"Ali, stop!" Aria yelled, laughing as Alison DiLaurentis, the most popular girl at Rosewood High, kept throwing paper balls at her, along with throwing them at Hanna, Spencer, and Emily, before first period started on the first day back from winter break. It was the middle of senior year, and Aria was starting to feel like she was drifting away from Ali and the other girls, not that it was a bad thing. Alison and Aria caught her dad making out with one of his students, and Ali would not let Aria hear the end of it. "You better tell your mom, Aria. Or else she may have to find out another way." She would taunt. It enraged Aria. "Well, he had to be cheating for a reason, right Ar?" She had other friends too, so she could just leave them, right? No. Alison knew secrets about Aria that would ruin her life if they got out.
The girls continued to throw the paper balls at each other before their AP English teacher, Mr. Bryant, burst into the room as the bell rang. Mr. Bryant was possibly the ugliest teacher ever. He was really short, only a couple inches taller than Aria, the shortest in the class standing at 5 feet even, yet he still managed to have a potbelly big enough that it made him look like a pregnant woman about to go into labor. He was the strictest teacher in the entire school. If you were chewing gum and got caught, you were to spit it out, along with receiving detention for a week. If your phone made noise of any sort, you had to turn it in for a whole week, along with 2 weeks of detention. Any wrong move, he would make your life hell. He had a nasty nasal condition as well, not to mention that he was as bald, plus he always wore clothes that were way too tight. He wore the same XXS white button up shirt everyday, and you could always tell that the buttons were about to burst off. If he walked past your desk, you could sometimes see his hairy stomach if he put his shirt in the dryer too long. English was Aria's favorite subject for her whole life. Her dad taught her to read and write when she was three years old, but she hated Mr. Bryant with all of her heart. He always had something negative to say on a paper that you'd spent all night writing, and he never had any fun assignments. It was always "Read chapter 3 of Pride and Prejudice and write a one-page summary."
Mr. Bryant started giving the class, who was filled with rather stupid people for an AP course, a lecture on how you should dot your "i's" when the door opened. Aria and the rest of the class looked up when a guy walked in. Aria noticed his dark brown curly hair, perfect jaw line, and stunning ice blue eyes. He looked at the class, then handed the teacher a slip of paper, probably his schedule since no one had ever seen him before. He was most likely one of the new students. Every year, Rosewood High had about 10 new students come in during the second semester.
"Class, this is our new student. Why don't you introduce yourself?" Mr. Bryant asked. The guy's face turned really red, as did Aria's when she moved to Rosewood Middle School in the middle of 8th grade.
"My name is Ezra. Ezra Fitz." He said, obviously really embarrassed.
"Where are you from?" Mr. Bryant asked Ezra, pushing to make him feel as uncomfortable as possible. Aria felt bad for him. If his first day here was anything like hers, he was going to have to give nine more embarrassing introductions throughout the day.
"I'm from New York City."
"Really? Outstanding. What brings you to Rosewood?"
"The fact that my parents have legal custody over me until I turn 18." The class started laughing.
"Settle down, class. Ezra, you can have the seat by Aria, the girl with the big feather earring." Aria slid down in her chair, knowing that Mr. Bryant was talking about her. Ezra made his way down the aisle, gave Aria a quick smile and a small discreet wave, then sat down in the seat to the left of her.
"Alright class. You've probably heard about the Senior Project. Every year, Rosewood High's project is the same. Us English teachers pass out composition notebooks, and you guys write about high school, what the typical American teenager has to deal with, for example. Write about your family issues, your friends, teachers, boyfriends and girlfriends, your overall impression of Rosewood High. Write about your life. Your job is to write in this notebook every day, not including the weekends and breaks. I'm only requiring one page per day, but if you guys are going to whine about it, I'll make it 2, but if feel free to write more. Everyone's name is going on a popsicle stick, and I'm going to pick two at a time on Friday and you are going to switch your notebooks with that person every week and read their entries. I'm going to be passing out a piece of paper with the grading information on it. You also are to write a 2 page summary every week, and turn it in on Monday. In your summary, you're going to write about what you've learned about that person. Any questions?"
"What's the point of this again?" Mona asked.
"The point of this, is to learn about your partner, whether they are your best friend or your worst enemy, and most important of all, to learn about being judgmental. You guys all know what a judgment is, and you guys all know that you've made tons of them."
"Is this project optional?" Noel Kahn asked. Of course he would want a way out.
"If you weren't up for the task, I don't know why you're in AP English, but I guess it wouldn't matter anyways since all of the seniors are doing it. If you don't do the project, you don't graduate. Welcome to the real world Mr. Kahn." The class got quiet, and nobody else raised their hand, so Mr. Bryant started passing out the composition notebooks.
"Alright. The deal is, is that from now on, tests are going to be on Thursday. It is your responsibility to remember that, and to study. It is your responsibility from now on to remember to write in your journal. If you want time to do it in class, you'll have to get here before the bell rings, or to do it if you have free time in class. Other than that, you will need to do this during study hall or at home. I'm going to give you the time today to start since I know you guys are still feeling lazy from winter break. I've put a Sharpie on each of your desks. Write your name on the front, then hold your marker in the air. I expect all of the markers to be returned. I will know who stole the markers, and I don't think any of you are up for a week's worth of detention. Get started."
Aria fumbled around with the pen she was holding. She was a writer at heart, but she only did it for herself. She didn't let other people read her stuff, not her dad, not Alison, and especially not the goth kid who had just about 20 piercings. She thought of her favorite song, Happiness by The Fray, to try to get her to think something up. She glanced at Alison, who was sitting on her right, who was writing away. Of course Ali would have something to write about. She knew the dirt on everyone. Name almost a total stranger, she could somehow know that they were hooking up with the janitor or that they disconnected the smoke alarms in the bathrooms and smoked in there during gym. Aria looked over to Ezra, who also happened to be looking at her. Aria's cheeks turned rosy red and she looked back at her own notebook, as did Ezra. Aria started by writing one of her favorite quotes.
Be courteous to all, but intimate with few; and let those be well-tried before you give them your confidence. - George Washington
I think I need to listen to George Washington. I should have listened to him the minute I got back here in Rosewood. Here I am, doing the opposite, and look at where I am now. I'm in a position where I'm forced to be friends with Alison. I was here for a mere week, and I knew straight away that she was the "It" girl, and I jumped at the chance to be friends with her right away. If I had known then where I was going to be now, my only friends would be Holden Strauss and Sasha Kingston. I think I would be okay with that now. I still talk to them pretty often, but Ali often calls them poor and gay, even though they're not. I know I trusted Alison DiLaurentis too fast. She knows things about me and my family that haunt me, and she holds them over my head. My dad especially. If there was anything I could take back in my life, it would be becoming friends with Ali. We didn't even really 'become friends'. She came up to me one day when I was sitting alone at the lunch table, waiting for Holden and Sasha to get their lunches, Alison came up and said, "Hey, I was wondering, do you want to be friends? I mean, we can always add one more person to the group, right?" She looked at a table, and three girls sitting there smiled and waved. I said okay only because it seemed like a good idea at first. I was "That New Girl" and I just wanted to fit in, so I figured that if I was friends with the most popular girl on campus, I would have to fit in? Right? Wrong. Wasting all those years being friends with someone who's a total bitch has really taken a toll on me.
She's the reason that I've never had a boyfriend for more than three months, if you could even call it that. She's always set me up on blind dates too. She would always insist that they were 'perfect' for me, and then I would show up and it would be some weird guy with black rimmed glasses that came down to the middle of his cheekbone with a fluorescent green strap going around his head to keep them on, braces with yellow rubber bands, and a nasally voice just like Mr. Bryant.
I think I'm ready to move on from Alison, but I know that if I leave, she's going to tell everybody about my family and our secrets. I love my family, and I know Ali wouldn't be afraid to tear them apart. I know my mom needs to find out soon, but I'd rather do it than have Ali show up at my front door only to tell my mom that her husband has been cheating on her with someone twenty years younger than her. I have other friends that I can go to, but I'm not sure that they'll want to be friends with me. I guess I won't know until I try.
I think I'm going to talk to Ezra. He's that new kid who carries around a leather messenger bag. He seems like a nice guy. I wonder if I have any more classes with him. I guess I'll have to see if I can catch him in the hallway on the way to my next class. I've finished up a page, and I think the bell is going to ring soon, and I've got some friend-making to do, so I've got to go. So, uh, bye?
Aria Rachael Montgomery
Aria closed her notebook and put her pen in her binder as the bell rang. The other girls all had P.E. during second period while Aria had AP Spanish during second and P.E. during fifth period, directly after lunch. Ezra slung his bag over his shoulder and collected his things, still embarrassed about his introduction. So what if he was new? The teachers didn't make everyone introduce themselves at the beginning of the year. He started walking alongside Aria without even noticing it.
"Hi. I'm Aria." Ezra looked at her, unaware that she was even standing there.
"The girl with the giant feather earring, right?" He joked, glad that someone was finally talking to him. He'd been walking around the hallways before school looking like a lost puppy and no one had bothered to help him. They walked out the door of the English classroom and into the hallway that was bustling with students.
"Yea, and you're Ezra, the guy with the messenger bag, right?" Aria asked, joking along.
"That'd be me. The one and only."
"So, I was just wondering, what classes do you have next?" Aria asked, eager to keep a conversation going.
"Well, my schedule says I'm supposed to be in AP Spanish with Mrs. Alago in room 187, but the thing is, I'm totally clueless to where that is. Do you think you can point me to her room?"
"Actually, I've got her, too. Don't worry, though. Everybody loves her. She's nothing like Mr. Bryant." Aria said as they turned the corner leading into the foreign languages wing.
"Thank the lord. I thought I was going to throw up when I saw his hairy stomach 'cuz his shirt was too tight." He said as they walked into Mrs. Alago's room.
"You noticed that too?"
"Can we sit wherever we want?" He asked, wanting to be able to sit by her.
"She doesn't really care as long as we focus on our work and we pay attention. " She said, sitting down at a desk in the middle of the classroom, setting her lavender purple backpack down beside her. "I hate to break it to you, but she's going to make you introduce yourself and do the special ritual."
"Are you serious?" Ezra said, hoping that this teacher was going to spare him.
"Yea. She made me do it when they accidentally put me in her regular Spanish class. When I transferred from sixth period to second, I thought I was going to die."
"Should I be worried?" He asked, but it was too late for Aria to answer. The bell rang and Mrs. Alago had whisked Ezra away to her desk so she could sign his paper.
"Class, we have a new student in the class today. Introduce yourself." She said, patting Ezra on the shoulder.
"My name is Ezra Fitz, and yes, in case you were wondering, I know it sounds like a girl's name, but it's not, and I'm from New York City."
"Okay, now time for our new student ritual. Okay, put this on, and hold these." She said, handing him possibly the world's largest sombrero and two maracas. He looked at Aria with an expression that read "Are you kidding?!", but she couldn't help but start laughing. He stared at the hat, and the teacher handed it to him. Reluctantly, he put the hat on and took the maracas.
"What's the point of this?" He asked, glaring at the enthusiastic teacher.
"To make you feel special and welcomed on your first day here, of course!" Ezra walked back to his desk, next to Aria's. The class started their work on talking in Spanish only, their activity that they did every Monday. They talked about the Latin American culture in Spanish, then had to write an essay in Spanish. Class was soon over, and Ezra was quick to ask Aria where her next class was.
Packing up his bag, he asked her. "So, what classes do you have for the rest of the day?" He was itching to know more about her. She was beautiful. Her deeply chocolate colored colored wavy hair gracefully cascaded down her back to her waist. He had never seen hazel eyes as gorgeous as hers.
"Okay, next period, I have photography, then lunch, P.E., Pre-AP Physics, Pre-AP Calculus, AP World History, then my journalism class, and finally, study hall. How about you?" She asked, walking out of the classroom beside him, headed to the locker which was conveniently located next to the art wing.
"Well, next I've got P.E., then lunch, then theater arts, and then I have all the same classes as you." He said. Aria was surprised. He didn't seem like the journalism type, but then again, she'd only known him for about two hours. She guessed that he could be like her. She didn't like for her work to be seen by other people. She was the school's photographer.
"Oh. Cool. Well, my class is this way," she said, gesturing to the hallway behind her, "but, I'll see you later."
"Can you do me a quick favor?" He asked.
"Yea?" She asked, willing to do anything for him. She had to admit, she did have a little bit of a crush on him.
"Where's the gym?" He asked, laughing.
"Go straight down that hallway," she said, pointing down the main hallway,"then you're going to take two lefts and you'll be there. You'll know you're there when you see some guys doing up-downs for being smart-asses to Coach Gommert."
"Thanks so much." He said, smiling, then turned around and started walking down to the gym. Aria stared at him and smiled. She turned around and headed to her locker. She fumbled with the lock before getting it open after three tries. She threw her books from first and second period into her locker and retrieved her art portfolio, camera kit, and textbook. She closed the locker fast to prevent her amount of clutter from falling out. Various shoes, jackets, old papers, homework, and makeup filled her locker and she was desperate for cleanliness. This required after-school attention, so Aria made plans to bring another backpack on Thursday so she could do a little cleaning.
Aria made her way into the classroom at the end of the hall and took her seat. She was dreading this class a little bit, just because Alison had it too. It didn't help that they were seated right next to each other, either. Alison wasn't nearly as talented in photography as Aria.
"So, I see you have a new crush." Ali said, strutting into the class to take her seat right next to the door.
"Uh, I don't have a crush on anybody, Ali." Aria lied, her cheeks turning red. She hoped that Ali couldn't see her embarrassment. She distracted herself by going through the photos on her camera. Photography was her passion, along with writing. She was always snapping shots of something.
"Aria, you just don't stare at somebody like that if you don't have a crush on them. You're not a very good liar."
"Okay, so what if I have a tiny crush on him? It doesn't matter."
"Good. I'm still mad at Aaron for breaking up with me. I need a way to make him regret dumping me, and I think that Ezra's the perfect way to do that." Aria stopped going through the photos on her camera and looked at Alison.
"Alison, you wouldn't." Aria said.
"Watch me. You better not tell him. If you do, you'll never forgive yourself. Remember, I can make or break someone's reputation." She whispered into Aria's ear.
Class soon began, and it was all a blur to Aria. She was furious. Ali knew that Aria liked Ezra, but she was going to ask him out anyways? And she wasn't even really into him. She was just going to be using him. Was she really doing it to try to make Aaron jealous? Or was she just doing it to piss Aria off? The bell rang and Aria put her camera away quickly, slammed her textbook closed. She stormed out of the classroom, walked to her locker, set her stuff in there, grabbed her lunch, and started walking to the cafeteria. With her luck though, Ali would get to the lunchroom first, and soon Ezra would be following her around like a lost puppy, only to have his heart broken not even a week later. Aria cut through the courtyard to get to the lunchroom as fast as possible, but her heart sank when she saw Ezra talking to Alison.
Aria went and sat down at the table in the corner, one by a large window, that Holden and Sasha always sat at. She'd been hanging out with them more often ever since last summer. Usually Aria would sit with Alison and the other girls, but she would hang out with Sasha and Holden after school on days that she didn't have a lot of homework. She was so pissed at Alison that she forgot that Sasha wasn't going to be here today and neither was Holden. Holden had texted her before school started saying that she had a horrible case of the flu and Sasha wasn't going to be here for this whole week. They were still in Mexico visiting family. Aria looked up when she saw Alison walking towards her.
"What the hell are you doing over here? You may have forgotten that we sit over there," she said, pointing to her table," not here at the loser's table."
"I'm staying here."
"Excuse me?" Ali said, in disbelief that anyone would ever dare to stand up to her. Aria stood up.
"I said, I'm staying here." Aria said. Alison laughed in her face.
"I give you a week. You're going to be crawling back sometime like the lame, desperate loser you are." She said, turning around and walking back to her table. Aria sighed, then took out her canteen of tomato soup and bottle of water. She refused to eat lunch here ever since one time, she asked what was in the vegetable quesadilla, and the lunch lady, without wearing gloves, took one off the tray, peeled it apart, and said, "Uh, beans, cheese, and it looks like corn," and put it back on the tray. She was surprised when Ezra sat down in front of her, expecting that he would be sitting with Alison.
"What's up with this food?" He asked, bringing back a salad in a plastic container with a small carton of milk. He sat down and opened it, then stared at it with a look that said "I think this food is going to kill me."
"I honestly don't know. That's why I bring my own." Aria said, holding up her cup of soup.
"I mean, look at this meat!" Ezra said, squeezing a cube of overly processed ham between his thumb and index finger, making juice come out of it.
"Eww! That's disgusting! Stop!" Aria yelled, giggling while smacking it out of his hand. He dropped the piece of ham and started eating one of the four packets of saltine crackers that the lunch ladies put in the box.
"Just saying. So, what about that Senior Project?"
"I'm not really feeling it." Aria said, still unsure of how reading about others' personal lives was going to help her.
"Good. I thought I was the only one. It just seems kind of weird to keep a journal, but then to have other people read it."
"I totally agree. I love writing, but it's mostly personal, you know? Just for me."
"Really? I'm impressed." He said. He'd tried time and time again to start writing from himself, but always quit a week after doing so.
"What? Why?"
"I always tried writing, but I never got very far. Maybe you'd let me read some of yours sometime?"
"You really want to?"
"Yea. I don't really have anything to do on the weekends, and it doesn't exactly help when you're new here."
"Well, I guess that means that I'm going to have to drive you around one weekend to show you all Rosewood has to offer."
"Alright then. This Saturday. It's a date."
"It's a date." Aria said, excited that she was going to get to hang out with him more. She wondered if Alison really did ask him out, or if she was just saying that to mess with Aria. "So, I saw you talking to Alison DiLaurentis. What'd she have to say?" She asked, hoping she didn't sound too nosy.
"Nothing much. She introduced herself, then she asked me out. I lied and said I had a girlfriend back in New York." He said. The real reason he turned Alison down was because he liked Aria.
"And she believed you?"
"That's one of the perks of being in theater arts. You learn how to lie. Good."
"Why'd you lie? Anybody would be willing to go out with her. She's dated a different guy every week ever since I started at Rosewood High."
"Because of that, and because I know how these kinds of people work, so I said I had a girlfriend in New York. She's a little too, what's the word, flamboyant for my liking. Plus I've kind of got my eye on someone else." He said. She was disappointed. She liked him. She was hoping that they could start dating sometime, but she would have to settle for being just friends for now. The bell rang, alerting them that they had 10 minutes to get to class.
"I'll see you around." He said, throwing his salad away into the trash.
"Yea. I'll see you later." Aria said, secretly excited for 6th period to come. She thought about the quote she wrote in her notebook earlier. Be courteous to all, but intimate with few; let those be well tried before you give them your confidence. Aria put her canteen into her backpack and headed out to the gym. She smiled thinking about Ezra. Maybe she should be friends with him, Holden, and Sasha, and only with them. They were funny, nice. They didn't bring up anything uncomfortable. So what if her secret got out? Nobody was perfect. She didn't have a choice to go. Her father made her. Leaving Alison and the others would be a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. She wouldn't have to worry about Alison teasing her. She wouldn't have to sit there and watch Ali make fun of others. "Is this a good choice?" Aria thought to herself.
Yes.