Pretty Little Liars: The Beginning {Episodes 1-10} (REVISED)

16. Aria 📚

Aria stood in the window of Rosewood High School, staring glumly at the church down the street. She could see all of the people dressed in black that were going to mourn Alison and the multitude of reporters that were covering the funeral. She would be there herself in a few minutes, but she hadn't been able to bring herself to the church yet. Everything that had happened was still racing through her mind, and she knew it would take some time before Ali's death would fully process. After the text she had received earlier that day, she had really believed that Alison would come back.

She watched as Emily and Spencer met each other in front of the church, their families hugging and exchanging condolences. Her friends didn't look like they were handling anything better than she was. The pit in their stomachs must be as big as hers. Her mind was so foggy, it was hard to really focus on anything at all. All she could think about was Alison.

Footsteps came slowly up the stairs, coming closer to her. Ezra stood next to her, looking at her solemnly. Aria didn't know how to feel about him right now either. She really liked him and wanted to be with him. It just felt like he didn't want that as much as she did. From what he had told her, Aria knew that he liked her a lot too. The circumstances just weren't right for them, at least that's how Ezra felt.

"Was she a friend of yours?" he asked.

"Do you care?" she snapped.

Aria felt bad for getting so mad at him, but she couldn't help it. She wanted to be with him so bad, and he had been a jerk when he rejected her. He had left her in the classroom alone and didn't even try to figure out how they could make their relationship work. Anybody would be mad at him for that. There wasn't any sort of resolution, just an abrupt ending.

Ezra sighed and looked out the window. "I don't know what I feel worse about: having to stay away from you or being a jerk about it," he said. Aria glanced down, feeling even worse. He was just trying to be nice. Her emotions were just out of control and really starting to get to her. "Yeah, she was one of my best friends," she said.

"I'm sorry."

"For Alison or for being a jerk?" Aria asked.

"Both."

Aria's heart softened. All she wanted to do was run her hands through his hair and fall into his arms. She just wanted to be with him and tell him everything she was feeling, but there wasn't a way for them to do that. "Thank you," she said finally. "I would never want to do anything that would get you in trouble." She kissed him softly on the cheek. "Goodbye, Ezra."

It was the end of their relationship. Aria knew it was for the best, but that didn't stop her heart from breaking. Everything that they had shared with each other had felt so intimate and personal despite only really knowing each other for a couple of days. It felt like one of those moments where she believed in love at first sight, like the scene in movies where everything goes into slow motion and violins explode with the happy sounds of strings and the audience knows that everything is going to be okay in the end for the happy couple onscreen.

Ezra grabbed her arm and pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss. There were the violins, the fireworks, the excitement of that first kiss at the Hollis Bar & Grill. Aria could hear the song playing in her head, his warmth spreading onto her body. She felt completely enveloped in the kiss, comforted by his scent and the feel of his lips on hers. She wished she could hold onto this moment forever and never leave his arms. All good things must come to an end though. Aria pulled away and moved a stray hair out of his face. She smiled at him, her eyes watery, and began walking down the steps.

Aria had a lot to think about on the short walk to the church, but the most important thing was Alison. While her rocky relationship with Ezra was over, she couldn't let that distract her from the truth. Her best friend was dead, and she needed to deal with the shock of that before focusing on anything else. For a year, they had wondered where she had gone and why. Now they knew, and the only question was how she could've ended up under the gazebo in her backyard, not to mention the messages the four of them had all received.