chapter forty nine
blood is the new black
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"The author goes to great lengths to establish Hedda Gabler as a strong, proud woman." Ella Montgomery said as she handed a piece of paper to her students in her English class. "Someone who could never live with the threat of being blackmailed." she continued and Josie sighed, this text was ironic. "But Hedda was pushed to take desperate action and while she may have seen it as brave, we see it as tragic," she finished.

"What might really be tragic if some of you don't start taking some notes." she added, making Josie sigh and look towards her notebook that was in front of her and start taking down notes. "Sorry, senior year is not all about skipping classes and dancing for the security camera at walmart." she said, causing Josie to laugh softly. She loved having Ella as a teacher.

"You might also want to research some of his other plays and see how they were received at that time." Ella said as Josie was writing it down when Emily jumped up from her seat, a look of panic on her face. "Emily? Is everything alright?" Ella asked, as everyone turned to look at her. "C-can I be excused?" Emily shakily asked but didn't wait for an answer and ran out of the classroom and the girls followed her. The girls passed Hanna, who was late to class. "Emily?" she asked confused when Emily hurriedly passed her into the bathroom.

"Wait, what's going on?" Hanna asked. "Don't know." Spencer answered. "Just come on." Josis said as they all entered the bathroom as well to see Emily washing her hands. "Em, what's the matter?" Aria asked her. "Talk to us." Hanna told her and Emily handed Aria something. "What the hell is that?" Josie asked as Hanna took it from Aria. "Are those teeth?" Aria asked as Josie and Hanna looked at it. "Can we please just get rid of it?" Emily asked as Spencer took it from Hanna.

"Are they Alisons?" Aria asked. "My god, I can't breathe." Emily said, her voice shaky as she leaned on the sink. "It wasn't enough to steal her bones, now we're gonna get pieces of her delivered to us?" Aria asked. "Guys, there probably aren't even human." Josie said, trying to calm everybody down. "They're totally human." Hanna responded. "How do you know?" Spencer asked, still holding onto the string of the necklace. "Because I worked at a dentist's office." Hanna answered.

"For two days, answering phones." Spencer shot back. "Yeah, and there were teeth everywhere, even the friggin' bathroom key was shaped like a cuspid." Hanna responded when suddenly they heard noise out front of the bathroom door, making them look up before they all moved into a stall.

"Guys, real or not, this 'A' is working overtime to frame us." Aria let out. "First the call to Emily from Spencer's phone, then the cemetery photo and now—" Aria started. "It's all my fault." Emily said sadly, "Em, stop–" Josie started. "No. That whole night is like a black hole, I still can't figure out how I got to Ali's grave." Emily said, cutting her off before Aria took the necklace back from Spencer.

"We need to give this to the police." Aria said, referring to the necklace. "We can't, we already lied to them about the lakehouse." Spencer argued. "Yeah, that was a huge mistake." Josie scoffed. "We keep digging ourselves in deeper, burning those photos was one thing, these are teeth, okay?." Aria added. "We should at least tell our parents." Aria said, making Josie sigh.

"Tell them what? We have no idea what this 'A' knows. Are you ready to explain every lie we've ever told since Ali died?" Spencer asked. "Guys, you don't have to protect me, okay? I can take the blame for all of it." Emily butted in. "Em, stop," Josie said with a shake of her head. "You're not in this by yourself." Spencer told her. "But if you could remember something else from that black hole besides an old car, that'd be nice." Hanna said

"Hanna." Josie scolded. "What? I'm just saying It'd be helpful." Hanna defended herself. "Can we please just get rid of that?" Emily asked, talking about the necklace. "We can't toss this, this is evidence." Aria said, holding up the necklace. "Look, I'll put it in my locker until we figure out what to do." Spencer offered. "What? So your locker is safe from 'A'?" Josie asked. "Just give it to me, I'll put it in my purse." Hanna said, trying to take it from Aria but it dropped in the toilet, making Josie cringe. "Hanna." Aria said in shock.

"I'll get it." Spencer offered. "No, wait." Aria stopped her. "You can't just dive in these things have sensors." she added. "Excuse me?" Spencer asked, confused. "You just have to be really careful." Aria warned her. "Well, if you would like to–" Spencer started. "No." Aria cut her off before they all looked down at the necklace floating in the toilet. Spencer sighed before she rolled up her sleeves and was about to pick it up when the bell rang and the toilet flushed, necklace gone. "Crap." Josie whispered.

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"I can't believe that we lost it." Spencer said in disbelief as the girls sat around a table outside. "It wasn't like we were gonna hand it over to the cops." Hanna told her. "I wanted to." Aria spoke up. "We could have found out who sent it to us, there were fingerprints on that necklace." Aria explained. "Yeah, mine." Emily remarked. "Hanna, you have to go back to Radley." Spencer told her. "What?" Hanna asked.

"You need to make Mona talk." Spencer responded. "Spence is right, Mona's was working alone and she's probably still giving people orders," Josie said. "Find out who else has seen her." Emily told her. "You know what? You guys just ripped me a new one last week for visiting her, now you want me to go back there with cupcakes?" Hanna asked.

"We want answers, maybe we should be focusing on Garrett." Emily suggested. "I will go back to Garrett, if you will work on Mona." Spencer offered Hanna. "Will you go today? After school?" Spencer asked and Hanna hesitated before she grabbed her bag and empty food packet before getting up and leaving, not before throwing her empty food packet in the bin and as Hanna was about to enter the school, Jenna walked out of the door.

She was using her cane to walk around with. "Has anybody spoken to her since school started?" Emily asked her girls. "No. I still think it's really shady that she didn't get back from music camp until the first day of school." Spencer answered. "It's no shadier than Lucas strolling around on Saturday at four in the morning." Aria said.

"Well maybe that's their witching hour." Spencer quipped, making Josie laugh. "So now we think they're definitely connected? Jenna and Lucas?" Emily asked in a hushed voice. "You saw them talking to that black swan person at the masquerade party." Aria pointed out. "Mona could have an entire outfield playing for her." She added. "Yo watch it." someone said, making them look and see that Jenna had walked into someone. "Is it just me, or is she blinder than she was last year?" Josie asked looking away from the scene to her friends before looking back at Jenna.

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"What was that?" Richie asked as he walked to Josie at her locker as she got her books out before the next class. She turned to him, confused. "What was what?" she asked. "The thing in english? Emily and you and the girls running out? What was that?" he asked, making her sigh and shut her locker. "Nothing." She lied. She didn't want to tell Richie that 'A' was back, this seemed more dangerous, and she didn't want him hurt because of her.

"Nothing? That was no nothing Jo," he said in response. "Rich–" she started but he cut her off. "Jo, you can tell me the truth," he said. Josie sighed. "Emily's been... going through alot since Maya died, it got worse when Ali's body was taken, we wanted to be there for her." she half-lies, "Why didn't you just tell me?" he asked. "Didn't want you to worry." she said with a small smile before he pulled her into a hug. "You are a good friend Jo." he said before he pulled away and kissed her forehead as she sent him a tight lipped smile. She hated lying to him but it was for his own protection.

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"Your mom thinks I'm a basket case." Emily said to Aria as her, Aria, Emily and Spencer walked out of their class. "My mom loves you Em, she knows everything that you've been through." Aria explained to her. "Can she spread the love around the faculty lounge?" Emily asked as they approached Aria's locker. "I have to take four make-up exams or they're gonna make me repeat eleventh grade." she explained to them. "They can't hold you back Em." Josie said as she adjusted her books in her arms.

"Yes they can, I was absent all of april." Emily told her. "You're gonna get through this." Aria comforted her. "Maybe." Emily responded. "You just need a study partner. A tutor." Spencer told her. "Wait!" Aria said, gaining their attention. "Why don't you just call Ezra?" Aria asked. "If your first make-up test is in english, he could be your tutor." she added. "Awkward." Spencer remarked. "No, it's not." Aria denied. "Aria, I can't think of him as 'Mr. Fitz' anymore okay? I've seen his underwear drawer." Emily told her. "Those were his socks." Aria told her.

"Why would his socks have a flap in the middle?" Spencer asked, causing Josie to bite her lip so he didn't laugh. "I'm texting you his number." Aria said, pulling out her phone. "Aria i don't–" Emily started. "He's not teaching right now and it's killing him, seriously you'd be helping each other out." Aria begged but something caught her eye, making the others turn to see a blonde woman talking to a teacher.

"Who is that?" Emily asked but Aria just looked down the hall to her mother who was standing near the girls bathrooms then back at the blonde woman again. "Meredith." Aria answers. "Wait. That's your dad's Meredith? The skank you and Ali caught him lip-locking in the car?" Spencer asked. "If my mom sees her here..." Aria trailed off. "What is she doing here?" Josie asked as she, Spencer and Aria watched Ella Montgomery walk away.

Aria then approached Meredith. "Excuse me." she said, causing Meredith to turn to her. "Are you looking for someone?" she asked. "Hello Aria." Meredith greeted, sickly sweet. "I forgot you were still a student here–" she added. "Yeah, I am." Aria cut her off. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "I'm applying for an open teaching position." Meredith told her. "Oh, don't worry hun, I won't put you down as reference." she added before walking away.

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"Are you kidding me? At Rosewood High?" Richie asked as he and Josie were in his kitchen. She had told him about Meredith applying for a teaching spot. "I know right." Josie said as she plated up her and Richie food that they had picked up from The Apple Rose Grille. "Poor Ella." Richie said sadly. "I know." Josie said as she sat down next to Richie. "Why would she even wanna be there?" Richie asked as Josie handed him his plate. "To rub it in her face like the bitch she is." Josie answered, causing Richie to look at her. "What? I'm right, you know it." Josie told him and he nodded. "Yeah, you're right." he admitted, making her laugh.

"Your mom at work tonight? Thought she had the night off?" Josie asked and Richie swallowed before talking. "She's actually on a date." he admitted, making her look up at him. "What?" she asked softly. "Yeah, she decided it was time to try and move on and I know she'd never forget about dad but..." he trailed off, making Josie sigh before getting and pulling Richie up as and pulling him towards the living room.

"Wha– Josie?" he asked, confused as she sat him down on the couch before going to the kitchen and getting their dinner before returning to the living room. "Josie." he called out as she sat down next to him. "You need to let out your emotions, so go ahead." she said, giving him the go-ahead and slowly he broke down, he started crying, causing Josie to pull him to her as she comforted him.

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The next day at school, the girls were walking through the hallway and Emily was explaining how the tutor session with Mr. Firtz– Ezra went the night before. "It was weird but we got past it." Emily explained. "Wait, so are you calling him 'Ezra' or 'Mr. Fitz'? Hanna asked. "Neither, it's a lot easier not to call him anything." Emily answered. "Oh, that's what your dad does, right, Aria?" Josie joked. "Just about, this whole 'don't ask, don't tell' thing is not working." Aria answered.

"Yeah, I did that with my mom forever, but she finally came around, by the time I brought Samara over they were bonding over arts and crafts." Emily told her. "Yeah, I don't think my dad is gonna be scrapbooking with Ezra anytime soon." Arai responded before she opened her locker to see something hanging up the roof of it. "What's that?" Hanna asked as Aria took it down and opened it and took whatever was inside of it, out.

It was an earring. "Is that yours?" Spencer asked before Aria looked around her before looking back at the earring in her hand. "What's going on? Whose is that?" Emily asked and then Aria explained what she and Alison had done. "How come you never told us about that?" Josie asked. "Why would I?" Aria asked. "I felt like complete crap by the time I got home, and I made Alison promise to never tell a soul." she explained.

"Wait, so why is it in your locker? You've been hiding it this whole time?" Hanna asked. "No. No. it's just that, you guys..." Aria paused before looking around, making sure no one was listening. "Don't you remember when Ali's mom called us before her funeral and she asked all of us if we each wanted to put something... a keepsake in her casket?" Aria asked. "And that's what you put in there?" Hanna asked and Aria nodded. "So, real teeth or not, that was definitely stolen from Ali's grave." Spencer said, causing them to look around, paranoid.

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The next day, the girls were in the girls bathroom, talking. "That's all she said?" Aria asked. "Isn't that enough?" Hanna asked. "No. That is not enough, you have to go back to Radley Han." Spencer told her. "Alone," she added. "It's not that easy. Caleb is all over me." Hanna shot back. "I don't need to know that." Spencer told her as Josie sighed and fixed her ponytail in the bathroom mirror. "Well, Caleb's not finding dug-up jewellery in his locker." Aria pointed out. "Whose earring did Ali find in my dads couch?" Aria asked. "One question at a time." Spencer told her.

"Wait. You're not gonna ask your mom why she's suddenly defending Garrett? I mean, seriously, Spencer, what is that?" Hanna asked Spencer. "He's probably told her it's time to lock Jenna up." Emily said. "She was driving that night, guys, I remembered, clearly." Emily told them. "Em, we believe you," Josie assured her. "But, honestly, I don't think you remember anything clearly from that night, when we picked you up you kept calling 'Arlene'." Aria added.

"Guys, she can see, she's probably on Mona's payroll." Emily said. "Mon does not have any cash, they won't even let her have floss." Hanna told her before the bell rang. "Okay, let's just do this at lunch, I can't be late again." Spencer said and they went to exit the bathroom when they walked out, they spotted Jenna talking to a teacher. "I'll be right back, I just need to fill my water bottle." Jenna said as the girls moved back into the bathroom. "She's coming on here, Jenna's coming in here," Spencer said before looking at Aria. "Where's the earring?" she asked.

"What?" Aria asked, confused. "Give me the earring, I have an idea." Spencer told her. "What are we doing, do I get to slap her again?" Hanna asked. "No," Spencer told her as Aria handed the earring before she put it on the ledge over the sink. "Okay, get in the stalls." Spencer instructed. "Go, Go." She said as the girls split up, Josie went with Hanna and Spencer into a stall as Emily and Aria were next to them.

As soon as the girls shut the doors, Jenna walked in and the girls watched through the gaps in the doors as Jenna approached the sink, putting her bag on the edge of it to grab her bottle from her bag and as she began filling it up and then put it back in her bag but stops, looking at something before she picks up the earring, making the girls eyes widen. Jenna soon takes her sunglasses off and looks at the earring closer before putting it back, putting her sunglasses back on then leaving, making sure to use her cane when she opens the door.

The girls rushed out of the stalls as soon as she left. "I knew it. That is it. I'm going in for way more than a slap." Hanna said. "Hanna, stop." Spencer demanded. "Stop why?" Hanna snapped, making Spencer look at the others. "Don't look at me, I'm ready to hang a sign 'Bitch can see'." Aria told her. "Guys, she doesn't know that we know." Spencer pointed out. "She will in a minute." Emily shot back. "I think what Spencer means is we don't let her know that we know. Not yet anyway." Josie explained and Spencer nodded in agreement. "We can use this... and we will." Spencer told them.

⎯ AUTHORS NOTE
new chapter !!! <3