The scene outside the Fields home should have made Emily smile, but it didn't. Her friends were gathered on the porch under a welcome home banner. Her dad was home. Paige was there. They were all happy to see her. But she couldn't take her mind off what had happened.
She had gone to pick Mona up from her therapist a few days ago and someone had run them off the road. She had some idea of who that someone was, or might be connected to, but hadn't said anything yet. She didn't want to alarm her parents, as usual.
On top of that, she had torn her rotator cuff in the accident and wouldn't be able to swim for a long time. If ever. The end of the school year was coming up fast and her hopes of getting a college scholarship were shot. Her shoulder was wrapped, her arm was in a sling, and her doctor had told her to avoid pain medication if possible and rest her shoulder as much as possible to avoid re-injury.
What upset her the most was the fact that Mona was still in the hospital in Philadelphia. She had a broken arm, a lacerated liver, and several cuts and bruises. Worst of all, she was in a coma from a head injury.
Emily knew it wasn't her fault, but she couldn't help blaming herself. She had been the one driving. She had apologized to Mona's parents several times at the hospital, and even more to Mona. Her family and friends were all hugging her carefully and welcoming her home, and all she could think about was Mona. She admitted this to the girls when she had a moment alone with them.
"Don't go there, Em." Hanna warned.
"Yeah." Aria added. "This was not your fault, Em."
"Mona's going to be okay." Spencer assured her. "You need to focus on resting and healing."
Emily let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm so tired of hearing that!"
The girls took a step back, all looking surprised at her sudden burst of anger.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm sorry. You're right, Spencer. I do need to rest and heal. I just can't stop thinking about Mona. I think it was A."
"We do too." Aria said.
"Who else could it be?" Spencer asked.
Hanna stepped to the side, setting herself apart from her friends. "Wait. We don't know it was A. It could've been some random drunk guy."
"I don't want to believe it was A either, Hanna." Emily said. "But it had to be. A's not done with us. A will never be done with us."
Spencer stepped forward and laid a reassuring hand on Emily's good arm. "A will be done with us when we figure out exactly what her game is."
"I admire your determination, but you're forgetting that A likes to play with cars." Emily said. "So far you're the only one that hasn't had one thrown at you. Mona and I have twice, and this time A put Mona in a coma she may never come out of. Do we really want to keep playing this game?"
"What game?" Aria demanded. "This isn't a game anymore, Em. A's getting worse, and we have to put a stop to it."
"How?" Emily snapped at her.
Aria shook her head. "I don't know."
"I think maybe Emily's right." Hanna said. "We should just quit. I mean A's stepped up to murder now."
Spencer stared at her.
"I'm sorry, Spence." Hanna said, not sounding very apologetic. "I know you're still hurting over that, but you know it was A that did it. Not Eddie. I'm afraid to think what she might do now if we keep pushing. If Em's right, and it was A that ran her and Mona off the road…"
The girls fell into a heavy silence, all of them thinking what none of them wanted to say. A was not opposed to actually getting rid of them for good.
"This town doesn't need anymore funerals." Emily said quietly. "We have to stop digging or we could end up being buried."
She looked around at her friends. Hanna seemed to be completely on her side, but Aria and Spencer hesitated before agreeing. It was obvious that Spencer wanted to avenge her sister and Aria simply wanted revenge for the hell A had put them all through. Emily wanted both of those things too, but more than that she wanted her shoulder to heal and Mona to come out of the coma A had put her in. They all knew from experience that things would only get worse if they kept up their Nancy Drew act. Emily agreed with Hanna. She knew what A was capable of, and didn't want to see what else she had up her sleeve.