not. Don't you get it? I can't lose you. I'm not as strong as you are. If I thought you were dead for all those years, I don't think I'd be able to just live on. I couldn't do it. No matter how much you would want me to. I couldn't do it. I need you alive and I need you safe."
"Hey," he cupped her cheek. "Nothing bad is going to happen to me. I have a reason to fight for my life. I have a reason to fight for my life so I can fight for your life."
"You shouldn't put yourself in harms way for me. It's not worth it."
"Stop. Stop saying you're not worth my time. Stop saying all these negative things about yourself, Spencer. None of what you are saying is true."
"Don't you get that I can't lose you?" She sat up and turned towards him. "I can't have you getting killed because of me. It's too much to handle."
"You think losing you would be any easier for me?" He challenged. "I thought I lost you once and that nearly destroyed me. I don't think I could handle losing you again. This time for good."
"Why do you care so much about what happens to me?"
"Because I do."
"Why?" She pressed.
"Because I love you!" He shouted. Spencer's hand curled up around the back of his neck and she dug her fingers into his hair. Toby sighed, looking away from her. His voice became soft again.
"I care because I love you. I don't mean that childlike love we had as kids."
"Toby," she whispered.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out like that, but I just hate hearing you talk down about yourself. You would do that a lot as a kid and I'm tired of hearing it."
She turned his head in her direction and massaged her fingers through his hair. She allowed him to rest her forehead against hers.
"I would kiss you right now, but I don't want the other guards to walk by and see," Spencer said.
He searched her eyes and whispered, "I'll take my chances."
He leaned in and closed the gap between them with his lips. Her arms wrapped around his neck and his went around her waist. It's risky to be together like this, but Toby can't seem to find it in his mind to care. After awhile, they pulled apart to catch their breath. Toby leaned back against the pillow and she laid against his chest. Despite the rules at this facility, Toby stayed with her for the rest of the night.
Again, I apologize for the long wait. Next chapter, Toby will try to get Spencer out early. Do you think anybody saw them in the cell? Stay tuned to find out.