❝ we all eat lies, when our hearts are hungry ❞
Halle Brewster made a promise she would never tell the secrets of the summer Alison DiLaurentis went missing. Only now, someone else was doing the telling - something Alison never got the chance to do...
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One Week Later
"— One week after his arrest, Reynolds plead not guilty to the charge of Alison DiLaurentis' murder —"
The news had been jammed packed with Alison's name, along with Garrett Reynolds', since the night they arrested him at the Hastings' house. That key bit of information — the location of his arrest — was kept out of the headline as Mr and Mrs Hastings were keen not to be drawn into the mess. It was difficult enough when Spencer was connected.
"— However, prosecutors remain confident with their case. Rosewood PD's working theory is that Reynolds became a police officer to destroy evidence that linked him to the murder scene. Investigators made a break in the case when that document was discovered —"
"That must be page-five of Ali's autopsy report," Hanna reasoned. The five friends were gathered in the Hastings' kitchen, on bar stools around the island, as they watched on the television bolted to the wall near the sink.
"Garrett took it, but somebody gave it back," Emily put in.
Spencer, sitting at the top of the island while the other were split in twos either side, told them, "My mom is friends with the prosecutor. That somebody... was Jenna."
"God, that itself sets my teeth on edge," groaned Halle, using two fingers to ease the pressure in her jaw.
"Can we finally put Ali to rest now?" Aria begged, just as Spencer turned the television on mute.
"Or is it two down and two to go?" questioned Hanna, causing her friends to look to her in confusion. She explained plainly, dropping her voice into a whisper, "Ian's dead, Garrett's in jail. Melissa and Jenna were in Ali's room that night, too. They may not have killed Ali, but they're definitely guilty of something."
Then, Melissa Hastings stepped into the room. "Love gone wrong," she announced.
Spencer furrowed her brows. The television was shut off entirely now, and she asked her elder sister, "What are you talking about?"
Melissa kept her arms folded over her growing baby-bump and confidently told them, "I knew Ian didn't kill Alison, and you five can keep a secret, but you don't have the constitution for murder." She chuckled before her eyes landed on the tub of frozen-yoghurt in front of Aria. Pointing at it, Melissa asked, "Are you gonna eat that?"
Aria didn't answer. She simply pushed it across the slab and passed it over.
Eagerly, Melissa accepted it with a grin. "Thanks." Melissa used her elbows to prop herself up against the island, dragging the plastic spoon over the mound of fro-yo. "I know how Jenna Marshall went blind, and so did Garrett," she said. "If he killed Alison, it's because he thought she deserved it." Melissa moaned the second she put the first spoonful into her mouth, smiling to herself. "Mmm, is this peanut butter?" she asked.
