Title: I don't have a choice, but I still choose you

Pairing: Ezria (Ezra/Aria); Spoby (Spencer/Toby); Haleb (Hanna/Caleb); Bemily (Ben/Emily)

Rated T: mild language and thematic elements

Summary: The PLLs struggle to navigate through life and love, all while dealing with -A. Set during various seasons /FOUR-SHOT;; COMPLETE


A/N: Hey everyone! Here is the final part to this four-shot. Hope you enjoy ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own Pretty Little Liars or Poison & Wine by The Civil Wars.

I apologize in advance if there are any spelling/grammar errors I might not have caught.


Emily didn't know what she saw in Ben. Sure, he was smart, athletic, and on his way to being one of the best swimmers in the entire state of Pennsylvania; but he was also pushy, conceited, and always sticking his nose where it didn't belong. In other words, he was the quintessential example of the typical high school jock, and Emily realized this, though her parents on the other hand, did not.

Her father couldn't be shown much fault—he was constantly overseas with the military—while her mother was so worried about the way Emily had been handling the loss of her and her friends' fifth groupie, Alison, she either didn't see Ben's true persona or pretended not to notice. She seemed happy enough that her daughter had a support system in someone aside from her and Alison's other friends, that Emily didn't want to upset her or disappoint her by telling her she just couldn't tolerate Ben anymore. Her mom did so much for her; Emily could do this one little thing in return, even if Ben irked her to no end.

At least, it started out that way.

-::-

Emily slipped out of her wet clothes and changed into a pair of sweats, tossing her belongings inside her training bag every which way. Swim practice had just ended and Ben was supposed to walk her home, but she was praying he would forget and leave her alone. Emily had had enough of him, especially this week. All he did was talk about the "town freak," Toby Cavanaugh and make crude jokes about how friendly she was getting with the new girl, Maya ("what are you trying to replace me now?"). It annoyed Emily more than previously, though, whenever asked about it by him, she just brushed things off and carried on. It wasn't as much for Ben or herself as it was for her mother and when things got too tough and Emily felt like snapping, she recalled this. Just do it for, Mom. She'd say. Do it all for Mom. And it worked, most of the time.

"Hey, Em." Ben's gruff masculine voice echoed off the tile walls of the locker room. "Almost ready to go?"

Emily finished shoving a few of her things into her bag and nodded. Then she swung her locker door shut and tossed the strap of her bag over her shoulder. "I'm ready now." She forced a smile, unwillingly reaching for her boyfriend's hand when he offered it to her. Ben noticed this, though he said nothing.

"So, did you have a good day?" They were outside now and the light October breeze was fresh and chilly.

"Yeah. You were with me most of the day, remember?"

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do. Ever since Alison died and that new girl, Maya showed up, you've been acting strange."

"'That new girl, Maya' is my friend." Emily shouted a little louder than she meant to. "She's just my friend."

"Could've fooled me."

"What are you talking about?"

"There you go spazzing out again. God, I was joking."

"Well it isn't funny. Seriously, how could you say something like that?"

"Geez, I'm sorry I brought it up." Ben let go of Emily's grip and raised his hands in surrender. "I'll keep my mouth shut next time."

"Good." Emily replied before shoving her balled up fists deep into her pockets. She and Ben continued the rest of their commute home in pure silence, the rustling and swirling of leaves the only noise between them. When they reached the door of the Fields' home, Ben didn't even bother to say goodbye, though it wasn't like Emily wanted him to. What she did want was to break up with him, however. Not that she saw that happening any time soon. They had fights like this fairly frequently and by the next day, everything was forgiven almost like it'd never happened to begin with. Except now, Emily had a feeling this time would be different. She'd hold a grudge against Ben and he'd hold a grudge against her and school would be extremely tense and awkward the next day. She remained sure of it.

Just like she remained sure that there was something about the new girl, Maya she couldn't quite put her finger on. Something different, special. Something that reminded Emily of Alison and therefore nearly demanded she give it a closer look. Maybe that's why she was so extra mad at Ben. Because she knew he'd been right. She did like Maya, and not in a simply "pals" type of way. She had a crush on her.

Emily sighed deeply, brushing back a loose strand of damp hair that was hanging in her face. She whipped out her cell phone and then dialed Ben, nervously twiddling her thumbs when she reached his voicemail.

"Hey Ben, it's me, Em. Call me whenever you get this. I think we need to talk. Bye."

And with that Emily pressed the end button and hung up the receiver, satisfied. She ran a tired hand through her messy brown locks once more, then collapsed onto her bed, staring at the ceiling. She still had so much to figure out and eventually she would-in due time.

Fin.


So, that's the last of it. This four-shot has officially been completed. I was going to upload it tomorrow, but I just couldn't wait any longer, lol. Thank you again to anyone who read and reviewed, followed, commented, or favorited, etc. Your support truly means the world to me and I'm so happy and honored to share my work with you. Until next time, keep on rocking and showing our PLL fam some love ;) ~Chris