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Melissa turned out of the school’s main drive Spencer then dialed Aria and Hanna; she hadn’t wanted to waste precious ti the Spencer could hear applause in the background "We need to get to the covered bridge," she shouted "Emily’s in trouble"

"What do you mean?" Hanna asked

"I don’t know" Spencer bit her lip "But I think we need to go to her Find Aria and ently, and hung up

Melissa gunned around another turn She gave Spencer a sidelong glance "What if we get there and it’s too late?"

Spencer chewed hard on her thumbnail "I don’t know"

The car sped down the country road that led to the bridge, whipping by a cheese farm, an enormous estate surrounded by acres of lawn, and a fancy restaurant tucked into an old barn When Melissa was just one hill away froe, Spencer looked ahead on the road, then behind them "Why don’t I hear an a the saas "It’ll be okay," she said alet there"

They made the final turn Please don’t ju welling in her stomach Please, please, please, Ee loomed in front of her There were no police or paramedics anywhere As soon as Melissa pulled onto the shoulder, Spencer sprang out of the car and ran to the se She peered onto the left side, then the right There was no one there

"E water beneath, expecting to see a flash of Eold-red hair in the rapids

Aria’s car roared up next, and she and Hanna jue "There she is!" Aria cried out A board jutted out froe; Emily was scrunched behind it The wind blew her hair around her face Tears stained her cheeks She leaned over the water, her chest heaving

"Emily!" Spencer screamed "Don’t!"

Emily looked over at them, and her face crumpled "Leave me alone I have to do this"

"No, you don’t!" Hanna screa, too

Emily stared despondently into the rapids "No one wants me My family wishes I was dead"

"They’re just upset," Spencer urged "They don’t feel that way for real"

Euys haven’t been thinking about it? We’re as good as dead Of course ant to end it all"

Spencer exchanged a horrified glance with the others

"Don’t you see what’s happening?" Hanna wailed "Ali arranged for all of this She was the one who sent those suicide notes fro it look like anted to kill ourselves It’s so obvious, Ee anything"

"Yes, it does!" Hanna banged her fist against the bridge wall "For months--years--we’ve let Ali manipulate us We’ve let her make us think people we love are A Aria lost Noel because of it And Spencer suspected her estion toher Are you really going to let her get to you like that?"

Emily peeked at Hanna "But ould she want us to co us sent to Jamaica"

"Maybe she worries we’ll be acquitted," Spencer shouted onto the bridge "Or ate while in prison and find her for real This is her safest option We die by our own hands She doesn’t have to lift a finger"

Emily’s chin wobbled "I don’t know if that ate her in Jamaica?"

"I’ll help!" Melissa called out from a few feet away "I’ll do whatever I can!"

Spencer gave her a grateful look, then turned back to Eether if ant to beat A"

Eht, overcome with eed

Suddenly, finally, sirens screamed behind them An ambulance pulled onto the embankment, and several men in EMT jackets ju man with stubble on his face

"There!" Melissa pointed to the ledge

The EMT nodded, then conferred with the two other men who’d jumped out of the vehicle One of them requested backup on a walkie-talkie The second one started to pull medical equipment out of the car

The firsttether around his waist, and hooked one end of the line to a post on the bridge for stability Then he inched onto the narrow ledge "Coly "You’re safe"

Emily looked at hied "Please don’t jump"

"We need you, Em," Hanna called out

"We love you!" Spencer called

The two other EMTs were stationed near the water, ready to take the plunge in case Ee inched closer to her, the rope around his waist stretching taut Eh to wrap his arms around her Euish He lifted Ee When they were on solid ground, he gently set E