"A sent this letter to my mom." Aria said, reading the letter again.
"You know it's not your fault, right?" Emily said.
"Em's right, it's your dad's mistake." Katherine said.
"No, it is my fault." Aria said, looking away from the paper and at the two girls.
"You did not hook up with her and then ask your kid to cover for you." Spencer said, as Katherine nodded along.
"Ali said that I should've told my mom right after it happened." Aria said.
"Ali? Alison knew?" Emily asked.
"Yeah, her and Kat were with me." Aria said, the three other girls immediately turned to look at Katherine.
"I told Aria what you guys are telling her now." Katherine said.
"So you and Alison saw this Meredith person?" Spencer asked.
"Meredith? Her name is Meredith? Ew. That's not even a cute girl name. I'm seeing big pores and mousy roots." Hanna said before Katherine could answer Spencer.
"Hanna, I think it's a little too soon to joke." Spencer said.
"As much as I want to agree with you, Han, Spence is right. Tone it down." Katherine said.
"I'm sorry, but if you're gonna cheat you might as well do it with somebody who deep conditions her hair occasionally." Hanna said.
"Here, put something in your mouth besides your foot." Katherine said, handing Hanna a bagel.
"I'm sorry. Okay?" Hanna said, turning to Aria. "Look, all I'm saying is that when my dad left laughing sometimes helped. So did crying."
"Nice save, Hanna." Katherine said, shaking her head and grabbing a bagel for herself.
"My father hasn't left, guys." Aria said, standing up and walking to the island where the four girls were. "I mean this happened over a year ago." Spencer, Katherine, Hanna, and Emily all exchanged looks. "You think he's gonna leave?" Aria asked.
"Look, whatever happens, we're here for you." Emily said.
"Yeah, and then majority of us will have dads who walked out on them." Katherine said, trying to be funny but it came out more bitterly.
"Thank you, guys, for staying here." Spencer said, changing the subject. "I couldn't have been here alone."
"When's your family getting back?" Hanna asked.
"This afternoon." Spencer said.
"Weren't you gonna clean off the mirror before they get here?" Aria asked.
"You want me to come with?" Emily asked.
"We should all go." Aria said.
"Definitely." Katherine said.
"Yeah, you know what, it doesn't take five of us clean a mirror, so why don't you four go and I'll just wait here." Hanna said.
"Fine, okay. You stay down here alone." Aria said.
"Be sure you lock the door." Emily said.
"Yeah, I won't be the one cleaning the blood out of the carpet, sorry Han." Katherine said.
"You spray, I'll wipe." Hanna said.
They all headed upstairs but stopped when Hanna's phone started to ring.
"Well, the creature's back." Hanna said. "We should have never unblocked our phones."
Ever wonder what's going on when you're back is turned? -A
"Open the attachment." Katherine said.
It was a video of the five girls reading the writing on the mirror.
"That's us." Aria said.
"Spencer, was that shot from inside your closet?" Katherine asked.
"A was watching us." Spencer said.
"Oh my god." Katherine said, feeling like she was going to pass out. It was only getting worse.
The five girls went up to Spencer's room, they had decided to see if the A bitch was still in the closet. They all screamed when something fell out of the open door.
"Guys, check it out." Aria said, picking up the lipstick and putting some on her hand to compare it to the lipstick on the mirror. They were exactly the same. Jungle Red.
...
"You can't seriously think that a blind girl broke into my house, that would take a lot more than a talking GPS." Spencer said.
"Well, I didn't say that Jenna was alone." Aria said.
"No, Aria. No. Do not go down the Toby road." Katherine said.
"Kat's right, let's not go to the Toby place." Emily said.
"Why not?" Aria asked. "You guys think her guide dog left behind his lipstick?"
"Yeah, do you two want to ask your lab parter what he was doing last night? If you know, maybe he took a break from sitting on his porch, pulling the heads off of squirrels." Spencer said.
"Spencer, stop." Katherine said.
"Spencer!" Mr. Sheldrake said. "Sorry ladies, I didn't mean to interrupt but I hope you're as proud of your friends as I am." He said, pulling out a piece of paper from behind his back. "Congratulations. My instincts were right. This just makes it official"
"What's that about?" Aria asked.
"An essay contest." Spencer said.
"Wait, did you win it?" Emily asked.
"Of course she won it, she's a Hastings." Katherine said.
...
"Sodium borate." Katherine said, pouring the liquid in as Toby held the paper.
Emily started stirring it.
"Easy, Em." Katherine said, eyeing Emily as she stirred it roughly.
"Yeah, that glass beaker's made of glass." Toby said.
"Maybe one of you should do it. I've had too much coffee and not enough of sleep." Emily said.
"Me and you both." Katherine said.
"I will." Toby said, reaching out and stirring the chemicals. "Big party on a Thursday night?"
"I wish. I would give anything to go to a party right now. Getting wasted, smoking weed. I miss it." Katherine said, a dreamy look on her face.
"We slept at a friends house last night." Emily said, rolling her eyes at Katherine. "What did you do last night?"
"Sat at the Grille doing homework." Toby said, still mixing the liquids.
"That's where you study?" Emily asked.
"Got to. Jenna listens to her lectures loudly and it messes me up. She doesn't like using her headphones at home." Toby said.
"Why the Grille? It's not exactly quiet there either." Emily said.
"It is if you stay late enough." Toby and Katherine said at the same time.
"How would you know, Kat?" Emily asked.
"Lot's of late nights, lot's of fries." Katherine said.
"Yeah, I close the place, like, every night." Toby said. "Whose house did you guys stay at last night? That new girl?"
"Who? Maya? Why would you think that?" Emily asked quickly.
Katherine raised an eyebrow at Emily. She was acting weird.
"Just figured that she's the newest member of your posse. Has she learned the secret handshake yet?" Toby said.
"Wait, that's cool. We should make a secret handshake!" Katherine said.
"She's more my friend than the group's." Emily said.
"Why is that?" Toby asked.
"I'm literally right here. Aren't I a part of this discussion?" Katherine said, glaring at Emily for ignoring her.
"She just cares about different things." Emily said, ignoring Katherine again.
"Different's good. I like different." Toby said.
"Okay, now I'm offended." Katherine said.
"You're good too, Katherine." Toby said, chuckling slightly, making her smile.
"I didn't think this would take so long." Emily said, twenty minutes later.
"I don't mind." Toby said.
"Yeah, making goo. Sure is fun." Katherine said, her smile dropping the second she finished the sentence.
"I like being in school when nobody else is." Toby said.
"Viscosity, elasticity, and tensile strength." Emily read out loud.
"Anything else we need to cover?" Katherine asked.
"Maybe our noses. This stuff's rank." Toby said.
Emily put it to her nose and immediately hit it away, getting it on Toby's book.
"I'm so sorry." Emily said.
"It's fine, it's just water." Toby said, cleaning it up.
Katherine snorted. "Nice one, Em."
"Shut up." Emily said, helping Toby and Katherine clean up the mess.
"Woah, did you draw this?" Katherine asked as she cleaned off the back of the notebook.
"It looks just like the cover from this band, Circus Survive." Emily said.
"This is so good." Katherine said.
"You know that band?" Toby asked them.
"Yeah, we listen to them religiously." Katherine said.
"My cousin works at a street bar on South Street. He snuck us into a show once." Emily said.
"Have you heard any of their new stuff yet?" Toby asked. "It's totally-"
"Amazing!" Emily and Katherine said.
"If, if you're into them, there's this other band I should turn you two onto. I'll burn you a CD." Toby said.
"Thanks, Toby!" Katherine said.
"I should go, I'm gonna be late for swim practice." Emily said, standing up.
"Emily?" Toby said.
"Yeah?" Emily asked.
"My notebook."
"Oh, geez. I totally need more sleep." Emily said, handing Toby his notebook back.
"Or more coffee." Toby said.
"I'll take up any offer for coffee." Katherine said.
"Perfect. Wanna meet up at the Grille later?" Toby said to them.
"I'd love to." Katherine said.
"Sure." Emily said.
"And then there were two." Katherine said in a dramatic voice when Emily left the room, making Toby laugh. "Do you wanna go ahead and go to The Grille? I'm starving and I need a good coffee."
"Yeah, let's go." Toby said, collecting his stuff.
"So, what's your story?" Katherine asked.
"What do you mean?" Toby said, opening the door for them to enter the Apple Rose Grille.
"Everyone has a story. Something in their life that makes them who they are." Katherine said.
"Well, my mom died when I was young. My dad got remarried and I got stuck with Jenna. You?" Toby said.
"My dad left, my mom's a druggie. I'm on the way to becoming a drunk." Katherine said.
"I don't think you could ever be an alcoholic, Kat. Can I call you Kat?" Toby said.
"Of course you can. We're friends." Katherine said.
...
"I saved it. Just in case." Spencer said, retrieving the tube of lipstick from her bag.
"I'm telling you, that's the lipstick Jenna was putting on in the elevator." Hanna said.
"Are you sure?" Spencer asked.
"Yes! That's Alison's color. Same shade, same tube. What I'm wondering is why was Jenna in an empty room for an hour?" Hanna said.
"I think we should call the police. I mean, they are fingerprints on this tube." Spencer said.
"Well, yeah, ours. Look, if you want me to answer any more questions just let me get in the office and see what I can find." Hanna said, then she looked over at Toby who was laughing with Katherine. "Why are they hanging out? It was one thing to be fine around him, it's a whole other thing to act like their best friend's after school."
"I don't know, Hanna. She's never had the best judgment." Spencer said.
"Have you gotten anymore e-mails?" Hanna asked.
"Not since this morning. Have you?" Spencer said.
"No. I'm just wondering." Hanna lied.
"Emily!" Spencer called out when Emily walked in the door of The Grille. She was going to hang out with Katherine and Toby but now that Spencer had called for her she was stuck. "Hey, what are you doing here?" Spencer asked.
Emily looked at Toby and Katherine, who looked at her expectantly for a minute before walking over to Hanna and Spencer.
"I was just-" Emily started.
"Hanna had a run-in with Jenna Marshall today. Sit down." Spencer said, cutting her off.
Toby and Katherine packed up their things and decided to leave. Katherine saw the hurt on Toby's face and didn't want him to have to watch Emily ditch him.
"Let's go to my place." Katherine said and Toby nodded.
"Em, you know that dentist's office that I'm working at?" Hanna asked at the table her, Spencer, and Emily were at. "Well, I was going in for my shift after school and I was in the elevator. Jenna Marshall was in there.She had the same lipstick Ali wore."
"The exact same color." Spencer said.
...
The next day Katherine and Toby went to The Grille again. Katherine was eating fries and listening to Toby read out loud when Emily walked in.
"Hey." She said, taking a seat next to them.
"Hey, Em." Katherine said. Toby just kept reading.
"I was hoping you guys would be here." Emily said.
"Why?" Toby asked.
"I really like tracks three, seven, and nine. Nine was the best." Emily said.
"Oh my god, I know, right? Those, five, and twelve were amazing." Katherine said.
"I'm sorry about last night. Really sorry." Emily said. After Toby stayed quiet a minute longer, Emily pulled out a CD from her bag.
"What's that?" Toby asked.
"It's something I made for you." Emily said.
"Wow, thanks Em! I bet Toby will love it! Ever heard of how you don't give gifts in front of people?" Katherine said.
"Relax, I would've made you one if we didn't listen to the exact same music." Emily said. "Anyways, there are a couple girly songs so you have to keep an open mind."
"Taylor?" Katherine asked.
"Of course, Toby needs to experience your favorite person in the world." Emily said.
"Who's Taylor?" Toby asked.
"Taylor Swift. Only the best singer ever. Her songs are like a million emotions in three to six minutes." Katherine said. "I think you'll love Dear John, A Place In This World, and You're Not Sorry the most. They're some of my favorites. But Innocent is also a masterpiece."
"Katherine's very serious about Taylor Swift." Emily said.
"I'll make sure to listen to her." Toby said.
"Daily." Katherine said.
"Yes, daily." Toby said, smiling.
"Perfect." Katherine said.