Falling For Hermie #pllfanfic

Chapter 1

"Oh, my gosh! Ali, have you see the homecoming posters yet?" Aria Montgomery asks me, full of enthusiasm, as she dumps her lunch tray onto the cafeteria table and takes a seat across from me.

"Nope. It's just homecoming Aria," I snap, twirling my fork in my salad. "No alcohol. No hot boys. No real party."

What's the big deal about homecoming? It's incomparable to any party I've ever attended, and not in a good way.

"It's not really a party, it's a celebration," Aria justifies, sounding hurt.

"Yeah, well, what's the point of celebrating if you can't party?"

Spencer Hastings is next to join us at the table. "Do you like the theme the Homecoming Committee chose for this year's celebration, Ali?" she asks, looking modestly proud, if there is such a thing.

Now there is.

"Spencer, I was just telling Aria -"

"Way to go Spencer and the rest of the Homecoming Committee," Hanna Marin celebrates, taking her usual seat at the table. "I think it's clever how-"

"Enough!" I yell. "Enough about homecoming. I don't care, okay? It's stupid, and unless I'm going to be crowned Homecoming Queen, I won't be attending."

The three girls sitting across from me at the table simultaneously gasp at my sudden outburst.

Like they have any reason to be surprised. I was annoyed with all this constant chatter about homecoming. Wouldn't anyone be?

"What?" I ask, frowning.

"You're not going to homecoming, now that we can finally go?" Aria pipes up, sounding shocked. "Ali, it'll be no funny without you."

"Did you not just hear me? I said if I'm not crowned Queen I won't go. So, I'm either going to get that crown, or have fun without me."

If I'm going, there's got to be some purpose in it. I doubt homecoming's going to be much fun otherwise.

"Where's Emily?" I ask, sick of the silence on our table.

"Oh, she just went to catch up with Coach Fulton. There's a swim meet on tomorrow lunch and she needs to finalise a few things," Spencer explains. "I think we should go."

"Yeah, it'll be really great," Aria smiles.

"Ali, what do you think?" Hanna asks, hopeful.

"Well, why not?" I ask rhetorically.

I enjoy watching my beautiful Em swim from time to time. I admire her passion for the sport and one day wish to find something I'm just as passionate about.

"So, Ali, I know that you don't want to hear anymore about homecoming-" Spencer starts.

"Then don't mention it," I assert, cutting her off coldly.

Does she not get it?

"Please? It's really important," Spencer pleads.

"Whatever," I say, rolling my eyes and picking up my lunch tray. "Say whatever you want."

As I'm dumping what's left of my cafeteria lunch into a bin, I come across a poster for homecoming.