AN:
I just want to say thank you to everyone who commented, favorited, and followed my story. I did not expect a response like the one I got, Thank you so much! I am sorry for the late update. School, life and my laziness got in the way, I apologize. Let me know what you think about the new chapter, and if you guys have any ideas where this story should go, I have a idea in mind but i'm open to whatever. I changed the rating for the language used.
Something I forgot to add last chapter- I do not own PLL, it's characters, it's ideas so on and so fourth. Please do not sue me!
Paige's POV
"The girls are on their way over, apparently something big went down at Aria's they need to talk to you about."
Silence. I didn't really notice before, but the house is completely quiet. Spencer's family is no where to be seen. I guess that makes sense or else they would have come running when the heard all the yelling and sounds destruction, which reminds me.
"Hey Hastings, where do you keep your cleaning stuff? You know, like a vacuum," I call out to Spencer on the couch. She hasn't moved or talked since...um...I want to say meltdown, but that sounds bad, which it was... but still. How about we go with emotional release, yeah that sounds a bit better.
Flashback
We're pulling up the the Hastings house right now and Spencer is crying these silent tears, that are slowly killing me and making me feel like I am not able to help her. I have been silent the short drive here, giving her time her to go through her thoughts. There is a flash of lightning and a few seconds later we hear a roar of thunder that breaks the silence we were in and seems to startle Spencer because she squeezes my hand. I suppose we both grabbed each other's hands when we got in the car and didn't really realize it. I squeeze her hand as we pull into the drive before I let go.
"Alright we're here." I say as I cut the engine. I look over at Spencer and she hasn't moved, I don't even think she was aware we were even moving, let alone that we stopped.
I hop out of the car and make my way to the passenger side door and open it.
"Come on Hastings." I hold my hand out for her to take. She looks at me, then my hand, then back at me and says, a soft as a whisper, like she doesn't want to hear what she's saying.
"Toby's A."
"Holy shit." I can't even... I don't... My mind is blank, my jaw is on the ground, my hand comes back to my side. I am frozen.
"Not exactly the thought I had, I went for more 'you backstabbing bastard', but 'holy shit' works too." She jokes as she wipes away at her tears again. She joking now that's...different than from what I was expecting, but hey, she's talking. "You're going to get flies in there" she adds as she closes my jaw. Her touch reminds of where I am.
"I'm sorry."
"For what? The shocked reaction or the fact that my boyfriend is..." She doesn't finish, I don't think she can say it again.
"Both"
Really! That's all you got Paige?! 'I'm sorry', that won't mean shit to her! But what else is there to say? "Do you want me to find him so you can beat the shit out of him? Because I'll do it" It was an honest proposal. I offer it as a comfort, only half joking. Only half because if she were to say yes, I wouldn't come back without Toby Cavanaugh bound, gagged and wrapped in a bow for her.
"Tempting, but no, I slapped him when he was in the house. Besides, we need him, to find out who sent him to spy on us and who else is involved in all this." She's talking as if this is all completely logical, as if her A suspect is not her boyfriend that has been lying to her for who knows how long. That worries me but so does the fact that before she was joking and now she's back to being a focused Spencer Hastings. Her emotions are everywhere and it's beginning to worry me. She shouldn't hold everything in.
"Speaking of 'us' lets go inside and call Em and the girls, they need to know about this." If she is in a thinking logical mood, then I need to speak her language.
"Yeah you're right," she steps out the car "and thanks by the way, for the ride home and for everything." Wow, I don't know how many times I can be shocked in one day but Spencer is gunning to find out.
"Yeah no problem, wait, hold on, back up a bit there, did you just say I was right?!"
"What? No I didn't." She brushes past me and walks towards the house.
"Yes, yes you did!"
"You're losing your hearing McCullers"
"You can deny all you want Hastings I heard it loud and clear." I continue to tease her as she opens the door into her house before the rain starts.
As we walk in I notice her dining table is set up elegantly for what would have been a special occasion. The table has candles that have long gone out, red flowers of all different kinds in a beautiful glass vase. Two chairs were set up across from each other at the table with two lasagna dishes set in front of them, and at the center of the table was a gold scrabble board with a card that had Toby written on the front.
Spencer started to walk around the table with her left hand trailing along the edges. She was thinking about how the evening was suppose to go while looking at all the work she had done for someone who was just using her. There's another flash of lighting and that lets me see her eyes begin to fill up with tears again. She stopped walking and her hand rested by one of the plates.
"Bastard" she whispered to herself. Then I hear the thunder and the beat of rain on the house. "Lying son of" she says a little louder.
I was thinking about what I should do next to help her when Spencer grabbed the plate closest to her and flung it at the wall.
The impact shattered the plate and had the food flying onto every surface in the room, and she didn't stop there.
"Piece of shit! Motherfu,"
"Oh shit" I say as I dodged the next flying object, that I believe was the case of flowers, as I rushed over to stop her. The next plate was sent sailing to the floor "stupid, stupid, stupid!" She chastises. "How did you not see it?!" She asks herself as she crumbles to the floor. God, she blames herself for not knowing. "Hey!" I say to her as I grab a hold of her shoulders. I do it gently so I don't hurt her but firmly enough that she looks at me. "He lied to everyone, you're not the only one who didn't see it, don't you dare blame yourself for him hurting you." She softly nods to head as I wrap my arms around her and try to ease her off the floor.
"Come on, let's get off the floor, it's a little dirty." I let out a small chuckle. She doesn't do or say anything, she just lets me take her over to the couch. Once she's seated so I can see her, I call Emily.
Present
"I'll settle for a broom and dust pan, a mop." I suggest as I look through all the cabinets in their kitchen. I check a closet, "Ah ha! ,Here we go." I guess I found their cleaning supply closet. I grab out the broom, a scrub brush and a bucket.
I start cleaning up the dining room. I'm almost finished scrubbing sauce off the walls when I hear the doorbell ring. I get up to answer.
"Hey guys, get in here before you get soaked" As I greet and usher them inside I take in the state they all seem to be in. Emily and Hanna look like the just walked out of a haunted house ride, both holding onto Aria who looks terrible and seems to be in a bit of a daze. Hanna is the first to talk.
"Hey Paige, where is she?" Hanna asks.
"On the couch in the living room." I move out of the way as they walk into the house heading over to Spencer.
I look over to her and she is still sitting like a statue. I go and sit next to her and quietly let her know the girls are here.
None of them say anything as they sit down, there really is nothing they can say to make any of this any better. They just sit and be there for her for when she needs them.
