MONA POV

I'm so alone. I''m in a crowd but no one sees me - the real me. All they see is the manifestation of my past mistakes. I used to hate those girls so much, and so I became A. Then the game was taken from me and it all got out of control. Now, I'd like to say that those same girls have forgiven me, but I can never really be sure. It's been two years since everything has been put to rest, and I just feel so stuck. I see the same faces every day, and I really can't stand it anymore, but I don't have anywhere else to go. Family is out of the question, and I have no significant other. Maybe the solution will come to me as I go through my day.

I work at the Rosewood Library. It may not be a very high-paying job, but I love being around the books. Sometimes when it isn't busy, I like to go and find a really old book with completely yellowed-pages and smell the nostalgia emanating from it. Years of love and care leaves an imprint on a book. That smell brings me comfort. I'm not really sure why… I guess it might be because I long for that kind of love and care for years at a time. One of my favorite books to read when its slow is "Chocolates for Breakfast". It's this tale of an eighteen year old girl in Los Angeles who is realizing what love and desire really is all about. For some reason the story just makes me feel understood. I don't know. I guess I'm just being silly.

My boss is this nagging old woman who really gets on my nerves - Mrs. Ethel Ainsworth. I'm sitting behind the counter checking in books being returned by a young boy when I hear the familiar clacking of this shrewd's old-woman-heels on the tile. I hear a very familiar clearing of the throat, which is a signal for me to direct my attention to her. Mrs. Ainsworth says to me, "Were you the one who did not empty the coffee pot after using it? The coffee pot in the office must always be emptied. If it is not, it could lead to accidents, and we do not allow accidents here." I draw a breath of strength as I reply, "No, Mrs. Ainsworth. I didn't empty the coffee pot. I will remember to do better in the future." She huffed at me, "Well, if you keep up this kind of behavior, your future here will be short." At that I begin to lose my cool. I stand up abruptly which causes her to step back in shock. I ball up my fists and say in a less than calm voice, "Well, maybe I don't want my future to consist of just this library like you. Maybe I want something more than the same old thing 24/7, with the same old people." She narrowed her eyes at me and replied in a low voice, "You should take your lunch break before you say something else that you'll regret." I grab my jacket roughly from the back of my chair and stomp out from behind the counter and out the door. I get about five steps out of the door when my mind conjures up an image. It's an image from my mental movie of "Chocolates for Breakfast". In an instant, before I know it, I've stepped back inside the library. I lock eyes with Mrs. Ainsworth and as I throw down my employee's badge say, "You know what? I don't want to be stuck here like you Ethel. I quit!" Her eyes widen and before I can gauge the rest of her reaction, I turn around and practically skip out the doors and down the street.

Before the panic of quitting my job and having literally no idea what I'll do next sets in, I rush home and start packing my bags. As I pack I call the airport and check to see if there's any planes leaving for Los Angeles in the next hour. The attendant who answered confirmed, and so over the phone I bought one coach ticket. I lied a little to the attendant and said that I get incredibly queasy when I can't see the sky, so she was able to get me a window-seat for no extra cost. The next thing I know, I'm boarding a plane flying to the rest of my life.

The flight to Los Angeles was incredibly un-interesting, and everything up until my sit-down at a coffee shop was too. After the five hour flight, I was thirsty so I stopped at a little coffee shop right smack-dab in the middle of the city. I ordered a latte and sat down at a table by the window. I hadn't even been sitting for six minutes when I head a familiar voice. Not being able to place it, I looked to the source who was turning around after getting his order. The voice belonged to that of Lucas Gottesman - an old acquaintance. I locked eyes with him and smiled. His face hesitated for just a second before registering a look of shock. "Mona Vanderwaal." He said cooly in a tone just short of exclaiming. I waved him to my table, and he sat across from me. "It's been ages Lucas, how have you been?" I asked. He smiled and replied, "I've been good. Business is booming, and I haven't been blackmailed in years." I winced at the jab and said, "I am so sorry for all of the Lucas. I really am. I've been working on improving myself the past couple of years, and I really am on my way to being a good person. I don't think I've ever apologized for what I did to you, but I am now, and I really do mean it. I hope you can forgive me." He thought for a minute and flashed me a brilliant smile. "If you really mean it, then I forgive you. Far be it from me to hinder someone's progress in becoming a better person." I smiled at that. "Let's put all that behind us then. What are you doing in the city?" he asked. "I just got here. Literally, like half an hour ago. And to answer 'what am I doing here', I really have no clue. I couldn't take another minute of being stuck in Rosewood, so I just packed up and left." His eyes widened and his jawed dropped a little. I continued, "I guess I'll just find myself an apartment and a job, and try to live." His face portrayed being in thought for a moment before he replied, "Well. In all honesty, I just opened a small photography shop, and I've been looking for a manager, and the position comes with an apartment in the city. You could have it if you want. That is, if you're still interested in photography." I shook my head in shock and disbelief, "Of course I am! That's so generous! If you really mean it, then of course I'll work for you!" He chuckled and said, "I really mean it. Maybe this can be the first step towards us becoming good friends." I smiled and replied, "I hope so." Then he took a business card out of his pocket and wrote two addresses on the back. As he handed it to me he said, "The first one is the address of the shop, and the second is the apartment. How about I give you some time to settle in, and you can start work on Monday?" I asked, "Monday? But today's Monday. You're giving me an entire week to settle in?" He chucked and said, "Of course! You just got to the city. That'll give you enough time to figure out which take-out places you like the best." I laughed a little, "Sounds fantastic! So, I'll see you at work on Monday?" He stood, handed me a key, and said, "It's a deal. See you then Mona." Then he walked out the door. I was still completely flabbergasted, so I sat for a little while longer before catching a taxi to the apartment.

The keychain to the apartment had the number on it, so I went right up to my new fifth-story apartment. I opened the door, and was in utter shock. It was the penthouse. The penthouse. I drug my suitcases inside and dropping them on the floor, closed the door. Then just like the girls in movies, literally was walking and spinning around to take in the scenery. The living room was massive with an enormous TV. The bathroom was absolutely luxurious. The kitchen was big enough for an entire restaurant. But best of all was the bedroom. In it rested a Queen-sized bed, and right in front of it was another massive television. I felt like a VIP movie star! So in the spirit of stardom, I jumped and plopped onto the bed. I squealed and decided to unpack tomorrow. Tonight all I was gonna do was change into some comfy sweats and order in.

As I waited for the Chinese food to be delivered, I discovered that there was already cable and internet installed. I aimlessly surfed channels until I head a ring. At the second ring I realized, that my penthouse apartment had a doorbell. What?! So cool. Oh my god, I'm such a townie. I hopped up and literally skipped to the door. I paid the man and went back to my bed with the food. I sat down on the covers and surfed the channels until I found an hour-long marathon of NCIS playing. I settled on that and ate my fill. The marathon had ended when I finally was ready to lay down, so I threw away my dinner trash and laid down. I surfed the channels again and found another show I didn't mind watching. I was drifting off into an incredibly pleasant sleep before the show had even finished. And I slept like that for many hours. It had been a dream of a day, and it could only get better from here.