Strangers [COMPLETE]

Chapter 13: Temptations

A few weeks later, Spencer seeked comfort from Hanna, her best friend. They had known each other since middle school, and Hanna stayed by her side throughout Spencer's pregnancy. They met in sixth grade, during a school play and quickly became best friends.

Spencer trusted Hanna enough to be Isaac's godmother. It wasn't something she wanted to do, or even think of, but coming from a Catholic household, it was necessary to have Isaac christened. It wasn't her choice, it was her mother's. The only real thing Veronica did with Spencer was getting her christened, at the age of three. She wanted to make sure that Spencer did the same thing with Isaac. "Now, when you and Mark go to heaven, Hanna will take care of Isaac." She said that day. Spencer didn't want to break the news to her mother that at that point in her life, she was starting to lose faith. Even today, she still had her doubts about her religion. She stopped going to church, even though her parents still offered to go with her almost every Sunday morning.

Hanna took Spencer to a club, of course. Spencer didn't want to tell Hanna how much she hated clubs, because she knew Hanna would be upset. Hanna ordered two shots of tequila, one for her and one for Spencer.

Spencer had neglected to tell Hanna that she didn't want to drink. She was reminded of her first sip of wine at communion, and how she nearly spit it out in front of the priest. She was sixteen. And on her twenty-first birthday, when Hanna dared her to chug multiple concoctions of various drinks and it burned Spencer's throat. Spencer didn't like the taste of alcohol, and strongly preferred to live a sober lifestyle. She didn't have a problem with people who did drink, she just preferred not to.

But when Hanna offered her the shot and taught her how to take it, there was something that forbid her from saying no. She was reminded of her bible studies, when she learned about Eve eating the apple from the forbidden tree, after being tempted by the serpent. Spencer was ten when she first heard the story. Spencer quickly learned then that giving into temptation was easier than one might think. Maybe that was why she ended up pregnant at eighteen. At least that was what her mother told her.

She accepted Hanna's offer and quickly gulped it down, and to her surprise, she actually felt good. She ordered two more for herself.

"Whoa, Spencer, slow down." Hanna warned her. After her twenty-first birthday, Hanna learned that pacing yourself while drinking was extremely important. She woke up the following morning on her then-boyfriend's couch with an enormous hangover, suddenly aware of how much she drank that night.

Spencer felt herself loosen up a little. A loud, upbeat song blared throughout the club, and Spencer dragged her best friend onto the dance floor. She had never felt this way before. She felt free. Spencer wasn't completely drunk yet, but she did feel as though her senses had dulled a bit. In fact, she didn't notice when she bumped into several men on the dance floor. Normally, if she were sober, the men would've been angry at her. But since she was slightly drunk and wearing a short, tight, and revealing black dress, she instead steered some attention from these men.

Spencer was reminded of the day when she first met Mark, in seventh grade. She instantly had a gigantic crush on him. They were in the same math class and history class, plus, they went to church and bible study together. They clicked instantly, and they first kissed when they were fifteen.

Before Mark Anderson came into her life, Spencer thought that she was just some geeky nerd who had only one friend: a slightly overweight girl who wanted to be popular. Hanna always thought that Spencer was prettier than her, until eighth grade, when she lost weight and became one of the popular girls, leaving Spencer buried in the depths of loserdom. They were separated shortly, but soon realized that they were destined to be best friends. They made up, went to college together, and were practically inseparable.

"Hey, baby. I'm James," Spencer heard a man's voice from behind her. She could tell that he was slightly drunk as well. "What do you say we get out of here?"

Spencer looked the man up and down. He was extremely attractive. He had tanned skin, dark hair, and perfect teeth. Without stopping to think, or even turn around to find Hanna, she agreed and followed the man into a taxi, where he almost immediately began attacking her neck with drunken kisses. And for some reason, Spencer didn't want to stop him.

Spencer was sober enough to be aware of what she was doing, but too drunk to remember that Toby was in Syria right now, fighting for his life and missing Spencer more than anything in the world.