CHAPTER 13
POVS ELIZABETH
The next morning...
It was 10 in the morning, and I was quickly heading towards Spencer's house so I wouldn't have to meet my grandmother again. We had met with the girls to go to Aria's house to cheer her up about everything that is happening with her parents and Spencer had again forced me to go with her in the car.
''Elizabeth? Where are you going so early?'' I hear my grandmother say in an accusatory tone just as I have opened the door and am about to leave. Today I definitely hadn't been successful in avoiding my grandmother. I turn around and leave the door as a shield, because lately she scares me.
''I'm going to Spencer's house. I'm meeting her,'' I tell her, sighing. I didn't want to have to talk to her again, she always ended up ruining my day.
''You've been spending a lot of time with the Hastings lately. Do you think you're one of them or what? You are nobody to them,'' she tells me contemptuously, wanting to hurt me. I look at her very angry, because that comment has already exceeded my limit for today. I didn't want her to continue treating me so badly.
''Didn't you say you didn't care what I did with my life? That I was simply someone insignificant to you? Well, stop getting into my life,'' I yell at her before leaving, slamming the door. It might have consequences later, but I was sick of it. Once I'm outside, I take a deep breath and head to Spencer's house.
''There, we've arrived. Hanna and Emily are already waiting outside too,'' Spencer tells me just as she parks next to Aria's house. When I just nod my head and say nothing, she talks to me again.
''Hey, Liz, has something happened? You haven't spoken almost anything since we met at my house,'' Spencer tells me, a little worried.
"It's nothing, I just had an argument with my grandmother again before leaving the house and it left me a little low in spirit," I tell her, wanting to be honest with her.
"She hasn't put her hand on you again, right?" Spencer asks, now really worried.
'No, no, the only thing that hurt me was her words. She always says that she doesn't care what I do, but she is always demanding things from me,'' I say, sighing. I don't know how long I was going to last living in the same house as my grandmother. Spencer looks at me gently.
''Liz, listen to me carefully, never believe what your grandmother tells you. She doesn't deserve your attention at all. She's just a bad person and she enjoys making you feel bad, please don't believe her,'' Spencer tells me confidently.
''Thank you,'' I say with a smile. I couldn't have asked for a better friend.
"Now let's go, I'm sure Hanna is going to come and get us out of the car if we don't get out now," Spencer says, laughing.
We met the others in the Montgomery garden. Mrs. Montgomery opens the door for us and, after giving us a somewhat sad smile, she lets us go to Aria's room. When we walk in, she is in a tracksuit and looking quite depressed in her bed.
''Hello,'' we say to her once Spencer has taken away the headphones she was wearing. She hadn't even realized we had arrived.
''What are you doing?'' Aria asks, somewhat annoyed.
"We came to see you," Spencer tells her softly.
"We bring Chinese food and a lot of magazines," Emily tells her, trying to cheer her up.
"But you won't be able to see her until you're dressed," Hanna tells her, half laughing.
''Why? What's wrong with my tracksuit?'' Aria asks, a little offended.
''Nothing. That soon he will be alone," Spencer tells her, mockingly.
''But it's comfortable. Plus, Liz almost always talks about sports stuff and you don't say anything to her,'' Aria says, trying to defend herself against her.
"Hey, but I... I play soccer, I have an excuse..." I say, trying to defend myself too. Spencer looks at me funny.
''Well, that's another topic. I'll take her shopping,'' Hanna says seriously. I look at Spencer trying to get her to defend me.
''Do not look at me like that. The other day you looked at a blouse in my room as if you were allergic to it,'' Spencer tells me, laughing. The others laugh with them too, while I pretend to be offended in jest.
"Also, Aria, how are we going to help you with the party dress if you don't wear them?" says Emily, returning to the previous topic.
''Don't bother. I'm not going to go," Aria tells us.
"Can you tell me why?" Hanna asks, surprised.
''You can't miss it. Let's all go,'' Spencer tells her.
''Well...'' I say, not knowing how to tell them that I wasn't planning on going to the dance either.
"Well, what? Elizabeth," Spencer says seriously.
''I wasn't planning on going either,'' I say nervously.
"No way, Elizabeth, you have to come with us and vote for me for prom queen. I can't go without two votes," Hanna tells me seriously. She was obsessed with being prom queen. It was a little funny to me how she wanted to be the center of attention and I was the opposite.
''But the thing is, dances aren't my thing, and neither are people. Look, I'm not alone that night, Aria and I can watch a movie marathon. Tell me you don't like scary movies, please,'' I say to Aria, a little jokingly. She looks at me laughing.
''No kidding. Every time they want to watch a scary movie I leave the room. Do you like old movies?'' Aria asks me.
''Yeah! What do you think of the movie Singing in the Rain or Casablanca? It's one of my favorite movies,'' I tell her excitedly.
''Mine too. I love repeating them to myself every month at least," Aria tells me, equally excited. It seems we have found something in common.
''Girls, we're here, you remember. You can do that another day,'' says Hanna, exhausted from trying to reason with us.
''But I want my movie marathon…'' I say now with a puppy-dog face.
''Liz, don't look at me like that. Spencer, tell her something. You were the only one who can handle her kicked puppy face,'' Hanna tells her. Spencer laughs.
''Come on, girls, you're going to have a good time. It doesn't matter if you go without a partner or not. The important thing is that we are going to have a good time together, forgetting about A," Spencer tells us.
''And we can do the movie marathon this afternoon at my house. My parents are not here and so, Aria, you can relax a bit from your parents being at home fighting, okay?'' Spencer tells us when she sees that Aria and me still weren't very convinced.
''Okayyyy'', Aria and I say at the same time.
Now that they have convinced us to go to the dance and we see Aria a little more cheerful, we prepare to eat some of the Chinese food that Emily had bought. We were talking about the couple that Spencer was going to bring, the cute guy we saw at the tennis club, when Hanna gets serious while reading one of the fortune cookies.
'' What's happening? Bad omen,'' Emily asks Hanna.
"Confucius says not to be so melodramatic," Spencer says jokingly. I laugh with her, because that phrase had been very good.
But we all remain silent and worried when Hanna reads the following sentence:
''Lions, tigers and witches. Oh, God, we'll see you at the dance. See you soon. A''
After a rather bad day due to the fight with my grandmother and the message from A, Spencer, Aria and I spent a very afternoon watching movies at the Hastings house. It helped us get some time away from our families and problems with A, as well as a way for me to find a connection with Aria. I felt more and more like one of the group, despite how hard it was for them to accept me. I felt loved and I wouldn't hesitate to fight for them right now. We were united.
Now, a day after so many emotions, I was in the school cafeteria with Hanna and Spencer. They were talking about what they were going to wear to the dance tomorrow, but I wasn't listening much. Everything related to dancing gave me a little anxiety. I didn't know what to wear either. Also, sometimes they kept talking about Toby and how he bought tickets to the dance and so on and I got a little tired of us always accusing him of something.
''Liz, what are you going to wear to the dance?'' Hanna asks me interested.
''I don't know, do I really have to go?'' I ask them with little hope.
''Come on, Liz, you'll see that you don't regret it. You'll have us and Aria isn't bringing anyone to the dance either, so you won't be the only one. And if people bother you or you get overwhelmed, you tell me and we'll get out of there, okay? I'm not going to let you have a bad time,'' Spencer tells me affectionately.
''Okay, but I don't know what to wear. I don't exactly have many dresses,'' I tell them somewhat embarrassed.
''It's okay, Spencer or I will lend you one, so there's no problem. Plus, who doesn't love a dress-trying parade?'' Hanna says cheerfully. I smile at her, although I'm still nervous about the dance.
The atmosphere drops a little when Mona approaches our table.
''Hello Hanna. Elizabeth, Spencer, is it true that you're bringing the ball boy from the club to the dance?'' Mona asks her in a malicious tone. She made me nervous every time she saw her.
''His name is Alex. And that's how it is,'' Spencer tells her angrily.
"Leave it, Mona," Hanna tells her, a little fed up too. I still didn't understand how they were friends.
''Why? I think it's great that she brings Cinderella to the ball. And you, Elizabeth? You're going alone, right? Since no boy approaches you, Mona tells us. I look at her frozen, I didn't know how to feel about that.
''Mona, do you want to bring me an ice cream? Please,'' Hanna tells her to stop talking. Mona leaves and Spencer and I breathe a little easier. She absorbed our energy.
"Don't pay attention to her. Sometimes it's a little unsafe," says Hanna, trying to relax the atmosphere.
"Just like a pitbull," Spencer says, still angry.
Just at that moment we see how Spencer forgets about her anger and stares at something at the end of the cafeteria. Of course, it was Toby. We stare when we see that by accidentally pulling up his shirt, he has a tattoo on his side that says "901, free at last." The atmosphere at our table freezes after this and we try to change the topic of conversation.
The next afternoon, I find myself at Spencer's house. We're helping each other get ready to go to the dance. Spencer was nervous, because it was like her first date with Alex.
''It's just that I want everything to go well. I don't want him to feel displaced tonight either,'' Spencer tells me, somewhat worried.
''Calm down, Spencer. I'm sure he gets along well with the others'',I tell her, trying to reassure her.
''Could you try to talk to him a little? I know it's a little difficult for you to talk to people you don't know very well, but since he knows you from the club, I'm sure he feels a little more comfortable,'' Spencer begs me nervously.
"I'll try, although I can't promise anything, social events aren't my thing," I tell her, half trembling from the nerves she had.
''We will be with you the entire time and if you feel uncomfortable, we will leave. I've already told you that I'm not going to force you to be in a place where you feel uncomfortable,'' Spencer tells me understandingly. I smile at her gratefully.
''Now, which of these two dresses can suit me better? Hanna lent them to me,'' I ask to Spencer. One was a turquoise dress with some silver-toned edges. I really liked it. On the other hand, I liked the other one a little less, it was a yellow dress with some pearls on the top.
''The blue definitely. I think blue is your color. Suits you perfectly,'' Spencer tells me convinced. Happy with the choice, she headed me to the bathroom to change.
In half an hour we are both ready and we go to Spencer's car. Just as we get into the car, Spencer gets a message. His face becomes completely serious.
''What's wrong, Spencer? Is it A?'' I ask her worried.
She looks at me seriously and she shows me her cell phone. There is a message that says: 'Look who your dear Elizabeth is making friends with. I see that she doesn't tell you everything. Kisses. A '' Below the message is a photo of me and Toby saying goodbye the other day when I left his house.
''Is this true, Elizabeth? I told you he's not someone you can trust,'' Spencer tells me angrily.
''I... I didn't know how to tell you. We just talked about comics one day at the library and he invited me to his house to play video games and watch comics and he seemed so nice, without any bad intentions. I had a great time with him. I swear to you that he is not what you think,' I tell her nervously.
''Elizabeth, you can't trust him. Whatever he told you is surely a lie,'' Spencer half yells at me.
''Spencer, I think I can have my own criteria to judge a person. At least I've tried to get to know him,'' I tell her angrily, now I too.
''But you couldn't even tell me?! Something could have happened to you'' Spencer asks irritated.
''No, because you are very stubborn!'' I say tiredly.
''And you are very innocent!'' Spencer shouts at me.
''I'm not. I just want to give it a chance. I don't need you to always protect me!'' I yell at her too. She's bothering me a lot right now.
''Well, you go walking to the dance alone! We'll see you there!'' Spencer shouts at me, a little hurt by my comment.
I get out of the car angry and watch as Spencer starts the car and leaves for the dance. I couldn't believe how fast things had gone. I can't stand A anymore, trying to ruin all our relationships.
I knew that Spencer and I could fix things later, but I was afraid that nothing would be the same. She has been a great friend these weeks and I don't want to lose her. She has become a bit essential in my life. I couldn't alone with my grandmother.
I start heading towards the dance, wondering if when I arrive, I should be the first to apologize. She had really been the stubborn one, although it is true that I lied to her a little. She's just overly protective.
Halfway there, I hear someone call out to me from behind me.
''Elizabeth! What are you doing so alone? Aren't your friends here to defend you, coward?'' Stephanie says just as I look in her direction. She is with two more friends. They were also school bullies, but they hadn't messed with me before.
"What do you want, Stephanie?" I say, a little nervous, but trying to sound strong.
"Wow, it looks like you've found some courage, you little rat," Stephanie says mischievously. Her friends laugh with her.
I try to leave, but suddenly I feel someone grab my shoulder.
''No, little rat. You're not going anywhere today. You made a fool of me in front of the school, and I won't forgive you. Now you don't have your friends to defend yourself and you're going to regret it,'' she tells me in a threatening way.
Before I can try to leave again or tell someone she grabs my phone and smashes it on the sidewalk. Then, her friends grab me by the shoulders and hold me so she can't escape.
''Leave me, please!'' I ask them nervously. This couldn't end well.
They don't take pity on me one bit and I receive the first blow right on my lip. I'm starting to bleed profusely. Then, she punches me again in the eye and several against the ribs. Plus a few kicks to the knee.
''This way you will learn to respect your elders, rat! You're nobody, let's be clear!'' Stephanie yells at me and she spits on me before leaving.
I stay lying on the ground.
Thinking about what I had done to deserve this.
I hate my life.
Hiiii, thank you very much for all the reviews.They really help me continue the story.Plus, they contribute a lot to the story.
I'm sorry it took me a little longer, but I've had a little less time and I don't want to do this without it making sense.I wanted to do it at least the best I could, even if it wasn't my best chapter.
In the next chapters some issues of A will be resolved or to put it another way, some things will come to light...
Do you think Spencer and Liz will forgive each other soon?
How will Spencer and the girls react to what Stephanie did to her?
Have a good week! Kisses.