Aria went straight to the Hastings' home after waiting by Spencer's locker for about 20 minutes and never getting a single reply from her text messages asking the brunette where she was. Using the key that Spencer gave her, Aria went inside and walked right up to the brunette's room. Aria found the door slightly ajar and saw Jenna curled up on Spencer's red chair with a book in her hands. Jenna glanced up at the door as she sensed someone's eyes on her. She placed her index finger to her lips and pointed at the bed, then beckoned Aria into the room.
"Hey." Jenna smiled at Aria and moved into a sitting position to give the brunette some space to sit on.
"Is Spencer-?" Aria sat beside Jenna and threw a concerned look at her sleeping best friend.
"She said she didn't get much sleep last night." Jenna whispered to Aria, trying to be as quiet as possible so as not to rouse her sleeping friend.
"That's weird. I was with her last night. I spent the night here. We fell asleep together. I didn't know that she…wait, why are you here?" Aria asked with an equally hushed tone.
"She asked me to take her home. She's been having one of those headaches again. I just, I worry about her, that's why I decided to stay and keep an eye on her." Jenna explained; concern evident in her green eyes.
"Oh, maybe it's just from lack of sleep. I'm sure she's fine." Aria said with a wave of her hand and a forced a smile. She didn't want Jenna to know what's really going on. She swore to Spencer that she's not going to tell anyone.
"It's okay, Aria. I know all about it. Well, not really, I mean I don't have the full details, but I do know what Spencer's been going through." Jenna whispered and gave the tiny brunette a little smile.
"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about..." Aria tried to deny. She wasn't sure how Jenna knew about Spencer, but given the amount of time that the two have been spending lately, Jenna might have picked up on what's wrong. Still, she's not going to assume that Jenna knows and decided that it's best to just play clueless.
"I know that she's sick, Aria, and I know that she finally told you about it." Jenna whispered after a while.
"Wait, what? How? Why? I'm her best friend, and -" Hearing that Jenna knew before her was like a kick in the gut.
"I accidentally found out, okay? It's not like Spencer chose to tell me first over you. I overheard her and Melissa talking and she asked me not to say anything. Please don't be mad at her." Jenna quickly explained after seeing Aria's face twist with hurt and surprise.
Aria was silent for a while. She turned and watched her sleeping best friend and let out a sigh. "I messed up today, didn't I?" Aria whispered, her eyes still fixed on Spencer's sleeping form.
"What do you mean?"
"Spencer asked me not to treat her any differently, but I did the exact opposite. I just, I couldn't help it. I wanna take care of her. I wanna be there for her all the time. If I could, I'd keep an eye on her 24/7." Aria felt the tears running down her cheeks as she opened up to Jenna.
"Don't do that. You will just end up pushing her away. I understand where you're coming from, but Spencer doesn't want to be reminded that she's ill. She doesn't want any special treatment, so please don't treat her like a baby." Jenna whispered as she carefully rubbed Aria's back.
"I don't know if I can do that, I just… I care so much about her. She's my best friend. We grew up together. We've been together since we were little kids and I -" Aria paused to catch her breath. "I can't imagine life without her. I don't want to imagine what it would be like." Aria finally let out with a sigh.
"We're all scared, okay? I think the best thing we can do right now is just be there for her. Keep her happy." Jenna reasoned. Aria nodded and seemed to contemplate for a while.
"Do you know that song that Spencer always listens to in her car? What were the words? The person that you'd take a bullet for is behind the trigger. How can we make her happy if the one person who has the power to do that just broke her heart?" Aria looked straight into Jenna's eyes as if the answers were there. It was Jenna's turn to sigh this time.
"I know, and I think that was kind of my fault. If I wasn't here that day, maybe things would've turned out differently. It's my entire fault." Jenna whispered as she sadly shook her head.
Aria placed her left hand on Jenna's arm. "Hey, don't say that. Emily didn't believe Spence. If she had only trusted Spence then there wouldn't be a problem. She shouldn't have been jealous of you or of any other girl if the trust was there. I actually wanted to thank you." She continued as she gave Jenna's arm a gentle squeeze.
"For what?" Jenna looked into the tiny brunette's eyes curiously.
"You've been really good with Spencer. I don't trust a lot of people with my best friend, but I do trust you with her. Thank you for being a good friend to her, Jenna." While it's true that Aria didn't like Jenna the first time, the green-eyed girl has slowly grown into her. Alison had made them believe that Jenna was a bitch who cannot be trusted. Now Aria's slowly getting to know the real Jenna Marshall.
Jenna seemed to blush and smiled gratefully at Aria. "Thank you, Aria. That means a lot. Well, Spencer's a great person. It's not hard to like her. She's one of a kind, she's amazing, and she's perfect. I don't usually let people in and give my trust so easily, but it's been so easy with her."
Aria didn't fail to notice the look in Jenna's eyes as she described Spencer. "Do you like her? I mean, do you have romantic feelings for her?"
Jenna just shrugged and smiled. "What does that even mean? Is that a yes?" Aria proded.
Jenna shrugged once more and smiled nonchalantly. "It's Spencer. What's not to like about her?"
"So you do like her. Are you in love with her?" Aria pressed, her eyes getting wider with the revelation. Well, she did have a hunch, but to somehow hear this slight confirmation is stimulating her interest.
"Yes and no. I like her. It's not hard to like her. She's smart, funny and loyal. Hot even. But no, I'm not in love with her." Jenna couldn't help but chuckle at Aria's eagerness to launch a full interview right at that moment.
"But why not?" Aria whispered as she glanced at Spencer's direction to see if she hasn't stirred the sleeping brunette with her sudden excitement. Not that she was excited for Spencer and Jenna to be a couple, but she just automatically drills everyone that wants to jump her best friend. Not that Jenna said those actual words, but still.
"Only fools fall in love, Aria." Jenna answered as she pulled her feet up and carefully extended her legs on the space behind Aria. Jenna leaned her back on the back rest of the red chair and smiled weakly.
"So we're all fools and you're not? C'mon, haven't you ever been in love before?" Aria asked as she scooted closer to Jenna so they can keep talking in hushed tones.
"I didn't mean it to sound like that. I just, I don't let myself get too close to anyone. I don't let myself fall in love. And yes, I've been in love once before." Jenna explained.
"Why not? I mean, love is a wonderful thing. There are a lot of things that you'd be missing out on if you don't let yourself love and be loved." Aria prodded. She felt like she was invading the girl's privacy and her personal space as well, but she just couldn't stop herself. She wanted answers. Somehow she's suddenly so intrigued with Jenna, and she couldn't explain why.
"I just, I choose not to. It isn't worth my time and I don't want to deal with the pain. It always ends horribly anyways." Jenna explained with a distant look in her green orbs.
"See, the problem is you're being pessimistic. You're already predicting how it will end when you haven't even started yet." Aria replied with an exasperated wave of her hands.
"Because that's just how it works, Aria. Everyone lies. Everyone cheats. Everyone leaves. There's no such thing as forever and always." Jenna bit back while looking directly at the tiny brunette's big hazel eyes.
Aria sighed. She took one of Jenna's hands and held it on her own. "You just haven't found the right one for you yet. I promise you you'll meet someone who'll make you change your mind about how you perceive love, and you're going to fall hard and be extremely happy. One day."
Jenna chuckled and shook her head. "Stop giving me false hope and promises of being happily in love one day. That's all a bunch of crap for me. I'm happy now with how things are for me and I've found a friend in Spencer. That's good enough for me."
"Okay then, what happens when you start falling for her?" Aria raised her left eyebrow as she met Jenna's piercing emerald orbs. Before Jenna could answer, Spencer stirred and slowly opened her eyes. Looking slowly around her room, Spencer's eyes fell on the two girls seated at her red chair. "Aria? Jenna? What's going on?" The brunette asked with eyebrows raised.
"Hey, Aria. Uh, have you seen Spencer?" Emily asked as she caught up with Aria on the way to her locker.
"She's not coming in today. She's feeling a little ill so she just decided to stay at home." Aria replied without stopping to look at Emily.
"Spencer's been missing a lot of school lately. What's up with her?" Hanna asked as she fell into step with the two.
"Oh, okay. I'll just drop by her house after school." Emily stated as she bit her lip. She hasn't heard from Spencer since she asked the brunette to talk and the latter declined.
"I don't think that's a good idea." Aria said as she stopped in front of her locker.
"Why not? Does she have something contagious?" Hanna asked with wide eyes.
"No, Han, she doesn't." Aria shook her head as she got her History book from her locker.
"Why can't we go then?" Emily pushed.
"I'm not saying we can't. I'm saying you can't." Aria stated as she slammed her locker shut.
"Excuse me?" Emily asked with a puzzled expression. Aria never bothered to look at her since the start of their conversation, and it hurt and annoyed her at the same time.
"You know what I mean, Em. I just don't think it's a good idea for you to show up at her house if you haven't sorted out your thoughts and your feelings yet. I'm not gonna let you hurt my best friend again." Aria replied, looking square into Emily's eyes for the first time that morning.
"Aria, I made a mistake, okay? I know that. I just wanna talk to her, make it up to her." Emily pleaded. It was rare for the smaller brunette to act this way, but since it was Spencer's heart that they were talking about, Emily understood the hostility. She knows that Aria will protect her childhood best friend with her life, even against her.
"What are you going to say then? Tell me. I wanna hear it." Aria challenged the swimmer as she crossed her arms and stared up at her much taller friend.
"Aria, this is absurd, okay? Let them talk in private." Hanna intervened with a wave of her hands.
"I'm just trying to protect Spence, okay? She doesn't need some BS right now. I'm not going to let anyone hurt her." Aria stated defiantly.
"Okay, you're really sounding like Spencer's little wife right now." Hanna said with a roll of her eyes.
Before Aria could respond, Jenna walked over to where they were standing. "Hey, Aria. Sorry to interrupt. I'm gonna head over to Spencer's after final period. She told me to bring some of her books from her locker and that I should get it from you, since you know her locker combination." Jenna nodded at both Emily and Hanna. Emily couldn't help the frown form in her face, but she nodded at Jenna anyways, before looking away. Hanna just smiled and nodded.
"It's okay. I'll take care of it. I'll just meet you there later." Aria replied with a smile, her first of the morning.
"Okay then. Thanks, Aria." Jenna returned the smile before walking off to her class.
"You wouldn't let me get near Spence but you're okay with Jenna hanging out with her all the time?" Emily asked as soon as Jenna was out of earshot.
"I don't have a problem with Jenna, okay? In fact, I like her. She has good intentions and she takes care of Spencer, and that's good enough for me. If she screws up, I'd see to it that she doesn't get anywhere near Spencer." Aria replied stubbornly, her hostile demeanour returning as she faced Emily.
"Aria, come on! This is absurd! I just wanna talk to her. I made a mistake, and I'm going to make it right." Hanna got in between the two before Aria could respond.
"Okay look. Em, just give it time. The four of us are going to Noel's party this weekend, right? You guys can talk while we're over there. In the meantime, just give her some space." Hanna looked from Aria to Emily. The tanned girl sighed and finally nodded.
"Fine by me." Aria shrugged.
"Okay, let's go get to class. It's not fun playing Aria Montgomery." Hanna muttered before walking off to first period.
"You okay, Spence? Tell me if you don't want to stay long, alright? Just say the word and we'll go." Aria stated as she and Spencer got out of her car and walked over to the Khan's cabin.
"I'm fine, Ar. It's actually good to get out of the house for a change. In fact, I could use some drinks." Spencer walked directly to the Khan's mini-bar with Aria on her heels.
"Just try not to drink too much, okay?" Aria smiled, trying not to be overprotective but failing at it.
"This may be the last time I'm gonna drink - at a party - with you guys, so don't try to hold me back, okay? I'll be fine." Spencer grabbed the two shots of vodka that Noel's bartender was handing over.
"Here's to us." Spencer handed the other shot glass to Aria before downing her own.
Several shots of vodka and tequila later, Aria started to feel nauseous. She knows she should've stayed sober so that she could look after Spencer, but she couldn't let her best friend drink alone. Spencer was trying to drown all her sorrows and was really trying to have a good time, and Aria couldn't fault her for that.
"Spence, I'm going to the bathroom for just a minute. You stay here okay. Don't leave. Wait for me. I'll be real quick." Aria jumped from the bar stool as Spencer nodded in agreement.
"Looks like you guys had an early start without us. Where's Aria?" Hanna sat down on the bar beside Spencer, while Emily stood over at Spencer's side.
"Bathroom." Spencer pointed to where Aria disappeared.
"You okay, Spence?" Emily asked, cautiously stroking the brunette's back as she noticed the number of empty shot glasses in front of the brunette.
Spencer's head throbbed a little. Why is everyone always asking me if I'm okay? Does everyone know how weak and fragile I am now? Is it too obvious?
"Great." Spencer forced a smile before taking another shot of tequila.
"Whoa, slow down Spence. Give us time to catch up." Hanna chuckled.
"I need some air." Spencer suddenly got up from her seat and walked away from the two. No matter how much alcohol she has consumed, it wasn't enough to numb the pain in her heart. The music blasting throughout the house, the loud crowd and the throbbing in her head wasn't enough to drown the thunderous beating of her heart as she felt Emily's hand on her back. It was all too much. Spencer manoeuvred through the bodies dancing to the 90's mix that was being played by some guy whom Noel hired to deejay. Spencer let out a huge breath as she finally managed to get out of the cabin. She didn't stop walking, however, until she reached an empty spot away from everyone. Spencer stopped next to an oak tree and leaned her back on the trunk, closing her eyes as she rubbed her temples. The brunette almost jumped when she felt a hand on her right shoulder.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted to make sure you're okay." Spencer turned to see Emily timidly smiling at her. Spencer sighed. Why couldn't I get a break? She felt like falling apart everytime she'd see Emily, that's why she has avoided the swimmer since the day that Emily broke her heart.
"Why does everyone assume that I'm not? I'm fine, Em. I just want to be alone for a while, if you don't mind." Spencer snapped. She immediately regretted her tone but she didn't want to seem weak in Emily's eyes. She didn't want Emily to see how much she has broken her.
"I just – I've been wanting to talk to you for the past week, Spence. Can we just talk, please?" Emily pleaded as she slowly moved closer and held Spencer's arms.
"There's nothing left to talk about." Spencer whispered. She felt her walls start to crumble as soon as Emily's hands trailed from her arms down to her hands, but she stood her ground.
"No. I need you to hear me out. I'm sorry, okay? Sorry for the things that I said, for the way I acted." Emily squeezed Spencer's hands and felt an immediate rush as she did so.
"You don't have to apologize over and over again. I get it, okay? Can you please just leave me alone?" Spencer disconnected her hands from Emily's and started to walk away but Emily grabbed her hand and spun her around.
"Em, I don't -" Spencer was cut off by Emily's lips crashing into hers. Spencer cursed herself for immediately surrendering into the kiss. It seems that she couldn't really hold her guard up when it comes to Emily. Spencer pulled the tanned girl closer by the waist, leaving no space between their bodies. She felt Emily's hand on her nape, and the other roaming her back before sliding up her side. Emily stumbled backwards as she felt her knees go weak from the intensity of their kiss. She felt her back hit the trunk of a tree and she leaned into it, pulling Spencer impossibly closer to her. Emily felt the butterflies in her stomach go crazy when Spencer started to trail kisses down her throat.
"Spence" Emily moaned as she tried to control her breathing, trying not to drown in Spencer's kisses. "We should talk."
"Mm-hmm." Was all that Spencer could say as she continued her assault on Emily's neck, trailing up kisses til she reached the swimmer's ear; nibbling on her earlobe.
"Spence – oh god," Emily gripped Spencer harder as she fought to keep her legs from crumbling.
"What do you want to talk about?" Spencer whispered as her tongue flicked to tease the swimmer's ear.
Oh god, now she wants to talk. Right now when I'm up in the clouds.
"Spence." Emily whispered almost pleadingly. Spencer trailed her lips from Emily's ear to her cheek. The brunette softly kissed Emily's lips before leaning in to touch their foreheads.
"I'm sorry I hurt you." Emily whispered, softly touching Spencer's lips with hers before she continued. "I was scared and insecure. I thought that maybe you like Jenna more and I just, I don't know. All these years of being in love with you, wanting so much to be with you, and then seeing you with her. I'm sorry I ran and pushed you away. I doubted myself and you. It was too surreal for me, hearing you say that you felt the same way was too good to be true. It was because of my own insecurities, Spence. I didn't think that someone like you would actually want to be with me. And I do wanna be with you too. You're the only one that I want. The only one I ever wanted and the only one I'll always want." Emily confessed with her eyes on Spencer's.
"Do you really mean that?" Spencer whispered. Emily leaned over and softly kissed the love of her life. She just couldn't get enough of how sweet the brunette's lips tasted.
"With all my heart." Emily whispered; her lips barely touching Spencer's as she spoke.
"Do you wanna get out of here?" Spencer asked with a hopeful look in her eyes, praying that Emily would say yes.
"Yes please." Emily immediately answered as if she read Spencer's mind.
Spencer grinned and stole a quick kiss once more. "Okay. I'll just grab my stuff from Aria."
"I'll wait for you outside." Emily reluctantly let go of Spencer as they headed back to the cabin hand in hand.
Emily stood outside the cabin as she watched Spencer walk back inside. She couldn't contain the huge grin plastered on her face. She felt as if she were in the clouds with the way her skin still tingles from Spencer's touch. She waited half of her life to be with Spencer Hastings, and now she's finally here. Spencer was hers and she was Spencer's.
"Emily."
Emily turned around to see someone whom she thought she'd never see again, and in a split second, the girl's lips were on hers.