End of the World

"Aria," Ezra began as he grabbed his glass of scotch off the marbled counter, "I don't even know how you can honestly say that to me!"

Aria's blood was boiling as she took a step closer to where Ezra was pacing.

"How can you even think that what you did was ok?!" She screamed back, her voice slightly louder than before.

Aria and Ezra stared blankly at one another before Ezra's empty eyes unlocked from Aria's raging ones.

"Maybe we need to take a break," Ezra said carefully, his eyes locked on the scratched and stained wooden floor of the apartment.

"Really? That's your solution? Just take a break and see if we end up together in the end? Or is this so you can experiment with whatever her name is?" Aria shrieked, her voice shaking with anger.

"Clearly we need a break!" Ezra countered, ignoring her comment and closing the distance between them.

Aria could smell the scotch on his breath, and it only fueled her fire and current disdain for him.

"The only thing that's clear is that you're drunk," Aria hissed under her breath.

"I'm not drunk, Aria! And how would you know? You're just a child. How could you understand any of this?"

Aria's stomach flipped as she heard those words. The exact words she had feared ever since she found out the age gap between her and Ezra.

"A child?" Aria murmured, laughing ironically to herself, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Is that what you think I am? Just a phase you're going through, or should I say went through? I'm just the child you fucked around with until you got bored and found someone else? Christ, Ezra, are you that fucking cliché?" Aria roared, forcefully raking her shaking hands through her dark hair.

"Aria, I didn't mean it," Ezra said slowly, "you're not a child, but you are acting like one in this moment. "

"I think that break you suggested sounds pretty damn good right now, Ezra. I'll see you later," Aria said calmly, seething inwardly as she walked over to the large chestnut dresser and began throwing things of hers into a nearby discarded shopping bag.

"Aria," Ezra began, walking over to where Aria was kneeling on the floor, and placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"No!" Aria screamed, jumping to her feet. "You don't touch me anymore. You lost the right. We're done."

She frantically packed up everything familiar to her in sight, overflowing the large Nordstrom bag.

"Aria," Ezra tried once again, his features noticeably softer than before, "please just wait a minute."

"You asked me to do this," Aria replied, grabbing her purse and throwing her set of keys carelessly onto the glass coffee table. "Have a nice life."

Aria slammed the brown door to Ezra's apartment closed behind her, leaving Ezra frozen in place, and walked quickly down the chemically scented stairs.

Aria squinted out into the darkness that was only illuminated by the dim streetlights, and cursed herself for getting into a fight so late at night.

"God dammit," Aria murmured to herself as she fished for her iPhone in the mess that was her oversized purse.

Aria's fingers hovered over the number on speed dial for a moment before she forced herself to press her thumb onto the touchscreen.

"Please pick up, please pick up, please pick up," Aria whispered as she heard the phone ringing once, twice, three times.

"What?" Emily murmured over the line, clearly still groggy from sleep.

"I need you to come get me," Aria said, glancing down the dark street nervously.

"What? Now? Where are you?" Emily suddenly seemed more awake; knowing how dangerous the streets of Rosewood could get at night, especially with "A" always lurking around.

"Yes. Now. I'm at…Ezra's apartment. I'm standing outside. Please hurry up," Aria pleaded, looking up at the window to Ezra's apartment.

The lights were all still on, and Aria could see Ezra's shadow wandering aimlessly around the small apartment.

"Why can't Ezra bring you home, Aria?" Emily asked softly, "What happened?"

"We broke up. Please come and get me."

"I'll be right there."

Aria wrapped her arms around herself to shield her body from the cool and crisp autumn air. As Aria's hands rubbed her biceps and tried to warm up her body, her phone chimed with a new message and began to vibrate in the back pocket of her black skinny jeans.

"Poor Aria! When students kiss teachers, someone gets HURT. That's a promise I'll keep…-A"

Aria anxiously scanned the street for anyone that could be watching, and saw a bush sway in the wind. Aria jumped as she saw headlights break through the darkness of the streets at 1 AM on a Tuesday morning.

"Thank God, Emily!" Aria exhaled as she slammed the car door shut behind her, pressing the lock button repeatedly.

"What the hell happened, Aria?" Emily asked, her brow furrowed with worry.

"With Ezra?" She asked slowly, Emily nodded, "I…we got in a huge fight."

"About what?" Emily inquired, noticing Aria shaking and turned the heat knob all the way to the right.

"He…called me a child. He said that I wouldn't understand," Aria confessed with a shake of her head and a sick smile.

"Wouldn't understand what?" Emily pushed further.

Aria's head snapped to the left, and she stared Emily in the eye even in the complete darkness of the car, only illuminated by the touch screen radio.

"I wouldn't understand that whatever happened with Amelia didn't mean anything," Aria whispered, turning to face the window.

"Who's Amelia?"

"Some TA who works at Hollis. I don't want to talk about it anymore. Take me home, please."

"Ezra!" Amelia gushed, holding up his lesson plan for the following day. "This is brilliant! The students are going to LOVE it."

Ezra smiled shyly and shrugged, "I hope so."

"I know so," Amelia said, smiling up at him.

Ezra returned the smile before turning away and noticing all the missed messages he had from Aria.

"Where are you? We need to talk…-Aria"

"Please come home. –Aria"

"Ezra, please text me back. This is important. –Aria"

"Please. I don't know who else to talk to. –Aria"

Ezra glanced up from his phone and looked back at Amelia, who hadn't moved from her seat a few feet away.

"Something wrong, Ezra?"

"Um, no. I think I should get going, though. My girlfriend is waiting for me," Ezra said, gathering up his mug and shoving loose papers into his brief case.

"Aria," Amelia said knowingly, "Are you ok?" Amelia asked him, her eyes exuding pure concern.

Ezra stared at her for a few minutes. Her ice blue eyes were locked onto his, and her bright blonde hair seemed to glow under the harsh lighting of the lecture hall.

"I'm fine," he said slowly, shaking his head to clear his muddled thoughts.

"Do you have to go right now?" She asked innocently, but Ezra noticed a certain glimmer in her eye.

"I think I should," he said slowly, turning to walk towards the door.

"Do you always do what you think is right?" Amelia countered flirtatiously, twirling her long hair around a perfectly manicured finger.

Aria. Aria. Aria. Aria. Ezra's mind screamed at him as he walked back over to her.

"Usually, but not always."

"I think…that tonight should be an exception," Amelia suggested slowly, reaching her fingers up to loosen one of the buttons on her white blouse.

"Amelia, I don't think…" Ezra began, but was cut off by her voice.

"What did I say about wrong and right, Professor Fitz?" Amelia asked playfully, undoing yet another button.

Ezra's eyes fell to her breasts, which were now exposed. He stared at the light skin and the lacey bra that covered the generously sized mounds.

"I…really don't think this is right," Ezra said once again.

"Then why are you staring at my breasts?"

"I…don't know."

Ezra's phone began to ring, and Ezra could see out of the corner of his eye that it was Aria.

"Is it her?" Amelia asked as her hands paused on the third button of her shirt.

"Yes," Ezra answered, his entire being immersed in guilt as he read Aria's name once again on the caller ID.

"So who's it going to be? Me or her?" Amelia questioned, raising a perfectly arched brow as she undid the last button on her sheer blouse.

A/N:

So, flashbacks are in italics. (Obvious? I don't know). Let me know what you think. Review! Xxoo