The day after Aria returned home from camp, she entered the world of high school. She wasn't extremely nervous, after all, her mom and Ezra worked. She could always run to one of them in case she got into any serious trouble. But Byron noticed her anxiousness and kissed her on the forehead and wished her a good first day of school. It had helped a little.

She was tugging at her black top as she stood in front of her locker, looking back and forth from the slip of paper in her hand to the number engraved on the tan metal sheet. It seemed to be the right one. She turned the combination lock to the correct numbers, and it magically swung open. She let out a sigh of relief.

"Aria," exclaimed Hanna as she exited the restroom, spotting her friend across the hall. She gave Aria a quick hug.

"Hi, Han," greeted Aria, half-smiling. The familiar face was making her feel better.

"What's your first class?" asked Hanna as the pair began to walk down the hallway.

Aria looked at the sheet of paper in her hand. "English I with Mrs. Welch."

"Me too," squealed Hanna. "I think Spencer and Emily have her first period too."

"That's good," said Aria, looking at the room number plates for the one that said 103. "That means if we ever have trouble in that class, Spencer will be there to save the day."

"True," responded Hanna, laughing as they entered the classroom. "Here we go," she murmured as they entered the classroom together.

Later that evening, Aria was sitting on the back porch swing when Ezra called her from the other side of the fence. "Hey there."

She looked up from her history textbook. Setting it down in the space next to her, she hopped up and walked over to him. "Hi," she answered.

"How did it go?" he asked. "I saw you sprint down my hallway after lunch."

"My first day of school?" she responded. He nodded. "Well, I think, but I was really nervous. Turns out that most of my classes are with people I knew in middle school, though."

"High school is a tough crowd," he replied. "I remember my first day at Rosewood High."

"Did you have lipstick on your teeth after you left the bathroom?" she retorted.

"No." His shoulders shook with silent laughter. "But I did manage to spill coffee on myself before first period had ended." He looked away sheepishly.

She giggled before sobering. "Can I use the tree house tomorrow? It seems like it would be a quiet place to do all this homework my teachers have assigned."

"Sure," shrugged Ezra. "You're welcome to come on over any time. You know that."

"Are you coming to dinner on Wednesday?" continued Aria.

"Of course," responded Ezra with an easy smile. "What's your mom making?"

"Not sure," replied Aria. "Any requests?" she smiled back at him.

"No," said Ezra. "I'm sure whatever you suggest will be great." They spent a few more minutes talking before Aria returned to her homework and Ezra to his grading.

The next month, the Montgomery family, and Aria in particular, settled into a regular routine. Ella and Aria went to school in the morning while Byron took Mike to school. Then Aria and Ella would pick up Mike after school. Mike would get dropped off at the gym to play basketball, and then Aria and Ella would go home. Aria would spent several hours each afternoon at Ezra's house doing her homework or reading, either in the living room or the tree house, depending on whether or not Simon was over. Then Aria would go back home in time to set the table for dinner, where Byron, who had picked Mike up from the gym, was waiting with Ella.

Six weeks into this routine, Aria looked out her window before she went to bed, looking at what was going on at Ezra's house. It seemed like he and Simone were having a fight. Simone had slammed the door behind her and it looked like she was crying as she got into her car and drove away. Ezra left a little after Simone did. Aria heard him come back at two in the morning, his friend Hardy helping him climb up the front steps and into the door of his own house. Aria had never seen Ezra drunk before.

She went over to Ezra's house the next afternoon, after school, brining some cookies her mother had made as a gift. She rang the doorbell, the soft ding sounding much louder than usual to her ears. When Ezra didn't answer, Aria let herself in. She found him lying on his sofa.

"Aria?" he mumbled.

"Yup," she answered cheerily. "I brought cookies."

"Thanks," he grunted. "Come in and put them in the kitchen." She did as she was bid, bringing a glass of fresh water back as she did.

"Here," she said, handing it to him.

"Thanks," he slurred, drinking it. When was done he set it on the table next to him.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay," she answered as he sprawled out on the couch, putting a pillow over his face.

"Can you bring me an aspirin?" he asked, his voice muffled by the pillow. They're in the bathroom cabinet."

She grabbed the bottle in the bathroom and went back into the kitchen to get him a fresh glass of water. She placed both on the coffee table next to him and waited. After a few minutes, he grabbed a couple of aspirin and downed the glass of water.

"Feel better?" she asked, sitting on the easy chair.

"Not really," he groaned. "I haven't gotten that drunk in years."

"Want to tell me about the last time?" she asked.

"No," he ground out. He sighed. "It was about a girl."

"So was last night," she pointed out.

"Ughh," he huffed and put the pillow back over his face.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Simone and I broke up last night," he answered. He tried to sit up in the sofa. Failing, he laid back down.

"Obviously," replied Aria.

He sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. "She wanted to move in. We'd been together six months. She thought it was time."

Aria leaned forward, her elbows in her knees, her hands in her face. "Well?" she prompted.

"I told her I didn't love her."

"Ouch," winced Aria. She sat there for a few minutes before getting up. "Do you need anything else before I leave?"

"A cure for a hangover would be nice," mumbled Ezra.

Aria smirked. "I guess I'll tell Mom you're not coming to dinner tonight."

"Tell her I'll see her at school tomorrow."

"Will do," said Aria heading out the front door.

With Simone gone, Aria was able to spend more time inside the house without encroaching on the couple. She began to read and journal almost obsessively. In much the same way, Ezra began making small changes on the house to make it more his. He often asked Aria, or if she wasn't around Ella her opinion on about certain things. Was the golden yellow color better for the kitchen or this orange one? Should he put hardwood in the living room or new carpeting? Was it okay to put this item or that in storage? Aria gave her opinion often, and found that Ezra usually listened to her, and she began to feel comfortable enough with him that she began asking him for favors that had to do more than just homework or reading.

On October 28, she begged Ezra for a favor. "Please?" she pleaded.

"Remind me why I would want to spend my Halloween with a bunch of teenage girls instead of at a party where I can drink," he deadpanned.

"Please, Ezra. We're fourteen, and I really want to go on the Halloween train. Mom and Dad said if you went with us it would be fine. I really don't want them tagging along. Please. It's just from here to Philadelphia. Mom and Mrs. Fields would pick us up in the city. Please. It's not like you're really going to be going to a party anyway. Please. Please. Please."

He sighed. "What about Spencer's parents and Hanna's? Surely they're not agreeing to this hare-brained scheme?"

"Yes they are," said Aria excitedly. "We can go if you come with us. Please. Please. Please?"

Ezra swallowed. "Won't it be weird? I am a teacher at the high school you go to. Won't that be embarrassing?"

"No," drew out Aria. "This Halloween Train is not just for high school kids. There will be other people there."

Ezra mentally battled with himself. It was a potentially awkward situation to be in. But Aria wanted him to say yes so bad, and it would be a lot less embarrassing to the girls if he went instead of their parents. "Fine," he breathed, resigned. "I'll take you."

"Thank you, Ezra," squealed Aria. She gave him a quick hug before running out the door to tell her parents the good news.

October 31, came and went the Halloween Train going with it. The girls had fun, and except for the slightly uncomfortable moment when a student recognized him in his Gatsby costume, all was well. They even had a bar on the train, although Ezra certainly wasn't going to inform anybody's parents about that slight detail.

It seemed that as soon as Halloween had come and gone, Thanksgiving appeared, snow coming with it. It heaved down with a gusto that nearly blinded Ezra as he walked to the Montgomery house for Thanksgiving dinner.

"It's that bad outside, huh?" asked Byron as he took the younger man's coat.

"If it gets any worse, I'll have to spend the night," joked Ezra. "So what are you up to Mike?" he called into the next room.

Aria found the boys sitting on the sofa watching the Cowboys playing a football game. She smiled to herself before announcing, "Dinner's ready."

The threesome immediately got up and headed towards the dining room. Ezra was the last person to leave the room, and he stopped Aria on his way out. "You're wearing it," he said, inclining his head towards her neck.

"Yes," said Aria, fingering the diamond angel resting on her neck. "It's a special occasion; I thought it deserved to be worn."

"I looks nice," he told her as they entered the dining room.

"Thank you," she answered in response. When they were all seated the food passing began, and so did the laughter and the stories.

In early December, Ella sent Mike to Ezra's house to tell him there was an emergency. Byron had slipped on some ice coming into the house from his car. Could Ezra please take the kids to the hospital while she rushed Byron over there?

Byron was diagnosed with a mild concussion and some head trauma. The doctor had ordered him to spend the night in the hospital under observation. Ella decided to stay with him while Mike and Aria were relegated to spending the night at Ezra's house where they would have quick access to home if they needed anything.

Ezra drove the quiet pair home to get their overnight things and waited for them to walk back over to his house. He fed them pizza and quietly wore Mike out with video games before putting him to bed in one of the extra bedrooms. He was soon asleep. Aria, on the hand, was a different matter. Her mood was hard to gauge. She sat in the living room, her hair cascading down her shoulders, pink highlights and all, staring at the wall.

"Are you okay?" he asked, sitting down next to her.

She turned to look at him. "I'm fine, just restless. I know dad's going to be okay, but…" she let the word hang.

"But," he agreed.

"Let me show you something," he got up from the couch and walked towards the hallway. "Follow me," he called back to her. He knew she was behind him when he heard her slippers shuffling on the hardwood floor.

When he reached the last door on the right of the hallway, he stopped and opened it. It was the study, Grandpa Springer's study, but it was different. The white walls had been repainted a light blue. The mahogany desk faced the window instead of the door. There was a messy stack of papers on it, and Aria noticed new books on the built-in shelves.

"Do you like it?" he asked carefully.

She nodded. "It's a lot more like you now." She looked towards the messy desk. "Do you write a lot?"

"I try to."

"What about?"

"This and that, nothing really important."

"It must be," replied Aria, "if you're writing about it."

"This is for you to borrow," he said handing her book. "It's by James Joyce. The Dubliners. It's a collection of short stories about people who are stuck, paralyzed."

She looked down at the book her offered her and then back up at him. "Do you have a favorite story?"

"The Dead," he replied easily. "The last one."

She took the book from him. "Thanks," she said before heading upstairs to the guest room. "Good night, Ezra."

Good night, Aria." She slept well that night, better than she had in a long time.

Byron healed quickly and mid-December was suddenly upon them, Christmas vacation in full swing. The second day of the holiday, Ezra got a phone call. His father had had a heart attack. He went to California the same day as the phone call. He didn't even tell Aria good-bye.

He missed Christmas and New Year's, arriving back at home the day after classes started.

"Ezra's dad died a few days after he got to California," Ella informed Aria and Mike a week after Ezra had left.

"So tragic," mourned Byron.

"Does this mean that Ezra's moving to California?" asked Mike taking a bite of his sandwich.

"No, honey. He sold his father's house and put some things in storage. With that and a funeral to plan, he'll be gone longer than he expected," responded Ella.

Byron shook his head. "He's so young not to have any family left."

"We're his family," stated Aria firmly, looking up from her dinner. "We're his family, now." That said, much to the approval of her parents, she turned her attention back to her food.

Aria spotted Ezra back at school in January, but didn't stop by to see him until Saturday morning. She walked over to his house, a plate of gingerbread cookies in her hands. She rang the doorbell, surprised at how long it had taken him to answer. When Ezra finally opened the door, his hair was tousled and he was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Aria," he stated, blinking against the brightness of the sun. "What are you doing up this early?"

"It's eleven," she answered pointedly, wondering why he hadn't let her in yet.

"It is?" said Ezra, glancing past the porch at the position of the sun.

"I came bearing gifts," said Aria holding up the plate of cookies. "Mom told me your dad died. That's why you were gone so long in California.

He nodded and took the plate. "Among other reasons."

Aria was about to respond when one of those reasons, wearing nothing but one of Ezra's button down shirts came up behind him. "It's freezing," she exclaimed. Who's this?" she asked Ezra, pushing her dark hair out of her face.

He turned his head to look at her. "This is Aria. She's the girl from next door."

"Oh," the woman responded. "I'm going to make coffee. Do you want some?"

"Sure," he responded. "I'll be in the kitchen in a minute." She kissed him on the cheek before leaving.

Aria watched as she faded into the darkness of the house. "Who's that?" she asked him.

He sighed before answering. "That's Jackie. She was my girlfriend in college and one of the reasons I stayed in California so long." He rubbed his face before he continued. "We reconnected when I went home, and now she's teaching at Hollis like your dad." He shrugged. "It's funny how things work out. She showed up at the funeral when she heard my dad had passed."

She looked at him, waiting a moment before responding. She tried to will the catch in her throat to go away as she responded in a voice so quiet that he almost didn't hear her. "You didn't say good-bye." He shut the door as she trudged across his lawn and back onto her yard.

The next day, Ezra gave Aria a late Christmas present. It was a new leather journal, black leather, and very grown-up. It made her smile.

January 6, 2009

I think Ezra came back from California changed. I know his dad died, but it's more than that. I guess it doesn't help that I don't like the girl who came home with him. Ezra said her name was Jackie and that she's very nice, but somehow I'm not buying it. How did she mysteriously end up at Hollis after being in California? Ezra looks older and more mature, like the world is weighing down on him. I wonder what it is he's not telling me. I wonder what he's told Mom, if he's told her anything at all.

In other news, Hanna and Sean broke up. And Holden Strauss asked me out on a date this Friday. I've known Holden forever. Who knew he liked me like that? I'm so excited I can barely wait for Friday. I think we're going to this cool arcade in the city.