"You get to act like a total snot-rag, 'cause mommy and daddy have a safety net of cash to catch your fall!" -Emily Fields
The girls were in Ella's classroom, learning about college week.
"You're representing your family, your school, and your community during these college visits," she went on, pacing in front on the classroom. "Translation? Do not use this weekend to discover beer pong. You are to use this time to audit classes, tour the campus, and decide if this is where you want to go."
The bell rang, and everyone else got up and left.
"Hey, you guys, why would I dream that?" Hanna whispered to them as they packed up. "I mean, 'A' is about to drop the hammer on my mom."
"The only thing your dream is telling you is that you should be drinking warm milk before bed," Spencer replied in the same low voice.
"My dad's gun is missing, Spencer," Hanna hissed, and Isabel stared. Her dad's gun was missing?
"Yeah, and that looks really bad, but we've gone over this. 'A' has tried to frame us before-" Aria agreed.
"No, it's not framing if you actually did it!" Hanna snapped.
"Hanna, this is your mother," Emily sighed.
"Yeah, she looked you in the eye and told you she didn't," Isabel added, crossing her arms.
"Don't you guys have a class to get to?" Ella asked as she packed up.
"Yeah, we're going," Aria nodded, gathering her stuff.
"You'd get there faster if your feet were actually moving," Ella replied, leaving.
"Whoa, what's with your mom? Kinda harsh," Isabel frowned as they got up.
"I don't know. She's been really weird the past few days," Aria agreed. "Makes me wonder if 'A's moved on from Hanna's mom to mine."
"Well, 'A' can multi-task," Hanna scoffed. "Can you guys come over after school?"
"I can't. I have a strategy session at The Brew," Spencer sighed. "My mom's hired a spin-doctor to make me shiny and new again."
"Sorry?" Aria blinked as they started off.
"It's an admissions coach," Isabel explained for her.
"She wants him to wave his magic loafer and get me into college," Spencer added bitterly.
"Can I come?" Isabel asked, and Spencer stared. "No, no, not like that, I won't interrupt, I just wanna listen."
"I don't care, come all you want," Spencer shrugged.
"All right, I'll see you later, guys," Hanna said as they walked in different directions.
"Okay," Aria smiled.
"How much do you think a spin-doctor like that cost?" Emily asked Aria.
"It's the Hastings, so I'm guessing it costs than your car," Isabel replied, glancing at Spencer, who was in front of them.
"Guys, this isn't about money, okay?" Spencer scoffed, turning around. "I mean, the last thing on my mind right now is trying to sell myself. With everything that went down with Melissa, and Tippi being birdnapped."
"Don't even bring up that singing canary," Aria huffed.
"Parrot," Spencer corrected her.
"Whatever," Aria snapped. "We don't have the bird or the beast. Now that Melissa's gone, we have very little to go on."
"Well, if Melissa was telling the truth about anything, then we should be following the Ali trail," Isabel shrugged.
"And that trail ends with 'Board Shorts,'" Emily added as Isabel opened her locker. "And our only way of finding him was through Tippi's phone number."
"I've already spent days researching that stupid number," Aria complained.
"I can't find a single thread that links Wilden, Ian, or Garrett to York County," Isabel agreed, putting some books away.
"Hold up," Spencer frowned, pulling her book of colleges out. "Wait, there's a college there, I just saw it." She flipped through the pages. "Cicero. Cicero College."
"Is there a contact number?" Aria asked.
"Yeah," Spencer nodded. She flipped to the page, and Isabel gaped when she saw the number.
"That's interesting," she muttered.
"Yeah," Spencer agreed.
"What?" Emily blinked.
"Yeah, look," Isabel said, pulling out the slip of paper with the number on it. "The area code and the prefix are the same."
"Looks like we just got a little closer," Spencer smiled.
-
Isabel met up with Spencer and Emily at some sorority party. Supposedly, that was where the number traced back to.
"Does this dress look slutty to you?" Emily asked as they walked along. Isabel was reminiscing about old frat parties, and then remembered that they were here for a reason.
"Not really. But the sluttier the better," Spencer shrugged, and Isabel gaped at her. "We have to zero in on the senior brothers. See if any of them remember Ali or who she was hooking up with that summer." She suddenly stopped walking. "Look, are you sure that this sorority party is the way to go? Maybe we should just knock on the frat house doors. There aren't that many of them."
"We want to go to the party, okay?" Isabel snapped, and Spencer stared at her.
"Why did we bring you with?" Spencer frowned. "All you're gonna do is get drunk."
"Whoa, dial it down, Spence, I'm done with drinking," Isabel scoffed, raising an eyebrow.
"But, about the party, you're right," Spencer replied. "All the guys will probably be there anyways. She watched guys running around and acting like five-year-olds. "Ugh, like moths to the flame. Here..." She gave something to Isabel and Emily.
"What's this?" Isabel asked, holding up her photo. It was of Ali.
"Isabel, it is a photo, to jog memories of Ali," Spencer sighed like she was stupid. "I think this was where she was going with the money from Hector-"
"I know what it is, but why? I think you're taking this a little too seriously, Spence," Isabel replied, putting the photo away.
"And I think you're not taking it seriously enough," Spencer snapped. "You know, when we get there we should probably divvy up the workload. Do you want to talk to the Deltas or the Kappas?"
"Neither! Look, I know that this is important, but can we please put a pin in this?" Emily huffed. "I don't want to do this tonight."
"Why? This is the reason we came here," Spencer frowned. "Other than-"
"Spencer, shut the hell up about my alcohol problems!" Isabel yelled.
"Yeah, and no, it isn't!" Emily agreed, giving Spencer back the photo. "I came here to talk to sorority sisters about a scholarship. Yeah, that's right, I actually want to get into this 'podunk' school."
"So you're not here to help me find a number?" Spencer frowned.
"No. I'm here for me," Emily huffed.
"Okay, well, now it all makes sense," Spencer laughed, and Isabel sat back to 'enjoy the show'. (Not get torn to shreds by Spencer.)
"What makes sense?" Emily asked.
"Oh, you batting those camel lashes at Brendan," Spencer replied, smirking. "Smiling, laughing at everything he says-"
"It's called being nice," Emily scoffed.
"It's called flirting," Spencer shot back.
Emily just stared at her. "I don't think Brendan confused interest with flirtation."
"Well, I'll tell you what I'm not confused about," Spencer said, adjusting her bag strap. "The fact that all weekend you've conveniently failed to mention that you're gay!"
"No, you didn't!" Isabel gasped, glancing at Spencer with wide eyes.
"I just didn't think that you were the type of person who would lead somebody on just to get what you wanted," Spencer went on, ignoring Isabel.
"Nice, coming from the girl who whipped off her bra to get back on the decathlon team," Emily huffed, crossing her arms. "Okay, I wasn't leading him on. I was being charming!"
"Could of fooled me," Spencer shrugged.
"You wouldn't know the difference, you've never had to be charming," Emily shot back. "You get to act like a total snot-rag, 'cause mommy and daddy have a safety net of cash to catch your fall!"
Some sorority sisters decided to burst out then and there, singing a song. Isabel just stormed off and into the sorority party.
-
She walked around aimlessly, too scared to ask anyone about Ali, but not wanting to leave.
"I don't think I've seen you around."
Isabel turned around to see some guy staring at her. More like smirking, since he was holding a cup of-
"Where'd you get that?" she asked, wide-eyed.
"By the living room," he laughed. "I can get you some if you'd like-"
"No, thanks," she snapped. "I'd rather get my own." She walked over to the drink table and poured herself some scotch. The type Jason liked...
"Easy on the alcohol," the same guy laughed. He was back again.
"What do you want from me? Because I'm not hooking up with you, if that's what you mean," Isabel scoffed, crossing her arms.
"No, I just think you're interesting. I want to know more," he shrugged. She raised an eyebrow at him and sat down across from him on the couch there.
"If you really want to 'know more about me', then talk," Isabel replied, sitting back.
"My name's Chris," he explained. "I go to Cicero college and live at a sorority brother's house."
"Ah, the second one," she said with a laugh.
"What?"
"I know who you are," Isabel scoffed. "You're a junior at Rosewood High. I've seen you around."
"Ah, so you're, what, a freshman?" Chris asked.
"No, a senior," she replied, sipping her drink. "And since I know you're legit, let's talk about what a Junior's doing at a sorority."