Sorry for the update coming a bit later than I usually post it. I know I've been generally posting updates every day, but school picked up so I had to take a little break from writing. I'm going to be away this weekend so I probably won't get around to getting another update up until maybe early next week.

But here is the new chapter for you guys.

Enjoy.

R & R.

Chapter 5 – Our Special Place

Spencer's POV

It had been a week since Kyla and I officially started going out. Things weren't exactly how I pictured them with her, but nonetheless it was still Kyla Woods and dating her had some certain perks that I certainly couldn't complain about. Ashley had finally let Aiden in, but not completely as she still had her doubts for some reason. Aiden was being surprisingly patient with her, but he continued to ask me for my help trying to convince Ashley. I felt kind of bad, I mean if Ashley really liked Aiden, she wouldn't need any convincing on my part right?

Either way I ended up sneaking into the music theatre as Aiden texted me saying he needed my help with Ashley in there. I knew Ashley was in there fixing the lights for the big school show coming up in a few weeks so I tried not to be seen when I made my way in.

"Hey Aiden, can I ask you a question?" I heard Ashley's voice as I crept closer to the stage.

"Sure..."

"Why are you so interested in me?"

"Uh.. I..." Aiden stuttered as I tried to get his attention from below the stage where I have managed to crawl.

"Where have you been..." He whispered to me as I sneak closer towards him in front of the stage.

"Sorry... Kyla." I mouthed to him silently.

"It's not like we really make sense as a couple." Ashley said, as she continued to fix the lights on the stage.

"Sometimes the best things in life don't make sense." I whispered to Aiden so he can repeat it to Ashley.

"...Sometimes the best things in life don't make sense."

I heard a loud noise from up on the stage, sounding like something had just been flipped on. I peaked my head up carefully as Ashley didn't spot me to see that she had turned the stage lights to the theatre on. The red and purple lights hit her face as she walked closer to Aiden with a smile on her face.

"Wow... she's really beautiful." I whispered mistakenly as I gazed at Ashley as the stage lights fell down upon her face and gave her an illuminating glow.

Oh my god...

In that second, something inside of me clicked. It's like when you ride a bike for the first time in your life and that feeling you get is like nothing you've experience before. And for the first time in my life, I saw Ashley in a completely different light. I don't know how I missed it all these years, but I guess people really can be right in front of your eyes and you still don't notice...

"You're really beautiful." Aiden repeated what I said so Ashley could hear.

"What did you say?" Ashley popped her head up and looked at Aiden as I ducked underneath the stage so she couldn't see me. "Did you say that I look beautiful?"

"Hasn't anyone ever told you that you're beautiful before..." I whispered to Aiden, resting my head against the back of the stage as my head was running on overdrive at what I had just realized. It was right in front of me the whole time, and yet I had yet to see it until now.

Oh my god. I can't believe it, my best friend... what am I going to do?

"Hasn't anyone told you that you're beautiful before..." Aiden spoke slowly so I could finish the sentence for him.

"...in a completely different way than anyone else." I kept whispering to Aiden, not really wondering why I was anymore.

"... in a different way than anyone else?" Aiden continued to repeat me as he walked towards Ashley who was smiling at him, touched by my words.

As I peaked back up from over the stage, I saw Aiden and Ashley standing right in front of each other farther back on the stage, lips locked. I ducked my head back down and rested it against the wall of the stage as I closed my eyes.

What are you going to do Spencer?

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The rest of the day went by slowly as all I could think about was what I saw in the theatre and what had happened to me in there. This wasn't like realizing that you had grown so you were taller than your other friend or something, this was me realizing that I liked my best friend. This was huge. It was even bigger because not only was she my best friend, but Aiden and Kyla were thrown into the mix as well. I was still dating Kyla and after the theatre today, I'm pretty sure Aiden and Ashley were on their way.

As I made my way out to the parking lot after my last class, I was actually really looking forward to hitting the diner today with Ashley for our daily diner date. Everything was different for me now that my eyes had been opened.

When I reached the parking lot and saw Ashley's parking spot empty, my spirit completely dropped to the ground. I ended up having to walk all the way home as Kyla had already left and I felt bad if I had to call her to come back to pick me up.

After a twenty minute walk home, I ended up in my bedroom on the floor with the guitar Ashley had bought me a while back when I decided to take it up, strumming along on it to "If I Didn't Have You."

An hour of playing and trying to get the song right, Ashley walked into my room.

"Hey, where were you at the end of the day? I tried to find you, but when I went to the parking lot your car was already gone." I asked as she walked further into the room, slowly when I started talking.

"Oh sorry about that, I took Aiden to the diner after school. I thought you'd be busy with Kyla." Ashley replied, taking a seat on the floor beside me and leaning against the back of my bed.

"Our diner?" I asked curiously, raising my voice a little louder than I should've considering she's sitting beside me.

She's already replaced me with Aiden for our daily diner date...

"Well I wouldn't exactly call it 'our diner', but yes... the one we normally go to. Did I do something wrong? You're looking at me weird." She questioned as I had an unimpressed look on my face.

"It's just that's our special place, you know. Ever since you found me there after my mom died, it's been like our place. I guess I wasn't really ready to share that without someone besides you yet..."

"I really didn't think about it, I'm sorry." She answered in a sincere tone while placing her hand on my leg and gently squeezing it in comforting way. As I felt her touch my leg, electricity flared up my leg and straight to my lower central pelvic area.

This definitely thing flaring up my leg is definitely going to get in the way of the friendship... Oh god.

I pulled my knees up towards my chest so it seemed like I was readjusting when really I was trying to subtly move them to get her hand off of it. If it had stayed there for much longer, I don't think I could hold myself accountable for what I would end up doing.

"So you and Aiden huh?"

"Yeah, I should probably be pissed at you for that."

Oh shit! Did he tell her about our deal?

"For what?" I asked nervously, hoping that it wasn't the case or this was going to get ugly.

"For making me fall for him... He's actually really great, I mean at first he put on this whole cocky act, but then later on he had these amazing moments. It was like he was a completely different person."

"So you're happy?" I asked with a low morose tone. My heart dropped when I glanced over at her and she was smiling.

"Yeah, I'm happy."

I tried my best to smile back, even though my heart wasn't in it as I continued strumming along on my guitar.

"I love that song... I remember my dad playing it for my mom after she got sick."

"If I didn't have you... it was her favourite song." I sighed loudly, flashing back to the memories of that long summer. Ashley was a complete mess, I had never seen her like that before. I pretty much didn't leave her that whole summer, I was too afraid to...

"I can remember feeling so safe and happy listening to that song, just wondering if one day someone who be that good to me. It was like nothing else mattered but the two of them when he was playing that song to her. And even when he played it to thousands of people, it will still like he was singing it just to her."

"They really did love each other." I sighed out loudly, putting my guitar down and placing my head on her shoulder, finding it fit perfectly.

"How are things going with you and Kyla?"

"It's okay, it's not what I'd thought what it'd be like, but I guess it never is." I replied, slowing raising my head from off her shoulder. Kyla wasn't really a topic I wanted to talk about with her.

"It's sort of weird, you know... me and Aiden, you and Kyla... it's almost like someone messed with fate or something. I wouldn't have guessed at the beginning of the year that the social leppers would be dating the high school's most popular."

"Yeah... it's funny how life works out sometimes." I breathed out softly, starting to really feel guilty for this whole deal with Aiden, especially since it wasn't Kyla who I wanted anymore. "I wouldn't really consider us social leppers though. Chris and the boys yes... but us, nah."

"The point is, it's just weird how everything turned out."

I wish it hadn't.

"Yeah..." I simply said as I got up off the ground and brushed off my shorts out of habit. "So are you joining the clan for dinner?" I offered out my hands for her to take so I could pull her up.

"Sure, you know I can never turn down your dad's cooking."

"Well just don't tell him that, it'll go straight to his head and then we'll never live it down." I laughed as Ashley grabbed my hands and pulled herself up as we both walked out of my room and downstairs where my dad was finishing up making dinner.

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For the past few weeks Kyla had insisted on picking me up for school instead of getting a ride from Ashley. They still didn't get along very well, probably because Kyla was jealous of the relationship Ashley and I had, either way jealously wasn't a good look on her.

I was gradually starting to see the true side of her, which being completely honest wasn't all that much... Kyla was beautiful, but that's as far as it went. And with my new resolution about Ashley, Kyla didn't hold a light to her.

"Morning Spencey!" Kyla yelled as I jumped into the passenger seat, leaning in to kiss me but I turned and she got my cheek. "What's wrong?"

I hated that nickname... she had been using it for a few days now and I didn't have the heart to tell her to stop. It made me sound like I was four... and all the cheerleaders did it too, adding a "y" or an "ie" to the end of someone's name to make it sound more girly. God... kill me now.

"Just a long night." I lied as she put the car into reverse and backed out of my driveway.

We continued driving in silence until we stopped at a red light, and I saw Chris standing on the street corner across the road waiting for the bus.

"Hey, there's Chris, can we pick him up on our way?"

"Uh no... ew you aren't actually friends with that loser are you?" She asked with a disgusted face.

"What's wrong with Chris?" I replied in a snarky tone. Where does she come off saying that about one of my friends?

"He's a loser, look at him." Kyla said pointing at him and shaking her head as the light went green and she put her foot on the gas and drove past him. "Oh god he's waving... see, loser. People like us don't hang with people like him."

"People like us? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Popular people, it's just the high school hierarchy. Royalty is never seen with the dirty stable boys. Just be glad you're one of us..."

"What makes him any different than me because a month ago I was hanging out with him instead of you?"

"Because you're dating me..."

"But before we were dating, I was like him, Chris. So it doesn't make sense why you won't be seen with him, but you started going out with me."

"Well I didn't want to be seen with you at first... but Aiden convinced me to so--"

"Okay... pull over, I'm walking the rest of the way."

"What? What are you talking about Spencey? You can't walk..."

"Yes I can. I can't stand this... you. You're just so vapid, I can't take it anymore."

"Okay, I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that...Is this about Ashley? It's because you like her isn't it? I can deal with that."

"No, this isn't about Ashley!" I screamed in her face as I began using hand gestures. "This is about you being nothing but what I see in front of me. I have no idea why I liked you in the first place..."

Kyla refused to pull over, but when we hit another red light, I got out of the car and headed for the sidewalk.

"SPENCEY! Get back in the car, please!" Kyla yelled after me and quickly pulled a right turn so she caught me before I crossed the road. "Please get in... Spencey, come on."

"Okay, stop calling me Spencey, it makes me sound like I'm four. And I'm not getting in the car with you. We're done."

"But I love you Spencey!" She yelled as it was the phoniest thing to come out of her mouth.

I shook my head at her, utterly amazed she would actually think that would work before walking around her car and crossing the street.

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A/N: So five chapters later and we have the plot everyone is reading this for developing. Sorry it took me this long to start the Ashley/Spencer plot, but I needed to get the Kyla/Spencer and Ashley/Aiden relationships off the ground first. As much as this fic is about Spashley, it's got to include Spyla and Ashden to make things interesting.

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