DISCLAIMER: This idea actually isn't mine. The foundation of it is from the book of the same title, however, this shouldn't even be close to the same BECAUSE I haven't read the book, only the summary of it. This story is Spoby-Wrencer centric, but it will include Ezria, as well as other couples that will be revealed in time. One of the story arcs actually involves Ezria, so if you like them together, they will be in this! Without any further delay, I hope you enjoy the story!

MATCHED—1

Veronica Hastings walked into her daughter's bedroom and wrapped her arms around her teenager. Her daughter Spencer bit her lip. She knew why her mother was in her bedroom, and she was apprehensive about the whole day itself. It was a big day for her, and for every eighteen-year-old around.

"Are you ready, sweetheart?"

She shrugged her shoulders before saying, "You could say that. On the outside, yeah, I'm ready, I've gotten dressed and everything, but on the inside? No, no Mom, I'm not ready. I'm scared. I'm going to find out who I'll be spending the rest of my life with! I hope you'll excuse me for being a little bit beyond scared."

"There's no shame in that, but it should be more of anxiety," Veronica said, sitting down on her daughter's bed. "You've got to have a little more trust in our society, darling. They've been doing this for years. They know how to find the right person for you. It's always your true soulmate. Look at your sister Melissa! The society matched her up with Ian, and she's happier than ever. She found her true love. The society is good."

"Or was it just luck?"

Veronica sighed and said, "Don't challenge the system, Spencer. You're not just arguing with me here, you're arguing with the government's choice in pairing people up. I suggest you don't doubt that. You are going to find the perfect man to continue your life with. He is going to be everything you have ever wanted."

She knew better than to continue arguing with her mother after that, so she put her make-up bags away and headed to the car. Her father, mother, and sister all came with her to support her on that eventful day. Her parents were obviously upset about their daughter leaving home, but they trusted that the system would pair her up with her perfect man.

"I'll see you guys in there," Spencer said, getting out of the car and kissing the cheeks of her parents. "I just want to see my friends before the ceremony. I love you both so much." She half-hugged them before rushing into the ceremony hall.

It was easy to spot her three best friends because the spunky Aria Montgomery was wearing all bright colors. She smiled, running up to her friends and hugging them. She wondered if they were all as nervous as she was about that day. The thought of her perfect match being somewhere in the room was intimidating. It could be any one of them!

"Hey guys," Spencer greeted quietly. "Are you nervous for today?"

"Kind of," Hanna Marin responded, sighing. "I'm scared that the guy I'm supposed to be with won't be hot. If he's not hot, we can't have anything. I hope I'm paired up with Caleb."

Since the system existed, no two teenagers were allowed to be in a relationship, but Hanna, being Hanna, couldn't resist. She started a secret relationship with a phone hacking teenager named Caleb Rivers. However, her mother figured out that the two were seeing each other, and forbid them from continuing. Hanna didn't hate her mother, though. She hated the government. Her mother was only trying to protect her. If the government had found out that Hanna was seeing Caleb, she would have been executed. They took love extremely seriously.

"Well, I guess today is the day that you find out if you were truly meant to be with him after all," Emily Fields, the third one of the best friends, spoke.

"Spencer."

The brunette turned around and sighed when she saw the person. Normally, she would be more than happy to see him, but after what happened between them the previous day, she was afraid to look him in the eyes ever again. However, he wasn't going to not speak with her. He had to talk to her. He grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him.

"We need to talk about what happened, Spencer," he whispered, his piercing blue eyes staring at her in a way that made her uneasy. "You're not going to pretend like it never happened, are you?"

"Even if I want to boast about it to everybody, we can't, Toby!" she whispered back, jabbing a finger into his chest. "If anybody else finds out about this, we are both going to be killed. If what happened last night really meant anything, then we will find out today. We'll find out when we both get to know who our soul mates are. We can talk about it if that happens."

"We slept together."

"Don't say it out loud!" she snapped quietly. "Look, if anybody from the government hears us, we're both dead, and I mean that literally. What happened was an accident, okay? I liked it, no, I loved it... but... we have been friends for so long, and we are going to find out who our perfect matches are right now."

"Most people at this ceremony who follow the god damn rules are virgins, but you're not," he said. "I'm not. Doesn't that mean anything to you? They shouldn't be the ones who decide who we're meant to be with! If I like you, then shouldn't we able to try us out?"

"No, because the government was smart enough to give us a way to bypass all that dating stuff," Spencer explained. "We don't have to go through it. We just get to find out who the person we're meant to be with is. That's the system, and it works. It'll tell us who we're supposed to be with!"

Toby sighed and said, "I... I know. But if you want yesterday to be erased, then it can be in our minds. We can forget about it. You have to promise me one thing, though."

"It depends on what it is."

"No matter who your perfect guy is, you won't stop being friends with me," he said, looking at her pleadingly. "I don't want the matchmaking or last night to change us. Can we still be friends?"

"Of course we can still be friends!" Spencer exclaimed. "I'm done getting a knot in my stomach every time I hear your name, because last night never happened. We are friends, and nothing is going to change that."

He didn't want their first night together to mean nothing, but he knew it had to. It could get them killed. They were supposed to be virgins when they got their perfect match at the ceremony. If anybody found out that they weren't, the government would kill them on the spot. A part of him really hoped that Spencer would be his match.

But he couldn't change the fate of what his result was, so he smiled at her and hugged her quickly before rushing off to sit near his friends in the ceremony's auditorium.

"What did he want?" Emily asked, sort of hurt that he didn't even want to talk to her at all. Toby Cavanaugh and Emily were always good friends, but not as close as he and Spencer were, which was probably why what happened the night before happened to Spencer and Toby and not Emily and him.

"He just wanted to say goodbye in case he doesn't see me much after the ceremony puts him with his perfect match," Spencer lied, scratching her head.

Aria shook her head and said, "Guys, this can't change anything. It won't. We are always going to be close friends, and finding our matches is not going to drift us apart! We've been friends since we were little kids, and I can't imagine anything bringing is apart."

"This," Emily began, smiling at all of her friends, "is forever."

The four girls made their way to the bleachers of the auditorium, taking a seat somewhere in the open space. Of course, they sat next to each other, putting up a good front that they weren't worried. However, each one of them was scared to death. Would it change their friendship? Would their perfect match not be as good as they were hoping? Questions were filling their minds with fear.

"Attention!"

All eyes turned to face the man standing on the stage. He held a microphone in his hand, and he was wearing a black suit. He looked pleased to be there, but everybody knew he wasn't. It was just another year of matchmaking. He did it every year since he was elected mayor.

"We gather today on December 31st when each and every one of you born in this year has become an eighteen-year-old," Mayor began. "Today is the day you could consider your adulthood. We in the society blame the roughness and heartbreak of love for the destruction of mankind, and we, the government, have come up with a solution. For years, we have been using this method to bypass the laws of heartbreak. Instead, you will find your soulmate today. You will be with the one you are meant to be with. Every person in this room is going to be matched today, and we will do this in alphabetical order of the females. When you, a male, are called as a match for a female, you will join them on stage and then step aside afterwards. Are we all clear? Of course we are. Now, I will begin from the letter A."

Spencer watched with full attention for the first few people called. Aarons, Allen, whatever else. She watches the girls step on the stage, get their match card, and then have Mayor announce the male's name. It scared her to know that she would be up there very soon to find out who her match was.

"You're the first of us four, Em," Spencer whispered, reaching over to grab Emily's hand.

It was only a matter of time before they reached the letter F, which meant Emily would be called very soon. She tried to mentally prepare herself to be called, but she had a feeling that she would be dissatisfied, no matter who the boy was.

"Emily Fields."

Her friends offered her some cheering, as did the rest of the audience. They smiled and waved at her. They were just as nervous to find out who Emily's match would be. They watched closely as she fearfully approached the stage. Her hands apprehensively took the match card from Mayor's hands. She read it shakily in her head, and then Mayor took it back to read it aloud into the microphone.

"Ben Coogan."

Aria smiled and said, "I could see that. They could be a great match for each other. They're both swimmers. I think it could be right, don't you think?"

"It's got to be right," Hanna said, folding her arms. "The system is supposed to be perfectly accurate. That's why it makes so much sense for Emily and Ben to be together. They make a good match. And that's why we all trust the system so much. We're going to find the perfect person for us."

"Then why doesn't Emily look satisfied to be with Ben?" Spencer questioned as she watched the both of them step aside off of the stage.

"Come on, Spence, that doesn't mean that they don't have true love," Aria said quietly as Mayor called the next female up. "It's probably a little weird to meet your perfect match for the first time. I understand how she's feeling. They'll warm up in time, and they'll be happy. I can see them together being perfect."

"Well, I would argue, but I don't have time," Spencer said, staring at the floor. "My name's going to be called soon, and I don't know what to do!"

"It will be fine," Aria guaranteed. "Just trust the system. They'll make sure you'll be with somebody who can make you happy. This isn't just some matchmaking—this is your freaking soul mate!"

She wanted to believe Aria, but she still had some disbelief. It was cut short by more nervousness, though. Mayor was finishing up the letter G, and that meant H was next. Being a Hastings, she knew her name was going to be called early on.

"Spencer Hastings."

Hanna and Aria squeezed her hand before letting her go. She trembled as she walked up to the stage. She felt all eyes watching her. She looked up for a moment, spotting Toby in the crowd. He glanced at her, looking nervous. She could tell he wanted to be her match, and she wouldn't lie, she wanted to be his. It would be a lot easier to be with somebody she knew. Poor Emily had to be with stranger Ben.

Mayor turned around to hand her the match card. Her whole body tensed up when she took it from his hands. That card held the identity of the man who would be with her for the rest of her life, and she was about to find out who it was. She hoped it was somebody who truly was her match.

So she read it. And it wasn't Toby. It wasn't anybody she knew of. It was some name she had never heard in her entire life! Before she could even process the fact that she was destined to be with some stranger, Mayor yanked the card out of her hand. He was going to announce it, and all her friends were going to hear the total stranger's name.

"Wren Kingston."

She saw Aria and Hanna clapping wildly in the audience. When she looked around the corner, she saw Emily cheering for her briefly, too, but then she soon got back to quietly socializing with Ben, her new match.

Nervously, Spencer watched the crowd for the male that would walk up to her. She had to admit, the man who got up from the bleachers was handsome. He had neatly combed hair, and he smiled when he reached her. She was dazzled by his chocolate brown eyes. The only odd part was when he reached out to shake her hand. She shook it to be polite, and then started to follow him off the stage. When she looked up at the crowd again, she saw Toby looking away in disappointment. She felt bad, but maybe it was better that they weren't matched up. It was the world telling them that they were meant to just be friends. Wren Kingston was her perfect match, not Toby.

She wasn't disappointed to know that Wren Kingston was her match. He was handsome, and he seemed sweet enough. She wasn't enthusiastically thrilled, and it didn't feel like love at first sight, but she wasn't expecting that, anyway. It was just some dumb thing from stories. She didn't believe in stuff like that.

"It is an honor to be your match."

And that melted her!

He had a charming British accent. She was drawn to him rather quickly. His accent made him so appealing that she couldn't wait to find out more about him. Maybe the system was right. Maybe he truly was her perfect match.

"Let me just get some basic things in for you," Wren began, smiling at her. "I'm going to be a student in the med program in college, so you should know that I'm going to be a doctor. If there's ever a situation in our home, we've got a doctor!"

Our home. It sent shivers down Spencer's spine. It felt so peculiar to think about sharing a life with him. But, it didn't seem all that bad. He was an attractive, charming British man, and he was also well-educated and going to be a doctor! Money was never going to be a problem for them in the future.

She chatted with Wren for the remaining time of the ceremony, but as soon as it ended, she jetted off to meet up with Aria, Hanna, and Emily. She had to meet up with them in order to find out who Aria and Hanna were matched up with. She wondered if they were better than the handsome Brit she had gotten.

"That was crazy!" Aria exclaimed, her eyes full of joy. "I got paired up with this guy named Ezra Fitz, and he is amazing. He's so poetic, smart, and he's super cute. He writes books. He's going to become a teacher and an author. He's so sophisticated! I love him already!"

"Whoa there, loving him a little too fast..." Spencer said, raising her eyebrows. "What about the rest of you? Do you guys love your matches? Who did you get, Hanna?"

"I thought... I thought I was going to get Caleb," Hanna quietly said, staring at the floor. "I thought it was finally my chance to be with him, but I got paired up with some guy named Sean Ackard, and it's weird as hell! He keeps talking about sports. And I saw Caleb. He didn't just get matched with some other girl, he got matched up with Kate Randall, that bitch that's the daughter of the woman my dad cheated on my mom with."

"I'm sorry, Han," Emily said, sighing. "Ben and I both have swimming in common, but I don't know, I just don't feel the connection I wanted to feel. I knew I wasn't going to be happy."

"You will be!" Aria exclaimed. "Just give it some time. I'm already super happy with Ezra. Maybe some relationships just take more time to get comfortable with."

Swooping Aria, Hanna, and Emily away were their matches. Each one of the young men took their girl away, leaving Spencer. She was going to get back to Wren, but before she could, Toby stepped in front of her.

"Spencer."

She scratched her head and said, "Hello, Toby... Do you need something? Shouldn't you be with your new girlfriend it whatever?"

"I got paired with Jenna Marshall, and she hates me," he said, his eyes intensely staring at her. She knew his gaze was better than Wren's, but she couldn't say anything aloud. "This isn't what I wanted at all. She can't be my soul mate."

"But she is! You just have to give it some time," Spencer said, staring at the floor. "I'm not your soul mate, Toby. If I was, the system would have told us. But it didn't. You're with Jenna Marshall, and I'm with my own guy."

"I know, I didn't say you were my soul mate, but... but I wish you were," he confessed. "I don't think I can ever love Jenna, Spencer, but I know that last night did mean something to me."

"Toby!" she scolded. "What happened to being just friends? I thought we were forgetting about what happened last night, anyway!"

"You're right," he said, sighing. "I just keep forgetting to forget, and I think there's a reason for that, but you wouldn't want me to say it. But anyways, how's your sweet Wren Kingston? He doin' you any good so far? It's probably better than Jenna and I."

"We are doing great," Spencer said, nodding. "He is so sweet, and smart, and... I'm happy that I got him."

"What if you got me instead?" Toby asked, looking up at her. "Would you still be as happy as you are now?"

"It doesn't matter. The point is, I didn't get you, I got Wren."

As if on cue, Wren smiled and walked up to them, "Spencer, sweetheart! Come on, let's go. There is an after-party going on outside to celebrate the ceremony."

She looked back at Toby briefly before taking Wren's hand and walking outside to join everyone else in the after-party. She could say that she was happy, but Toby couldn't. He couldn't because he wasn't.