CHAPTER 7:

A/N: We're flashing forward a few years - Toby is now 13 and Spencer 12, (7th and 8th grades) Other things to know: Marion is now in Radley (but hasn't died yet), Peter has come back from rehab and is all better, and Melissa is in college, so you won't see as much of her. Spencer and Toby are still BFFs, but are less touchy-feely (you can guess why, taking their ages into consideration) Now, let's start! Oh, and please review, as always.

"Hey!" Toby was finally face-to-face with the coffee-eyed girl that he'd known practically all of his life. At least it felt that way. Spencer was running towards him, and boy, she had changed since he'd last saw her at the end of his 7th grade year. She had just finished 6th grade, and they'd parted ways for the summer, Toby and his father going to Cancun for the first two months, and the Hastings taking a lengthy trip to Korea for the final two months. She looked different; she was taller, her legs longer, her hips slightly wider. The two friends met in an embrace, Toby wrapped his long arms around Spencer's torso, and she looped her arms under his.

"God, I missed you," She inhaled deeply, taking in her surroundings like she hadn't been in Rosewood for months, which was true of course.

He just stood there awkwardly, shifting his weight from his left foot, to his right foot, and back again. He looked her up and down and realized he was noticing things - small things - about her that he'd never noticed before. The way her brown eyes shimmered in the light, they way they sparkled whenever she was happy. The way she'd bite her lip when she was nervous, or how her forehead would crinkle when she was mad.

Little did he know, she was noticing the same things about him. How his swoonworthy sky-blue eyes would change colors based on his emotions, and how his left eye would always twitch whenever he was tired. She was also beginning to recognize some of the physical changes he had underwent over the summer. He had gotten taller, much taller, his shoulders broader and his voice deeper. At one point, he had stretched his arms above his head in a yawn, and she caught a sneak peek of what goodness was going on under that shirt of his. She found her eyes lingering on his muscled abdomen for a second too long, and scolded herself.

Thankfully, neither of their parents were present at the moment. Otherwise, they would have been caught in the midst of Spencer and Toby checking each other out. Talk about awkward.

"Uhmm, how was your summer?" Toby sat down on a wooden park bench, his gaze never leaving Spencer's.

"Good. Korea was so cool, really beautiful," As beautiful as you are, Toby found himself thinking. Snap out of it, Toby. She's your best friend, he admonished himself. He heard a slight murmur coming from his female friend's mouth, but couldn't quite catch what she said.

"What?" He forced himself to snap out of his thoughts, and focus.

"I asked you how Cancun was," Spencer replied evenly, playing with a lock of her chestnut hair nervously. Something had definitely changed between them over this summer. Their relationship just seemed - weird, different.

"Oh, it was great. Beautiful, too, almost as beautiful as you," Toby, realizing what he'd just blurted out, looked to the ground as his coloring changed from ivory - to a cherry red. He looked over at Spencer to see her reaction, and her cheeks were tinted pink. She giggled, before becoming aware of the fact that she was acting like a hormonal teenage girl, not like herself at all.

"You're sweet," She slapped his chest playfully, and he flushed an even deeper shade of red - if that was even possible. "Look, I've been meaning to tell you something," She bit her lip, and Toby knew that meant she was nervous. He gave her an encouraging nod as he raised one eyebrow in curiosity. "I know this is kind of a weird thing to tell you, considering - well - nevermind. Um, anyways, I just felt like I owed it to you to tell you, since you've always told me everything, so um-" She paused, looked down and bit her lip even harder so that it turned almost white.

Toby put his hand gently over Spencer's. "Hey, it's okay. Whatever it is, just know I won't judge you. You're my best friend, Spencer," That comment seemed to calm her down more, knowing that he would be there for her no matter what. That moment seemed more like their relationship before, rather than the messy awkwardness it had become.

"Well, okay. I - umm -, oh god, I can't do this," Spencer exhaled shakily, and Toby could almost feel her heart pumping.

"Whenever you're ready," His eyes changed from a sky-blue to more of an ocean hue, telling Spencer that he was almost dripping in sincerity.

"God, okay, this is so awkward. I - umm - got my period over the summer," Spencer blushed, a light pink color dusting over her cheeks. They seemed to be doing a lot of that lately.

Toby swallowed visibly, color rising to his cheeks. He and Spencer had never really talked about this - issue - he had assumed that she had gotten it already. "Oh," he gulped, "Well, um, I don't really know much about that stuff, but you should know, I'll be here for you - for whatever you need," Spencer smiled, a rosy pink color still resting on her cheeks. "I mean, gosh, that's gotta hurt," Spencer gave him a curious look, as if wondering how he knew exactly what went on in the female anatomy during that time. "Oh, we um, learned about that stuff last year. Science class," Spencer nodded, kind of weirded out by the fact that Toby probably knew more about the menstrual cycle than she did - and he was a guy.

"Yeah, it hurts. Anyways, what's been going on with you, Cavanaugh?" She punched his shoulder playfully, trying to lighten the mood and steer clear of the subject they'd just been talking about. "Come on, I told you something embarrassing about me, now it's your turn. Got any crushes?"

There I go again, Toby thought to himself as he flushed pink once again. "I do have a crush on this one girl,"

"Oh, tell me more," Spencer said, scooching closer to him on the park bench.

"Well, I've known her for a while, and I really like her, but I don't know if she feels the same about me. I mean she's so pretty, and smart, and strong, and just amazing, but I don't want to ruin our friendship," He looked down at his khaki shorts, that reached just below his knee.

"You know, that's funny," Spencer tilted her head to the right and looked into Toby's mesmerizing blue eyes. "I have had a huge crush on this guy since I first met him, and I've known him for - practically my whole life. Whenever I'm with him, he's so adorable and makes me feel so safe, you know, like I can tell him anything. He has these amazing eyes that I just feel like I could swim in… and quite a nice body, if I do say so myself," Spencer's cheeks flushed (again!) but she looked like she was glad she finally got that out of her system.

He was wondering who she could be talking about, when she reached up and tilted down his chin. "God, you're such a boy. It's you, idiot! You're my crush!" Toby's mouth gaped open and let out a squeak, realizing that this was actually real, the girl he had dreamed about for a long time shared his feelings. He leaned into her, and his eyelids shut instinctively. They were so close that they could feel each other breathing. Spencer leaned in a little farther, bringing her soft, pink lips to Toby's. He planted a soft, tender kiss on her lips, and then, feeling the heat between them, planted another, and another. Finally, the both of them broke away, panting, their foreheads leaning against each other. Spencer was stunned beyond speech - sure she had fantasized about kissing her blue-eyed best friend, but she had never actually thought it would come true. She let out a little squeak, hoping that Toby would get the message that he took her breath away. He chuckled softly, and silently pressed his pink lips against hers once more, craving the heat. Again, they broke away, insanely happy.

After gazing into the other's eyes for a while, Spencer finally let out a few words. "That was my first," She breathed.

"Mine too," He giggled like a little boy who had lost his first tooth. Except this, Spencer, was way better than that.