The clock was ticking in the back of the chemistry lab.
Tick Tock, tick tock.
Hanna sat on the old worn bar stool with the back of her heels intertwined through the middle support of the chair.
"Hanna can you hand me the beaker with the distilled vinegar."
"Hanna?"
Spencer's piercing voice finally registered through the blonde's day dreams.
"What?"
"Come on Hanna, you have been spacing all lab. I need your help or we are both going to fail this class."
Hanna sighed and reluctantly handed her friend the beaker.
"Hey Spence, I was wondering if I could come over to your house tonight and try to make up the last worksheet I missed? Caleb has been really needy lately and I haven't been as focused as I should."
Spencer looked over top of her lab goggles, "Really? I hadn't noticed."
"Sorry Spencer. I promise I will try to be more engaged."
"That's a big word Han," Spencer smirked. "Just make sure to come after school, Melissa should be at the country club for awhile."
"Thanks." Hanna replied with a weak smile
Just then Mr. Davis called out to the class to start cleaning up lab before the class period had ended.
A couple hours later Hanna joined Spencer and the other girls at the lunch table. Hanna had been feeling off today so she plopped down at the table hoping her friends wouldn't notice the only item she picked up from the cafeteria was a small apple. The girls were wrapped up in a conversation about Alison that had happened the night previous with Emily.
"You're right Spencer. We have to cut off Ali. I was so blind to think that she had actually changed." Emily spoke with a strain in her voice.
"I'm glad your eyes are open again." Spencer apathetically retorted.
Emily turned her head to face Aria, "Have you put anymore thought in going to the police?"
"I just need a little more time to think about things guys," she sighed with a long drawn out breath as she played with a pile of noodles on her lunch tray.
Emily then gazed over at Hanna who had her hands cradling the temples of her forehead.
"Are you ok?" she whispered in a quiet tone.
Hanna lifted her hands and shook her head. "Ugh, I feel like shit."
After replying the blonde stood up and made a dash to the ladies room. The three remaining girls exchanged troublesome glances before following their sick friend into the bathroom.
When Emily, Spencer and Aria arrived to the ladies room, Hanna was just wiping her mouth off at the sink.
"What the hell Hanna?" Emily snapped recalling one of her friends' favorite crutches.
"Are you hung-over again?" Aria added in a much calmer manner
Spencer furrowed her brows "Han, this is getting, when Hanna interjected.
"No, guys! I know this looks bad but seriously, Caleb and I agreed we wouldn't drink anymore and I haven't had anything in 2 weeks."
Hanna looked at the girls hoping one of them would believe her.
"I think everything is just getting to me," she whispered still feeling queasy.
"It's ok Han." Aria started, "I believe you."
Hanna looked up with appreciative eyes to her smaller friend.
"That's it, Aria snorted out of pure frustration. "I'm not letting Ali do this to us anymore. Let's meet tomorrow at Emily's house after swim team practice."
All four in unison shook their heads and agreed that the following day they would device a plan on how to fully cut ties with Alison.
The day seemed to take forever and Hanna kept glancing up at the clock, praying that time would some how move faster. Finally, at 3:30 the bells rung and school was dismissed for the day. Hanna saw Spencer again and stopped her before she could sneak off to her Honor Society Meeting.
"Hey, I have a half an hour meeting tonight. Do you just want to swing by after that and I can help you with your assignment?"
Hanna nodded, "Yeah, that actually works I will run home and work on it a little before I come over."
The two parted ways and Hanna sauntered off to the parking lot to find her car.
Three hours later Hanna woke to her mom standing over her.
"Shit!" Hanna mumbled groggily under her breath. "What time is it mom?"
"It's almost seven," Ashley stated. "Why are you taking a nap right before bed Hanna?"
"Spencer is going to kill me. I was supposed to be at her house hours ago. She is going to help me make up an assignment."
Ashley's eyes narrowed looking at her pale, weak daughter. "Hanna, if seeing Caleb again is going to take this much of a toll… when Hanna interrupted, "No mom. I'm just not feeling well. All this stress with Ali is making me crazy."
Mrs. Marin leaned in and gave Hanna a light peck on the forehead.
"Ok, Hanna. Take a night off from being with the boy. Go to Spencer's, but if I find out you were with Caleb… "
"You won't!" Hanna reached down picking up her backpack. "I will be home before ten."
The door echoed with a loud knock and Spencer peeped out the window before opening the door.
"Um, Hi. What happened to a half an hour?" Buzzed the annoyed friend.
"I tried calling you like seven times Hanna."
Hanna looked apologetically up at Spencer.
"I'm so sorry Spence! I laid down to start my homework and I must have fallen asleep. Will the devil be home soon?" Spencer's eyes shot up to her friend.
"Come on Han, let's hurry this up."
The two girls took a seat at the island in the Hastings kitchen and quickly went to work side by side to complete the blondes missing homework.
"Hanna, are you even paying attention at all?" Spencer snapped after trying to explain a long formula.
"I can't concentrate." Hanna hanged her head in shame.
"It's ok." Spencer replied trying to tone down her frustration.
"Lets take a break, are you hungry?" she asked as she made her way to the refrigerator. "I have leftover Thai from yesterday." She stated as she popped the carton in the microwave.
"No, I've felt crappy all day." Hanna stated meekly looking over the sheet in front of her.
"Don't mind me then," the brunette hummed while heaping her plate with a mound of curry.
"That smells horrid." Hanna gasped as she ran into the Hastings bathroom with her hand over her face.
A couple minutes passed and Spencer joined Hanna in the bathroom.
"I think I might have food poisoning. Or the flu," she paused momentarily, "Spencer, can you go grab your laptop?"
Spencer returned to the bathroom and took a seat on the edge of the tub.
"Okay, blondie. Let's look at your symptoms and try to get this figured out." Spencer mused as she scrolled through a list on WebMD.
"No, no, no, no." "Unless you're pregnant, or being poisoned, I think WebMD is on crack." The brunette teen scoffed.
Hanna glanced up at Spencer totally unaware.
"What? Do you think 'A' is poisoning me?"
"I wouldn't put it past them," Spencer stated as another thought crossed her mind. "Wait. Have you and Caleb been hooking up again since he's been back?" the intellectually inclined one spat out.
"Well yeah." Hanna breathed "But we have been careful."
"Most of the time."
"shit."
"Hanna!" Spencer yelped in disgust.
"I know, I've been making bad decisions but it was only a few times." Hanna stammered trying to defend her actions.
"It only takes once ya know." Spencer hissed.
"Ok, I know! What now?" Hanna frantically stated as her cheeks turned flush.
"Well, I'm pretty sure when I was cleaning the barn I saw some tests in Melissa's bathroom. I'll go look for them." Spencer mentioned before heading to the backyard leaving Hanna alone sitting on the beige bathmat.
Hanna sat there in silence, her mind racing a thousand miles a minute as she pondered the choices she had made that lead her to this moment. Suddenly her friend reappeared bursting her thought bubble.
"Ok, let me look at the instructions."
"I'm pretty sure I just pee on it." Hanna snapped grabbing the stick.
"I will give you a minute." Spencer retorted excusing herself to the hallway.
Hanna put the lid back on and set the white stick on the back of the toilet.
"It's safe again." She yelled out into the hall. Spencer entered the narrow room and the two girls both took a seat on the edge of the tub watching the minute hand go by oh the clock.
Tick tock, tick tock.
These were the longest ten minutes of Hanna's life. She sure as hell didn't want to look, but knew she needed to.
"I feel like I'm going to throw up again." Hanna stifled out in a panic stricken tone.
"I don't think that's a good sign," Spencer sarcastically replied.
"Could you not?" Hanna seethed through squinted eyes.
"Ok, it's been twelve minutes now. Are you going to look?" Spencer exhaled.
"I guess," Hanna mumbled as she moved slowly across to the other side of the bathroom.
"Fuck."
Hanna's eyes welled with tears as Spencer held her close.
"It's ok Hanna. I will be here."
Hanna stood silently with her friends arms protectively draped around her for what seems like hours. They just stood on that cold marble tile and cried together both still surfing the shock of what had just happened. After, Hanna felt like her face was going to fall off and she finally found the strength to muster a few words.
"I think I'm just going to go home."
Spencer took her in her arms again. "Do you want to talk?"
Hanna grabbed the test and threw it in her purse as she shook her head. "No, I just need to be alone for awhile."
At that, Spencer watched her friend pile into her car and speed down the street. Her seventeen year old friend was now facing impending motherhood.