perfect little lies | jason dilaurentis

012. Salt Meets Wound

Hanna pushed the sticker over her cast, covering up the 'A' message that haunted her. The girl was finally out of the hospital but was confined to a wheelchair until her leg healed. It must have looked like she was taking it off, because Aria asked her, "Why are you taking that off?"

"I'm not. I'm trying to keep it on." Hanna explained as the girls brought her stuff into her house, "Believe me, I don't wanna see the autograph that's under it."

"We can get you another sticker." Spencer suggested.

"Maybe this time we can get her something a little less... morbid?" Rachel said, referring to the sticker that read "Humpty Dumpty was pushed!"

"Yeah, something like "save the planet", or whatever." Aria added.

"There were not a lot of choices okay?" Spencer explained, "It was either Humpty Dumpty or "Jesus is coming, look busy"."

Hanna sighed and lifted up the sticker, just to see that the message was still there. "God! It's still there."

Spencer covered it back up with the sticker. "Hanna, don't. Don't look at that, okay?" She told the girl, "Just look around you, 'cause your safe, you're home, and you're alive."

"I thought I was safe in my hospital room too." Hanna said, "What is going on with Noel Kahn? Is he 'A'? Have you talked to him?"

"No, I avoid him." Aria said, "I keep telling him I'm busy-- busy freaking out every time I look at him."

"Yeah, well, try being run over by him." Hanna added bitterly.

The girls looked around at each other and the energy was very tense. Emily decided to be the one to change the subject. She picked up one of Hanna's many stuffed animals. "Who got you this panda? Sean?"

"Lucas." Hanna corrected her.

"Oh, sweet." Emily said.

Hanna switched off the brakes on her wheelchair and began to move. "Anyone else starving? Or is it just me?"

"Well, your Mom said she left you a special dinner in the fridge." Spencer said.

"Pass." Hanna said, "I want a poptart." She noticed the small grins the girls had and huffed. "What? I have been on hospital food for three weeks. I wanna eat something that looks like it hasn't already been chewed."

"Well, why don't you eat while we go and get the rest of your stuff?" Aria suggested. The girls agreed and Aria, Spencer, Emily, and Rachel all went back outside to get the rest of Hanna's stuff.

Rachel noticed how much was left. "Jesus, how much did she take with her? A fucking plant?"

Emily chuckled as she picked up the plant. "A fake plant. But we know Hanna."

They grabbed armfuls of stuff, just about the last of it, and made their way back inside. When they returned, Hanna was over by the pantry with boxes on the floor and a box of lasagna in her arms.

"Hey, so if you're gonna stay down here tonight, we were..." Aria began but was cut off.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, down here's good." Hanna quickly said.

"What happened?" Spencer asked, referring to the boxes on the floor.

"Nothin', just, uh, knocked a few boxes down." Hanna explained. The girls went to pick up the fallen food, but Hanna quickly stopped them. "No, no, no! You don't have to clean. Uh, you can go, my Mom's gonna be here soon."

"Wait... so now you want us to leave?" Aria asked in confusion. What was with the sudden behaviour change?

"You don't have to put on a brave face for us, okay?" Spencer said. "We get it. If being alone is freaking you out, we can absolutely stay..."