Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Rosewood High was the same old, the next day, but the four girls, who searched high and low for their missing fifth member who would usually be in school at least 15 minutes before the bell went off, felt disconcerted when they realized Spencer was nowhere to be found.
"I was hoping she'd be here, but she isn't", Emily said worriedly.
"Do you think Spencer just didn't get your SOS?", Aria suggested.
"Maybe, but she must have gotten one of the other twelve messages we sent", Avery retorted exasperatedly.
"Okay, you guys, she has ditched school before. All right?", Hanna reminded, "It's not a big deal."
"Yeah, right", Avery scoffed, "The last time she ditched school, she ended up having a mini breakdown."
"It'll be fine, I guess", Aria added.
"Okay, we just need to get through today", Emily sighed,"If she doesn't call or show up, we'll go to her house after school."
Avery patted her school skirt down consciously, when she received funny looks from other students, before glaring at them. Her school was going to start in 15 minutes, and she was going to be late. But, Spencer over academics, any day.
Suddenly, Avery caught sight of Mona 'fixing her makeup' with a small mirror, and scoffed in disbelief. She was trying to sneak a peek at what they were doing. She marched over to the ravenette, who snapped her hand-held mirror shut abruptly.
"That is an old, overused trick", Avery seethed. Mona turned around with a smirk, "Works every time."
The other girls crowded around Mona, as Hanna shook her head, "You don't happen to have anything to do with Spencer not being here, do you?"
"Me?", Mona feigned shock.
Before Mona could concoct a story, Principal Hackett's thick voice interrupted them.
"Ms. Vanderwaal", Principal Hackett's thick voice interrupted their conversation, before Mona could concoct a story. The girl nodded in acknowledgement, when she realized that his tone demanded some privacy, and left. The girls stared at Principal Hackett and a distraught Melissa, already knowing why they were there.
Mr. Hackett cleared his throat, "Girls, good, you're all together", he paused when he saw the uniform-clad girl standing in the middle of the group, "Ms. Parker, what are you doing here?", he sighed in annoyance when Avery only scratched the back of her head in embarrassment, before motioning to the petite girl beside him, "I think you know Spencer's sister, Melissa-"
"Have you seen Spencer?", Melissa cut in, her eyes darting between the four girls in front of her, "Have you talked to her?"
"Not today", Aria revealed, as Avery added, "Is something wrong?"
"Spencer didn't come home last night. She's not answering her phone. I was hoping she was here with you. Which is why I came here before I went to the police"
