Author's Note: This is my first PLL story and I welcome any and all comments that can help improve my writing. Hope you enjoy it!
Hanna steps out of Coffea, happy to finally be able to indulge in caffeine after the long day she had in school. Having everyone gawk at her and her friends after Alison's return still has not gotten easier. Wherever she goes, people just stare and whisper as though she can't see them. "There's the dead girl's friend" they must say, even though Ali's not dead and most people at school know her name.
It all reminds her of when the news of Alison's death first broke and she was forced to return to school and told to act normal, as though that was even possible. Walking down the school hallways had felt strange then, especially once her group of friends had disintegrated and her sole friend was Mona. Of course, it became easier once she had shed the extra pounds and basically became a replica of Alison.
Hanna sighs at the memories and starts walking towards the strip of stores a few streets down from the coffee shop. She pops up the tab of the coffee cup and takes a small sip, instantly happy as the caffeinated drink warms her insides.
When she gets to the end of the street, she hears a voice calling her name and she turns around to see Travis walking quickly, trying to catch up with her. She smiles as she sees her boyfriend and then tries to remember when the last time she saw him was. She cursed herself when she realizes she can't remember and can anticipate that this conversation won't go as well as she hoped.
"Hey" Travis says a bit out of breath. He breathes in and subtly moves his shoulders up.
"Hi" she replies making sure to keep the smile firm on her face so he can see how happy she is to see him.
"I haven't heard from you in a while" he says, cutting to the chase much faster than she thought he would.
"I know, I'm really sorry. It's just with Ali back things have gotten a little hectic" she responds. As soon as she makes the excuse she knows how lame it is.
"You know, she's been back for over a week now. How long do you think it will be before you can get your life back?" he replies, his tone a bit bitter.
Hanna's eyes widen a bit as she is caught off guard by his reaction, not that she can blame him however. She has been distracted a lot lately and hasn't been paying much attention to his relationship. Heck, before now she hadn't even realized how little time she was spending with him.
"Trust me, I wish it were that simple but there's way more going on than just Ali being back-" she starts trying to explain to him but is interrupted.
"Like Caleb?" he quickly says.
Hanna narrows her eyes and furrows her forehead. "Caleb?" she asks, trying to sound convincing.
"He's back in Rosewood, a few people saw him the night of Lucas' party at the coffee shop" Travis says pointing towards the directions Hanna came from. "In fact, they saw him talking to you" he finishes.
Hanna bites her bottom lip and nods her head slightly. Caught she thinks.
"Right, yeah I forgot about that" she replies.
"Uh huh" Travis says, obviously not believing her.
"I told you, I've been so wrapped up with Ali and everything else that's been going on with my friends that it just slipped my mind."
Hanna looks up into Travis' eyes and can feel her face growing hotter from the intensity of his stare. He knows that she's lying and it would be easier to just come clean and be honest with him, but she can't admit to anything without having to face the realization that the reason she's been so distant with Travis is because she hasn't been able to stop thinking about Caleb. Since he got back, she hasn't stopped thinking about the possibility of rekindling their relationship. Of course, every time she thinks this she gets a pang in her stomach because she's in a relationship with a great guy who does not deserve to get hurt.
"So the night of Lucas' party, it wasn't Caleb you were calling all night?" Travis asks.
"What? No, of course not! I told you I was trying to get a hold of Alison. Why would I call Caleb?" she asks all the while feeling even worse for lying to him. She's never lied to him before. Of course her first lie would involve Caleb who shouldn't even be a factor in her life anymore.
"Okay. Okay, I believe you. I just want to make sure you don't have any lingering feelings for him. I know you two have history and if you had any doubt about our relationship because of him, I want you to tell me, alright?" Travis says and Hanna can see him relax a bit.
Hanna breathes a sigh of relief and nods her head. "I promise" she says before giving him a quick, reassuring kiss.
Travis smiles and grabs her hand, "how about we get something to eat?" he asks and Hanna nods her head. "Sounds great" she replies.
As they walk towards The Brew hand in hand, Hanna's guilt increases significantly. After all the drama surrounding her relationship with Caleb, she's finally found someone who gives her some sense of normalcy and instead of appreciating that, she's fallen back into the tangled web that comes with her ex-boyfriend.
Back into the tangled web that has become her life.