YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM MURDER. . .
It's a couple of years after college. You're married, pregnant, have a child or two. You married your college or maybe high school sweetheart. You go to book club, have a drink or two, and go home. Everything is normal. Everything is fine. You have nothing to worry about. You're in a nice neighborhood. You won't get robbed.
Of course, there's a city in Pennsylvania that this happens. But there's a catch. There's always a catch in Rosewood.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Spencer Hastings asked Aria Montgomery. They just exited the Snookers bar, and started for Aria's car. "You seem a little . . . drunk." They laughed, and turned around.
"Where the hell are they?" Aria screamed. "C'mon guys! You're wasting time!"
Emily Fields and Hanna Marin exited the bar, also looking very tipsy. They just had a bachelorette party for Spencer—she was marrying Andrew Campbell. They all laughed and met each other in the middle of the street.
"Oh, my God!" Emily screamed. "We're ssooo drunk! I've never felt this way before! Is this how it normally feels?"
"Yes, Em!" Hanna said. "It's fine. It's not like we can do anything stupid! One of us can't be drunk. That was the rule, right?" Spencer looked at Aria. "Right? Oh, God. We're all drunk?" They all laughed some more.
"Oh, God," Aria said. "Should I drive or should we take a bus?"
Hanna reached in her pocket, took out her iPhone, and looked at the time. "It's two o'clock in the morning. No one's out. Just get in the car and drive!" She wooed. Aria laughed. Spencer hiccupped. Emily just stared at the asphalt.
"Well," Aria said. "C'mon!"
They all piled into her little white Honda Civic. Hanna took the passenger seat, Spencer and Emily took the back, and Aria decided to drive. Hanna decided to talk, "You know . . . You know I once drove a BMW . . . drunk. And it crashed! Into the woods. It was so awesome, but I cried."
"Oh, shut up Hanna," Aria said, pulling her Gucci sunglasses to her eyes. "Let's just live in the moment . . . and drive!"
"SHUT UP AND DRIVE, ARIA!" Spencer screamed, jokingly. Aria pulled out of the parking space, and drove out on the main road. There was no one out on the street. They all wooed, excited and giddy from the alcohol.
"Of course I've been drunk, but never been this drunk," Emily explained.
"You've never been tipsy?" Spencer asked.
"Is there a difference?"
They all laughed.
Hanna started, "Re-Remember the time I told you guys about my bulimic problem?" Everyone grew quiet.
Aria replied, "No . . . I don't. . . . Remember the time I told you guys about Ezra?"
"Not really," Spencer said. "But then again I'm drunk. And that relationship is legal now!" They all laughed again. "Did I tell you guys that I plagiarized the Golden Orchid paper thingy?" Everyone nodded.
"Do you remember when I told you guys I was gay?" Emily asked.
"Well, that really wasn't you," Hanna said.
"That's right! It was A!" The moment it escaped her mouth, she regretted it. Everyone grew quiet. "Sorry . . . I'm drunk I don't know what I'm saying. . . Is that what drunk is? Not knowing what you're saying?"
Aria turned around, still driving. "Listen. I want that chapter over with, so—"
"Aria! Look out!" Spencer shouted. Aria spun around, saw something standing there, and hit the brakes hard. Whoever—whatever—it was, got hit and flew to the other side of the car. The car stopped, leaving them gasping. Did they just hit someone?
"Please let it be a deer," Aria murmured. "Please let it be a deer. . ."
Spencer, Emily, and Hanna got out and walked to the thing they hit. It wasn't a something. It was a someone. They screamed. Aria's heart plummeted to the pit of her stomach. Just her luck. She slowly exited the car, and slowly walked to the person they hit, and kneeled down.
Holy shit.
"What the hell do we do?" Emily asked, flustered. "I mean, we can't just leave him here!"
"I don't know!" Spencer said.
"Oh, my God!" Hanna screamed.
"Listen, guys!" Aria screamed. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to jail. We just . . . We just leave and never talk about this again. Understand?"
"No!" Emily screamed. "We need to . . . We need to do something!"
"No one saw us, Em," Aria said. "We can leave and no one would know we're here!" All four of them sighed. Maybe she was right. Maybe no one saw them. Emily looked around.
"Yeah," she said. "You're right. Let's go."
They all nodded and walked to the car. They got in and drove away, leaving the body alone.
The next day, the police found the body and an investigation started. Every news van appeared, everyone worried who hit him. No one knew four pretty little liars hit the poor man. After a year, the investigation was on hold. Everyone seemed to forget the case. No one remembered.
For two years.