Chapter One:
The incessant beeping of my alarm clock woke me from my sleep. As I rolled over and hit the stop button I groaned inwardly. It was the day of Maya's funeral and I was absolutely terrified of what was going to happen. It had been a month since they had first uncovered her body at Emily's house, and with all the media attention and speculation as to who could have killed her, I would have been glad to never step foot outside my house again.
Today wasn't about me though. Today was about Emily, and about supporting her and being there for her. As I walked into the shower I smiled to myself at the thought of seeing Ezra. Things had become more complicated since the masquerade ball, and I had become even more unsure of where we stood now, but I loved him. That much had always been obvious.
An hour later I was gazing at the entrance to the church, my memory taking me back to a similar time last year when it had been Alison's funeral. My trance was disturbed as I heard two pairs of footsteps approach, and I turned to face Spencer and Hanna. Hanna managed to give me a half-hearted smile, which was like a beacon of light in comparison to Spence's neutral expression.
We stood there for several moments before Spencer finally broke the silence, her voice sounding distant. "We should go and find Emily." Without bothering to hear our replies, she turned on her heel and walked through the large wooden doors into the all-too-familiar church.
As we walked, I listened to the countless people offering their condolences to Maya's parents - telling them what an amazing girl she was, and that she was taken far too young. My eyes searched for Emily and I found her sitting in the front row. Her head was down and her shoulders slumped, shaking with the sobs that refused to cease or slow down anytime soon.
I reached her first, and knelt by the chair, placing my hand gently on her shoulder. "Hey Em," I said softly as she turned to face me. Her eyes were puffy and red, and there was an obvious trail down her cheeks that her tears were following.
"Aria," she managed to choke out as she put her arms around me. I held her for several seconds before getting up and letting Spencer and Hanna through.
"Thanks for coming guys; it means a lot to me." Her crying had stopped momentarily, but I could see that it wouldn't last long. "I know none of you were really friends with her but…"
"Em, you loved her. And we love you. We are going to be here for you, for whatever you need." Spencer cut in and smiled for the first time today. Em simply nodded in reply and looked at the casket sitting a mere five metres away.
"Can you sit with me?" She asked as she looked back at the three of us, her eyes pleading.
"Of course," I reply as I take a seat next to her and intertwine my fingers with hers.
We sat like that, all of us holding hands, for the duration of the funeral. We released them only once when Emily was asked to say a few words. She barely made it through the first paragraph of her speech before she began crying again, and it was left to Maya's mum to finish it for her.
As I walked outside my eyes found Ezra, leaning against the side of his car and staring at me. I glanced around quickly before making my way over to the car park. Without hesitating I threw my arms around him, breathing in the smell of his cologne.
His arms were secure and gentle around me and I felt peaceful for the first time in a month. "Aria," his breath was hot in my ear as he loosened his grip from around me and took a step back. "How are you?"
It seemed like such a stupid question in light of everything that had happened, but coming from him it meant a lot to me. "Better now," I said as I stared into his eyes, allowing a small smile to touch the edge of my lips.
"Listen, Aria," He began, dropping his eyes from mine "We need to talk." Those four words are what every girl fears. A lump formed in my throat as I looked down at the ground. "Can you come by my apartment later?" He asked. My eyes found his again, however I was the first to look away this time as I simply nodded.
"I have to go. My mum and dad will be wondering where I've gone." Without glancing back I walked over to the entrance of the church, to where my mum and dad were waiting.
Authors note: Okay so this is a really short chapter, and is just sort of setting the scene for future chapters. Also, whilst this is an Ezria based story, it will be entirely about them. It will just tell the story of 'A' and the four liars from Aria's perspective…and yes Ezra will be in it a lot. Also, I have written the next two chapters so far, but won't release them until I have had a few reviews and more time to refine them! I hope you enjoy and constructive criticism would be excellent! Thanks (: