This chapter's shoutout goes to ihavealifeiswear - your review just made my day, thank you so much! I'm actually quite a fan of your work, so to have you say you like my story makes me really excited (seriously, I cannot stop smiling). I hope you enjoy the chapter. :)

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December 20th

As Spencer looked in the mirror, she felt a flutter of excitement. But it wasn't because of her, although she did look good in her low-cut black dress and kitten-heel shoes. No, it was because in the reflection she could see Aria, who was on the other side of the room finishing her makeup. Aria was wearing a dark blue dress with white skulls on it, and a matching headband. It was an outfit so wild nobody else could get away with it, but on Aria it looked not only natural but, well, gorgeous.

Aria caught Spencer looking at her and grinned. "You excited?"

"Yeah." Spencer turned to her, and suddenly she felt the need to be with her, to be close to her. She crossed the room in three quick steps and wrapped her arms around Aria, pulling her into a kiss. Aria pulled away after a moment, surprised but pleased.

"What was that for?" Aria asked, giggling.

Spencer leaned in and muttered into her ear, "Do I need a reason?"

To her delight Aria grabbed Spencer's hands and led her over to the bed. They collapsed onto it, locked together in a passionate embrace. Spencer kept pulling her closer, leaning deeper into her kiss, unwilling to ever let her go. Aria seemed a little more reserved, but still enthusiastic. They only broke apart when they were both flushed and breathless and –

"Late!" Aria yelped, jumping to her feet. "We're going to be late."

"We'll be fashionable." Spencer sat up and watched Aria dash around the room, shoving seemingly random items into her purse and looking for her other shoe. She knew she should be getting ready too, but she couldn't quite bring herself to do it. "Aria?"

The dark-haired girl paused halfway through rummaging in a drawer. "Yeah?"

"Are you…" Spencer rolled the words around her mouth, knowing what he wanted to say but not sure how to say it. Aria could be flighty sometimes; she could be impetuous, spontaneous, and react badly to things that Spencer would have never thought to avoid. "Are you happy with the way things are?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, like…" Although she'd done debate for years, and given more speeches than she could remember, she couldn't find the right words to use now. "With us. Are you happy with the way things are between us?"

"If I wasn't happy, I'd leave."

She meant it in a teasing way, Spencer knew that. But it didn't stop her from feeling a slight twinge. She'd been with Aria for weeks now, but she never really felt like she was hers. Spencer had completely given herself to Aria, but she felt like her girlfriend was holding back. She was always worried Aria would take off, her attention attracted by some new shiny guy who was nowhere near as smart but somehow twice as dazzling. Even when she was kissing Aria, even when she was holding her, she never felt like she really knew her.

Aria, seeing that Spencer was still serious, sat down at the desk chair. "Spence, what's this really about?"

Spencer considered trying to brush it off, but Aria knew her too well for that. She'd started this conversation, and now she'd have to work through it.

"I just… I get worried," Spencer admitted. "I feel like you're going to, I don't know, up and leave."

"Are you saying you don't trust me?" Aria tried to keep her voice even, but Spencer could sense the emotion behind it.

"No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying that I don't…" She hesitated. There was only one way she'd been able to phrase it to herself. Once she said it there was no going back; she'd just have to hope Aria would give her a chance to explain. "I don't feel like you're really mine."

"I'm not yours," Aria said.

"No!" Spencer said quickly. "No, I don't mean that. I mean, you are mine. And I love you. It's just -"

"You don't think this is working," Aria accused.

"I never said that," Spencer responded, a bubble of panic rising up in her.

"You didn't deny it either." Aria stood up, folding her arms. After a moment of indecision she grabbed her bag and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Spencer asked, feeling herself wilting like the roses she'd once left out in the sun too long.

"To the party," Aria said, her voice only a few degrees warmer than arctic.

Before Spencer could say a word, Aria had gone, taking all of the warmth out of the room. Spencer slumped on her bed, feeling like her heart had been ripped out of her chest. No, worse. Like her heart had suddenly uprooted itself and stormed out of her life. And she wasn't sure it was ever going to come back.

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The next few 'flashback' chapters are set on the same night, since that's when things really start happening.

KooshGID, thank you for your review, as always; stay tuned because something dramatic is definitely about to happen.

Sgdp1261, I actually have a feeling people are going to hate me once they find out what happens, but hey, it's my story. ;) I'm glad you appreciate tragedy and angst; I actually started writing this because I wrote another story with a happy ending, and it was so sweet that I was like 'Nope, too much, I need to write something dark'. XD