Emily's POV

Just two short years ago my life was a mess. Caught up in the whole A-ness of it all, emotionally abused a victim of a faceless tormentor, finally unmAsked to us as none other than Cece Drake. During what I like to call the A period of life, I always wondered what it would feel like to finally find out who this person was and why so badly they wanted to hurt us and make our lives miserable. I thought I would feel safe, happy in the knowing, I thought I would feel relief but I didn't, Im still waiting to feel that. After hearing Cece's story I felt a huge amount of sadness, not for myself but for her. Have you ever heard anything so stupid I think to myself?! She crashed into my house, she locked me in a box to be sawn in half, she threatened my parents, my girlfriend, my safety, my Ali.. and I still felt sadness towards her, what an awful life she has lead, rejection at every turning and all she really wanted was a family and someone to love. Somehow she got caught up in this game that consumed her, consumed all of us and without it I wasn't really sure who I was. Not realising I don't have to be scared at every noise in the dark, every time my phone buzzes it isn't going to be an anonymous text threatening to expose my deepest darkest secrets, I didn't have to assume everyone I meet was working in the A team, not everyone is out for playing a game with me as the doll and I just didn't know what to do. Before I knew it i was in UCLA studying sports therapy and leading a 'normal' life, the girls weren't beside me, I couldn't SOS them whenever I needed them, the different time zones meant that I couldn't even ring them when I needed to talk and I felt so alone, finding myself longing to go back to my life a few years ago. Of course like any girl running away from her problems at college I turned to partying. I was never really one for that, I have had issues in the past where drowning my sorrows felt like a good idea but this was different, I was out every night, with new "friends" in a new bar and usually going home with a new girl. Waking up the next morning not remembering a thing with a headache to let me know I didn't want to remember. When I did talk to the girls they seemed to have moved on and were happy, Aria following her photography dreams, Spenc being some big hot shot in politics, I don't know much about that world it bores me and I get confused, I usually just agree with whatever spencer tells me, and Hannah of course working her way up in the fashion world and actually excelling in her classes at FIDM! Hannah excelling in class, now that is definitely not something I saw coming ha! As for Ali it's been almost two years since we last spoke, Hannah told me she is doing really well back in Rosewood, building up her family with Cece and working on singing, when we were younger Ali and I always spoke about her making it as a singer, talk about her dreams of making the big time, touring the world and bringing me with her, her biggest fan and groupie. Ali's voice was sensational even if it was my biased opinion so I wasn't surprised to hear she was recording music, of course she hasn't hit the big time yet but give it a few years and im almost certain that she will.

Things with me and Ali were strained and I left thinking the less I spoke to her the better I would feel, at first I was right I didn't think about her at all I threw myself into college and 'extra-curricular' activities and I forgot all about my home, and the girl who I had loved so deeply for as long as I can remember. After a while this wasn't enough, I was surrounded by so many people but I never felt so alone, these people that became my friends weren't really that. They didn't know me, my struggles, hopes and dreams and my fears. They liked me because I was a party animal and hosted the meanest parties but when the alcohol stopped flowing they stopped coming. I became retracted from society, I went to college got on with my work came home and watched TV alone, I was barely talking to Hannah, Aria and Spencer but I think they knew something was up, they staged a friend intervention to pull me out of my depression and here we are. All taking a year out to reconnect, spend time together, be friends, laugh and make memories, the memories we should have had from our teenage years. With the persuasion of Spencer, I never could fight her once she made her mind up about something, we are moving into a beach house together right here in California. All five of us. Apparently Hannah told Aria it would be good to ask Ali to join us, she had spent the rest of her adolescent years looking after Cece and hadn't really had any time with new friends or relationships, so the girls tell me although I am convinced she must be with someone, how can she not no one in her right mind would let her me alone (apart from me). She thought it would be nice to get to know Ali, the Ali that we all wanted her to be.

I have no idea why Hannah thought that would be a good idea! I love her but I could also kill her sometimes. I have been running from my feelings for Ali for the past two years, filling my time and thoughts with anything but her and Hannah's intervention plan was to bring her to live in the same house as me for a whole year. Im screwed!