September 1, 2009
Rosewood, Pennsylvania
8: 30 PM
Pool Hall
Toby Cavanaugh POV
"Come on Toby why won't you play me." Lucas said as we sat at the counter drinking Coke-a-Cola out of glass bottles as the owner of this place, Jimmy, watched us. Jimmy was used to us hanging around this place and to be honest he acts like a father figure to our small group of friends.
"Because he doesn't want to hurt your feelings." Jimmy said as he came over to us. "You suck kid." He said as he looked at Lucas. Lucas just looked at me and I shrugged.
"Fine." Lucas said as he looked at me. "I will find someone else to play with me." He said as he looked around the nearly empty place.
"Good luck with that." I said as I looked at him. "Hey have you heard from Aria. She should have been here by now." I said as I looked at the clock on the wall.
"I haven't heard from her." He said as he looked at me.
"I thought for sure that she would have called you if she was going to be late." I said as I looked at him. Aria had become closer with him after the whole Jenna incident last year. She forgave me, but it doesn't mean that everything is back to normal.
"Well, she didn't. Are you two fighting again?" Lucas asked as he looked at me.
"Not that I know about." I said as I looked at the clock again.
"Is Aria playing tonight or what?" Jimmy asked as he walked over to us.
"I don't know." I said as I pulled out my cell phone. I was about to dial her number when she came busting in.
"I am here the party can start." She said as she placed her guitar case on the counter.
"Don't talk. I don't pay you to talk kid." Jimmy said as he looked at Aria. "Play something." He said as he looked at her.
"Well someone is a bit pushy." Aria said as she took out her guitar.
"You're late." He said as he looked at her.
"Sorry I had something to take care of." She said as she walked over to the little stage set up on the other side of the room.
"Oh no, Aria what did you do?" Lucas asked as he looked at her.
"Don't worry that little slut you have been fooling around is just fine." She said with a smile as she started to play. Before I knew it she was off in her own little world. She loses herself in her songs. I always did think that was cute. "You, with your words like knives, and swords and weapons that you use against me…" It didn't take me long to piece things together. Something happened with Allison. This was the you're a bitch song that Aria dedicated to Allison at the talent show last year. "Someday, I'll be living in a big old city and all you're ever going to be is mean…"
"She is really good." Jimmy said as he looked at me.
"…You, have pointed out my flaws again, as if I don't already see them…" Aria sang as more people looked over at her. "…Why you got to be so mean?..." She was smiling as she continued. "…Washed up and ranting about the same old bitter things, drunk and rumbling on about how I can't sing, but all you are is mean, all you are is mean and a liar, and pathetic, and alone in life and mean…"
"That sounds like Allison." Lucas mumbled as he watched Aria.
"…Why you gotta be so mean?" Aria finished. Everyone in the room clapped. She just looked over at Jimmy and smiled before asking "That good for you there Jimmy?"
"Wow she is sassy today." I said as I looked at him. He just smiled and moved on to the next customer.
"When you sing like that you can be sassy." A familiar voice said as they came out from the back room. I looked over to see Bobbi, Jimmy's daughter, standing there. She was a few years ahead of us in school. But, she didn't care. Misfits hang with misfits no matter age. I looked over at her as she started to dance as Aria started a new song.
"Bobbi no eyeing my girl." I said with a laugh as I looked at her.
"You don't have to worry dude. I like dicks." She said with a laugh. "Lucas come dance with me." She said as she pulled Lucas up off his chair.
"…That most people see me as ordinary, but is you look close you'll find I'm very, interesting and hard to know, you can never tell where this might go…" Aria sang as she stared at me and smiled so bright she would light up the whole damn town. "…I'm just a little bit extra ordinary…" God did she have that right. "…I don't know much, but I know for certain, that I'm just a little bit extra extra, I'm just a little bit extra ordinary." Aria finished up. It wasn't long till her arms were around me. "Miss me babe?" She asked as she looked up at me.
"When don't I?" I asked her as I leaned down for a kiss.
"Get a room you two." Lucas said as he looked at us.
"Like you and Jenna should have last night." Aria snapped.
"I don't see what you boys see in that chick." Bobbi said as she looked at Lucas and I.
"I know I made a mistake. Lucas is just thanking god he is getting laid." I said as I looked at her.
"You better believe you made a mistake." Aria said as she looked at me. "You're not going to find any better than me." She said as she kissed me.
"Wow, don't make me get the spray bottle." Jimmy said as he looked at us. He tried to be like a parent to us. Always getting after us when we got to close. Little does he know that Aria and I did it for the first time in the bathroom just a few feet from where we are now.
"Yes sir." Aria said as she pulled away.
"Are we still up for the lake the night of Noel's party?" Bobbi asked as she looked at Aria.
"Of course. After all we deserve to have our own fun." Aria said with a laugh. "Lucas are you going to be living it up with us or mattress dancing with Jenna?" She asked.
"You're not going to let this go. Are you?" Lucas asked as he looked at her.
"I am just trying to figure out why all the men in my life feel the need to sleep with the bitch." She said as she looked at me. I knew this was proof she wasn't over last year.
"Aria." I said as I looked at her.
"Don't Toby. I want to know why Lucas let her ride his disco stick." She said as she quoted Lady Gaga.
"I don't have to defend my actions to you." Lucas stormed over to the door.
"When you catch something don't come crying to me." She said as she looked at him.
"Ditto." He said as he walked out.
"Don't you think you went too far?" I asked him.
"You are one to say that." She said as she lifted up my shirt. She was reminding me of the promise I made her. The tattoo that said I was done with Jenna the black letters read: 9-1-08 Free At Last. It was the anniversary of the night I choose to fight for Aria. No matter what Jenna said or did.
"Aria." I said as I looked at her.
"Don't say sorry again. It doesn't make it go away." She said as she walked away.
"Aria, I love you." I said as grabbed her arm. "Nothing is going to change that." I said as I wrapped my arms around her.
"Yeah you have said that." She said as she smiled up at me like she did a year ago. "Let's go for a walk." She said as she looked at me.
"Anything for you love." I said as I grabbed her guitar case and took her hand. We walked out to the parking lot together and then down to the lake.
"I feel like I am going to lose one of my best friends to that she devil." Aria said as she looked at me she was sitting on the kissing rock. I was standing in front of her.
"You're not going to lose him." I said as I looked at her. "Jenna will be bored with him in no time."
"Sure." She said as she looked at me.
"Hey smile." I said as I looked at her.
"What if I don't want to?" She asked me.
"Well then you leave me no choice." I said as I started to tickle her side.
"Toby!" She squealed as her face lit up.
"There's that pretty smile." I said as I leaned down to kiss her. "I love you." I said as I pulled away from her.
"You better." She said as she smiled at me.
"I better get you home." I said as I looked at my watch.
"Fine." She said as she got up. It wasn't long before we were just down the street from her house. I was giving her a piggy back ride as we walked down the street.
"Oh how cute, the town creep and the nutcase." I heard Allison say from across the street.
"Don't say anything babe." I said as looked up at her.
"Just walk a little faster." Aria mumbled as Allison and her band of devils looked at us.
"THROW ANYMORE FIRECRACKERS LATELY!" Allison yelled as she looked at me.
"Ally." Spencer Hastings said as she looked at her friend. I felt Aria jump off my back before I knew it she was running across the street.
"You know damn well that you bitches threw that firecracker." Aria said as she looked at Allison.
"I have no clue what you are talking about Aria." Allison said as I reached Aria's side.
"Don't give me this bullshit." Aria hissed at her.
"Sweet Aria who are people going to believe a golden child or someone who tried to claw out their own eyes." Allison said as she looked at Aria.
"Allison, stop it." Emily Fields said as she looked at Allison.
"I am sure kitty cat here knows I am just kidding." Allison as she said as looked at Emily.
"You're going down bitch." Aria said as she went after Allison. I tried to pull Aria off of Allison, but it was no good. Before I knew it Mike and Byron Montgomery were running out of the house just a few house down across the street as Mrs. Fields came out of her house.
"Aria, stop this she isn't worth it." I said as I tried to pull her off of Allison. This time I was successful. I held Aria as she kicked as Byron grabbed Allison who was heading back toward us.
"What the hell is going on girls?" Pam asked.
"I think it is pretty clear." Byron said as he looked at her.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Pam asked him.
"Your girls make a game out of torturing my daughter." He said as he looked at her.
"Who started this fight?" Pam asked her daughter.
"Aria jumped Ally." Emily answered.
"Allison verbally attacked her first. We were across the street and she …" I said before Allison cut me off.
"We were just talking about tonight and this crazy person came after me." She said as she moved over to Mrs. Fields.
"Come on kids." Byron said as he looked at me and Aria. We followed him and Mike back to their house.
"Be lucky we didn't call the cops." Pam said to him before he crossed the street.
"I swear one day all those bitches are going to get it." Aria said once we were in her house.
"Are you okay sweetie?" Her father asked her as he hugged her.
"Yeah I am fine." She said as she pulled away from him.
"I can't believe all those stupid mothers. Mike could here you two fighting from the front yard." He said as he walked into the living room.
"It's nothing dad. Plus, I completely kicked her ass." Aria said as she flopped down on the sofa. She watched as her father went to grab the phone. "Dad who are you calling?" She asked him.
"You're mother. There has to be something we can do to stop this." He said as he dialed the phone.
"Don't." She said as she looked at him. Her parents split up last year after her father was found cheating with one of his students. Her mother moved up town and Byron … well he does the best he can to control two teenagers. "And he did." She said as I sat down next to her.
"Just let him be." I said as I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close.
"Gross!" Mike said as he looked at us. "Do you two have to be so lovey dovey all the damn time?" He asked as he turned on the television.
"You're sister just got in a fight don't pick on them." Byron said as he looked at his son as he sat the phone down on the table. "Your mother is bring dinner." He said as he looked at his children.
"Are you staying?" Aria asked me.
"Of course." I said as I looked at her. She just smiled up at me. About an hour later we were eating pizza on paper plates as we sat on the floor listening to Aria's parents bicker.
"I wonder what Jessica would do if it was her daughter who came home crying because some kids would not stop picking on her." Ella said as she looked at her now ex-husband.
"I think we should try to talk to her again about this." Byron said as he looked at her.
"I think you should just drop it." Aria said. "Poking the bear will only make things worse." She said as she got up and walked into the kitchen.
"Toby what do you think?" Ella asked me.
"I think that someone needs to stop Allison." I said as I heard music coming from their kitchen. "But, each time that you try to make it better Allison only gets worse. Who is going to believe someone like her over Miss. Perfect?" I said as I looked at them.
"We have to do something." Ella said as I walked away. I stood in the doorway of the kitchen and smiled at Aria who was strumming along on her guitar. This was how she deals with everything.
"You're amazing." I said as I walked over to her.
"No I am not. I am just the town loon." She said as she looked up at me.
"Aria, listen to me. No matter what other people say, you will always be perfect to me." I said as I looked at her.
"I want to believe you." She said as she looked at me.
"Then do." I said as I kissed her forehead.
"I love you." She said as she looked up at me. She got up and wrapped her arms around me. We sat there for a moment like that before she said "I think I am going to go to bed." She said as she let go.
"Okay." I said as I looked at her.
"I will see you tomorrow." She said with a smile.
"Of course it is the last Saturday of the summer." I said as I looked at her.
"Thank you for being there for me." She said as she hugged me. It wasn't long that I found myself sitting in my driveway. I was thinking about how hurt Aria has been lately. I was thinking about how happy Allison was watching Aria suffer. I found myself texting Allison : We NEED to talk! She told me to meet her at the Hasting's barn around midnight. So, that's what I did. I was standing along the back edge of the property as I waited for her.
"Toby want to apologize for your girlfriends attack?" Allison asked as she met me.
"I did want you told me too. Just go easy on Aria." I said as I looked at her.
"Toby, Toby don't you see messing with her is just so much fun." She said as she looked at me. "Plus you didn't keep our deal. You told Aria who really caused Jenna's accident."
"She knew I would never hurt someone." I said as I looked at her.
"You hurt her, didn't you?" She asked me.
"Allison go easy on her or I will tell the cops." I said as I looked at her.
"They won't believe you." She said before she disappeared back towards the barn. I just walked back home. I couldn't help, but sit up in bed waiting for Aria to text me like she always does. She has been having nightmares every night since the Jenna incident. However, she must have broken down and took her sleeping pills because that message never came.