Author's Note: I don't know what it says about me but I love a mean Alison. Don't worry, this is very much a Emison story so any harm Alison causes now she will more than make up for later. Thank you for the reviews, please continue to let me know what you think about the chapters. Enjoy the update!
... ...
Wednesday started like the day before, with Emily waking up to a string of texts from Alison. Thankfully, there were no cross-town errands to run, just a lengthy list of things Alison wanted done before her arrival at the office. There was one good thing about having to go into the office so early and it was that Toby could give her a ride. He even did Emily the favor of making their morning protein smoothies while she showered. Once they were in the car, Emily took the opportunity to fill Toby in on everything that had been happening at work, she spared no detail.
"I don't know, Emily. This DiLaurentis chick seems like she gets off on making people miserable." Toby commented as Emily finished filling him in. "I went by the Y to work out last night and they're looking for a swim instructor. You should go check it out."
"I don't want to swim, Toby. You know that," Emily replied, resting her head against the seat as she looked out the window.
Toby glanced over at the passenger seat, "You wouldn't be swimming necessarily, you'd be teaching other people to swim." He knew the distinction was flimsy and wouldn't matter, but he tried anyways.
"I don't want to talk about this again," Emily groaned.
"That's the thing, Emily. We've never talked about it. I don't know why you quit swimming. I don't how you ended up here in New York, or why you never speak to your parents. It feels like I don't really know anything about your life from the past few years, other than Maya." Toby's frustration built as he spoke, his voice raising.
Emily cut her eyes at him and he quickly apologized, he hadn't meant to yell, "I'm sorry. I'm just worried about you. I've been worried about you for months, and every time we get close to talking about anything that matters, you shut down."
The car was silent for a while, neither of them saying anything and the radio turned off. It wasn't that Emily didn't want to talk to Toby. It was that she didn't know where to start, she could barely wrap her own head around the last few years, and trying to explain it to someone else seemed daunting. Tearing her eyes away from the city passing by in the window, she turned to Toby.
"Maya." that's where Emily would start, with Maya.
Toby's nostrils flared, "Emily, I don't know where she is. I've used all my resources at the station. I promise I don't know where she is. I've looked."
"No, I wasn't going to ask that." Emily shook her head, realizing then how much she'd put Toby through the last few months. "Maya is why I stopped swimming."
"Why would Maya ask you to stop swimming?" Toby's eyes darted toward Emily before returning to the road ahead.
"She didn't. I wanted to spend more time with her. You know what my schedule was like back then. I was training all year round, and when I wasn't training, I was competing. It was exhausting, and hard on both of us." Emily struggled to get the words out, "So when she started pulling away, I knew I had to make a choice, and I chose her."
"You loved swimming," Toby kept his eyes on the road.
"I love Maya more," Emily replied, wrapping her arms around her waist. "Pam was furious when I told her I wasn't going to compete anymore. She said the nastiest things, about Maya, about me liking women, she told me I was throwing my life down the drain." Emily closed her eyes briefly thinking about how her mother had never accepted that she was attracted to women, and was never a fan of Maya from the moment they met in High School.
"I'm sorry, that's…" Toby found himself at a loss for words. Instead, he reached over and gently pulled one of Emily's arms from her body, holding her hand.
"My father called me later that night. He told me he loved me and apologized for her," Tears welled up in Emily's eyes, and her throat started to hurt thinking about how her relationship with her father changed after that. They would talk on the phone late at night sometimes, and occasionally when her mother worked late they would grab dinner together. All of which had to be kept a secret because Pam was adamant about wanting nothing to do with Emily until she 'got her head on straight'.
Toby gave Emily's hand a light squeeze. "How did you end up in New York, Em?".
"Things were good between Maya and me for a while, really good. We were spending almost every day together. Then she started talking about New York, for weeks, it was New York this, New York that, she kept saying we could start over here," The burning in Emily's throat intensified, and tears began to fall. "I came home to our apartment and she was gone," the words opened a floodgate of emotions and Emily lost control of her breathing.
Toby pulled over as quickly as he could, unfastening his seatbelt and enveloping Emily in his arms. "I've got you, Em. It's ok," he repeated the words several times but Emily didn't calm down like she usually did. He'd pushed her too far.
"I followed her here, and we were fine. We were so good." Emily allowed herself to be pulled further in her friend's embrace. "Why does she keep doing this? Why does she keep leaving me?" Emily asked, but the words were lost in Toby's jacket.
… …
Not wanting anyone at GLOW to see her post ugly cry, Emily got off the DiLaurentis McCullers Drake elevators on the 3rd floor. She knew from a conversation with Aria that the studios on the floor were being renovated so it was likely empty. Without the risk of running into someone, she wandered around the studio space until she found the bathrooms. Emily stared at herself in the mirror, her cheeks tear-stained and her eyes red and puffy. She picked the absolute worst time to have a breakdown, rolling her eyes at her reflection, she turn the cold water on.
The sound of a toilet flushing and the stall door swinging open surprised Emily. She wasn't alone. In the mirror, she watched a blonde emerge from the stall behind her and approach the sink on her right. When familiar blue eyes caught Emily's brown ones she dropped her eyes to the cool stream of water and began splashing it onto her face. Emily's eyes were closed but she could hear the woman washing her hands beside her.
"That's not going to do much,"
Emily lifted her head and grabbed a few napkins from the dispenser nearby, "Probably not, but it'll have to do," she dried her face.
"Could you…?" the blonde pushed her chin forward toward the napkin dispenser.
Her face dry, Emily tossed her used napkins in the trash, "Yeah," She plucked a few napkins from the dispenser and handed them to the blonde before turning to look at herself in the mirror again. Emily could see the woman in her peripherals drying her hands.
"I have something that'll help," The blonde opened her purse, "Two things, actually," she pulled a small bottle of Visine from her bag. "Here," she held out the bottle to Emily while still searching for something else inside the bag.
Emily took the bottle gratefully, "Thanks," she said, turning to the mirror and putting two drops in each eye. "It's been a rough morning," she added, feeling compelled to offer some explanation as to why she was a mess so early.
"I've had plenty of rough mornings," the blonde pulled a small silver container out of her bag and held it out for Emily to take, "Which is why I carry around this. It's an eye serum, it has caffeine in it that will help with the puffiness." She explained.
"Thank you," Emily expressed her gratitude again, unsure of what else to say.
"I'm CeCe,"
"Emily," she introduced herself as she used her pinky to apply a small amount of cream under both eyes. There was an immediate soothing that told her it was working.
"I was about to get a coffee, would you want to join me, Emily?" CeCe asked her blue eyes meeting Emily's brown ones again, with a familiarity Emily still couldn't place, "My treat."
Emily's mouth opened and then closed. She should probably get upstairs to the office, but the idea of grabbing a coffee before jumping into Alison's list seemed appealing, "Sure."
Emily followed CeCe out of the bathroom, down the elevator, and through the lobby of DiLaurentis McCullers Drake. They crossed the street and Emily, expecting they would go right to the Starbucks everyone at the offices frequented was surprised when CeCe nodded left, beckoning her into a cozier and quieter coffee shop, The Brew.
"CeCe, there you are," A handsome, kinda rugged, barista greeted as they approached the counter, "You're usual?" he asked.
"Hello Steven," CeCe smiled warmly at the barista. "I'll have my usual and Emily will have…"
"An Americano," Emily finished the order.
CeCe's eyes raked over Emily in a not-so-subtle way. Emily was glad she took the extra time that morning to sift through her clothing and find a multi-color, striped, sweater dress, and a pair of black thigh-high boots. Was the outfit GLOW magazine-worthy? No, but if the look in CeCe's eyes was any indication, it was a step in the right direction. Emily didn't shift uncomfortably, or wring her hands nervously, instead, she stood tall under CeCe's gaze and allowed herself to be looked at in a way she hadn't been in…she didn't know how long.
"Straight," Emily added, calling out to the barista.
CeCe smirked as her eyes made their way back up to Emily's. "But just the coffee right?" she held Emily's gaze playfully.
It had been a while since anyone flirted so openly with Emily, at least that she noticed. It made her ears hot and she knew she was blushing. She looked over CeCe with more subtlety than the blonde had shown, her heels put them at the same height, and the white dress she wore offered a nice view of great legs but Emily kept coming back to her eyes. She couldn't place why they looked so familiar.
"One Hazelnut Iced Latte and one Americano," the barista announced, breaking the tension.
With their coffees in hand, they found a small table near the back of the cafe.
"I haven't seen you around the offices before, you're new right?"
"Yeah, I started at GLOW on Monday, I'm-"
"Alison's new assistant," CeCe looked as if puzzle pieces had just clicked together.
"Yeah, I guess word gets around fast," Emily smiled.
There wasn't much flirting after that, but the coffee was great and Emily enjoyed the company. CeCe was funny, charming, and somewhat mysterious.
When Emily had asked, "So, what do you do at DiLaruentis McCullers Drake?"
CeCe replied with a vague but intriguing, "Oh, a little of this, a little of that, I like to think I'm vital to every part of the company,"
CeCe never asked why Emily had been crying, and by the time they left The Brew Emily's eyes were clear and the cream CeCe had given her had reduced any puffiness, it was like it never happened. They walked back to the office together and separated in the lobby.
"See you around, Americano."
Emily shook her head slightly, the nickname was surprising, a bit strange, but also kind of endearing. With a nod, Emily made her way to the elevators.
… …
"How many more of these do I have to read?" Alison asked sharply as soon as the camera was lowered.
Emily was just as weary. The mean tweets segment was supposed to take less than 10 minutes to film but they had been at it for 30, and each take seemed worse than the last. Alison would read a tweet, and give a tight smile, or a laugh that sounded foreign coming from her body. This approach wasn't working, and Emily knew she would end up shouldering the blame.
"Maybe we should take a break. You and Aria have the podcast taping soon, we can try again afterward," Emily suggested.
"Try again? Are you saying I'm doing it wrong?" Alison pressed, her irritation palpable.
Emily weighed her options, she could speak up and face Alison's wrath now or she could wait for Avery to review the footage and find that nothing was useable and face Alison's wrath then. "It's just a little…stiff." Emily said cautiously.
"Stiff," Alison repeated, and Emily braced herself for the Editor in Chief to tear into her, but it didn't happen. Instead, Alison scrolled through the phone for a bit before giving Emily a nod to raise the camera again.
"Logan from Kansas says, The DiLaurentis Family is almost as insufferable as the Kardashians," Alison read the tweet aloud. Daring eyes came back up to the camera, "Only almost? I'll take that as a challenge, Logan," the response was short but it was more than Alison offered in any of the previous attempts.
Alison glanced to the phone to read the next tweet, "Megan asks, Why is no talking about how Jason DiLaurentis is hotter than all of his sisters? Especially Alison, she looks like a foot." Alison looked back up to camera, eyes fluttering in mock shock, "A foot? Really?" Alison chuckled and it didn't sound wholly sincere but it was progress. "You're right, Megan. Jason's the pretty one and we don't tell him nearly enough."
"Farrah says, I've been thinking about it and it makes sense Alison DiLaurentis is a lesbian, she has man hands." The laugh from Alison seemed even more natural than the last, "Don't think too hard Farrah, you might hurt yourself."
It wasn't the best but it was usable. Just as Emily was lowering the camera, the office door was pushed open and a familiar voice filled the room, "They're ready for us in Studio B, Alison." Aria announced.
Emily thought she heard a sigh of relief come from Alsion, she was up and following Aria out of the office in seconds, "Why are you just standing there?" she glanced back at Emily.
Hanna gave Aria and Alison a once-over as they settled into their seats, the podcast was audio-only but a visual version of the interview would be made available on the GLOW website. Hanna took a seat off to the side behind the cameras, and Emily stood near her and watched the interview from there. The initial questions were pretty routine, Alison and Aria took turns answering them, Aria's friendly personality came across more bubbly when contrasted with Alison's and they balanced each other out.
"Since its inception, GLOW has repeatedly outperformed its competitors, but the magazine is still relatively new when compared to publications that have been around for, say, 20, 50, or even 100 years. How much of GLOW's success would you attribute to its newness? And are you predicting stagnation?" The interviewer asked.
"A part of GLOW's appeal is that it's new, yes. Instead of narrowing down to a specific niche, GLOW is at the intersection of everything that matters, in fashion, music, politics, food, travel, all of it. That, in itself, is new. However, it's not the sole reason GLOW is outperforming other publications. We have the most authentic voices in every space, we have the strongest relationships with our talent, and at a time when companies and designers are scaling back their marketing efforts, they aren't afraid to launch multi-million dollar campaigns with us, because they know we'll deliver. I could go on, but the point is GLOW is performing better because, by all accounts, GLOW is better. "
Unlike the Mean Tweets segment, Alison's response was lengthy, passionate, and didn't require coaching. She was in her element. This is what Avery needed to be posting, Emily thought to herself. She had slipped out of the Socials phone and started recording just in time to capture Alison delivering the last line straight to the camera, GLOW is better.
The interviewer seemed taken aback by Alison's assured and slightly cocky answer but collected himself quickly, "Well, I'm sure the other magazines appreciate the competition."
Aria answered the second half of his question about stagnation, and they wrapped the interview shortly after a discussion about digital ad space and premium content.
"Any opportunity to monetize should at least be explored, as long as it doesn't dilute what a brand is already offering." Alison had stated in response to one of the questions.
She was brilliant, just as the articles Emily read had said. As Aria and Alison stepped off set Hanna pulled them both into a hug, "You need to do a Ted Talk on Team Building" she told Aria before releasing her, "and you, hearing you talk business always gives me a lady boner," Hanna winked at Alison and was playfully shoved away by the Editor in Chief.
"You're ridiculous," Alison laughed, and it was a real, genuine laugh. Emily of course, having committed herself to learning her boss, listened intently.
… …
"I'd love to see you again tonight, but it's just not possible. I probably won't even have time to eat, I have so much work left to do here." Alison said into the phone.
Emily tried not to listen, it was clearly a personal call.
"I know what I said, but I can't leave. I'm staring at a trend report that may need to be completely redone and a Valentino spread that's just not coming together as expected." Alison lied.
Emily's eyes drifted over to the almost empty desk in front of Alison, she'd worked on the trend report the night before and the updated version wasn't available yet. Hanna had come by during lunch and she and Alison worked through the troublesome Valentino spread. There were contracts that needed signatures, and articles that needed approval but it was nothing that couldn't wait until the next morning.
Alison ended the call with a simple, "Goodnight." and then immediately addressed Emily, "There's a Thai place up the street that's open late, I'll have the marinated chicken and papaya salad. Olivia should have the menu at her desk, order yourself something too."
So much for not having time to eat. Emily nodded getting up to retrieve the menu from the receptionist's desk and place the food order. Alison read over one of the contracts on her desk while she waited for the food to arrive, she didn't power through it like normal but rather lazily flipped through the pages in a way that told Emily she wasn't actually reading it at all. Emily didn't mind staying late, she wasn't in a rush to go home and see Toby after her breakdown earlier that day. So if Alison wanted to hang around the office and pretend to do work, so be it. Emily had an expense report to finish up from the night before.
When the food arrived Alison pushed the contract she wasn't really reviewing aside. She and Emily ate in silence. It was a comfortable silence so Emily wasn't sure why she decided to open her mouth.
"I can arrange for flowers or something,"
"For what?" Alison asked before eating a forkful of her papaya salad.
"It sounded like you were missing something by being here," Emily started. "Or maybe someone was missing you. The flowers could help make it up to them." Emily regretted saying anything as she tried and failed to read Alison's expression. Was she angry? Sad? Emily couldn't tell.
"You were listening?"
"I wasn't trying to,"
Instead of looking away from Alison's gaze Emily kept her eyes affixed to the icy blues staring back at her, trying to convey that she wasn't being nosy, only trying to offer help.
"I'm not interested in making anything up to anyone, the flowers won't be necessary," Alison spoke assuredly. "What about you?"
Emily turned her body to face Alison, unsure of what she was asking.
"Is there anyone missing you tonight?" Alison asked with a softness to her voice that lulled Emily in.
Maya came to Emily's mind. Wherever Maya was, did she miss her? Was Maya even thinking about her?
"Just my roommate," Emily cleared her throat, noticing Alison had stopped eating and was studying her.
"Not exactly what I meant,"
"It's complicated," Emily said a little too quickly, trying to push away the thoughts of Maya that were surfacing.
Sensing she hit a nerve Alison smirked, "Why's that?"
"She-," Emily rushed to speak but realized she didn't know what to say. She'd already broken down about Maya once that day, it wouldn't take much to push her over again. "She's been away for a while."
Emily started to feel trapped under Alison's scrutinizing gaze, she turned back to her computer hoping the conversation would end there, but Alison wouldn't let it go.
"She left you," Alison baited.
"I said it's complicated!" Emily snapped, and though she regained her composure quickly the damage was done.
Alison's eyes widened, and Emily realized she had just given Alison what she wanted, a reaction. Spencer was right, getting under people's skin was Alison's superpower.
It wasn't fair, Emily was working diligently to understand Alison, but Alison seemed to read Emily effortlessly, "It isn't the first time she's left you, what is it, the second, third?"
"I should focus on finishing this expense report," Emily ignored the question.
But Alison was like quicksand, the more Emily struggled the deeper she sank.
"If you won't answer I'll just assume it's the second time,"
Emily didn't say anything, and kept her eyes on her computer, the only thing left to try was to not engage.
"There's nothing complicated about that. She doesn't want you." the airy tone of Alison's voice made Emily turn around to see darkened blue eyes staring back at her, Alison said the words so inconsequentially.
There was a sinking feeling in Emily's stomach, "This DiLaurentis chick seems like she gets off on making people miserable" Toby's words played in her head as she watched Alison eat, completely unaware or uncaring that Emily was on the verge of another breakdown.
Emily stood abruptly, "I need to get some air."
"Take your time," Alison's voice was menacingly sweet as Emily's chair slid across the floor and she scrambled for the door. "But there was one more thing," Alison called out just as Emily was pushing the door open. "My personal calls…you won't be eavesdropping on them anymore, right? I'd hate to have this conversation again."
Alison's words seemed disjointed from the conversation at this point, but the smile that played on her lips made things clear, "It won't happen again," Emily answered.
… …
Emily was running on empty when she made her way to Aria's office at 8 am, Thursday morning. Alison had kept her at the office until just after midnight and when Emily got back to Toby's apartment, she couldn't sleep. Despite her body being exhausted, Emily's mind cycled between replaying Alison's little lesson over and over again, and memories of Maya. Alison's words made Emily think back and dissect even the best moments she'd had with Maya, looking for signs she might have missed, or ignored, signs that Maya didn't want her. She used any energy she had left trying not to cry, knowing it would only cause Toby to wake up and run to her side. When she was finally able to think of something other than Alison and Maya, she'd thought of the Garden Party on Friday, which is how she found herself in Aria's office.
"You look terrible," Aria said over the rim of her coffee.
Emily ran a hand through her hair, "Yeah, I didn't get much sleep." she downplayed it. "I had a couple of thoughts about the Garden Party, the New York Liberty accepted the invitation and I thought a few changes could be made to kind of, I don't know, make them feel special."
"GLOW is trying to get on their good side for that feature Hanna wants to do so yeah I'd say that sounds like a good start," Aria held her mug in front of her, "Alison will be in soon, and they're working on it together, right?"
Emily took the seat across from Aria's desk and pulled out the forms she needed signed approving the changes to the party, "They are but Hanna won't be in until 10,"
Aria took the forms but gave Emily a pointed look, "Alison will be here in a half hour," she reiterated.
Emily shifted in the chair, she didn't want to bring her ideas to Alison, not after last night. Whatever freaky talent Alison had for reading people she wanted to stay far, far, away from.
Aria chuckled, "You're scared of her."
Great, they're all mind readers, Emily thought, as she sank back into the chair and gave Aria a pleading look. Aria caved and started looking over the pages in her hand, vigorous nodding told Emily she was pleased.
"These are really good ideas, Emily. I'll sign off on them," Aria said grabbing the nearest pen, but Emily sensed a 'but' coming as Aria's hand hovered over the signature line. "But I have a feeling this won't go over well with Alison." Aria signed on all the indicated pages and handed the forms back to Emily.
Standing up again Emily replied, "They're minor changes. I'm sure she won't even notice." the words came out hallow as Emily didn't believe them.
"Alison notices everything," Aria laughed reaching for her coffee mug.