EMISON: Memento Vivere (discontinued)

Chapter I

"Because in that moment you'll have gone so far

I'll wander mazily over all the earth, asking

Will you come back? Will you leave me here dying?"

(Don't go far off - Pablo Neruda)

It was quarter past 3 in the afternoon when Emily realised she was late for her Philosophy class. She hurriedly removed her barista apron off of her, grabbed her bag just below the counter and almost missed catching her car keys that fell off of her bag's back pocket.

A small frown matched her worried face. Sure she can get to Humanities building in 10 mins if a) she walks fast, b) she'd run or c) she'd just walk really fast. It'd be ridiculous to run across the school alley, at least not with her The Brew shirt on. Students might mistake her for a coffee delivery girl again and that's another distraction she can't afford.

She wanted to blame her last customer who was awfully picky on her non fat, caramel, 50% sugar, semi-warm latte for being too fickleminded and took too much unnecessary time to order. Who wants a semi-warm coffee on a fall anyway? Especially in Boston. No. One.

Ask Emily three years ago if she knows a person who wants a semi-warm coffee on a warm afternoon, and she'd probably say the name of that one and only person that would come to mind. But that's three years ago. Hardly no point to recall the memories she's learned to compartmentalize over the years.

Emily was deep in her thoughts, she must have been standing in front of her car's driver seat a little longer than she should have.

"Em? Will it be okay if you take my shift tomorrow? I know you have to prep for your finals? It's Sophie. Matthew can't look after her again. He has to take extra shift tomorrow. I know, gosh, too much to ask again," Lily asked Emily hesitantly, her eyes darted slightly sideways trying to avoid eye contact out of embarrassment, snapping Emily out of her thoughts.

"It's okay, Lils. I can look after Sophie for a couple of hours. Don't worry. You know how much I adore my baby doll," Emily replied with a reassuring smile while putting her long wavy hair on a lose bun. "I just really have to go".

Lily heaved a sigh of relief and instantly hugged Emily.

"Go! You're probably running late again for your class. Thank you so, so much, Em!"

"No worries, Lils! I'll see you tomorrow!" Emily said, returning the hug to Lily.

Emily and Lily first met back in Rosewood. They were both part timers working at The Brew looking into earning extra money for school. Lily used to live in Michigan, but after her parents split up, she and her mom transferred to Rosewood.

Lily coming into Emily's life couldn't have been more opportune than both would have admitted. Emily was going through her darkest years back in high school, add Alison in that equation, and you end up most definitely with a broken heart. No, a scarred past would be more apt to describe that.

She and Emily started off as good friends. Lily joined the Sharks swim team shortly after transferring to Rosewood High. Lily was definitely a looker. She was almost Emily's height, red head, Green eyes, and with a body any model would be envious of. She dated both boys and girls but it wasn't until she met Emily when she sort of settled down.

Emily and Lily dated briefly after graduation but that didn't work out for various reasons Emily couldn't exactly remember now. It was a mutual decision between the two of them, definitely no hard feelings. They remained as close friends even after their brief stint of dating. Lily then met Matthew, ended up having a baby with him, and as they say the rest is history.

When the owner of The Brew announced that they will be branching out of Rosewood, Emily and Lily were the first two people who jumped on the boat and requested to be transferred to Boston. It wasn't easy to convince both Emily's parents to let her move all the way to Boston. Her parents had always been protective of her, even more protective when they learned about A. However, Emily argued to her parents that she "needed the move" and that she "already graduated from high school."

It did take a while before Emily's parents got finally convinced and had taken it to their hearts to let her make and follow that decision. Deep inside, Emily knows, that moving somewhere else like Boston is exactly the kind of move and decision she needed to make at that time. It seemed the best and the right decision. It felt like she, amongst all the girls, needed the escape the most. Away from all the difficult experiences she went through because of A. Away from the very reminders of that one person who hurt her the most--Alison.

While it was definitely a huge adjustment for Emily to move from a chaotic small town like Rosewood, leaving it behind appeared to be more of a decision that had to be made. An inevitable decision of some sort. For the greater good. For her very own welfare. For her scarred heart. For her peace of mind. It's just how things should be, as what Emily would always tell herself, reminding why she moved here in Boston in the first place.

Emily had to get away from Rosewood. She just had to. Even if it means leaving behind her family, the comfort of her friends and the convenience that Rosewood had offered. She's lived there majority of her life. And despite of the struggles and life threats she went through constantly for at least 3 years because of A back in high school, she had come out of it stronger, and as she had always hoped and aspired to be--wiser.