i won't back down;

paige mccullers. eighteen. rosewood high senior.

[themccullerskid-blog]

How to Save a Life

Summary: Emily winds up in the hospital after a run-in with -A, and she and Paige sort out their issues. Characters: Emily Fields, Paige McCullers Warnings: ?? This one’s actually pretty happy.

Emily sent her last message to Paige and then tucked her phone into her jacket pocket. If Paige wouldn't believe her about A tampering with her bike, then she'd have to get to it before the girl did. A's message had come through just as she'd finished getting dressed for her morning run, but since that had been brought to a halt as she'd tried warning her ex, now was the right time for one. Grabbing her keys and stuffing them into the opposite pocket, she made her way out of her bedroom, through the foyer and into the kitchen, and then out the back door. Thankfully her mom had left for work early that morning so she didn't have to answer any questions. The jog over to Paige's didn't take long at all. Seeing as how one of the girl's parents had left the garage door open, Em made sure her ex was nowhere in sight as she approached. Realizing the coast was clear, she walked right into the garage and looked around until she spotted the bike. "Bingo." She softly stated to herself as she walked over to it. Letting her eyes wander over every inch of it slowly and intently, she didn't see anything that looked off about it. But maybe that was the problem. A wouldn't make it that easy, right? Deciding she couldn't stand there and debate over whether or not A had really done anything, she pushed it out of the garage anyways. Once everything was out of the way, Emily hopped on and rode out of the McCullers driveway. Everything seemed fine. Sure, the bike wobbled a little bit here and there, but it didn't seem like anything was wrong with it so she knew she could head back to her house to grab her things for school. Taking a sharp turn around a familiar curve, she vaguely heard a weird noise just moments before the bike was falling apart and she was being thrown off of it. And before she had even a second to accept that she'd been right all along, all she remembered was her head hitting something hard first, then one side of her body followed suit before she finally landed on the pavement. Emily had blacked out almost instantly. Luckily, someone happened to be turning onto the same street just moments after Emily had and witnessed the accident, so they'd immediately called 911 and stayed by her side until the EMTs arrived. Thanks to the notoriety that came with being friends of Rosewood's biggest mystery, both the EMTs and the nurses at the hospital knew who Emily was, so a call to Pam Fields was made as soon as the girl was being rushed into a CT Scan. By the time that was finished and it was clear that she didn't have any serious brain damage, her mom had arrived, and she was being sent to the emergency room to receive a few stitches for the gash on her head. In true A fashion, he or she had instantly found out about Emily stealing the bike and then being the one who crashed, and a mass text message was sent out to the other four liars. As expected, it sent the girls into a frenzy, but Hanna texted Pam anyways for details. The woman had told the girls what she knew, which was basically that Em didn't have any serious injuries and would be fine, but she'd instructed the girls to stay at school and just visit her later when she would hopefully be fine and recovering in one of the rooms. And once that was squared away, the woman sat impatiently in the waiting room until Emily's stitches were done and she was moved to an actual room. The doctors had said they wanted to keep Em for at least the rest of the day and maybe another, just to be sure she hadn't suffered a concussion. Her wound had been stitched up, and other than a bruised shoulder and a few cuts in a couple of other places, she hadn't been harmed much else thankfully. The anesthetic hadn't worn off yet though, but she moved the chair as close to the bed as possible and waited for her daughter to wake up.

Paige wasn’t sure why Emily was so hung up on her bike. She’d left it sitting in her garage as she always did. Though she knew A was resourceful, she couldn’t bring herself to believe that they would find a way into her garage just to tamper with her bike. After all, she hadn’t actually done anything since finding out about the entire mess. She’d broken up with Emily, but that was about it. She wasn’t causing problems yet. She’d wanted to do some research and see if she could help the girls out, but she hadn’t started yet. She hadn’t known where to start. Paige continued with her morning routine as usual, but for one little difference. She knew Emily was worried about her, and, though she didn’t think there was anything to be concerned about, she decided to skip her morning run. She’d make up for it later—perhaps in a bike ride after school—but for now she decided to entertain the notion that, perhaps, she wasn’t as safe as she thought. By the time she was out of the shower and dressed, she had just enough time to make it to school. Walking into her garage, her eyes immediately went to where her bike should be and she frowned. It wasn’t there. She knew it had to have been there when her mom had left for work, otherwise she would have said something. That meant that in the span of about an hour, someone had stolen her bike. Grumbling in frustration, Paige went back inside and grabbed her car keys from the kitchen counter. She hated driving her car such a short distance to school, but it now seemed like her only option if she wanted to make it on time. At school, she didn’t see Emily. At first she chalked it up to the fact that she’d had to rush a little to get to her first class on time. Maybe she had just been in a hurry, so she hadn’t noticed her. But then, after third period, she still hadn’t seen her. She’d kept an eye on the girl’s locker while she’d been exchanging some of her books, and she hadn’t shown up once. By lunch, Paige had put two and two together. She fired off a quick text to Emily, asking her where her bike was and, more importantly, where she was. It was around that same time that she noticed Emily’s friends, looking worried as they sat at their usual lunch table. They were each checking their phones anxiously, and Paige bit her lip. She sent a text to Hanna to ask what was going on. Hanna scrambled for her phone as soon as she heard it buzz, and Paige noticed an unmistakable look of disappointment on her face once she read who it was from. The blonde looked around the courtyard for Paige and, when she noticed her, waved her over. Paige approached hesitantly. Though Alison wasn’t around, she wasn’t sure how the rest of Emily’s friends would react to her. Immediately, the girls explained the situation to Paige. Though they weren’t sure of all the details, the best they could figure was that Emily had gotten a hold of Paige’s bike and then crashed it. A sent them a message and basically claimed responsibility. Emily was in the hospital, a little bruised but otherwise okay. Pam Fields had told the girls to stay put. Alison had ignored it and was already at the hospital. And Paige’s head was spinning. The girls were quick to reassure Paige that it wasn’t her fault. That A had done this, and it was no one’s fault but theirs. But Paige wasn’t listening. She had been so adamant about taking her bike that Emily had taken it just so that she wouldn’t be able to ride it. And now she was in the hospital. Paige excused herself from the group, ignoring the invitation to stay at their table until the end of lunch period. Instead, she walked back into the school, dropped off all her books, and headed for the hospital. It was a bit ironic that she was now thankful to have taken her car to school. The hospital was farther than she liked, and she would have hated walking there. It took awhile for Paige to track down Emily’s room. The blinds were open, so she could clearly see her laying in the bed. Her head had a few bandages, and she could make out a few scratches on her arms. Beside her was Alison, and Paige had to fight the urge to turn around and go back home. Emily had been clear when she’d told her that she’d had a falling out with Alison after everything that had happened, so she had no reason to assume that something was going on. Still, it was difficult to see her in Emily’s room. To know that, of all of Emily’s friends, Alison had been the one to see her first. The door was open, and Paige walked over and knocked lightly on the door. “Hey, Em…” she said softly, doing her best to ignore Alison.

Emily stayed passed out for what felt like forever. Pam had called Wayne while she was en route to the hospital, and by the time their daughter had been patched up and given a room, it was too late to talk the man into staying put in Texas. He was already on a plane and heading back to Rosewood, but with Emily being deemed okay for now, they could both sort of relax. Well, one of them could. It wasn't a surprise that Em's friends were worried and blowing up Pam's phone, but the older Fields was new to this so she hadn't predicted that the liars would be constantly asking for updates. Deciding to leave it at advising them to just stop by after school, she tucked her phone back into her purse. Once a nurse came through with Emily's phone and keys, she left them on the night stand, knowing her daughter would be concerned with her phone instead of her health once she came to. It didn't take too much longer for the anesthetic to finally wear off, and as soon as Emily was able to realize where she was, her first thought was her ex. "Where's Paige? Is she okay?" Pam nodded and gently placed a hand on her daughter's uninjured shoulder. After being told to calm down, it didn't take the woman long to start questioning what had happened and why she was on a bike instead of driving. Luckily though, Ali popped up just in time for her to avoid having to answer anything. They still hadn't really worked out their differences, but the last thing she wanted was to lie about the whole A thing and why she'd wound up in the hospital in the first place to her mom. Suggesting that her mom go home and change out of her work clothes while she waited for Wayne to arrive at the airport, she smiled as the woman listened to her and made her way out. Though, she should have expected the blonde to be there pretending to accept the blame for what had happened to her. It was obvious that she didn't really care that A had gone after Paige because of her opening her mouth, so Em was suddenly regretting sending her mom away. She groaned when she found out that her mom had told the rest of their friends to wait until later to visit. Why would they let Ali come alone? Why wouldn't at least one of them tag alone for her sake? Just the thought of having to listen to whatever else Ali had to say was making her wish she was still knocked out. Hearing the knock on the door, she hadn't bothered looking over that way until she heard Paige's voice. She was sure her friends had filled her in, and seeing the girl was definitely a lot better than having to sit alone in her hospital room with the blonde. "Hi, Paige." She stated, giving her a small smile before looking over at Ali. "Thanks for coming, Ali, but I need to talk to Paige. Alone ." Ignoring the look the blonde gave them both, Emily waited until the girl was walking out of the room before patting a spot on the bed.

Paige bowed her head uncomfortably as Alison passed. She wasn’t sure what they had been talking about, and she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to know. She didn’t even know how long Alison had been there. Waiting until the blonde left the room, she approached Emily’s hospital bed with a timid, uneasy smile. She had so many questions. The drive over had given her a long time to think about what had happened. Clearly, A had messed with her bike after all. And clearly, as Emily had suggested, this A person wasn’t someone to mess with. What wasn’t so clear was how Emily had taken her bike. And how she’d crashed it. And, maybe more importantly, why. Emily was so sure that Paige’s bike had been tampered with that she’d stolen it and risked injuring herself as a result. It was… hard to understand. Easing herself onto the bed, she let her eyes wander over Emily’s body and tried to keep her emotions in check. From a closer distance, she looked a little more battered. And she looked a little tired—though that could have been because she had been dealing with Alison just before she’d arrived. Paige frowned, knowing that it easily could have been her in this situation instead. “H-How are you feeling?”

Emily hadn't had time to think about what she'd done, or any of the consequences. Maybe A would come after her for this and try to hurt her even worse. Or maybe A would use her being injured to just come after Paige yet again, without a warning this time around. She didn't want any of that to happen, but clearly she couldn't control what happened anymore. Even if that scared the shit out of her, the only real fear she had now was having to talk to Paige about all of this. "I'm..okay? Everything kind of hurts right now, but I'm alive, right?" She half teased, wanting to somehow attempt to lighten the mood. Paige had broken up with her for not telling her about the A thing, and she'd been mad that Em had kept her mouth shut to protect her, so how would she truly react now? All she knew was that her head was throbbing and she couldn't take being yelled at or chewed out for the decision she'd made, so maybe she needed to just start this all off herself. "If you're mad at me, can you please just..not yell or bitch at me right now? Maybe in a few days, but not today." She pleaded softly.

Paige shook her head. “Not funny,” she said, though she fought to keep a smile off her face. It was good that Emily was feeling well enough to tease, so she was trying to go with it. But the situation was obviously serious; Emily could just as easily not be alive. She studied her carefully, surprised when Emily assumed that she’d be mad at her. She shouldn’t have been so surprised; in a way, she was sort of mad at her. But not in the yelling kind of way. She was mad because Emily could have died, and she would have blamed herself. “I’m not mad at you,” she sighed. “I mean, I’m… I’m a little mad, but I’m not going to yell at you. I just… What were you thinking? You could have died, Em… And I just feel like… Somehow this is all my fault.” She took a deep breath and shook her head again. “And you’re probably going to tell me that it’s not my fault, but I… You wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t been so set on riding my bike to school. I should have listened to you and trusted you and instead I… I didn’t. And now you’re here, and I’m pretty sure it’s because of me.” Paige reached for Emily’s hand and took it between her own two hands. “I’m really sorry, Em. For… a lot of things. You shouldn’t be here.”

Emily "No, but it made you feel a little bit better so that's what counts." Obviously it wasn't serious, and she knew she didn't need to actually make jokes about any of this. It wasn't funny. Being injured at all wasn't exactly a cause for celebration, yet part of her didn't see it that way. Paige was unharmed. And now, she realized just how serious Em was whenever she said that A was up to something. Biting her lip as her ex started speaking, she rolled her eyes when she stated that she could have died. Sure, she was right. She could have died. But being that she hadn't taken her seriously that morning, Paige could have been the one in the hospital too, or worse. Emily sighed as she took the blame for it. Unlike Ali, Paige had nothing to apologize for. She hadn't asked to be thrown into this. Not that Em and the other girls had either, but they had stood back and watched Ali do horrible things to people, so maybe they deserved what was happening. Glancing down as her hand was taking into Paige's, she sighed. "Please don't do that. Don't apologize. You didn't do anything." Emily muttered. "You weren't supposed to be involved in any of this. This is exactly why I didn't want you to know about A. And I..I tried to get you not to ride your bike but you didn't believe me about A, so I had to do it. I guess I wasn't really thinking about me dying, you know? I was just worried about keeping you safe." She shrugged.

Paige scoffed, knowing that Emily had a point. It had served to lighten the mood a little, and clearly Emily recognized that it wasn’t that funny given their situation. Noting the way she rolled her eyes, she resisted the urge to pick an argument. It wouldn’t do any good now; it had already happened, and now they were left to deal with the consequences. She listened as Emily spoke, ducking her head as she finished. Of course she had wanted to keep her safe. She’d said that last time, too. When they had broken up. She’d put Paige’s safety above her own, regardless of what that might mean for herself. Paige shook her head, inhaling deeply as she prepared herself for what she was about to do. “I do, though. I do need to apologize.” She was sure part of the reason she had been so upset about all of it—about the whole A mess—was because it had been Alison who had told her. Alison had used the knowledge like a weapon against her, and she’d been completely blindsided. She didn’t like that feeling. The feeling that, somehow, she was just as underprepared and small as before. She tried to voice this thought to Emily, her voice straining. She didn’t look at her, instead focusing on the way their hands fit together. Her thumb brushed over Emily’s skin as she spoke. “Ali looked almost gleeful when she told me, you know. Like she’d finally found something new to hurt me. I mean, she pretended to be shocked that I didn’t know and pretended to apologize, but I could see it in her eyes. She was happy that I hadn’t known before she told me. And for awhile there, I just felt so... small. Like no matter what, there will be things she’ll hold over me. Like there will always be things you can’t tell me, because of her. I can’t live like that. And I just... I went to worst-case scenario mode. And then I thought, ‘maybe this is how it’s supposed to be.’ With Alison back, we were just… falling back into old patterns. You were back to being her friend and I was back to being… on the outside. I know it’s complete bullshit to think like that, but I… she does things to me, Emily. She has this weird way of getting in my head without actually doing much at all. And you were so worried about me that first day she was back at school and you had every reason to be… She brings out the worst in me. Makes me think the worst and fear the worst and I just… I had to do something, but I shouldn’t have done that . Breaking up with you, I… I’m sorry. I… Seeing you like this, here, because of me, I…” She chuckled a little, a few tears rolling down her cheeks. “I’m sorry… for everything that I said. For thinking that I had to break up with you to get the time and space I needed. For not believing you and getting you into this mess and nearly getting you killed. For making you think I didn’t love you back… because I do, Em. I love you. I love you so much that it scares me. And maybe that’s the other thing. How you were willing to risk your life to protect mine. I was scared of what that meant and of how much that meant you loved me. And then you went and did it again. Even though I think I asked you not to do that… You put your life after mine, and that’s… I’ve never had someone do that for me. Risk their life for me. It’s… it’s a little scary, Em…” She’d been talking so much that she’d hardly given Emily a chance to say anything, and she stopped with another shaky, self-aware laugh. “I’m done now, except to say that I’m sorry. Again."

Emily could tell that her saying Paige didn't need to apologize wasn't changing anything at all. Regardless of what had happened with them, she didn't have it in her to be mad at the girl anymore. If breaking up with her felt right to her ex, then so be it. She would have to accept it, but that didn't mean she wouldn't go out of her way to protect her because she still would. And although bits of her party were fuzzy in her mind, she remembered that they had both agreed to be friends no matter what. She had to just learn to be content with it. But as she listened to Paige explain, Em didn't know what to think. She had been waiting to hear this for the most part. Well, some of it anyways. Ali being Ali and getting to her ex made sense. She got some sick thrill out of hurting people that she knew she could get to the way that she got to Paige, and once she was gone and Emily had be able to see what everyone else saw, she quickly realized that she couldn't be with someone like that. She still cared about her and wanted to keep her safe, yet Ali was going her best to make her miserable apparently. Seeing the other girl tearing up as she continued, she let out a small breath when Paige finally said that she loved her. She had felt a little pathetic saying it and being dumped all in the same day without the girl saying it back, but now that she had, Emily felt a little better. "I'm not just risking my life for yours because I love you, Paige. I'm doing it because you don't deserve to be on A's shit list. You haven't done anything wrong, so I can't just sit back and let you get hurt because of me and my friends." She hadn't even noticed her eyes getting watery until she felt the tears on her cheeks, and being that she was in enough pain as it was, she didn't bother trying to wipe them away. "I didn't want you to find out about A from Ali, or even the way that you did. I wanted to tell you, just..when I thought you'd be safe. And I know you don't agree with that but after today, I wouldn't change anything. You knowing made you a direct target and I didn't want that." Em stated as she paused to really pull herself together. "I know what Ali does to you, but..I love you, Paige. I want to be with you, and now that A's after you, you're apart of this whether I want you to be or not. You're not on the outside anymore, and I'm sorry I made you feel that way anyways. And honestly, I'm sorry for everything Ali has ever done to you and will probably try to do to you. But if you need me to tell you everything so that she's not holding anything else over you, I will. It's not all good but I'm willing to expose every secret my friends and I have if you need me to. You can't keep letting her win, babe."

Paige squeezed Emily’s hand in reassurance as the girl began to cry. “I know that,” she said quietly. “I get it now. I didn’t before, but I do now. You were trying to keep me safe. By not telling me, by waiting, you were trying to keep me safe. I didn’t like it, but I get it now. A is… I had no idea how serious all of this really was until now. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you more. If I had… Maybe you wouldn’t be here.” If she had trusted her a bit more, maybe none of this would have happened. Certainly she wouldn’t have felt compelled to steal her bike. Hearing Emily repeat that she loved her, even after everything that had happened, she smiled. She hadn’t realized how worried she was that that would have changed in the time since they’d broken up, but she was relieved to hear that it hadn’t. Somehow, Emily still loved her. “I love you, too, Em. I don’t need you to tell me all your secrets. I thought I wanted that, but… maybe it’s better you keep some things to yourself. At least until you’re ready. I don’t need to know everything. Just… try not to ditch me anymore? At least, not as often.” She paused, giving herself time to let the rest of Emily’s words sink in. She’d said that she wanted to be with her, which was a bit of a surprise. She hadn’t realized Emily was already at the point where she wasn’t mad at her anymore. Or, at least, not as mad. She chewed on her bottom lip as she thought all of it over. “When you say you want to be with me, do you mean… I mean, are we…” She wasn’t sure how to ask what she wanted, so she trailed off unsurely, hoping Emily would understand what she was asking.

Emily let out a small sigh of relief when Paige said she understood her intentions now. Of course, she would have felt a lot better about the girl believing her from the start. Paige had sort of gone on a rant about Em not trusting her, yet here she was confessing that she should have trusted her more. But she wasn't in the mood to fight with her about it now. "I tried to tell you." She mumbled. Something like this happening in Rosewood was pretty hard to believe, but she'd repeatedly tried to make it clear that she and her friends were afraid of this person because they'd supposedly attacked Ali. Maybe she should have just spilled everything that day, but she would have a chance to do it now that they were..well, patching things up. "I stole your bike and risked my life to protect you, Paige. I'm ready to tell you everything if you're ready to hear it. But I promise I won't ditch you anymore. I guess I kind of learned my lesson the hard way the first time, so I promise I'll be a lot better this time." They were both agreeing to things that could make a relationship better, but they were still broken up, right? Why were they getting ahead of themselves already and assuming this was them getting back together? When Paige spoke up again and seemed to be in search of an answer for the same thing she'd been wondering, Emily paused for a moment. Were they? Was this their way of reconciling? She could easily say that she didn't know, but one of them needed to make the decision. Looking down at their hands, Em smiled. "I'm in too much pain to move so come closer and kiss me."

Paige rolled her eyes. “I know you did,” she said carefully. “I just wasn’t willing to listen. But I’m listening now.” She didn’t want to argue with her about things that had already happened, so she busied her mind by reaching forward with one of her hands and brushed back a strand of Emily’s hair. Shrugging her shoulders, she shook her head. “You can tell me only if you want to tell me,” she decided. “And if you think it’s safe. I meant it when I said you don’t have to tell me all your secrets. I trust you, and I have your back no matter what, remember?” From the way their conversation was going, she was becoming more and more confused. They were still broken up, but they were talking as if they were considering a reconciliation. And maybe they were. Paige wasn’t opposed to one. She had had plenty of time to think about their situation while they’d been apart, and she’d been able to recognize where she’d been led astray. She knew that she wanted another chance, and waiting for Emily’s reply to her probing question was nerve-wracking. On the one hand, she’d understand if Emily wasn’t ready, but on the other, she was sure that both of them were in different—and better—places. It seemed that the time apart had turned out to be beneficial to them, after all. She couldn’t resist a laugh as Emily finally spoke. The request was so typical of her, and she really hadn’t expected anything less. Rolling her eyes, she leaned across Emily’s body. “I was hoping you’d say that,” she confessed before she closed the remaining distance between them with a kiss. It was slow. Gentle. Hesitant. Paige was worried that she’d end up hurting Emily somehow, so she held back and tried to follow Emily’s lead.

Emily "You're listening because I got thrown off of your bike for you, but this could have been avoided if you'd just listened to me to begin with, you know?" She wasn't still upset over it, at least she had thought that she wasn't. But seeing as how it had to go this far for Paige to see that she had made the right decision the first time, clearly she still needed to get a few things off of her chest. Even if they were apparently making things right, it was only fair that she made sure to completely clear the air. She nodded as Paige clarified that she didn't have to tell her any secrets. Maybe she didn't, but maybe she should? At least one. Emily didn't know if the girl would be able to handle any of their secrets at all, but it was worth a shot, right? They were contemplating getting back together, but would Paige really stay once A started exposing more secrets? Brushing it off for now, she smiled as Paige leaned in. And as soon as she was kissed, she could tell that the girl was holding back. Lifting the arm on the side of her body that didn't hurt as much as the other, Em cupped her cheek before deepening the kiss. It had been too long, and hurt or not, she had been desperately needing this. Keeping her lips pressed tightly against Paige's for a few more moments, Em slowly pulled away before letting out a small sigh. "Toby didn't start that fire in his garage that blinded Jenna." She softly confessed against Paige's lips.

Paige “Yeah, yeah, I know,” Paige muttered. “I said I was sorry.” There wasn’t much else she could do than just apologize, repeatedly, for getting them into this situation. She knew she had done what she thought was best at the time, but hindsight had given her the opportunity to reflect on that decision. And maybe it hadn’t been the best, after all. They’d both been a little annoyed with each other, but what kind of reason was that to break up? It wasn’t regret she was feeling, exactly; it was more like disappointment. Disappointment in herself for letting Ali get in her head so much and for not communicating as much as she probably should have. She smiled as Emily’s hand rested against her cheek, grateful for the contact. She’d known she’d missed Emily, especially when it came to the more physical side of their relationship, but she hadn’t realized just how much until now. Paige was just about to make a teasing comment about making out on hospital beds when Emily spoke. She’d been caught off guard, and she pulled back just enough to meet Emily’s eyes. “What?” she asked, her head still foggy from the kiss. “What are you… What are you saying? Someone else did?”

Emily sighed. "I know, I'm sorry. I just had to get that out." Regardless of what happened then, they were moving forward now so she needed to just move on. Kissing Paige again somehow made her feel better than she had before, which she chalked up to being because she'd missed it so much. They had stopped ignoring one another after her party and had agreed to still there for one another, but this was different. They were making out in a hospital. Something she hadn't seen coming, but something she happily accepted. And here she was ruining it by exposing a secret she was never supposed to reveal to anyone else. Though, A knowing sort of broke that rule anyways, right? She gave a small nod at the questions that followed, taking Paige's hands into her own. "Alison did it." As much as Emily and the other girls had discussed how Ali had been to blame for all of this, expressing that out loud to someone else gave her a sort of rush. She needed to tell Paige things and since this was one of the bigger secrets, it was only right that she start with that. "It was just supposed to be a stink bomb, and that's why we went with her. She said no one was in the garage so when she tossed what we thought was the stink bomb inside, we figured it would be a harmless prank. But then she yelled for us to run and within seconds, the garage was on fire and we heard Jenna screaming. We were scared so we took off running, but then afterwards we asked for an explanation and she said it was actually a firecracker instead of a stink bomb. Hanna suggested that we go to the cops, but Alison said we could never tell on her for what she'd done because we were technically accomplices, so we never said anything." Emily explained before shrugging. "And she got Toby to take the blame for it because she was blackmailing him."

Paige should have known it was Alison. Somehow, it was always Alison. She shook her head, on the verge of asking for elaboration. She needn’t have asked, though, because suddenly Emily was offering up the rest of the story. Patiently, and doing her best to reserve judgment, Paige listened. She knew Ali could be cruel and thoughtless, but this seemed particularly extreme. Had Ali known Jenna was in there after all? And why— why would she throw a firecracker into their garage? She sighed hearing that Hanna had wanted to go to the cops and that Alison had shut that idea down. Of course she would have. She bit her lip, silent even after Emily had finished speaking. It was a lot for her to take in, and she wasn’t entirely sure what she was supposed to do with this new information. She hadn’t asked for her; in fact, she’d carefully told Emily that it didn’t matter if she was hiding things from her. Not anymore. She was going to do her best to respect the secrets Emily had, given the dangers that came with spilling them. Regardless of this, though, Emily had told her. She narrowed her eyes. “So… so does this A person know about that? I mean, is that why this is happening to all of you? Because of some stupid thing Ali did?”

Emily should have felt bad for pointing out how this was all Ali's fault, but it was the truth. The only good thing that had ever come from being friends with Ali had been her three best friends. Everything else was hell. Pure hell. She couldn't really say there were any other benefits from knowing the blonde, so this was all her fault. "A knows everything ." She scoffed. "That's what I was trying to tell you when you dumped me. Somehow, this person knows things that only Alison knew. Like yeah, we were all present when the Jenna thing happened, but there's things about all of us that only she knew, but now, A knows them too. It's..complicated. She swears she didn't tell anyone anything, and I doubted her before but since A went after her first and tried to kill her, we know it's not her. I just have no idea who else she could tell."

Paige frowned. She wasn’t entirely sure what to say to Emily’s confession, but she knew she had to say something. From what she could gather, A somehow knew all of the girls’ secrets, even though only Ali had been the one to know the secrets to begin with. She still had her doubts about Ali’s motives, but obviously the fact that she’d been a direct target of A herself was pretty convincing evidence of her innocence. She wasn’t sure who that left. If Ali was the only one to know all of their secrets, how had someone else ended up with the same information? Unless she was lying, and she had, in fact, told someone. It certainly sounded like something Alison might do. Paige sighed, looking down at their hands. She’d told Emily that she would be there for her, and that she was going to trust her to handle things. The news that Emily and her friends had been directly—though initially unknowingly—involved in Jenna’s accident was a little concerning, but she understood why they hadn’t done anything. Ali. She shook her head. “You didn’t have to tell me that,” she finally said. “But I’m glad you did. And I… It’s a lot to take in, but I’m not going anywhere this time.”

Emily knew it sounded suspicious that the only person that had known their secrets was the one person that couldn't be A, but it didn't add up. Why would Alison go and spill all of their deepest, darkest secrets to someone and then that person start threatening her and attempt to kill her? Why would this same person only come after the girls once Alison's body turned up? None of this added up at all. But the fact that Paige was still sitting there and hadn't started panicking meant they were doing better than they'd done last time. Rolling her eyes playfully once her girlfriend finally spoke, Em shrugged. "I don't want you finding out anything else from Ali or any of my other friends. And..I guess that's the worst of the secrets, so if you're willing to stay after knowing that, I don't think there's much else we have to be worried about." Paige had pretty much expressed how she felt prior to learning about the A thing, so if she could make sure to include her from now on, maybe this would all work out. "I promise I won't make you feel like an outsider anymore. And, for the record, you were right. When the other girls found out that Ali told you, they all confessed that they had sort of shared a few things with their boyfriends, so I was the only one that had kept her mouth shut." Shaking her head in disbelief at that, at least they were all being honest in their relationships. She was positive that there would be a few A related things they kept to themselves, but at least their significant others were all included now. "But if we're doing the whole dating thing again, the next time I tell you that your life has been threatened, will you please listen to me?"

Paige chuckled, grateful that Emily understood how uncomfortable she’d felt learning about A through Alison. She was trying to make sure something like that wouldn’t happen again, and Paige smiled at the effort. “Like I said, I’m not going anywhere,” she repeated after Emily brought up her willingness to stay. She didn’t know how many times she’d need to repeat that for Emily, but she would do so until she believed her. Sure, it was a pretty dark secret, and it didn’t really make that much sense to her, but the girls had done what they thought was right and were now dealing with the consequences. There was no need to go and make it worse by encouraging them to come forward. She wasn’t even sure she’d want that, anyway; with how much time had passed since Jenna’s accident, coming forward now would surely make things worse. She squeezed Emily’s hand when she admitted how honest her friends had been with their boyfriends. “You did it because you didn’t want me getting hurt, Em. I get it. And you were keeping a promise to your friends. I think that says a lot. And… I- I’d like to. Do the whole dating thing again, that is. But, you know, this time I’ll listen to you.” She said the last part teasingly, unable to resist a playful smile as she looked down at her. “The others are coming after school… Is there anything I can do before then? Do you need anything?”

Emily smiled when Paige reassured her that she wouldn't go anywhere. Hearing that made everything better. She didn't have to worry about this all being too overwhelming now, or about possibly exposing any of the information to Paige. She could willingly tell her things now. Well, she'd tread lightly since A obviously had a vendetta against the girl, but she would fill her in as much as possible. And she wouldn't have to ditch their plans to go investigate things that had to be kept from the other swimmer. If anything, she could drag Paige along or just help sort of clues over the phone while she was with Paige. Win win for everyone, right? Glancing down at their hands when they were squeezed, Em groaned when Paige spoke again. "You know, I'm really mad that you get it all now and wouldn't get it when you were breaking up with me. But now that we've talked it all out and I told you the only other big secret in my life, you're kind of obligated to date me again." She teased back. She knew the rest of her friends would be stopping by eventually, so when she heard the question, she smirked. "Between my friends and my parents, someone will bring me food that's not the disgusting stuff from the hospital cafeteria, so the only thing I need from you is another kiss. But a much, much better one this time."

Paige sighed. She had a feeling Emily was still mad at her, still confused and hurt by the fact that she’d failed to understand her point of view. And honestly, she didn’t blame her. She’d told her that it would be different now—at least, she was pretty sure she’d told her. If she hadn’t, surely Emily could figure that out for herself. They were both trying to be better; Emily was going to keep her up to speed on what was happening, and Paige was going to trust her more. It was an even balance. She rolled her eyes at Emily’s teasing. “I’m not obligated to do anything,” she laughed, “but I think we deserve another chance.” It wasn’t like they had any other option. Sure, they could have stayed separated, but their conversation indicated that both of them were willing to try again. It wasn’t exactly something Paige was going to pass up. And given the fact that it was clear they still had strong feelings for each other, she wasn’t going to just ignore that and go back to being friends. She found herself rolling her eyes again as Emily smirked and requested another kiss. Biting back a witty response, Paige obliged and kissed her again. The apprehension she’d exhibited before was replaced by something akin to yearning. One of her hands slipped out of Emily’s to settle carefully against her shoulder as the other cupped the side of her face. “How’s this?” Paige asked against her lips, not expecting an answer as her thumb rubbed small circles against her skin.

Emily pouted when Paige insisted that she wasn't obligated to date her. It was a joke, of course, but her girlfriend could have played along anyways. "You were supposed to just agree, babe. We do deserve another chance though, especially after the whole 'I love you' exchange and me being thrown off of a bike for you. You definitely need a new one, by the way. What's left of yours is probably still on the street." She shrugged. Now that they had expressed their real feelings, there was no way they could stay broken up. Things had still been weird even after they'd agreed to stay friends after her party, and she hadn't been sure that she wouldn't be able to just be friends with Paige for too much longer so getting back together was important. And she'd missed the girl, so it all made sense. Briefly smiling against Paige's lips when she was kissed, she instantly deepened it as she felt one hand gracing her shoulder and the other on her cheek. At the question, Emily giggled softly. "Perfect." She replied before kissing Paige again, this time a lot more passionately than before.

Paige had nearly forgotten it was her own bike, among other things, that had put Emily in the hospital. She arched an eyebrow in surprise. “’What’s left of it’?” she echoed. The image of her bike, in pieces on the street, made her a little sad. She’d had that bike for years, since the beginning of high school, and it had never once let her down. Quickly, though, she reminded herself that it was just a bike, and that it easily could have been Emily in pieces on the street. She smiled, even though there was a trace of sadness in the gesture. “I’ll have to get a new one, then. I’m just… glad you’re okay.” And that was true. It would be fairly easy to get a new bike; it would have been less easy—impossible, even—to find a new Emily. As long as Emily was okay, Paige could deal with a broken bike. Paige grinned as Emily kissed her again, a bit surprised by how much more passionate it was. She allowed the kiss to continue for as long as she could before she was pressing against Emily’s shoulder and pulling back for air. “Em…” she glanced over her shoulder. “We’re in a hospital…” She was sure Emily already knew that, but she hoped that the reminder would help them keep matters under control.

Emily "Uh, I'm not really sure. Maybe it's not really that messed up and we can put it back together?" She didn't really remember much about the crash or the bike, but maybe it hadn't done too much damage to the bike itself and it could be put back together. In her opinion, she would get another one just in case A had tampered with multiple parts with the bike. Just to be safe, though they were never actually safe to begin with. Looking at the smile on her girlfriend's face, she sighed. "Paige, I'm fine. Honestly." If the crash had been worse and she had been severely injured, or killed, she knew that would have made Paige feel even worse, but she was fine. She would be healed in no time, so there was nothing to be sad about. Especially now that they were back together and making out in her hospital bed. Emily hadn't even planned on kissing Paige as intimately as she had, but given that they'd been broken up for so long and she'd gone as far as she had to protect the girl, she couldn't help herself. Once the need for air became too much and Paige was pulling back, she chuckled softly when her girlfriend spoke. "Sorry. I just..I really missed you." Em confessed.

Paige shook her head. “Don’t worry about it, Em. I’ll look for a new one. I don’t… I don’t know if I want to keep that bike after this.” She had a lot of fond memories with that bike, but after what had happened to Emily she wasn’t sure if she’d even be able to look at it. It would be easier, and probably safer, if she just went out and bought a new one. At some point. Currently, she was in no rush to do so; the fact that A had targeted her and had known she liked riding her bike to school was worrying, and she wasn’t in the mood to give them another opportunity. Paige smiled hearing Emily confess that she had missed her. She’d missed Emily, as well. Like she’d said before, it hadn’t been easy avoiding her at school or texting her whenever she felt like it. It had been tense at swim practice, but she was glad all of that seemed to be coming to an end. “I missed you, too,” she assured her, smiling. “But I’d prefer not to get kicked out of any hospitals.”

Emily sighed, but quickly nodded along with Paige's decision. If that's what she wanted to do, then so be it. It was the same decision she would make as well. The bike would just remind them of how far A would be willing to go to hurt any of them. And how far Emily would go to protect Paige. Hopefully they'd get A to back off of her girlfriend right now. Besides, Paige wasn't the only bed buddy that knew about the game, so it was either they all be targeted or A gave up and stuck to only coming after the liars. The latter was a better solution, in her opinion. Seeing the girl smile was everything she needed right now, other than to get out of the hospital. But since she was stuck there for at least a night or two, Paige smiling was enough. "Hey, this is the one time that I actually wasn't trying to get into your pants!" She insisted. "But you know, you do have easy access with me in this hideous gown." She joked.

Paige was glad that they’d been able to agree on what to do with her bike. She’d been a little worried that Emily might convince her to keep it, for whatever reason, but she was happy that wasn’t the case. There was no need to keep a bike that only served to remind them of what A had done. And it was probably time she got a new bike, anyway. She chuckled. “I never said you were, but a few more minutes there and who knows what might’ve happened.” Paige pulled back further until she was back to sitting upright on the bed. Addressing Emily’s joke with a good-natured roll of her eyes, she cast a curious glance around Emily’s hospital room. “How much longer are you going to be here?” she asked. “And your mom’s been by, right? Where is she?” She couldn’t imagine that Pam Fields hadn’t stopped by earlier in the day—hadn’t come to the hospital as soon as she’d heard—but she wondered where the woman had gone now.

Emily was content with Paige's decision to do away with her old bike, so there wasn't much else for her to say about it. And maybe she wouldn't be in that much of a rush to get one, meaning A wouldn't be able to tamper with it again. Win win. Pouting when Paige seemed set on making sure nothing happened between them, she shrugged. "It's really cute that you're the one that can't control herself now." Not that Emily's self restraint had gotten too much better, but she had been controlling herself while they kissed so she was taking that as progress. Rolling her eyes as she thought about what her mom had said, she frowned. "I have to stay tonight and then maybe tomorrow. Something about them wanting to be sure I'm really fine." The hospital seemed like it would give A proper access to do something to her, but with her dad on his way, she knew her parents wouldn't be letting her out of their sight. "She was so freaked out when they brought me here that she called my dad, so he's on his way here and she's waiting to pick him up at the airport. You know she wouldn't leave me here for any other reason, and I don't think she really wanted to leave when Ali showed up but I convinced her to go change out of her work clothes and stuff."

Paige “Yeah, well, it helps that you’re hot,” Paige teased. She wasn’t going to deny that she’d missed the intimacy of her relationship with Emily. And, honestly, their time apart had only made her more certain of how she felt, and more disappointed in herself for how she’d so easily let Emily go. She wouldn’t be making that mistake again any time soon. “Tonight and tomorrow?” Paige frowned, her face falling with the realization that she’d have to wait a couple more days before could get some quality time with Emily. And, with the news that Emily’s father would be in town, she’d probably have to wait even longer because she knew Wayne Fields would want to spend time with his daughter. She sighed, accepting the fact that she’d just have to wait. “Do you want me to bring you anything tomorrow? Homework? Lunch? A movie? Anything you want.” She had tried to find something to do for her earlier, but the only thing Emily had mentioned was a kiss. Now, she really just wanted to find a way to be useful. She felt like she needed to make up for her absence over the past few weeks, and if there was anything she could do to make Emily’s recovery time easier she was determined to do it.

Emily grinned at the compliment. "Stop being cute, babe. But thank you, and after weeks of us not being together, I'm glad that you still can't control yourself." If things had changed even the smallest bit while they weren't together, she would have probably been a little worried, so it was a relief to know that Paige was still just as attracted to her. Nodding as her words were repeated, she sighed when she saw the frown. "That's not too bad, I guess. It could be worse." It wasn't ideal that they'd have to wait a few days before they could be alone together in one of their bedrooms, which was probably what they needed if they wanted to continue talking about A, or making out. But the doctors were just being cautious, so she couldn't be too mad. "I really don't want my homework but I guess I need it, so you can bring that. And I'm forcing my mom to go to work tomorrow but I'm sure my dad will be here all day so I guess I won't need lunch. But you can bring a movie after school and you can watch it with me."

Paige grinned, in disbelief over how happy it made her to hear Emily call her ‘babe’ again. It had been too long since she’d heard the name on her lips, and she hadn’t realized how much she’d missed hearing it. Then, she let out a soft chuckle. “I have a lot of time to make up for, okay? After a few days, I’ll go back to being tough to persuade,” she said, referring to how often Emily had tried to talk her into various places in which they could have sex. She nodded in agreement when Emily reminded her that her time in the hospital could be worse. It could be longer, or Emily could have been even more injured than she was. They were lucky, really, that the doctors only expected her to stay another day or so. “You’re right,” she agreed, albeit a bit reluctantly. “But sure, I can bring you your homework. And, since you’ll be stuck here all day, I’ll even sit through another rewatch of Rudy with you.”

Emily should have known that falling right back into their old patterns would be a piece of cake, so she hadn't even thought twice about calling Paige 'babe' but she instantly noticed the reaction. It didn't seem like it would be a big deal to her, but if it made her girlfriend happy then so be it. "Since I got injured to protect you, can I add hospital to the list of places we should have sex? And after that very first time, you were a lot less harder to persuade so I doubt that you'll be able to fight me off for long." She stated with a shrug. A girl could hope, right? At least she didn't have to stay in the hospital too much longer though. She was almost certain that Paige wouldn't agree to sex in the hospital, so they'd be waiting until she was out to do anything, which sort of sucked. Thinking of something else her girlfriend could bring, Em smiled. "Wait, I want brownies too! And thank you for offering to sit through that again, but I don't know..I think I might prefer something else. Maybe something funny."

Paige scoffed. “Really? You’re gonna try and guilt me into it?” she asked, amusement in her eyes. “But, please. It’s been weeks and though I may be a little… desperate, I’m not that desperate. You’ll just have to wait.” It amused her that Emily was trying to add the hospital to their seemingly never-ending list of places where they wanted to have sex, but she wasn’t about to cave on something like that. Hospitals were different than parks and cars and swimming pools. There were way more people around. And more security cameras, too. Of course, Grey’s Anatomy had made it seem kind of easy. For the doctors, at least, given the access they had to the lounges and whatnot. But Emily had made a good point about the hospital gowns… Paige shook her head. They could wait a few more days until things died down. Nodding when Emily voiced her desire for brownies, she made a mental note to stop by the store on her way home and pick up a box of brownie mix. It might have been easier for her to just buy some pre-made, but it had become a sort of tradition of hers to make brownies for Emily. She was used to it, and she enjoyed it. “Okay, brownies I can do. And really? Are you sure? That’s like… a once in a lifetime opportunity, Em. It’s not every day I agree to rewatch that movie with you. But if you’re sure, maybe a comedy would be better. I’ll find something and bring it over. Any preference?”

Emily groaned yet again when Paige shot her down. "Okay but c'mon. A quickie wouldn't hurt anything, right? And all we have to do is close the blinds and the door and we'll be fine." Her girlfriend had shot down most of her ideas before, so she wasn't surprised that she'd do it again. But she had managed to get the girl to keep up with a list for what could happen after their first time in a bed, which left room for the hospital thing to happen. She was sure that plenty of people had done it before, and not just the characters on Grey's Anatomy or any of those other doctor shows. Why couldn't they? Any time she requested brownies, Paige didn't hesitate to come through. It was one of the many things Em loved about her. Rolling her eyes playfully, she shook her head. "I'm sure. I have plenty of ways to make you watch it the next time I feel up to it, but let's go with something else. I'm not too picky with comedies, for the most part, but you definitely can't go wrong with anything that has Melissa McCarthy or any of the SNL people in it."

Paige A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as Emily tried to convince her again. “Tempting, Em, but I don’t think so. But I promise to make it worth the wait.” She had become a little more adventurous through her relationship with Emily, but that didn’t mean she was willing to have sex in a hospital. At least not now. Among other reasons, Emily was still recovering from the accident, and she wasn’t entirely sure how much healing she’d need to do. Then, there was the fact that they were in a hospital. With nurses whose sole purpose was to look out for her and make sure she was getting what she needed. Sometimes, they were overly attentive and jumped at the slightest change in the stats on the bedside monitor. Paige wasn’t willing to take any risks. With the park and the pool, it was different. They’d find time for the pool in the off hours when no one was around, and people in the park generally minded their own business. The same couldn’t be said for a hospital. And, anyway, the wait couldn’t hurt anything. Ignoring Emily’s comment about Rudy , Paige nodded thoughtfully. “Okay, I think I know the perfect movie. I’ll bring it by after school and we can watch it while we wait for them to release you.”

Emily "You broke up with me and didn't even give me anything for my birthday. I mean, sexually, anyways, so I've waited long enough." She scoffed. "This is torture, and I'm getting you back for this eventually." She didn't know how else to make Paige since she was injured and could barely make any swift movements, so she knew she'd have to suck it up. Again. Once she was healed, however, she could indeed make her girlfriend pay for always rejecting her ideas. She wasn't sure just how she would seek payback for it, but she would come up with something. Hopefully. Em was still trying to get Paige to loosen up, and eventually she'd accomplish having sex in a hospital. It was on the list now and she planned on scratching off every single thing on there, whether her girlfriend believed it or not. With the other girl having a movie in mind, she nodded and gave her a small smile. They weren't even sure if she would actually be released tomorrow night, but she was hoping that she'd be fine enough to go home. Remembering something else the doctors and her mother had talked about, Emily groaned. "You'll have to tell Coach that I can't get in the water until I'm all healed up." Her mom had already stated that it would be hard to keep her out of a pool but she would have to find some restraint anyways, though it was a lot harder said than done.

Paige “You’re ridiculous.” Paige shook her head with a grin. “It’s not gonna happen, so you might as well find something else to think about. I’ll make it up to you later.” A part of her loved that Emily was still so enthusiastic about having sex with her, but she wasn’t interested in having hospital sex, especially when she wasn’t sure how observant the nurses on the floor were to begin with. Plus, Emily needed to focus on getting better. She wasn’t going to do anything that could prolong that process. “For now, you should just focus on resting and recovering. I don’t want you staying here any longer than you need to. It’s… It’s torture for me, too.” Now that they were back on good terms, Paige wanted to make up for the time they’d lost. Even before they’d broken up, they’d had issues finding time to be together, whether it was just doing homework or hanging out in one of their rooms. It had been awhile since they’d had that, and she was eager to return to it. She tilted her head curiously when Emily groaned, unsure what she was about to say. Once the words left her mouth, Paige heaved her shoulders and sighed. Swimming. Right. She’d forgotten that Emily would have to spend a little time out of the pool until she had recovered completely. She nodded. “Okay, I can do that,” she said, even though she was reluctant to do so. “But everything’s okay with that, right? You’ll be able to swim again once you’re healed?”

Emily pouted yet again when Paige shot her down once more. Being injured while doing the right thing to protect her girlfriend was the best reason to be granted any wish, right? "You better have one hell of a plan for making it up to me or I'm going to be livid. And then we're not having sex for..maybe a week." She didn't even know if she'd be able to control herself for an entire week, but she could try if she was forced to. The other girl had requested that their first time be a lot more special than them doing it in a car or park, and Em had gone above and beyond to make it as special as possible. She didn't need Paige to go that far once she was out of the hospital, but it needed to be good enough to make up for all the time they'd been apart. "I'd rather be at home anyways in case A tries anything, so maybe I'll be able to guilt my dad into getting the doctors to run all of their tests in the morning and send me home by noon." It might have been asking for much, but she was going to try it anyways. Emily didn't know what swim team practices would be like without her, but maybe she'd still come sit in during them anyways. "Thanks, and yeah. Everything's fine. My shoulder's bruised and it really hurts so I definitely won't be able to do anything until it's better, but I'm not out for the season. Thankfully."

Paige did her best to ignore the way Emily was pouting at her. It was cute, but she wasn’t about to cave now. “Please, like you could last a week,” she scoffed, then softened a little. “But don’t worry. Once you’re out of the hospital, I’ll make up for all of this.” She felt like she had a lot to make up for, even if that weren’t really true. She still felt like Emily’s accident was partially her fault, and she knew she’d messed up by breaking up with Emily so quickly. She wasn’t exactly sure what she’d do to make it up to Emily, but she knew she’d have to make it good. Luckily, she still had a few days to figure it all out. “Well, if you get discharged by noon, you’ll have to let me know so I don’t show up to an empty hospital bed and have a heart attack.” If she was able to go home early, that’d be ideal, but she wasn’t sure what it meant for the plans they had just made. “So would your dad be okay if I came over and watched a movie with you? He’d be there, right? I haven’t actually… spent much time around him...” The last time Wayne had been in town, Paige had fled his house in an embarrassing display of stammers and lies, and she was sure that he had figured out exactly what they were up to now that they’d been in a relationship. A feeling of relief washed over Paige once Emily confirmed that she wasn’t out for the whole season. If Emily’s swimming career ended because of A, she would have hunted the mysterious person down herself. She smiled. “All right, good. I need you around to challenge me, so if you were out for the season it would almost be too easy,” she joked.

Emily "I can!" She defended. It was true, but she wouldn't let Paige say it. And if she could attempt to prove her wrong, she was willing to try. It couldn't be that hard, right? "I trust you, so we'll see what happens when I get the hell out of here." Even with what had happened with them prior to know, she wasn't entirely expecting some grand sexual gesture to make up for the break up and for this whole thing. Although part of her understood why Paige had been upset enough to break up with her, she still didn't think it had been the right decision. But they were back together now and all of the secrets Em had were exposed, so at this point, the only making up they really needed to do was for the weeks they'd been apart, and she would be content as long as they had sex. Not that she was about to tell her girlfriend that though. "Don't worry, I'll text you if I get to leave." She promised. Taking in the question, she giggled. "Of course he'd be okay with it. My dad is completely fine with us being together, and he'll hover a lot less than my mom does, unless you want to hear some army stories, so you have nothing to worry about." Emily promised. Wayne was a lot more chill than Pam, and he would let the girls watch their movie in peace if that was what they wanted. And maybe her father being around would mean that her mother would finally accept her relationship with Paige. The woman hadn't done or said anything rude about it, but Em could tell that she was still adjusting. Glaring playfully at her girlfriend for her joke, she shrugged her uninjured shoulder. "If I had been out for good, or even for months, you would've walked in and witnessed me throwing the biggest tantrum in the world. Besides, I can't let you get too many wins over me. That wouldn't be fun, and then I wouldn't have anything else to make your dad focus on when I come over."

Paige “I’m pretty sure you can’t , but I love you anyways. You make life… interesting.” Interesting felt like an understatement, but then, so did every other word. She was positive Emily wouldn’t be able to last a week without sex, especially if it was supposed to be some kind of punishment for Paige. And if she tried to last a week, Paige was sure she could find ways to make her cave. She nodded with Emily’s words, an idea already forming in her head. It was only a matter of finding the right time. “You’re sure he’s okay with it?” Paige asked apprehensively, not entirely convinced that Wayne Fields didn’t hate her. She’d already been dealing with Pam Fields, who was basically indifferent to her, from what she could tell. She was polite when they talked, which was seldom, but Paige got the sense that she still hadn’t fully accepted her relationship with Emily. Which was fine, really. Paige understood. Her father was still warming up to all of it, as well, and the fact that she and Emily had broken up hadn’t really helped matters. She just wished they could come to their senses a little more quickly. “Oh, I’m sure my dad would find something to talk about with you. He won’t admit it, but I think he likes having you over. Though, I can’t imagine why.” She said the last bit jokingly, giving an exaggerated eye roll as she looked at Emily.

Emily frowned once more when her girlfriend insisted that she couldn't again. "Just for that, we're not having sex for a week, starting with whatever day I get out of here." Might as well try it, right? "I love you too, but I think I'll love torturing you more. And you meant that in a good way, right? Like I make your life interesting in a good way, or a bad way?" She was assuming that was a compliment, but considering her baggage in the forms of A and Alison, it didn't hurt to get some clarification. Raising a brow when her girlfriend asked if she was sure that her father would be okay with her coming over and watching a movie, she giggled. "Babe, I'm positive. If you don't believe me, you can stay here until he gets here and ask him yourself. He really won't mind though, and he might appreciate having you around because I'm sure I'll drive him crazy all morning. My mom said she doesn't want them to give me too many pain meds because she's heard too many horror stories about people getting addicted, so I'll probably be whining nonstop." She shrugged. Pam Fields would never allow her child to be addicted to anything, but Emily and pain didn't go together well. Hopefully she'd be able to convince her dad that she needed them, or he'd had to endure listening to her whine until Paige arrived. Poking her tongue out at the other girl for her joke, Emily shook her head. "I'm an amazing swimmer, I'm a good girl in most people's opinions, and I'm somewhat of a good influence on you. You know, minus the whole girlfriend thing. I can see why he loves having me over." She teased. "He really does like talking about swimming though."

Paige ‘s grin faltered with Emily’s decision to not have sex with her for a week. She was still positive that Emily wouldn’t last that long, so she was surprised by Emily’s dedication to her statement. Instead of taking it back, though, she did her best to hold her ground. “Fine, if that’s what you want. But I’m pretty sure you won’t last that long. In fact, I’d basically bet on it.” Then, she nodded. “Of course I meant it in a good way.” Sure, she’d been through a lot with Alison and then finding out about A, but she didn’t fault Emily for that. Emily’s reassurances that Wayne wouldn’t mind her presence put her mind at ease, and she nodded gratefully. If Wayne really didn’t have an issue, then she’d just have to get over the nerves she had about seeing him again. Her mother’s concerns about pain medication sounded like something Pam Fields would do, and Paige couldn’t blame her. It wouldn’t be good if Emily got addicted to pain meds, especially as a student athlete. It was better to be safe. Paige laughed when Emily stuck her tongue out at her. It was a relief to be back on speaking terms with Emily. To be able to joke with each other like they were now. She’d missed it. “Eh, I don’t know about that. I’d say you’re a pretty awful influence on me. Trying to talk me into hospital sex and all…” Paige joked. She shrugged, smiling faintly. “Not that I’m not complaining.” That was partly what Paige had been talking about when she’d called Emily interesting. She trusted her, which meant she was willing to push her boundaries more often than she used to. And though she didn’t plan on caving when it came to hospital sex, she was willing to take part in all of the other plans they’d made.

Emily "You make me sound like some sort of sex addict, but we'll see, I guess." Emily didn't begin to know what methods she would have to take to keep her hands to herself, but she would figure something out. She had to. Proving Paige wrong and seeing the look on her face once she lasted an entire week would be priceless. "Good. I'm glad I make life interesting then." She didn't see it as interesting at all, given that she was living in hell and bringing Paige into it, but she wouldn't argue over it. Maybe things would get better soon and she really could make Paige's life interesting. Rolling her eyes playfully at the girl's words, she smirked. "Okay, your dad doesn't know about our sex life, so as far as he's concerned, I'm great for you. I keep you sane and make sure you don't lose your temper. I look out for you and your health. I bring you your school work when you skip school. I make you a better swimmer, which I guess I've really been doing since we met so I earn bonus points for that one. And I'm getting you to open up a lot more. That makes me a great influence. Who cares if I try to talk you into hospital sex when I'm obviously the best thing to ever happen to you?" Em half joked as she gave Paige a wink. "You should be complaining though. I'm giving you the easiest access I've ever given you and you won't make a move. That's just..ridiculous." She whined. "Can we kiss again?"

Paige shook her head. “You’re not a sex addict, Em. You just have no self control when it comes to me, face it.” And with the idea that Paige had in mind, she was sure Emily wouldn’t be able to hold out for the week. It was an interesting challenge, but Paige was happy to take it on. Listening to Emily rattle off all of the ways she had been a good influence on her, a grin slowly spread across her face. She was right; Emily had been a pretty great influence on her. She was so easy to talk to that Paige found herself opening up to her and trusting her more and more. She’d never really had that before—a person she could trust and depend on. There had been Samara, but they weren’t as close anymore. And there had been a few people before high school, but most of them had faded away. With Emily around, she was starting to make more of an effort to know her classmates. And of course there was swimming, where they had been pushing each other to do better ever since they’d joined the team. “Shut up,” she laughed, playfully swatting Emily’s thigh with the back of her hand. “And it’s not ridiculous. It’s mindful. Responsible, even.” Teasingly, Paige leaned over and pecked Emily’s lips. “There.”

Emily groaned, though she knew that Paige had a point. "Fine, fine. I'll let you have this one, but we're really testing this whole no sex for a week thing." She insisted. Neither of them liked to turn down a challenge, so whatever happened, happened. Seeing the smile on Paige's face as she listed off the ways that she seemed to be a good influence, she giggled. Sure, she was probably a bad influence every now and then, but she really was good for the girl. At least she would always think so. Just like she knew Paige was good for her. They both reaped the benefits that came with being good and bad influences on one another. She didn't flinch as her thigh was swatted, but instead glanced down at the spot. "You know you could put your hand right back there, slide it up a little higher, and just throw the covers over it. You could finger me and no one would even know." Em pointed out cockily. It probably could work, but she knew her girlfriend wasn't going for it. Hoping to get an actual kiss, she glared over at the girl when she simply pecked her lips instead. "Why are you torturing me so much today?"

Paige laughed, nodding. “Okay, sure, I’ll humor you.” It would be interesting to see if they really could last a whole week, but she had no interest in that. It would be a lot more fun to get Emily to cave, and since she was sure it would happen, she wasn’t planning on waiting all seven days. Already, she had an idea of what she was going to do. It would make up for their lack of sex now as well as during her birthday. And she was pretty sure Emily wouldn’t have any objections to it. She smirked as Emily pointed out how easy it would be for her to finger her. Sure, it would be easy, but that didn’t mean that she was going to do it. There were still a number of things to consider, like the fact that anyone could walk in on them. And the fact that Emily was hooked up to a bedside monitor. While she wasn’t exactly sure what all the numbers and lines meant, she was pretty confident that, if anything, the heart rate monitor would pick up on anything that happened. Not willing to take that risk, she shook her head. “I could , but I’m not going to,” she said. She chuckled at Emily’s question, though she could tell she was a bit annoyed. Deciding to tease her a bit more, Paige moved her hand back to her thigh, leaving it there as she leaned in and kissed her again. It was longer this time. Lingering. When she pulled away, she was still grinning. “Just giving you a taste of what you’ll be missing if you stick to this whole ‘no sex’ thing. You sure you can hold out for a whole week?”

Emily wasn't sure what all Paige would try, but she would do her best to ignore all of her advances and last an entire week. It was one hell of a stretch, but given that she'd managed to pull through when the girl wouldn't let her try anything until they had sex in a bed first, she could do this. She lasted then, so she could do it again. Paige had always been the more cautious one, at least when it came to where they had sex, so it was fair that she be the one to put a stop to where they could push their limits. She might not have agreed with it, but what more could she do now? Groaning once more when her idea was shot down again, Em shrugged. "You never let me have any fun." Just as the words left her lips, her girlfriend was amping things up a bit. Briefly looking down at her thigh once the hand was placed there, she was caught off guard by the kiss but returned it anyways. Bringing a hand up to Paige's cheek, she kept it there for the duration of the kiss, then slowly dropped it down once the girl was pulling away. "Get out." She breathed out softly, though she was obviously joking. "I uh..yeah. I'm fine. I can do this. Watch." She insisted, though there was slight hesitation in her tone.

Paige knew she was usually the more hesitant one when it came to sex, and she fully intended to take advantage of that when she finally decided to make a move. She didn’t think Emily would be expecting her to try anything too adventurous, so already she was planning out the best way to make use of an empty school and a swimming pool. Paige smiled at what was obviously a joke, enamored by how much Emily didn’t mean it. Even though she was clearly teasing her girlfriend—because they were, officially, girlfriends again—it was just as clear that Emily didn’t mind. Surely, if she did, she would have been more serious in her request for Paige to leave. She shook her head. “Sorry, you’re stuck with me,” she shrugged, letting the tips of her fingers curl around Emily’s leg. She waited a few seconds before she spoke again. “Alright, well, if you’re sure… I should probably be going. You need your rest, and I’m sure your friends will be coming by after awhile. You should get some rest before then.” Though she was being a bit of a tease in trying to make her departure, she was also being thoughtful. It sounded like Pam had been around the entire day and had only left when Alison had shown up. And then she’d shown up and forced Alison out, so it didn’t sound like Emily had gotten a lot of time to herself.

Emily couldn't understand why Paige was so entertained by all of this, but she didn't get it. She was hurt, the pain meds they'd given her prior to getting the stitches was starting to wear off, and now she was being tortured. It was hell for her, but her girlfriend was apparently enjoying all of this. Prepared to protest to the girl's words, the fingers around her leg threw her off. "Paige!" She cried out, already annoyed with all of this teasing. It wasn't fun at all, and if she could move, she'd make her girlfriend pay for all of this. But since she couldn't yet, she made a mental note to get back at her once she was healed and had successfully gone a week without sex. Listening to Paige suggest that she leave, Em was unsure of whether or not she was serious. Maybe she did need some rest. Or maybe she needed to go home. But she was stuck, so she needed to decide what was best for her. "Can you..will you stay until they get here? I mean, you can stay while they're here, if you want, but.." With A being on the prowl, and probably pissed that she'd stolen Paige's bike and prevented her from getting hurt, part of her was afraid that he or she would be trying to punish her for what she'd done. "I just don't want to be alone."

Paige “Okay, okay, sorry,” Paige threw her hands up in the air, relenting with an apologetic half-smile. She wasn’t sure why she was being so bold all of a sudden, but it had been weeks since they’d had any sort of contact, let alone physical contact, and she was admittedly growing a bit impatient. In an attempt to make up for her teasing, Paige pressed her lips to Emily’s forehead in a tender kiss. When she heard Emily’s question, her plea to stay, she leaned back and looked at her with a mix of confusion and hesitation. Was this some sort of attempt to convince her to have sex again? It wasn’t until her final statement that Paige understood. She didn’t want to be alone. Of course she wouldn’t want that. After what had happened today, she didn’t blame her. Maybe it had been a blessing that she hadn’t been alone all day. Between her mother, the doctors, Alison, and Paige, she probably hadn’t had a minute to herself which, given the fact that A was still around, was probably for the best. The last thing either of them needed was for A to come back while Emily was alone in the hospital room. She nodded vigorously. “Right, of course… Yeah. Yeah, I can stay,” she said quickly, picking up Emily’s hand again and holding it tightly in her own. “I won’t leave you alone. I promise.”

Emily sighed as Paige finally gave up. "You're gonna regret this once I'm better." She warned. As soon as she was all healed up, she wouldn't be holding back, nor would she tell Paige when she'd get her back. It would catch her off guard and then she'd make her pay for all of the hell she put her through today. She pouted as her head was being kissed, knowing that was her girlfriend's Paige way of trying to somewhat make up for the torturing. Maybe she would just have to be content with that for now. Although she knew that her friends and her parents would be there sooner or later, making sure she wasn't alone was probably her best bet for right now. They all saw how far A was willing to go, and if the entire town of Rosewood hadn't figured out by now that something was obviously going on around town, surely A could slip past a few doctors and nurses. Smiling as Paige agreed, she briefly looked down at their hands before making eye contact with the girl again. "I love you." Slowly shifting over to make room, she patted the other side of the bed. "You should hold me until you have to actually leave."

Paige shrugged. “Yeah, I probably will,” she agreed, laughing a little. She had no doubt that Emily would remember this for awhile, and she’d probably try to find a way to get back at her for it once she was healed. When Emily was set on something, she usually accomplished it, so she wasn’t really looking forward to what the girl might have in store. It was still a little difficult to believe that Emily loved her. After all the years they hadn’t spoken and all the weeks they’d spent apart, it was amazing to Paige that Emily felt that way. She smiled back. “I love you, too.” Grateful when Emily moved to make room on her bed, Paige shifted her weight and settled beside her. She wrapped an arm around her shoulders and nodded. “I can do that,” she said quietly, pulling Emily against her. “I’ll stay for as long as you need.”

Emily smirked confidently as Paige agreed with her. At least the girl knew that there'd be payback. She wouldn't know when or how, but that was the best part. She would know it was coming and she'd be trying to sort out just when her girlfriend would strike, and it would eventually happen when she hadn't even realized that Em was up to something. Now she really couldn't wait to heal. Although she'd been afraid to do the love thing again, or to even admit it out loud, just knowing that Paige felt exactly the same way was a relief. She'd dealt with the unrequited love before and found out just how much that hurt, so finally having someone returning the love was..well, amazing. And she was already convinced that she would never get tired of hearing her girlfriend tell her she loved her. Letting Paige move next to her before wrapping her arms around her, she gently nuzzled into her. Even if she was in pain, Emily felt a little better just being in the other girl's arms. "So even if I said for you to stay forever, you'd do it?"

Paige knew from Emily’s smirk that she really would regret it. Maybe, though, once she’d made up for everything, Emily would rescind her threat to get her back. After all, it was Emily’s idea to break into school in the first place… if you could really call it breaking in. They were athletes, and they had a key to the school natatorium… so was it really breaking in? In any case, she was confident that Emily wouldn’t be too disappointed in her after all was said and done. Smiling as Emily snuggled next to her, she took a moment to appreciate everything that had happened. Even though she’d fucked up, Emily had somehow found it in her heart to forgive her and move on, and she seemed just as loving towards her as she had been before. She’d missed a lot of things about being with Emily, but moments like this—where they were just laying together and ignoring the rest of the world—were her favorite. She grinned at the question. “Definitely. Until I’m old and wrinkly,” she answered, only partly joking as she rested her head against Emily’s.

Emily was willing to give Paige a fair chance to make this all up for her, but deep down, she knew she'd still find a way to get her back anyways. After all, she had been dumped for trying to protect her, and although she was willing to forgive and somewhat forget now, getting to tease her girlfriend as a form of payback would be worth it. Sort of like everything they'd gone through over the past few weeks had been worth it. Maybe they had both been wrong, in one way or another, and at one point Em had been convinced that she might not ever get back together with Paige, which wasn't really an easy pill to swallow. But here they were back together and in one another's arms. That same sense of security she'd felt with the girl before had returned, and any worries she had about A were on hold for the time being. "Then I want you to stay forever." She responded softly as she carefully moved one of her arms across Paige's waist. "Even if we end up at separate colleges and end up breaking up, again, I definitely don't think I could spend the rest of my life without you in it. Who else will put up with all of my baggage and still think I'm amazing?" She teased.

Paige rolled her eyes, but nodded. Forever was a long time, but she hoped that they would be able to keep in contact no matter what happened. She didn’t know if they’d break up again. With the rest of the school year, college, and then whatever happened next ahead, she had no idea if they would still be together that many years into the future. But she knew that she wouldn’t want to cut Emily out of her life again. “Then that’s what I’ll do. I don’t want to not know you, you know? These past couple of weeks not talking to you… it wasn’t fun. I want to know you and know what’s going on with you. Even if something happens in the future… if we break up or something… I want to still be able to talk to you. And like you said, you need someone to put up with all your baggage,” she laughed.

Emily knew that asked Paige to stay forever was ridiculous, though it was truly what she wanted. Together or not, she wanted to always have some form of contact with her. After all, who else could she talk to about swimming, and possibly the Olympics one day, so it would benefit her more to stay connected to her. She smiled as her girlfriend spoke, taking in her words and feeling relieved that they felt the same way. "Not talking to you was the worst. I mean, I had my friends and stuff, but it was different. They don't get all the pressure that comes with swimming, or the whole thing with having a parent be against your sexuality, so it just felt weird not being able to talk to you about anything. I don't like that." She confessed softly. "I still don't really know how you're not running for the hills now that you know about A, but..I'm glad." Lifting her head up a little, she softly kissed the girl's cheek. "You're the best girlfriend in the world, you know?"

Paige understood what Emily meant. “I don’t like it, either.” There were a lot of things she couldn’t really talk about with anyone. Even though she was making an effort to get to know more of the girls on the swim team, none of them were able to understand her on the level that she felt with Emily. They were two of the top swimmers on the team, and they were both single children in religious families. They also both had interest in continuing their swimming careers outside of high school, and they were constantly pushing each other to do better. It would be weird to lose that. Chuckling at Emily’s comment about running for the hills, she didn’t have a chance to respond before Emily was kissing her cheek. She smiled. She had serious doubts about her status as ‘the best girlfriend in the world,’ especially since Emily was essentially in the hospital because of her, but she didn’t let on. Instead, she responded jokingly. “I know. And I tried running, remember? Didn’t really work too well.”

Emily "Good." Maybe they were both just a little too dependent on one another right now, but she didn't see it as a problem. She was already depending on her friends to keep her and themselves alive, so at least she was counting on Paige just to be there for her as a friend if things didn't work out. It wasn't exactly a tall order, in her opinion anyways. Burying her face into Paige's neck, she groaned playfully. "It worked for a few weeks and that was too long." She whined before softly kissing Paige's neck. "But it's okay now, just no more running. I don't think I'd be able to handle going through it again. I'm a complete mess when I'm heartbroken, you know?"

Paige saw nothing wrong with the way they were talking. It was okay for them to talk like this, right? They wanted to stay in each other’s lives no matter what happened to them as a couple, which she didn’t find too unusual. If anything, it was admirable. And while that opinion could definitely change in the future, she knew it to be true in the moment. She pressed her cheek against the crown of Emily’s head, humming her agreement. A few weeks was definitely too long. She was surprised when Emily kissed her neck, unable to stop a soft gasp from falling from her lips. “No more running,” she echoed. She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to respond to the comment about being heartbroken, so she said nothing. They’d already been over that multiple times, and it only served to make her feel guiltier. “But for the record, you can handle anything.”

Emily was sure that A would try to ruin everything for all of the girls, but as long as Paige promised to stick around, she was fine with that. She would have the one person she could be completely open and honest with at least for the next year or so, and that was perfect. Anything could happen after high school, but for right now, she had the one person she was sure she would need to at least help her get out of Rosewood. Smirking when Paige gasped in response to the kiss to her neck, she briefly nodded. Running only made things worse for them, obviously, so it was better not to do it anymore. Em didn't agree with Paige about her being able to handle anything, but she wouldn't start another endless argument over it now. "I can handle things a lot better with you" She confessed.

[themccullerskid-blog]

TEXT ✉ PAILY

EM: Way to be supportive.

EM: But what if it's not? It could have been tampered with, you know? A doesn't make empty threats!

PAIGE: Thank you.

PAIGE: My bike is safely stored in my garage. Look, if it makes you feel better, I'll look over it like five THOUSAND times before I get on it, okay? But it's just a bike. I bet it's fine.

[themccullerskid-blog]

TEXT ✉ PAILY

EM: I'm helping all of us. I told you, the A game started with her so she's the root of all evil. We help her and we save everyone we love. Duh.

EM: Ignore that and listen to me now.

PAIGE: This is like a bad movie.

PAIGE: Em, I swear, my bike is fine. And school is important. You know we have to keep up our grades to stay on the team, right? It's not just about times and everything. I can't miss another day right now, especially with that big Bio test coming up. I'll see you at school.

[themccullerskid-blog]

TEXT ✉ PAILY

EM: Wait, I wasn't including Ali in the four. Me, Han, Aria, and Spencer. Not her.

EM: No, no. Let's just skip. I'll come over and we can just practice swimming all day. You can help me with my freestyle since you think it needs so much work.

PAIGE: So you're not considering her a friend but you're still helping her? I don't get it.

PAIGE: Em, aren't you the one telling me I can't just skip school and hide from my problems? I'm going.

[themccullerskid-blog]

TEXT ✉ PAILY

EM: Do you want to be in the circle? Then you'll have four friends to protect you too.

EM: No, I just assumed you always drove.

EM: Hey, why don't we just skip school today?

PAIGE: Ha ha.

PAIGE: Well, I don't. Not always.

PAIGE: What? Em, no... It'll be fine.

[themccullerskid-blog]

TEXT ✉ PAILY

EM: It's not hard, Paige!

EM: Wait..you ride it to school a lot? Like regularly?

PAIGE: Yeah, when you have four other friends I bet it's really easy!

PAIGE: Regularly enough. You've never noticed?

[themccullerskid-blog]

TEXT ✉ PAILY

EM: You still don't entirely believe me about A being a psycho, do you?

EM: You really ride that thing a lot?

PAIGE: Of course I believe you. I just don't think it's realistic to expect me to have someone with me at all times.

PAIGE: Of course. Especially to school.

[themccullerskid-blog]

TEXT ✉ PAILY

EM: Right?

EM: Then don't go anywhere alone! Just stay as safe as possible.

EM: How often do you even ride your bike?

PAIGE: Em! That's a little much don't you think?

PAIGE: You underestimate how much I love my bike. Besides, it's faster than walking.

[themccullerskid-blog]

TEXT ✉ PAILY

EM: Two can keep a secret if one of them is dead.

EM: Can you please not flee the country? Just..stay in your house for a few days? And not alone?

PAIGE: That's... sketchy.

PAIGE: I was kidding. I won't flee the country. But I can't just stay locked up in my house... and my parents work, you know.

PAIGE: I'm sure it'll be fine. I'll even bike to school instead of drive, okay?

[themccullerskid-blog]

TEXT ✉ PAILY

EM: I'm sorry but I'm a little freaked out right now.

EM: I got a really sketchy text and it has to be about you because my friends and I obviously all knew about A but you're supposedly the only bed buddy that knows now.

PAIGE: Okay, well... How sketchy? I mean, what should I do? Flee the country?

[themccullerskid-blog]

TEXT ✉ PAILY

EM: Not to scare you with what I'm about to say, but I think A is coming after you.

PAIGE: Uh... Hello to you, too.

PAIGE: Are you sure?

[themccullerskid-blog]

an uphill climb fighting what the heart really wants to do

Summary: It’s Emily’s birthday, and Paige unexpectedly shows up at her party with a present. Characters: Emily Fields, Paige McCullers Warnings: A lot of feelings lie ahead.

Paige hadn’t been able to get Hanna off her back. For the entire week leading up to Emily’s birthday party, Hanna had pestered her to attend. It was easy to ignore Hanna at first. She’d duck into classrooms early or show up to school at the last possible moment. She’d make sure she spent as much time as she could talking to the underclassmen on the swim team and she’d hung back in the locker room until she was sure Hanna had lost any interest in speaking to her. But then Hanna changed her tactics, seemingly remembering that she had Paige’s number. The texts didn’t stop. She kept telling her the same thing: that even though she and Emily weren’t together anymore, Emily still wanted her at her party whether she knew it or not. Hanna also had the benefit of knowing that Paige already had a present for her. She’d picked it out when they were still dating because she’d seen it online and thought it fit her. It was simple, understated, and precisely Emily Fields. Not having a good excuse, and a small part of her wanting to attend just to see the girl again outside of school, Paige finally conceded and promised to show up. Which was how she found herself sitting on Emily’s front porch, staring blankly across the street as a cup of beer dangled between her fingers. She nursed it quietly, doing her best to ignore the festivities that were happening inside. She’d shown up, as promised, and so far she hadn’t managed to get a moment alone with Emily. Then again, she hadn’t really tried. “This was a mistake,” she muttered as she stood up to leave.

Emily had expected her mother to say no to her friends' request to throw her birthday party at their home, but when the woman said yes instead, she was entirely thrown off. Pam Fields was allowing a party to take place in her house? That was new, but then again, the woman had made it clear that all of the liars would be responsible for the clean up afterwards, and paying for anything that was damaged in the process, so it was sort of a fair deal. And when the woman surprised her yet again and booked a trip back to Texas for a few days, allowing her to stay home alone this time, she could only roll her eyes when Hanna took that as her cue to be sure Noel Kahn and his friends brought along enough booze. Em was a bit worried about things getting out of hand, or A finding a way to screw with them, but Spencer had reassured them that they would be fine for one night. Well, as long as none of them wandered off from the party alone, drank out of any cups that had been abandoned, drunk dialed anyone, or entertained any of A's bullshit. They'd all locked their phones in an old chest in Emily's room, which was their safest bet for the evening. And as soon as people started arriving, Emily was being pulled in all different directions, which caused her to grab a cup of vodka within the first half hour. "Happy birthday, Em." Although she'd heard the phrase a few times already, the voice was eerily familiar. Maya . The girl had sort of gone MIA after Paige and Emily got together, though according to A she'd been sent back to one of those camps because of her addiction, but this was the first time they'd seen one another in quite a while. "Hey, Maya.." She almost whispered as she spun around to face her. "It's uh..it's been a while." As the two struck up a conversation, mostly catching up and whatnot, Emily quickly downed her drink as she tried to find a chance to break away from Maya. She didn't need this tonight.

Paige was partially down the steps when she decided to look back at the house. She didn’t know what had possessed her to do so. Maybe she just needed one last look. As she looked back, her eyes immediately fell on Emily. She was talking to someone, but Paige was too far away to make out the topic of conversation. For a moment, Paige considered leaving anyway. She was already almost on the front lawn, and it wasn’t like she would be missed. Sure, Hanna would be mad once she found out she had left without even telling Emily happy birthday, let alone without giving her her birthday present. She sighed, knowing she couldn’t just leave now that she’d actually run across Emily. Stuffing her hands in her pockets, Paige marched back up the stairs and into the house, moving through the crowd with ease. She’d tell Emily what she needed to, give her the present, and then leave. It was the least she could do. Literally. As she approached Emily, the commotion around her was beginning to clue her in as to who the other girl was. A few people passed Emily and wished her a happy birthday, while they said something akin to ‘Hi, Maya,’ as they brushed past the other girl. Maya. Paige hadn’t had the chance to meet Maya. She’d only heard about her. Maya was the girl Emily had met before Paige. The one who had helped her discover her sexuality, and the one who had tried to get Paige out of the picture. She felt a surge of jealousy within her, and she had to fight hard to keep it at bay. She had no reason to be jealous. Emily could invite whoever she wanted to her birthday party, and she hadn’t really been expecting an invitation herself. If she wanted to invite Maya, that was her choice. The two were talking and Paige didn’t want to interrupt, so part of her considered continuing on her way home. But as she studied them a moment longer, watching as Emily engaged in polite conversation, she noted the look on her face and knew Emily wasn’t in the mood to talk to the girl. Maybe it wasn’t her place anymore, but Paige hesitantly rejoined the group, shuffling her way through the crowd and approaching Emily with a concerned expression. “Em, hey, I’ve been looking for you,” she said hurriedly, reaching for the girl’s arm. “Hanna needs you in the kitchen. She says there’s a crisis or something. She’s on the verge of a meltdown and she sent me to look for you. Something about your mother’s dinner plates…”

Emily didn't see any of her friends in plain sight of her at the moment, and although some of the girls on the swim team were within close enough distance, no one seemed keen on interrupting her with Maya. It wasn't exactly a secret around town that she was back on the market, which was probably why Maya was here right now, and it was as though everyone was expecting something to be stirring up between them right now. However, one look at the girl and she could tell that Maya was using the party as a reason to party, and not in the good way. "Are you..high on something?" She asked reluctantly. The last thing she wanted to do was start any problems, but she couldn't ignore the obvious. "You know your parents sent you away for a reason, right? To get better. Not so you could pretend to get better and then come back and get high again." Em wasn't even sure why she was preaching to the girl right now. This was all stuff she'd heard before. If she wasn't going to change, then why bother? She was prepared to just walk away from her, even if it was sort of a dick move on her part, but instead, someone was talking to her. Not just anyone. Paige. Another face Emily hadn't been expecting to see tonight. Though, the look on her face was sort of scaring her. Glancing down at her arm when it was grabbed, she listened to Paige's statement before sighing. "Fuck! She'll kill me if her good plates are damaged." She scoffed before giving a small smile to Maya. "I've gotta run. It was..good seeing you again, Maya. Enjoy the party." She stated as nicely as possible before grabbing Paige's hand and heading off in the direction of the kitchen. The party was a lot more packed than she'd expected, making her house seem a lot smaller than it was, and it took a good minute or two to push their way through the crowd. Eventually reaching the kitchen, she looked around for Hanna, and when she didn't see her, she looked around the floors and didn't see anything either. "Paige, I thought you said Hanna needed-" Pausing as she thought it over, Emily pulled her hand away from Paige's as she turned towards her. "You made that up, didn't you?"

Paige was surprised when Emily grabbed her hand, but she tried not to let it show as she slid past Maya with what she hoped was a pleasant smile. Once she was no longer face-to-face with the girl, she returned her attention to their hands. It wasn’t like she hadn’t been in Emily’s house before. She knew perfectly well where the kitchen was. So why was Emily leading her through the house by her hand? She chewed nervously on her lip as she and Emily pushed through the crowd and into the kitchen. She hadn’t expected this. She’d been so careless when they’d broken up, and the last thing she expected was for Emily to grab her hand and physically lead her through the crowd. And she would have thought that Emily would be able to tell she was lying, but maybe there was just so much going on that she hadn’t picked up on what Paige was actually trying to do. As they finally reached the kitchen, Paige resisted the urge to sigh when Emily dropped her hand. Instead, she laughed nervously. “Uh, yeah, I did,” she said, palming the back of her neck. Suddenly, it occurred to her that maybe she had misread the entire situation. “Look, I’m sorry. I just… I was outside, and I saw you standing there looking so bored and it didn’t look like anyone else was going to get you out of there… I didn’t even know it was Maya… You know I’ve never met her before, so I didn’t do it to... I didn’t mean to interrupt anything. If you want to go back, you should. Tell her Hanna just wanted to know if she’d sell them or something...” She trailed off nervously. Surprisingly, the kitchen was one of the least populated areas of the house that Paige had seen so far. The noise, too, was quieter. She relaxed a little, offering a smile. “Happy birthday, by the way. I, uh, I’m surprised your mom let you have the house to yourself.”

Emily should have thought over her decision to grab Paige's hand, but she hadn't until they were standing in her kitchen. Maybe she had done it to make sure Paige didn't stay behind to talk to Maya. With Maya under the influence of who knew what, she didn't know what the girl would say, and she didn't want her ex to be bombarded with anything tonight. Even if she was still sort of mad about how things ended with them, she wouldn't let her night be ruined by a scolded fling. Though, she wasn't quite sure why the girl wanted to get her away. Once Paige started to explain, she had to bite back a small smile at the fact that her ex had been paying enough attention to recognize that she was bored, which everyone else couldn't pick up on. That was..thoughtful of the girl to come over and save her. But it didn't really make this any less awkward. "Slow down." Emily started. "It's okay. I was bored, and she's high off something, so I did want to get out of there so thanks." She stated with a small nod. "And thank you. The girls and my dad can be pretty convincing, and we worked out a bargain." It was a little weird to be falling back into old habits of discussing bits and pieces of their lives, but it was nice. She had missed it, but this wasn't really like it used to be so she didn't need to get used to it. Besides, it was a shock that the girl had even shown up. "I-I didn't even know you were coming.."

Paige nodded when Emily confirmed that she had been bored. Good. So she hadn’t ruined anything. She wasn’t sure whether she was glad out of jealousy or out of the fact that she genuinely didn’t want to interrupt anything. Maybe it was a bit of both. They were broken up, so Paige really didn’t have a right to be jealous, but that didn’t stop her from paying attention when Emily was talking to people. She’d noticed it at school, too. And sure, Emily had talked to people at school when they had been dating, too, but it was… different now. Now, they were broken up, and most people knew it. She smiled at Emily’s comment. “Your mom’s off visiting your dad in Texas, huh?” she asked. Her smile faltered when she remembered the last time Pam Fields had left town for Texas. Emily had invited her over that night, to the very house in which she now stood. There had been candles and Chinese food, and Emily had greeted her at the door in lingerie. Now, there were plastic cups, a ton of people, and what felt like miles between them. She let herself be sad for a moment longer, but she quickly shook her head when Emily spoke. “I, uh, yeah… Hanna… Hanna invited me. And, well, you know Hanna. But that’s not-- she’s not—I didn’t come just for her.” She stumbled quickly over her words, dipping her head in embarrassment. When she had taken a moment to calm herself, she looked back up. “I, uh, I have a present for you. Can we…” she glanced around, hinting that in the middle of Emily’s kitchen during a party wasn’t exactly where she wanted to give her the gift. “Can we go somewhere else?”

Emily had been trying to keep herself as distracted as possible lately, so she'd gone back into her old routine of being as open and engaging as before. Although she'd confronted Ali about what she'd done, the girl had still been trying to pretend that she hadn't done it to cause any problems, yet Em wasn't hearing it. And she had bailed anytime the girls needed to get together to investigate anything, mostly so they would know what she'd been doing to Paige had felt like, but partly because she was too mad at Alison to bother helping sort through pointless clues. The party was by far the best way for her to just let loose and forget everything, but now that she was standing face to face with Paige, that didn't seem like it would be easy. "Yeah. I think she missed him and wanted me to have a good birthday, so she just decided to take a little weekend trip, you know?" She explained with a shrug. It was still weird to be having a party while her mother was away, yet she had sort of had a more private party the last time. It was memorable, obviously, but she didn't need to think about that right now. Raising a brow when Paige stated that she wasn't there for Hanna, she knew why the girl was there. Before she could figure out what to say in response, she heard the next thing and sighed to herself. "Y-yeah. We can go to my room." Picking up an empty cup, she quickly fixed herself a cup of the spiked punch before turning back to Paige. "Come on." Taking a sip of her drink, she spun around and started heading through the crowd, pushing their way to her room.

Paige nodded. It had been a while since Emily's mother had gone to visit her husband, so she understood the need to get out of town now. Emily's birthday provided the perfect chance. Still, it was a little surprising that she'd been so willing to leave the house in Emily's care, especially on the weekend of her birthday. She nodded in agreement when Emily offered up her room. Though going back to Emily's bedroom made her a little nervous, it was better than the kitchen. She'd be able to say what she needed to without worrying about other people listening in. Filling up her own cup, Paige followed Emily through the crowd and up to her bedroom, ignoring the curious glances from her classmates as she shuffled up the stairs. She breathed a sigh of relief when they finally reached her room. Without thinking, Paige walked in and seated herself at the bay window. Her brows furrowed after a moment, and she pressed the palms of her hands into her jeans. "This is... Awkward," she said. "It- it's been awhile, since we've talked. I'm not sure what to say..." She fished a jewelry box out of her pocket and turned it over in her hands. "I bought this for you a few weeks ago. When we were still... I saw it online, and I thought it suited you. And since I knew your birthday was coming up, I went ahead and bought it. It showed up on my doorstep a few days ago. I didn't realize what it was at first. The gift receipt is there, if you... If something's wrong with it or you want to send it back or something. I'd understand. I just... I thought you might like it." Abruptly, Paige stood up and walked towards Emily, holding out the box with a nervous smile. "I, uh, I hope you like it."

Emily knew what Paige was thinking when it came to hearing that Pam Fields had willingly going to visit her husband in another state when she knew that a bunch if teenagers would be going wild in her house. She hadn't been able to believe it herself, and although she'd told her friends not to bother asking, she had been rather stoked about it in the end. Everything had been off to a smooth start, at least before she'd been approached by Maya, and then Paige. Not that she was opposed to the latter. As they headed up to her bedroom, she didn't bother reading into any of the looks being shot their way, especially the one coming from Ali. Her opinion was hands down the least of her worries right now. Once inside, she let Paige come in before shutting her door behind them. Em had already known that Paige would take a seat at the bay window, so she stayed standing, deciding she didn't want to be too close to the girl in case things got semi-heated. "Awkward doesn't really describe it enough.." She mumbled under her breath as she downed the rest of the punch. Listening to her ex, she didn't really know what sort of gift she would have gotten, but she knew she would like it. Hell, she would've liked anything coming from Paige, even if they were broken up. She continued letting her speak until she was getting up and holding the box out to her. "You really didn't have to get me anything anyways, but you could've returned it since we're broken up." Shrugging, Emily took the box anyways and opened it up. Seeing the necklace inside of it, she smiled. It wasn't something she would have naturally picked out for herself, but it was cute. "I..thank you, Paige. It's beautiful." Even if things were awkward between them now, she was a little more comfortable around her now. "Why did this make you think of me though? Not that I'm complaining or anything, I just want to know why."

Paige hummed her agreement, unwilling to add anything else to their discussion about how awkward things were now. It was definitely more than awkward, but Paige was at a loss for any other words that would suit their situation. She’d never exactly been in a situation like this before. She hadn’t even really been sure she should give it to her. She’d gone back and forth about it for a while before deciding that she should give it to her regardless of their relationship status. After all, it was her birthday, and she wanted to have done something to commemorate that. She waited anxiously as Emily opened the box, studying her reaction for any hint of insincerity. “Yeah?” she asked, unable to suppress a small smile. “It’s, uh… it’s not a big deal. Like I said, it just… reminded me of you. I mean, for one, it’s an anchor. And you… well, and me… Anyway, you’re an anchor on the swim team, so I thought it was fitting in that respect.” She paused, biting her lip as she debated how truthful she should be now. Deciding she had nothing to lose, she kept talking. “And then there’s… I don’t know. It’s kind of silly and… maybe it’s not the right thing to say now, but… Remember that day Alison came back to school? The very first day. I couldn’t handle it and I ditched classes and you texted me every hour to make sure I was okay? And then after school, even though I didn’t ask you to, you brought over all of my homework? That day, it… it meant a lot to me that you did that. It meant so much to me that you understood why I had to leave and you let me do it. And you checked up on me as you said you would, but you still gave me the space I needed. That meant… it meant more to me than I could say. And I guess I kind of viewed you as an anchor-- as my anchor. You know, keeping me grounded and making sure I don’t drift out to sea and stuff like that. But, you know, now that’s… I messed that up. S-so… it’s just an anchor for the Sharks now, I guess. And the birds are just… birds.” At one point, she’d rationalized that the birds were representative of them and that they were each other’s anchors. Constantly supporting each other and being there for each other. She didn’t find it as appropriate now, and she already felt like she’d possibly overstepped a boundary in sharing her reasoning behind the necklace. Paige cleared her throat nervously.

Emily saw nothing wrong with Paige still bringing over the gift, and in fact, she was happy to see her. To an extent, anyways. They had been avoiding one another since the break up, so at least seeing her ex was nice. "Yeah. I like it." She wasn't as big into jewelry as Hanna and Aria could be, but the necklace could be paired with pretty much anything. Luckily. What she hadn't expected was what came next. Hearing Paige stumbling over her words as she started to explain why the necklace reminded her of Emily, she didn't know how to react. Should she smile? Say thank you? Make it known that she was still there for the girl no matter what? Part of her wanted to do all three. She had already done the first two, but it felt right to do both again. As for the third, she didn't know if that would make things more awkward or not, so she needed to pass. Before she could weigh the options once more and go down the best route, she felt tears slowly trickling down her cheeks. Getting emotional in front of her ex hadn't been on the agenda for the night, but she couldn't help it. "Sorry." She whispered almost inaudibly as she turned her head away from Paige so that she could attempt to wipe away her tears. This was all too much for her. "That's uh..it's touching, that's for sure." Em started. "I can't really believe you put that much thought into it, but..I love it. Thank you." Glancing over the bus once more as she tried to pull herself back together, she shook her head. "Are you sure the birds are just birds though?"

Paige breathed a sigh of relief when Emily confirmed that she’d liked the necklace. She’d never bought a present for a girlfriend before, and it’d been a little intimidating once she’d made the purchase and sat back in her chair. She’d worried that Emily wouldn’t like it, or that she should have picked something else, but she was glad to hear that she seemed to genuinely enjoy the present. The smile on her face faltered when Emily began to cry, and she instinctively reached out and rubbed her upper arm. “Hey,” she said soothingly. She ducked her head in an attempt to catch Emily’s eyes. “You don’t have to be sorry. I’m sorry, I… I shouldn’t have said anything. Especially now. I’m glad you like it.” Pulling her hand back and flexing her fingers a little, as if she already missed the feeling of Emily’s arm, Paige shrugged. “I, uh, yeah. They’re just birds. I thought they were pretty. I mean, they are, aren’t they?” It wasn’t a complete lie, but she was sure Emily could see through her deflection. She didn’t want to be rude, but suddenly she didn’t really want to be in Emily’s room. She’d already made things uncomfortable for them both-- first by showing up, then by giving her the present and explaining her reasoning, and then by touching her arm. She hadn’t really meant to; she’d told herself after the hand thing that she was going to minimize their opportunities for physical contact. But then Emily had started crying, and it was like she was back on her couch listening to Emily tell her about her crush on one of her best friends. She bit her lip. “I… I think I should go.”

Emily had been dreading this whole thing before. She'd never had to buy anything for anyone she liked. Well, other than Alison, but the girl always told people what she wanted for her birthday and Christmas months in advance, and all she cared about was the material things or what she could hold over their heads later. Em hadn't known what she would get for Paige, but she knew that it needed to be meaningful, which was why she'd been afraid of it approaching. Yet now that the girl had put this much thought into her own gift, she knew she'd have to get her something just as special when it did come. Feeling the hand on her arm, she flinched a little. She hadn't felt that sort of comforting since they'd been broken up, and she hadn't realized just how much she'd missed it until now. "It's fine, Paige. Really." Emily continued wiping at her eyes until she'd managed to stop crying, at least for right now. Maybe she'd start it up again later when the girl wasn't around. Rolling her eyes at the explanation, she shrugged. "Y-yeah, just birds." Emily could have pushed the girl to give her a real answer, but she didn't want to go there. If her explaining it would turn into them both being a mess during her party, she would just wait until later. Inhaling a small breath when her ex said that she should go, part of her didn't really want that. Obviously things were awkward, and would stay that way for a little while, but just being alone with Paige was slightly needed right now. "Paige.." She muttered as she finally exhaled the breath she'd been holding in. "Can you please stay? Just..here. For a few more minutes?" Em pleaded softly.

Paige noted the flinch when her hand fell on her arm, but she also noted that she hadn’t pulled away. It was… odd. She wasn’t sure where they were now. Obviously they were still broken up, and she wasn’t sure if or when they’d sort it all out, but now… She didn’t know what the protocol was when it came to standing in your ex’s bedroom giving her a birthday present. Naturally, then, her instinct was to leave. To go back downstairs and rejoin the party, or to leave altogether and head for the safety of her own home. Well, sort of safety. Her mother had been more than understanding when she’d learned that her daughter had broken up with her girlfriend, but her father had been a little less comforting. He’d been unable to resist implying that it was, in fact, just a phase she was going through. The look on her face had been enough to quiet him then, and he’d apologized later, but it still stung to think about. Home, though, seemed better than being here with Emily, stuck in some weird limbo. They hadn’t even talked about if they were going to try being friends or just not talk to each other at all. In the days after the fallout, they’d opted for the latter. She hadn’t had a meaningful conversation with Emily in awhile, and the realization that she was getting one now was more pressure than she needed. She moved to leave, hunching her shoulders as she began to step around Emily. She stopped when she heard her name. It was quiet, and the plea that followed made her step back and dip her head. Emily was asking her to stay, and who was she to say no to that? She nodded. “Okay,” she said in the same, soft voice. “Okay.” It was probably dangerous to stay in the room, alone with Emily. But she had missed the time together. As awkward as it was, there was a part of it that still felt… nice. Surely staying a few more minutes would be okay. “Do you… What do you want to do?”

Emily didn't know whether Paige would stay or not, but as soon as she saw her take a step back, she knew she was going to comply. Not that she was too surprised. The girl had always managed to be there for her no matter what, so of course she would stay at her birthday party now that she'd asked. She wasn't even sure why she wanted Paige to stay. Her friends had assumed that they'd covered all of their bases as far as the A thing went, but then again, they didn't know who A was so the person could've been downstairs. And she wasn't too worried about it since her house was packed, but she had always felt safe when she was with Paige. Maybe she just needed to feel that again, even if it was just for a few minutes. Her eyes widened a little when she heard the question. "Oh, uh.." She hadn't gotten that far yet, and sitting there in silence wouldn't help their situation much. Closing the box, she walked over and hid it where their phones were, figuring A wouldn't come steal it if it were out of view. She chewed on the inside of her cheek as she considered what to say to her ex, though she didn't really need to dwell on it too much. "So um..A hasn't said anything about..you know. I don't know if he or she knows that you know, but I'm hoping they don't." Emily could hope for a lot when it came to someone who had been set on destroying her life, but that wouldn't truly get her anywhere. Nor had trying to identify this culprit, but as long as her ex was unharmed, she was taking that as a win. "And I kind of confronted Ali about what she did. It didn't really do anything but make her happy to know that we're not together anymore and her plan worked." Why was she telling Paige this? Maybe Paige wanted nothing to do with any of this anymore, so why bring her into it. Sighing under her breath, she flopped down on her bed and gazed over at Paige. "You probably don't care about any of that, but I don't know. It just felt right to tell you, I guess." She shrugged. "But for the record, I can still be your anchor. Maybe not the way I was when we were together, but we did say that we would always be there for each other, right? I don't really want that to change."

Paige shifted uncomfortably as Emily brought up A. It wasn’t exactly the conversation topic she would have chosen, but there was nothing she could do about it now. It was a relief to know that A hadn’t done anything to Emily now that Paige knew about the whole thing. Maybe A thought their breakup was punishment enough. It would definitely be a relief if that were true. Given how thorough A seemed to be, though, Paige found it unlikely that he or she was completely unaware. Maybe they were just biding their time. The thought of that made her even more uncomfortable. She grimaced as Emily brought up Alison; apparently, they were just going to get into everything. Hearing Emily talk about her, she couldn’t help but be frustrated with herself. Emily had said it herself: Alison’s plan, whatever it was, had worked. It annoyed her to know that she had let Alison’s words affect her so much, but she also knew that she couldn’t put all of the blame on the blonde. It was her own fault, too, that everything had happened the way it did. “No, I’m glad you told me. It’s good to… to know what’s happening with you and… all of that.” She wasn’t sure what else to say—didn’t want to overstep any boundaries again by speaking out of line. She hated that by breaking up with Emily she’d made Alison happy, and she hated even more the fact that she’d fallen right into her plan. She had told herself she wasn’t going to let Ali affect her anymore, but having her back and having Emily constantly cancel plans in order to help her was more jarring than she’d expected. Paige nodded, a relieved, easy smile on her face as Emily spoke again. “I don’t want that to change, either, Em. It’ll be different now, but I think we can figure it out.” She paused, approaching Emily’s bed and leaning against the frame. “So, does this mean we’re not going to ignore each other at school anymore? Because, I gotta say, that hasn’t been easy.”

Emily ran a hand through her hair as she felt a familiar feeling in her head. She hated being a lightweight, and the fuzzy feeling she was starting to get meant that the alcohol was starting to settle, which wouldn't be a good thing for her as long as she stayed in the room with Paige. But there wasn't anywhere else she wanted to be right now. This was what she'd truly needed for her birthday. The party was her first choice because she'd wanted to distract herself from everything, and because she didn't think her ex would show up. Yet now that they were here, alone in her room, all she wanted was to stay there. She sighed as the girl responded, then shrugged. "I..yeah. I mean, even with us being broken up, you know about A now so I figured I should keep you updated. Especially if you end up being targeted at some point." Obviously she would try to intervene if she could, but if not, she would give Paige a heads up and help come up with a plan for how to handle it. Although neither of them wanted to please Alison by breaking up, it hadn't entirely worked in the blonde's favor. Emily wasn't the least bit interested in starting anything with Ali, and the break up hadn't shifted any of her feelings for Paige. In one way or another, it made her crave the girl even more, which she would gladly rub in her friend's face any chance she got. Well, whenever she chose to talk to her again, anyways. Smiling as her ex agreed with them now choosing to stay friends, she nodded along. Figuring it all out sounded like their best option. Watching as the girl moved closer, Em chuckled softly at her question. "Easy? It's almost impossible. Do you know how many classrooms I've had to duck into because you were headed my way? I don't like it." Deciding against her better judgment, Emily slowly stood up and took a few steps closer to Paige. "I wasn't kidding when I said I needed you in my life no matter what, you know?" She pointed out as she gently took one of the girl's hands into her own.

Paige nodded unsurely. Emily had a point; if she did become a target on A’s radar, it would definitely be good to stay updated on everything that was happening. It was a little strange, though, to be talking so calmly about the thing that had played such a huge role in their breakup. “Thanks,” she said after a moment of silence. “I… I hope it doesn’t come to that, but… thanks.” She’d had some time to think, since they’d broken up. If A decided to target her because she knew what they were doing to Emily and her friends, she wasn’t sure what would happen. In the moment, it hadn’t seemed too terrifying. But as she was given more time to think about it all, the knowledge that they were able to contact the girls so quickly and aggressively was… intimidating, to say the least. She sighed at Emily’s light laugh. She’d known ‘easy’ was putting it lightly. It had been hard seeing Emily at school but not speaking to her, but it was news to her just how far Emily had gone to stay out of her way. Ducking into classrooms? That wasn’t the Emily she’d come to know. She frowned. “I… I didn’t realize…” She knew she had asked for space, but she didn’t realize Emily would go to such lengths to give it to her. “I don’t like it, either. Let’s not do that anymore.” She arched an eyebrow when Emily moved off her bed and closed the distance between them. She should have stepped back. Maintained the distance between them. But she was rooted to the spot, stunned by how Emily was acting towards her. As Emily reached for her hand and held it, Paige stared. She was confused, and shocked, and a bit at a loss for words. She would have thought that Emily was still mad at her. At least mad enough to not hold her hand. She dipped her head and smiled, forcing herself to remain calm as she listened to Emily speak. It was weird, but being alone with Emily was making her nervous—and not because they were broken up. The nerves she was feeling reminded her more of when they were still in that gray area. When they knew they had feelings for each other but refused to cross any lines. “I know,” she said quietly. “And I don’t want to not be in your life. I know… I know I asked for space, but maybe ignoring each other… that was too much space. I need you around. I l…” She stopped, whatever words she was going to say next dying on her tongue. She pulled her hand away from Emily’s and inhaled sharply. She’d been so close to making things worse for them. And sure, Emily was sending her positive signs, but she was also more than a little intoxicated, and Paige wasn’t about to take advantage of that now. Things didn’t need to be any more complicated and confusing than they already were. “I’m sorry. I can’t… I have to go.” Paige stepped away from Emily and tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear. “You’re… I promise, I still have your back. But I- I can’t be here right now. I’ll see you at school.” Before Emily could ask her too many questions, Paige moved past her and hurried out the door.

[alex-johns-deactivated20201002]

The more Paige tried to get her own point across, the more Emily realized she hadn’t entirely been wrong. True enough, the other girl was right. They had just been laying down and taking it. They had tried to figure out who it was after them and had been failing, but they had at least tried. None of them were good enough with technology to solve it that way. Alison’s list of enemies prior to her disappearance had been too lengthy to try narrowing down enough to make a smaller list of suspects. No one in Rosewood seemed capable of attempting to murder her. There hadn’t been much else the girls could do other than play the game whatever way A wanted them to, and that’s what they’d done. She’d been outed, and although that whole thing had been sort of a mess, that secret being out was a relief. However, the rest of the things being held over their heads were reason enough to keep playing anyways. She couldn’t explain everything to Paige, but deep down, she knew she hadn’t been as wrong as the girl kept trying to convince her that she was. “We’ve tried fighting back, it’s just not as simple as you think it is!” As much as she’d been trying to remain calm, having to defend her actions, which were made with the intent to keep her loved ones safe even when it meant that she and her friends were running the risk of ending up like Alison had, was starting to make her upset. “I do trust you! That’s been obvious since that day at The Brew. I wouldn’t have opened up to you about being gay if I didn’t trust you. I told you that before I told the people that are actually going through this hell with me. And A’s not isolating us. We know we can all trust our bed buddies, but this person knows everything about us and seems to be everywhere at all times. We’re not even safe at home anymore, so stop making it seem like I didn’t tell you because I just didn’t trust you or trust that you could handle this. I was honestly trying to keep you from getting involved because I didn’t want you feeling the way that I do 24/7.” She understood why Paige had wanted to know, and all of the girls had already been naive enough to think that they could handle it themselves, but she hadn’t wanted to get her girlfriend involved in any of this. She was handling it enough to keep her parents and Paige safe, and that’s all that mattered. 

She hadn’t even heard Paige’s plea for her not to say what she’d said, but obviously it had been too late. Part of her regretted saying it since it was happening like this, yet she felt the need to get it out. She had planned on it coming out at a much happier time, when they weren’t fighting and could be insanely cheesy and romantic after she’d said it, but it had happened in probably one of the worst moments possible. Paige was breaking up with her and Em was in a vulnerable state of being far too open and honest, which was only making this all hurt even more. Though, nothing could have prepared her for the pain she felt next. I know you don’t really understand why… and honestly I’m not sure why, either, but.. The girl was still breaking up with her, but even she didn’t know why? That was one hell of a way to break up with someone. As the dialogue continued, her emotions were shifting yet again. Although she was heartbroken, there was a sort of anger brewing inside of her now. What sort of decisions were Paige referring to? Emily and all of the other girls hadn’t made the best choices since this whole thing started, but none of their decisions had caused any physical harm to anyone they cared about so that was a win, right? There had been some emotional pain here and there, given that A had exposed that Aria’s dad had cheated on her mom, that Hanna’s mom was in a state of financial ruin so to speak, ad countless accusations regarding Spencer’s family, but he or she hadn’t done any damage to any of them. Luckily. What sort of decisions would she make that could affect them both in a way other than protecting Paige? “What the hell do you think I’ll do, Paige? Every decision I’ve made since this started has been to protect everyone that I care about. If I have to hurt myself along the way, then so be it. I haven’t done anything to put you or my parents’ in harm’s way, so what else could I possibly do that could affect us other than not telling you about A to begin with?” She wasn’t sure what Paige was thinking, but it didn’t make her any less pissed off. 

Emily couldn’t exactly tell where Paige was going with any of this since she seemed to be toggling with her former decision, but she knew that she couldn’t take this. One minute the girl knew that she needed a break, and then moments later, she was saying she didn’t know what to do. Mixed signals had never been her forte, so all she could do was suffer in silence as she tried to piece together what was happening. They were breaking up, sort of. Needing time was the same thing as a break up, right? She’d never had this problem with Ben, so she needed that extra clarification. Furrowing her brows when Paige seemed to be sticking to her decision, she couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. “I just told you I love you and you’re questioning whether or not I understand where you’re coming from? Seriously, Paige?” Wiping at her cheeks once more, Emily picked up her cup and her phone before standing up. “There was nothing to fix until Alison came back. And now that you know about A, I told you we could make it work and I wouldn’t have to cancel on you anymore, but you’ve obviously made up your mind.” She shrugged. Em wasn’t really happy about any of this, but she was sure that she would just keep crying the more they went back and forth over this, so she needed to leave. “I’ll uh..I guess I’ll just see you around or whatever.” 

[themccullerskid-blog]

Paige knew Emily had a point. The girl had trusted her immeasurably, even that first day they stumbled across each other in The Brew. She’d confessed something to her that she hadn’t told anyone else. They’d both bared their souls at that table, and she knew it wasn’t fair to imply that Emily didn’t trust her. “I didn’t mean it like that,” she sighed in exasperation, running a hand across her forehead. “I just... You should have told me. I don’t like that I heard the truth from Ali. I hate that I had to hear it from her. Of all people.” It was hard for Paige to maintain her ground now. The more Emily spoke the more she made sense, and the more Paige started to feel like she was being too harsh. Emily was just trying to keep her safe. And as annoying as that way, her intentions were good. It didn’t make any of it okay, at least to Paige, but it was starting to make more sense. 

She sighed again at Emily’s confusion, knowing she hadn’t explained herself well. Emily had just told her that she loved her, something she’d never thought she’d hear so soon, and here she was making a giant mess of it all. “Emily, please...” she started, trying to calm her down. She could tell she’d said something to make her angry. “I... For one, you just said it. You shouldn’t put yourself in harm’s way for me. I don’t want that. I don’t want you getting hurt to protect me. I just... I want you to be able to tell me things. Even if it puts me in danger. I want to know. Especially if it would have helped me understand why you’ve been so distant... I hate that you felt like you couldn’t tell me. I hate that A made you feel like you couldn’t tell me. But I just... I don’t know why I said that. I was worried and paranoid and I shouldn’t have. I trust you, Em. I trust you to make the right decisions. But this... I don’t think this was the right decision.” 

At Emily’s suggestion that she leave, Paige looked up again, her heart aching at the idea of watching Emily walk out the door as an ex. “I...” she started, but her words died on her tongue. ‘I’ what? She wasn’t sure what she could say to make the situation any better. She wasn’t sure where to even begin. Paige knew she was sending mixed signals, but she had been hoping that maybe they could talk about it and figure something out. There were ways for both of them to get what they wanted out of this, weren’t there? Paige needed space and Emily didn’t want to break up. They could achieve both of those things, couldn’t they? But it no longer sounded like Emily was willing to hear her out. Her coffee cup and her phone were in her hands, and she seemed ready to make her exit. Paige stared at her, debating whether or not she should ask her to stay. To just... wait a moment, until she could figure things out. Ultimately, she knew she couldn’t ask that of her. She’d already asked for a lot. She’d asked to break up, and then she’d taken it back and fallen somewhere in the middle. She didn’t blame Emily for being confused by her decisions. Inhaling deeply, Paige managed a few, stiff nods. 

“I... Yeah, I guess I’ll... see you around.”

[alex-johns-deactivated20201002]

“Things weren’t this scary until Alison came back!” Emily almost shouted. All of the girls had gone through the stage of assuming that Ali was A to knowing that this was all her fault, and as soon as she game back and it seemed as though A was planning to up the stakes and threaten them a little more, they all put the blame on the wicked witch of Rosewood returning home. But she wasn’t quite comprehending why Paige was questioning what she would have done if something had happened to her. Not telling her and not getting even more on A’s bad side was exactly why nothing had happened to the girl. She’d been protecting her the whole time, even if she didn’t know it. “If something had happened to me, I would have told you. But nothing was going to happen to you. That’s how this works. A only gets physical or exposes our secrets when we either get too close or don’t do whatever he or she wants. That’s why no one we’re dating has been hurt. A gets more pleasure from hurting us directly.” She hadn’t been prepared to explain all of this so soon, but if Paige was going to break up with her for this, the least she should do was explain it in full. “A told us not to tell anyone! I wasn’t just hiding it from you because I wanted to or because my friends and I decided not to tell anyone else, Paige. When Ali came back and we took her to the police station, we were going to use all of the messages we had from A to prove that someone was really threatening Ali and then turned on us. But as soon as stepped foot in the station, we all got a text from A about not telling and all of the messages just..disappeared. There was nothing. None of the pictures, none of the threats, and no proof. This person is constantly watching us so how as I supposed to tell you without knowing whether or not A was just waiting to punish me, or you, for it?” Emily hadn’t thought about it until she’d gotten that last sentence out, but being that A somehow knew everything, he or she would know about this, right? What would happen next? Would she be the one paying for it, or would Ali? Or both? The thought along sent shivers down her spine, but she couldn’t really rethink it all now. It was far too late to backtrack now. It also seemed like it was too late to change Paige’s mind about breaking up. Listening intently as the girl spoke, she was sure that Paige was definitely breaking up with her. How had they come to this? She should have just been honest from the start, but she truly believed that she’d been doing the right thing. Raising a brow when Paige insisted that they had rushed things - or well, that she had rushed them, Em sighed. She hadn’t wanted to get into the whole feelings things today, but obviously being dumped could change things. “We didn’t rush things. We didn’t. Or..maybe you didn’t.” Feeling the tears coming on, she didn’t see a point in even trying to stop them. “We were fine before Alison came back. I mean yeah, I didn’t tell you about A because I thought my friends and I could handle it and it would all go away one of these days, but..we didn’t rush things. Look at how much we had to go through just to get here. Everything was perfect, Paige. Probably a little too good to be true, but we can go back to that. You know the truth and I don’t have to hide anything from you anymore, so just give me another chance. Please.” She pleased before wiping away a tear that had fallen down her cheek. “This wasn’t really how I wanted to tell you this, nor did I think I was ready to even admit this, but I-I love you, Paige. That’s how I know that we didn’t rush anything.”

[themccullerskid-blog]

“I don’t care about when things got scary, Em! You still should have told me. Scary or not. We could have figured it out together.” She felt like she was repeating herself now. Like she was some broken record repeating the same five words: you should have told me. From the sound of it, though, telling her could have put Emily in even more danger. But at least Paige could have tried to do something, knowing what she was getting into. Maybe she even could have done some investigating of her own. If Emily really doubted that Paige would have stayed with her even after learning about all of this A stuff, she really didn’t understand how much Paige cared for her. “Screw A!” Paige nearly yelled, throwing up her hands in frustration. “I get you felt like you couldn’t say anything, but... that’s how all of you are losing this damn game. You’re doing everything they want. Just laying down and taking it. Make up your own rules and fight back. A’s isolating you and making you feel like you can only trust each other. You said you trusted me, Em. You should have trusted me to be able to handle this.” She paused to take a slow, steadying breath. Hearing about the incident at the police station was a little rattling, and it was clear that this person had extensive knowledge of technology. Even though she was beginning to understand why Emily hadn’t told her, it didn’t change the fact that she should have said something anyway. Briefly she wondered what would happen now that she did know. If this A person was as all-seeing as Emily and her friends feared, surely they’d know by now that Paige, too, knew what they were up to. Would they try to scare her into silence? Paige watched Emily as she sighed and tried to reassure her that they hadn’t rushed anything. She wanted to agree, but she wasn’t sure how. The very first time Emily had come over to her house, and only the second time they’d spent any quality time together, they’d nearly had sex in her pool. That was definitely a rushed start. But she was right in that they’d gone through a lot to get to where they were. Maya. Samara. Their parents. They’d had a number of obstacles in their way, and they’d overcome all of them. And Emily had a point: now that Paige knew the truth, there wasn’t anything standing in their way anymore. Seeing Emily cry, she almost took all of it back right on the spot. She stepped closer to her, her first instinct being to wrap her arms around her in comfort. Immediately she thought better of it, wringing her hands and stepping back. She hated seeing Emily like this. She hated knowing she was the one causing all of it. But she felt like she had to. At least until she could sort through her emotions. As Emily started talking again, Paige’s stomach sank even further. She knew where this was going. “Em, don’t...” Paige whispered, though her protests were in vain as she heard four words she hadn’t been expecting to hear today. I love you, Paige. She could feel tears begin to well in her own eyes, and her heart felt heavy as she hung her head.

After hearing Emily say that she loved her, time and space were two of the last things she wanted. But she knew she couldn’t go back now. She had to stick to her gut, and her gut was telling her that she needed this space. She wasn’t sure why, exactly, but she knew it was what she needed. So, instead of saying everything she wanted to, Paige said what she needed to. “I... I have to do this, Em. I know you don’t really understand why... and honestly I’m not sure why, either, but I need to do this. I just need some time. I... I’m having a hard time trusting you. Trusting that you won’t go and make decisions that affect both of us because you think you know what’s best. I know you were trying to protect me, but I... I’m sorry, Emily. I...” The longer she spoke, the more her resolve was beginning to weaken. She said the words but she didn’t really believe them. Didn’t want them to be true. She sounded like an idiot. Here Emily was, providing a perfectly rational solution, and Paige was leaping to extreme measures instead. Maybe what they needed wasn’t a break up, but a real conversation where they talked out all of their problems. It was clear that Emily was willing to put in the effort, so maybe it was simply a matter of meeting her halfway. Paige shook her head in frustration, wringing her hands even more tightly as she tried to figure out what she wanted. Before, she had been clear. She wanted space. And time to think. But then Emily had told her she loved her, and the more those words rang in her ears the more things became a little fuzzy. She still wanted time to process everything and to figure out where she stood, but maybe breaking up wasn’t the way to get that. She sighed, looking lost as she looked up at Emily.

“I don’t know what to do,” she confessed. “You understand where I’m coming from, though, don’t you? Something between us... I don’t know how to fix us... And I don’t want to hurt you, but I... I need time.”

[alex-johns-deactivated20201002]

Emily sighed when Paige insisted that she didn’t need protecting. She had known that was coming. Paige didn’t think she need to be protected, that much she already knew. And of course she would have suspected that she could handle this news from the start, but that wasn’t the case. She wouldn’t have been able to deal with all of this, especially if it meant possibly having to save Alison. Regardless of what her girlfriend thought, Em was convinced that the girl wouldn’t have stayed with her this long if she’d known the truth. “I haven’t been lying to you! Not technically, anyways. I just didn’t tell you, but I swear, it was to protect you. You say you don’t need protecting but would you have really stayed with me through all of this?” Part of her wanted Paige to say yes, but the girls had been convinced that none of their significant others would stick around long with A on the prowl, and definitely not with Alison being back and being the root of the problem. The longer she listened to what her girlfriend had to say, the more guilty she felt. Well, somewhat. She had been torn between keeping her promise to her friends and trying to maintain her relationship, which obviously hadn’t been working out well lately, but she had tried. Narrowing her eyes over at Paige when she seemed to be ending things with her, she shook her head. “Wait..y-you’re breaking up with me because of this?” That wasn’t the exact outcome she’d expected here, but it was what Ali wanted. She did what she did so that Paige would break up with her. And it worked. “I know I didn’t tell you, and I should have at some point, but..why? I honestly was trying to protect you, and with good reason since this person hit Ali over the head with a rock and almost killed her, so you can’t be mad at me for wanting to look out for you.” It wasn’t making much sense to her at all. How had she become the bad person in this when she was genuinely trying to protect her girlfriend? Her intentions had been good, and other than canceling plans, Emily hadn’t done anything else wrong except withhold this information. Did that really count as a good enough reason to be dumped? “Babe, just..give me another chance. I swear, I won’t keep anything else from you, and I won’t cancel anymore plans. And you know about this now so since Ali wanted you involved, you can help us put an end to this for good and then you’ll never have to doubt me again. We can still make this work.” She pleaded softly, though she wasn’t so sure about that. 

[themccullerskid-blog]

Paige grit her teeth. Maybe Emily didn’t remember their text conversation after she had come over for a horror movie, but Paige did. It was one of the first instances where Emily had sort of let her guard down around her-- aside from the whole “I’m gay” thing. She’d been worried about how Paige had thought she’d seen a person outside her window. Like, really worried. She’d tried to brush it off like nothing, but Paige had been left with this odd feeling in her stomach. Like Emily was legitimately worried about her, even though Paige had assured her that she was probably just imagining it all. Now that she knew about A, she wondered if it hadn’t been her imagination after all. Either way, Emily had told her that no one was bothering her. And sure, that had been before they were officially dating--or officially anything, for that matter--but it was still... it hurt to think about. “Of course I would have stayed with you,” Paige said, nearly scoffing. “I might have doubted you at first, but nowhere near as much as I’m doubting you now. I... you didn’t tell me for weeks, Em. Something could have happened to you, and then what? You’d ‘not technically’ lie to me some more? Or what if something had happened to me? Would you have finally told me then or would you have just chalked it up to some freak accident?” She was getting distressed now, and frustrated with how things were turning out. She knew she was in for a difficult conversation when she had waited for Emily to show up, but she hadn’t expected it to go like this. “You should have told me. You should have been the one to tell me. Even if it put me in more danger... I deserved to know. I mean, someone’s threatening your life, Em! I think your girlfriend should know about that, don’t you?” Hearing Emily repeat her intentions back, Paige sighed and dropped her head. It wasn’t like she wanted to break up with Emily. She didn’t. Not by a long shot. But she was feeling worse than awful about the whole thing. About how Emily had kept it all a secret from her. About how Alison had been the one to finally let her in on it all. About how every time Emily cancelled plans on her, a part of Paige was just more and more angry. She had been trying to be understanding. She really had. She knew Emily needed to be there for her friends, and it was one of the things she liked most about her. But that didn’t make it hurt any less. "No,” she said immediately, shaking her head. Then, she bit her lip. “Well, I.... Maybe? I don’t know... I just... I need time, and space. I mean... Do you ever think maybe we rushed things? Maybe the reason I’m so upset about all of this is because we were just... moving so fast. I got so used to seeing you all the time and we’d never had to cancel plans before... Maybe we rushed things. Maybe I... Maybe I rushed things. I think I just... I think the space would do us some good. So... yeah. I guess that’s what I’m doing.” 

[alex-johns-deactivated20201002]

Listening to Paige explain what had happened with Alison, Emily could feel her blood starting to boil. She couldn’t remember the last time she was this upset at the girl, but it was obviously justified at this point. Of course her girlfriend hadn’t known anything. Of course her friend had known that. But it wasn’t even just that piece of info that was upsetting. The blonde had pretended to care about Paige, and their relationship, as a part of her ruse, and then she’d not so accidentally told her about A. Maybe she had been finding out when Emily and Paige had plans and ‘suddenly’ finding out new information about her ‘kidnapper’ to purposely start problems with them. It wasn’t much of a surprise, at all, but why would she go that far? Hadn’t Em made it clear enough that she was happy with Paige and nothing would change that? Thinking over that last question, she sighed under her breath. Her method of avoiding talking directly to Ali about her relationship had given the girl a reason to think that maybe she would have a chance if the relationship sort of crumbled. But she wasn’t really ready to let such a thing happen. “Okay, that last sentence is proof that she knew what the hell she was doing. They all knew that I hadn’t told you, and I may have dropped a few hints that I wanted to, but that was it.” As angry as she was, she had to at least try to make sense of all of this to Paige, even if she was afraid to. Taking her phone out of her back pocket, Em turned it off, just in case Alison came up with any other sudden emergencies to need her friends for. Putting it down next to her cup, she sighed. “I wasn’t kidding about me not telling you some stuff because I wanted to protect you, but since Ali wanted this-” Pausing, she took a few moments to process that she was really about to explain the A thing, taking a few deep breaths along the way. Why was this so damn hard? “I wasn’t hiding it from you because I wanted to, Paige. I wanted to tell you. A few times, actually. But A said we couldn’t tell, so we all agreed that we wouldn’t. And before you get even more defensive, the A thing was happening before we were ever a thing. It actually started the day of Ali’s funeral. Or, whoever the hell we buried’s funeral.” Maybe she wasn’t making much sense here, so maybe starting from the beginning would be better. “The funeral was when it started. Hanna, Spencer, Aria, and I all got a text at the exact same time from someone named A. We didn’t think it would turn into anything serious, but the next thing we knew, this person was sending us these creepy texts at various times, and all of the texts related to our secrets. Secrets all of us had but no one else knew them except Ali. Like me being gay. Before she disappeared, Ali was the only person that knew. And when everything happened with you and Maya, I guess I was kind of expecting A to come snooping into my personal life at some point, so when I got a text about me kissing another friend, I knew A was responsible for that video of me and Maya being sent out. And it’s just been small threats since then, but when we found Ali, she told us that the A game didn’t just start with us. Before she disappeared, A was coming after her with threats. And..she was attacked the night she went ‘missing’ and she thinks it was A. That’s why I’ve been canceling on you. We’re trying to figure out who it is because we’re scared that they might come back for her. Or worse, they’ll come after one of us or someone we care about, so I couldn’t tell you because I didn’t want anything to happen to you. That was a lot, but I’m sorry.” 

[themccullerskid-blog]

Emily had a lot to say, and Paige listened as patiently as she could. Whoever this A person was had been tormenting Em and her friends since Ali’s disappearance, holding secrets over their heads and threatening to expose them. Sounded a lot like Alison, in Paige’s opinion. She knew that voicing that theory probably wouldn’t go over too well right now, so instead she waited until Emily was finished speaking. As much as Paige hated Ali, it was unlikely that the blonde was this A person. For one, she was their friend, and that would be a shitty thing to do to your friends. She didn’t think even Alison DiLaurentis would stoop that low. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she kept listening to Emily’s explanation. Emily had said numerous times that she hadn’t told her in order to protect her. That was getting a little tiring to hear. As Emily wrapped up her explanation, Paige couldn’t help but think that maybe they should just let this A person come back for Ali. It wasn’t like she didn’t deserve it. After everything she’d put people through--not just Paige, but other people in school and even her own friends--it would have been like getting a taste of her own medicine. She regretted thinking like that, but only a little. With a deep sigh, Paige stared at the ground as she gathered her thoughts. “I don’t need protecting, Em,” she started, unable to keep the annoyance out of her tone. “I need honesty. I told you that I trusted you more than anyone, and you’ve been lying to me months.” She narrowed her eyes, struggling to keep her emotions under control. “And now you’re sorry? Sorry you lied or sorry I found out? I’m not... I’m not the fragile little freshman I used to be, you know. I can take care of myself. And besides, are you really telling me that your friends’ boyfriends don’t know? None of them? Because knowing Aria and Hanna, I find that hard to believe. You could have told me. I could have handled it. But instead of letting me help, you’ve been cancelling plans on me for weeks now. Our schedules are so mismatched that it’s hard to find any time together and when we do find time, you wind up cancelling. I... I tried to be understanding and patient, but I can’t anymore. It worked at first, but now I just worry about when the next cancelled date is going to be. I kinda thought you wouldn’t show up today, and then I felt awful because... how much faith do I have in my girlfriend to think like that? I’m tired of doubting you and being mad at you and wondering when I’ll actually get to see you and...” She paused, drawing a shaky breath. “I’ve been thinking, while I was waiting for you to get here, and... I don’t think this is working anymore. You and me.”

[alex-johns-deactivated20201002]

Part of Emily had slightly been worried that Alison would go as far as to tell Paige what was going on, but would she really tell someone that hated her that her girlfriend and her best friends were all being tortured by someone? That this person may have been responsible for what happened to her and could do the same to Emily? That the reason the girls were always having to meet up at the last minute to investigate something was related to trying to figure out who was after them? No. She wouldn’t. She couldn’t. Although they had speculated that Aria, Hanna, and Spencer were telling things to their bed buddies, they’d all been repeatedly stating that they wouldn’t tell them. If that had changed, she would have told Paige everything the very first time she had to blow her off. And if not then, the time after that, or after that. Or hell, even after she’d kept her word and given her girlfriend a few make up orgasms. She had wanted to tell Paige, but because she had promised her friends that she wouldn’t, she hadn’t gone through with it. But as soon as she heard the question, she could feel her emotions being shifted into two different direction. Part of her was pissed - no, livid - that Ali had told Paige the one thing she had wanted to tell her about herself, just when the time was right. But the other part of her was worried. How could she look her girlfriend in the eye and lie to her again? She had said she would be honest, and she could tell this wouldn’t end that well for her either way so lying would have made it worse. Taking another sip from her cup, she put it down on the coffee table before sighing. “I..I don’t know.” That was the truth. The girls had a couple of theories, but whenever they tried to set the person up, they ended up being wrong. Or somewhat wrong. Spencer was convinced there may have been a team, but they hadn’t been able to confirm or deny who was behind it. “That’s the truth, I swear. I don’t know who A is. None of us do.” Thinking it over, she wasn’t sure what all Paige knew. She was asking who A was, so what all did she know exactly? What all had Ali really said? “What did she tell you about A?”

[themccullerskid-blog]

Paige studied Emily react to the question, watching for any signs of dishonesty. When Emily said she didn’t know, Paige could feel herself getting upset. That was a lie. She knew who A was. But as Emily carried on with her statement, she realized her question had been misinterpreted. She hadn’t meant for Emily to assume she was asking for A’s identity; she had meant for Emily to tell her something like ‘A’s this person who’s been tormenting my friends and I for years.’ Her anger subsided with this realization, but only slightly. She hadn’t denied the existence of an A. She had essentially confirmed that such a person existed, and that her friends knew of them, as well. At Emily’s question, Paige took another drink before she set it on the table beside her and crossed her arms. Truthfully, Ali hadn’t told her much about A. She’d mentioned them under the guise of being concerned about Emily. And Paige. Which, admittedly, now sounded a bit strange. When had Alison ever been concerned about her? Unless Ali was undergoing some sort of personality change, she couldn’t believe that Alison would ever care about her-- or her relationship with Emily. Suddenly worried that Alison had made the whole thing up to drive a wedge between them, Paige had to close her eyes and breathe a slow, steady breath to calm herself. She couldn’t exactly go back now. Not when Emily had basically confirmed that there was in fact someone named A. She shrugged, trying to maintain control of the situation at hand. “Not much. She assumed I knew a lot, though,” she said, her lips in a thin line. “She came up to me and wanted to make sure everything was okay between us-- me and you, not me and her--since you’ve been so stressed with helping her out and then with A ‘constantly terrorizing you’ she wanted to make sure I was handling all of it okay since it must be ‘new’ and ‘difficult to process.’ So naturally I stared at her like she was crazy, and she said something about me not knowing after all and walked away.” Her voice faltered at the end of her story, and she had to clear her throat to make sure she wouldn’t be on the verge of crying when she spoke again. “I had to find out from her that you were hiding something from me.”