season one, episode two

the jenna thing

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"Why was Jenna there?" Aria worriedly asked her friends as the five of them sat around a table in Apple Rose Grille. Florence looked away from her friends from time to time, still finding it weird to be back here. A place she and Ali had spent so much of their time together. It was weird to not have the blonde girl with them right now. Somehow unnatural.

"I guess she's back." Spencer spoke, in a tone just as tense as Aria's.

"That copy acted like we were suspects or something." Hanna replied, and Florence felt herself literally stiffing up at the mention of Wilden. How should she tell her friends about that summer in Cape May?

"Do you think we looked guilty?" Emily asked.

"Why would we?" Aria asked her confused. "We haven't done anything wrong."

"Except lie about the Jenna thing." Hanna replied as she took the flask filled with Whiskey or Tequila - something Florence didn't even want to think about.

"We promised we'd never bring up the Jenna thing again, remember? It never happened." Spencer quickly spoke, her voice still tense.

"Have you found a way to forget? I still wake up sometimes in the middle of the night." Aria

"Aria, it was an accident." Spencer said to her friends, but Florence thought is was more of tyring to convince herself of it.

"Guys." Florence spoke as she frustratingly ran her hands through her hair, making her friends look at her. "What the hell is the Jenna Thing?" She asked, watching Hanna put a drink in her glass, glaring at the man who was staring at her because she was still a teenager and was already drinking.

"It's medicinal. Cramps!" The blonde snapped at him, making the man quickly focus on his conversation again.

Florence's question still hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. Her friends exchanged nervous glances, the tension at the table palpable. Hanna busied herself with her drink, Spencer's fingers tapped anxiously on the edge of the table, and Emily looked down, avoiding Florence's gaze altogether.

Aria sighed, leaning forward slightly. "Flo... it's not something we like to talk about."

"Clearly," Florence said, crossing her arms. "But I wasn't here, so maybe someone can clue me in on why 'the Jenna Thing' feels like some big, dark secret no one wants to mention."

Hanna rolled her eyes. "Because it is a big, dark secret."

"Great. That clears up everything," Florence shot back sarcastically, making Spencer groan.

"Okay, fine," Spencer finally said, sitting up straighter. "But you have to promise you won't freak out or—"

"Or what? I'll tell someone?" Florence asked, raising an eyebrow. "Come on, you guys. You know me. I would never tell anyone your secrets." The girl spoke and the four had to admit she was right. In all their time they had been friends, Florence had never told anybody anything that was a secret to someone. The girl was big on trust and felt like it should be earned. And trust always started with yourself. If you didn't trust yourself to keep secrets for your friends, don't ask them about it. There's always a reason it's called a secret and besides you wouldn't want anyone talking about yours when it's none of their concern, right?

Aria glanced around the room, lowering her voice. "It was Ali's idea, alright? Back when Jenna lived here with her stepbrother, Toby, Ali... she thought he was creepy."

"Creepy?" Florence repeated, her voice dripping with disbelief.

"Yeah." Emily mumbled.

"Anyways," Hanna continued. "You weren't there that night, but Ali swore to us that she saw him peeking through Emily's window as we were all changing.

Florence's expression shifted from disbelief to disgust. "Wait. She thought Toby was a creep because she thought he was spying on you guys?"

Hanna nodded, her face serious. "That's what she said. She got us all worked up about it, and, well... Ali didn't let things go. Ever."

Spencer sighed, rubbing her temples. "So, one night, Ali decided to teach Toby a lesson. She came up with this plan to scare him."

Aria cut in, her voice trembling slightly. "We didn't know how far she was going to take it. She made it sound like a prank—just something harmless to freak him out."

"What did she do?" Florence asked, already dreading the answer.

Spencer glanced at the others, then back at Florence. "She gave me a stink bomb and told me to toss it into the Cavanaughs' garage."

"A stink bomb?" Florence repeated, her tone skeptical.

"Yes, and somehow everything went wrong. The bomb caused a fire and we had no idea that Jenna was inside the garage. I swear none of us did!" Aria spoke, how sorry she felt was clear in her voice as she whispered the words to her sister.

"Oh, my God." Florence muttered as she looked around her friends. "Well, I get why you guys don't like to speak of it." Florence spoke, feeling sorry for both Jenna but also her friends. It hadn't exactly been a brilliant plan from the star, but they also never guessed it would go wrong like that. Who even would?

"I don't get it. How does A know something about me that only Alison knew?" Emily spoke, changing the subject as soon as she could. But Florence suddenly remembered where she was that night of the fire. She was with Jason.

Aria shook her head, her own worry etched across her face. "Ali knew all of our secrets, but... we never knew any of hers."

Spencer shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her eyes darting away from the group. "I knew some." She admitted softly.

All heads turned toward her in unison, the air around the table suddenly tense.

"Go on." Aria pressed, her tone firm, but Spencer shook her head.

"Talk." Hanna added, crossing her arms.

Spencer hesitated, her gaze flickering toward Florence for a moment before she shook her head. "I can't."

"Spence!" Aria exclaimed, her frustration bubbling over. "No, you are not gonna drop a bomb like that and just clam up!"

Spencer sighed, clearly conflicted, her hands fidgeting nervously. "She'd so kill me if I told you."

"She's dead." Hanna said bluntly, leaning back in her chair.

Spencer hesitated, looking like she was battling herself internally. Finally, she glanced around the table before leaning in. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Ali was seeing someone that summer."

The words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating.

"I knew she was keeping something from me!" Emily spoke, her brows furrowing, before correcting herself. "From us."

"I don't know." Spencer admitted. "She never told me his name."

Florence, who had been silent up until now, felt her throat tighten. She knew exactly who Spencer was referring to, but Wilden's warning replayed in her head like a broken record.

"Well, why didn't she want us to know?" Aria asked confused.

"He was an older boy." Spencer admitted. "And he had a girlfriend." The Hastings quickly added.

Aria leaned forward, her gaze locked on Florence. "You spent a lot of time with Ali that summer, Flo. Did she ever tell you anything about him?"

Florence froze, her breath hitching. Her heart pounded in her chest, but she forced herself to stay calm. She wanted to tell them everything—to unload the truth weighing heavily on her shoulders—but as her eyes darted to the window, they landed on him. Wilden.

He was standing outside, leaning casually against his car, his eyes trained on her through the glass. A chill ran down her spine. No one else seemed to notice him; the girls were too caught up in their own nervous energy.

"Florence?" Aria's voice broke through her panic. "Are you okay?"

Florence's hands clenched under the table as she forced a tight smile. "I... I need to go to the bathroom."

Before anyone could say anything, she pushed back her chair and hurried toward the exit.

As soon as she stepped outside, Wilden was there, blocking her path. His smug expression made her stomach churn.

"You're not thinking about spilling the truth, are you?" He asked, his voice low and menacing.

Florence tried to step around him, but he moved to block her again. "Leave me alone." She hissed, keeping her voice quiet so the girls inside wouldn't hear.

"Careful, Florence," Wilden said, leaning in closer. "If you tell your little friends anything about what happened in Cape May, I'll make sure everyone finds out about you and Jason. And where you were last summer."

Her heart sank, her blood running cold. "You wouldn't." She whispered, her voice trembling, as she felt confused. How would he even know where she had spent her summer?

"Oh, I would." He said with a smirk. "Imagine how your friends would look at you if they knew. Imagine how Jason would look at you if he found out you'd let it slip. Imagine how everyone would talk about your little drinking problem."

Florence felt like she couldn't breathe. She stared at him, her mind racing. She couldn't tell them. Not now. Not ever.

"Good girl." Wilden said, patting her on the shoulder like she was some obedient child once she slowly noddded. "Go back to your friends and keep your mouth shut. Trust me—it's better that way."

He walked away, leaving Florence frozen in place, tears threatening to spill over. She took a shaky breath and wiped at her face, forcing herself to calm down.

When she finally went back inside, the girls were still talking, their whispers frantic.

"Everything okay?" Emily asked, looking up at her.

Florence nodded quickly, sliding back into her seat. "Yeah. I just... wasn't feeling great for a second."

"You sure?" Hanna pressed.

"I'm fine." Florence said firmly, though her hands were trembling beneath the table.

She tried to tune out their conversation as they returned to speculating about Jenna and Wilden, but her thoughts were elsewhere. Wilden had made it clear: she couldn't tell them the truth. Not now. Not ever.

All was fine for a bit. The mood had lighted up again when Hanna mentioned one of the hot lifeguards from that summer, but the smiles quickly got swept off their face when Jenna entered the girlle so the girl just decided to leave as quickly and unnoticed as they could.

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Ella glanced up from her coffee, her brow furrowing slightly as she turned to her daughter, her voice laced with a hint of disbelief. "I had to look twice to make sure that was Hanna."

Aria smirked, nodding in agreement. "Right?"

"That was some funeral dress." Ella continued, her tone teetering between disapproval and amusement. "Her mother definitely didn't get that from Curvy Girl."

Byron looked up from his tablet, frowning slightly. "Who shops at Curvy Girl?"

Ella rolled her eyes, taking another sip of coffee. "No one, anymore." She replied dismissively. Then, turning her attention back to Byron, she asked. "Do you not have time for breakfast?"

Byron shook his head, already gathering his things. "No. I'm probably going to be late tonight too."

"Late nights already?" Ella asked, her tone sharpening slightly. "We just got here."

Aria chimed in, raising an eyebrow as she looked up at her dad. "Yeah. What's that about?"

"What's it about?" Byron echoed, clearly defensive. "It's about being gone for a year. Playing catch-up. Faculty meetings. Changing my curriculum. Demanding students."

Aria folded her arms, her expression skeptical. "Maybe your family's demands should come first."

Before Byron could respond, Florence, sitting quietly at the table as she put her books in her bag, decided to interject. "He's probably just adjusting to being back." She said, her voice calm, not understanding why Aria was being so tense. "It's not easy picking up where you left off."

Ella nodded slowly, giving Florence a small smile of appreciation.

Aria stood, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "I've got to go. I'm going to be late. Love you, Mom." She said, pressing a quick kiss to Ella's cheek before heading for the door.

Florence chuckled lightly, adjusting the strap of her bag. She leaned down to give her mom a quick hug. "I should get going too. See you later."

"Bye, sweetheart." Ella said, watching as Florence followed Aria out the door.

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The crackle of the intercom echoed through the school halls, drawing everyone's attention.

"Will the following students please come to the office: Emily Fields, Aria Montgomery, Florence Montgomery, Spencer Hastings, Hanna Marin."

The five girls exchanged uneasy glances as they gathered in the hallways together.

"Why do I feel like this can't be good?" Spencer asked as the started walking towards the office.

"Maybe they're finally giving us a trophy for 'Most Drama in One Lifetime.'" Florence spoke

As they made their way toward the office, Aria's phone buzzed in her bag. She stopped in her tracks, pulling the phone out. "Wait. It's from 'A.'"

The girls froze, their collective dread filling the space between them.

Hanna, leaning over Aria's shoulder to read the text. "'Dead girls walking.'"

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The fluorescent lights buzzed faintly as the group sat stiffly in the cramped office. Wilden leaned back in his chair, clipboard in hand, as he studied the four girls and Florence, who sat slightly apart, her arms crossed defensively.

"So, let's see... You thought you heard her scream." Wilden began, his tone even but probing.

"I—I said that, yeah." Spencer stammered.

"And when you three woke up in the barn, Alison was gone. And so were Florence and Spencer." He continued, glancing at his notes.

"Yes." Spencer replied quickly. "We woke up before them, and I realized that Ali was missing, so..."

"So you two went looking for her." He finished, watching her intently.

"Yes." Florence nodded looking up at the man.

"That's what happened." Spencer confirmed as well, shifting in the seat next to Emily and Aria.

"Got it. So, what's up? Was this a slumber party or...?" He asked, his tone suddenly casual.

"Is this an interrogation?" Spencer shot back.

"No, just a routine follow-up." He said, leaning forward slightly. "Why did you guys all fall asleep?"

"I guess we were tired," Aria said softly, her eyes darting toward Spencer, not thinking that it was a good idea to tell him that they had been drinking.

"Tired? Really." The cop's eyes narrowed as he turned to Hanna. "Is that how you remember it, Hanna?"

"Yeah." Hanna replied, a touch too quickly. She still found it awkward to sit in the same room as Wilden after what she had witnessed that night between her mom and him.

"Yeah, you guys were tired." He repeated sarcastically, scribbling something down.

"We've told you everything already." Florence said, her tone sharp as she crossed her arms. "Do you have something new, or are you just wasting our time?" She asked, surprising even her friends.

Wilden raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by her defiance, remembering it all to well when she had done it for Alison.

"Look." Spencer interjected. "We've told you everything we know, just like we did the night she went missing."

"I know," he replied smoothly. "And the thing is, it's almost exactly what you said last year—almost like it was rehearsed."

"Like Spencer said." Aria chimed in, her voice quiet but firm. "We've told you everything we know."

"And besides, why would we lie?" Florence questioned. "Ali was our best friend." And with that the girl picked up her bag, glaring at Wilden as she passed by him.

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The girls sat at their usual table in the cafeteria, their voices low as they huddled together.

"He knows we're lying." Aria murmured, her fingers fidgeting with the strap of her bag.

"Lying is not a crime." Hanna said with a shrug, though her voice betrayed a hint of nervousness.

"It is when you're giving false statements to the police." Spencer said, leaning in. "It's called obstruction of justice."

"Oh, please!" Hanna said with an eye roll. "We lied about drinking. But the truth that matters is we don't know anything about what happened to Ali that night."

"We also know about someone who might have wanted to hurt her." Spencer countered, lowering her voice further.

Emily, who had been quiet until now, sighed. "We should've told the police the truth about Jenna's accident the night it happened," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I wanted to, remember?" Hanna replied, raising an eyebrow at her.

"We had a chance to do more than just tell the truth," Aria said with a soft tone, looking at her hands. "We had a chance to stop Ali."

"But we didn't," Spencer said grimly. "And telling the police now about what happened to Jenna isn't going to make her see again. It'll just ruin our lives." The sound of a cane tapping against the tiled floor made all five girls freeze.

"Oh my God," Hanna whispered, her eyes wide. "She's back in school too?"

The group turned to see Jenna Marshall making her way into the cafeteria, her cane tapping rhythmically in front of her. Aria stood, hesitating before taking a deep breath. "Jenna?" she called out. "Hey, it's—it's Aria. Do you... want to come sit with us?"

"Sure." Jenna said simply, her face unreadable.

"Okay," Aria said, walking toward her and gently guiding her to the table.

"So, you're going to be between Hanna and Florence," Aria explained, her tone soft as she gestured toward the seats. "And Spencer and Emily are right across from you."

"Thank you." Jenna said quietly as she sat down, her hands feeling for the edge of the table.

"And here's a chair," Aria added, pulling it closer for her.

Jenna settled into her seat, her expression calm but pointed as she spoke. "So... this would be Alison's chair, right?"

"No." Emily said quick. "We're not even sitting at that table."

"You know." Jenna began, tilting her head slightly, "she came to visit me in the hospital after the accident."

"Alison did?" Spencer asked, her brow furrowed.

"Mm-hm," Jenna confirmed. "Everyone misunderstood Alison, but I knew exactly who she was."

Spencer didn't hesitate before asking, "When did you get back, Jenna? We heard that you were in Philadelphia, a school for the... visually impaired."

"You can say 'blind,' Spencer." Jenna said smoothly, a faint smile on her lips. "It's okay. It's not a dirty word." An awkward silence fell over the group. Florence glanced around the table, her discomfort evident. "Wow." Jenna said suddenly, her tone light but laced with sarcasm. "It's so quiet. You guys used to be the fun table. What happened to you girls?" She chuckled softly, but the tension around the table remained thick.

The four other girls exchanged uneasy glances, their minds spiraling back to that day—the day of Jenna's accident, a memory they all wished they could erase.

Suddenly, the sound of multiple chimes broke the silence. All their phones lit up at once—except for Florence's.

Jenna tilted her head slightly, picking up Spencer's phone and handing it to her with a small smile. "Aren't you gonna get that?" She asked.

Spencer hesitated, exchanging a brief but anxious glance with Aria before taking her phone. The others followed suit, nervously unlocking their devices in unison.

As they read the message, their faces paled.

If only she could see how guilty you look...

– A

Florence frowned, noticing the panic etched on her friends' faces. It didn't take long for her to connect the dots—whatever the message was, it had to do with Jenna. Emily shortly showed Flo her phone and Flo quickly looked around the room, her eyes darting to every corner. Was anyone watching them? But the canteen seemed normal—or as normal as it could feel with Jenna sitting right next to her and Hanna.

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Ezra clapped his hands lightly to draw everyone's attention. "Okay, people, let's take our seats." The hum of chatter in the classroom died down as students shuffled to their desks.

The door creaked open, and Mona slipped in, a bright smile on her face. "Am I late?" She asked, her voice filled with innocence.

Ezra raised an eyebrow, tilting his head slightly. "It's... Mona, right?"

Mona nodded, her smile widening. "That's right, Mr. Fritz."

A ripple of chuckles spread through the class, and Mona turned, feigning confusion. "What?"

Ezra cleared his throat, his tone even. "Take your seat, Mona, please."

Sliding into the chair in front of Florence, who sat next to Hanna, Mona turned her head to look at the two girls, who smirked at her. Hanna's voice was low as she whispered to her best friend. "It's 'Fitz,' not 'Fritz.'"

"Oops." Mona said, clearly not giving much about the fact that she had spoken out Ezra's name wrong.

Mr. Fitz ignored the exchange and turned back to the class. "If the mockingbird represents the idea of innocence, what characters are innocent? Take a second. Jot down your ideas. We'll discuss."

The quiet scratching of pens on paper filled the room as the students began to write.

The door opened again, and Aria entered silently, her steps purposeful. She approached Ezra's desk and placed a folded piece of paper in front of him. The word "DECLINED" was written across it in bold, unmistakable letters.

Ezra's eyes flicked to the note, then back to Aria, his expression unreadable. Their gazes locked for a lingering moment, unspoken tension crackling between them.

Aria broke the silence, turning on her heel and heading for her seat, leaving Ezra to stare after her, his fingers brushing lightly against the edge of the paper. But when Aria looked back up at him, her sister had seen the longing exchange of looks between their new English teacher and her twin.

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Laughter filled the air as the girls sat together, the bond between them unshakable in that moment as Ali grinned mischievously, reaching into her bag. "I got you guys something."

The girls exchanged curious glances, their laughter subsiding as Ali handed each of them a small package.

Spencer tilted her head, raising an eyebrow. "What's the occasion?"

Ali's smirk deepened. "You'll see. Open 'em."

With a mix of excitement and intrigue, they tore into the packages. Inside were delicate bracelets, each uniquely adorned but unmistakably part of a set.

Ali held up her own, her voice soft but confident. "We'll be friends forever." She turned to Emily, holding out the bracelet. "Can you put mine on for me, Em?"

Emily nodded, her fingers trembling slightly as she clasped the bracelet around Ali's wrist.

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Mona smirked as she leaned closer to Hanna, her tone playful. "This sounds totally gay, but if I saw you struttin' it in that dress and kickin' up those heels, I would think about doing you."

Hanna rolled her eyes with a laugh, adjusting the necklace around her neck. "And we love the necklace?"

Mona gave her an approving nod, her voice dripping with mock enthusiasm. "We adore it."

As they continued to chat, Mona's expression shifted slightly. "Uh, don't look now, but that cop is staring at us."

Hanna turned her head discreetly, catching Detective Wilden's gaze from across the store.

Hanna hesitated, her eyes flickering back to Wilden. "Um, I'll be right back." Leaving Mona and Florence behind, Hanna made her way toward Wilden, her heart pounding.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Mona turned her attention to Florence, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "So, Flo, tell me—how do you feel about Hanna's taste in accessories? Personally, I think she needs me to keep her from committing a fashion crime."

"You really did change a lot, didn't you, Mona?" Florence raised her eyebrow at the girl.

Mona tilted her head, a sly grin forming on her lips as she studied Florence. "Change? Oh, you mean how I went from geek to chic?" She leaned in closer, her voice dropping into a conspiratorial whisper. "What can I say? I learned how to play the game. And trust me, Flo, I'm very good at it."

Florence smirked, crossing her arms as she leaned against the counter. "Oh, I don't doubt it. But I remember the old Mona. She didn't seem so... competitive."

Mona chuckled, brushing a strand of her perfectly styled hair back. "Competitive? Maybe. Confident? Definitely." Her gaze lingered on Florence, her tone softening just slightly. "But you know, some things don't change. I'm still loyal to the people I care about."

Florence arched a brow, intrigued but cautious. "And you care about Hanna?"

Mona's expression shifted, her usual playful demeanor giving way to something more serious for a moment. "Hanna's... special to me." Mona spoke, just like Hanna, the girl in front of her had been one of the view people who had actually been nice to her when Alison was still here.

Florence nodded slowly, sensing there was more beneath Mona's words. Before she could respond, though, Mona's grin returned, her teasing edge back in full force. "But enough about me. What about you? When are you going to let me take you shopping?"

Florence chuckled, her eyes narrowing in amusement. "Shopping with you? I don't know if I'm ready for the full Mona experience."

Mona raised an eyebrow, clearly not deterred. "Oh, trust me, you are. You've got potential, Flo." She leaned in slightly, her tone playful but with an edge of seriousness. "You just need a little guidance, that's all."

Florence raised an eyebrow, intrigued but not about to back down. "I think I'm doing just fine on my own."

Mona smirked, clearly enjoying the banter. "Oh, I know you are. But hey, a little company on a shopping trip never hurt anyone."

Florence smiled back, her tone light but teasing. "I suppose it's not the worst idea."

Mona's expression softened for a moment, her usual playful demeanor fading just slightly. "You know, Flo, despite everything... I do like having you around." There was sincerity in her voice, though her smile returned quickly, adding a playful edge. "And I'm sure you're fun to shop with. Just don't expect me to be all serious about it."

Florence nodded, amused but still cautious. "We'll see about that, Mona."

Just then, they heard Hanna calling from across the store, breaking the tension between them. "Mona! Flo! Let's go!"

Mona flashed Florence one last teasing smile before turning to head over to Hanna, her confidence as undeniable as ever. Florence watched her amused for a moment.

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Katherine xoxo

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WORDS: 4310

POSTED: THURSDAY 16/01/2025

WRITTEN: THURSDAY 16/01/2025