As soon as the blonde walked back into her apartment, she walked right over to the couch, sat down, and stared into space pulling her knees to her chest. She was thinking about everything that had transpired that day up until now. She was so ashamed of herself for how she had just acted. Her first instinct was to act in anger but once she seen a glimmer of hurt in the brunettes eyes, she instantly began to simmer. The swimmer had always had that effect on her. She was damn near impossible to stay angry at. She was in the brunette's apartment for no longer than 15 minutes and she left with no answers, just more questions.

When the brunette said their friendship had always been something more, she wished the brunette hadn't cut off her response. Even though it was because the blonde was intoxicated, she was willing to tell the brunette exactly how she felt. She wanted to let her know just how much she had always loved her and admit to how much of a terrible person she was because of it. She wanted nothing more in that moment than to let the brunette know that the only reason she couldn't tell her she loved her, was because she knew the brunette deserved nothing but the best and she knew she couldn't be what she deserved. At least not right then. She also wanted to let her know just how badly it hurt to live without her for 5 years. She wanted to tell her about all the pain it had caused and all the stupid decisions she made because of it. Ultimately, she knew she had no right to make the swimmer feel bad about her decision because, to be honest, she was surprised the brunette kept her around for as long as she did.

Alison could've sat there for hours thinking of everything she could've and should've done differently, but she finally decided to lie down and begin to sober up. Eventually, falling asleep right there on the couch.

On the other side of the wall, Emily was doing something very similar to the blonde. She sat on her couch with her glass of wine cursing herself for letting her emotions get the best of her. She thought she had matured enough to be able to have this conversation with the blonde had it ever come down to it. She thought that she would be able to tell the blonde everything she did to her to make her walk away and then tell her to fuck off afterward. She was obviously sadly mistaken. Fuck. She thinks to herself while resting her head in her hand. She really does have a headache now. She didn't have one before, she was only trying to get the blonde out of her apartment. She needed her space to be free of the all-too-familiar vanilla scent so she could think clearly again.

She knows now that no matter how hard she tries she can't fully hate the blonde and the proper adult thing to do is to just be cordial. Because of their current work and living situations, being upset and standoffish would only create more stress in her life and she definitely doesn't need that. She just had to make sure to keep her at arms length.

Buzz. Buzz.

Emily hears her phone vibrating from across the room in the kitchen, and her mood elevates immediately when she reads the text that pops up on the screen.

Kammie: Just booked my flight to Sherrill! I land at 8 p.m. next Friday and I can't wait to see you ;).

Emily's face lights up at the words. Kammie and the brunette have been seeing each other non-exclusively for about a year. The brunette enjoys her company because Kammie completely understands that she is not interested in a relationship. Although they do everything a couple would do when they're together, they are both aware they can do whatever they want, with whomever they want. No strings attached. It was nice because they could go on to a nice movie and dinner date and end it with hot sex, then wake up the next day and do it all over again with someone else if that's what they choose to do. What's great is that the other girl respects that. In Emily's mind, it can't get any better than that. What also makes it great is since Kammie understands Emily they make really good friends. Kammie was super hot, standing at 5 foot 7 inches, with long wavy red hair that she loved to pair with red lipstick most of the time.

Emily was now considering how awkward it is going to be living here since Alison could very easily see who was coming in and out of her apartment. But who is to say the blonde even cares? She shouldn't, being that she very clearly has a boyfriend or whatever it is that she has going on with this guy.

It's been so long that neither she nor the blonde knows anything about the other as an adult. All the brunette knows about the blonde is that she still trembles underneath her touch but that makes her no different than any other girl Emily touches. The brunette has a way with her hands…. And her tongue. It would be hard for any woman not to fold for her and she knew that.

Emily: Perfect. Can't wait! I'll be there to pick you up xo.

Emily sends the text and locks her phone thinking she's had enough fun for one night. With that she gathers herself, washes out her wine glass, and prepares for bed. The brunette already knew she was in for a nasty hangover headache in the morning.

The next morning rolls around and Alison stirs awake on the couch rubbing her face and cursing herself for not closing the blinds because the sun was shining directly through the window and into her eyes. What a great way to wake up when you have a hangover and can barely open your eyes. She thinks to herself as she sits up. The blonde finally remembers she had no idea the last time she had seen her phone. She begins shuffling around her living room before finally finding it in the kitchen next to the half-empty bottle of wine. There are a series of calls and texts from the night before.

3 missed calls from Rollins

4 new text messages

Rollins: Hey, call me when you can so we can pick a time for the movies tomorrow : )

Rollins: Everything okay? I haven't heard from you this afternoon.

Rollins: Okay, well I'm going to assume you're asleep. I'll check on you tomorrow.

The last text was from her only teacher friend.

Adrienne: You didn't even tell me you were leaving campus at the same time as me today! How rude!

She could understand both of their concerns. She wasn't the type to go all day with no contact. She and Rollins usually at least had one phone call every night and she and Adrienne usually met up and walked to their cars together if they left the school around the same time. But with everything that had happened that afternoon with the brunette, her mind was clouded and she completely forgot about her routines.

Adrienne was the French teacher at Burkley as well as the Varsity cheer coach. They clicked immediately when they met at the first staff meeting Alison attended last year. Once they got to know each other they became attached at the hip at school, always eating lunch together and ending most of their days together. It was almost as if they were sisters. It didn't help that they looked freakishly similar, both having long blonde hair and colored eyes. The fact that Adrienne's eyes are green and Alison's are blue is one of the only differences between the two besides about a two-inch height difference.

Alison: Sorry, I wasn't feeling well after I finished grading. I'll make it up to you Monday, lunch on me.

The blonde sent her friend a message before returning Rollins's phone call. The phone only rang twice before he answered worriedly.

"Hey, where have you been? I was getting worried." He says quickly. Alison let out a sigh and decided to go with the same excuse she gave her teacher friend. "Hey, I'm so sorry, I had such a long day and I didn't feel well after I finished my grading. I came home and went right to sleep."

"How do you feel this morning? Do you need anything? My last patient is at noon, I can bring you-"

"No, no I'm fine, I just needed some sleep don't worry." She cut him off already knowing he would try to see if there was anything he could do to help. Alison had always given Rollins his props for being attentive. "Okay good. I called last night to see if you chose a movie for us to see tonight."

Shit. She forgot she had made date plans with the Doctor. She pulls up the most recent movie releases on her phone quickly.

"Uh, yeah why don't we see Rough Night? It's starring Scarlett Johansson and I could use a good laugh. It starts at 8 o clock."

"Okay, Rough night it is. But are you sure you're feeling up to it? I could always come over and we can watch movies at your-,"

"No!" She responds a little too quickly.

"I mean… no I'll be fine, I'd rather get out of the house than rot in bed anyway. I could use some fresh air" She says shakily.

"Alright, well I'll be there to pick you up around 6. We'll go have dinner first."

"Sounds good." She replies a little less enthusiastically than she had meant it to sound.

"Okay, then it's a date. I'll see you later."

And with that she hangs up the phone quickly. Palming herself in the forehead because she hates this new situation of having the brunette next door. She doesn't understand why she feels like she has to hide Rollins from the other girl. It's not like their situation was a secret. She can admit to herself that since the brunette came back into her life, her thoughts about Rollins have been extremely limited and less than before. It's barely even been an entire 24 hours. This is going to take some getting used to.

As the night came, Alison went on her date with Rollins while the brunette stayed in and unpacked while also putting most of her furniture together. The bed frame was her biggest undertaking, but it wasn't an option to not get done being she was definitely going to need it come Friday. She got her cable box and TV set up in her living room and ended her night curled up on the couch. Living this quietly is something she wasn't used to. Back in California, she would usually end her night with a woman, usually Kammie but occasionally she'd spend time with a random female she may have flirted with at a bar.

Here in Sherrill, everything was so quiet and calm. The town was so small she's pretty sure there's only one of every kind of establishment. One school, one bar, one movie theatre etc. etc. very similar to Rosewood.

She notices that it's been eerily quiet tonight. Although you can't hear everything through the thin walls, you can normally hear movement such as the hardwood floors creaking if someone steps too hard, or cabinets slamming, sometimes you can even hear if someone's running their water depending on what room you're in. But the brunette has heard nothing for the last few hours. She knows she shouldn't care, but it's hard to not at least be curious with them living so close. The brunette tries to refocus her thoughts and begins to tell herself to mind her business. But that's when she hears a man's and a woman's voice in the hallway. Then she hears laughter. Laughter that she knows very well. She fights the urge to walk to her door and press her ear against it, but the talking doesn't last much longer before she hears the blonde say "Goodnight Rollins." followed by the door to the apartment opening and then closing.

Rollins. The brunette thinks to herself, finally putting a name to the mystery man. What kind of name is Rollins?

She hates that she's internally happy the man hadn't entered the apartment behind the blonde because she'd stick a fork in her eye before she listened to her first love have sex with someone else. Especially a man.

Back in the blonde's apartment, she had just gotten home from her night with Rollins. They always have a fun time together. Since they've put some space between them during the week, whenever they get together on the weekends, they would catch up with each other and give the rundown on things that have happened that they may not have spoken about during their nightly phone calls.

Before she went back in her apartment Rollins had asked could he come in for a bit and usually that means what a person would think it means. But with the brunette being just a wall away she couldn't bring herself to do it. So, she told him she was tired and was going to get some lesson planning done before bed.

Truthfully, there wasn't many things that had happened throughout the night that wouldn't bring her mind back to Emily. It felt so wrong being on a date with this man that she knows loves her but is constantly thinking about a woman that can barely stand to be around her for too long. But it looks like this is how her nights were going to be going from now on.

Monday came around fast and the brunette had just completed her first day at Burkley, and is preparing for her first practice as head coach. She gathers her team of girls around the track at the football field much to the team's surprise. They're not used to doing anything outside of the natatorium.

She explained to the team that skills for swimming can be applied in other places and today they would be focused on cardio and will run 4 laps around the track. She blows the whistle indicating the girls to start running. Some girls struggled to keep up while others were running like track stars. The brunette took note of it all while encouraging the girls to keep a steady pace and not to give up. While the girls were running, she stood at one end of the field, she began to turn around when she ran right into someone, knocking their belongings out of their hands.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry," Emily says not even looking up at the other person yet as she moves to pick up the person's belongings. Once she does look up, she sees a beautiful woman with long wavy blonde hair and bright green eyes standing in front of her. She was wearing a BHS tracksuit very similar to her own.

"No worries, it happens. Maybe not all the time but it does happen." The woman chuckles light-heartedly.

The brunette is pleasantly surprised at how stunning this woman is. She can't help herself from turning on the charm.

"In that case maybe this was supposed to happen. I'm Emily Fields. The new swim coach." She says with a smirk. She reaches out to shake the blonde's hand. Adrienne not missing the flirtatiousness in the brunette's response.

"Adrienne Richie. French teacher and cheer coach." She raises her eyebrows also noticing Emily's beauty and takes the brunettes hand while seeing how the other woman is inspecting her. The blonde notes that it was in no way creepy or predatory, but she was definitely checking her out.

"Well it was quite nice to meet you, hopefully, I see you again soon." Emily shoots a quick smile and turns away.

The brunette knows better than to lay it on too thick in the first meeting. But she made a mental note to herself to make sure she saw that woman again sooner rather than later.

Alison sat in her classroom after the final bell rang, planning her lessons for the week.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

This is what she hears on her classroom door before it swings open revealing her friend.

"Alison DiLaurentis, I've been calling you for the last 30 minutes!" Adrienne says while pulling a chair up to her desk to sit beside her.

"I mean, as you can see I kind of have my hands full here." Alison says with a light chuckle as she sits at her desk with a stack of papers.

"You will never guess the kind of day I've had today." She leans in closer with her head resting in her hands.

"I'm sure I wouldn't be able to guess but I'm positive you're going to tell me anyway." She takes off her reading glasses and faces her sometimes hyper friend. Adrienne really reminds her of Hanna sometimes.

"Well of course I'm going to tell you! It started off pretty crappy. I woke up this morning to a massive bird shit on my windshield, I'm pretty sure half of my 3rd period class was partying and getting high this weekend causing the majority of them to fail their test today, but then the most miraculous thing happened." She stopped and wiggled her eyebrows looking at Alison.

"Okay? Get on with it." Alison rolled her eyes and laughed at her friend's dramatics.

"Have you seen the new swim coach?"

Alison presses her lips together in a hard line and all the color drains from her face. She needs Adrienne to get to the point before she freaks out.

"Why?" She gives her a very flat response needing her friend to finish her thought.

"I ran into her today. Like, literally ran into her, and call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure she was checking me out. I swear she is the most stunning woman I have ever seen. I may not date women, but I'd date that woman!"

That freaky little- the blonde cuts her own thoughts off, instantly getting hot just thinking about Emily flirting with her friend. Alison checks her anger and tries to remain composed.

"I promise if you see her you'd understand. The woman is hot!"

Alison rolls her eyes. "Oh, trust me I know." She says without thinking.

"What do you mean you know?" Her green-eyed friend now looking at her curiously.

Alison thinks she better let her friend in on some things in order to put a stop to this before it starts. Because if the blonde knows anything about the brunette, she's definitely going to make a pass at Adrienne unless she does something about it. This pairing would not be happening on her watch.

"Alison DiLaurentis, you're blushing!"

Alison didn't even realize her face was turning colors while she was deep in thought.

"Okay, Adrienne I have to tell you something."

Adrienne's eyebrows raised and she looked at Alison expectantly. The blue-eyed blonde takes a deep breath before continuing.

"Do you remember when I told you about my high school friend group?" Alison starts.

"Yeah. There were four of them, right? The smart one, the artsy one, the fashionable one, and the loyal one."

"Right…. And do you remember that time we got really drunk at my place and you were telling me about how you had never had relations with a woman before?"

Adrienne still not catching on and chuckles. "Yes, I remember. I'll never forget it because you told me you had a fling with the loyal friend, and it was the best sex you'd ever had." Adrienne laughs at the memory and now Alison is blushing even harder but also smiling as well at the memory.

Alison looks at her blonde friend waiting for it to click. Adrienne notices her friend begin to blush so hard her entire face is turning red.

"Wait…… THAT'S HER?! THE LOYAL ONE! THE FLING?!"

Alison smirks at her friend before she continues.

"Oh honey, I must have left some details out… It was more than just a fling."

A/N: Hello again! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I had so much fun writing it. Adrienne has become my favorite character to write dialog for, she spices it up a little as you can see. Thanks for reading! I'll be updating again as soon as I can.