Italics – Thoughts
Bold – Emphasis
Bold italic – Flashback
… - Passage of time
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.
Emily focused on the rhythmic pounding of her sneakers on the tarmac, using it as a mantra to keep pushing forward. The mid-afternoon sun was beating down, and she could feel a bead of sweat rolling down the side of her temple. Why do I insist on torturing myself on a Sunday of all days?
It was the last day of the holidays before senior year, and Emily was looking forward to the normality of going back to school. It had been a long summer and Emily couldn't wait to get back to classes, and focus her energy into succeeding on the swim team. She was hoping to make captain this year, and decided to go out for and afternoon run around Rosewood on her last day before school.
Emily wiped the back of her hand across her forehead and came to a stop just before the high street in an attempt to regain her breath. Thank god I am better in the water than I am on land.
She stretched out her calves, leaning against a nearby wall when the sound of her cell phone caused her to fumble in her shorts pocket.
"Hello?"
"Hey Em! What cha up to?" The sound of Hanna's voice rang through the phone.
Emily smiled to herself.
"I'm just out doing a run around Rosewood. I figured if I cram in an hour of exercise now, then it makes up for the countless days of ice cream binging in Spencer's cabin with you guys over the summer."
"I love your logic" Hannah laughed. "Are you near the brew? Spence and I are here now and were calling to invite you and Aria. You know, before senior year kicks our ass and we hardly have time to shower let alone get coffee."
Emily chuckled at Hanna's dramatic tone, and looked down at herself.
"Yeah I'm nearby, but I am sweaty and wearing my running shorts"
"Come on Em it is only the brew, besides if you have the goods, flaunt it!" Emily could feel Hanna's smirk down the phone. Hanna had always been Emily's closest friend, although the whole gang met in middle school, Emily and Hanna had formed an instant bond.
Emily sighed and started walking down the high street looking at her reflection in a shop window.
"Fine, I'll see you in 5."
Emily hung up and turned to the shop window to look at her reflection in more detail, redoing her high ponytail to make herself more presentable. She considered her chocolate coloured eyes and frowned to herself when she noticed the faint bags under her eyes. I need to get more sleep. She rubbed her eyes and turned her head to the side to make sure she had gotten any stray hairs, and when satisfied, gave herself a little nod. It is then that her eyes refocused so she could see past the glass and into the shop window.
It was a cute little bakery and in front of her eyes were rows and rows of delicious treats both savoury and sweet. Emily traced her eyes upwards to observe the rest of the shop, and stepped back in surprise when they landed on a pair of beautiful blue ones.
They belonged to a blonde-haired girl leaning against the counter, watching Emily with interest. She looked a similar age to Emily, but she had never seen her around town before. Emily wasn't sure, but it looked like an amused glint appeared in the blonde's eye after Emily noticed her.
Emily gave a small smile and rolled her eyes before covering them to show she was embarrassed. The corner of the blonde's mouth twitched upwards, highlighting the twinkle in her eye, all the while not looking away from Emily. Emily couldn't look away, she felt rooted to the spot whilst looking into those deep blue pools. She felt a twitch in her stomach as a feeling overcame her that she couldn't explain.
The moment was broken when a customer approached the counter, stealing the blonde's attention away from Emily.
Emily observed for a moment. The blonde greeted the customer with a bright smile before, Emily presumed, asking how she could help them. Emily could barely tear her eyes away from the interaction.
After shaking her head slightly, Emily walked off in the direction of the brew.
…
"So you totally have to come to Mona's party next weekend, it is like an initiation into senior year!"
Hanna exclaimed emphatically, sending half of her croissant flying across the room.
"Jeez Han, watch where you're throwing that will you?" Aria exclaimed, scuttling off to retrieve said pastry from somebody's purse.
"I will come to Mona's party if you agree to have weekly study sessions with us as a group. We are going to need to support each other if we want to go to a good college." Spence chimed in.
Hanna rolled her eyes.
"Fine I agree your terms." She looked around the table. "Aria, Em? Are you in?"
Aria nodded whilst Emily sipped her Americano thoughtfully.
"Why do you want to go to this party so much hm?" Emily said through suspicious eyes.
Hanna shrugged nonchalantly before caving into her friends probing eyes.
"Ugh fine. Mona is being a nightmare. What with her new 'queen bee' status, she wants it to be the biggest most lavish party in Rosewood and she made me promise to bring you guys."
"Oh charming" Emily laughed, taking another sip of her coffee.
"Why doesn't she ask us herself?" Spencer asked.
"She just said she knows you guys would come if I asked you. Please, please, please it will be really good! A chance to find us some eligible partners." Hanna winked.
Emily smiled but internally flinched. Throughout a lot of her junior year, Emily had been dating a girl called Maya. Maya had pursued Emily, flirting with her and making her interest very clear. Emily was confused, but bit by bit Maya broke down Emily's walls and they shared a drunken kiss one night. The rest was history. Coming out to her friends, coming out at school, coming out to her parents and eventually Maya being shipped off to boot camp by Pam Fields.
Emily was heartbroken, and promised to wait for her and write all the time – a promise she kept. Maya reciprocated with enthusiasm at first. Sending letters whenever she could, weekly phone calls and making promises of when they can be back together again. But as the weeks went by the letters became fewer, the phone calls became more abrupt. The hopes and promises turned into uncertainty.
After a month, Emily was finally allowed a visit. It wasn't long before Emily realized that her Maya was fading. Apparently, distance didn't make the heart grow fonder. Maya confessed that she was dating a boy called Nate who she met in camp, and she didn't see 'what the big deal was' when Emily objected.
Emily spent the rest of the summer feeling sorry for herself, mourning her lost relationship, and her trampled affections. Her friends were her lifeline, and as soon as they heard what happened they showed up at her door, kidnapped her, and held her hostage in Spencer's cabin.
'To get away from any old memories and start new ones' Hanna had said.
After a week at the cabin Emily felt strong enough again. Strong enough to go out and get on with it. Strong enough to face her mother and live in the forced civility she was used to since announcing her relationship with Maya. Her friends are all she needs.
"... and then he walked me to my front door, gave me a kiss on the cheek and said he hopes to do it again soon!" Spencer says excitedly.
Emily zoned back into the conversation. The topic had moved onto Spencer's love life and she had been describing her most recent date with Toby.
"Ooooh do I hear wedding bells?" Aria teased.
"Oh you know I don't want to be married before having a successful career". Spencer brushed off, but she was struggling to hide her smile.
Emily stood up with a polite cough.
"As much as I love gassing with you girls I need to get back. Mom and I are on slightly better terms recently but I don't want to anger her by being absent for Sunday dinner." Emily apologises.
Hanna grabs Emily's hand comfortingly as she walks past. "Okay Em, we will see you at school tomorrow? Just give it time with your Mom, anyone who has eyes can see that she loves you, lesbian or not."
Emily gives a close-lipped smile. "Thanks Han, see you guys tomorrow". Emily waves at the others before walking out of the Brew and making her way towards her house.
It wasn't long before Emily was walking past the shop from before, and looked up at the sign outside.
"The Bakery"
Emily chuckles at the irony of the name before her mind drifts back to the blonde who she saw inside earlier. Who is she? The shutters were down and the lights were out. They must close at 5.
Emily continued to walk home, a slight buzz in her system.
…
"Dinners on the table hon" Emily heard her mother's voice drift in from the kitchen as she came through the front door.
Emily walked into the dining room and plonked herself down at the table, still in her sweaty gym gear. Wayne Fields, who was already tucking in, looked up at Emily and wrinkled his nose in mock disgust.
"Wow talk about making an effort for your elders" Wayne joked, flinching as Emily leaned over in an attempt to swat his head.
Pam walked in with some roast potatoes and set them down on the table.
"You were out a while Emily, you left at 2!" Pam stated, setting the potatoes down and taking her place at the table.
"I met the girls at the Brew for a drink. Hanna seems to think we will never see each other again after school starts." Emily replied.
Wayne laughed "Ahhhh senior year, I remember the parties, got into a lot of trouble –hey!" He attempted to shield himself away from a swat coming from his wife's this time.
"What your father means to say is that it is indeed a critical year" Pam cuts in. "We really want you to get that swimming scholarship."
Emily forces a smile and takes a mouthful of food.
"My Emmy is the hardest working girl there is in this town, I have no worries" Wayne placates.
Emily nods. "Great potatoes Mom" She says trying to change the subject.
"And now you don't have any... distractions… you'll be sure to succeed". Pam finishes.
Emily's jaw hardened as she fought her instinct to retaliate.
"Pam..." Wayne scolded.
"What? I am just saying that now Emily is done with her experimenting she can get on with what she is supposed to do."
"And what is THAT mom?" Emily stands up and slams her palms on the table to make a point. "Get good grades, go to college, get a nice boyfriend, get married and start a family?!"
"Now Emily there is no need to..."
"I am GAY mom, get over it. It is the twenty first fucking century for crying out loud. You may have successfully got rid of Maya, but you will NEVER make me become something I am not." Emily's outburst lingered in the room, leaving an awkward silence in its wake.
Wayne shifted and cleared his throat looking down. Pam looked forward keeping her eyes fixed on the wall ahead in a hard stare.
"I am going to bed." Emily scraped her chair back and marched over to the staircase.
She walked up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door closed behind her. She sat on her bed and put her head in her hands holding back tears. Hold it together Emily
…
After a frosty breakfast with her parents the next morning, Emily hopped in her car and made her way to school.
She pulled into the school car parking lot and took her time to check her appearance in the rear view mirror before meeting her friends. She had dressed in her white sneakers, skinny jeans purple slash vest and black leather jacket.
Although Emily's style was a lot more casual than what her more 'fashionable' friends would tend to go for, she felt like she knew and wore her style well.
A knock on her window startles her and she looks to see Mona leaning impatiently against her door frame. Emily wound down the window.
"Hey Mona what's up?" Emily barely got her words out before Mona interrupted.
"Did Hanna invite you to my party?"
"Yeah I -"
"Are you coming?"
Emily nodded. "Sure, sounds fun".
"I never got an RSVP." Mona looked irritated.
"Oh... sorry I didn't know we had to."
Mona glared at her for a few moments before a change suddenly took over her demeanour.
"It's fine, I'm sorry Emily. You know how it is with the party planning and all... it is stressful. Mona fanned herself with a folder she and grinned.
Emily got out of her car and walked up to the school entrance with Mona.
"I just feel like I need to connect more with Hanna's friends, so it is important you be there."
Emily side-eyed Mona in confusion. "Okay... great!" She responded with a fake smile.
"Emily! Mona! Hanna hurried up behind them, bag swinging in a comical fashion.
Hanna had been friends with Mona since the beginning of high school. They got on well but Emily never clicked with Mona, and she was fine with that.
The 3 girls headed towards the lockers to meet up with Spencer and Aria Mona, and Mona split off to meet her 'glam squad'. As Emily put her stuff in her locker, she smiled to herself at the familiarity of it all, the hustle and bustle of friends catching up before first period. She would miss this next year, college had always been weighing on her mind, but it all seems so real now. The warning bell went off
"I'll see you guys at lunch" Emily waved to her friends before making her way off to her first lesson,
English.
…
Emily had swim practice after school, and the team were gathered in the changing rooms afterwards for a pep talk from Coach Carter.
"Okay girls gather round. You were good out there, not too bad for the first day back. But good isn't going to win us the national championship this year, we need to be outstanding!"
He paced the changing room, looking at each swimmer separately as he spoke.
"We need to train harder and train smarter. After all we will be having college scouts coming to watch you swim at intervals throughout the year."
There was a murmur throughout the changing room as people started to shift uncomfortably.
"We have our first meet in a couple of weeks, after which I will be naming the team captain. I want hard work and determination girls. I'll be watching you all."
Coach Carter exited the changing room and the team dispersed.
Emily grabbed her stuff and headed into the first empty shower. Looks like I will need to step up my game for the next couple of weeks if I want to land captain. She though with dread.
…
Emily didn't feel like going home after practice, after the fight with her Mom yesterday she didn't fancy going to face the music. Instead, she decided to go to the brew to get a head start on the homework she had already been set.
She was halfway through her French verbs when had had enough, she sighed, slammed her book shut and rubbed her eyes aggressively. Emily started packing her things and had just stood up when a rapid movement caught her eye out of the window. Emily whipped her head round to see what looked like a dog darting across the road.
"Shit" Emily whispered to herself before racing out of the door and heading after the dog. It disappeared down a side street when it reached the other side, and Emily took off after it. When Emily rounded the corner, she couldn't see anything. She slowed down to a walk. The alleyway was empty with high walls on either side, the only thing interest being a cluster of industrial dustbins. Emily approached slowly.
"Hey boy, are you here?" Emily coaxed.
She could hear a faint whimper behind the bins and poked her head around cautiously.
The dog was sat cowering, eyeing Emily wearily trying to figure out if she was a friend or foe.
"Hey there boy it's okay." She put her hand out slowly for the dog to sniff, making sure not to approach him too quickly.
The dog was a collie cross, and looked to be in good condition so couldn't be a stray. Whoever owned this dog seemed to take care of him at the very least.
Eventually the dog took a step forward to give Emily's hand a tentative sniff, before pushing forward and putting the weight of his head into her palm as an invitation.
"That's it feels good, doesn't it?" Emily cooed as she scratched behind his ears.
He jumped up on her bent knees and leaned up to give her face a sloppy kiss, positively wagging his tail now. Emily looked at his collar to see if she could find any details about the owner.
"Pepe." She read aloud, and his ears pricked up.
"Good boy" She said, stroking him again happily.
Emily pulled out her cell phone and dialled the number underneath Pepe's name, accepting numerous doggy kisses as she waited for it to ring.
"Hello?" A breathless voice answers on the first ring.
"Hi… My name is Emily, I'm just calling because I have found your dog-"
"Oh my god, thank you!" The girl on the other end of the phone gasps in relief. "He was in the back yard and the postman didn't fasten the gate properly and he was just…" the girl stopped mid-sentence. "Thank you, I'll come and collect him, where are you?"
"In the alley opposite the brew".
"Oh are you okay to wait there? I am just around the corner, I will be 2 minutes…" The girl paused again "Thank you Emily." She hung up.
Emily smiled to herself. Well that is my good deed for the day. She continued to fuss over Pepe and he was lapping up the attention. However she had a strange knot in her stomach at the prospect of meeting the owner, her voice had absorbed Emily from the word 'hello', and created that same reaction in her stomach that she had felt the previous day outside the bakery.
"Pepe?" The voice in question pulls Emily out of her daydream, and Pepe launches himself towards the sound.
Emily looked towards the alley's entrance to see none other but the blonde from the bakery rushing towards them. Emily was entranced. Her golden hair was no longer tied up but flowing down in effortless curls. She was wearing a summer dress with a denim jacket, and had a look of worry in her eyes. Worry that melted into pure happiness when her eyes fell upon Pepe.
He jumped up and almost bowled her over as she laughed, bending down and burying her face in his neck.
"Hi Pepe! I am so glad you're safe." She whispered into his fur.
Emily approached, smiling at the scene before her.
"I saw him run into the road when I was in the brew, so I ran out to see here he went." She explained.
The blonde looked up at Emily for the first time. "Thank you, I-"
She stopped mid-sentence when her eyes landed on Emily's chocolate brown ones.
Emily could see the recollection in her eyes as she remembered their encounter through the bakery window. She smiled brightly at Emily before continuing.
"I've had Pepe since I was 8 years old. We have been through a lot together haven't we boy".
"I can see that he loves you." Emily nodded at Pepe who was now showering the blonde in affection.
She giggled. "He is my world." She responded simply.
"It looks like it" Emily laughed.
Eventually the blonde stood up straight and dusted herself down before looking at Emily once more.
"So Emily…? What is your last name?"
"Fields."
"I'm Alison DiLaurentis." The blonde spoke softly and stuck out her hand.
Emily shook it slowly, her skin tingled where Alison touched her. Alison's blue eyes were holding Emily hostage. She couldn't look away if she wanted to.
"Lovely to meet you Alison".
Hi there lovelies. This is my first PLL fic, I thought it might be fitting to write one as PLL The Perfectionists kicks off.
Emison fans don't despair!
If you liked (or didn't like!) what you read then please leave me a review
Would love to hear your ideas on where the story should go.