The Story of Us

Chapter 3- First Case

TW: mentions of rape.

Despite her worry about being late for the jet, Amanda made it to the jet before anyone else, or at least she thought she had until she boarded with her prepacked go-bag that she expected she would need only to see Spencer. She quickly made her way over to him in an effort to see why he was acting the way he was towards her.

Spencer was sat towards the back of the plane reading the copy of The Canterbury Tales that Amanda had given him for his birthday when he felt someone staring at him. He put the book down and noticed that Amanda was sat across from him. This shocked him because he was always so aware of Amanda. It was always like she was the sun and he was the moon.

She was so bright it caught everybody's attention but Spencer was practically invisible until Amanda came and lit him up. He always loved that about Amanda, the way that she could spend her time with anyone and chose him. He knew she wasn't using him either because she was too smart to need him but every second he was with her, he couldn't help the nagging voice in his head saying that she was just like the other pretty, popular girls he had met. She was just more invested in causing his pain.

Spencer is brought from his musing by her voice that always set all the nerve endings in Spencer's body on fire, just begging for her to come closer. The sad thing is that Spencer knew exactly what to say to make that happen but the irrational part of his brain keeps telling him to be angry and that's what he listened to. "Sorry, what was that?" He asks, realizing he hadn't actually paid attention to what she said.

"I asked what I did. I don't understand why you're acting like you hate me."

"Did you ever consider that it wasn't an act? Not everybody likes you, Amanda," he sneers, taking Amanda back and immediately bringing up the defenses she had never need around Spencer. He had been her safe place. The one that tried to convince her that her older brother didn't hate her because nobody could hate her. Funny how people can change.

"I didn't say that they did, Spencer," she pushes his name out with venom. "But I wasn't the one that messed up."

"You left," he accuses.

"You told me to go!" She shouts before checking to ensure they are the only two on the plane. "I didn't want to leave you but you told me to. You made me feel worthless, Spencer."

"Oh how terrible, somebody broke the great Amanda Hotchner. Now you know how the hundreds of people you've done that to felt." Amanda frowns at him. She knew what he was referring to but she only ever went after people who deserved it. Bullies that were ruining people's lives. She was giving them a taste of their own medicine. They deserved it, she didn't. But somehow, coming from Spencer's lips, the words hit her hard and made her think that maybe she did. Maybe Spencer was right to hate her.

Spencer notes her silence and the part of him that was raised to be a gentleman and the part that knows he is blaming Amanda for something that isn't her fault scream for him to apologize as they try to remind him how much he cares for Amanda, but he blocks those parts out. He needs to focus on the anger if he wants to escape Amanda's orbit that pulls everyone in. "Well since you're here, I'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about anything that happened in college. I like my job and the people I work with. It's hard enough getting them to respect me as it is. I don't need you ruining this for me. You seem to be good at that."

This angers Amanda and she finally snaps out of her worry and glares at her former best friend. "Don't worry, Spencer. They probably wouldn't believe me anyway, you were actually fun in college. And as for 'breaking me', it takes more than someone as pathetic as you to break me. You were merely a blip on my radar that was never nearly as important as he thought he was." With that said, she stands up and moves as far from Spencer as she can get before pulling out her phone and headphones to listen to music.