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

24. Aria 📚

The bell rang as Aria made her way to her English class. She knew she couldn't avoid him forever, especially since Spencer, Hanna, and Emily were all in the same class. She could only hope that they would only talk when they absolutely had to. That was the only way Aria could think she would be able to get over her feelings for him.

"Okay, people, let's take our seats," his voice echoed down the hall.

Aria watched as Mona skipped into the classroom, her eyes glued to her phone. She almost laughed. Aria rarely saw Mona not looking at her phone if she was alone. "Am I late?" she asked.

"It's Mona, right?"

"That's right, Mr Fritz," she replied cheerfully.

Honestly, Aria wouldn't be surprised if Mona had a little crush on Ezra as well. Who wouldn't? He was cute, funny, smart, but Aria couldn't allow herself to think that way. That would only make things so much harder. She heard the students laugh at Mona's mistake.

"Take your seat, Mona, please," Ezra said, masking a chuckle himself.

Aria peeked around the corner and into the classroom, not caring that she was already late to class. She could a few more seconds before swallowing her pride and actually going to class. Ezra was standing in front of the classroom, holding a stack of papers. She saw his eyes drift to Aria's seat and linger there for a moment.

Then one of the students coughed, and he seemed to snap back into reality. "If the mockingbird represents the idea of innocence," Ezra began as he handed out the papers, "what characters are innocent? Take a second, jot down your ideas. We'll discuss."

Aria couldn't take any more of this. She had to just face him and get on with her day. The big red letters on her transfer request practically demanded it of her, whether she wanted to or not. There was nothing more she could do. She braced herself and strode into the class.

Ezra's eyes widened at the sight of her, seeming almost relieved. Aria averted her eyes as fast as she could. She didn't want to make it seem like they had any sort of history together, not in front of her classmates. She couldn't deny the excitement and nervousness that flooded her veins in that moment. She slammed the declined transfer request on his desk and made her way to her empty seat.

Aria glanced up at him and found his eyes still on her. Maybe she was a hopeless romantic, but it felt almost as though it was fate that she was still in the class with him. She knew what she felt in her heart, and from the smile on his face, he felt it too.