Pretty Little Liars

Chapter 35: Pay Attention to Me

"Sabrina?" Bree calls out to her old friend, who is running to the front door so fast, she almost trips over her olive green maxi dress.

"Bree, come on," Ellery says from next to her, rolling up the hem of her skin-tight dress. "I need to show off my legs before I'm too drunk to stand."

Bree nods, following Ellery through the crowds of people taking up space in the hallway and living room. She pulls her phone out, reading Jordan's response to her message telling him that she got to the party.

Make safe choices, plz, is what he wrote.

Bree frowns. He rarely shortens his words over texts, unless he's upset about something. She can't help but wonder if he's still a little on edge at the thought of her going to this thing alone and not with him.

"Is your nose going to be in your phone the whole night?" Ellery demands in a bitchy tone, rolling her eyes.

Bree studies her. "What's your problem?"

"My problem is that we're supposed to be here having fun together," Ellery whines, but Bree can tell that she's actually bothered. "We haven't been hanging out at all lately and when we do, you're trying to get ahold of Jordan or you're thinking about Alison."

Bree blinks, caught off guard. "No offense, Ellery, but both of those are valid reasons to be distracted."

"You're more than just distracted." Ellery is now starting to sound like a jealous girlfriend who isn't getting enough attention and it's slightly off-putting. "You've been on edge, like you're afraid of everything."

Because I am! Bree wants to scream but she decides against it. Of course Ellery doesn't know what she's going through. If Bree told her about A, she would also have to include what A has against her and that would just start a downward spiral. Even though Ellery is her best friend, the girl can't keep a secret to save her life. Trusting her with information like this is the worst move. Plus, she and the girls made a promise after the Remy Thing. She isn't going to just throw that away. Double plus, she doesn't want to deal with the judgement of lying to social services and planting evidence against her own mother in order for her dad to get full custody.

"Sorry," Bree says, deciding to just keep things cool. "You're right. I have been distracted. With Jordan being away and all, it messes with my head sometimes."

"Well don't let it," Ellery instructs as though it's that easy. "And let's party. No boys tonight."

"Deal." Bree manages, forcing a smile across her lips.

Bree doesn't even send a text to Jordan, promising that she will let him know when she gets back home tonight. If Ellery and other people around Bree begin realizing that something is up, it's only going to make matters worse. It's obvious that if she and the others go to the police about A, everything they want kept in the dark will be brought to the light. And they can't afford that.

She drinks whatever Ellery gives her and starts mingling with the lacrosse guys, pushing her worry about Jordan to the back of her mind. She is going to lighten up a little, be the Bree she has been for the last two years. So what if Alison was found dead? That doesn't mean her entire life has to shift into a negative direction once again. Ali influenced enough of her life already. Bree does not need a repeat of that.

The night goes on and Bree excuses herself to the upstairs bathroom before another game of beer pong. It's her and Ellery against Neah's brother, Sage, and Eric Manning. She shuts the door behind her, even though the second floor of the house is a lot less crowded than the first floor. She runs cold water out of the sink, shoving her hands underneath to splash some onto her face. The room is tilting back and forth and Bree realizes she's more drunk than she thought. She roots through her purse stretched across her chest, pulling out her phone and swiping until she finds Jordan's contact.

"Hello there, sexy boy," Bree says into the phone, pressing her back up against the wall to give herself some balance. "I'm currently intoxicated but I just wanted to tell you that I miss your cute little nose and the way your neck does that twitchy thing in your sleep." She swoons at the thought. "I just want you back here and I want to kiss you and maybe like, suck your nipple or something but like, really... I love you. So much, I can't even tell you. Because for one, I'm drunker than a skunk." She pauses at her words. "Omigod, that rhymed! Okay, so you've been away for only a short amount of time but I'm seriously a poet now so like, just... I'll sign a book for you, it's whatever."

Bree runs her free hand through her orange hair, puckering her lips and yelping when someone bangs a fist on the other side of the bathroom door. She hangs up her phone and tosses it back into her purse.

"Occupied!" Bree calls out.

"Fuck you!" the person on the other side shouts.

Bree's eyebrows knit together and she flings the door open to find out who's trying to start a fight tonight. The hallway is empty and Bree squints in the dim lighting. She rolls her tongue over her cheeks, marching out into the hall.

"What, now you're afraid?" Bree challenges to no one in particular. Everything remains silent up here, with the exception of a couple banging in the room down the hall.

Bree starts for the stairs, reaching for the banister. But before she can descend back to the first floor, she's shoved from behind.