Previously: Rosewood High takes a field trip to Hollis campus, where Aria's dad and Ezra both work. Ella is worried that Aria will go running off to see Ezra during lunch, so she calls Byron so that he will ask Aria to eat with him. He does, and Aria is disappointed because she was in fact going to meet up with Ezra after eating with the girls, if only for a little while. Also, Hanna and Emily are upset because Aria was just about to explain to them that she and Ezra were still together, but she never spit it out, so they're angry that she won't tell them. Technically it isn't her fault, though, because the phone just happened to ring right as she was telling them.
Aria's POV
I'm very quick at texting when I'm in a hurry, and this situation calls for a small notice so that he doesn't think I'm purposely bailing on him. Sadly and remorsefully, I type out my message and hit send. It beeps softly as it sends.
Can we take a rain check today? Sorry, but my dad wants me to eat with him... ~Aria
Taking deep breaths, I knock reluctantly on the wide open glass door in front of me out of courtesy, and a bit of fear, for my father.
"Come in," His voice booms, seeming to shake the walls as it travels out to me.
I shiver before stepping toward the door frame. Dreading this lunch, I shuffle forward almost unwillingly, and then quickly transform into the happy little girl he knows me as when he spots my figure standing before him. He smiles warmly, but I narrow my eyes suspiciously all the same. Something is off. Something about him is different, more hesitant, and quite unsettling.
He stands up and walks over to hug me as if I hadn't seen him in a week rather than just this morning, "Aria."
I awkwardly hug him back, still highly suspicious of his actions. Does he suspect that I would go out with Ezra? Does he know that we planned something? Did he already call the police on Ezra, even though he has promised not to?
"Hi," I say meekly.
The papers rustle on his desk as he quickly cleans up. He appears concentrated, but his brows crease in frustration.
"What's wrong?" I ask hesitantly, so that he doesn't get suspicious.
His smile is tight as he replies, "Oh, nothing. So. Where do you want to go for lunch? I heard there was this restaurant with amazing Italian food, if you want to grab a bite outside of my boring office. What's it called? Pista? Piata? Oh, yeah, Piada!"
My throat tightens when he says the name of it. That was the restaurant that Spence, Hanna, Em and I were going to go to before my dad asked me to eat with him. I swallow nervously. There is no way that I'm going to face those girls right now. No, I have to let them calm down first. Because otherwise they'd go at my throat without a second thought, like lions. They'd rip me to shreds for keeping things from them. Well, all of them except maybe Spencer.
"How about the Mexican place down the street a little?" I suggest. "Remember it? Cinco de Mayo. You know the one."
Byron frowns. It wasn't a reassuring expression at all, let me tell you. It looked like lunch with my dad was going to be a tough one.
Emily's POV
"Oh, come on, Spencer! Aria was going to tell us anyways, and the suspense is killing me!" Hanna begs yet again.
When Hanna sets her mind to something, she doesn't give up all that easily. And this time she wants to know what Aria's hiding. Personally, I think it can wait. She would have told us already if it was a life or death situation, and so it can't be that big of a deal.
I don't think Hanna understands why Aria isn't telling us this, although I'm pretty sure that I do. It was like when I had to come out to my parents about liking girls. It wasn't something that I wanted to do, but I ended up doing it slowly, taking my time. It worked best that way, and even though others like Hanna may want to know sooner, it takes time for things to work themselves out. If I'd just slapped them with the info out of the blue, they wouldn't have handled it as well as they did. I'm sure it is the same with whatever Aria is holding back.
"Shut up already!" I finally snap at Hanna, much annoyed with her constant whining. She looks taken aback at my sudden outburst. Spencer throws me a fleeting but relieved look.
Hanna's blond hair flies over her shoulder as she flips it back. She gives me a disgusted look, "Don't you want to know what Aria was talking about?"
"No," I answer, rolling my eyes. Slowly twisting the soft, slimy noodles around with my fork, I keep my eyes cast down on my food, purposely avoiding the girls' eyes.
Spencer eats in silence, not desiring to be part of this conversation, even though she's already in the middle of it. A tapping sound comes from underneath the table, and I recognize it to be Hanna's heel. Quickly glancing upward, I notice that the other girls are focusing on their Italian food, too. If only we weren't fighting. We might actually enjoy it.
I put my fork down with a clatter, and look the other two straight in the eyes as they stare back at me uneasily.
"So what do you want to do after lunch?" I ask, trying to avoid the previous subject.
Hanna pouts, her eyes narrowing. Her fingers drum on the table as she evaluates the situation.
Spencer stares at me uneasily, until she says, "Tour the campus museum."
Rolling her eyes, Hanna glares at Spencer. She tosses her blond hair over her shoulder sarcastically, saying, "At least choose something fun, Spence. Lets go shopping!"
I frown, thinking that Hanna's enthusiasm is unneeded. Aria should be here with us, enjoying today. Not being interrogated by her father. It isn't fair that we should go enjoy what the campus has to offer without her.
"Shouldn't we ask Aria to come with?" I ask.
Hanna's lips purse, "Nah. She'll escape her dad eventually."
"Han, choose a side! Either you want her to tell you this 'big' secret, or you don't want to see her at all. Personally, I think Em is right. We should at least be courteous and ask if she wants to come. Maybe her dad will let her."
Spencer whips out her phone out her white purse, her thin fingers diligently pressing keys a mile a minute. Her eyes are intent on her phone screen, paying immaculate attention to what she is typing.
"There," She states.
"What?" I ask, staring at her curiously, my wide brown eyes open in confusion.
"I just asked her to join us. I'd rather be polite."
Hanna just shakes her head and crosses her arms as Spencer leans back in her chair, a small, smug grin on her face.
Please come, Aria, so everything all get back to normal. I just can't take this any longer.
Aria's POV
It's been over an hour and a half, and mostly we've sat in silence. We've said all but ten words to each other, mostly consisting of Where do you want to sit? and Thanks, all of which were after we arrived at Cinco de Mayo. So really, the majority of the conversation has been in the last ten minutes.
Byron looks up at me over his enchilada. Just sitting here with my father reminds me of being a little girl and looking up to him. I remember when I was younger, almost five years old, sitting in the 'big girl' chair with our family at the dinner table. Ella was so eager, her voice happy and free. And Byron was so joyful; he used to spin me around after dinner and we'd go play a game like hide-and-seek with Mike, too. I miss those days so much. Discussion was effortless then, but now it seems like the hardest thing in the world.
"So," I start, my eyes drifting back down to my vegetarian quesadilla. "How was your day so far?"
"Good," He replies with a strained voice. "I got a lot done. There was a meeting for all the faculty this morning about your school being on campus, and then I had a few classes to teach. So it was simple, but eventful. You?"
"Decent. The bus ride here was horrendous, but we made it safely, didn't we?" I joke. Byron stares at me as if he doesn't understand it.
"What have you done since you got here?"
"Nothing, really. We've just walked around, here and there. Mostly admired the buildings and the shopping luxuries," my voice is sarcastic.
"We?" He asks, his eyes suspicious.
I clarify, "Hanna, Spencer, Em and I," Looking at him strangely, I wonder, "Who did you think I would be with?"
His expression says it all, and in a second the thought rushes to my mind.
"Oh, dad," I moan, wishing he would just trust me for once. Trust that I would know better than to go against his wishes.
But, thinking about it, I have to admit that it was right of him to distrust me. It wasn't as if I was the good girl, always doing what my parents told me, and staying away from what they told me to stay away from. I've proven that time and time again. So why would this time be any different? It wasn't; my father was right. If only he didn't guess anything... I would have been able to see Ezra, and we could have done something together. It would have made my day. Instead, I'm stuck talking to my dad while I could potentially be shopping with the girls.
Shaking my head, I take a bite of my quesadilla. The gooey yellow-orange cheese oozes out of the crisp tortilla, slipping between my fingers as I try to gather it all up. The green peppers and black beans inside it squeeze out of the edges, falling in piles onto the cold plate.
A shrill ring flies through the air as something below my butt vibrates. My phone.
Apologizing to my dad for the interruption, I slip my phone from my pocket and click a few buttons before the text pops up.
Come shop with us (Hanna's idea. I think we should tour one of the campus' museums!)! Meet us at Solmerharding Blvd. Pretty please with a cherry on top! ~Spencer
Smiling to myself, I show the text to my dad. He nods his consent. Although he said yes, I can see that he doesn't fully trust the situation, and that he'd rather have me under his supervision.
"Thanks, dad," I grin, sighing in relief that this awkward lunch can finally have an ending in store. I think that he was running out of things to say, too, and hoping for an escape. This just benefits us all, now doesn't it?
"Of course. Thanks for joining me for lunch, sweetheart. See you tonight."
Waving to him, I make my way out of the restaurant and walk briskly over the crowded sidewalks to the corner, where I pull out my phone and type in the street address. Within a second, a route pops up.
As I walk, steadily and quickly, I think about what I'm going to say to the girls. I want to tell them the truth; I just don't know how. I do know that they'll be understanding either way, but it seems difficult to let the words just spew right out of my mouth after needing to keep quiet for a few days.
Soon I'm taking the last few steps to the street. My heels click over the hard wrinkled cement and I twist my fingers in anxiety. I can already hear Hanna's demanding tone as she begs me for the secret.
"Hey, Aria, over here!" Spencer waves from across the street.
With a fleeting glance to make sure no cars are going to run me over, I scurry across the crosswalk and over to where the girls stand.
"Hey!" I greet them with a smile plastered to my face.
I study their behavior. Emily stands up straight, her long dark hair scooped behind her ears, her chocolate eyes alert. Spencer smiles wanly, seemingly unsure of how to act. She stands a foot away from Hanna, almost as if she's wary of her. Hanna's arms are crossed in defense, as if I'm going to automatically attack her about constantly pestering me.
"I still think we should shop," Hanna begins, stating her opinion outright.
"We're here for a reason, Hanna; to learn. We can't shop every second of the day," Spencer reminds her. I roll my eyes; of course Hanna isn't going to pay attention to what she's saying.
"Actually, I kind of want to shop a little, Spence, if that's okay. My mom's birthday is coming up and I still don't have anything for her," I admit. Hanna grins smugly at Spencer, as if she's gotten approval to do something vicious.
"Than it's official. Off we go!" Emily cheers, and Spencer smiles as she nods her agreement.
Emily and Spencer chatter about the weather and some people from school for a bit as we stroll down the sidewalks. Hanna stares into each shop window, her eyes wide at everything. Ever since Ali went missing, she's been so shop-crazy. She's never been this materialistic before, so why now? I guess it's jsut her way of dealing with the situation. But still. Is it healthy to spend that much money, or steal so much?
"So how'd lunch with your dad go?" Spencer asks eventually.
I turn to look at her, answering honestly, "I still think he suspects. But I completely understand why. I'm missing him dreadfully, Spence. I can't do this any longer."
"Suspects what? Do what any longer?" Hanna asks innocently, her eyes narrowing.
I sigh, the weight of telling them pressing down on me already.
"Come on," I grab Hanna's arm and lead her over to the front of a store on the next corner. Figuring there isn't a safer place on campus to tell them, I make them huddle together and watch for any students from our school before I tell them.
My heart beats irregularly, growing louder with each passing moment. I can feel the dread of telling them in my stomach, but I know that it isn't so much the thought of telling them as what their reactions will be afterward.
"I'm still going out with Ezra. We told my parents, and they didn't take it well. But they think we broke up now. We faked it the other morning so that I can quit being under their radar all the time and live a little until I'm 18. Then... I guess we'll figure it out when the time comes. It's killing me, not seeing him!" I spill, my voice cracking as I let loose my thoughts.
Hanna's stiff expression crumbles into one of sympathy, and Em reaches to hug me. I lean into her warm embrace, and Hanna and Spence both put their arms around us, too, in a group hug. Right then, a sharp, criticizing peel of laughter breaks through our sense of comfort and security.
My eyes shoot upward and focus on the two monsters in front of us just as they round the corner of the building that we are standing right next to. Holding back a groan, I stare at them accusingly.
Mona's snake eyes pierce mine as if she can see into my soul. Observing them, I notice Noel's buff arm wrapped around her shoulders protectively. Mona wears her top-notch brands, and her lips are coated in a shiny lip gloss. Noel's sly expression mixed with hers of knowledge tells me all that I need to know before they even say a word.
"So, it looks like somebody is a hell of a liar," Mona sneers, staring down her nose at us accusingly as she talks. "And not just to the police either. Thought you had us fooled, didn't you, Aria? Well not anymore."
Horror strikes my heart, and I can barely move as Mona struts closer to me. The girls shift in front of me, but Spencer hesitates, leaving time for Mona to slip by my side.
Her breath tickles my ear as she whispers, "Just wait until all of Rosewood hears about this. You're going down."
