The Girl Who Ran Away

Chapter 8 - Be My Guest

A faint shadow of a person emerges around the brick wall. As he approaches under the dim light, I can make out a shimmer of golden blonde hair.

I'd recognize that hair anywhere, I've only seen it everyday of my life in the mirror and on my brother's big head. He comes closer and closer, each step leaving me thinking of ways to escape him. He betrayed me before and I don't know if I can forgive him. 

"Hello Ali," Jason says in a cool calming voice.

I stand up to face him, and look deep into his blue eyes with disgust. 

"I'm guessing you know why I'm here." I say.

So this is it, my attempt to run away again, to escape, thwarted my my very own brother. I can see it in the headlines, Girl Back from the Grave, ha! News that I'm still alive hasn't come out yet so I need to disappear, fast. 

"I do, but I'm not here to rat you out, I'm here for a different reason." 

"Being A's prison bitch?" 

He shakes off my comment. "I need some information from you, and if you don't tell me, I'll have to inform some friends of mine on your big secret." No, he couldn't know; I've never told it to anybody before. 

"Oh ya? Well if you know my secret, then what is it? I want proof."

To my surprise, he doesn't take it back. Could he really know?  He leans into my ear and whispers, "The kissing rock." My face drops and my heart pounds into my chest.

"How do you know that?!" I demand, but all he does is start laughing, giggling to be exact. Great, he's drunk - again. Shocker. I've had it with this guy! Before I know it, I push push him onto the street. I'm satisfied at first, then a small light appears in the distance. The light grows bigger and bigger. I scream and pull Jason back, but he won't budge. Finally, I kick his crotch and when he hollers in pain, I manage to get him out of the way.

"Idiot!" 

"Shut up!" He screams back, "Maybe I wanted to stay there. Maybe I wanted to just dissapear out of everyone's lives! Is that too much to ask? is it too mu-"

He's cut off when I slap him. What's he thinking, he can't possibly want to commit suicide! 

"Do you have any idea what it's like? To have people look at me and think, 'It should have been him, not Alison' ? Even mom and dad look at me that way, did you know that? To them and everyone else, for that matter, I'm just the mistake. The shame of the Dilaurentis family. To them I'm just-" he stops and just looks at me.

I don't understand at first, then I see his glazed eyes. Jason never cries, not even when he broke his leg when he was 10, not even when he'd thought I died. For the first time in forever, I'm speechless. He's right, I don't know what it's like and I never will. I've always been the angel child, the perfect daughter to have, even when I screwed up (which was a lot), my parents forgave me.

"Tell me one thing, Ali, damnit this is all I'll ever ask of you, am I really related to them, to the Hastings?" I can tell the desperation in his voice, the guy just had an emotional meltdown. I nod my head, wishing I could change things, but that's not possible. He nods back and sprints off. I have a sneaking suspicion his curiosity involves Melissa.

"How touching, you were talking about me." Another figure emerges from the shadows. Looks like I'm popular today, although that's not exactly a good thing. 

As I see who it is I suck in my breath. Guess I'm not done talking about the kissing rock after all.