Here's my first multi-chapter paily fanfic. It follows everything we've already seen on the show, but takes my own lil road from here on. The more reviews/follows/favourites, the quicker I manage to get the next chap up, its motivating you see! :-)
Chapter 1 - Paige POV:
I never thought walking down these halls would ever be as difficult as it was three years ago. Avoiding everyone I could and yet merging with anyone I could, trying to avoid those certain faces that always seemed to find me. Whether I wanted them to or not.
Avoiding Alison DiLaurentis was what you would call an infinite impossibility. That girl just knew how to find you. And when you are confined to the corridors and classrooms of a school, or in fact just the town in which you live… I barely went a day without seeing those cold, scathing blue eyes glare at me. They only thing that ever made it even slightly bearable was the fact that 90% of the time, those icy blue eyes came alongside dark, absorbing chocolate eyes. The eyes that have always made my stomach flip and heart race.
But I was wrong, It's just as difficult as three years ago. Now that I'm once again trying to avoid everyone and yet merge within them, I feel hopelessly desperate at the fact I've come full circle. I may no longer be avoiding the icy blues, but it hurts much worse that's it's the chocolate eyes that I'm praying don't find me.
As I turn the corner and approach the lockers that I know hold a high possibility of holding said eyes, I increase my pace and keep my head down, not wanting to know either way. Staring solely at the floor as I filter between the crowd, my eyes lock onto my shoe laces. My right shoe lace to be precise. The shoe lace speckled with brown flecks as yet again one of a thousand unforgettable memories springs to the forefront of my brain….
Flashback:
"I swear, you're going to pay for that McCullers!" Emily screams across the kitchen as I press my bare feet hard into the ground and run as fast as I can.
I can hear a clatter of pots and pans as I slip around the hallway and press myself tight into the wall. A floorboard creeks under her feet as I hear her approaching and try to decide whether or not to make another break for it… I take a deep breath, a smile plastered across my face, as I decide against it and press my back harder into the wall behind me.
"Hah!" She shouts as she jumps out like some ninja in front of me and makes me jump even though I heard her coming.
Before I can react, her hand comes flying at my face. Covered in flour and chocolate source, it slips straight into my hair as she ruffles her fingers around and I feel my hair instantly stick and clunk together with the mess of cake mix.
"Ewww, not in my hair!" I say as I fight under her grasp, my eyes setting on the bowl placed in her free hand. I quickly step aside and dig my fingers into the bowl, collecting a handful of mix as I raise my eyes back to hers, finding her rapidly registering my next move.
"No… no. Don't you dare." She says but unconvincingly as the smirk pulls across her face.
I raise my hands and wipe the mixture across her face and down her neck as she squirms, giggling under my touch. Trying without success to move out of reach as I wipe my remainder of the mess on my hand across her shirt.
"There" I say, as if I'm standing in front of a master piece. Before I quickly turn to run again, laughing as I go.
"Not so quick you!"
I feel her hand clamp around my arm before I can move out of reach and am pulled back to face her. She holds me steady and before my eyes I suddenly see the mixing bowl coming straight at my head. She lifts it high, I can see the contents inside and picture it rapidly coming at my face as Emily aims it my direction. I quickly duck under her arm still holding me tight and move just in time to see the mixture splash all over the floor. That, strangely enough happens in slow motion as I watch the brown, chocolaty mixture hit the laminate of Emily's hallway and instantly splash out in all directions. It splatters up the wall and all over the shoe rack as well as spraying across both our bare feet.
"Argh, Jheeze. They're my new converses Emily!" I say accusingly as I turn to her after watching chocolate source splash over the shoes I'd brought with her that very same day.
"What, you started it!" she laughs, feigning hurt at my accusation.
"Did not" I reply half heartedly, not helping the smile tugging at my cheeks.
"Then what the hell is this?" she points to her nose as I laugh at the giant smudge of chocolate I so artistically put there at the beginning of our lil food fight. "it's not make up you know!" she adds as she prods me in the shoulder.
She steps over the mess and turns to walk back to the kitchen, laughing as she goes and this time I reach out for her. Except she's gone further then I think and have to step forward to catch her hand. As soon as my foot hits the floor, I realise what a stupid idea that was.
"Whoaa!" escapes my mouth as my foot slides instantly in the cake mix.
Unfortunately for Emily, my fall to the floor starts at the exact time my hand attaches to her wrist and in an instant we're both falling to the floor. My feet disappear underneath me as I collapse on my back. Pulling her with me, I realise in my descent that she's heading face first for the mess now spread all over the floor and tug on her arm. She falls hard straight on top of me as a huff of air is forced from my lungs.
"Ergh…" I sigh as I open my eyes and catch my breath, hearing a faint ringing of the metal mixing bowl now spinning around the floor.
Emily, her whole body laying directly on top of mine, starts to laugh. And laugh uncontrollably. Her forehead falls to my shoulder as she laughs hard and shakes on top of me.
"Oh I'm glad you find it so funny Miss Fields!" I giggle back, raising my hand to swat her side. "Not only are my new trainers ruined, but I've broken my back!" I say as she raises her head to look at me, still laughing.
She cocks her head and raises her eyes brows.
"And the damn cake's ruined!" I add and that's it, we're both flailing around in a fit of giggles.
Gradually, we gain control of ourselves and our unruly laughter drops to a simmer. Instead of rolling off me, she repositions her legs as if to get more comfy as she leans up on her elbows, placed either side of my head.
"Well, that's what you get when you start a food fight with a pro like me" she says as she smiles above me.
"Actually, I think I won"
"How on earth do you figure that?" she begins, her ever competitive side always reliable to surface. "If I'm not mistaken, you've got gunk all through your hair and are currently laying in a pool of chocolate after falling flat on your ass" she finishes looking all proud of herself.
"Hmmm correct, but I still won" I repeat.
Her smile falters just a little as her eyebrows rise once more, looking confused. I lift my chocolate covered hands to her sides and squeeze her gently as I force my eyes from hers and look down. I look down at how she's laying over me, her whole body pressed directly into mine, every contour fitting perfectly and I hear her giggle as she understands.
"Babe, if you wanted me in this position, you only had to ask…" she lingers as my eyes connect with her instantly, a smile pulling at my cheeks. A sight I see mirrored on her as my eyes lower to her lips, my stomach knotting with anticipation….
I'm quickly brought out of the memory and back to the cold hard surroundings of the school corridor as a familiar scent wafts through the air and straight into my senses. Coffee and vanilla. A scent so distinctively her. A scent that makes me shiver and goose bumps threaten my skin . My feet momentarily slow with the realisation that although I'm still looking directly at my shoes, trying to make my way through the crowd, she's close. She's close and I will never, ever be able to forget that scent or the person it belongs too.
A break in the crowd opens as I see day light streaming in through the exit doors ahead of me. I pick up my pace as well as my head as I look straight ahead and end up pretty much marching towards those doors and my freedom from the torture that never truly ends.
"Paige!" I suddenly hear behind me as my feet falter again.
I quickly regain my pace and hit the exit bar, pushing the door wide and ignore the voice that I forever longed to call my name. The cold, bitter breeze of Rosewood in November hits me hard as I pull my sliding bag back on to my shoulder and hug my arms across my chest.
Striding for the car park, I slowly hear footsteps quickly patting the floor behind me. Gradually getting closer and closer, I can hear the running pace quicken. I unfold my arms and reach for my car keys in my back pocket as I ignore the sound and spot my car shielded behind a huge black jeep.
"Paige, please just wait up" I hear again and my wishful thinking is shunned as Emily's voice replaces the sound of her footsteps. I didn't hear wrong, it is her. Of course it is.
I slide next to the huge vehicle shadowing mine as I ignore her and slide my bag off my shoulder. Pressing the electric lock on my key I hear the mechanics click into action and the car beep as I reach for the door handle.
"Paige…"
It's a whisper, but suddenly there she is, standing in front of me. A little out of breath, her hand has found its way over the top of the car door handle and I quickly pull my hand still on its path, back to my side before it connects with hers. I instinctively take a step back, distancing myself from her as I keep my eyes low.
"Please don't do that..." she sighs. "It's not like I'm going to hurt you" she adds, clearly wounded at my immediate need to be as far from her as I can.
Her words spin around my head as my eyes raise immediately to hers.
"Really…?" my voice cracks in a half whisper of irony. She understands immediately.
"Paige… I never meant to hurt you. That's the last thing I'd ever want to do" she replies as I lower my eyes back to my shoes, quickly scolding myself as I see the cake mix covered laces again. No matter how many times I washed them, the white laces always held the same marks and memories. "I need to talk to you, I need to try and explain" she adds as I force myself to look away from my shoes, my stomach knotting with nausea.
"I can't. I have to go" I say as I keep my eyes on the huge car next to us, seems the safest place to look. The only place within my current vicinity that doesn't feel like it'll rip my heart out of my chest. That is until I catch the sight of three certain faces through the windows, walking our way and getting closer.
"No you don't. Don't forget I know you, I know you have a study period now and you don't have to be anywhere. Just let me explain." She steps forward, my eyes immediately snapping back to hers as she gets just a little closer. I find I'm frustratingly lost in her eyes as soon as they connect with mine, feeling my chest tighten. Suddenly her hand leaves the car handle and reaches for me. It snaps me back to reality as I drop her gaze and step back, regaining the distance we had before.
"Why now?" I ask, flicking my gaze between her and the floor. "Why is it now that you can explain, what's changed so dramatically that I'm suddenly allowed to be part of your life?" I add without even hearing the words leave my mouth.
"Paige, I just…" she starts before she's interrupted.
Her phone alert rings in her back pocket and I can't help but laugh. The sound that has plagued us ever since we became an 'us' and I still don't know why it's such an unbelievable menace. With a glance her direction, I see her glassy eyes filled with moisture and her head drop in apparent frustration or sadness. It sends a jolt of pain through me, to see her upset. I know no matter how much I will my body not to reach out to her or find some comforting words that may be able to help her, it's no use. But before I do react, the three faces appear around the side of the vehicle that was shielding us from the rest of the world.
"Emily." Aria states as Hanna and Spencer stand with her, all glaring straight at me.
She looks up at me and our eyes connect as instantly as they always do. I can see tears willing themselves to fall, but she stops them. I see her head drawing everything together… the phone alert, her friends now standing behind her… and even though she's stood rock steady, I see her slowly fade away from me. Just like she always has recently. The spark in her eyes disappears and she drifts into her head. I know her next move and speak before I have to watch her do it.
"It's fine. Go. You always do." I say as tears burn my own eyes but I force my voice to stay strong.
I force my entire being to stay strong as I reach and open my car door. Failing slightly as she voluntarily steps out of the way and a tear falls from my eyes. Once again she's pulling away and letting me go. I crank the car and floor the gas as I speed out of the car park without looking back, my entire body shaking, sobs pouring from my mouth and vision becoming blurry as I head as far away from here as possible.