Disclaimer: I do not own Pretty Little Liars or these characters. Not written for money, only enjoyment.
This is going to start out kind of funny and I'm sorry about that, but as I started to write this direction came to me and I liked where it went. I hope you enjoy the story.
Please don't be afraid to review. I appreciate them all including criticism.
Aria Montgomery, Spencer Hastings, Hanna Marin and Emily Fields were a group of friends who seemed to be unable to be broken. Never in the last 3 years had they truly turned on one another always there when the pieces began to fall into place or things got out of hand. Now that A's reign of terror was over, the girls were looking for a way to get back to normal, not really having any idea of how to though. It was the last three months of their senior year, Aria was miserable because of the fighting going on between her and Ezra, Spencer was finally coming off learning that she wouldn't be going to U. Penn like the rest of her family, Emily had learned that she would never swim again because of an accident A had caused and Hanna was dealing with all the fighting that she and her Mom were doing.
Walking in the front doors of the school, Emily noticed a sign for Rosewoods yearly Talent Showcase. "Hey why don't we do this?" She asked.
Aria came to stand beside her, "You know this could be fun. We have never done it before." She said agreeing.
"I'm all for it as long as we can each do our thing. I love you all but I want some spotlight on me." Hanna said waving her hand like a pageant queen.
Spencer laughed as she got out a pen, "Okay Em, sign us up." She said handing her friend the pen.
The girls signed up for the Talent Showcase and put down singing for all of them. While they didn't know what they were each going to sing, they were ready to put on a show for their town. After Emily put all their names down, Hanna went off to find Caleb who she was going to force to sign up, Emily went to find Paige so they could continue to work things out and Spencer was off to the Chemistry lab for some extra time on her final project. Aria was the one left on the front steps distracted by the shagging blonde hair coming up talking to her little brother. It had been months since she had seen Jason and seeing him with Mike had all of the feelings she thought she taken care of rushing back.
Moving away from the door Aria watched her brother with Jason. They had this bond that she was jealous of. She and Mike had a good relationship especially after their family had found out why Mike had been acting out, but that wasn't what she was jealous of. She wanted to be able to be around Jason and have it be like it was 2 years ago when he first moved back, effortless. After he had admitted his feelings to her and she rejected him for Ezra, things had fallen apart and she didn't know how to put them back together. Not knowing how long he was in town for would drive her crazy, so she turned to go inside, not noticing Spencer watching her.
Spencer had known since the time that Jason had come home the first time that Aria was attracted to him. She had put in a huge fight with her over hanging out with him thinking he was a part of what had happened to Ali, the link between them all, but it turned out he hadn't been involved. The two had also discovered that they were half-siblings and had made great ways into that relationship. As she watched Aria, Spencer began to wonder if the fighting that was going on between Aria and Fitz was because Aria couldn't keep her mind from going back to the one guy who had her heart since they were thirteen. Admitting that Jason and Aria would be a cute couple and good together was just to gross for Spencer to admit to anyone besides herself.
Hanna had found Caleb playing on his laptop and had brought him out front to sign up for the Talent Showcase, but stopped when she saw Spencer watching Aria who was watching her brother Mike with Jason. It had ben months since he had been in town. Even though she and Caleb were happy, Hanna would admit to anyone who asked including her boyfriend that she didn't mind staring at the guy, he was a gorgeous piece of eye candy.
After her two friends had gone inside, Hanna drug her boyfriend over the sign-up sheet, "Put your name there" she said pointing to the line below her name.
"Hanna, I don't sing or do anything impressive unless you count my computer skills." Caleb said with a point.
"I don't care. You are going to do something for this showcase."
Taking her pen, "Okay, but what will I sing?" Caleb asked nervously, because he knew he was going to end up singing.
"I'm thinking some country, maybe Josh Turner." Hanna said smiling.
"Han, I love you, but I sound nothing like the guy." Caleb pleaded.
"Thanks okay. This is just for fun. Come on we only have a three months until we are done with high school and plus will that A stuff behind us we can finally embarrass ourselves the old fashion way."
Knowing he wouldn't be able to argue his way out of singing in the showcase Caleb put his name down.
Caleb was about to follow Hanna inside when he heard his name being called. Turning around he saw Jason, "Hey man. When did you get back?" he asked his friend.
"Yesterday. How have things been around here?" Jason asked curious about not only his home town but also a short brunette that had been watching him earlier.
"Things have great since A's reign of terror ended. The girls are all happy, well besides Aria who is fighting with Fitz like every day." Caleb answered honestly. He knew that Jason was most curious about the one girl over the group as a whole.
"I'm glad that they are all okay. I wish I had been here for the take down. It must've been epic." Jason said running a hand through his hair that needed a good cut.
"Why don't you just go talk to her?"
"Talk to who, Spencer? I will but she was probably going to do something nerdy and would take my head off if I interrupted." Jason said acting clueless.
"You know I'm not talking about Spencer. She missed you too, ya know. All the girls know it but they don't know what to do about it." Caleb said punching Jason's arm with a smile on his face.
"She's still with Fitz which means I don't stand a chance and I don't want to deal with a broken heart again. I need to find a way to be in Rosewood and not have my mind always wonder to Aria." Jason told Caleb, finally saying her name.
"Like I told you, all they do is fight anymore. Hanna says that they won't make it to the end of the year especially since he found out he has a son." Caleb said giving up more information than was needed.
"He has a son?" Jason said shocked.
"Yep." Caleb said grabbing his backpack and heading inside as the bell had rung. "Any way, just talk to her. See ya later though."
Jason said bye to Caleb with his head reeling. Fitz had a son, and he thought he was the biggest screw up Aria had ever been interested in. Spencer had told him that he wasn't the only one who had feelings when it had come to him and Aria. She also had told him that Aria didn't know exactly what she wanted; Fitz represented what she thought she wanted while he represented what as possibly what she needed, according to Spencer. As he went to open the door he noticed the sign for the town Talent Showcase and saw that all the girls had signed up and so had Caleb. Hanna's really got him whipped was all Jason could think, but he decided that Caleb shouldn't be the only guy being tortured that night and put his name down. Opening the door and heading inside all Jason thought about on his way to his office was how he had to talk to Aria before she left Rosewood High and possibly Rosewood for good. He needed to know how she truly felt about him.
Emily was the first one at their lunch table and all she could think about was her conversation with Paige that morning. They were getting along great again, but they had decided that getting back together would only hurt more after graduation so they decided to just stay close friends. She was actually okay with the decision because it meant that she and Paige could both go to college and become who they wanted to be without worrying about the other.
Lost in her own world Emily didn't notice her friends sit down with her, "Emily? Earth to Emily.." Hanna said waving her hand in front of her friends face.
Jumping, "Oh hey. When did you guys get here?" Emily asked turning pink.
"A minute or so ago." Spencer said matter of factly.
"Oh, so I think I know what I'm going to sing at the Talent Showcase." Aria said changing the subject.
"And what would that be? Something to do with a certain gorgeous blonde that is now back in town?" Hanna teased.
Turning crimson, "How did you know he was back? I just saw him this morning." Aria asked in a frantic tone. "Did you know he was coming back?"
"Aria calm down. No I just saw you watching him and Spencer being a creeper and watching you watch him." Hanna explained while looking at her frantic friend.
"Aria, is there something you'd like to tell us?" Spencer asked in a motherly tone.
"No! But I'm going to sing 'Always Something There to Remind Me by Naked Eyes' for the showcase" Aria said quickly getting up from the table and walking away quickly before her friends could question her about her choice.
Spencer, Hanna and Emily all looked at each other. None of them had known Jason was coming back into town, but apparently it was going to make the next three months interesting. "Well I guess we now know how she feels about him being back." Hanna stated.
"Hanna."
"What? Come on that songs says it all. She told us that she was over him, but when I saw her watching him this morning you could have set off a nuclear bomb and Aria wouldn't have noticed anything but him." Hanna noted honestly.
"But still Hanna, she is going through a lot right now. We need to stick together." Emily defended for their friend who was obviously dealing with something.
"Emily she may be dealing with something but what Hanna said is true. When Aria saw Jason it was like something out a movie. Her eyes never moved from him." Spencer explained.
Caleb, Toby and Jason were sitting in the courtyard catching up when Toby noticed Aria getting up and leaving the girls table inside looking upset. "Do you two always sit where you can see their table?" Jason asked trying to stifle a laugh.
"Yeah, we like to know what is going on." Caleb said throwing a fry at his friend.
"Plus this way we know when they want to come in and do something for them." Toby added.
"Wow. They have you two whipped." Jason said amused.
Ignoring Jason's comment, "Do you guys think Aria is okay? She looked pretty upset." Toby asked the other two guys.
"I don't know, but I do know not go and try to figure out what is wrong." Caleb said honestly. He got in enough trouble with Hanna when she was upset to even go near Aria.
"None of the other girls got up and went after her, so I think that maybe she just needs to be alone." Jason said looking through the window and making eye contact with Spencer.
"That's probably true. Plus I don't do well around girls crying." Toby stated.
The other two guys just nodded their heads in agreement.
"So Toby you're signing up for the Talent Showcase right? Jason and I already have." Caleb asked the only guy in the group left.
"Oh hell no."
"I want to see that argument hold up against Spencer." Jason said not able to hold in his laughter.
Through the rest of lunch the three guys caught up.
It was a good thing Aria knew her way to her Mom's room without having to look at door numbers. She was trying to keep the tears that were threatening to come from doing just that, but when she got to the room she wanted and saw her Mom kissing her new husband, Zack, the tears came. Crumpling to the floor Aria left the emotions she had been hiding and fighting for months come out and didn't care who saw.
Ella Montgomery had been enjoying a lovely lunch and kiss with her new husband, Zack, when she heard the door to her classroom open and someone crying. Pulling away from the kiss she saw that it was her daughter that was sobbing on the floor with the door wide open. Zack wasted no time and went to close the door while Ella sat down on the floor beside Aria and pulled her towards her. Zack knew that Aria was dealing with a lot at the moment and waved to his new wife knowing that she would know better want to do than he would. Ella blew a kiss to her departing husband before trying to decipher why Aria was crying.
Aria had heard the door shut and felt arms pulling her close so she didn't put up a fight. Leaning against her Mom, Aria let all of her emotions wash over her. All of the fighting with Ezra, the wanting to be done with their relationship but at the same time not wanting it to end and now Jason being back in town. Not being able to speak she just snuggled into the one person who would hold her until she was done. When the tears finally slowed down Aria lifted her head and looked at her Mom who looked worried.
"Do you want to talk about this now or later?" Ella asked her daughter.
"I would like to talk about it now, but I don't want to cry again." Aria answered in between hiccups.
Smoothing Aria's hair, "Why don't you go home early today. I'll tell all your teachers you aren't feeling well." Ella suggested.
"You're telling me to go home and skip the rest of my classes?" Aria asked in disbelief.
"Only this one time. I don't know what is wrong and I don't want to make you cry again, but something tells me that you being here the rest of the day will have you hiding in the bathroom crying." Ella explained her reasoning.
Not arguing with her Mom, Aria gathered her stuff off the floor and tried to make her face look more presentable so she could get to her car.
The lunch bell had long rung and the girls couldn't find Aria anywhere. "She can't really be that mad at us, can she" Hanna asked.
"Hanna I don't think she is mad. I think she is confused." Emily offered.
"Well we need to help her out. I know things with Ezra haven't been easy but she wouldn't be crying over that." Spencer said.
"Could she be crying over Jason? They didn't exactly leave things on the best terms." Emily asked the other two girls.
It hadn't occurred to any of them that that may just be the reason. "I say we do find her Mom and ask her if she has seen her." Hanna suggested.
So the girls made their way towards their English teacher's classroom having no idea who had overheard their conversation. Walking into the classroom Spencer was the first to ask, "Have you seen Aria? We haven't been able to find her since she ran out on us at lunch." She explained.
"I have girls, she was pretty upset so I suggested that she take the rest of the day off and go home to settle down." Ella told to her daughter's three best friends.
"You told her to skip school. You're officially the coolest Mom ever." Hanna said sounding jealous.
"Hanna I didn't do it to be cool. It was for her mental health. I don't know what made her upset, but something had her crying on my classroom floor and I knew that whatever that was would have her hiding in the bathroom doing the same thing." Ella explained.
"She was crying on the floor?" Emily asked sounding worried.
"Crying would be putting it calmly. She was more sobbing and shaking." Ella said quietly.
"Thanks for telling us. Would it be okay if we came by and saw her after school?" Spencer asked.
"How about I go home first and see how she is and then call and let you know." Ella responded.
"That works." The friends said as they left the classroom.
Jason had stopped when he heard Spencer and her friends mention his name and Aria. Not being able to hear the whole conversation because of the noisy hallway Jason had followed them to the former Mrs. Montgomery's classroom. He had heard through the grapevine at school that she had married the owner of The Brew. Jason had only met the guy once or twice but he seemed decent and had a better understanding of Ella than Byron so he was happy for her. Standing quiet in the hallway he heard Ella say that Aria had been sobbing in her room and had gone home from school with her permission to skip the rest of the day. He didn't like the feeling in his stomach as he thought about Aria crying because of him. When he had gotten in the night before he hadn't meant to come to work today, but Mike had called him and needed to talk. Walking away from the classroom Jason hoped he wasn't the reason Aria had gone home crying, he wouldn't be able to deal with that guilt, after all he was in love with her and had been since he was a senior at Rosewood High.
Aria had made it to her car and home before the tears started again. She saw Zack's car in the driveway but she knew he wouldn't care that she was home plus she was sure her Mom had called and told him to expect her to come home. Opening the door and going inside Aria could hear Zack in the kitchen, passing it she went upstairs. Putting her stuff on the armchair she had in room she went over to her stereo and put in a Glee cd and set it to repeat Get It Right. It had been the soundtrack to her life lately. Every time she played it she felt like Rachel knew exactly how she was feeling. Curling into a ball on her bed Aria let her mind wander to whether or not she had made the right choice in choosing Ezra two years ago while tears streamed down her face. The past two years had been filled with fights and never ending stupid arguments, but Aria was sure she was in love with Ezra or she had been until today when she Jason again. Slowly she let the darkness coming from her crying take her over and she fell into a sleep caused by heartbreak and unknowingness.
Zack had been in the kitchen when Aria had come in. Ella had called to tell him that she was coming home and she was upset. Being as that Aria wasn't really his kid he didn't know how far to step in but as he went upstairs toward Aria's room he could hear the familiar song that she had been playing on repeat for as long as Zack could think back. He was beginning to believe that the song was preaching to whatever she was going through. Slowly opening her door, Zack saw her curled into a ball and sleeping, grabbing the light blanket she kept out he put it over her and turned the song up a little as to drown out any noise that may come into the house.
After lunch the school day seemed to take forever to get through. The girls just wanted to go and check on Aria. They all hoped that they hadn't made her upset, they all knew that there had been a possibility that Aria wasn't over losing Jason in her life. After the last bell rang they all went to Spencer's house to wait for Aria's Mom to call them with whether or not they could come over.
Ella rushed home after school to check on Aria. After her episode at school all Ella could think about was how upset she had been and how she needed to know so she could try and fix whatever had hurt her little girl. Rushing through the front door she was greeted by Zack who grabbed her arm and spun her around into him when she tried to go upstairs, "She's sleeping and has been since she got home." She got told.
"Did she say anything?"
"No. She came in, went upstairs, put on the same song that has been playing nonstop for months now and fell asleep." Zack told his worried wife.
Putting her forehead against her husband's chest, "I just wish I knew what caused her to break down. Everything with A is settled and this is her senior year. She should be enjoying this time not crying." Ella stated not expecting an answer. "I have to call the girls. They're worried about her."
Picking up the phone, Ella dialed the Hastings number.
Spencer answered the ringing phone knowing it Aria's Mom, "Hello. Hi. Can we come see her?" She asked.
"I'm sorry, but she is sleeping and I don't want to wake her up. Maybe tomorrow because I'm not expecting her to go to school." Ella told her daughters friends through the phone.
"Okay. Thanks." Spencer said disappointed.
"So can we?" Hanna asked.
"No she's sleeping and we shouldn't expect her at school tomorrow." Spencer told her two friends.
"We have a right to know why she is upset just as much as her Mom." Emily said annoyed.
"I know, but we also can push Aria. If she broke down at school today, can you imagine what would happen if we pushed to get answers from her." Spencer shot at her friend angry.
"Alright enough arguing. I say we meet up tomorrow morning and see if we can put together ourselves what pushed Aria over the edge of emotions." Hanna said stepping between her two angry friends.
They both agreed.
Aria woke up several hours later to her Mom sitting in the arm chair watching her. She sat up feeling a little better than she had when got home from school. Her stereo had been turned down but you could still hear all the words. Ella got up and moved across her daughter's room to sit on her bed, "Are you okay?" She asked worried.
"I don't know Mom. I'm so confused." Aria said fighting back the tears that were coming again. "I thought I was over Jason and then I saw him with Mike and I got jealous and then I couldn't stop thinking about him and I how I screwed everything up. I've missed him and I want him to know that and I want things to back to the way things were before everything." She finished with tears streaming down her cheeks.
Ella put her arms around Aria's shoulders, "Honey, I think the reason this is affecting you so much is because you may now have to admit how you truly feel about Jason DiLaurentis. When he was gone you could deny the feelings and try to make things work with Ezra, but now you can't anymore." She said rubbing her daughters back. "I think you are in love with Jason. And before you jump and say no I want you to listen. Right after Jason left you started to listen to this song and the girl is singing about not being able to do anything right and that is how you feel when it comes to Jason. You know you hurt him and you don't know how to get past that and make things better. A part you may love Ezra, but you have been IN love with Jason since you were thirteen."
"You think I'm IN love with Jason?" Aria asked with tears coming down.
"I do, but I also know how much you don't want that to be true."
"Actually Mom, I think I want it to be true. I have missed Jason more than my friends know and also you and Zack. For past couple of weeks I have been going to his house and sitting on the front porch and crying my eyes out. I never meant to hurt him, never. At the time Ezra made more sense, my friends liked him and trusted him and then there was Jason the guy I couldn't keep out my mind but my friends hated." Aria said as her shoulder started to shake more.
Ella moved out the way and laid Aria back down and rubbed her back until she was asleep again.
Walking downstairs Ella Montgomery finally realized what had caused her daughters break down and that this wasn't the first time it had happened. Aria was broken hearted over breaking Jason's heart and didn't know how to fix. The song choice also made perfect sense for the fact that Aria felt like everything was her fault and that she couldn't do anything right. Mike came into the living room with Zack from the kitchen, "Is Aria okay?" he asked worried about his big sister.
"She will be, but she is going to need some time and help." Ella explained and looked at Zack specifically.
"Uh-oh, why do I feel as though I'm about to be sent on some dangerous mission." He said tensed.
"Not dangerous physically, emotionally maybe. I'd like you to talk to Jason DiLaurentis for me. I need to know if there is a way that Aria can fix what happened between them." Ella told her husband.
"Why can't I ask him Mom? I know him." Mike asked hurt.
"Mike I need you to keep an eye on Aria. She needs someone to trust and right now her friends are the last people she wants to talk to about Jason."
"I don't know El, Mike knows Jason better than I do. Wouldn't it make more sense to have him talk to him." Zack said stepping in for Mike.
"It would in a normal situation yes, but this situation requires Aria having no idea about the contact." Ella explained and saw the light bulbs go off above her son's and husband's heads.