Emily Fields thrived on acceptance. Whether it was swimming or academics, something inside of her craved the smiles and pats on the back from parents and friends at every instance of success. It was almost an addiction and she'd work herself to death for a 'good job, Em' or a 'keep up the good work' if she could. That's why Emily dreaded seeing her three best friends, Aria, Hanna and Spencer, that day at work. She couldn't get over the fact that they all had a special place in their hearts for hating her girlfriend, Paige.
Sure, at first, Paige had been a bit intense. She made fun of Emily for being gay, going so far as to hold Emily's head underwater to throw off her game and snag the Team Captain spot, but Emily understood that it was only because Paige was hiding in a closet of her own. One night, Paige kissed Emily after a swim meet, confessing her feelings, and everything made sense. It all changed.
None of that mattered, though. Aria, Hanna, and Spencer still rejected Paige and it infuriated Emily. Aria was dating her teacher, Hanna a formerly homeless bad boy, and Spencer an ex-suspect in the murder of their best friend. Emily had accepted all of her friend's boyfriends from day one, but that seemed not to matter to any of them.
The whole situation was hell to think about, so Emily simply pushed it in the back of her mind to broil, gripping her steering wheel firmly. Emily had just left her house and was headed to the Rear Window Brew for her closing shift as these thoughts circulated her mind. And to make matters worse, she was working a Thursday night, one of the busiest shifts for the Brew. Thanks to half-price latte's after seven, every teen and adult in Rosewood piled into the coffee shop on Thursday nights, creating a never ending line. Emily always got stuck closing until midnight and that inevitably led to Friday morning tardiness for swim practice.
On lucky days, the coach would be running late too and Emily would be off the hook, but lately Coach Slocomb was coming in early and Emily had been forced to swim laps around the pool as fast as she could for the first half of class. Emily missed Coach Fulton so much. She was lenient on Emily while this new coach was running the dark skinned swimmer into the ground.
As Emily neared the main road to Rear Window, her phone vibrated in her lap. Emily looked down at the text message from Paige. With a sigh, Emily pulled over to the side of the road, turned on her hazard lights, and opened the message.
Paige: Hey beautiful! Wanna grab a bite 2 eat tonight?
Emily smiled. Paige always greeted Emily with "hey beautiful" and it made Emily warm inside. Paige seemed to cherish her more than anything. Still grinning loudly, Emily began typing back a message.
Emily: Can't. So sorry, babe! Have work!
Seconds later, Emily's phone vibrated with another text.
Paige: It's okay(: Want me to visit u and put u out of ur misery?
Emily: Aria Spence and Hanna are coming ):
Paige: Bad time to show up w/ flowers and profess my love for u?
Emily: Haha, perfect time, actually! I just wish they would accept you. ):
Paige: Me 2.. u there yet?
Emily: otw
Paige: Plz tell me u arent txting and driving
Emily: Pulled over. I wouldnt.
Paige: Good cuz I love ya too much
Emily: I love you too, Paige. I have to head out. Text you when I get there?
Paige: Def. Bye, baby
Emily tossed her phone into the passenger's seat and pulled back onto the main road to begin her trek to Rear Window once again, but with a more positive outlook.
After a few minutes on the open road, Emily pulled into the Rear Window parking lot, got out and locked her door.
She quickly texted Paige to let her know she had made it safely to work as she walked into the front door. Her shift didn't start until six, but Emily made it a goal to be 15 minutes early in case Zack, her boss, needed immediate help. When she got there, her stomach was tied in knots. Aria, Spencer, and Hanna told Emily they would visit her around seven, but there they all sat around the coffee table closest to the door, anticipating Emily's arrival. Emily eyed them as they talked in a close-knit huddle. Maybe she could sneak past…
She headed for the counter, but-
"Em! Get over here." Hanna shouted. Emily clenched her jaw and blew air through her teeth. She walked over to her friends, putting on a cheery demeanor.
"Why're you avoiding us?" Spencer immediately questioned.
"Hi to you too, Spence." Emily rolled her eyes, sitting down to Spencer's glare. "I'm not avoiding anybody."
"Oh come on, Emily. We're your best friends and you're treating us like that creepy, homeless guy who always hits on you at the park." Hana clarified, narrowing her eyes on her friend. If Emily was in a less-than thrilled mood before, this conversation was pushing her over the edge. She folded her arms and shifted her gaze to Zack behind the counter, praying he would need her.
"You won't return our calls or texts. We're worried about you." Aria put forth. Great, so they were all noticing.
"My phone's been dead. Faulty charger." Emily lied, obviously.
"Not when you're texting Paige all period at school..." Spencer's voice trailed off as she stared at Emily, hard.
"Why do you hate her so much?" Emily felt her voice quiver as she spoke. She loved those three girls to death, but by hating her girlfriend they were harming their relationship with Emily.
"Hate is a strong word." Aria replied. Emily's chocolate brown eyes turned cold and Aria suddenly gained interest in her half-eaten Poppyseed muffin. They had talked about Paige so much lately that she considered keeping quiet all together.
"We don't hate her." Spencer affirmed, taking a sip from her small coffee and brushing a strand of dark brown hair behind her shoulder.
"You talk about her like she's Jenna or something." Emily shot back, feeling her agitation grow.
"She's a bully, Em. And you know she had something to do with her Dad going off on Mr. Fitz in the cafeteria." Hanna replied, now looking directly into Emily's eyes with her soft, crystal blue one's. .
"She shouldn't have humiliated you like she did. Especially since she had her own skeletons in the closet." Spencer cut in again, her replies always more blunt then the other two girls.
"You mean being gay? What, are we not using that word or something?" Emily felt her defense go up. She was using arguments that she knew had no truth, but she couldn't help it. Her eyes welled with tears, threatening to spill over.
"Oh drop it, Em, You know we don't care if you're gay." Spencer snapped.
"We just care about you and want to make sure everything is okay." Aria said, in a softer tone than Spencer's had been. She didn't want to rock Emily too much, especially since she had taken such hard hits over the last year with Maya's death and her father being deployed overseas again.
""Everything is fine. I keep telling you guys that and you won't believe me. I'm dating Paige. Get over it." Emily stood up, engulfed in her own anger, and, for some reason, thoughts of Maya flooded her mind. She stopped for a minute, collecting her thoughts and without a second of hesitation, Aria was by Emily's side, holding her tight.
"Okay, Emily. It's okay. We promise to keep an open mind." Aria whispered, stroking Emily's hair. "Right?" Aria shot desperate looks at Hanna and Spencer, who reluctantly nodded.
"Yes." Hanna agreed, moving to Emily's side. Spencer hesitantly stood as well and moved in close to the other girls.
"I don't like seeing you upset." It pained Spencer to force herself to accept somebody that had screwed her best friend over multiple times, but what could she do? Nothing ever turned out correctly when she tried to help people. She tried to help Toby find out what really happened to his mother and that ended in a fight. She tried to help Melissa move back home and that ended in a failed relationship with her then boyfriend Wren. She tried to help everyone and it always failed.
Just then, Emily's phone buzzed. She took it out of her pocket.
"What?" She whispered, opening the message. It was a random number that she didn't have saved.
+16107183465: Hey, babe, it's Paige! Phone died, using my friends. Car broke down. Please help?
Emily: Be there ASAP. Lemme ask Zack real quick. Where are you?
+16107183465: In front of the high school. And thanks!
"It's Paige." Emily whispered. "Car trouble. She needs me to go pick her up." She checked her watch. She could get to Paige and take her where she needed to go within the hour if it was only a minor problem.
Spencer eyed her friend suspiciously as she replied to the text message from her girlfriend. Paige knew a thing or two about cars. Why would she need Emily's help? Of course, Emily probably hadn't thought this through because she was so heated, but Spencer felt a weird energy come about. The air didn't feel right, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
"You want us to go with you?" Hanna asked.
"I think I got it." Emily called, already walking towards Zack at the register. "Hey, Zack, Paige is having car problems and I'm the only one she can contact. Could I go help her really quick. I promise to be back as soon as possible and I'll-"
Zack held up a hand, cutting her off.
"Go ahead, we're slow. Be back by 7:30?" Emily nodded.
"Thank you!" Emily smiled as she dashed out the door, got into her car, and pulled off towards the school.
After about ten minutes, Emily was baffled. She had gotten out and walked up and down the intersection in front of Rosewood High for a few minutes, yet she saw no Paige, no broken down car, no sign of either one. Emily pulled her phone from her pocket.
Emily: Where are you?
+16107183465: Right here. (:
Emily felt a chill shock her spine. She looked around, surveying the area. Something wasn't right.
Suddenly, Emily tumbled towards the ground and a sharp pain pinched her shoulder blade. She turned around to see four unfamiliar faces staring down at her; two jocks with letterman jackets on, and two girls, one blonde and one brunette. The husky jock pulled Emily up and kept a firm grip on her arm.
Emily's throat closed up and her stomach dropped.
"What do you want?" She choked out, absolutely dizzy.
"Shut up, bitch." The Brunette growled.
"Easy, J." The dark haired jock laughed. "We're just here to teach a lesson." His grin hid some inexplicable evil and it tortured Emily down to the core. Something awful was about to happen, she could tell by the way the jock continued.
"What?" Emily wondered, still confused. She tried to collect every detail she could about these people so that she could identify them later, something she had learned after her many encounters with A. Both jocks had football patches on their letterman's, but Emily couldn't see if they had names on the back, only numbers. One was #72 and the other was #3. The girls had no distinctive features besides the scar that ran down the blonde's arm.
Before Emily could collect much more, #72 roughly pulled both of her arms behind her back, holding her tightly. He put a firm hand over her mouth and the taste of cologne forced its way down Emily's throat.
"You're a freak. But I think I can help you out." #3 laughed. It was smooth and haunting; absolutely flawless and distinct like a melody in the abandoned road.
Suddenly, a dreadful thought passed through Emily's mind. This was a set up. Paige hadn't broken down on the road, her phone hadn't died, and she didn't need Emily. Whoever these people were, they just lured her there to bash her skull in. She had to get out!
"This...is about me and Paige?." Emily breathed heavily.
"You bet." J snarled, stepping forward. "Let me have a turn, Paul." She said to #3. A turn. She said it casually like the whole thing was a game.
Paul nodded and stepped aside as J slapped Emily. She whimpered and could feel a welt begin to form.
"Let go of her." J said to the husky jock, who obeyed without hesitation. The blonde with the scar seemed to look on with regret and Emily attempted to use that to her advantage.
"Please." Emily heard herself beg as a tear threatened to spill over the freshly formed bruise on her cheek. Maybe the blonde would stop her friends if Emily made herself more vulnerable.
J pushed Emily to her knees and the blonde looked away. Emily's attempts to seem vulnerable were futile. This J girl was relentless. She kicked Emily in the stomach, forcing her onto the ground.
"You and that dumb bitch Paige walk around Rosewood like you're the hottest couple in town, but lemme tell you sweetie, you won't be doing that anymore." She snarled.
Emily pulled herself to her feet, full of adrenaline and anger, but the group of four laughed at her. J shoved Emily to the ground and the swimmer hit her head hard, her hair becoming matted with blood. Why was nobody driving down this road?
"Maybe Paige needs to be taught a lesson, too." Paul interjected. Emily's eyes glazed over in fury.
"You leave her alone or I swear to God-" She growled, pain evident in her voice as she clutched her head tightly. Pain radiated through her head.
"Oh, looks like we got a fierce one." #72 laughed. The husky jock landed a kick in Emily's side that sent her flying into the front wheel of her car. Emily screamed out in pain and clutched her stomach. That was when she noticed her phone had fallen from her pocket and was lying a few inches away. Emily reached her hand forward for the phone. She could dial 911 quickly if she could just reach.
#72 smiled, his wide set eyes glinting with excitement. He noticed Emily reaching for the phone and stomped on her wrist to elicit a scream. Then, he stomped on the phone, shattering it, and crouched down beside Emily.
"I have something I'd like you show you." He reached into his letterman and produced a pocket knife, sharp as a tack and shiny. He put the blade up to Emily's face and poked her.
"Oh my God. Please. Please don't." This was it. Tears poured from Emily's eyes. She was going to die.
Suddenly, #72 brought the knife down across Emily's face. It wasn't deep, but it still was a cut and it still was bleeding. Emily screamed out, partially relieved that he refrained from stabbing her.
"You idiot, what are you doing!?" Paul growled. "You aren't supposed to kill her!" Emily shielded her face from any more harm.
"Fine, finish her and meet me in the car." #72 snapped back. And then Emily succumbed to the darkness that loomed around her.