The Restaurant

It was a week before Spinelli and Byron's wedding. Spinelli and TJ hadn't seen each other since Gretchen and Gus's engagement party. But for both of them, talking to the other one would hurt too much. It would hurt for TJ because he loved Spinelli, but Spinelli was marrying Byron and therefore didn't love him.

Or so he thought. It hurt for Spinelli too, because she wanted TJ, the man she loved and had done for years, but was stuck with Byron.

It was the one thing Byron said that Spinelli agreed with: life was unfair. Very, very unfair indeed.

And now, TJ was out for a meal with his parents, his older sister Becky and her husband: it was his mom's birthday and the restaurant was her favourite.

Spinelli was also out for a meal, with Byron and both of their families. But what they didn't know was that they were at the same restaurant.

"I do believe we couldn't have picked out a better husband for our precious little girl," Flo said, as Byron was eyeing up the waitress.

Spinelli sighed. "I'm not exactly a little girl anymore, mom. I'm twenty-four."

"You'll always be our little girl, no matter how old you get," Bob said, and then all four parents started crying.

Spinelli found herself sat in a restaurant with her blubbing parents and soon-to-be in-laws, and her creepy, flirtatious soon-to-be husband. Spinelli needed time to herself.

"I'm going getting some fresh air." Spinelli announced. No one seemed to realise or care, so Spinelli got up and left.

She went out of the back door of the restaurant and sat on a bench outside by herself. It was cold, but she was too deep in thought to care. She stared up at the moon and thought to herself. About her life. Some kind of life. This time next week, she'd be married to a guy she didn't even like, let alone love.

What kind of life was this?

Meanwhile, back in the restaurant, TJ was looking around, when he saw Spinelli's mom and dad. He smiled- he and Spinelli had spent so much time in and out of each others' houses when they were kids, Spinelli's parents were like second parents to him.

He felt sick, however, as he realised who was sitting with them- Byron, and a man and woman who could only be his parents.

Even though they were there, he had to talk to Bob and Flo. He hadn't seen them for years, and he'd only today realised how much he'd missed them.

"I'm just going over to say hi to Mr. and Mrs. Spinelli," TJ said.

"Oh. Give them our regards," Mr. Detweiler said.

"Spinelli's getting married soon, isn't she?" Becky said.

TJ nodded grimly.

Becky sighed and smiled fondly. "Weird. Doesn't seem like two minutes ago since you were both three foot nine, running around our house and breaking everything. And now here she is getting married."

"Yeah." TJ said, hoping to change this topic. He got up from his seat.

"You know something? I always thought she was going to marry you." Becky said.

TJ said nothing, he just walked away. Bob and Flo smiled at him warmly when he got to their table.

"TJ! My goodness, I haven't seen you for years!" Flo said.

"Well, unless you count TV," Bob chuckled.

TJ grinned. "Hey, Mr. and Mrs. S."

"Is this the boy on television, Flo?" Byron's mom asked.

Flo nodded.

"How do you know him?" Byron's mom asked.

"He's Ashley's best friend," Flo said fondly.

Bob smiled. "Yeah. They were inseparable when they were younger."

"TJ lived just a few houses away from us, and he came round for dinner so much he was like a son to us…"

Byron and his father were looking very angry and jealous.

"So TJ, you going to the wedding on Saturday?" Flo asked.

"I wasn't invited."

"That's a shame. But of course you can come, son! We can't have Ashley's wedding without you there!" Bob said. "Where is Ashley, anyway? She was here a minute ago."

"She said something about getting some air. She'll probably be back in a minute." Byron's mom said.

"OK. Say, are they your parents over there?" Flo asked.

TJ nodded. "It's mom's birthday. They told me to give you their regards, by the way."

"Tell them Bob and I are thinking of them, too. The years sure have been kind to them. And is that Becky over there?! Good lord, she's grown up since last time I saw her."

"Yeah, she's married, and she's having a baby in August."

"Well, wish her the best, will you?"

"Yeah, sure."

"What about you, TJ?" Bob asked. "Anyone special in your life?"

"Nah. I'm more of a career guy." TJ lied.

"It's a shame, that not everyone can get a partner for themself." Byron said, with a hint of smugness in his voice.

Byron's father nodded. "Yeah. I think it would be easier for everyone to have arranged marriages."

"It sure would save you the loneliness," Byron's mom smiled.

"Yeah." Flo agreed. The four middle-aged people and Byron were now talking as if TJ wasn't there. "Ashley wasn't so sure about an arranged marriage at first, but I know it's the best thing for her."

"Yeah, like you said earlier Flo," Bob said, "We couldn't have picked out a better husband for our angel!"

Bob and Flo were now smiling fondly at Byron, the way they had been smiling at TJ a minute ago.

TJ couldn't believe his ears. So the whole thing was an arranged marriage. He smiled to himself, there was still hope! Spinelli might not truly love Byron. She might have feelings for someone else.

She might have feelings for him.

It was crazy, but it could be true. There was only one thing left to do- find Spinelli and tell her how he felt.

TJ suddenly wondered why he'd been so nervous about telling Spinelli his true feelings for her before. Now it was like they just had to get out of him.

He headed to the car park at the back of the restaurant to find Spinelli sitting on a bench, writing a letter, tears running down her cheeks.

"Spin!"

Spinelli looked up, but didn't smile at TJ.

"Why are you crying?" TJ asked, sitting down next to Spinelli and wrapping his arms around her.

Spinelli didn't reply. She just wriggled away from him.

"Spin?"

"Just leave me alone, TJ!" Spinelli said. She got up and marched off, leaving the letter she'd been writing behind her.

TJ picked up the letter and called after her, "Spinelli! You left your…" he glanced at the letter. "Suicide note?"

TJ gulped as he read the letter:

To the world,

I am so fed up of you that I have decided to take my own life. Although it's not exactly a life I live here. A real life is happiness and freedom. I don't exactly have freedom. I'm being forced to marry a man I don't even love. That's not what I call freedom.

And he doesn't make me happy. There is only one man who makes me happy. The one I am in love with. That man is

And that was obviously where Spinelli got up to when TJ came along. TJ sighed, he wished he could have known who it was that Spinelli did love.

TJ saw Spinelli walking swiftly away. Who Spinelli loved didn't matter now. TJ couldn't let her kill herself.

Spinelli walked on. Hearing TJ's footsteps behind her she broke into a run. She ran and she ran as fast as she could, until she reached her destination- the multi-storey car park.

"STOP!!"

Spinelli felt strong hands on her shoulders. TJ's strong hands. They turned her around.

"What the hell were you thinking of doing, Spinelli?" TJ said angrily.

"You wouldn't understand, TJ. So stay out of this."

"Stay out of it? My best friend wants to kill herself! I can't let you be so stupid!"

"If I want to kill myself, then that's up to me. It's my life, not yours. You don't understand. So don't try to stop me."

"Spinelli," TJ whispered. "I know you don't love Byron."

"You- you do?" Spinelli said.

TJ nodded. "He's the reason for all this, isn't he?"

Spinelli nodded.

"Does he ever hurt you in any way?"

"Well. He slaps me sometimes. And he's just basically useless and lazy and possessive. But I don't really mind about any of that. All I mind about is that I don't love him, and it doesn't feel right when we're together." Not like the way it felt now, alone with TJ, even though she was on the verge of suicide. Part of her was glad that TJ had cared so much and tried to stop her from climbing up the stairs of that multi-storey car park and jumping from the top.

"But- I have to marry him anyway," Spinelli said.

"No you don't." TJ said.

"I have to. My family are making me."

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. Just think about it, Spinelli. You're a smart girl, so you have a smart head. And your head is telling you to go along with what your family want you to do. But your heart is telling you otherwise. And you're also smart enough to be able to realise whether you're ruled by your heart or your head- before it's too late."

Spinelli mulled all of this over in her head. Maybe TJ was right.

"Come on," TJ said. "Let's go back. You must be freezing."

It was a freezing night, and the rain was pouring down thick and fast. TJ saw Spinelli shivering, he draped his jacket around her shoulders. She weakly mumbled a thank you and then they walked back to the restaurant.

TJ looked at his beautiful best friend walking by his side. She would never know how he truly felt about her.

Unless he did something about it.

But she needed to make up her mind for herself. He didn't want to pressure her into anything. She needed to make the right choice. Do what she thought was best. It was her life, after all.

All TJ wanted, all he ever had wanted, was for Ashley Spinelli to be happy. Whether it was with him or not.