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Rosewood, PA – 2011

Bedroom of Aria Montgomery

" –And then, this one time Spencer hid Hanna's bottle of lotion as a joke, and Hanna refused to talk to Spencer for a week straight."

"Wow.."

The girls had just gotten out of school, and Aria had opted to hang out with Mona instead of her friends. The two had bonded over their lunch period, and Aria had insisted that Mona come over. After a quick call to her foster parents, the girls were headed off to Aria's. Almost as soon as they had stepped inside, Aria dragged Mona up to her room and shut her door.

"Yeah, they're ridiculous," Aria sighed, and settled on her bed, letting her backpack drop on the floor next to her slippers. "But they're still my best friends," she added, leaning back against her headboard. "So, why did you move here?"

Mona sat down on a plushy floor chair. It was Ursula from The Little Mermaid, and it was incredibly comfortable. She picked at a tentacle. "I don't really want to talk about it," she muttered.

Aria nodded. "Fair enough. So, are you, like, hungry? I think my Dad went grocery shopping while I was at school." She spun the ball around on the tip of her index finger. "Are you allergic to anything?"

"No," Mona shook her head. "But I'm not really hungry. Thanks though." She paused. "I like your room."

"Thanks," Aria grinned. "I decorated the whole thing by myself. Paint included."

"Really?" Mona asked, surprised. "Damn, girl. That's impressive."

The two walls on either side of the door leading to Aria's bathroom were painted a dark maroon color, while the other walls were painted a soft gray. Aria had dark gray curtains and a white comforter set, splashed with maroon stars. On the second shelf of her bookcase there was a globe, and Mona could see a bunch of Post-It notes stuck to it. Next to that was a bobble head of Edgar Allen Poe with a little raven on his shoulder. And on the shelf above that was the whole set of the Harry Potter series, and Mona's eyes lit up.

"I fucking love Harry Potter!" she squealed, unable to keep the excitement out of her tone. "Dude, which House are you? I'm totally a Ravenclaw."

Aria pursed her lips. "I'm not really sure," she said. "The girls and I took the quiz on Pottermore, and we each got different Houses."

"What'd you get?"

Aria's nose wrinkled. "Slytherin."

Mona studied Aria carefully. "Yeah, I can see that," she finally said after a few moments of silence. "What did everyone else get?"

Aria yawned and stretched her arms above her head. "Uh, Emily got Hufflepuff; Hanna got Gryffindor; Spencer got Ravenclaw, and Alison got Slytherin." She flexed her feet until her ankles cracked, and stood up. "Totally fits them."

"How so?"

"Trust me, once you get to know my friends you'll see it. But I'm gonna go get a snack. Are you sure you don't want anything?"

"I'm sure."

"Kay, be right back." Aria ducked out of her room, and ran down the stairs.

Mona got up and walked around Aria's room, taking in the small details. Aria had put a lot of care into making her room her own. There were drawings tacked up on a bulletin board above her desk, which were insanely good, and a few stray books were scattered about her desk. Mona tilted her head to glance at the titles.

Frankenstein,

Lord of the Flies,

Lolita,

My Sweet Audrina

There were also a few True Crime books. Her eyes landed on No Easy Answers: The Truth Behind Columbine. She picked it up and turned it over. She had heard about Columbine, of course, but didn't know much about it.

"I got you a soda."

Mona jumped, the book slipping between her fingers. It landed with a light thud at her feet, and she whirled around. "Jesus! You scared me."

Aria smirked and handed Mona a can of Coke. "Sorry, sorry. What are you doing?"

Mona scrambled to pick up the book she'd dropped. "I was just checking out a few of your books. Hey, can I borrow this?"

Aria shrugged. "Knock yourself out." She popped open the tab to her Sprite can, and sucked the fizz from the top before it could spill over. "It's really good."

Mona's eyes flashed to Aria's digital alarm clock. Ah, crap. She had to be back home in ten minutes. "Shit. I have to leave. Do you think one of your parents can drop me off?"

"Yeah, sure. My dad won't mind. I was talking to him downstairs about you."

Mona felt a small flutter in her stomach. "All good things, yeah?"

Aria smiled mysteriously. "Maybe," she teased.

Mona stuffed her unopened can of Coke and the book into her backpack and hoisted it on her shoulders. "I'll give your book back when I'm done."

"Take your time, Mona. Really." Aria threw her arm around Mona's shoulder and guided her out of her room. "We'll do a trade-off. I'll borrow something of yours when we get back to your place. 'Kay?"

Mona chewed on her bottom lip. "I don't have much," she mumbled.

Aria rolled her eyes. "I'm sure I'll find something, right?"

Mona sighed. Well, she did have a few things. It wouldn't hurt to let Aria sift through her meager possessions. What were friends for?

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