Pretty Little Liars: The Beginning {Episodes 1-10} (REVISED)

48. Ashley 🌹

The city of Rosewood buzzed with the energy and excitement of a party about to start. Even Ashley Marin had heard about the impending autumn bash at the Kahn cabin. Hanna had been talking about it nonstop ever since she came home from school. Ashley was doing her best to pretend that she didn't know how much underage drinking would be taking place that night. She just hoped Hanna would be responsible.

As she chopped up some vegetables for a salad she was making since the one and only Darren Wilden had ordered a pizza, and she was trying not to indulge, Hanna came through the kitchen wearing a skimpy pink dress that stopped at her mid-thigh. She crossed the kitchen, completely ignoring Darren. Ashley couldn't blame her. Even she was getting sick of him.

"How are you getting home?" Ashley asked as Hanna shoved her phone and a few other accessories into her purse. "If there's any drinking, I will pick you up."

"Or I could take you, if you don't mind riding in the squad car," Darren said sarcastically as he took a sip of beer. Hanna didn't say anything, not even sending a look in his direction. "I wouldn't use the cuffs."

"I'll be fine. Thanks," Hanna snapped.

Hanna left her bag on the kitchen island and stormed back up the stairs. Ashley shot Darren a stern look. If he was going to hang out in their kitchen all day, the least he could do was be respectful of Hanna. She already hated him enough without his crude remarks.

"What?" Darren asked. "It was a joke."

Ashley grabbed another chunk of romaine lettuce and began to rip it into smaller pieces and throwing them into a large bowl. If there was a way to get him out of their lives, she would take it as soon as she could. "So, have you heard from the store?" she asked. "Are they prosecuting or not?"

"No, I haven't heard," Darren said, taking another sip of his beer, "but I have a call into them, so...." He raised his eyebrows quickly to end his sentence.

Silence reigned as Ashley walked to the fridge to get a couple things for the salad. Darren had given her such a cop out answer to her question. Something in her told her that he was just prolonging his stay more than was necessary. She turned back to the kitchen island and caught Darren peeking into Hanna's bag. He was holding something, staring at it intently.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Darren turned around and showed her one of Hanna's bracelets. It was made from purple beads and had her name spelled out in white. Ashley hadn't seen that bracelet in over a year. She was surprised it was among the things Hanna was taking to this party. "Where have I seen this before?" Darren asked. "It's nice, is it from you?"

Ashley recognised it immediately. "Alison gave it to her," she said.

Darren looked back down at the bracelet. Ashley could see the gears turning in his mind. "That's right. She mentioned that at school today," he said under his breath.

"Why were you at her school?" Ashley asked, taking the bracelet from him.

This was the first she had heard of that. Hanna hadn't said anything about Darren being at the school at all that day. Maybe she was just trying to keep the peace as much as possible while he was around, which she appreciated. But this was something that she needed to know.

"I was interviewing Hanna again. That's my day job," Darren said simply.

Ashley raised an eyebrow at him. "Why was my kid being questioned again?"

"Because she's close to the victim, and because kids keep secrets," he said.

Ashley scoffed. She wasn't born yesterday. She just knew that he was targeting Hanna because of the shoplifting incident, but of course Hanna had nothing to do with what happened to Alison. "Not mine. And if you're thinking she knows more than she's letting on, you're out of line," Ashley said. If Darren had any reaction to what she said, he didn't show it. "Sticky fingers is a long way off from what you're talking about."

"Okay, easy, Mama Bear," Darren said snidely. "It's just a routine investigation."

Ashley tilted her head slightly. She didn't care much for his sudden attitude. She'd be damned if she'd let anyone talk to her like that in her house, not Hanna, and certainly not Darren. "Well, then you're going to need a search warrant to go through her purse."

She walked swiftly around Darren, picked up Hanna's purse, and moved it to the counter away from him as she zipped it up. This whole situation had become far too much to bear for her. Darren had overextended his stay in their lives.

"So, can I help with dinner?" Darren asked as if nothing was wrong.

"Yeah," Ashley said simply. She strode to the pizza box sitting on the counter, swiped off the bottle cap that Darren had left on top of it, and thrust it toward him. "Have it someplace else. Breakfast, too."

Darren stared Ashley dead in the eyes, the menacing look making her feel slightly intimidated. She stood her ground, though. She was not going to let a man call the shots in her house. He eventually turned around and headed out the back door, slamming it behind him. Ashley knew that it wouldn't be the last they saw of him, but at least the night would be far more peaceful with him gone.