A/N: Guys, I'm blown away by your responses. I never expected that. I can't thank you enough for reviewing, it really means a lot to someone who honestly has no idea what she's doing. Feeling the pressure now, but I hope I can continue to hold your interest.

Chapter 2

Paige McCullers was...challenged in the friend department. She was crippled by a character trait combo of arrogance and self-loathing. Sounds like a dichotomy, right? You'd be correct. But it all depended on the social situation. Put Paige in a pool and she would dominate. If she wasn't swimming for Rosewood, people would still call her a shark. The girl knew had to swim and she did it with a steely determination that made her a predator in the water.

Locking on to the target of success, her peripheral vision was completely erased as she tore through the water in pursuit of her goal. She hunted opponents down with the scent of blood in her nostrils and the thrum of victory pounding in her ears. Shark by name, shark by nature.

It was the same with hockey. Give that girl a stick and she was a woman possessed. Soccer too. She always felt like she could lose herself in sport, like all she had to do was achieve. If she could just do that, she'd be ok. All those things she hated about herself would be pushed to the edges like waves of water left in her wake. They'd fade away at the edges. Blur just enough for people to only see the winner at the centre with any real clarity.

The problem was, it didn't last. Step out of the pool. Walk off the field. Cross that white line and winner turns to loser in the blink of an eye. Without the arrogance of success to wear as a cloak, Paige was exposed.

It's not like she hadn't tried. McCullers was a trier but God sure as hell didn't like this one. She'd try to deploy some of that arrogance to school life outside athletic confines but without her achievements to prop her up, it all fell flat. Hollow. She came across as deluded, as if she believed she was popular and just had to make everyone else believe it as well. In truth she was terrified inside.

Because Paige had a secret too. It was a secret that she hid even from herself and it ensured she was never really whole unless suspended in the sparkling blue of the pool, weightless, free of the drag of uncertainty and loneliness.

But it was there. A seed. An idea. A possibility. All it needed was attention. Love.

To be coaxed out and allowed to grow. For green shoots to stretch through her and whisper of hope and longing. Belonging.

But Paige couldn't, wouldn't listen to the hushed voices of nature growing within her. Swim away.

So on dry land, she slipped effortlessly back into the shell of her own making. It fit like a glove, forged over years of fear – of the unknown and the known – to protect her from the outside world. From the awkwardness she felt when she tried to make friends or contribute in class. Hell, even just walking down the halls without -

"Watch where you're going, Pigskin!"

Alison. No. No no no. Not again. Why was it always her? Of all the people I could bump into.

Paige dropped to her knees, trying to avoid the eyes twinkling with vicious glee that burned into her skull. Quickly she started to gather up her books. Chem, calculus, history, physics. Jeez, Paige why did you have to take physics? This book is so damn big I – okay, focus dammit!

Every time she felt like she'd got a handle on the books, they slipped from her grasp. She felt like she was trying to wrestle jello into a bowl with her bare hands. Focus.

"Can you believe this klutz? She needs to learn to stay in her own lane. The one with the nerds and the losers," Alison sneered, looking to Hanna for acknowledgement.

The blonde nodded weakly, before turning her head away from Ali, sadness evident in her eyes as she wondered what would happen next. Just breathe. This will be over soon. Don't say anything, don't draw attention to yourself. Remember you're the weakest one of the herd. God knows you can't run as fast as Spence...

She turned back, watching as Ali leaned down to whisper in Paige's ear. Surely she's not finally being nice, Hanna wondered. No - she hoped. She wished. She dreamt beyond all reasonable expectations.

She was wrong, of course.

The hackles on the back of Paige's neck rose the instant she felt Ali's breath whispering through her hair, seeking out her ear, seeping into her brain. "I will end you, Pigskin. These are my halls and I really don't want to see them infested with rats."

With that she stood, smiling, smoothing out her skirt and patting down her hair. Perfect, Ali. Now check on the troops. Hanna was chewing her nails – hungry again, unbelievable. Aria was pretending to be texting someone. Spencer was absent-mindedly thumbing through her book on Greek mythology. She was always distracted by education when she stepped through the doors of Rosewood High. Still, Ali thought, at least it kept her from plotting. Spencer loved strategising and Ali didn't want to be the one waiting for a Trojan horse to clip-clop on in and bring her little army to its knees.

And Emily. Of course she could always count on Emily. She glanced across the corridor but for once wasn't comforted by what she saw. A hint of a smile? On Ali, in this situation, it would mean delight at yet another McCullers fuck up. But Emily didn't have that capacity for unpleasantness. No, this was something else entirely and it was gone almost as soon as it came.

But Ali noticed.

She noticed how Emily fought to regain her composure. How she swallowed hard. How she closed her eyes ever so slightly too long. This was...intriguing. Let's see, Em. Let's see.

Raising her voice, Alison said: "Roll up everybody, come and look at Paige McClown over here. Her act is just top notch, it comes so naturally to her."

On it went. Paige, trapped, desperate to escape, now surrounded by cackling students whose laughter masked fear. Relief. It's not me. With each new insult, Ali carefully watched Emily's reaction. The tension in her jaw. The twitch in her knees as if she was about to stride over to the dark little vignette being played out before class.

Still she stayed in the audience. Certainly not appreciative. Not captivated. Captive.

Ali eyed her with suspicion. This was new. Ali only liked new things when they were boys with money or shiny objects that adorned her pale neck. She most certainly did not like new when it came to her friends.

It wasn't bad, but it needed to stop. Really, she would be doing Em a favour, she reasoned. Look at her. Tortured. Conflicted. About Pigskin! God, that girl and her lost causes. She'd be crying over poor Loser Mona next. No, Ali had to help her. Remind her of her standing in this school. Of what had she had to lose if she continued to exhibit this kind of behaviour.

Just pull those reins a little tighter on her prize filly.

She knew what she had to do. It's not like it would be unpleasant. Emily was, after all, nothing if not beautiful. Flawless, really. In looks anyway. Ali had done it before. In fact it had been one of her crowning moments.

She leant back on the stacks. God it was unpleasant in here. She hated the smell of books. They reeked of the past and Ali was all about the future. Bright and fabulous and achievable no matter the cost or consequences.

She looked down at the book in her hands. Great Expectations. She definitely had those. She expected loyalty. She expected attention. She expected control.

Things were looking good on all fronts for Alison DiLaurentis. She'd assembled her little group of wannabes – never-would-bes, she smirked to herself – and now all she needed was a few little extra nudges to ensure they were hers for good. Spencer, Aria and Hanna had been brought into line pretty quickly once she'd identified their weak spots. She knew they flinched at some of her antics, but she also knew they were too invested in this life they'd been handed to ever challenge her.

But Emily was tricky. She was just so inherently good. Ali had started to think she would never fit into the group. She couldn't see her standing for the way Ali loved to play with people.

What Ali hadn't bargained for was that Emily had the biggest secret of all – and that meant she had the most to lose. It started off as a seed planted in Ali's mind by a look from Emily that held her own just a tiny bit too long. It was fed and watered by the way her eyes shifted to Ali's lips when they exchanged late night tales of who did what to whom. What grew was not green and natural and hopeful. Weeds do not bloom. They take root everywhere, insidious, their tendrils reaching out and choking all in their path.

And so it was with Ali's realisation that Emily had a crush on her. It was exactly the advantage she'd been waiting for.

Now, listening to Emily chat away in the library, sitting so close to her, eyes bright and wide, Ali was secretly circling her prey. Waiting for the moment to -

"That's why I love you. You're big on happy endings."

Ali watched, fascinated, as all the air left Emily's lungs. It was amazing, really. Such power to wield over another person. What a thrill. Perfect timing, she congratulated herself.

She pushed on. Get this done, Ali. I guess books aren't so bad after all. One passage of Great Expectations read aloud and Emily was casting off her fear and leaning in to kiss her.

Her lips were warm. Soft. Nice.

Alison DiLaurentis doesn't do nice. Not unless there's something in it for her. And there most definitely was where Emily Fields was concerned.

Ali smiled as she walked away from Paige, who had finally managed to gather up her things and was attempting to push her way through the crowd.

This wouldn't be hard. It's not like Pigskin had anything to offer Emily, she thought as she glided regally down the hall while the bell rang. No, not hard at all. Play this right – I always do – and Emily would once again be in her thrall. Or at least, too afraid to pretend she's not.

Ali didn't care which it was. The end result was the same. I win.