I really love Spoby!

Chapter 2

Waking up, she was glad to find herself in his strong arms. She could feel the love just coming from the way he held her in their sleep. Her parents hadn't even bothered to check on her to see if she was soundly sleeping or not. They wouldn't have noticed anything, even if she were to sneak out through the window at midnight. They were too busy staying up all night and talking to all their relatives about how accomplished Spencer's sister was. They always felt the need to brag about how amazing and perfect Melissa was, and it made Spencer sick. They never even thought to brag about her... Toby could hear her parents on the phone, and he was disgusted by what they were doing. He felt like they were actually trying to make their youngest daughter feel unloved and more insecure. He wanted to assure her that there was nothing to be insecure about, but he was worried that she'd allow her family get to her.

They were both awake now, but neither of them wanted to shift from the loving position they were in. It just felt so relaxing and romantic to be in his arms like this. She was lucky to have a boyfriend/stable rock like him. Aria had Ezra, Hanna had Caleb, Emily had Paige, but Spencer had Toby. Toby was not only her lover, but her stable rock. She never failed to admire him in her mind. She couldn't go a day without thinking about how lucky she was to have him. She couldn't help herself. Her body just made her fall in love with him and be attracted to him. It wasn't something she could stop. Luckily, he felt exactly the same. He was just as in love with her and attracted to her as she was to him.

She turned around so she was facing him, and no longer just being held in his arms. She was feeling the need to cry. It wasn't a bad cry, it was good. She didn't want to cry because of how terrible she felt about her life, she wanted to cry about how amazing and grateful she was to have him with her. She pulled him so close that their bodies were touching. Her lips were attacking his face wildly. It was uncontrollable love. He happily kissed her back, not even thinking about any reasons to why he shouldn't kiss her back. Honestly, there was no reason NOT to kiss her back, actually.

"Should I go before your parents see me?" he asks. "It's nine o' clock, Spencer. They're probably wondering why you're not down for breakfast just yet, right? You're usually up early."

She kisses him again and says, "That's usually because of school. Besides, they wouldn't give a damn if I left the house and came back tonight. They wouldn't even notice, actually. I told you about how I ran away once. They didn't even notice, and I didn't bother to tell them. They would have ignored me when I told them, anyways. They'd just nag me more about how Melissa was right in the argument."

"Hey, don't think like that. Your parents love you very much. You probably just don't notice how much they love you, baby," Toby tells her, and snuggles into her again. "Go on downstairs and have some breakfast. You've got to eat. I can't let you starve like this. I'll sneak out through the window. Maybe we could meet up later on at the Brew or something. Just give me a call when you need me, baby."

"What do I need to eat for, anyways? It's not like they even care about my existence. They wouldn't care if I died at all." Spencer says.

"Spencer!" Toby looks at her. "You mean the world to them, just like how you mean the world to me. They love you like I do. They would be severely affected if you perished, and that's a promise. Never say something like that again, ok? Go down and eat. Your life means a lot to everyone around you. You just don't notice how much we all love you, baby."

"Well, I love you. I'll call you later. I'm all for time with you at the Brew. Can we be alone afterwards?" she asks. "I just want to be with you."

"Anything you want, sweetheart. We can go to the loft after coffee," Toby tells her calmly. "I love you too. Have a good breakfast, alright?"

She just nods. He begins to start climbing out the window. He'll do anything to make sure Spencer's ok at all times, such as climbing out this very window. Glumly, she watches her stable rock exit her house through the window. Knowing she can't do anything to stop him, she just listens to his words and goes downstairs from breakfast. It's been a while since she'd had a proper meal, anyways. She seats herself at the table. Her family is busily cooking breakfast and talking with Melissa to even notice her presence. She feels like they don't care. She just wants to curl up and be held in Toby's arms.

"Melissa, that's fantastic!" Mr. Peter Hastings exclaims, smiling at Veronica Hastings as he praises his eldest daughter. "Oh Spencer, you're here. Don't be so late to breakfast next time, alright? But did you hear? Melissa's been offered an internship in Washington D.C. If she does well there, they'll move her to the big leagues in London. My, oh my, Melissa, your life is just so accomplished. I'm so proud of you, honey."

Lovely. They were telling her more about how accomplished her sister was. She had yet another accomplishment, what a surprise... Spencer felt like they never told her they're proud of her. She doesn't remember ever hearing that they're proud. The only good part about Melissa's latest accomplishment is that the fact that it's many, many miles away from Rosewood. It's off in Washington, meaning she wouldn't be around for a little while. If Spencer was lucky, Melissa would get the 'big-leagues' job in London, and be even further away, so it would be hard to visit. Sure, it would mean her parents would be boasting about how Melissa got the London job, but it meant she'd be far away, so it was worth it. It's not like it would be the first time that they were praising their eldest daughter like crazy in front of Spencer. It would hurt, but she was used to it. She could just call up Toby and lean on his chest as they watched old movies together so she could get her mind off of all the crap with her family.

Veronica Hastings shoots her youngest daughter a glare, "Spencer Hastings! I thought you'd be more supportive and proud of your sister. She's worked very hard for this, the least you could do is congratulate her. She's accomplished far more than you ever may will. Well, you definitely won't accomplish much if you keep up this nasty and bratty attitude of yours, young lady."

Melissa gives everyone her smile of pure innocence as Spencer sits, completely confused. She doesn't feel like she did much wrong. She felt like her mother was just picking a fight, and a reason to yell at her. There was no real reason, she was just making the biggest deal out of something so small.

"Mom, it's ok. Spencer's probably just tired and all," Melissa innocently says. "Isn't that right, baby sis? Leave her alone, I'm sure she'll do wonderful in the real world. After all, she'll be going to uPenn!"

"I... I haven't even gotten a letter yet, so maybe I didn't get in or something." Spencer says. She didn't want to get everyone's hopes up that she was in, and then get a rejection letter. Mr. Fitz had said that acceptance and rejection letters were being mailed this week. Well, early-admission letters, that is.

"You can't afford to speak like that, young lady. You're going to uPenn, and that's final. I won't settle for it if you don't get in. All Hastings must go to uPenn. uPenn is the college in our blood!" Peter nags as he crosses his arms.

Spencer rolls her eyes at this. She knows colleges can't be in your 'blood'. It's just a matter of whether the college is interested in the attributes and accomplishments you have. According to her parents, she had no accomplishments, compared to Melissa. She grabs a slice of bread, and doesn't even bother to toast it. She quickly spreads butter on the toast and rushes out the front door. Peter doesn't like this attitude. He follows her to the front door and grabs her wrist. He doesn't like to be disrespected like this. But Spencer can't help it. She's so freaking fed up with all of them.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Peter Hastings demands. "Did I excuse you from the breakfast table? No. I was talking to you back there, young lady! You can't just walk off while we're in the middle of a conversation. And where the hell are you going, anyways?"

"Conversation?" Spencer snaps. "Don't you mean you yelling at me while I have no say? And I'm going to see Toby. Want to tell me not to? I don't care, I'm going to see him right now. You can't stop me."

"What the hell has gotten into you?" Peter grits his teeth. "You've been so rebellious lately. You're not leaving this house. Do you hear me, Spencer!? You're staying right here! You will not see that boy right now!"

"Peter," Veronica finally calms her husband down. "We can't do anything about her behavior. It's just the way she is."

Spencer rolls her eyes again. She exits through the front door, sighing. She feels like crying again, but she just holds it in. Since Mr. Fitz told everyone that the early admission letters would begin coming in the mail this week, she went to her mail box first. Opening it up, she prayed for an acceptance letter. Her father had made it clear that uPenn was the only school for her. It was the only school she applied for with early admission. She prays and prays. The letter's in there. It's address is from uPenn. This is it. This determined the early admission. If she didn't get early admission, her parents were bound to freak, and talk about how uPenn wanted Melissa even before early admission.

She carefully tore the envelope open. The white sheet of paper was it. Unfolding it, she prepares to read every word of the fine Times New Roman font text. She's praying that uPenn wants her at their school. She needs this. Maybe her parents would finally realize that she can accomplish something.

Dear Spencer Hastings,

The Admissions Committee has carefully reviewed your application to the University of Pennsylvania. After much consideration, we regret to inform you that your early admission's application to the University of Pennsylvania has been denied. There were many fantastic applicants this year, so we are unable to grant admission to every worthy applicant. We understand that this letter may be disappointing to you, but I encourage you to use your same enthusiasm and talent to apply for other colleges.

Thank you for considering the University of Pennsylvania. We really do appreciate the interest you have shown in our university. Keep in mind this is only early admission, so we encourage you to re-apply. Best of luck to you in your educational journey. Once again, many thanks to you for considering the University of Pennsylvania.

Sincerely,

Eric J. Furda

Dean of Admissions

Her heart is beating faster than ever. The Admissions Committee had rejected her. They didn't like her early admission essay enough to want her in the college. Her father was going to emotionally stab her once he discovered that she didn't get in. Sure, uPenn was telling her to re-apply, but they were just trying to be nice. She didn't feel like she had a shot with uPenn anymore, and it was obvious that her family wouldn't take that news very well. They'd remind her about how Melissa got in, and how accomplished she was, for sure. She wasn't looking forward to that moment. For now, she was planning on just keeping this rejection letter to herself, Toby, and maybe her friends, if she felt like telling them.

Toby. She needed her boyfriend right now. She refolds the rejection letter. Quickly eating the un-toasted buttered bread in her hand, she yanks her cell phone out of her pocket and calls him. She tells him to meet her at the Brew for a cup of coffee. She's excited for her awakening coffee, and also to go up to his loft above the Brew and lay in his arms, maybe kiss a little, and just feel the warmth of being with her man. He tells her he'll be there in a few minutes, as he has to finish eating his breakfast. She begins walking to the coffee shop now, only because Toby lives right above it, so he can get there quicker than she can. She goes inside the little Rosewood coffee shop and takes a seat at the table. She looks around for him, but he's not here yet.

A barista from the coffee shop walks up to her with a bright smile. She's Hanna's favorite barista besides Emily: Angie. Angie gives her a sweet smile and says, "Morning, Spencer. Can I get you anything yet?"

She shakes her head, "I'm waiting for someone. It would be nice if you could get back to me later." Angie nods, and Spencer thanks her as she leaves. She sees someone coming from above the Brew, and she knows it's him. Well, at least she strongly thinks it's him. He's the only one who lives upstairs. He smiles when he sees her. He walks up to her table, gives her a quick kiss, and then sits down across from her.

He smiles and says, "Hey Spence. Sorry I'm late. I told you I was finishing breakfast. Hey... What's wrong? Are you ok? Spence, please talk to me."

Spencer sighs and says, "Nothing new or big. The parents were talking about how accomplished Melissa is again today. She got an internship in Washington, and if she does well, which I'm sure she will, she'll get an even bigger job all the way in London. The only plus side to all of this is that Melissa will be out of the house most of the time. She'll be busy living her accomplished life."

"Hey, you're very accomplished. You have more on your plate than she ever will. Ignore them. Let Melissa do whatever she wants," Toby says, and takes her hand. "Let me buy you a coffee."

She shakes her head, "No... You have to earn every penny from your job, Tobes. Don't spend your money on me for a silly coffee. I can pay for it myself."

He refuses to let her pay, "I'm not letting you pay, baby. I insist that I pay. I only have this well-paying job that keeps me in the loft because of you. You got me the wheels I needed to get that job at Yardley. You're the reason I have what I have, so let me pay. Hey Angie, over here!"

Angie smiles and walks back over, "Good morning, Toby! What can I get you two today?"

"One extra dark coffee for my beautiful girlfriend," Toby says with a sweet smile. Angie gives them a smile, admiring how cute they are together. Spencer sits there and blushes. He never fails to flatter, does he? He smiles and continues with his own order, "And for me, the lucky man who gets her, I'll just have an iced tea, I guess. Thanks, Angie."

"No problem. You guys are so cute," Angie giggles as she walks away.

Spencer kicks her boyfriend playfully from under the table with a smile, "Toby, you're such an ass! Why do you have to be so sweet? I can't take it. I just... you're just so... ugh, amazing. Why are you so amazing, Tobes?"

"I'm amazing to you because I love you. I'm glad you find me sweet and amazing. That's what I was going for," Toby grins.

"I love you too." Spencer smiles. "Toby, I have to tell you something."

"Mhmm. Go ahead."

Spencer hesitates for the moment. She's going to tell him about how upset she is about uPenn. He may not go to school anymore, but he'll understand. He'll comfort her through this hard time of college rejection. She knows she can rely on him to be there for her, and she loves knowing that. So she grabs her purse from underneath the table, and opens it up. He sits there and watches her, intrigued to know what she wants to tell him. She pulls the envelope of disappointment out of her purse. She takes the white sheet of rejection out of the envelope, and slides it over to Toby.

"Baby, what's this?" Toby asks.

"Open it." Spencer commands.

He does as she says and opens the white paper. She nervously sits there. She really wants him to kiss her and tell her that everything will be fine. She knows he doesn't understand all this college stuff, but she knows he'll find a way to understand how disappointed she is about being rejected. He frowns as he finishes reading the letter. He glances at her and gives her a pity look.

"Spencer... I know you're probably really upset. I know it looks bad, too. But you can re-apply, that's what the letter says! It's their loss if they don't want to most amazing girl in the entire world at their school. It really is their loss. You're smart and amazing. They're losing a star student. They'll be sorry when they discover how much you're capable of. I suggest you apply for other schools, and also re-apply for uPenn. Everything will be ok, sweetheart." Toby promises her. "As disappointing as this latter may be to you, you need to understand that there are so many other colleges out there. This isn't the only one. There's a school out there that's looking for a girl like you. When they find you, they'll cherish you like I do, unlike stupid uPenn."

"Toby, you don't get it. This isn't about me, it's about my parents. uPenn isn't 'stupid uPenn' to them. It's the only school that anyone under the Hastings name belongs to, to them." Spencer explains. "I don't know what to do. They're going to find out sooner or later, and my dad's going to totally freak when he finds out. This morning, he said something about uPenn being in the Hastings' blood. But what if he finds out that it's not in mine?"

"Spencer," he repeats her name, and squeezes her hand lightly and lovingly. His voice is soothing, and he speaks slowly, "It will all... be... ok."

Just then, Angie walks up to their table. She puts their orders on the table. They both thank her, and she smiles and walks away. They drink their drinks and continue discussing uPenn. Toby comforts her about it, like the stable rock he is. They steal kisses every now and then. She loves the feeling of being around him. She never gets this feeling with any other person in the world. None of her boyfriends have ever made her feel this way. It isn't a question whether she loves him or not, because in her head, she knows it's obvious that she's in love with him. She doesn't have to ask herself if she really & truly loves the person, unlike how it was with her other boyfriends.

They finish their drinks. As they get up, Toby gives her a light kiss on the lips.

"This morning, you said you wanted to come up to the loft. Do you still wish to do so?" he asks, holding her hand.

"Most definitely," Spencer says, smiling.

They just took a breath and were excited to finally be alone and happy. The number of time her parents had cockblocked was countless, and it was getting old. His loft meant no adults. His loft meant no cockblocking. Since he moved out, his loft meant real alone time. Peter and Veronica couldn't just show up after work and cockblock anymore. She was free to get as intimate as she wanted with him.

He smiles back at her and they walk up the stairs to his loft. She loves his loft. His loft is like her real home. Home is supposed to be somewhere where you feel comfortable, and the House of Hastings wasn't that. His loft was the place she left comfortable in. His loft was her real home.

He jams his key in the keyhole and opens the door for her, like a true gentleman would do. She kisses his cheek as she walks inside the room. She always comes over here, so she was used to making herself feel at home. She seats herself down on the couch. Toby shuts the door and joins her there. He switches on the TV and pulls her into his lap so they can be super close while watching the television.

"Any preference for a show?" he asks, stroking her hair lovingly.

"Anything you want." She tells him as she relaxes herself on his lap.

He smiles again and flips through channels until he finds that her favorite movie, The Notebook is playing on TV. He wants to make her happy, so he stays on this channel. When she realizes what movie's playing, she's over the moon. Her face lights up. When she's happy, he's happy. She cuddles into him tighter as her eyes as she begins to watch the romance of Allie and Noah blossom through a short series of events. She's always had a fetish for this movie. She's watched this movie so many times, but it never gets old to her. It feels even better to watch it while she's cuddling into her favorite man in the world. That feeling is most definitely satisfying to her.

They both watch the movie, to the very last second of it. It's almost lunch time now. When the movie ends, Toby turns the TV off. Immediately after he turns the TV off, Spencer smashes her lips against him, pulling him in for an intensely cinematic make out session. The kisses are full of so much desire and lust. Every kiss with him was filled with so much lust, and that's the truth.

"Someone's in a good mood," Toby whispers between a kiss. "I like seeing you happy like this, baby."

She smiles into one of the kisses. She pulls back for a second to say, "I feel like you're my Noah. I know we didn't meet through a one day process, but I feel like we've gone through some of the things that Allie and Noah went through. But the most important thing proving that you're my Noah is that I know that I'll love you forever. Allie always knew Noah was her soulmate. They may have been separated for a while, but she loved him... she really did. That's how I feel about you. I'll always love you, no matter what happens."

He cups both her cheeks and leans in closer. Their lips are barely apart. He says, "I'll be your Noah as long as you'll be my Allie."

She closes the distance between their lips. Their lips touch again. They just enjoy their alone time together by kissing and doing what couples do. Unfortunately, their series of make-out sessions was cut short when there was a knock on the door. Oh great, another cockblocker.

"I'll get it." Toby volunteers as he gets up from the couch and untangles himself from his girlfriend. He opens the door, and is greatly shocked by the sight in front of him. "Holy... Mr. Hastings? Uh. Hi. How are you today, sir?"

Peter rolls his eyes, "Where is my daughter? I know she's here, Cavanaugh."

He didn't want to lie to Peter, or things would get even worse. He honestly tells him, "Yes, she's here. She's on the couch. We just finished watching a movie. Mr. Hastings, is there a problem?"

"I knew she'd be here. I wanted to see what bullshit you're pulling my daughter into." Peter says.

"Dad!" Spencer shouts. "Leave him alone, Dad. He's not doing anything wrong."

"You think you're so freakin' in love. You're not old enough to be in love! Spencer, you're only freaking seventeen!" Peter yells as he storms into Toby's loft. "Who the hell do you think you are, Toby Cavanaugh? You can't just come ruin my daughter's life. You can't just make her think she's in love! You can't make her rebel against me like this. I am her father, and you are just another dumb boyfriend! I won't let one of her pathetic boyfriends rot her like this. I know guys like you, Toby Cavanaugh. Guys like you are shit! They're nothing but bad influences."

"Toby, he doesn't mean that. Don't listen to him. You're nothing that he says you are!" Spencer says.

"Spencer Hastings, you stay out of this. I'm trying to have a conversation with this pathetic scumbag that you consider your boyfriend," Peter says, extremely pissed with his daughter. "I hate to say this, but Spencer, you either break up with this piece of shit, or you're not allowed under my roof. As long as you're with this boy, you're not allowed in my house. You hear me?"

"Dad! You're kicking me out?" Spencer asks, exasperated... confused... shocked... hurt.

"Your mother may have saved you this morning, but this needs to be ended. I'm sorry, Spencer. You can come back once you've broken it off with him. Consider yourself not a Hastings as long as you're still with him," Peter says. "You can come back when you sort all this crap out. I will not raise a daughter who rebels against me like this. You need to know who the father is in this family. You are not the parent. When I tell you to break up with somebody who's a bad influence, you do it, because I am your father. Breaking up with him is what's best for you."

"That is not true!" Spencer shouts back. "Toby's good. He's good to me, unlike you! I can actually talk to him without fearing somebody will shout at me like this. You don't have this right. If you're going to tell me that I have to break up with him or I'm kicked out of your house, then I choose him. Fine, kick me out. I'm not losing the best person in my life because of you. I'll never break up with him because of what you demand. You can come back to me when you realize that this is insane. Daddy, I love him, and you can't stop it. He's a good person!"

"You'll realize you're wrong, Spencer. You're so very wrong!" Peter shouts. "You can try to negotiate with me, but the only way I'm letting you back in my home is if you're not dating this boy anymore."

"Mr. Hastings... lay off of her. She's dealing with a lot. I'm sorry, sir. If you don't want me to see her anymore, I'll respect you, but you can't ever stop me from loving her. You can't change who I love," Toby says.

Peter's face is turning red of anger, "Shut up, Cavanaugh! If you really 'love' her, you'll break up with her and tell her to come home, because you know it's the right thing to do. Do it, Cavanaugh! Break up with my daughter, and send her home. I'll see you home when you realize I'm right, Spencer. You're not a Hastings to me anymore. If only you were more like Melissa..."

Spencer grits her teeth, "Dad, get the hell out!"

"Do not speak to me that wa-" Peter begins, but Spencer pushes him out the door. She slams it right in his face.

"Spencer... This is bad. What are we going to do?" Toby asks, biting his lip.

He's about to cry this time.

"Toby, we'll figure it out. We always do," Spencer says, and sits on his lap.

"Usually, but I don't know about this time, Spence," Toby sighs. "I can't let you get kicked out of the house because of me, baby. I'm only saying this because I love you, and I want you to always be ok."

Spencer frowns, "Toby, you're... are you suggesting we break up because of what my dad said?"

"I love you, and I don't want to, but I can't let you get kicked out. It's the only thing to do," Toby sighs again.