Frozen in Time

Chapter 6

The ride home was admiral. Every stop light meant one more chance for our lips to meet. I didn't want it to end.

When I came through the front door I quietly shut it, smiling back at Ezra through the rainy windows.

"How was The Brew?" Mom asked startling me.

"Uh, good. They were really busy from the rain though," I said.

Mom looked at me with her questioning look. Like she knew I wasn't telling her something.

"That it?" I asked ready to walk upstairs so I could finish my moment of bliss.

"Yeah," she said and walked away. Her eyebrow was scrunched up in the way she always does when she knows something's up.

When I was little I would hide my little brother Mike in my room and when she'd ask where he was I'd say I didn't know. She would give me that same look. Then she would push me aside, and let baby Mike out.

When she was out of sight a faint smile plastered my face. I started to walk up the stairs when I realized how loud my heart was beating.

It wasn't from fright. It was from joy.

~•~
Monday was a different story.

I walked into class hoping that everyone else was absent. Just me and the teacher. Though when I walked in to a class full of teenagers my hope vanished.

I took my seat next to Hanna. Ezra looked up at me, so I smiled. He put his head down in an instant. Avoiding me.

"Aria I've been calling, and calling you!" Spencer interjected my thoughts.

"Oh, sorry I've been a little out of it lately,"

"No kidding, have you been getting the texts?"

"What texts?"

"The ones from Alison!" Emily said.

I couldn't tell if there was more terror or more happiness in her voice. I knew there was both though.

"No, what are you guys talking about?"

"These!" Hanna chimed in.

She pulled out her phone and flipped the keyboard down, opening a recent message.

It read: Girls have secrets,
Boys have lies,
My secret is,
Dead girls still have eyes
-A

I was speechless. Mainly because this 'A' person was targeting my friends, but I had yet to get a text.

Buzzzzzz

My phone buzzed from the inside of my desk. Ezra looked at me displeased.

"Sorry," I said embarrassed.

He just looked up at me and then looked back down to his grades.

I pulled my phone out of the metal desk and say it on my lap so no one could see it.

I had four unread texts, all from an unknown number. The most recent one read: Sorry It's taken me so
Long to send these,
Your hard to find
Girls that run around with
Their teachers usually are
Though, just ask your dad.
-A
I opened my mouth in awe. I could feel the tears easing their way down my cheeks.

"Aria, you ok?" Hanna asked concerned.

I shook my head and put my phone away.

"Ms. Montgomery, would you like to be excused?" Ezra asked.

"No," I said wiping my wet face. "I'm fine."

Hanna and the girls were looking at me funny as I set my face on my hand.

The rest of the class was a blur. It was completely drained out by my thoughts. Mainly my dad.

The summer that Alison disappeared I found out his biggest secret. Or according to Alison, his biggest lie.

Alli and I were walking back from getting a sweet treat to make the smothering hot summer weather feel bearable. Mona saw us (and of course being Alli she ignored her.) She drug me away from where Mona was calling for us and we took a turn into a dead end.

"Hey isn't that your dads car?" Alison asked.

I had looked up from my frozen yogurt to see his blue Mercedes parked right I front of us. Though, it wasn't empty.

My dad was on the inside with some rotten blonde. Locking lips. My cup felt like it weighed twenty pounds.

He saw me and just sat there staring at me as I ran away.

"You have to tell your mom!" Ali had said on the walk home.

"How do I tell her something like this?" I begged.

"Aria, if you don't tell her, I will,"

The one thing everyone knew about Alison was a threat wasn't a threat. It was a promise.

Brrrring

The bell took me back to reality. As I picked up my books I could feel someone staring at me.

It was Ezra.

I walked up to his desk and waited for everyone to scurry off.

I put my hand by his, waiting for our fingers to entertwine.

"Aria." He said

"Look I know this is difficult but-"

"But what? I'm your teacher," he looked like he could barely choke out the words, "that's all I can be."

"Don't you think we can get through this?"

He stared into my eyes, which made it ten times harder to walk away.