Whispers in the Dark

- Chapter Four – Lies of the Beautiful People

After stopping on the way to school to pick up a coffee, Cory met up with her friends in the cafeteria before school. She walked into the middle of Hanna excitedly gushing and showing off a picture of a jeweled owl pendant she was sure Caleb had gotten for her.

"Oh, it's so beautiful!" Cory exclaimed when she saw the picture, "When did he give it to you?"

"Well, he hasn't yet. I found it. I wasn't looking for it but I found it and took a picture… then just put it back." She explained, smiling ear to ear.

"Why an owl?" Emily asked when the phone was passed over to her.

"It's symbolic."

"Of what?"

"Our first night together… in the tent. We heard owls." Hanna reminded them of the story with how she'd lost her virginity to Caleb when they were camping out after her mom had kicked him from the house.

"What? Owls swooping down to carry off their pray?" Aria joked, causing everyone to laugh. Even Hanna who argued, "You can't stomp the romance. Owls and tents and s'mores are all just part of that night… every perfect minute of it."

"I mean come on guys… you remember your first times." Hanna continued, then gave a small shrug as she said, "Well, those of us who have traded in their v-cards already."

"Maybe not everyone's first time was owls in the wind and moonlight beams." Cory said with a shrug as she looked back down to her cup of coffee where she absentmindedly picked at the cup sleeve.

"Well how would we know?" Aria said with a laugh, "You never gave us any details!"

"Because it wasn't that great." She laughed.

"You mean no candles? No romance?" Hanna asked, her voice almost in a gasp as if that were how everyone's first time went.

"I'm so not talking about this." Cory declined arching an eyebrow at her as Hanna continued to push, "Come on, I told you guys everything!"

"Yeah, even some things we didn't want to know." Emily said with a slight cringe on her face at remembering Hanna spilling every messy detail to them and not holding anything back.

"With as many detail as I shared, you owe me something about your first time." The blonde said looking to Cory. They all knew their friend had lost her virginity before Alison ever went missing, the most details they'd gotten out of her was that that it was with the older guy she'd been seeing. But she wouldn't tell them much more than that.

"What do you want to know?" Cory sighed as she took a drink from her coffee and stared Hanna down.

"Where was it?"

"In the guy's bedroom." She answered truthfully, not admitting that her friends were just down the hallway sleeping at the time.

"Who was it with?"

"Not answering that part…" She said then quickly turned the questioning around on Hanna as she asked, "So have you and Caleb gotten another opportunity since the night in the woods."

"Not since he moved into the guest room, but we do have plans." She admitted, the wide smile spreading over her features and seeming to light up her entire face.

~(Flashback)~

After tossing and turning again on the floor in Alison's room for the millionth time, Cory sat up and looked around at her friends who were all scattered across the room after a slumber party where they practically ate their weight in popcorn and pizza and watched a marathon of sappy love movies and romantic comedies.

Everyone else had passed out about an hour ago but for some reason Cory just couldn't fall asleep. Raising up slightly she reached over for the nearest glass but sighed when it was empty. Rather than try to locate another cup in the darkened room she decided to artfully step around her sleeping friends which worked until she kicked Emily who shot straight up and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Em. Just going to get a glass of water… go back to sleep. Sorry." she apologized lingering by the door until her friend laid back down and was still again.

Letting out a sigh of relief, she walked out of Alison's room and closed the door behind her, before quietly descending the stairs and making her way through the dark living room and into the equally dark kitchen. Pausing in front of the open refrigerator she almost screamed when the lights turned on in the room. Whirling around she saw Jason standing by the light switch as he flashed her a smile and asked, "What are you looking for?"

"I don't know, I just can't really sleep." She admitted, smiling back at him. They'd been spending more and more time together lately. Cory even found herself coming over to the DiLaurentis house when she knew Alison wouldn't be there so she could have some alone time with Jason.

"Yeah me either." He admitted as he walked over and opened a cabinet and retrieved a glass liquor bottle before he shook it lightly and muttered, "I'm hoping this helps."

Nodding she grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and drank some of it down before the pair left the kitchen and headed upstairs, Cory paused at Alison's closed door and looked over to where Jason was at his own door.

"Night." She said as she started to grab onto the doorknob and open the door but stopped when Jason said, "If they're all sleeping what's the point of going back in there?"

"What if they wake up and come looking for me?" she whispered to him.

"Right…" He nodded, "It could be end of your reputation if they found out you were talking to me."

"Shut up." She laughed, "It's not like that, it's just…" Her voice trailed off not really having a different excuse.

"Goodnight." He said as he started into his room, looking over his shoulder when he heard her light footsteps following him.

They half paid attention to a movie on TV and spent the rest of the time talking while he drank and she had a few sips, barely enough to get buzzed because the last thing she needed to do was get drunk and stumble back into Alison's room in the middle of the night stepping and tripping over everyone.

It still took some getting used to, the idea of actually being friends with him. After so long of hearing certain things about a person, you tend to buy into what the rumors say but he was nothing like what everyone else thought.

Yeah, he was a stoner half the time and she was pretty sure the closest thing he drank to water was beer but he was smart, smarter than a lot of people she'd met and he marched to the beat of his own drum –something that was looked down on in Rosewood, but was becoming something she admired in him.

Once the movie ended and she saw it was after two in the morning, not to mention he'd gotten pretty drunk, she said, "I better get back to my friends."

Her voice was quiet, barely audible over the infomercial that had come on the local TV station. Standing up he swayed for a moment before regaining his balance and stopped her at his closed door as he said, "Or you could stay a little longer."

Turning around to face him, she'd planned on reminding him how late it was but she didn't get the opportunity to as his mouth smashed against hers. She could taste the notes of alcohol on his tongue and his movements were slightly rougher, and sloppier than the times they'd kissed before but she still felt like she couldn't get enough of him.

His hands rubbed down her sides, fingertips digging into her hips and there was a hungriness in the way his mouth against hers, like he also couldn't get enough and her stomach jumped as she realized what he'd meant by saying she could stay with him a little longer.

He didn't mean to sit and talk more or find another movie to watch, he meant he wanted her to stay –that he wanted more than just a kiss from her. He wanted all of her.

Swallowing hard as his mouth trailed from her mouth down to her neck, she breathed in and out at a rapid pace her heart racing inside of her chest both from desire and fear; she'd never went all the way with a guy before. And she'd certainly never expected it to be like this… rose petals and candlelight was how she pictured her first time. Not in the moons harsh glow seeping in from broken blinds on an unmade bed in a room where judging by the scent in the air, there had to be rotten food under the bed or under one of the piles of clothes.

No, she hadn't pictured it like this at all. About the only thing that felt right about the moment was that it was with Jason. Since he'd first kissed her, she'd thought about this but she'd figured it would be way in the future… maybe after at least a few proper dates or something.

But this was Jason DiLaurentis, there wasn't really much of anything proper about him and that was what drew her to him in the first place.

Cory's hands gripped onto the back of his head and neck as she kissed him back, matching the urgency in his movements and actions.

By the time they'd made it to the bed and her shirt was off, her stomach was in a tight ball of nervous flutters and anxiety. It felt like it was too late to turn back, as if things had already gone too far. Of course she knew she had the right to say no and stop what was happening at any point, but she wasn't sure she wanted too. Especially not once his shirt was gone and she trailed her slightly trembling fingers over his solid chest and the muscled planes of his stomach.

She was sure of a few things, she was extremely attracted to him on far more than just a physical level and to be honest she couldn't picture going this far with anyone else but him. But the farther things got the more her desire for him was outshined with the growing fear of what was happening. This was a life changing moment, and even though she knew she wanted to go there with him one day –she wasn't so sure she wanted it to be when her friends were just down the hallway and asleep and she wasn't entirely sure if he really liked her that much or was just drunk and horny.

"W-wait." She stammered against his mouth in the middle of a drunken, messy kiss.

"Yeah?" He questioned, raising up some as he was now above her in the bed.

Both of their shirts were gone and her sleeping shorts were down far enough that her underwear was visible and his jeans were down to his knees. Things had moved fast, very fast and judging by the hardened bulge she could feel against her inner thigh through the soft fabric of his boxers, she knew she was having the same effect he was on her –physically at least.

"Do you like me?" She whispered, her hazel eyes wide as she stared up at him, awkwardly holding onto his strong upper arms because she wasn't sure what else to do with her hands at that point.

"What?" He whispered back with a small laugh.

She opened her mouth to repeat the question louder than before, but he silenced her as she claimed her lips in another kiss that she felt the tingles from over her entire body. Pulling back he said, "Of course I like you."

Smiling and pulling his face back down to hers, she tried to push her fears to the side and remind herself how much she liked him and that he liked her too. Which worked for the time being, while he got his own jeans off leaving him in just his boxers, but when his hands worked their way around her back and found the clasps to her bra, she broke the kiss and wriggled out of his arms some as she admitted something she was pretty sure he already knew, "It's just… I've… never done this before."

"You want to though, right?" He asked, his face just inches above her as his eyes bore into hers and he waited on her answer.

"Um, yeah… totally." She nervously breathed out, her eyes still wide but she pushed the second thoughts from her mind as she pulled his face back down to hers and tried to focus on the way his every kiss and touch made her feel.

~(End of flashback)~

Cory looked down to the table and sighed, if she was being honest she didn't regret what happened; not really. But it was just another example of her agreeing and doing something before she was really ready for it. Growing up she'd done that a lot, especially after meeting Jason. She had no idea what she was getting herself into with the drugs and drinking –she considered that was probably why those things had became vices for her. She'd never been particularly comfortable in her own skin –not back then at least.

Hearing laughing, Cory and her friends looked over to see Hanna's ex-boyfriend Sean sitting down at a table with Paige.

"When did that start to happen?" Aria spoke for the entire table as they watched them in shock.

Sean and Paige seemed to be on an extra friendly level, talking quietly and laughing amongst themselves as they sat a table alone and ate their breakfast.

Emily watched them with a hurt expression, her friends' didn't know that she'd been out on a date with Paige and had really felt a connection to her. The only problem was, she was still afraid to admit to anyone who she was really was that she was into girls so Emily had told her they couldn't sneak around. It had been a long, scary journey to get where she was today and if she had to start sneaking around again, she felt like it might mentally set her back and she couldn't do that to herself.

But she couldn't deny it still hurt seeing Paige getting cozy with someone else.

Seeing her friend's expression but getting the wrong idea about it, Hanna said, "Oh Em, don't worry about it. It's totally cool. I mean the breakup was way messy but Sean's a good guy. I mean he should be happy. Everyone should be as happy as I am."

"Wow…" Aria breathed, surprised at how well Hanna was taking it.

"Yeah, that's very mature of you, Han." Cory offered with a smile.

"Well, people can change and grow." She said before her eyes widened and she excitedly clapped her hands together, "You know, maybe I should practice my surprise face when he gives the owl to me!"

They all laughed as Hanna made several attempts to come up with a genuinely surprised expression.

"Spencer, hey!" Corry greeted as the final member of their group came up and sat down at the table with them, her nearly make-upless face shielded by a hat she'd chosen.

"Are you okay?" Emily questioned.

Not giving her a chance to respond to anyone Aria added, "Yeah, we didn't think you were coming in today…"

"I had to be someplace other than my house."

"Are the cops still there?" Hanna asked, leaning in some so other nosey students wouldn't be able to eavesdrop on them.

"They came and went…"

"They actually took things?" Aria gasped, none of them still able to handle the shock of Spencer's house being searched by police.

"Not so much. My mom says they did it just to shake me up."

"What did they take?" Emily asked, her forehead lined with concern.

"Um, things from my jewelry box, things from my closet… a couple pairs of shoes." Spencer explained, not wanting to rehash the traumatic experience.

"Wait!" Hanna gasped, "Not the tory burches?"

"Hanna." Aria sighed. Out of all things, she was worried about which designer label shoes the police had taken, not the fact that they had enough evidence to actually get a judge to sign off on the warrant.

"No, some sneakers." Spencer laughed, thankful for the lighthearted moment –no matter how small. "They wanted my laptop but my mom said no; it wasn't in the search warrant so they couldn't have it."

As a somber silence fell over the table, Spencer said, "Look, you guys should know there's a chance they might try to pull this on you too."

"Search our houses?" Cory asked her eyes wide.

"My mom says it's a possibility. You guys, I'm so sorry."

"No, it's not your fault." Aria assured her.

"Yeah, we know who's responsible for this." Hanna backed Aria up and Emily and Cory nodded along with her.

"I just, I feel like I should have known that trophy was some sort of trap. It's like I can hear A laughing in my head." Spencer said frustrated, as she leaned back in her seat and looked around.

"Does A sound like Jenna?" Hanna asked what everyone was thinking about.

Spencer's phone played it's incoming text alert and everyone tensed until she assured them, "It's my mom. She wants me to come home." Rubbing her hands over her face she asked, "Walk me out?"

~(The next day)~

The group of friends sat down at lunch and Emily and Aria regretfully told Hanna about the one sided phone conversation they'd overheard from Caleb earlier that day.

"No." Hanna stubbornly argued, "You heard it wrong."

"We heard what we heard, Hanna." Aria apologized.

Neither of them had wanted to hurt her but knew she deserved the truth.

"No, you heard what you heard, but you got it wrong." She argued with them. In her mind there was no way Caleb could have been talking to another girl, especially not after they'd slept together.

"He was talking to another girl and you could tell there was a lot of history." Emily admitted.

"What happened to being all happy for Hanna? Where'd all that go?"

"Hanna we do want you to be happy." Cory assured her, she wasn't there to overhear the conversation but knew her friend's wouldn't make something like that up.

"Then you shouldn't tell me because it's not true." She snapped.

"Let's say for arguments sake, that it was true… wouldn't you want to know so you could be prepared and find out what's going on?" Spencer asked.

"No, not after we…" Her voice trailed off and she cleared her throat, "No, you just… you heard wrong. He could have been on the phone with his foster parents or something or even his social worker, you don't know."

Seeing how deeply hurt and upset Hanna was, Aria nodded, "Okay, maybe you're right… we might not have heard it exactly how we thought."

Emily shook her head, she had no desire to hurt her friend either but she needed Hanna to be prepared for what Caleb might be doing behind her back, "Hanna, we heard what Caleb said and you have to know the truth. I think he's with someone else and hasn't told you."

"No, Caleb has told me everything and I told him everything." She quickly countered.

"Wait… everything?" Cory asked, dropping her plastic fork into her salad bowl as she leaned forward and stared at her.

"Not, everything –everything. But I did tell him all about me and what you guys are trying to say… it's not him, trust me." Hanna defended, ready to go to battle for Caleb if she needed too.

"Guys, maybe we are being a little bit paranoid." Spencer suggested, trying to tone the mood down and calm Hanna.

"It's possible." Cory agreed.

Nodding Spencer continued, "With everything that's going on, we're looking at things too closely. We're getting these details but can't see the big picture."

"Guys…" Aria exclaimed, causing everyone to follow her gaze where they saw Jenna walking through the cafeteria wearing the owl pendant on a ribbon from her neck. The same owl pendant that Hanna had found in Caleb's bag.

After school and several failed attempts to get Caleb to answer his phone, Hanna found her friend's outside where Spencer had texted her to meet them.

She explained how she'd seen Jenna in the courtyard and it wasn't just an owl pendant, it was a really decorative flash drive that she'd seen Jenna put in her computer, which meant that Caleb had to have been passing her some kind of information.

"Passing her information? What kind of information" Emily repeated back, shaking her head.

"Yeah, what was even on the flashdrive?" Cory nodded, hoping her friend had managed to get a look at the computer screen too, but she hadn't.

"I couldn't see, but it could have been anything." Spencer admitted.

"Anything?" Aria asked.

"Well, anything from Hanna's computer… I guess."

"Caleb the hacker." Aria scoffed.

"Wait, do you guys think maybe that's who Jenna was talking to when Caleb heard her write down the number?" Cory gasped, as the wheels in her brain started turning and piecing things together.

"Wait, 214 has to do with Caleb?" Aria repeated back, her eyes wide with the thoughts of what that could all mean for the group.

"Slow down, you know what you're saying right?" Emily cautioned, a she saw the heartbroken expression on Hanna's face.

"That Jenna plus Caleb equals A." spencer nodded.

"No, he can't be doing this." Hann argued, still having trouble accepting the entire thing, "Whatever it is, it can't be this…and it can't be here."

"None of us want this to be true." Spencer assured her, "Has he called you back yet?"

"No." Hanna sighed, then seeing her friends avoid her eyes she clarified, "Not yet. You guys don't know what this would mean if it's true…"

"Yeah, we do." Emily sympathized.

Unable to take it any longer, Hanna turned and headed back into the school leaving her friends behind.

"Wait!" Spencer called after her but Aria stopped her from going after Hanna, knowing that their friend needed some time alone to cope.

When her phone went off from her pocket, Cory took it out and held her breath when she saw the text was from A:

'What do you suppose your friends would think if they found out about you and Jason? Better tell them before they see this… Kisses –A'

Just as she finished reading the text a picture attachment showed up, which she opened to reveal a picture from her admittance form from the rehab facility she'd been in after moving away from Rosewood.

"Cory, you okay?" Emily asked, seeing the expression on her face.

"Uh, yeah… yeah, I'm fine." She lied, forging a smile before excusing herself from the group and heading home, with a very big decision on her mind. Openly admit that she had been seeing Jason behind everyone's backs before Alison was killed or let her friends know that she couldn't get a handle on her bad habits and it landed her in rehab.

A/N – Thank you all so much for reading! ^_^ I hope you guys all liked the story. I know I just updated a few days ago, but since I'm a few chapters ahead for this story, I thought I'd go ahead and post one again.

Thank you so much to Pluv143000, BloomingBlueMoon85, Lucy Greenhill, Heartless-Princess33, RHatch89, Momsen-xxxx, SmellYourScentFormiles, xxXWolfsLullabyXxx, Emmettluver2010 and to the 3 guests who review the last chapter.

I appreciate the support so much and I can't wait to share the rest of Cory's story with you all.