Thanks to those who reviewed! This wasn't going to go up until tomorrow, but I ended up getting a fourth review last night, so here we are! The last chapter wasn't very exciting, but this one gets back into it. Let me know what you think!

Chapter 19

I am not a fan of the newest "A" plan.

Not that I am ever a fan of any "A" plan, considering most of them consist of partaking in illegal activities such as hacking, breaking and entering, and the occasional assault. But I've never been disgruntled enough to protest before now.

"This is ridiculous," I rant, pacing back and forth as best I can in the small apartment. It gets a little cramped with three of us all in here at once. "There's no way this is going to end well."

"I agree with you," Toby says, getting up from the couch. "It's too soon for this."

"I told you, it's not my decision," Mona says flatly, not looking up from the computer. She is trying to deactivate the security system of a not-yet open store in town, the same store that Hanna is supposed to have an interview at tomorrow afternoon.

Only there is no interview, obviously. It's all part of the new plan, the one I'm not a fan of. Instead of some fashionable interview lady, it's Toby who is going to meet Hanna in the store, which should be dark enough that she won't be able to recognize him behind the dark hoodie. He's going to attack her – not anything major, I've been told, just enough to scare her – and as he's leaving, he's going to purposely drop the key to the lair. At some point around the same time, either Mona or myself – but let's be honest, probably me – is going to sneak into Spencer's house and plant Toby's fake Radley ID card in one of the drawers.

The next part of the plan is mostly dependent on assumptions. We are assuming that Spencer will find the ID card with Toby's picture plastered next to what is not his real name. We are assuming that Hanna will give the key to the lair to Spencer for safe keeping. We are assuming that since the fancy dinner Spencer told Toby that she has to go to the night of their anniversary is fake, she will be home that night when he sneaks back in to retrieve the key.

That's the big thing that I don't like about this "A" plan, all the assumptions. It seems a little strange for "A," to be depending on things working out just right. But I guess, really, a lot of the plans are dependent on that.

I shake my head, taking Toby's place on the couch and folding my arms. "There's something…weird about this. It feels wrong." I glance at him, frowning. "Spencer's going to be destroyed."

He opens and closes his mouth, returning my gaze. Mona pushes herself away from the desk and stands up. "Don't you get it, Viola?" she snaps. "We have to show them that 'A' is still the one calling the shots."

I raise my eyebrows at her tone, and stand up, crossing my arms and looking down at her. "I know that. But I also know full well what it's like to feel betrayed. I'm leaving. Either give me the stupid ID or plant it yourself."

…

The plan worked perfectly. As usual.

I planted the ID card in one of Spencer's kitchen drawers without a hitch. Hanna delivered the key to her, prompting her to discover the fake ID when she went to put it in the same drawer. Toby snuck in, hoodie on, just as planned, and Spencer caught him rifling through the drawer. He escaped when her mother made a very convenient entrance – I love when things just happen to go our way – and Spencer spent the next few hours sitting outside of Toby's loft, sobbing and begging while my sister and I sat inside, her smiling, me covering my ears and trying not to hyperventilate.

The only thing we didn't plan on was that she would still have the key. She had it in her hand when she confronted Toby, and she still has it now. Fortunately, all she knows now is that it is to something marked "A." But as soon as she figures out what apartment building it's from – and she will, she's a Hastings, after all – we're screwed.

I'm a little jittery about this as I walk into the bathroom during study hall the day after all of this. Honestly, I wouldn't mind if the cops burst in and shut down the "A" lair and the game. But I don't really want to be either locked up in Radley or jail. And by this point, I'm so involved that I can't try and convince myself otherwise.

As much as I like to pretend that I'm only on the "A" team to keep anyone from getting hurt, along with keeping my own secret safe, I can't deny it anymore. I'm in deep. And I can't think of a way out.

I push into the bathroom and freeze. Spencer is standing at the sink, for once without the other girls around. She is staring at her reflection, barely moving. Her eyes are bloodshot and her hair is a little unkempt.

I wince and cautiously walk in, the door swinging silently shut behind me. I wait for a moment, and when Spencer does not acknowledge my existence, I clear my throat. "Um. Hey."

She jumps a little and turns. "Viola." I can tell that she's on edge. Ever since the masquerade, when I revealed that I knew about "A" for a lot longer than I let on, all four girls have barely spoken to me. They clearly don't trust me (not that they should), and it's gotten worse since Mona's been back.

I guess they can tell where my loyalties lie, even if I myself can't.

"Are you okay?" I ask, plastering a concerned expression on my face. "You look a little…frazzled."

"I'm fine," she says quickly, swiping a hand over her face and pushing her hair back. "Just…busy week, you know?"

"Hmm." I try to seem casual as I walk over to one of the sinks, adjusting my necklace in the mirror. I furrow my brow and turn back to her. "Um…hey, I heard…I heard that you and Toby broke up."

She looks at me sharply. "How? How do you know that?"

I have no answer for this, so I ignore the question instead. "I'm really sorry, Spencer. I know what it's like to go through a rough breakup."

Spencer averts her eyes, but I can see her face softening. "Don't tell anyone, okay? I'm not really ready to talk about it."

I bet she's not. I wonder if she's broken the news to the others yet, that Toby is part of the "A" team, but figure that she hasn't. If she had, we would probably know. "Gotcha," I say, smiling. "Your secret's safe with me."

I'm just about to enter a stall when she calls out. "Viola. You haven't…heard anything more, have you? From 'A'?"

My eyes grow large, and I'm thankful that I'm turned away so she can't see the inevitable redness that spreads across my face. She can't possibly know, can she? I made sure that no one was home when I snuck in with Toby's fake ID card. But I wouldn't be surprised to find out that the Hastings have, like, hidden cameras all over their house or something.

"No," I say, too fast, spinning around. "I mean, Mona was 'A.' You know she was sneaking out of Radley. But she's better now. 'A' is gone."
She frowns at me, and I wonder for a moment if she can tell that I'm lying. "You don't know anything more about that night at the graveyard, do you?"

I gulp a little, loudly enough that she surely hears it. "Of course not. That message you guys got, after that night, it must have just been a prank or something."

Spencer nods, still looking curiously at me. I resist the urge to fidget uncomfortably until she finally speaks. "Right." She turns, and is almost out the door when I call out, "Hey."

She turns back, and I blurt out, "I'm sorry. Really." I mean that, not just towards her, but to all the girls, but I can't say what I'm really sorry for, so I cover with, "About Toby? That really sucks."

"Thanks, Viola," Spencer says, that note of suspicion still in her tone, and slips out the door. I slam into the bathroom stall and let out a breath that I hadn't even known I was holding.

...

I've always loved writing interactions between Spencer and Viola, and there are definitely more of those to come. Next up, Viola unknowingly plays a role in Spencer's final betrayal...and it just might be the last straw.