PLL NEXT CHAPTER: Chloe Marin [On going]

22nd: Cheese in the trap

"What the hell happened to your face???" is the question that I predict my sister would ask once she saw a wound on my left forehead.

Before heading up to The Brew, I took the time to go to the bicycle workshop. I lied to the mechanic, saying that I fell off the bike while crossing the woods. After cleaning up myself in the workshop toilet, I hurried to The Brew by walking for twenty minutes. Which it pretty exhausting.

And now here I am. Try to handle the situation as well as possible. "I fell from a bike." I say..

"Well, I can see right through it. But it's nonsense if you just fall down and hurt your forehead." She frowns hard and her hand tries to reach my forehead.

"I didn't bring my helmet."

"Still. This is not just a typical injury. Do you think I don't know the difference? Chloe, when you were six, you learned to ride a bike only with two wheels for weeks and many times you fell on the street without a helmet but you never had a wound like this, unless you fell hard."

I remember that day. I cried after school because I felt embarrassed when most of my friends were able to ride a two-wheeled bicycle while I couldn't. Hanna invited me to ride a bike in the park. The first week wasn't good enough but the following week I started to feel confident. Until now, cycling is one of my physical hobbies.

After taking a deep breath, I venture to look into my sister's suspicious eyes. "Someone ran me off the road. I jumped and I forgot I didn't bring my helmet."

"What??"

I shrug my shoulders. Trying to be calm.

Hanna groans. "Where the hell is your boyfriend?"

"He has practice for tonight's game. He doesn't even know about this, yet." I mutter.

"God ... if this is true." Hanna pinch the bridge of her nose.

As I always did when she was anxious, I hold her hand on the table and squeeze it a little. "Hanna, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong? Everything!" She shut her eyes for a moment after realizing that her tone was rising. "This might sound crazy, but Mona and I found Archer's old phone in his car. I got a voice message from him and he sounds just like him."

I frown hard. "Wait ... what do you mean?"

"Archer Dunhill or Eliot Rollins, whatever the hell his name. He might be still alive."

I feel the floor around me shaking.

"That's-that's impossible, Jesus!" I rub my face and fly it past my hair.

"I thought so. It's a grand zero conspiracy." She complains. "And that means, you're not in a safe place to wandering alone, Chloe." She leans over. "I think he's following you too."

"Wait, so do you really mean he crawled out of his own grave? That's insane, we— " I catch my breath. I just realized that the louder I sounded, the more it would attract people's attention.

"Yeah, I know. But that is not the most important thing. Now you're a target, Chloe. If he really is a big boss and rises from his grave, then it won't be safe for you to stay in Rosewood."

I cut her off. "Wait, do you imply that the person who intentionally hit me was Eliot?"

"Of course! Then who else? You're the one who confessed to me, remember?" Her eyes suddenly squints. "Are you sure there isn't anything else you hide from me? You know you can't do it now, do you?"

"God, no! I swear, it's all of them. You know about my bad records and how I got myself in trouble. You know about my suicide friend." I lower my voice in the last sentence.