Hi everyone :) I know that I haven't updated this story in a little while, but I just started another story and I'm working on a fourth one... So if anyone is interested I just started a story called Grown-Up Life and it's about Spencer and Emily's life together as adults.

Also I wanted to add that I got some comments about the fact that I should be careful about the mistakes I make in my story and that it made it hard to read sometimes, so I thought about it and He0524 nicely proposed to proofread my stories and I decided to accept so I hope that it will make some of you happy. And thank you, He0524 :)

Chapter 36

Aria's POV

I woke up when I heard someone closing my room door – Hanna isn't with me anymore… Her side of the bed was warm and I could still smell her perfume. I looked at the time and saw that it was late – Hanna had missed her morning classes. I lied back down on my bed and closed my eyes, letting her scent put me back to sleep.

…

Hanna's POV

I parked my car in the parking lot where -A hit me with its car. Well, maybe I should say hers or his, but it's too polite. When I realized that someone was waiting for me, I got out the car and walked towards it. It was wearing a mask.

"So, you finally realized that you're not strong enough?" asked a voice that I couldn't recognize.

"I guess so."

"You do realize that it is your friends that you'll betray." It sneered in its venomous voice.

"Sometimes you have to be ready to bring others down in order to stay up."

"Right. Take that phone and make sure that nobody sees it. Your instructions will be sent to you with it. Never reply."

The person-… no, the thing walked away, leaving me confused. I walked back to my car and climbed in. I leaned my head against my seat and closed my eyes. Why did I get myself into this? I felt my phone vibrate, indicating I had gotten a text – I dug in my purse for it. It was Aria.

I'm sorry I made you miss school. –Ar

I didn't do anything I didn't want to. –Han

Will you come back? –Ar

Be there in 20. I have to stop by my house first. –Han

Don't you have school? –Ar

Don't care. –Han

I do. –Ar

See you in 20. –Han

Go to school, I'll be fine. –Ar

Nope, see you soon xo. –Han

I put my phone back in my purse and started my car and drove home to hide the cell-phone it gave me. I hid it somewhere I knew nobody would or could find it.
Then I went back to the hospital to see Aria, only to be glared at when I walked into the room she was in.

"I told you to go to school!" she said.

"I told you I didn't care," I replied, a smirk plastered on my face.

"It's not because I have to stay here all day in this bed that you have to!"

"I know I don't have to, but I want to" I said as I walked closer to her.

"Didn't you spend enough time in here already? When -A hit you?"

"It doesn't mean I can't be here for you," I said as I sat down next to her.

She looked me in the eyes and smiled. I knew I had won this fight.

…

Emily's POV

"Did you see Hanna today?" I asked Spencer.

"No, did you?" Spencer said as she walked with me towards my locker.

I put my belongings in my locker and took out my purse.

"Nope… I wonder where she is," I muttered as we walked to Spencer's locker.

"She probably just slept in and decided not to come at all," Spencer said, chuckling as she took her bag out of her locker.

"She can't have… she went to the hospital this morning, remember?"

"Oh, right… Then maybe she decided to stay with Aria?"

"I guess so… You ready to go?"

"Of course baby," Spencer said as she took my hand and guided me towards her car.

We hopped in and left the parking lot and dropped by Hanna's so we could leave our bags and eat a little before going to visit Aria at the hospital.

When we walked in her room, we saw that Hanna was lying in bed with her and they were watching some videos on Hanna's phone. They looked up when they heard us.

"Hi Aria, how are you?" I asked her as we stepped closer.

"Better, thanks," she said with a smile.

"So this is where you've been hiding?" Spencer asked Hanna with a smirk.

"I'm not hiding!" Hanna argued as she glared at Spencer.

"Sure, if you say so," Spencer said as she sat down on a chair next to Aria's bed.

I sat down on her lap and she wrapped her arms around my waist.

"How was school?" Aria asked, trying to take the attention off of poor Hanna.

"I don't know, why don't you ask Hanna? Oh right, she wasn't there," Spencer said, irony thick in her voice.

"It was a normal day, and thanks for asking," I said to Aria. "What did you do today?"

"Not much, everything hurts… I just lay in bed all day… reading… watching TV…"

"Sucks, but you're feeling better, right?"

"Yeah, I am. The doctor said that it was normal that it hurts while I heal… So I guess that at least it means that I'm healing."

"Yup, that's a good thing," Hanna told Aria with a sweet smile.

Aria smiled back at her. I looked behind my shoulder to see that Spencer was as confused as me.

"Anyway, Spencer and I should go – we wanted to see if you were alright, but we have a lot of things to do," I broke the silence as I got up.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay?" Aria asked us – being polite was always one of her characteristics…

"It's not that we don't want to – it's more that we can't. But it doesn't matter though, Hanna's here," I said, grinning.

"She's right, I'm not going anywhere," Hanna replied, glancing over at me, but focusing her attention on Aria soon after.

Spencer and I kissed the top of Aria's head and said goodbye before leaving the room. Aria was getting better and soon we could start working on something to bring -A down. We knew that we had an advantage – honesty. We were like a family and were always honest with each other. If we all worked really hard on this as a team, it wouldn't be long before -A would finally be gone forever.

I know that this chapter isn't much but sometimes there has to be this kind of chapters in order to make the story progress. I'd love to read what you thought about it though :)