Matters of the Heart

Chapter 14: Hello Darkness, My Old Friend

Chapter 14:

Hello Darkness, My Old Friend

Emily's mind was racing, trying to come up with something to say to Alison that wasn't a lie. She couldn't tell her about A, but she couldn't in good conscience lie to her after the conversation they'd just had about honesty.

"Um, hold that thought..." Emily smiled nervously at Ali. She stuttered something out about needing to return a message really quick. She texted Spencer, Aria, and Hanna to find out where they were and warned them not to drop any hints whatsoever to Tanner about A. She explained that A was threatening Ali's life.

Spencer replied almost immediately,

"Not with Tanner. She wasn't looking for us. Will explain when we get back."

Emily breathed a sigh of relief. It was overwhelming enough to be dealing with A and Sara Harvey. Adding Tanner on top of that was going to be a nightmare. They just had to slay one dragon at a time. She looked up from her phone and Ali was still staring at her.

"Emily?" She was still waiting on an answer.

She needed to give her something, and fast.

"I saw Sara Harvey visiting Charlotte's grave," Emily blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"What?"

"At least, that's what she claims," Emily continued. "I think she may have been following me."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Because she's deranged?" She couldn't tell Ali she thought Sara was working with A without telling her the whole truth.

"Wait, why were you at Charlotte's grave?" Ali pulled back in confusion.

"I wasn't. I was visiting my dad." She felt her throat close up thinking about her dad's grave.

"Oh." Ali shook her head, embarrassed. "Sorry. I wasn't thinking." She felt bad for not considering that in the first place. "I...I saw the new headstone when I went to visit my mom a few weeks ago. It's nice."

"Yeah." Emily let out a pained smile. "That night was the first time I'd seen it."

"Really?" Ali asked curiously.

"I should have gone sooner," Emily admitted. Talking to her father that night had been cathartic, "He always knew how to fix things. I was hoping that by going there I'd be able to see things more clearly. He taught me that there's light even in the darkness. He used to tell me that even when the sky is dark, the stars are still shining somewhere. He'd say, 'just because you can't see the light doesn't mean it's not there'. His words have gotten me through hard times before."

Ali felt tears stinging her eyes. Emily had always been her light in the darkness. How was it possible that she hadn't seen how much Emily needed someone to be her guide?

"I've felt like I was in this fog for so long," Emily rubbed her eyes. "I thought being there and talking to him might help me find my way through the clouds. Then Sara showed up..." She clenched her fists in anger.

"I'm sorry she ruined that for you." Ali's face tightened. "What did she say to you?"

"She insisted that she was there to pay her respects to Charlotte. Then she turned around and tried to lay a guilt trip on me about what happened to her at the prom."

"That wasn't your fault." Ali's face was soft, but there was an angry undertone to her voice. She didn't like hearing about Sara messing with Emily. Her protective instincts went into overdrive. She started picturing ways to make Sara pay.