03. To Kill A Mocking Girl

"Whose idea was this again?" an annoyed Hanna asked, as the four best friends walked together in the woods.

"Emily's mom" Spencer replied.

"The shed was me, my mom just said we should do something for us" Emily clarified.

"Well couldn't we do something without mosquitoes" Hanna complained.

"They're not mosquitoes, they're gnats" Aria corrected.

"Whatever, they're small and annoying and they're flying up my nose" a frustrated Hanna said.

"They're attracted to your perfume and your hair products and your lip gloss" Spencer teased.

"So what are you saying?" Hanna asked Spencer, "I attract flies?".

"Gnats" Aria corrected once again.

"Why do I feel like this is the wrong way?" Emily wondered, looking around the woods in confusion.

"No, this is it, I remember that tree" Spencer pointed towards the tree they were standing by, "That's the halfway point, there's a hundred and thirty six steps left to the shed".

"Have you been out here since Alison?" a slightly shocked Emily asked Spencer, wondering how she knew how many more steps they needed to take to get to the shed.

"Me?" Spencer asked, "No, no way".

"But you remember that tree" a confused Aria pointed out.

"You guys it's not that weird" Hanna defended, "I mean we came here in eighth grade like everyday, even after".

"I think this is the totally wrong place to do this, whatever you call it, shrine" Spencer stated.

"It's not a shrine, it's just a place to remember Alison" Emily defended, "What's wrong with that?".

"Doing it way out here makes it look like we have something to hide" Spencer pointed out.

"You're worried about what other people would think?" Emily asked.

"Well, aren't you?" Spencer retorted, "I mean, do you really want to give that creepy detective more reasons to question us".

Hearing Spencer, Hanna's face suddenly fell and she started walking forward, "Hanna?" a confused Emily called out, "Why are you so quiet?".

"I'm trying to keep the bugs in my nose and out of my mouth" Hanna said.

"You're allowed to have an opinion on this" Emily assured.

Hanna stopped walking and faced her friends, "You want my opinion?" she asked, "I say we hold off and not remember her till we know for sure she's not still here".

"What?" a shocked Emily and Spencer asked stimuteanously.

"What are you talking about?" a confused Aria asked.

"You think she's still alive?" Emily asked.

"Hanna, they found her body" Spencer reminded.

"Stop" Aria told Spencer, "I'm officially scared, can we just not--".

"Okay you know what, you asked for my opinion" an annoyed Hanna snapped at her friends, "I don't believe she's really gone".

Hanna turned around and started walking again, "We went to her funeral" Spencer said, as her and the rest of the girls followed after Hanna.

"Yeah, and when we left we all got a text from her" Hanna retorted.

"It wasn't her" Emily defended, "Someone is messing with us".

"How do you know?" Hanna challenged, "And what about all those nasty messages? I mean how does this A person know stuff only Ali knew?".

Aria let out a sigh, "Okay, this conversation is giving me a hive".

Hanna stopped walking and looked at Aria, "That's a bite, mosquito".

"Spencer, have you gotten anymore messages?" a curious Emily asked the Hastings girl.

"Haven't you?" Spencer asked.

Suddenly all four girls attention went towards the woods when they heard a noise, "What was that?" a suddenly very terrified Emily asked, "Did you hear that?".

"Yes I heard that, I'm standing right next to you" Aria said.

"Hello?" a scared Hanna called out, "Is anybody out there?".

"It's probably a rabbit" Spencer said.

"Hello?!" Hanna called out once again.

"It's a rabbit Hanna, it's not gonna answer" Spencer said.

"Can we just get to the shed?" Emily asked, as the girls heard another noise.

"Okay, that is definitely not a rabbit, someone is out there" Hanna realised.

"Let's turn around" Emily suggested, the three girls nodded their head in agreement, however the moment they turned to leave, all four of their phones started ringing at the same time, the four worried girls immediately took out their phones from their respective bags and read the new text they had just gotten from A.

Heads up, BFFs.
It's open season
on liars and I'm
hunting...
--A

***

"You can't avoid seeing people sweetie" Veronica Hastings told her daughter Melissa Hasting, as she crossed out all the wedding related events on the calendar, "It is what it is".

"And what's that?" an upset Melissa asked, sitting on the kitchen counter with her laptop infront of her, "Sad, humiliating, pathetic, all of the above?", a guilty Spencer stood at the kitchen door, eavesdropping on her mom and sister's conversation, "Just, take someone else, I don't want to have to explain a wedding that's never going to happen to every last club member".

"Morning" Spencer greeted, finally gathering the courage to walk into the kitchen.

"Hey" Veronica greeted, as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Excuse me" Melissa said, shoving Spencer to the side and walking over to the bin, she glared at her sister as she threw all of her wedding magazines into the trash.

"Where's dad?" Spencer asked her mom.

"He left for the office" Veronica informed, as Melissa once again shoved past Spencer.

"Already?" Spencer asked, trying her best not to say anything to her sister that will make things worse for her, "Just like he ran without me? Why didn't he just knock on my door?".

"He was busy" Veronica defended, "He was helping Melissa dispose of some things that Wren left behind".

"Unfortunately you weren't one of them" Melissa taunted.

"How many times am I gonna have to say it?" a frustrated Spencer asked her sister.

"Oh girls please" Veronica pleaded, "I can't arbitrate on one cup of coffee".

"Who's calling the papers to pull the announcement?" an emotional Melissa asked her mom, "It was hard enough changing my status on facebook!".

"I'll take care of the newspaper" Veronica assured.

"What about the engagement dinner?" Melissa asked, "Do I have to make that call?".

"No honey, of course not just look up the number and I'll leave a message" Veronica said, as Spencer tried to sneak past with her breakfast in hand, "Where are you going?".

"I'll eat in my bedroom" Spencer said.

"Oh no you won't" Veronica stated, "I just dry cleaned your bed spread", Veronica pointed towards the chair, "Sit at the table".

"I don't think I'm welcomed" Spencer said.

Melissa let out a scoff, "That's never stopped you before".

"I did not invite your fiance to kiss me Melissa, for the last time, he made the move on me!" a frustrated Spencer yelled.

"Spencer, please" Veronica pleaded.

"Right and you just sat there like a throw pillow with your tongue down his throat!" Melissa snapped.

"Look, I get it, you're upset and I feel for you but don't dump it all on me, maybe you should be asking yourself why Wren felt the need to--", Veronica looked at Spencer with a warning look on her face, immediately causing Spencer to stop mid sentence, "I'm sorry, okay I'm not perfect but I don't want to be accused of something I didn't do!".

"Oh stop please, both of you" Veronica said, "Go get dressed for school, you can take your muffin to go".

Spencer walked over to the bin and threw her muffin in the trash before storming up to her room.

***

At school, Spencer walked over to her locker and opened it up, the moment she opened her locker up, a bunch of her books fell to the ground.

"Russian history?" Aria asked, bending down and helping Spencer gather her books, "How many AP classes does it take before your brain explodes?".

"I'm already drowning in there" Spencer said, as her and Aria placed her books back in her locker.

"Why?" a curious Aria asked, "What's drowning for you B+?".

"First paper's due Monday and I've written two words, my name" Spencer informed, shutting her locker.

"What's going on?" a worried Aria asked, "Hey, you're not still freaked out about what happened in the woods yesterday, are you?", Spencer shook her head, "Look, we do not have to do this thing for Ali until we figure out--".

"No it's not just that, it's, everything" Spencer clarified, "Is there any chance your family wants to adopt me?".

Both Aria and Spencer suddenly stopped walking when the noise of a cane hitting the floor reached their ears, they looked infront of them and saw Jenna walking by, but that wasn't shocking to them, what was shocking to them who she was with, her step brother, Toby Cavanaugh, the boy who ended up being blamed for the fire at the Cavanaugh garage.

Spencer and Aria watched Toby lead Jenna away, Spencer frowned when she saw Lo, who was standing by his locker, give Toby a small nod as he walked past him.

"He's back too?" a shocked Aria asked, bringing Spencer's attention away from Lo and back to her friends, "When did that happen?".

"Maybe she needs help sending radioactive emails" Hanna suggested, her and Emily having walked over to Aria and Spencer once they saw Toby.

"Yeah or maybe he's sending a few of his own" Spencer added.

"Hanna" Detective Wilden called out, as he walked over to the girls.

"Cops on campus too?" a worried Aria asked.

"I just spoke with your principle, asked him if we could have a chat" Wilden informed the Marin girl.

"No, I have to get to class" Hanna protested, not wanting to be alone with Wilden.

"Don't worry, you've been excused" Wilden said, leading Hanna towards the principle's office, "Let's go".

"What is going on?" a confused Aria wondered, "Why just her?".

"Probably thinks she's the easiest to crack" Emily said.

"She is" Spencer stated.

"Whisper, whisper, whisper" Jenna said, as she walked past the three girls, "Almost feels like Alison's still here".

***

"What are you doing?" a confused Spencer asked Aria, seeing her type on her phone, "Is that a new phone?".

"Yeah I'm just checking my kin, I'll just write on Hanna's wall from here" Aria said.

"If she's not answering her texts, what makes you think she's checking facebook?" Emily asked.

"It's worth a try" Aria said.

Before Aria could type out the message, Hanna walked over to her friends, "What's going on?".

"We've been trying to get hold of you, what happened in there?" a worried Aria asked.

Hanna opened her locker, "Nothing, same old stupid questions".

"You were in there for an hour Hanna, what else did he ask?" Spencer asked.

Hanna shut her locker and faced her friends, "Nothing, he just took a couple calls and I just sat there, waiting for him to shut up".

"Is he gonna question all of us alone now?" Aria wondered.

"Who knows" Hanna said, "Look, let's do this at lunch, okay? I have to hit the ladies before my next class".

"Is she being weird?" Spencer asked Aria and Emily, once Hanna had walked away.

Emily nodded her head, "She's being weird, I'll see you guys at lunch".

"Yeah bye" Spencer said, also walking away from her friends and towards her next class.

***

"Did your sister send you here?" a curious Wren asked, handing Spencer a cup of coffee as they sat outside on the stairs of his new apartment building.

"No, she has no idea I even called you" Spencer admitted, "Things were never great between us but now it's like the hurt locker, it just gets worse everyday".

"I'm sorry to hear that" a guilty Wren said.

"So you're living here now?" Spencer asked, looking behind at Wren's new apartment building.

"Squatting" Wren clarified, "It's not exactly the Hastings manor but I have a whole sofa to myself".

Spencer smiled at Wren's words, "Wren, I need your help" she suddenly said.

"We only have that one sofa" Wren teased, "Can you sleep on a ping pong table?".

"Look, I need you to tell them what really happened" Spencer said.

"I tried" Wren informed, "They won't return my phone calls".

"I know I'm not completely innocent in all of this" Spencer said, placing her cup of coffee to the side, "I've done a lot of stuff that I'm not proud of but not that night", Wren nodded his head in understanding, "And I never wanted you guys to break up".

"I don't think it would matter what I say" Wren pointed out, "Once your parents decide how they're gonna think of someone its royal decree, you're brilliant, you're rubbish, there's very little inbetween".

"Could you at least try my dad again?" Spencer pleaded.

"Spencer, put your efforts elsewhere" Wren said, "My guess is that your jail sentence will be commuted the moment you score a winning point or ace a test".

"This might not be that simple" an emotional Spencer admitted.

"Give it time" Wren said, "Look, I know I made a bloody mess of it, and I'm sorry for putting you in the middle of it, but perhaps my real mistake was falling for the wrong sister".

Spencer looked at Wren in shock, not expecting him to say that, however before she could say anything to him, someone called out her name, "Spencer".

Spencer turned around and immediately a small smile formed on her face, "Lo" she whispered, as she stood up, "What are you doing here?".

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Lo asked, "But to answer your question, I was here to visit a friend".

"I'm was here to see Wren" Spencer informed, pointing towards Wren who was looking between Spencer and Lo with a frown on his face.

Lo looked at Wren, "Right, Melissa's fiance".

"Ex-fiance" Wren corrected.

Lo raised an eyebrow and looked at Spencer, an amused expression on his face and Spencer didn't have to ask him to know that Lo had figured it out, he always knew when it came to her.

"Um, you going back home?" Spencer quickly asked before Lo could say anything.

"Yeah, want me to drop you?" Lo asked.

Spencer nodded her head, "Please" she said, before turning to Wren, "I should go now, I have this huge paper to write that's due on Monday".

"You gotta get back to that wretched place called home, right" Wren teased.

Spencer gave Wren a small smile before walking over to Lo, "So" Lo said, as him and Spencer started walking towards Lo's car, "Let me guess, another one of Melissa's boyfriends realised they fell for the wrong sister".

"Don't" Spencer warned, "Things are already tense at home, the last thing I need is for you to tease me as well".

"Why are things tense at home?" a curious Lo asked.

"Melissa saw Wren kiss me" Spencer informed.

"Oh" Lo said, an angry expression forming on his face.

"Yeah" Spencer whispered, completely missing the anger on Lo's face.

"And let me guess, you came all the way here to get Mr. British to talk to your parents and make them realise it wasn't your fault" Lo said.

"I'm not saying that I'm innocent, but I didn't make the first move" Spencer defended, "I tried telling Melissa and my parents that but it's obvious they don't believe me, I was hoping if Wren talked to them, they would finally realise I was telling the truth".

Lo let out a sigh, "You care too much about what other people think, Spence".

"The other people in question here is my family, Lo" Spencer retorted.

"A family who would always choose Melissa over you" Lo said, opening the passenger door of his car, "You and me both know, once your parents have made their mind about someone or something, there is very little that will change their mind, even if that someone is their own daughter".

Spencer looked at Lo, she then sat in his car and as Lo shut the door, Spencer thought about what both Lo and Wren said, both their words were different but both held the same meaning, for the Hastings, Melissa will always be the ideal daughter, no matter how much she tried, Spencer could never be as loved as her sister.

***

Spencer sat in her kitchen, trying to work on her AP Russian history paper that was due on monday, however everytime she tried to type something on her laptop, she came up blank, all she could do was stare at the blank word document that only had her name and the Russian revolution written on it.

After much thinking, Spencer finally decided to grab her sister's laptop that was placed next to her, she clicked on the folder that said old essay papers and found the essay her sister had written for her AP Russian history class, Spencer quickly grabbed her USB and plugged it into Melissa's laptop and then proceeded to copy the essay on to her USB, she then plugged the USB into her laptop, she opened up the essay and changed Melissa Hastings name to Spencer Hastings, and changed the date to today's.

Spencer then opened up an email and typed out an email to her AP Russian History teacher.

Mr. Sheldrake, attached you will find my essay for your AP Russian History class
Thank you,
Spencer.

Spencer attached the essay to the email but hesitated to send it, before she could make any decisions, she heard the voices of her sister and mother, quickly causing Spencer to place Melissa's laptop back to where it was, and close her laptop so neither her sister and mother realise what she was thinking of doing, "Hey, hi" she greeted her mother and sister the moment they entered the kitchen, "How was the club?".

"Chilly" Veronica replied, "Nobody who works there can figure out a thermostat, did you eat?".

"Yeah, I made some pasta if you're hungry" Spencer said.

"I'm not eating pasta" Melissa stated, "I don't need to be depressed and fat".

"Good point" Veronica said, as she touched her stomach, "I'll make a salad, let me get out of these clothes".

Once Veronica walked away, Melissa turned to Spencer, "Wren called" she informed, "He told me you went into the city yesterday to meet him, it was strange, at first I wasn't sure why he was telling me this, but then I realised he's still trying to cover his tracks and yours, like I'm supposed to believe you took a train down there just to clear your name? You two deserve each other, I thought I was pathetic".

Once an angry Melissa had walked out the room, an equally furious Spencer opened her laptop back up and clicked send on the email she had drafted her teacher, officially sending Melissa's essay as her own.

***

After sending her essay, Spencer got ready and met up with her friends at Noel Kahn's party.

"He tackled Ben?" a shocked Aria asked Emily, as the Fields girl proceeded to tell her and Spencer that Toby had punched Ben after seeing him trying to force himself on to Emily, "What was Toby even doing in the girls locker room?".

"Why are you shocked?" a confused Spencer asked Aria, "Toby's a perv, we caught him peeping through the windows, watching us undress".

"Alison's the one who saw him do that" Emily reminded, as Hanna walked over to the three girls, "We never did".

"What's up?" a curious Hanna asked her friends.

"Toby Cavanaugh got into a fight with Ben over Emily" Aria revealed.

"It wasn't over me" Emily stated, "God, look, he just, saved me".

"For what, himself?" Spencer asked.

"Ew" a disgusted Hanna said.

"Well, if we hadn't asked you about Ben, would you have told us about this?" Aria asked Emily, immediately causing her to avert her eyes from her friends, making them realise Emily had no plans of telling them what happened between Toby and Ben.

"Toby is not a good guy, Emily" Spencer warned, "He could be seriously dangerous".

"If he's such a bad guy, why'd he take the fall for us?" Emily asked, as soon as Emily asked that a look formed on Spencer's face that made her friends look at her in question.

"Is this another secret?" Aria asked the Hastings girl, "Do you know some that we don't?".

"Guys, why don't we just, like chill, and talk about this somewhere else?" Hanna said, before Spencer could say anything, "When we're alone".

"I don't even know what, just us, means anymore" Aria admitted.

Hanna turned around and realised her boyfriend Sean had finally finished playing foosball with Noel, "Yeah, let's talk about it tomorrow, okay? Are we still meeting up at the shed?" she asked, as she walked away from her friends and towards her boyfriend.

"Yeah" Aria confirmed, "Yeah sure, why not?".

"Where are you going?" Emily asked, seeing Aria grab her bag.

"The gallery" Aria replied, "I promised my mom".

Once Aria walked away, Maya walked over to Spencer and Emily with two cups of drinks in her hand, "Have you checked out the photobooth they've got in there?" she asked Emily.

"No" Emily said, "Show me the booth".

Emily took her drink from Maya's hand and followed her towards the photobooth, leaving Spencer to stand there alone, she took a deep sigh and stepped forward and started looking around the party, as she looked to the side, her eyes went wide when she saw Toby walk out the shadows, immediately causing her to be hit with a flashback of the night Jenna's accident happened.

Spencer walked past the firefighters and towards the Cavanaugh house where she saw a furious Alison threatening a terrified Toby, "I'll make sure everybody knows!" she heard Alison yell.

Before Spencer could take another step, a hand was suddenly clasped around her wrist, she looked towards the person to see who had grabbed her and realised it was Lo.

"You shouldn't be here" Lo said.

"Lo, is it bad?" a terrified Spencer asked.

"Look around you Spencer, of course it's bad" Lo snapped, anger shown clearly on his face, "Which is why you shouldn't have come back".

"Didn't I tell you to stay over there, and let me take care of this?" a furious Alison asked Spencer once her eyes landed on her and Lo, "What did you hear?".

"Nothing" Spencer quickly said, as Lo let go of her and walked over to Toby, "Nothing".

Alison grabbed Spencer's wrist and started dragging her away, Spencer turned around and saw Lo and Toby in what looked like an argument.

"Are you stupid?!" Spencer heard Lo yell at Toby, "Taking the blame for this accident isn't going to fix anything Toby!".

"I don't have another choice Lo!" Spencer heard Toby, "It's either I take the blame and get out of here, or I stay quiet and keep getting tortured".

Before Spencer could hear the rest of the conversation, Alison had dragged her away to where the rest of her friends were standing.

"What's going on?" Aria asked

"What happened to Jenna?" a panicked Emily asked.

"It's done" Alison assured, "We were never here, let's go".

"But" Hanna protested.

"But what?" an annoyed Alison asked.

"What if we said it was an accident?" Hanna asked.

"No, we're not telling anybody anything" Alison snapped, "Damn it Hanna, don't make me sorry I ever included you in the first place, you know I have gone out of my way to bring your big, wannabe butt into this group, you better keep your mouth shut, unless you want to go back to spending your weekends alone, dance dance revolution and a jumbo bag of chips!".

"Ali, stop it!" Aria snapped, "Just leave her alone".

A slight look of remorse came on Alison's face, "I'm sorry Hanna" she apologised, "I didn't mean that, I'm just freaked out guys, this is bad, really bad, I never would've done it if I thought someone was in there, I just, I don't know what's gonna happen, to us, can we just go? Come on".

Alison, Hanna, Aria and Emily walked way, but Spencer stayed back and saw the cops drive Toby away, while a frustrated Lo stood back, running his hand through his hair, looking extremely helpless.

Once the flashback was over and Spencer was pulled back into reality, she realised the person that came out of the shadows wasn't Toby, it was a complete stranger, her eyes were just playing a trick on her.

***

Next morning, Spencer met up with her friends in the woods, "Alison wanted us across the streets so she could have it out with Toby" she informed, "Ali had something on him".

"Besides being a total perv who peeped in our windows?" Hanna asked.

"Yeah, something way bigger, and she was threatening to tell everybody" Spencer said, for some reason she decided to keep the argument she heard between Toby and Lo to herself, she knew her friends already didn't trust the Rivers boy and she didn't want to give them another reason, not until she talked to him about it first, "That's why he took the fall for us".

"Why are you waiting until now to tell us?" a confused Aria asked.

"I don't know" Spencer said, "Ali made me promise, and I guess I was scared, I thought if we never talked about that night again, it would just go away".

"Well, it's not going away" Hanna stated, "Not unless we toss our phones and join the navy".

"Look, there's four of us and one freak sending messages" Emily reminded, as the girls started walking towards the shed, "If we just talk to each other like this, I feel like it makes it easier to deal with everything".

"I think Emily's right" Aria agreed, "There's way too many secrets, we shouldn't do this in the middle of nowhere, we should do it where we can see it everyday".

"You mean, like, somewhere in school?" Hanna asked.

"No" Aria said, "In town, we should ask if we can put a bench somewhere, wait, and you know what? Whoever did this to her, if they're still in Rosewood, we should make them look at it everyday, too".

The girls stopped walking and looked at each other, "What, you hate the idea?" Spencer asked Hanna, seeing her facial expression change.

"No" Hanna quickly said, "No, I just, I had a rough night".

Suddenly the four girls heard branches around them rustle, immediately causing them to place their bags on the ground and run in the direction of the noise, once they reached the place they heard the noise coming from, they found nobody there, but Hanna did see something on the ground.

"Look" Hanna whispered, gesturing towards the familiar bracelet that was placed on the ground.

"Is that yours?" Spencer asked Emily, knowing she still wore bracelet as well.

"Alison's" Aria realised once she read the name on the bracelet.

***

Presenting 1x03 of Love Calls!

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