Chapter 14:I'm outA here

I sit in the hospital bed the next day. I'd woken up this morning, hoping the whole A attack was a dream, but, sadly, it wasn't. It would probably haunt me for the rest of my life.

There's a knock at the door.

"Come in."I croak.

Aria enters the room with a gift basket in her hand.

"Hey."she whispers.

"Hi."

Aria sets the basket on the small table beside me.

"Listen. We need to talk."

"Yeah, I know. Last night was so crazy."

"Wilden interviewed us last night..."

"I know. He interviewed me too."

"Um, yeah. And I sorta..."She plays with the bow on the basket nervously.

"Yes?"

"I told him that I knew someone who would want to hurt you and Toby."

"You did what!?"Spencer shrieks before I can as she walks through the door. She has a huge stuffed bear in her arms. Emily walks in behind her."Take this."Spencer stuffs the bear into Emily's arms."How could you do this to us!? You promised you wouldn't tell anyone about A!"

"I didn't!"Aria quiets down."I told him about Jenna."

"I'm so confused."I say.

"Think about it. Toby and Jenna used to...you know..."Spencer gets an uncomfortable look on her face."And Jenna did hurt you with Caleb."I make the same face as Spencer."It just makes sense."

"Except for the fact that it was a guy."

"What?"

"I mean, come on. Do you really think Jenna could fight Toby? Or pick him up, over her head, to throw him out the window. That had to be a guy!"

"Great."

"Han, I have worse news."Emily says quietly."Wilden knows about A."

"What!? How!? Did you tell him?"

"No. He already knew."

"How?"

"This."Emily hands me a familiar note."He gave it to me at the station. It supposedly fell out of your pocket."I stare at Emily in awe."They looked through your phone, too."

We all hear our familiar ringtones as we get new texts."Bitches told. I guess you just want to die. Don't worry. You'll be out of your misery soon. ~A"

"Hanna. Hanna, wake up."someone whispers to me.

"Caleb?"I whisper back.

"Yeah."he says, kissing my forehead.

"What are you doing here?"

"The nurse said I could come talk to you."he smiles."They replaced my cast. I can walk now."

"Cool. So are you done here, then?"

"Yes. I just need to come back when they take this dumb thing off."He points to his replacement cast."I think my nurse said I could get out tomorrow."There was a silence between us for a few seconds."Do they have any ideas?"

"No."Well, it wasn't exactly a lie. They didn't, but we did."When I get out, we need to go somewhere."

"Where?"

"I was thinking someplace special."I trail off, then whisper"How about my room?"

"It's a date."Caleb leans over and kisses my neck."One more thing. Hanna."

"Yes?"

"My parents want me to visit them in California. They don't want me to get into any more trouble."

"Bu-but...you can't leave. You can't leave me here with these psychos!"

"You know I don't have a choice."He gives me a light kiss on the lips.

"Alright."Maybe it was better for him to leave Rosewood. A couldn't hurt him then. He would be safe, and I wouldn't have anything to worry about. Well, not as much, anyway."I love you."

"I love you too."He walks out of the room, and I breathe outward heavily. It would be hard without Caleb, but I could manage. Or not. I wonder what Aria would say about this? I guess I should ask her, right? I pick up my phone from the nearby stand just as it starts ringing."Caller Unknown"the screen reads.

"Hello?"I answer."

"Oh, Hanna. You think he'll be safe in California?"a metallic voice says. I immediately recognize it as the person who was in Toby's room last night. My back straightens and my lips tighten.

"Who is this?"I ask shakily.

"I think you know the answer to that."I'm silent for a few seconds.

"What do you want?"

"Caleb can't leave. We're not done with him, yet. He'll only be worse in California."

"What do you mean?"

"Things won't be too good for him there. His parents aren't really looking out for him."Concern overcomes the feeling that this person is lying.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Make sure he doesn't leave, or he'll pay the price. You both will. And, trust me, it won't be pretty."I hear beeping from my phone and I grip it hard, tears filling my eyes. What was I supposed to do? Listen to A, or let Caleb go to California?

Author's note:I'm SO SO sorry I haven't posted in forever! It's been so busy and so much is going on! I will try to update every week, but there's no promises! SORRY! XOXO