Childish| Criminal Minds

2

Emily and Aaron are walking by the chaos that is the drama room. The cast list was just posted outside the door, and it's so crowded with desperate students that they have to squeeze through to get by.

"Why didn't you try out this year?" Emily asks. Aaron shrugs.

"I only joined drama to impress Haley, if I'm being honest. It wasn't really my thing," Aaron replies. "I was the worst second pirate in history."

"You know," Emily says, avoiding eye contact with her boyfriend. "I only joined because I saw you heading there on my first day."

Aaron smiles. He used to be strictly against getting into romantic relationships with his friends, but with Emily, things are just.. different. They fit together perfectly like two puzzle pieces.

For only a moment, Aaron considers saying it- saying "I love you" for the first time, but he decides he wants it to be more special than in the theatre hallway.

Aaron grabs Emily's hand and they keep walking.

Spencer doesn't expect much when he glances at the cast sheet. Funnily enough, it's nothing more than a normal piece of paper that's been taped to the door. Rossi hadn't even bothered to laminate it. He starts reading, and when he sees his name next to Cat's in the lead roles section, he's shocked.

"Wait.. what?" he asks quietly to himself. Cat Adams taps his shoulder and he turns around. "Cat?"

"We're the leads! Isn't that so cool?" Spencer is overwhelmed with many different emotions.

For one, he still has unresolved issues with Cat. At the end of the last school year she had tried to get him expelled, and possibly even arrested. He likes to think she's matured since then; that she's a better person, but she still intimidates him.

And second, something about Cat playing Juliet just seems so sketchy. Emily told him she was sure Cat didn't audition, and even if she privately auditioned, she hasn't taken a drama class before in her whole life.

Weird.

"I guess so," Spencer shrugs.

"I knew you'd get the part!" Cat exclaims with a bright smile. This whole situation is giving Spencer a headache. Something about a bright and cheery Cat Adams is just so off. She's only nice when she wants something, so what is it this time?

"Thanks," Spencer mutters. He gives her an awkward smile and leaves as quickly as he can, planning on telling JJ every juicy detail.

The walk from the drama room to the bike rack is a quick one, and he's undoing the lock on his new bike when he sees.. her.

"Maeve?" Spencer asks. "It's not Friday."

"I know," she says, fidgeting with her fingers. "He didn't come to school today and I just really needed to talk to you"

"Did he hurt you again?" Spencer asks.

Maeve shakes her head. "He hasn't touched me in almost a week."

"That's great," Spencer says with a small smile. Maeve forces one, but he can tell she's trying not to cry.

"Hey," he says. "I'm here for you, okay?"

"Thanks, Spencer," Maeve says. "I just wish we didn't have to keep our relationship a secret."

"Me too, but it's a small price to pay." Spencer gently takes her hand. "Do you want to go to the park with me?"

Maeve smiles. "Of course I do."

A/N: this is really close to 2k ty!

Word count: 569