Sugar & Spice

10|the news

Aria was ripped from her sleep by a pair of shaking hands and instantly her eyes flew open despite fearing what her eyes would meet. Towering over her was a frantic Jane holding her phone like a tray to signal she was on speaker phone with someone. Aria's dream had been so calm and wonderful even if she wasn't sure what she had actually dreamed about, so to wake up to this felt like some sort of army drill. 

"What is happening?" Aria managed to say before she was dragged to a sitting position and the phone was shoved closer to her mouth. 

Jane looked frantic from where she was half-sitting on Aria's bed. Her eyes were bloodshot and wide, her hair wild from bed-head and her morning voice was hoarse - yet she looked wide awake. 

"Rebecca; talk to her, tell her what's happened--" was all she could get out before Aria hunched over the phone.

She hadn't spoken to Rebecca for quite some time since she was busy at Caltech but for her to call this early and cause such reaction from Jane meant that something serious had happened and it was most likely something about the trial. Bobby's weak body suddenly popped into her head and she prayed nothing had happened to him.

"They have set a date for the trial! It's going to be one month from now and we are all going to have to testify, hopefully Bobby too--" Rebecca said frantically. 

Aria glanced at Jane and wondered how Rebecca already knew of Bobby, they had spoken about only hours ago. Jane waved it off as if it was nothing but Aria's eyes narrowed and pushed for an explanation.

"I was filling her in while you were asleep. We both think you should go see him--but that's irrelevant now! We have to talk about the trial." Jane pushed on.

"Our lawyers are going to want to meet with us separately and probably together too at some point. That's why it's essential for you to see Bobby and talk him into testifying against Brody and give the jury the details we wouldn't know and can only assume." Rebecca said through the phone.

Still newly awake Aria felt dizzy and seasick at the information she was forced to swallow but it was a relief to hear that they were on board with her visiting Bobby. Now she had to take in the news of the trial and that was another mountain to climb. With the trial on it's way that meant that the media would once again pretend to be interested in the troubles of a small town and Aria, Rebecca and Jane would be in the limelight. In a month she would come face to face with Brody Jensen again, the teenage monster as some of the smaller tabloids had tried to coin. 

"How are we all going to meet before then? You're all the way in California--" Aria said and tried to force her voice to sound less hoarse from her abrupt wake up.

"Don't worry about that! Next week we've got autumn break and I'm going home for the Fall Festival. Jane and I thought we could all make a fun weekend out of it and spend some time together." Rebecca said in a giddy voice.

Both Jane and Rebecca seemed nearly excited for the trial to finally take place and perhaps it was her newly awoken state that caused her hesitation, but Aria just couldn't get excited about the news. The mere thought of walking in to that courthouse that would be packed with people was a terrifying thought, one that would probably visit her in her sleep from all she knew. 

"Rebecca, let us call you back; Aria looks like she's in shock!" Jane said with a light chuckle and hung up the phone.

Aria wanted to say something to it all, contribute in some ways but her jaw was still in her lap from the shock of it all. Instead of saying anything she responded to her basic needs and felt her body beginning to wake up slowly which meant; she needed to visit the ladies room. She dragged herself out of bed and grabbed her toiletry bag,