liArs ~ Jason Dilaurentis

1

Rory Stephens has always had a struggle finding the meaning to life. People say family, love, money, success, happiness. All stuff that Rory lacks. Life seems especially dimmer without the sunshine of Alison Dilaurentis. To some people, or more likely most people in Rosewood, they could contest to the fact that Alison was a horrible person, and maybe she was, but not to Rory. Rory never understood Ali's rude demeanor and never supported it but Ali was still the person Rory would go to if the world was collapsing. She loved Ali like a sister. Most days, her disappearance is tolerable as Rory goes through the day imagining Ali on a beach somewhere in the blue bikini she loved so much with a hot lifeguard who was way too old for her. It is a whole lot harder to imagine when today is September 1, 2010, exactly one year since the blonde went missing and the town is reminded of it by the posters that have Ali's face plastered on them with the big bold letters "WOULD'VE BEEN 16" right below it. Seeing the piercing blue eyes of her best friend takes her back to one year ago, when the blonde was living safely in Rosewood, Pennsylvania.

"You're seeing him tonight?" Rory asks the blonde as she reads a magazine.

"Yep." Alison responds as she applies sparkly silver lip gloss to her lips.

"You're really not going to tell me who he is?" The magazine is now closed and tossed to the side as Rory lets her brunette hair fall off the side of the bed. She hates not knowing who Ali is seeing. They have always told each other everything. Like that time Rory had a two week crush on Noel Kahn.

"I will. At some point." Alison winks to Rory. They both know she won't.

"Sure you will." The brunette grunts as she jumps to her feet. "Come on, we have to meet the girls at the barn."

"Okay. You grabbed it?" Alison asks as she peers in her full length body mirror to check her beautiful blonde hair that falls in perfectly placed curls.

"Yep." Rory holds up a bottle of whiskey. Rory coming from a drunk would make you expect her to avoid alcohol like it's the plague but she doesn't. Despite the stress and uneasy turns in her stomach when she is about to drink it, she rather likes it. The stress fades with the drinks, along with the idea of her mother being in jail and her deadbeat of a father. She is well aware of the bad habit it is, but she doesn't see a reason to care.

"Perfect."

                                                                      ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

The allure of Alison Dilaurentis is held in her blue eyes. Anyone who meets them is drawn to her. Her extreme flirting and mystery is what makes them stay. While Ali has numerous men lining up, who she loves to toy with, Rory gets the same attention, partly because she is Alison's best friend and partly because she is the most popular girl in school. The one and only man she ever wanted to notice her though is Jason Dilaurentis. Something that is unknown to the blonde girl sitting right next to her. The only one in the group of girls that are now sitting in a circle in Spencer's old barn talking about Beyonce, is Spencer. The truth slipped out one night when she was staying over at Spencer's. They both agreed telling Ali would be a mistake so Spencer has kept her lips sealed.

"Friends share secrets, that's what keeps us close." Alison says to the girls as Rory snaps out of her daydream.

A nervous laugh emits from Rory's lips and she quickly changes the subject about Taylor Swift's new album.

"Ry, Ry." Alison speaks in a loud whisper shaking her best friend awake.

"Yeah?" Rory responds in a sleepy tone.