004 — blind dates

season two —
episode four

WARNINGS:
SUICIDE &
MENTIONS OF RAPE

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ASPEN HUGS HERSELF FEELING uncomfortable with where the girls and her are standing waiting for Spencer to return from the store where the brunette traded off Melissa's wedding ring for money.

"This place is skeevy" Aria mumbles in disgust, "She pawned her sister's wedding ring, you're not gonna go to Tiffany's" Hanna states.

"So, Wren and Melissa?" Emily wonders not being with them the previous night due to something coming up.

"Weird, right?" Hanna utters, "Could you tell what he gave her?" Emily asks.

"No, she didn't seem happy about it" Aspen shrugs joining into the conversation, "I wonder if Ian will be" Hanna states.

Aspen grimaces feeling a wave of paranoia sweep over her, "How you holdin' up?" Aria asks looking at Emily.

"Great, ever since I got that fake scholarship letter, my mom thinks I can do no wrong, I'm living a lie I didn't even tell" Emily mutters.

"Leave it to A to make you feel bad about your mom feeling good" Hanna snarls.

Aspen frowns seeing Spencer coming out from the store with a frown planted on her face.

"I can't believe that it's gone" Spencer mutters after explaining to the others that the wedding ring is gone, "At least you got your money back" Hanna shrugs.

"Am I supposed to give her this?" Spencer snarls showing everyone the horseshoe, "I stole it, I actually stole my sister's wedding ring" Spencer mutters to herself.

Aspen winces as all of their phones chime in their bags or pockets

JUST MY LUCK,
DIAMONDS ARE A
GIRL'S BEST FRIEND
— A

Aria reads aloud for the rest of the girls.

All five girls look around before noticing a billboard sign behind them with the words.

'Someone's watching you, so look your best' making the girls hug themselves even tighter feeling the urge to throw up or run away from the scene.

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ASPEN SIGHS TO HERSELF walking into the school meeting Aria at the entrance, "Hey, you okay?" Aspen asks noticing the girl biting her lip.

"I have to do something after school but my mom wants me to take these keys to Mike" Aria explains.

"Oh, I can do it? I have a free period before lunch, he'll need the keys before after school I'm guessing" Aspen states.

"Please, I owe you" Aria mumbles handing the keys to Aspen and nods happy to be of a help to her close friend.

Walking into her next class that happens to be a double so she can sit and learn without any distractions.

Aspen walks out of the school towards the basketball courts looking for Aria's little brother Mike.

Seeing one of his friends on the court she walks over before noticing Jason on the other court tossing a basketball ball into the hoops shirtless.

Aspen bites her lower lip before snapping out of her zone and walking towards Mike's friend, "Lewis, hey" Aspen shouts capturing the male's attention, "Oh hey Aspen" Lewis smiles.

"Do you know where I can find Mike?" Aspen wonders, "Got me" Lewis shrugs, "He usually plays here, though, right?" Aspen frowns.

"Not for the last couple of months, no" Lewis denies, "That's weird, Aria told me, he usually plays pickup here almost every day after school" Aspen explains.

"So do we, and I haven't seen him, sorry" Lewis quickly apologises, "Thanks Lew" Aspen smiles feeling a ball roll against her leg.

Aspen frowns looking down at the ball picking it up and looking around noticing her shirtless attractive ex boyfriend walking towards her.

"Hey handsome" Aspen smiles handing the ball back to the dirty blonde, "Hey gorgeous" Jason replies smirking seeing the blonde looking him up and down checking him out.

"You haven't seen Aria's brother, have you?" Aspen curiously asks tilting her head, "Uh, no, sorry" Jason says seeing Aspen groan annoyed.

"What, he give you the slip?" Jason wonders, "Something like that, Aria asked me to give him his keys since he forgot them this morning" Aspen explains holding the keys up and jiggling them.

"I was always lying about where I was when I was his age, I don't remember a lot about that time, actually, most of what I do remember, I wish I could forget, you know?" Jason rambles.

"Jace, that doesn't help" Aspen smirks throwing her head back playfully, Jason chuckles.

"You know what I do remember? How stunning you're after school" Jason smiles seeing Aspen's cheeks turning crimson red.

"Well, I myself, forgot how goddamn fit you're" Aspen replies, "Got to keep myself active somehow Asp, this just so happens to be it" Jason smiles earning a eye roll of Aspen.

"Jason, hurry up and stop flirting with your girlfriend" a voice shouts from the court snapping the exes out from the tension surrounding them.

"Well, I should let you get back to playing, and I shall to give these to Aria" Aspen voices jiggling the keys once again, "Talk later gorgeous?" Jason smirks.

"Of course, call me" Aspen nods leaning up not caring about his sweaty torso, kissing his cheek before walking off the court seeing Jason returning to the court with a huge smile on his face.

Aspen dials Aria's number once she gets into her car, "Hey, what's up?" Aria's voice wonders through the car's speaker.

"Mike wasn't at the courts, I still have his keys, I'll just drop them in your mailbox" Aspen explains starting her vehicle, "Thanks Aspen, sorry for the muck around" Aria states through the speaker.

"It's all good Ria, text me if you need me" Aspen smiles hanging up the phone after Aria's response, dropping the keys in the mailbox of the Montgomery house.

Aspen pulls away once again parking in her parking space and walking towards her apartment to relax for a little while.

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HEARING HER PHONE RINGING on her kitchen counter, Aspen groans rushing out of the bathroom with a toothbrush in her mouth.

"Spence? You okay?" Aspen frowns seeing the girls contact name calling her, "Yeah, but Ian's not living at your ex boyfriend's" Spencer explains getting straight to the point.

"Okay, so, if Ian's not next door, where is he?" Aspen wonders, "And where's he going?" Spencer questions.

"And why is Melissa going with him?" Aspen voices, "Right, things don't usually work out well for the wives of murderers" Spencer mutters.

"Do you—do you think that he'd hurt her?" Aspen asks knowing what Ian is capable of doing to a woman.

"I don't know, I wish I could just come stay over at your house" Spencer mumbles making Aspen sigh.

"Why don't you? Just come to mine, three knocks and I'll let you in?" Aspen suggests, "Yes please, I'll come once my parents get home" Spencer states hearing a car approaching.

"Spen, I gotta go, my parents are here" Spencer whispers, "Okay, three knocks remember that?" Aspen nods ending the phone call.

Three knocks on the door are heard as Aspen lets the brunette into her apartment.

"Spare bedroom is made up for you" Aspen explains handing Spencer a bottle of water, "Oh my god, thank you" Spencer states sipping the cold water bottle.

"Let's just sit and watch a movie, relax a little bit" Aspen states sitting on her sofa turning the television on for the two teenagers to watch a movie.

"Before I came over, Melissa put a suitcase in her car, like to get ready for a quick departure" Spencer explains.

"Maybe speak to Wren again tomorrow morning? I'll come if you need me too" Aspen suggests seeing Spencer immediately start nodding in acceptance of the blonde coming along with her to the hospital.

"Alright, now it's bedtime" Aspen smirks as Spencer nods going into the spare bedroom and Aspen into hers to sleep off the stressful night.

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THE NEXT MORNING Aspen alongside Spencer stand in the storage room with Wren as he calls Melissa.

"Melissa, I've had second thoughts about the injuries you've described, I'm concerned Ian could have a staph infection, I'm gonna have to insist that I see him before you go anywhere, I'll bring whatever drugs are necessary" Wren explains pacing the storage room.

"No, Melissa, I come with you, or no deal" Wren demands nodding over the phone and both girls let out sighs of relief.

"She bought it, she still doesn't know where Ian's hiding, but she'll call me tomorrow when she finds out so I can go with her" Wren explains looking at the nervous blonde girl on the verge of a breakdown knowing the monster that did awful things to her is still out there somewhere.

"And we'll be right behind you" Spencer states motioning between her and Aspen.

"Aspen, are you sure you're okay with this?" Wren wonders seeing Aspen nod, "Yeah, I wanna know where he is so I don't have to sleep with one eye open" Aspen explains.

"Okay" Wren nods confirming with the girls before leaving the storage room so the girls can leave the hospital.

Spencer and Aspen both go their separate ways going to their separate homes.

"Oh hi" Aspen smiles tilting her head seeing Jason at her doorstep, "Hey" Jason nods.

"Come on in" Aspen motions for the dirty blonde to come inside her apartment once again getting a bottle of orange juice out of her fridge needing some energy.

"You okay?" Jason wonders noticing the fatigue on Aspen's face.

"Just tired handsome, final weeks and graduation is coming up fast" Aspen groans sitting on her sofa relaxing her muscles.

"You got to be more careful with yourself, Asp" Jason states seeing Aspen's phone vibrating on the kitchen counter.

"Fuck" Aspen mutters seeing the sos text from Spencer's number, "I gotta go, but stay here? Wait for me please?" Aspen asks seeing Jason nod seeing the urgency in the blondes eyes before she grabs her keys and practically runs out of her apartment driving to Spencer's.

Walking into the brunette's room just as her phone rings, "Wren" Spencer questions urgently.

"Melissa just called, she knows where Ian is" Wren exclaims, "We're on our way" Spencer states.

"Spencer, Aspen" Wren's voice is heard as Spencer ends the phone call with the doctor quickly sending sos messages to the other girls.

"We'll take my car, come on, it's easier" Aspen rushes out jumping into the driver seat along with Spencer in the passenger as the blonde girl quickly picks the others up at their houses and quickly gaining on Melissa and Wren following them.

Aspen gulps preparing herself to see Ian in the flesh since the bell tower incident.

"Do we have a plan?" Hanna nervously asks, "Working on it" Spencer says watching the car ahead of them with her older sister and Wren inside of it.

"Should we call Garrett, tell him about Ian?" Emily suggests, "No, the last thing we need to do is get him involved in another mystery we can't explain" Aria states looking at everyone in the car.

"Cause that's what happens when we're the girls who cried wolf, I mean, don't you get it? We're screwed" Hanna states.

"They're stopping" Aspen realises turning off her headlights and following behind the vehicle that's coming to a stop.

"There's no turning back now, right?" Spencer wonders seeing Melissa and Wren walking into the property with an old shed.

"I've got 9-1-1 on speed-dial" Aria explains, "I've only got one bar, oh, crap, no bars" Hanna mutters seeing the no signal words on her mobile.

"We should take a photo of Ian, prove we haven't been making this all up" Emily suggests.

"Yeah, well, you go ahead and do that while I try not to get killed or raped" Hanna states shocking the others, Spencer and Aspen look at the blonde shocked, "Not cool" Aspen mumbles.

"Sorry, I'm just worried about Melissa, who knows what Ian's thinking?" Spencer mumbles stepping over sticks to get closer to the abandoned shed on the property.

"Or if he has a gun, look he's the bad guy, right?" Aria suggests, "Fucking fantastic" Aspen mutters before walking ahead of them in protective mode towards the fence.

Aspen swears the hairs on her arms and legs are sticking up due to feeling frightened, suddenly a gut wrenching wail is heard coming from the shed.

"Melissa!" Spencer screams running after Aspen who broke out into a sprint seconds after the scream from the pregnant brunette, entering the shed hearing Melissa's hysteric sobs.

Spencer wraps her sister in an embrace as Aspen gasps seeing the deceased body of Ian slumped against the wall with a gun beside it and a piece of paper.

Wren looks at Aspen who's grown pale seeing her rapist dead on the wall.

Aspen falls backwards feeling the weight of her legs give out only for the male to catch her.

Aspen looks at Melissa who's sobbing looking at her dead husband, the blonde despite hating Ian embraces the brunette in a much needed embrace.

"Sh, I got you—I've got you" Aspen whispers joining the hug of the Hastings sisters.

─────── ∘°❉°∘ ───────
TO BE CONTINUED...

𝖊𝖑𝖘 𝖘𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖐𝖘 ⛧

NEW COVER ALERT !!

you will notice through-out the book
aspen is someone who comforts someone
no matter the circumstances

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