SO SORRY ABOUT THE DELAY. HAPPY NEW YEAR. Drama starts next chapter :)

I'm going to bed, sorry this isn't the most elaborate author's note! Leave me pretty things to come back to!

Chapter 2

TPOV

"Hanna," Emily laughed. "Stop! You didn't do that!"

She shrugged. "I totally did. And when he tried to tell me I had to wait until after the test I told him I'd pee in his Mountain Dew."

Spencer snorted and carefully reached for her coffee. He knew her careful movements came from a lifetime of the hot liquid scalding her as she accidentally knocked it over. He would have handed it to her, but it would have got him smacked so he resisted. "If anyone would pee in someone's Mountain Dew it would be you, Han."

She shrugged again, not bothering to deny it. "Mr. Reynolds is a dick." She glanced down at her phone with a smile. "Do you guys mind if Caleb comes over?"

"True love," Spencer sighed airily. "But yeah. Maybe Caleb can make this thing work so I can do my homework." She gestured to her computer. They had all taken turns trying to vanquish the blue screen of death, but Spencer couldn't see it and the rest of them were hopeless when it came to technology.

"Where's Tyrion?" He asked suddenly, struck by the absence of Spencer's seeing eye dog. She didn't take him to school, because although she could, she was concerned about those with allergies to dogs. And she knew Rosewood High well enough that he wasn't entirely necessary. People were, for the most part, considerate and helpful.

"At the vet," she frowned. "Mom said he had a cut on his paw. I actually should see if she'll take me to go get him while we wait for Caleb."

He rolled his eyes. If she could see how often he rolled his eyes at her she'd probably smack him. "I can take you, Spencer."

She smiled like the thought never crossed her mind. Did she not realize that he'd do anything for her? "Really? Are you sure?"

"I'm doing it for the dog, not you," he replied sarcastically. "Poor Tyrion's got it rough enough having to lead you around all day." He stood up and held out a hand out to her, gently pulling her up.

"I'm tired of homework. Let's go to the Brew," Hanna bounced back in to the conversation. "Actually you bitches have no choice, because Caleb's already meeting us there. And I'm too delicate to walk."

"Hanna, it's just down the street," Emily laughed.

"Does it look like these shoes are made for walking?" She gestured to her heels.

She was serious, and that was the funniest part. But she didn't even blink when the three of them dissolved into hysterical laughter. She was used to it.

Hanna lead Spencer outside as he gathered up his wallet and keys. As he moved toward the door Emily grabbed his elbow. "When are you going to tell her?"

He looked down at her, confusion coloring his face. "What are you talking about?"

She made a face. "You know what I'm talking about, Toby."

And he did. But he didn't want to talk about it, especially with Emily; who, no matter the outcome, had a front row seat to what was sure to be his humiliation. "She doesn't feel the same way, Em."

"How do you know?"

Telling her that he just knew never did any good. He just sighed and walked out the door. He wasn't being rude, and he was sure she understood. It was just frustrating being constantly reminded of what you couldn't have. And either way, he just needed Spencer in his life. He didn't care about much else.

She had been at camp all summer, and he was literally going to lose his mind. Didn't anyone understand how he needed his best friend? But she was there in front of him. She was finally home. "Spencer!"

She jumped and turned around at the sound of his voice. He scared her, and usually he would feel bad. But right now he was just too thrilled to have her back. "I missed you so much!"

She was speaking in a rapid fire mush of words and he was hearing none of it. He was just too thrilled to have her back. It was all he needed, really. He laid no claim to her other than best friend, but God, she felt just so right in his arms.

It was like he was finally home.

He just left without responding to her, quickly walking to his car. The drive to the vet's was a quick one, everything in Rosewood was close together. Almost everything one could possibly need was situated along the crowded main street.

He navigated his car to the curb in front of the discrete, brick faced building. "Do you want me to run in and get him, Spence?"

"We're going to walk the rest of the way!" Hanna announced suddenly from the back seat. "See you guys in a minute!" She waggled her eyebrows at Toby as she ducked out of the car with Emily.

He rolled his eyes at his friends' antics. "Want me to get him, Spence?"

She hesitated. "Are you sure?"

One day she would be less reluctant to accept help from the many people that would do anything for her. Maybe she wasn't widely loved, but the people that loved her loved her deeply. "I'll be right back," he said simply. As he slid from the car and into the vet's office he remembered the day that she got Tyrion.

"So I did a thing."

He snorted. The way that Mrs. Hastings talked always made him laugh. But the guilt on her face had him wondering what she possibly could have done.

"What?" Spencer asked warily, echoing his questioning thoughts. It probably wasn't going to be anything that she was happy about.

"I've been in contact with some people, and-" she hesitated. "I've gotten you a seeing eye dog."

"Excuse me?" This time Spencer's voice was cold, and he didn't blame her. No matter her intentions, Mrs. Hastings' actions signified a level of disbelief in her abilities. Although, he also could see how Mrs. Hastings thought this would help, because he would certainly feel better if there was something there to always look out for her.

It was right in that moment he saw the cage in the corner. "A dog?"

Mrs. Hastings glanced at him before turning back to Spencer. "He'll be able to help you."

"I don't need help. Everyone already treats me like I'm pathetic, I don't need this to add to it with a freaking dog." The way her voice broke at the end killed him. She had to see how absolutely unpathetic she was.

"Spencer-"

But he cut her mother off, because he was pretty sure that no matter what she said, Spencer'd get more upset. He needed to handle this. "Aw, but come on," he fake whined. "We can give him some bad ass name from Game of Thrones," he referenced the series they had just finished listening to. He took her hand, leading her over to the cage. A small dog sat up straight in the cage, its little nose sniffing the air around him.

He smiled softly and gently put her hand through the bars, in front of the dog's nose. He smiled as he nudged her fingers slightly. He pulled back and watched them. "He's little and black with white paws and a little white around his eyes. His ears are floppy and around his face."

Her entire demeanor softened as the dog nuzzled his face into her hand. "Tyrion."

He smiled. "I like it."

He smiled in the present as the tech walked an older, serious looking Tyrion through the lobby. He barked happily when he saw Toby, tugging a little on his leash. Tyrion was about as good a dog as it got. When he was with Spencer, when he had his service dog vest on, he was as serious as could be, but he also was a big, goofy idiot when he wasn't working. He smiled and scratched him behind his ears, leading him out to the car and into the back seat.

He heard her laugh happily as he walked around the car. Her feelings toward Tyrion had drastically changed over the years, and he was glad for it. He always felt more comfortable leaving her alone with him, because he knew that he would rip anyone's arm off if they tried to hurt her and that he was more than capable of leading her around.

Her laughter warmed him as he drove down the road, parking in the back of the Brew. "Are you bringing him in?"

She hesitated, shaking her head no. "You're here, and I hate taking him somewhere enclosed. Someone might be allergic, and I know he doesn't like it anyway. It makes him nervous."

He nodded, silently agreeing with her. They walked into the coffee shop, and he immediately caught sight of their friends sprawled out on the red couch and chairs in the corner. He sat Spencer down on the edge of the couch and took the chair for himself, reaching out for the coffee Hanna, coffee ordering goddess, had picked out for him. It was good and vaguely resembled something apple-y. "Good job, Han."

She mimed brushing the dust off of her shoulders and leaned back in to Caleb, her blonde hair falling in her face. Emily passed Spencer her usual trough of black coffee. "So I thought about doing my homework, but I'm kind of over it."

"Trying to earn your letter in procrastination, Em?" Spencer laughed, carefully sipping her drink.

"Something like that," she mumured, blowing on her tea.

"I have a joke," Caleb said suddenly, speaking for the first time since they all walked in.

He snorted, choking on his coffee. Caleb was a bit of an idiot. Caleb smirked at him. "What do you call a fake noodle?"

"What?" Hanna groaned, indulging her boyfriend.

"An IMPASTA!" He dissolved into a fit of very unmasculine giggles. His friends were great.