HEARTBREAK HIGH; •Spencer White•

twenty five - seaweed

INTERTWINING HER FINGERS ANXIOUSLY, Daisy approached the older woman standing near the edge of the yard. Parents and students crowded around them, voices blending together beneath the afternoon sun, but Daisy could still feel the way Cait White's attention immediately flicked toward Spencer first.

Her eyes landed on Daisy and her entire expression brightened instantly. "Daisy!" Cait exclaimed, almost theatrically. "I thought Spencer had scared you off by now." Daisy rubbed her fingers together awkwardly before forcing a polite smile onto her face. Beside her, Spider had already visibly tensed.

"Hello, Ms White," Daisy greeted kindly. "It's lovely to see you again." The woman smelled overwhelmingly of expensive perfume and white wine, the scent almost dizzying up close. Cait waved a dismissive hand immediately.

"Oh, sweetheart, drop the formalities. Call me Cait. All of Spencer's little friends do." Before Daisy could respond, Cait wrapped an arm tightly around her shoulders, pulling her into a hug far too personal for someone she barely knew. Daisy laughed nervously, glancing toward Spider just in time to catch the warning look on his face.

"Mum," he said sharply. The word alone carried enough tension to make Daisy blink. Spider stepped forward immediately, pulling Daisy gently back beside him and out of Cait's grip. His hand settled instinctively against the small of her back, grounding both of them at once.

"Daisy's my girlfriend," he said flatly. For a second, Cait just stared. Then suddenly a high-pitched laugh burst from her mouth, loud enough that a few nearby parents glanced over.

"You're serious?" she asked in disbelief, eyes flicking between them. Spider's jaw tightened. The laughter softened slightly but the amusement stayed painted across her face.

"Oh darling," Cait sighed dramatically toward Daisy. "Are you sure you want to date my son?"
Daisy's brows pinched together slightly. There was something strange about the question. Still, she smiled politely.

"Of course I do," Daisy replied. "Spencer's my best mate." She felt Spider's fingers twitch against hers behind her back. Cait hummed softly, eyes lingering on Spencer a moment too long.

"Well," she said eventually, "don't come crying to me when he breaks your heart, dear girl." The comment landed harder than Daisy expected. Not because she believed it, but because Spider clearly did. His shoulders stiffened beside her instantly. His hand dropped from her back almost automatically, like the words alone had made him retreat into himself.

Before either of them could respond, Cait squeezed Daisy's shoulder once more and wandered off toward another group of parents, already laughing at something else entirely. Silence settled over them. Daisy turned slowly toward Spencer, studying him properly now.

He wouldn't look at her. His hands shoved themselves into the pockets of his hoodie while he stared somewhere over her shoulder, jaw tight enough she thought he might crack a tooth.

"Your mum's a bitch," Daisy said finally. Spider let out a short breath through his nose at that, almost a laugh.

"She is," he muttered quietly. Only then did he glance at her, and Daisy's chest tightened immediately. His eyes were glossy. Not fully crying, Spencer White would probably rather die than cry in the middle of school grounds. But there was enough hurt sitting there to make something twist painfully in her chest.

"And you don't deserve to hear shit like that," Daisy said softly. She stepped closer, reaching up to cup his cheek and force his gaze fully back toward hers. Spider melted into the touch instantly despite himself, eyes fluttering shut for half a second.

"You're not gonna break my heart, Spence." His expression tightened at that like he wanted to believe her but didn't quite know how.

"You don't know that," he admitted quietly.

"I do." The certainty in her voice made him finally look at her properly again. Daisy smiled gently before leaning up and pressing a quick kiss against his lips, soft enough to steady him more than anything else.

"Want to go back to mine?" she asked. Spider nodded almost immediately.

"Yeah," he murmured. "Please." By the time they reached Daisy's room an hour later, the tension from school had eased into something softer.

Music filled the room quietly while Spencer lay sprawled across her bed, one arm tucked behind his head as Daisy sat cross-legged beside her speaker, determinedly forcing him to listen to every song she'd become obsessed with recently.

"And this," she declared dramatically, "is another favourite." She hit play proudly, Spider listened for barely three seconds before speaking.

"Lots of Nothing. Spacey Jane." Daisy groaned loudly, throwing her head back.

"You are actually the worst." Spider clapped smugly from the bed while she hurried to skip the song again.

"Alright, alright. You won't know this one." The next song started, Spider smirked immediately.

"Miss Your Birthday."

"Oh my god."

"Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers," he added with a wink. Daisy grabbed the nearest pillow and launched it directly at his face.

"You're ruining this experience for me." Spider caught the pillow easily, laughing under his breath while Daisy dramatically collapsed backward onto the mattress beside him.

"I need a break from living near the freeway," she sang loudly into her hairbrush a moment later, already back on her feet again. "Don't take this the wrong way, it's not to do with you—" She pointed finger guns toward him dramatically. Spider snorted.

"You're actually a decent singer, baby." Daisy spun toward him suspiciously.

"That sounded almost genuine."

"It was." He shrugged lazily. "You should come play with us tomorrow night." She paused mid-performance.

"What tomorrow night?" Spider reached forward suddenly, grabbing her wrist and tugging her back onto the bed with a laugh when she yelped in surprise.

"Dusty got us a gig at the pub," he explained, hands settling automatically at her waist once she landed across his lap. "Thought you already knew." Daisy blinked, then grinned.

"No way."

"Way." She shifted slightly, straddling his lap now as her hands tangled through his curls. Spider's eyes immediately softened looking up at her like that.

"So," he said quietly, fingers tracing along her thighs. "You coming?" Instead of answering, Daisy leaned down and kissed him. Slow at first then deeper when his hands tightened against her waist. Spider kissed her back instantly, completely distracted now, lips curving faintly when she tugged lightly at his hair.

"That a yes?" he murmured against her mouth.
Daisy kissed him again just to torture him.

"I'll be there," she said eventually. "I guess."Spider narrowed his eyes immediately.

"You guess?" he repeated dramatically. "What, got another boy lined up to torment, Coopers?" Daisy laughed breathlessly as she slipped from his grip before he could pull her back down properly.

"I'm sorry Spencer," she sighed dramatically, skipping back toward the speaker. "You're simply too annoying to be boyfriend material." She tossed a scrunched-up shirt at him, Spider dodged it easily.

"What a shame," he replied casually, standing from the bed. "Especially since I got us tickets to Hockey Dad next week." Daisy froze, slowly, she turned around.

"No fucking way, Spencer." The smug grin on his face widened instantly.

"Oh my god, you're serious." Daisy practically launched herself at him, shoving both hands against his chest hard enough to send him stumbling backward onto the mattress again. "You are joking."

"Told you I'm boyfriend material."

"You are absolutely not boyfriend material," she corrected immediately, though she was already climbing back onto the bed beside him, unable to stop smiling. "But I might tolerate you for Hockey Dad." Spider grabbed her around the waist before she could move away again, pulling her back against him while her laughter filled the room.

"Good," he muttered into her hair. "Was hoping you'd say that."