It was already March 3rd, where had the time gone? The New Year had brought in many new problems and not so many solutions. It had been a time to reflect, and Emily felt like she had done so much reflection that she'd earned herself a degree in Psychology.

A seemed to be getting more and more dangerous as the days went on. Trying harder and harder to put them in the ground one by one. It was stressful, to say the least.

On top of that, there was the whole fiasco with Paige. After weeks of late night conversations, which usually ended with both of them crying hysterically, they had finally had enough. They knew that they only had one last shot at convincing Paige's parents not to go to California…or at least not to take their daughter with them.

It had taken some planning, but Paige had convinced her parents to invite Emily over for what they thought to be a goodbye dinner. However the girls had other plans.

Emily looked at herself one last time in her bedroom mirror, looking at herself sceptically. Was this the right outfit to wear? She stopped and then smiled to herself. If she spent more time out in the real world, rather than staring in this exact mirror, then maybe she could have really done something with her life.

The thought made her stomach drop. What was she going to do with her life? She'd always dreamed of leaving Rosewood. Getting away from the small town and making it in the big city. She chuckled, and how many other girls dream of that?

More than she could imagine, but were any of them as desperate as she was to escape the town that has been the fate of so many people that she had loved?

Her dark thoughts were interrupted by her phone buzzing on her desk. It was Paige.

You ready? – Paige

Emily took a deep breath. Was she? No. She was as far from ready as she could be, but she had no choice. It was now or never. Time to bite the bullet and enough with the dramatic sayings…your feet have to move towards the door if you actually want to leave, she thought.

Emily shuffled awkwardly as the silence before dinner began to creep its way into her brain. It was deafening. She sat opposite Paige's father. He was wearing a shirt buttoned up tight around his neck, with a sweater over the top.

She briefly lost herself in a flashback to his outburst in the school cafeteria about the swim team anchor… oh how things had changed. That anger must still be in there, somewhere…just waiting to erupt again…

Paige's mother's voice broke the uncomfortable staring battle, notifying them that dinner was served. One by one she brought the bowls of food through from the kitchen, smiling sweetly whenever she made eye contact with Emily.

Emily knew what she was thinking. How could she not smile so sweetly when she was getting exactly what she wanted? A new house and a new job, in a nice sunny state far, far away from the horrors of Rosewood.

Emily was shocked by the sudden pang of jealousy, and for a brief moment considered whether confronting them was the right thing to do. Not for the sake of her parents, but for Paige herself.

She glanced over at Paige, who was happily spooning out various foods onto her plate. No she thought, she deserved this shot at love. A had done everything they could to try to tear them down, and even if this wasn't a direct threat from A, the California move was a result of their actions, and it was not happening.

It was just a matter of time before A did something else to try to push their relationship over the edge, but deep down Emily was certain that they were strong enough to stay together. She tried to remain sensitive, considered that Paige's parents were only trying to do what they believed to be best for their daughter, but there was no way that Emily was just going to sit back and let Paige walk out of her life. Not a chance.

Once the food was served, Paige's mother joined the rest of them at the table and urged them to begin their meals. Unfortunately, Emily didn't have much of an appetite. She had rehearsed briefly what she was going to say, but no doubt it would all disappear when she actually tried to speak.

She tried her best to put food into her mouth and look as though she was enjoying it. It seemed to be working, but little did they know how her stomach felt like it was doing a dance routine from Step Up.

After pushing more food around her plate, she decided to give in and help Paige take out the dishes into the kitchen. Was this the right time to broach the subject? Probably not because it felt like the small amount of food she had just eaten was about to make a return visit on the carpet of the McCulller's dining room floor.

Emily looked at Paige cautiously, Paige nodded silently. It was time.