Chapter two

Rosewood High school

12:03 pm

I'm not worth it! Aria exclaimed to herself, once she had left the classroom. Why the hell does Mr. Fitz want to help me? Sure, principal Hackett wanted someone to help me catch up with my work, but why is my english teacher taking such a big interest in my personal life! Doesn't he know I'm not worth it! Aria could feel tears pricking at her eyes. Memories of previous therapy sessions surged to the surface of her thoughts. The physiologists had tried their best to ameliorate the waves of pain Aria had felt. Pain killers were administered in surplus amounts. However, these attempts to achieve recovery were fruitless; even after a year, Aria could still feel the pain from It buried inside her stomach.

Aria gulped, a mere attempt to suppress her sobs. Don't think about it! Stop crying, stupid! Aria scolded herself. It was a new environment. A new school. Aria did not want to labelled as "weak." Okay, take deep breaths, Aria ordered as she walked into the vast cafeteria. Her hazels eyes scanned the lunchroom, darting from corner to corner, taking in the scene around her. It's a typical high school cafeteria, Aria noticed. Students were separated into tight knit groups; there were the nerds, who were hunched onto baffling AP textbook and SAT study guides - the jocks, who refused to spend a second without their team jerseys - and finally what seemed like the "popular people," girls who looked like they came straight out of the set of Mean Girls.

It had been a while since Aria had been around teenagers her age. At Radley, Aria lived a life full of isolation and minimal social interaction. The doctors did not want Aria to be around teenagers, for the fear that it would some how provoke another suicide attempt. Therefore the days at Radley most consisted of reading, listening to music and daydreaming. Aria's only "friends" were the nurses who repeatedly checked upon her.

Aria tentatively walks around the hall, her hands clutching a palatable chicken sandwich. She circles the lunchroom, apprehensive about where to sit.

"Hey!" A blonde girl called from a nearby table. "Your in my English class, right? Come sit with us!" Aria smiled with relief and slipped onto the bench. Well, at least I have a place to eat now. And these girls don't seem like total bitches.

"I'm Hanna," the blonde girl introduced. She had the kind of smile that made guys drool, and she had the body of a model. "This is Spencer," she pointed to a brunette sitting on the same bench as Aria. She was pretty too, Aria noticed. However, Spencer had dark circles under her eyes and seemed exhausted. "Emily is the girl with dark brown hair," Hanna finished, nodding to the girl in the 'SHARKS SWIMMING' sweatshirt.

"I'm Aria and I just moved her from California. It's nice meeting you guys." Aria smiled cordially, still fidgeting with her purple bracelet.

"Okay, okay, no. Stop being so formal!" Hanna joked. "Tell me about Cali. I want to know everything; the beach, the sea, the hot shirtless guys."

"Hanna!" Emily exclaimed. "We just met her, don't scare her away!"

"Oh shut up! Aria loves me just as much as those hot shirtless Cali guys!" Hanna shot back, then turned towards Aria. "Right?"

"Yes, totally," Aria giggled, amused by Hanna's sudden forwardness. "Even though I just met you 3 minutes ago."

"Okay Hanna, it's my turn to interrogate Aria," Spencer suddenly chimed in. "What classes are you taking this year?"

"English Literature, European History, Pre-Calculus and a couple of electives. I'm taking Ceramics and Photography since I really love art." Aria replied.

"I took AP European History last year. We learned about the renaissance, the Industrial Revolution and…" Spencer was cut off by a loud groan from Hanna.

"Ugh. Why do we always have to talk about school? I'm sure Aria would love to hear about the amazing DBQ's and the fascinating CCOT essays," Hanna muttered, once again rolling her eyes.

"I'm impressed that you even know what a DBQ is, Hanna," Emily pointed out, causing the group to explode into laughter.

"Um…excuse me? I'm offended," Hanna feigned hurt. "I'm literally the smartest person out there and I don't appreciate your sarcasm. Do you know how hard it is to choose the right shade of lipgloss that matches my eyes?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry Hanna," Emily laughed. "Don't worry, we all know how smart you are."

"Yeah, Hanna. It must be so hard to choose the perfect shade of lipgloss from your collection," Spencer added, causing the group to burst into laughter

Aria smiled at the playful banter between her newfound friends. Their uncontrollable laughter and smiles reminded Aria of her life in California. The life she lived before It had happened. Aria's friends, an inseparable trio had been close ever since elementary school. They had done everything together. The summer before Junior year…No! Don't think about that! Not now. Not when you have found some girls who could possibly be your friends. What did the doctors tell you? Be positive! Aria pushed the negative thoughts to the back of her brain and laughed along. It was better to pretend everything was fine. It was better to pretend that the incident never happened. It was easier.

"So how was living in California like?" Emily asked, changing the subject. "I've never been to California. My family is from Texas and I usually go back there every summer."

"It's different," Aria admitted. Lie! Don't tell them the truth! Don't tell them what happened, Aria's brain screamed. "The town I lived in was much bigger." And full of secrets and lies, Aria wanted to add.

"Yeah, Rosewood is pretty small," Hanna agreed. "Before we moved here, my family and I lived in Washington. It took a lot of time for me to adjust to Rosewood's atmosphere."

"But don't worry," Spencer reassured. "The people over here are really nice once you get to know them."

"I'm sure I will like it here," Aria replied with a smile.

By the time the bell rung to signal the end of the lunch period, Aria had more or less sized up her new friends. Hanna was the comical one. She always seemed to make the other girls laugh and was the centre of attention at most times. According to Hannah, Spencer was the "brainy one." She was shrewd in every aspect of school, but could even play field hockey and tennis. It was pretty clear the Spencer was the going to attend a top-notch Ivy league college next year. Emily was known as the sporty one. She has been a Varsity swimmer for years and is hoping to obtain a swimming scholarship. It was ironic in a way, how the three girls had formed a friendship. They all seemed so different.

"Are you heading to pre-cal? I could walk you there, AP Bio is just next door." Emily offered, catching up with Aria in the crowded hallway.

"Thanks," Aria nodded. "That would be really great. I almost got lost on the way to English!"

"No problem," Emily replied. "You know, if you ever have trouble fitting in here, my friends and I are there for you."

Aria smiled and thanked Emily for what seemed like the hundredth time that time. When the 5 minute warning bell rung, both girls parted ways and headed to their respective classrooms.

—

It's not that hard, Aria sighed with relief after 30 minutes of the class had passed. Luckily Aria was grasping all the concepts being taught and was not lost in the series of equations scattered across the white board. Maybe the classes here would not be that challenging after all, Aria hoped. She had been denied the opportunity to take any AP's, due to her…well…special condition. However, Aria was willing to try her best at the standard courses offered at Rosewood High. Maybe I would be able to fit into Rosewood. Maybe I would have the chance to pursue some extra-curricular activities. Aria's thoughts began to wander. She was determined to live a life far from the one in California, but at this moment, all Aria could hope for was to make some real friends and forget about the incident that shattered her life.

Ezra Fitz's Apartment Complex

4:58 pm

Ezra Fitz pulled into the driveway. What a long day it had been! He thought to himself, locking the car and heading to his apartment. It was his first complete day as a teacher, and Ezra had already managed to meet a troubled teenage girl. He wondered what had caused her to even think about suicide, but then shook his head. It's none of my business, Ezra decided. However, Ezra could not forget the dejected look in Aria's eyes.

Ezra tossed his keys down on the table in front of the couch. He then grabbed some clothes from the dresser and hopped into the shower. Ezra had plans to meet Hardy, one of his close friends from college. They hadn't been spending that much time together recently, and Ezra was getting lonely holed up in his apartment reading books. Not that he didn't enjoy literature; Ezra he loved to read, but the apartment could get boring very easily.

"Hey man!" Hardy called as Ezra walked into the bar. "I've saved you a spot." Ezra waved and slid into the booth opposite Hardy.

"How's it going?" Ezra inquired, grabbing a menu off the rack.

"Nothing much," Hardy replied nonchalantly. "Work is going well. I'm still single. I'm still hooking up with different girls on different nights. The usual," he smirked. It was so typical of Hardy to centre is life around hookups. Back in college, Hardy was the only guy who was able to sleep with 7 girls in 7 days. Ezra, on the other hand, stayed in their dorm and diligently completed his homework. "What about you? Do you have your eye on anyone?"

"Nothing yet, man. I'm still not over Jackie," Ezra admitting, running a hand through his dark locks. Jackie was Ezra's ex fiancé. She had decided to sleep with one of Ezra's brother's the week before their scheduled wedding.

"Come on man! You got to get back in there!" Hardy explained. "There are so many hot chicks out who would love to be with you." It was true. Ezra's charismatic personality and his desirable body made him some sort of a "girl magnet."

"I don't think so," Ezra shook his head. "I mean, what's the point? Relationships don't work out anyways."

"Yeah dude, that's why it's important to do a different girl every night!" Hardy exclaimed, slightly amused by Ezra's realisation. Ezra laughed, but Hardy then dropped the topic. The rest of the night was spent chatting about mutual friends, and playing darts.

To be completely honest, Ezra did not fully agree with his earlier statement; some relationships do last. It was just that his relationship with Jackie was not meant to be. Ezra and Jackie were very different. Ezra loved black and white films. On the other hand, Jackie despised them. Ezra was just waiting for the day that he would meet a girl more like him; someone who had the same love for literature, someone who listened to songs by The Fray. And someone who could be content with laying on the couch and munching on Chinese takeout. Maybe one day, Ezra thought to himself hopefully.

Authors Note: Hey guys! I know I have been gone a REALLY long time (2 YEARS!) But I really like this story and I would like to continue it. Also, when I was on fanfiction earlier I realised that most of my stories were REALLY BAD! So I will try to put more time and effort into my stories. I would like to improve my writing so I would really appreciate if you guys told me what I should work on. Please review and give me some feedback on this chapter. I'll upload the next chapter as soon as I am done writing it :)