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THEY FOUGHT THE LAW AND THE LAW WON

Aria squinted into the lens of her Sony Handycam as Spencer adjusted the rhinestone crown perched atop her head "Hey, guys," Spencer whispered, sauntering over to an LG flip phone that was lying right side up on the Hastingses’ leather couch "Want to read her texts?"

"I do," Hanna whispered

Emily stood up from her perch on the leather couch’s arm "I don’t know…"

"C’mon Don’t you want to knoho texted her?" Spencer deathered around Ali’s cell phone Aria took the caet all of this on filood shot of the cell phone’s screen when suddenly she heard a voice fro atinto the room

"Of course not!" Hanna cried Ali eyed her cell on the couch, but then turned her attention to Melissa and Ian, who had just coirls," Ian said, stepping into the falanced at Spencer "Cute crown"

Aria retreated back to her tripod Spencer, Ian, and Ali gathered on the couch, and Spencer began playing talk-show host Suddenly, a second Ali walked right up to the caray Her irises were black and her neon-red lipstick was applied clownishly, in wriggly lines around her er coht into the lens "Look The answer is right in front of you"

Aria furrowed her brow The rest of the scene was rolling forward as usual--Spencer was asking Ian about base-ju s The other Ali--the nor one on the couch--seemed bored "What do you mean?" Aria whispered to the Ali in front of the lens

"It’s right in front of you," Ali urged "Look!"

"Okay, okay," Aria said hastily She searched the roo on his every word Hanna and E relaxed and chill What was Aria supposed to be looking for?

"I don’t understand," she whiht There!"

"I don’t knohat to do!" Aria argued helplessly

"Just look!"

Aria sprang up in bed The room was dark Sweat poured down her face Her throat hurt When she looked over, she saw Ezra lying on his side next to her, and ju his arms around her "It was just a dream You’re safe"

Aria blinked and looked around She wasn’t in the Hastingses’ living room but under the covers of Ezra’s futon The bedroo room, smelled like mothballs and old-lady perfuht, peaceful breeze rippled the blinds, and a William Shakespeare bobble-head nodded on the bureau Ezra’s arms were around her shoulders His bare feet rubbed her ankles

"Bad drea"

Aria paused Was her drea? "I’ht her tight

Aria waited until her breathing returned to nor together right outside Ezra’sThen she noticed that Ezra’s glasses were askew "Did you fall asleep in your glasses?"

Ezra put his hand to the bridge of his nose "I guess," he said sheepishly "I fall asleep in them a lot"

Aria leaned forward and kissed him "You’re such a weirdo"

"Not as weird as you, screaet you" He started to tickle her waist

"No!" Aria shrieked, trying to wriggle away from him

"Stop!"

"Uh-uh!" Ezra bellowed But his tickling hastily turned into caressing and kissing Aria shut her eyes and let his hands flutter over her Then, Ezra flopped back on the pillow "I e could just go away and live somewhere else"

"I know Iceland really well," Aria suggested "Or what about Costa Rica? We could have aout in the Blue Grotto"

"I alanted to go to Capri," Ezra said softly "We could live on the beach and write poe as our pet ained

"Of course," Ezra said, kissing her nose "We can have as ot a far-off look on his face, as if he were actually considering it Aria felt her insides swell She’d never felt so happy This felt…right They would ure out the rest of her life--Sean, A, her parents--tomorrow