A/N: Um, hi! :)

Disclaimer: You probably know the drill! ;) I do not own "Pretty Little Liars".


Kenneth Hall: Kenneth, named after the former Dean of Hollis College, is a three-story high residence hall, which provides rooms for ten students during the academic school year, making it the smallest dormitory on the campus ground. The modern building has recently been renovated, and the bedrooms now all have central air conditioning, larger windows and hardwood floors. Each individual floor contains a shared living room, which includes a cable TV lounge area, and small kitchen. The spacious bedrooms are set up with one double bed and are connected to a private bathroom.

Aria Montgomery wistfully lifted her eyes from the folder she'd memorized ever since her father, Byron Montgomery, had handed it to her and glanced around the room. Spacious, her ass! The room was barely bigger than her suitcase and - despite the fact that it was only furnished with that which was absolutely necessary - there was not nearly enough space to properly walk around. The exterior was strangely unfamiliar and the walls were bare. Three boxes filled with her belongings were neatly stacked into a pile beside her suitcase. Aria had been assigned a second-floor, rear bedroom with a window big enough to take up an entire wall. Unfortunately, Carding Hall blocked her view of Rosewood and the room her window overlooked was occupied by a plump guy with bulgy eyes. The curtains were most likely going to be permanently closed.

Aria took a shaky breath as she sat down on her bed, the springs beneath the mattress squeaking loudly. She was alarmed to discover that her eyes were all wet. Aria hadn't cried when Mike and all the friends she'd made in Iceland had said goodbye to her. Aria had managed to keep herself together when she took a plane from Iceland with her parents. Aria had refused to turn on the waterworks when she had arrived in Rosewood and her parents had left. But now, there was no need to keep up the façade that she was a girl who would be fine on her own anymore. As soon as Aria hit the pillow, face-first, she finally broke down, the moisture in her eyes brimming over the edges. She sobbed, praying the pillow would somewhat suffice as a sound-barrier.

Contrary to what one might expect, it had been Aria's idea to return to Rosewood. After spending two years abroad in Iceland, she'd finally decided it was time to return to the place she still considered home, all to attempt to process the feelings revisiting the town in which one of her best friends - Alison DiLaurentis - had been murdered would inevitably stir up. It was an extreme measure Aria had decided to take after she realized the death of Alison was still dominating her life. Although she could probably never forget or get over it entirely, it was still pretty damn unhealthy to be so hung up on something that happened almost two long years ago.

After a lot pleading, talking, and begging, Ella and Byron had ultimately agreed to let Aria finish high school in Rosewood. The reason they thought Aria wanted to return was that she missed her friends and her old life - which was partly true and partly a lie, because Aria hadn't talked to her friends in ages. Unwilling to leave the life he, Mike and Ella had started to build for themselves in Reykjavik in order to start all over again in Rosewood, Byron had tried and succeeded to get Aria a room in a Hollis College dormitory after calling in some favors from his old colleagues. The dorm wasn't supervised, but it did give Byron some piece of mind that his daughter would be staying in a safe environment.

This very moment was the first time Aria was starting to have second thoughts about coming here. Shivers racked through her body as salty drops leaked into her pillow. The tears gushed miserably down her cheeks.

When someone knocked on Aria's door, her whole body stiffened.

No. Surely that wasn't her door. Aria hadn't come across a soul when her dad helped her carry all her stuff into her room. But when Aria craned her neck and only saw darkness coming from under the edge of the curtain, she realized it must have been later than she'd originally thought. The knocking continued and Aria sat up straight, unsure what to do.

"Um, hello?" a male voice finally called out. "Are you okay?"

Aria hastily wiped the remnants of her tears away and stood. She brushed her hands nervously over her dress and waived her fingers through her hair, before she answered the door. A tall guy stood on the other side of the threshold and, although Aria was wearing six-inch-high heels, she had to look up to meet his piercing blue gaze. The guy gave her a boyish grin. Dark brown, curly hair was messily planted atop his head and his well-defined jaw and lean body were distinct features he would be easily remembered by. He looked nice, Aria decided. As in, a good guy to hang out with.

"Hey." The guy gave an awkward little wave. "Are you alright?" He took in Aria's red, puffy eyes, which pretty much answered his question. "First year?"

Aria shifted uncomfortably. "That obvious?"

"Nah. I'm just a very observant guy," the stranger lied. The left corner of his mouth lifted up and he extended his hand. "I'm Ezra Fitz."

"Aria Montgomery." She shook his hand with hers, before she let it fall to her side again. They were both silent for a couple beats.

"So… I'm on your floor, together with Lucian Hickman," Ezra said. He fumbled with his hands. "If you need anything, just ask."

"Okay," Aria said hesitantly. "Thanks."

"I would introduce you to Lucian, but he seems to have disappeared again." Ezra paused. "His girlfriend has an actual apartment, so he's rarely here."

"Oh." Aria nodded, too distracted to really care.

Ezra lingered. "And we should probably talk about dinner arrangements soon, since it will be mostly us anyway. I made dinner just now." Ezra raised his eyebrows suggestively, before he chuckled. "One of the two dishes I can actually cook, that is. You want some?"

Aria mustered the will to crack a small smile. "Sure. That'd be great." She closed the door behind her, leaving it unlocked.

The living room was nearly trice the size of Aria's bedroom. Two leather couches and a comfortable chair surrounded a round, oak table. A smaller coffee table supported the weight of a flat screen TV and a stereo system. The living room was sparsely furnished and relatively clean, but Aria wondered how long it would stay that way. The kitchen was directly linked to the living room, merging the two rooms into one, whilst the bathrooms could only be entered through the bedrooms. A door, which could be locked, led to the stairs, preventing students who weren't assigned to this floor from entering without permission.

The kitchen wasn't fancy nor scanty, but somewhere in between. Granite counter tops, plastic floorboards and the usual cooking equipment spread all over the place were the most blatant characteristics. There was a square dining table with six ladder-back chairs. Utensils and two plates were currently on it, as well as a pan on the stove.

"What kind of salad dressing would you like?" Ezra asked Aria as she sat down on a chair. He gently placed the pan on the table and motioned to several bottles containing the aforementioned salad dressing. Steam arose from the pan and Aria could distinguish macaroni and cheese as she peeked over the edge. When Aria didn't respond, Ezra cleared his throat. "I bought three different ones. I'm sure they're all pretty good." Ezra looked at Aria like she was crazy or half deaf, and Aria realized she probably needed to say something if she wanted to convince him otherwise.

"That one's fine," Aria said. She pointed to a random bottle - a honey-mustard blend. Ezra grabbed the bottle, walked over to the kitchen counter, unscrewed the cap from the bottle and squeezed, until a yellowy-golden substance came out. Aria studied him intently as he mixed the salad ingredients with salad servers.

Ezra looked over his shoulder, grinning at Aria when he caught her looking. "So what are you studying?" he asked.

It was the one question Aria was prepared for. Seeing as how Aria was still in high school, she technically wasn't allowed to live on a college campus. But with Byron's persuasion, and perhaps taking advantage of the terrible organization at Hollis, he'd somehow managed to get her a room for the year. If Aria wanted to keep it, however, she was going to have to make sure no one would find out she wasn't really a student there.

"I'm leaning towards English," Aria said vaguely. This wasn't really a lie - she definitely wanted to study English literature. "What about you?"

Ezra shrugged and grabbed the salad bowl. He sat down across from Aria and placed it on the table. "That's great! I'm majoring in English." He smiled at Aria and Aria meekly returned the favor.

"Which year are you in?" Aria asked, praying this wasn't his freshman year. Ezra grabbed a serving spoon and started putting mac and cheese on Aria's plate.

"I'm almost done with my studies," Ezra said and Aria let out a sigh in relieve. She motioned she had enough and Ezra put some food on his own plate as well. They started eating in silence.

Aria, however, was determined to say something rational in Ezra's presence. "How did you end up in Rosewood?"

Ezra took a bite and chewed thoughtfully. "I don't know exactly."

"You don't know?" Aria gave Ezra a funny look, while Ezra got himself some salad. When he saw Aria's face, he spoke.

"Well, I do know, obviously," Ezra said. "I just didn't choose Rosewood for a very specific reason. It wasn't too far from where I grew up and I like small towns. The English program was pretty good. I knew some friends who went here as well. I guess that's it." He took another bite and pointed his fork in Aria's direction. "Why did you pick Rosewood?"

"I was born here," Aria replied. "And then there was the decent English program, so it wasn't such a tough choice."

"And you chose to live in a dorm with a bunch of strangers instead of your parents," Ezra stated.

"Yes."

"Why? I mean, Kenneth Hall isn't that bad," Ezra said, shaking his head, "but this is a carton box compared to the mansions in Rosewood."

"My parents are in Iceland."

Ezra was silent for a moment, before he nodded. "Okay. I can see how that might be a problem. "

"Yeah, it's not very convenient," she said softly. Aria lifted her fork to take her very first bite. She chewed on Ezra's homemade food and nearly had an orgasm. "Wow, this is really good!" Aria exclaimed, genuinely surprised.

"Thanks," Ezra said. He played with the food on his plate. "I've been in college for four years and I still don't know how to cook anything besides this and pancakes." He gave an embarrassed chuckle.

"Mac and cheese is actually the only thing I can make besides toast," Aria admitted.

Ezra laughed. "Oh, man! I'm thinking a cookbook would be a pretty solid investment for us."

Aria laughed as well, surprised to be able to do so after brawling her eyes out only minutes ago. "I like that. My plan was take-out and ready meals."

"It's always good to have a back-up," Ezra said. "Especially if we're going to experiment with food." He shuddered. "I have some very bad experiences."

Aria smiled and took some more bites. "We should probably get that book as soon as possible then." She took another bite and thought about for a minute. "Although I wouldn't object to eating this all week."

"How does tomorrow sound?" Ezra asked, grinning at Aria. "It'll give us a chance to get to know each other a little better."

"My classes are starting," Aria said slowly. "But I can go after three-ish?"

"It's a date," Ezra replied.


It took Aria and Ezra less than an hour to figure out they both had the same favorite book (To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee), disliked Charles Dickens' writing style, and were aspiring writers. Aria also discovered Ezra grew up in Philadelphia with his brother and his parents, who were now divorced. She ended up telling him a bit about living in Iceland after Ezra mentioned he spent some time in Reykjavik.

They looked up from their now empty plates when the door in the living room opened and Aria was startled by how much it felt like she was in an average apartment. An apartment she was sharing with two older guys. An apartment the second guy just walked into. This had to be Lucian. He had a thin face and floppy, blonde hair. Wearing a faded jeans and a leather jacket, Aria deemed him well-dressed, but on his scrawny, short body, the clothes looked slightly ridiculous.

"Hey!"

"Hey," Ezra replied. The guy walked over to Ezra, who stood, and they hugged each other that way guys do, putting one arm around the other person and giving them a comforting pat on the back. Ezra turned to Aria and confirmed her suspicions. "This is Lucian."

Aria politely smiled up at him. "Hi, I'm Aria. I live on this floor, too."

Lucian studied Aria for a moment, his eyes grazing her body. Finally, he waggled his eyebrows. "Are you shitting me, woman?"

Aria glanced at Ezra. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Ezra was snorting to keep himself from laughing, and Aria launched into a strange sort of coughing fit. "I am definitely not shitting you," Aria finally said, somehow maintaining a straight face.

"Good," Lucian said with a snort of his own, before he abruptly turned around. He walked over to a door and went into the room behind it, which had to be his. Aria grimaced at his disappearing back. Only seconds later, Lucian came out again.

"I'll be at Anne's place until the next weekend. We'll get to know each other better then," Lucian said, winking at Aria. He waved them goodbye with a box of condoms in his hands. Once Aria could hear his footsteps moving steadily down the staircase, she burst out laughing.

"How on earth does he get laid?"

"It's a question I ask myself every single day." Ezra shook his head.


Aria and Ezra continued talking after Lucian left, but after a while Aria retreated to her room to mope some more. She didn't have the energy to commit to unpacking just yet, the time difference finally catching up with her. She took a long, hot shower to relax her tense muscles and wash her hair, before she changed into the first suitable thing to wear to bed she could find in her suitcase. Aria then collapsed on her bed. It felt like only minutes had passed when her alarm awoke her the next morning and Aria established she was jet-lagged.

Noun: Snooze button. Definition: Best invention ever. After pressing it several times, though, Aria cursed loudly when she saw she was going to be late if she didn't get up anytime soon. She rushed into the shower and quickly dressed herself. She hastily applied her make-up and brushed her hair. Jeffrey Campbell Tardy boots, a Trina Turk top and her favorite pair of jeans would have to do for the first day of her senior year.

Aria slung a bag over her shoulder and decided she had everything she needed. When she came out of her room, Ezra was in the kitchen. A book was sprawled open in front of him, and buttered toast and a cup of coffee were on the table as well. He was already dressed and showered, his hair still damp. A briefcase leaned against the leg of the table. Ezra looked up when he saw Aria.

"Morning!" he said cheerily, taking a sip from his cup of coffee. Aria didn't even bother to look his way while she raced to the door.

"I'll see you at three!" Aria called out, before she slammed the door, leaving a stunned Ezra behind. Aria descended the staircase, maneuvering her way around all the other people trying to do the same, and ran through the entrance. She made her way to her bike, parked near the brick wall of the building.

Moving did have its down sides and that included not having a car. Aria's car would eventually be shipped to the states, but at the moment she was going to have to transport herself on a bike. Aria pedaled as quickly as she could.


About fifteen minutes after she left, Aria noticed a silver Toyota Camry had slowed down to her pace. When the window opened and Ezra called out her name, she looked up.

"You could have asked for a ride," he yelled over the engine.

"I'm fine, thanks," Aria said, keeping her eyes fixated on the road in front of her. How was she going to explain herself if he had to drop her off at the high school parking lot?

"Alright. Well, I'll see you later."

"See you."

The window closed and Ezra smoothly accelerated. Aria kept on pedaling. Her breathing was labored when she arrived at Rosewood's local high school, just when the first bell rang. She wasn't the only one arriving this late, but she was disappointed to find she didn't see anyone she recognized. Aria didn't pause to take in the scenery - she'd have plenty of time to do that later.

She climbed the steps in front of the school and entered the building. Fortunately, she already had her schedule printed out from the school site. Aria took it from her bag and studied the piece of paper. Her first period was AP English from E. Fitz.

E. Fitz? That couldn't be right.

Aria frowned when she slammed into a wall. In a daze, she looked up.

But it wasn't a wall at all. It was Ezra Fitz.


A/N: So should I continue this or not? Please let me know! :) And please review!