Veronica Hastings was the first one to greet Ella when she opened the door.
„Ella! We're so happy to have you back here in Rosewood. Take this as a little welcome home present", she said and gave Mrs. Montgomery a casserole form with homemade vegetarian food inside.
„Oh, thank you so much, Veronica!", Ella said and smiled at her old friend. „Why don't you come in? Aria will be down in a minute.", she looked at Spencer and shook her hand.
„I'm so sorry, but my husband will be half an hour late. Something came up in the office.", Veronica said while taking off her coat.
A few minutes later, Aria came downstairs and greeted Veronica and Spencer.
„How have you been, Spence?", she said to test how distant the girl would react.
„Well, studying, playing hockey. Busy as always", the girl said and laughed at her former friend. „What about you, how was Iceland?", she asked and Aria told her some random stuff about the school system and the parties she was attending. Spencer seemed to be different to Hanna and Emily. Although Aria had to admit, that Emily just got pissed because of her talking about Alison.
After dinner the adults started drinking some wine, so Aria and Spencer went up to Arias room. In this moment, Aria was glad her mom forced her to tidy up her room. It would've been kinda embarrassing with all the boxes and stuff, while in Aria's memory Spencer's room was always so perfect.
„Wow, I always liked your pillows. How can you even sleep in them, there's no space for you left!", Spencer said and laughed again.
They sat down on Aria's bed and Spencer told her a lot about the changes that were going on during the year Aria was gone.
„I still can't believe, Hanna and Loser Mona are friends.", Aria was shocked and shook her head.
„Oh, she's not Loser Mona anymore. She's more Queen Mona now", Spencer said obviously annoyed of Mona's behavior lately.
„Do you think about her much?", Aria asked after a few minutes of awkward silence. She was sure that Spencer knew she wasn't talking about Mona.
Spencer looked down on her feet.
„It's hard to not think about her!", she answered. „There are posters everywhere and people starring at us. Well, we're the friends of the girl that disappeared. Or now died.", she said in her typical sarcastic way of trying to make the conversation less depressing.
Aria took a deep breath and looked somewhere in the air so she didn't have to see Spencers reaction.
„Do you think it's possible that… That Alison is still alive?", she asked. Spencers answer was a sarcastic laughter.
„She's dead, Aria. They found her body, did you miss that part?", she said and looked up.
„Ugh, I know.", Aria said and raised her hands as if she had to defend herself.
„Aria… Do you know something I don't?", Spencer asked suspicious and looked at her friend.
„What do you mean?", Aria was confused. How could Spencer know about Ezra telling her that Alison was proofed being alive?
„I mean, did you… Did you actually see her?", Spencer was curious.
Aria started breathing again. For one moment she thought she was caught.
„Maybe. Not me, I didn't see her. But I know someone who says he's got proof.", Aria felt stupid, telling Spencer about this. Her former friend was a rationalist, she wouldn't believe her.
„So, you say, your friend has seen or met Ali? Then who's the girl in Alison's grave? The girl we went on a funeral for…", Spencer looked shocked, something, Aria couldn't remember to have seen yet.
„You actually believe, that this guy is right?", Aria couldn't hide her relief. If Spencer - the rational thinking, totally smart girl - thought the same as Ezra, he might wasn't crazy.
„What did you say was his name again?", Spencer's forehead was wrinkled, she was thinking in her very special Spencer-way.
„I can't tell you.", Aria said quickly and looked very serious.
„Aria. Are you kidding?", Spencer laughed almost offended. „You can't tell me something crazy like that and then stop talking.", Spencer begged her to continue.
„If you want to find out if Ali's still alive, we have to meet this guy. And considering him might being totally nuts, I should come with you.", she insisted. Aria could see the gleam in Spencer's eyes that she always had when it came to solving a mystery - even when it was paper chase in seventh grade.
Aria took a deep breath again and closed her eyes. „It's Ezra. I mean, Mr. Fitz.", she said and waited for Spencer to say something. Nothing came. Aria opened her eyes very slowly.
Spencer sat in front of her. Her mouth was opened.
„You call him Ezra.", she commented.
„What? No, I said Mr. Fitz.", Aria defended herself.
„Aria. You clearly said Ezra. What the hell is going on here?", Spencer asked calmly and raised one eyebrow.
„Okay, you got me.", Aria gave in. „Maybe I met him at a pub right when I got back. Maybe we talked a lot and he was so sweet and poetic and romantic. Maybe we made out. And maybe… I'm in love with him."
„Oh my God, Aria!", Spencer started to laugh and couldn't stop. Aria couldn't say if she thought this was a joke or if she thought of Aria as a little kid who fell for a teacher.
„Spencer! Could you please stop laughing?", she said and waited for her friend to be quite.
„I always thought of you as kind of a rebel. But this is so cool! How does he kiss?", Spencer asked when she calmed down. She leaned forward and Aria saw real interest in her friend's eyes.
„Um, good I guess", she said and had to grin.
„But how did you not know he's a teacher?", Spencer asked and Aria shrugged her shoulders.
„I knew he was. I just didn't know he would be mine.", she explained and remembered the moment when Ezra entered the classroom.
„It was so embarrassing although no one knew that we met before.", she told Spencer.
The girls talked a lot about Aria and Ezra - Spencer had to know everything, of course - before they came back to their original topic.
„So, he found out about Ali being alive?", Spencer repeated after Aria told her about this morning's conversation.
„At least he said he did.", Aria threw in.
„But you didn't ask him to show you his proof? Aria, how could you let this opportunity go?", Spencer almost shouted her questions out, but Aria gave her a warning look.
„You can't tell our parents or the police. If they find out about Ezra and me dating, he will go to jail.", she said and instantly knew that Spencer understood.
„Okay. But why didn't you ask him about pictures or whatever he might has?", Spencer repeated her question and seemed to suffer because she lost a good adventure.
„I flipped okay? Imagine your boyfriend telling you, that he's seen your dead friend.", Aria whispered.
„Hm, maybe you're right. It sounds completely insane. But we have to go back. I want to know if Ali is alive. And if she is, what it is, that stops her from coming home.", Spencer urged and knew that Aria thought the same.
When the Hastings left the Montgomery house, after all the „Good to see you again"s and the „Thank you for the invitation"s, Aria was relieved. Tomorrow she would not only find out if her best friend was still alive, she would also find out if her boyfriend was crazy or just a good researcher.
Why did Alison run and stay away from Rosewood? And why didn't she tell her friends? Uh, and who's the girl in her grave...
Find out as the story continues.