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Hell is a teenage girl,
and she is bound by secrets

𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘖'𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘺
𝙃𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚 𝘽𝙧𝙚𝙬𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧

❝ I just wanted a second chance
at keeping him safe ❞

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Thandiwe Newton  LUISA BREWSTER
Thomas Gibson NICK BREWSTER
Jacob Artist  MYLES BREWSTER
Millie Davis  RILEY BREWSTER

Drew Van Acker  JASON DILAURENTIS
Robbie Amell  ERIC KAHN
Brant Daugherty  NOEL KAHN
Gabrielle Union  COACH RHODES
Indya Moore LENNON FREEMAN

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FIVE MONTHS HAD PASSED. It had been five months since Maya St. Germain's body was found. Five months since they arrested Garrett Reynolds for the murder of Alison DiLaurentis. And five months since the girls found out A was Mona Vanderwaal, in revenge for stealing away her best friend and in a bid of capturing a friendship with the rest.

With the latest song from Rihanna playing gently in the background, before Labor Day weekend and the anniversary that brought, the girls rejoiced in Spencer's living room for a get-together. Each with a plastic cup, soda diluted with vodka, they caught up and toasted to senior year around a crackling fire. Emily sat with her feet on the sofa, her back to the arm of the chair, while Hanna was next to her. Spencer and Aria sat at the opposite end, and Halle was laid across on the chaise, with her back warmed by the roaring flames.

"Em, you and I are the only ones to do anything worth talking about this summer," claimed Hanna Marin confidently. She had cut her hair short and wore it in effortless beach-waves, forever a reflection of what was trendy or just about to be. She said, "I mean, Halle spent most the summer shacked up with Jason in Cape May, Aria took some boring picture class, and Spencer went to college."

"I took a full-load at Hollis," defended Spencer Hastings, her superiority leaking out. "Halle went to Nationals with the cheer team, and Aria beat out a thousand applicants for a space in that photography class."

Hanna smiled, but there was no interest behind her eyes. She turned her attention back to Emily, who she was heavily invested in. "So, how many houses did you build?" she asked.

"Uh... I think we finished about six," answered Emily Fields. Her words were beginning to slur, having drank more than any of the others already. Emily was clearly haunted, her eyes lacked their usual sparkle. There was a dullness to her, any light stolen the night Maya was found dead.

"And in poor countries," started a tipsy Hanna, turning to the others, "one house is like a home for fifty."

Spencer laughed and jested half-heartedly, "Okay, Miss Productive, which of your list did you actually do?"

"Let's see." Hanna raised her notepad, which was conveniently tucked in her pink jeans, and began to read them off. Extremely proud of herself the blonde checked them off, "Cooking class with Caleb, done. Volunteer as the animal shelter for pocket dogs—"

"Wait—" Spencer butted in, "that actually exists?"

"Did not do," Hanna stated, her finger up. "Expand my vocabulary—" She wore a large smile and sang brightly, "effectuating."

Halle glanced over to Spencer, both of them holding back their laughter behind pressed smiles. "Wow," she mouthed to the other girl.

Hanna carried on, "Internship at Vera Wang."

"Wait, you interned for Vera Wang?" questioned Emily.

"Uh... yeah, I changed my mind," Hanna said as she waved it off. She puled a face, peeved slightly. "Turns out they want you to work for free."

"Well, that's not ideal," Halle said, fighting back an amused smile. It made the other three laugh again, which in turn got Halle smiling. It had been too long since they were last all together, happy and laughing. Lately — especially with what happened with Mona's betrayal and then the death of Maya added on top — there hadn't seemed to be much to be joyous about. Nothing to celebrated. Even when A was outed and sent away to Radley for psychiatric help, the girls felt it was bittersweet. Mona being A — betraying Hanna's friendship — wasn't what anybody wanted.

The clunk of a trunk shutting captured their attention. "Was that a car?" Aria asked, instantly alarmed. The group turned their heads around towards where it was coming from and stayed in silence for a moment, waiting. Nothing came, but it was clear to them that they were still on edge even when they were safe.

Distracted by a sound, Emily took the chance to pour more of alcohol from her flask into the plastic cup. Aria saw this. "Whoa, slow down, Em," she warned playfully. "They're already pretty strong."

"Easy for you, you're a pixie," Emily said. She spoke again, seemingly snide, as she raised her drink to her lips. "I've gotten really good at this."

Spencer looked over to Halle, wanting a change from Emily's obvious tense attitude. She mentioned, "I'm surprised you're even drinking, with Jason and all."

"Just because Jason is sober doesn't mean I have to, I'm just the supportive girlfriend," Halle said. "I know my limits now, and tonight is a special occasion." She smiled at her friends. "I'm catching up with my favourite people."

"How's it going with Jason, then?" Aria asked.

"It's great," Halle said, her cheeks high as she smiled brightly. "Really great, actually. We still haven't told my parents yet, but soon. I think they kinda already know — I mean, I like to think that, but in reality... they don't, and Jason keeps reminding me they don't."

"I've always wondered what you two do," Hanna said, dazed from the alcohol. "I mean, you spent a whole summer with him. We—" she motioned to the group, "barely saw you all summer, and he's still Ali's older brother... And now he's Spencer's brother — half-brother, too," she corrected afterwards.

"We do lots of stuff, Han," Halle said, amused at where the blonde was going.

"Like what though?" Hanna pestered.

Halle's smile settled into a smirk as she raised her cup to her lips and coyly said, "We have adult sleepovers."

"Ew, that's my brother!" exclaimed Spencer in disgust. She threw a cushion at her friend, causing Halle to laugh at the impact.

Hanna was laughing merrily, too. She pointed toward Halle and said loudly, "And that is what I came for!"

"Again, my brother," Spencer said.

"Oh, please." Hanna quipped back, "Halle's been sticking it on him a lot longer than you've known he's your brother."

"And that is why we don't talk about my sex-life," Halle replied, sharing a laugh with her friends. They were all laughing, even Emily. For a moment, the group forgot the traumas of the past two years and it was just them, hanging out and having fun, joking about what they spent their summers doing. They were normal teenagers.

Spencer's phone beeped. She grabbed it, but as she did, the others' mobiles each went off with their own bells and chimes. The mood dropped drastically. Sighs filled the room, each of them reaching for their devices.

"'Show me your boobs. A'." Spencer was less than impressed by the text. It wasn't the most original. The girls had all had their fair share of prank-texts since the truth about Mona torturing them through junior year came out.

"Well, been there, done that," Halle remarked, while she put aside her mobile.

Aria scoffed. "Does Mona have a ten year old brother?" she joked.

"A for annoying," Emily said. She dropped her phone done next to her, not bothering to look where it ended up.

"Are these ever going to stop?" asked Hanna, looking down. There was a sadness lacing her words. It was bad enough going through it, but people now knew and were turning it into a joke, spending their weekends with friends sending A-texts to prank them.

"Eventually we'll be old news," said Spencer.

"Until then, we're the details everyone wants to know," said Halle, droned.

It was what Jason told her when she got her first prank-text, but when he realised they were continuing to come, the roles reversed. It was Halle telling Jason that while he got angry. Halle raised her cup to her mouth, taking a big gulp this time. She found it got harder to swallow — not the alcohol, but telling herself it will soon be over. Halle didn't believe it would be soon. A part of Halle didn't believe it would ever be over.

"Yeah, and Garrett will go on trial and we'll be news again. Or Mona will start talking and we'll be new again," says Aria, openly cynical.

"Or I'll show someone my boobs and we'll be news again," snapped a drunken Emily. The snide comments and remarks kept flowing from her, less so than the alcohol was in her drink.

"Okay!" laughed Spencer, the others joining in. She reached across and took the flask Emily came with away from the swimmer.

Emily sat up from her slouched position and held out her hand, expectantly waiting for the return of her flask. "Hey, I thought this was a party."

"You know what?" Hanna put on a smile and placed her hand down on Emily's knee. "You're right, Em. Welcome back," she said, raising a glass to her, to which Emily reciprocated. The others soon followed suit.

"And you're never allowed to leave for an entire summer again," said Aria.

Spencer raised her higher and declared proudly, "To making it to senior year!"

"I'll cheers to that," Halle happily claimed. She got up onto her knees, stretching to bash her cup with her friends', smiling widely as she did so.

"Hear!" agreed Hanna, grinning.

Before they drank, Emily broke the fun. "Not all of us made it," she reminded them drunkenly. Her eyes were pained, without sparkle. Maya was dead, and part of Emily's heart died with her. First loves cut the deepest, and Emily had been hit in the chest by a freaking axe.

"I'm sorry, Em." Spencer apologised as best as she could, sincerity running throughout. "I didn't mean it like that."

Emily knew her friend didn't mean it. She knew none of them meant, but it still hurt to be celebrating when Maya was gone. Raising her cup slightly, Emily said right before she took another sip, "To Maya."

Hanna's hand came to land on Emily's thigh again, staying their to provide some comfort. "Em, you know that we're here for you," she said, but she was met with silence.

In seeing there was nothing else to offer, Halle did the only thing she could think to. She raised her glass again, towards her friends, and copied Emily. Halle hoped it would encourage some healing and show their friend they weren't forgetting the biggest loss of junior year — what Emily lost. "To Maya," said Halle, and the other three moved to meet her toast.

high school doesn't last forever

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DISCLAIMER
ALL RIGHTS OWNED BY PRETTY LITTLE LIARS, MARLENE KING AND SARA SHEPARD
— APART FROM MY OWN ORIGINAL CHARACTERS AND STORYLINES.
READER WARNING: FEATURES THEMES LIKE MISUSE OF ALCOHOL AND DRUGS, MENTAL ILLNESS, RACE AND IDENTITY, VIOLENCE, TOXIC RELATIONSHIPS, INAPPROPRIATE RELATIONSHIPS, MENTIONS OF ASSAULT AND GROOMING, EATING DISORDERS, SLUT-SHAMING, DEATH AND MURDER ETC.
ALSO, PLEASE KEEP IN MIND SOME CHARACTERS AND PLOTS ARE WRITTEN DIFFERENTLY THAN THE SHOW. ULTIMATELY THERE WILL BE A DIFFERENT ENDING AND WILL REAR AWAY FROM THE SHOW.
THANK YOU.

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HERE WE GO — BOOK TWO!
WHAT STORYLINES ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO READING THIS SEASON?
WHICH CHARACTERS ARE YOU EXCITED TO SEE HALLE INTERACT WITH?
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE YO READ MORE OF THIS TIME AROUND?

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