I got back to the Montgomery house after sneaking more of my things out my place while my mom was out, and saw Connor, from Mike's lacrosse team, on the couch in the living room.

"Uh, hey Connor?" I greeted him curiously. Aria explained she was helping with homework, and I nodded. "I'll leave you to it then. I have to study for AP exams now anyway. Night Aria." I walked down the hall with my stuff and headed into the guest room for the night. I thought I heard Mike go downstairs, but it meant nothing to me. It was his house, not mine. So I plugged in my headphones and started hitting the books. I woke up the next morning with my headphones still on, and I was still in yesterday's clothes. I looked at the time and realized it was an hour before I had to get up for school. I groaned, cleaned up my stuff, and headed off to take a shower.

At school, Connor was telling the guys that he slept with Aria last night, and Mike actually believed them. I talked to him during lunch and told him how ridiculous the whole thing was. He listened and sighed, running a hand through his gelled hair. "I yelled at her today about it…she probably feels like crap now. I bet she went after those idiots. God, I suck. What kind of brother am I?"

"Just apologize to her later back at home okay? Aria isn't one to hold a grudge against her little brother. It'll be fine, I promise. And trust me, I'm going to give Connor a piece of my mind. Spreading rumors like that is completely moronic."

"I should take care of it though-"

"And you will. But Aria is my friend, and you're my boyfriend. No one's allowed to mess with the Montgomery family and expect me not to do something about it."

Mike smiled and I kissed his cheek. "It'll be fine. I'm not going to allow Connor to get near me and kiss me like he did Aria. I'll be okay. Just do your thing, and I'll do mine, and we'll meet up halfway like always. Now, are you going to eat that apple or what?" I said, looking at his lunch, effectively changing the subject and he tossed the red fruit to me, smiling.

The next day, walking into school, I saw the car. Connor's car was completely wrecked and grafitied, and I wondered at how and why he had even driven it to school this morning. I knew he obviously didn't have enough money for a new car, so I let it be.

But after one of my classes, I was walking past in the hall when I heard the vice principal talking to Aria about Mike. As I headed by them, the staff member saw me and called out to me. I grudgingly stopped next to Aria and he asked us both if Mike was still on his medication because of everything that had happened last year and such.

"Mr. Hackett, Mike is fine." Aria promised and as she walked up the stairs, obviously worried about her younger brother, I stayed behind and whispered to the vice principal, "You know, I'm pretty sure asking about such things like that isn't exactly school policy…maybe it's not even legal. I could be wrong, but you may want to be careful about asking stuff like that…You could end up in court or something." With a look of shock crossing his face over this subtle threat, I smirked and headed away, not actually knowing if it was illegal or not, but needing to warn him to leave my boyfriend alone.

I headed home with Aria after school, and the second we walked in the door, her father was there to ask us if Mike was with us.

"No, he's at lacrosse. I mean, I'm going to go to the field and see him in like, two hours when practice is over, but I needed to get my homework done. Should I go back now? Call him?" I reached into my purse but Mr. Montgomery stopped me.

"No, thank you Madeline, but that's not needed. I just hope for his sake, this is all a misunderstanding. I just got off the phone with the school, and one of his teammates is filing a police report, and that kid's father is pressing to have him expelled."

"Expelled?" Aria sounded on both of our behalves. I was too shocked into silence to say anything. I had to go and talk to Connor, today. Mr. Montgomery explained about the car and asked if Aria had noticed anything going on between the boys, any tension or fighting. While Aria was quiet, I headed out towards the front door and grabbed my phone from the entrance side table. The Montgomery's didn't call out to me to wonder where I was going, but they probably thought I was heading over to the lacrosse practice early. Instead, I looked up Connor's address on the school directory through the site on my phone, and headed there immediately, walking pretty fast considering my anger.

I rang the doorbell, prepared to yell at Connor's dad, only for Connor himself to answer the door.

"Madeline DiLaurentis," he smirked. "What brings you to my humble abode?"

"Shut up Connor, you know why I'm here." I stepped past him into the house. "And technically, it's your parents place, not yours." I said, looking around. I glanced back at him as he shut the door. "Where are they anyway?"

"Some meeting with the principal. Montgomery is sick. He's going to get it this time. Maybe he'll be shipped off to Radley!"

"You're such a jackass. Shouldn't you be at practice? I should probably head there myself and go see Mike-" I told Connor as I headed to the door, but he blocked my path.

"Move it Connor. I'm leaving. I didn't come here to chat with you over tea and crumpets or some-"

I was abruptly cut off by Connor smashing his mouth over mine. The kiss was sloppy and I tried to fight him off, but he grabbed my wrists and pushed me into a corner.

"Connor, stop." I managed when he peeled his face away from mine for air.

"But we both know you want to go further." He teased, and put his hands beneath my t-shirt, making his way up. I squirmed, wanting to scream. The events that followed…I'd rather not say. In the end, I was on his couch in the living room. I scooped up my things, threw my clothes on, and made a break for it. Screw my plan. I was running down the block when my legs gave out beneath me and I collapsed, sobbing. How could that have just happened?

My phone vibrated with a text and I pulled it from my purse to see a picture of Connor and I, in the living room. The shot was somewhat grainy, and shot from a distance, but it was obvious what the implications were. My eyes widened when I saw the text that came with the attachment.

"Mike won't be happy when he checks his phone to see that ~A"

So A already sent the picture to Mike. It looked like I was purposely cheating on him in the picture. I had to do something…but I couldn't find the strength to do anything. I just felt violated and weak.

Eventually, I got up, and made my way back to the Montgomery's place.

The sky was darkening by the time I got there, and once I dropped my purse inside by the door, I noticed Mike's lacrosse things already there. I closed my eyes and braced myself.

"Mads." I heard softly. I looked down at my feet then, unable to look Mike in the eye. "Tell me the picture is photoshopped. Please." His voice cracked, as though he were about to cry. "Though from the looks of your appearance, I guess not."

"I'm so sorry." I whispered back, tears blurring my vision. I wanted to tell him what Connor had really done, but if I did, what would be the consequences of that? Mike getting in more trouble as he beat up Connor perhaps? No one believing me? I needed to tell Mike I loved him, but that would only hurt him more, and it would sound desperate for him to ignore what he had seen in the picture.

"You're sorry? Mads…I…I loved you."

My head snapped up. "No. Don't." I pleaded, my tears sliding down my face. His face looked just as tortured and sad as mine must have been.

"I think it's time you go to your mom's. You won't have reason to leave. She'll have what she wanted from the two of us." Meaning there was no 'us.'

"Mike…I'm so sorry." I sobbed. He turned away from me.

"Grab your things, and get out." He said. I reached a hand out to him, wanting to hug him, but I resisted. I instead grabbed my belongings, and left the house in silence. I couldn't go home in the state I was in though. So I turned up at Toby's door and stayed the night. He didn't ask any questions. He just knew something had gone horribly wrong between Mike and me. I was glad. He instead talked about himself, and his mom, and Radley, which I didn't mind in the slightest.

I tried calling Jason the next morning when I got to school, but he didn't pick up. I was really starting to get worried.

Aria approached me, saying things about dropped charges, and how Ali could possibly still be alive, and wondering why I'd left, and why Mike had shut himself up in his room again. Everything went in one ear and out the other. Connor got what he wanted, I'd learned not to get my hopes up about my family, and I couldn't even think of Mike without wanting to curl into a ball. I'd gotten another text from A this morning, informing me that Hanna and Mike had once hooked up too, so it wasn't a big deal about Connor, if Mike kept secrets about his past from me on his end of the relationship. If it was supposed to make me feel better, it didn't.

The school day passed with agony. Mike was absent, probably my fault. But I spent the whole day worrying that I'd run into him anyway. It was hard not having him outside my classes when the bell rang and carrying my books for me anymore. I went home to my mom, who told me Jason had been arrested in a bar fight the previous night.

"At least I have one good kid." She said to me before welcoming me home with a hug.


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A/N: Wow, it's been forever since my last update. Sorry guys. I don't watch the show regularly anymore, but I have caught up. So expect another update soon hopefully!