The Summer With Spencer

My sister and I said our goodbye’s and parted ways. I was on my own until 8:30, when everyone returned from work. It was now 6:00. I put tiny shorts and an oversized wife-beater over my bathing suit. I wanted to wander around outside, but after what happened last time I did that, not a chance. I suddenly remembered that today was July 19th. A while back, I had gotten fortune in a fortune cookie that said three months from that exact date, I would have good luck. Today was that day.

I flopped onto the couch after double checking the door lock, and began picking at my ever-present cast. In a week, it would be coming off, but I would still have to wear a brace. Anything was better than this hot, itchy thing. I threw my hands over my face, distraught as usual. I could think of nothing to do, with two hours to kill. This summer sure was the summer I’d changed, but not for the better. I was always distracted now, never focused on one task. And I was becoming a cliché teenager in “love.” I wondered briefly if I had PTSD or something, was that what was making me act this way ? Whatever the case, I took drastic measures. Entering the bathroom adjacent the kitchen, I opened the medicine cabinet and took out some pills. Without water, I swallowed them.
I took my fluffy body pillow Henry(I like to name inanimate objects, don’t judge) and took him downstairs, and fell fast asleep within minutes. I woke up to a shadow standing over me. “Ahhhhhhh !” I bolted upright, letting out a yell. “Sorry, sorry, it’s just me, its Reid.” I jumped up, excited. I threw my arms around him. “Reid !” Morgan appeared behind him, with Prentiss. “Hi guys !” They looked surprised at the sight of Spencer and me embracing. “We wanna take you out for dinner,” Morgan told me. I realized that the three of them were dressed up. “Oooh, do I get to dress up ?!” I asked them eagerly. They nodded at me, taking in my expression and smiling. I ran upstairs, and changed into a strapless, pale green summery dress and white heels. I ran a brush through my hair, which hung smoothly, straight and loose down my back. I felt awesome, until I realized how stupid I looked with my purple cast that took up my whole right arm. I felt a rush of anger towards my kidnapper, and I struggled to control it. I wanted to punch the wall so badly, and not being able to just made me angrier. I felt a presence behind me and saw Emily and Morgan standing outside my door, watching me. They had pity in their eyes, and my anger welled up again. I could imagine how I looked, pacing angrily and clenching my fists, my breathing ragged. They probably thought I was mentally disturbed or something. I wished I’d taken more of those sleeping pills, enough so that I would never have woken up at all.

I decided I had PTSD for sure. I glared at my friends, standing outside my door now, Reid included now. “Can we just go ?” I asked them quietly. “Or do you guys not want to be seen out with a psycho like me ?” Morgan looked at me sadly. “What’s going on ?” he inquired in a soft tone. “My life is falling apart.” My voice broke on the word falling. “Forgive and forget, that’s what they say, right ? It’s good advice, but it’s not very practical. When someone hurts us, we want to hurt them back, when someone wrongs us, we want to be right. Without forgiveness, old scores are never settled; old wounds never heal. And the most we can hope for, is that one day, we’ll be lucky enough to forget. I can’t forgive Eddie, and I can’t forgive that guy who kidnapped me. I thought I’d be able to return to normal, well, as normal as I was before…but I just can’t get past this.” “It’s okay to be scared, it means you still have something to lose,” Reid told me, walking towards me slowly. I chuckled,“You watch Grey’s Anatomy now ?” He blushed, “How did you remember that quote ?” “Well, I may not have an eidetic memory, but I don’t have Alzheimer’s either,” I told him, smiling a little. He looked so handsome, his hair was slightly tousled, and he was wearing dark blue dress pants, and a navy shirt with a sweater vest and tie over it. The sunlight streamed in through my big window in thick, golden bands, reflecting off of his beautiful eyes and cheekbones. His smile, his laugh, his mind, his face, his body, his hair, everything about him was just so breathtaking, how could I ever get so lucky to meet someone like him ? He was absolute perfection, it didn’t matter if anyone else thought so, so long as he was perfect to me.

Morgan’s POV
I looked at the clock, it was two in the morning, I had been laying awake since I left Llysa’s house, thinking about what I could do to help her. I felt horrible for her, but she was being so strong. I was concerned about her though, she had been acting a little weird lately, but that was understandable, given the circumstances. I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on inside her head, and more importantly, what was going to happen when she left Virginia at the end of the summer ? What was it going to do to Reid ? He hadn’t befriended someone outside of the team in so long, if ever. Was Virginia really the best place for her, or is that what I want to convince myself ? Given all that had happened here, she was probably itching to get the hell out of here and never look back; were we preventing her from doing so ? But who would want to return to parents like that… Well, I guess she really didn’t have a choice anymore.

This is the longest day…. Morgan thought to himself the next day at work. At lunch, everyone else seemed especially talkative, with Reid as no exception. He felt as though meeting Llysa had had a positive effect on Spencer, he was branching out more, he was less afraid to speak his mind, less afraid of ridicule he might face. He seemed generally happier as well, and the best part was his nightmares had stopped-completely. After work, Prentiss, Reid and I headed over to Llysa’s house, wanting to take her out to dinner at a nice restaurant. The door was locked, so I hopped the fence and went around back. The back screen door was unlocked, so we entered through there. It was uncharacteristic for her not to answer the door for us…. She was asleep on the couch in the living room, looking more peaceful than I had ever seen her. We debated on whether to wake her up, but Reid insisted that she would want to go to dinner with us, Prentiss started to argue, but she saw in his face how badly he himself wanted to go to dinner with them, and she quickly surrendered. I stood by as he approached her. She sat upright with blinding speed, and screamed as she saw his tall form standing over her. “Sorry, sorry, it’s just me, its Reid,” he told her, soothing her. “We wanna take you out for dinner,” I told her. I watched as her face lit up, Reid had been right. “Do I get to dress up ?” she inquired excitedly, taking in our attire. We nodded our agreement, pleased with her reaction. She bolted upstairs, and I could hear her bustling around a bit. I expected her to come down soon, but when she didn’t I followed her upstairs without another thought. Prentiss and Reid were close behind. I looked in her bedroom to see her looking very upset as she gazed into the mirror. It took me a minute to conclude why; she looked stunning in a flowy green dress and small heels, with her hair loose hanging down past her shoulder blades. Her whole expression changed in an instant, bringing me to see what she was piqued by. She looked feraly down at her bulky purple cast with absolute hatred clouding her large hazel eyes. She began to pace, breathing heavily. I could see what a struggle it was for her not to just explode and break down right there. I looked at my friends expressions, Prentiss’ was one of utter shock, while Reid looked sorrowful, and almost protective. Her gaze flicked to us, standing awkwardly outside her bedroom, and her expression softened, before hardening again to a glare. “Can we just go, or do you not want to be seen with a psycho like me anymore ?” she asked us. “What’s going on ?” I asked, my tone soft yet inquisitive. “My life is falling apart,” she stated simply.

She went on about how she couldn’t forgive her abductor, or Eddie. For a moment, I could see the real pain she felt, unhidden behind a tough exterior. She looked her true age, so young and fragile, and so….resigned.

She finished her little speech, and Reid stepped forward cautiously. They bantered about some Grey’s Anatomy thing, and she gave him a small smile. The way she looked at him, was like he was her idol, her everything, her whole world. Utter admiration radiated from her eyes as she gazed at him. Just for a moment, I saw him through her eyes; suddenly he wasn’t my gawky co-worker anymore. He was an extremely intelligent person who was very kind and unjudgemental, dressed sharply and standing in a shaft of sunlight highlighting his face, trying to comfort a girl who needed him. He was her hero, her person, her….security blanket. And lucky for her, he saw the same things in her, he needed her as much as she needed him. Together, they were like Mickie and Minnie, if you will.