Disclaimer: I do not own Pretty Little Liars. It belongs to Sara Shepard.
Pretty Little Liars
Drama/Mystery
Characters: Ali, Spencer, Aria, Hanna, Emily, Jenna, Toby, Courtney
Revenge Was Sweet
The blonde, heart shaped faced girl walked down the street, her heels clicking off the sidewalk. She tossed her hair over her shoulder, glad to finally be able to breathe some fresh air. That mental place for crack heads just hadn't cut it. She felt her pale skin soak up the much needed Vitamin D that she'd been deprived of for so long.
She glanced down at her phone as an image that mirrored her own appeared on the screen. She smiled to herself. Being back on her sister's good thing was the best thing that had happened to her ever since she was sent to that hell hole.
"Hey, A," Courtney said into the phone.
"Where are you?" Ali demanded on the other line. Courtney smiled to herself.
"I'm a block away from where you told me to go, sis, don't get your panties into a twist," Courtney replied. Ali angrily blew into the phone. "I'll handle it, sis, just like I said I would."
"You'd better," Ali said coolly, "or else I'm sending you back to The Preserve."
"Whatever," Courtney said, cutting her sister off whenever she started to speak again by hanging up. Show time.
x.x.x
Ali paced in her room, the walls seeming to be caving in and suffocating her. Courtney was late, an hour late. It shouldn't have taken her so long to get to Spencer's and get back. She considered calling her sister, but if she hadn't turned the phone onto vibrate, they were all screwed.
She sighed and flopped down on her bed. There was a blank spot in her memory of the night Spencer went missing and was killed. No matter how hard she tried to remember, she just couldn't. It was probably just some stupid psychological thing that was going on, her mind protecting her or whatever.
The problem was that she didn't need to be protected. She could protect herself just fine, except for two times, but that was beside the point. Other than that, she could protect herself. Her body, parents, and friends just didn't believe that, but she knew that she could, even if everyone else doubted her. Courtney didn't doubt her, but she didn't count. She was mental anyways.
Ali jumped to her feet whenever her bedroom door opened. It was like looking into the mirror whenever the blonde girl entered. That was if you could ignore the fact that Ali had on a summer dress and Courtney was wearing jeans and a tank top.
"Where have you been?" Ali demanded, stalking across the small room to Courtney.
"You didn't mention that her sister would be there," Courtney said coolly, moving past Ali and sitting into her sister's desk chair.
"She was supposed to be in Philly," Ali said, spinning around. Courtney was messing on her computer. "Did you get it, then?"
"Yeah, after her sister left," Courtney said.
"Then where is it?" Ali asked. Courtney sighed and opened up her purse, tossing a leather bound book at her. Ali caught it and sat down on her bed, opening it without even wondering rather it was right or not.
"I already skimmed through it, sis. All it talks about is Ian, her family issues, you being a bitch to her, and then finally getting to be your friend. The only thing interesting is the last entry," Courtney said boredly. Ali glared at her.
"I'm still going to read it," Ali said as she turned to the last entry.
June 8, 2012
He came to see me today, after Melissa had left. He told me that it was me and me only. No Ali, no Melissa, just Spencer. Just two more years until graduation, and then we can be together for sure. Of course, my parents would never approve, so I need to be eighteen. I started counting the days today. 468. 468 more days until we can be together and I can finally leave Rosewood and get out from under Ali's wrathe.
Tonight, they're all coming over to watch movies in the barn. I'd rather spend the time with Ian, though. He's going to be staying at the house, supposedly house sitting and keeping an eye on me for my parents, but I know that's not why he volunteered. I've made a plan to sneak out after everyone's asleep to go see him. Just 468 days we have to keep this a secret, until April 12th 2013. Then, I'm free.
ILY, Ian, forever and always.
"That's it?" Ali asked, ignoring the fact that her supposed friend trashed her almost the entire entry.
"I know, sappy, isn't it?" Courtney asked. Ali looked at her. "Think he killed her?"
"I don't know," Ali whispered. "It's possible, I mean, look at what he's done to me."
"Anyone that was around that house is a suspect, sis," Courtney replied, moving over to sit next to Ali. "You need to get back with him and get undercover."
"Yeah, but he doesn't know that you exist, why would he sign your initial in those texts?" Ali asked, looking at Courtney.
"I asked if he killed her, not if he sent the texts. Who knows who he has working for him?" she asked.
"No one knows, though, that's the thing, Courtney. You don't exist to other people!" Ali said, standing and going to the window, looking out at the yard.
"C . . .," Courtney mused quietly. "Think of someone who has a name of 'C'."
"No," Ali said, spinning around and looking at Courtney. She shrugged.
"It's possible."
x.x.x
Ali walked up the steps to the front door, her sneakers smacking off the wooden floor. She'd changed out of her dress and into a pair of shorts and a shirt. It was too weird to wear a dress around Jenna and Toby. She knocked on the door, using the wooden knocker that freaked her out. A silver C stood out against the wooden door, causing Ali to wince and look away.
She wrapped her arms around her and turned, leaning against a porch pillar, trying not to puke or lose her courage to be there. She jumped and nearly fell down the stairs whenever the door opened. She turned around slowly, trying not to let her fear show.
"Alison," Toby said, looking at her. Ali ran her eyes over him, deciding that it was the jeans, softy brown t-shirt, and the socked feet that caused her not to fear him.
"Hey, Toby," Ali said, taking a deep breath. He eyed her. "What are you up to?"
"Packing for school," he replied, still eyeing her. Ali nodded and hooked her thumbs in the pockets of her shorts.
"Do you have a sec? There's something I need to talk to you about," Ali said. She could tell why Spencer had fallen for him, with his dark brown hair and equally dark blue eyes. Although, he was tall, long-limbed, and looked like a vampire with his pale skin.
"Yeah, just let me get my shoes, you want to come in?" he asked, pausing as he turned to go back inside.
"Um, no, I'd rather not run into . . . Jenna," Ali said, swallowing. He merely nodded and disappeared into the house, leaving the door open. She shivered despite the fact that it was in the seventies. She just hoped that Courtney had better luck than she did.
x.x.x
Ali walked with Toby down the walking path at the park. There were plenty of people out, so she figured they were safe to walk through the woods. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He was just walking, not saying anything and she found that odd. Toby normally talked; at least she figured he did. She'd never really held a conversation with him.
"Listen, um, I'm just going to say what I want to say," Ali said after a moment. Even though she kept her eyes on her feet, she could still feel his eyes on her. "You have to swear not to tell anyone, though." She looked at him now. "I can't tell you if you don't swear."
"I swear," Toby said and Ali pulled him to a stop.
"Alright," she said quietly, trying to think of the best way to approach this. She couldn't believe what she was about to do, considering that she couldn't even find the words to talk to her friends about it, either. "We've been getting these . . . texts, my friends and I. Um, and, they're signed by a letter 'C', and the number comes up as blocked or something."
"So?" Toby asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Ali closed her eyes.
"A friend, not one that you know, thought that maybe . . .," she trailed off. She didn't know how to accuse Toby and Jenna without him getting mad.
"You think that I sent them?" Toby asked, furrowing his brows at her. She bit her lip.
"Look, we all know that you're—were—close to Spencer. We're just trying to figure out what's going on," Ali said exasperatedly. She couldn't believe that she had lost all the calm, cool, and collected Ali that had been there earlier that day, the Ice Queen Ali.
"I didn't send them, I don't know who in their right minds would," he said coldly.
"Toby, wait!" she shouted as he left, pushing his way through the people that had started to stream down the path. "Damn you, Toby."
x.x.x
"Hey, Ali, we got your text," Aria said as she walked into Ali's room with the other three girls. Courtney smiled to herself and turned.
"Great, I have something to tell you all," Courtney said as she sat down on "her" bed. "It's about the Cavanaugh's."
"What about them?" Emily asked as she sat down in Ali's desk chair. Hanna sat down on the rug and Aria sat next to Courtney.
"You know those texts that I told you about?" Courtney asked quietly. The other four looked at each other uncomfortably.
"Yeah," Emily said softly.
"I know who's been sending them," Courtney said, smirking. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Soon, Toby and his blind sister won't know what hit them."
"How do you know it was them?" Aria asked, eyeing Courtney. Courtney angrily blew air out of her nostrils.
"Isn't it obvious? Spencer and Toby had a thing going on. Of course if she died and there's no suspects other than her five friends, then Toby would obviously want revenge. And, Jenna's always hated us, so there's really no reason to explain why she would," Courtney replied.
"That doesn't give us enough proof, though," Hanna said.
"Which is why I told the police that Toby confessed to everything," Courtney replied. "He killed her, guys. Think about it."
Revenge was sweet.
