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Hanna let out a long, shaky breath T-Mobile sly like carpet cleaner and sweat--she hoped it wasn’t her own "I saw that e the other day," she blurted out "You know, HM + MV = BBBBBFF? You can see it from the sky Clear as day"

Mona seemed startled Her expression softened "You can?"

"Uh-huh" Hanna stared at one of T-Mobile’s proirls giggling over so their cell phones in their laps One was auburn-haired, the other blond--like Hanna and Mona

"This is so messed up," Hanna said quietly "I don’t even kno this started I’m sorry Iout with "

Mona tucked her chin into her chest "No?" Hanna could barely hear her over the ht outside the T-Mobile store There was only one pudgy,boy on the ride

"Not at all," Hanna answered, after the kiddie train passed "We’re just…weird stuff is happening to us I can’t explain all of it right now, but if you’re patient with hed "And you know I didn’t do that skywriting thing on purpose I wouldn’t do that to you"

Hanna let out a sot the hiccups before she was about to start bawling, and Mona knew it Mona’s mouth twitched, and for a second, Hanna’s heart leapt Maybe things would be okay

Then, it was like the cool-girl software inside Mona’s head re-booted Her face snapped back to being glossy and confident She stood up straighter and s--she and Hanna agreed never, ever to cry in public They even had a rule about it: if they even thought they were going to cry, they had to squeeze their butt cheeks together, remind theo, Hanna would’ve done the sa, but now, she couldn’t see the point "I o back to the way they were"

"Maybe," Mona answered primly "We’ll have to see"

Hanna tried to force a smile Maybe? What did maybe mean?

When she pulled into her driveway, Hanna noticed Wilden’s police cruiser next to her mother’s Lexus Inside, she found herthe news There was a bottle of wine and two glasses on the coffee table By the looks of Wilden’s T-shirt and jeans, Hanna guessed Supercop was off duty tonight

The neas showing the leaked video of the five of the room and the kitchen and watched as Spencer threw herself at her sister’s boyfriend, Ian, and Ali sat at the corner of the couch, looking bored When the clip ended, Jessica DiLaurentis, Alison’s mother, appeared on the screen "The video is hard to watch," Mrs DiLaurentis said "All of this has ain But ant to thank everyone in Rosewood--you’ve all been so wonderful The tiation has made my husband and me realize how much we’ve missed it"

For a brief second, the camera panned on the people behind Mrs DiLaurentis One of theussied up in his cop unifor Wilden’s shoulder "You look great on camera"

Hanna wanted to vootten that excited last year when Hanna had been named Snowflake Queen and had ridden on a float in the Philadelphia Mu Hanna’s presence in the doorway "Oh Hi, Hanna" He ht hirunted a hello, then turned and opened a kitchen cupboard and pulled down a box of peanut butter Ritz Bits

"Han, a package ca down the TV volue?" Hanna repeated, her mouth full of crackers

"Yep It was on the doorstep e got here I put it in your room"

Hanna carried the box of Ritz Bits upstairs with her There was indeed a large box propped up against her bureau, right next to herbed Dot stretched off the bed, his tiny nubby tail wagging Hanna’s fingers tre tape As she ripped open the box, a few sheets of tissue paper cascaded through the roone-colored Zac Posen slip dress sat at the bottoasped Mona’s court dress All tailored and pressed and ready to wear She rooted around the bottom of the box for a note of explanation but couldn’t find one Whatever This could only iven

The corners of Hanna’s lips slowly spread into a grin She leapt onto her bed and started jus squeak Dot circled around her, yapping crazily "Yessss," Hanna cried, relieved She’d known Mona would come to her senses She would be crazy to stay

She sat back down on the bed and picked up her new BlackBerry This was short notice--she probably wouldn’t be able to rebook the hair and ht she wasn’t going to the party Then she re else: Lucas I’m not invited to Mona’s party, either, he’d said

Hanna paused, dru her hands on the BlackBerry’s screen She obviously couldn’t bring hi Lucas was cute, sure, but he was definitely not party-worthy

She sat up straighter and flipped through her red leather Coach organizer for Lucas’s e-mail address She would write him a short, snippy e-mail so he’d know exactly where he stood with her: nowhere He’d be crushed, but really, Hanna couldn’t please everyone now, could she?

26

SPENCER GETS IN HOT WATER…LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY