A/N: From the outset, if you like this please review, I will not post new chapters if their isn't enough intrest. I have other stories to work on and I'm in University full time. I guess what I'm trying to say is that this is a hobby and I won't make it a priority without others making reviewing a priority. -B :)

Chapter 1

"We Aren't in Rosewood Anymore"

In a different time and place the words could make more sense.
In a perfect world, the future wouldn't make a dent.

"155" by +44

I wasn't the one who thought we were wrong. If anything we were never wrong for each other. At sixteen a lot of things don't make sense, especially considering the mayhem that follows the death of a best friend and the breakdown of your family. In some ways those things do make sense, death is natural, every breath we take kills us and half of all marriages end in divorce. These things are sensible if you are really cynical about it.

The thing that doesn't make sense is watching the one thing you knew was right, the one person that completed you and the one thing that kept you grounded walk away, without saying goodbye. Okay well that isn't explicitly true, but things said in voice mail don't really count in my book.

"Aria, I'm sorry things have to end this way but someday you'll realize that this is for the best...I lo...you're a special girl you deserve more than this. In a different time or place things might have worked between us...Aria, I never wanted to hurt you and I wish you all the best in life."

The funny thing is time can fly by and it still doesn't make sense, not really. I mean I've tried to rationalize it; there are all the logical reasons in the world, but since when is love logical? Who says that two people who are so perfect for each other they could share one soul should be ruined because of a minor detail like age. I mean look at Romeo and Juliet? Okay bad example, but really in some cultures there would be nothing abnormal about a mature sixteen year old and a 21 year old falling in love. Less than a hundred years ago nobody would have batted an eye at the notion. Think Elvis and Priscilla, arguably another not so great example but Ezra and I, we would have been different. Yet, sadly that option wasn't even given a fighting chance. Today in our society, it is suddenly wrong. Give me a break. How could fate bring us together only to shatter all illusions right before my eyes at the lowest point in my life? That will never make sense.

That was rock bottom. I know a lot of people might have thrown themselves into drugs, alcohol or something else equally destructive but I just wanted to grow up. I was sick of hearing I was too young. I was sick of the stupid box that teenagers are constantly placed in. I was sick of Rosewood. Everywhere I went was a bitter reminded of everything that I was being denied because I wasn't mature enough. I spent the summer working towards my GED. My dad pulled some strings at New York University and they let me enroll despite missing the application deadline. I guess it bothered me that I still needed my father, I mean after the way things went with my mom, I felt like it was wrong to still need him as much as I did.

4 hours is a long bus ride from home. I promised Hanna, Spencer and Emily that I'd be back to visit as much as I could but I think we all knew it was a lie. Lies were what we were good at, I guess we just expected it and accepted it after a while.

First semester was hell, but I was busy. Too busy to think, too busy to dwell on it and for a time I forgot about everything. That is until I was able to breathe in reading week.

That's where this whole saga starts; hang on to your hats. It is one hell of a journey.

Rosewood never had a Starbucks; it had coffee houses with personality and uniqueness. Starbucks wasn't like that, you knew exactly was each one would look like simply by setting foot inside a single one of them. That could have been why I was drawn to it. It shouted from the rooftops that I wasn't in Rosewood anymore. It certainly wasn't because I like the exploitation of Third World farmers so that corporate heads could make an obscene amount of money. I needed a job and so I applied.

Where else but New York to work in a Starbucks? Seriously the city really never sleeps and it also runs on caffeine and probably some illegal stimulants too. My job was chaos; I mean really going to work was like stepping into a whirlwind that didn't let up until you stumbled your way through the crowd at shifts end.

Strangely enough I liked it. Loved it even, I couldn't even hear my own thoughts when I was working. You can't pay money for that kind of serenity, so to be paid for it was icing on the cake.

Reading week shouldn't have been different. I had decided not to go home to Rosewood over break. I know I promised the girls I visit whenever I could, but text messages and Facebook messages had been few and far between, so I wasn't going to feel guilty about it. I wasn't ready to go back yet, I hadn't changed enough yet.

I know I shouldn't have been shocked, I was washing down the counter and when I looked up, Hanna and Spencer were standing a few feet away, looking perfectly fashioned as always, Hanna had a cocky smirk in place and Spence a genuine smile.

"See, I knew she would be happy to see us!" Hanna said to Spencer, who shot her a bit of a dark look.

"I never said she wouldn't be happy to see us, I said she might be really busy with courses and work." Spencer stated loud enough to be sure I heard in the bustle of the coffee shop.

"And the boyfriend can't forget the boyfriend." Hanna added, giving me a knowing look.

"Um, no boyfriend, but I have been crazy busy. I'm so glad you guys are here! How long are you staying?" I asked, tossing the bar cleaner and cloth on to the spot underneath the counter where it was kept. "Jackson, I'm going to take my break." I told him, before asking Hanna and Spence if they wanted anything.

"I'll put it on my tab." I offered.

"No, heck no, my mother gave me money for meals and food and drinks and god I think she was super tired of seeing me mopping around the house, but seriously on me." Spencer rattled off.

"Why were you mopping?" I asked.

"Well, okay I should probably say because I missed you so much, but that is only half of it." Spencer stated.

"Suck up." Hanna commented from beside her.

"Alex and I broke up, almost two months ago now." Spencer confided. I passed her a piping hot chia tea. They had been on again off again for months before that, I wasn't really surprised but she sounded as if it was really over this time.

"I'm sorry Spence, how am I just hearing about this now?" I asked, putting on the face of sympathy, it felt like the right thing to do.

"Come on Aria, you're the University hotshot and the rest of us are just graduating this year, I'm sure our Rosewood problems are incredibly boring when your living it up in New York." Spencer smiled.

"Seriously? I thought you guys just forgot all about me." I told them, handing Hanna her skinny latte.

"Aria, we would never just forget about you! We just thought you have better things to do like hooking up with a certain English teacher who happens to live in the same city." Hanna stated, offering a wink as she said it.

"What? What are you even talking about?" I demanded in a hushed tone.

"Oh come on, you can't tell me you haven't internet stalked him." Hanna stated, "I mean I did, I just thought you knew."

"No, I didn't know, I've been trying to move past it, if you really want to know."

"Move past it? Did she actually just say that?" Hanna exclaimed and then looked to Spencer with a baffled expression.

Spencer just nodded and politely sipped her chia tea latte.

"The Aria I knew would never give up." Hanna stated.

"Yeah well the Aria you knew didn't give up, she got given up on, and so that's a bit of a moot point." I told her with a small measure of hostility.

"But this isn't Rosewood; things could be so much different. He is teaching a York Prep." Hanna said excitedly.

"How do you know this stuff?" Spencer asked to my relief. "It's just a bit creepy."

"Rate my Teacher, he's a 4.0 and has a lot of fans." Hanna stated, and then clamped her hand over her mouth. "Sorry, I did not mean it like that, he is a good teacher though and I'm sure some of the comments were from guys." Hanna continued, trying to rectify the situation, but it was a bit late.

"He wished me all the best in life." I told her almost without dwelling on it. I had spent too much time doing that.

"So?" Hanna asked.

"Issue number 1, it's the type of thing you write on report cards for students you have nothing better to say about. Issue number 2, it's resolutely final. He never said call me when your 18. He could have said that. Why didn't he say that?"

"Oh no, don't cry, I'm horrible with tears. Spencer you're good with this kind of thing, do something." Hanna stated.

"Aria, I think he wanted you live your life. I don't think he would ever ask you to wait around for him. It wouldn't be fair to you."

"Well a lot of good that did me." I scoffed, wiping my eyes with my sleeve.

"When is your shift over? Your mom said we could stay at your guys place, but we wanted to see you first." Spencer asked.