Emison rose! It happened and it cured my writers block, so here's a new chapter!
This chapter is super unbeta'd, so I apologize in advance for any errors!
Emily's bed is empty when she wakes up.
She must have stayed at Paige's last night. The pang of hurt that emanates in Alison's chest, or that acute sinking feel in her stomach is undeniable.
She doesn't want to feel hurt - she doesn't want to feel anything for Emily at all.
She glances at the clock on the wall, and sighs when it reads twelve in the afternoon. This is the first proper lie in that she's had ever since she's been living here, unable to have one due to Emily's unnecessary and borderline passive-aggressive morning routine.
She's refreshed but worn out, somehow. She concludes that she must have overslept, but subconsciously, she knows the real reason. The front door opens, and Alison jerks back in surprise, almost falling off the bed. It's Emily. She's wearing the same outfit as the night before, her hair is in a state, and she's avoiding Alison's stare.
They're back to square one, it seems. Though, come to think about it - they've never truly exceeded it in the first place.
Emily steps over to her set of draws and opens the top one - discarding clothes from it, and putting them into her bag.
"I-" Alison begins, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "You don't have to-" She pauses again, unable to say what she needs to.
Emily looks at her now packed bag, specifically and very blatantly ignoring Alison. "So you're just going to bunk with Paige and her roommate?" Alison asks, finally finding her voice in light of the indignation sparking in her.
Emily shrugs her eyes, and puts the bag down. "Aria, actually." She says matter-of-factly.
Alison recall's Aria mentioning that her dad applied for a job here. But it isn't until now - five months later- that Alison knows he got it. The prospect of Aria forgiving Alison has attenuated immensely, and Alison struggles to keep her expression unbothered and composed. Emily sighs, and for a second, she swears she sees Emily's eyes flash with pity.
"Her dad's out of town. She's throwing a party." Emily says, as if she's treading on egg shells - that she shouldn't be telling Alison about this.
Alison gives her a faux-smile, in an attempt to cloud the sting. "Party, huh?"
Emily looks at Alison with muted confliction. She runs a hand through her hair, and picks up her bag again. "Yeah."
An uncomfortable silence washes over them, and Emily flicks her eyes to the door. "I'll be back Monday." She says. Before Alison can even formulate a response, Emily's out the door.
February 2016
What starts off with them meeting up after school, turns into them hanging out with every chance they get. Alison spends most of her lunch breaks with Emily at the library, they go for coffee after school, and they even hang out on the weekends.
They've pretty much been inseparable, and it hasn't been very receptive with Jenna or Noel. Their attitude toward and about Emily have been oddly off, and she can't decipher why. Emily's on the swim team, she gets along with everyone, and she's a good person.
It just doesn't add up.
"Noel, I won't ask again." Mrs. Morris says, snapping Alison out of her daze, and Noel out of his seat. "Stay after class." She chastises.
"But I have to-"
"I'll talk to your coach." Mrs. Morris finishes for him. He shakes his head and clenches his jaw. He helplessly glances to Alison, and Alison has to stifle a laugh.
Mrs. Morris continues with her presentation, and Alison steers her gaze to the front of the class. She watches Emily, who's resting her head on the palm of her hand. The brunette catches Alison's stare and freezes, smiling warmly at her.
For the first time, Alison finds herself looking away. It's such a foreign concept - Alison feeling nervous under Emily's gaze. It's such a contrast to their typical dynamic, that it doesn't sit well with her.
"What's up with you today?" Jenna whispers chidingly. Alison turns to face her friend. "Nothing." She reassures, with perhaps more of a bite than necessary.
Jenna stares at her narrowly, clearly not buying the response. "You've been weird, since hanging out with the swimmer." Alison frowns at her, almost offended. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Jenna doesn't say anything, she just shrugs and gives Alison a half-smile. But her eyes are knowing, like she's insinuating something. Alison reluctantly holds back her primary reaction to snap, and instead rolls her eyes playfully. The bell rings, and Alison immediately steps out of her seat.
"See you later?" Jenna asks her, still seated. "Sure." Alison mutters. She refuses to allow herself to acknowledge Emily, blanking her as she storms out of the room, feeling caught.
Feeling an unfathomable and an unsettling sense of insecurity fill her.
"Ali." She hears Emily call after her. Alison doesn't turn, she pretends that she didn't hear her and heads for the exit.
Present
Alison strolls through campus with one purpose - to find a bar. She considers calling Charlotte, but isn't ready for the grilling she'll inevitably endure, so she calls the next best person, who answers straight away.
"Hey, Spence. You free?" Alison asks, right off the bat.
"Uh, actually-"
"You're going to Aria's." Alison finishes for her, taking the muted sigh on the other end as confirmation. "Sorry, Ali. I'm free tomorrow, maybe we can do something then?"
"Yeah. Yeah, that sounds good." She hears Spencer let out a barely audible breath of relief. "Have you tried Charlotte?"
Alison groans. "Not yet."
"Does it have something to do with the argument you and Emily had last night?" Alison lets out a disgruntled huff, and makes a mental note to politely remind Charlotte not to notify Spencer of the details of her's and Emily's current predicament.
"Charlotte told you, didn't she?" Spencer hums in confirmation. "She said that you were trying to get a rise out of her." Spencer's chides.
"It was what she deserved." Alison spits. She has a feeling that she will come to lament her poor choice of words, and the scoff that comes from Spencer affirms this. Alison dreads the unavoidable lecture she's about to receive. "This isn't high school anymore, Alison. It's childish."
Alison bites her lip to prevent herself from saying something else she might later regret. She knows that Spencer's right. She knows it, yet she can't bring herself to truly accept it.
"Look, I have to run. Coffee tomorrow?"
"Yeah, see you tomorrow." She mumbles. She ends the call and trenchantly shoves her phone into her bag.
Alison puffs her lips out into a pout, and pauses when she reaches a bar called 'Tiger'. Her classmates have told her about this place, and the reputation it holds is questionable. Alison hesitates, swaying back and forth, but ultimately decides to bite the bullet and go in.
It can't be that bad.
But it's exactly as they described it to be. The place is riddled with frat boys.
A fetid stench of beer and sweat fills her nostrils, and the distasteful music makes her ears cringe. This isn't her scene, but she doesn't care.
She needs to get drunk, right now.
She makes her way over to the bar, blocking out the gaping and inaudible chatter surrounding her. She rests her hands on the bar, and offers the barmaid who comes to her service a small smile. "Vodka and lemonade, please."
The barmaid gives her a curt nod and a somewhat sympathetic look. Alison chooses not to fuss over it, and instead keeps her eyes focused on the bar.
"Dude, that's Alison." She hears from her left. His voice is hushed, in a clear attempt to be stealthy. "Fuck, you're right." Comes another voice, one that she recognizes. She groans internally, and lifts her gaze to the air.
Can today just fuck off?
"Alison?"
Alison reclines her head, and tilts her head to face the boy. "Travis." She greets, offering him her signature smile. He grins back, and moves over to her. "It's good to see you. You look well." He compliments, genuity replete in his voice.
"You too." She says back, letting out a sigh. His bright eyes flash with concern, and Alison averts her gaze. "How're things? We haven't seen you in a while."
She raises her brow pointedly at him. "You know why." She tells him mordantly. He blinks at the sense of the tone, and she continues. "Things are good." She says this time, with more warmth.
"Hanna talks about you." He reveals, settling onto the stool next to her. Alison squints at him inquisitively. She hears the clink of her drink meeting the counter, and briefly turns away to pay the woman.
"All bad I'm sure." She finally responds, to which Travis shakes his head. "She's worried." He says, imbuing a sense hope. Alison scoffs and brings her drink to her lips. "Listen, whatever happened between you and Em-"
"Don't." She bites back, bringing whatever he was going to say to a grinding halt. "I-"
"Don't." She emphasizes.
"Okay." He relents, letting out a defeated sigh and sliding off the stool. He turns to face Alison. "You should see her some time- Hanna. She misses you." And with that, he walks back to his friend. Alison chugs back half of her drink, and grabs her phone from her bag.
She sends Charlotte a text.
February 2016
Alison didn't show up to the brew to meet Emily after school. She didn't show up, and she feels bad about it, especially since she didn't give the girl any warning. Emily probably sat there for hours waiting. No. She knows that's precisely what she did.
Emily absolutely waited for her, there's no question about it.
Alison skipped coffee, and instead went to Ian's party with Jenna and Noel. She lost them about an hour ago, and has been sat alone in the living area, sipping on her gin and lemonade, whilst making small talk with people a few years her senior.
One of them - Melissa Hastings - used to be her neighbor, and the woman has been glaring at her ever since she arrived. She knows that Melissa won't tell her parents, because Alison knows a thing or two that she can tell hers.
She wouldn't dare.
"You're an English major?" Asks Ian, who's smile burns through Alison, making her shift with unease. The blonde nods. "Second year." She lies, wondering internally why she goes to these parties - they're always so boring.
Melissa lets out a breathy laugh and shakes her head, attracting the man's attention. He looks at her quizzically and Melissa shrugs her shoulders idly.
"I haven't seen you around Hollis." Melissa points out. "It's a big college, I wouldn't be surprised." Alison retorts. Melissa's eyes twinkle with determination and mischief.
"You look like my neighbor from back home, come to think of it." Melissa says. Alison takes a sip of her drink, preparing herself. "Her name's Alison. She's kind of a bitch." The woman spits.
"Sounds like I have an evil doppelganger." Alison jokes, relishing in the way it causes Melissa's jaw to clench. "I'll show you a picture," Melissa says. "Babe, can you pass my phone?" She asks Ian. Alison's stomach drops, and she tries to muster up a solution. The blonde picks up her phone too and goes to Facebook. In a quick-fire decision, she types in Melissa's name, and blocks her.
Melissa grabs her phone from Ian, and throws Alison a pleased grin. However, that grin quickly drops into a frown when she finishes typing. She lifts her gaze to Alison's smug one, and furrows her brows in confusion.
Ian looks between them, then back to Melissa. "Any luck?" He asks her. Melissa shakes her head. "She must have deleted her account or something."
Melissa gets up and begins to head for the kitchen area. "I'm going to get a drink." She snaps abruptly. A laugh creeps through Alison's lips, and Ian gives her an apologetic look. "Sorry about that."
"Don't sweat it." She reassures him. Over his shoulder, she can see Jenna and Noel watching them, whispering to each other. Jenna gives Alison a subtle wink, and Alison responds with a quirk her brow. She looks back to Ian, flashing him a demure smile. He looks her up and down in a hardly appropriate manner, then his eyes land on her drink. "Want a refill?"
She nods her head, and Ian grabs her drink, deliberately brushing his fingers against Alison's in the process. Alison cringes inwardly, but reciprocates with practiced ease. He finally moves his hand away and heads toward the bar. Alison feels her phone vibrate in her hand, and she looks at it.
Jenna: u going for it or what?
Alison looks across the room to see Jenna still watching her, with a hope-filled expression. Rather than text her back, Alison gives her a furtive nod. Jenna's grin widens, and Alison can already feel the burn of her ears in anticipation for the school's reception of her latest scandal.
Present
It's almost comical, the way that Charlotte's mouth hangs open. The way that her eyes light up, and they way that an intrigued smile overruns her face.
"So, you and Americano are back on?" Charlotte asks, with a hopeful lilt to her voice. Sadly, that hope is quickly crushed when Alison downs her shot of tequila and throws her an incredulous look. "Why not?" Her sister pushes.
"Can we talk about something else?" Alison asks. Charlotte nods slowly, and waves toward the bar for attention. "Can we have four more shots of tequila over here please?"
Charlotte places her hands on Alison's shoulders "Screw talking, let's drink instead."
"I like that alternative," Alison says, grinning brightly.
Four shots are placed in front of them, and Alison gulps as she picks one up. "To getting wasted," Charlotte says. "To getting wasted." Alison reiterates, downing the shot. Alison's face scrunches as the tequila burns her throat. Though, the same can't be said for Charlotte, who seems to recover pretty quickly.
A couple of pissed off sighs comes from behind them, and Alison turns her head to find the source. She feels her heart drop when she sees Aria, Emily, Hanna and Spencer standing there, wearing a variety of expressions.
Aria's glaring at her, Hanna seems conflicted, Spencer's smiling, and Emily just looks like she wants to leave.
The feeling is mutual.
Charlotte seems to have other ideas. "Fancy seeing you girls here."
Hanna and Spencer chuckle lightly, but Aria and Emily don't. They remain uncomfortable and withdrawn.
"You ladies want a shot?" Charlotte offers, somehow managing to amplify the already strained atmosphere. Hanna looks to her friends, then to Alison with reluctance. "Um, sure." She speaks up, throwing Alison a small smile. She walks over to them and Spencer follows her lead.
Aria glances to Emily, then Alison. She whispers something to her, but it's so muffled that it's indecipherable. Emily shakes her head and Aria rolls her eyes. "I'm going for a cigarette." She announces, heading toward the door. Alison pays attention to how Hanna and Spencer don't follow her, or even react.
That's new.
"What happened to the party?" Charlotte asks. "Aria's dad decided to stay," Spencer tells her. She turns her gaze to Alison. "Hey, Ali." She greets warmly.
"Hey, Spence." She says back. She looks to Hanna and gives her a curt nod, to which Hanna reciprocates. Emily steps closer to them, but keeps her distance from Alison.
"You girls like tequila?"
February 2016
"Her and Ian Thomas slept together while his girlfriend was-."
Not true. None of it is, though Alison does nothing to debunk it. Somehow, letting people believe it to be real relaxes Alison immensely. She walks down the corridor, exuding her usual brand of confidence and superiority, to keep her reputation intact and her inner turmoil in the dark.
Her posture nearly falters when she spots Emily standing by her locker, admonishing her with a hurt and puzzled expression. It stings, and Alison knows that she has some explaining to do. Judging by the way that Emily shifts her attention to her locker instead, it isn't a good sign.
"Hey." She greets, stepping over to her. Emily shuts her locker before turning to face her again. She huffs out a small 'hey'. They look at each other for a painful beat, until Emily speaks up. "Nice weekend?"
They both fall into a stroll together. "It was okay. Yours?" Alison asks, watching for Emily's response. "Had better."
Alison stops Emily with a hand to her shoulder, and gives her a sincere expression. "I'm sorry- For not texting you back." Emily looks skeptical, and Alison wants nothing more than for it to go away; to be replaced with that candid-sweet expression she usually wears. "Let me make it up to you- After school, at the brew. I'll buy?" Emily seems to consider it, swaying as she makes a decision.
"Okay, deal." She finally says.
Present
The temptation to slip away from her old group of friends has been staggering. Aria and Emily have been practically silent for the past hour, while Spencer and Hanna have been making careful small talk. Travis joined them with his friends after a while, which diffused the awkwardness ever so slightly.
Alison can help but think that it's too much of a coincidence for them all to have ended up at the same bar, when there's a multitude of them around here. Especially when this bar is possibly the scuzziest around.
It is then with sudden clarity that she has it all figured out. She furrows her brows and leans closer to Charlotte. "Did you tell Spencer to bring the girls here?" She asks in a hushed voice. All she gets in response is a coy smile, which is enough of an answer for her.
"I'm going to get another drink," Alison announces, slipping out of her seat. "Wait up," Hanna calls, following her to the bar. When they get there, Alison feels Hanna nudge her arm. She gives the girl an inquisitive look.
"It's nice catching up," Hanna says, with a slight slur to her speech. Alison reciprocates the nudge, mutely letting her know that she's in the same boat.
"I hate how weird things have been, since.."
'Since you and Emily stopped talking' Alison finishes for her, inwardly.
"Me too," Alison says quietly, feeling that all too familiar sense of guilt creep up on her again. Hanna's bright eyes dim down, and she suddenly looks lost for words.
"I think that we need to lay off the shots and go for something lighter, I'm already feeling it and it's only nine." Comes Charlotte's voice from behind them. "Thank God," Alison responds. If she has to do another shot, she'll positively throw up.
Aria left to meet her boyfriend an hour ago, insisting that she would return - plot twist, she never did.
She sent Spencer a text to let her know that she wouldn't be coming back, and when Alison asked her why not, she got a tense look in response. It hurt Alison's feelings a bit, but if anything, she's baffled. She's baffled because Emily hasn't left - not yet, anyway.
They reach their own strange milestone when Emily goes to get the next round, returning with a drink for Alison. It isn't some misguided affection, or anything like that, but rather subtle way to say 'hey, I can be in the same room as you and not feel like I'm going to die'.
In retrospect, it's kind of silly, but for now? Alison will accept anything, even if it's as small as being able to peacefully coexist.
"Okay, I've had enough of this place. Let's go to a club." Charlotte suggests. Everybody hums, agreeing, and to Alison's surprise - Emily does too.
"I know a cool place just a block away," Hanna tells them, getting up from her seat. "Retro's is not a cool place, Hanna," Spencer interjects. The blonde pouts, and everyone laughs.
"How about Fuel?" Charlotte asks them. Everyone looks to each other then to Charlotte.
"What's Fuel?"
Fuel is a maze. It has five floors, with each one dedicated to a different genre of music, which Alison discovered unwarrantedly when she lost everyone while she went to get a drink.
She's been wandering the place for twenty minutes minimum, and she still hasn't found them. Alison looks around her, scanning the crowd for her group. She notes that perhaps more caution should be taken, in the way she holds her drink, because just seconds later, she walks straight into someone.
Resulting in her light blue dress being painted with strawberry daiquiri.
It's her own fault, really - she should have been paying attention to her surroundings.
Alison looks up, and is honestly not surprised the slightest when she sees a wide-eyed Emily. "I'm so sorry, I didn't-" She yells over the music.
"It's okay, it was my bad," Alison reassures her. Emily eases and tip-toes, looking around them. "Come on, we'll find a bathroom." She says, grabbing Alison's hand.
It startles Alison so much, that she barely registers that she's being guided through a crowd - being too focused on their connected hands.
Emily's drunk, that's the only logical explanation for this. There's no way in hell that she would say more than three words to her in one day, let alone hold her hand - not a chance.
They arrive at a bathroom on the jazz floor, and fall into a small queue. Emily removes her hand from Alison's, and the blonde misses the warmth of it.
She catches Emily looking at her from time to time. Though, Alison wonders if it's in fact Emily catching her. The silence between them is filled with an inexplicable urge.
An urge to initiate conversation, to say something. But she's too scared. She's scared that the second she opens her mouth, the sooner this ends. The sooner they go back to being strangers.
A cubicle door opens, and two girls emerge from it, giggling. Alison can hear groans of annoyance coming from some people in the queue, and she glances to Emily. There's a shadow of a smirk on her face, and a knowing look in her eye.
Alison's eyebrows quirk upward and an amused smile plays at her lips. She knows that Emily's referencing their time together at Noel Kahn's Christmas party last year. They had a bit too much to drink, and struggled to keep their hands off each other, resulting in them ending up in one of the bathrooms.
That was the last time they were together.
Emily seems to realize that, because suddenly, her knowing look fades away, and it's replaced by a strange fire. Her eyes always had more to say than words, they always said more than she ever could.
Come to think of it, neither of them were really ever good with words.
Maybe that was where it all went wrong.
It seems to occur to Emily too, and the barest smile forms on the brunette's lips, contrasting the sadness in her eyes. It's as if she's trying to stomp that realization.
Someone exits the cubicle closest to them, and Emily startles. She blinks her eyes, and recomposes them. "I'll wait here." She says, almost strained.
Alison nods her head and she walks toward the cubicle. Her eyes linger on Emily, hoping that maybe she'll follow.
She doesn't.
Let me know what you think in the comments, or on tumblr bitteremison.