Overthrown

Whats in the box?

Aria's Pov

It was 5:30am and time to get up for school. I usually get up earlier than everyone else for obvious reasons.

I turn to hit my screeching alarm off. I rolled out of bed and wobbled my way down the stairs, still half asleep. I grab a soggy apple.

One bite is all it took for me to relise how disgusting it was. I threw the apple away and went back upstairs.

I scavenged through my overfilled closet and threw on black and white striped quarter-length sleeve t-shirt with black leggings, knee high brown boots, and colorful jewelry.

I did my hair and make up like usual and by the time I was done, it was 6:27am. I decided to wake up Mike since I haven't heard him get up yet.

I walk into his door, knocking on it very delicately in case he was already up. When I opened the door he was face first lying on his slobber filled pillow which engulfed his soft snores.

He was still sleeping.

I softly walk over to him and kindly shake him awake. He flipped over and gave me a harsh look.

"What? We have to go soon so get ready." I stated.

"I was in the middle of a good dream." He said while puffing out his lower lip as if he were pouting.

"What about?" I asked, sitting next to him on his bed. He sat up also.

"It was about all of us. Mom was home and dad was happy. He wasn't drinking and you don't get hurt like you usually do." He shyly answered.

"Mike-" he cut me off.

"I know, I know. That will probably never happen." He took the words out of my mouth, turning sad.

There was a wave of silence for a brief moment.

"We'll get ready. And fast. It's almost 6:30." I said while patting his back and standing up.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

"For what?"

"For talking about it." I knew what he was talking about.

"It's fine. Just get ready for school already." I said sincerely, waking out of his room, and closing the door behind me.

I went down stairs into the living room to wait for Mike, but dad was already there.

"Hello Aria." He said all out of it. He's drunk.

"What do you want?" I roll my eyes and start to walk away.

"Excuse me?" He asked getting off the couch and charging towards me. I walk faster in fear.

"Aaah." I scream as he tackles me from behind. He flips me over to my back as he is on top of me. He starts punching me along the sides of my body and my face covered by my hands.

"Don't ever talk to me like that again! You know better! Now look what you get! You ugly bitch!" He kept yelling in my face. I cry out in pain.

"Dad! Stop!" Mike says as he went up to Byron and grabs his flinging fists off of me.

"Mike go! I'll be fine." I say out of breath, not wanting him to get hurt. Yet he continues to get dad off of me.

"MIKE!" I scream as dad punched him in the jaw.

"Go get in the car. She will meet you there." Dad said as he got off of me and waited for Mike to leave.

"That wasn't nice, what you said. You deserved much worse." He looked me right in the eye and slaped me.

"What do you want." I ask touching my growing bruises devouring my face.

"I want you to get me beer right after you come home from school. See, if you just asked that instead of having an aditude, you could be on your way to school bruise free." He walked into the kitchen to get another beer and I walked to the car.

"Are you okay?" I ask Mike as he's rubbing the bottom of his jaw.

"I'm fine. Are you?"

"I will be." I look in the mirror and see my face is mostly purple. I go to get out of the car but Mike stops me.

"What are you doing? He might still be in a bad mood." He asks.

"I need to get my makeup. I can't let people know about this."

"You know that's not a good idea. He might hurt you again." He pulled me back into the car. I obliged because he was right. I started the car and drive off to school.

¤¤¤

"Do you have a ride after practice?" I yelled after Mike as he stepped out of the car.

"Um" he thought. "Oh yea! Noel's driving me home but we're gonna hang out with some of the other team members and have pizza so not till around 7:00pm." He finished.

"Okay. See you then."

"Bye." He answered as I began the car to park.

After I found a parking place, I walked into school faster than normal knowing that if I went at a normal pace, I would miss the first bell and be late.

As I reached my locker, Spencer, Emily, and Hanna all crowded.

"Hey Aria, do you want to come over to my place after school with us? We found a old box of Ali's things and we were going to go through it." Emily asked.

"Sorry, I can't. I'm going to Ezra's for date night." I subconsciously smiled.

"Are you sure you can't skip it? What if we find a clue?" Hanna asks.

"Yea, I-I'm sure. We don't get to have these often on weekdays because of school. And plus you can show me what you found tomorrow after school. We could all go to the brew?"

"Okay. Yea sure." They all agreed.

I smiled and continued to grab my color coded books from the shelf in my locker. I slammed my locker shut and the walked to first hour with the three of them.

First hour: Math
With: Mrs.Green

Not my favorite but do-ible.

¤¤¤

The day continued on slowly with 1st hour done, 2nd hour done, 3rd hour done, and now lunch. All uneventful. I grab my lunch and sit out in the court yard where my friends are.

"So where did you find this box?" I ask no one in particular.

"Jason gave it to me." Spencer answered.

"He just gave it to you?" I wondered. "That seems too easy."

"Well we were talking about how we thought Alison knew something about my dad and her mom having an affair and he said that he followed her to her room and saw her put something in the floor board." Spencer explained.

"And he hasn't bothered to look at it until now?" Hanna asked.

"He said he didn't have the courage." Spencer turned her attention to Hanna.

"Oh please! This is probably a trap. Who isn't curious about Ali's murder these days?" Emily whined. I nodded my head in agreement.

"There's only one way to find out." Spencer said.