Smirks and Shy girls

Chapter 12

Emily pushed through the doors of rosewood high brushing hair out of her eyes and yawning.
      "Wow you look like shit" Hanna spoke picking up pace with the dark haired girl after she left a previous conversation with a girl unfamiliar to Emily.
       "Thanks Han" Emily laughed rolling her eyes before groaning. Emily spent most of The night thinking about the situation with Alison. She ran a hand through her hair and The pair continued down the hallway before stopping in front of Aria's locker.
         "Spencer had a um, wow are you ok Emily" a worried Aria paused the shuffling in her backpack to ask the question.

   "Why does everyone keep asking me that? Yeah I'm fine I just didn't get that much sleep last night." Emily smiled at the group and swallowed holding onto the straps of her back pack. She nodded at Spencer's inquisitive glare and laughed.
         "Really I'm fine ok?" Hanna rolled her eyes.
"Is this about Alison?" Emily opened her mouth to speak before she was cut of by Spencer.

   "I get it Em, everything's unclear right now. But after everything that's happened we can't just run back into Alison's arms. You have to know she's angry at all of us including you. There's no telling how she'll react if we tell her we know the truth." Spencer lowered her voice and leaned forward to make sure no one could hear them talking as a smirking Noel walked past the group.

        "I hate him, why is his face frozen in a smirk?" Aria spoke watching the back of Noel's head continue down the hall.
"He's kind of hot." Hanna glanced at the boy walking down the hall ignoring the three sets of eyes glaring at her.
"What? I mean...come on you can't see that? Can a girl not appreciate a nice face when she sees one?" Spencer rolled her eyes before turning to face Emily. Emily jumped in before Spencer could explain.

        "Ok  but now we know she's innocent! We know that we screwed up." Emily looked around the group to see if anyone understood. 
         "Keep your voice down!" Emily shook her head at Arias request.
        "Honestly Emily we didn't know much about Alison that much hasn't changed. How do we know Noel isn't telling the truth?" Emily scoffed.

    "What do you mean we all saw that video she's-" Aria shook her head.
       "No I mean of course we all saw the video. We know Alison isn't capable of murder. But whose to say she isn't capable of all the other things Noel's talked about? Being the queen B at her old school, the bully." Silence became of the group. Aria and Hanna nodded their heads in agreement.

Emily kept her mouth shut thinking back to Alison's confession before their big argument. Alison was a bully. And a big one at that. Emily hoped it was only because she was misunderstood and her motives weren't any darker than that.
        "look Emily all I'm saying is we don't know how Alison is going to respond if we tell her we know the truth. I know you want to mend the relationship as quick as you can because ending it wasn't what you wanted to do on the first place but we need to give it time." Emily shrugged at Spencer's words and began walking to the Biology room.

"Emily where are you going the bell hasn't even rung yet?" Spencer shouted.
"Come on wait for me!" Hanna called after her but got caught up with an enthusiastic Mona showing her a new bag. Emily walked towards the back of the class shrugging her backpack off and flopping into an empty seat. Emily let out a sigh and rested her head on the table in front of her.

         Finally she'd found some quiet. The bell hasn't rung and she was one of the only students in the science lab. She glanced around  when someone sat next to her. She recognized the boy as Toby. He smiled at her and she lazily smiled back before turning her body and closing her eyes.
       Her eyes snapped open when she heard a familiar airy laugh. Her chest burned when she looked up and made eye contact with Alison. Alison's smile left her face and she looked sad for a moment before regaining her composure. She smirked and whispered to her friends as they sat in the front. Hanna and Mona made their way past the group. Hanna rolling her eyes and laughing at something Mona said before passing Emily's desk. The teacher walked into the room placing his things at his desk, drawing Emily's attention back to the front where Alison was in plain sight. In all her beauty.

       Emily stared longingly at the seat she used to occupy beside Alison recognizing one of the twins she'd seen around school. She sat up no longer tired. She would admit she missed that laugh that perfect smile of the blonde beauty.
      "Hey, are you alright?" Emily turned to face soft eyes and a shy smile beside her. Emily snapped out of her trance fully berating herself for thinking so fondly of Alison.
       "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Thanks. You're Toby right?" Emily smiled.
        "Toby Cavanaugh, and you're Emily?" Emily nodded.
 
       "Guess were lab partners now?" Toby asked laughing.
        "Guess so," Emily smiled at him.
         "What brings You back here if you don't mind me asking. I thought you were with Alison." Emily's heart fell into her stomach. She tried to find the words. She swallowed nervously nearing Toby's intense gaze.
        "Oh we broke up a while ago." She parted her hair with her hand and raised her head to meet a confused Toby.

        "I meant as a lab partner." He furrowed his eyebrows but shook his head when he realized Emily looked like a deer caught in headlights.
        "Hey no its ok. I mean I won't tell anyone." Emily let out a breath. She felt like she could cry. How stupid could she get? She'd just outed herself on accident.
         "Oh my god." Emily put her head in her hands and Toby laughed placing a soft hand on her back.

        "Emily it's fine I should've worded the question better. If oh don't want anyone to know your secrets safe with me." Toby smiled reassuringly and rubbed her back.
          "Toby I haven't told anyone." Emily brought her voice to a whisper.
          "No I should've known, you two were pretty public with you're relationship." That made Emily freak out even more.

        "People know!?" Emily turned her neck so fast she nearly broke it.
        "Well I mean." Toby looked at her and sighed.
         "People suspected, YOU two seemed really close. Really handsy. That might've just been me I'm very observant." Emily groaned loudly.

      She looked up and saw Alison staring at her. Was she...jealous? Alison quickly looked away when Emily met her gaze. Emily wondered how it looked, her and Toby together. She forgot the idea, Emily had no feelings other than friendly for the kind boy beside her, bust she admitted having control over Alison's emotions made her feel good in that moment. Knowing Alison might've felt a sliver of jealousy made her heart flutter. Maybe she does care.
    
Emily reached for her bag when the bell rang.
          "Pencil?" Emily put her bag down and smiled. Sliding the pencil from Toby's grasp and placed it beside the notebook paper in front of her.
          "Thanks Toby." Emily turned her attention to the front of the classroom when the teacher began the lesson.