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

17. Spencer 🤓

Spencer, Aria, Hanna, and Emily sat at the Apple Rose Grille in the centre of Rosewood. People walked by the windows of the restaurant and sitting at tables around them, all of them wearing black dresses or tuxedos. Almost all of Rosewood had been at Alison's funeral. It had ended a few hours prior, but the four girls thought it was respectful to wear their funeral outfits in memory of Ali. Their drinks sat in front of them, untouched and sweating, while their minds reeled over the last creepy message from A and Alison's death.

It felt like the whole world had turned on its head. One minute, they were holding out hope that this year would be normal. They would study and go to parties and miss Ali every once in a while, but never did they suspect that their friend was buried just steps away from Spencer's backyard, from the very place they had seen her last. They couldn't believe it. There was nothing else to say about it.

They had barely said a word to each other since they had arrived at the restaurant. Spencer couldn't blame them, her mind was still racing with all of the crazy things that had happened in the last few days. How could it be possible that Alison had sent each of them a message when she had been dead for a year? There was only explanation that Spencer could think of. Alison hadn't sent any of those messages. Someone was messing with them, impersonating Alison. How this person knew all of their secrets, Spencer didn't know, but it didn't scare her any less.

That wasn't the only odd thing, however. At the funeral, Spencer and the rest of the girls noticed that Jenna Marshall had shown up after years of her being gone. Jenna and her stepbrother, Toby, hadn't been in Rosewood since the summer before Ali went missing. There had been an accident, and Jenna had gone blind because of it. Toby had been sent away to a reform school, and everybody knew it was because he was responsible. Except for Spencer and her friends.

"Why was Jenna there?" Aria asked, tapping her fingers on the glass of her soda.

"I guess she's back," Spencer said quietly.

"That cop acted like we were suspicious or something," Hanna said.

That was true too. Spencer had so many thoughts floating around in her brain, but she couldn't forget the way that cop had been looking at them. She understood that the gravity of Alison's investigation had increased tremendously, but there was no way they could be suspects. They had been just as shocked as the rest of Rosewood when Ali's remains had been found.

She was sure they just wanted to review their statements, so she wasn't sure why they all looked so concerned.

"Do you think we looked guilty?" Emily asked, her voice trembling.

"Why would we?" Aria said quickly. "We didn't do anything wrong."

Hanna scoffed. "Except lie about the Jenna Thing," she said.

Spencer leaned forward on the table. "We promised we'd never bring up the Jenna Thing again," she hissed. "It never happened."

"Have you found a way to forget?" Aria exclaimed, a little too loudly for comfort. "I still wake up sometimes in the middle of the night—"

"Aria!" Spencer said, cutting her off. "It was an accident."

Hanna sighed and pulled a small silver flask out of her bag. Spencer recognised it from the funeral. They had all taken secret swigs of the liquid inside, but not enough for anyone to notice. They all just needed something to help them get by. It wasn't easy to just sit through the funeral of their best friend. Hanna tipped the flask over her half-emptied glass of soda. Someone noticed behind Spencer, and she turned around to see some old guy glaring at Hanna.

"It's medicinal," Hanna said to the old guy. He didn't quite seem to believe her. "Cramps!"

Spencer rolled her eyes and turned back to the table. Hanna had grown some balls in the time since Ali had gone missing. The Hanna that Alison knew would never have gone drinking in public like that. The only time she ever drank was when Ali got them into college parties and when they sneaked sips from Mrs. Marin's wine bottles. Hanna pouring copious amounts of whiskey into her Diet Coke was either a brash example of her change into Queen Bee or the lasting shock. Spencer wished she could steal a sip from her.