THE GIRLS ALL SAT INSIDE THE APPLE ROSE GRILLE, SILENTLY DISCUSSING THE EVENTS OF ALI'S FUNERAL. Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer were too disturbed to eat anything, sticking to the complimentary drinks the restaurant provided. Alexandra, Star, and Simone were disturbed, too, just not to the point of starvation. Also, not to mention, Simone may have been under the influence of an...herb she bought off the new girl that moved into the DiLaurentis home.

"Seriously, how can you guys eat right now?" Aria asked, eyeing Simone going to town on a chicken wing.

"Do you guys just...not eat after funerals?" Alexandra asked, sticking her fork into a waffle.

"I know I do," Star commented, tearing a piece of chicken off the bone. "Especially if it's extremely long." She rolled her eyes. Alexandra snorted, gesturing to the bottle of syrup on the table. "Here you go, babes."

"Guys, hello?" Emily said, getting the girls' attention. "Can we focus, please?"

"Why was Jenna there?" Aria asked.

"I guess she's back," Spencer said.

"Okay, I'm just gonna say it," Star said, putting a clean bone back onto her plate. "What is your problem with my cousin?"

Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer all shared a look. Since the funeral, any time Jenna was mentioned or seen, they tensed. And since she found out the Davis sisters were her cousins, Hanna steered clear of Star and Simone. Mind you, the funeral happened earlier that day.

"L-long story," Hanna muttered, clearly uncomfortable. She quickly changed the subject. "That cop acted like we were suspects or something."

"Do you think we looked guilty?" Emily asked, glancing around nervously.

"Why would you look guilty?" Alexandra asked, raising an eyebrow. "You just buried your best friend." She shot a curious look at Spencer.

"Exactly," Aria said, nodding. "We haven't done anything wrong."

"Except lie about..." Hanna's voice trailed off as she glanced at Star and Simone. "The Jenna thing."

"We promised we'd never bring it up again, remember?" Spencer reminded, glancing in the direction of Star. "It never happened."

"Have you found a way to forget?" Aria asked as Hanna screwed open a flask, pouring the contents into her iced tea. "I still wake up sometimes in the middle of the night."

"Aria, it was an accident," Spencer defended.

"It's medicinal," Hanna said to an old man who watched her spike her own drink. The man raised his eyebrow at the girl. "Cramps."

"I don't get it," Emily shook her head. "How does A know something about me that only Alison knew?"

"Ali knew all of our secrets, but...we never knew any of hers," Aria said.

"I knew some," Spencer admitted, clutching her mug filled with coffee.

Aria looked at her. "Go on."

"Talk," Hanna chimed in.

"I can't," Spencer said.

"Spence, no, you are not gonna drop a bomb like that, and just clam up!" Aria said.

"She'd so kill me if I told you," Spencer said.

"From where?" Star asked. "The afterlife?" Simone giggled into her cup, and Alexandra chuckled, nudging her shin with her Jimmy Choos.

"She's dead," Hanna said at the same time.

Spencer looked at Alexandra, silently asking what to do. "They have a point, Specks," she admitted.

Spencer sighed. "Ali was seeing someone that summer," she told them.

"I knew she was keeping something from me," Emily said. She noticed the looks she was getting. "From us."

"Well, why didn't she want us to know?" Aria asked.

"He was an older boy, and he had a girlfriend," Spencer said.

"Oh, so she was a homewrecker, and he would've been facing jail time," Star commented.

"Like you haven't had interest in an older boy before," Hanna scoffed.

"Anyone who takes interest in a minor is a predator," Star said.

"Don't matter what way you flip it," Alexandra added. She glanced at Aria, noticing her eyes darting around the table.

"Who was it?" Emily asked, bringing the conversation back to Ali.

"She never told me his name," Spencer said.

"Okay, that's only half the secret," Hanna rolled her eyes.

"It's more than you ever got from her," Spencer shot back.

Aria shook her head. "How was it that Ali told us nothing and we told her everything?"

"Because she made us feel like we were part of something special," Emily said.

"We were," Hanna smiled.

"Were they?" Simone whispered to Star. Alison DiLaurentis sounded more like a master manipulator than a friend—a blonde snake storing secrets to weaponize later.

"I miss that," Aria said, smiling softly.

"Me too," Spencer said.

"I miss Ali," Emily said.

Hanna noticed a fabric bracelet around Emily's wrist. "I can't believe you still wear that," she said.

"Ali still wears hers," Emily said, gently touching the bracelet. "Wore."

"When Ali didn't come home that night I knew something must have happened but there was always some part of me that imagined someday she'd just show up," Spencer said.

"Yeah, I used to think that maybe she'd just...run off with some guy," Aria shook her head.

"She was laying on a beach somewhere," Emily said.

"Or getting a tan out by the pool with that hot lifeguard," Hanna smiled, her dimples poking her cheeks.

"Ohh. Yeah. What was his name?" Aria asked.

"Who cares?" Hanna said. "Save me!" The girls all laughed.

The table dissolved into nervous laughter until the rhythmic tapping of a walking stick silenced them. Aria froze, nudging Hanna and nodding toward the door. Jenna Marshall entered, her dark glasses reflecting the light. She passed their table without a word, her cane echoing against the floor.

As Jenna took a seat at the bar, Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer scrambled to gather their things. Star, Alexandra, and Simone exchanged puzzled glances.

"You done?" Star asked as Simone wiped her hands and Alexandra nodded.

"Yeah," Simone said, setting down her napkin. They followed the others to the door, but just as they left, Star hesitated. Turning back, she leaned toward Jenna and whispered something into her ear.

"Star," Alexandra called, holding out her hand.

Star gave Jenna's shoulder a light squeeze before grabbing Alexandra's hand and walking out of the Grille.

Simone sat on the back porch of the DiLaurentis house, her back resting against the arm of Maya St. Germain. The early morning air was cool, but Simone barely noticed, her mind floating somewhere far above reality. She exhaled through her nose, watching the smoke curl lazily into the air before vanishing.

"Damn, girl," Maya laughed, nudging the fifteen-year-old with her elbow. She plucked the joint from Simone's fingers, examining it with approval. "You've got skills. This isn't your first time, is it?"

Simone chuckled softly, shaking her head. "Nope, not even close," she admitted, her voice low and steady. "My old foster dad used to give me pot."

"Sounds like a pretty chill guy," Maya said, taking a slow drag. Her tone was light, teasing, oblivious to the shadow that passed over Simone's face. Simone forced a smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. She swallowed hard, burying the memories threatening to surface.

After a pause, Maya turned to her with a mischievous glint in her eye. "You ever shotgun?"

Simone raised an eyebrow and shifted her position, both feet now planted on the wooden steps. "Shotgun?"

Maya leaned closer, her lips curving into a playful smirk. "Watch and learn." She took a deep pull from the joint, holding it in for a beat before closing the small distance between their faces. Simone barely had time to react before Maya exhaled the smoke into her mouth, the warmth and taste of it pulling them into the same hazy high.

When Maya finally pulled away, Simone erupted into giggles, the sound bubbling up uncontrollably. "That's... one hell of a breakfast," she managed between laughs.

Maya joined in, her laughter as unrestrained as Simone's. "You're fun," she said, passing the joint back. "Here, finish it off. I'm gonna go check on Emily. See you at school?"

Simone nodded, still grinning. "Yeah, see you."

As Maya disappeared into the house, Simone leaned her head back against the porch railing, staring up at the sky. The laughter had faded, leaving her alone with her thoughts and the quiet buzz in her chest. She took another hit, letting the smoke cloud her memories just a little longer.

Star strolled alongside Alexandra as they left the Brew, their hands full of coffee cups and paper bags brimming with pastries—Alexandra's treat. Star bit into a golden croissant, her eyes lighting up as she chewed. "How do they even make these so fluffy?" she asked, a hint of awe in her voice.

Alexandra chuckled, balancing two lattes in one hand while shifting her bag of pastries in the other. She glanced over at Star, catching the expectant look on her face. "You're kidding, right? You don't know?"

"No, bitch," Star retorted, laughing.

Alexandra smirked. "Butter. Lots and lots of butter." She leaned over, snagging a bite of Star's croissant before Star could react.

Star gasped, clutching her pastry like it was a wounded animal. "The audacity!"

Alexandra grinned unapologetically. "Relax. I paid for it, remember?"

The two laughed, continuing their banter as they made their way to Spencer's backyard. The rhythmic thud of a field hockey stick meeting a ball greeted them as they approached. Spencer was entirely focused on her practice, her brows furrowed in concentration as she lined up another shot.

"I wonder how long it'll take her to notice us," Alexandra mused, swirling her latte with a teasing smirk.

Star rolled her eyes. "We don't have all day for that." She cupped her hand around her mouth and shouted, "Yo!"

The sharp call startled Spencer, who whipped around mid-swing, her stick raised defensively. When she saw who it was, her shoulders relaxed, and she let out a breath.

"Jesus, you scared me," Spencer said, a sheepish grin spreading across her face. She jogged over, sweat dripping down her temple, her hair sticking to her neck.

"You should really tie your hair up for that," Alexandra teased, reaching out to tuck a stray strand behind Spencer's ear.

Spencer gave her a playful glare before noticing the coffee Alexandra was holding out. "Is that for me?"

"Obviously," Alexandra replied, handing her the cup.

Star smirked, shoving her free hand into her pocket. "Surprised you haven't had coffee yet. Isn't caffeine, like, your life force?"

Spencer took a long sip, her brows lifting as the familiar taste hit her tongue. "A latte?" she said, her voice dripping with mock reverence. She grinned. "You two are officially the loves of my life."

"Okay, I'm all for boob jobs, but when I see those, I wanna moo," Mona quipped, her eyes following a student with noticeably enhanced assets strutting down the hallway.

Hanna snorted, stifling a laugh as Simone approached, swinging her locker open with a grunt. "Are you seriously just wandering the halls staring at people's tits?" Simone asked, tugging at the stubborn door. She shot Mona a look. "I thought that was my job."

Mona rolled her eyes, her focus momentarily shifting to her phone. "Please, I've never seen you stare at anyone's boobs."

"That's because she only stares at yours," Star interjected as she breezed past, not even breaking stride.

Mona's head snapped up, and she raised an eyebrow at Simone. Before she could respond, Star glanced down the hallway, her gaze landing on Hanna's boyfriend. "Oh, look, I spy a Sean."

Hanna's face lit up at the sight of him. "See you at lunch," she said with a grin, skipping off to greet her boyfriend.

Mona smirked, turning back to Simone with mock curiosity. "So... is what your sister said true?"

Simone's cheeks flushed as she slammed her locker shut. "It was one time!" she blurted, her voice defensive.

Mona laughed, clearly enjoying her discomfort. She looped her arm through Simone's and started leading her toward their next class.

Before they got far, the crackle of the PA system echoed through the hallway. "Will the following students please report to my office: Emily Fields, Aria Montgomery, Spencer Hastings, and Hanna Marin."

Star and Simone exchanged a glance, the weight of the announcement hanging in the air.

"Alison?" Star mouthed silently.

Simone gave a small nod, her expression serious for once. Whatever this was, it couldn't be good.

Alexandra sat with Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer, quietly sipping her cranberry juice as the conversation swirled around the principal's summons earlier that day. "He knows we're lying," Aria said flatly, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her cup.

"Lying is not a crime,"  Hanna countered, crossing her arms.

"It is when you're giving false statements to the police," Spencer corrected, her tone sharp. "It's called--"

"Obstruction of justice," Alexandra and Spencer said in unison. Alexandra smirked, pointing a finger at her.

"Oh, please!" Hanna scoffed. "We lied about drinking. But the truth that matters is we don't know anything about what happened to Ali that night."

"We also know about someone who might have wanted to hurt her," Spencer said.

"We should have told the police the truth about Jenna's accident the night it happened," Emily spoke up.

"I wanted to, remember?" Hanna shot back.

"We had a chance to do more than just tell the truth," Aria said. "We had a chance to stop Ali."

"But we didn't," Spencer said. "And telling the police now about what happened to Jenna isn't going to make her see again. It'll just ruin our lives."

There it was again. The cane tapping across the linoleum, Jenna's presence alone making the girls nervous.

"Oh, my God, she's back in school, too?" Hanna asked, seeing Jenna navigating around the cafeteria with Star and Simone by her sides.

Aria stood. "Jenna?" Jenna gave a light smile, hearing her name. "Hey, it's-it's Aria. Do you...wanna come sit with us?"

"Sure," Jenna answered.

"Come on," Simone said softly. Jenna put her hand on Simone's shoulder, letting her lead her to the table.

"So you're gonna be between Hanna and Emily, and Spencer's right across from you. Uh, you haven't met Alexandra, but she's sitting next to Spencer."

Alexandra gave a soft smile. "Hi."

Jenna took a moment to settle into the seat. "So, this would be Alison's chair, right?" she asked.

"No," Emily said. "We're not even sitting at that table."

"You know, she came to visit me in the hospital after the accident," Jenna said, folding up her cane. She passed it off to Star, who held it in her lap.

"Alison did?" Spencer asked.

Jenna nodded. "Mm-hmm. Everyone misunderstood Alison, but I knew exactly who she was."

"When did you get back, Jenna?" Spencer asked. "We heard that you were in Philadelphia. A school for the visually impaired."

"You can say blind, Spencer," Jenna assured. "It's okay. It's not a dirty word." None of the other girls said a word. They didn't know what to say. "Wow. It's so quiet. You guys used to be the fun table."

Simone chuckled, taking a bite of her wrap. "Could've fooled me," she commented.

"Simone," Alexandra called, giving her a look.

"You have a really nice voice," Jenna complimented, her dark glasses fixated on Alexandra. "You should take up singing."

Alexandra smiled, "Oh. Thank you." Jenna smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, well," Star said, throwing an arm around Alexandra. "Her face is just as nice as her voice." She laughed and Alexandra rolled her eyes.

All at once, the girls' phones chimed, all of them getting a message. Jenna reached across the table, picking up Spencer's phone, and holding it out to her. "Aren't you gonna get that?" Spencer slowly grabbed her phone, following suit of the other girls.

If only she could see how guilty you look...

--A

Alexandra furrowed her eyebrows, sharing a look with the other girls. What exactly did they do to this girl?

INNOCENCE. The word was written on Mr. Fitz's board as Star and Simone walked into the classroom. What truly made a person innocent? Oblivion. Not knowing what dangers the world was made of. Not knowing that the cards the universe can deal could damn you for life. That's why kids are perceived as innocent. They don't know anything about the world, other than what they're taught. They have the ability to use their knowledge, or lack thereof, to justify their mistakes. But, as you get older, that innocence becomes ignorance.

It was safe to say, the Davis sisters rose-colored glasses were completely desecrated by the time they hit grade school age. They had all of the knowledge of what the fucked up ball of rock known as the Earth could hurl into their lives. But, sometimes...Sometimes they wish they got the chance to willingly break out of their innocence, finding out about the world in pieces, instead of having the entire planet drop on them before they knew multiplication.

"Okay, people, let's take our seats," Mr. Fitz announced, underlining the word on the board.

Mona walked in just as the bell rang with haste. "Am I late?" She asked.

"It's-it's Mona, right?" Mr. Fitz asked.

"That's right, Mr. Fritz," Mona answered with a smile. Some of the students started laughing at her mispronunciation. "What?"

"Take your seat, Mona, please."

"It's Fitz, not Fritz," Hanna corrected once Mona sat down next to her.

Mona chuckled. "Oops."

"Miss Crane," Mr. Fitz called, holding a stack of papers. He leaned against his desk. "Help pass these out?"

"Sure," Alexandra said, standing from her seat. Her manicured hands grabbed the stack starting down the rows of students.

"If the mockingbird represents the idea of innocence...what characters are innocent?" Mr. Fitz asked. "Take a second. Jot down your ideas. We'll discuss."

Just as Alexandra was about to return the stack of papers to Mr. Fitz, Aria walked in. Alexandra's eyes barely grazed the paper, but she saw it was a declined classroom transfer form. She quickly handed Aria a paper and returned the stack to Mr. Fitz's desk.

"PLEASE, COME WITH ME," Spencer begged standing outside Alexandra's locker as she was pulling things out of it to go home. Spencer had to attend a dinner with her parents, her sister, Melissa, and Melissa's new fiancé, Wren. She was about five seconds from getting on her knees and literally begging. "Please, Alex, I need you."

Alexandra chuckled. "You do not need me-" she started, closing her locker.

"I literally cannot sit through the many great achievements of Melissa Hastings," Spencer groaned, leaning against the wall of lockers. "Or her hot fiancé." She held Alexandra's hand, putting on her best puppy dog eyes, a face she knew the teen couldn't say no to.

Alexandra sighed finally. "When is this dinner?" Spencer grinned. Alexandra wasn't one to give in to peer pressure, but she always folded when it came to Spencer. She had no idea what it was.

Spencer threw her arms around Alexandra, with a relieved sigh. "Thank you! Any longer, and I would've started groveling at your feet."

"Well, in that case, I don't know if I can make it," Alexandra said, taking Spencer's hand as they walked out of the school. Spencer laughed. On the way out of the school, Alexandra spotted Star, leaning against her car, talking to Maya. Star found Alexandra's eyes, giving her a head nod. Alexandra gave a bright smile in return, continuing her stride.

Alexandra held a tight-lipped smile as she sat next to the empty seat where Melissa would be sitting. Her eyes scanned the menu, going through the possible choices of her dinner for the night. At least, that's what it looked like. In actuality, she was waiting for the awkward tension at the table to subside so they could have an actual conversation of value. Spencer had her nose in a magazine, trying to look interested in the pages filled with home decor tips and ads for very expensive throw pillows. Mr. Hastings sat across from Spencer, looking down at his phone.

Mr. Hastings wasn't Alexandra's cup of tea. He was a damn good lawyer, though. Not to mention, a great friend to her parents. He was even one of the pallbearers at her mother's funeral. He also knew how to throw the best birthday party a seven-year-old could dream of.

"Alexandra," he smiled, turning off his phone, placing it in front of him. "How nice of you to join us. Will Rick be joining as well?"

"Oh, uh," Alexandra set the menu down, "It's just me this time, Mr. Hastings. My dad's at work. He got put on the DiLaurentis case. First assignment." She took a sip from the glass of water in front of her. She saw Spencer falter with the decor catalog, swallowing hard.

"I've decided on the class I wanna take at Hollis," Spencer said, putting the magazine down onto the table. Mr. Hastings nodded for her to continue. "But it's not for credit, dad, it's for fun."

Mr. Hastings chuckled. "What's the point of that?" He looked back down at his phone, so he didn't see Spencer's smile drop slightly.

"Lot's of people take classes for fun," Alexandra defended, setting the glass down with a clink. "New experiences, branching out. Not all college courses have to be career driven." She glanced over at Spencer, whose smile returned to her face.

"Hey, your mom's coming back a day early," Mr. Hastings said. "She'll be home tomorrow."

Spencer quietly excused herself from the table, seeing Aria walk into the Grille. Alexandra turned to the door, eyes following Spencer. Shortly after Spencer walked away from the table, Melissa walked in, Wren on her arm. Alexandra stood with a smile.

"Alex, hi!" Melissa greeted, letting go of Wren to hug the teen. "I haven't seen you since Rick and Cheryl's wedding. It's so good to see you."

Alexandra laughed. "I never knew how little someone could grow in three years," she replied, taking a dig at Melissa's height. "You used to be taller than me." Melissa chuckled, lightly pinching Alexandra's arm as she sat down.

"Hi, I'm Wren," her fiancé introduced, shaking Alexandra's hand across the table. The first thing she noticed about him was his British accent.

"London?" Alexandra guessed, finding his accent similar to her mother's.

Wren chuckled, sitting down. "Very good."

As Spencer approached the table, a waiter asked for drink orders. "I'll have a vodka soda," Spencer ordered, taking her seat next to Wren.

"Uh, she's kidding," Melissa assured, though she knew damn well Spencer wasn't kidding in the slightest.

"Uh, I'm gonna have a glass of the house cab," Mr. Hastings ordered. "Melissa?"

"Uh, the same as my father," Melissa answered.

"I actually will have a vodka soda," Wren told the waiter. Spencer flashed a soft smile at him.

"Alex, do you want anything?" Melissa asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She'd always treated the Crane girl like a little sister, which Alexandra always found weird, since she already had a little sister. Melissa always fought with Spencer, but never once fixed her lips to pick a fight with Alex. If it weren't for the fact that they looked nothing alike, you'd have thought that Alexandra was Melissa's little sister. Part of Alexandra liked the sibling treatment, considering she didn't have any of her own, but overall, she knew how unfair it was to Spencer.

"Sweet tea, lemon on the side, please," Alexandra said, flashing the waiter a kind smile.

Melissa planted her elbows on the table, resting her chin on her hands. "Hi-Low, anyone?" she asked with a smile.

"Hi-Low?" Wren repeated, curious?

"It's a game," Spencer told him. "You guys don't play it in bed?" Melissa scoffed, giving Spencer a confused but dirty look.

"I haven't played in so long," Alexandra sighed.

"Wren, you can play, too," Mr. Hastings offered.

"I'm a bit lost," Wren admitted.

"You'll catch on," Mr. Hastings assured.

"I'll go first," Melissa said. "We just started our first week of class and I've already been nominated to serve on the business school's leadership committee."

Alexandra smiled, noticing something move out of the corner of her eye. Wren was nodding along to what Melissa was saying, all while slowly sliding his drink toward Spencer. Her brow furrowed, silently asking what Spencer was doing.

"Melissa likes to play the game when she's fairly certain she'll win," Mr. Hastings said.

Melissa chuckled, "Well, guess who I learned that from?"

"Yes, but don't go tasting victory just yet, 'cause the judge ruled on my brief today and the class action suit against Winslow has been dismissed," Mr. Hastings countered, taking a sip of his drink.

"My turn," Alexandra smiled. "Now, it's not nearly as high as yours, Mr. Hastings, but my dad finally cracked, and I now have an in-home music studio!"

"Mm," Mr. Hastings chortled, setting his glass down. "How much leg pulling did that take?"

"Not as much as you'd think," Alexandra admitted, dunking a lemon wedge into her glass. "I'm actually looking into starting something like a glee club."

"Wow," Melissa said. At first, she never understood Alexandra's passion for music as a kid, but hearing the girl sing at her parents wedding completely changed her entire mindset. Alexandra had a gift. Melissa wanted nothing more than to see Alexandra create something special with her voice.

"If I don't play, do I still get another drink?" Wren whispered to Spencer, to which she mouthed "no."

"Spencer, you're up," Mr. Hastings said.

Spencer froze. "Um."

"I'll go," Wren said, getting the pressure off of Spencer. "I got a brilliant parking spot today right in front of the chem lab." Wren and Spencer laughed, making Alexandra furrow her eyebrows. Something about the way those two acted with each other was very off-putting.

"He's just kidding," Melissa assured.

"DADDY," ALEXANDRA WALKED INTO HER HOUSE, Star and Simone following behind her. "Mama Cheryl." She tossed her keys onto the table at the door, making sure to close it behind her.

"You live here?" Star asked, looking around. The house was significantly larger than the Cavanaugh house. It looked like something out of a home decor catalog. Nothing out of place, not a mess in sight. Star wasn't even sure she wanted to sit on anything, let alone touch anything.

"Uh-huh," Alexandra answered, shrugging off her jacket. "Come on." The three girls ventured through the house, following the sound of Teena Marie's "Square Biz," into the kitchen, finding Cheryl cooking and Richard leaning on the counter next to her, watching her every move.

"Something smells good in here," Alexandra said, setting her phone down on the island. Richard was the first to look up, greeting his daughter with a smile.

"Hey, girls," Cheryl greeted, briefly looking up from the stove. "You eat catfish?"

Simone looked at Star. "Absolutely," she answered.

"Aria was gonna be here, but she went to the movies with her mom," Alexandra said, walking around to give kisses to her parents. "They're staying over."

"When was this discussed?" Cheryl asked, breading a piece of fish.

"This morning," Richard answered, grabbing a bottle of beer from the fridge. "You were already gone."

The three girls headed downstairs to the basement until dinner was ready. "So, the entire basement is yours?" Simone asked, watching as Alexandra turned on the lights.

"Yep," Alexandra sighed, gesturing to the beautifully decorated basement. It seemed like something out of a Y2K teen magazine. Lights, mirrors, polaroids, the works. She even had a wall of different vinyl records and CDs on a rotating stand. "But, that's not even the best part. Come on." She grabbed Star's hand, then Simone's and walked to a door, an "In Session" sign dangling from the door.

"Holy shit," Star breathed out, as Alexandra opened the door. On the other side was a music studio. Like, a real studio. Soundproofed walls and all. "Can I live here?" Alexandra laughed.

"Wanna try?" Alexandra asked.

"Um, yes!" Simone enthused, running into the booth. Star laughed at how giddy her sister had become. Simone seldom got excited for anything since the two reunited. If she did, it would be short-lived, always overshadowed by guilt.

"Sing something," Star told her, speaking into the talk button. Simone beamed, pulling the headphones onto her head.

Of all of the songs Simone could have sang, she chose "Impossible" from the Cinderella movie. It was the first movie she remembered watching with Star before they got separated.

"Okay," Alexandra said, leaning into the mic. "I know you were playing, but that was really good." Simone smiled. Alexandra mirrored the smile, eyes lighting up as she got an idea. "Hey, come out, I wanna try something."

"THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID," STAR TOLD THE GIRLS, PACING THE FLOOR. She was relaying what Jenna told her about why the girls may have been so tense around her. Apparently, their friend, Alison, had something to do with the explosion that rendered the girl blind.

"Well, that explains why they won't talk about it," Simone said from the floor. She was laying on Alexandra's plush rug, constantly complimenting the texture every five seconds.

"That girl is so lucky she's dead," Star commented, taking one of the many clips out of her curly hair. Alexandra nudged her. "What? You can't expect me to show her sympathy just 'cause she dead."

Alexandra smiled and shook her head as her phone went off. She grabbed it, seeing a new message. Her brows furrowed as she opened the attachment. Her mouth dropped open and her heart dropped. The attachment was a photo taken from inside Spencer's house. Spencer and Wren were in her room, making out. 

This is the company you keep, Alex...I wonder how Melissa feels...

-A

"Guys," Alexandra called, getting the girls' attention. She showed them her phone.

"Isn't that Spencer?" Simone asked.

"Who's the hottie she's with?" Star questioned, grabbing Alexandra's phone.

"Her sister's fiancé," Alexandra told her, giving the blonde a look. Star grimaced, putting the phone down on the bed. "Exactly."

"I personally couldn't willingly make out with anyone you'd even consider dating," Simone shook her head. Star gave a look. "I'm sorry, but your taste in..anybody is trash. Like, flaming dumpster, hot garbage."

Alexandra started laughing, causing a chain reaction of laughs echoing through the basement.