Hey guys, so...i kinda gave up on the whole 'getting ten reviews before an update' thing, mainly because another author begged me to update :)
Sorry if it's not very good, parts of it are slightly fluffy, but this story's nearing an end...i shall start a sequel soon though...
Princyjessie, this chapter is for you, for giving me the motivation to keep posting xx
Aria POV
"Well, that was unexpected." Hanna stated sarcastically an hour later. The mood had dampened further since the explosion. Sure, there had been a moment of adrenaline rush when we investigated outside. Evidence of accident? Plenty. Enough to scare us to death? Yes. Victim? None.
That wasn't what had scared us most though. No. The scariest part of A was that, surreptitiously, they were everywhere. They saw everything. Knew everything. Even the things we never spoke aloud to each other, A somehow knew. The proof was waiting for us in Spencer's bedroom when we returned from our venture outside. Four envelopes. Each with one of our names printed on it. This was A's 'punishment' for not finishing the game of truth. We know 'had to suffer what would hurt the most', and A had even taken the liberty of personalizing them. Mine was a cartoon strip of photo shopped pictures depicting several scenarios' in which I was telling my parents about Ezra, Ezra was breaking up with meā¦and then he was bound and gagged at gun point. I had to laugh at how fake the pictures were, mainly because, if I didn't try to stay calm, I had no idea what would happen to us all. Hanna's were real pictures. Of her mother and various men and of Caleb getting on the bus to Arizona. Emily's were, again, photo shopped of Spencer kissing Maya, of all people. Finally, I thought that A was letting her game drop below her usual standards of torture. That was, until it clicked.
It was as I saw the color drain from Spencer's face that I realized. The purpose wasn't to hurt us all separately, but to eliminate us one by one.
The president's assassination has begun- kisses, A xoxo
Spencer froze. Frozen and pale for almost three minutes. I thought then that there was nothing scarier. That was until she moved. She started to shake. Shaking uncontrollably with a strange mixture of anger, fear and nausea. Still staring at the pictures she suddenly disappeared into her bathroom. I heard her throw up and was off the bed and by her side in an instant. I held back her hair until she was done, knowing that Emily shouldn't be expected to deal with this now.
But it was only as I prized the pictures from her hands that I truly understood. For these pictures were the epitome of evil. As they illustrated, frame by frame, Emily's downfall.
Spencer POV
"Hey sweetie," you whisper as you snake your arms around her waist, she doesn't say anything but leans her body backwards into you, so you can feel her heartbeat against your body and you can tell that she is listening to your own. You smile weakly as you let your arm rest over her shoulder. She takes your hand and holds it with both of her own, flush against her chest. Neither of you say anything, you don't need to. You just need each other. You only need her in the world, just like she only needs you, and the quiet comfort that it brings you both to know that, whatever happens, you'll always be together. You want to cry. You want to scream and break down and let her hold you until everything else just melts away and you're left with just her. The way you like it. You smile through your tears at how idyllic that sounds. But you want to be strong, for her. You are strong for her.
You hate to let her see you falter, but you know that sometimes, she needs it. It helps you connect. You can't explain how or why, but it does.
"It's always going to be there isn't it?" she whispers hoarsely, you sigh and pull her tightly into you, so she's flush against your body now, placing soft, sweet kisses on her hair until her breathing evens out again. "Us," she clarifies in a tiny voice. You let out a breath that you didn't know you were holding and nod into to her,
"It always has." You whisper back softly into her ear, allowing your lips to graze her skin in the sweetest of kisses. You take in the scent of her perfume, the one you both own but you hardly ever wear, you'd like to, but she wears it better than you. You feel her shiver and you shudder at the acidic touch of her tears falling onto your bare skin. You pull apart a little, but only the necessary amount to allow you to turn her around, and you stare into her eyes. You lose yourself in them, then again, you do almost every time you look at her. You take a breath and let her fall into you as you feel her shatter at your gentle touch. She's a beautiful disaster. She's broken. She's a mess. But she's yours, and you wouldn't have it any other way.
Emily POV
I know that there are many good friends around, a lot of people who I feel comfortable around and who I love, but true best friends are hard to come by. I've learned that sometimes you love a best friend more than anyone else, I definitely know that a best friend can be important than anyone else.
I love how you can do something or nothing with a best friend and still have make it one of the best days of your life, and that all the memories you make together, the good, the bad, and even the ugly, are all still important and that, when you're through with building memories with each other, you know you'll always have those days to look back on and to give you the strength to carry on. Sometimes the most used part of a best friend is the shoulder you cry on, and the shoulder you are willing to lend. And when a best friend is happy, you find yourself happy too, even when it has nothing to do with you.
I love that nothing ever sounds stupid, funny, or unbelievable to a best friend, and you never feel stupid saying whatever it is, because sometimes it feels like a best friend is the only one who will ever care about you and think you are beautiful in your own way. I've learned, the hard way I might add, that when your heart has been broken, a best friend is the best band-aid for it and that a best friend will call you in the middle of the night to talk without thinking, and it's okay to stay up all night and on the phone for hours talking without even realizing it.
A best friend would stick up for you no matter what the consequences are, but can tease you and say anything without it hurting. They know more about you than you know about yourself, like they can tell the difference between a silly crush, and more than that, even when you're not sure. Sometimes you wonder how she knew, but then you realize that's just how close you are. I've learned that, most importantly of all, best friends will always be best friends, no matter what is happening in their lives, where they are, or what they are doing. A best friend is irreplaceable.
Being in love with your best friend? That's utopic. Having someone who loves you, and cares for you and knows you better than anybody else does, or ever could. She's your rock when you have nothing else to cling to. She's all you need.
And sometimes, she's all you have.
Thanks for reading...as always, please review! Xx
