Pretty Little Liars

Chapter 22: Man in the Night

That evening, Neah and Dakota are sprawled out together on the floor of Neah's bedroom as one of Dakota's odd mix tapes plays from the stereo in the corner. Neah missed the company of Dakota during their time apart. She may be a little quirky and weird but it makes her all the more lovable. Neah actually finds herself feeling guilty she didn't keep in touch after the whole Alison thing happened.

"I'm glad we're hanging out," Dakota says as though she's reading Neah's thoughts. She stacks a pretzel inside of her Oreo. "It's been a long time."

"Yeah, too long," Neah agrees with a sad smile. She reaches for an Oreo herself, thoughtfully splitting it in half.

Her conversation with Remy plays through her mind again and she's itching to tell someone about it. It's a shame that him returning and Ali being found and these cryptic messages are the causes of bringing them closer, but it's better late than never.

"I had an interesting conversation with Remy today," Neah says.

Dakota's eyebrows inch up her forehead. "You did? About what?"

"I wanted to feel him out, I guess," she admits truthfully. "I thought maybe talking to him out of nowhere would unbalance him into taunting me like the texts but that's not what happened." She frowns, hating the fact she actually enjoyed their sarcastic banter in the hallway.

"Well, he probably wouldn't want to show that he had anything to do with those messages." Dakota sits up, bringing her knees to her chest. "He has every right to hate us and I don't blame him."

Neah sighs a little. "Yeah, I agree with you on that." She pauses. "Except for the part where you say he hates us. He told me that he didn't hate me."

"Strange." Dakota crinkles her nose. "I would hate us if we weren't us. We are guilty by association when it comes to everyone Alison bullied."

Neah takes a small bite of the cookie and leans against her bed. "You aren't wrong."

Dakota bites her bottom lip and tugs at her striped knee socks. "So if you don't think Remy is A, then who do you think it is?"

Neah frowns again. "I don't know. We all knew that Ali knowing our secrets was as good as a death sentence. I don't know about you but I tried hard to stay close to her so she would keep quiet about what she knew."

Dakota softly nods. "Yeah, I guess I was the same."

Neah swallows the last of her cookie, even though she's losing her appetite from the topic of this conversation. "I don't really get nervous about a lot of things but the fact that someone else has information on us makes me very uneasy."

Dakota is quiet for a beat and she fiddles with the heavy chain necklace wrapped around her neck. "Unless it's Alison."

"Dead girls don't blackmail."

"But they do haunt," Dakota points out warningly. "And if this isn't haunting, then I don't know what is."

Neah flicks a curly strand of hair away from her face, desperate to talk about something else. She invited Dakota over to talk about things that aren't quite related to someone who is stalking them. She clears her throat. "So what's going on with you and Tyler Firestone?"

Dakota eyes her. "Nothing, that I know of."

Neah watches Dakota's cheek grow red and it makes her think of all the times they would bring Tyler up in the past and Dakota would get just as shy. "Well from where I stand, he's more than determined to get to know you."

"And how do you know that?"

"The rumor mill at school." Neah shrugs a shoulder. She heard two girls talking about it in the locker room after gym. Kelsey something.

Dakota shifts, still fiddling with her necklace. "Tyler Firestone is a typical Rosewood boy that wouldn't look twice my way. He doesn't like me like that."

"Well it seems like he's been looking at you a lot lately." Neah throws an Oreo at her, smiling. "You have all those typical Rosewood girls jealous."

Dakota snickers. "Yeah, right. Locker room talk isn't always true, you know."

Neah rolls her eyes. "Hate to break it to you but that high school musical logic doesn't apply here. When girls gossip while changing bras, it's usually legit gossip."

Dakota rolls her jaw. "Doesn't mean it happens in real life. Tyler is the guy that goes for girls like Ali. You remember how much they flirted."

"And girls like Ali end up dead so maybe his taste has improved." The statement rolls off Neah's tongue so casually that she wonders if it's something she's thought many times before this. And maybe she has. Most movies and shows she has seen winds up with the pretty blond girl six feet under. "Look, just see where it goes. And keep me updated."

Dakota gets to her feet, shooting Neah a grin as she wanders toward the window overlooking the front yard. "Well, prepare to have no real updates." She gasps, pressing her nose against the glass. "Wait, I see someone out there."

Neah immediately gets up, joining her at her side. She cups her face against the glass and sure enough, a figure is standing in the street, staring up at the window, their face hidden in the darkness of the early night. Neah's heart does a violent flip inside of her chest and she widens her eyes.

"Who is that?" Dakota asks, panicked.

The figure steps into the funnel of orange light from one of the streetlamps and Neah's eyes widen even further when she notices the burns on his face and the floppy hair covering his ears and forehead. Remy ducks his head and disappears into the night.

"Remy?" Neah asks breathlessly, she and Dakota basically gripping onto each other now. "What is looking for?"

"If now is a good time to send us radioactive emails." Dakota pulls the curtains shut.