CHAPTER ONE: Up Until Now
It's been over three months since A was caught and Alison came back to Rosewood. Things were beginning to settle down.
Mona stopped taking her medications and slowly returned to her old self, the one that stalked us five for a long time. She finally snapped one day in class and went back to a mental institute, except it wasn't Radley. Peter Hastings finally decided to go against Radley in court, and he won the case. Right now, they're tearing the building apart to build something else.
Mona revealed everything she did to the police, including all our secrets.
When Mona left, Lucas returned to Rosewood High, no longer afraid. Ezra and I eventually broke up, not feeling the spark anymore. Ezra managed to convince the police that he only dated me after he quit his job at Rosewood High after Mona revealed that to the police.
We still keep contact once in a while, and Maggie has finally decided to let Ezra be Malcom's father. After Ezra and I broke up, I've been trying to date other guys, but none of them are exactly what I need.
Jason finally decided to stay in Rosewood once and for all with Ali. They're trying to rebuild their relationship and the years they missed. Alison didn't return to her former self - she became a whole new person for the better.
Mona told the police how Hanna's mother stole money from the bank, too. Veronica Hastings again defended Ms. Marin and got her out of jail, saying it was out of desperation. Ashley has to serve years of community service, however, and pay all the fines to replace how much money was "borrowed." Currently, she's finished a twelfth of the amount. Hanna told me that Ted, Mrs. Marin's boyfriend, proposed a few weeks ago, too.
When the police found out about the Jenna thing, all five of us were almost arrested, but Jenna didn't press charges. She eventually moved to Boston, Massachusetts with her parents. Toby stayed here with Spencer, and they're living in the barn now.
Mom and Dad divorced. Dad moved to New York with his new girlfriend, leaving Mike and I to our mother. My mom and Zach are taking the next step, and he's letting us move in.
I didn't, though, and Alison is letting me crash at with her and Jason. Mrs. DiLaurentis's will stated that Ali got custody of the house she lived in, but Alison gave it to her brother.
Mike has returned to his normal self completely, occasionally acting out but not as much as before. He quit lacrosse and joined basketball with his pals and Jason. Mike also met Wesley, Ezra's younger brother, and befriended him on the team. I'm always at his games to make up for our father's absence.
Mike also admitted he has a crush on someone, too, which I'm excited about. He seemed so heartbroken after Mona played him, so he deserves a better girl.
Spencer's mother finally let go of her grudge against Jasona and has been extremely kind to him since he moved back. Alison and Spencer stopped bickering for the most part, but they're technically sisters. It's required to still have some fights.
Spencer apologized for what almost happened with the shovel, and I know she's glad that Alison is back. Melissa got a new boyfriend, another British one, and now they're honeymooning in London.
Hanna moved out of her house and is now living with Caleb in Spencer's barn, too. Emily and Paige are on and off again, and Emily might still have a crush on Ali. Right now, the three of them are dealing with some homophobe at school, but I know they can handle it.
The five of us decided that we've been through too much together to let go of our friendship, so we're all going to Hollis College in Rosewood. Hanna's is still going to pursue her dream as a fashion designer with Ali, while Emily is looking to be a swim coach. Spencer is going to become a doctor, and I will definitely become a teacher.
Like I said, everything is normal again. Ali's posse had grown, and we're all just trying to survive the rest of senior year peacefully. But this is high school we're talking about: it won't be as smooth of a ride like we want, but we'll make it. I'm sure of that now that A is gone.
I woke up to the irritating voice of Ali ringing in my ears. Ever since I moved in, she's been my alarm clock, constantly waking me. I groaned, waving my hand aimlessly around in the air, trying to find her snooze button. My eyes were tightly shut, and I was only half awake. Alison grabbed my wrist and demanded, "Come on, Punk Princess! Wake up!"
Of course, Ali didn't change that much. She still had nicknames for all of us, but Hanna's was Hottie Hanna instead of Hefty. Spencer became Poised Spence, Emily was Sweetie, and I was still the punk princess since I had dyed my hair pink again.
"Aria, pleeease wake up," Alison drawled, shaking my shoulders. When I slowly opened my eyes, her dimpled, tanned face came into view. Fluttering her long eyelasjes, she gave me her best pleading face where she widened her eyes and pouted.
"That's... kind of... a Miley Cyrus rip-off," I yawned, blinking at her unaffected.
Alison scowled. "Don't you dare fall asleep again, Aria Montgomery," she threatened. "I have something really important to tell you four.
"What?" I murmured, lazily sitting up.
The sun was peaking through the curtains and I squinted as it hit my face. Ali noticed and quickly shut them. Outside, snow was lightly drifting down. The colored leaves on the ground were disappearing under the white layer, and the trees were colorless.
Ali shook her head. "Nope. Stay awake until the others arrive. Please? It's really awesome news," she begged.
"Fine...," I muttered, hugging my knees.
Alison grinned at me. "Good girl. Now, go get dressed. I already picked out your outfit," she chirped, standing and stretching her limbs.
I noticed she was already dressed in an Ann Taylor halter top the color of a desert sky. Alison was also wearing skinny jeans, a loose cardigan, and black wedges. When I stood up, she towered over me even more than normal. Alison still felt the need to wear everything first before anyone else, which was one of the things that hadn't changed about her.
The outfit Alison picked out for me was a plaid dress, grey cardigan, and a tight, long-sleeved, purple shirt. My shoes were knee-high black boots, and Ali gave me her leaf earrings. The leaf was black with gold-colored veins, and my belt matched it. It was my typical outfit where you put together old clothes that you'd never think would go together but do.
When I finally returned to Alison's bedroom, Spencer already arrived since she lived right next door. "Hey," Spencer smile at me, glancing away from her phone as she laid on her back on the bed.
"Hi," I responded, sitting down next to her and braiding her hair, "are you sexting Toby?" Spencer glared at me, a smile threatening to take over her lips.
"No," she pointed out. "I was texting Melissa and Edward."
"Oh, well, that's less exciting," I winked, playing with my pink hair. "How's the home of Queen Victoria?"
"Um, I doubt it's actually called that, but... Melissa says it's cold and rainy," Spencer read. "Edward says it's cozy and warm as he... aw, as he snuggles up with his girl. I'm not really sure who to believe."
I grinned. "I still think he's a vampire. I mean, he has the same name as Bella's bloodsucker, he lives in London where's there's probably no sun, and Edward's favorite drink is cranberry juice. Which is red."
Spencer snorted. "I wish. Then he could suck all the bad blood out of Melissa."
"When do they leave for France?" I queried, biting my black nails.
"In a week. I don't know what's taking them so long to leave London. They've been there for a month visiting his family, and Melissa seems like she just wants to get the hell out of there," Spencer commented, raising her eyebrows as she read her sister's new text. I shrugged.
"How should I know? I'm not the one texting the lovebirds and interrupting their mating time," I grinned. Spencer frowned, confused for a minute before she slapped my arm. I burst out in giggles.
Downstairs, the doorbell rang.
"Jason, can you get that?" Spencer called, sitting up.
I raised an eyebrow, turning to stare at one of my best friends. She shrugged at me. "Since when did you guys become so... sibling-like?" I asked, for lack of better word when I heard Jason hurry downstairs to answer the door. It was probably Hanna, who lived under the same roof as Spencer so it'd be fast for her to get here too.
Jason and I hadn't spoken much. He mostly spent time with his basketball friends (including Mike) and his two sisters. Alison explained to me that Jason and Melissa never talked to each other, even though they were related, because of the kiss they had a few years ago. Spencer found it totally hilarious.
I couldn't imagine Jason making out with Melissa, his half-sister. When I did, I couldn't stop giggling. No wonder it was so awkward between the two. I couldn't imagine them attending school together since Pre-K and not knowing they shared blood.
"I guess we naturally did, like Ali and I," Spencer said, snapping me away from my thoughts.
"Whatever. Hey, speaking of Ali, where is she?" I asked, glancing around.
"She had to go get her jacket which she left at my house," Spencer answered. Just then, Hanna entered, looking flustered.
"What took you so long? Oh, wait, what someone lip-locking with Caleb?" I teased.
Spencer immediately looked up and began to laugh. Hanna's clothes were rumpled, and her face was flushed while her lips were read. I laugh at the messy make-up, and shook my head. "Definitely," Spencer commented. "You can just smell the ooze of sex."
"Oh, and how would you know what that smells like? Have you and Toby been naughty?" Hanna challenged, sitting down on the bed. Spencer blushed, not answering.
"Who and who's been naughty?" Alison asked as she entered the room. Spencer's face turned even more red.
"Oh, no one," Hanna sing-songed, cocking her head. I grinned at my friends.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang again. Emily had arrived now, too. "I'm not getting that!" Jason called from his room.
Spencer glanced at Hanna who looked at Ali who directed her head towards me. I huffed, scowling. "Ugh, fine." Hurrying downstairs, I opened the door and let Emily inside. "Hey, Em, the others are already here." She nodded and followed me upstairs.
"So, what exactly did you need to tell us?" Hanna quoted, frowning. "I'm giving up some precious face-time with Caleb so it better be important.
Ali grinned. "I have amazing news," she announced, pausing. "We're all going to Alaska!"
"What?" demanded Spencer.
"Um, did you leave your mind somewhere in the dirt?" Hanna snorted, swinging her leg up and down.
"Hanna," I immediately scolded.
"What?!" I face-palmed as she stared innocently back at me.
Alison cleared her throat. In her hands, she held a dozen airplane tickets, each one stamped with 'ALASKA'. "My dad decided to let us go to his and Mom's old ski cabin in Alaska for winter break. It's going to be awesome, and we can invite all the guys!" she chirped.
"Seriously?" Emily grinned. "That's amazing!"
"Wait, so who else is going? There are twelve tickets..." Hanna counted on her fingers, frowning slightly.
Alison rolled her eyes. "Jason, Toby, Caleb, Paige, Mike, Wesley, and obviously us five. That makes eleven people in one cabin. The twelfth ticket was for... Ezra," she sighed. "But I decided not to ask, so..."
My heart jumped at his name, and I tried not to look too upset. Even though we both agreed to break up because the sparks were missing, that didn't mean that it didn't hurt.
"Wait, Wesley? As in, his little brother? Why?" I asked, realizing what Ali said.
"He's one of Jason and Mike's ball buddies," she snickered. I raised an eyebrow at her choice of words.
"When do we leave for the trip?" Emily said. "I need to see if Paige is free."
"In two days. Which means we should all start packing, like, right now." Alison hurried over to her large closet while the rest of us exchanged looks before they left Ali and I.
I bit my lip. "Should I even pack? All my stuff is already in a suitcase...," I trailed off. Ali shook her head.
"Awesome! That means you can help me pack! So, which should I bring? The winter coat, the halter sweater top, or the cardigan?" Ali asked, holding each of the items up.
"Um, it's Alaska. Bring the fur coat," I commented, rolling my eyes.
"Fine, but it's super ugly. Alright, high heels, bootie heels, or wedges?"
"Boots," I giggled.
Alison huffed, pouting before continuing with her wardrobe until she packed everything she needed. "Jason, are you packed?" Ali called as she plopped down next to me. I could hear his rock music from all the way in Alison's room. Again, I was reminded of old times.
"Yeah," Jason said from the doorway. He was shirtless, his six-pack showing, and obviously annoyed. I gawked as he walked away, and Ali smirked at me.
"So, want to talk about hot guys, or was my brother enough?" she smirked.
Just like that, we became the same old girls we were. It feels like nothing ever changed in Rosewood, Pennsylvania but we all know that's not true. As much as we'd prefer to forget it, it's not possible. But for now, we can just keep on going.