Disclaimer: Please note that I do not own Pretty Little Liars. This work is not intended for profit. This work is intended only for entertainment and for something to read in between releasing episodes of Pretty Little Liars. Enjoy the final season of Pretty Little Liars, which is season 7.
Warning: This content contains sexual, mature, and intense themes.
Author's note: By the way, there's a lot of time jumping and references back to different episodes of Pretty Little Liars. Also, I will make my own references.
Chapter 1: Breaking Bad
"Hey, Aria. How are things between you and Ezra?" Spencer asked me as I sat on her couch, staring blankly into the seemingly invisible void in the fire that was crackling away and eating away at the walnut wood logs that were slowly disintegrating as time passed minute by minute, hour by hour.
"Me and Ezra?" I mumbled. "Oh, they're fine." Actually, things weren't okay between me and Ezra. Recently we had an argument about our relationship, and what harm coming out to my parents was doing to our relationship. The after effects were rather corrosive. Our relationships had its ups and downs. Sometimes our relationship got unexpected kicks, and we definitely suffered the repercussions. My dad still struggled to accept us, but my Mom had slowly come around, for she'd seen how much I admired him, and how he was always there for me when my parents weren't.
"Oh, really," Hanna remarked dryly. "I feel like you're not telling the truth. We came over to Spencer's to have a good time, but you've been kind of a downer. It's strange to see you like this. It's like a different nature to you to us because you're not acting like yourself. For Heaven's sake, you've been staring at the fireplace for the past two hours and have said nothing to us. I feel like that there's something going on inside that pretty little head of yours."
"Hanna," Emily snapped as she looked up from watching NETFLIX on her computer with her blue SONY headphones on. I giggled inwardly, not knowing how Emily was able to hear all of what Hanna had just said, for she liked to listen to anything on headphones at a loud volume in order to block noise. "Mind your manners. That was kind of rude calling Aria a downer. I'm pretty sure Aria's just tired. After all, it is 11:43 at night."
"You're right. I'm sorry Aria for being rude. That was just unnecessary of me. I didn't mean to hurt you in any way," Hanna said, trying to make up for her words.
"It's fine really," I yawned and curled up into a tight little ball in my chair. I was so tired according to Emily's correct point. I wanted to go to sleep with my headphones on and forget about my troubles and problems with Ezra and our relationship. I just wanted everything to go the way I wanted to. I was beginning to get tired of having to constantly keep my relationship with Ezra together. We were different and similar to each other but really didn't know each other too well in depth. We didn't have that kind of relationship with each other the way I had with my tight-knit friends just waiting for the next attack from A.
"Looks like someone's tired. Maybe we should all go to bed and get some sleep. We do have a test in English tomorrow," Spencer said. I groaned inwardly when Spencer said that. I had no idea how I was going to deal with Ezra after our huge argument today. I was right in our conversation and railed against him, yet I was so angry and mad at him that I wonder if this will stay like this for a while. I don't want me and Ezra be on bad terms like this.
"Good idea, Spence," Emily said, taking off her headphones and pausing whatever she was watching. She turned off her laptop and put away her stuff. "I'll see you guys tomorrow unless any news from A shows up."
"Bye, Em," I said, looking up from my knees. "See you tomorrow." After Emily left, I decided that I should get going home. I bade my friends goodbye and left Spencer's house. Unfortunately, I had to walk home since I didn't have my car with me. I walked to Spencer's house from the Brew. I knew it wasn't the smartest idea then, and now here I was, walking home in the dark, cold. As I was heading home, I didn't notice a car driving next to me at a safe distance, so that I didn't feel like I was being stalked.
"Aria!" a familiar voice said in the dark of the night.
"Hi, Jason," I said meekly, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear and turning around to face him as he stopped his car.
"I'm glad I ran into you at the right time. I was just finishing up work and closing up my workplace," Jason said. "Could I give you a ride home?"
"Please," I smiled, "that would be great. I just need to let my Mom know that I'm on my way home." I got into his car and buckled my seatbelt. As I was digging through my purse for my phone, I noticed something or of the corner of my eye. I saw a black car with two very familiar looking people just sitting there in a nearby street. "Hang a second. Jason, isn't that Garrett's car?"
"Uh… yeah. Yeah, that's definitely his car for sure. Why? Are you worried?" Jason asked me, notifying how I tensed up and froze.
"Oh, my God. Jason, they've been following you around town, watching Spencer, Emily, Hanna and God know who else," my eyes widened as I made sudden connections between everything that's been said about Jenna and Garrett. "Now they're just sitting there watching us talk. They're really creepy, strange and definitely stalking people. Can we just get out of here, please?"
"Yeah, hang a second," Jason said as he got out of the car.
"Jason, where are you going?" I asked him. "Oh, hell no. You're so not doing that." I got out of the car and followed him to Garrett and Jenna. "Jason, no. Please don't. It's not worth it. Come on. Let's just get out of here. Jason!" I growled angrily as Jason didn't listen to me and reached Garrett's car.
Jason tapped on the window of Garrett's side of the car. Garrett looked up and rolled down the window. "Hey, Jason," Garrett said casually as if he hadn't done anything wrong. "How are you doing? Why are you out this late at night?"
As Jason was talking to Garrett, I texted my Mom to let her know that I was on my way.
"I would ask you the same thing. I'm fine. I just ran into Aria walking home alone shivering in the dark, so I was going to give her a ride home except she noticed you stalking us. She says that you've been stalking her and her friends, so I suggest that you get lost before you hurt someone," Jason replied. "Oh, and Jenna?"
"Yes, Jason?" Jenna asked, looking up from eating cherries and lining the pits in a row on the dashboard of the car.
"Please don't hurt Aria or her friends. If you mess with her or her friends, you will have to get through me first. If you want to hurt someone to get your revenge on what Alison did to you, go hurt someone else and not be Alison. This town doesn't need more drama than it already has," Jason said. Turning to Garrett, he said, "Should I be concerned you two are romantically involved with each other? Oh, wait. Never mind. As Toby may have told me, you are romantically involved with each other according to Spencer, my half-sister."
I think my jaw dropped on the floor when I heard Jason say that he and Spencer were half-siblings. That would explain why Spencer was acting strangely in the past couple of days. She was desperately avoiding her parents and trying to talk to Jason about her parents' and his parents' family tree and matrimony. All the questions she was asking us were really weird and strange, but it wasn't unusual that Spencer was asking all those questions. After all, Spencer is a Hastings.
"How'd you know all that? You weren't supposed to know. We were just going on about our business," Garrett tried to avoid Jason's remarks.
"Oh, really? Aria and her friends have told me all about the times that you two seem to have been stalking them," Jason sneered coldly. "Is that what you call 'business', Garrett? Are you still some part of the NAT club? Never mind. Don't answer that. I don't want to know. You two are weird, interlopers and just as perverted as Ian."
"Jason, let's go," I said, tugging at his arm. "My Mom's going to be wondering where I am if I don't show up at the house in the next fifteen minutes."
Jason sighed in annoyance that he didn't get to finish his message.
"Jason, I think they got your message. Just don't be so condescending and cold to them. Now you're on their radar. I suggest that you should stop while you're at it so that you don't annoy them any further," I said exasperatedly. "You should get in your car and drive me home so that my Mom doesn't worry where I am. I'll be with you in a minute."
Jason gave me one blank look that I couldn't read. I'll bet that on the inside, he was saying, "Fine, just hurry the hell up." I stared at him as he grudgingly trudged back over to his car across the street and got in. "I'm really sorry about that. He's been going through a lot, trying to process that Spencer is his half-sister. If he's caused you any-."
"Aria, it's okay. You don't need to worry. I-we understand. When the truth comes out, it can be hard to process and take in. I mean… I'd be a bit surprised and upset if I was put in that kind of situation. I'd be hurt, betrayed and angry at the parent who cheated," Garrett cut me off.
"O-okay. See you around town," I said and walked back to Jason's car. I got in and buckled my seatbelt. Jason put the car into drive mode and drove me home to my house. We drove in silence, not wanting to talk about what happened tonight with Jenna and Garrett. I would have to tell my best friends about tonight tomorrow. I didn't want to think about it and my friends' reactions to tonight.
We reached my house several minutes later. Jason pulled up in front of my house and parked in front of the driveway. I thanked him for the ride home and got out to walk up the stone pathway to the front porch.
"Aria," Jason said, stopping me in my tracks.
"Yeah?" I asked him.
"If Jenna and Garrett are still bothering you and your friends after tonight, let me know, and I'll deal with them. Garrett isn't usually annoying, but he can very nosy sometimes," Jason said.
"Oh, okay," I said before disappearing up the pathway to the front porch. I unlocked the front door, and before I entered the house I glanced back at Jason and flashed a smile at him. I entered the house and gently closed the front door behind me. I didn't want to wake anyone up, so I got out my phone and texted my Mom to let her know that I got home safely. My phone beeped a few seconds later. I checked it.
Okay, straight to bed, sweetheart. Love you. Have a good sleep. Xoxo - Mom
I headed up the stairs to my room. I changed into pyjamas and brushed my teeth. I got into bed and fell asleep the moment my head touched the pillow.
Author's Note: I'm really sorry that I haven't posted anything in a long time. I've had a bad case of writer's block. My story writing has been on and off. My writing seems to be better on paper because my creativity and writing flow seem to be a lot faster, and I don't have a hiatus on writing stories like I do on PC. I really don't know how to continue Love Is Just A Four Letter Word (Remastered Edition). My creativity flow on that story has just stopped because that story is sort of just the last year me. I don't know if I want to continue that story or not. Please leave comments and reviews on that story. As for this story, Song of the Caged Bird, I will be continuing it because I have an idea of what it's supposed to be like. I'm not a huge fan of the pairing of Ezra and Aria (Ezria) together. I like Jason and Aria together because Jason is sexy as Hell. As per usual, I would love feedback on this story. I would prefer constructive criticism rather than mean comments. That's all!
~Nerdwhizz
