Hidden Lies ✧ J. DiLaurentis

03 - close encounter

"Baby, I just ran out of band-aids
I don't even know where to start
'Cause you can bandage the damage
You never really can fix a heart"
• fix a heart - demi lovato •
• • •

The next day at school, Ivory seemed to be in a better mood. She finally had something to look forward to. Her friends where finally talking her again. And even though they all couldn't be seen together, Ivory was beginning to feel that bond that was once there. And this time, it wasn't because of Alison.

But yet, Ivory was still scared. The previous night in Emily's front yard had Ivory's mind racing. She became more paranoid about everyone. She didn't really trust anyone outside her circle. After all, A could be anyone.

And that thought terrified her.

She hated that A could be five feet away from her, and she wouldn't know it. She hated the feeling of being in the dark. But surprisingly, her school day didn't completely suck. The day passed by in a flash, and she didn't feel stressed or overwhelmed by the school work.

But all day, Hanna would not stop asking questions. "So why Jason?" Hanna whispered as they walked home.

"I don't know. I was 15, and I had a crush on him. He was, a bad boy I guess," Ivory said, shrugging her shoulders. She really hadn't given it much thought as to why Jason. Something about him just made her so curious and attracted to him. Maybe it was because he was Alison's older brother. Or maybe it was because the idea of it being so wrong, made the rush of it so right.

"So like, how'd you go to school?"

"I didn't go to a high school. I was enrolled and took online classes," Ivory said.

"Cool. Was it awesome?" Hanna questioned, expecting to answer to be yes.

"Not really. It was very lonely. I couldn't showing my face at an actual school. I was too ashamed of being a pregnant teen. My mom didn't want me to go what she went through when she was pregnant with me. She wanted me to be better," Ivory told as she kicked a small pebble.

"I'm sorry Ivory. I shouldn't be asking these questions," Hanna said with a guilty face.

"It's okay. You're curious. I would be too," Ivory shrugged. "Besides, its gotten my mind off of, you know, A."

Hanna smiled gently and nodded as her mind came up with more questions for Ivory. "So is it a boy or a girl?"

Ivory smiled at the thought and answered, "It's a boy."

"Really? What's his name?" Hanna asked.

"His name is Nolan," Ivory said.

"That's cute. Why that name?"

"It was my grandfather's name. I adored him and I wanted to somewhat honor him. It made my grandmother really happy."

"So, what's his last name?" Hanna questioned. "Did you put yours or?"

Ivory sighed as she looked down at her shoes. "His birth certificate says DiLaurentis. I know I'm going to have to tell him. But I'm not planning on it until I graduate. I don't even know where he is."

Now it was Hanna's turn to look down at her shoes. Keeping Jason's return a secret, was proving to be much harder than she thought it would be. "So what about you? Tell me some things I missed," Ivory said.

"Uh well, I was dating this guy Caleb. He was homeless I guess, and I hid him in my house. My mom ended up finding out. We were together for a while, but it didn't work out," Hanna shrugged. "He left Rosewood and now he's back."