36 - My Hero

Emily groaned at the sound of her alarm as she awoke in her bed. She didn't have alarms in summer vacation, she hadn't needed them. She'd had all the time in the world. But now, that was done with, and school was starting all over again.

However, her sophomore year was going to be a good one, she decided. Her relationship with Alison was thriving, her friends were, as always, amazing, and she was going to do well in her schoolwork. With that band-aid solution, she got up and headed to the bathroom.

Her eye wasn't really hurting anymore but the mark was definitely still noticeable. Just a few more days of that, she reminded herself. The bags under her eyes were noticeable as well. She hadn't gotten much sleep the previous night due to her bubbling and non-stopping thoughts.

Her conversation with Aria was still lingering in the back of her mind. She had answered right away that her relationship with Alison wasn't going to change in a school forum because she was sure of her answer, and she still mostly was, but that didn't stop the doubts from appearing in her mind.

What if Alison wanted to keep their relationship a secret from here on out? Sure, most of their schoolmates knew already, but perhaps, in order to not hurt her reputation any further, maybe Alison wanted to secretly date? Or not date at all? Emily didn't know. Her mind was running a thousand miles per minute. She felt awful, like someone was crashing a toy train into the side of her head, and it was mostly a mixture of jetlag and lack of sleep.

She showered and got dressed quickly, doing all of her regular everyday rituals too. She pondered whether to use make-up to cover up her bruise but then decided against it, she was never really the make-up type anyway.

She said goodbye to her parents and exited the house, but not before taking three pictures - one alone, one with her father and one with her mother. It was Pam's first day of school demand, and Emily was used to it already.

She rode her bike to school, paddling her way quickly, trying to distract herself from her thoughts. Alison wouldn't do that to her- break up with her just to save her own reputation- would she? No, she definitely wouldn't, Emily supplied to herself.

She got to the front of the school exactly fifteen minutes before the first bell, five minutes before the time she was scheduled to meet with her friends. She parked her bike, tying them to the bike rack.

"Well, well, I thought I was the only one who shows up early these days."

Emily heard the familiar voice behind and turned to see Spencer, smiling at her like she didn't just wake up.

"Spence," Emily hugged the brunette briefly, thankful for the distraction from her thoughts in the form of her best friend. "How do you have so much energy in this ungodly hour?"

"It's called caffeine, you should try it," Spencer said sarcastically. She then proceeded to pull a thermos of coffee out of her bag and hand it to Emily, who chuckled and gratefully took a large sip. She immediately wanted to spit it out, the bitter taste practically making her wish she didn't have a tongue.

"Spence, this is so bitter! Don't you add sugar or milk or anything to it?"

"Why would I add any of those and ruin my Turkish black coffee? Did you know it's actually stronger than an espresso?" Spencer shared with an enthusiastic smile, making Emily gape at her in dismay. She should've known not to drink coffee from Spencer's strong cup of joe, it was like getting a kiss from the devil. "Did that help?" the brainiac brunette asked hopefully.

"I guess," Emily mumbled miserably. She rubbed her tired eyes as a blonde approached them.

"God, you look like roadkill."

"Thanks, Han, I feel lovely, too," Emily's sarcastic bite caused Hanna to raise an eyebrow and smirk.

"When did you go to sleep?" Hanna asked.

"I don't know, I didn't really sleep. I spent the entire night tossing and turning," Emily informed them.

"I don't get it, you and Spencer are supposed to be the morning persons of the group," Aria mused out loud as she approached them with a grin, stopping next to Hanna. "How are you feeling, Em?"

"A little better, but still kinda crappy," Emily answered, scrunching her nose at 'crappy'.

Aria rubbed Emily's back in comfort just as a car parked right in front of them. From inside the car exited three familiar guys, grinning from ear to ear at their new school. Ezra, Toby and Caleb greeted each girl and they all started talking amongst them as they waited for the final member of their group.

"Where's Alison? There are five minutes till the first bell," Spencer questioned anxiously, glancing at her wristwatch.

"Yeah, and she's the one who offered to meet five minutes ago," Aria added.

Just as Emily was about to pull out her phone and call the blonde, Alison marched right up at them in an outfit that made Emily's jaw drop and her heart skip a beat.

"Holy crap," she mumbled as Alison neared the group.

The blonde was wearing a floral, short, skin-tight dress with a fitted blue jacket to go along with it. Her pink purse was slung on her shoulder and her hair was styled in luxurious curls. The sight of her took Emily's breath away even more than usual.

"Who's ready to start their year?" Alison asked in an upbeat voice, joining the little circle the group had formed.

"I'm so ready! I'm all prepared for the Latin quiz and I heard we're going to study a really interesting topic in Russian Lit, and-" Spencer's excited caffeine-induced rambling was put to a stop when Toby's hand softly landed on her shoulder. The boy laughed lightly and kissed her cheek, making Spencer blush.

"Spence, slow down. Let's just have fun on the first day. Let's worry about actually learning tomorrow," he reassured her.

"Okay," she agreed dreamily as Toby ran a hand through his hair.

Emily tuned out of the conversation and let her eyes roam all over Alison's body, not bothering to hide it anymore. She didn't care if Hanna was going to tease her for staring at her girlfriend like that, she just allowed her entire body to enjoy the view.

She was so caught up in her moment that she hadn't noticed that her friends had started walking towards the entrance of the school.

"Em?" Alison's angelic voice brought her back to reality.

She turned to her girlfriend, who was staring at her with those dazzling ocean blue eyes and smiling, showing off her dimples.

She wanted to grin in return but her conversation with Aria was still stuck somewhere back there at the back of her mind. Instead, she just wrung her hands timidly.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" Alison asked concernedly upon hearing Emily's small voice.

The brunette nodded and then paused for a few seconds, taking a small breath. "What's gonna happen now?" she couldn't help but blurt out.

"What do you mean? We're going to walk in, go to our first class-"

"What's gonna happen to us, Ali?" Emily cut her off, gazing at the blonde imploringly with a faint frown. Alison was still looking at her expectantly, waiting for her to clarify her point. Emily huffed, quietly letting out, "Are you going to break up with me? Because if you are, you should do it now-"

This time, Alison interrupted Emily, wide-eyed and surprised. "What? Em, what are you talking about?" she asked in horror.

"It's okay, Ali, I get it," Emily assured. "Being with me isn't good for your popularity, and I mean, you probably don't want your status to drop any lower now, especially at the beginning of the year, so if you're gonna break up with me, do it now," the brunette finished, not noticing that her eyes were already starting to glisten.

"Em, I'm not going to break up with you. Ever." Alison stated firmly, grabbing the brunette's hand. She used her other one to tilt Emily's chin up so the brunette would be forced to look into her eyes. Emily still looked at her in watery confusion. Alison had no idea where Emily got the ridiculous idea that she was going to break up with her, but she didn't like it one bit.

"I love you, Emily. I love you so much, my heart could explode. I'm not going to break up with you over anything, especially not popularity. I've learned my lesson. Besides, being with you doesn't lower my social status, or anything like that. In fact, we're sort of the new power couple of the school from what I hear," she finished, a faint smirk playing on her lips and assurance dripping regularly from her voice.

"Really?" Emily asked in wonder as her doubts began slipping away from her grip. How could she have been so stupid, so silly to think that Alison could have done something like that to her?

"Mhm," Alison hummed in approval. She turned her hand from Emily's chin to grab her cheek in the gentlest of touches. "Em, please don't ever think I'm going to break up with you, because I will never ever do that. Not because of you, but because I'm a selfish person, and I would never want to do that to myself. I couldn't possibly deal with not being with you. I don't know what I would have done without you. Really." Alison said in a serious tone, meaning every single word escaping her lips. She leaned in and gave Emily a lingering kiss on her cheek, and with lips still brushing against the brunette's tear-stained cheek, she said, "I love you."

"I love you, too," Emily answered back, this time with full power behind her words. When Alison drew away, she surprised both herself and the blonde by pulling Alison by the back of her neck into a kiss. The blonde responded quickly, smiling into the liplock.

They parted away from each other and Alison grinned, grabbing Emily's hand and kissing the top of it in a charming manner. Watching Emily smile in response, she tugged the brunette in the direction of her friends who were waiting for them by the door.

To say all of Emily's worries had been assuaged was an understatement. She would never wrongfully question her girlfriend like that again. She graciously followed Alison and the rest of their friends as they entered the school, the four couples walking hand in hand. Alison strode with her head high and her usual queen bee attitude. She winked at Emily when the brunette released a cute little nervous laugh under all of the newfound attention. The group went on to turn heads and people did a double-take at them as they walked past. Everyone looked at them in awe, admiring their looks and confidence. Emily finally felt what Alison's always felt. And the blonde was right, they really were the new power couple, and on top of that, the new power group, it seemed.

They finally reached the hall where their lockers resided, and Alison leaned against the locker next to Emily's, which was next to Hanna's, as the brunette spun her new code. "You look tired, Em," the blonde commented worriedly.

"Yeah, I didn't get much sleep done, I had a lot on my mind," Emily sighed, referring to the subject she'd discussed with Alison outside the school. The blonde nodded understandably. "But it's better now, I realized I have nothing to worry about and I should just enjoy today," the brunette finished with a smile at her girlfriend.

Alison grinned right back, watching as Emily placed her books with a small yawn, scrunching her nose cutely as she did. "I really don't think I slept enough last night," the brunette stated as though it wasn't obvious by now.

"Aww, my poor baby," Alison cooed affectionately, getting the brunette to smile timidly at the pet name. Alison lifted Emily's arm and wrapped it around her own shoulders, leaning into her mermaid's touch, then grazed her nails on Emily's stomach over the shirt, something that tickled the brunette slightly.

"How about you come over today after school?" Alison suggested softly. "To rest," she added once she saw Emily opening her mouth to argue.

The brunette thought about the offer hastily, nodding her head in approval with a small smile. "Okay. Sounds good."

The sound of the second bell was sounded, signaling that the class was starting now and the girls parted then, heading each their own direction.

"Hey, Em?" Alison turned one more time to Emily, making the brunette turn her body around questioningly.

"Yeah?"

The blonde's blue eyes made their way to brown ones, mischief dancing in them. "I'm crazy about you, mermaid," Alison said lovingly, making Emily smile widely.

"I'm crazy about you, too," the brunette answered truthfully.

Emily then turned to walk to her first class of the day, which was chemistry, while Alison made her way to history.

Emily entered the classroom, instantly recognizing the person who was going to be her new lab partner.

"I'm guessing you're my new lab partner?" she asked with a friendly smile.

"Correct," Toby answered with a matching grin as he turned to see her. "Guess you couldn't get rid of me after all," he laughed kindly.

"Not quite yet," Emily chuckled at him as she sat down next to him with her binder.

"Alright, class, settle down," the teacher said as he entered the class, holding a stack of papers that Emily guessed were the syllabus. "I'm your new chemistry teacher, Mr. Cohen," he wrote his name on the chalkboard and then turned to them. "I see you've all found your places. I'm one of the 'cool teachers' so I'm going to let you sit with your friends until the end of the year if you behave. But don't push it," he warned playfully and the class chuckled. This year might be the first time she would actually like chem, Emily mused.

Meanwhile, a mere few halls away, Alison sauntered into the class, walking past her fellow classmates and ignoring all of the usual adoring stares. She took a seat at the back of the class where she'd sat last year.

She was scrolling aimlessly through her phone as she waited for the teacher to arrive, when someone sat next to her. She turned, astonished, to see Spencer sitting next to her, fake glasses and all.

"Wow, Hastings. I thought you always sat at the front row," Alison acknowledged with an impressed expression.

"I was going to sit there, but Toby said that in order for me to enjoy today, I should grab a seat at the back of the class where the teacher can't see what you're doing," Spencer folded her fake glasses and put them in their case. "I told him studying is enjoyable, but he insisted."

Alison smugly stifled a laugh at the brunette's words. "What?" Spencer asked.

"And people think Emily is whipped," Alison chuckled.

"I am not whipped. Spencer Hastings is not whipped." Spencer argued.

"Well, Spencer Hastings is doing something she doesn't want to because she's head over heels for someone. I'm pretty sure that's what 'whipped' means, Spence."

Just as Spencer was about to retort with some smartass comment Alison was sure she had up her sleeve, the teacher saved Alison from her misery.

"Hello, students, my name is Carrie Gillard, that's Mrs. Gillard to you," the 30something-year-old woman introduced herself. "I will be teaching you world history."

Alison couldn't help but roll her eyes. She might've become a better person for Emily, but she was still tactless at times, especially while displaying her hatred towards history class. Next to her, Spencer was opening a notebook with already-prepared questions and waiting politely for the teacher to stop talking so she could ask away.

As the teacher went on with her explanation about the following year, Alison turned to her best friend who was listening intently to Mrs. Gillard. "Pssst, Spence," the blonde started. When Spencer didn't budge, the girl tried again. "Spencer," she half-whispered half-shouted.

"What?" Spencer asked briskly, visibly impatient as she kept her gaze straight.

Alison only took her pencil and hit Spencer's arm, imitating a whip. "Whipped," she whispered, rather annoyingly in Spencer's humble opinion.

She watched as the witty brunette rolled her eyes begrudgingly and then paid her attention back to the front of the class while Alison smirked to herself in victory.

XXXXX

By the time lunch rolled by, Alison was over-the-top bored and craving some down-time with her friends. As she strolled to the cafeteria, blocking out everyone and their dumbfounded idolizing eyes, she noticed Noel at the very end of the hall.

"Noel," she called out to him, successfully grabbing his attention.

He waved at her and then said goodbye to the person he was talking to, walking up to his friend.

"What's up, DiLaurentis?" he asked with a simple smile.

"Is it possible that I'm already dead? When did school get so boring?" she groaned.

"It's always been boring, Ali," Noel said as if it was obvious. "You know what we should do to lift everyone's mood?"

"What?"

"Throw a 'start of the year' party," he suggested.

Alison smirked at the idea. This was exactly what she needed.

"Yeah, that sounds great! I gotta go for lunch, but text me later, we'll set up the details," she replied with growing anticipation.

He nodded and then gave her a quick hug goodbye, and she proceeded her way over to the cafeteria.

She noticed Emily, Toby and Spencer already seated at the five girls' regular table, the one they always sat at. It felt almost nostalgic to walk over there, even though it's only been one summer since she'd sat in that exact spot.

Emily had her back to the entrance of the cafeteria, so she couldn't see that Alison had entered. The blonde filled her tray before stalking over to the table, and just as Spencer was about to greet her, she gave the witty brunette a wide-eyed glare that signaled her to keep quiet, which Spencer luckily did.

Emily was innocently eating her lunch when Alison approached her from behind. "Boo!" the blonde all but shouted, making Emily jump in her seat and then turn around with a relieved smile.

"Ali," Emily grinned dreamily. She stood up to greet her girlfriend, but at the same time, Alison made her move to sit down, so that they accidentally bumped into each other. Alison's lunch tray almost tipped over, but Emily - with cat-like reflexes, Alison might add - caught the tray while the blonde's hands were still holding it, and they ended up holding it together, stabling it somehow, and staring into each other's eyes in amusement.

"Sorry," they quietly said in unison to each other and then giggled at the ridiculousness of the moment. Toby and Spencer sat there silently, trying not to disturb their friends' sweet moment. Emily finally took the tray from Alison's hands and sat it down on the table, then grabbed the blonde's hand and pulled her to sit down next to her.

Alison placed her hand on Emily's thigh as they ate. No matter what, she'd only have these kind of quirky, delicate and somewhat shy moments with Emily. Nobody else brought out that side of her and she was grateful for the brunette for that.

They were eating their lunches and chatting cattily about classes, how boring school was - except for Spencer, who demanded that school was exceptionally interesting for most times, yet again, it depended on the teacher - and about Spencer's birthday which was only five days away, this Saturday.

Emily had her arm wrapped comfortably around Alison's shoulders, much to the blonde's pleasure, when a guy's shouting voice was heard throughout the whole cafeteria as he passed by them.

"Dykes!"

Alison was on her feet in an instant. Oh no, not on the first day. She'd known deep down that this was bound to come. People were cruel, she'd comprehended that, she wasn't naive. But she had foolishly and wrongfully assumed that the first day would go by smoothly. At least the first day.

She was so tired of being pushed around. No matter where they went, Emily and her would always get confronted. Hell, it even happened in Paris. Paris, which was their all-time dream destination - even there some jerk had to say something.

Now, when she looked at the preposterous guy - Craig Kinsley, senior class athlete and player, and not just on the field - he represented to her all of the people who had ever attacked her due to her love for Emily. Her endless, heart-stopping, breathtaking love for the girl.

"Hey, assface!" she called out crudely to him. He stopped in his tracks and turned to face her, standing only a few steps away.

Emily rose up quickly, "Ali, please, I don't want you to get in trouble." Toby and Spencer stood up as well, but they knew all too well that Alison couldn't be stopped. She needed to do this.

"No, Emily, I need to sort this out. I'm tired of this crap. It's time to show this whole school that Alison DiLaurentis doesn't back down, especially when it comes to you," Alison replied determinedly, and Emily tried her hardest not to smile at the blonde's choice of words.

"You called me?" Craig said obnoxiously, feigning surprise. "To what do I owe this great pleasure?"

"Drop the act, man-whore. I need you to get something into that pea-sized brain of yours," she stepped closer to him menacingly. As she advanced to him, his smugness increased and he stared at her with his eyebrow raised.

He shouldn't have messed with the Queen Bee, she mused, because now, it was his turn to get the sting.

"Let me straighten something out. You, or anyone in this podunk school, don't get a say in who I date," she stated confidently. "I don't give a rat's ass for your opinion, stupid, so don't look so smug."

He clenched his jaw at the insult, looking around to find students giggling at him.

"My life's gotten a whole lot better lately, and I'm not going to let you, or any one of your pathetic, lame-ass wannabes dictate with your so-called insults how it's going to be. Your amazing imbecility is living proof that every girl that's ever been with you should get tested asap for STDs and brain damage. Why do you think I've always shot down every one of your million desperate attempts to get with me?"

Several laughs and astonished 'ooh's were sounded in the background, making the boy squirm as he glared at Alison.

"But I'm not here to tell you that. I'm just here to tell you to go ahead; talk to your pervy friends about me and my relationship, gossip about how what we're doing is wrong - when in secret, it just turns you on. But honestly, Craig, what's really pitiful about all of this is that, at the end of the day, it's me and not you who's getting laid."

As laughter and snickers echoed the walls of the cafeteria, Alison turned to face her fellow students, who were all entertained from watching the interaction intently. "You're welcome, ladies," she said with fake-sweetness, referring to the fact that she had probably just destroyed the boy's reputation as she cast one more look at the enraged boy, "I just saved you a trip to the clinic."

The cafeteria broke into hard laughter at the red expression on the guy's face, and she stared at him in with a victorious smirk as stoped away like a petulant child, not even accompanied by his friends, who grimaced at his embarrassment.

Alison turned and then strolled back to the table with a pump of confidence, gently tugging an astonished Emily to her feet and pulling her into a strong kiss, their table and the rest of the students in the cafeteria cheering them on and hollering positively, some even wolf-whistling, not that they noticed.

Alison finally parted away to see that Emily was stuck in complete awe. "This means everything to me, Em. And I'm never giving up on that," she said quietly with a meaningful tone to Emily, who beamed in return.

The brunette still stared at her when they finally sat down, in love over the roof with this crazy, extraordinary, mesmerizing girl who held the front of a Queen Bee but inside, was a real softy - a puppy, truly.

"I am so stealing some of that," Hanna said with a proud smirk, referring to the blonde's speech just now. Alison laughed as her friends complimented her, shaking her head in amusement. She felt so much better after saying that. It just needed to be said out loud.

"I'm never giving up on that either," Emily said quietly in her ear, Alison's ocean-blue eyes shifting to gaze at her lovingly.

Alison smiled before leaning to plant a loving kiss on her cheek.

Their group ate the rest of their lunches peacefully, since at some point during Alison's threat, they all joined them at the table. They talked naturally between them, and for a second, Alison forgot just how horrible school was.

Lunch was over eventually, and Emily and Alison were required to part away again due to separate classes. They barely had any classes together this year, unfortunately, but at least they had English and French, Alison's favorites, together.

"Em, if anybody even dares to say anything to you, call me, okay? I'll handle them," Alison said somberly as Emily handed her her purse.

"Okay, mom," Emily rolled her eyes playfully, but Alison stood her ground. "Ali, I'm a big girl, I can handle things myself," the brunette said defensively.

Especially after that encounter at the cafeteria, Emily didn't think anyone would have the guts to even look her in the eye anymore.

"I know you can, babe, but I don't want you to get hurt. Ever." Alison explained kindly, pulling Emily into a hug.

"I'll be fine. Promise," Emily assured her, holding Alison's body just as tight as the blonde was holding her.

"Okay," Alison pecked Emily on the lips, "see you in English."

"Bye, Ali. Love you," Emily said, then began to walk away with Hanna to her locker.

"Love you, too."

Alison walked away but then looked back at Emily over her shoulder. The blonde was serious about not letting anyone hurt her and she would protect her with all of her heart. There was just something about Emily that had always made Alison so damn protective over her, even long before they dated. Maybe it was Emily's precious innocence or her noticeable shyness, or maybe it was the fact that Alison just loved her more than anything else; maybe even all of the above.

And just like Alison was protective over Emily, Emily was protective over Alison as well. Precisely, the blonde mused, she'd punched two people, slapped one person, and pushed another as a result of the fact that she was protecting Alison. But Alison knew Emily's protection wasn't just physical. The brunette was her heart protector, as well. Emily was protective of her feelings, not letting the blonde destroy herself as was supposed to happen in Alison's designated destiny, according to the blonde who was convinced she could damage anything she laid her finger on. The brunette took care and directed Alison's sensations in a way that made the blonde a better person walking down a better path.

Emily was Alison's hero just as much as Alison was Emily's.

XXXXX

Alison was coming back from gym class when she passed by the vice principal's office. The office's door was slightly ajar, so she could clearly make out the faces of the two people sitting in the chairs in front of the school's vice-principal, Mr. Hackett.

Toby and Spencer.

Concernedly, she walked closer, frowning at the sight. She wondered deeply what those two, perhaps the most unproblematic students in the high school, had done in order to get in trouble. For one, Spencer never got into trouble and two, if Toby did get in trouble, he wouldn't get in trouble on the first day. He wasn't stupid. With those thoughts clouding her mind, she uninvitedly burst into her vice principal's office, looking at the familiar faces.

"Excuse me, Mr. Hackett, I'm sorry to disturb you, but why are Spencer Hastings and Toby Cavanaugh in your office?" she asked in the most polite way she could put it, considering her entrance was anything but polite. It didn't matter though, she mused, the vice principal loved her, anyway, because her father made hefty donations to the school.

Only when the two turned to her in surprise, did she notice Toby's bruised lip and Spencer's damaged knuckles. They looked like they had gotten in a fight.

Oh, no, the realization quickly donned upon her, she knew something like this would happen, only she figured it would be Hanna and Caleb to do it. She loved her friends to death but they absolutely didn't need to-

"Well, Ms. DiLaurentis. Mr. Cavanaugh and Ms. Hastings got into a little aggressive altercation with one Craig Kinsley," he informed her formally just as she had suspected.

"You guys didn't have to fight Craig, it's not worth getting you in trouble," Alison said to them worriedly in front to the vice-principal, but deep down, she tried her hardest to fight her satisfied smirk. She really did have the best friends in the world.

"No, Ali-"

"If you'll excuse me, Ms. Hastings, I think I can clear this up," Mr. Hackett interfered slightly. "Your friends here told me about what happened at the cafeteria. This school has a zero-tolerance policy towards bullies, and that includes homophobes," he expressed firmly. "Mr. Kinsley was given two weeks of detention. And since violence has a zero-tolerance policy too, I have no choice but to give you both two weeks of detention, as well. It's only fair that way," he informed Spencer and Toby.

The principal then escorted all three out of his office, tired with having to deal with fights on the very first day of coming back to school, and although Alison complained countlessly in his ears about the unfair punishment, he still wouldn't budge about the detention he'd given her two friends.

Once they were out of the principal view, Alison turned to the two of them, who were smiling and talking normally, as if they didn't just get two weeks of detention. Spencer's first detention ever.

"Okay, I love you guys, but are you insane?! Why would you do that?" Alison questioned, frowning.

"Relax, Ali, it was so worth it. That jerk had it coming, honestly," Toby said reassuringly.

"Not just for what he did today, but for everything he does. He beats up kids who are weaker than him and he treats girls like cheap garbage. He needed someone to sucker-punch him." Spencer added.

Alison stared in shock at Spencer. Did her brainy friend, Spencer Hastings, just use the term 'sucker-punch'? And truly mean it?

"Yeah, and when Spence and I walked by him and his friends, he was still talking trash about you two, and we just couldn't let him do that," Toby shrugged.

"Spence, you've never gone to detention before," Alison stated in dismay.

"Well, maybe it's time I've endured that too. It's all a part of the high school experience," Spencer shrugged, but Alison was still staring at her in question. "Plus, Mr. Hackett said that due to the circumstances, this won't go on our permanent records, so you can stop feeling guilty."

Alison wanted to laugh at their nonchalance. They were acting as though they punched homophobes every Monday and Thursday. Finally, her friends' bright smiles made her settle for a light grin as well. She pulled the two of them into a secure hug. "Well, thank you for that. But next time, just leave it to me and Em. I don't want you to get into any more trouble, and I'm one hundred percent sure that Emily doesn't want that either." She parted, giving them a meaningful pointed look.

They nodded, the grins still present on their faces. Alison looked at them before adding playfully, "But it was pretty awesome of you."

They laughed as they walked down the hall together, preparing for their next class, which was the last of their day - English.