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Aria’s blood went cold No Please, please, no

"Perfect" Mrs Kittinger wrote Aria’s and Klaudia’s names on the board "You two are a team"

Mason turned around and stared at Aria Naoled Clearly everyone knew that Noel had dumped Aria and ith Klaudia now

Aria swiveled around and looked at Klaudia Her unifor off every curve of her iainst the back of Delia’s chair, but Delia was too much of a wuss to tell her toover her shoulders Aria squinted at it, recognizing the eagle military patch on the arreat-grandfather, who’d fought in World War II Once, Aria had asked to try it on, but Noel had refused--he didn’t let anyone wear it, he said It was too special

Guess the rules didn’t apply to his new Finnish girlfriend

Klaudia aze and smiled triumphantly Then she turned to Naoo with Noel to ro to have wine, feed each other bites of " Naoain, her cheeks on fire She hated Klaudia How could Noel fall for her ridiculous act? Everything about her was fake, even her choppy, I-don’t-know-English accent--when Klaudia had threatened Aria on the chair lift, all traces of it had vanished It seeuys Where did that leave Aria?

She looked around the classroolish classes met here, so there was a motley mix of Cézanne and Picasso prints and black-and-white photos of Walt Whitinia Woolf Tacked up in the corner was a poster labeled GREAT SHAKESPEAREAN SAYINGS That poster had hung in Aria’s English classrooht by Ezra Fitz, hoot him fired

Ezra Now there was soallery and co about all the Typical Rosewoods The first time Aria and Ezra had met, they’d had a real connection Ezra understood what it was like to be part of a faot what it was like to be different

Aria surreptitiously pulled out her phone and looked at her contacts list Ezra’s na what you’re up to, she typed in a new e lonely and in need of a good convo about poetry writing and the ridiculousness of the suburbs Ciao, Aria

And then, before she lost her nerve, she pressed SEND

Chapter 8

THE STARS ALIGN

Later that Friday, Hanna and Kate pulled into a space next to Mr Marin’s car on the Hyde cae in the leafy suburbs a few miles outside Philadelphia It was unseasonably warm, and kids walked across the street sans coats Boys played Frisbee on the dry, greenish-yellon, and preppy girls sipped lattes underneath the clock tohich chis It was the perfect night for a flash ?" Hanna said to Kate, scanning the parking lot After Mr Marin informed Kate about the flash plant Supercar froe Apparently they drove an Astro van with flames painted on the sides, but Hanna didn’t see it anywhere

Kate rolled her eyes "Yeh-hes That’s like the twentieth time you’ve asked"

"Is someone nervous?" Naomi cackled from the backseat

"Maybe someone realizes that a flash mob is a stupid idea," Riley chimed in

"Seriously," Kate "

Riley and Naomi snickered Klaudia, as squeezed in the bitch seat, barked out a horsey, slutty laugh

Hanna glanced at her dad’s car to her left, wishing he’d overheard, but Mr Marin was talking animatedly on his cell phone When Kate told her she’d recruited her friends to help with the flash mob today, Hanna should’ve put her foot down Now that Mona Vanderwaal, Hanna’s old BFF, was dead, and Hanna wasn’t hanging out with Emily, Aria, or Spencer anymore, she felt Kate, Naomi, and Riley’s insults much more acutely It was like she was back where she started in sixth grade: a loser Except thinner And a lot prettier

"There they are," Kate said, pointing triu space on the other side of the reasy skin Another had an elongated head and a prominent chin The others looked like they could be in a police lineup Hanna sniffed Couldn’t Kate have hired a cuter band?

Mr Marin finally climbed out of the car and strode up to the band "Thanks for helping us out tonight," he said, shaking each of their hands

"Okay, let’s get the a bunch of neon-green TOM MARIN FOR SENATE flyers fro, Hanna"

Nao to work," she said under her breath The four girls whirled around and led the guys toward a band shell to the left of the clock tower Everyone moved deferentially out of their way

Mr Marin clapped his hand on Hanna’s shoulder as she climbed out of the car, too "You all set?"

"Of course," Hanna answered She grabbed her phone, opened her eory, a computer science major at Hyde who claimed to kno to tap into everyone’s Twitter and ee I’ory replied that the flash ht: So in the band shell Be there or be a nobody Short and sweet Elusive yet intriguing