Alison POV:
I nervously clutched Emily's hand while we walked down the hallway, preparing to be confronted by the girls' parents. I am not sure how I feel about Emily, but I know she makes me a better person, and that when I'm with her, I feel safe and happy. She gives my hand a little squeeze, sending chills up my spine, before whispering, "It's going to be okay, just keep your cool." "Thanks Em," I smile, before we round the corner. As soon as their eyes land on me, I can see their pupils dilate in sheer confusion, shifting to anger, fear, and concern as they process the fact that I am alive, standing before them. "Alison?!" I can hear Spencer's mom whisper, her voice harsh yet soft. I let go of Emily's hand, walking forward so I am in front of the other girls. "Hey." I look from one face to each other, registering who seems to be most to least happy to see me. Byron looks as if he has just seen satan rise from the ground, while Ashley only looks partially surprised. "But you… we saw you… your funeral… how…" Ella managed to stutter, seemingly lacking the ability to form a coherent thought. "It's a really, really long story," I began slowly, "but we don't have time to catch up right now. The important thing right now is-""Aria… where is aria?" Ella interrupts, her voice filled with concern. "What happened to Aria?!" Ella's voice was beginning to rise, fear choking her voice. "Aria is okay, more or less, but-" Spencer began before Byron interrupted, "Where is she?" "I was getting to that, but first-" "WHERE IS ARIA?!" Byron began to shout, as Ella was agitatedly pacing back and forth. "Will everyone, just CALM DOWN AND SHUT UP?!" Hanna screamed, effectively shushing the chatter, her mother giving her a pointed. "Thank you. Now, Aria is back in a hospital room with Ezra, who almost just died saving our lives last night." Hanna bluntly stated, having had enough will all the beating around the bush. "What does Ezra Fitz have to do with anything?" Byron questioned, his voice steely and cold. "Very basically," I began, "There is someone out there who wants me dead. When the girls found me last night, so did that person. He had a gun, and was shooting at us. We escaped to the top of a building, but then we were trapped and knew they were right behind us. Ezra came out onto the roof right as they did, and when he saw them pointing a gun at us he attacked them, taking the bullet and saving our lives. Unfortunately the stalker escaped, jumping onto the ledge of another building. We do not yet know why Ezra was there, but if he weren't, none of us would be standing here right now." I met everyone's gaze as they let that sink in, refusing to crack in front of everyone. I so badly wanted to go run and hide, allow myself to succumb to my emotions, but I had to stay strong in front of everyone, I couldn't let them see me cry. "I think we all need to sit down and have a serious discussion of what to do from here," Veronica stated quietly, before motioning for all of us to sit down. "Where is Aria?" Ella asked again, "She needs to be here for this." Spencer motioned for her to follow her down the hallway, as I walked back over to Emily and grabbed her hand, relieved when she didn't pull away. I looked up to see Hanna giving me a warning look, and I knew immediately what she was conveying: Just because you are back from the dead does not give you permission to shatter my best friend's heart. Again.
Aria POV:
I could hear my name being called, but it seemed so far away, and I allowed myself to drift back to sleep before I felt someone shaking my arm. "What, what," I mumbled, momentarily forgetting where I was before realizing it was my mom's voice that had been calling me. I shot upright, blinking in the early morning light as I saw my mother leaning over me, Spencer standing in the doorway. I registered a presence beside me, and then it hit me: A, Ezra getting shot, the ambulance, the hospital… a small smile spread across my lips as I recalled our exchange, before I snapped back to the present. "Aria, we all need to have a discussion, your dad, Veronica, Peter, Ashley, and Pam are all here too," she stated, urgency thick in her voice. "Um, okay I'll be there in a second, just let me tell Ezra where I'm going so he doesn't worry." I could see her hesitation before Spencer stepped in, saying, "I'll walk her to the lobby in five minutes, go tell them we are coming." My mom made her way to the door, taking a quick glance back at Ezra, her face showing an emotion I couldn't quite distinguish. I turned back around to give Ezra a small kiss on his lips, stroking his cheek as I saw his eyelids flutter open. "Mm… what are you doing?" he murmured before giving me a kiss, attempting to pull me back down next to him. "Shh, you can go back to sleep, but I have to go take care of something for a little while, but I'll be right back." "Is everything okay?" "Yeah, except all our parents are here… and Alison…" "Oh," he whispered, clearly understanding the situation. "I'll be back soon okay? Get some rest, I love you," I whispered before sliding off the bed. His hand caught mine, rubbing it lightly before whispering back, "I love you too." I walked to the doorway, realizing Spencer was watching our whole exchange, a smirk on the corners of her mouth. I gave her a warning look before we proceeded to the lobby. I took a deep breath before rounding the corner, mentally putting up my walls, preparing for the interrogation. Breathe in, breathe out. I took one step, then another, then another before I was met with the piercing gazes of my friends, then their parents, and lastly my dad.