CHAPTER 2
You have to sneak out.
That was the text message she had gotten from all three of her friends after she finished cleaning and scrubbing down the entire kitchen. That alone had taken an hour and it was already seven o'clock. The ball would start in an hour, but it didn't matter to her. She had set herself up for misery and she was the one that had to pay the price.
Can't. Meredeath's gone, but she wants me to clean the entire house until she comes back.
She shoved her phone back in her jean pocket and headed to the living room, which was already cleaned. In fact, all of the rooms in the house were clean until Meredith purposely created a mess in each room. The kitchen had different food ingredients spilled all over the ground while the living room had a gigantic pool of watermelon juice that stained the fuchsia and white colored mat. She groaned at the sight of the blotch, contemplating ways to get it out. Before she could, she heard a thump at the window from the front door, which was just across her living room. She dropped her duster on the table and scurried over to see who it'd be, and to her surprise, it was Spencer. She opened the door, her mouth slightly widened, and saw Hanna and Emily as well. They were all dressed in their gowns.
"What are you guys doing here?" she questioned, a little more harsher than she meant.
"It's nice to see you too," Hanna said.
"We're here to bust you out," Spencer proclaimed professionally, much like the leader she was. All of their eyes were twinkling, like they were so confident Aria was going to be able to leave with them. But only the stressed brunette knew her fate — she wasn't going anywhere.
"I already told you, I can't!" Aria accentuated, holding up her fluffy duster in the air. Her lips drooped into a frown.
"You said that the house has to be clean, right?" Spencer asked. In response, Aria nodded. Out of nowhere, two young girls appeared from behind Hanna, Emily, and Spencer. It shocked her a little bit, but it was somewhat understandable since they were all her height and they were covered by the vivid gowns.
"Aria, meet Lisa and Courtney," Emily beamed, "they're my cousins and they're incredible at cleaning. They'll clean up all the messes and leave the place spotless."
"As long as you have a television," one of the girls said while the other nodded in agreement. Aria hadn't realized she was holding her breath until her chest was completely suppressed. She inhaled a deep gasp of air.
"I have one in my room," Aria said, "it's kind of small, but it's better than getting the living room dirty." She was beginning to feel anxious. The minuscule possibility that she would be able to go and come back was beginning to grow. She could already see herself dancing with her friends, enjoying herself for the first time in a while, and even meeting new acquaintances to mingle with for the night.
"So?" Hanna said demurely, "what do you say? Do you want to forget about the night you've been waiting for since last year and clean the entire night? Or do you want to have some fun?"
Aria wasted a short time thinking about her options. One would say the choice was fairly easy, but she didn't like breaking rules so often if there was a possibility things wouldn't go the correct way. She was panicking, to say the least. Ball or home? Ball or home? She stared at the expectant faces of her best friends, who brought her the opportunity. They were her saviors, and she realized she couldn't let them down after all the trouble they went through in the last hour to get this going.
"I'll do it," she agreed. She was still somewhat hesitant, but the feeling would dissolve in a matter of time. All six girls tramped inside, but while the four friends scurried upstairs to get Aria dressed and ready, the other two cousins raced into the living room where the mess was merely halfway completed.
The second Aria stepped into her dress and the girls zipped the back of her jacket, she turned herself to look into the mirror. She, herself, was blown away by her appearance. Hanna dragged her to the chair and forced her to sit down while Spencer pulled out a gigantic makeup kit which was barely touched. She knew Spencer only used it for big events such as that night because heavy, flashing makeup wasn't her thing.
"Okay, what goes good with a royal blue dress?" Emily pondered aloud.
"We should go for a shimmery gold eyeshadow," Hanna proposed.
"Hanna, we're not going to blind other people with that sparkly stuff," Spencer said, "I think we should go for a silver smokey eye."
As the girls continued talking and rolling their fingers between her hair, Aria shifted her position in the chair, crossing her left leg across her right. She felt like a doll, but in a good way. Not the version where she was being controlled, but the version where she was being pampered. She had to admit, she liked it a little, even if the treatment was overwhelming.
Hanna had decided to take care of the hair, Spencer would apply the makeup, and Emily would all of her nails. They had about an hour, but they knew if they went at a higher than normal rate, they'd be at the Ball twenty minutes late, which was a good time. Her stomach churned when Meredith's angry figure popped into her head, but she washed it away promptly. Meredith wasn't around for now, which gave Aria permission to enjoy herself for a while. And she was going to enjoy it to the best of her ability.
Ezra cursed loudly when he almost launched himself in front of a car. Even though Rosewood was a small town, there was a large amount of traffic in some places, as well as giant events such as the Masquerade Ball. It was all that the town could talk about. Anyone above fifteen was allowed to join, but it was a petty rule to Ezra. If someone was tall enough to pass as a fifteen year old, they could go in, which would make the rule inconsequential.
He let a row of cars pass before crossing the street, where Rosewood's main hall resided. He had been there a few times for business purposes, but he had never gone past the main desk. He had to admit, it was a magnificent building, especially for being so old.
As he entered the building, he adjusted his mask so that he could see a little more clearly through it. Signs directed him to his location. Everyone in front and behind him were going the same direction as he was. He could only imagine the amount of people that would be there. Luckily, Hardy informed him the place was huge enough to fit many inside. Ezra's first instinct was to find the coat desk, where Hardy claimed to be working.
"Ezra Fitz?" he heard a voice call out. Uh oh — busted. The mask obviously didn't cover his upper face enough. Two ladies, ones that hardly looked familiar to him, came darting to him with giant grins on their faces. They, too, had masks on.
"We didn't know you were going to be here!" the blonde exclaimed, raising her wine glass. "Would you like some? There are some beverages inside."
"I'll get for you if you want!" the other girl asked, who had a more enthusiastic tone in her voice. Already, Ezra was startled. They attached themselves to either side of his arms and held tightly, dragging him towards double doors that were as tall as two humans stacked on top of each other. He assumed immediately that the dance was inside because of the amount of people entering and exiting, along with the loud music.
"That's okay," Ezra nodded politely, squeezing his way out of their clingy grasps. "I think I'm fine."
"Are you alone? Are you here with someone?" they bombarded him, eyes filled with eagerness. He didn't want to upset them, but he didn't want them in his current presence as well. Any other time he would have taken a period to have a chat out of manners, but it wasn't the right time.
"Yeah, I'm here with someone," he smiled, pointing inside, "she's waiting for me inside."
He slipped away from the disappointed ladies and into the location, where decorations were set up, a variety of snacks and drinks were set out on a table at the end, and people danced and socialized. He stayed by the edges and kept his head leveled so he wasn't recognized by any other females. All he wanted to do was show Hardy he was there, find someone he knew, and then leave right away.
He found himself next to the refreshments table and instinctively picked up a cup of punch, slurping it down. It destroyed all meaning of his numerous brushing and flossing, but it just happened. He looked up at the wall, where tons of papers were plastered on the wall. No one else had seemed to mind them, but his curiosity peaked. He inched closer, scanning a few of the articles, and noticed they were poems. Deciding it would be a fairly nice way to pass the time, he read through them, his back facing the crowds. One of them caught his eye, not to mention it resulted in him reading over it five times in pure affection.
"I forgot those were even here," said a fragile voice from beside him. He turned his head to finally notice a girl who stood with her hands in front of her. He didn't know if she had been standing around for a long time or if she had just arrived, but she didn't seem to scream and shout over his existence, which he silently thanked her for. She seemed to be staring at the same one he had, and it made him think.
"Is that one yours?" he asked, pointing to it. She turned her head to him and nodded, a tiny smile crossing her face. It was when she did that that Ezra finally notice how breathtaking she was, even under her mask. She was dressed in a royal blue gown, her hair up and out of her face with the exception of two strands of hair that dangled in front of her temples down to her chin.
"It's beautiful," Ezra added. Like you. The girl gleefully laughed, shaking her head.
"It's really not my best," she shrugged.
"Wait, so you write? As in, regularly?" he asked, slightly shocked. Most women he knew seemed to think that writing was a waste of time unless they were going to use it as a profession. The brunette nodded a little, shifting her weight to one leg and crossing one hand to her upper arm.
"I do," she validated, "it's my passion."
Hearing that, his lips curved into a smile. She was attractive, she was into writing. He had to know more about her.
"Are you majoring in it?" he asked. He could only assume she was in college because of how young she seemed, and her writing skills seemed very mature, too mature for her to be any younger than eighteen.
"I want to," she replied shyly, "but my parents — my stepmother doesn't think it's a good idea, so I'm leaning towards law."
"But you're amazing at it," Ezra insisted, "you should think about switching over to writing. She'll understand in the long run. And even if she doesn't, you should know that it's rare to find such a talented, young author like yourself."
He didn't know where his words were coming from, but his comments seemed to bring out a blushing glow from the female, radiating her skin. They gazed each other for moments, no sign of displeasure from either side.
"Oh, can I get you some punch?" he asked, suddenly noticing her empty hands. He pointed to the table behind him. She shook her head, the loose curls in front of her face dangling as she did so.
"I should probably go," she said, "I don't want to bother you."
She began to back away, but Ezra's eyebrows rose. "No!" he exclaimed, a little too anxiously. He cleared his throat when she took an abrupt stop in her heels. "No, please. Stay."
The woman obeyed, but kept her distance from him. He didn't know what he did to send her farther, and he seemed to internally blame himself for whatever he did.
"Would you like to dance?"
It slipped out. He couldn't grasp the words before they came tumbling from his mouth. It was probably the last thing he should have offered since she was clearly keeping her distance away from him. He could already imagine her rejecting his offer and scurrying away, telling her friends about how an idiot tried to come onto her and asked her for a dance. He didn't want to come off that way, like this pervert that wanted to enjoy a waltz with a girl and take advantage of her, because he wasn't that kind of guy. In fact, he wasn't even looking for a woman to dance with in the first place. It just... happened.
"Of course," she agreed, which took him by surprise. He put down his empty cup on the table and offered his hand out, his mouth slightly agape to her acceptance. She wrapped her petite arm around his. He lead her towards the middle of the floor, sending out some final prayers that he wouldn't mess up and humiliate himself.
"I'm not the best dancer," she admitted timidly. It was hard to hear her as they got closer to the music, but he seemed to manage.
"Neither am I," he told her, "we'll just go with the flow."
She smiled at his statement. Ezra took her hand into his, and as her hand gently rested on his shoulder, he placed his hand on her hip, being careful as to where he positioned it. Just then, the next song began to play, a slow song that sounded like it would be in the top ten charts of hit songs. They stepped in place, completely in sync.
"Are you sure you don't dance too?" Ezra wondered aloud when she began to incorporate some moves into her steps. She seemed so loose, so easygoing with the music. She blended and harmonized with it. The curly haired man was in awe of her.
"I promise," she claimed, her beautiful smile appearing once again. They danced for a few more songs. They didn't have to speak at all; it was like the music and their moves spoke for them. Many eyes averted to them, wondering who on earth the lady was that danced with the young and single Ezra Fitz. Whoever it was, he was proud to admit that she had his heart on her wrist.
"My legs are a little sore," she confessed apprehensively, as if she was scared to disappoint him by saying it. But he was far from disappointed. Anything that satisfied her would satisfy him.
"We can take a break, if you'd like," Ezra said, stopping in his tracks. She nodded, mimicking his actions and stood across from him. For an odd reason, he wanted to reveal himself to her in hopes that she would do the same. He slid off his mask above his head, the rest of his face finally exposed. Her eyes went wide, which had to mean she knew who he was.
A loud dong came from nowhere. It stopped Ezra from his train of thoughts and made him look around to find the source of the ongoing noise. He saw it came from a gigantic clock, one that was on the far side of the wall. It stated 11:45.
"Oh my god," Aria panicked. Everything hit her all at once, all so suddenly. She hadn't even noticed who she was mingling with and dancing with until he took his mask off. Ezra Fitz. She knew he was a teacher at her school, but she didn't have him for a class. The only times she's heard of him were from gossiping students who thought he was 'so cute' and his mother, who was friends with him.
Time had gotten away from her and now her doom was beginning to seal. If Meredith came home, she was prepared to dig her own grave and sharpen the knife that Meredith would use to launch it inside her.
Ezra's head jerked from the clock to her, his eyes crunching. "What is it?" he asked, "what's wrong?"
"It's almost midnight," she stated, "I have to go."
She ran off, her breaths becoming panicked by the second. Hanna and Spencer stood next to a few friends in their grades, as well as their boyfriends, Caleb and Toby.
"You guys have to take me home!" Aria urged, pulling on their arms. Their eyes wandered to the clock and simultaneously gasped.
"I'll go find Emily!" Hanna said, "get to the car and pull up in the front."
Everyone assembled to their destinations, and for moments, Aria forgot about who she was with, who had found something special in her. She looked into the crowd, seeing Ezra's confused face frantically scanning crowds to find her. But this was where their fate would end. She had to get home. He'd return to his normal life of being Rosewood's finest bachelor and she'd continue being a maid in her own house for another few months until she found a way out of her dreadful town.
Without another look, she ran after Spencer.
A/N: This chapter was so fun to write, especially the Ezria scene. thanks for the reviews, guys! it really motivates me to update sooner. tell me what you thought about this chapter and i'll be sure to update fast like i did with this!