CHAPTER 9

"I'm going to talk to Spence," I said, breaking away from him and he nodded his head.

"Good luck." I chuckled, smiling at him before walking inside my house.

Adrianna was chatting away with Spencer and they both stopped once they saw me. "I'm going to leave you to it," Adrianna said as she gave me a small smile before leaving.

Spencer didn't even look at me, she was looking at her phone. "Do you want to go up to my room?" I asked breaking the small silence.

"Nope."

"Spencer," I warned and she just rolled her eyes at me. "Spencer, please." She looked up at me as she sighed and stood up.

"Lead the way," she said coldly and I ignored her attitude as we walked into my room.

She was silent, looking around the walls. I had pictures of all my friends on my walls. I saw a small smile creep up on her lips as she looked around.

"Do you like it?" I asked quietly and she nodded her head.

"What happened to that wall?" She asked, pointing to the empty one near the window.

"I ran out of pictures." Her smile widened as she sat down on my bed and I sat down next to her. "Firstly before I even say anything I want to do this." I leaned forward and engulfed her in a big hug. She sighed but nestled her face into my neck. "I have missed you so much Spence, don't underestimate that."

She pulled away slowly as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Spence." I sighed as I wiped it away with my hands.

"I miss you Addison. I miss you so much and it hurts having to walk down the school corridors that we once used to roam because you're not there."

I didn't know what to say so I stayed quiet. "I look at the empty seat beside me in my classes and close my eyes, just hoping that when I open them you'll be there, but you're not." I sighed loudly because I knew she was feeling bad when Chase told me but I didn't realise it was this bad.

Spencer had always been a tough cookie and if this was affecting her like this then I really didn't want to know how it was affecting everyone else.

"I'm so sorry that I had to leave Spencer. If I had a choice then you have to know I would've never left Boston."

"You've forgotten us."

"No I haven't-"

"Yes you have because you've moved on."

"I haven't forgotten any of you," I whispered as I tucked loose strands of her hair behind her ear. "I love you guys how could I forget you?" she shrugged her shoulders and I sighed, wrapping my arms around her shoulders. "Spence you have to believe me."

"I do it's just hard."

"Why is it hard?" I continued stroking her hair as I realised how she had visibly relaxed. This was the one action that always calmed her down.

"Everyone else has sort of moved on. There's a freaking new girl and I feel like ripping her cheap fake extensions out." I chuckled at her comment and kissed her forehead.

"Don't go starting fights, you know I won't like that."

"I know," she whispered. "But she's a dog." She sat up to look at me and continued. "I got into an argument with Jade the other day. She is literally Leticia, the new girl's best friend. And she is the captain of the cheerleading team. I had to drop out."

"Chase told me," I replied and she looked at me.

"Are you two talking then?" I nodded my head and she smiled at me. "I'm not talking to anyone," she said quietly.

"You have to Spence, you can't just ignore them because they like someone you don't," I replied calmly as I slipped my hand in hers.

"I am not talking to them. I told Jade to choose and she chose Leticia."

"Wait, what?"

"You didn't stay in contact with Jade or me. She got mad at me for sulking and said we should drop you because you clearly didn't have time for us. She said she already did and that I should do it too. Then we started arguing about Leticia and Jade was talking about what a great friend she was. I told her to choose between us and she chose her. She called me retarded for coming to visit you."

I grabbed my phone, wanting to talk to Jade.

"She'll say something mean," Spencer warned and I shrugged my shoulders. She couldn't just say something like that to Spencer.

I put the phone on speaker and told Spencer to be quiet which she agreed to do.

"Oh well look who decided to call," Jade mocked and I rolled my eyes. "Sorry bitch but I'm busy."

She was about to hang up but I stopped her. "I don't care Jade. You need to hear this," I snapped.

"Don't tell me what to do," she replied in bored tone.

"Well I already did," I retorted and she scoffed.

I heard Madison and Piper talking to Jade. It was Friday which meant that they were hanging out. "Are the three of you hanging out?" I asked.

"Yep, there used to be five but now there's three," Jade mocked. "I bet Spencer is there with you right now, crying on your shoulder like the pathetic person she is-"

"Don't talk about her like that," I snapped and she yawned.

"This conversation is making me feel tired."

"You're a dog for saying what you did to Spencer, Jade."

"Oh so she told you?" She pretended to be shocked and I rolled my eyes. She was being a total cow. "I don't care O'Grady go and take her side like you always do even though there are two sides to every story. You're pathetic too you know for calling me. What do you want? To tell me off for upsetting your best friend?" She mocked.

"You're my best friend too Jade," I said in a serious voice.

She laughed bitterly at my comment.

"No I'm not, it's you and Spenny against the world," she said sarcastically and I glanced at Spencer who had a hard expression on her face.

"That is not true and you know it."

"I don't know anything anymore Addison," she said without any emotion and I sighed. I just wanted to give her a hug. Jade tended to hide her feelings and then lash out when you east expected her to. Exactly like Spencer. "You stayed in contact with Mads and Piper, Addison, why didn't you respond to me and Spencer?"

Spencer looked at me and I knew she also wanted me to answer this question.

"To be fair, she didn't really text me or Madison. She just called me when Madison got drunk, that was it. We received the same treatment as you and Spencer, Jade," Piper replied.

"I'm sorry for not keeping in contact with you guys."

"Whatever," Piper said and I sighed.

"Piper can you not make this any harder than it has to be?" Piper scoffed and I clenched my jaw. "I said I was sorry."

"Yeah because sorry is supposed to fix everything isn't it?" Piper snapped. "It's been weeks!"

"I know but what difference would it have made if I did call or text? The conversations would have eventually become awkward."

"Whatever O'Grady," Jade said harshly.

Whenever she was mad, she referred to you by your second name and I knew she was fuming with me.

"You're still in contact with Chase though," Piper added.

"That's different, he's my boyfriend."

"And we're your best friends," Maddison said quietly, in a voice that told me she was about to cry.

"Maddie don't cry-"

I heard a door close and Piper said "look what you did, you made her cry. Now we have to fix your stupid mess." I heard footsteps so she probably walked away following Maddison.

"Do us a favour O'Grady, do not call again," Jade said harshly. "And tell Spencer that her nerd friends are looking for her."

The line went dead and I narrowed my eyes at Spencer. "Nerd friends?"

"I made new friends," she answered, shrugging her shoulders.

"With nerds?" I asked and she rolled her eyes.

"It's not always about popularity," she snapped and I sighed because she was right. "I met them in Math club. They really are amazing."

I smiled because I could see that she was happy. "Those three aren't," I said and she wrapped her arms around me.

"I know they just really miss you. I was grumpy remember?"

"I can't have them mad at me," I said quietly.

"Why don't you come to Boston?"

I raised my eyebrows at her and said "how am I supposed to go to Boston?"

"Don't give me that, your parents own a private jet." She was right but there was no way they were going to let me go to Boston.

"They aren't going to let me."

"Persuade them."

"It won't work."

She put her hands on my shoulders and said "you are being so negative and what do you have to lose? You want to sort this out with them and by going, you will show them that they still mean a lot to you and that you care about them."

I sighed but I knew she was right.

"And Chase and I go back on Sunday, you could come with us."

"What about school?"

A smirk appeared on her lips and I wanted to know what she was thinking. She was always coming up with crazy ideas.

"We have a fundraiser thing on Monday so there isn't school."

"For the full day?" I asked and she nodded her head. "Piper organised it."

Piper was the school president and she was a great one. She made sure she was on the student's side and always did what would make the students happy.

"Fine," I said and she squealed as she wrapped her arms around me again.

It was settled then.

I was going to Boston on Sunday but I needed to convince my parents to let me go.

I had no idea how I was going to do that but I wasn't giving up.