Hello hello friends! I wasn't quite sure what I wanted this story to evolve into when I first started out, but after I began writing I have a better idea of where I want to go with it. Again, if you've happened across this story leave a review! Let me know what you think so far...Things you like, dislike, and what you would like to see next. I would love to hear your input! I know I enjoyed introducing Alison into the story at the end of the first chapter. Also, this story is rated T, but whenever we get to the more steamy stuff further down the line I will be leaving a rated M warning. I intend for this story to be somewhat of a slow burn Emison fanfic. Just be patient and enjoy the ride:) Another side note, just like the last chapter, I have and will be quoting poetry from books written by Courtney Peppernell. Those poems are not mine and are pulled from real poetry books!

This chapter will be a little bit of Alison's back story of her life, and also the growing relationship between Alison and Emily. I hope you enjoy. Bold will be any flashbacks from here on out in the story!

Chapter Two: Haunted

Alison silently drove herself home after work. The silence was unusual for her considering most of the time she was blasting music while driving. This night, however, was different. Alison was lost in thought. Truthfully, she was lost in thought about her new coworker Emily. The two just got done hanging out in Ali's car after they got off of their Dairy Queen work shift. Alison never once has asked a coworker to spend time with her outside of work. She honestly couldn't even answer herself as to why she did ask Emily to hang out with her. There was something about the shy brunette that piqued Alison's interest. She didn't know what to expect from Emily, but all Ali knew was that she wanted to know more about her. Most of Alison's peers were easy to read. The girls her age were like an open book filled with the same bullshit. There was no depth to them...no substance...no flavor...they were like a plot absent from a book. Any conversations you would have with those girls were predictable. Those types of girls left Alison feeling void after hanging out with them, and quite frankly, they bored her.

Alison never really has a curfew for when she needs to be home. So she didn't pay attention to the time while she was hanging out with her new coworker. She actually didn't look at the time once since the brunette climbed into her passenger seat. Alison was genuinely having a great time speaking with Emily, and she captured all of Alison's attention. After thirty minutes had passed Emily panicked realizing how long they were talking. Alison smiled to herself thinking about how flustered the brunette was. "I didn't peg you for a homeschooler Emily. You just keep surprising me," Alison said, "What's that like? If I were home all day long seven days a week I would probably literally go crazy. Seriously!" Alison continued after Emily laughed, "One week in and you would find me in a mental hospital with fuzzy socks and a gown," Alison added. Alison figured out it was quite easy for her to pull a laugh out of Emily. She also realized how much she loves doing so. "I give you props for being able to do that," Alison eyed Emily sitting cross-legged in her passenger seat, "you must have some serious dedication. I bet you are really smart." Emily sighed, "Well now you know why you haven't seen me around Rosewood High." The brunette usually hated sharing with the other public school girls she was homeschooled. After she told people that, they would almost act scared of her like they were going to catch a loser virus or something. As if on cue, once Emily would mention her homeschooling to someone, they would instantly change their demeanor towards her. The conversation with Alison flowed effortlessly so far. So Emily was slightly terrified to answer Alison after she asked why she has never seen her around school. Per usual, Alison made her feel differently than anyone else. Comfortable was a more accurate definition. Ali kept surprising Emily with her responses to what she had to say. Emily went to answer Alison's question, "Homeschooling isn't too bad though," she looked down at her hands, "Why do I get the feeling you're lying to me?" Alison asked softly as she eyed Emily closely. Before she could respond to Ali, she noticed the time on Alison's car dashboard. The sudden realization that almost half an hour had gone by hit Emily, "Oh my god it's 10pm! I'm sorry Ali I didn't notice it had been this long. I really need to get going." Emily scrambled to get her bag from the floorboard. Alison watched her frantically grab her things, "I didn't notice the time either Em, will your parents be upset?" "No they shouldn't be, but next time I probably should ask them to hang out with you first," Emily responded. At that moment Emily wished she just put her foot in her mouth instead, "Oh my god Emily. Way to go. Just assume you'll be hanging out with Ali again," she thought. Alison noticed Emily's comment, and the redness appearing on her cheeks, "Here," Alison smiled kindly and reached for Emily's phone that she was holding in her hand. Alison's hand rested on Emily's for a moment, "let me give you my number," she said as Emily handed her iPhone over. Alison quickly went to Emily's phone book and added her number under the name 'Ali' with a little yellow heart next to it. She gave it back to Emily, "thanks for hanging out with me Emily," Alison said quietly, "I'd love to spend more time with you. You know, like outside of work." Emily smiled at Alison as she opened the passenger door, "I had a great time too, and it was fun working with you also. Thanks for making my first shift a little more bearable," Emily leaned down before she shut Alison's car door to say, "Goodnight, drive safe. I'll see you next shift." Alison flashed her a big smile, "You might be my new favorite coworker," she gave Emily a wink, "Goodnight Emily, text me when you get home safely."

Alison pulled into her packed driveway full of cars. "Great," she thought, "Jason must have his stupid buddies over," as she put her car in park. As she was grabbing her bag from the passenger seat floorboard, she noticed a book laying there. Alison picked it up and looked on the inside of the cover. 'Emily Fields' was written at the top right hand corner in neat cursive. Alison smiled to herself, "Of course this girl carries a book around with her," she thought. Emily's belonging must've fell out of her backpack when she was rushing to leave. Alison grabbed it and stuffed the book in her purse before she went inside.

Alison walked through the front door of her house, and saw her mother, Jessica, asleep on the couch. Well, in truth, asleep was a nice way to put it. Ali knew her mom was passed out from her drinking. A wine glass and an empty wine bottle sat beside her mother on the coffee table. This was a regular occurrence for Alison to find her mother like this in the evening. It was becoming almost habitual, and more so now that her parents were in the process of a divorce. She knew better than to try to wake her mother up. Alison did what she normally does every night for her mom. She grabbed a glass of water from the kitchen, a couple ibuprofen from the medicine cabinet, and placed them on the coffee table in front of Jessica. Then, Alison gently put a blanket over her, and shut off the table lamp beside the couch. Alison always had a better relationship with her father, Kenneth. Maybe it was because Ali was her dad's little girl. Being so, she was able to get away with a lot more than she could with her mother. Alison knew neither parent's actions were the complete fault for the destruction of their marriage, but her father was the one to move out of their family home. Alison was accustomed to the fighting between her parents at night when she was trying to sleep. Now that her father has moved out, Alison finds her mom slouched on the couch almost every night. Alison prefers finding her mother asleep, compared to coming home after school when Jessica is a few wine glasses in...and drunk. The house is eerily quite now, absent from the shouting between her parents. Unless Jason, her brother, has his stoner friend's over, her house feels like a ghost town. This home of hers, feels haunted from all of the lies, fights, and slamming doors. Alison tried to make friends with the ghosts inside her mind, but most of the time the silence is too loud. Alison found a strange comfort in the noise. It's not that she enjoyed hearing her parent's arguments, or that she enjoys being pestered by her brother's air head friends, but she misses the way her home used to feel. Rather, she missed it when it wasn't empty. Now, it seems like everything is tainted by it all. The pictures hanging on the wall of her once happy family, now makes her sick to her stomach. They only remind her of the past: a time she could never go back to. So normally, Alison tries to avoid being home. She either finds herself at school, work, or at her best friend Hanna Marin's house. The ghosts can't haunt her there.

Alison quietly sneaks past Jason's closed door towards her bedroom. She could smell the pot smoke coming from his room with his friend's inside. Alison tugs off her work outfit, tosses the dirty clothes into her laundry basket, and flops onto her bed. She hears music and laughter coming from her brother's room. Alison's thoughts were side-tracked back to the book that Emily accidentally left in her car. She opens her purse and pulls out the brunettes book with the title 'Pillow Thoughts' by Courtney Peppernell on the cover. Curiosity gets the better of her as Ali inspects it further. After reading the first page, she realizes that Emily's forgotten item is actually a poetry book. Alison says to herself, "More and more surprises from you Emily Fields." She continues to read more lines of poetry, when her iPhone dings with a notification. Alison opens her phone to see a text from a number she doesn't recognize: "Hi Ali, It's Emily. I just got home a little bit ago. Figured if I had your number, you should have mine too," the text read with a little smily face emoji after it. Alison reactively smiled reading the text from the brunette. She laid on her favorite side of the bed, getting comfortable, and starting typing a response: "I'm glad you got home safely. While you were rushing out of my car, one of your books fell out of your bag," Ali wrote. Then she went to take a selfie of her holding the book by her face smiling. She finished the text, "I never met anyone who carries around a poetry book in their bag." She sent the iMessage with the photo attached with it. Alison continued to inspect Emily's book and noticed that Emily has dog-tagged lots of different pages. Alison smiled at the thought of Emily marking all of her favorite poems. She went to look at one of those pages that Emily had chosen to be a good one. It read: "Who made feel this way? Like your heart's too heavy And all of its soft parts Are gone Who made you feel Like this toxic thing Like no one Wants you And you don't belong? Who made you feel Like your scars Aren't beautiful And your baggage Isn't worth carrying? Who made you feel Like you don't Deserve everything And you aren't Someone worth keeping? Just tell me where It all went wrong So I can make you feel Like you really belong," Alison took a deep breath. She didn't realize she was holding her breath in while she read the poem. After Ali read it, she set the book down. She felt like she was invading some special place of Emily's. Like she was intruding uninvited into a sacred belonging of her's. Alison's phone buzzed again with another text from Emily: "Omg I can't believe I didn't notice that! Lol you know what they say 'never trust anyone who doesn't have a book with them.' That one has been my favorite recently. The author has a beautiful way with words. Do you like to read?" Alison cracked another smile. Texting Emily made her stomach slightly flutter. Ali didn't know why she was feeling like this talking to Emily. All she knew was that she liked this feeling, and she hasn't felt this way with any of her friends before. Alison walked over to her dresser drawers and grabbed an old baggy t-shirt of her dad's, and a pair of boxers. Even her best friend Hanna, who she tells almost everything, did not know that Ali loved to wear boxers. Alison secretly loved the way they felt, and wore them around her room like shorts. She knew it was a silly thing to feel like she had to keep a secret, but she did anyway. Alison threw herself back onto her bed and went to reply back to Emily: "No worries Em, I will get it back to you when we work together next. Don't tell, but I do like to read," she added a winking emoji, "I haven't ever read poetry though," Alison sent the text and waited for Emily to respond. Her eyes drifted over to her bookshelf that lined a wall of her bedroom. To be honest, she hasn't opened a book in years. Aside from school work assignments, she hadn't read a book for fun since middle school. The thought has crossed her mind from time to time, but there was always something else going on. More than anything, she never forgot when her middle school bully, Mona, called her a nerd at the lunch table for reading. Since then, Ali kept her reading private, and then when high school came, her reading slowly dwindled into nonexistence. She didn't lie to Emily though when she said she did love to read. Her phone buzzing interrupted her thoughts. A text from Emily: "Poetry is a phenomenal!" Alison thought to herself, "Who uses the word 'phenomenal?" She kept reading the text from Emily: "You definitely need to read some poetry. I wouldn't mind if you held onto 'Pillow Thoughts' for awhile. The author actually just released a second book to the serious...'Pillow Thoughts 2'. I just haven't had the time to go get it from the bookstore yet. I have been so busy with schoolwork, swim, and now work!" Alison felt that fluttering in her stomach again. Emily was going to let her borrow her book. Why did that make her so giddy? Alison texted back: "I would love to read it. Are you sure you don't mind that I borrow it? Also, you swim? For the Sharks? You haven't mentioned that to me yet. Tell me something else I don't know about you Emily." Alison was staring at their messages and noticed the little bubble pop up showing that Emily was already responding. Her heart rate was fast for some reason, "God why in the hell does this girl make me so nervous?" Alison thought. She opened her bottom nightstand drawer and grabbed a bag of Cheez-It's. Alison kept her late night snacks in her room just so she didn't have to risk waking her mom up by going downstairs into the kitchen. Emily replied: "I wouldn't mind at all if you borrowed it. I have probably re-read it a hundred times," Emily put a laughing face emoji after that, "Yeah! Rosewood High allows me to play sports for them. I've been swimming since the sixth grade," she added another smily face, "Hmmmm something you don't know about me...okay, I'll give you a few if you share something about yourself too. I'm an only child and I've always wanted a sibling, my guilty pleasure song is Crazy In Love by Beyoncé, and I'm secretly terrified of the dark." Alison was grinning at her phone like a school girl texting her first crush. Not that she had a crush on Emily, no definitely not, but that was the feeling she compared it to. At least, that's the first thing that came to her mind to describe how talking to Emily made her feel. Alison flipped off her side table lamp and crawled under her duvet covers. She texted Emily back immediately: "Well thanks, I'd love to read the book," Alison really meant to say that she would love to read HER book. She continued, "I had no idea you swam for the Sharks, although I avoid the locker room like the plague lol," Alison added her signature wink emoji, "Maybe I can come watch you at the next home swim meet...only if you would want me too of course. What's it like being your parent's only kid? Sometimes siblings can be overrated. I have an older brother named Jason and he drives me up a wall, but I have always wanted a sister though," Alison admitted, "Lmfao I can just picture you singing to Beyoncé right now. It makes me smile. Also, the dark isn't too scary, but I understand. My mind has too big of an imagination...so I get more afraid of what could be in the dark rather than the dark itself." Alison began pondering what she should tell Emily about herself, and her mind leapt to many things. Alison then thought of something...something bold to tell Emily, and she started to undo her typing, but instead she took the risk. She trusts Emily. Even after only knowing this girl for barely a whole day, she had a gut feeling it wouldn't even matter if she admitted she killed someone. Alison decided to be risky and finished her now long text, "Okay I'll tell you something about myself, but you have to promise to not tell anyone. Ever. I've never kissed anyone. And before you start judging, there's been a few douchebags who have tried in the past. I just never felt the desire to. I know it sounds silly, but I have always pictured my first kiss being this big romantic thing. You know? Someone just swooping me up and grabbing my face in the rain...like something straight out of a RomCom. So why would I want some big head jock trying to kiss me at a party with a beer in hand. Just for him to go brag about it to his other big headed friends? No thanks. Idk. You tell me...does that make me delusional?" Ali sent the text before her mind could convince her not to. She closed her phone off because her nerves couldn't handle what Emily would be thinking right now. Turning off her phone felt safe... almost like she never sent it at all. She laid in her bed in the darkness. Her heart was beating erratically. She took a big sigh to steady her breathing. Part of admitting that to Emily felt good. It felt relieving, and even somewhat intimate that someone else knew that about her...Intimate in a friendly way of course. Maybe it was because she was telling that secret to Emily. The way Emily held herself...her nature...her aura...comforted Alison. It made her feel like she could tell the brunette anything. Alison's phone resting on her chest buzzed. Emily replied: "I would love for you to watch my next swim meet. It would be refreshing having someone else there cheering me on besides my parents lol. Actually, our first meet for the season is tomorrow night...would you like to come? Lol, I promise you wouldn't want to hear me singing to Beyoncé. I might hurt your ears Ali!" Alison's nerves about her pervious confession eased reading Emily's text. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of Emily singing. Ali kept reading, "Being an only child isn't bad, but to be honest when anyone asks me what it's like it's hard to say. I haven't really known anything different. So I wouldn't exactly know what having a sibling would be like. Personally, I just think it would nice to have my parents attention diverted to someone else besides me 24/7." Emily put a little brunette girl emoji that was covering her face after. Alison kept reading, "Well if it makes you feel any better, and since we're sharing, I haven't kissed anyone yet either Ali. Tbh I haven't even came close to kissing anybody. Also no, lol, that doesn't make you delusion. The thought alone of a drunk high school boy coming for my mouth makes me nauseous." At this point, Alison thought her face would start hurting from smiling. Emily didn't have to say or do much to make Alison smile. Before Alison could type a message back to her, Emily sent her another message: "but hey, it's starting to get late," Alison glanced the clock on her phone and saw that it was already midnight, "I have a big day tomorrow and need to get some rest before my swim meet. I will ttyl! Goodnight Ali, sweet dreams." Alison's face warmed a little after she read the "sweet dreams." Alison typed one last message back: "I should be able to come to your swim meet, but I'll text you tomorrow and let you know if I can or not. Also, you can sing to me anytime Emily and we can test your theory out in person. I highly doubt you would hurt my ears," she added a wink, "Well if you ever need to escape your parents, you can always come over to my place." Alison paused her typing. She didn't know what to say to add to their kissing boys conversation. A unwanted picture crept into her mind about kissing someone though...and that someone was Emily. She pushed the thought away. Ali did not want to dwell on the reasons why she was thinking about kissing the brunette. Why in the hell was she thinking about kissing Emily? Even more curious...why was Ali thinking about kissing a girl? Maybe her mind just leapt to kissing Emily because the two were talking about gross, horny high school boys. So obviously her head must've came up with the opposite of that scenario. Yeah, that's it. Alison decided to skip answering Emily about the previous topic entirely, and continued her text, "Get a good nights rest Em," and finished with, "sweet dreams." Alison set her phone down on her nightstand, slide further down under her bed covers, and closed her eyes. She smiled at the thought of Emily letting her borrow her book, and re-ran over every word they spoke to each other. For the first time in a long time, while she went to fall asleep, the silence wasn't deafening.

Alison woke up to a door slamming. The Saturday morning sun insisted on shining through the curtains straight onto her eyes. She rolled over to glance at the time on her phone: 7:30 a.m. Her plans for sleeping in on the weekend were rudely disturbed. She heard yelling downstairs, and it didn't take much of Alison's imagination to know what was going on. Jason and her mother were fighting about god knows what. There was always something for them to get into an argument about. Ali knew Jason took his father's side in the divorce, and resented their mother for their separation. If it wasn't for her father only being able to afford a open plan studio apartment, Jason would more than likely not live with Alison and their mother. Alison decided she didn't want to stick around to find out what it was they were having a screaming match about. Plus, she sure as hell didn't want to walk downstairs and get drafted in the war between the two of them. She went to text her best friend to see if she could give Ali an escape for the day: "Hey Han, whatcha up to right now? Jason and my mom are at it again...of course at the ass crack of dawn. Wanna go get some coffee at The Brew?" Alison went to go throw on some clothes while she waited for Hanna to respond. Before she could open a dresser drawer to pick out her outfit for the day, she was distracted. Her eyes traveled to her nights as where a little black book with a jellyfish adorning the front cover laid: Emily's poetry book. She reached for her new precious belonging, well borrowed, but still, it was her's for the time being. Instead of getting out of her sleep wear, Ali went back to lounging on her bed with the book in hand. Emily gave her permission to read the poetry, but Alison still felt like she was treading into an uncharted territory. She felt like she was trespassing. Ali remembered Emily said she has probably read those poems over a hundred times. Alison felt honored that Emily would let her hold onto a special item of the brunettes. After she read one of those dog-tagged pages yesterday, Alison realized how impactful those poems were. She didn't know what to expect when she did first go to read a poem, but Ali didn't think it would be so...deep. The beautiful irony of it all, is that Alison had the same thoughts about the girl herself. She knew she was accurate in her first observations of Emily: there was more than what met the eye. Alison felt like she had in depth access into Emily's soul. Even though it felt partially invasive, Alison was enthralled to read more. She went to one of the marked pages, and it read : "I can't remember what it was like to not know you. I am not sure if this is because we have met before. As though we have seen each other in a different time and life and maybe your soul is the one I keep running into. Or maybe it's because my life before you wasn't nearly as exciting. All I know is that when we met, we spent the afternoon in front of a beautiful view, and yet all I could do was look at you." Alison heart beat sped up while she was reading the poem. Emily was right. The words were achingly beautiful. Alison wondered if Emily had thought of someone whenever she marked this page. The thought made Alison's stomach drop. Had someone in Emily's life gifted her this book before? Or has Emily marked this poem for someone to read in the past? Curiosity. That's the feeling Alison chopped it up to. Deep down, even though she wouldn't admit it to herself, the real feeling was a twinge of jealousy. Alison went to search for another tagged page in the book when her phone buzzed. A text from Hanna: "Hey girl I'm down! I'm in desperate need for some caffeine lol. Meet at The Brew in 20 minutes? You can spill about your mom and Jason then. Luv you!" Alison got up from her bed and went to go change to meet Hanna. She grabbed the book 'Pillow Thoughts' and found a spot for it in her bookshelf. She slowly traced the bounded pages after she found a place for it on her shelf. Alison's fingers felt the indents and creases from where she assumed Emily bent the book open multiple times. Another door slamming downstairs smacked her back to reality. She quickly got dressed into a yellow long sleeve button up, black leggings, and a pair of off white Ked's. She lazily tugged her blonde hair into a messy bun. Alison rushed to grab her purse and phone. She didn't want to test going into the war zone downstairs, so she took her usual escape route. She slung her purse over shoulder, opened her bedroom window, and climbed down the flower trellis safely onto the ground.

Alison stepped into The Brew, Rosewood's local coffee shop and bookstore, and noticed it wasn't that busy with customers. She always loved coming to The Brew early in the mornings on weekends. Even though she rarely was up this early on a Saturday, Alison loved the feeling. The place had a different vibe to it compared to the crazy week day mornings with everyone hurrying to work or school. There was something peaceful about a quite coffee shop that made Alison feel euphoric. Ali glanced around the shop to find that, to no surprise, Hanna was late. On cue, Hanna texted her : "Hey! Sorry I'm running late. I had to wait on hot water since my mother decided to shower this morning smh. Be there asap!" Alison walked up to the counter to be greeted by a way too chirpy barista, "Good morning! What can I get started for you?" She asked Alison, "I'll take a hot medium vanilla oat-milk latte and a blueberry scone. Oh, and add an extra shot to the latte. Thanks," Alison replied. After she received her latte and scone, Alison wandered along the bookshelf's that covered a whole wall of The Brew. Alison stopped as she came across the Poetry section. Her eyes scanned along the books until a familiar author caught her attention: Courtney Peppernell. Alison saw 'Pillow Thoughts' amongst the shelves. She instantly thought of Emily, and smiled to herself. She noticed another book by the author: 'Pillow Thoughts 2'. Ali was reminded the brunette mentioned to her when they were texting last night that she wants the second book in the series. Alison started reaching for the book, when another blonde wrapped her into a big hug, "Hey girl sorry I was late. Let me order and I'll come meet you on the couch," Hanna said. Alison went to grab the pair their usual sit down spot. As she waited on the couch for Hanna to order, her eyes lingered back on the book shelves...specifically the Poetry section. "Damn, even for a barista, the girl was way to talkative at 8 in the morning on a Saturday," Hanna said as she set her drink and breakfast burrito on the coffee table. After Hanna received no response, she noticed Alison staring in the opposite direction. "Hey," she dramatically waved her hand in front of Alison's face, "Earth to Alison. Either you need an extra shot of espresso in that latte, or there's a hot boy I must've missed when I walked in," she said as she looked back at the place where Ali was previously staring. "What did you say? Sorry Han," Alison directed her attention back to Hanna, "I had a late night and a early morning," Ali took a sip of her latte, "but don't worry I already have the extra shot." Hanna reached for a bite of her burrito, "What happened last night? Was your mom actually coherent enough to fight with Jason then too?" Alison sighed, "Oh god no. My mother was having her usual wine dreams by the time I got off work." Alison paused and took another sip of her drink, "I was actually up late talking to this new girl I work with. Anyways, did you and Caleb go on a date last night?" Alison redirecting their conversation as she asked about Hanna's boyfriend. Hanna got more comfortable on the couch, "And? That's all you're going to say about this chick? You have worked at Dairy Queen for how long now? You have never once hung out with a coworker. Common Ali, spill, is she going to give me competition for best friend of the year award?" Hanna teased. Alison rolled her eyes at Hanna, "Her name is Emily for your information and no, Han, no competition to worry about. I do need someone else to hang out with though while you and Caleb are busy smashing your faces together," Alison teased Hanna right back, "besides, I tried third wheeling with you two at the movies before. Remember? I'd rather be scraping gum off of the school desks than do that again. Also, you never answered me. Did you two go on a date last night or not? And by date, I mean did you finally do the deed?" Alison wiggled her eyebrows suggestively towards Hanna. The shorter haired blonde replied, "Well maybe you can bring Emily along next time so you won't just be a third wheel," Alison looked down at the latte in her hands. Alison was debating if that would be weird to bring Emily along on a date with Hanna and Caleb in the future. Was Hanna implying that would be a double date? No. Definitely not. Hanna might have not meant what she said in that way, but why did Alison think so? Alison's thought process was cut off fast when Hanna kept speaking, "And unfortunately no. My mother has a talent for coming home at the worst time. I'm starting to think me and Caleb are going to have to get more creative if we want to have sex," Hanna sighed. Alison went to respond when a brunette with her back turned to them stood in line. Alison's heart sped up instantly as she thought it was Emily. Disappointment rushed in when that girl turned around...it was not Emily. Alison's heart beat was still high. "Hey! Ali!" Hanna waved her hand in Alison's face again, this time she was more annoyed, "Are you sure that you aren't checking out some hot dude? Go give him your number and get it over with because I seriously need some best friend advice right now." Alison was startled by Hanna's hand being flashed in front of her face, "I'm sorry I just thought I saw a cute dog walk by," Hanna looked at Ali with her classic 'are you serious face?' Alison brushed it off and continued, "What about in your car? Or have you guys tried at Caleb's place?" Hanna glared at Ali, "Bitch who do you think I am? There's no way in hell I'm about to lose my v-card in the backseat of a car," Alison smiled as Hanna kept ranting, "And seriously Ali? Caleb shares a room with his two foster brothers and sleeps on a bunk bed. I'm not trying to give two middle school boys a peep show. I for real think the universe just wants me to stay a virgin for forever," Hanna complained dramatically. Alison laughed at Hanna, "Han, it will happen okay. You won't be a virgin forever." Hanna looked over at Alison, "Says you! You've already lost your v-card. I'm almost halfway through junior year Ali, and Caleb and I have been dating for 8 months now." Alison felt her checks redden slightly. She told her best friend she lost her v-card freshman year, which was a lie. Alison pretended she didn't want ruin the romance of it all by giving Hanna details. Alison didn't know why she told her best friend she lost her v-card, but she couldn't take a lie like that back. In truth, Alison always felt the need to control how others viewed her...even if that meant telling a little white lie. The lying didn't make her feel good though. It made her feel fraudulent. Almost as if no one truly knew the real her. Alison thought of what she admitted to Emily last night. She didn't feel like she had to falsify facts about herself when she talking with the brunette. Why was it so easy to tell Emily the truth? "Look, Han, maybe I can help. My mom goes out with some of her friends every Saturday night to drink at The Grille. Jason takes advantage of her being out and normally always goes out partying with his buddies. You and Caleb could use my room." Alison offered Hanna a solution, "but I swear to god Hanna if you have sex on my bed I'll kill you." Hanna squealed and leaned in to hug Alison, "Omg would you really do that for me? What about tonight? Do you have plans?" Alison finished off the last drink of her latte, "Yeah, actually I do. You guys probably would have a few hours alone. I'll come back to the house before my mom shows up. I will just tell her you are going to spend the night. Just make sure Caleb leaves before then. Seriously though, Han, I mean it. I will literally kill you if" Hanna cut Ali off, "I know I know, no sex on your bed. Got it. Thank you so much Ali you are the bestest best friend ever," Hanna went to hug Alison again, "Hey I have to go though. My mom needs me back at the house. She's been insisting I do chores on Saturday's. If I don't, she will definitely not let me go out with Caleb tonight. I mean, spend the night at your house," Hanna winked, "I'll text you later so we can figure out the plans? Love you!" Alison laughed at how excited she was, "Sure, no problem. Text you later. Love you too." Alison gave her one last hug before Hanna left The Brew. Alison started to gather her things from the couch the two were sitting on, but her attention directed back to the bookshelves. With an idea brewing in her head, and butterflies gathering in her stomach, Alison grabbed 'Pillow Thoughts 2' from the shelf and walked over to the counter to pay. After all, she needed something to give to Emily if she won her swim meet tonight. If Emily happened to lose, it would be a good consultation prize to give to the brunette. Alison was undecided if she was going to go watch Emily swim today. It wasn't a question if she wanted to, because she did. Ali just wasn't sure if it would be too weird to go watch this girl swim after only knowing her for under twenty-four hours. So when Hanna said how desperate she was to get it on with Caleb, Alison settled the debate in her mind. She was going to go swim meet tonight, and Hanna could have alone time with Caleb. It was a win-win, and honestly, it was just a way to convince herself she had no other choice but to go to Emily's meet. So, Alison walked out of The Brew with the new book under her arm, ready to be given to a girl who has suddenly taken over her mind.

Alison decided to enter her home through the front door. It was a lot easier to climb down the trellis under her window than to climb up it. She walked through the front entry hallway, and immediately headed for the stairs. Before her foot could reach the first step, her mother called out to her from the living room , "Ali, honey, can you get me a refill?" Her mother asked. Jessica was oblivious to the fact that her daughter had left the house without her permission, or she was too much of a mess to care anymore. Apparently her mother is day-drinking now, great. Alison rolled her eyes and went into the living room to find her mother stuffing picture frames into cardboard boxes. Jessica eyes barely left the project she was working on, and casually lifted her empty wine glass towards Alison, "Get me a Riesling dear, it's too early in the day for a red wine." Alison stared at the empty glass that was trying to be handed to her, "It's too early in the day for you to be drinking at all," Alison said sarcastically. Even though Alison hated her growing habit, she truthfully was worried about her mother's spiraling condition. Alison's comment touched a nerve in Jessica. Her mother's eyes flashed to Alison, full of anger, "Watch your mouth Alison Lauren Dilaurentis. You think I want to be a sad, drunk 40 year old divorcee? Keep talking to me that way and I'll send you to your father's place." Alison finally noticed what pictures her mother was putting into the boxes: pictures of her parents and even photos of the whole family. Alison looked back towards the wall by the staircase to realize almost all of the once hanging photos were removed. Alison matched her mother's rage and started yelling, "You're putting away our family pictures?! How could you?" Tears were brimming her ocean blue eyes, "You can't just stuff them away to appease the guilt you feel for ruining our family," Alison continued. She didn't completely blame her mother for her parent's split, but right now she was livid. "How can you remove those pictures from the wall and just keep pretending like everything is normal? You might not love dad anymore but I do!" Alison started to walk away in anger. Jessica ignored Alison's hurtful words and said, "Go get me my drink young lady." Alison kept walking up the stairs and turned back to her mother, "You can go get your own damn wine." Alison shut and locked her bedroom door before her mom could say anything else. She was fuming. Heartbroken. Disappointed. Confused. Lonely. Ali flung herself onto her bed and screamed into her pillow to muffle the sound. Once she finished letting it all out, the silence of the home surrounded her. The ghosts of the past kept demanding to be heard. Let the haunting continue.

The blonde was laying on her bed after the argument with her mother. She turned on some music to drown out her thoughts. Alison went to dig out her phone from her purse to rant to Hanna about her mom. Instead of finding her phone, her hand gripped a book. After walking in on Jessica, Alison completely forgot about her new purchase. The anger she was feeling before slowly dissipated. Alison was picturing the smile Emily would give her when she gifted the brunette the book. She was looking forward to seeing Emily tonight. Plus she wanted to see what swimming was all about, and just how good her new friend was at the sport. Alison decided she should let Emily know that she was going to come to the swim meet. She pulled out her iPhone and texted Emily: "Hey Em! Just wanted to tell you I'll be in the bleachers tonight cheering you on at your swim meet," she added, "Can't wait to see you in action," and finished the text with a wink emoji. She picked up 'Pillow Thoughts 2' and decided to flip through the book she was going to gift to Emily. Her thumb stopped the pages at a random placement. She began to read the first poem she found. It read: "Being with her is like listening to a song I will always remember. It doesn't matter how many times I listen to the song. I'll always remember the first time hearing it. It felt like the song knew me, and not who I pretended to be when the headphones weren't in. It felt like driving around late at night, and the song plays on the radio, and you just know it's a song that will change your life." Alison's stomach flipped. The butterflies were back. The words on the paper felt like the author pulled them straight from her own mind...straight from her own heart...like the author knew about her growing thoughts and feelings she felt about the person she intended to give the book to. Alison dog-tagged the poem. She wasn't sure why she did mark the page, but for some reason, beyond her comprehension, she wanted Emily to read it too. Ali re read the poem. "Wait," she thought, "this is a woman author...writing about another woman? Huh. That's peculiar." As she was having those thoughts, her phone buzzed. A text from Emily: "Hi Ali! No way! You're coming? Tbh I didn't know if you wanted to or not. Don't get too excited though. It's mainly a bunch of girls screaming for their teammates and an overwhelming smell of chlorine lol. I'm glad you're coming though! I'll see you later this evening then!" Emily added a smiling emoji afterwards. Ali grinned at the brunette's message. Alison began looking through a container with her old scrapbook materials at the back of her closet. She found the brown paper she was searching for. All of her classmates would wrap their textbooks with this cardboard like paper during middle school to protect the binding. She went to wrap the book for Emily. Ali decided last minute to add something special to the inside of the book for Emily to find later. She grabbed a pen from the little antique desk in the corner of her room. Alison opened it, and wrote on a blank spot before the title page inside of the poetry book. So that the first thing Emily would see would be this : "To Emily, From Ali. Keep on reading. Someone special once told me to never trust anyone who doesn't have a book with them." The blonde drew a small heart after her words, wrapped her gift, and went to the closet to decide what she was going to wear for the evening. While Alison was sorting through her tops, she heard a glass break from downstairs followed with a curse from her mother. She sighed and thought to herself, "Ignoring demons is becoming a habit in this family."