Kill Me With Words

Beth pushed past Heidi and went back out to the lounge where Emily was sitting. When Emily heard the door swing open, she looked up and saw Beth storming out over the threshold.

"Let's go get a smoothie or something, Em. I can't stand to be in this bus for a second longer than I need to be." Beth said as she briskly walked by Emily and Emily stood and followed her off the bus.

Heidi watched as the two swiftly exited the bus and slammed the door behind them. Heidi shook her head slightly and slowly made her way over to the long, leather couch. She plopped down and let her body sink into the cushions. The leather felt warm against her skin from the sun beaming in through the window on the other side. She spread her hands out at her sides, letting the feeling of the leather glide over her palms and fingertips.

The sound of the bus door opening broke her out of her mild trance. "Oh, hey." Spencer said, pushing his glasses up further on his nose. "I didn't expect you to be here." He put his tour water down on the counter and walked over towards Heidi.

"Yeah..." Was all she could really think to say. Her mind was clouded from her recent encounter with Beth.

Spencer furrowed his eyebrows at Heidi's response. "Whoa, no sassy remark?" He sat down next to her. "Is everything okay?"

"Why do you care?" Heidi snapped at him.

Spencer looked taken aback. "Sorry," He scooted away from her. "I was just trying to help. Just because you can be a total bitch sometimes doesn't mean I can't try to be nice to you if you're feeling upset or something. This band is my family. We're all a family."

Heidi leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. "I'm sorry." She admitted, staring ahead at the floor in front of her.

Spencer moved back over towards her. "It's okay." He reassured. "So... What's wrong?"

"Emily is what's wrong." Heidi spat.

"What's wrong with Emily? She hasn't done anything to you." Spencer replied.

"Her being a part of this band is the problem. We were doing fine just the four of us and then she had to come along and just ruin everything." Heidi could feel her anger rising.

"Does this have anything to do with you and Beth?" Spencer inquired.

"I don't want to talk about Beth." Heidi said, looking over at Spencer.

She studied his face. She noticed how his glasses sat half way down his nose. She watched his eyes blink and his eyebrows begin to form into a sympathetic look. She watched his chest rise and fall lightly with each breath he took. She noticed his facial hair was beginning to grow in fuller. He looked like he hadn't shaved it or kept up with it for almost all of tour.

Instinctively, she grabbed either side of his face and pulled his lips towards hers.

"You guys want to come over my house tonight and work on some song writing?" Spencer offered during passing time at Spencer's locker.

Heidi gazed at Spencer's radiant face. She was head over heels for him but she could never tell Beth. It was obvious to everyone that Spencer had a huge crush on Beth. Even Beth knew it. Heidi wished Spencer would just give up on Beth and realize that she had been crushing on him ever since they had become friends.

"Yeah, that'd be cool." Beth injected. "We should probably get at least an EP under our belts before the end of the summer. Once we go off to college, who knows when we're going to start the band."

Heidi nodded, clutching her books against her chest.

"Cool," Spencer said. "So, I'll see you guys after class then?"

Beth and Heidi both agreed. Beth started on her way to class and Spencer and Heidi were left alone.

"I'll see you at lunch, m'kay?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah..." Heidi confirmed.

Spencer nodded and smiled. He slammed his locker shut and slipped passed Heidi.

"Spencer, wait." Heidi turned around and called out to him.

He turned at the sound of his name. "What's up?" He wondered.

Heidi panicked. "Never mind. I'll see you at lunch."

She mentally kicked herself for panicking. She knew she would never have a chance if she didn't just tell him.



The cafeteria was noisy as it usually was. Heidi found a seat close to the door so Spencer would see her. Thursdays were the only days both of them had lunch at the same time without Beth. She had second lunch at around 11:15. Heidi and Spencer had third closer to noon time.

Heidi opened her lunch box to see the same old turkey and cheese sandwich, bottle of water and bag of chips that her mom packed her every morning.

"Hey stranger." Spencer sat down with his lunch tray.

Heidi glanced at the tray and then averted her eyes back to her own lunch. "I could never understand how you eat that shit every day." She gagged.

Spencer let out a breathy laugh. "And I could never understand how you eat 'that shit' every day."

Heidi smirked and nudged him in the arm. "So, I have to go to my locker before we go back to class." She said as she unwrapped her sandwich and took a bite. "Wanna sneak outta here a few minutes early with me?"

Spencer looked over his shoulder at the teachers who stood guard every day making sure no one got out of the cafeteria before lunch was over. "How are we gonna get past the boss man over there?" He pointed his thumb behind him.

Heidi shrugged, taking another bite out of her sandwich. "I don't know... How does everyone else manage to do it?"

They sat in silence for a few minutes and ate their lunch as they pondered a way to get out of the cafeteria early.

"I have an idea." Spencer spoke up. "We'll go over to the table and act like we're getting forks or napkins or something and as soon as Mr. Benton looks away, we run."

Heidi was unsure if this would actually work but she was willing to do anything if it meant getting to be in the hallways alone with Spencer again. She wanted a redemption.

"Follow my lead." Spencer said as he grabbed his lunch tray and stood up from the table.

The two wandered over to the utensils and condiments table and loitered there for a moment or two before Mr. Benton turned his back to them.

"Go!" Spencer whispered in her ear and they booked it out of the cafeteria and down the hallway. They raced around the corner and down a little further until they hit Heidi's locker.

Heidi was hunched over trying to catch her breath and Spencer was secretly celebrating his minor victory.

"I didn't think that would actually work!" Heidi exclaimed.

"Neither did I!" Spencer, equally as surprised, agreed.

He pulled her into a hug and she savored every moment of it. She breathed in the smell of his Hollister cologne, and listened to his racing heart beat. When he pulled away from her, she reached up with both hands and grabbed his face. She pulled him into her and kissed him.