.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

♥  𝑀𝑒𝑒𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝒹𝒿𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓃𝑒𝒹 ♥

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

I sigh as we arrive at the Apple Rose Grille, the girls too shaken up from the text to part ways and I was too pissy and hungry to decline their offer.

I swallow the huge lump that's been lodged in my throat as I try, with every ounce of my being, to shove what happened with him to the back of my mind...

"Why was Jenna there?" Aria asks, being the first to address the itching question.

I scoff quietly, rolling my eyes. "Aria, please. At least let me order dessert first." I need some Tylenol. No, what I need is a drink. Or something stronger.

"I guess she's back." Spencer whispers in response.

"That cop acted like we were suspects or something." Hanna looks at us with wild eyes.

I smirk lightly. "Aren't we?"

"Scarlett!" Spencer hisses as she turns to me.

"What?" I shrug innocently. "Well, we are." I mutter into my sip of sweet tea.

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

I snort, raising my brow as I give her the 'Scarlett stare down.' "Emily, sweetie. If I was the cop I wouldn't booked all four of you right then and there."

She shrinks down into her seat.

"Why would we be?" Aria rushes to ease. "We haven't done anything wrong."

I snort another chuckle as I swirl my straw in my glass.

Spencer shoots me one of her 'looks' that have no effect on me. I mean come on, be real Spence.

"Except lie about the Jenna thing." Hanna says.

"Ugh, thank you, Hanna." I breathe out. None of us have any right to pretend to be holier than thou if we aren't in front of the cop or a judge. Just sayin'.

"We promised we'd never bring up the Jenna thing again, remember?" Spencer scolds quietly. "It never happened." She looks at the rest of us.

"Have you found a way to forget?" Aria snaps as Hanna pulls out her flash. Thank God.

Spencer's mouth falls open as she looks at Aria like she has some audacity.

I slide my glass over to Hanna as she begins to pour, watching this unfold. We've been here all of, what? Twenty minutes? Before an argument threatened to break out. Not bad.

"I still wake up sometimes in the middle of the night." Aria proceeds before Spencer cuts her off.

"Aria, it was an accident." Spencer says sharply. Ugh. I rub my temples, nodding thanks to Hanna as she quickly pours mine next before her eyes shoot up.

A grown man is staring.

"It's medicinal." Hanna smiles fakely. He give a look. Hello?? Mind your business and go back to your meal. "Cramps." She snaps.

I lean over so the man can see me, stretching my neck up over Spencer's head.. "So why don't you mind your own business you old fu—"

"Scarlett!" Spencer yanks on my arm, looking over her shoulder. I roll my eyes at her. "You're gonna get us kicked out." She stresses under her breath.

"He should've kept his stares to himself then!" I huff.

"I don't get it." Emily's soft voice pipes up. "How does A know something about me that only Alison knew?" She glances over at me out of the corner of her eye.

"Ali knew all of our secrets, but... we never knew any of hers." Aria thinks out loud. I did. Of course I did. Ali and I were sisters. As close as we could be. "Well, Ali and..."

They all slowly look at me before Spencer speaks up.

"I knew some." She says.

Aria looks at her shocked. "Go on." She edges.

"Talk." Hanna urges her.

"I can't." Spencer says uneasily.

"Spencer, no, you are not gonna drop a bomb like that, and just clam up!" Aria exclaims.

"She'd so kill me if I told you." Spencer insists.

"She's dead." Hanna fires back.

Emily sighs and I look down at my hands. I look up to find Hanna wearing a 'well?' expression.

"Ali was seeing someone that summer." Spencer mutters. "That's all I know."

I keep my eyes from widening. "Spencer." I scoff. She can't just out all of Ali's secrets just because she's... gone.

Emily's jaw drops. "I knew she was keeping something from me... from us." She corrects.

"Okay, that's only half a secret." Hanna rolls her eyes.

"It's more than you ever got from her." Spencer quips.

"Well, why didn't she want us to know?" Aria asks. I keep my mouth shut.

Spencer shrugs. She didn't know as much as me, obviously.

Aria looks at me. "Scarlett."

"Aria." I stare back challengingly.

"Scar, come on." Hanna sighs.

"No." I shrug. "I'm not gonna spill all of Ali's secrets right after we just came from her funeral." The word feels evil on my tongue.

She wouldn't spill mine.

"She's not gonna know." Aria says gently and I narrow my eyes at her. She will.

I sigh, looking at the four of them, battling with myself.

What do I have to lose, really? And I know all of their secrets.

"He was an older guy." I start. "Who had a girlfriend." I chew on the inside of my mouth. It feels like I'm swallowing battery acid admitting this out loud to them.

Ali and I made a pact that there would be things that we share with each other that the other girls didn't need to know.

"Who was it?" Emily wonders.

I shrug, clicking my tongue as I slide my finger down the condensation of my cup.

"Come on, she told you everything." Aria states. She did. But she knew about... so I didn't push for details.

That was our little deal.

Of course I wanted to know more, but I also didn't. I was in my own little world of happiness, secrets, and bliss that I didn't really care all that much at the time. Because I figured she'd tell me later when she was ready...

"We made a deal." I say simply, looking up at them to see their doubting faces. "I swear." I hold my hands up. I don't want them knowing we exchanged secrets in confidence.

Aria shakes her head. "How was it that Ali told us nothing and we told her everything?"

"Because she made us feel like we were part of something special." Emily answers. "You both did." She looks at me.

"We were." Hanna smiles.

"I miss that." Aria adds.

"Me too." Spencer agrees.

I inhale deeply. "I'm not A." I finally let out.

They glance around the table avoidantly before looking back up at me. I'm sure they all thought it at some point. Well, not Hanna. Maybe not Spencer. But I don't blame them for having me cross their minds as a possibility.

"I know we all know that I know all your secrets too." I purse my lips. "But I'm also getting the texts." I chew on the inside of my cheek. "And I told Ali things too." My chest slowly starts to feel lighter. I sit up straighter. "Besides," A small smirk makes its way onto my lips. "If I wanted to use your secrets against you, I would've already, and just said it to your face." Emily and Aria exchange a subtle glance with each other, like they've had a similar conversation.

But a small smile slowly makes its way to the surface on everybody. They know it's not my style. And I never want them to think it's me. Ever. That's important to me.

And by the looks of it they don't.

"I miss Ali." Emily says after a moment of silence.

Hanna glances over at her. "I can't believe you still wear that." She comments.

"What?" I look over to see Emily rubbing her wrist.

The bracelet.

"Ali still wears hers." Emily says defensively. Spencer stares down at her lap. "Wore."

"I still have mine." I back her up. "Hanging in my car." I mumble. I couldn't... I couldn't wear it once she disappeared. It felt was like it was burning my wrist, constantly reminding me that she was gone. At least in my car I still see it, I still have it. Thinking of how she still has hers on, wherever she is.

"When Ali didn't come home that night I knew something terrible must have happened but there was always some part of me that imagined someday she'd just show up." Spencer admits.

I feel relief wash over my body that someone else thought that same.

"Yeah, I used to think that maybe she'd just... run off with some guy." Aria agrees.

"She was laying on a beach somewhere." Emily adds.

"Or getting a ran out by the pool with that hot lifeguard." Hanna continues.

I let out a small laugh. "I thought I was the only one."

"Ohh. Yeah. What was his name?" Aria asks us.

"Who cares?" Hanna tells her. "Save me!" She pretends to be Alison. I snort while the rest all laugh.

"He was hot." I smirk.

"Oh, we know. You use to always stick out your butt when you'd walk by." Aria laughs.

I scoff lightly. "I did not!"

"You so did." Hanna chimes.

"Wha—" I turn to Emily and Spencer snickering. "Come on, guys! I did not!" I attempt in between laughs.

The door creeks open and a slamming noise interrupts our laughter. I look up to find Jenna entering the Grille as the girls all stare at the table awkwardly due to the noise before following my gaze, Spencer first to do so.

Aria nudges Hanna arms, motioning towards the entrance. Spencer and Hanna's eyes widen as they look back at the rest of us and I shoot them a warning stare to not look scared shitless as Jenna makes her way to a stool to sit.

Spencer looks at me and I nod before we all grab our purses and slowly rise, and quickly head out the door.

We all glance at each other as we head in opposite directions.

Meeting adjourned...

♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎

0𝒷𝓊𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇𝒷𝒾𝓈𝒸𝓊𝒾𝓉7 𝓈𝓅𝑒𝒶𝓀𝓈!

Hello, hello lovely readersss!! It's been a hot minute, huh? (Over a year actually lmao.)

But OMG I finally got motivation back for this book a couple months ago and actually freakin' continued writinggg!! (Last year I got stuck writing this chapter and got frustrated and lost motivation haha.)

But anywaysss, hope you all are happy the queen herself Scarlett is backkk ;)

AND HAPPY 14 YEARS PLL!!! I cannot beleive this show began 14 years ago today... like whatttt, I am not okay...

Anyways, hope y'all enjoyed the new chapter and the girls reuniting!! Don't forget to comment your thoughts, reactions, & questions and I'll see you in the next part, mwah!