Since when was everything so convoluted? It was all so simple back in Ohio. There were no layers to peel away, no overlapping of lies with half truths and hypocrisy. No walls and barriers to tear down in order to see the reality behind them. What you saw was what it was and that was all. But Spencer wasn’t what everyone saw.

She wasn’t fully herself there, she was to afraid to be. The close minded conservative community she came from condemned everything from homosexuality to girls skirts being a tad too high. She had grown up in that environment and it was that all she knew so she did what she could to be like everyone else. She built those walls, created those layers and became the convoluted mess she was growing so tired of.

“Sometimes you’ve got to lie to live.” The corners of her full lips curled upwards at the thought of her favorite subject. Ashley could not even imagine how close to home her words had hit. She herself had built up a facade that kept everyone at a distance in which she could feel safe. Spencer realized this a long time ago and maybe it was the real reason that drew her closer to the troubled girl. It could not have been her infectious smile, tantalizing body, soulful eyes, or ‘hate me or love me I don’t give a shit’ attitude on its own. The vulnerable and broken girl that lurked beneath the tough exterior that she just waiting to love and be loved in return? Maybe.

Whatever it was that constantly pulled them towards each other, deeper into unknown territory until they’re so binded together that breaking them apart would mean death, was something beyond understanding and maybe it was one of the few things not meant to be understood. Sometimes you just go with the flow.

“Hearts and thoughts, that’s what the connection is between us and those we love. Ain’t nothin in this world stronger than that.” she recalled Dano saying on their drive back to her place.

The ride home had mostly been a conversation about her and Ashley’s relationship and she found herself completely comfortable with talking to the girl about everything from her indescribable feelings for the brunette to the insecurities that plagued her.