"Hi, I'm Spencer. I'm climbing into the crawlspace." -Spencer Hastings
Isabel, Aria, Emily, and Spencer sat at lunch the next day, talking about the holes in the ceiling of Mrs. D's basement.
"Do you actually think she's been living in that crawl space?" Aria asked skeptically.
"Aria, there was a sleeping bag," Emily scoffed, poking at her food with her fork.
"But napping isn't living," Aria pointed out.
"Unless you're a reptile, which kind of describes CeCe," Isabel shrugged.
"Least the CeCe that Mrs. DiLaurentis remembers," Emily said, and Isabel sighed. Mrs. D remembered CeCe as an evil witch, and, well, she was right.
"But not just Mrs. D," Aria whisper-shouted. "Even Shana's scared of this girl."
"Yeah, well I'm scared of Shana," Emily snapped, still playing with her food.
"She's not the one who used Jenna's head as batting practice at your birthday party," Aria retorted.
"Yeah, why is CeCe going after Jenna?" Spencer agreed.
"Why would she go after any of us?" Aria frowned. Then she looked at Isabel apologetically. "Well, other than you. Sorry."
"'S okay," Isabel muttered, now poking at her salad, too.
"I mean, we had nothing to do with her getting kicked out of college," Aria went on.
"We have no idea what Ali could've told her," Spencer pointed out.
"What could Ali have possibly said that would make CeCe hate us enough to drill holes under Ali's house and stare up Emily's skirt?" Aria frowned.
At the mention of that, Emily shuddered. "How am I supposed to live in that house?"
"Hang out on the second floor," Aria suggested.
"And wear underwear at all times," Spencer added, and Emily looked even more scared now. "I'm eating this." She took one of Isabel's fries that she had been eyeing as Hanna sat down next to Isabel.
"Hey, get your own fries," Isabel scoffed, pulling them closer to her.
"Well, yours are already here," Spencer protested.
"Hey. Where you been?" Aria asked Hanna as Isabel muttered complaints under her breath.
"Uh, with my mom," Hanna explained. "She met another lawyer."
"How'd it go?" Emily frowned.
"Not great," Hanna sighed, looking between all of them. "They're all just bottom-feeders trying to make a name for themselves."
"There are other ones," Isabel assured her.
"Isabel, she's met all of them," Hanna snapped. "They don't care what happens to her. She's just... Case number 79."
"Your mom's gonna find somebody who really cares about her," Aria promised as Hanna visibly stressed out.
"She already found someone who cared," Hanna retorted. "Why can't you tell your mom to ask the judge to get back on that case?" she added, looking over at Spencer.
"'Cause 'A' took her down, Hanna," Spencer replied sadly.
"Spencer, talk to her," Hanna demanded. "Please. My mom trusts her. She needs her."
"I know, and my mom is not deserting her," Spencer swore. "She just- she has to figure out what kind of role she can play without compromising your mom's defense."
"What is she doing here?" Emily asked suddenly, making them all look up.
"Who?" Isabel frowned.
"Lieutenant Tanner," Emily replied, and Isabel noticed her walking in.
"Why is she at our school?" Hanna agreed as she craned her neck.
"Doubt it's for the baked ziti," Spencer muttered, sipping her water.
"Hello, ladies. May I join?" Tanner asked as she stopped at their table. Without waiting for an answer, she sat down next to Spencer. "I hear you and your mother moved in with a neighbor," she added, looking at Emily. "Must be nice not having to use a desk as an ironing board. Have you been back to your house since the accident?"
"No, I haven't," Emily replied, shaking her head.
"Well I'm just here, ladies, to remind you that the local PD is still investigating," Tanner assured them.
"Did they find out who was driving that car?" Isabel frowned, certain it was CeCe.
"No," Tanner said. "Not yet. Oh, but they did find something interesting while they were sorting through the wreckage."
"What? What was it?" Spencer pressed as they all stared at Tanner.
"A shoe," Tanner responded, nodding. "A muddy shoe... That, believe it or not, matches the shoe prints from the Wilden crime scene..." Isabel glanced worriedly over at Hanna, who was picking at her bottom lip nervously. "Which falls under my jurisdiction."
"Do they know whose shoe it is?" Emily asked.
"Well, we spoke to your mother, Emily. We know it's not hers," Tanner went on, and Hanna picked up her bag. "And we have ways of testing these things out. You know, DNA and stuff. Something wrong, Hanna?" she added, turning to Hanna, who had gotten up.
"No, I'm just-" Hanna stammered helplessly. "I have to use the restroom." She rushed off, leaving the girls staring awkwardly at Tanner.
"Geez, I hope I didn't ruin anyone's lunch," she frowned.
When she left, Isabel noticed Mike in the corner, kind of looming there. Apparently, so did everyone else, as they got up and left.
"Hey," he said as he walked over.
"Hi," she replied, making room for him to sit down. "What's up?"
"I'm sorry if I came off as a bit too forward the last time we were... out, but I was wondering if you'd like to go to the Hoe Down with me?" Mike stuttered nervously. It was cute to see him like this, and Isabel sincerely wished she liked him.
So, to try and conjure up that feeling, she said, "Yeah. Sure."
He smiled at her, but all she could muster was a grimace.
-
Isabel and Mike went shopping later for outfits for the Hoe Down.
"Do you think blue or brown looks better on me?" Mike asked, holding up a baby blue vest and a brown one.
"Huh?" Isabel looked up from the ground.
"Isabel, I asked if you liked blue or brown on me," Mike repeated. Isabel's eyes swam with tears as she remembered something.
-Flashback-
Isabel was sitting on her bed, reading up on the Cold War for the next school year. It was August, right before senior year.
"Okay, blue or black?" Jason asked as he walked out of her bathroom wearing only a towel.
"Jason," she laughed, shutting her book closed. "What are you talking about?"
"Well, I'm taking you out to a fancy restaurant, since today's-" he began, but then she grinned.
"You remembered it was my birthday, yet I forgot?" she chuckled, getting up.
"Come on, Isa, we've known each other for almost four years," Jason smiled. "Of course I remember your birthday."
He smiled down at her as she hugged him. "I love you."
"And I love you. But the real question is, black or blue?" he asked, holding out two shirts.
"I'd prefer nothing, but... didn't you say your favorite color was blue?" Isabel replied.
"Yeah, but today's about you, not me," he replied, and she shook her head, walking back over to her bed.
"It doesn't have to be only about me. Remember, we met on my birthday," she sighed.
"I remember, but it was your birthday," Jason shrugged.
"Blue," she said abruptly, and he raised an eyebrow at her. "It's your favorite color."
He smiled at her one last time and walked back into the bathroom.
-Flashback ends-
"Brown," she said to Mike, wiping away the tears before he could see them. Mike was here, Jason was not. "Definitely brown."
"But I kind of like how blue looks-"
"Brown," Isabel repeated firmly. "Pick brown."
-
Later, Isabel was searching the crawlspace with Emily and Hanna.
"Where's Spencer?" Aria whispered. "Always has the best flashlight."
"Isn't she the one that said to meet at 4:00?" Isabel frowned as she shone her flashlight around.
"Yeah, she'll be here," Emily assured her.
"So..." Aria began excitedly, looking at Isabel. "Did Mike ask you out again?"
"Kind of," Isabel shrugged, not looking at her or Emily.
"And? Ooh, what if he's the one who makes you smile again? That would be so romantic," Emily gushed.
"And nothing," Isabel snapped, turning to face them. "I want to be in love with him, but... I just can't. And besides, no one can make me smile again."
Emily sighed, evidently upset that her shot a a romantic discussion was a literal shot in the dark. "When was the last time you spoke with Ezra?" she asked Aria.
"It's been a while. Why?" Aria frowned.
"You should call him," Emily shrugged, knowing more than she was letting on.
"Why?" Isabel blinked.
"Yeah, what's going on?" Aria added.
Emily kept sweeping her light over the floor. "He just mention that he's been trying to reach you."
"He has," Aria nodded, not moving a muscle. "But I can't do that to Jake. I spent our first three dates trying to convince him that I was available, and now I- now I finally feel like I am." She paused as Isabel picked something up. "What is that?" She held it out to them.
"A button," Isabel scoffed. Duh.
"Do you think it belongs to Red Coat?" Emily asked. They heard something moving behind them, making Isabel, Emily, and Aria whirl around.
Spencer emerged, holding a flashlight, and the girls all let out a breath.
"Hi. Sorry I'm late," she said, crawling in.
"Yeah, so are we. You could've announced yourself," Aria snapped.
"Hi, I'm Spencer. I'm climbing into the crawlspace," Spencer replied sarcastically.
"Where have you been?" Isabel asked.
"I was with Toby. Just... stuff's going on," Spencer shrugged.
"Yeah, there's been a lot of stuff going on for a while now, ever since he gave 'A' that lair," Aria scoffed as Spencer sat down next to them.
"Have you found anything?" Spencer asked, ignoring her.
Isabel sighed and handed it to her. "A button."
"Lemme see," Spencer muttered as she shone her bright light onto it.
"Told you she has the best flashlight," Aria complained. Suddenly, there was a commotion upstairs, and they heard slow footsteps directly above them.
"I thought Mrs. D was with Hanna," Spencer whispered.
"Uh..." Emily mumbled, pulling out her phone. She texted Hanna, and Aria crawled past them, looking up at the ceiling. Spencer followed her, and soon after came Isabel and Emily.
Aria pressed her eye up to one of the holes to see who was there. The others waited there patiently. Emily's phone buzzed, and Isabel looked over to see what Hanna said.
'Yeah, Mrs. D. is with me. Why?' -Hanna
Isabel and Emily exchanged a worried glance.
Then who was upstairs?
Isabel handed Spencer the phone, who handed Aria the phone. She frowned, handed it back to Spencer, and continued to traipse through the crawlspace. Pressing her eye up to another hole, she tried to get a better view as Isabel backed away. Who knows what the person up there's motives were?
Suddenly, just as Aria pulled back a bit, a knitting needle stabbed through the hole, making the girls gasp.
Another one poked through another hole, this time closer. The four of them huddled together next to a pillar, whimpering softly.
"Shh," Aria hushed as they shook.
The needle was pulled out, and receding footsteps were heard. The girls didn't move a muscle as the front door slammed shut.
-
"Wait, go back. How many knitting needles were there?" Hanna frowned. They had just told her about the knitting needle incident, and were in Spencer's kitchen.
"Does there need to be more than one?" Aria scoffed.
"I'm just saying there could have been more than one person up there," Hanna shrugged.
"There was one person, one heavy-footed person who knew exactly where those holes were," Emily replied as Isabel leaned back on the counter.
"Em, this could help us," Hanna urged. "If that person is CeCe, we can trap her- maybe with the diva dish envelope; When you go back there, you should-"
"If I go back there, it's to pack up my suitcase, okay?" Emily snapped. "I'm not sleeping in that house again."
"I don't blame you," Isabel whispered, staring at the ground. All she could think about was Jason, and she hated herself for it.
"I'll move in here," Emily said abruptly, even though she glanced at Isabel worriedly.
"Moving in where?" Spencer asked as she walked down the stairs. They all got up to face her, more than a little ticked off.
"Here. Your bedroom, this couch... anywhere where there's carpeting," Emily muttered.
"Do you wanna do this tonight?" Spencer frowned as she walked into her living room.
"Yeah. Is that a problem?" Emily scoffed, crossing her arms.
"Uh-" Spencer stuttered.
"Who were you talking to upstairs?" Aria added.
"Toby. Why? What did I miss?" Spencer blinked.
"What did we miss?" Isabel retorted, making Spencer stare at her. "Spence, it's like you're living a double life."
"What makes you think I'm living a double life?" Spencer frowned.
Isabel scoffed at her, and Aria answered instead. "Because I have and I know exactly what it looks like."
"Every time Toby calls, you leave the room, your mood changes," Emily pointed out.
"Are you pregnant?" Hanna asked.
"Shut up, Hanna," Emily sighed, turning to her.
"Okay, it's like you're here but you're not," Isabel added.
"We get it. We understand you have a boyfriend," Aria agreed. "We've all had them."
"Yeah, even Emily," Hanna nodded, making a face.
"Shut up, Hanna," Emily snapped exasperatedly.
"Okay, but we don't put anyone above our friendship," Aria went on.
"I'm not putting him above you guys," Spencer said defensively. "I just- Toby is- he's dealing with some really serious stuff."
"Spencer, Hanna's mom might be going to prison, like, for real," Isabel scoffed, crossing her arms, but not moving from her spot at the counter. "Emily's got a car parked in her living room, I might actually die from a broken heart, that or alcohol poisoning, and Aria nearly lost an eye this afternoon. I think... All of our problems ranks on the 'serious' charts."
"I- I promised him," Spencer stammered.
"We know," Emily nodded.
"Spence, what's the deal?" Hanna asked, making Spencer look at her. "Is Toby working with 'A' again?"
"No. But 'A' is giving him gifts, too," Spencer sighed, and they all leaned in, interested. "Toby's mother might have been murdered."
-
Isabel and Mike both arrived at the Hoe Down, him wearing brown and a smile. She faked a smile, her heart aching for Jason, and Jason only.
She wore a cowgirl hat with a leather crop top, detached sleeves, jeans, and pointy boots, all black.
"Howdy, Caleb. How's it going?" Aria asked, as she and Jake also arrived with them. She and Jake were so happy... they even seemed like the perfect couple.
"What are they serving?" Jake added.
"Hi, Isabela, and..." Caleb began.
"Mike" Mike replied, and Caleb gave Isabel the look, like, this was the guy who ghosted you?
"Uh, I would just stick with water," Caleb finally said, looking at Jake. "Everything else tastes like cough syrup."
"Even the lemonade?" Isabel pouted. That was the only reason she didn't bail.
"Try it for yourself," Caleb shrugged, handing her a glass. She sipped some, and immediately spit it back in the glass. Ugh, it tasted worse than cough syrup.
"Where's Hanna?" she asked, wiping her mouth.
"She's dancing off some bet with one of your teammates," Caleb explained, looking at Mike. "You know anything about that?"
Mike raised an eyebrow, looked at Isabel, and finally replied, "Uh, yeah. You know sophomores. So immature."
"I'll have a water," Aria sighed. "Please."
"Hey, you wanna dance?" Mike asked, and Isabel glanced back at Aria, who smiled at Jake. How she wished she was that.
"Sure," she tried a smile, and took his arm.
-
Isabel and Mike danced for a while, and she tried to do the two-step, yet she never learned the country ways.
Mike seemed to think that her failed attempts to dance were cute, but Isabel was frustrated for many different reasons, not just because she couldn't line dance.
"You're adorable, you know that?" Mike smiled as she tripped over her feet.
"Thanks for appreciating my terrible performance," Isabel joked as the song ended, and a slow one started up. She put her head on his chest, but it felt so... wrong.
"I never told you this, and I should've," Mike began, holding her close. "But I love you."
Everything in her world just froze. Mike Montgomery, the guy she had a 'crush' on since forever, just said he loved her. Old Isabel, the innocent one, the one that only existed before Ali disappeared, would've been ecstatic. But her self, now, and in the present, was speechless.
This is what you've always wanted! Say it back! No one else has said that to you since...
Since Jason had said he loved her. It was the first time she'd uttered those words to anyone. Not her mom, dad, even Ali. It was Jason.
It was so easy to say it to him, so she'd be perfectly able to say it to Mike. Right?
"Mike... I l- I..." she began, but the words just died in her throat. Because if they'd made it to her lips, it'd be a lie. She didn't love him.
"You what?" he asked hopefully. Just say it, his eyes begged. Please.
"I'm sorry, but I can't," she choked out, pulling away from him. The hurt in his eyes was unbearable, so she looked away.
"Why?" was all he could ask.
"It would be unfair to you if I lied about how I feel," she gulped, darting past him.
-
"Isabel, are you okay?"
Isabel turned around to see Emily.
"You don't seem okay," she continued, walking up to her. They sat down at a table. "What's on your mind?"
"I was just thinking... before this whole Ali mess, before 'A', before everything... remember how I dreamed about Mike finally loving me?" Isabel asked, staring into nowhere.
"He told you he loved you, didn't he?" Emily replied softly as silent tears fell down Isabel's cheeks.
"I don't get it. I want to say it back... but..." Isabel sniffled.
"You still love Jason. You'll always love him," Emily explained, even though Isabel already knew that.
"Yeah," she muttered. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Paige. "Go dance with her."
"What?" Emily blinked.
"Paige loves you. You love her. Be grateful that there is someone you love, Em. Before life whisks her away, too," Isabel said with a sad smile. Emily hugged her, got up, and made a beeline for Paige.
Isabel smiled. They were so happy together.
Just like she and Jason used to be.
And all that was left of that was pain.