Ethan's Pov

The girls and I were currently at Hanna's house while her cheating dad was out doing whatever but he'd be back soon.

Hanna's mom ended up getting arrested for Wilden's murder and it's taken a huge toll on Hanna. She really misses her and wishes she could do something to help, but she can't.

Spencer, Emily and Aria currently washing the dishes while I had gone upstairs to try and get Hanna to eat.

Unfortunately, it didn't work.

Because Hanna told me multiple times she wasn't hungry and that food wasn't going to help her.

After leaving her room I made my way downstairs and walked into the kitchen.

The girls were finishing up with the dishes and I could tell that Emily and Spencer were ending a conversation of theirs.

"Good. You two are talking. Now if we could only get buttercup to eat" I sighed, setting the plate of food down on the kitchen counter.

"We could order those mozzarella sticks from The Brew. She loves those" Spencer suggested.

"The Brew can't deliver the one thing she really wants, her mom" Emily said.

I let out a sigh but nodded my head since she was right.

Hanna only wants one thing and that's her mom.

Aria sighed before walking towards the kitchen counter and picking up the plate of food that I set down.

"This stuff is getting rock-hard" Aria said.

She was going to throw it out but Spencer stepped forward and stopped her from doing so.

"No, don't throw it out. Maybe Hanna's dad will eat it when he gets back" Spencer said.

She took the plate and put it back where it was, going to find a plastic wrapper to cover it up.

"Or we can use it to chisel Mrs. Marin out of jail" Emily suggested.

"I don't think that would go over so well at her arraignment. What's going on with that, anyway? Has Hanna's dad said anything?" Aria asked.

"Only that the cheating piece of shit won't take her to any of the meetings with the legal team" I rolled my eyes.

"Ethan" Spencer shot me a glare.

"What? I've said it many times that I hate him and nothing will ever change that" I scoffed.

Spencer huffed before covering up the plate with the plastic wrapper in her hands.

"Well, Ethan and I will see what we can find out" Spencer told the girls.

I nodded to which the girls nodded back.

"Look, it's getting late. Why don't you two head home and Ethan and I will make sure that Hanna gets something to eat before her dad gets back" Spencer said.

"Yeah. It's time to bust out the big guns. Cake frosting and a spoon" I chuckled slightly.

Aria shook her head, "I'm good to stay".

"Me too. The only way we're getting Hanna through this is together" Emily said.

Spencer and I glanced at each other before looking at the girls and nodding our heads.

Aria then placed one hand on top of my sisters and used her other hand to place it on top of mine.

Emily then leaned forward and placed her hand on top of Spencer's other hand.

The four of us smiled softly at each other, happy that we're in this together.

None of us are leaving Hanna alone. Especially not when she really needs us.

"So, where is she anyway?" Spencer asked turning to me.

"Upstairs in her room talking to Caleb. Probably telling him to not do anything stupid" I chuckled.

The girls shared a small laugh at that and I smiled, happy to have lifted the mood.

The Next Day

It was the next day and I was with Alyssa as the two of us walked down the hallway together.

Hanna was at school today and, well, it's clear to say that it's not easy. Everyone knows about her mom getting arrested for Wilden's murder and some have been giving Hanna pity looks while some were giving her judgmental looks.

I swear I wanted to punch the ones that were giving her judging looks, but Hanna told me to forget it.

"I just wish she had taken time off school. She didn't have to be here if she wasn't ready" I told my girlfriend.

"Maybe she wasn't quite ready but she probably didn't want to stay home since her mom isn't there" Alyssa said.

I frowned at that and realized she was right.

While Hanna probably didn't want to show up at school, especially with everyone knowing about her mom getting arrested, she probably didn't want to stay home either.

Especially when her mom isn't there like she normally is.

Especially when her cheating asshole of a dad is there.

"I guess that makes sense" I muttered.

We stopped walking once we reached my locker. I put in my combination before opening it.

Alyssa leaned against the lockers while crossing her arms over her chest as I began stuffing my books inside.

"Just give Hanna time. Her mom being arrested for something she didn't do is definitely going to take a huge toll on her" Alyssa said.

"I know. I just wish there was something the girls and I could do to help or put her at ease" I sighed.

"She will only be at ease once her mom's name is cleared and she's out of jail" Alyssa softly said.

"I guess so" I muttered.

Alyssa sighed and pushed herself off the lockers before walking closer to me.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and, almost instantly, I wrapped mine around her waist.

"Just give it time besides she will go to trail and make bail and she'll be out before you know it. Just give it time" Alyssa told me.

I sighed but nodded my head.

"How do you know what to say to make me relax?" I asked.

"What can I say? I guess I'm just that great when it comes to calming down my man" Alyssa grinned.

I grinned back at her before leaning in and pressing my lips onto hers.

Alyssa hummed and kissed me back, her arms tightening a little around my neck, as I pulled her closer.

We pulled away to catch our breath and smiled at each other as we pressed our foreheads together.

"See you at lunch later?" Alyssa asked.

"Definitely" I nodded.

"Good" Alyssa smiled.

"Good" I smiled back at her.

Alyssa pecked me on the lips before bidding me goodbye as she turned around and walked away.

I watched after her as she left with a smile on my lips, staring at my girl with nothing but adoration with my eyes.

"Well, that was certainly something".

And just like that my good mood died down and I was now in a bad mood.

I clenched my eyes shut, resisting the urge to yell out in frustration, before taking a deep breath.

I reopened my eyes and turned around and there stood Seth a few feet from me.

Nothing but a blank look plastered on his face.

"What do you want?" I bluntly asked, not in the mood to deal with him.

"I came to find you so we could talk but it looks like I caught you in the middle of something" Seth said.

"Yeah, you did" I nodded.

Seth said nothing and simply looked behind my shoulder, no doubt to stare in the direction Alyssa had walked off.

Almost instantly a glare appeared on his face.

"Who the hell was that? A fling of yours or something?" Seth asked, nothing but anger and jealousy shown in his tone.

What the hell?

Please tell me something is stuck in my ears because I know he didn't just call my girlfriend a fling.

That little...

"For your information she is not my fling, I don't do stuff like that. Unlike someone I know" I spat at him.

I internally smirked at the way he flinched at my words, knowing I spoke the truth.

"And if you must know her name is Alyssa and she's my girlfriend" I told him.

His eyes widened at that, he clearly wasn't expecting that.

"Your girlfriend?" he asked, shocked.

"Yes, my girlfriend. Do you need me to say it again but in a microphone so you'll hear clearer?" I sarcastically asked.

I swear I just wanted to leave but he needed to know that I was taken.

He needed to know that things aren't going to go back to the way they were before, no way in hell.

"That's funny because I thought you were gay" Seth tightly smiled at me.

I glared at him, wanting nothing more than to smack him.

"You assumed I was simply because of our past. But if you actually knew me, which you didn't, you would know I'm bisexual" I told him.

"So, you-" Seth started but I cut him off.

"I have to get going. Not nice seeing you" I tightly smiled at him.

I shut my locker, using as much force as I could, before turning around and walking away.

I just had to get away and be somewhere that was far away from him.

After School

When school was over I decided to head over to Hanna's house.

Turns out while she did come to school she didn't stay for very long. She only came to get her work before leaving.

It's clear she doesn't want to deal with stares and whispers from everyone and I don't blame her.

So, I decided to head over and check on her and just see how she's doing.

And... to deliver some bad news.

When I got to her house I made my way inside, I did knock but I didn't get a response.

As I walked into the kitchen I saw Hanna working on a few things. Things that weren't related to school.

"Hey, buttercup" I greeted her.

"Hey, bubs" Hanna quietly greeted back.

She went back to what she was doing as I walked over to her and stood behind her.

"You are several steps beyond getting yourself out of gym" I commented.

"How do you think I've been staying home all week? I just don't want my mom to come home to no lights, no hot water, and a weedy lawn" Hanna told me.

Understandable.

But the person that should be handling the bills is her deadbeat father.

I sighed before taking a seat next to Hanna. I took a deep breath before deciding to tell her.

"Buttercup, um, I need you to hear me" I softly told her.

Hanna looked at me and almost immediately knew that something was wrong.

"Ok, bubs, quit making that face. That's your 'bad news' face" Hanna said in annoyance.

Well, she's got me there.

But I wasn't going to try and let her down gently when it's bad news either way.

But she has to know since this is her mom and she needs to know what's happening.

"My mom's not coming home anytime soon, is she?" Hanna asked, stopping what she was doing.

"I overheard my mom talking strategy with my dad" I told her.

"And?" Hanna asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"And from what it sounds like, it'd probably be better if she had done it. Your mom and Wilden had a really tense history. Prove that he threatened her, and they could go for voluntary manslaughter, which is twenty years. And if not..." I trailed off.

I took a deep breath, hesitating, before finally telling her.

"Then it's first-degree murder" I finished.

"And my mom spends the rest of her life in jail" Hanna concluded.

"Or worse. Maybe" I softly told her.

Hanna's eyes began to water at that and she took a shuddering breath, clearly trying her best to process what I told her.

"That's just how bad it looks" I softly told her.

Hanna shook her head and tears began sliding down her cheeks.

"No. That's how bad A made it look" Hanna told me, her voice cracking at the end.

Tears began building up in my own eyes and I quickly stood up and gathered her in my arms.

Hanna didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around me and buried her head into my chest, sobbing as she clung onto me tightly.

I hate that this is happening to her and her mother and I hate that there's just nothing any of us can do to help.

At Aria's House

After leaving Hanna's house, she wanted to be alone and just process everything, I met up with Spencer and the two of us went to Aria's house.

The three of us were in Aria's room and drinking our own cans of soda.

"I wish I'd kept my mouth shut" I sighed, feeling bad for telling Hanna.

Spencer frowned and placed a hand on my shoulder, rubbing it reassuringly.

"Hanna knows it doesn't look good" Spencer softly told me.

"The question is, can it get any worse? "Hanna's mom, Emily's parents, my mom and now my brother" Aria sighed.

Spencer stopped drinking and looked at Aria with a raised eyebrow.

"You think A took a bat to Connor's car?" Spencer asked.

"Please, this has A spray-painted all over it" Aria scoffed before taking a sip of her soda.

We heard footsteps and we turn around to see Emily walking in.

"Come on guys. Lets go" Emily told us, grabbing her bag.

The three of us look at each other before looking at her in confusion.

"To your doctors appointment? Emily, it's just a shot" Aria reminded her.

"This is about who shot Wilden. We still have time to find another murder suspect" Emily said.

Our eyes widened and we set our drinks down and immediately stood up.

"And maybe save Hanna's mom? Whatever it is, we're in" Spencer said.

Aria and I nodded, willing to do whatever it takes to find another suspect that could've killed that bastard.

"Good, cause we're breaking into Wilden's apartment" Emily told us, holding up the key to Wilden's apartment.

The girls and I looked at her in shock before letting small smirks appear on our faces.

We gathered our things, along with a few other things we may need, before leaving the house.

At Wilden's Apartment

We finally arrived at Wilden's apartment. It took a while but we managed to still get there so that's what matters.

Emily opened the door and we slowly walked inside, not wanting to be too loud.

Emily quietly closed the door behind her as we began looking around.

Damn, this place was a complete mess. 

Well, so was Wilden, so I'm not honestly not that surprised.

"Looks like his apartment's as messy as his police work" I scoffed.

"The investigators probably turned this place over a few times. I don't think this mess is all him" Spencer said.

"They the ones who left his boxes on the floor too?" I sarcastically asked.

"Lights stay off, remember. And try and put things back where you found them in case the police come back again" Emily explained.

We all nodded at that.

"Aria, gloves" Emily said.

Aria nodded and took out the gloves and handed them to the girls and I.

Emily and I smiled at her and thanked her while Spencer shot her a deadpan look.

"I'm not literally digging for clues" Spencer told her.

"I grabbed what I could find" Aria defended.

"Look for letters, pictures, anything that might connect Wilden to Shana and Jenna. I still think they're gonna be our best shot at saving Hanna's mom" Emily explained.

"The bedrooms over here. Aria, accompany me?" I asked, looking at my friend.

Aria nodded and the two of us began walking into the direction of the bedroom.

But we abruptly stopped when we heard ringing.

All of us froze as our heads snapped into the direction of where the phone was.

"It's probably just a telemarketer" Spencer said.

"Do we pick it up or...?" Aria trailed off, unsure of what to do.

"It'll stop when it goes to voicemail" I told her as Emily nodded.

The ringing kept on going for a few more seconds when it finally stopped.

"See. Now, come on" I told Aria.

She nodded her head and the two of us walked into Wilden's bedroom while Emily and Spencer did their own search.

A few minutes had passed and we couldn't find anything in his bedroom or anywhere else in his damn apartment.

If he threw out anything before he was murdered then we really aren't gonna find anything.

Aria and I walked into the kitchen where Emily and Spencer were at looking through some mail.

"I feel weird touching his stuff even with gloves on" Aria said.

"Same here. I need a shower" I shivered.

"Come up with anything?" Emily asked.

"Not a lot, just some family photos, lots and lots of black socks and his, uh...film collection" I told them.

"Wilden's a film buff? What, like classics" Emily asked, confused.

"Yeah, if you consider 'lord of the g-strings' a classic" I sarcastically smiled.

This made Spencer laugh as Emily rolled her eyes, but there was a small amused smile on her face.

"It's weird, though, there's no plants, no art, there's not a lot of, like, knick-knacks or personal stuff" Spencer said.

"I think what we found was pretty personal" Aria said and I nodded.

"Spencer's right. It's like he came here to eat, sleep and change his socks" Emily said.

"I think he did a little more than just change his socks" Aria told her.

"And they weren't even under his socks they were just stacked on his nightstand like, hmm. What do I want to watch tonight. Jimmy Kimmel or boobs?" I sarcastically asked.

Aria snorted at that while Spencer laughed and shook her head.

"Ethan, focus, we already knew that Wilden was a creep, ok?" Emily sighed.

I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Well, then what are we missing?" Aria asked.

I began looking around, trying to find something that looked out of the ordinary, and my eyes stopped on something that was under the table.

A white box.

"Did you check that box?" I asked, pointing towards it.

Emily and Spencer looked at me confused before looking under the table, when they saw the box their eyes widened.

Did they really not see that?

"I didn't even see that" Spencer said and Emily nodded.

Spencer bent down and grabbed the box and stood up, setting it on the table.

The girls and I huddled around her to get a better look at the box ourselves.

"Might be a gift. That's pretty personal" Aria shrugged.

Who the hell would bring that creep a gift? His side bitches?

Spencer and Emily turned on their flashlights in order to see who the box was from.

"This is from that fancy steak company my dad always gets from my uncle for his birthday" Emily told us.

I quickly grabbed a knife and used it to cut open the box so we could see what was inside.

I set the knife down as the girls began opening the box. When the box was open we took out the white box that was covering whatever was inside, but when it was removed we all gagged in disgust and turned our heads away.

And the smell was awful as hell.

"Ohh!" all of us yelled in unison.

"God, that's ripe!" I gagged, turning my head away.

Aria peeked her head inside the box and tried looking for something, anything.

"I don't see a note or anything. Oh, my God, it's making my eyes water" Aria said, wiping her tears away.

"I hate to say this, but I'm really grateful for these hideous gloves right now" Spencer said.

I laughed slightly at that before looking inside the box myself to see if there was something inside.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion when I spotted a small note inside. I swallowed thickly before putting my hand inside and grabbing the note before taking it out.

I unfolded the note and saw a message written on it.

"Can't wait to see you at our little barbecue. Kisses, A" I read off what the note said.

This made my eyes widen as I looked at the girls and saw that they were in the same boat as me.

Did A get here before us? Did A take things that could've proved Ms. Marin is innocent?

I've said it before and I'll say it again, that bitch has superpowers.