A/N - Link on my profile for Kelsey's homecoming dress :)
There's No Place Like Homecoming
Kelsey, Hanna, Emily and Spencer wander into Aria's room, where she lays back to them, the music drumming through her headphones making her unable to hear her friend's entry. "What are you doing?" Aria protests, as Spencer removes her headphones and places herself at the end of the bed.
"An intervention," Spencer responds, as Emily steps forward arms full of magazines.
"We brought takeout and rag mags," Emily tells her, throwing the magazines down on the bed beside Aria.
"But you cannot have any of those until you get out of these sweats," Hanna says, eyeing the clothes Aria had assembled herself in.
"What's wrong with these?" Aria questions them, as sits herself up on the bed.
"I wonder," Kelsey mutters, taking the seat next to Hanna.
"They're starting to graft to your skin," Spencer informs, hands on her hips as she looks down at her friend.
"Well, they're comfy," Aria argues.
"So are mom jeans and platform flip-flops," Hanna claims, forcing Aria to smile at her words.
"Plus, how are we going to help you choose a homecoming dress if you don't try some on for us first," Emily adds in.
"Well that's easy," Aria says, shrugging, "I'm not going."
"What do you mean you're not going?" Hanna asks in disbelief.
"You can't just not go," Spencer agrees, shaking her head at Aria.
"Exactly its not optional," Kelsey pipes in, wishing that she could help with Aria's current state.
"What are you doing instead?" Emily questions her.
"I don't know, I guess I'll just read these," Aria begins, gesturing over to the magazines, "and inhale a gallon of chunky monkey."
"Hey," Spencer says gently, "cutting yourself off from the rest of your life is not going to help your parents, and besides they still might work it out," she reminds her, trying to cheer up her friend.
"They're barely speaking to each other," Aria mutters in response.
"People get angry, they blow up, doesn't mean its over," Emily tries to comfort her.
"Emily, they didn't blow up over her dad missing their anniversary. He slept with one of his students," Hanna replies, "sorry," she murmurs to Aria as she realizes the implications of her words on the girl.
"Besides sometimes anger is better indicator than none at all," Kelsey adds, "these things just take time."
Aria gives a half smile, "Yeah maybe," she mutters, though her tone sounds unconvinced.
"Okay, so your coming," Spencer exclaims, grabbing Aria's legs and attempting to pull her from the bed.
"God," Aria complains in response.
"Come on," Spencer encourages her.
"I'll think about it," Aria tells them, pushing herself up from the bed.
"Well if you're not coming can you at least cast an absentee ballot?" Hanna asks her from the bed, as the rest of the girls prepare the takeout. The four of them look at Hanna before scoffing unsurprised.
"What?" Hanna demands, "I need her vote."
"Hanna, stop already. You've got homecoming queen locked down," Spencer assures her, moving furniture into place to act as chairs.
"Really?" Hanna questions curious, "you can rig the election."
"Sorry, I have enough to do already thanks," Spencer tells her, rolling her eyes at her blonde friend, "I'm head of the committee, half of which is out sick with the flu, so I'll be restocking the ice and refilling the hummus bowl, and trying to look cute for my first official date," Spencer says, muttering the last part.
"With Alex?" Emily questions excited as passes out the food.
Spencer nods slowly, "Wait, your bringing him to homecoming?" Aria questions her shocked.
"Gee so this is like a real actual thing," Kelsey says, looking over at her friend her couldn't keep the smile off her face.
"Look at her blush," Hanna remarks, causing the rest of them to laugh.
"Stop," Spencer scolds her lightly.
"Damn now I have to come," Aria says laughing.
"Seriously, you guys, he's not going to know anybody there so can you just do your best to make him feel included?" Spencer begs them.
"No we were planning on freezing him out," Hanna retorts sarcastically.
Spencer rolls her eyes, "Alright moving on, Em who are you going to bring?" Spencer questions curious.
"I'm think I'm going to go stag," Emily decides.
Aria nods at her words from her seat, "I will to," she agrees, reaching forward to pick up a box of takeout.
"Why don't you guys come together?" Spencer suggests jokingly, "oh you'd make such a cute couple."
Aria chuckles at her words, "How did I just go from wearing mom jeans to Samantha Ranson?" she asks them all. Hanna looks over to Emily as the rest of the girls laugh.
"Who cares who anyone goes to this thing with? I mean its just a dance. You should bring someone who you have fun with," she encourages Emily.
"I might want to go with someone," Emily admits, "I just don't want people thinking it means more than it does."
"Are you and Ben back together?" Spencer questions her surprised, as Emily takes her seat.
"No, of course not," Emily replies.
"So," Aria begins, "who's the mystery dude?"
"I'm starving," Hanna declares before Emily can respond or the silence could drag on, she reaches forward grabbing the bag of fortune cookies. She opens the cookie a frown covering her face as she reads the message inside.
"Whats wrong? Bad fortune?" Emily questions as she looks over at her.
"Yeah, Confucius says stop being such a drama queen," Spencer jokes.
"Lions and tigers and bitches, oh my! There's no place like homecoming. See you there, A," Hanna reads the words from the fortune as the smiles die on all the girls faces. Spencer grabs the bag from Hanna, opening every fortune cookie to reveal the same message inside each.
Kelsey walks towards her oldest best friend determined. "Thom," she greets him, leaning against the locker beside his. Thom groans at her appearance, shutting his locker to turn and face her. "So?" she questions, pushing him on the shoulder as she smiles.
"So nothing," he shrugs, placing his backpack over his shoulder stuffed full of books.
"That's all you've got for me," Kelsey complains, walking quickly to catch up with him, "you promised you'd ask her."
"I know," Thom responds, "and I did."
"And?" Kelsey questions, her smile disappearing as she sensed the answer to her question wasn't a good one.
Thom sighs, "And nothing, she said we were better as friends," he admits.
"I'm sorry," Kelsey murmurs, putting her hands around his shoulders.
Thom shakes her off, "She's probably right, besides I'd prefer to go this dance alone, easier to leave earlier," he tells her, giving her a grin in an attempt to convince her he was okay.
Kelsey clicked her tongue, "I suppose, I'm sorry I pushed you," she says, lowering her voice. That was true, she did feel bad, but she had been sure that Ashley the girl who Thom had a crush on, would agree to go to homecoming with him.
"Its fine if I hadn't asked I would never have known," he tells her, "anyway I'll see you tonight," he says, Thom's eyes finding Noel walking towards them.
"He alright?" Noel questions her, nodding his head towards Thom's disappearing figure.
Kelsey sighs, "I may have messed with his love life again," she mutters, ambling forwards to her next class.
"You didn't learn from last time?" Noel asks, an amused grin on his face.
Kelsey rolls her eyes, "You know me, it takes at least three times before I learn from a mistake," she jokes.
"Yeah I'm not sure why that one hasn't sunk in yet," he retorts, grabbing Kelsey's hand before she walks into her class, "so I'll pick you up around 8?"
"Aha," Kelsey agrees smiling, "this could be fun," she decides.
"Could be?" Noel repeats in confusion.
"I have to say that in case anything goes wrong," Kelsey explains, realizing the likelihood of something going wrong, with A lurking out there somewhere.
"So are you ever going to tell me who the mystery guy is?" Kelsey questions Emily who was sitting on her bed, going through her school stuff. Kelsey turns around to look at Emily when no reply is forthcoming. "Em?" she questions, wondering if her friend hadn't heard her.
Emily looks up at her before shrugging, "You'll find out tonight," she murmurs, just loud enough for Kelsey to catch.
Kelsey smiles, "So you are going with him," she says, pulling out her black dress from her closet.
"Yeah," Emily confirms, as Kelsey turns around walking towards her full length mirror.
"So what's the harm in telling me now?" she questions, as she studied herself, rethinking her homecoming dress decision.
"No harm, I suppose," Emily mutters, standing up and rifling through the box of jewellery on Kelsey's dresser.
"So?" Kelsey prompts her, hanging her dress from the side handle of her mirror.
"I just don't want you to get the wrong idea," Emily tells her, eyes glancing over a pair of her earrings, "we're just friends."
Kelsey falls down into her old leather armchair nodding, "Got it, just friends. Now spill," she demands, curling her legs up beside her. Emily looks over to her hesitant to speak, which made Kelsey all the more curious.
"It's Toby," she finally says.
Kelsey's eyes widen in shock, "As in Toby Cavanaugh?" she hisses, unable to believe it and figuring it must just be another Toby she didn't know.
"Yeah," Emily admits.
"Emily," Kelsey exclaims, "you can't go with him. For all we know he could be A, well him and his step sister," Kelsey lectures.
"You don't know him," Emily counters, eyes fill of disapproval.
"Okay that may be true, but I mean come on look what Ali forced him to do, don't tell me he doesn't hate us," Kelsey argues, unable to believe Emily couldn't see that.
"He doesn't," she says firmly.
Kelsey rolls her eyes, "I doubt he's that evolved," she snaps.
Emily glares at her before turning to gather her stuff, "This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you," she says, heading towards the bedroom door.
Kelsey jumps up quickly, "Look Em I'm just worried about you," Kelsey tells her, her voice soft.
"I get that, but you need to trust me on this," she replies, standing at the door.
Kelsey hesitates for a few moments before nodding, "Fine, I'll hold my tongue."
"And don't tell the others," Emily adds.
"Em," Kelsey begins, not wanting to have to keep this news from them.
"Please Kels, they'll find out tonight anyway," she reminds her, voice hopeful. Kelsey nods, trying to shake the pit out of her stomach. It didn't sit right with her, standing back and letting Emily go to homecoming with Toby, but she did trust Emily's judgement she supposed. "Thank you," Emily says, breathing a sigh of relief, "and I like the dress," she adds before leaving.
Kelsey leans against Noel's shoulder at the Homecoming dance, eyes straying from Aria having her shift to Spencer and Melissa in a heated argument, then to Hanna at the snack table with Mona. "Have you seen Emily?" she questions Noel, unable to locate her.
Noel shakes his head, "Must not have arrived yet," he says to her. Kelsey hoped that maybe she had just decided not to come, realizing that Toby was a bad idea. She felt bad enough about not letting her friends know about this particular piece of news. "You alright?" Noel asks her, hand enclosing around her own.
She put a smile on her face, trying to forget about Toby and Emily, "Yeah, I'm good," she promises. Kelsey eyes drift across the room again, this time finding her friends grouped together. "Be back soon," she tells Noel, heading over to the others.
"Hey," the greet her, the second greeting of the night. Kelsey opens her mouth to speak but stops as Maya appears, "Hi," she says to the girls. They all reply quickly.
"Have you guys seen Emily around?" she asks them.
"No," Hanna answers for them, reaching into her bag, "I was just about to text her."
"Don't bother," Aria tells her, eyes glancing off in the distance. Kelsey follows her gaze, seeing Emily and Toby walking in together hand in hand. Maya sees them to, not saying anything as she walks away. The girls look at each other unsure how to react as Emily and Toby walk towards them.
"Hey guys," Emily greets them. Aria, Spencer, and Hanna don't say anything, unwilling to interact with Toby.
"Hey Em," Kelsey says, feeling bad for the girl, however she makes no attempt to extend her hello to Toby.
"I'll go get us some drinks," Toby tells her, making his way behind the girls and leaving them with Emily.
"You're here with Toby?" Spencer asks in disbelief.
"Either you've got some genius plan of sleeping with the enemy, or you've lost your mind," Aria hisses, her voice low.
"You don't even know him," Emily retorts.
"What is there to know, who else could have helped Jenna, he has every reason to hate us," Spencer reminds her harshly.
"Well he doesn't," Emily informs her, beginning to get angry.
"Emily if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a fricking duck," Hanna snaps at her friend.
Emily looks at her blonde friend in disappointment, "Wow, I thought at least you'd understand," she says before walking away. Hanna grabs her arm stopping her, as Kelsey, Spencer and Aria head the other way.
"This is so not good," Kelsey mutters more to herself, as she watches Hanna and Emily talk.
"You said it," Aria agrees from beside her.
"Did I miss something?" Spencer questions Hanna as she approaches them again, "when did she start hanging out with Toby?"
"I have no idea I have never even seen her talk to him," Aria responds, eyes glued onto Toby and Emily.
"I think she just wants to be friends with him," Kelsey mutters, remembering her conversation from earlier that day.
"How do you know that?" Hanna questions her, tone accusatory.
"There you are," Sean says, as the three boys approach before Kelsey can reply, "you keep disappearing on us."
"Yeah, we had to get ice," Hanna lies for the four of them.
"Hey, you want to dance," Alex asks Spencer, extending his hand to her.
"Let's do it," Spencer replies, taking his hand as he leads her to the dance floor. Noel grabs Kelsey hand, pulling her towards the dance floor.
"Want to see something that might actually make you smile?" he questions.
"I told you I'm fine," Kelsey tells him.
"How long is it going to take for you to realize I know you?" Noel asks her.
Kelsey laughs, "Okay, then yes show me something that will make me smile," she agrees.
Noel puts his arms around her as they begin to dance, "To your left," he whispers in her ear. Kelsey frowns but follows the instruction, seeing Thom and Ashley, the girl he had a crush on dancing together.
Kelsey smiles her first genuine one of the night, "How?" she asks Noel.
Noel shrugs, "I may have offered some advice," he tells her modestly.
"God you're perfect, you know that right?" Kelsey replies, wondering how she had got so lucky. She couldn't think of another guy who would realize how important it was to her, to see her childhood friend happy. Kelsey just wondered what was wrong with her that she couldn't appreciate it more.
Kelsey gives Spencer a questioning look as she touches her on the back, gesturing for her to come with her. Kelsey gives Noel an apologetic look, as heads to the entrance with Spencer and the other girls. "I figured out what Toby's tattoo means," she informs them.
"What?" Hanna asks in anticipation.
"901 free at last, its September 1st," she explains to them, waiting for them to guess the rest.
"That's the day Ali disappeared," Aria realizes at the same time as Kelsey and Hanna. Spencer nods in affirmation.
"Hanna, you've got to get that file," Aria says, turning to Hanna.
Hanna groans, "Tonight?" she questions.
"Emily's not going to believe us without proof, she could be walking into a trap," Spencer explains to Hanna, trying to get across the gravity of the situation.
"Could we do it after they announce homecoming queen, please," Hanna begs, as Spencer's eyes widen in disbelief, "okay fine, fine, I'll get it. Keep an eye on Emily until I get the file," she instructs Spencer.
"Wait, what about me?" Aria asks before Hanna can move.
"Keep an eye on Sean," Hanna tells her.
"What?" Aria questions in confusion.
"I can't exactly tell him where I'm going and if I make something up he'll want to come with me, just keep him busy," she says to Aria.
"How am I supposed to do that?" Aria asks her.
"I don't know figure it out," Hanna responds, about to walk away.
"Wait, I'm coming with you," Kelsey informs her, at Hanna's look of confusion she adds, "just trust me, I'm good and getting into places I'm not supposed to be."
Hanna frowns at her words, "What is that supposed to mean?" she questions.
Kelsey shakes her head as they walk, "Don't overthink it," she says, her tone colder than usual, indicating she didn't want any more questions.
"Tell me why we got a ride with Lucas?" Kelsey questions Hanna as they walk into the darkened office leaving him in the hall.
"He had a car, I saw an opportunity and I took it," Hanna informs her, opening the filing cabinet.
"You should be more concerned that he might tell someone," Kelsey says, holding up the torch as Hanna rifles through the files.
"Paranoid?" Hanna says in reply, trying to sort through the files.
"Sometimes it pays," Kelsey shrugs, "here hold," Kelsey demands passing her the torch as she takes over searching through the files. "There's nothing under M," Kelsey says in frustration. She switches her focus, eyes finding the C section. "Got it," she says, finding the file for Toby Cavanaugh.
"Is that a file for Toby?" Hanna asks, as Kelsey pulls it out.
"Yeah," Kelsey answers, opening it and moving Hanna's hand so the torch points at the words inside.
Hanna and Kelsey run into the hall, quickly gesturing for Spencer and Aria to come join them. Hanna passes back Lucas's jacket giving him a hug, as Spencer and Aria make their way towards them. "Thanks Lucas," Kelsey says, giving him a smile. The four of them head out of the hall, making their way into the mirror maze.
"Is that Jenna's file?" Spencer asks them, eyeing the file in Hanna's hand.
"No Toby's," Kelsey answers, biting her lip in worry.
"Turns out Jenna wasn't the patient, the therapist had her come in for one session to see how she felt about Toby coming back home," Hanna explains to them.
"Oh my god," Aria breathes, "well what else does it say?" she asks desperately.
"Well, the dates prove he wasn't away at school when Ali disappeared, he was still here in Rosewood," Hanna tells them.
"Well what else?" Aria questions Kelsey and Hanna snatching the file away.
"See for yourself," Hanna encourages her.
"Its not pretty though," Kelsey murmurs, worry flooding through her, wishing she had forced Emily to not come with Toby.
"Session 12, August 15th," Aria reads out loud.
"So that's what Ali had on him," Spencer says, as the read the part about Toby and Jenna's relationship.
"Its enough to want her dead," Hanna says.
"And us," Aria adds, "Emily," she breathes. Aria grabs her purse pulling out her phone and ringing Emily. "She's not picking up," Aria tells them, as the phone stops ringing.
"Text her," Kelsey hisses, unable to shake the feeling something bad was going to happen.
"We have to find her," Hanna declares as Aria texts, "come on," she tells them as they all make their way out and back into the school halls.
They run into the cafeteria as Aria leads them, "Where is she?" she says, stopping to look around.
"Maybe they left," Hanna guesses.
"Get away from me," the girls hear Emily's voice faintly.
"That's her," Spencer comments, as they make their way towards where the voice had come from.
A/N - So I'm super sorry about how long this update took, I've been away on holiday and have had no time for writing. Though in better news, only one more chapter till Jason, yeah all the waiting is killing me too!
Thank you to my reviewers, its what keeps me writing.
GetTraught - Yes she does have a history with Jason, which will be explored when he finally shows up lol. Thanks for the review.