chapter thirty five
the first secret
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october 28th 2008

Josie was walking around with the girls, talking about what they were going to be for halloween, which is also Josie's 14th birthday. "So what do you think, Em? Should Hanna be 'cute Britney' or 'bald Britney'?" Alison asked. "If she wants to be, Cute Britney," Emily nodded. "Josie?" Alison asked, turning to look at her. "Han can be whoever she wants to be," Josie said with a small smile, making Hanna smile back at her as Alison turned to Aria. "Aria?" she asked. "She's not gonna shave her head," Aria said with a chuckle, making them all laugh as Alison turned around to look at Spencer, who was on her phone. "Spencer, you're worse than my father," Alison said, annoyance in her tone. "Sorry." Spencer apologised. "But I did just procure nine votes from the debate team," Spencer said with a smile.

"Wait, that's a good thing, right?" Hanna asked as Josie laughed. "Yeah. And 'procured' means to obtain with special effort. And 'obtain' means to-" Spencer started she was cut off. "Are you gonna recite the entire dictionary?" Alison asked as she looked back at Spencer, shutting her up, making Josie roll her eyes. "I think that Hanna should be who she wants to be." Spencer smiled as she patted Hanna's shoulder, making said girl smile at her while Alison sighed and nodded. "Fine. But you better wear the tightest skinny pants you can fit your big butt into" Alison said before they heard a phone ring and stopped walking as Emily took her phone out. "Ben?" Josie asked with a small smile. "He's all about me going as a sexy cop for Halloween, but I'm thinking, Indian girl." Emily smiled as they started hearing rock music, coming towards them and soon enough a car pulled up beside them..

The girls turned around to see Noel Kahn and his friends. Aria began fixing her hair as Hanna wrapped her cardigan around her more. "What a shame. All that testosterone and not a sheep in sight." Alison said with a smirk, making Josie laugh. "Careful, Alison. I get your jokes, but someday you might meet a guy who doesn't" Noel shot back, with a smirk of his own causing Alison to laugh at that and shake her head while Noel's eyes looked at the girls and then locked his eyes with Arias, making her smile nervously. "So am I gonna see you at my party on Friday?" Noel asked, all the girls looked at each other, shocked. "Um, I didn't know we were invited," Aria giggled sheepishly. "You're Ali's friend right?" Noel asked before they all heard a car honk behind him. "Come prepared to be scared," Noel said with a wide smile before he drove away.

Once he was gone the girls began laughing and cheering, minus Alison and Josie. Josie didn't quite care for Noel Kahn, he was an ass, there was nothing attractive about him at all. "Did we just get invited to Noel Kahn's Halloween bash?" Hanna asked with a wide smile, as she looked towards Alison, who was giving them looks. "I'm a little embarrassed by how excited you girls are. It's just a party." Alison said dryly as Josie nodded in agreement, walking up beside Alison from where she was next to Spencer. "Ali, it's not just a party," Spencer said. "It's the party," Aria said with excitement, making Josie giggle at her friend's excitement. "You're right. And I'm happy we'll be there together" Alison smiled, making the girls all laugh in excitement, even Josie, happy that her friends are happy as Aria jumped up before the girls continued walking as Alison rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. "We should get ready together. Spence, you've got the biggest bedroom. Let's have it there" Alison suggested. "Is that cool?" Spencer asked the other girls. "Yeah." Hanna agreed with a nod. "Ok." Spencer smiled as the girls walked but Emily stopped them as they were about to pass a house.

"Hold up. I think there's somebody in there," Emily said, looking up at the window on the top floor, making the girls follow her line of sight. "Are you just trying to scare us?" Hanna asked, grabbing onto Josie's arm in fear.  "No, I swear, I just saw someone in the window," Emily said, trying to get us to believe her. "Well, kids go in there all the time around Halloween. It's like a rite passage in this town, I made Richie do it when we were twelve." Josie said with a comforting smile, hoping to get Emily to relax as Spencer nodded in agreement. "I wish they'd just tear this place down already. Every time I walk by here I get the creeps," Aria admitted. "It's just an ugly old house, Aria," Alison said in annoyance. "I can't explain it. I just..." Aria trailed off. "I feel like something really bad happened here." Aria finished. "There's nobody in there. Come on" Spencer said softly before she began walking away, with the girls following her. .

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"Are you excited for your birthday this year?" Richie asked as he got the movie set up, along with other dvd's that he and Josie were going to watch that night. "Yeah, of course I am, I love my birthday," Josie said with a smile, as she walked into Richie's living room, a bowl of popcorn in her arms. "Also...I was wondering if you'd want to come with me to Noel Kahn party?" Josie asked shyly, making Richie turn to her. "Mom working the halloween shift again?" he asked and she nodded with a sigh. She didn't blame her mom, she understood. "So do you?" she asked again, putting the bowl of popcorn on top of the coffee table. "Yeah, I would like that, plus, free birthday party right? I mean without the cake," he said with an amused smile, making her laugh. "I know right," she laughed before sitting down on the couch.

"So, 'Friday the 13th' and then 'Halloween'?" he asked and Josie nodded. "Obviously," she said with a smile as Richie played the movie. "The girls going to the party?" he asked as they watched the intro to the movie, "Yeah," she mumbled. "But, I won't be with them all night, you're my friend too, way before they were." she said as she smiled at Richie. "Jo, it's fine, I don't mind, I get it, the girls are like sisters to you." he said, with a comforting smile, making Josie relax. She knew Richie wasn't a massive fan of Alison, but didn't mind the others, he just hated how Alison seemed to bully just about everyone in the school.

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The next day at school Josie was sitting at a table in the cafeteria with Aria and Emily while Spencer was handing out pins and trying to get people to vote for her when Hanna walked over and sat down. "Em, you need to go talk to Ben," she said as she nodded towards where Ben was sitting with his friends. "What's going on?" Emily asked, confused. "He's been telling all of his guy friends that you guys had sex last weekend." Hanna whispered, making both Josie and Aria gape, shocked. "What?" Aria said as she and Josie looked at Ben before they turned to look back at Emily. "Em, I will go over there with you. Let's shut this thing down right now." Aria sternly said as she grabbed onto Emily's arm.

"I'll even get Richie to help." Josie offered as Aria stood up, but Emily grabbed her arms and pulled her back. "Aria, don't and No Josie," Emily said in a pleading tone, making Josie frown in confusion while Aria gave her the same look. "Emily, you can't just ignore this." Aria softly but the look on Emily's face made Josie stop and raise her eyebrows. "Em?" Hanna asked. "Oh, my God." Josie muttered. "Is it true?" Aria asked, looking at Emily in shock but Emily didn't reply "Why didn't you tell us?" Hanna asked excitedly with a small smile. "Tell us what?" Alison asked as she took a seat next to Hanna but none of them were able to say anything when Mona Vanderwaal walked up to their table holding her lunch tray. "Hi, you guys," Mona smiled, hoping to sit down but Alison quickly shut it down. "If you ignore it, it'll go away" Alison said snarkily, making Josie breathe in, hating the way Alison was.

Mona quickly walked away after, going to sit somewhere else, leaving the girls to their conversation. "Ben's telling people we had sex," Emily admitted while Josie continued to eat. "What?" Spencer said in shock as she sat down next to Alison, in front of Josie, obviously hearing Emily's sentence. "And he's still breathing because?" Alison demanded with a blank but angry look on her face. "It's true." Josie said to Alison softly. "I can't believe Emily lost her vee before any one of us did." Hanna said, leaning over Alison to talk to Spencer, making Josie raise her brows at the obvious bit of jealousy in her tone.

"Why is that so hard to believe?" Emily asked Hanna, obviously had heard her, making Hanna backtrack. "I didn't mean anything by it, I just thought you were a prude." she said with a shrug of her shoulders, causing Josie to wince at the comment, knowing that wasn't any better. "Shy on the streets... sexy in the sheets." Alison said with a smirk on her face, making Emily blush lightly. The tone made Josie furrow her brows, but said nothing, not wanting to start an argument or something. "I knew there was something different about you." she added with a wide smirk.

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"Dinner!" Jennifer Carmen yelled out from the kitchen, making Josie get up from the couch and walked into the kitchen for dinner, seeing her favourite, her mothers lasagna. "You made my favourite?" she asked, confused as she sat down at the dinner table. "Thought we would celebrate your birthday tonight since i've got a shift tomorrow and you've got that Halloween party with the girls." her mother said with a smile as she walked towards Josie with a small box in her hands with a baby blue ribbon on it. "Open it," she said, passing the gift to her daughter before sitting down as Josie opened it and gasping as she looked at the beautiful silver locket.

"Oh mum, it's beautiful, I love it." Josie said as she pulled the locket out of the box and clipped it around her neck, letting it hang there, right below her collarbone before she looked up at her mother. "Thank you mom," she said, getting up and hugging her mother, making Jennifer smile as she turned and kissed her daughter's forehead before Josie sat back down and the mother-daughter duo dug into their dinner, laughing at memories that they told and Josie loved every second of it.

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"Happy Birthday!" Richie exclaimed as he picked Josie up into a tight hug. "Oh god," Josie yelped in surprise before laughing. "Thank you," she said with a small smile. "Here," he said, passing her a box, making her furrowed her brows before opening it up to see a framed collage of photos of them from ages five to now, making her smile. "Oh rich, i love it," she said with a wide smile as she put it in her locker and hugged Richie tightly making him smile. "Really?" he asked softly, and he felt her nod against his shoulder.

"Thank god, i had no idea what to get you." he mumbled, making the girl laugh as they pulled away from the hug as she closed her locker. "I've gotta talk to the coach but I'll see later at the party," he said, making her nod. "I've gotta find the girls anyway." she said before they waved goodbye and Josie walked, going to find the girls, which didn't take long, they were by Alison's locker. She walked up to them as Alison shut her locker. "Happy birthday Jo," the girls said, minus Spencer who was stressing about the class president election. "Will you stop stressing? I took care of it." Alison said to Spencer once she noticed the far off expression on her face.

"took care of what?" Hanna asked in confusion. "I helped her with her acceptance speech." Alison said after a while, making Josie frown, that was definitely a lie Josie thought as Aria walked up to them. "Easy on the coffee, spence. your hand's already shaking." Emily said to Spencer.  "Are you kidding? Spencer bleeds caffeine." Josie jokes with a smile on her face, making Aria and the girls laugh. "You okay, sweetie?" Alison asked Aria, making the girls confused.  "I'm fine." Aria said with a shrug of her shoulders. "What's wrong, Aria?" Spencer asked, concerned. "How's your mom?" Alison asked, obviously knowing something that the others didn't, like usual.

"Ali." Aria warned quietly, obviously not wanting to talk about what was wrong with her and the girls even more confused. Alison went to walk, the girls following but suddenly someone runs into her, spilling their drink on her shoes.  "i-i'm sorry." the person says, bending down to clean her shoes with the arm on his Halloween jumper. "I'm sorry, Ali-" he started but she cut him off. "Don't touch me." she snapped as the girls watched the situation unfold.  "It was just an accident." he said softly, standing up.  "Is that what the doctors told your mom and dad at the hospital?" Alison asked, causing Josie to shift on her feet. "What?" he asked confused, not understanding. "I've heard the stories about you, hermie." she said, with her usual tone, that made people want to run in the other direction of her,

"My name is lucas." he said, trying to defend himself as he picked up his bag. "You'll always be hermie to me." she said, not caring about his name. "Do you still have both?" She asked, faking a confused face as looked at him, narrowed eyes.  "What are you talking about?" Lucas asked, not understanding what Alison was talking about as the girls shared a confused look as Josie and Hanna linked arms. "Come on, girls." she said, becoming the girls to follow her away from Lucas. "Both what, Ali?" Hanna asked, confused. "Parts, hanna. He's half-guy, half-girl." Alison answered nonchalantly as the six girls walked into the courtyard before an announcement came over the speakers. "Students, the wait is over. to say it was a tight race is an understatement. winning by two votes, please congratulate Spencer Hastings, your new class president!" the person said, making everyone cheer for her, mainly her friends as the girls hugged her as Alison gave Spencer a smirk, not that the girls saw.

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Later that night, the girls were over at Spencers. Josie was going as a dead cheerleader, she had brought the costume at the store before coming over to Spencers. She had just finished her make-up before Aria walked in, still in her clothes from school, no costume in sight. "Hey." she said, greeting her friends. "Hey." Hanna answered back as she turned away from the mirror. "Hey. Where's your costume?" she asked, confused, as she looked at Aria. "I'm just not really feeling like going to a party, but I wanted to see you guys all dressed up.," she answered with a shrug.

"What's this about, Aria?" Alison asked as she turned her head from Spencer's desk where she was doing her make-up, making everyone silent as Alison and Aria have a stare off before Alison looks away, continuing her make-up. "Oh, my gosh! you guys!" Spencer suddenly exclaimed, making the girls jump as Spencer hid behind the wall next to the window. "There's somebody out there." Emily gasped as the rest of the girls looked out the window. "He's watching us." Josie said, scared as she and the girls looked at the person in the baby mask and looked at them from outside. "Oh, my god." Hanna said, shocked. "Who is that?" Aria asked in a whisper. "I am so creeped out." Hanna said with a frown.  "Whoever it was, they're gone." Alison said, bringing little comfort to the girls.

"That was beyond creepy." Josie breathed out as she fixed her ponytail. "It's Halloween, Hanna. don't you love a good scare?" Alison asked with a smirk just before the doorbell rings, freaking the girls out. "It's probably the pizza guy." Spencer answered, before looking outside as the doorbell rings again. "Hurry up before he leaves." Alison said to Spencer, who was still freaked. "I don't want to go down alone." Spencer said softly. "I'll go," Josie offered as Emily nodded in agreement as they began walking out of Spencer's room. "Yeah, me too, I'm hungry." Hanna added as she followed Josie and Emily, Spencer followed Hanna, leaving Aria and Alison in Spencer's room.

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The girls walked around the backyard of Noel Kahn's party when they were approached by Noel Kahn himself, who was dressed up as a surgeon of some sort. "Is the doctor in?" Alison asked with a smirk. "Actually, I'm a gynaecologist." He corrected her. "Ooh." Alison replied, causing Noel to smirk. "Care to make an appointment?" he teased, making Josie cringe.

"Hot chick," he said, pointing to Alison before pointing to Hanna. "Britney," then turned to Aria. "hot witch," Then to Emily. "hot indian chick," then Josie. "hot cheerleader," and lastly, Spencer's. "and, uh..." he trailed off. "Mary, Queen of scots." Spencer answered. "He doesn't know who that is." Hanna told Spencer. "Does anybody?" Alison said with a scoff and a laugh, making Josie snicker quietly. "She was born to be queen, but her cousin stole the throne, and then she was accused of treason and her family had her executed." Spencer said with a smile as a new song begins and Noel walks off. "It's my song, let's hit the dance floor!" Alison says and all the girls walked off to the dance floor while Josie walked off to find Richie, not in the mood to dance.

It didn't long before Josie found Richie with some of his lacrosse friends. "Yo Carmen!" one of the boys yelled out with a smile, making her wave back, as she took a seat next to Richie as she joined in the conversation, having fun. "So how's your birthday been so far Carmen?" one of the other guys asked. "It's good, i'm enjoying it," she said, rubbing her arms, feeling cold, hating herself for not bringing a jacket, when suddenly she felt something covering her arms, she turns to see Richie giving her a smile. He had given her his jackets. "Thanks." she muttered as she put her arms through it and wrapped it around herself.

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Half an hour later she had decided to meet back up with the girls. She had found Hanna and Aria, who were walking towards Emily who was sitting on a bench by herself, she still had Richie's Jacket, she had tried to give it back but he refused to take it back, saying he'd be okay. Once the three friends reached Emily, Josie sat down next to her. "Hey. Have you seen Ali?" Hanna asked Emily, who shook her head no. "Not lately." she answered. "Okay..." Spencer trailed off as she walked over to the girls. "I used to think that I was born in the wrong century, but now that I've actually gone to the bathroom in this thing." she said in frustration.

"Have you seen Ali?" Aria asked, cutting off Spencer's sentence slightly. "Last I saw her she was at the bonfire." Spencer answered, looking at her friends before they all looked over at the party, trying to see if they could see Alison. "You don't think she'd bail on us, do you?" Emily asked as their cell phones ring, making them share a confused look. "That's weird." Hanna commented, before looking at her phone. "Right," Josie uttered as she unlocked her phone. "Oh, it's from Ali." Spencer said, making them relax but not for long. ""I'm in trouble. come alone."" Josie read out before looking at her friends, fear in all their eyes before they all looked up and saw the same person or costume from what they saw outside Spencer's window, looking at them.

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"What's the address?" Aria asked as the five of them walked down the road towards the address where Alison told them to come too. "313 Mockingbird." Spencer answered as she looked at her phone, but once they stopped outside the address, it was the house from the other day, the one Aria had feared about and Emily thought they saw someone in the window. "I am not going in there," Hanna said with a shake of her head. "No, this is some kind of joke. she's not in there." Spencer said, not believing Alison is in there. "What if it's not a joke?" Emily asked scared as Josie played with the sleeves of Richie's jacket and so the girls decided to go inside, Emily, going in first, the girls following after. "Ali?" Josie yelled out, hoping they wouldn't have to be in the house long. "This isn't funny anymore, Ali." Aria yelled out, fed up and scared.The girls walked around only having some light from the moon peeking through boards on the window to light their way around. "Alison!" Spencer called out.

Then the girls heard something behind them, making them gasp and turn around, only to see nothing and no one there. "It was just the wind." Spencer said, hoping to comfort her friends. "Come on." she added, as she led the girls further into the house as they continued to walk around the house, looking for Alison as they heard floorboards creak in distance, making Josie gulp lightly. "I hate this, we are like the dumb girls in horror movies." Josuie muttered as she linked her arm with Aria as the girls walked up the stairs, towards where they heard noise. They searched the top floor, but it seemed no one was there. "Ali?" Emily asked, looking into a room but soon screamed, making the girls scream as well before calming down, only to see a suit jacket hanging up, not a person,

Emily tried another door but it just rattled, seemingly locked unlike the other doors, which were open so they continued walking, trying to find Alison. "You guys." Spencer said, gaining their attention to the door at the end of the hall, where they could hear footsteps and see a shadow of a person pacing in front of the door. "It's locked." Spencer whispered to her friends. "Ali?" Emily whispered, hoping it was Alison behind the door when suddenly it opened, revealing Alison. "Did you see him? Is he still here?" Alison asked frantically, scared and Josie or the girls had never seen Alison scared like this. "Who?" Josie whispered, confused.  "Come on." She said, ushering the girls inside the room, before shutting it. "I don't know who it is." she said as she turned to the girls. "Ali, what is going on?" Josie asked, freaked out. "He grabbed me at the party, I tried to scream, but he's got a knife." Alison admitted, scaring the girls more.

"For real?" Emily breathed out in disbelief. "He said he brought me here to kill me." Alison told them and she looked like she had seen a ghost "I'm calling 911." Hanna said, pulling her phone out and unlocking it. "He locked me in a closet, and when he opened it, I just freaked on him." Alison said with a frown. "I've been hiding up here ever since." Alison told them. "I'm not getting a signal." Hanna told them as she looked at her phone. "There's nobody out there." Josie said, looking through the hole in the lock of the door, hoping to ease Alison's nerves and get the hell out of this house. "Ali, it's probably just somebody trying to scare you." Aria said, with a shake of her head.

"Look i'm telling you, It's that guy that was watching us at spencer's, he's wearing the same costume." Alison confessed, making Josie gulp and move on her feet out of nerves. "No, we have to get out of here now." Spencer exclaimed. "No, I'm not going anywhere until we know that freak's gone!" Hanna yelled back, making Josie shh her, not wanting to draw attention to where they were. "Look, I called you from the hallway, I know I've got a signal there," Alison said as she opened the door and went to leave before turning to her friends. "lock the door behind me." she told them

"Ali, are you sure?" Josie asked, as she stepped up, locking eyes with Alison. "No, Ali, don't." Aria said sadly, not knowing what's gonna happen. "Don't open this door for anyone but me." She told them again. "Lock the door." she said before leaving and Emily locked the door and it was silent before they heard Alison scream bloody murder, making the girls pound on the door as Emily tried unlocking it but it wouldn't budge. "Ali!" the girls yelled out. "It's jammed!" Emily said fearfully. "you guys, it's jammed!" Spencer screamed. "Ali!" Josie screamed as they heard more scream from Alison. "Help me," Alison screamed out, making Josie cry, hating this. "No!" Alison yelled out as she was slammed into the wall. "Ali!" the girls kept yelling out. "Alison!" Spencer screamed

"Oh, my god, Ali!" Emily said, as she watched through the hole in the lock of the door as the girls kept screaming for Alison until Emily saw the baby mask making Emily scream and the girls as well. They had quickly decided to climb out through the window, not wanting to encounter the other person in the house. "Emily, are you okay?" Josie asked as Emily got out of the window last as the girls waited for her. "Let's go!" she added as she ran off, the girls following her. "You guys, please! Move!" she begged as she ran round the front of the house again, hoping to help Alison. "You guys, come on!" Spencer said as she caught up to Josie as the others were behind them. "Come on!" Josie muttered as the girls ran back into the house. "Ali?" Emily called out, holding a stick, hoping it would help fight against someone if anyone tried to attack them. "Ali?" Aria called out just as they heard a creaking, making them turn to see Alison perfectly fine, sitting in an old rocking chair.

"Alison." Spencer yelled out in surprise, causing her to turn to the girls. "Look at you five, you're scared to death." she said with a small chuckle. "Totally got you." she added with a small smile, but none of the girls were amused. "It was a hoax. The zombie was noel." Alison said before Emily dropped the stick she had brought in case she needed to defend them. "Happy halloween." she said with a smirk as Aria shook her head before Alison licked something off the knife that was in her hand. "Ketchup." she explained, before turning to Hanna. "Want some, hanna?" she asked but the girls didn't give her a response as Hanna turned her head away and wiped her tears. "Come on, you guys... it was funny." she said, trying to defend herself as she stood up from the rocking chair. "we're not laughing." Josie said, voice strained from the crying as she wrapped the jacket around her more.

"Well, you should be. you guys passed the test." Alison said, confusing the girls. "What test?" Aria asked, annoyance dripping from her tone. "The way you guys came charging in here," she started. "I know I can count on you now... If I really need you, you'll be there for me." she explained. "Let's go. we're missing a party." she said before walking away from the girls, and they took a second to follow, still shaken up from the events moments ago and the walk back to the party was in silence and it wasn't long before they had arrived back to the party, but it seemed different. 

"I feel like we came back to a different party." Josie said as she pulled her phone out, texting Richie to see where he was, she didn't feel like spending another minute here with Alison, not tonight, not on her birthday. "I know, everyone's so much older." Aria replied as she and the girls looked around. "What's your sister doing here?" Aria asked Spencer once she had spotted the older Hastings sibling. "Oh, these must be Eric's friends, He's Noel's older brother" Spencer answered her as she looked towards where her sister was.

"Who's that guy dressed up as a cop?" Emily asked as she and the others looked over at the guy in the police uniform. "That's not a costume, he's a real cop." Hanna replied. "Do you know him?" Aria asked her, surprised she knew who it was. "No. um, I've just... seen him directing traffic." Hanna stammered with her word, and even if her friends didn't believe her, they didn't show it or mention it. As Alison walked back up to them, someone in a baby faced mask came up behind her and called her a bitch before walking away, confusing the girls. "Who is that?" Alison asked in annoyance before Noel ran up to them, more specially Alison, in a baby masked costume, without the mask.

"Don't hate me, okay?" He pleaded. "Are you kidding? It was perfect." Alison assured him with a smile.

"You're not mad?" He asked confused as Josie replied back to Riches about meeting him back at his once she had said goodbye to her friends. "No! the way you shoved me against that wall? you even scared me." Alison replied with a smirk. "Uh, I'm not sure what you're talking about." Noel said, confused. "Noel. we know that it was you, Alison told us." Aria explained to him but Noel looked confused as hell still, making Josie's heart drop, if it wasn't Noel, then who was it. "If somebody messed with you guys, it wasn't me." he admitted, making Alison frown and the girls worried. "My brother took the car for a beer run. I've been stuck here all night." he added. "If you're lying to me–" Alison started to threaten him but Noel cut her off. "I'm not." he assured her before walking off. "if it wasn't you..." Alison trailed off as her phone went off.

UNKNOWN ID
Dying to know who
I am? You'll find out
⎯ A

"Who is it?" Aria asked, confused as to why Alison went quiet. "It's a secret." Alison said with a strained smile, making Josie sigh. "Look, I'm gonna head home, I'm not feeling the party anymore," Josie said, making the girls nod in understanding and after she had bid her friend farewell, she walked off, towards Richie's house, unaware of a person in a baby face mask watching her as she walked home.

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"It was so stupid! We thought she was actually in trouble, why did we believe her," Josie ranted as she paced in Richie's living room as he was in the kitchen. He told her he was doing something and she couldn't enter, so she stayed pacing and ranting about her awful night. "It's Alison, she's not the most sane person Jo," Richie called out from the kitchen. "Okay close your eyes," he added and she followed the intrusion. "You can open now." he said, and she noticed he was closer, no longer in the kitchen. She opened her eyes to see Richie with a cupcake with a love heart candle, making her smile wide. "Oh Richie," she whispered. "Make a wish birthday girl." he teased, making her laugh before blowing out her candle before hugging Richie tightly, being careful of the cupcake in his hand. "Thank you for being there," she mumbled into his shoulder. "It's not a problem Jo," he said before she pulled back and started eating the cupcake, getting a piece of frosting on her nose, making Richie laugh at her.

⎯ AUTHORS NOTE
new chapter && pre-pll josie and richie !!