Chapter 36

   Life is about many things. Happiness, love, success. It's about your friends and family. It's about the little things that can either build you or break you. Life is in constant motion. It moves in waves, some strong and terrifying, and some calm and peaceful. But this wave was strong and not terrifying. It was like taking a deep plunge into something exhilarating. Something that will forever consume me.

A relationship with Spencer Gold.

And when he said those six words that made my heart stop. Will you be my girlfriend kitten? That was something I know will forever consume me.

But instead of freaking out like I usually do with everything else, I felt at home. I felt over the moon. I felt perfect.

I look up at him with a giddy smile. "What did you say?" I taunt him.

But surprisingly Spencer doesn't complain. "I'm only repeating it one time. Will you please be my girlfriend?"

"I couldn't hear you." I begin as I fiddle with his fingers mischievously. "Can you repeat that?"

He gives me a flat look. "Nope. I guess you didn't care enough to listen."

I rush as he takes a step away. "Wait! Wait! I'll be your girlfriend!"

"Good." Spencer says with his back turned to me. "Because I couldn't wait any longer."

My eyes widen as I feel his lips smash against mine.

"Hi boyfriend." I breathlessly look at Spencer as soon as we break the kiss.

He smiles the most mesmerizing, loving smile. "Hi girlfriend."

I suddenly giggle. "What is it with us and saying hi?"

Spencer makes a goofy face. "It's another way for us to say one hundred and whatever percent."

I gaze up at him, feeling over the moon. "Sure."

"Hi girlfriend." Spencer replies cheekily.

I laugh, over joyed for a million reasons including how I'm in his arms. "One hundred and ten percent." I purposely mix up our sayings.

Spencer lightly flicks me on the forehead. "You messed up."

"Ow." I grumble. "Don't be an abusive boyfriend."

But instead of him glaring at me, he looks even happier. "Say that again."

I furrow my eyebrows. "Don't be an abusive boyfriend?" I slowly make out questionably.

"God I'm lucky." Spencer scans my face, as if trying to remember it forever.

"For me calling you an abusive boyfriend?" I watch him in confusion. 

"For you calling me your boyfriend." He corrects.

"Well yea, I think that's part of what I agreed to when I said yes." I make an obvious face.

"And that's what I wanted when I asked you." Spencer adds, playing with my hair like he always does.

"By the way you are going to get an actual birthday present on your birthday." I put my hand on my hip. "Because being my boyfriend probably won't be such a treat."

Spencer scoffs. "Please, any guy would be lucky to have you, and I am one hell of a lucky guy."

I lightly cup his cheek, making him think I'm melting. "Too bad, you're getting another present."

I start walking to the car, which just so happens to blend in with the snow everywhere.

"But my present is you." Spencer says from behind me, I stop. "I'm so into you I can barely breath. And when you said yes less than two minutes ago I felt like the luckiest guy in the galaxy. I don't deserve you kitten, but you still stay. And I know this relationship won't be easy, nothing with us is, and when you became my girlfriend you said yes for the both of us. We both know this won't be easy, but it will be amazing, adventurous, and fantastic. And your present to me is you and your amazing presence."

I turn my body to face him. "Did you just quote Ariana Grande at the beginning?"

Spencer gives me a look as I struggle to hold in the laughter.

"Okay, never mind, that's besides the point. The point is yes. I know it won't be perfect, because every good thing starts off not perfect. Like us. Before we let go of our old selves together. We saved each other. From our selves. And I know we may fight, or may not, but things will change. Except for our feelings for each other." I look at him vulnerably.

"Things will always be changing." Spencer agrees. "But we will stick together."

I show him a tiny smile. "Then let's go stick together." I hold put my hand to him.

"Let's go stick together." And he grabs my hand.

We walk back to the car, away from our old selves, away from our past, and back to our new reality. Back to life, which is always moving.

I look at Spencer before we get into his car. "You will be getting another present."

Spencer shrugs, understanding it will also most likely be a huge surprise.

A huge surprise. Just like this will be to everyone.
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"So, when are we gonna tell them?" I flop down on Spencer's bed.

"Whenever the time seems right." Spencer spins around in his desk chair.

"Yea I guess, too bad right now isn't going to seem right." I agree. "Everyone is still down about Jace. It would be selfish of us to talk about our selves."

The wound is still extremely fresh. It's now only just early Tuesday morning. The day after we fought with Jace. The day after Spencer and I became official.

"I don't think they would mind though." Spencer thinks. "I mean, it possibly brighten everyone up. Especially with them all fighting over the bet they made."

"What bet?" I must be missing something here.

"Oh nothing, they all betted on when we would actually start dating." Spencer explains nonchalantly.

"How did you know about this and not me?" I ask, but don't fret I'm not angry. I really find it amusing how all of our friends placing bets on when Spencer and I would become official.

"I learned about it just recently too," He chuckles. "Emma was bugging me near Christmas to ask you out, since she said we would start dating before Christmas."

"Was that how long you've been wanting to ask me, like a month?" I smugly peer at Spencer.

He shakes his head and my ego deflates a ton.

"I've wanted to ask you to be my girlfriend since I first kissed you."

My mouth drops slightly. "But that was forever ago!"

"And I've wanted to ask you out on a date since I first met you." Spencer adds looking down.

"But you had to pretend you hated me." I say. I wish I could've felt the same for him straight from the beginning, but my feelings for him are different. He was crazy about me since we first met, I was slowly going crazy for him. And then the day we first kissed everything exploded. How I thought it would ruin our friendship, how I thought he didn't like me back, all of it changed. I knew it wouldn't ruin our friendship, it evolved it into something amazing. And I knew he definitely liked me back.

"I did." He states as he stands up. "But in the end I did get the girl. You."

I smile and stand up with him. "Then let's just tell them. Let's take a risk."

Spencer matches my smile, but not at first. "Are you sure?"

"Only if you are." I stare up at him confidently.

"I've pictured telling everyone with you since I first kissed you like you were the most important person in my life. Because you were and still are."

I press my lips to his.

I flutter my eyes open after we rest our foreheads together. "Things will never be the same."

"Just like Coraline Sarafian said." Spencer suddenly realizes.

My eyes widens. "I guess she was right. All that will happen next until my birthday is the game that will lead to a certain persons fame."

"Well, let's hope that game will lead to my certain fame." Spencer jokingly says.

And we will never know, until that game happens.

On my birthday. Maybe.
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"Let's make a list." Emma declares, like the organized nerd she is. "A list of all the good things that come from Jace leaving the group.

  I look at her knowing this is hard for her, and this is her only way of feeling better. Of her not thinking about all good memories. By thinking about the bad memories.

"Well you guys don't have to hear him arguing with me anymore." Nova pipes up as she munches on crackers.

  It's lunch, the time when Spencer and I decide we would tell them. But right now doesn't seem like such a good time. It's been alright for all of us, over all. Sure we make a few glances over at him and cheery Clarissa, but most of the looks are glares. Even from Nova, who is obviously taking the brunt of it all. But she's so strong, that she's been hiding it all.

"And Spencer and I won't have to try to include him with stuff." Parker grumbles.

"Thank the heavens." Spencer agrees from beside. "And we won't have to pretend to not notice him always glaring at me."

"Or you two being overly competitive." I pitch in, giving him an annoyed look. "Now that was annoying."

"Oh come on," Spencer pokes me in the arm, with a smirk on his face. "It was fun watching him try to beat me in everything. Especially bowling."

I smile fondly of the memory of that night. The night when Spencer helped me bowl. One of the first times I felt the sparks between us ignite. And the night Spencer suggested I tryout for the boys soccer team.

I roll my eyes. "He was fuming in the end."

"And there's another thing." Emma adds. "He was always angry with Spencer. And he would act super jealous of Jess and you."

"We will never know if that was a whole act." I say, thinking about his last words to me. He wanted to hurt all of us. Especially me.

"It wasn't." Nova all of a sudden speaks. "I watched as he would look at you. He would look at you the way I wanted him to look me."

I look at her in surprise as she continues to calmly eat her lunch. "But he was in love with you."

"Yes he was. But he would cover it, and he would show his feelings for you. Sure Jace loved me, but he liked you too." Nova watches for my reaction.

"Nova..." I slowly start. "I want you to know that he never deserved you. You deserve someone who loves you and only you. You deserve someone nothing like Jace." I spit his name out in disgust.

"Well then, it's another good thing that Jace and I will never talk again." Nova glumly replies. "But it's a bad thing that I ever fell in love with him."

We fall into awkward silence as Nova just begins to start eating her food again. The other four of us exchanged looks.

Emma clears her throat. "Anyways....."

I desperately search in my head for something to talk about and thankfully Parker does too.

"I heard that Coach was talking to Mr. Richards about when the soccer season will start up again." Parker exclaims, looking back and forth between Spencer and I.

"Really?" I ask right away in a giddy tone.

"Oh yea," Spencer responds. "But it gets better. I was talking to Coach and I know who we are playing our first game."

"You didn't tell me that!" Parker lightly slaps Spencer in the hand. I can tell I'm not the only one who wants to know everything about our soccer team.

"Well he didn't tell me anything." I pout.

"Regardless," Spencer tries to change the subject. "Can anyone guess who we will be playing?"

"Um no." Parker sends him an exasperated expression.

"We aren't psychics." I add, looking at Spencer.

"It's obvious." Emma sighs. "You're playing against SouthWood High."

"Thank you." Spencer laughs giving Emma a high five.

"So we are playing SouthWood High." I repeat, thinking to myself. "Do you also happen to know exactly when we are playing this game?"

He shakes his head. "Nope. Coach said it depends on when most of the snow is gone."

"I bet Jess hopes that is any day now." Parker jokes.

"Actually yes." I frown. "I still hate this stupid weather."

"But you definitely don't regret coming here, right?" Spencer smiles at me.

"I don't regret anything." I say instantly, without hesitation.

"Good." Spencer kisses me on the forehead.

"Somethings different." Emma glances between us suspiciously. "You two are perkier than ever. Certainly you Spencer, for Jess being perky is normal."

"Hey!" I defend myself as she continues to peer at us, trying to read our minds or something. But I am their peachy Georgia girl.

"I agree with you babe." Parker joins in, scanning us back and forth. "My best bro is never this happy."

"Can you please stop searching us like you are scientists and we are exotic animals?" Spencer snaps at them, trying to cover for us. But I feel him secretly intertwine my hand with his underneath the table.

"We could use some help over here.. Nova?" Emma looks at our quiet best friend. I look over at her to see that she is still on her phone, hiding herself once again.

"It's obvious." She mocks Emma from earlier, not even looking up from her phone. "They're officially dating."

"What?" Emma shrieks and jumps up from her seat, not believing Nova.

"I knew it!" Parker cheers as he turns to his own girlfriend. "Give me the twenty bucks."

"You didn't tell us!" She ignores her greedy boyfriend as she stares at Spencer and I with a mixture of shock and excitement.

"We just made it official yesterday." Spencer says for the both of us as we smile up at her.

"When you just so happened to ditch." Parker smirks. "I see he turned you into a bad girl, huh?" He looks at me.

I shrug. "It was one of his early birthday presents. And as long as I've turned him into a good boy I'm fine with being a bad girl."

Spencer laughs as I lean into him.

"Ah, and I assume that he made you say yes as another birthday present?" Parker suspects as Emma hugs Spencer and I, congratulating us.

"You assumed right. Except for the part where I'm getting him another birthday present." I grin evilly.

Spencer groans. "I told her I don't need anything else."

"Jess will deliberately do something if you tell her not to do it." Emma chuckles. "Just like another girl I know."

We all turn to Nova who still has her face in her phone. She is either really interested in some fan-fiction, or she is playing Pokemon Go.

She looks up sensing our stares, and finally puts her phone down. "Congratulations Spencer and Jess, I'm thrilled you two are finally together. Too bad Emma and I now owe Parker twenty bucks each. I thought you guys would've started dating when Emma and Parker also started dating."

And it's as if Nova and everyone else would've thought Spencer would've asked me before. Other than his best friend of more than ten years. Because best friends can practically read each other's thoughts. And it's too bad I can read Nova's.
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Sunday January 22... Spencer's 18th birthday.

"Spence, your mom is making you dress up." I nag him as I put my phone on speaker phone.

"But I don't what to." He grumbles like his usual five year old self.

"I'll dress up if you dress if." I propose, even though I already am planning on it, but he doesn't need to know that.

"Can it be that pretty dress I bought you last week?" Spencer mumbles in a puppy dog voice.

"Sure." I continue to search for a decent pair of shoes. "But I don't want to wear heels."

"I don't mind." Thankfully Spencer says. "I love it when you're way shorter than me."

"That settles it then." I begin as I pull out white coloured converses, that will hopefully match the white coloured cardigan I will be wearing. "You'll be dressing up."

"Fine." He sighs. "But to warn you everyone will be dressing up. Especially the grown ups."

I nod my head. "Well, you are eighteen years old today. Officially a grown up too."

"I guess that means that I'm a man now, huh?" I can practically feel his smirk.

"I guess that does," I pause. "Too bad you still act the same age as Sam."

And I feel the smirk disappear. "You're hilarious." He sarcastically responds. "But that's not the very nice to make fun of the birthday boy."

"Birthday boy. Okay, I guess that means-" I get cut off by his protests.

"I meant birthday man. Birthday man. Not birthday boy."

I bark into laughter. "Whatever you say."

"Speaking of my birthday, you still haven't told me happy birthday yet." He changes his tone into fake sadness.

"Well I'm waiting to tell you in another one of our cliche greetings." I pull out my straightener.

"Fine, until then kitten." Spencer notices that we both have to start getting ready.

"Until then."

With that I start getting ready, but not before I check up on Spencer's surprise present.

And boy, will he be a surprise.
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"Hello Jessica, gorgeous as ever. It feels like forever ago that I last saw you."

I roll my eyes. "I saw you yesterday Sean, when we were setting everything up here."

"Technically yes, but my heart yearned for your presence ever since you left." Sean dramatically puts a hand to his heart as he guards the doorway.

I huff but don't cross my arms, seeing as how I'm currently holding Lily's hand. "Are you gonna let us in or not?"

"Feisty. No wonder my brother is a big sick suck for you. Also probably because black really is your colour." I watch as he scans my body jokingly. It's a good thing I think of him as another big brother. And it's an even better thing that this is all a big joke to him.

"Where's Spencer?" I look at him in all seriousness.

"Woah slow down girl. You just sounded like one of those creepy stalker girls." Sean makes a creeped out facial expression.

"She always sounds like that." A voice appears from Sean.

"Hi boyfriend." I smile happily.

"Hi girlfriend." He replies and matches my smile. My eyes shine even more as I see that Spencer did indeed dress up. In an amazingly fitting shirt and pants I may add.

"Hi kraft dinner coming up from earlier." Sean covers his mouth as he leaves the doorway.

Lily of course let's go of my hand to run and find Sam.

"Happy birthday." I look up at him as he cups my face.

"Well isn't this cliche?" Spencer says before presses his lips to mine. I kiss back and then break.

"Yes it is... Birthday boy." I evilly smile before entering the house in a quick speed, knowing Spencer will come after me.

I stop at the living room where I see a bunch of people I don't know. Well, I obviously recognize immediate Gold family, just not the whole gang. Which has to include at least thirty people from both Mrs. Gold's family and Mr. Gold's family, at least that's what Spencer told me. So some of them have to be hiding out in the kitchen. And there is obviously going to be some kids hanging out downstairs where Lily is.

Spencer stops behind me and wraps his arms around my waist and around my stomach, leaning behind me. "I got you." I feel his breath tickle my neck, sending shivers down my spine like always.

"Oh hello Jess!" His perfect mother basically jumps up from her seat. I see her grin even more when she watches Spencer and I. Let's just say she was over the moon when we told his family that we were officially dating.

"Hi Mrs. Gold." I grin back at her. I notice everyone slowly starting to look our way.

"Everyone I would like to introduce someone very special, this is Spencer's girlfriend." She smiles back and forth between the relatives and me.

"Hi my name is Jessica, but you can also call me Jess." I brightly add.

I get a chorus of 'hello's.

"Oh hello darling." An adorable older woman greets me. "I'm Spencer's grandma Minnie."

"It's so nice to meet you." I go to shake her hand when I'm pulled into a strong hug. It takes me by surprise seeing as how she is about an inch or two shorter than me and I'm 5'2, so that's saying something.

As she pulls away I happen to notice the faint sparkle in her green eyes, so I assume she is Mrs. Golds mother, and the smile.

"I absolutely love your name by the way." I compliment her.

"Well I adore your name. You share the same name with a woman on my soaps show." She leans in to whisper to me. "Don't tell my daughter this but Jessica is actually my favourite character."

I chuckle. "And who does she think is your favourite?"

"Oh some girl named Tiffany." She waves her arm, brushing it off. "Anyways tell me something about yourself."

I look up to see Spencer watching us from the other side of the living room where some of his relatives are talking to him.

"Well, one of my favourite things in the entire world is soccer. I happen to play on the school soccer team with Spencer."

"Really? That's fantastic! I heard from Ruby that it's actually just a boys team, huh?" She asks.

I nod my head. "Yep. But I just so happened to beat enough boys to make the team." I smile before she joins in laughing with me.

   And I swear Mrs. Gold basically got everything from her mother. Including her awesomeness, because as I continue to chat with Grandma Minnie I continue to learn more and more about Spencer and his family. And I thought I knew enough about my boyfriend. Too bad for him I will be later mentioning how he used to not like pizza as a kid. Tsk, tsk.
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I come back downstairs after sneaking upstairs to Sam's room where I'm keeping Spencer's birthday present.

"What are you doing?" I hear a voice.

I jump and turn around before sighing of relief. "Jeez, you scared me Em. You could've been Spencer."

Emma laughs at my worried state. "Don't worry his Aunt Debra is telling him all about how to make the perfect lasagna." She looks at my weirded out face. "I don't know how that topic came about, but I'm pretty sure he didn't bring it up."

I slowly nod my head.

"However, Mrs. Gold wants him to start opening presents soon." Emma exclaims. "Which means...."

"I've already talked to her all about it and I'll be giving him his present last, seeing as how his present may leave a present during it all if you know what I mean." I ensure her as we walk back into the crowded living room.

Within five minutes Mrs. Gold managed to gather everyone into the living room. Thank goodness they have a huge house or else some of these people, including me, probably would've had to sit on the floor.

"First present please." Spencer looks at me, since he decided to make me the official present picker. But I just think that's because he made me sit beside me and all the presents were placed on my side of him.

I pick up a blue bag and hand it to him.

He fishes out a card from the side and quickly reads it. "From Aunt Michelle, Uncle Jonah, Marina, and Lucy." Is all he says.

I look over at one of the many families here. I see the little girl Lucy, who've I've already met and is too cute, sitting in the kids corner which includes Lily and Sam. I spot Marina sitting with her parents on her phone, on snapchat I presume. I've already taken plenty of snapchats with the sweet fourteen year old. But hey, snap chat is pretty cool.

"You don't read the cards out loud?" I frown at Spencer.

"No." He simply replies.

"Oh trust me darling, his mother tried to get him to read them out loud even as a young boy. He was just too quiet." Grandma Minnie chuckles along with everyone else.

"There is two types of people: the ones who read the cards out loud, and the ones who don't." Marina pipes up before going right back to her phone.

I sigh.

"Well I'm opening my present now so..." Spencer drags out, obviously not taming his five year old instincts. Everyone loves opening presents.

It turns out to be a call of duty game for his xbox and a Sports Check gift card.

And after many more presents there just so happens to be at least five gift cards to that exact same place.

"I still haven't opened your present." Spencer pokes me, wanting to get the surprise gift I got him.

"Alright I'll go get it." With that I dart of upstairs to get the exciting surprise.

I run back downstairs within thirty seconds the surprise running down with me.

I hear people gasp and watch their awed faces as I enter the living room.

"Oh my God!" Spencer stares at it speechlessly. "You got me a fudging puppy!"

I happily nod my head back and forth as Spencer's families last eat edition runs around us with his tail wagging back and forth.

"You got me a puppy." He rushes to hug me and I giggle as he places kisses all over my face.

Everyone awes around us and the younger kids instantly go to pet the ecstatic puppy.

"What type of puppy is he?" Spencer and I kneel down to met the handsome boy.

"He is a husky golden retriever mix." I answer and grin as his puppy licks him all over the hand.

"He's perfect." Spencer looks at me passionately. "And so are you. We are going to have so much fun with our newest member."

"He's all yours." I disagree as his soft puppy lays down on the floor contently as I let his stomach.

"Oh hell no." Spencer scoots beside me and the puppy. "He's both of ours."

"But I got him for you. He is your birthday present."

"My birthday present is an amazing girlfriend." Spencer ignores the awes coming from all of his female relatives, even Marina who I noticed is taking a picture of this unnamed family member.

"Jess please just say yes... Or else we will never hear the end of it from him." Grandma Minnie gives me a begging look.

"Fine." I sigh. "As long as Spence chooses the name."

"Would it be cliche if I named him Spence just because I love that nickname?" Spencer smirks at me.

I give him an exasperated look. "Yes, and I don't want our lives to be some big cliche sap story so choose another name."

Spencer stares at our puppy. "Pizza. His name is Pizza."

Well, there's another surprise.

"Pizza?" Everyone suddenly questions.

"It's a long story." Spencer exclaims. "But let's just say that I will have my pizza boy and my pizza girl."

I smile.

Twenty minutes later everyone is still ogling over Pizza.

"So, how are things with you all?" I sit down on the floor in front of my best girlfriends.

"Better now that I want Parker to get me a puppy." Emma jokes.

I laugh. "Or maybe you should get him one."

"And if it's a girl then we could go out on triple dates!" She squeals. "Parker and I, Spencer and you, and Pizza and our girl!"

"Make that a quadruple date." Nova begins, not breaking eye contact with her phone. "I just got a date with an amazing guy." She smiles the biggest smile I've ever seen her shine.

"Really?" Emma and I fangirl in unison.

"With who?" I ask for the both of us.

"Oh, I don't think you will know him Jess. And you will love him Em. I met him at the record store downtown. He is really shy and sweet. He even goes to NorthWood High."

"So who is he?" Emma urges excitedly.

"Brian." Nova grins to herself in a lovesick way. "Brian Morrison."

Nova is going on a date with Brian? Breakfast Club?

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Hey perfect people!

Omg I make the worst cliff hangers ever....

  Regardless guess what? I dared myself to write this whole chapter in less than a day, approximately 20 pages and 5000 words in less than twelve hours... What? But I did it! Yay! 100 percent procrastination at its finest people! And I'm not usually one to procrastinate but I did it! My hands and fingers really hurt though..

Anyways what did you think of this chapter? They are finally dating thank god, any thoughts or opinions? Poor Nova am I right? Or is she not so poor anymore, seeing as how she may or may not be going out with Brian, what? And what do you think of Jess getting Spencer a puppy? Let me know in the comment section! Please don't be a silent reader!

Bye for now my lovely bookworms,
                                                                   Ashley🌸