How Alison Met The Liars

Hanna

Trigger warnings: In this chapter, there are snide comments about weight. There is also language relating to binging/purging.

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Hanna was an unexpected one. I was sitting with Spencer and Aria at lunch at our usual table when Hanna came over and sat down next to Spencer. We all stopped talking to look at her, we thought she was crazy. No one just sat at someone's lunch table like that, you had to be invited.

"Excuse me?" I said.

"Hi, I'm Hanna." She smiled and started to dig into her lunch. Her tray was loaded with food served in our canteen. It was usually pretty nasty.

"And?"

"I wanted to sit with you guys at lunch."

"Well, that's cute but not just anybody can sit here and have lunch with us."

"What is this? Mean Girls?" Hanna laughed.

"No, this is real life and Sweetie with the way you eat you're probably not going to get far in it. So, go find someone else to share your carbs with."

Aria and Spencer stayed silent, not knowing what to say. I continued to stare down Hanna until she finally picked up her tray and went to sit down on the far side of the cafeteria.

"Wow Ali, that was harsh," Spencer said, going back to her sandwich.

"Whatever, we can't have just anybody sitting with us and making friends. That's not how this works."

"I think that's exactly how high school works," Aria replied, refusing to look up at me.

"It might for most people but not for us. Looks ladies, we are way better than all these other high school losers okay? We have standards and that girl does not meet them."

"Sounds like Mean Girls to me," Aria mumbled and Spencer laughed.

"Say what you want but I'm just trying to maintain our reputation."

"Why does that matter? Are you trying to be Homecoming Queen or something?" Spencer asked.

"Maybe, I mean I was thinking about it."

"Really? I didn't think you were into that kind of thing."

I didn't care much for Homecoming Queen, but it was a nice title to have. Homecoming Queen was one of those titles people carried for the rest of their lives in a small town like Rosewood. Plus, it would go a long way when getting in with cute boys and college and basically anything in life because people like to hire people who were popular in high school. If you were popular, it meant people liked you, and aspired to be like you, and who doesn't want that?

"It's not really my thing but it wouldn't hurt to have the title of Homecoming Queen."

"I suppose it would go along with your other title of Queen Bitch," Spencer smirked.

I shoved her, "very original, but I'll take it; there are worse titles to have."

The bell rang and we began to clear things up and go our separate ways to class. As we left the cafeteria I looked over at Hanna, she was throwing her half-eaten lunch in the trash and looked upset. I was impressed with her confidence to try and sit with us but at the same time; she wasn't strong enough to stand her ground. Though I think I could see potential, someone with that kind of bravery could be useful.

"You didn't humiliate me enough earlier?" Hanna asked, lifting her bag and walking up to me.

"Please, if you had a backbone, you would have stood your ground."