Hi you guys! I got a stream of reviews between yesterday and today, and you all are SO SWEET! Thank you so much for the kind words, without them I don't think this story would be where it is today! I might've just stopped at them escaping the fire and left it at that! But you all have been so encouraging to me as a writer, and I really appreciate that :) also you all seem to share my love of Sparia, so I automatically love all of you anyway!
Unfortunately, this will be my last chapter until next week since I'm leaving tomorrow :( BUT enjoy this chapter while you can, and don't forget to review! AND leave your guesses for any Harry Potter references/quotes/parallels you might see :)
"I'm telling you, I'm fine over here," Mike told his sister over the phone.
"No, you're not," Aria said, rolling her eyes, "you just don't wanna be around your screwed up family, and I really can't blame you! But I don't think you should be burdening Louis by continuing to stay there."
"He's cool with it!"
"Mike," Aria said sternly, "please come to the apartment. I miss you. Mom misses you, at least do it for her!"
Spencer laughed as she looked over the kitchen counter in her house, where she was making coffee, at Aria, as she bickered with her brother over the phone. It was about a week after the meeting at the motel, and Spencer's ankle had finally healed enough for her to no longer have to be on crutches. They were finally back at school, and Aria had put Spencer on strict measures for the past week so that her ankle could heal, including keeping it propped up at all times, even if that meant getting permission from a teacher to prop it up on a desk or chair, and not moving from one specific spot whenever they were home unless absolutely necessary. It was annoying for Spencer, but it had worked wonders, which meant that Spencer no longer had to stay with Aria and her mom.
She supposed it was a good thing, but Spencer missed Aria. She saw her at school every day, but she always felt lonely whenever she had to go home to her empty house where no one paid attention to her, even when Aria insisted on driving her home every day to not put any more strain on her ankle. Aria was here now, though, in Spencer's dimly lit kitchen, and no one else was in the house except for the two best friends, which was perfectly fine with both of them.
"You promise?" Spencer heard Aria say into the phone. Aria listened for a response, and then sighed in relief. "Thank you. Okay, so I'll see you for dinner? Great, don't forget anything! Love you!" She then hung up.
"You convinced him?" Spencer asked as she slid a mug of coffee to Aria, who proudly grinned and nodded her head.
Spencer was impressed. "How? He can't even see that 'convincing face' you make!"
Aria just gave Spencer a knowing look. "Maybe because this 'convincing face' you speak of doesn't exist?"
"Of course it exists," Spencer said jokingly, "and you know it!" Spencer then proceeded to widen her brown eyes cutely in the same way Aria always did.
At this, Aria just rolled her eyes playfully and sipped her coffee. Spencer knew how Aria liked it, so she had put in just enough sugar and milk for her, unlike Jason. "Whatever. I'm starving, do you have anything to eat?"
"Yeah," Spencer said with a smile as she opened the pantry next to the fridge. She grabbed a small bag of chips and tossed it to Aria, who caught it in midair and greedily opened it. Spencer watched cautiously as Aria munched on the chips. "How have you been? You seem… better. Happier."
And it was true. Ever since the night at the Lost Woods Resort, Aria had finally begun to recover. She was back to eating and sleeping, so her face no longer looked so gaunt and pale. And she was back to laughing and smiling again now that she had more energy from eating and sleeping.
Aria paused while halfway through eating a chip, and then put it down. "I don't know, I guess I really am happier now that I know that this thing could be over soon."
Spencer wasn't so sure about that, but she didn't want to say it out loud; the last thing she wanted was to scare Aria again. They hadn't gotten any kind of answer back from Toby, Mona, or Jason on what Ali could be planning, and it was a little suspicious. I'm just being paranoid on whether I can still trust them or not, Spencer tried to convince herself. They're on our side. They won't betray us.
"Although," Aria began again, "I'm kinda weirded out by my mom."
"How so?"
"She keeps… looking at me funny," Aria explained, "like there's something she wants to say to me. Have you noticed anything weird with her when you were staying with us?"
"Maybe," Spencer said thoughtfully, "but I think she's just concerned about you."
Aria nodded her head at this, but she was not convinced. She knew her mother's concerned look, and she had grown accustomed to it especially since the night of the fire, but her concerned look had been replaced with a new look that she couldn't figure out. She looked like she was holding something back. Almost… guilty.
"Aria," Spencer said, pulling Aria out of her thoughts. "That phone call earlier… have you told him?"
"Told who what?"
"Mike," Spencer elaborated. "Have you told him about… the girl?"
Spencer watched as Aria's face went pale. She knew it was a touchy subject, but she had to know.
"I… no," Aria admitted. "Spence, I can't. You should've seen the way he reacted to learning about my dad. If he knows this, too, it could really upset him."
"But don't you think he deserves to know?" Spencer said compassionately. "You shouldn't have to go through this alone."
"Who says I am?" Aria shrugged. "I've got you, I've got Jason, I've got…" She tried to think of more people, but that was it. She wanted to say Hanna and Emily, but they hadn't spoken since Aria and Spencer had seen them in the hospital. Emily hadn't been at school because she was still recovering in the hospital, and Spencer and Aria tried to avoid Hanna as much as possible at school. They didn't know whether she was still mad at Spencer or not, and Spencer didn't want to take the chance of confronting her about it. And Aria was afraid to talk to Hanna because she was afraid Hanna would bring it up, then try to start a fight with Aria when she defended Spencer.
"You could have him, too," Spencer pointed out, but Aria just shook her head.
"What if A does something to him?" Aria whispered. "I can't risk that. You know I can't. It was bad enough that Mike had to be dragged into this whole mess with my dad, but to involve him with A-"
"Aria, breathe," Spencer said once she managed to interrupt. She then leaned forward across the countertop. "A hasn't touched you since the night of the fire."
"How do you know that me telling Mike, or anyone for that matter, isn't going to spark things up again?" Aria challenged.
"This might be a scary thought for you," Spencer said cautiously, "but I really think that Alison is holding back on torturing you so that you won't be expecting it when she delivers the final blow. So I don't think anything you say or do before then is going to affect anything, except maybe have her put her 'big plan' into action sooner."
Saving the best for last, Aria thought, practically hearing the words slither menacingly off of Alison's tongue. "Well, that's comforting."
Spencer reached for Aria's hand. "Don't worry, okay? They said that once they found out, they'd tell us. And we'll protect you."
"I want to be able to protect you guys too," Aria said softly. "You heard what Mona said. Ali may just be after me now, but if she has to hurt one of you to get to me then she'll do it."
"We'll protect each other, okay?" Spencer assured, and Aria nodded her head, suddenly determined. Their conversation was interrupted, however, by an abrupt knock on the back door. Before Spencer could go to answer it, she heard it opening, along with a familiar click clacking of heels against the hardwood. Spencer and Aria looked at each other, for they both knew of only one person who would wear heels on a school day.
Hanna walked into the room slowly, and Spencer and Aria surveyed her carefully. "Hanna?"
"Hi, guys," Hanna said cautiously as she continued to step forward. Spencer and Aria awkwardly waved, but remained still, as they were unaware of how to react to the situation.
Hanna sighed, knowing she'd have to be the one to start talking. "So… I owe you an apology, Spencer."
Spencer's posture immediately straightened, as though someone had shot a bolt of lightning up her spine. "You… you do?"
"Yeah," Hanna said apologetically. "Emily woke up. And she remembered. It wasn't you who ran her over. It was-"
"Toby," Spencer interrupted. "Yeah, I know."
"Wait… you know?" Hanna asked alertly. "How?"
"Because… I saw him. We saw him." And with that, Spencer and Aria caught Hanna up to speed on everything that had happened, and everything they had learned, in the past week. Mona and Toby being on their side. Jason infiltrating the team. Alison's child. Everything. With each new piece of information, Hanna's eyes grew wider and wider. She then looked to Aria.
"That's really true about your dad?" she whispered. "And that little girl?"
"Seems like it," Aria said emotionlessly as she stared down at the counter. Hanna walked over to Aria and wrapped her arms around the smaller girl, feeling terrible for what she had to go through. She then looked up at Spencer, arms still held tightly around Aria.
"I actually found out about it not being you last week," she confessed, "and it was wrong of me to wait until now to confront you about it."
"Yeah, why didn't you?" Spencer asked, honestly curious.
"I was afraid still," Hanna admitted, "and I had accused you so harshly… I was afraid you wouldn't forgive me the way I refused to forgive you."
"But you did forgive me," Spencer pointed out as she stepped forward from behind the counter. "Isn't this what this is?"
"Yeah, I think so," Hanna said as she unraveled her arms from around Aria.
"Well, then I think I can forgive you," Spencer said with a small smile, and she walked over and embraced Hanna in a long overdue hug. Hanna noticed Aria sitting awkwardly to the side, so she motioned for her to join in, which Aria gratefully did. Together they stood there, the closest the three of them had been in far too long, just enjoying each others' company.
"Ok," Hanna said, muffled by the warm embrace of two of her best friends. "So I'll be sure to fill in Emily on everything you guys just told me, considering I remember all of it. But first…" Her face suddenly turned serious. "What is this plan that Ali has?"
Aria and Spencer looked at each other with panicked expressions before Aria spoke up. "We're still trying to figure that out. But whatever it is, it could end up hurting a lot of people."
"But with three people on the inside," Spencer reasoned, "we might be able to take her down before she takes us down."
"Well, when you do take her down," Hanna began while flashing a mischievous grin, "I want in."