Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Pretty Little Liars, nor do I own the characters, blah blah blah, etc.
Hanna Marin sat there, in the lunch courtyard. She groaned as she ran her hands over her face and then through her hair. She went through all the months. All the months with him. With Sean. Sean Ackard. Sean Ackard…the name she had always doodled in her notebook next to her own. Mr. and Mrs. Sean Ackard. She used to imagine them together. With salt and peppered hair. When they were married. When they had kids. Now she had messed things up, like she always did. She looked up for a second.
And there he was. Lucas. Lucas Gottesman. The guy who kissed her. Oh god…she couldn't get out of her head how nice it had felt. His soft lips…they were so warm and safe and….and…Hanna slapped her forehead. The same forehead he had kissed… She couldn't be thinking like this. She knew she loved Sean. If only he was still with her.
"Hey, Han," Aria Montgomery said, plopping down next to her on the bench. "What're you so stressed about?"
Hanna couldn't help but smile. Aria was her best friend of course. With her big, dark brown hair and her big eyes, Aria just brought safety to Hanna's heart. Aria watched her friend as she sipped from her little cup of coffee. Hanna looked miserable. It broke Aria's heart.
"Nothing," Hanna said, shrugging. "High school drama."
Just as another thought of Sean and Lucas popped into her head, Hanna got a familiar ring coming from her pocket. Oh god, she thought, please don't be A.
Slowly, Hanna pulled her phone out from her back pocket. Aria watched Hanna from over her coffee. Hanna read over the message twice.
'Eenie Meenie Miney Moe, Catch a Jerk and Let Him Go, My Mommy Says to Pick the Very Best One, So I Choose You. Clock's ticking, time to choose. Sean gets you $500, Lucas gets you $1000. -A'
Hanna gulped silently. 'A' could be such a…
"Who is it?" Aria asked, trying to peek. "Is it 'A'?"
"Hmm? What?" Hanna asked, looking up at her friend. "What? Oh, no, just my mom. Wants to give me my allowance or something."
Hanna shrugged but her mind was reeling. A thousand dollars was a lot…but was it worth not ever getting her boyfriend back? Was it worth it to lie and be with Lucas? Hanna had no idea, but she knew she had to choose soon. Her mom needed the money, and Hanna needed her mom out of jail.
As the two girls casually walked away, there was someone in the courtyard watching. Watching the panicked expression on Hanna's face. And that person was laughing.