Already suffering withdrawals from the show :( haha thanks lovelies for reading, much love to you all as always.
Spencer, Aria, and Hanna were giving Alison a very strange look. Their blonde friend was sitting there eating lunch with a huge smile on her face and bright aura while babbling on about how wonderful it was that The Brew was having an open mic night type of thing for writers. "I saw a flyer on the window when I was walking to school, it looked so cute! Coffee and poetry, ooh French poetry, sounds wonderful," she said, her eyes bright as she took a bite of her sandwich. Hanna's eyebrow raised, wondering if the blonde had lost it. Spencer meanwhile was confused as to why the queen bee was even eating enthusiastically. She knew Alison hardly ate cafeteria food, usually only picking at it.
"Hey Aria, maybe you could read some of your writing," Alison continued with no trace of sarcasm. Aria simply replied that maybe she would, she herself confused at their leader's behavior.
"There was also this puppy on the way that was totally adorable–"
"What's wrong with you?" Hanna blurted out scowling. Aria shot Hanna a scolding look.
"Tactful," Spencer quipped sarcastically as did the same as Aria.
"What, Hanna?" Alison said, her pleasant features suddenly darkening slightly as her eyebrows furrowed.
"What's going on?" Emily asked as she approached the table and sat down next to Ali.
"Oh my god," Spencer said in realization. The four looked at her. "You totally got laid!"
Alison's cheeks turned red so fast as Spencer smirked in triumph. "You did didn't you? That's why you're all bubbly and talking about puppies!"
This time Emily raised an eyebrow as Alison looked at her, but it was more out of amusement that her girlfriend had been in such a good mood. The blonde regains her composure and authoritative nature.
"If I did, it's none of your business," she brushes Spencer off.
"Oh come on Ali," the brunette says disappointedly.
"Yeah Ali, come on tell us who it was? We didn't know you were seeing anyone," Aria says eagerly. Alison locks eyes with Hanna's who is staring her down, her eyes fierce and warning her not to say the wrong thing. She looked to Emily, unsure of what to say. Emily looked just as hesitant.
"Em do you know?" Spencer said catching their exchange.
"I…um..."
"It's on the DL," Alison said smoothly.
"So Emily gets to know? Don't you trust us?" Spencer asks, slightly hurt but she wouldn't let the blonde know that.
"Of course I trust you all," Alison said growing uncomfortable. She thought she was finally okay to tell these girls, but she didn't know if Emily was. But as she felt Emily squeeze her hand on the cafeteria bench, and she knew the brunette was okay.
"So who is it?" Aria asked. Her eyes were wide with curiosity.
"You know them," Alison replied hesitantly as she looked at Emily who nodded. She looked at Hanna who was watching her like a hawk while the other two listened patiently. "I mean, you know her."
Alison shyly smiled at Emily, and it was the first time the three others had ever seen the notorious Alison DiLaurentis as anything but bold and confident.
"Emily?!" Spencer asked, her jaw dropping. Aria stared. Hanna just nodded as if to say fine. Alison realized that it sounded like the two of them just fucked randomly.
"Keep it down, Spencer," Alison hissed as she lowered her voice significantly. Then she clarified. "Yes, Emily and I are dating."
Emily didn't think it was possible, but Spencer and Aria's jaws dropped even more. Spencer turned to Hanna. "Why don't you seem surprised by this?"
Hanna shrugged. Alison appreciated her silence on the matter. Aria spoke up, asking, "How long? And…are you guys…gay?"
"No," Alison said simultaneously as Emily said, "I don't know."
"Wow," Spencer said processing that new piece of information.
"We only started dating on Sunday," Emily added in a hushed voice.
"But stuff has been going on for a long time now," Hanna chimed in.
"What?!" both Spencer and Aria exclaimed.
"Can we not talk about this right in the cafeteria?" Alison snapped, worried that someone would hear. And for the first time, it wasn't so much for her own sake but for Emily's because she was worried that fragile Emily would get hurt if someone overheard private information she wasn't willing to share publicly yet.
"It's just…wow," Spencer said quietly with a slight look of disapproval. Hanna just sat with an even bigger look of disapproval next to Aria who just had really wide eyes.
"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Alison said with narrowed eyes.
"I think what Spencer is trying to say is what I've been telling Emily all this time," Hanna threw in condescendingly.
"And what's that?" Alison snapped losing her patience quickly. She looked to the swimmer who looked like a dear caught in headlights.
"Guys, I'm really happy," Emily said quietly in a soft sweet voice that made Alison calm slightly.
"It's okay if you're into girls Emily," Spencer whispered in a very hushed voice so that they could barely hear her. "We love you no matter what."
Alison grinded her teeth. What about her? It wasn't like she wasn't into girls too, granted she was definitely not gay but this whole accepting her sexuality was all new for her too.
"But what?" Alison shot at Spencer, knowing the brunette well enough to know there was a but coming.
"But maybe, you should…take it slow, take some time to figure yourself out," Spencer suggested.
"Tactful," Alison hissed in a deadly low voice. "I think what you meant to say Spencer, is, 'Emily maybe you should rethink your relationship with Alison because she's a bitch and we don't trust her to treat you right.'"
Alison stood up, suddenly not hungry, as she practically slammed her tray in the trash and shoved the trash can out of the way causing it to loudly hit the wall as she walked past right out of the cafeteria as eyes watched the infamous queen bee storm out.
Emily just watched in shock before she stared at her friends in disappointment. "You guys didn't even give her a chance," she said exasperated as she stood up. "She's our friend too."
Emily got up to follow the blonde leaving the three friends hesitatingly watching the sweetest girl they knew run after the bitchiest girl they knew.
X
"Alison," Emily called entering the bathroom knowing the blonde was in there. She locked the door behind her, checking under all the stalls before confronting the blonde.
"They all think I'm just messing with you, like you're a fling or something," Alison spat bitterly as she leaned over the sink, her rage brewing as her body tensed angrily.
"I'll talk to them," Emily said unsure whether or not to approach her.
"The one time I actually tell the truth and am open about my feelings, they immediately assume the worst about me," Alison seethed.
"Well am I fling to you?"
Alison shot her a heated glare through the mirror. "Emily you damn well know how I feel about you."
"If I'm not a fling, they'll see that eventually," Emily said softly. "They'll come around. And, I will make them feel guilty for every second that they don't."
Alison almost laughed at the way Emily smiled proudly at the end of that threat.
"I'm rubbing off on you," she said with a smirk. "It probably doesn't help that we're dating secretly."
"My dad's coming home right now, he'll be back for dinner. You should come over, forget the girls," Emily suggested, trying to take Ali's mind off things.
"I don't want to interrupt on your father/daughter time," Alison said frowning. "I know how much that means to you."
"He loves you," Emily assured. And it was true. Over the years, Alison had developed a habit of hanging around Emily right as her dad came home and right before he left again. It was always just the two of them. To be honest, Alison liked to see Emily and her father when they first saw each other and when she had to hug him goodbye. Her swimmer raved about her dad- she never said a bad word about him. The love for her father was obvious, and it was something Alison didn't have in her life.
But watching Emily and Mr. Fields interact really made Alison smile. And she of course put on the full Alison DiLaurentis charm when he talked to her.
"Are you going to tell your parents?" Alison asked her gently.
"Should I?" Emily replied hesitantly.
"I think so," Alison said quietly. "If not now, then sometime. They should know who their daughter is, they love you Em. Your parents would never stop loving you."
"What about you?"
"What about me?" Alison quipped teasingly.
"Are you going to tell your parents?"
Alison scoffed and turned back to the sink. "Sure, if it ever comes up. If I said, 'Hey mom, and dad I'm into girls too, surprise' I think they'd just look at me funny and wonder why I took too much of their time to tell them something they would dismiss as a phase."
"Your parents don't know what they're missing," Emily said frowning. She knew the DiLaurentis' only cared about Alison's flawless social image and grades. They needed her to show up to certain events as their prize possession, and then they didn't really interact with her unless necessary. "It'd mean a lot if you came to dinner."
Alison looked at Emily's face and knew she couldn't say no to those begging eyes. "Alright, how could I say no to free food and a chance to tease my girlfriend under the table?"
"No way, there will be none of that," Emily said quickly as she turned red.
"Whatever you say," Alison said smiling innocently before she planted a kiss on Emily's cheek. "Let's get to class."
X
Alison stared at her closet debating what to wear. Aria had called her after school apologizing for her rude reaction and said she wanted to come over and talk to her. Alison only relented because Aria was her second favorite to Emily. She was listening to Aria talk as she stared in the closet.
"I'm sorry if I came off rudely, it's just that Emily is, like, known as a sweetheart, and I love you Ali but you have a reputation-"
"Which one are you referring to? The one where I'm a bitch, or the one where I'm a slut? Or both?"
"Alison those are exaggerated personas of you that you projected. They aren't who you truly are," Aria said gently.
"Either way, I didn't really care before what people thought of me," Alison said as she turned to look at Aria. "I mean I cared what you guys thought, especially Emily. But I didn't care if people thought I was a whore or a bitch, you know my reputation is infamous- I can be a charming mystery. And part of me likes it that way. But when I think about how it affects my relationship with Em, I really regret it."
"You really care about her," Aria said as if she was really acknowledging it.
"I care about all of you," Alison said trying to be nonchalant about it. "In different ways, but I do."
"Why'd you become friends with me?" Aria asked curiously.
"You are adorable," Ali said smiling. "I wanted to be your friend because I heard rumors that you were quirky but loveable. I heard people saying you were kind of a loner ever since your middle school friend moved away. You were artsy and felt things deeply, I read some of your poetry on your blog. Despite what you may think Aria, I enjoy hanging out with you."
"I didn't think you didn't," Aria reassured taken aback that Alison had put that much thought into their friendship and even read her writing.
"Spencer fuels my competitive spirit, and Hanna idolized me. It was easy being friends with her until she stopped, and then we became competitive too. But by then we were all friends, kind of woven together."
"Makes sense," Aria said nodding. "Did you seek Emily out?"
"No," Alison said pensively. "That was by chance."
"You know, even though everyone knows us as best friends, I don't really know a lot about you," Aria said curiously.
"What do you wanna know? Ask away," Alison said calmly.
"Why do you feel like you have to be so…on the offense all the time?" Aria asked.
"Because if you're weak, the wrong people will take advantage of you, and some won't be so nice about it," Alison said seriously, trying to teach Aria.
"But what about with us?"
"Always be careful who you trust, Aria. People aren't always what they seem," Alison said with such bitterness that Aria was caught off guard. "Obviously I trust you or I wouldn't be talking to you like this. But you can bet that if you were Spencer or Hanna, I'd be a lot more closed off."
"How did you know Emily liked you?" Aria asked curious of how it all began.
"I didn't gain my reputation without any skills. I'm really good at reading people, and I could tell right when we met that she was checking me out," Alison said with a smile. "Whether it was intentional or unintentional. To be honest at first I couldn't tell if she was into girls, or just me. But as I began to observe her, I'd notice the way she looked at girls and that confirmed it."
"I think you should wear this," Aria said after a pause. She got up and picked out a nice mid-thigh blue skirt with a tight white shirt and belt. "She'll love it."
"Thanks Aria," Alison said smiling.
"Ali…I know that they are worried about Emily's heart being broken and all, but I can see how much she means to you, and I hope your heart won't be broken either."
Alison never appreciated the little artsy brunette more than she did in that moment.
"Thank you Aria. If I didn't have Emily, I might've fallen for you," she teased lightly and Aria knew the blonde was quite focused on another brunette.