A/N: Hey everyone, so this is my first time writing for Pretty Little Liars. I hope you all like it! Let me know how you like it and as always, review! (Starting from 2x5 – my take on how things go…)
Things with Ezra had now become rocky. Aria had been trying to brush it off for some time now, saying that her and Ezra would soon take a step together to acknowledge their relationship as a couple – she just needed to give it some time – but so far, even with the hope of their talk earlier, it deemed that nothing like that would be happening soon. The funeral for Ian was a time when she especially needed Ezra. Not only was this her second funeral she had ever attended, her best friend Ali being the first, but also she looked to Ezra for comfort. She wanted him to ward off those chilling thoughts of 'A' and the feelings of being unsafe. But of course, he let her down. Her heart dropped at that.
When Ezra came through the church doors, it seemed like the perfect chance for them to do be open with each other – just to show that they were a couple now – but instead he put up a mask to greet her and cowered away, sitting in the pew with her parents, staring at her.
She was ticked and disappointed then. Was it always going to be like this? Was there any way to break through to him and announce that they were publically involved?
Aria was getting tired of sneaking around Hollis and hiding out in his little apartment. She wanted more and she was starting to realize she wasn't going to be getting that anytime soon. Aria sighed. Nothing had changed and so far, it looked like nothing will.
But then she spotted Jason. As the funeral was coming to an end and they walked outside, people stood there looking at the coffin. She spotted him with his head down and his fingers laced together in some kind of expression she could not read. And that was when her curiosity rose. Why was he just sitting there on the bench? Was something wrong? What was he doing here? And more importantly, what making him think so hard that made his eyebrows furrow together?
Ali's older brother was someone she knew she should be staying away from. For all that mattered, he could be the one behind the A stalking and all this mischief. Her friends Hanna, Spencer, and Emily even believed it too, or at least thought he was creepy enough to be hiding something. So she knew she should have been staying away from Jason DiLaurentes, but why wasn't she? Why didn't she want to either?
Ever since he had returned Mike back to her doorstep, hell, even before then she had felt something for him. There were always nervous butterflies in her stomach and that unsettling feeling of not being in control of her emotions. She wanted to say being around him was awkward and not right, but it wasn't. It was more of like that feeling you get right before you are going to do something reckless and crazy – like jumping off a cliff. She loved that feeling, it was breathtaking yet scary, making it the combination great.
Now, it wasn't that she didn't feel that way for Ezra, because she did. She loved him with all her heart…right? He was kind and sweet. Through all this time together he had given up everything to be with her and they had such great memories. They had great companionship too, always getting along at his place and talking. Ezra was someone she could always talk to and share her thoughts with. He could read her like a book sometimes too and she loved that about him. But there was something missing now. With Jason around, she didn't always like to acknowledge it but sometimes she would – when Jason was around. There was no longer that strong spark or shiver of the spine with Ezra. He didn't make her nervous or feel excited in a butterflies in the stomach kind of way. Now he was just Ezra, the man she loved – or at least the man she thought she loved.
So after walking with him across the grass on the funeral, explaining her feelings, she broke it off. She wanted another hug from him then, but instead of looking at her, Ezra looked to her parents and all around. Who was going to see and what were they going to think? Aria couldn't take that anymore. She didn't want to feel that pang of disappointment and embarrassment that waved through her when she thought she was being too clingy. She wasn't …right? It was normal for her to want a hug from her boyfriend, whether he used to be her English teacher or not.
"Aria," Ezra said part shocked and broken after she called them off.
"I just can't," she spoke with a small bit of realization hitting her. "I can't keep feeling this way Ezra. I want there to be an us, not just around places like in your office at Hollis or in your apartment. I need more…I want more."
"What happen to baby steps?" he asked me, inching a bit further, but not so much where he looked like it was overly personal.
"Today was a baby step," she told him, now fully reading his face. His eyes were swimming with heartbreak and confusion. He knew he did something wrong, he knew what Aria wanted, but he wasn't willing to give that yet. He wasn't sure if he could take the pressure.
"Aria, we just need more time. I want this too, I do. But do you really think this is the best public place to show your parents we are involved? Aria, we are at a funeral with people all around. Please, you have to think about this."
"I'm tired of thinking Ezra," Aria sighed. "Period. If we can't show my parents we are together, how do you think we can show anyone else we are? They are the first people we should be trying to show and tell. Word around Rosewood of us being together will be even worse for them. I don't think they will want to be hearing the gossip of their daughter dating her past English teacher before anyone else do you? I'm tired of hiding Ezra, and today, I just decided it was enough."
"Aria," he said emptily. With both of them looking from their peripheral vision the two could see Aria's parents start to walk towards them and they knew this conversation would be ending very soon.
"We should talk about this. Come over tonight?"
"I can't," she said shortly.
"Aria," he sighed. "Call me," he begged quickly, looking for a response or reaction just before Aria's parents stepped up towards them.
"Ezra," Mr. Montgomery called, his voice laced with happiness. If he only knew his daughter had been dating his man he wouldn't be so happy. As Aria's dad and Ezra began to talk, Mrs. Montgomery looked at her daughter with worry.
"You okay?" she asked Aria with concern, placing a hand on her upper arm.
"Fine," Aria responded with her head low, sucking up all of her emotions from Ezra.
As conversation flowed between the three adults, she stood there lost in her own thoughts and occasionally looking back to Jason. He was still sitting there, head bowed and looking worn.
"Please, you should join us for lunch," Aria's dad offered, extending the invitation towards Ezra to join him and his wife.
"No, I really shouldn't. I have a pile of papers that needs to be graded, which I should probably go get started on, but thank you," Ezra responded courteously. Another shot knocked down where he could talk to her parents about his relationship with their daughter. But of course, he declined and that was the last straw. Aria knew from right there, she would be sticking to her guns and not getting back with Mr. Fitz. He just wasn't worth it anymore.
As he backed away, giving Aria a knowingly look as he left, she ignored it, dismissing herself from her parents with a quick goodbye and turned away to go talk to Jason.
She approached him, unknowingly what to say or do. Maybe this was a bad idea, she thought to herself.
"Thanks again, for not calling the cops on Mike," she started off as Jason turned his head in the slightest to acknowledge that he saw her.
"Of course," he said looking down to his hands. He was playing with a small blade of grass, twisting it over his fingers.
"So…why didn't you?" she wondered, stepping forth to possibly sit down.
"I don't know," he shrugged, "I guess because Ali used to threaten me like that."
"Did she ever?" Aria wondered curiously "…call the cops I mean," she explained. He looked to her with those gorgeous eyes.
"No, she was always better at getting her way through blackmail," he spoke. Aria tensed in the slightest thinking about A. That whole thing chilled her and she didn't like it.
"You know, you have no idea how good it feels to know it was Ian who did it," Jason spoke to Aria.
"What do you mean?" she wondered again, this time turning to face him.
"I don't remember anything from that night and for a long time…"
"You thought you might have killed her?" Aria's eyes widened. Oh no.
"Like I said, didn't remember anything from that night. I must have blacked out from the drugs and alcohol. And when I woke up the next day, people were saying my sister had gone missing and I found this note," he said reaching into his side pocket and pulling out a wrinkled piece of paper. On it, it said 'I know what you did'.
"Who gave you this?" Aria wondered, turning it over for any sign of an 'A' or some type of hint.
"I don't know, but for the longest time, I thought it might have been me," Jason said looking down to her hands at the note. Aria was speechless for that short amount of time. What could she possibly say? And this note…was it a mark of 'A'?
"You know, my parents lost the wrong child," he spoke to her sadly. There was so much guilt in his eyes and by the way he looked away from her, he almost seemed ashamed.
"Hey, don't say that," she reprimanded softly. Jason was a great guy underneath it all. Sure, at times when they were growing up, he may have been a little scary and a pushy older brother, but under all those tough guy layers he was really sweet and caring.
"Its true, Ali had it all, she was that child a parent loved to have," he spoke.
"You weren't too bad," Aria shrugged.
"I was the kid messed up with drugs and alcohol," he scoffed slightly, looking to her briefly.
"Look at you now," she said softly, trying to lift that sadness in his eyes. "I think you are doing a lot of good and helping others."
Jason turned his head and looked at her. And when I say look, I mean really look. He stared into her pure brown eyes, mesmerizing every facial feature, trying to understand her.
"Thanks Aria," he finally said softly.
"Of course," she said with the slightest blush.
So after leaving Jason in peace and trying to figure out what was going on Aria met up with Spencer and had dinner.
"So wait, he doesn't remember anything about that summer? Anything at all?" She questioned to Aria as they ate.
"No, he said he was probably too high and drunk to remember. I mean, he did used to be like that," she said giving him the benefit of the doubt.
"Oh please Aria, you really aren't buying that are you?" Spencer wondered with an eye roll.
"I don't have a reason not to," Aria responded quietly. "Plus," she spoke up, "what was with the note he got. 'I know what you did', what is that supposed to mean?"
"Hello? Aria, how can you not see this? He's with 'A'. I'm telling you. I saw someone in his house and if it was Ian…"
"Spence," Aria sighed.
"And lets not forget about the field hockey stick," Spencer continued.
"But why would your dad be hiding that for Jason if it was him?" Aria asked.
"Who knows," she said brushing off the fact. "But now this Aria. I think it's him."
Aria stayed quiet and picked at her salad. "Spence, I just don't think it's him."
"Aria!" Spence reprimanded.
"How's Melissa?" Aria asked, trying to change the topic. Spencer sighed, "it's a girl," she told her friend. "The devil baby of Ian and my sister is going to be a girl."
"You're really going to call it the devil baby?" Aria asked with wide eyes.
"No, not forever," Spencer sighed. She set down her fork and looked to Aria. "Is it weird that I'm happy? Like…I can't wait to see what she looks like. I'm going to be an aunt."
"Spence, I think that's great. It's definitely okay to be happy. It's your sister and she's having a baby. You're going to be an awesome aunt," Aria smiled.
"Thanks," Spence said back with a grateful look. From the stress of the week piling up on her, she found that Aria's words were a real help and her shoulders relaxed the slightest.
Both of their phones suddenly beeped before they could go to their next subject. Both of them tensing, they pulled out their phones and checked the text message.
Emily.
They sighed with relief.
"She has something," Aria stated in more of a curious tone.
"Let's go," Spencer said already pushing her chair back and setting down money for the food. Following her lead, Aria did the same and they rushed off to meet the rest of the girls.
Somehow they ended up at the cemetery. One of the creepiest places to be at night, well, for Aria anyways. With flashlights in everyone's hands they followed the map and halted when a projector began playing a video. Each of the girls were secretly freaking out all their own, but it was when Ali got up from the ground that they were all stunned. She was still alive – Ian didn't do it.
"Where is it coming from?" Hanna said the most panicked.
"I don't know!" Emily said in distress. As the girls continued to look around for the source, the movie came to a close and they were left with darkness again.
"Lets get out of here?" Aria suggested.
"Yea, lets go," Spencer agreed, with the group rushing away from the cemetery as fast as possible.
A/N: Like it so far? Yay or neigh? I know its kind of like the show with only a few changes but I promise once everything gets flowing it will stand all on its own. Please review and let me know what you think!
