THE B TEAM // Pretty Little Liars #WATTYS2014 #FANFICTION

Chapter 67: The Two A's

Then, out of nowhere, my phone that I had put next to the divers seat started to vibrate as if someone was calling me.

A contact flashed across the screen.

WESLEY.

I sigh, and do my best to ignore it.

Annie is staring at my phone

“Your not going to pick it up?” She says.

“I don’t have the energy to talk to him,” I say, my voice laced with exhaustion.

“You know,” Annie starts. But her voice is still soft and damaged from all the screaming and crying she did. “Somewhere deep inside of him, he came there for you. He must’ve noticed your discomfort. He must’v-“

And I break, once again.

“I don’t understand him,” I say silently. “I’ve built my whole life on understanding people and then using my understanding of them against them. Holbrook leaving, was the only exception to that. But that’s changed because Wesley is now the whole exception to that.”

Annie stays a couple of seconds silent before she speaks up,“Are you scared of him? Of what he did?”

“I’m scared of my inability to comprehend him,” I whisper.

“You get scared?” She says it softly but surprisingly.

Everyday. I get scared of my reflection. I get scared at my thoughts. I get scared that my parents will come back. I get scared that I’ll turn out like my Grandmother. I get scared that I won’t see the sun as yellow anymore.

What I really say is, “Yes.”

And then out of nowhere Annie says, “I looked up to you.”

My head finally faces her.

“All those years in Ravenswood you never let anyone get in your way,” Annie says. “You were so strong and I guess that’s why I didn’t move when you put that gun to my head. Because wouldn’t it be legendary to die in the hands of Alice Fiend?”

“Don’t talk like that,” I say abruptly. Never talk like that. It makes me want to loathe myself even more.

“Well it was like that,” Annie says.

I am still driving when I turn around my whole body to face Annie and say the next words carefully, “Don’t let anyone let you think like that.”

A few seconds pass.

“You’ve changed.”

“It’s called realising that the world doesn’t revolve around you,” I sigh, putting my focus back on the road. “That no matter how hard you try, you can’t shape the world without it trying to shape you. I’m not proud of my previous self, but it was necessary for survival in Ravenswood. Against my parents, my grandmother and Alison. Against the ideals of society. So think very hard about what you want to be past this point, Annie. You have the opportunity to be a new person. One that you respect.”

“Do you think it’s possible?” Annie says. She is back staring out the window. Contemplating.  “For me to forget the things done to me?”

“Yes,” I say silently.

“I can’t afford to be haunted by it, Alice,” Annie begins to sob.  “I really can’t. Noel is ..gone, but you found out and I know it will haunt me forever.

I sigh, “Don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of it.”

“I don’t deserve your help,” She says.

“It’s not for you,” I say.

“It’s for my brother, isn’t it?”

“No,” I say, too late.

“You hesitated.”

I sigh, “He deserves to have a family.”

“So do you,” Annie says.

“Well, I don’t have any remaining family that is worth anything,” I reply. A hint of darkness forming. “My grandmother is out of the question and my parents are dead. I am glad they are dead and it’s not like I deserve them anyway.”

“Everyone deserves family, ” Annie says.

“If you haven’t noticed, I’m not your typical person,” I say.

I is silence, once again. It is Annie that speaks up first.

“Thank you. For saving me. I’m in debt to you.”

“No, your not,” I reply. “There is no thing such as debt and all you can do is do me and favour and get yourself and Holbrook out of Rosewood and Ravenswood combined.”

“He won’t leave.”

“Then I’ll tell him about what happened to you-“

“If you do, I’ll shoot myself in the head.”

“Nice, Annie. Well bloody done. Who taught you to be so kind?”

“I learnt it from you.”

“Well, yup, I’m a great influence,” I say sarcastically.

And then out of nowhere Annie says, “Would you have killed Noel Kahn?”

“I don’t know.” I don’t know.

“And you count yourself as heartless,” Annie says, smiling gently.

I look at her, “I am heartless. Because the pain I cause is pain in immortality. It has always been Immortality my darlings.”