A/N: Thank you for all the reviews on the last chapter! :) I skipped over a little bit of time, but Aria and Spencer will talk about Aria's living situation soon.

Disclaimer: "Pretty Little Liars" isn't mine.

Saturday night, Ezra lazily leaned against the doorpost of Aria's bedroom in Kenneth Hall, and he warily glanced around the room. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth when his eyes landed on Aria. She was standing in front of a full-length mirror, swaying to the loud beat of the music her phone was blasting out. Oblivious to Ezra's presence, she hummed to herself as she judged the outfit she had orchestrated.

"Those are quite the moves you've got there," Ezra duly noted when a faster song filled the room, and Aria matched the pace of her moving hips accordingly.

Aria spun around quickly. Blood rushed to her face and Aria smoothed her hair with her hand, absolutely horrified when she saw the amusement in Ezra's eyes. She was embarrassed she'd been so distracted that she had missed his presence completely. Her reaction only amused Ezra further.

"Oh God," Aria mumbled.

"Now don't stop on my account," Ezra said, shooting Aria a devious grin. Aria was suddenly very interested in the laminated floor beneath her feet. A silence stretched the room and Aria didn't know how to fill it.

"I was just…," Aria said when she looked up, grasping for words to finish that sentence.

"Dancing?" Ezra offered. He laughed when he saw the stricken expression on Aria's face. "Yeah, I noticed."

"I was getting dressed," Aria said, stressing the last word of her sentence. She was wearing a Nanette Lepore Paisley dress and her best heels for her date with Noel. Aria wasn't sure what kind of party Noel was bringing her to, but this dress could suffice as casual as well as a little more dressed up. Aria hadn't really bothered to style her hair since she'd gotten back to Rosewood—mostly because she hadn't had the time—but smooth curls now framed her face. A light gloss covered her lips and the color she'd used complemented her hazel eyes.

"Well, you look beautiful," Ezra said genuinely. His words brought a smile to Aria's lips and made a pleasant warmth spread through her body. She was grateful that her cheeks couldn't turn an even darker shade of crimson than they already were.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

To distract herself, Aria crossed the room and crouched beside her suitcase, looking for the container that held her jewelry. In the meantime, she peeked at Ezra over her shoulder in what she hoped to be a casual manner. "So what's up?"

"What are your plans tomorrow?" Ezra asked Aria immediately.

"My plans?" Aria mentally went over her schedule for the next day, while she rummaged through her suitcase. "Um, currently non-existent, I guess. Why?"

"An apartment in one of the apartment complexes is available. Tomorrow I'm going to take a look at it," Ezra said. Hardy had wanted Ezra to do it today, but Ezra had come up with a viable excuse; he had to grade essays. Ezra hadn't been able to come up with an excuse as to why he couldn't go tomorrow, however. "I was wondering if you'd like to come with me."

Aria's fingers triumphantly enclosed around a black box; the one she'd been looking for. Aria stood and walked over to her desk. "You want me to come with you?"

"Of course not. That's why I asked you," Ezra replied. Aria tsked; she didn't need this guy's sarcastic superiority right now.

Ezra watched with vigilant eyes as Aria retracted different kinds of earrings from the mysterious black box and ignored his question. When she had narrowed it down to two pairs, Ezra realized she wasn't planning on answering any time soon.

"So do you?" Ezra asked her, gently prodding her for an answer.

"Do I what?" Aria asked distractedly.

"Want to come with me?"

Again, Aria didn't respond. Instead, she held up the two pairs of earrings—a green-ish pair and silver pair. She turned toward Ezra with a questioning look on her face. "Which one?"

Ezra gave a frustrated sigh. "The silver ones."

Aria looked at both pairs for a moment longer, before she shrugged. She put the silver ones through the tiny holes in her earlobes, and decided that she was done prepping herself for the night. When she finally focused on Ezra, he had a slightly annoyed expression on his face.

"What?" Aria blinked uncomprehendingly for a moment.

"Tomorrow?" Ezra reminded her. "Do you want to come?"

"Oh! Um, I…," Aria bristled. "Sure."

Ezra nodded and Aria smiled, before she started looking for a bag that matched her outfit. The problem was that Aria still hadn't unpacked yet, and she didn't know which box contained which objects. The past few days she had managed by opening random boxes; though it was always a surprise which items would be in it.

"I'm heading out tonight," Ezra said when Aria opened the third box.

"Okay. Me too."

"I know."

Aria found the exact bag she was looking for. She could feel Ezra's eyes boring a hole in her back and she kind of wondered why he was still in her room. Would it be rude to ask?

Ezra quickly answered Aria's question when he spoke, though.

"But, uh, I kind of need my car keys," Ezra said. Understanding dawned in Aria's eyes a couple seconds later. Aria reached inside a drawer and finally pulled the keys out, throwing them in Ezra's direction. He smoothly caught them in one hand and turned to leave.

Aria's voice stopped him.

"Could you just drop me off somewhere first?"

"Sure."

Ezra dropped Aria off at Spencer's house. Aria had left Spencer's house that afternoon, but they had agreed that she would return in the evening so Noel could pick her up. That Aria was living at a college dormitory was one of the secrets Aria had shared with Spencer the night before, but she couldn't afford to tell more people. Aria had wanted to confide in Spencer and tell her about her other problems as well, but she hadn't been able to bring herself to. She had just settled for discussing living where she living briefly, trying to make it seem like it was not such a big deal.

Noel picked Aria up around ten at the Hastings' residence. Aria had to give him credit—he behaved like a perfect gentleman. Noel complemented her on her outfit and opened the car door for her, allowing her to slip in the passenger's seat. As they drove to their destination, they made small talk and joked around for a bit.

It wasn't until Noel parked the car that Aria bothered to check her surroundings.

Aria went stoically still as she saw the familiar outline of Blanchard House. The resemblance between Kenneth Hall and this dormitory was nearly eerie. Blanchard House was bigger, though, and it was nearly on the opposite side of the campus. The building Byron Montgomery used to teach in was next to it, which is why Aria recognized it instantly.

"This is a college party?" Aria asked Noel.

"Is that a problem?" Noel asked her in return.

Aria swallowed and finally shook her head. "No, of course not," she scoffed.

Noel got out of the car and, after a short hesitation, Aria did the same. Together, they slowly approached the building and entered it. Aria could already feel the floorboards vibrating above them as they reached the staircase.

The party was on the second floor. Aria wasn't sure what the first clue was; the beer cups scattered all over the place, the unusual amount of college students squeezed into one room, or the vibrations Aria could now identify as music.

Blanchard House was much bigger than Kenneth Hall, but it also resided a lot more students and the rooms were smaller. The living room and kitchen were nearly identical to the one Aria lived in, but eight doors—instead of four, like at Kenneth—were connected to it. A couple doors were open, whereas others were closed. The couches were all occupied. Some people were engaging in conversations, some were engaging in other activities. In the kitchen, a regulation group was talking, handing out drinks to those who asked for it.

Aria was overwhelmed. She was overwhelmed by the music, she was overwhelmed by the people, and she was overwhelmed by the fact that she was there with Noel.

"Wait right here. I'll get us some drinks," Noel yelled in Aria's ear. They were standing relatively close to the entrance and they were surrounded by people on all sides. Aria's hand shot out and she grabbed Noel's wrist.

"Don't you dare," she hissed. "I don't know anybody here!"

"Just be your normal, charming self," Noel said to Aria, shooting her a boyish grin. Before Aria could reply or ask him what that even meant, he had already disappeared in a mass of people, leaving Aria by herself.

Aria nervously looked around for a moment. When she couldn't see Noel anymore, she frantically searched the room with her eyes. Aria didn't know whether she was looking for Ezra, Hardy or Melissa. She felt a little silly looking for them. I mean, what were the odds they were there too? They weren't even in college anymore! But Aria didn't release the tense breath she'd been holding until she was convinced she really couldn't find them. Then again, she couldn't see that many people from her current spot.

Aria looked up when a guy approached her. It wasn't until he was in very near proximity that she realized it wasn't Noel. He stumbled in Aria's direction and she instinctively held him off with her hands. With one last forceful push on her part and a "stuck-up bitch" on his part, they parted ways.

Aria was beyond relief when Noel finally returned to her side. She hadn't even been there for two full minutes yet, but she was already anxious to leave. Noel handed her a red, plastic cup with some sort of liquid in it. Aria sniffed it. Coke spiked with something, although her nose wasn't trained enough to distinguish what.

Noel saw Aria's discomfort.

"Let's just finish these and then we can leave," Noel said.

Aria nodded gratefully and that's exactly what they did.

Ezra Fitz, Brody Adams, Lance Carey, and Chris Castillo had all majored in English at Hollis together, and they were currently having a poker night. Ezra was shuffling the cards, his hands moving back and forth. Poker chips were divided between the guys and Ezra had his fair share in front of him. Ezra placed four piles of two cards in a circle on the table, dealing out the cards. The guys each picked up a pair of cards and studied said pair, their poker faces in place.

"I fold," Chris immediately said, placing back both cards on the table in defeat. He turned toward Ezra. "And you're not dealing again."

Ezra grinned.

Ezra, Brody and Lance used to have these poker nights weekly back when they were still in college. When they became friends with Chris, poker nights became a rare occasion. Chris was nearly invincible when it came to poker. If you won, you knew it was because he pitied you; if he won, you knew it was because he could. Ever since Ezra started dealing cards, however, Chris kept losing.

"I don't know," Lance said slowly. He threw a couple chips to the center of the table, staying in the pot. "I kind of like this arrangement."

"Maybe you just suck at this game," Brody said. He, too, threw in a few chips.

"Exactly!" Ezra exclaimed. "Don't blame your inability to play on my skillful dealing."

Chris scoffed, while Ezra contemplated on what to do. Finally, he folded.

On Ezra's right, Brody was chomping down on a slice of pizza. When Ezra's phone, laying on the table, buzzed, Brody quickly snatched it right out from under Ezra's nose.

"That's mine," Ezra said.

"No phones tonight," Brody replied. He was about to put Ezra's phone out of the owner's reach, but he then saw Ezra had received a new text. Curious as he was, Brody opened it, reading the words. He chuckled and finally looked in Ezra's direction.

"Who's Aria?"

Ezra's head snapped in Brody's direction and Brody laughed.

"What did she want?" Ezra demanded immediately. He couldn't help the urgent tone that was coating his voice. Ezra knew there was a possibility that Aria was going out with Noel Kahn tonight. He'd asked around a little bit at school and he wasn't happy with what he'd heard; apparently Noel had been going through girls at school like they were Kleenex.

"She just asked you to pick her up at Spencer's later tonight?" Brody said, the statement sounding more like a question. He continued to study the screen, before he looked up at Ezra. "I flew all the way out here and you're going to bail on me for a girl?" Brody had moved to New York City after graduation, but he had returned to Pennsylvania especially for the occasion.

"Of course not," Ezra said, while he placed three cards faceup on the table. Brody didn't study the flop, still more interested in Ezra and his phone. He fumbled with the device.

"Wait!" Ezra suddenly said to Brody. "What are you doing?"

A/N: So up until yesterday I'd never played poker before. Three guys tried to teach me during my Dutch class, but I don't really understand how it works yet. I hope all the rules were correct, haha. I used the internet a little. ;) Please review!