𝙻𝚒𝚊𝚛, 𝙻𝚒𝚊𝚛, 𝙿𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝙾𝚗 𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚎 (𝚂𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛 𝙷𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜)

ᴛʜᴇ ᴋᴀʜɴ ɢᴀᴍᴇ

Katherine was walking up to the counter of the brew with Aria and Spencer to get their drinks.

"Okay, I understand you're really upset right now. But can you please just look at this" Aria said showing them the photo. "It's a photo of Maya"

"Yeah, I saw it," Spencer said looking at Aria's phone and then looked at Aria.

"I found it on her website last night, Spence, Kat. Look. There is a stamp on her wrist that matches the one Emily remembers from that night. Holden really did see her there"

"Yup"

Katherine just shrugs her shoulders and doesn't say anything.

"Why are you two not all go-go-gadget about this? This is big! This is a real link between Maya and that night. Look!"

"Aria, I can't do this anymore, okay? I cannot keep running around looking for clues. I can't spend hours hacking into websites. Five days ago I forgot to apply to college. Do you get that?"

"Thanks," Aria said to the barista who placed their drinks down.

Katherine then walked over to the couch and sat down.

"Hey, it was just the early admissions deadline. You can still get in. It's gonna be okay"  Aria said to Spencer.

"UPenn has been my dream school since I was eight, Aria. And yesterday I found my dream crumpled up in the bottom of a bag underneath my A.P. French and my Physics homework. Which, by the way, I got a 'B' on. A 'B' So no, everything is not gonna be okay! I'm dropping my Velma act. From now on, I'm Daphne, because I have a college to get into"

Katherine took a glance at Spencer and placed her hand on her thigh.

"I think you're confusing which Scooby-Doo character would have gotten into an Ivy League. And both Velma and Daphne solve crime"

"Moring, ladies. This belong to one of you?" Cece asked walking up to them.

"Yeah, that's mine. Thanks" Aria said standing up and grabbing her phone from Cece.

"Sure. UPenn. Who's applying?"

"Not me, 'cause I'm going to community College," Spencer said and laid her head back against the couch.

Katherine then moved her hand a little to Spencer's inner thigh and gave her thigh a little squeeze, which made Spencer hold her breath for a moment.

"She just missed the early admissions deadline"

"Hey, you don't need early admissions. You're a Hastings. If I can get in, you can get in" Cece told Spencer.

"You went to UPenn?" Spencer asked picking up her head from the back of the couch and looked at Cece.

"Okay, dial down the shock"

"No. No, It's just that If you went. Then maybe you know somebody that I can talk to about NY application like a dean or a Professor-- a Janitor, even" Spencer said.

"Well, there is this party tonight. Some people I haven't seen since high school. This Steven is supposed to be there. Last I heard, he got a job working for admissions after he graduated"

"At UPenn?"

"Yeah," Cece said with a nod of her head.

"That is awesome! Can we please go talk to him? I could just bring my application--"

"I really wasn't planning on going. It's not really my scene. Oh. You're not gonna stop staring at me like a lost puppy until I say yes, are you?"

Spencer shook her head.