Ethan's Pov

The girls and I were currently walking in the hallway trying to sneak into class. 

We tried visiting Jenna at the hospital this morning but we weren't allowed to. Because of that we were late for class and we were trying to sneak back.

Though, I doubt that's possible since classes are almost over.

"I still think we should dip into those candy-striper outfits one more time" Hanna told us.

"What difference would that have made?" Emily asked.

"Well, we could've talked to Jenna instead of getting turned away at the visitor's desk" Hanna huffed in annoyance.

"Guys! Can you keep it down, please? The whole point was to sneak back" Aria whisper yelled at us.

"I think Mr. Facinelli noticed that our entire row was missing" Spencer told her.

"Yeah, well, I'd still like to graduate" Aria told her.

"Oh, newsflash, honey, none of us are graduating" I sarcastically smiled.

Spencer nodded while Aria sent me a glare before rolling her eyes.

"Ok, I still think that Spencer should get back to Shana and see if she'll say more" Hanna said.

"What? Why?" Spencer asked.

"Because, if Cece drowned Jenna, then she must know the reason" Hanna told her.

"And why exactly do we trust Shana?" Emily asked.

"Why do we trust Jenna?" Hanna asked, annoyed.

"Alright, well I don't trust anybody, and you guys are about as quiet as a monster truck rally. Now shut up" Aria sternly said.

I sighed and just continued walking with the girls following me.

"Fine. I'm going to the source" Hanna sighed.

"The source?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Cece's been A.W.O.L. since Wilden was alive. You're not just gonna find her folding peasant skirts at the diva dish right now" Spencer told her.

We heard a phone ring and turned around to see Emily taking her phone out before we went back to talking.

"Well, then I'll search every hipster boutique until I do find her" Hanna said.

We stopped walking when we saw Emily staring at her phone in disbelief.

"No friggin' way" Emily gasped.

"What? What's wrong?" Aria asked in concern.

"Is it an A text?" Spencer asked.

"Worse, it's my mother" Emily said.

"Wow, Em, that's harsh" I grinned.

Emily playfully glared at me and hit my arm, making me chuckle and shake my head at her.

"Mrs. Dilaurentis has offered to let us stay with her" Emily told us.

"In Ali's house?" Aria asked, shocked.

"You're gonna sleep in Ali's old bed?" Spencer asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"No! Hell no. I'm not moving in there" Emily scoffed.

I don't blame her for not wanting to stay there.

None of us would wanna stay in Ali's house let alone stay in her room and sleep in her bed.

"Yes, you are" Hanna nodded.

This made Emily look at her in shock while the girls and I looked at her confused.

Why is she encouraging this?

"Em, you have to. It might be our best chance to find Cece" Hanna told her.

I frowned, before sighing and slowly nodded my head.

I have to admit that Hanna is right.

Alison was best friends with Cece and if she has any information about her she probably hid it in her room.

Before Emily could say anything the bell rang and students started coming out of their classes.

I sighed and walked with Spencer and Hanna while Emily and Aria left.

"Buttercup, you could've been a little more sensitive" I said.

"Yeah. She's homeless right now, and you just convinced her to stay in our dead friends room" Spencer added.

"Yeah, well our friend is close with Cece. Maybe there's something there that can help us track her down" Hanna said.

"That room is freaky. Ali's mom turned it into a shrine" I shuddered.

I get that the woman is grieving since that's her daughter that died.

But she should've moved on by now. Or at least tried to.

Spencer nodded in agreement while Hanna rolled her eyes.

"You wanna talk about freaky? Look at the guy who hangs out at the ice machine at Emily's motel. He crushes ice with his armpit" Hanna huffed.

"She should just ask her mom if she can come stay with us" Spencer suggested.

I nodded.

I'm sure our parents wouldn't mind having Emily stay with us.

They love her and given her situation they would be more than happy to have her with us.

"I don't think my mom's taking any guests at the moment. She's having a hard enough time getting dressed in the morning" Hanna sighed.

"Would a guest be a good distraction?" I asked.

Hanna sighed and shook her head as the three of us stopped walking.

"As much as she loves Emily, I don't think she wants to cry in front of her" Hanna said.

I sighed at that but nodded in understanding, Spencer following my lead.

My eyes wandered around before stopping when I spotted Caleb. 

I looked at Hanna and pointed over to him causing her to turn around.

When Caleb saw her he gestured for her to come outside, he probably needs to talk to her about something.

"Lets talk later, ok?" Hanna asked.

"Ok" Spencer and I nodded.

Hanna nodded back at us before leaving.

I sighed and kissed my sister on the head before leaving to just find someplace where I can be alone.

Not only that but I want to avoid running into Seth, especially after what happened between us at the lake party.

At The Dilaurentis House

After school was over Spencer and I went with Emily to gather her things from the hotel her and her mom were staying at so we could help her move in with Mrs. Dilaurentis.

The three of us slowly walked into Alison's old room and stopped to look at everything.

It was all so weird. 

The room really did look like a shrine.

"I...I-I can't stay here. Look at this. It's like a...a museum" Emily stuttered nervously.

I frowned at that and placed her pillow that I was carrying on a nearby chair.

"I know I promised Hanna, but I can't do this" Emily shook her head.

"Ok, Emily, just try to relax for a second. Look, when you think about it, putting back her room is really not that strange of a reaction" Spencer tried to reassure her.

"Yeah, Em, it might be a bit weird but it's not all bad" I softly said.

"Yeah. In the 19th century, when children died, their parents would sometimes pose them for lifelike photos as mementos" Spencer explained.

I gave my sister a look of disbelief.

How the hell was that supposed to calm her down?

I'm sure it just freaked her out even more. 

Emily turned to look at Spencer had the same reaction as me.

"Not helping. Not helping at all" Emily told her, annoyed.

"Ok, well just try to remember that this is an opportunity" Spencer said.

"Yeah. You could find some stuff in here that could be really useful to us" I added.

"Just not thrilled being here by myself" Emily said.

"Wait, your mom's not gonna be here with you?" Spencer asked.

"No. She has a hearing with the police department disciplinary committee. She doesn't come back from Harrisburg until tomorrow" Emily explained.

"What about Paige? Can she come over?" Spencer asked.

"We're not exactly in the best place right now" Emily sighed.

I gave her a small smile and gently placed my hand on her shoulder.

Something tells me that those two had an argument about something and are now avoiding each other.

Honestly, maybe they're broken up or just on a break.

Whatever it is it's clear that Emily doesn't want to be near her at the moment.

"Found everything you need?" we heard Mrs. Dilaurentis ask.

The three of us turned around to see Mrs. Dilaurentis standing by the door, smiling at us while holding a blanket in her hands.

"Um...yeah" Spencer nodded.

Emily and I nodded, smiling at her.

"I'm sorry it's so chilly. Furnace is acting up. I've called someone to come over and have a look at it" Mrs. Dilaurentis said.

She walked inside the room and set the blanket down on the bed.

"Can I get you three anything? I have those vanilla wafers that you all used to like" Mrs. Dilaurentis asked.

Spencer and Emily smiled at her, quite awkwardly, and shook their heads.

"Um...No, thanks" Emily said.

"Oh, I wouldn't mind some. They're still my favorite and I'm quite hungry" I smiled.

Mrs. Dilaurentis smiled at me and nodded.

"I should unpack" Emily cleared her throat.

"I'll get you some hangars" Mrs. Dilaurentis told her.

She turned around and walked over to Alison's closet and opened it.

My eyes widened when I saw a few of Alison's clothes still inside.

Did she actually keep clothes that belonged to Alison?

Mrs. Dilaurentis breath hitched for a moment and although I couldn't see her face I can tell that her eyes were filled with sadness.

I guess it makes sense.

She still can't get over Ali's death and it's still taken a huge toll on her. 

Despite her faults, she really did love Ali and still misses her.

"You know, I...I don't really wear things that need to be hung up" Emily awkwardly said.

I heard Mrs. Dilaurentis release a sigh before she put the hangers back inside and closed the closet.

She turned around and I frowned when I saw that she wanted to cry but was holding in her tears.

"There are fresh towels in the linen closet, and I made extra keys" Mrs. Dilaurentis said.

She walked over to Emily and handed her the extra keys.

Spencer sighed and sat down on a chair while I stood next to her.

"I really want you to make yourself at home here, Emily. I know that you and your mom have been through a lot" Mrs. Dilaurentis softly said.

Emily gave her a small smile at that and nodded her head.

"Thanks, Mrs. D" Emily softly said.

Mrs. Dilaurentis nodded and gently rubbed her shoulder before beginning to walk out of the room.

She stopped and turned back around to look at us, her hands clasped together.

"It's so nice to see you kids back in this room. It's like you never left" Mrs. Dilaurentis smiled.

She sighed before turning around and leaving the room, leaving the three of us alone.

The girls and I glanced at each other before sighing.

At Alyssa's House

Spencer and I stayed with Emily to help her unpack.

As promised Mrs. Dilaurentis did come back into the room to give me those vanilla wafers. 

Anyways, when Spencer and I were done helping Emily we left.

As much as we didn't want to leave her alone in that house, and with Mrs. Dilaurentis, we had to since we had our own things to do.

Spencer had gone home since Toby called her and told her he needed to talk to her about something.

I was going to go home too but after hearing that he was going to be at our house I decided against it.

I still haven't forgiven him and I don't want to be near him.

I honestly don't know when I'll forgive him.

All I know is that I need time before that happens.

So, since I wasn't going home I decided to go over to Alyssa's house.

Her mom was there but her dad and siblings weren't.

Her mom told me they were out to get some supplies the kids needed for a project they had.

Her mom let me in and told me Alyssa was up in her room.

I thanked her before heading upstairs to get to Alyssa's room.

Which was where I was at right now.

I was lying on Alyssa's bed with my head resting on her lap while she was sitting on her bed running her fingers through my hair.

"How long is Emily going to stay with Mrs. Dilaurentis?" Alyssa asked.

"Until her house gets repaired" I told her.

"And she's alone with her at the moment?" Alyssa asked.

I nodded causing Alyssa to hum and nod her head. 

The two of us stayed silent, enjoying the comfortable silence that filled the air, as we didn't really have much to talk about.

Well, at least that's what I thought.

"Who is Seth James to you?" Alyssa asked.

My eyes widened and I felt my body stiffen.

Why is she asking me that? 

Why did she bring something like that up now?

"Where is this coming from?" I asked.

"I was going to tell you at lunch but I chickened out. But Seth approached me at my locker and started an argument with me" Alyssa revealed.

My eyes widened more at that and I quickly shot up from the bed.

"What? Are you serious?" I asked.

Alyssa nodded.

"What did he say?" I asked.

"He said that it's my fault that you're no longer with him. He said that I should've never come here in the first place so that us dating never would've happened. He blamed me for taking you away" Alyssa explained.

A scowl immediately found its way onto my face, nothing but anger coursing through me.

That motherf....

Who the hell does he think he is?

What right does he have to talk to my girlfriend that way?

What right does he have to accuse her of something that is in no way near her fault?

"Did he hurt you?" I asked.

"No. He just slammed his fists into the lockers to scare me before leaving but he didn't lay a hand on me" Alyssa said.

I sighed, feeling relieved.

Because trust me if that asshole laid a hand on my girl he'll be sorry.

"Alyssa, darling, I want you to stay away from him. If he goes to you just ignore him and walk away" I sternly said.

"I was planning on doing that after what happened today" Alyssa huffed.

"Good, stay away from him. He's nothing but an asshole and a pain in the ass" I told her.

That's what I've been doing since the day he returned.

But that's clearly impossible since he always finds a way to just be near me.

It's annoying as shit.

"I will. But, babe, you haven't answered my previous question" Alyssa reminded me.

Because I was hoping you forgot about it.

"Who is Seth James to you?" Alyssa asked, again.

I bit my lip and looked away, debating if I should tell her or not.

I know that one way or another I was going to have to tell her about my history with Seth.

But at the same time I never wanted to tell her simply because of how painful it is to talk about.

Especially with what he did and how he broke my heart, how he broke me.

Literally only two people know about Seth and what he did.

Lucas and, well, you'll know about the other person another day.

"Seth and I have known each other for a while. We have history together. History that I have tried to bury ever since he left but now that he's back everything else is beginning to resurface" I explained.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair, before looking back at Alyssa.

I could see her staring at me in curiosity and concern.

"I want to tell you about my history with Seth. I do. But not right now. It's hard to talk about and I just need time to tell you everything that happened" I explained.

All I'm asking from her is time.

Time for me to explain what happened.

Time for me to explain why I hate Seth and want nothing to do with him.

I just can't see myself explaining everything right now since I'm not ready.

I felt two hands cupping the sides of my face and turned to see Alyssa had scooted closer to me on the bed.

Her eyes showing concern but softness and adoration.

"Babe, you don't have to tell me now. If it's hard to talk about then don't force yourself to reveal everything now. I just want you to know that when you're ready, I'll be here ready to listen and to just be there for you" Alyssa softly smiled.

My eyes softened at her words and I felt relieved.

I was relieved that she wasn't going to make me talk about everything now.

I was relieved that she was willing to wait for as long as she needed me to.

I was relieved to just have such an amazing girlfriend like her.

She's the best, really.

"Thank you" I softly smiled.

"Of course" Alyssa nodded.

Just like that the two of us leaned in, pressing our lips together as we kissed softly.

Late At Night

When Alyssa's dad and her siblings came back from what they were doing her mom had dinner ready.

I was going to leave, not wanting to intrude, but they all insisted that I stayed.

They already see me as family since Alyssa and I have been dating for a while and they know that I treat her well.

So, I agreed and we all sat down at the dinner table talking and laughing as we ate.

It was really nice, really fun.

Once dinner was over I was going to help Alyssa's mom clean up when Spencer texted me and told me to head over to the Dilaurentis house.

I was confused but decided not to question it and just head over.

I said my goodbyes to all of them before heading to where I needed to be.

Now I was back at the Dilaurentis house along with Spencer and Hanna.

The three of us were with Emily in Alison's room while Mrs. Dilaurentis was doing who knows what.

Spencer was currently telling us that her and Toby had gone over to some retirement home to talk to some man, Dr. Palmer, to see if they could get some information from him.

Apparently, Toby had gone to see him before and the man told him about some blond girl.

And apparently he told him that the blonde girl is dangerous.

And now with Spencer being there the man apparently mentioned the name 'Dilaurentis'.

"He said Dilaurentis. I'm positive" Spencer told us.

"How can you be positive?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah. You said it was Toby that was there, not you" Emily added.

"No, it was" Spencer said.

The three of us looked at each other, unsure of what to say or what to think.

"Ok, what was Toby doing in that old folks home?" Hanna asked, confused.

Honestly, I'm wondering that too.

"I-I don't know, ok. It had something to do with Nigel's phone. You guys are focusing on the wrong details, ok. She was there. Ali's mom was at Radley at some point" Spencer explained.

"He has dementia. The name Dilaurentis has been everywhere. Maybe he just got it stuck in his head" Emily shrugged.

"Well, I think it's worth it to find out" Spencer said.

"So what? You're just gonna ask her?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah, why not?" Hanna shrugged.

Emily looked at her in disbelief.

"Um, because she's going through a divorce, and she's a little fragile" Emily told her.

Well, that makes sense.

There's no need to ask her about something like this especially with what she's going through.

Emily scoffed before standing up, grabbing her bag and her jacket.

"I can't talk about this anymore. I'm late for work" Emily said.

We watched as she opened the door and left to leave for work.

The girls sighed while I shook my head and ran a hand through my hair.

All of a sudden I hear my phone ringing causing me to take my phone out to see who it is.

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion when I saw that it was a number that I didn't recognize.

I rolled my eyes and declined the call, it was probably a scammer.

"Come on, lets head home" I told the girls.

Hanna and Spencer nodded and grabbed their things as we left the room.

When we got downstairs we were ready to leave the house when we heard Mrs. Dilaurentis's voice.

"Emily, is that you?" Mrs. Dilaurentis asked.

The girls and I looked at each other as she walked into the room and Hanna shook her head.

"Uh, actually, Emily left for work" Hanna told her.

"Oh, and I was hoping you kids would stay for dinner. You could even sleep over if you like. I still have the trundle bed upstairs" Mrs. Dilaurentis smiled.

The girls and I looked at each other before shaking our heads.

"I should probably get home" Hanna told her.

"Yeah, Spencer and I still have some homework to finish" I added.

We don't.

But we don't really want to stay here.

Not to mention this conversation itself is a little awkward.

"You know, it's chilly in here right now, but the furnace guy is on his way" Mrs. Dilaurentis said.

Before any of us could say anything I heard my phone ring, again.

I frowned and took it out.

I groaned quietly when I saw that it was the same number that called me earlier.

I would decline, considering it's probably a scammer, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious.

"Uh, sorry, I have to take this. I'll be outside" I politely said.

I patted Spencer on the shoulder and nodded at Hanna before leaving the house.

Once I was outside and closed the door behind me I accepted the call.

"Hello? Who is this?" I asked, placing the phone to my ear.

"I'm surprised you picked up since you declined my first call".

My eyes widened, I immediately recognized that voice.

I looked around, making sure that nobody was near and that the girls nor Mrs. Dilaurentis would come outside.

Once I made sure I was alone I walked a little further down the porch.

"Why the hell are you calling me?" I asked.

"I wanted to hear your voice since you were avoiding me at school today" Seth said.

Seth James.

He's the one that called me earlier and the one that called me now and the one I'm talking to now.

Good god, why didn't I just hang up?

"How the hell did you get my number?" I asked.

Why does he have my number?

Last I checked I made sure to get rid of everything that was associated with him.

The first thing I did was delete his number before deciding to get myself a new phone with a new number.

To avoid this.

And it worked for a while until it didn't.

"I have my ways. I'm just glad you didn't decline my call this time because I would've just kept calling until you answered" Seth said.

"What do you want?" I asked, annoyed.

"To talk to you since we haven't spoken to each other since the lake party" Seth said.

"I made it perfectly clear that I don't want anything to do with you. Why can't you just take the hint?" I asked.

"Because I can't stop thinking about you, Ethan. I've tried even before I moved back here but it's impossible. You're always on my mind, always have and always will be" Seth explained.

"Well get me out of your mind because trust me that's what I did" I scoffed.

It may have taken me a while to get there but I did it and I'm happy.

I've moved on and I want him to do the same.

"Don't say that, Ethan. I know that I hurt you but I want you to give me a chance to prove that I've changed" Seth said.

"And I want you to leave me the hell alone. What we had was in the past. I've moved on and have a girlfriend" I told him.

"Ugh, the blondie. What the hell do you even see in her?" Seth asked, annoyed.

"Her name is Alyssa and she's the most amazing girl ever. She makes me happy which is something you lacked in the past" I scowled.

"Don't say that. I made you happy, don't pretend that you were never happy to see me and spend time with me" Seth said.

"Maybe you did, maybe you didn't. All I know is that you're the reason things ended between us" I huffed.

"And I regret that, believe me I do. Which is why I'm back now to make things right. I just need you to give me a chance to prove it" Seth sighed.

I opened my mouth to say something when I heard the front door begin to open.

I knew it was Spencer and Hanna and they were done talking to whatever with Mrs. Dilaurentis.

"I'm not giving you that chance, ever. Lose my number and don't call me again" I scowled.

"Ethan, please" Seth begged.

I ignored him and quickly hung up, stuffing my phone into my pocket.

I walked over to the girls as they walked out of the house.

"Hey, ready to go?" I asked.

"Yeah" Hanna nodded.

"Who called you?" Spencer asked, curious.

"Ah just someone that had the wrong number, no big deal" I told her.

She nodded and like that the three of us started walking to head home.

Back At Home

When we got home Hanna called Caleb over because her and Spencer had something to tell him, and me, about Alison and Cece.

Once Caleb arrived him and I, along with Hanna, took a seat on the kitchen stools.

Spencer was in front of us sitting on the armrest of the couch.

While I was on the phone with Seth, I made sure to block the number he called me on, Spencer told us what Mrs. Dilaurentis told her and Hanna.

Apparently the friendship between Alison and Cece wasn't a normal one, it was a toxic one.

Mrs. Dilaurentis told them that Cece pretended to be Alison in order to pull off a prank.

And that prank involved Cece, who was pretending to be Alison, going to Radley and wanting to stay at Radley because she thinks she might hurt herself.

Radley called Mrs. Dilaurentis and when she finds out it was Cece and not her daughter she was pissed.

Understandable.

I mean, I would be pissed as well.

Pretty sure any parent would be pissed.

When Spencer was done explaining Caleb and I were trying to process everything.

"Damn" I breathed out.

"Yeah. That's pretty messed up" Caleb nodded.

"Yeah, but it makes sense. Remember, that guy Hector said that Ali wanted masks of her face made so that her friends would look more like her?" Spencer asked.

"I thought that was a dig at us" Hanna said.

"So did I, but apparently she was talking about Cece" Spencer said.

All of a sudden we hear the door open causing us to stop talking and turn around.

We see mom walking in, her purse in one hand and her phone in the other hand.

"Hi" Spencer greeted mom.

"Hi mom" I smiled.

"Hi. I wasn't sure if you two would be home for dinner" Mom told us.

"Oh, no, I thought we could just order a pizza" Spencer told her.

I nodded.

I wasn't really that hungry, given I ate dinner at Alyssa's, but I wasn't going to turn down pizza.

"Ok, sure" Mom nodded, setting her purse down.

She set her phone down and sighed before looking at Hanna.

"Honey, have you spoken to your mom lately?" Mom asked.

Hanna frowned before shaking her head.

"Uh, not since earlier. Why?" Hanna asked.

Mom frowned causing me to frown because I could see the sadness in her eyes.

"I...you should probably head home" Mom told her.

Spencer, Caleb and I glanced at each other in confusion while Hanna grew a little worried.

"Mrs. Hastings, what's going on?" Caleb asked.

Mom hesitated, not wanting to tell us what she wanted to tell us, but let out a sigh as she gave in.

"Someone made an anonymous complaint to the court. They're accusing me of obstruction of justice" Mom revealed.

"What?!" Spencer and I yelled.

Who the hell would accuse mom of that?

Mom takes her work seriously and always goes by the rules.

"They're alleging that I bullied Mona into...giving her confession" Mom rolled her eyes.

"Mom, that's bullshit" I scoffed.

"I know. And the charges won't hold water for long, but unfortunately, the damage is done" Mom said.

"What damage?" Hanna asked, confused.

"In order not to hurt your mother's case, I have to recuse myself" Mom revealed.

Mine and Spencer's eyes widened as we glanced at each other.

We knew what that meant but Hanna didn't.

"What does that mean?" Hanna asked.

"It means..." Mom trailed off, unsure if she should tell her or not.

"Buttercup, it means that right now your mom doesn't have a lawyer" I softly told her.

Hanna looked at me with wide eyes in disbelief.

She looked at mom for confirmation and mom smiled sadly at her and nodded her head.

"What? No!" Hanna yelled.

She stood up from the stool causing Caleb, Spencer and I to stand up as well.

"You said so yourself, this isn't true. Won't this all just blow over?" Hanna asked.

"The prosecution still might try to use it in the trial. And we just can't risk that" Mom explained to her.

That makes sense.

But it doesn't make things better.

Hanna frowned, placing a hand over her mouth, as she tried to process everything.

All of a sudden moms phone rings causing her to pick it up to see who it was.

"Oh, I need to take this" Mom told us.

She looked at Hanna and gave her a sad sorry smile before accepting the phone call and walked away.

When she was gone Hanna grabbed her bag and sweater as she turned to look at us.

"I have to go home. I have to go see my mom" Hanna said.

"Ok, I'll join you" Caleb told her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Hanna, just calm down. Everything's gonna be alright" Spencer tried to reassure her.

"Ok, no it's not! Ok, an anonymous tip? Who do you think called that in?!" Hanna yelled in frustration.

"She's right. This has A written everywhere" I scowled.

A must've made that call to get mom off of Ms. Marin's case so that she would have no lawyer to defend her.

A made that call to make sure that Hanna's mom gets back in jail.

And that bitch may succeed now that mom is no longer Ms. Marin's lawyer.

"Hey, take a breath" Caleb told her.

"No, I have to go home" Hanna told him.

She gave me a quick hug goodbye before leaving to head home.

Caleb sighed and bid Spencer and I goodbye before leaving to follow after Hanna.

Spencer and I looked at each other and sighed, feeling tired and feeling bad for Hanna.

Just as things were looking up for her A swoops in and ruins it.