A/N: Bear with me. This may be a little lengthy of an authors note... To start, I completely blanked on this in chapter 1, but I owe mounds of love and respect to my beta/proofreader, Zeke. A friend for over a year, he's always loved my fics, and I couldn't ask for anyone better as a helping hand.

Second, I've gotten AMAZING reviews on chapter one, and I love you guys so much for reviewing. It means so much to hear what you think, and gives me the power/energy/etcetera to continue writing. Some of you had some constructive criticism, and I'm grateful for it, as always.

Third, there is research that is involved with writing this story on certain things so there may be things that I get wrong in the future as I continue to write, but I apologize if that actually happens.

Fourth: logically, some of you are probably asking yourselves why Aria's parents don't just turn Ezra in to the police. The easy answer is: this is my story and I can do what I want with it. The not-as-easy-but-still-relevant answer is that while Ella and Byron disagree with Ezra/Aria's choices, they don't want to hurt her more than they already are. Remember, Ella told Ezra to get out of town. She never threatened to talk to the cops.

Fifth: I know some of you didn't care for the fight in the first chapter, but the fact of the matter is that Aria's family is reacting the logical way: they've got the idea in their head that Aria must be brainwashed. That she couldn't possibly be in love with Ezra. Just the same, they refuse to listen to the story of how things came to be, so their logic is flawed. Mike and Byron's lashing out is one of protection, because, like it or not, they probably look at Ezra as some sort of pervert.

Sixth: I apologize for taking a bit to post this. Literally the night after I posted chapter one, I got slapped in the face with a nasty... i don't even think it's a cold. It's been going around in my family, and came down hard on me. I haven't been able to write, so I didn't want to post chapter 2, when after chapter 3, I haven't finished chapter 4 yet. Anyhow, I'm feeling a little better today, so I'm hoping to get some writing done. That said, I wanted to post chapter 2.

And lastly (finally, right?) sometimes there's going to be stuff written that you don't like. Some of you may not agree with the logic of how I write certain things. But then, it is my idea. As stated in chapter one, I choose to share this story with you. I hope that's okay with you all.

Alas...onward to chapter 2!

Chapter 2

Head Under Water

Aria walked up the hallway to Ezra's apartment with her duffels and her school bag tossed over her shoulders. She had just finished talking to Spencer and thanking her for giving her an out. Aria stuffed her phone into her pocket as she reached Ezra's door. She turned the doorknob and pushed the door open and looked around.

As she stepped inside, she saw that he was lying in his bed. She dropped her bag near the door and kicked off her boots, walking over to him. She kneeled up onto the bed as she reached it and sat down next to him.

"Ezra?" She ran her fingers gently through his hair.

He groaned, cringing from the sound of her voice. "Mmm?"

Aria frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Bad headache," he said softly.

Aria gulped, trying to keep her emotions at bay. It was just yet another reminder of how cruel her father and Mike had been to do what they had done to him.

"Did you call the doctor? You could have a concussion."

Ezra shook his head. His fingers were dug into his hair, and she could tell that he was genuinely in pain.

"Every time I move, the room starts spinning and I feel like I'm going to be sick."

Aria shook her head. "I think we need to go to the hospital."

Ezra pushed up off the bed and ran a hand over his eyes. His head was spinning once again, and his stomach had started to churn.

"Aria, we have to figure out what to do about all of this."

"Later," Aria argued. "You need to go to the hospital. I'm really worried, Ezra."

He looked up at her and nodded after a moment. "Alright."

Ezra closed his eyes as he shifted his legs off the bed. He had gotten dressed at some point into a pair of grey sweatpants and a midnight blue t-shirt.

He opened his eyes as he rested over the side of the bed, and gulped. "I need a bucket. I'm going to be sick."

Aria jumped off the bed and ran across the room into the kitchen. She opened the cabinet below the sink and pulled out a small wash basin before rushing back across the room. By the way Ezra was shaking with his hand over his mouth; she could tell he was going to vomit.

She barely got the bucket under him before he grabbed it and heaved. Aria stood next to him and rubbed circles in his back until he managed to stop and catch his breath.

Once he had, Aria took the bucket and walked to the bathroom. She dumped the contents in the bucket into the toilet and then rinsed out the inside before dumping the water and what had clung to the inside of the bucket into the toilet as well. She hit the flusher and then turned and walked out of the bathroom.

"Are you alright now?"

Ezra nodded and moved off his bed. He walked over to the doorway and picked up his shoes and then walked over to the couch. He sat down and curled gingerly to pull his shoes on. Aria walked over to him a few seconds later with a sweater and tossed it on the back of the couch. Once Ezra had his shoes on, he stood and pulled on his sweater. He walked over to Aria, who was leaning up against the doorway.

"Ready?" She asked softly.

Ezra nodded.

-
I still got a few more dances
With the devil; I'm cleaning up my act
-

Aria had been right. Almost as soon as they had gotten in to see a doctor and explained the same lie they had the night before, the doctor confirmed a concussion. The ER doctor the night before had suggested that it was possible, but had insisted that if the pain wasn't getting better to return the next day.

They had taken Ezra down for an MRI to be sure that his brain wasn't bleeding, and Aria was staring out the window. As promised, it had started to rain. The water was coming down pretty hard already, and she knew they were going to get soaked.

Watching it flood down reminded her of right after they had met, and had run into each other at the movie theatre. It had killed her, sitting next to him while her mom was just inches away, and completely unable to touch him.

As she stared out the window, she realized how used to that feeling she'd become; the pain of not being able to touch the person she loved more than anything else on the planet. So many times during his time at the high school, Aria had wished she could run to him and just have him hold her. How many times had A pulled something that made her wish she could just go to him? She couldn't even count them.

She took a deep breath as tears brimmed up at her eyelids. Ezra had told her about how he had openly admitted to Ella that he was in love with her. He had also told her that her mother had said that if he knew what was best for him, that he would get out of town. That had been the deciding factor that had driven them to decide to tell her parents. Aria only wished that she had been there when he decided to do it. Maybe this wouldn't have happened then.

She turned away from the window and walked back over to the chair she'd been sitting in. They had left her in the waiting room while they had taken Ezra down to radiology.

"Aria?"

She looked up and spotted Hanna walking out of one of the cubicles. She was holding her hands to her chest.

"Hanna. What happened?"

Hanna shrugged. "Sliced my palm cutting a pineapple. Are you okay? Mr. Fitz?"

Aria looked around the room, nervous about someone overhearing them, like Hanna's mom or Caleb.

"It's alright," Hanna assured her. "I told Caleb he could go pull my car around. My mom had to work late, so she called the ER to tell them it was alright to stitch me up."

Aria nodded. "Ezra- you know about my parents, right?"

Hanna nodded. "That's harsh. Can't believe they beat him up."

"My dad and Mike beat him up," Aria corrected. "Anyway, he's got a concussion. He's had really bad nausea and dizziness, so we came back in."

"Sorry, sweetie." Hanna said.

Aria looked down at the floor. She rested her chin in her hand.

"Have you figured out what you're going to do about your parents?"

Aria shook her head. "I can't be there, though, Han. They want to basically put me under house arrest. We're not supposed to talk or see each other."

A knot started to form in Aria's throat. She swallowed hard, feeling her bottom lip tremble. "I mean, we never meant for any of this to happen. We tried to not be together, and it didn't work. I love him Hanna; I mean really love him. Why don't my parents see that?"

Hanna shook her head. She hugged Aria across their seats. "I don't know."

Aria breathed a deep breath as she sat there, letting her friend comfort her. They parted when Aria spotted Caleb walking into the waiting room.

"I'll talk to you later," Hanna said as she stood. Aria nodded and watched Hanna and Caleb walk out of the hospital.

She leaned back in her chair and exhaled a sigh. She wanted more than anything to just get finished with all of this hospital crap and then not have to deal with it anymore.

After a while, an orderly wheeled Ezra back to the room where he had been placed when they came in. Aria followed in behind them and watched as Ezra moved back on the bed.

"Did they tell you anything?" She asked.

Ezra shook his head. "Pain meds are helping a little, though."

He looked down at her as she slipped her hand into his. He squeezed hers lightly.

"Aria, we have to talk about your parents. I don't think running away is the answer."

"Then what is, Ezra? Because staying home with them isn't going to make them change their minds. My mom told me this morning that I wasn't allowed to see or talk to you."

He turned on the bed so that he was facing her, and brought his hand up to her cheek. "I love you, and I love having you with me at the apartment, but this could drive your parents to call the police. I could lose my job. I could end up in jail."

Still holding his hand, Aria brought both of hers up to her forehead and clenched her eyes shut, willing herself not to cry again. She hated the idea of any of that happening. She hated that she had caused all this pain.

"I love you. I don't want to lose you," she cried.

Ezra sat up and pulled her up to her feet, so that she was standing face to face with him.

"This is not the end Aria. We've overcome obstacles before. We'll get through this one, too. We'll go to your parents again tomorrow. Between the two of us-"

Aria shook her head. "I don't want them to hurt you again."

"If it seems like it's going to get physical again, I'll leave." Ezra promised. He reached up and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "I just want to see you happy, Aria. That's the most important thing to me. Okay?"

Aria nodded, even though tears were running down her face. She wanted so badly to be finished with all the crying she'd been doing in the last few days, but somehow she sensed that she wasn't quite there yet.

Ezra pulled her towards him and kissed her forehead. "It'll get better, I promise."

Aria stepped away from him as a doctor walked into the room carrying a large folder. He opened it and pulled films from it. He held them up to the light and looked at them.

"It appears; thankfully that there aren't any bleeds in your brain. It's likely that you simply have a severe concussion, which actually isn't so simple."

"How do you treat it?" Aria asked.

"The best treatment for a concussion is rest," the doctor answered. "Lots of rest, and no stress on the brain. Anymore run-ins with trouble-makers on the sidewalk should just be ignored to the best of your ability."

Aria and Ezra nodded. Their lie about his injuries was created around a story that Ezra had gone to get them food, and had gotten jumped by a bunch of kids on the sidewalk.

"I'd like you to stay on the prescribed pain killers until the pain becomes more manageable. And if you haven't already asked for it, a few days off from work would probably do wonders."

Ezra nodded once more. "Thanks."

The doctor nodded. "I'll get your discharge papers."

He walked out of the room, leaving Aria and Ezra to sit there alone once more. Aria handed Ezra his sweater and watched as he put it on. Every second that passed, she was nervous that her time with him truly was limited. She didn't want tomorrow be the last time she ever got to see him.

Once he had his sweater on, he stepped off the bed and walked over to her. He tilted her chin up to look at him.

"Hey. This is right. This is important. And if your parents manage to split us up, its only for a little more than a year. You'll be seventeen in a few weeks."

Aria laughed, but it turned to a whimper a moment later. "But what if they actually do, Ezra? What then? I know Jackie wants you back."

Ezra shook his head at her. "I don't care. Jackie will never be more than a friend. I told you four months ago; You are now. She's the past. Nothing is going to change that. If I have to wait for you, then that's what I'll do. You're it, Aria."

She knew the veracity behind his words was genuine, and far more than anyone else would normally think. She knew that between the lines, there was an 'I want to marry you one day' in there.

She hugged him, burying her face in his sweater. She breathed in the scent of his cologne and let the warmth of his body warm her. They only parted when the doctor returned with discharge papers. Ezra quickly signed them, and then they walked out of the room.

As they walked towards the entrance, they could already hear the water flooding down from the sky. It was like buckets just being poured repeatedly, and the large puddles that were forming in the parking lot was a testament to that. Aria looked to Ezra, and he looked back at her with the same nervous look before they both pulled their hoods up and made a mad dash out into the flooding water. Thunder and lightning struck hard about a thousand yards away and Aria shuddered as she reached the car. Storms could be beautiful, but seeing lightning strike like that could also be horrific when it was so close.

When they were settled in the car and it was on, Aria blasted the heat. They both shivered as their wet clothes clung to them.

Ezra reached out and took Aria's right arm as she drove, squeezing it lightly. The splint on his left wrist was also wet, though not nearly as bad as the rest of his clothing. His sweater was completely soaked through, and his shirt looked to be in the same situation. Aria completely understood his need to shiver.

The heat brought a modicum of comfort, but fortunately the drive wasn't long. Aria pulled Ezra's car into his space and then exchanged a glance with him. It occurred to her that she probably should've grabbed her umbrella before they left the apartment earlier, but it was too late now.

"Ready?" He asked her.

Aria nodded. A few seconds later, they both shoved their doors open. Aria hit the lock button on the inside of the door and then they both slammed their doors and ran for the entrance to the building. They both speed walked to his apartment.

Once they were inside, the both began stripping off their clothes and made a mad dash for the shower. Ironically, the joined decision had nothing to do with sexual needs, but everything to do with the physiological need to get warm.

By the time they were standing in the bathroom, neither of them had a trace of clothing on. Aria shivered as she stood behind Ezra, waiting while he turned the knob for the shower. After a long few minutes, he stepped inside and reached out for her hand. She took it gratefully and stepped into the shower in front of him.

Ezra pulled the door shut and wrapped his arms around her as they stood under the pulsing spray. For a long while, they just stood there in the warmth of the water. Aria's eyes drifted over his skin, noting all the bruises that had formed and darkened in the last twenty-four hours. Some were lighter than others, but his ribcage looked almost black. She felt bad even touching him there, terrified that the slightest touch would bring him pain.

After a while, he reached up and lifted her chin up to look at him. She smiled softly at him.

Ezra leaned down and kissed her, running his hands up and down her back. Aria lifted her arms up and wrapped them around his neck, running her fingers into his scalp at the base of his skull. Her fingers moved gently, but she could tell the massaging movements her fingers were making helped dull the ache.

A few passionate moments later, they broke apart. Sufficiently warm, they opted to get out of the shower and they both headed back into the apartment. Each wrapped in a towel, they both dug through their clothes until they managed to find pajamas that they felt comfortable in. Ezra had on a pair of flannel pants while Aria had stolen one of his t-shirts.

"We should probably eat something," Ezra said as they settled on his bed. "I haven't eaten all day."

Aria nodded and moved off the bed. She walked over to the fridge and opened it. There wasn't much to work with.

"How about ordering pizza?"

Ezra laughed, "in this storm?"

Aria looked out the window in the kitchen. The rain was still coming down hard. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

She turned back to the fridge and then opened the freezer. There was ice cream and uncooked bacon.

"Do you ever eat here when I'm not with you?" She commented.

"Not really," Ezra replied. "If you're busy, I usually grab something on the way home or eat at work."

Aria exhaled in a frustrated manner and turned back to the fridge. There was enough milk for macaroni and cheese.

"I guess we're going juvenile and eating mac and cheese and hot dogs."

Ezra chuckled. He walked over to her. "That actually sounds good. You know, for someone who eats takeout all the time."

Aria nodded, smiling. "Actually, I do. My parents always do these big meals, so the only time there's ever something this simple is when there's not anyone home to cook but little ol' me."

Ezra laughed. He grabbed pots from one of the cabinets while Aria cut the package of hot dogs package open and put them in one of the pots. She filled both with water and then settled them on the stove and then hopped up onto the counter. Ezra stood in front of her with his hands resting on the outside of her thighs.

"Can I ask you a question?"

He nodded, kissing her quickly. "Anything, baby."

Aria blushed at the pet name. He'd never called her that before. "What if my parents don't give us their approval or keep me from you?"

Ezra furrowed his brow. "Are you insinuating that they would disown you?"

Aria shrugged. "I don't know. But I can't do this if they keep us apart, Ezra. It's been almost a year in this relationship. I can't lose it. I don't know what I'd do."

Ezra sighed as he poured the macaroni noodles into boiling water. "All we can do is wait and find out, Aria. But you will never be alone. And even if I can't see you, we'll always find a way to talk to each other. We always find a way."

Their conversation ended there and they both tended the food as needed while it heated up. When it was finished, they both made a bowl for themselves and then settled on the couch with it. They congratulated each other on managing to make a meal that didn't taste awful or end up burnt. Afterwards, they curled up together and watched a movie until they both started dozing off. At that point, Ezra grabbed the remote and shut the TV off and then carried Aria over to his bed.

They curled up against each other and Ezra kissed Aria's cheek as he wrapped his arms around her.

"No matter what happens tomorrow, always know that I love you."

Aria turned her head to look at him. "I love you, too."

-
I've been up all night, riding subway lines
Now we're sleeping on your floor
-

When morning reached them, Aria and Ezra rushed through their dawn activities to make sure each other had enough time to do all the things they needed to do before making it out the door. When they exited at 7 AM, possibly for the first time ever, they walked out of the apartment together, hand in hand. Of course, when they reached the front door, they released their grip.

Ezra dropped Aria's duffels into her back seat and then walked over to the driver's side door and kneeled down in front of it. She was sitting in the seat with the car not started yet.

"I hope you have a good school day," he told her.

Aria nodded. "I'll meet you here at four?"

Ezra nodded as well. "I promise you I'll be right there will you to do whatever it takes to make your parents realize this is right."

"Even if it doesn't seem that way," Aria whispered. She smiled sadly at him, knowing she was repeating words he had once told her.

"This has never felt wrong to me, Aria. I won't let it start now."

He pushed himself up and leaned over the doorway to kiss her goodbye. Aria kissed him back, holding him extra tight to her for a few extra seconds before she released him. Ezra closed her car door and waved to her before he walked off towards his own car. She watched and waited until he had started it before she started her own and backed out of her parking stall.

Aria headed out in one direction while Ezra headed in another, both headed towards where they needed to be. When Aria made it to school, she found a free parking space and then joined her friends in the hallway. They were chatting about Hanna's hand injury while texting people on their phones.

Aria pulled her phone from the pocket of her jeans. She hadn't received any messages from her mother besides one from the night before, telling her to stay where she was for the night because of the storm.

"How was the rest of your night," Hanna asked when she'd finished her story. "Is Mr. Fitz okay?"

Aria nodded. "He's got a bad concussion. Doctor told him not to go to work for a few days, so he had to go in and post a lesson plan for the day. We're going to talk to talk to my parents later."

"Are you sure your dad and Mike won't beat him up?" Hanna chuckled. She quickly realized her mistake and apologized.

"If they lay one finger on him, I'll call the cops. He's injured enough as it is."

"Well hopefully- So I was telling Toby that he should've been more careful with the saw," Spencer said quickly, deviating the conversation. Aria and Emily gave her an odd look, but it was quickly explained when Mona and Ella walked up.

"Aria, can I speak with you for a minute?"

Aria looked to her friends and then nodded with a heavy sigh. She followed her mother to her classroom.

Ella shut the door behind them and then turned to face Aria. "I saw all your clothes gone. I hope that you'll come back home and discuss this with your father and I. We don't want you running away, Aria."

Rather than give her mother the satisfaction of letting her think she could persuade her, Aria just nodded. "I was already planning to come back today. I was angry about everything with Ezra and didn't want to be there with you guys."

Ella nodded. "I understand, Aria. But your father and I are only looking out for what's best for you. We just want you to be in the best and most safe possible situation," she said assuredly.

Aria shrugged, crossing her arms. She wrapped her fingers around the ends of the sleeves of the black cardigan she was wearing. "I disagree, but we can talk about that later."

Ella couldn't say anymore, because the bell rang, signaling for class to start. Aria made her way to her seat while her mother opened the door and allowed other students to pour into the room. Once they were inside, Ella began with the day's lesson plan. Aria paid little attention, checking her phone almost every five minutes to see if Ezra had texted her at all.

By the end of class, she was thoroughly annoyed, and hadn't paid attention to anything her mother was teaching. Once the bell rang, she burst out of her seat and walked out of the room without a word to her mother. She stopped off in the bathroom, ready to call Ezra. However, just as she was about to press send, her phone buzzed in her hand with a text message from him, alerting her that he was back home and going back to sleep. She texted him back and then made her way towards her next class.

After first period, Aria's day passed lazily. She paid more attention in her classes and managed to get more work done. Her mother caught her with her phone at lunch, but told her they'd argue about it later. Even so, Aria didn't care. She was so angry with her parents that what they wanted from her didn't rate very high.

At last bell, she made a bee-line for the door. She was already typing out a text message to Ezra when her mother stopped her, calling her name.

Aria groaned, staring at her mother with a bored expression. "What?"

Ella walked over to her. "I meant what I said yesterday. Even though you weren't home this morning, we're still going to and from school with each other."

Aria rolled her eyes and deleted what she had typed on her text message. Fortunately, she'd spent most of last period texting Ezra to make sure he was awake. Now she had to let him know to meet her at home instead of at school.

She walked out to her car with her mother, keeping a few feet of space between them as they walked. Ella was talking about the assignment she'd given for the day, but Aria wasn't giving her much mind. She kept her eyes on her phone; waiting for a reply that would tell her Ezra was clear on the plan.

Communication stagnated during the drive home as Aria ignored Ella, and Ella spent her time focusing on the road. It wasn't until halfway home that Ezra texted her back to tell her that he was leaving his apartment.

When Ella pulled up to the Montgomery home, Aria practically jumped from the car. She grabbed her book bag and walked up to the house, not bothering to wait for her mother. She walked inside and kicked her shoes off and then walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of juice.

Ella walked in a few minutes later, settling bags in the sitting room. She walked into the kitchen behind Aria. "Is this attitude going to end anytime soon, because you can be grounded."

Aria rolled her eyes once more. "Whatever. Ground me."

Ella opened her mouth to retort, but there was a knock at the door. Aria breezed past her and walked back to the foyer. She opened the front door, grateful to see Ezra there.

"Thank god," she murmured. "My day has been hell since I left this morning."

He gave her an apologetic frown and she opened the door wider to let him in. Ezra kissed her cheek as she pushed the door shut. Aria grabbed his hand and led him towards the sitting room.

Ella walked back through with a glass of water, but stopped cold when she saw Ezra.

"Ezra. What are you doing here?"

"We thought if you listened to us, maybe you-" Aria tried to speak.

Ella was fuming. "I don't need to listen to anything there is to say about the relationship you two have carried on. I've made it clear that it won't be tolerated any further. It ends now."

Aria looked up at Ezra as tears filled her eyes. "Mom, please. Just listen."

Ella shook her head. "I deliberately told you not to talk to each other, Aria. I told you, what you're doing isn't legal or right. This ends now, or else."

"Mike and Dad beat the crap out of him!" Aria yelled. Angry tears rolled down her face. "I'm not asking for your permission or approval. I'm just asking you to listen to why we came to you in the first place!"

Ella walked over to them and pulled Aria's hand out of Ezra's. They exchanged a pained look at the loss off contact.

Aria glared at her mother as her eyes became glassy from the large tears pooling there. "I love him, Mom! It wasn't supposed to happen, but it did. Neither of us meant it to. But we love each other and it feels right!"

"But it's not," Ella argued back. She looked up at Ezra. "I'm sorry for what Mike and Byron did to you, but you need to go. You're not welcome here."

Audible sobs emitted from Aria as she tried to push past her mother. Tears were filling in Ezra's eyes as he watched her struggle against the woman who was telling them their relationship was over.

"I love you," she sobbed in hiccups. Her whole body heaved with each sob, which only further enticed Ezra's emotional pain as he looked back and forth from Ella to Aria.

Ezra got as close as he could to her and wrapped his arms around her, though Ella was still trying to keep them apart. Aria sobbed into his chest and clung to his shirt, repeatedly begging him not to leave.

He lifted her chin up and forced her to look at him. Aria's whole body shook from the level of emotion running through her.

"I love you. Never let them make you change what you know to be right," Ezra told her.

More tears filled Aria's eyes and began to run down her face as she reached up and pulled his head down to kiss her. Ezra kissed her back, holding her as tightly as he could, for as long as he could.

Eventually though, Ella pried them apart and ordered Aria to go upstairs.

Ezra and Aria stared at one another, both with tear-filled eyes as Ella yelled for Aria to leave the room. They knew that this was defeat. Aria repeated 'I love you' over and over again to him as her mother pushed her towards the stairwell. Each time she said it, he could feel his heart breaking more and more.

He watched her ascend the stairs, standing the foyer, and listened as she walked to her room. Not long after, her door slammed and a loud thump followed, quickly met with loud and raw sobs.

Ezra shook his head as he looked up the stairs and then at Ella. He choked on the large lump in his throat, struggling to get the words out.

"I would never do anything to hurt Aria. I never meant to have any of this happen. I never meant to fall in love with her, Ella. I tried to stop it. I tried to leave. But I love her, and I won't hide from her. If she comes to me, I'll be there for her. I'm sorry; I'm in love with your daughter. I can't take back those feelings. She's it."

Ella shook her head at him. "Aria is sixteen. She doesn't know anything about this world yet. I'm not sure what it is that drove her to you, or why you thought it was okay to let it happen, but it's done now. Leave."

Ezra knew there was nothing else he could say. He knew regardless of what came out of his mouth, there was no convincing Ella that he and Aria were right to be together.

He turned and walked out of the house, trying to be as quiet as possible. He didn't want to do anything to cause Aria more pain that she was clearly already feeling.

Up in her room, Aria had locked her door and shoved her desk chair under it to make sure no one could get in. She had her curtains blocking out the light, and her earphones tucked into her ears to block out all sense of sound. She had no intention of speaking with either of her parents. Fuck them. Fuck her homework that she had to get done. Fuck Mike for agreeing with her parents. Fuck everyone else who didn't see why she and Ezra should be together.

She lay curled up in her bed, holding his sweater that had been in her duffel since the night before, as tightly as she could to her chest. Her body was already physically exhausted, but the tears continued to flow. She couldn't stand the idea that this was actually the end.