Where the Wild Things Are
Disclaimer: I don't own Spencer or any PLL characters - however awesome that may be. Shoutout to Netflix for allowing me to binge watch this gem, as I never watched it while it aired because I didn't think I'd like it. Little did I know... and to you, thanks for being here, and as always, reviews make the world go round.
Chapter One: Mask Off
Blue and white. Blue and white. Cylindrical. Encapsulated.
Spencer Hastings repeated these words in her head like the beat of a metronome as she stared into the open palm of her hand. Three blue and white pills sat in her hand. Tempting her. Teasing her.
She opened her mouth and breathed out slightly, running the tip of her tongue along her bottom lip. Her lips felt like the Sahara desert, dry and cracked, waiting desperately for rain that would never come.
30 milligrams of Adderall. Just enough to read this law proposal, she thought, no more. No less. Right? Spencer bargained with herself.
She attempted to wet her dry, chapped lips again when her trance was broken by a swift knock at her door.
"Spencer, honey... your father needs me to take him to the airport. I'm dropping him off and bringing home food. Call if you're going out." Her mother's voice rang through the door.
When Veronica's muffled voice drifted through the door, Spencer jumped, startled, and the pills scattered onto the bed. As she listened to her mother's footsteps pad downstairs, she caught a glimpse of herself in her mirror.
Dark bags sat under her eyes. Her face looked washed out and almost jaundiced. Her hair, which hadn't been brushed in nearly two days, stuck out at odd angles around her face. Her brown locks were pulled into a low ponytail that looked tangled and unruly. "Wow," she said aloud to herself in the mirror, "way to look like shit."
She stared at her reflection. She couldn't in good faith recognize the person staring back at her. The Spencer she knew was determined. Witty. Strong. This shell, this bag of bones, staring back at her in the mirror looked defeated and weak.
Rolling her eyes at herself, she picked up the three pills from the bed and slammed them into her mouth, dry swallowing them. She cleared her throat and swallowed again - she had begun to almost like the feeling of them being almost stuck in her throat. At least she was feeling something.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Her brain buzzed, the space in between her ears alive with the entire's days thoughts crashing into one another. Despite having slammed the Adderall earlier, Spencer's mind wouldn't allow her to focus on one certain train of thought. However, with the traffic jam in her brain, she still managed to hear the constant drip drip drip of the kitchen faucet.
She was seated at the bar in her mother's kitchen. Various law books and papers and yellow legal pads littered the counter in front of her. She let her eyes drift to the leaking faucet. Drip. Another bead of water squeezed from the faucet and plopped heavily into a water-filled bowl sitting in the sink. She watched water drip from the tap for what seemed to be an eternity.
All those reading materials scattered in front of her should be her main focus. She had done exceptionally well so far in law school. Accepted into Columbia University, despite all previous events (Radley, involvement in multiple murder cases,) that could have derailed her college career, she had been amazed to receive a full scholarship. Even though the college had been in New York, she chose it because she wanted to be closer to Toby.
After the events with her deranged sister, Toby had landed a job as construction supervisor on a project in New York. Seeing his talents, the company decided to help put him through architect school so he could become a permanent fixture in their company. The company built various buildings, mainly skyscrapers, all over the country and were expanding into Dubai. By the time Toby would finish school, he would be polished to be a liaison for the company with the Dubai projects. He and Spencer had planned their life around this because they would most likely have to relocate to Dubai or either spend a good part of their life in between there and New York.
Spencer had been excited for change. Excited for travel. Her plans were to finish law school, get a year or two of experience under her belt, and then, if need be, she could relocate with Toby. Becoming a law firm consultant for his company or any company would be a breeze. For the young woman who had previously wanted to take on Washington, a foreign country would be a welcome challenge.
Her life in New York with Toby had become routine. Spencer, at first, had been content with the routine. With the way her teenage years had been, any sense of normalcy, even a boring life, would be better than what A and A.D. had planned for her. She still sometimes woke up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat and shivering, sometimes not quite knowing where she was upon waking, scared shitless. Toby had done his best to console her, and he had done a fine job in the beginning. Spencer had never felt safer than when he was near or when she was in his arms. Despite all they had been through, and how unrealistic it was for a high school couple to make it as long as they had, they had beaten the odds.
That was, until, Hanna Marin had broken into Spencer's perfect little Toby bubble and made her question every fiber of her being with one kiss. And Spencer's whole world, whole existence, had come spiraling down around her.