No Escape

Unsigned

Emily bit her lips as she recalled what had happened a few days ago. Alison had smelled like rain, having had run through it to get to her. It was exactly the kind of image movies showed. It was supposed to be perfect, Emily thought. But it wasn't. Because there was a lot more going on between the two of them than just a romantic kiss.

Emily remembered kissing her back, before forcefully pulling away. She wondered if things would be better now, had she accepted that kiss fully and completely, just like she wanted to at that time. She sighed, wondering if there was any part of her that would be strong enough to forget about that kiss that had Alison stubbornly latched into her heart again.

Spencer nudged Aria, eyes fixed on the brunette in front of them. Spencer had the uncanny ability to look scrutinizing, subsequently hiding the emotion behind the stare she was giving. Currenlty, it was directed at Emily, who only seemed too distracted, even with two of her three... four friends already staring at her for a good amount of time. The fact that she caught Paige's kiss on her cheek when she usually met it with her lips was not lost on the two girls. Something was up, and Emily wasn't telling.

"If you stare any longer, Emily will start to melt."

All three pairs of eyes focused on the fourth member of their little group. Hanna gave Spencer and Aria a pointed look, but it was Emily who spoke up. "What do you mean?"

Hanna lifted a shoulder in a lopsided shrug and gestured vaguely at Spencer and Aria, knowing full well what they were getting at, but not willing to be the one who asks about whatever it was that was bothering Emily. They all knew it was Alison, and it just so happened that Ali had skipped class that day.

Emily's eyes shifted from the blond to her two other friends, eyebrows lifting in question. She tried to mask the annoyance she was feeling. It was great to have a group of friends who was always there to support you, but that sometimes involved them trying to pry into everything in her life. She couldn't deny that she'd done a lof of prying into their lives, too, so she really couldn't blame them.

Aria only blinked in response, nudging Spencer. The latter sighed. "What's up? You've been out of it for most of the morning."

Emily shrugged, eyes dropping to her lap. She was having that constant debate in her head on whether or not she should tell them what happened that morning. After a while, her shoudlers sag, a sure sign that she was giving up trying to hide it from them.

"i got something from... from -A this morning." She reached into her bag and scrolled to the unknown number that contained the file she was sent. She slid her phone to the middle of the table, and Spencer picked up, holding it up for Aria and Hanna to see. It was a photo of Emily and Alison of the last fight they had. With the photo was the message, "You'll regret driving her away. -A".

"And now she's not in class." Emily shifted in her seat uneasily, but there was annoyance in her eyes. Anger, too. If -A was implying that Ali once again left town, then that meant Ali had given up on staying again. That made Emily angry. But what she wasn't acknowledging was the fact that she was choosing to be angry, because she wanted to mask the hurt that the message was trying to ignite inside of her.

"Maybe she's just at home trying to avoid-" Aria made a vague gesture that could be interpreted so many ways.

Hanna rolled her eyes. "You. Trying to avoid you. After that fight she might not feel all that good. You're the only one who's solidly in her corner after all."

"Hanna!" The girl in question only looked at Spencer with a "You know I'm right" expression. "Look, we don't know anything, yet. Don't jump to conclusions. When was the last time you saw her?"