In Rosewood everything seemed perfect. From the almost too-green grass on the country club lawns, to the upperclass mall, down to Rosewood's high school that enrolled some of the most beautiful teenagers in the country. Perfection was a standard in a town like Rosewood, and just like any town that held itself to such high expectations, there was a group of girls who shared that same sentiment.

Aria Montgomery was the group's most unique member. She had a passion for art, photography, and literature, but she was most known around town for her style. She was the hipster of the group who wore untraditional trendy outfits that her small frame always managed to pull off. Aria was a dreamer who was in love with the idea of falling in love and who romanticized everything. She had one of the sweetest personalities of the group, probably second to Emily Fields. An argument could be made that Emily was the kindest person that lived in the state of Pennsylvania.. like ever.

Her athletic success didn't phase her. Emily was in the top ten nationally ranked swimmers of her class, winning the state championship her freshman and sophomore year. So far she remained undefeated and her meets were packed with collegiate scouts. She was the shyest of the group, which tended to shock people given her athletic success, sure, but also because how physically stunning she was. Emily was the kind of beautiful that made people feel warm inside. She was the definition of the girl next door; insanely cute and approachable but sometimes she could just be plain hot. Still, even with her beauty, Emily was shy compared to her big personality friends. The biggest of them all would go to none other than Hanna Marin.

Hanna was straightforward and bold, to say the least. In middle school and freshman year, Hanna was more chubby than the other girls, eating her problems away after her parents nasty divorce. No one could blame her really, it was ugly. The summer after freshman year and throughout her sophomore year she began working out with Emily and cleaning up her diet. After a few months, Hanna dropped the weight she put on and she felt her best yet, inside and out. While the blonde was the feistiest out of the five girls, well maybe second feistiest, she was also the funniest. Hanna was the kind of funny that didn't have to try, she just was. And unlike Aria, Hanna's closet was filled with designer brand names of the latest clothes and shoes of the season. If it was last season, that's exactly when you would last see it on her newly toned body. Hanna preferred to keep her head in Vogue, but Spencer Hastings dared not.

Spencer was undoubtedly the genius of the clique. The brunette had the smart gene given to her honest. The Hastings were notorious for their academic and career success, and like any golden child of a family like that would, she kept herself busy with full loads of AP classes, college prep classes, volunteer work, student government, and French club, all while playing field hockey for Rosewood High's varsity team. She was an overachiever through and through, but always made time for her friends. She would do anything for any of them, no matter what task she was dismantling at the time.

Spencer always had too much on her plate but in true Hastings fashion she managed to ace it all seemingly effortless. The Hastings family refused anything but perfection and she fit the mold. However, perfection took a completely different turn when it came to the unofficial leader of Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer. Perfection in Rosewood had piercing blue eyes and long blonde hair that never seemed like it was out of place. Perfection was labeled as Alison DiLaurentis.

Alison was the type of person that captivated someone from the moment they laid eyes on her. To say that she ruled Rosewood was almost an understatement. If she wanted it, she got it. People, access, things.. it didn't matter. With a simple smile she would have the city of Rosewood on its knees. She was always a hot topic and in the spotlight. Truth be told, Alison wanted it that way. She enjoyed the attention and admiration. It made her feel powerful. But Alison knew what really made her powerful. Away from her pretty face and flashing dimples, she knew her ability to read people was her strongest trait. In a five minute conversation Alison could figure out a person's weaknesses. She knew how to draw people in and she knew how to get under their skin. She was best at making someone feel high and knew how to cut them low. She was a master at mind games. A beautiful girl with an element of mystery.

Together the girls made a clique that was at the center of Rosewood. They were best friends with an unbreakable bond. A group that stood to face the test of time, or maybe in their case, popularity. It was a warm August afternoon, just a week before their junior year was about to start. The girls spent the summer with each other when they could and today was no different as they laid around the pool.

"Ali, look at these shoes. Cute right?" Hanna tilted the magazine in her hands over to the other blonde. She pushed her sunglasses down her nose, "yeah, they're cute. Not the style I'm going for this year but cute." Still, she couldn't stop herself from eyeing the shoes on the page. Hanna was someone she took fashion advice from even if she wouldn't admit it. In fact, she thought that Hanna was the most fashionable of the group. Including her.

"What look are you going for?" Aria asked, laying on the opposite side of Hanna.

Part of her didn't even want to reply. To put it nicely, Aria was the last in the group who she would take fashion advice from. "I'm thinking more dressy this year."

Spencer glanced up from her book that she was re-reading for her English AP class. In Hastings fashion, she was halfway through it for the second time, scribbling new notes on the pages. "Like blazers and button-ups?"

Alison refrained from rolling her eyes. Of course Spencer would ask that. She practically dressed like her lawyer of a mother. She shook her head, "no, dressy as in actual dresses. Sun dresses, off the shoulder dresses.. all dresses. Maybe a few skirts."

Emily sat on the other side of Alison and turned her head to look at the blonde through her sunglasses. She allowed her eyes to travel down to Alison's legs and linger for a moment. She wouldn't mind at all if Alison wanted to wear dresses every day. She's pretty sure that she'd appreciate it if it never got cold in Pennsylvania again..

Alison's lips curled into a smile when she was certain that Emily was looking at her everywhere but her face. She was aware of the way Emily felt about her, she had been for a long time, even before Emily was aware of it herself. The love struck gazes she caught in secret, her pink blushed cheeks when Alison touched her, the way Alison could coax the sweetest smile from Emily that was reserved just for her. Emily looked at Alison like the blonde put the stars in the sky and she loved it. She loved the way Emily made her feel, like she could do no wrong and the world was hers. "What do you think Em? Would I look good in dresses this year?"

Emily's eyes shot back to Alison's face and she lifted her sunglasses to the top of her head. "Yeah, you can pull off anything Ali."

The blonde's smile widened and when Alison's dimples popped, she felt her stomach unleash a cage of butterflies. Alison notoriously had this affect on her. She felt pulled to Alison like a moth to a flame. It was a feeling she had only experienced with the blonde. She knew it was a dangerous game she was playing, allowing things to happen the way they had been lately. Over the summer, Alison had been different. The blonde had always favored Emily, that was something Alison told Emily in whispered confessions when the two were alone, but recently Alison's favoritism was becoming more obvious. She called Emily more than she did the other girls and made plans alone with Emily more than she did the others. At first Emily thought it was because Spencer's schedule was so demanding, Hanna spent a lot of her free time with her boyfriend Sean, and Aria was just…well, Aria. They weren't the two closest of group and out of them all, Aria had the least in common with the blonde. But Emily quickly began to notice how different Alison acted around of her. Alison wanted to touch Emily almost all the time. Cuddles during movies, hugging the brunette more than usual, playing with her fingers while they talked.

Even though Emily did find Alison's sudden attention strange, she certainly wasn't going to complain about it. Emily loved having Alison close. She adored the touches the two shared. She felt happiest with Alison by her side. She'd let Alison consume her whole if the blonde wanted to... and that was the problem. There were moments over the summer when Emily wondered what it meant or if she was reading into it too much. The late nights in the blonde's room when it was just them two, watching a TV show with Alison curled into her side and the blonde drawing lazy patterns on her hip made her head spin. Or when Alison pulled Emily into a closet at a party and hugged the brunette tight for a few moments, whispering to Emily how much she loved spending time with her and how she was her favorite person in the world.. it was a pleasurable torture having Alison in those moments. So close but somehow not close enough. There but not completely.

Emily's thoughts were interrupted when her phone pinged. "Who's that Em? Is it your girlfriend?" Hanna's eyebrows wiggled as she smirked. Alison hated the way Hanna said girlfriend. Maybe hated that Hanna said the word at all.

Emily smiled and continued to read the text on her phone, "maybe."

"I knew it. Look at her, she's blushing."

Alison leaned back in her chair and rolled her eyes. Ugh, Pigskin.

Aria flipped over from her back to her stomach, "how long have you two been together now? A month?"

"Yeah but it feels a lot longer since we've been teammates for a few years. It's weird because I've known her for so long but it's kind of like I'm getting to relearn who she is because we're dating now."

"You guys are so adorable," Aria smiled, "I can tell she makes you happy." Spencer shut her book and turned towards her friends, "she should hang out with us sometime so that we can get to know her. If she's important to you, she's important to us."

Alison could have thrown up listening to her friends discuss Pigs- Paige. Alison and Paige did not have good history. In middle school soccer practice they got into arguments about everything, from who needed to pass the ball to the warm-up music played before games. It didn't stop there, the girls both played varsity soccer their freshman and sophomore year. Just a few months ago they physically fought. Alison elbowed Paige when they were going after the ball in a scrimmage and Paige pushed Alison down. Alison retaliated by bringing Paige down with her but the coach broke it up, but still, there were battle bruises to show. Alison nearly hated Paige, and now she was sure that she did when Paige started dating Emily.

She couldn't take it anymore. She didn't want to hear about Paige, or Paige and Emily, or Emily's relationship with someone else that wasn't.. she just didn't want to hear about it anymore. "What do you guys want to do for dinner tonight?"

"I wanted to ask you guys a little more officially, but the remodeling is done and yesterday I finished moving my furniture, so.. let's spend my first night in the apartment together!" Spencer grinned. She couldn't hide her excitement. The last six months, she waited for the Hastings barn to finish remodeling. At the beginning of her high school career, her parents promised her that if she made straight A's and kept leadership positions in clubs, they would turn the barn into an in-law suite. It was all the motivation Spencer needed.

Alison's eyes twinkled with mischief. She loved the idea of the girls having their own space to do whatever they wanted without parents lurking around. "Awesome Spence."

"We should definitely drink tonight," Hanna offered.

Spencer pushed her long brown hair off of her shoulders, "as long as we don't make a mess. We seriously just finished renovating it last week."

Alison tossed Hanna a wink, "I'll make Jason get us drinks. He owes me."

"Can we make brownies Spencer?! You know those are my favorite," Aria pleaded.

Emily frowned as she listened to her friends arrange plans for the night. She wanted to go, she hated missing plans with her friends, but she already told Paige that they would hangout tonight. "I can't make it tonight."

Spencer's smile faded as she turned to Emily, "but it's my first night in the barn. Em, you have to be there. We have talked about this night for months."

"It's date night with Paige."

The words came from Alison's lips before she could stop them, "seriously? You were just with her last night."

Emily brought her eyes to Alison's. She could tell Alison was frustrated with her. This occurred often whenever Paige was involved. Emily couldn't help but to wonder if Alison was jealous. Maybe it was the reaction she was looking for in Alison, but even if she wasn't, Emily could swear it was jealously coming from the blonde. "She's wanted to see some Nicholas Sparks movie for weeks now and I told her that we could tonight."

"So you're choosing Paige over us?"

"Ali, it's not like that. I just—, she—,"

"Em, it's fine," Aria cut, looking back and forth between Alison and Emily. She didn't understand the tension between the two but she knew she didn't like where this was heading. "Just hang out with us tomorrow."

Spencer's frown stayed plastered on her face, "but.. I wanted all of you guys to be there. It's not going to be the same."

Alison readjusted herself in her chair, "sorry Spence. Emily has better plans." She knew she was being maybe a bit dramatic but she didn't care. Emily had never chosen anyone else over them, over her.

"Ali-," Aria cut again.

"I'll go," Emily interrupted.

Aria gave Emily a sympathetic look, "you don't have to do that. Go have fun with your girlfriend. There will be more nights at Spencer's-"

"Not more first nights!" Spencer pleaded.

Emily picked her phone up from her bag and started typing, "we can see the movie another night, you're right Spence, there won't be another first night in your barn and you've been waiting for this for months now. I want to be there. I'm excited to be there."

Spencer grinned, "thank you, thank you, thank you! I promise we will have way more fun than just dinner and a movie."

A small smirk started to surface on Alison's pink lips. God she loved getting her way with Emily.