A/N: I'm planning to update this every two weeks on a Sunday. If you have any feedback, I would love to hear it! I do not own PLL.

Where We Are Supposed to Be

Summary: Nobody said it was easy. And for Aria and Ezra, getting to where they are now had many ups and downs. Future fic.

Prologue

June 2012

"Tomorrow's the big day," Ezra Fitz announced as he fell back on his couch in his dimly lit apartment, a bowl of steaming popcorn in his hands. Next to him Aria Montgomery flinched as a few popped corn pieces were jerked out of the bowl by Ezra's careless plop, and then picked one up and threw it in her mouth. He handed the bowl to her and propped his feet up on the coffee table. "You officially made it."

It was the night before Aria's high school graduation, and she had called up Ezra last minute asking if he wanted to hang out for a bit and watch a movie. Of course, Ezra couldn't say no; their relationship had slowly been rebuilding from the catastrophic events from months ago, and Ezra had been eager to spend as much time with her as possible without seeming like a possessive helicopter boyfriend. Though he knew they had plenty of time in the future, Ezra still wanted her just as much now.

Aria munched on some of the popcorn and untucked her legs from under her, placing them over Ezra's legs instead. She put the bowl on the table and laid back to stare at the ceiling thoughtfully. "God, I can't believe it's finally over," she whispered, more to herself than anybody else. Ezra, his fingers tracing the skin of Aria's knee, watched as her eyes glazed over and she zoned out. He knew exactly what she meant by "it": A, the Alison mystery, all the deaths in Rosewood from the past two years. With countless accounts and interviews, Ezra realized he had more than he originally thought, and the answers had been hidden under the surface the entire time. And with Spencer, Hanna, Emily, and Aria's help, they were able to put to rest everything that had been torturing them for too long. Unfortunately, the truth was more painful than the lies, and the girls were devastated to learn that their undead best friend was too good to be true. After all, she loved to play games, and people never really do change, especially when they've snapped and flushed away their sanity long ago.

Throughout those weeks of recovery and detective work, Aria had found herself frequenting Ezra's apartment more than any of the other girls. Sometimes she didn't even come because Ezra couldn't reach a book on his shelf without tearing out his stitches or the girls were sleuthing some more, but just because she needed someone else to share coffee with. She was also grateful he was alive, and the incident had shaken her so much she wanted to spend as much time with him and her friends and family as possible.

After the silence was prolonged for long enough, Ezra grabbed her legs and dragged them so that her torso was closer to him. She scooted up into a sitting position and avoided his eyes. "We probably need to talk about New York, huh?" she muttered.

His thumb grazed across her knee comfortingly. "Not tonight," he whispered. "Not if it makes you unhappy."

"No, it doesn't. At all!" Aria quickly protested. "It's just… It's different. Three months from now we'll be moving into our own place, with nothing but a mattress on the floor and a bunch of unpacked boxes. This apartment will be gone and so will Rosewood. It's exciting yet…sad."

Ezra managed to pull her even closer to the point she was practically in his lap. "Think of this: It's a chilly summer night, we have no heating…"

"…So we huddle under the blankets and tell funny stories to keep us warm," Aria finished for him, her nose wrinkling. "I know. You've told me this before. It's so cheesy I'm cringing while I'm saying it."

"Well, who says we have to talk to each other? Wouldn't less talking not just warm the room, but fire it up?"

Aria smirked at his suggestiveness and checked the time on her phone. Sadly for Ezra, she slid off the warm couch, shivering in the new cold. "It's past eleven," she sighed nonchalantly, strode to his dresser, and opened one of his drawers. "I'm staying here tonight."

"Seriously?" Ezra spoke nervously. She hadn't stayed overnight since she was taking care of him after the bullet injury.

"Yeah," Aria said surely, then pulled out a tattered Hollis t-shirt. "And I'm borrowing one of your shirts. They go down to my knees anyway."

Again, Ezra was baffled when Aria pulled her shirt over her head and her sweatpants down her legs, not even bothering going into the bathroom. "Um," he mumbled, clearly struggling. "B-but what about your dad?"

Aria kicked her pants aside and winked at Ezra. "He doesn't have to know I'm staying here. That's what Spencer is for."

"Er…" Ezra forced himself to turn away as she continued changing. "Okay then. I'm fine with that."

A minute later Aria rounded the couch and fell on his lap, legs crossed, shirt hem inching up her thigh, her arms comfortably wrapping around his neck. Naturally her fingers ran from the nape of his neck to under the neck of his shirt. "Why so flustered, Mr. Fitz?"

Ezra grinned broadly and laughed lightly. "I-I'm not," he stammered, looking away from her doe eyes for a second. "I'm just surprised by your boldness, that's all. It's been a while since I've seen it in something other than your wardrobe."

"Oh," Aria said, uncrossing her legs and standing up before padding behind the couch. "If that's all, then I'll be more reserved."

"No, no, I wasn't saying that was a bad thing," Ezra proclaimed as she strutted to the bed and laid on top of it, missing the comfort of a night's sleep under its covers. "I…I like it. In fact, I've missed it."

"Is that so?" Aria sighed, continuing her act. "Sorry to disappoint, but we're not getting frisky tonight."

"Is that so?" he repeated her words, quietly getting up and approaching her. He then jumped on the bed next to her and trapped her between his arms, propped above her, before she could move. "I'm okay with that, too."

For a moment Aria just stared at Ezra hovering over her, her hand reaching out to brush aside a loose black curl from his forehead. The mood that was so playful before instantaneously changed to something much darker in Aria's eyes. "I was so scared I was going to lose you," she finally whispered, her hand moving down his cheek. The teasing smile disappeared from his face, and her eyes turned a murky brown color. "I didn't realize how much I still wanted you until you were almost gone." She paused, and he stayed silent, not sure what there was to say anymore about the subject. "Every day I wake up and I'm sograteful that wasn't the end."

"Yeah," Ezra replied while leaning forward and pressing his forehead against hers. "Me too." With that, he kissed her, an unsatisfyingly short gesture, then kissed her again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down with her, and he fell on his side, her face buried deep in the crook of his neck. After a few minutes of just staying in that comfortable space in time, Aria broke it for a second. "Don't do that again," she cried, and he held her tightly. "Don't try to be a hero."

He stayed silent for a second, then whispered "I never was." And he was certain of it. He didn't ambush A because he was being a hero: he attacked A because he had to protect her—and them—just like she would have protected him if the scenario was reversed. Besides, being the hero was better in a fantasy than in reality. He didn't even think of himself as a hero until he woke up after a couple days in the hospital and Aria had called him one; none of them had had the guts to jump in front of a gun. And even after that he still hadn't accepted Aria's praising words as his own. Now, after they embraced the moment for a while longer, he scooped her up into his arms and pulled back the covers so that they could get some sleep, placing her rightfully on her side of the bed—the right side, of course—and he couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

…

The next morning, Ezra woke up to an empty bed, and pondered for the following five minutes after awaking if last night had been a dream. However, a clickand a shuffle resonated from the bathroom, and Ezra laid back in the pillows in satisfaction, now wondering why he'd been so confused in the first place.

Struggling out of bed, stiff joints and all, Ezra peered into the bathroom and was wonderfully surprised. "Wow," he exclaimed as Aria was putting some final touches on with an eyeliner pencil. Somehow on her own—Ezra just had to mention—she'd swept her hair up into a messy, elegant bun and had it pinned impeccably, and her makeup was stunning, definitely graduation-worthy. "What did I do to deserve waking up to this?"

Aria smirked and snapped the cap back on the eyeliner. "It's not for you, Mr. Modest. I thought I told you I was graduating today from prison."

"Oh, maybe you did mention something like that," he dragged on the joke. Then he looked around, searching for something. "How the heck did you do all that to your face when there's nothing even here?"

With her foot Aria kicked open a cabinet drawer and out plopped a bag stuffed with hair pins, makeup, tampons, a curling iron, and a lone bottle of shampoo—things Ezra wouldn't dare touch, mostly because he had no need for them, and partially because it was Aria's personal possessions. "I stashed it there in case of emergency," she admitted, "but then it became something normal." She waved her hand and pushed him out the door. "Now, make coffee while I get dressed."

Before she closed it Ezra managed to squeeze in a "You had no problem changing out here last night," but Aria, sadly, didn't respond to his sly comment. Sighing, he brewed a fresh cup of coffee and waited.

When he finally heard the sound of the bathroom door opening, Ezra didn't notice he'd been holding his breath. First he saw her foot, elevated by a three-inch heel, and he almost choked on his coffee by how complimentary the strapless dress was that she had chosen. Spencer had great taste, he had to admit, since Aria had mentioned she'd went shopping with her friend. She stepped out with her hands raised above her shoulders, fixing a loose pin, and before Ezra had any clue what he was doing he said, "Stay right there."

Dropping her hands to her sides and then clasping them in front of her, Aria watched curiously as Ezra grabbed the Rolleiflex camera from the coffee table and raised it to his eye, pointed at her. At first he only stared through the tiny opening and wound up the film, enjoying the beauty through the lens, of Aria shifting the weight of her feet into a comfortable posing position and smiling brightly as soon as she realized what he was doing. Then he snapped a picture and heard the film roll inside. "What was that for?" Aria asked him, taking a step forward. She enjoyed more than he could imagine being his muse and, in occasions like this when he had a sudden taste for photography, model.

"Wait," Ezra barked out, and Aria paused in place. He snapped another picture. "Would you look at that?" he finally said, and Aria was relieved to move again. "Another perfect picture."

"Is this another photoshoot?" Aria teased, padding to the kitchen, grabbing the coffee pot, and pouring herself a mug.

Again, Ezra took a picture just as she was about to put the rim to her lips. "Hey!" she protested, then laughed. "That was probably a horrible picture. I was in action."

"Just capturing memories," Ezra reasoned, though Aria shook her head in disbelief, so he elaborated, "Today is huge. And you look good, so there's no harm in capturing that too, right?" He tried to take another picture but nothing happened; not a single noise emitted from the contraption. "Aw, man," he whined.

"Ha!" Aria slammed her mug on the counter. "I broke the camera," she joked, followed by a dramatic pause. "Or the film ran out." As he frowned at the sad conclusion to his fun, Aria rolled her eyes and decided to randomly point out while picking up her mug, "Gosh, you've been so sappy lately!"

With raised eyebrows, Ezra set the camera on the table. "Is there a problem with that?"

"No," Aria mumbled. "It's just…when you're super happy, you turn into some gooey romantic, and when I'm super happy, I turn frisky." Pausing to gulp down some coffee, she quickly added afterwards, "And in the end, which one is more fun?"

Ezra blinked and narrowed his eyes, uncertain. "Am I supposed to answer that question or…?"

"No, it was rhetorical!" Aria scoffed. She grabbed the camera on the counter and placed it gently in her bag, stating, "I'll get these developed sometime this week." Next, she checked the clock and shrugged on her black cardigan, suddenly in a hurry. "Crap," she swore under breath, "I was supposed to be at Spencer's house ten minutes ago."

Of course, per usual since their explosive breakup, Ezra wasn't expecting a parting hug or kiss from her as she scrambled out the door, scolding herself. "This is what you get for wearing nice clothes, Aria," she berated. "You distract your boyfriend and then you don't graduate."

Ezra, still in his pajamas, was already missing her company even though she hadn't passed through the door yet. "See you later!" Aria finally cried out, breathless, and closed the door right after Ezra achieved to yell out his own departing words. The apartment was encased in silence, and Ezra noted the disheveled couch, bed, coffee table, and, evidently (because Aria had used it to get ready), bathroom.

While he sighed, slunk out of his chair, and began some light cleaning, he couldn't help but think about how much nicer it was sharing the mess with someone else, especially after it had been so long since he'd had her overnight company.

...

Ten minutes before the ceremony was to start, Aria and Hanna were squeezing past their peers to their seats that had magically ended up next to each other. (Lack of last names that started with M, they'd guessed, because they didn't really know their class that well at all.) Both were cringing at the distasteful hats and robes they had to wear, the only article of clothing keeping them sane the gorgeous dresses underneath—and their high-heeled shoes. Aria was in the process of fixing the hat on her head, her nose crinkled in disgust, while Hanna was smoothing out a couple wrinkles in the cheap robe. "God, I don't think I've ever worn something so cheap and gaudy since the seventh grade," Hanna complained.

In unison they sat down and crossed their right legs over their lefts. "I don't even think I can walk up there in this," Aria joined in the series of complaints. "And it doesn't help that my parents, Mike, and Ezra are here."

"Wait, your parents are here and so is Ezra?" Hanna gaped, then searched for a nonexistent policeman. "Should I call security?"

"Hey," Aria objected. "My dad's been a lot more accept— Actually, no, he hasn't been."

The two elapsed into a silence that would have been awkward if it wasn't for their close friendship. Hanna, sensing Aria's souring mood, put a friendly arm around her shoulder. "Come here," she cooed, then squeezed her tightly in a hug. "Aw, look at us, graduating in these ugly gowns!" Aria tried to pry Hanna off, but it was no use; the girl was clinging on until Principal Hackett announced on stage for everyone to settle down.

After the ceremony had ended and Hanna, Aria, Emily, and Spencer—along with Paige and Caleb—had successfully accepted their diplomas, there was a reception in the school lobby. Spencer instantly found Toby, almost tackling him in a hug, and her parents and sister; Emily held Paige's hand while looking for her parents; and Hanna was leaning her head on Caleb's shoulder in the corner, the two just chilling out while waiting for Ashley to find them. Meanwhile, Aria was anxious, wanting to find her family but worried that Ezra would find her at the same time and an awkward run-in would ensue. She still hadn't told her parents of the job offer Ezra had been awarded from a private high school in New York, or the idea that they were ditching Pennsylvania together. When she finally caught a glimpse of her parents, she was about to push through the crowd but was stopped by a hand on her arm.

Whirling around, she came face-to-face with Ezra, a rose in his hand. "I was thinking of a bouquet," he said smoothly, as though he had rehearsed his sappy, romantic lines in the mirror, "but then I thought this would look nicer." With that, he tucked the flower with its shortened stem behind her ear, and then let the tips of his fingers tenderly trace down her jawline to her chin. One corner of his mouth turned up into a half-smile. "I was right."

"This might just be my wrong intuition talking, but admit it." Aria batted her eyelashes innocently and took a step forward, her face rather close to his. She leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "You want me to stay over more often, like the old days." With that, she tugged on his tie playfully, murmuring, "The flower was a nice touch," and before she could smoothly slip away into the crowd he grasped her hand and tucked a note into her palm. She swiftly clasped it and continued walking, not acknowledging him any further than she already had, the tease she was.

After slowing down to a stop in the middle of the bustling students and parents, Aria unfolded the paper and smirked at what was written. 7 tonight, it read. Have a surprise for you.

"Hey, Aria." Instantly Aria crumbled the note and turned around, hands in fists behind her back, and speedily smiled like nothing had made her skin flush and mood lighten, and instead it was just her boring graduation day. Hanna, Spencer, and Emily approached her, their arms linked and also out of their graduation robes. "We were looking for you!" Hanna exclaimed, grabbing Aria's hand and jumping up and down excitedly. "Spencer's parents said we can borrow their lake house tonight! Isn't that great?"

"Wow, couldn't keep that a secret for one more second, could you, Hanna?" Spencer joked, rolling her eyes.

A cold, slimy sensation scampered across Aria's skin. "Oh," she said as her mouth turned dry. Ezra's surprise was tonight as well. Realizing she should be more upbeat about it, she squeezed Hanna's hand and joined their linked arms. "That's great!"

The inseparable four started walking towards the doors, their last day in Rosewood High School coming to an end. "To think this is our first sleepover as out-of-high-school women," Emily sighed.

"No, Em," Hanna whined. "You're going to make me cry again."

As they reached the exit, Aria felt drawn to look to the right, and there stood Ezra, probably also on his way out until another teacher had flagged him down. The corner of her glossed lip quivered into a half-smile, and she lifted her free right hand ever so slightly and curled her fingers in a goodbye gesture. It was barely noticeable, but it was only for Ezra.

By the way he grinned back subtly, Aria knew he had seen it.

…

"So, what should we watch?" Hanna mused out loud. "Romantic comedy, drama, horror…"

"We should pick something random and just go with it," Emily suggested while Spencer came back and sat next to Aria, freshly microwaved popcorn in a bowl in her hand. Aria immediately stuck her hand in the bowl and munched on the kernels, whining to Spencer, "I'm starving."

"Well, don't hog the popcorn!" Spencer scolded the small woman as she took out a handful and stuffed it in her mouth. When Aria went in to grab more, Spencer smacked her hand away. "No. There's perfectly good food in the pantry that doesn't need to be shared."

"But Spence," Aria complained, "I'm craving vegan right now, and your family does not buy vegan. You know how before that time of month you get weird cravings? It's like you're pregnant but you're not?"

"Oh my gosh, I'm having those too!" Emily piped up. "We must be spending too much time together. We're totally syncing up."

"Ew, no, Em." Hanna's nose crinkled in disgust. "Who needs four hormonal women at the same time?"

"It's scientifically proven that—," Spencer began, but was interrupted by Hanna.

"No, Spence, we don't need your smart talk. Believe me, I know, there's only estrogen under my roof." Hanna then squinted her eyes at Spencer. "How does your dad handle all of that—"

"Okay, are we done?" Spencer spoke up before Hanna could finish. "We should be watching a movie, not talking about periods. Thanks, Aria."

After Aria swallowed the popcorn in her mouth, she told Hanna, "I don't know about Spencer's house, but when my mom was living with us Mike would almost go insane because—"

"Oh. My. God," Spencer muttered under breath, and Aria continued, "My mom would be all snappy and I would get all emotional about every single thing, so one time Ezra sent me this sweet text while he was away in New York that said, 'Thinking of you,' or something equally cliché, and I just started crying and Mike asked me what was wrong and I showed him the text and then I ordered him to get me the ice cream carton in the freezer along with the Advil bottle and when he told me no I threw the pillow at him—"

"I think I heard this story," Hanna thought aloud, but Aria kept talking as though she hadn't said anything.

"He warned me not to watch the sad movie, but you know what, I wanted to watch the sad movie, and he had to deal with my sobs for the rest of the day and it was just hysterical, he almost lost it!" Sighing, Aria finished the short, random tale, and ate more popcorn, quickly adding, "And he never knew I was faking most of it just to drive him crazy." The girls blinked at each other, ending that conversation

"So," Hanna squealed excitedly. "What's everyone doing over the summer?"

"Well, so far I have nothing huge planned, but Ezra got Toby and I free tickets to see Wicked at his family's theater, and get this—he's letting us use his box seats!" Spencer exclaimed as Emily and Hanna joined in with shouts of excitement for Spencer.

"I know!" Spencer shrieked enthusiastically. "Just me and Toby, the whole box just to ourselves…"

"Wait a minute," Aria spoke up through the deafening chatter. The three girls glanced at her, their faces flushed from the hyper moment. "But those are our seats."

"We're not taking your darned seats, Aria, we're just borrowing them." Spencer smirked and playfully punched Aria's shoulder with her own. "But yours, huh? You used 'our.'" Aria blushed.

"Ooh, she's blushing!" Hanna squealed. "There's something you're not telling us. Spill it!"

"Fine, fine," Aria sighed, not wanting to get into something she couldn't pull out of. "Remember that time we were in New York and we were all dressed up to go out and I asked you guys if you could cover for me, no questions asked? Well…"

There was a chorus of "mm-hmms" and Aria reluctantly said, "In plain terms, Ezra took me on a date and surprised me with the box seats, and afterwards we went to a hotel and you guys didn't see me until the morning."

"Oh my…," Hanna began, but couldn't finish, she was so shocked. "Why couldn't you tell us that? We would have been cool with it."

"I did tell you guys, but you were a little hung over, remember? I didn't think I needed to bring it up again."

Emily and Hanna glanced at each other and burst into laughter, and Spencer's nose crinkled in disgust. "You guys just sat in those seats, right? I don't have to warn Toby that something scandalous went on when—"

"Spence! No! The most that happened is I leaned my head on his shoulder and held his hand. There wasn't even any kissing. Jeez, get your mind out of the gutter." Aria took this as an opportunity to sneak more popcorn, but Spencer wasn't paralyzed and slapped her hand again. As revenge Aria snapped, "I lied, we shared a kiss at intermission!" and Spencer again wrinkled her nose.

"Was it a nice hotel room?" Hanna questioned, coaxing more information out of Aria, but Spencer put a halt to the conversation.

"I'm sure it was lovely, Han. Now, I have the perfect question: What's everyone doing after summer?"

"Easy," Hanna scoffed. "I'm going to the fashion institute, remember?"

"But I'm not just talking about college," Spencer said, wiggling her eyebrows. "I'm talking about boys."

"Well, hopefully I'm still doing Caleb, but—"

"Okay, obviously my wording wasn't great, so I'm just going to simply ask if anyone has plans with their significant other for when they go to college. For example, though I am going to Carnegie Mellon—which I have Ezra to thank for helping me with my college essays after the UPenn disaster, so I'm still going prestigious—Toby's business is close by so we'll be able to see each other frequently."

Again everyone chattered in exhilaration for their friend. It was wonderful for the girls to be able to talk about their futures without A lurking around anymore.

The room was quiet for a few seconds while everyone got lost in their content thoughts, and Aria spoke up next, her skin flushed red. "Ezra got the job in New York," she blurted out, "and the plan is to rent out our own apartment to live together." Spencer's eyes practically bugged out and she had a look on her face that said, "Excuse me?"

"But…but…," Spencer said despairingly. "You've known about this…and you didn't tell me?"

A bit embarrassed, Aria bit her lip and nodded her head, knowing that she figuratively broke Spencer's heart. "I'm sorry, Spence. I wasn't sure how to tell you, knowing you don't always approve of my taboo ways…"

"No, Aria, that's awesome!" Hanna chimed, clasping her hands together. "My only concern is for your poor father's heart."

"Seriously, what are you going to tell your parents?" Emily asked, and Aria shook her head. "I don't know yet. I think they have a hunch, though. If I had a boyfriend my own age, they probably wouldn't have to be concerned that he would follow me. But Ezra has connections there. It wasn't that difficult."

"Wow," Spencer said, surprised, then furrowed her eyebrows. "I don't know why I'm shocked."

"I'm surprised that you're surprised," Hanna murmured. "They're practically animals."

"Hanna!" Emily berated her, and Hanna replied, "What? What did I say? Did I not just state a fact?"

And that was the end of that awkward conversation, too.

So the girls moved on to lighter topics, such as reminiscing about their high school years. "Spence, remember when you dared Aria to ask Noel on a date, and she ended up asking him if he wanted to go on a date with you?" Hanna snickered, bringing up a memory from freshman year.

"How can I forget? Noel gave me this weirded-out look and walked away. I was so mortified!" She slapped Aria's arm. "And it's all your fault!"

"Hey, I just wanted to shake things up, do the unexpected, so I turned the tables on you," Aria teased, snacking on the next batch of popcorn.

"I avoided him for the rest of the year," Spencer laughed, "though I couldn't avoid him at his Halloween party."

"Ugh, don't get me started on that party! I was fat Britney, remember?"

"How can I not remember? I spent hours on my costume! And Aria only spent two seconds on hers, and she still looked better than me," Spencer commented.

"It's not like it was hard. I was so goth back then, I had enough black clothes to make, like, twenty witch costumes!"

"Witches don't have pink hair," Emily teased, and Aria rolled her eyes, wondering why she ever dyed her hair an unnatural hue to begin with. "That's what the wig was for," Aria stated.

"Those were the bad old days," Hanna sighed sarcastically, though her smile faded off. "We were all so lost, we let Ali drag us around. I guess somehow we thought she would help us find ourselves, that maybe popularity was our thing instead of being outsiders."

"I remember when she first spoke to me, in seventh grade," Aria said, reminiscing. She drew her knees up to her chest and gulped away the lump in her throat. "She said she liked my drawing and wondered if I could draw a portrait of her. It surprised me, really. Not many people acknowledged me. Holden had moved away, so I had no friends. It's like no one knew I was there. Even with my pink hair."

"I was a loser, too," Hanna continued. "Mona and I would spend hours watching bad TV shows and eating a whole tray of cookies. Sadly, I ate most of them. And then Ali talked to me; she said she liked my jacket. Said it was something her new friend Aria would wear. She asked me to sit with her at lunch, and Aria was there, awkwardly poking at her food. Neither of us was comfortable or even sure why Ali picked us, but we were in such awe of her that we just went with it."

"I knew Alison for a long time," Spencer spoke up next. "We all did. But I was the only one brave enough to compete with her, to try and always win against her. We used to compete over everything, and she was the one who always won, smooth and collected while I just lost it and called myself a failure. That's why I was surprised when she talked to me at lunch one day and said she wanted a truce for a war she didn't even remember starting. And that's how I met you guys."

Emily replied last. "Since the fifth grade, I had a crush on Ali. I followed her around and complimented her on everything. She liked playing with me, I knew that, but I just let her do it because in a sick way, I liked that she was leading me on. I guess I thought one day she'd stop playing around and be real. And one day I took that leap and sat with her at lunch, a bit curious to when Ali had picked out new friends to share. She said she was proud of my bravery and that I completed the group. I remember we all looked at each other with these bewildered expressions, excited yet terrified that we had been chosen. There were two ways our friendship with Ali could have gone: She would have either brought us up, or torn us apart."

"At first I thought she was actually helping me," Hanna spat bitterly. "But she started poking fun at my weight. I lost myself even more than before, and then the bulimia started. Every time I threw up… I just thought of Ali taunting me with that horrible nickname. Hefty Hanna."

"Ali called all of us terrible things," Spencer said, trying to make Hanna feel less alone. "Especially after my drug addiction, she kept calling me Speed Freak, and the worst part is that she would whisper it with this smile on her face like she was going to tell someone at any moment."

"One time I was excited that my short story was being published in this book collection and Ali looked me straight in the face and said, 'Sweetie, don't you get it? Paper and ink don't prove anything. You're nothing. A nobody. No one even knew your name until I picked you.'"

"Ali didn't have to call me anything. Her leading me on was enough."

"But don't you guys see?" Spencer reassured them all. "Ali is gone. She's not a part of our lives anymore. She might have treated us terribly, but she brought us together. And because of that we're stronger. We're not those people anymore, okay?" She glanced at Hanna, then Aria, then Emily. They all shared the same solemn countenances. "Okay?" she reiterated. "Ali can't hurt us anymore. Not when we have each other."

Nodding her head, Aria leaned her temple on Spencer's shoulder and Emily hugged them both, squishing into Aria's side. Hanna joined in on Spencer's empty side and they held each other, silently embracing what they had.

Spencer was right. They weren't lost anymore. Together, they were found, and they had their entire futures ahead of them just being who they were becoming.

…

The girls had decided on a random movie, 21 Jump Street, and when the chemistry teacher hit on Greg, the police officer impersonating a high school student, Aria uncomfortably wriggled in her spot on the couch and pulled out her phone. The time said 6:43.

"I have to go," Aria blurted out, squeezing off the couch; she'd been trapped between Emily and Spencer, who both awkwardly laughed at the teacher flirting scene.

"What?" Spencer complained. "But we're having a sleepover!"

"I'm sorry, guys." Aria moped. "I forgot to tell you that Ezra asked me to meet at his apartment at seven."

All signs of distress on Spencer's face dissipated and were replaced by a suggestive eyebrow raise. "Oh," she purred slyly. "In that case, see you later... Maybe."

Aria tilted her head and glared at Spencer. "Because you said that, I will see you later." She grabbed her bag and lifted it onto her shoulder. "So see you tonight. Not tomorrow. Not at one in the morning. But tonight, before midnight."

"Whatever you say," Spencer trilled, and she, Hanna, and Emily waved at Aria as she shuffled out the door and started her car, rolling her eyes at Spencer's comment in her head.

Twenty minutes later she parked in front of the apartment complex and, aware that she was late, clomped up the flights of stairs to the third floor. After unlocking the door with her own key and stumbling inside, she allowed herself to breathe and her tense shoulders sagged. "Hey," she huffed while setting her bag on the kitchen table. "I'm sorry I'm late. The girls didn't want to let me go."

"It's fine," Ezra said, a boyish grin on his face. Aria squinted her eyes; she recognized this mood. He was beaming off his I-have-some-amazing-news-I-can't-wait-to-share aura. She crossed one foot over the other, entwined her arms at her chest, and shifted her weight onto one hip, leaning on the counter. "So," she drawled, smiling. "What's the surprise?"

Ezra stood up from the couch, where he had muted the movie he was watching—Aria recognized it as Casablanca, one of her all-time favorites—and met her where she was standing. There was a hint of anxiety in his sparkling eyes, and he stuck out his right hand, palm up, indicating her to give him her hand. Unsure, Aria reluctantly placed her left hand on top, and with his free hand Ezra slipped in a cool, rugged, metal object in her palm before closing her fingers. Raising one eyebrow, Aria looked up at him, a confused yet bright grin on her lips, and he eagerly told her to look at it.

Aria stretched out her fingers, and her lips parted, gasping at the sight. It was a gold key she had remembered seeing before, at a trip down to New York a few weekends ago. Instantly she remembered the light, pastel green walls, mahogany floors, large, open windows allowing in warm, beautiful light, and a balcony. "You…you got that apartment that looks over the park?" Aria stammered in disbelief. Ezra nodded his head, his lips pulled into his mouth so that he would stop smiling like an idiot, and she let out a strained laugh to ease her shock. "I can't believe it."

"You said it first," he said. "It was the perfect place to make a new home."

"B-but what about your apartment?" she panted, breathless from the surprise. She looked around the dim place, not so willing to give up the memories made in here. "How else did you get that money? You must have sold it."

"I didn't have to," Ezra began to explain. "I was able to bargain with the realtor and avoid my family. It was a win-win situation. In fact, I'm leaving mostly everything here so that we don't have to cram in your mom's apartment or dad's house when we visit."

Bewildered, Aria just stared at him, adoration, happiness, and exhilaration passing across her wide, shimmering eyes. There was a mysterious glint in them, too.

"Oh God," Ezra exclaimed as Aria pounced on him, wrapping her legs around his waist and pushing him backwards. Thankfully she was small and he had the muscle mass to prevent a horrible fall, and he was able to steady them both despite the fact it was hard to do that when Aria was smothering his face.

After practically covering his entire face with kisses, Aria pulled away, breathless, and put one hand to her racing, ecstatic heart. "Oh my God, this is so exciting!" she squealed, laughing loudly as a couple tears dripped down her cheeks. She placed her hands on his cheeks and trailed her fingers along the skin, shaking her head in incredulity. "This is actually happening."

Ezra hadn't seen her this hyped in a long time, and to see her brought to tears of joy by his news made him feel that cliché, fluttery feeling he'd read so often in books.

Needless to say, Aria didn't return to the sleepover that night.