Cursed, A Pretty Little Liars Novel

The Last Slumberparty

Do you feel sad when you know something is ending? Like, the hot blonde model in Teen Vogue is the last thing you'll see before you go blind. Or the last day of summer break before the new school year starts. For Aria, Spencer, Hanna, and Emily, this was their last sleepover together.

"Cheers to being free of A!" Aria Montgomery yelled, holding up her glass of vodka and red bull for a toast. Spencer Hastings, Hanna Marin, and Emily Fields- whose glass was filled with vanilla coke instead- all clinked their glasses together for a toast. This was their last sleepover. The next morning, Aria would catch a plane to Michigan where she was attending Cranbrook Academy of Art. Spencer was on her way to Harvard. Hanna was going to The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and Emily had gotten a swimming scholarship for the University of North Carolina. They would be far away from Rosewood.
"I can't believe high school's over, and we're done with all that drama," Emily said, taking a sip of her vanilla coke. Now that Ali was gone, and so was A, the girls could finally, finally put it behind them and move on with their lives.
"Em, you totally saved us," Spencer crowed. "I mean, that prison place? It was the worst!"
Aria and Hanna nodded in agreement.
Emily bashed her head modestly. "I'm sorry I tricked you guys into thinking I was dead."
"It's okay," Aria said. "I'm just glad you're okay."
"And I'm glad that Ali is finally locked up."
"In the prison psychiatrics ward," Spencer added.
Emily ducked her head shamefully. "Guys, this is all my fault!"
"What do you mean it's your fault?" Hanna cried.
"All this Ali and A mess." Emily felt tears forming in her eyes. "If only I hadn't left the door open for her..."
"Oh! Em! It's okay. Yes, we suffered through her wrath of pain. Yes, we almost died, but everything is okay now."
"It's only natural," Spencer said. "You were in love with her..."
There was an awkward beat of silence.
"So, Aria, are you and Noel gonna stay together?" Hanna asked, to break the silence.
"Yeah, me and Noel are gonna try to do the long distance thing," Aria said, looking down. "Only, I don't know if I want to. I tried doing it with Ezra, and it didn't work out so well. He didn't return any of my calls, and I mean, meeting him again felt like a dream come true, but..." she trailed off. "He just wasn't the same."
Tap tap.
The girls froze.
"Guys, what are we doing?" Spencer asked. "We don't need to worry about A anymore. It was probably just a squirrel."
Emily breathed out a sigh of relief. "After being stalked for two years, it's hard to forget."
"I just can't believe all those people, people we never suspected were A," Aria said.
"Yeah, especially Mona," Hanna chimed in. "I guess best friends don't tell each other everything."
"Yeah, and they were all so clever," said Emily. "Like, when Mona pretended she was receiving A notes."
"And how Alison is really Courtney, and all that shit," said Aria. "That was a dirty trick. Pretending she was our friend from middle school."
"And don't forget Nick," Spencer said. "To each of us, he was a different special person."
"I can't believe I told him about A," Emily quipped. "What was I thinking?"
"We didn't know," Aria said. "I stole a painting for him."
"And I took drugs from him," Spencer added.
"And I- I risked everything to be cool in front of him, because I thought he was kind of cute," Hanna said, hesitantly.
"Kind of cute? I was in love with him!" Aria said. "We made out and everything."
"When you were with Noel?" Spencer asked.
Aria nodded.
"Damn!" Hanna whooped. "Aria's a whore."
Spencer drunkenly erupted to giggles, and crashed onto the couch.
Scrape, scrape. Voices.
Emily flinched. There was someone there.
"What was that?" Aria asked. "It sounded like a person."
"Maybe it's my sister," Spencer said. "She might have come home early."
"Lets just... let loose and party," Hanna said.
"Yeah, we just all enjoy one last night together without having to give a fuck about A," Aria admitted.
Spencer tapped her glass with a plastic fork.
"Guys," she said. "Let's make a pledge."
"A-a pledge?" Emily stuttered. "What do you mean?"
Spencer placed her glass down on the coffee table. "Let's promise not to have any more secrets. And no more lying either."
"Yeah," Hanna murmured.
"That sounds like a good idea," Aria agreed.
Emily let out a wobbly smile, and the girls all held hands, and the four of them squeezed together. But Emily couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.
"Em?" Aria looked concerned. "What's wrong?"
"I think it's Ali," Emily croaked out.
"Oh come on!" Spencer complained. "How many times do we have to go over this? Ali is gone!"
"I guess you're right," Emily smiled, as Hanna cranked up the music, and the four of them started to dance, their moves sloppy and drunken.
So the girls went to go have fun, not having a clue something wasn't right. There was someone there. An unwanted presence. Only Emily felt it, but she quickly shook it off, not wanting to burden the others again.
These girls should know by now, what happens in Rosewood doesn't necessarily stay. And no one's safe, no matter how far they are.