CHAPTER 11

POVS PETER HASTINGS

I've been thinking about it for weeks, but I've finally decided that I'm going to have a few words with Elizabeth's grandmother. I kept quiet many times when I was young when she was my mother-in-law, but now I won't keep quiet. It is unthinkable that it did not occur to her to tell me that her daughter had died. The one I Will always carry in my heart.

So, I decide to head to her house this morning. Hoping Elizabeth wasn't there so she wouldn't hear us, but this is something I had to do. I ring the bell impatiently, but no one opens. After a short time, I knock on the door again and Mrs. Hale appears.

"Hello, Peter, how strange to see you here. Why are you so bold to call my house?" Mrs. Hale tells me with a cheeky smile.

''Well, I wanted to have a few words with you. First, I would like to know how you dared to hide from me that Elizabeth, her daughter, had died, knowing that we were great friends throughout our lives. In addition to blatantly lying to me that the girl living in this house, she was no more or less than her own granddaughter. Did you think I wouldn't find out at any time?'' I say, trying to remain calm, but with little desire to really contain myself.

"I don't see why I should have told you, Hastings. You're not family, so it wasn't your business to know. My granddaughter is my business and no one else, so you didn't have to know anything,'' she tells me without an ounce of regret.

''You and I know that's not the case. Your daughter would have preferred a thousand times that we were left with the guardianship of Elizabeth rather than that you were left with her. You have never been a good mother and you will never be a good grandmother. You better treat her well, because you know perfectly well what I'm capable of,'' I yell at her and leave there. I didn't want to see that shameless woman's face anymore.

Tomorrow I'm going to talk to my friend at the police to get the papers containing Elizabeth's last wishes. I highly doubt she would let any of her children take down her mother. It was totally incomprehensible to me. I'm sure she left something else written. She was very far-sighted, and she wouldn't let that happen.

POVS ELIZABETH

Several days have passed since we had found the bracelet in the forest. We were still a little upset about it and had let it go for a bit, but today, Sunday, we had met downtown so we could talk about A.

I had finished getting ready and was about to go downstairs when I heard Mr. Hastings' voice. It seems that he was arguing with my grandmother and is blaming her for not telling him anything about my mother's death. This couldn't be any good for me. Now I would have to face my grandmother. I really appreciated that Peter wanted to defend me, but this was only going to cause more problems than solutions.

Just as they finish arguing and Peter leaves, I try to sneak quickly towards the door, without my grandmother being able to stop me, but I don't have that good luck. She grabs my wrist tightly so I can't escape.

"Grandma, stop… you're hurting me," I say, trying to get rid of her grip, but I can't. She is very strong.

''You are not going to escape without two things being clear to you. I don't know what you think you can tell others about me. I already made it clear to you not to open that big mouth of yours. And when you open it again you will know how really angry, I am,'' she tells me furiously. After telling myself this, I get her to let go of my wrist and I run out of the house towards downtown. I was sure I was going to get a big bruise on my wrist.

When I get to the park everyone is already sitting talking about what happened the other day. They seem to be talking about Hanna's incident with the car. Apparently her mother had found out what had happened and now she would have to face the consequences.

"It wasn't that big of a deal. I just slowed him down a little," says Hanna, trying to get rid of the blame. Spencer gives her an incredulous look and when Hanna sees me, she drops the topic immediately. I imagine why. They all greet me, happy to see me.

''Hey Liz, what took you so long?'' Spencer asks me as she walks up to me.

"I just had a hard time getting up this morning and I'm still coming to terms with being awake," I tell her with a yawn. It was true that I hadn't slept well tonight and it was hard for me to get up, but I told them so I wouldn't have to tell them anything about my grandmother and Peter.

"That's why you should have come with me by car before, instead of being so stubborn and wanting to come on foot," Spencer tells me, mocking me a little. I had told her not to go by car this morning, because I didn't want to go through that situation again this week and she is clearly holding it against me.

''Well, at least, it gave me a little air when I was coming here and I didn't have to ride in that hell with wheels,'' I also say mockingly, although the last part a little lower so that she can only listen.

"Whatever you say, but then you won't get away from coming with me in the car," Spencer says in a serious way, but really joking. She says it while she points a finger at me.

''Okay, okay, you win,'' I tell her between laughs. Once we finished our "fight," we started talking about Alison's monument.

"They are going to put a new bench in the town... more flower pots... and there will be an artistic tile path," Aria explains what they are thinking of doing for the monument. Apparently, they were going to put the tiles as mosaics with messages, photos, and memories of Alison.

"Oh, like they're tombstones," Hanna scoffs. She had the point of it. I thought it was nice that we made a monument to her, but at some point, that was a little strange.

"Hanna," Aria scolds.

"We should decorate one," says Emily.

"I've had Alison's bracelet since we found it... and I don't want that responsibility, okay?" Hanna says, a little scared of the bracelet. I didn't even want to see the bracelet either. I got chills thinking about her, how this had gotten there.

"Me neither," says Aria, just as scared. They look at me too.

"Don't look at me. I get chills just looking at the bracelet," I say, looking specifically at Spencer with a puppy-dog face. I knew that in the end she would catch it.

''Someone has to keep it,'' Hanna doesn't plan to keep the bracelet. '

'I'll take it…'' Spencer says and then gives me a look of ''happy?''. I send her my best smile.

"There's nothing A can do or say about us without her getting in trouble too," Spencer says after giving it some thought.

"What are you doing, Spencer?" I say when I see that she is taking out the computer.

''Blocking messages from people I don't know. Photos, SMS, emails, everything. Fuck everything with an A,'' Spencer says, very convinced of what she was doing.

''Here, Liz, you do it too,'' Spencer hands me the computer so I can do it too. I give her a somewhat unsure look, since I wasn't very sure about the idea, but she gives me her convincing look and I listen to her.

The rest of the girls do it too. Let's hope this doesn't result in something even worse for the five of us. Something tells me that this can't end so easily, but I see them so relieved that I prefer not to say anything. If something happens, we will take care of it.

We said goodbye soon, promising to talk more about the monument next week. Spencer won't let me walk away, despite my apprehension about getting back into the car. When we are already on it, Spencer accidentally sees the bruise that was developing on my wrist where my grandmother had grabbed me quite hard. I thought it would take a little longer to come out, but I should have realized it and hidden it better.

''What is this, Elizabeth? Did your grandmother do this to you or who? Stephanie?'' Spencer asks me, angry at whoever did that to me.

''It's nothing Spencer. I bumped into something this morning," I tell her, trying to get her to let it go, but clearly without much success.

''Liz, you can tell me, okay? This is important,'' she tells me with a now affectionate look. I let out a long sigh.

''Yes, it was my grandmother,'' I say almost whispering. I was still trying to understand what had happened.

''I knew it. This can't go on like this, Elizabeth. What happened to get you to that point? Has he done these things to you more times?'' She asks me, worried about my well-being. I tell her what had happened this morning, from what happened with her father to what happened to my grandmother before I left.

''I must tell my father this. She can't continue treating you like this. If we don't stop it, you could be much worse off,'' Spencer tells me, somewhat upset after I told her everything.

''No, really, Spencer. Don't tell anyone this, please. Otherwise, it will surely get worse. Look how she reacted after your father came this morning. If I avoid her, I'm sure I won't have any problems with her and in two years I won't see her again,'' I tell her, trying to convince her, but also me. I wanted to believe with all my might that this wouldn't get any worse.

''Okay, for now I won't say anything, but you have to tell me these things, okay? Let's not keep secrets from each other. I will also try not to have secrets from you,'' she makes me make a pinky promise and we laugh a little.

''Do you want to stay a few hours at my house? This way you don't have to see your grandmother for a little longer and we can put some ice on that wrist that is a little swollen, in addition to watching a movie. My parents are not home today, so you don't have to worry about meeting my father today. I know you won't know what to say after what happened this morning,'' she tells me softly.

''Okay, but let's put in some romantic comedy or superheroes. I refuse to watch a scary movie with you today. When I was little, I used to get nervous just listening to you talk about the scary movies you liked,'' I tell her, laughing at her obsession with those movies. These have never been a dish to my taste. Spencer laughs too and agrees to let us watch a movie without fear.

After this, Spencer starts the car, and we head towards his house. Ready to spend an afternoon of movies and blankets. I was very happy with how our relationship had grown over these weeks. Since we had discovered that we were those girls who had been talking to each other every week as children, our relationship has strengthened, remembering all those things we talked about. It seemed as if we had continued seeing each other in person for years. It feels good to have someone to trust.

When I returned from a quiet afternoon at Spencer's house, I managed not to meet my grandmother again all day and the next morning I only had to say hello quickly before leaving the house. I would try not to confront her all week.

The first hours of school pass without much disturbance, since Stephanie had stayed away from me and we hadn't heard anything from A for now, the atmosphere was less heavy. I don't know how long it would last.

During a break, the girls and I took the opportunity to catch up a little. It takes Emily a little longer to get to where we are. She looked different, like she was daydreaming and happy.

We all get a little scared when Hanna's cell phone rings. Hanna stares at her phone for a while it rings, and she doesn't say anything, so we look at her a little impatiently.

''Come on, answer, Hanna. You know who's not going to call you,'' Aria says, but Hanna still didn't answer, but now she smiles.

"He's my father," says Hanna, surprised and excited. She goes out to the garden to answer her call. This shakes me a little, because I try every day not to remember mine, but it's impossible after what happened.

"Did she get along with her father before he left?" Emily asks, intrigued.

''No idea. The topic of Hanna and her father is one of those topics that you don't ask about,'' Spencer says. I didn't know what Hanna's relationship with her father was like either, but I knew perfectly well what it was like to have a difficult relationship with one.

''Let's leave her alone. Come on,'' Aria says and we start walking out of the cafeteria, but before leaving Emily bumps into Toby.

"Sorry," Toby apologizes.

"It's nothing," says Emily, approaching us again, somewhat nervously.

''What if it was Toby who sent the messages?'' Aria asks, still nervous. They still didn't trust him at all, even though he helped Emily the other day, although, of course, they didn't believe that he was up to her to help her.

''What does that matter? We've already forgotten,'' Spencer says, wanting to wipe the slate clean. She believed that blocking A would end everything. I wasn't so sure.

A short time later I go to the library because the class I had next to last period was canceled and I wanted to take advantage of that hour to catch up on one of the comics I had just bought. It was my moment of tranquility. I stood at the end of the library. I didn't want anyone to see that I was reading a comic.

"Wow, is that the latest edition of the Superman comic they just released?" someone says to me, somewhat excited, and I jump in my chair with fright. I had been so focused that I hadn't heard someone approaching. I get even more nervous when I see that this person was Toby Cavanaugh.

''Yes, I bought it on Friday, the day it came out. This is my favorite and I had been saving up to get it,'' I tell him, still a little upset. I wouldn't have imagined that Toby would approach me, much less to talk about comics.

''I'm sorry I scared you. I just love the latest Superman comic book series they released, and I still haven't been able to get it. They sold out early the other day,'' he tells me amiably. I had never seen him so relaxed. I couldn't believe that the girls thought he was bad just because Ali had told them so. I wanted to believe a little in the presumption of innocence, because the girls also took a long time to believe in me, if it weren't for Spencer discovering who I really was, she would surely have continued being a stubborn person for much longer. I know her.

"If you want, I can lend it to you and you can give it back to me another day," I tell him, trying to give him a chance. I don't know, but something about him told me that he was a good person, but a little sad, like he had been through a lot. I understood that feeling perfectly.

''No need, don't worry. I'll wait for them to replace it,'' he tells me somewhat hurriedly.

''What's up, it's not a problem, really. I just finished it and I don't mind if you keep it for a few days. You'll give it to me when we meet at school,'' I say with a smile and give him the comic.

"Thank you very much then, Elizabeth," he tells me now with a friendly smile. We say goodbye and I head to my last class, feeling that Toby might become a good friend at some point.

The next day A still did not seem to have appeared or communicated in any way with us, until after the last class of the day, I found something in my locker. A had left a note in my locker with a piece of my grandmother's heirloom, I thought I had already gotten rid of it. The note said:

''You won't be able to escape from me so easily. Make sure you think carefully about what you do or don't do, no one escapes me. Kisses, A''.

After this, I froze for the rest of the afternoon. In soccer training it was terrible for me because I couldn't concentrate. Even the coach came to say something to me before I left.

"Elizabeth, are you okay? You are one of our best players and you always give your all when we train, but today I notice you are a little down," the coach tells me, somewhat worried, while the others go to the locker room.

"Yes, it's nothing, I'm just a little distracted today," I tell him, trying to appear okay.

''Okay, I hope you feel better tomorrow. Remember that the matches to qualify and participate in the tournament begin shortly. It's been a year since we won, but with you this year I think we have more chances,'' the coach tells me and after a brief thank you, I head towards the locker room. This has cheered me up a bit, at least now I'll have something else to focus on and not just A's and stuff from the past.

When I get to my grandmother's house, I still don't find myself able to go inside, between what happened today with A and the fact that I don't feel like seeing my grandmother anymore, I'm getting a little overwhelmed.

So, I go to the tree we have in the garden and lean on it for a while, while I look at the stars. Today practice had lasted longer, because we were preparing for the next game, and it was already dark. I love seeing the stars, but I also find it a bit heavy, because it was my favorite activity with my father. He taught me all about constellations and galaxies, and now it hurts to think about it.

Shortly after sitting there, I see how Hanna parks her car next to Spencer's house. They would have met tonight. Before heading to Spencer's house, she sees me and walks over to me.

"Hello, what are you doing here?" she asks me as she sits next to me.

"I was a little overwhelmed and seeing the stars has always calmed me down," I say softly.

''I understand you. I haven't had a very good afternoon either,' she tells me, sighing. "I'm sorry about the other day, I'm sorry that my accident caused you a panic attack," she adds after thinking about it a little. She looked a little guilty.

''Don't worry, it's not your fault at all. What happened to you today? Was it because of your father?'' I dare to ask her.

''He and I have quite a few differences. Now he is starting another family and I feel displaced. In addition to some decisions that he has made without telling me,'' Hanna tells me a little sadly.

''Sometimes relationships with our parents are complicated. I also have a somewhat difficult relationship with my father,'' I sigh briefly and bring my knees closer to my chest while looking at the stars.

''I'm sorry if I intrude, but what happened? Spencer told us that you had lost part of your family in a car accident and now you live with your grandmother, but she preferred that you tell us the rest when you felt comfortable,'' she tells me with a soft look, trying not to make feeling uncomfortable and getting a little closer to me.

''The accident happened almost two years ago. My father was drunk, he had been fighting alcoholism for many years and since he had become violent, we had to get in the car with him. He ended up losing control of the car and we crashed into other cars. My brother, my mother, and some people from the cars it crashed into lost their lives. I was in a coma for a few months and my grandmother brought me here when I recovered. On the other hand, my father is serving a 15-year sentence for his death. I haven't spoken to him since the accident happened. I can't forgive him,'' by the time I finish explaining everything to him, I already have some tears streaming down my face. These weeks I was just going from one emotion to another.

''Wow, I'm so sorry, Elizabeth. I understand that you wouldn't be able to talk to your father, I wouldn't be either. The relationship I have with my father is already difficult many times, but if that were to happen to me I don't think I would ever be able to forgive him,'' she gives me an empathetic look and a brief hug when she sees that I didn't feel uncomfortable.

Before we can say anything else, we get a message from Spencer saying: SOS.

We run towards his house.

I was afraid A had something to do with it.

Hello everyone, thank you very much again for reading my story and leaving me reviews.They always encourage me to write. I hope you are liking how the story goes.

As you can see, in this chapter I have included a POV of Peter and in the next chapters I will try to do it with more characters so that we can understand everyone's perspectives a little more.

In the next chapters there will be more interactions with Emily Aria, Toby and also the character who will be Liz's love interest.I'm not going too fast because I want Liz to be able to make connections with each of the girls and with the rest of the characters that make a lot of sense.

Have a good weekend.Kisses