The five of us were all at the Apple Rose Grill, talking about the days events. I sat between Aria and Emily, and across from Hanna and Spencer. We were all talking about the funeral and what happened. But to be honest the main thing that I was wondering why Jenna was there, she and Ali hated each other.
"Why was Jenna there?" Aria wondered, gosh its scary how much we're alike.
"I guess she's back." Spence replied toying with her drink, which most of us were doing anyway.
"That cop acted like we were suspects or something." Hanna stated with a tint of fear in her voice.
"That cop, Han, reeked of harassment and corruption. We better be careful of him." I commented taking a sip of my drink, the had a french fry
"Do you think we looked guilty." Emily wondered, her face betrayed her emotions, unlike most of us she was easy to read, but I love her anyway.
"Em, why would we? We haven't done anything wrong." I looked at her pointedly
"Except lie about the Jenna thing." Han retorted
"We promised we'd never bring up the Jenna thing again, remember. It never happened " Spencer rebuffed her, even now she like the rest of us were still scared in silence about what had happened.
"Have you found a way to forget?"Ari questioned, Han took her flask out of her bag and opened it. Oh she had the right idea for now.
"Han" I gestured for her to give me some and i pour some into my glass and handed it back. I took a swig of my amped up drink and felt myself chill out. I was too tense and worried, I never thought clearly when I was like that.
"I still wake up sometimes in the middle of the night...." Aria went on to admit. I snap my attention towards her with a slight glare.
"Aria-" i stop her
"It's medicinal ." i looked over to who Han was talking to and he gave me and her looks of disapproval. I rolled my eyes at the older couple.
"Cramps." I dead panned
"Wow Erica, sweet and innocent you are not." Hanna commented with a small smirk and I shrug not really phased by what had happened.
"Oh Hanna Banana. I only dress like a girl next door. Don't think I act like one. This is how I forget." I took a sip of my drink.
"I don't get it. How does A know something about me that only Alison knew." Ems inquired, hoping one of us would know.
"Ali knew all of our secrets, but we knew none of hers." Aria added
"I knew some." Spence mumbled
"Same." I raised my hand slightly. The rest of them looked at the two of us expecting more of an answer than a small comment.
"Go on.Talk." Hanna stated
"I can't" Spence replied and I just didn't say anything. Not that I wasn't up for spilling everything Ali now that she was gone and there would be no blowback from Queen B herself. But that was not my style, at least not right after her funeral.
"No, you can just drop a bomb like that and clam up." Aria added
"She'd kill us if we told you." i huff, shifting uncomfortably then have some more of my drink before glancing back up at the others.
"She's dead" Han retorted
"She was seeing someone that summer." Spencer admitted, again uncomfortable, as much as Ali and I had a complicated friendship we could be eerily similar.
"I knew she was keeping something from me." we looked at Em "Us." she corrected herself and I scowled for a moment.
"Well why didn't she want us to know?" My sister wondered not getting why it was such a secret, we dated boys not that big of a deal.
"She was an older boy and had a girlfriend. Typical Ali." I answered
"Who was it?" Emily questioned the two of us really hung up on the lame secret that we were asked to keep. I shrugged not really knowing, that was the thing with Ali, she gave you just enough for it to be a secret.
"She never told me his name." Spencer answered the question.
"She was close but you guys interrupted the moment" i added remembering all the hard work that I put in to get an name before they all came crashing in and she never spoke about it again.
"That's only half a secret." Han replied. Annoyed that it wasn't even the juiciest part of a secret. I was annoyed to, to finally have one up on her would have been the best thing ever, call me crazy but knowing her secrets would have made her less annoying and more normal.
"Well it's more than you ever got from her." Spence retorted, now in a mood.
"How was it that Ali told us nothing and we told her everything?" Aria huffed out realising only now how mysterious our friend really was.
"Because she made us feel like we were apart of something special." Emily answered and I had to agree with that, despite how much she vexed me, if you were in with Ali then you were period.
"Well we were" Han smiled
"I miss it." I say wistfully
"Me too" Spence added as the mood become more somber around the table of former friends. I missed us all behind together like this. A year in Iceland really had changed things, I wasn't sure if it was for the better yet.
"I miss Ali." Em looked sad. She started playing with her friendship bracelet.
"I can't believe you still wear that" Hanna commented. I glanced over everyone's wrists and they were like mine. Bare of a friendship bracelet that had been given to us over a year before. I couldn't where i had put mine though.
"Ali still wears hers...wore" she corrected herself again.
"When Ali didn't come home that night i knew something terrible must've happened. But there was always some part of me that imagined, she'd show up." Spencer shook her head. I think like the most of us it hadn't really fully sunk in that she was properly gone.
"Yeah, we used to think that maybe she just run off with some guy." Aria sighed
"Laying on a beach somewhere." Em and I voiced then gave each other a small smile
"Or getting a tan by the pool with that hot lifeguard." Hanna grinned
"What was his name?" I asked
"Who cares...save me." We laughed at Hanna just then the door opened and I heard tapping I looked up and saw Jenna. I tapped Aria and she tapped Han we all looked and got uncomfortable . I phone buzzed and I looked down. My heart stopped
Can we meet x
It was from him i closed my phone ignoring it and we all split up going home.
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I was dressed and ready for school I was getting my travel mug and I poured coffee into it then cream with sugar.
"I had to look twice to make sure that was Hanna." mom commented as she sat at the table with Aria before school.
"I know right" we chimed
"That was some funeral dress. Her mother didn't get that from curvy girl." Mom added and I laughed.
"Who shops from curvy girl?" Dad came in and I sighed
"No one anymore. Aren't you staying for breakfast?" Mom asked Dad. I grabbed a croissant and buttered it
"No and I'm probably going to be late tonight too." I shared a look with my sister. We were both thinking the same thing, it was 50/50 on whether we were right or not and just untrusting and suspicious.
"Late nights already? We just got here?" mom questioned looking back at him
"Yeah what's that about." Aria questioned, fishing for a confirmation
"What's it about? Been gone for a year. Playing catch up Faculty meetings, changing my curriculum , demanding students." he answered
"Well maybe your family's demand should come first." i commented before standing up. "Come on, Ari. We're going to be late. Love you Mom." I gave my cup to Aria and got in. I finished my food and washed it down before starting up the car and driving away. I finished my coffee.
"I need more caffeine ." I drove to the coffee shop. It didn't take us long to get there and it was a quick pitstop before school so i needed to be somewhat quick about it.
"Back in a sec." I Jumped out and headed into the brew and waited. I pulled out my phone and caught on some e-mails and texts
"Erica." i looked up to see Em.
"Hey Em"
"Oh this is Maya." i nodded and held my hand out.
"Nice to meet you. Hold one sec I didn't have enough caffeine ." I ordered my coffee and went back
"Sorry, so you moved into the Dilaurenis house?" I asked
"I did. I know this sounds weird but your name is familiar. Did Alison call you Rica." I froze.
"No but that is one of my nicknames. Why?" I regained my composure after the reminder of the nickname.
"It's just we found a box with that on.I didn't open it but it was hidden so i figured it was important. If you want you can stop by mine and pick it up." May offered and I nodded with a small smile.
"Sure."I agreed
"Erica." My name was called
"That's me, see you at school." i grabbed my coffee and went back to the car driving to school. Aria and i split and i heard my name.
"Well if it isn't little Erica Montgomery." I smirked turning on my heel hearing the familiar voice of one of my guy friends.
"Jerk-face Manwhore Kahn still walks the hallowed halls of Rosewood high?" I gasped feigning shock. Noel chuckled as the two of us met up with one another.
"You haven't changed one bit." He smirked as the two of us gave a little side hug.
"Yeah i could still kick your ass and paint my nails at the same time." I sighed dramatically flipping m hair back for effect.
"How was Europe ?" He wondered as we made our way to my locker.
"Uneventful. But better than here. Who's your flavour of the week?" I questioned. Noel was known for going through girls faster than I went through ice cream tubs. Just like his older brother if not a little worse.
"Stacey Campbell." he answered
"And Eric?"
"Still annoying" i laughed I used to play tricks on them I was quite the annoying prankster
"Awh, jealousy doesn't become you." the halls started filling up with more students coming in for the day.
"Well if there is anything i can do for you."
"I'll know who to come too." the halls began to clear and i heard
"Will the following students please come to the office. Emily Fields, Erica and Aria Montgomery, Spencer Hastings and Hanna Marin." We looked at each other as everyone left. Aria's phone went off.
"Wait...it's from A." i went and looked at her phone
Dead girls walking... -A
All of us congregated into the office and I huffed seeing Detective Wilden waiting for us full of shit for a detective. Something was defiantly wrong with him, i just din't know what.
"You do know we have classes to attend." I drawled walking in and sitting down.
"You do know i'm trying to solve a murder." he retorted
"Questions that can be asked when i'm not getting an education." The others sat down.
"Erica!" Aria chastised and i rolled my eyes. He started pacing and looking at a file before he stopped
"So you thought you heard her scream?" He asked Spencer.
"I said that yeah." she confirmed with a slight nod. This was surely harassment, or our parents should be here, or an adult.
"And when you four woke up in the barn. Alison was gone and so was Spencer." his creepy gaze flitted to the rest of us cramped onto the sofa.
"Yes. I woke up before them and I realised that Ali was missing, so I..." Spencer continued till Detective Creepy butted in sitting on the table
"And so you went looking for her" he cut her off
"That's hat happened" Spence gave this awkward look like she didn't want to smile but her face was trying to and not to at the same time
"I got that. What's up? Was this a slumber party." I snorted
"Something funny Miss Montgomery?" Tilden questioned me.
"Dude saying slumber party..." i looked at the others who weren't amused I cleared my throat.
"Sorry."
"Is this and interrogation ?" Spencer asked
"No, just a routine follow up. Why did you guys all fall asleep?" He inquired
"I guess we were tired?" Aria replied
"Tired, really?" I clicked my tongue, it's not like we could say that we stole our family's alcohol supply and was going at it that it was a drunken slumber.
"Not that you would understand a girls sleepover, but we can be very energetic, pillow fights dancing, fun. You know stuff police never get to do. It takes a lot out of you if you start early enough. But again you wouldn't know because you're a guy." I sassed tilting my head challenging defiance from the older man.
"Right, fun. Is that how you remember it Hanna?" He turned his interest to our blond friend.
"Look we've told you everything we know like we did the night she went missing." Spencer retorted
"I know. I know. You see the thing is, it's almost exactly the same as to what you said last year. Almost like it was reversed ." I rolled my eyes.
"Detective, the last day we saw Ali is forever seared into our brains. I know for a fact that we constantly go over and over it in out head trying for something new or different that could've helped bring our best friend back. Yet nothing." i shrug, I was done with this whole thing, well i was done with him, I didn't want to be in the same room as hi any longer than I had to.
"Like Spencer said, we've told you everything we know" Aria added backing us up.
"Is this all?" I ask and he looked up from the file the the had
"Yes." I stood up.
"Let's go." i walked out and the others followed.
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We all returned to our classes and it was the unspoken statement that we would bring this up later. At Lunch we all sat together.
"He know's we're lying." Aria stressed now that we were all sat together.
"Lying is not a crime" Hanna replied to my sister
"It is when you're giving false statements . It's called obstruction of justice." Spencer replied, being the daughter of lawyers and all.
"Oh please. We didn't lie they never asked if we were drinking so we never told. We just missed a unimportant part. It's the truth that matters and that is we don't know what happened to Ali that night." I scoff as I took into my pasta.
"We also know about someone who might have wanted to hurt her." Spencer retorted to me.
"We should have told the police the truth about Jenna's accident." Em voiced completely uncomfortable about the conversation and the situation.
"Erica and I wanted to remember. In fact Erica wouldn't have been there if Aria would have stayed." Hanna rebuffed offering her yogurt to me. I smiled giving a silent thank you.
"We had a chance to do more than just tell the truth. We had a chance to stop Ali." Aria stated
"Yes but some of us convince the others not to" I grumbled.
"Telling the police what happened about Jenna isn't going to make her see again. It'll just ruin our lives." Spencer added to my small statement
"Besides we knew Ali anyone could have hurt her. Just on principle. She wasn't a saint you know. She was Queen and we were her wilful lackeys." I snipped jabbing the spoon into the yogurt.
"Er---" Aria went to say something that would have been a scold or a shake of the head moment.
"Ari don't Look i miss Ali like all of you. I wish she wasn't murdered, i wish she was here. As much as the next person. I wish for a lot of things but i'm not going to lie about that was the queen of getting what she wanted used our own secret on us. She could be a great friend but you could hardly call her loyal." came my response. Just after that we heard a familiar tapping and I saw Hanna's face change.
"Oh my god she's back in school too." we looked behind and saw Jenna. Aria got up and went over to her.
"Hey Jenna it's Aria. Do you want to come and sit with us?" she asked and i looked at her like what the hell. She shrugged
"Sure." She took Jenna's tray and helped her over.
"So your going to be between Hanna and Emily. Spencer, Erica and I are right across from you." Aria told her as she helped Jenna sit down with us. i think my sister was officially out of her mind.
"Thank you" Jenna replied as her food was set down in between my two friends
"Yeah and here's your chair." Sis brought another chair from another table. Jenna removed her bag and sat down.
"So this would be Alison's chair right?" Jenna asked
"No we're not even sitting and that table." Em answered defensively as Aria returned to her seat with me and Spencer
"She came and visited me in hospital after the accident." Jenna told us and I was in slight shock.
"Alison did?" Spence wondered
"Everyone misunderstood Alison but i knew exactly who she was." Jenna responded. Why did I get the feeling that it was more malicious that she realised.
"When did you get back Jenna? We heard that you were in Philadelphia at a school for the...visually impaired" Spencer tilted her head as she voice her question.
"You can say blind Spencer. It's okay, it's not a dirty word." We all went quiet.
"How's Toby?" I asked we used to be really good friends when we were little but then i grew up and joined Ali with my sister.
"He's okay." i nodded and we lapsed into silence.
"Wow it's so quiet. You guys used to be the fun table. What happened?" I remember that night when we were at Emilys house and and Ali said she saw Toby, while we were trying on clothes. I didn't and never did believe it. I knew Toby, but to protect my sister who believe Ali i followed. I wanted to go back and argued with Ali that Toby wouldn't do anything like that. But i still stood there. I didn't do anything and now Jenna's blind. Our phone started going off. Jenna lifted up Spencer's phone.
"Do you want to get that." i picked up my phone and opened the text.
If only she could see how guilty you look --A.
I looked all around but with no use. After lunch I was in Mr Fitz class. I started reading but I felt the need to look up and I saw Mr Fitz gazing at my twin. I looked between them I got my phone out and texted my sister.
Is my twinnie crushing on the teacher????????!!!!!!!!
I sent the message and her phone buzzed she froze then looked down. Her head snapped to look at me. I raised my eyebrow and she turned back round.
After school Maya and I went to hers and I stood outside the former Dilaurentis house waiting.
"Here you go." she handed me a big box with a tag saying Rica.
"Thanks." I took it from her and looked down and my nickname in his handwriting. He must have been planning to give it to me at some point before everything that happened.
"You must be special for a whole box just for you." I smile
"Um could you not tell the others about this? The person who i think made this is apart of my private life and well the others just wouldn't understand yet." I asked biting the inside of my lip.
"Sure."
"Thanks again." I walked home and got in.
"That's a big box?" Mom commented as I closed the door with my foot and adjusted it in my grip.
"Yeah i saw it in a shop and i just had to buy it. I'm gonna put it in my room." i took it upstairs and closed my door. Sitting on my bed I opened it and there were presents 7 to be exact. With a card on top. I took the card and opened it.
Happy 16th Birthday I opened it up and there was short paragraph.
Rica.
I'm not open about showing you how I feel for you. But I do love you and care for you. No matter what our age. I have for a while, I always knew you were different and even though my sister is annoying I'm glad your apart of her group because that means I can see you. I'm a guy and I don't know how to do all this romantic stuff so I looked online to help well that and Cece helped me. So happy Birthday week and i hope you like the presents i got for you. And i hope you have the best birthday ever
Jase
I started crying and put the card down. There was a knock and I hit the card and closed the box.
"Come in." I called and Aria came in
"Hey, i got dinner....Erica are you okay?" she questioned coming over I closed the car and shoved it away.
"Yeah, let's go." i ushered her out and we had dinner. After we were finished Aria pulled me upstairs and into my room.
"Okay what is going on? And don't give me crap saying its nothing." she looked at me sternly, ever the over protective sister
"You'll ask to many questions" I sigh moving away, not wanting to talk about it.
"Duh, i'm your twin sister." She retorted.
"Look, Aria i'm not ready to talk about it. Just please leave it." She huffed out a breath.
"I'm here if you need me." i hugged her
"I know. Now go. I have to do something." She left and closed the door. I opened the box and stared at it. I couldn't go there tonight. I closed and hid the box.
-------
After school the next day i canceled on my sister and Mom to look in the box . I started opening the present in order. the smallest...
My official promise. I opened it up and it was a ring with a what i think was a small diamond. I shook my head. I was still holding onto the past. I needed to let go but not yet. The second one said.
'I don't believe you got me to do this' it was a disc I put it in my computer and played it. I laughed seeing the tape I made of one of my dance practices. He snuck in to watch and I forced him to dance with me. He was terrible at first but got okay in the end. I laughed.
Third was an album of the many pictures from our secret meetings they were developed either in colour or in black and white.
Fourth was a rare him smiling with me. I remember it was our fourth date and we lied to everyone about where each of us were going so we could meet up in a park.
Fifth was a mixtape my favourite songs all in one place
sixth was and mp3 i listen to it and grinned I had commented how i loved when he read it out loud. this was filled with several files of him reading to me.
The seventh was a journal. I read as i listen and it was all the feeling he would never express out loud. I finally plucked up the courage to grab my phone. I snapped a pictured that scrolled down my contacts till i reached his. I attached the photo and sent a simple thank you. I packed them away and hid it out of sight where i knew nosy family members would never go looking.
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The next day i was in my room listening to the Mp3 when there was a knock. I paused and hid the Mp3.
"Yes." Dad came in and i rolled my eyes going back to my homework.
"We need to talk." he came and sat down on my bed
"Get off my bed." I scowl and him he sighs not moving from my personal space, but continued the unwanted conversation
"You're not very good at hiding your feelings." he told me. My father couldn't be serious right now about having this conversation.
"Who says i want to hide them." I glance back down giving over my Algebra problems, cause that seemed more easier that him being here.
"Look, i know your angry."
"Angry doesn't even cover it, Dad. Furious, hurt, pissed off enraged would be good." I sass back dropping my pencil and folding my arms
"Your mother knows that something is up."
"Not my problem." I rolled my eyes and got off the bed to dig through my bag
"It's all of our problem."
"No it's not just yours, you cheated on Mom then convinced Aria who asked me not to say anything. You think being my Dad means something. I does setting and example and your a poor excuse for one. If you really loved Mom you wouldn't have gone there with another woman let alone your student. Nothing you say is going to change my attitude or the way i feel about you. You can't manipulate me in to something you want me to do." I quietly rant at him, others were in the house.
"Now for the sake of Aria i will keep my mouth shut but don't mistake that for compliance . One day what you've done will bite you in the ass and i'm going to have a front row seat. Now if that's all i have homework to be getting one with." I plugged my head phones back in and carried on.
Aria came to get me say mom brought home food with Mike. I got my food and sat chatting with Mike no longer sparing a glance at my father. My phone buzzed.
Hell have no fury like a daughter scorned -A