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

27. Emily 🏊‍♀️

Emily sat in the fluffy armchair in one corner of her room, watching as Maya gave herself a tour around her bedroom. It was nice to have a friend staying the night. Emily and Maya had been filling each other in on their lives, their old friends especially. Maya had gone into detail about everything she used to do in California, the sunny beaches, the luxurious streets of Los Angeles, even the mountains during winter.

Emily had told her a lot about her old friends too, at least as much as she could without getting too close to revealing any secrets. She knew she could trust Maya, but she wasn't sure that Maya would stick around if she knew everything Emily had done. Maya was holding a photo that the group of five had taken the summer before she went missing, smiling vaguely at it.

"So I get your connection to Spencer," Maya said as Emily finished telling her a story about one of Spencer's field hockey games. "You both like to win."

"Winning's great," Emily said. "But if I've done my best, I usually feel pretty good about the outcome, no matter what it is."

Maya nodded. "And Spencer?"

"Spencer needs to win," Emily said.

Maya walked over to Emily's desk and picked up another picture of the girls and Alison. Emily couldn't imagine what was going through her mind. She had just moved into town, and all of a sudden the room she was living in became haunted by the ghost of the girl who was buried in her own backyard. Now Alison's face was plastered across every news station and billboard in Rosewood.

"Alison was always in the middle," Maya said as she looked at the photo. "The centre of attention."

"Have you ever known anyone like that?" Emily asked.

Alison had been the only girl Emily knew who had been that way. It wasn't even the fact that Alison tried to be the centre of attention, she just always was. The girls had always said that the only person who could upstage Alison was Beyoncé. She always migrated to the centre of photos, even when they walked down the halls of the school, Alison was leading the pack.

"I usually run from those girls," Maya said, putting the picture frame back in its place. "They scare me."

"Those girls?" Emily asked.

"The Queen Bees," Maya said, settling herself down on Emily's bed.

Emily smiled. "You seem like a person who wouldn't run from anyone," she said.

Maya laughed and sank further down on the bed. Emily found herself watching her carefully. She couldn't explain what she was feeling. Emily was glad to have Maya around, but something told her that her feelings were deeper than that. Something about Maya was different, different in a way that reminded her of Alison.

"Do you have a side?"

Emily shook her head. "Sorry?"

"Of the bed," Maya said.

Emily shrugged. She'd actually never really thought about it. "I kind of sleep in the middle," she said.

Maya stared at Emily, laying down on her arm. "I kind of sleep in the middle too," she said.

A smile pulled at Emily's lips. She decided to just let herself feel whatever it was she was feeling. Maya was quickly becoming the best friend that she'd had in a long time, and it felt right. Emily felt good with Maya. For the first time in a long time, Emily felt that she could fully be herself again.

They started getting ready for bed, teeth brushed and pajamas on. Soon, they were both lying in Emily's bed, facing each other. Maya fell asleep quickly. Emily couldn't blame her, the police and all of the people leaving stuff on her curb didn't make it easy for her to fall asleep. Emily couldn't keep her eyes off her. The way the moonlight fell across Maya's face made her look almost ethereal.

Emily rolled over onto her other side. The way her heart had leaped at the sight of her sleeping friend scared her. She had promised herself that she would never feel that way about a friend again. Besides, she had a boyfriend. She felt Maya adjust next to her, scooting closer and placing a hand on Emily's hip. She could feel Maya's breath on the back of her neck. Emily rested her hand gently on top of Maya's. Maybe just once, just tonight, here in the dark, it was okay.

Just as Emily was about to fall asleep, her phone let out a small chime. Emily sat up, wondering who could possibly texting her this late at night. Without waking Maya, she crossed the room and checked her phone.

Did you get a goodnight kiss? Here's one from me. xo... --A

Emily almost dropped her phone in surprise. Someone must've been watching the house. How else would they have known about her and Maya sharing a moment, if that's even what it was? She glanced out the window. No one was there. Shaken, Emily returned to the bed, staring fearfully at the dark window for hours before finally finding herself in a restless sleep.