Claimer: I own them, their my pretty little liars. Emily is obviously my favorite!

Disclaimer: If I could own them I would, but I don't think I could do a better job than ABC Family and Sarah Shepard. They have made me come to love each and every one of these characters.

Note from the Author: Sorry this was posted later than I promised. With finals coming up, I've been studying. I went onto YouTube and saw some sneak peaks of the winter premier.

Check it out:

.com/watch?v=Odj1muoxwTU

.com/watch?v=XrPo74HoNCQ

I really hope Emily's mom (on the show) isn't as harsh as she was in my fan-fiction. :-)

Chapter 8

I woke up numb and sore. I opened my eyes, taking in my surroundings and realized I hadn't fallen asleep in my room. Then I remembered the events from earlier that morning. Maya, my parents, the recollection of all of them made me feel sick. Maya was mad at me, and my parents wanted nothing to do with me. I took to the time to come out of my thoughts, and figure out where I was. I sat up from the bed I was in. There was a neat desk in the corner of the room that caught my eye. Spencer. I tried, but couldn't remember how I got there.

After a few moments, the door of the room opened and she walked in. "Hey, you're up." She sat on the bed by my feet. I gave her a weak smile.

"Thanks for letting me sleep here, but I don't even remember coming to your house."

She let out a small laugh. "Well, it was around 4 o'clock when you came over. I was up late, emailing Jason, making sure everything was ready for the memorial. Then I heard a knock at the door."She looked down at the floor. "You looked so broken Emily. Your hair was a mess, your eyeliner and mascara was smeared down your cheeks." Looking back up to me she asked, "What happened last night?"

I decided she deserved the truth, she was my friend. "My parents kicked me out," Her eyes widened in surprise and confusion.

"Why would they do that?"

I opened my mouth, but struggled to let any noise out. "I- I'm a lesbian." Tears welled up in my eyes as I remembered how much pain that sentence caused me last night. She shifted her position on the bed and brought me into a hug. I cried into her shoulder.

"It'll be okay, Emily. Everything is going to be okay." She reassured me as my tears stained her red cardigan.

After a few moments my crying subsided and I stayed close to Spencer. It was reassuring to know someone was still there. There was a knock on the bedroom door. "Come in." Hannah and Aria walked into the room.

"Hey Em," Hannah walked over giving me a hug. Aria followed doing the same.

Spencer saw the questioning look on my face and said, "I texted them when you woke up. Just thought you needed all the support you could get." I nodded wondering if she told them how I got here?

"Em," Aria took my hand, "What happened last night?"

"My parents kicked me out." Spencer's face reflected reassurance, Hannah's was full of shock, and Aria looked confused. I realized I would have to once again explain further.

Hannah put her hand on mine, "It's okay, we're your friends." I nodded.

"I'm gay." I held back the upcoming tears, too weak to cry again.

Aria squeezed my hand. "It's going to be okay, Emily. You're welcome to stay with me."

"Or me," Spencer chimed in. "Melissa's room is open."

"So how did they find out?" Spencer sent Hannah a "why would you ask that" look.

"Spence, it's fine. Probably better if I talk about it." I took a deep breath. I wasn't sure where to start. Maya, or "A". "My dad came home as a surprise. And when I got home I was happy to see him. Then my mom pulled out an envelope. It had a note and pictures of..." my voice trailed off. Thinking about the shorter girl filled me with guilt. "Maya and I." Some tears rolled down my cheeks. "My mom was so mad." I shook my head. "I- I just wish the wouldn't have found out this way."

Spencer pulled me into another hug. After a moment, I pulled away, wiping off my tears. "Why don't you go take a shower, and we'll talk more after." I nodded, walking into the hallway towards the bath room.

No one's POV:

The three girls sat in Spencer's kitchen waiting for Emily to come down. They were all sitting down with cups of coffee, but not drinking them.

"How long do you guys think she's been keeping this from us?" Hannah caught Spencer's eye and quickly looked down at her cup. "Wait, Hannah, did you know?"

"Yes."

Aria looked at her confused, "Why didn't you tell us?"

"It wasn't my secret to tell." She looked at Spencer, "Don't be mad that she kept this from us. I know, and so do both of you, that we have secrets we're too scared to tell."

Spencer looked down at her cup feeling guilty. "Well we have to help her. She can stay here." Aria and Hannah nodded in agreement.

Emily walked down the stairs feeling refreshed. The eyes of the three girls were on her. Spencer stood up, going to the fridge pulling out a muffin, handing it to the swimmer. "Here, get something on you're stomach."

She realized she hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday, but she wasn't hungry, just hurt. But she took the food anyway, trying to swallow it down. "Em," Aria asked after a few moments, "Can I ask you something?" Emily nodded. "After you left your parent's house, why didn't you go to Maya's. Why did you come here?"

Emily didn't feel like crying again. It hurt too much. "I was going to spend the night at her house, but we got into an argument." She put down muffin, "So I went home and that's when my mom gave me the envelope.

"Do you know who it was from?"

Emily realized she neglected to tell them before. "The note was signed "A""

Aria shook her head, standing up. "Why is she doing this?"

"What makes you think it's a she?"

"Does it matter?" Hannah asked, ""A" is out to get us and make our lives a living hell, and I'm tired of just accepting it!"

"What do you suggest we do then Hannah?" Spencer was getting frustrated. "We tried blocking her from our cell phones, and that didn't work."

"I don't know, how about we actually tell someone what's going on?"

Emily shook her head. "I have to show you guys something. Spencer, where is my purse?"

"Upstairs. Why?"

"Just come on." The girls followed the swimmer up to Spencer's room. She dug through her purse until she found her sell phone. After a few moments of her scrolling through her messages, she paused, handing the phone to Hannah.

"Are these "A"'s texts to you?"

"Yeah. These are why I don't think we should tell. What if "A" is responsible for Ali, and Toby's deaths? I'm taking her messages as threats. What if she hurts someone, because we told?"

"What if she has absolutely nothing to do with the deaths?" Hannah asked.

"I'm not willing to take a chance on this, someone's life could be at stake."

The group went silent, the situation came into prospective for the girls. They all mentally decided it wasn't worth the risk, but they weren't sure how much more of this they could take.

Spencer was the first to break the silence after checking her watch, and widening her eyes. "Guys we can't think about this now. Ali's memorial is to day, and a lot still has to be done. I don't want to ruin this day by thinking about terrible texts." The girls nodded, trying their hardest not freak out.

"Your right. This day is for Ali." Aria turned on her heal, after giving Emily a reassuring hug. Hannah did the same leaving Spencer and Emily alone in her bedroom.

"Spence, could you drive me by my house. I forgot to pack for the memorial."

"Are you sure you're ready to go back? You can borrow something of mine if you'd like."

Emily shook her head. "No, I have to go back eventually."

Emily's POV

The ride back up to my house was torturous. I had gone over the night so many times in my mind, and couldn't help but feel like something was left unsaid. The look on my father's face, as he told me to leave, kept me second guessing the situation. He didn't want me to go, I knew it. He just wanted to give my mom some rest.

My mom, on the other hand, was who was I worried about. What would she say when she answers the door? The scene played back in my mind over, and over again. I knew she would still be mad, but what she would do with that rage is what left me guessing. She would either slam the door in my face or tell me to pack up the rest of my stuff and get out.

I didn't even realize we had pulled up at my house until Spencer called my name. "Hey Em, we're here." I looked at the door then down at my hands. "Don't worry," She placed one of her hands on mine. "I'll be right out here."

I was thankful to have Spencer there, and gave her a smile that told her so. I walked up to the porch feeling very hesitant. As if each step I took was forbidden. It was hard to bring my fist to the door and knock, but I did. It was a few moments before the door opened. My mom looked refreshed in her church attire. "Emily, come in." She walked into the kitchen, leaving me thinking about what just happened. This was not the reaction I expected.

"Mom, I just came to get some stuff for the memorial."

She was sitting at the kitchen table with a mug in her hand. "Sit, please." Her voice was calm, completely opposite from the night before. I sat timidly. "Emily, I'm sorry about last night. I should have been, helping you through this." I asked my self if a good night's sleep was all she needed to accept me. I was wrong. "Helping you to get better."

"Mom there's nothing wrong wi-"

She cut me off. "You're sick spiritually and mentally. I'm you're mother, so I should be here to help you." My father came down stairs in a suit and tie. "So you're father and I talked. You can stay. I can't expect you to get better out in the world. Learning starts in the home. You're coming to church with us this morning. This is obviously the work of the devil, Emily." I shook my head in disbelief. Was she saying I'm possessed? "We forbid you from seeing that girl again."

"But mom-"

"No Emily, this is for the best." Her smile was eery, but not forced. She actually believed the words coming out of her mouth. "Go on, get dressed. We'll be leaving in ten minutes." I really didn't feel like arguing, so I went up stairs. I looked at my phone, there were a couple texts from Spencer. Is everything okay? Do you need me to come in? Please text back, I'm worried. My fingers started working on a response, telling her to go get ready for the memorial., when I saw a folded note on my bed. I opened it and almost cried again.

Everything will be okay Emily. You're fine just the way you are.

-Dad

Ending Author's Note: I'm really trying to focus on Emily's family dynamic, but am trying to incorporate other stuff that is going on at the same time. I think this shows more than anything how much pressure is on Emily, opposed to the other girls. Next chapter might come really early, or very late since finals are coming up. Probably really late. By "really late" I mean in a week. Please review! It keeps me motivated!