Ethan's Pov
The girls, minus Hanna, were at mine and Spencer's house.
Hanna and her mother were at the school because the principal would be discussing the naked picture of Kate. All I know is that Hanna is going to be in so much trouble, for something that she didn't even do.
Right now the four of us were standing next to each other, staring at what Spencer got using Ali's claim ticket.
It was a red coat. A freaking red coat.
"That's what you got from Ali's claim ticket?" Emily asked.
"That's what they gave me" Spencer said.
"So, basically, you picked up her dry cleaning" I sarcastically said.
Emily nodded while Spencer glared at me in annoyance.
"I just can't ever picture Alison wearing this" Aria said.
"Well, picture Vivian Darkbloom" Spencer said.
"So now we're saying this Vivian darkperson had her own wardrobe too?" Emily asked.
Spencer nodded and pointed towards the coat.
"Well, this is weird" I sighed.
"Can I touch it?" Aria asked.
"Yeah, it's a raincoat, Aria, it's not a mummy" Spencer deadpanned.
Aria glared at her before walking towards the coat, grabbing it.
"Where's Hanna?" Spencer asked.
"She and her mom had to meet with Tamborelli before school" Emily said and I nodded.
"Yeah. Kate's mom printed out that naked picture and she's threatening to sue. She wants blood" I said.
"Hanna's" Emily sighed.
"Yeah and probably mine too. I'm the one who told her that Kate used to be called 'boil n' baggies'" Spencer sighed.
I frowned and gently patted her back as she sat down on the couch.
"Who told A?" Emily asked, confused.
"Who tells A anything? That plan was probably in motion the moment Kate walked into school" I scoffed.
"Guys, check it out" Aria said.
We turned around to see her holding something in her hand, it looked like a piece of paper.
"What is that?" I asked, confused.
"It's a phone number" Aria said.
"Whose?" Spencer asked.
"Uh, there's no name" Aria said.
"Let's call it" Spencer immediately said.
"Ok, stop. Now I feel like we're in a bad place" Emily said.
"We're in our living room, Emily. We are holding a coat" Spencer said, gesturing to me and her.
"Yeah, that belongs to someone who's no longer alive" Emily deadpanned.
"Em. How can we not call this?" Aria said, holding the paper in her hand.
"Yeah, whoever this is may have some answers, like why on earth did Alison need to be this Vivian person?" I said.
"Yeah, and who was Vivian meeting, and why?" Spencer nodded.
"You think we're gonna find that out from a number in a pocket?" Emily sarcastically asked.
"Well, it's probably easier than hiring the fat lady with the tube top at the farmer's market who's gonna tell you your fortune, but if you're too scared-" Spencer started.
"I'm not scared!" Emily angrily snapped at her.
I flinched at that, clearly surprised, and let out a small sigh.
Emily glared at Spencer before taking the paper from Aria as she took her phone out and began dialing the number on her phone.
"Yeah, I don't know about our fortunes, but that lady with the tube top makes really good apple butter" Aria said.
"Right" I nodded.
"Hello? 'Kay, what if we know this person?" Emily asked.
"I doubt it" I shrugged.
I heard something from Emily's phone and my guess is that it went to voicemail or something.
"It went to voicemail" Emily said.
"Man or woman?" Spencer asked.
"It's a computer" Emily said.
I heard a beep on the other end of the line as Emily stuttered, unsure of what to say.
I grew impatient and took the phone from her, not wanting to waste anymore time.
"Hi, um, this is a friend of Vivian's. Can you just give me a call back on this number today? It's really important. Thanks" I said.
I quickly hung up as the girls looked at me in shock.
"Don't look at me like that, you guys were taking forever, may I remind you that we need answers and we need them now" I sternly said.
Seriously, waiting around and hesitating for these kinds of things isn't going to help us.
The Next Day
It was the next day and I was going through another day of hell, or, school.
So far classes were the same, boring, but the same. The school would be having some sort of event tomorrow and I think we're all going to be sleeping overnight.
Spencer and I were walking around, holding our lunch trays, trying to find somewhere to eat.
We walked outside to see if we could find a table, only to stop when we saw Noel and Jenna together.
They were hugging, laughing and kissing each other.
This made me and Spencer roll our eyes as we turned around to head back inside to eat our lunch.
"Spencer? Ethan?" we heard someone call out to us.
We turned around and my eyes widened when I saw Jason walking towards us.
I don't remember the last time I saw him, I'm happy to know that he didn't completely leave town.
"Hey. What are you doing here?" I asked.
"Just had to drop off some old forms, kids that I counseled after school" Jason smiled.
I smiled at him and nodded.
"Were you out of town?" Spencer asked.
"Yeah, yeah. Georgia. We're still trying to fix up my grandmother's house. It needs a little work" Jason said.
I hummed at that while me and Spencer nodded.
"Hey, can either of you, uh, do me a favor?" Jason asked.
"Sure, what do you need?" I asked.
"Give your father a message for me. Tell him he owes me a call" Jason sternly said.
I furrowed my eyebrows at that in confusion, and I saw that Spencer was in the same boat as me.
What does Jason need to talk to dad about?
"Why?" Spencer asked.
"Just give him the message. I'm back, and he can't keep dodging me" Jason sternly said.
Me and Spencer looked at him weirdly before we heard a voice from nearby.
"Jason!" we heard Mrs. Montgomery yell.
We turned around to see her walking towards us.
"Hey, Jason, sorry to interrupt" Mrs. Montgomery said, glancing at me and Spencer.
"That's okay. We were done. How you doing, Ella?" Jason asked.
"Frazzled. I volunteered to recruit supervisors for tomorrow's event, and I am still short on staff. Are you by any chance free?" Mrs. Montgomery asked.
"I don't think so" Jason said, flashing her a small apologetic smile.
"Well, it was worth a try. Please tell me your parents are still on board, because I need bodies" Mrs. Montgomery said, looking at me and Spencer.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure" I nodded.
Spencer nodded and Mrs. Montgomery sighed in relief.
Jason looked at me and Spencer before looking back at Mrs. Montgomery.
"What's the event? Maybe, uh, maybe I can be there" Jason said.
I raised my eyebrow at him in confusion. I looked at Spencer and saw that she was just as confused as me.
"Really?" Mrs. Montgomery asked.
"Well, yeah. I mean, you know, if you're desperate enough to ask me, then, sure, count me in" Jason chuckled.
Mrs. Montgomery chuckled at that while me and Spencer just smiled.
Something's going on, there's something that both Jason and dad are hiding. They're both keeping something from us.
Rest assure that me and Spencer are going to find out what it is.
The Next Day
It was the next day and we were all at the event for school.
Since we would be sleeping overnight we had to bring bags. My bag was filled with pillows, blankets, a sleeping bag, my pajamas for when we go to bed and change of clothes for the morning.
I was with the girls when Spencer walked towards us.
"You guys, Tamborelli's telling kids to turn off their cell phones. Otherwise, he's gonna have to confiscate them" Spencer said.
My eyes widened at that and I let out a disbelieving scoff.
"They can't do that, can they?" Emily asked.
"Those are the rules. Turn off the digital spigot, or they will" Spencer said.
I groaned in annoyance and turned my phone off, Aria and Emily doing the same.
"Wait, what's a spigot?" Hanna asked, confused.
"It's-" Spencer started but Hanna cut her off.
"Never mind. I really don't care" Hanna said.
"Are there any messages from that number in Ali's coat?" Spencer asked.
Emily sighed and shook her head, making all of us sigh in annoyance.
"People, please, Pick a line. any line. And it does not matter which one. You will be given your group assignments, and they will tell you where to go, but, please, just pick a line" Mrs. Montgomery said.
We all began walking to get to our lines, I saw Hanna and Caleb smile at each other before walking to get on line.
I hope I'm with either Spencer or one of the other girls. I don't want to be alone.
A Few Minutes Later
I'm lucky that I'm with Emily and Mona in a group. At least I'm not alone.
I was standing in between Emily and another student. We were in Ms. Marin's group and we were playing something called 'take a step forward'.
"Ok. Take a step forward if you'd rather not be here" Ms. Marin said.
"How about we skip this step and just jump out the window?" Mona suggested.
This made all of us laugh while Ms. Marin chuckled awkwardly.
"Let's start with a step 'cause I'm sure some of you would rather not be here" Ms. Marin said.
A few students, me, Emily and Mona included, took a step forward.
I'd rather be at home eating snacks and binge watching my favorite movies.
"Ok. Take a step if you feel you've ever been mistreated by a student of a faculty member of this school" Ms. Marin said.
I remained where I was while a few students took a step forward.
However, Emily took two steps forward, causing a few others and Ms. Marin to look at her.
"Um, Emily, one step at a time" Ms. Marin said.
Emily sighed in annoyance before taking a step back.
"Take a step if you've ever felt the school was an unsafe or unwelcoming environment" Ms. Marin said.
This made me and a few more others take a step forward.
And of course, Emily took two steps forward, again.
"Emily" Ms. Marin sighed but Emily shook her head.
"One step is not enough. It's not safe or welcoming. For some of us, it gets worse every day" Emily scoffed.
I sighed and walked towards my best friend and gently patted her shoulder, hoping to give her some comfort.
"What do you mean by that?" Ms. Marin asked, concerned.
"I used to enjoy going to school, being a part of a team and all that. But now you make one mistake and you're tarnished, never to be trusted again" Emily angrily said.
This made me sigh as I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, giving her a side hug.
"Emily, can I see you for a moment?" Vice Principal Tamborelli asked.
Emily sighed before walking towards him.
I shook my head before making my way towards them as well, wanting to hear what they're going to say.
"Ethan, I didn't say you could join, this is just between me and Emily" Vice Principal Tamborelli sternly said.
I opened my mouth to protest when Emily held her hand up, stopping me.
"Ethan's my best friend, my brother, whatever you have to say to me you can say to him" Emily said, wrapping her arm with mine.
I smiled at her before nodding my head.
Vice Principal Tamborelli sighed before nodding his head.
"If you're feeling unsafe and unwelcome, maybe it's because your behavior has made your teammates and other students at this school feel the same way. Now, you're not helping your cause by attacking me" Vice Principal Tamborelli sternly said.
My eyes widened at that and my jaw dropped.
Is he seriously blaming Emily when it's not even her fault.
"I wasn't attack-" Emily started but her cut her off.
"You're no Saint, Emily. And neither are you, Ethan" Vice Principal Tamborelli darkly said.
Emily flinched at his tone while I glared at him, my fist clenching at my side.
"Maybe it's time you take a look at what got you to this point" Vice Principal Tamborelli sternly said.
"And maybe it's time you turn around and walk away, because your annoying ass doesn't belong here. And don't you dare talk to Emily like that again" I angrily snapped at him.
Vice Principal Tamborelli just glared at me before turning around and walking away.
I scoffed before bringing Emily into a hug, knowing that she needed some sort of comfort after what he said.
He's an asshole, an absolute asshole.
A Few Minutes Later
When we were all on break I decided to go and find Jason and see if I could some answers out of him.
I learned from Spencer that Jason was in the same group as mom.
Talk about awkward.
I was walking around the hallway when I spotted Jason walking around, carrying a box in his hands.
"Jason, wait up!" I yelled.
I ran towards him and stopped as he stopped walking and turned around.
"I heard that you and my mom are leading a group. How weird is that?" I asked, chuckling slightly.
"Yeah, it is. I was hoping it would be your dad, though" Jason said.
I frowned at that and walked a bit closer towards him.
"Why? Why is it so important that you talk to him?" I asked.
"I wish I could tell you, Ethan. But I can't" Jason softly said.
He turned around and began walking but I quickly stopped him.
"Jason, look, I know about the will" I said.
This made Jason turn around and look at me with wide eyes in shock.
"I know that my dad risked a lot to protect you, I just don't know why. Was there something that happened between our families?" I asked.
What's going on between dad and the Dilaurentis's?
Why does he seem to dislike them so much? What's his issue with Jason?
"Ethan, buddy, I really want to tell you but I can't. Just talk to your dad when he gets back in town" Jason said.
I furrowed my eyebrows at him in confusion.
"He's not out of town, and I've already asked him. He won't tell me" I said.
Why would he think he's out of town? Did mom lie to him or something?
Jason looked shocked and angry by what I said. He sighed and shook his head.
"Look, Ethan, I want to tell you and Spencer what's been going on but I can't. Not just yet. So, please just be patient" Jason softly said.
He turned around and walked away, leaving me there, standing alone.
A Few Minutes Later
I met up with Spencer and the both of us were walking around, trying to find mom or Jason.
We both need answers as to what's going on between our families. We're tired of being left in the dark, we're gonna get them and we're gonna get them now.
While we were walking we came across a classroom and we saw mom and Jason inside, talking.
Me and Spencer quickly hid behind the wall, but we made sure to stay close because we wanted to hear what they were talking about.
"Jason, this day is about forging new connections. Are you sure that this is the right approach?" Mom asked.
"Well, that depends on how you look at it, Mrs. Hastings. It's also about coming clean and owning up to the truth, but, hey, if you want to stay in denial, go for it. I'm not going anywhere" Jason said.
Me and Spencer looked at each other, unsure of what to say.
Flashback
Nobody's Pov
Ethan was in Spencer's room with Spencer and Alison. Spencer and Ethan were working on homework while Alison was going through a magazine.
"So, are you guys ready for this? Some dude in Germany went on a dating website and advertised for someone he could kill and eat" Alison said.
Ethan looked at his best friend with raised eyebrows as Spencer looked at her weirdly.
"Shut up" Spencer said.
"I'm serious. And got, like, 220 responses. Why does every woman think that she can change a guy?" Alison asked in annoyance.
Ethan laughed at that and shook his head.
"Ali, are you even going to take this test?" Ethan asked.
Alison looked at her best friend and smiled at him, winking.
"We've been neighbors for 15 years!" Mrs. Hastings yelled from downstairs.
Ethan and Spencer looked at each other and sighed, while Alison looked at them in confusion.
"What's going on with your mom and dad? Are they splitting up?" Alison asked, looking at her two best friends.
Spencer sighed and set her book down before getting off her bed.
"No" Spencer said.
Spencer closed her bedroom door while Ethan continued with his homework.
"Do they do this every night?" Alison asked.
"No, our dad's just upset" Spencer said.
She walked back to the bed as Ethan nodded his head and looked at Alison.
"Yeah. Jason gave Melissa a ride home from Philly, and, they got caught making out in the car" Ethan gagged.
Spencer sighed and nodded while Alison gasped, a smile made it's way onto her face as she slowly sat up from the bed.
"Seriously? Open the door" Alison said.
"No, Ali, stop, I don't want to hear this" Spencer begged.
"Me neither, it's too gross" Ethan begged.
"I do, Jason and Melissa, that's juicer than the guy that eats his dates" Alison chuckled.
She got up from the bed and opened the door to hear what Mr and Mrs. Hastings were saying.
"Yeah well our dad is freaking out over nothing. Melissa's obsessed with freaking Ian. She doesn't even like Jason" Ethan said.
Alison hummed at that and nodded her head.
"She better not" Alison said.
"Why not?" Spencer asked.
Alison turned around and smiled at the both of them.
"Let's just say it would be a match frowned upon by the gods" Alison said.
Spencer frowned at that while Ethan sighed and shook his head in exasperation.
Flashback Ends
Ethan's Pov
Oh my god...
It all makes sense now.
I've always wondered why Alison would comment weird stuff about our families, how they were so close and every other stuff.
I never realized why she would do that until now.
Spencer and I glanced at each other before nodding as we walked away.
We were going to wait and find Jason again, when he's alone, because this time he has to give us an answer.
Especially now that we've learned the truth.
An Hour Later
While walking around me and Spencer found Jason again. He was sitting outside, just staring into nothing and he was probably listening to music, I could see him wearing headphones.
We began walking towards him when me and Spencer heard our phones vibrate.
We took them out and saw that it was a message from A.
Don't be scared, Ethan. We're all family here, some more than others
- A
I sighed and shook my head before putting my phone away. Spencer did the same as we both walked towards Jason.
When we were close we slowly sat down next to each other, making sure we were near him.
"Jason" Spencer called out to him, loud so he could hear her.
Jason looked at us in slight surprise before taking off his headphones.
"We have to ask you something. Just hear us out. Please" I begged.
Jason looked at both of us before looking back at me, nodding.
"Did you...Are you back because...Our dad is your father too?" Spencer finally asked him what we both wanted to ask.
Jason stared at us, saying nothing.
"Who told you guys?" Jason asked.
Oh my god!
So it is true!
Jason's our brother, he's our half brother.
Holy shit, this is fucking insane.
"Ali. A long time ago. We just, we didn't hear it until tonight" I softly said.
Spencer nodded while Jason hummed and nodded his head.
Now that we've got an answer from him, it's time to confront mom about this.
A Few Minutes Later
Me and Spencer found mom and when we confronted her about it she took us to an empty hallway so we could talk, alone.
"Why are we the last ones to know?" Spencer asked, clearly angry.
"You're not. Melissa doesn't know either" Mom said.
"What? How could you not tell her? How could you be okay with this? How can you go on living next door to them for all of these years?" I asked, clearly angry.
"I didn't know. I didn't know until Jason was nearly an adult, and by then, your father and I, we discussed it" Mom said.
"You discussed what? How he was gonna tell his kids that he was going on a father-son fishing trip with the boy next door?" Spencer sarcastically asked.
"Look, I understand that you both feel angry and confused and betrayed. Believe me, I did too, and sometimes I still do, but I've had to get past it" Mom said.
"How?" I asked.
"Spencer, Ethan, every family has secrets. If I had known before, then I would have made a different decision, and you two wouldn't be here" Mom said.
Spencer scoffed at that while I shook my head.
"Kiddos, please, let's go home and talk to your father" Mom softly said.
"Hell no, I don't want to talk to him. I don't even want to look at him" I angrily scowled.
"Ethan, this doesn't really change anything" Mom said.
"No, this changes everything!" Spencer angrily yelled at her.
Mom flinched at her tone while I remained the same.
When Spencer calmed down a bit mom sighed and spoke up again.
"Kiddos, please. Let's go home" Mom softly said.
"What is home? That's a joke" Spencer scoffed.
She shook her head before walking away, leaving me and mom alone.
Mom sighed and looked at me, her eyes showing a pleading look.
"Honey, please don't be angry at me. Please don't hate me for not telling you once I found out" Mom begged.
I looked at mom and my eyes softened.
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.
"I'm not angry at you, mom. And I could never hate you" I reassured her.
I walked towards her and wrapped my arms around her, embracing her in a hug.
"But I'm angry at dad. I'm angry at dad for what he did to you. I hate him for never being apart of Jason's life. And I hate him for lying to us all this time" I softly said.
I gave mom a kiss on the cheek before walking away.
Late At Night
We were all in the cafeteria since that's where we were assigned to sleep.
Everyone, minus me and Spencer, were on the ground sleeping.
We were just looking outside the window, staring at nothing, saying nothing. Spencer had her head on my shoulder while I had an arm around her shoulders.
I can't believe that Jason's our brother.
I can't believe dad cheated on mom with Mrs. Dilaurentis.
I can't believe that he never told us.
I can't believe that he doesn't even want Jason here in Rosewood. He was never apart of Jason's life and just wants him gone.
This makes me feel bad because while I've had dad by my side since I was little, Jason didn't.
Sure, he had Mr. Dilaurentis, but dad is his biological father and he should've been in his life just like he was in mine.
"Spence, Ethan" we heard Emily say.
We turned around to see her awake and looking at us in confusion.
"What time is it?" Emily asked.
We both shrugged and looked down.
We heard Emily gasp and saw her holding her phone in her hand.
Her gasp managed to wake both Aria and Hanna because they both started stirring around in their sleep.
"Oh, my God. I got, like, six missed calls from that number" Emily whispered so only we could hear.
"What's going on? What...what number?" Aria asked, confused.
"Where the hell am I?" Hanna asked.
"New Jersey" I sarcastically said.
"The number in Ali's raincoat" Emily said.
Our eyes widened at that as me and Spencer walked towards Emily and huddled around her, sitting down.
Aria and Hanna scooted towards us just as Emily's phone began vibrating.
"Who's calling now?" Spencer asked.
"The same number. Do I answer it?" Emily asked.
"Yes, answer it" Aria nodded.
Emily looked nervous and was clearly debating on if she should or shouldn't.
I grew impatient and took the phone from her, answering the call.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Hey, is this Vivian's friend?" a man asked from the other line.
"Yes, it is" I said.
"What do you want?" the man asked.
"Well I was calling because I have a few questions and they need answers" I said.
"Yeah, well, I have a few myself, but I don't want to do this on a phone. Will you meet me?" the man asked.
"Yes. Just tell me when and where" I said.
This is it.
We're gonna get the answers that we need from this guy.
And hopefully this leads us to A.