Picture This

Chapter One

"Whose ringing it this time?" Hannah sarcastically remarks as we walk into the church, a church that seems to only be welcome to us when we are putting a body in the ground. We walk up to the front of the church to look for a seat as Spencer walks towards us. She looks like she is in a daze, her whole family does.

"Hey," we all say. We exchange pleasantries, trying to make her smile a little, but when she looks at her sister any chance of getting her to feel better are lost.

"What are the cops doing here?" Emily asks, we all turn to watch Rosewood's finest walk in the doors and spread out. No matter what oath they took, none of them make the four of us feel safe, and none of them trust our word.

"Um, my parents wanted them here in case any uninvited guests showed up." Spencer answers, though unwillingly. Hannah makes another sarcastic remark, that doesn't help the tension building around us, so Spencer goes and sits with her family, Emily follows her over, and Hannah and I look around for a seat for her, Emily, and I.

I turn around as Hannah takes a seat in the front row, about to say something to my parents when I see Ezra walk in the door. We had agreed earlier today at Hollis that we would begin taking steps towards telling people about our relationship, something I have been needing to do for a long time but he has put off. Now with his Ex- Fiancé in town, I need reassurance that he is in this for the long run. I need to know that he is willing to go through anything people put in front of us when we come out, because if he wants me to wait until I'm graduated, I don't think I can.

He sees me watching him, and smiles that adoring smile that I love. He begins walking up towards me, making my heart race at the thought of us being able to sit next to each other in public, of being able to be comforted by my boyfriend on a day like today.

"Ezra," My mom steps in front of him, my dad standing next to her. My smile immediately drops and his turns fake, straining to cover his surprise. "I didn't know you were coming to this."

"Uh, I didn't plan on it," he leans forward and shakes my father's hand. "but after speaking with Aria," He glances at me and I smile, being reassuring and preparing to come up and talk along with him, our plan being to act as friends first and then tell people we became a couple after he left my school. He turns away from me. "and um," My smile drops, and I have to support myself on the church bench as I hear his lies fall from his mouth. "show my support for all the students for coming. Not only for Spencer, but for all the students effected by the tragedies of this past year." My parents nod along to what he is saying, buying every one of his lies to cover up our relationship, to cover up me.

"Well, I'm sure the kids really appreciate it, come sit with us." My dad makes room for my boyfriend, who glances at me, before looking down in shame as I turn around. That was as much effort as he was willing to give, one stutter before the storm of lies.

The ceremony was simple, there isn't much a preacher can say about a murderer, and before long we were at the graveyard, and Alison's killer was being put six feet under. Melissa and Mrs. Hastings couldn't throw the dirt on his casket, Melissa was still in shock and hadn't spoken, and Mrs. Hastings was too busy hating Ian for everything he had done and supporting her oldest daughter, leaving her younger daughter and us to throw dirt on the casket of our best friend's murderer. How nice.

Spencer is the first to throw, then Hannah, Emily, and I. No one says anything and we immediately start wiping of the remains of the dirt, trying to rid ourself of Ian and gain closure. While I'm clapping the dirt off my hands, I look over the heads of people in this small crowd and spot a familiar blonde head sitting alone and not wearing black.

Jason Dilaurentis, my brother's catcher and my best friend's brother, was sitting a few feet away from the ceremony, out of notice but still listening to the music and creak of metal as his old best friend and sister's killer gets buried. As the ceremony ends and everyone disperses, I can't keep my eyes away from him, wondering what he is doing over there, and what he is thinking. Emily walks up to me as I'm watching him and asks me about Ezra, before, my heart would race when they asked me about him, excited to talk about my boyfriend with someone who understood. Now I don't even understand.