4 years later

Sorry, its been so long since I've posted a chapter. Schools been crazy this last past week and the Sandy hit and I had family in NY and DC so that was a little scary. Anyway, ill try to post chapter's sooner. I don't know how I really feel about this chapter, it's kind of a side story from the main story which will be "What happened on the bridge" "Who was involved" and "Who is the new A". However, since I am sharing the lives of each character I figured Aria might as well have a dramatic storyline. Ok, enjoy.

Aria

The smell of flowery air freshener was making Aria nauseous as she sat in the corner of the bathroom in her apartment. She never realized until this moment how long a few minutes could take. However, these moments were not like the ones you have while waiting in line at the grocery store, no, these were the kind of moments that could change her life forever. You see, Ezra was the only stable thing she had in her life; everything else was chaotic and in a weird way Aria loved her life like that. When she woke up in the morning she didn't know if she was going to paint or take a picture or hell, even fly across the country but no matter what she was doing or where she was, Ezra was there and the thought of losing him made her feel like she could shatter into a billion pieces.

She had her arms wrapped around her legs tightly as she sat huddled in the corner which was the only place on the earth she felt safe right now. Was she lying next to a corps in a wooden box? No. Was a crazy murderous person that went by the name "A" trying to kill her? Not at the moment. Yet after everything she has been through in her life, what is scaring her the most is something she is a fault for. She knew that this was the one thing that could rip her and Ezra apart and thinking about that made her feel like puking. However, that was not a unique feeling for the last couple weeks. She had been telling Ezra that she had the stomach flu, but she knew that excuse could only last so long. The pregnancy test on the counter was the key to what her future would look like. Aria knew it would take everything she had to leave her secure corner to get up and view her fate. Deep down, and yet not so deep down, Aria knew what that test was going to say and yet the need to validate her impending doom seemed necessary.

Aria had been sitting on the cold tile floor for so long her legs had begun to get numb. She found this a perfect opportunity to convince herself that she was paralyzed and it would be impossible for her to move from her spot. She looked at the time on her phone, Ezra was coming home with Malcolm at two o'clock and it was almost one-thirty. This made it seem impractical for her to spend the rest of her life on the bathroom floor. No, the world did not stop because she was slowly self-destructing.

After Aria's senior year of high school Ezra found out from Maggie that he had a son and also that Aria had been lying to him. He was angry, possibly angrier than she had ever seen him, but like everything else in their life together they got through it. Aria couldn't have been more proud of how Ezra stepped up when he found out about Malcolm. As much as Ezra's mother told him that this child would make him "unfocused" and ruin his life, he insisted on being the best father he could to the boy. Aria was even sometimes jealous of how good of a father Malcolm had, when all her own father did was disappoint her. The relationship she had with Byron was always shaky and with time it hadn't got any better.

Aria looked at the text message on her phone that she got from "A" a few days ago. "Aww, Little Aria's going to be a mother, too bad Ezra's not going to be a father…again. –A" Aria's biggest fear wasn't being a mother, sure that was scaring the shit out of her, but her biggest fear was that Ezra would never forgive her. Losing him would be like losing a part of herself and right now it would be the only part of herself that she liked. The guilt she felt over what happened that night cannot be explained in word, words seem way too small to explain how she feels right now. This is why no one knows about her indiscretions except her and the man she regretted so much running into that night. She thought about telling her four best friends, but uttering what she did out loud was more than she could handle. Before it came to her realization that she could be pregnant Aria thought she could just forget it ever happened. She knew he wouldn't tell able their fateful night together, after all, it held as many repercussions for him as it did her. Now she was trying to convince herself that the child she might (defiantly) be carrying could be Ezra's, but even she knew her life didn't work out like that. As horrible as she was feeling right now she could not ignore the humor in this, this whole thing started out with a surprise and it ended with an even bigger surprise.

4 months ago

Aria was excited, she had just finished a painting of Ezra and Malcolm playing basketball and she couldn't wait to show them. At first Aria was a bit distant from Malcolm, partly because she wanted him to have a much time with Ezra as he could and partly because the thought of being anything close to a step mother at 17 scared the hell out of her. However, over the last three years she learned that she didn't have to take on a motherly role to have a relationship with the boy. Being his father's girlfriend seemed to take on its own role and she was happy to play it. Even though she knew that role may expand as her and Ezra's relationship evolved, she was content with where she was.

Today was Ezra's day to pick up Malcolm at Maggie's and her fiancées house. Aria and Maggie's relationship was awkward at best. She didn't know if it was because it started with lies or because Maggie used to have a relationship with Ezra. However, Aria was betting on the latter, and it wasn't even so much that she had a relationship with him than it was that they had a connection that could not be broken. Aria loves Malcolm but she knew that Maggie and Ezra would be bound together for the rest of their lives because of him, and sometimes this made her a bit jealous. She knew that Ezra loved her though and that was just enough to make any jealously small and insignificant.

Aria was walking down the sidewalk with the large painting tucked under her left arm. She knew she probably looked ridicules to the other pedestrians walking, but she didn't care. Aria took a lot of pride in her art and unlike most artists she wasn't afraid to show it off. She had just finished the painting and was taking it to her agent in a few hours, but before anyone else saw it she wanted to show it to Ezra and Malcolm.

While watching her paint a landscape one day, Malcolm asked her in a very shy, childlike manner if she could paint a picture of him one day. Aria gladly accepted the offer and went to the park with Ezra and Malcolm and started to sketch. She had never painted anything that had so much meaning to her so she took her time to make sure it was perfect. The painting took about three weeks finish, but when she was done the feelings of pride and accomplishment she had were grand.

Aria was so happy with the painting she felt like surprising Ezra and Malcolm at Maggie's and show them the finished product. She knew that the quality of the painting was good enough that once she gave it to her agent, Alex, it was going to go straight to the galleries and then it would be there for tons of people to see and buy. Aria wanted to give the original painting to Malcolm but her agent had been on her about spending so much time on something and then not getting any money for it. So she had decided that she was going to give the copy to Malcolm, but she defiantly wanted him to see the original first.

The walk from Aria and Ezra's apartment to Maggie's house was quite a distance but Ezra had the car, be sides it was nice day and Aria didn't mind walking. As she finally neared Maggie's house she saw Ezra and Maggie sitting on the stoop. Curiosity came over Aria as she noticed that Maggie looked upset and near tears. Maggie had always seemed so upbeat all the time it was weird to see her looking so distraught, it was obvious something was wrong even from the distance at which Aria was.

The next thing that happened made Aria stop in her tracks. She felt her heart drop and her ability to breathe easily quickly disappeared. Maggie had leaned in and was kissing Ezra passionately. The pain Aria felt at the moment was very overwhelming. She dropped the painting in her left arm next to a building and started to run in the opposite direction. The only sensible thing to do right then was run, run as far away from this situation as she could. The emotions she was feeling varied from panic, sadness, anger, embarrassment, and fear. Did he love Maggie? Did Maggie love him? Was this the first time Ezra kissed someone else other than her while they were together? Were they sleeping together? Had he been cheating on her since he found out about Malcolm? All of these questions rushed through Aria's mind as she ran down the side walk. She could feel the eyes of other pedestrians on her as she ran in tears like a mad person and all she wanted to do is yell at all of them. She needed to hurt Ezra for how he was making her feel right now, for this pain he was putting her through.

Aria ran and ran and ran some more until she was back at the apartment that she and Ezra shared. On the run she thought about breaking one of his coffee mugs (or all of them), or burning one of his precious books (or all of them) but neither one of these destructive acts would make her feel better or make him feel as bad as she was feeling right now.

When Aria reached her apartment she saw Wesley sitting by her front door.

"Hey, I figured yall would be home by now, I really need to get a key ya know?" He said still not looking up at Aria's face. He looked up at Aria, who was still crying and stood up looking puzzled. "Aria, are you okay? Where's the kiddo? Oh my god, is he alright? Is Ezra okay, what the hell is going on—" he asked placing both hand on Aria shoulders. The flood of questions came to quick for Aria to give him an answer. She didn't know if it was the flood of emotions she was feeling or the need to hurt Ezra or how concerned and gentle Wesley was being but she put her hands on his face and pulled him in for a deep, passionate kiss in which he returned and then quickly pulled back.

"W-What are you doing, Aria?"He said in shock, trying to collect himself. As much as he was shocked by her actions and was trying to reject her advances, his arm still hadn't left her shoulders and his face was still very close to hers.

Aria ignored his question and pulled him in for a longer and deeper kiss and this time he did not pull away from her. His hand traveled down her back and on to her hips as they continued to kiss. Aria took her hands off his face using one had to open the apartment door and the other to grab his shirt and pull him inside the apartment.

He stopped just before the doorway, "I don't think I can do this, Aria, he's my brother!" He said out of breathe. Wesley was a good guy but right now Aria wished that some stranger had shown up at her door instead of him.

Aria looked up at him; the tears on her face had dried up and her hair was a messed, but Wesley still looked like he was so attracted to her. She needed him to be with her so she could forget the pain she was feeling even if it was only for a while. She shook her hear "Its okay, me and Ezra are done….It okay." She said pulling him closer to her by his shirt.

This was as much as she was willing to remember of the events of that night. She told Wesley that Ezra would be home soon and that he needed to leave. When Ezra got home he was holding her painting in one hand and his cell phone in the other. The guilt she felt when she saw his face almost made her confess everything. Apparently he had been calling her for the last hour. He explained that Maggie's fiancée broke up with her and she kissed him but they instantly knew it was wrong. Ezra was being so honest and Aria had overreacted to an innocent situation. What she did to him was far worse than what he did, she wished that that whole day had never happened.

Aria stood up from her corner and slowly walked to the counter over to the pregnancy test. As she looked down at the results of the test she felt her stomach turn. "Shit!" she said to herself looking at the test. Aria is pregnant and she has no idea what she is going to do.

She looked at the time on her phone once more—ten till two o'clock. Aria rushed to put the test is the white plastic bag in the bathroom trash can, and then take it down to the dumpster. For right now at least this would stay between her, herself, and "A."