"Making our lives miserable, one text at a time." -Hanna Marin
(A/n: these next few chapters are gonna be rlly short. Sorry, but my bored ass is lazy as hell.)
Isabel didn't come with the girls to the Busy Bee Inn, but Spencer did call her about what had happened. Ali was gone, and 'A' had gotten to her first.
"Isabel, this isn't the only reason I'm calling you," Spencer began nervously. "There's something I... there's something you need to know."
"Okay," Isabel frowned, sitting down on her bed. What was the worst that she could say?
"My dad told me... he said that Jason's in rehab," Spencer gulped, and Isabel's heart dropped. It wasn't only her; he had relapsed too.
It all makes sense. That's why he was at that bar.
"What? What bar? Isabel, have you seen Jason since he left you at the hospital?" Spencer asked incredulously, and Isabel realized she had said that aloud. "And how'd you know that bar's the reason he's in rehab?"
"Because that bar fight was about me," Isabel sighed, fiddling with the hem of her shirt.
-Flashback-
Isabel sat at the bar. She had just finished a gig, as she had picked up songwriting as a hobby to deal with... him. Everyone seemed to like the song she'd sang, which of course boosted her confidence.
"And what can I get for you?" the bartender asked as Isabel sat down. "Assuming..."
She showed him her fake ID. "Yeah, uh, I'll have a Bloody Mary."
He left to go make her drink, and she felt someone's eyes on her.
"Hey, pretty, that was a nice song," some guy slurred, walking up to her. She turned around, certain that person wasn't him.
"Thank you," she grimaced, turning back around.
"No, seriously, what is a pretty girl like yourself doing around here? Not many girls like you go to bars in Philly," he pressed, sitting down next to her. She inched away, looking to see if there was an empty seat next to her.
"Here's your Bloody Mary," the bartender said as he came back with her drink. The bar was pretty empty, so Isabel didn't get why he turned to someone next to her, and asked, "Would you like a refill?"
Isabel turned around, too. And what she saw took her breath away.
It was Jason. He was there, staring at her with wide eyes. Why was he here? Did he get back into drinking? Was it because of her?
"J- Jason?" she blinked, not able to form real sentences.
"I'll have another scotch," Jason said to the bartender, who nodded and walked off.
"Honey, I don't think he's a good pick for you," the other guy scoffed, making Isabel slowly turn around. His brown hair was styled almost theatrically, and Isabel backed away, not noticing that she was inching toward Jason in the process.
"I think I'll be going," she muttered, getting up. Both Jason and the guy stared as she fumbled with her purse. She wasn't drunk enough for this.
"I don't think you'll be going anywhere other than my house," the guy smirked, getting up and putting an arm on her shoulder.
In response, she shoved him off. "I don't think I will."
"Come on, hon, you-" he began, but someone whirled him around to face them.
"You wanna fight? I'll fight you," he scowled, and Isabel realized it was Jason. A small crowd had gathered, eager to see what was going to happen.
"Jason, don't, I can manage on my own," she snapped. He looked at her, truly looked at her, for the first time, and she saw the pain behind his eyes. It took her aback, and her jaw slackened.
"Are you the ex?" the guy laughed. "Well, hate to break it to you, but you're her past, buddy. And I'm her future."
"You don't even know my name," Isabel retorted. "And, Jason, please, just let him go. I don't need a man to save my ass. I've learned to fend for myself, thanks to you and your stupid little stunt."
"Isa, I-" Jason began, stepping toward her, but the guy held him back.
"So, you wanna fight me?" he laughed. "Let's see if you're strong enough."
Isabel pleaded with Jason to go, and he backed off. Just as she was sure they weren't going to jail, Jason socked the guy in the face, causing the whole crowd, including her, to gasp.
"Jason!" she yelled.
"Don't ever try me again," he scoffed at the guy, who in turn pounced on him. Isabel shouted at them to stop, but it was useless. The fight had attracted a lot of attention, so she decided to leave before she got busted for underage drinking.
-flashback ends-
"What? How come you never told me this?" Spencer stammered, and Isabel's eyes filled with tears.
"Because, Spence," she gulped. "That encounter hurt me more than him leaving."
-
Isabel was really distraught over this. Her life was spiraling, and she decided to do what could possibly make it better. Sobbing into her bed sheets.
Her eyes fell on a bottle of vodka. She'd bought it after reading the passage about her and Jason, and now... it was so welcoming, and who was to stop her?
She wasn't aware of getting up or pouring herself a cup, but she was aware of staring into it numbly. Oh, where had her life gone?
Where had Jason gone?
-
Isabel arrived at Emily's a little late, and hungover.
"Yeah, yeah, chew me out later, what happened?" Isabel sighed, crashing onto the couch, next to Hanna.
"Isabel, are you okay-?" Spencer began, but Isabel waved her off.
"I'll be fine, just say what you need to say, Em," she replied, looking at Emily to once again save her.
"I told Shana to find out what Ali had said to me when she pulled me out of the barn," she said.
"When we were looking for Dr. Sullivan?" Aria frowned.
Emily nodded. "What did Ali say to you?" Spencer asked.
"Uh, that's something I want to keep just between us," Emily responded quietly.
Everyone was silent. "Well, Shana's obviously lying," Hanna finally spoke up. "I mean, Ali never mentioned her name once."
"There were a lot of people in Ali's life we didn't know about," Emily replied bitterly.
"Wait, Shana knew Paige first?" Spencer blinked. "So what are we saying, that Paige is on Ali's list, too?"
"I don't know. Maybe," Emily shrugged, and Isabel leaned back and sighed. Her head pounded with all this confusion, not to mention alcohol.
"Even if they were friends, why would Ali trust Shana more than us?" she asked. "We were her best friends."
"Are you forgetting?" Emily scoffed. "Someone's been tormenting us for years."
"Making our lives miserable, one text at a time," Hana agreed, and Isabel pursed her lips. Was Ali afraid of 'A'?
"I think Shana's who we always thought she was: One of 'A's minions," Spencer replied, looking between Emily and Hanna. "And if 'A' wants us to stop looking for Ali, then that must mean Ali wasn't hurt last night."
"So, 'A' wants us to believe Shana's story so we stop looking for Ali and he can find her," Hanna said slowly. They all stared at Emily, who was silent.
"Come on, Em," Aria sighed. "You don't seriously believe that Shana moved all the way up from Georgia so she could hunt down the person who tried to kill her childhood friend, do you?"
"Ali could make someone love her enough to do that," Emily huffed.
-
Isabel was once again on her bed. But this time it was a bottle of whiskey. That vodka had certainly taken the pain away... but was the hangover worth it? She didn't have time to decide, as Hanna was calling her.
"Isabel, I know you're hurting, and my mom just took me to this place called Cracked Up. I think you'll like it," Hanna smiled. She heard crashing sounds in the background, which, instead of pushing her away, it made her want to go to Cracked Up even more.
"Really, Han? 'Cracked Up'?" she scoffed.
"Please, I was skeptical, too, but my mom was right. Come on, I know you're more broken-hearted than me," Hanna pleaded. "Pleaaaaase?"
"Okay," Isabel finally sighed.
-
Isabel arrived at this place and realized it was a plate smashing thing or whatever. Very appealing, and that wasn't even sarcastic.
"Hi, honey," Ms. Marin smiled, pulling her into a hug. Isabel smiled, because she was one of the nicest people she'd ever met.
"Thanks for, um, inviting me," she said, looking around. Hanna beamed in the corner.
"Trust me, it's fun," Hanna assured her, picking up a plate. Isabel raised an eyebrow at her, but watched as she threw it at the far wall.
"Fun? Destroying things is fun to you?" Isabel asked Hanna incredulously. "I didn't think you were the type."
"And you aren't?" Hanna asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, I totally am," Isabel nodded, grabbing a plate. She flung it against the wall, and when it shattered, she felt content. Like she could vent all her hurt and anger into one thing.
She spent so much time there, and she could tell that Ms. Marin and Hanna were relieved that she was putting all her anger into something.
After she had spent half her money on throwing plates, Isabel turned to Ms. Marin.
"Thank you for this, I really needed it," she smiled. "You too, Han."
"I had a hunch," Hanna shrugged.
Isabel gathered her stuff, and before she left, she turned to Ms. Marin once again.
"You know, you're like the mother I never had," she said quietly, and Ms. Marin smiled tearfully. Isabel knew it meant a lot to her, and if she had to be miserable, at least let everyone else be happy.
-
Isabel was back at her apartment, after the whole plate throwing thing. She set down her purse on the counter and saw that the bottle of whiskey was still there.
Yeah, it would totally numb the pain, but...
Isabel picked it up, unscrewed the top... and emptied out the bottle into the sink. Tossing the empty bottle away, one thing crossed her mind.
Maybe it was time to move on.