Turn Your Face

Make It To Me

The sounds of my heels pacing back and forth on the Fields' front porch only competed with my heartbeat which felt unstoppably loud in my chest. I figured that today would be the day because of the letters I had received and despite knowing that Emily wouldn't be home for nearly an hour, I rushed over to wait for her so we could be together. I anxiously knocked on the front door hoping that maybe Mrs. Fields' car was in the garage so that I at least had someone to talk this out with until Emily got home. But after texting Emily's mom, just in case she happened to be outback, she had replied letting me know that she was going to be getting home late and that I could wait for Emily on the front porch. After knocking, I had even checked on the underbelly of the ceramic frog that set to the left of the front window which typically had an extra key stuck to it. But even that potential solution had been shot down, so here I paced. Every 10 minutes or so, I took a break allowing myself to swing on the front porch staring at the sealed letters in my hands. Not wanting to ruin the surprise, I had texted Emily simply stating, 'Hurry home ;)', which now that I considered it after-the-fact, I could only assume her car swung into the driveway as quickly as it did because she thought she was getting laid. Watching her toned body climb out from her car, hair tied back into a wet ponytail, and skin still glistening from not fully drying off before heading home sent chills through me. Mostly due to the news coming within a matter of minutes, but also because of how breathtakingly gorgeous she was even in the smallest of moments.

She appeared a little out of breath as she approached the front steps, "Hey, babe. Why aren't you inside?" She briefly hesitated as I walked toward her before placing her palm on my cheek for a quick kiss.

"Hey... I love you." I whispered pulling away, keeping the letters hidden behind me.

"And I love you too? But what's going on, Ali?"

I stepped back to make the big reveal, "I think we have some offer letters to go through!" I barely jumped off the ground with excitement, but it was enough to make Emily filled with glee.

"Really?! Okay, can you check the mailbox and I'll run upstairs to grab the other 3!" She asked as though it was a question, but had already opened the door and left me in her wake before I had fully processed what was happening.

I raced down to her mailbox pulling out one last letter from Pepperdine before rushing to sit back on the front porch swing. Emily and I had been methodical about the application process based on her potential offers from initial scouting at the end of last season: Pepperdine, University of Chicago, Villanova, University of Texas. Based on those 4 schools, I had applied to the same colleges or ones nearby in hopes that both of us would get accepted and wouldn't have to start a long-distance relationship 3 years in.

Emily quickly closed the front door behind her as she nestled into the swing next to me, "You ready, sweetheart? We've waited for all 4 over the past two weeks and the moments is finally here."

"Are we still on the same page about this, Em?" My head turned hesitantly toward her, "I mean, we still want this. Want us, side by side, even through college."

"Of course I do. Al, we talked about this all summer. I told you to apply anywhere you wanted. Are you regretting that you didn't now?"

"I guess I just wonder what might have happened if I tried for an Ivy League, and I could have. But what good is a college name on a diploma if you're not by my side?" I looked up at Emily smirking.

"You do realize that even if we do end up at the same school a DiLaurentis is never going to graduate next to a Fields?"

"They could!" I stared emphatically, "Don't shoot it down 4 years out! It could happen! How many E last names are there really?"