Starring Role [PRETTY LITTLE LIARS]

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER THREE
❞Goodbyes should never make you feel joyful. They should be painful, a memory upon a memory that begs to be seen. That is what a goodbye truly is.❞

IT SEEMED as if it was the event of the year; masses of limousines and cars lined up in front of the local church. People flocked in and out of the overcrowded place, all of them only attending as a way to pay their respects. There was an abundance of people from Rosewood High, which served as a purpose that the discovery of her body had affected people in the community more than once thought. There were people present who Alison despised, people who Alison was an acquaintance too. But then there were the core five.

The core five ― Spencer, Adelaide, Aria, Emily, and Hanna.

They had meant much more to Alison DiLaurentis than the others had any idea of. The whole other side of her, behind the exterior of rude remarks, was a teenage girl who wanted nothing but to be a queen. And no amount of medication, or forgetfulness, could help the Hastings sister ignore this notion. No amount of anything could dull the aching pain in her heart, as if she had lost a sister. The pain in her heart was like a stab each time she took a breath, and each time she had heard the blonde's name, Adelaide had to choke down a sob. Her mother and father had had the high hopes that Adelaide wouldn't break into tears, and although she hadn't, the young girl could practically feel the tears seeping in her eyes. On the other hand, her twin had showed no emotion whatsoever, only looking as grim and mortified as the rest of them all.

Even now, in the dawn of the day, there was a sort of peaceful serenity that had flooded through the church. Although everyone had come up to the Hastings family to also say how very sorry they were for their loss, Adelaide had simply not felt as if it was a loss. She felt as if it were more of a gain for all five girls, which sounded even more morbid out loud than in her mind. Once she had mentioned it to Spencer, the girl had thought her sister had gone bonkers; off the chain. It took three tries to explain it all to Spencer before she finally understood the reasons as to why Alison's death was more of a relieving matter. Because if the blonde bombshell was still alive, their secrets would still be as surreptitious and mind-consuming as thought out to be. Alison would have continued to torture the girls in a way that would bring nothing but sorrow and deeply-rooted hatred.

Adelaide now understood this, and more, about how Alison played her game among them.

          Her thoughts soon all came to a halt as she felt her sister nudge her shoulder repeatedly, finally helping the Hastings girl snap out of her daze. She straightened out her posture before meeting the warm and welcoming eyes of Emily Fields and her mother. Adelaide couldn't say that Emily didn't appear as tired and dark as the two Hastings twins did. In fact, she seemed even more in despair than them, and that was a huge statement for Emily. She was supposed to be the happy-go-lucky girl, the one who only saw rekindled hope and the fire of a new beginning. But apparently, that must have suddenly changed overnight, all thanks to a certain DiLaurentis girl. It was no secret that there was always something going on between the two girls, and although Adelaide just couldn't put her finger on it, she knew it was more intimate than normal.

There were no words exchanged as Emily suddenly extended her arms, bringing the two Hastings twins into a hug. There didn't need to be any words, for they all knew what the hug was for. Reassurance. Once they had pulled away from the warming hug, the three girls walked into the church, hand in hand. It was a sign of strength and support for the three; that their friendship was not yet over. And it was in fact, never over. The close-knit girls would never forget about each other, and now at this moment when they all needed one another, was definitely not the time to band apart.