Chapter 98
Aria's pov
The girls and I were sitting in the interrogation room, the guys were out in the lobby waiting for us. I know they wanted to be in here with us, but we had to do this on our own.
"It's really over guys." Spencer said as we looked at each other.
"How is it that she planned this all out and we never saw through her?" Emily asked quietly and Maya gently took her hand.
Barry walked in before any of us could say anything, and I noticed he seemed a bit hesitant about whatever it was that he was going to tell us. This news need to be good, I don't think I could handle any bad news right now.
"Alison is claiming she has one more thing to say to you, Spencer. It's about your sister?" He said.
Without missing a beat, she slowly stood up and looked at me. I took her hand in mine as I got up with her and we followed Barry.
Alison sat at the table, like a predator waiting to attack it's prey. Obviously we're the prey, we always have been... even before we met her apparently.
"You have something to say about Melissa?" Spencer asked.
"Not Melissa. This is about your other sister, Alex." Alison said and Spencer held her poker face.
"Is that her name? What do you know about her anyway? Veronica gave her away when we were born." Spencer said and Alison scoffed.
"Veronica did give her away... to my mom. My mom felt guilty or whatever and felt it was only necessary to adopt Alex herself." She said.
I stared at Alison in shock, she didnt have any sisters that we knew of when we met her. And now she has two? Wait, had something happen to Alex before we had ever met Ali? Why wasn't Cece or Alex ever brought up when we told her about our siblings?
"Hey Spence, one more thing about her - my dad absolutely hated her. And all because she was crazy, just like Mary." Alison said, smirking.
"My mother is NOT crazy! But you are... and I'm done here, and I'm definitely done with you." Spencer said and stormed out with me following her.
"My dad left her somewhere before we had moved from Bridgeport in kindergarten." Alison called out as we left the room.
Walking away from the door, Spencer leaned against the wall and I pulled her into a hug. Even though she hates crying in front of people, she started sobbing as I held her tighter. How could mr. Dilaurentis be so cruel to do that to a little child?
"We'll find her okay? I promise." I said softly and she quickly wiped away her tears as Barry walked towards us.
He handed Spencer a box of tissues and waited until she finished crying. I helped her up and he led us back to our interrogation room. The girls could tell from the look on Spencer's face that neither of us would be talking about what Alison said right now.
"She has nothing left to lose now that she's being sent to Welby. Luckily for us, thats not where Mona is." Emily said and none of us said anything.
"All Mona wanted was to be friends with Ali... and she ended up in mental institutional prison instead." I said.
I looked at Hanna and took her hand in mine, we both knew Mona deserved better than Alison manipulating her into torturing us these past few years. And even though I wish Hanna would live with me in New york, I'm excited for both of us to be there together close by.
...
Few days later
I stood with the girls in line for our yearbooks, we needed something normal for us to talk about. But it doesn't help that everyone else was talking about Alison and her little game she played with us. Half the school thinks we were in on it, and the other half thinks we're lying for attention.
"Did you guys get your prom dresses yet?" Hanna asked and we all nodded.
I knew there would be a chance that the school wouldn't let me to bring Ezra as my date, since he had been a member of the faculty and he's currently the substitute for Ella. But for freaky reason, they're claiming Toby cannot be Spencer's date. Even though he had been a student up until he dropped out back in October.
"Em and I are matching, the bodice on mine is the same color as her dress." Maya said.
"The four of us should double date to prom." I said and the other girls looked at me and Spencer.
"Aren't you two bringing Ezra and Toby?" Chloe asked and I shook my head.
"No, they told me when I tried buying the tickets that he is not permitted to be my date. But I had a feeling they wouldn't let me bring him." I said.
"I was told that since he's no longer a student here, that Toby is also not permitted to be my date." Spencer said, rolling her eyes.
As we moved up in line for our yearbooks, I noticed principle Hackett watching us across the gym. Hanna gave me a look that I knew - she saw him too. The yearbook members flung our yearbooks at us and quickly called next, as if we would give them the flu or something. Walking to an open lunch table, Hackett walked up to us.
"Girls, come with me." He said, looking at all of us.
We followed him towards the front office and almost everyone was watching us. It's giving me deja vu, from last year when we were the suspects in killing Alison. But now, it's that people believe that we're lying about being stalked and that Alison had been behind it all.
"I know you girls have been through quite a lot recently. But after a long disscussion with the school board, we've agreed on that it's best that you girls don't attend prom." He said and we stared at him.
"When can we expect our refunds on our tickets that we already bought?" I asked.
"There will be no refunds, the money has already gone into the prom decorations and everything else." Hackett
"So you're telling me, that the money we all spent on shoes, our dresses, and our tickets are all for nothing? WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! You all just want to humiliate us one more time, haven't we endured enough from being harassed about Alison's death, being stalked for years, and then finding out she isn't even dead and turns out the past few years have all been a FREAKING GAME?" I asked annoyed and Hackett sighed.
"Girls, I know you're upset-" He said and spencer interrupted him
"No, we're pissed! And don't you even think about keeping us from walking the stage at graduation, I'll be telling my father about this." Spencer said.
"If it were up to me-" He tries saying but Hanna and Chloe interrupted him.
"IT IS UP TO YOU!" They both yelled and we all stormed out.
...
Later that day
Ezra's pov
I pulled into the driveway as Malcolm played one of his DS games that Aria got him for Christmas. Even though she said she would be fine on her own today, I still checked in on her a couple times while Malcolm was exploring the candy factory with his class. Since I had already promised him that I'd go with him, I had Toby go check on her in person for me when she hadn't responded to a text, and he said she was napping.
"Okay buddy, got any homework that still needs to be finished?" I asked and he shook his head.
"No, I finished it all yesterday. Can I go next door and see if Axel can go to the park?" He asked and I nodded.
"Go ahead, but don't forget your phone." I said and he nodded.
I walked into the house to see Aria blowing raspberries on Oliver's belly. Malcolm hurried over to them as I noticed her prom dress folded neatly, her heels on the counter, along with a notepad of pricing for it all.
"Sounds like you had fun." Aria said after Malcolm told her about the field trip.
Malcolm nodded and went upstairs to get his phone.
"So, are you picking Spencer up for prom or is she picking you up?" I asked.
"We're not going, none of us are. Hackett said we're not allowed at prom now, because of what happened with Alison." She said as I sat down next to her.
"Do you want me to go raise some hell and make them let you girls go to prom? The six of you deserve to go more than anyone else at that stupid school." I said and she shook her head.
"It's just a dumb high school cliche babe. It would probably suck anyway, all the dances do." She said.
She quickly kissed my cheek and headed upstairs to lay Oliver down for a nap. As soon as I knew she was out of ear shot, I grabbed my phone and called Toby.
...
Aria's pov
Malcolm and I were playing candy land in the living, as Ezra was getting Oliver ready for bed. He thinks I don't know that he's up to something, so I'm playing dumb for now. The only thing I really don't know is what he's up to. Glancing over at Malcolm, I saw him bite his lip as he started bouncing up and down
"Babes, go to the bathroom. We can pause the game, you don't have to hold it in honey." I told Malcolm.
As Malcolm ran to the bathroom, Ezra came downstairs carrying our suitcases. I raised an eyebrow at him and he chuckled at me.
"Peter and Mary said they'll come and watch the boys for the weekend. We're going on a group trip." He said.
"Is this what you've been up to for the past few hours? And where are we going?" I asked and he nodded.
"New Jersey, that's all Toby said I'm allowed to tell you." He said.
I quickly followed him into the kitchen. As he took a drink of his water, I started kissing his jawline. He chuckled before setting his drink down and I pressed my lips to his. He pinned me up against the island and trailed his lips along my neck.
"Can I persuade you?" I purred into his ear.
He brushed his lips against mine and I ran my hands through his hair. He slipped his tongue into my mouth, getting me to grip his hair a bit and the front door opened.
"Why are we going to a amusement park?" Spencer asked as we jumped apart, fixing ourselves and we heard the toilet flush.
"Who told you?" Ezra asked as Spencer walked into the kitchen.
"Toby." I said with Spencer as she walked in and smirked at us.
"Have you met Spencer? No one could keep anything from her, not me and definitely not Tobes. Besides, Toby can't keep a secret from either of us very long. It wouldn't surprise me if he ends up telling her when he plans on proposing." I said as Toby walked in and Malcolm ran to give him a hug.
"I had to tell her! She was giving me that look!" Toby said, picking Malcolm up.
"When you propose you need to tell Aria!" Spencer said and Toby chuckled.
"Well I kinda have to, I need her blessing along with your father's. I've known that I would need to ask her as well ever since kindergarten." Toby said as Oliver started crying through the baby monitor.
"Aw, you've been in love since you were babies." I teased him as he followed me to help with Oliver.
Walking into Oliver's room to see him standing in his crib, I scooped him up as he farted. Toby took Oliver to change his diaper and I turned off the baby monitor.
"When I do propose, I want you there to capture it." He said hopefully and I nodded.
...
The guys somehow managed to get us all tickets to South Point amusement park, which happens to be in New Jersey. But Hanna and Travis can't stay the whole weekend since she had missed curfew by two hours and got grounded, luckily Mrs. Marin said she can at least come to the amusement park with us.
"When was the last time we were this alone?" I asked as Ezra kissed my shoulder blade and slowly ran his hands up and down my arms.
"I have no idea, but I can't even remember the last time we had a bath together." He whispered and I carefully turned around to face him.
"Valentines day. I'm shocked you forgot that." I said smirking and he chuckled.
"I know this weekend isn't prom or-" He started to say but I cut him off with a kiss.
"I'm with you, that's what I care about. And if i forget to say this to you later, thank you for this weekend. I love you." I said softly as his lips met mine.
"And I love you." He whispered as I turned back around and snuggled my back into him.
"We only have ninety two days left together after graduation." I said quietly as he softly kissed my shoulder blade.
He gently turned me around again to face him and wiped the few tears that i had let fall before pressing his forehead to mine.
"Don't think like that love, we're going to make it the best 92 days ever. I promise." He said.
Caressing his thumb on my cheek, he gently pressed his lips to mine and cupped my face. I don't care what we do this summer... as long as I'm with him and our boys, I don't care.