"Sorry about losing my temper my bad, love-A"
Rosewood, Pennsylvania 2010
"Mom, I am fine. I will go home as soon as we hear something on Han, alright. Goodnigh" I say ending the call with my mother.
The girls and I followed Hanna to the hospital, waiting for an update on how she is doing but until now we haven't heard anything. Our parents called, asking how we were and when were we coming home, even mine did.
"How is she mrs.Marin?" I ask approaching the older woman.
"She is going to be alright, she has an broken leg and a broken ankle, bruised ribs and they might have to remove her spleen" Mrs. Marin told us worried and confused.
"What happened?" she asked me.
"Hanna was coming across the parking lot and this car just came out of nowhere" Aria explained.
"Well, the police found the car, said it was stolen"
"Did they catched the driver?" Emily asked concerned.
"No, not yet."
"Cops, should be looking for Toby Cavanaugh" Spencer said making me roll my eyes.
"It wasn't Toby, the police picked him up last night" Mrs.Marin told us.
"What?"
"One of the officers told me, they found him hidding in town and they were bringing him in the station when they got the call about Hanna. You girls should go home, I will call you when Hanna can have visitors "
"Just let Hanna know we were here" Aria asked.
"I will, when she wakes up" The older woman said leaving towards Hanna's room.
"Toby isn't A" Emily said firmly.
"Well, Hanna know's how he is, that's why A tryed to kill her"
"Think they are just trying to scare us?" Emily asked lookingin between us.
"Well, it worked" Aria admited
"This was never about scaring us, that was just a bonus. And this started with murder we were crazy to think it wouldn't end up like this" Admiting this wasn't the easiest.
"Should we tell the cops?" Emily asked me " Your dad maybe?"
"Tell them what?" Aria asked
"Everything"
"We don't know everything"
"So, what do we do?"
"We talk to Hanna before we do anything, she is in this with us" I say, picking my things to go home.
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"Avey what is going on?" Brian ask me as soon as I step inside the house. I put my keys on the furniture and turn to look at him, my make up is all blurred, my hair is gressy from the camp weather, and my undereyes are black.
"You haven't called me that in a while" I say, mentioning the nickname that my family used to call me
"I thought that you wanted to be called something more mature now" Brian said looking down at the ground.
The tears I have been holding this whole day finally are realized, I allow them to fall. Brian's arm get wrapped around my body, giving me a safe place to cry as much as I want.
"What happened ?" He asked me concerned.
"Hanna is in the hospital, they ran her over. It's my fault" I say in between crys and tears.
"Avey it's not your fault baby sis" He says holding my face in his hands for me to look in his eyes.
"I can't lose another friend, Brian I can't lose her too" Brian holds me in his arms again, he knows that is the best not to talk to me when I am vunerable like this, the best is to hold me and listen to me. And that's what he did.
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"Good morning" My family says as I walk down the staircase.
"Goodmorning" I say sitting next to Brian on the table, I place my head on his shoulder while he pours me a hot coffee " Thanks" I smile.
"You are going to see Hanna?" My mother asked
"Yeah, she is allowed visitors now." I respond.
"Ava you should talk about your fellings, you know, it's good for couping with them" My mother tells me, before I could respond my brother speaks for me.
"Avey already is , she has been talking with me. Right Ava?" Brian covers for me, like he always did.
"Yeah, I have" I smile, mouthing a thank you.
"Avey, the nickname came back?" My father acknowledges looking at me and Brian. I simply nood my head, he smiles back at me and raises his coffee mug in the air, cheering it.
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"Does it hurt?" Aria asked Hanna sitting on one side of her hospital bed.
"Yeah, kinda" She responde tired.
"Well hello, my lovely ladies" I say walking into the hospital room fifteen minutes later, Hannah smiles as I walk in "How are you? And please tell us about-" But I was cut of my Aria's hand hitting my arm, pointing with her head to Mrs.Marin direction
"Getting better"
"Do you remeber what happened?" Spencer asked trying to change the attention from me and my almost mistake.
"Uh, yeah I remmeber" Hanna said simple because of her mom being in the room "Uh mom, you have been here the whole time. Do you wanna take a break?" Hanna asked.
Mrs.Marin give us all a quick look before askin Hanna if she was sure, she she responded yes " Don't worry Mrs.Marin, I'm here with her." I say smiling over at the older woman.
"That's what I am afraid of" She joked.
"Love you too Mrs.Marin" I say as Hanna's mom leaves the room.
"Girl, start talking now" I say, sitting on the other side of the bed, opposite of where Aria is sitting.
"Noel Kahn is A" Hanna admits, looking at me, her blue eyes are looking into me. I shake my head repediatly not believe or not wanting to believe a single word she said.
It can't be, he is with me, I know him we are together, he can't be A. Not Noel.
"What? Are you serious?" The girls asks her again.
"Yeah, I saw him in the woods and he left an A message" Hanna explained.
"You saw him leave a message?"
"He wrote something in a back pf a car" She said looking at us, I still couldn't wrapp my mind around this new information, and I had to prove them they are wrong to think Noel is A.
"What car? What did he write?" Emily asked.
"I see you" Hanna looked over at Aria and she said the message.
"How do you know?" Spencer asked her.
"I was in the car" She admited shortly.
"Whose car was it?" Emily asked once again.
We are looking at Aria, waiting for her response every second feels like a lifetime "Ezra Fitz" She said, our english teacher.
"Mr.Fitz?" Aria noods.
"Aria?"
"Hannah?"
"It was Mr.Fitzs" Hanna admits looking over at Aria.
"That's fucked up Aria, he is your teacher" I comment, I figured if I kept myself quiete for too long I might go insane.
"You met him there?"
"The call you got at the party, it was from him?" Emily asked with arms crossed in the chest.
"I couldn't tell anyone. I promised Ezra"
"Ezra? Wait, this is somehing that has been going oon?" Spencer asked getting up from her place.
"I didn't just get into his car last night. Who do you think I am?"
"Not the Aria I though you were " I comment
"How long as this been going on?"
"Since right before school started"
"Since Labor day, my God" I exale after this whole conversation.
"Ah my head hurts just as much as my leg now" Hanna says, I go over all the medication she is taken, just to see.
"What are you taking?" I ask her.
"All of that" She says, pointing to the inside of the drawer. She is taking very strong pills. Pills that would really helping me with the anxiety.
"What exactly did you see?" Spencer asked, going back to the subject.
"Well, I saw Aria go into a parked car, and then I saw someone in a black hoodie write something in a back of a car window. And when he turned around it was Noel."
"That doen't mean Noel is A, that just means Noel saw a student and a teacher making out and he left a message, he is not A" I say closing the drawer that had Hanna's medication.
"Ava, I saw what I saw" Hanna said annoyed.
"It's not him" I say sure of my words, Hanna rollder her eyes at me.
"And A tryed to kill her for it" Spencer defended Han
"Yeah, but no one saw who was driving the car" Aria said defending me, when a knock on the door is heard.
"If is someone with painkiller just let them in" Hanna said.
"Noel" Aria says, opening the door. I get up from m sit to go over to the door myself.
"I just heard about Hanna. Though i'd try to visit" He says, showing the basket for the blond. I open the door a little more to be able to see him, he's smile grows at the sight of me, and unfortunately so does mine.
"I will leave you two" Aria says " And I will give this to Hanna" Aria grabbed the basket from Noels hands.
I walk outside the hospital room and close the door behind me, I cross my arms over my chest to look at him "She just fell asleep, we are leaving soon too" I lie.
"What happened?" He asked me confused.
"You don't know ?" I ask, trying to prove to myself he is not A.
"I heard it was a hit and run" He looks down at me.
"Who told you that?"
"Sean, is she gonna be okay?" He asked, he sounded genuine concerned about Hanna, and that wasn't even the worst part about the possiblity of him being A.
"Yeah, we hope so"
"This is insane" He admits looking around us and the back at me.
"Yeah, you are right about that."
"I got really worried that something had also happened to you" He says, he walks a step closer to me and wrappes his arms around my body, unable to just ignore him I also hug him, and I need this hug from him.
"Noel, where were you last night?" I ask still in the embrance.
"Hanging with Sean , why?" He asks me, breaking the hug.
"I don't know, I was just wondering" I say. He kissed me before we both walked in our diferent paths.
He lied to me, Noel Kahn just lied to me. So maybe I am wrong, maybe Noel Kahn is A.
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After the girls and I left the hospital we went to grab some hot coffees and then went to Aria's house to hang out. We are in her room, I place the coffee on the make up table and walk over to her bed where I just lay down.
"Are you sure about what you saw on that tree?" Aria asked us, also laying in her own bed.
"We three saw it Aria"Emily says, Aria looks over at me, I look at her and turn my thumb up, aggreding with Em.
"I know but, do you think that Ali maybe just put it up there to see what it might look like?" Aria wondered.
"No, that wasn't Ali. She did things with a porpuse" I say looking over at her.
"Anyway, Ian was with Melissa last night, so he coudn't be A" Emily say, I get myself supported in the elbows to look at Spencer.
"Ian was with Melissa last night?"
"Yeah, thanks a lot Avie. Since you encourge my sister to go on that coffee date now he is all over that house" Spencer said annoyed.
"Sorry" I laugh, kinda feels good to know I helped doing something good for once.
"Noel had means, he had the opportunity. Those pictures of Emily and Maya were stolen at Nole's party" Spencer said, mentioning all types of reasons of why Noel is most likely A.
"Spence, Noel was with me pretty much all the time in his party, so he could be not the one stealing the pictures." I say getting up to drink my coffee.
"And Hanna saw him right that message in the back of Mr.Fitzs car"
"Uh no no, just slow down. You fliped over to Noel awfuly fast. Just twelve hours ago, you were so sure it was Toby" Aria pointed.
"That's true" I comment, agreeding with her"I get that we all want to find who ever did this to Ali, but just keep on assuming it's random people it's not the right way" I say, putting down the coffee.
"A or not, you still need to know what Noel saw and what he plans to do about it" Spencer said, looking firmely at Aria.
"Can't you ask him? As his girlfriend?" Aria asked me, I bited my lower lip, unsure of what to tell her.
"He won't tell me, we aren't really that kind of boyfriend and girlfriend" I smile akwardly at my words"We aren't at all girlfriend and boyfriend, just something else."
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The next day came faster than I wished it did, everything was messier than before, if that was even possible.Standing by my locker I rub my hand on my face over and over again, I look a mess, I wishper to myself looking at me in my little mirror on the locker.
"You didn't call" Noel says from behind me, I look at him through the mirror, I smile politly before turning around.
"Sorry, it just, I'm really shaken up about this whole Hanna thing" I say, Noel smiles back at me, he steps closer to me, but still leaving a two foot distance between us.
"It's okay, how is she?" He asks, sounding genually concerned.
"Getting better."
"Did they catch the guy that did it?" I look away for a second before looking back at him.
"Not yet, the police are taking to everyone that was there, if anyone saw anything" I say emphasizing on saw "Did you saw anything?" I ask quietly.
"Who told you I was at the campground?" He asks, not denying his presence there.
"Aria saw you, so just tell me the truth Noel"
With his hand in his pocktes Noel shrugged "It was suppoused to be a joke, a bunch of girls in the woods, I went out there to give you a scare, but then, your friend" He stoped looking at me.
"What about her?" I pretend I no nothing.
"I need to talk to Aria" He said, kissing my cheek before leaving. At least I don't have to worry about this anymore.
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After school Spencer told Aria she would show her the three that we found the other night, and since I remembered where it was I decided to go there as well. However, when I got there the three as gone.
"Ava? Whre's the three?" Spencer asked me, showing up behind me, I turn around to look at her shocked face.
"Oh it's in my pocket, you want it?" I remark "Obviously it was cut Spence"
"You guys are sure, you got the right spot?"Aria asked us.
"I'm sure it's gone" Spencer says defeated.
"Wait" I say as they start to walk back "I took a picture of it that night, it was dark but maybe you can see it a little" I say, grabbing my phone from the back pocket and showing Aria and Spencer the photo.
"We should call Han and Em" Aria affirmes walking inside Spencer's kitchen. I sat in on of the counter chairs and so does Aria.
"We talk to them in the hospital" Spencer says opening the fridge
"A tree Spence, and entire tree" Aria repeats.
"Is that for us?" I ask to the two champagne bottles Spencer picked from the fridge.
"I would just settle for cranberry juice" Aria says confused.
"Oh, you found my stash" Ian says, walking in the kitchen, suited up.
"That's yours?" I ask him, he turns to me with a smile "Grab some glasses Melissa's out in the barn" He informs us.
"I'd like to know what I am celebrating before I drink to it" Spencer affirms, I roll my eyes at her, playfully, before turning to Aria and whispering.
"Who cares, let's just drink" She laughes at me.
"You don't need to celebrate to drink champagne" Ian informs " Right Ava?" He turns back to me.
"I mean, I'm always down to drink so.."
"You canceled practice today" Spencer points.
"I did" Ian respondes "To be with Melissa?"
"Yes." Spencer asks again "Why?"
"Why don't you come out and hear it from your sister?" Ian advices as Melissa walks in the kitchen, wearing a fucking wedding dress.
"We're married" She says, with the biggest smile on her face.
"You what?" Me and Spencer say at the same time. How did this happen? When did this happen?
"We eloped" She says proud of herself, I still keep on looking at them with an open mouth " Yeah it's incredible. It's like last year never happened" Ian spoke, that son of a bitch.
"Congratilations" Aria speaks breaking the silence that was created .
"This is all thanks to you Ava" Melissa says looking at me. My eyes jump out and my wrinckels on my forehead are more visible than ever "I am?" I ask confused.
"Yeah, if it wasn't for you I wouldn't have gone on that coffee date, so thank you " Melissa spoke, walking towards me to hug me, I also wrapped my arms around her and slowly tapped on her shoulder "You are welcome Melissa" I whisper breaking the hug, the new wedd couple kiss and leave for the barn area.
"Spence, what just happened?" Aria asked the younger Hastings.
"Ava, don't you ever give relationships advice" Spencer tells me, I nood my head agreeding with her.
"I won't" I whisper "We should go to the hospital, before they asks us to join them" I say, the two girls agree and quickly we walk out of Spencer's house.
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"So you told them?" I ask looking at Emily, she had just told us about coming out to her parents about her sexuality, it wasn't easy.
"Yeah" She said quietly "How was that?" I ask once again, she smiles at me "Rough"
"Everything will be okay"Aria spoke grabbing Emily's hand.
"I don't know how it's gonna be, but it's gonna be different" Emily admited, proudly, like she should.
"So the whole tree?" Hanna asked Spencer. The Hastings girl had just told her bout the cutted tree.
"Yeah, it was insane" I comment.
"Why show something like that and then just take it way?" She asked us confused about A work.
"Like A had a slipt personality" Emily pointed, which actually made a lot of sense.
"That's great homicidal and nuts" Me and Spencer look at each other before telling the girls what we have been thinking.
"Actually, Ava and me, we have been thinking that maybe we are dealing with more than one person" Spencer tells them, the girls look at us confused, but in a way understanding what we were talking about.
"A and Ali's killer are two separated people?"Hanna voiced.
"Yeah, it makes sense. The leads we have for A have nothing in commom with the ones we have got to Ali's killer" I say
"No it doesn't Avie. Aren't we already in enough trouble, I know I am just look at me" Hanna spoke louder, making her point visible.
"Right" I mumble, Aria looks down at Hanna's plaster "Hanna who wrote this?" She asks frenetic.
"I don't know. People been in and out all day so.." I get closer to where Aria was looking, never thinking that would be there.
"Oh my God" I mumble.
"What?" Hanna ask us, our concern faces make Hanna anxious.
"Sorry about losing my temper my bad, love-A" Aria reads out loud A message on Hanna's leg.
"Who put that on my leg?" Hanna askes, bher breathing becomes unstable and fast.
"Hanna, focus on your breathing" I tell her
"Whip it off! Get if off!" Hanna begs us "Ava do something" She begs me holding my hand.
"I will sweetie" I tell her, having no clue what-so-ever about what to do.