keep me counting ➳ j. dilaurentis

five.

➳
wednesday morning

maisey was back. she took a day off from school, partially because ezra forced her to, but mostly because she wasn't ready to come in and walk the halls and see the look on everyone's faces. sure enough, she was right. the crowded hallway was a mix of emotions that she could read perfectly, fear, pity, disgust, disappointment, confusion. it was evident in each of their faces. it was typical rosewood, where news travels fast, and people judge faster.

all she could do was make her way to her locker, without the breakdown this time, swing open the metal door, and take things in her bag.

for a second, she pausef, looking at the inside of her locker, it was all plain and dull. during her last year at rosewood, it was filled with stickers, pictures, and random keepsakes that she could stick in there. she even had a note jason wrote her stuck right above the mirror she kept. the memory of it brought a smile to her lips, how all of her friends saw it, but never knew who it was. if only they did. she sighed to herself, running her fingers over the cold metal on the little locker door, right where she used to keep the note.

she suck it up, slamming the locker shut only to be faced with jason himself. her eyes widened, then she furrowed her brows at the sight of him leaning against a locker oh so casually, wearing a trademark jason dilaurentis smirk. "um, hi," she said, confused.

"i need to talk to you," he said, crossing his arms and looking her up and down. she froze under his gaze, breath hitching in her throat. "see me later, during lunch?"

"what for?" maisey asked, stuttering.

"i'm the substitute guidance counsellor, it's my job to make sure the students are rosewood are doing okay."

she eyed him suspiciously, yet he kept giving her that smirk. "why are you looking at me like that," she mumbled. "that's not how you look at someone you have to talk to because she broke down a couple days back."

"because you're absolutely divine," he said, words rolling off his tongue like it was nothing, like they weren't in the middle of a hallway. her eyes widened at his remark, then furrowing her brows in confusion. the bell rang, interrupting the two. "come talk to me later, alright?"

"alright," she nodded, shrugging the other backpack strap over her shoulder. "i'll stop by your office during lunch."

"no," he said, as she walked away. she turned around to look at him with an brow cocked up. "not my office, fitzgerald. you know where."

➳
wednesday noon

maisey made a beeline for the courtyard, trying to find her group of friends. she spotted them all sitting together, a breath of relief escaped her lips, because she wouldn't have to find them all one by one. the young girl quickly sat herself on the table, catching her breath for a second as the girls eyed her.

"what's going on?" emily asked.

"i've been looking for you guys," maisey said, panting. "the library, the bathrooms, the cafeteria."

"why the library?" aria asked, making a face as she poked at her salad.

"i don't know, maybe you guys were cramming or something!" maisey said. "anyway, that's not the point here."