Ethan's Pov

The girls and I were near the entrance of the courtyard watching Jenna. She was running her fingers along a brail  music sheet in her lap, keeping up with her 'blind' act.

"God, what a performance" Hanna scoffed.

"Can you imagine faking it for so long? What do you think she's planning?" I asked, my curiosity taking over.

"Well, that's what Aria has to find out" Spencer said.

This made Aria look at her with wide eyes in shock, clearly not expecting her to say that.

"She trusts you. Or at least she wants you to think that she does" Spencer said.

"Great. That's awesome" Aria sarcastically said.

"Hey, I'll trade you Mona for Jenna" Hanna offered.

"No thanks" Aria quickly said.

"I think I felt safer when Mona wasn't talking" Emily said.

"There she goes" I said.

The girls turned around to see Jenna standing up as she took her stick out and began walking away.

"We should push a table in front of her and see what happens" Hanna suggested.

"God, Hanna, you have all the subtlety of a hand grenade" Spencer chuckled.

"Thank you" Hanna smiled.

I chuckled softly at her and shook my head, gently patting her head.

With that the five of us walked back inside the school building as we began walking around in the hallway together.

"Has your mom said anything to either of you about taking Garrett's case?" Emily asked, looking at me and Spencer.

"Not yet. But Melissa's coming home tomorrow, so she'll probably tell the three of us at the same time" Spencer said.

"Cause that's how it works in our family. We keep the one-on-ones to a minimum" I sarcastically smiled.

"You're not helping yourself, Mr. Gottesman" we heard Principal Hackett say loudly.

We stopped walking and turned around to see Lucas walking away, an annoyed expression on his face, while Principal Hackett stood a few feet behind him.

"This all goes on your permanent record!" Principal Hackett yelled.

Lucas just rolled his eyes and continued walking, but when his eyes locked on mine and Hanna he stopped. He spared us a quick glance before quickly walking away.

Hanna and I looked at each other before following behind him, determined to find out what was wrong with our friend.

We walked around for a bit before we found him in one of the classrooms. We entered the room and saw him staring at the letter in his hand.

"Lucas? Why is vice-principal Hackett so mad at you?" Hanna asked in concern.

Lucas turned to look at us and held the letter up in his hand.

"I'm supposed to give this to my parents. It looks like I've lost my positive attitude. Negatively impacting my social interactions and grades" Lucas explained, walking towards us.

I frowned while Hanna continued looking at him in concern.

What happened to Lucas over the summer that made him like this?

"Impacting? Impacting. That's not even a word" Lucas angrily scoffed.

"Are you ok?" I softly asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm just fine" Lucas smiled.

My eyes widened when he took a lighter out and set the letter on fire, I looked at Hanna only to see her eyes widening in shock as well.

"No! Lucas, what are you doing?! Stop!" Hanna yelled.

We both tried to stop him but he shoved us away, the smile remained on his face before he threw the still burning letter in the trash bin.

He rolled his eyes before leaving the room. Hanna and I quickly grabbed some nearby magazines and tried to put the fire out with it, but nothing.

I jumped back when water was spilled into the bin, causing me to look up, only to see Caleb looking at us with a confused and worried look on his face.

I heard footsteps and turned around to see Alyssa behind him, the same confused and worried look on her face.

"What the hell is going on?" Caleb asked.

"Yeah, who the hell was trying to set a fire in school?" Alyssa asked.

"Look, we'll explain later but we gotta get out of here, now" I urgently said.

Hanna nodded and quickly grabbed Caleb by the arm, dragging him out of the room.

"Ethan-" Alyssa started but I cut her off.

"Alyssa, I'll explain later, come on" I said.

I slid my hand into hers and we both ran out of the room, not wanting to be there any longer.

A Few Minutes Later

Alyssa had taken me to another classroom and got me some water to help me cool down after what happened with Lucas.

When I managed to cool down a bit I explained to Alyssa what happened.

"You're telling me that he set his letter on fire and dumped it in the bin, not caring if he somehow set the entire building on fire?" Alyssa asked incredulously.

"Yeah. But it just doesn't make sense, why would he do something like that?" I asked, still confused.

"I mean I'd burn a letter like that just so my parents won't see it, but I'd stop it once it's completely ruined" Alyssa shrugged.

I shot her a slightly amused look before shaking my head.

"No, it's just not like him to do something like that. Lucas is one of my best friends and he used to be such a good kid. What changed?" I asked.

Alyssa sighed and sat on a table next to me.

"Ethan, everyone changes when growing up, they don't stay innocent forever. I think he's just trying something new" Alyssa shrugged.

"I get that, but what caused him to change? Why is he acting so different?" I asked.

I can understand if his change in behavior has something to do with Alison's harsh bullying. I mean, it makes sense, given that Ali treated him like complete crap.

But he's not the only one, the entire school were victims of Alison's bullying.

What happened over the summer that made him like this?

"Maybe he met someone, someone that changed him for the better or for worse. But if he's acting this way because of his own free will, I think you should just leave it alone and try not to question it too much. At least not now" Alyssa softly said.

I stared at her for a few seconds before sighing and looking down at my lap.

Maybe she's right.

Maybe Lucas met someone over the summer and they changed him. Either for better, or for worse, or maybe a mixture of both.

Or maybe he decided he wanted to change, that he didn't want to continue being the same person he was before.

And if that's the case I should respect his decision and not question it, at least not now.

"You're right, Alyssa. It's best I just leave him alone, if this is something that he wants and is happy with, I won't question it, at least for now" I said.

Alyssa smiled at me and nodded, happy with my answer.

A smile made it's way onto my face and I gently grabbed her hand.

"You give such great advice, really, you do" I softly said.

"Well, what can I say, it's a gift" Alyssa smirked proudly.

I chuckled at that and shook my head, causing Alyssa to laugh and shake her head as well.

I looked down at her hand and gently rubbed the top of it with my thumb, causing Alyssa to let out a small giggle.

We both looked at each other and smiles made their way onto our faces, both of our cheeks heating up.

What is it about this girl that makes me act this way?

The Next Day

The girls and I were in the cafeteria for lunch and Aria was currently telling us what Jenna told her today.

"Look it in the eye?" Spencer asked.

"That's what she said" Aria said.

"That opens a whole new dimension of creepy" Hanna shivered in fear.

"Toby found her eye drops, and Garrett's in jail. Maybe she's getting careless about hiding things" Emily suggested.

"Yeah, like that other earring" Hanna said.

"If you find that, case closed. Jenna is working with this A" I said and Spencer nodded

"It's not just the earring that we have to worry about" Aria said.

"Whoever opened Ali's grave found all the keepsakes we put inside that coffin" Emily said, clearly worried.

"We're gonna sort it out, Em. I can snoop and play the keyboard at the same time" Aria said as she picked up her fork.

"Maybe this is a trap" Emily said.

This made us look at her with raised eyebrows before Aria spoke up.

"I'm also pretty good at running" Aria smiled.

Hanna snorted while I chuckled and shook my head in amusement.

"Do you remember when she knocked over that beehive?" Hanna asked.

Spencer laughed at that when I heard a phone ring. I turned around to see Emily looking at her phone, an emotionless look on her face.

"It's your mom. She posted the grades for that makeup test. Might as well get that over with" Emily sighed.

I reached over to pat her shoulder, trying to give her some comfort.

Whatever grade she got I know that she did her best, whether she failed or passed, she did her best and that's what matters.

"Wait a minute. You knocked over that beehive" Spencer said, looking at Hanna.

"Yeah, but it's a better story if she did it" Hanna shrugged.

"No, this can't be right. I got a 94 on the test" Emily said, her eyes wide in shock.

"Whoa!" Spencer said, impressed.

"Awesome job, Em. I knew you could do it" I grinned, ruffling her hair.

"I wish I was pulling nineties. And, you know what Em, don't go all Spencer on your grades" Hanna said, making me snort.

"Excuse me" Spencer said, clearly offended.

"No, I couldn't have gotten that. I didn't even finish the test" Emily said, clearly confused.

"So it was a mistake" Hanna shrugged.

I saw the look on Emily's face and I can tell she was thinking of a different outcome.

"But you don't think it was a mistake" I said.

"The last thing I need right now is people thinking I cheated" Emily said.

"Wait, Em. You think that someone went into the school computer and boosted your grade?" Hanna asked.

"Someone in particular?" Spencer asked, raising an eyebrow.

There's literally only one person that can do stuff like that.

"Wait. Are we getting a little paranoid right now?" Aria asked.

"You're not paranoid if someone's really out to get you" Emily said, clearly frustrated with what's going on.

Back At Home

Spencer and I walked inside the house and when we got inside we saw Melissa by the trash bin.

"Hey, sorry we're late" Spencer said.

"Not a problem. Mom's not here yet. Dad called" Melissa said.

"How was Washington?" I asked, setting my bag on the kitchen counter.

"Muggy" Melissa shrugged.

She made her way to the living room and sat down on the couch, setting her feet on the coffee table as she grabbed a book.

"Are you ok?" Spencer asked in concern.

"Tired" Melissa sighed.

"But you had a good time?" I asked.

"Relatively" Melissa nodded, flashing me a small smile.

I flashed her a small smile and nodded as Spencer and I started walking upstairs to head to our rooms.

"Mom" Melissa suddenly said.

"Hi, honey. Spencer, Ethan, I need to talk to you. All three of you" Mom said.

Spencer and I looked at each other before walking back downstairs and made our way into the living room.

"This is gonna become public knowledge soon, but I wanted you to hear it from me first. We've discussed this at the firm, and I've decided to defend Garrett Reynolds" Mom said.

Oh you've gotta be fucking kidding me.

Spencer and I glanced at each other before looking at Melissa, I can tell she wasn't shocked by the news, if anything she seemed a bit happy.

"Why?" Spencer finally managed to ask.

"I spoke to his mother. I know what it's like to have a child accused of something they didn't do" Mom said.

"Yeah, but the police have evidence" I said and Spencer nodded.

"Maybe they do. I'd like to see what it is" Mom shrugged, looking down at her feet.

"So you're doing this out of curiosity?" Spencer asked.

"I'm doing this because everyone deserves a strong defense" Mom said.

"Ok, but why do you have to be his lawyer? He already has one" I asked, confused.

"I know his public defender. Hector is competent to handle you for disturbing the peace,but he's out of his league with this. He couldn't even get a change of venue" Mom said.

"Ok, then have somebody else do it. There must be a hundred other lawyers who can" Spencer said.

"I'm sure there are. I don't know any that would take the case pro Bono" Mom said.

"You're doing this for free? Are you kidding me?" I asked, shocked.

"That's very generous of you" Melissa spoke up.

Mom glanced at her and nodded before looking back at me and Spencer.

"Ok, so you talked to his parents. Have you spoken with Garrett?" I asked.

"Yes. I found his story to be credible" Mom said.

"What story is that?" Spencer asked, getting angry and frustrated.

"All I can say is that. He convinced me of his lack of guilt as pertains to the charges" Mom said.

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fist at my side, already getting angry and frustrated.

"Mom, what the hell are you doing? Ok, this is the man who killed my best friend. He killed the girl that Emily was in love with!" I angrily yelled.

"Accused of killing them, honey" Mom softly but sternly said.

She turned around and walked into the kitchen, making me scoff in disbelief.

I ran a hand through my hair while Spencer turned to Melissa.

"Will you say something?" Spencer asked.

"What do you want me to say?" Melissa asked, annoyed.

"This does involve you" Spencer said.

"Any interest I had in any of this ended three months ago" Melissa sternly said.

Mom turned around to glance at Melissa before shaking her head and turning away.

Spencer and I looked at each other, unsure of how to process all of this.

A Few Minutes Later

I made my way downstairs to see if I could talk to Melissa. If she's the reason mom decided to defend Garrett I'm going to find out why.

When I got downstairs I saw Melissa drinking a glass of wine. She turned around and when she saw me she sighed.

"When you tell mom, be accurate. This is my second, not including lunch" Melissa said.

"That's none of my business, besides you're an adult, you can drink whatever you want as long as you have control over it" I said.

"That's correct, thank you, baby bro" Melissa smiled.

"I do want to ask you something, though" I said.

She turned around to face me and nodded her head, gesturing me to continue.

"How do you really feel about mom defending Garrett?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"How I feel? I'm completely indifferent" Melissa shrugged.

"Yeah, sis, no offence but I don't really buy that. I think that somehow you convinced her to do it" I said.

"Why would I do that?" Melissa asked, confused.

"I don't know. But I know that you and he got awfully tight just before he was arrested" I said.

Melissa sighed and shook her head as she picked up her glass of wine.

"You have a lurid imagination, Ethan. You and Spencer" Melissa said before walking into the living room.

"My imagination is nothing compared to the facts, Melissa. You were on that video in Ali's bedroom, and when he walked out of that bedroom, he did something terrible, something that everyone is aware of" I explained.

"Ethan, little bro, I say this as nicely as possible. Stop trying to be the smartest person in the room, stop trying to be the hero. I know that you do everything you can to protect your friends and family and get them the justice that they deserve, but at times you need to learn when to stop. Climb out of whatever world you're in long enough to see that some people have lost everything, everything" Melissa sternly said.

I stared at my sister in disbelief, are you kidding me right now?

Melissa sighed and ran a hand through her hair, looking frustrated.

I bit my lip, debating if I should ask her about her time in the hospital in June, it took a few seconds before I decided to ask her.

"Melissa. When you called back in June from the hospital, when you were there, Spencer and I asked mom if we could come up and see you. We did. And she said no" I said.

Melissa stared at me for a few seconds before sighing sadly.

"I didn't want to see anybody else. I woke up in that room a hundred Miles from here. And I knew something was wrong. I just wanted mom" Melissa softly said.

I felt a small tear slid down my cheek, feeling really bad for what my sister went through.

Melissa's lips trembled as she struggled to hold in her tears. She shook her head and turned around and began walking away.

"I'm sorry you lost your baby" I managed to choke out.

Melissa stared at the door for a few seconds before turning around to look at me.

"You know, I hope she does get him off. Guilty or not" Melissa said.

"Why?" I asked, confused.

"Because of all the men I've had to deal with, he is the only one who's always told me the truth. I figured it out too late, but I figured it out" Melissa said.

She flashed me a tiny smile before turning around and leaving the house.

A Few Hours Later

The girls came over and we were in my room discussing a few things.

Hanna and Emily were sitting on my bed while Spencer, Aria and I were standing.

"Earplugs?" Hanna asked.

"That's what it said" Aria said.

"Ok, tomorrow's Wednesday" Spencer said.

"If it means this week" Emily said.

"God, I wish people would be more specific with their clues" Hanna said in annoyance.

"Yeah, I'll put it in the suggestion box" I sarcastically smiled.

"So what do we do about this?" Aria asked.

"I want to know where Jenna is tomorrow at 4:15" Spencer said.

"She asked about you, Em" Aria said, turning around to look at Emily.

"What did she want to know?" Emily asked, confused.

"How you were holding up" Aria said.

Emily shook her head, clearly not believing it, honestly I didn't believe it either.

"She wants to know if you can remember being in the car with her. She just can't come out and say it" Spencer said.

"This is crazy. It's like trying to read a book and someone keeps ripping out the pages" Emily sighed.

"Em, we'll put it together, alright" Hanna reassured her.

"Yeah. We know that somewhere between being with us and getting to Alison's grave, you were with Jenna. We just have to find out how you got in the car and where you went, and we'll be that much closer to figuring out what happened that night" I explained.

Spencer nodded before we heard a phone ring. We turned around to see Aria taking her phone out as she answered the call.

"Mom, hey" Aria said before stepping out of the room to talk to her mother.

Spencer sighed before sitting down on my desk while I sat down on the edge of my bed.

"Have either of you spoken to your mom?" Emily asked, looking at me and Spencer.

"Yeah. She gave a prepared statement. And then she declined to answer any questions" I sighed.

"Ok, why is she doing this?" Hanna asked.

"Melissa made her do it. I know. I just...I don't know why" Spencer said.

I bit my lip, trying to stop myself from saying anything.

There has to be more to the story. There has to be another reason why mom is doing this. If Melissa didn't make her do it, why is she defending him?

"Is she afraid of something Garrett could say?" Emily asked, confused.

I sighed and shook my head, that's what I want to figure out myself.

"I had a thought about Garrett and Melissa" Hanna spoke up.

"What kind of thought?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"A pretty nasty one" Hanna said.

Spencer and I looked at each other before looking back at Hanna, our curiosity getting the best of us.

"Ok, now you have to say it" Spencer said.

"What if Garrett and Melissa got together?" Hanna asked.

This made my eyes widen and Hanna quickly spoke up when that happened.

"I mean, he went to the hospital with her to get her ultrasound" Hanna said.

"Where are you going with this?" Emily asked, confused.

"I'm saying, what if Ian's not the father of Melissa's baby?" Hanna asked.

What the hell?!

"Ok, next stop twilight zone" Spencer said, clearly shocked by what she said.

"Wait. If Garrett got Melissa pregnant, why wouldn't she marry him?" Emily asked.

It was silent for a few seconds, Spencer and I glanced at each other, before looking back at the others.

"Well, our parents might not have liked Ian, but he still had it over a civil servant" I said, earning a nod from Spencer.

"When Garrett was talking about medical records, we thought he was talking about Jenna's" Hanna said.

Emily immediately caught on and looked up at me and Spencer.

"Jenna's medical records wouldn't have changed your mother's mind, but, Melissa's" Emily said.

This made mine and Spencer's eyes widen as we looked at each other, clearly in disbelief.

Is Garrett really the father of Melissa's baby?

Is this why mom is defending him?

Or is there another reason behind it?

I snapped out of my thoughts when Aria walked back into the room.

"So, my mom can't drive me to Philadelphia tomorrow. He has to speak with the vice-principal" Aria said.

Emily's eyes widened, clearly confused and worried.

"About what?" Emily asked.

"I don't know. She didn't say" Aria said.

Late At Night

I don't know how but Hanna managed to convince me to go back to Radley to visit Mona.

I didn't want to go at all, I couldn't face Mona, especially after my outburst during my last visit.

But in my defense I had every right to be angry, I had every right to yell at her and throw that chair.

She was my best friend and it turns out she was the one that was torturing us and the one that ran me over with a car and nearly killed me.

But, we still need answers and she's the only one that can give them to us.

And despite what she's done to me and the others, I can't find it in my heart to just abandon her.

So, here we are now, walking with one of the staff as they guided us to the room that Mona was in.

We found Mona in one of the rooms with a few girls, she was showing them a few pictures from a magazine she was holding.

When the staff opened the door and let us pass we walked in and stood by the door.

Mona's eyes immediately met ours and to say she was confused and shocked would be an understatement.

When she saw Hanna a soft smile appeared on her face, causing Hanna to sigh.

However, when she saw me her eyes widened and I saw various emotions wash through her eyes.

I swallowed thickly and sent a tiny wave to her. Mona sent me a soft smile, except this one was a smile filled with sadness and guilt.

Mona excused herself from the other girls and walked towards us. She stared at us for a few seconds before smiling and standing in between us, linking her arms with ours.

I tensed up, not expecting her to do that. Hanna leaned over and gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze, reassuring me that I was fine and that she was with me.

I took a few deep breaths before nodding at her, silently thanking her.

Mona walked over to get some water, she unlinked her arm with mine so she could hold her cup.

"My mouth is always really dry. It's the pills. Really dry. So I drink a lot of water. Sort of like a cleanse" Mona explained.

Hanna and I nodded, a bit awkwardly for that matter.

"Do either of you want some water?" Mona asked, unlinking her arm from Hanna's.

"Um, no. No, we're fine, thank you" Hanna said.

"Me too" Mona nodded.

Mona sat down on the couch while Hanna and I sat across from her.

"You seem really different from the last time we were here" I said.

"They changed what I was taking. What I'm taking now is different. But it makes my mouth really dry. And they won't let you have gum. What is the deal with that?" Mona asked, scoffing at the end.

Hanna let out a small laugh at that while I cleared my throat.

"So, do you have many visitors?" Hanna asked.

"My parents. Mostly they just sit and look at me like they don't quite know who I am. Awkward" Mona lightly chuckled.

Yeah, definitely awkward.

We sat in silence for a few seconds before Mona spoke up again.

"But even when I was quiet, I knew you two were here. It helped. Really" Mona said.

Hanna sent her a small smile while I sent her a nod, unsure of what to say.

I'm guessing she does know about my outburst from my last visit, talk about awkward.

But I had to let out all that steam, so can't really blame me there.

"I mean, let's be honest, we've had our ups and downs, and I've had to forgive myself for a lot of that" Mona said.

No shit.

"But how are you, Hanna banana? Ethan?  What's the news of the boulevard?" Mona asked.

She reached over to grab our hands but I quickly moved away. I just can't have her touching me, otherwise I'll do something way worse than throwing that chair in her room.

"We're not here to talk about the boulevard. Or the water, or the gum, alright? We thought you being in here was the end of it, and it's not" Hanna sternly said.

"And you know that. The question is, how do you know?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry somebody's giving you such a hard time. You have to be so careful these days. It's like you can't trust anybody. Not even family. But don't worry. You'll always have me. I'm not gonna forget any of you" Mona smiled.

Is it wrong for me to want to leave?

I seriously feel so uncomfortable being here.

"So, tell me, did they ever find what's left of Alison?" Mona asked.

What made me shiver was the fact that there was something in her tone as she spoke, something I couldn't describe.

I can't be here anymore, I just can't.

"Buttercup, you can stay, but I'm leaving. I have to" I whispered in her ear.

Hanna frowned but nodded in understanding, making me really grateful.

I quickly stood up and was about to leave, only for Mona to grab my arm, stopping me.

I tensed up and looked down at her, only to see her staring up at me.

"Ethan, before you go I just wanted to say something" Mona said.

I swallowed thickly and nodded my head.

"Ok, what is it?" I asked.

"Thank you for visiting me, even after everything" Mona softly smiled.

Her smile, it wasn't a creepy one or an angry one, I feel like it was a genuine smile.

But I honestly couldn't tell if it was real genuine to her voice as she spoke.

I settled with a small nod before gently taking my arm out of her hold and walking out of the room, wanting to leave this place as quickly as possible.

As soon as I was out of the building I ran across the street and made my way to a nearby tree.

When I was closed I stumbled towards the tree and placed my hand on it, holding myself up to stop myself from falling.

I thought that going back there to visit Mona would help, especially when I'm after some answers, but it didn't.

It just made me more anxious, stressed and scared.

Seeing Mona and the way she spoke when Hanna and I told her that there was a new A after us brought back memories

My knees gave out and I sunk to the ground. I pushed myself up against the tree and moved around so that I was sitting on my butt instead of my knees, that way they wouldn't ache.

Memories of when I got hit by the car came back, memories of getting attacked in the greenhouse came back and every other horrible memory came back and I felt various emotions washing through my body.

I clenched my fists at my sides, my breathing hitched and my vision was starting to get blurry, I felt tears building up in my eyes.

Shit, I think I'm having a panic attack.

"Ethan?"

That voice...why do I recognize that voice?

I looked up, trying to see who it was, but my vision was blurry and I could only see a figure with blonde hair standing a few feet away from me.

The figure ran towards me and crouched down in front of me, placing their hands on my shoulders.

"Ethan, Ethan, talk to me. What's wrong?" the figure asked, worry shown in their voice.

I opened my mouth to try and say something, but it was impossible to talk, matter a fact it was impossible to breathe.

So many things were running through my head that I couldn't think straight. I just couldn't.

I felt warm hands cup the sides of my face and turn my head around so that I was facing the figure.

"Ethan, listen to me. I want you to follow exactly what I do. I want you to breathe in and out, slowly and deeply. Do you understand?" the figure asked.

I couldn't form a sentence, I couldn't even say a simple word.

So, I settled with a small nod, seeing the figure nod their head themselves.

"Good, now do what I do" the figure said.

I saw the figure breathe in, very slowly, before breathing out.

I did the same thing, making sure that I was following their movements because I didn't want to mess something up.

We did that for a few minutes before I slowly felt myself coming back.

The tears slowly disappeared from my eyes and I could feel my vision coming back.

When I felt myself finally calming down as my panic attack was going away my vision came back. I looked up to see who the figure was to thank them, only for my eyes to widen in surprise.

It's Alyssa.

"Alyssa...wh-what are you doing here?" I asked.

"I was running some errands for my mom. I was in the taxi to get back home when I spotted you sitting by the tree, crying. I got worried and made the driver stop before getting out and making my way towards you" Alyssa explained.

A small frown made its way onto my face as I looked up at her in confusion.

"Why did you come? You didn't need to. I didn't wanna bother you" I asked.

"Ethan, I couldn't just leave you here, especially when you were having a panic attack" Alyssa softly said.

That alone made me smile, a soft and grateful smile.

This girl, we've only known each other for a while and she's already concerned about me and ready to help me no matter what it is.

She's seriously amazing.

Alyssa sighed before gently grabbing my arm and throwing it over her shoulder.

"Come on, I managed to get the taxi driver to stop when I spotted you. I'll tell him to take you home" Alyssa said.

"What...no, Alyssa, you don't need to do that. I don't want to bother you" I said, trying to pull away from her.

"Ethan, stop it already, you're not a bother and you'll never be a bother to me. So please shut up and let me help you because I've already stated that I'm not leaving you alone, no way in hell" Alyssa sternly said.

I tried to protest but Alyssa sent me a stern glare, making me flinch back.

Damn, the fiery in her eyes made my knees weak again.

"Good, now come on" Alyssa smiled.

She began guiding me towards the taxi, making me sigh but still smile.

Man, I really need to find a way to thank her for helping me with my panic attack and caring about me so much.

The Next Day

Spencer was currently on the phone with someone from the hospital that Melissa went to when she had her miscarriage.

We need to get those records and this was the only way we're gonna get them.

Spencer and I walked downstairs as she was on the phone, making sure it was on speaker so that I could hear.

"Hi. My name is Melissa Hastings, and I was an emergency room patient there back in June. I was just wondering if I could get a copy of my records for the insurance company.

"I'll connect you to patient services"

"Thank you" Spencer smiled.

Thank you indeed.

Spencer and I waited before a woman took over and started looking for the records, at least from what I could hear on the phone.

We waited for a few minutes before the woman told us that there were no records for June 10th.

"Are you sure? It would have been June tenth. I was staying at the Hanover, and then I came in through the E.R. It was a miscarriage" Spencer said, stuttering slightly at the end.

"I'm sorry, miss Hastings, we have no record of you being in this facility" the woman said.

Spencer and I looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

"Well, I was. I-I might have given you my husband's name, Thomas. Could you look that up? It's the same social security number" Spencer said.

Good idea.

"Just a moment" the woman said.

We waited for a few minutes before the woman spoke up again.

"No Hastings, no Thomas. I'm sorry, there's no record of you being here" the woman said.

"Well, I...suppose I might have gone to another hospital" Spencer said, unsure of what to do at this point.

"If you were staying at the Hanover, this is where they would have sent you. The next closest emergency room is three towns over" the woman explained.

Spencer and I glanced at each other before she let out a sigh.

"Thank you" Spencer said before hanging up.

Ok, what the hell?

Melissa literally said she had a miscarriage on June 10th at that hospital.

So why are there no records of her being there?

Did she go to another hospital?

Or is it possible she lied...?

Honestly, I don't know what to believe at this point, everything has just become so damn complicated.

A Few Minutes Later

Hanna called us and told us to meet her and Aria somewhere because they had something important to tell and show us.

Apparently they saw Jenna and were now taking us to the store they saw her go into.

"She went in there" Hanna said, pointing at the store.

My eyes widened when I realized that it was a freaking gun store.

What the hell is Jenna doing at a damn gun store?

"A gun store? What is she doing at a freaking gun store?!" Spencer asked in disbelief.

"Duh. Can you say target practice?" Hanna sarcastically asked.

"That's the car, isn't it?" Aria asked, looking at Emily.

Emily looked at Jenna's car and nodded her head, her lips pressed to a thin line.

"That's the one" Emily nodded.

"Spence, did you call the hospital?" Hanna asked.

Spencer and I looked at each other before she cleared her throat.

"Yeah, I called" Spencer nodded.

"Are they, are they sending the records?" Aria asked.

Spencer and I looked at each other before sighing as we turned around to look at them.

"There aren't any records" I said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Emily asked, confused.

"It means that Melissa didn't lose her baby in June" Spencer said.

The girls looked at us in confusion before Aria's eyes wandered behind us.

"There she is" Aria said.

We turned around to see Jenna walking out of the store as she looked through her purse, making her way to her car.

Hanna and I looked at each other and silently communicated with each other before nodding our heads.

We both began walking towards Jenna's car but Spencer rushed over to us, grabbing our arms.

"Hanna, Ethan, stop. Stop" Spencer sternly said.

Hanna and I glared at her and snatched our arms out of her grip.

"No, Spencer, I'm sick of this. We're lying to everybody, everybody's lying to us, no mas" Hanna said, throwing her hands up in frustration.

"Yeah, I don't want to continue lying to anybody, if Jenna knows something then we're gonna get answers from her" I sternly said.

Hanna nodded before we turned around and stalked towards Jenna's car.

Ain't no way we're gonna let her leave. Not yet.

The car began moving but that didn't stop either of us as we made our way to the front.

When Jenna looked up her eyes widened when she saw us and she quickly hit the brakes before the car could hit us.

Hanna and I didn't flinch as we both set our hands on the front of the car, leaning down slightly.

"Wow, Jenna" Hanna sarcastically gasped.

"What a sight for sore eyes" I sarcastically smiled at her.

I saw Jenna swallow thickly as her face turned pale and I swear I saw fear in her eyes.

Hanna and I smugly smirked and fist-bumped each other.

A Few Minutes Later

We managed to get Jenna out of her car and took her to an alleyway so we could talk to her privately.

The five of us stood in front of her as she had her back near the fence, her arms crossed.

"All this time you could see" Spencer said, disbelief written in her voice.

"From the very first operation" Aria added.

"Yes" Jenna said.

"How could you lie about this?" I asked.

"It was the only protection I had" Jenna said.

"Protection from what?" Hanna asked, confused.

"Someone tried to burn down our house with me in it, remember?" Jenna angrily asked.

Yep, can't forget that, especially when I was the one that found her and carried her out.

"If people think that you're blind, they get careless. You see what they don't think you can see" Jenna said.

"And you never told Toby" Spencer said.

"He was safer if he didn't know" Jenna defended.

"God, you are so twisted" Hanna scoffed.

"I wonder how I got that way?" Jenna sarcastically asked, glaring at her.

"I was in your car that night" Emily spoke up.

"Yes, you were" Jenna nodded.

"Yeah, where were you going?" Spencer asked.

"I was just driving. You think I enjoyed carrying that cane? At least at night I could get out of town, get out of rosewood, and not worry about anybody seeing me" Jenna said.

Can't really blame her.

I won't lie when I say that at night you can do whatever you want and not worry about getting caught.

You feel free, you feel more alive at night.

Trust me, I can't remember how many times Hanna and I snuck out of our houses just to get some fresh air and hang out. Those were good times.

"Yeah, but somebody did see you" Spencer said, crossing her arms.

"Dead of night, edge of town, and Emily was just standing there, in the middle of the road. I almost hit her. You were drunk and crying, talking about Maya. I couldn't just leave you there" Jenna said.

"Yeah, she might tell someone she saw you" Aria said.

"Witnesses can be a bitch" Hanna and I said.

"She was so messed up that I thought that she wouldn't remember, and if she did, who would believe her? So I put you in the car and I was going to take you home, at least to the end of your street, but you freaked out when I stopped at the light and jumped out of the I couldn't take any more chances" Jenna explained.

"What time was this?" I asked.

"About twelve, twelve-thirty" Jenna shrugged.

The girls and I looked at each other before Jenna spoke up.

"You have to promise not to tell" Jenna said.

"That you can see?" Emily asked.

"Are you kidding?" Spencer asked in disbelief.

"I am still a target" Jenna said.

"For who?" Aria asked.

"If I knew that, then I wouldn't have to hide. You have to do this for me! I mean, you owe it to me, right? All of you" Jenna said, her tone filled with desperation.

The girls and I looked at each other before looking back at Jenna.

For now, only for now, we'll keep her secret between us.

But if she hurts us or if we find out she's somehow connected to this new A, she's gonna pay.

Back At Home

Spencer and I got back home and when we entered the kitchen we saw mom sitting in the kitchen. Tons of boxes and papers were scattered around the kitchen counter as mom was taking a few notes.

"Hello" Spencer said.

"Hey, mom" I said.

"Oh, hello, kiddos" Mom said.

"What's all this?" I asked.

"Hector sent everything over from the public defender's office. I was right. Once they had Garrett in custody, they went through every open case they had looking for a hook. And they found some" Mom explained.

"Yeah, enough to charge him with arson and with killing Maya" Spencer said.

"It's mostly circumstantial. And knowing the way the Rosewood police handle evidence, I'm sure I can get everything thrown out" Mom explained.

I sighed and shook my head while Spencer let out a small scoff.

"I'm so glad you're enjoying yourself" Spencer said, clear distate shown in her voice.

She rolled her eyes and walked away, causing mom to turn around in her stool.

"He's innocent until prove guilty" Mom said.

"That is so good, mom. Did you come up with that yourself?" Spencer sarcastically asked.

"Spencer" I sighed.

"You can't speak to me like that, Spencer" Mom sternly said.

"I'm sorry" Spencer said before walking back downstairs.

"No matter how we feel, we can't let this man be railroaded by a sloppy investigation" Mom said.

I rolled my eyes and turned around to look at her, raising an eyebrow at her.

"You know what, mom? We've been doing some investigating of our own, and do you know what we found? When Melissa was alone in Hanover, and she got sick and she lost her baby, she didn't go to a hospital" I explained.

Spencer nodded and walked over to stand next to me.

"There were no records. She just stayed at the resort. Which is where you went to go meet her" Spencer said.

"Did Melissa tell you both this?" Mom asked.

"No! Mom, Melissa wouldn't tell me if my hair was on fire!" Spencer yelled.

Not gonna lie, that's kind of true.

"She went up there looking pregnant, and you brought her back down not pregnant. She was faking. So did you know that before you went up to see her? Is that why we weren't allowed to come?" I asked, gesturing to me and Spencer.

Mom closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths before reopening them.

"I didn't know before I got there. I had some suspicions, but I didn't know" Mom said.

"You had some suspicions? Mom, when did Melissa lose her baby?" Spencer asked.

We need answers and mom better give them to us or so help me.

"You'll have to ask your sister" Mom said.

"No, mom, we're asking you" I sternly said and Spencer nodded.

When mom didn't say anything we knew that she wasn't going to tell us anything.

Spencer and I threw our hands up in frustration before turning around and making our way upstairs to head to our bedrooms.

Mom clearly isn't going to tell us anything and we already know that Melissa won't tell us anything either.

I call complete and utter bullshit on all of this.