Disclaimer : I don't own Pretty Little Liars, but so excited that they won a people choice award! (I voted for them, of course!)
Author's note : This chapter is really hard to write, because English is not my first language, so it is kind of hard for me to write the expression about the suspense in this chapter. But I hope that all of you can still enjoy it. Thanks for reading!
After their realization that day, Spencer dedicated her days to hunt everything about Ian. She digs more into Ian's life. If anybody knows what she is doing right now, they must be thinks that she is a stalker. She is looking through the barn, because there is the last place that Ian lived in. She even didn't hesitate to snoop around Melissa's things. She was obsessed to dig into Ian's life.
"Did you check that side thoroughly?" Spencer turned to Emily who gets the right side of the barn. Thank to God that a room always has four sides, and there are four of them. Each one of them gets one side of the room.
Emily turned to Spencer with an annoyed face. "I've been in this side for four days, Spence. I even can memorize the whole things in this place by now." Emily said. Spencer's obsession of course has to include her best friends.
And now Spencer looks at Hanna who has the same annoyed face. "Ditto." Hanna rolled her eyes on her. "We're in this room together for four days, in case you forget." Hanna said. Hanna took a glance at Aria's empty side of the room. "Maybe you should check Aria's side. She is only been here for three days. Maybe something turns up when she isn't here." Hanna said sarcastically.
Spencer sighed. She knows that her friends are annoyed by her recent behavior. "I know that you think I'm obsessed. But I'm not." Spencer said.
"Can't you hear yourself, Spence? Even that, sounds obsessed." Emily said.
Spencer walked to the center of the room, so she could be closer to Emily and Hanna. She knows that they didn't understand her right now. She doesn't understand herself right now. But she had a feeling that there is something in that room. "Look. Ian lived here. There must be something in here. I'm sure of it. We're just had to find it."
Hanna sighed. "We've been here for days, Spence. If there is something in here, we should found it by now."
Emily stepped closer to Spencer. "Hanna is right, Spence. Look. I get it that you're frustrated. I share the feelings. But this is getting nowhere. We're just wasting our time in here. We're gonna figure out something else. We're in this together, remember?"
Spencer sighed again. She looks her two best friends and saw their tired face. "Just search it one more time, okay?"
Emily and Hanna looked each other. Emily sighed but nodded at Hanna. "Fine." Hanna said with a sigh. Hanna really feel so sick of this, she almost can't stand it anymore. Because of that, she doesn't really looks where she was going and bumps into a dresser and a few things on top the dresser fell down to the ground with a breaking glass sound because one of them is a picture frame of Ian and Melissa on their wedding day. "Crap."
Emily and Spencer immediately glared at Hanna. Hanna looks at Spencer with an apologetic face. "I'm so sorry, Spence."
"I'll get a broom." Emily stepped out from the room.
Spencer just shook her head and continues searching on her side of the room. Hanna is just standing there and waiting for Emily to come back with a broom. She looks at the broken glasses that scattered around the floor and notice something. She kneeled down and tries to move the broken glasses.
Spencer heard the sound of the broken glasses that moved by Hanna and turned to her. "Hanna, what are you doing? Emily is getting a broom. You're gonna get yourself hurt." But Hanna is ignoring her. "Hanna! Stop picking it with your own hand."
Hanna raised her head and looked at Spencer. "There is something in here." Hanna said.
Spencer immediately walked to her and kneeled down beside her. Hanna is right. Spencer also sees something shining beneath the broken glasses. Hanna moved a few broken glasses and picks the thing.
"What is that? A key?" Spencer looks a key that picked by Hanna.
Hanna handed out the key to Spencer. "What is gonna opened?" Hanna said.
That is when they heard a footsteps and Emily walked back into the barn. She looked at both of the girls and notices their strange expression. "We found something." Spencer said, before Emily can ask anything. Emily drops the broom and walked to them. She looks at the key that Spencer holds.
"It was hide in a photo frame. It must be Ian's." Hanna said.
"Let me take a look at it." Spencer handed out the key to Emily. Emily observes the key. She recognizes the key. There is a distinctive sign on the key. "This is a PO box key from the post office on the fifth street. My mom gets one of this when she forwarded all of our mail to that PO Box when she moved to Texas."
"Do you have their number?" Spencer asked.
Emily nodded. "Yes, it's in my phone." Emily handed out her phone to Spencer.
Spencer immediately dialed the number. "US Postal Service, good evening. How can I help you?"
"Hi good evening. My name is – Jenna Marshall." Spencer looked at Emily who rolled her eyes and Hanna who smirk. "I want to ask about my friend's box. He was overseas at the moment, and he asked me to pick up something from his box. But he didn't give me the number, just the key."
"Who is the name on the rent?"
"Ian Thomas." Spencer answers.
"Hold on a moment." There is a hold tone while Spencer is waiting. But she didn't have to wait that long. "There is no Ian Thomas in here." Spencer just about to ask something else, but the girl from the US postal service talks again. "But there are Ian Thomas and Jason DiLaurentis."
"Jason DiLaurentis?" Spencer looks at both girls again. "Are you sure?"
"That's the name on the rent."
"What is the number?" The girl tells Spencer. "Well, thank you so much." And then Spencer hangs out the phone.
"Jason?" Hanna immediately asked Spencer as soon as she is off the phone.
"He has some explaining to do. Where are they?" Spencer asked.
"At Jason's. Aria is worried if we need something, so they just spend the day at Jason's." Emily said.
"We have to go over there."
Jason and Aria are finally having their first date. The two of them are cuddling against each other in front of the fireplace at Jason's house.
"I'm sorry that our first date has to be like this. I promise I will make it up to you when this is over." Aria said.
Jason gives her a sincere smile. "That's okay. This is perfect. I don't have any complain. What's there to complain? We're finally having our first date. And there are just the two of us here at my house. We can't get this kind of privacy at the fancy restaurant."
Aria smiled at him. "I love you. You know that, right?"
"I don't mind for you to keep remind me of that every time. And I love you too." They leaned in for a kiss. They never thought that they can be this happy. Jason slipped his hand on Aria's waist, holding her closer to him. "We can invite them all to a movie night or something. I really don't mind." Jason said again.
Aria just watched him. She feels so lucky to have him. She knows that Jason is just doesn't want her to be worried about her friends. Aria smiles again while she throws her arms to his neck. "But I do. I don't want to share you with the others, yet. I haven't got enough of you." Aria leaned in for a kiss.
Jason smiles and kissed her gently. "You don't have to worry about that. We're gonna have a lifetime of this." Jason kissed her again.
Aria chuckled while she tightens her hold on Jason. "Are you so sure that we're gonna ended up together?" Aria teased him.
"Of course. I might be anything, but not a fool." Jason said. Aria raised her eyebrows. "I know what I have. So I never gonna let you go." Jason leaned in closer to Aria. "Ever." He whispered in her ear.
"I might hold you on to that." Aria said.
"No problem." Jason said before he crashed down his lips on her. Softly and slowly, she kissed him back. Jason starts to kiss her longer and hard. It was so deep and passionate. Aria has been kissing him these past few months. They had been kissing each other long before they are in a relationship. But she never feels tired of it. She even feels so overwhelmingly happy every time they are kissing.
Jason kisses her lips and jaw, her cheek, her eyes, her neck. They lose track of time and just keep kissing each other. This kissing is consuming all of her thought. She wasn't thinking about anything else beside this sweet guy who is kissing her. Jason quickly opened his shirt and throws it on the floor, and Aria was captivated by the beauty of his body. She always has. They didn't say anything and stripped off their clothing. Jason kissed her deeply and whispered to her ear. "You're so beautiful. I love you."
They are surprise by the knocks on the door. "Who is that?" Aria asked with a whispered. The knocks sound scary because the guest seems to have no patience and keep knocking down with a full force.
"Aria!"
Aria and Jason looked at each other. "Is that Spencer?" Jason said. Aria just shook her head. She is just about to grab her dress on the couch, but Spencer keeps knocking.
Aria turned to Jason. "There is no time to put my dress on. Give me your shirt."
Jason raised his eyebrows. "If you're wearing my shirt, what do I wear?" Jason asked. He can't just open the door half naked, even it is in his own house.
Aria grabs the shirt on Jason's hand and throws him a blanket. "You can use that." Aria said as she quickly slipped into Jason's shirt that is too big on her and cover her thigh. She quickly ran to the door. She is surprise that isn't just Spencer at the door but also Emily and Hanna, who smirks at her because she is wearing Jason's shirt. And Jason walked to them with just a blanket covering his chest. No one has to tell them what they are doing at the moment.
"What you all are doing in here? You're promise to give one night off, remember?" Aria said.
"We found something." Spencer said.
Aria widened her eyes. She never thought that they will find anything in that barn considering they spent more than three days looking through that barn. "Really? What is it?" Aria stepped aside to let the others come in and closed the door. They can't just standing outside while everyone can see them.
Spencer shows the key to Aria. "A key? What key is this?"
Spencer glances at Jason. "You might want to ask Jason about that."
Jason raised his eyebrows out of confusion. "What?" The girls are looking at him. "How am I involved in this? I never saw that key my entire life."
"This is the key of a PO box at the post office on the fifth street. Ian rented one of the boxes," Spencer looked at Jason. "With Jason as his co-leased."
"What? I never rented a PO box or anything." Jason denied Spencer's accusation.
"It has your name on it!" Spencer shouted at him.
"Okay." Aria stepped in the middle of them. She is trying to calm them. "I'm sure there must be some explanation about this." Aria said. She believes in Jason. She knows that he had nothing to do with this. But Spencer also has a reason why she wanted to bite Jason's head off.
Suddenly Jason remembered something. "Oh."
Aria turned to him. She recognizes the expression on his face. "What?"
Jason looked at the girls. "When we were seventeen, Ian ever wanted to rent a PO Box to forward all his mail. He said that he didn't have the privacy he needed at his foster home. But he is still underage at the time. And he didn't want his foster parent to sign the lease. He asked me to co-lease with him so my mom can sign the paper." Spencer is just about to ask him why he easily forgets about the fact that he shouldn't forgets. But Jason continued his explanation. "But he said he lost the paper. When we said that we have no problem of signing it again, he said that he changed his mind."
"He doesn't want you to know about his PO Box." Spencer commented.
"You are his best friend. What kind of secret that he wanted to keep from you? You guys are seventeen at the time." Emily said.
"We're seventeen." Aria reminds them all. They are the same exact age and they probably have more secrets than a spy.
"Good point." Hanna said.
"We have to look into that PO Box." Aria said. The others nodded in agreement. Aria walked to the door. Jason is just about to say something when Hanna grabs Aria's hand. Aria turned to Hanna.
"Please wear proper clothes." Hanna said pointed to Jason's shirt that she wears.
"Oh God!" Aria blushed. She seriously doesn't remember that she was wearing Jason's shirt when Spencer and Jason starts yelling at each other. "I'll be right back." Aria walked back into the living room with Jason followed behind her. She knows that Jason is just about to laugh at her. "Don't you dare laughing at me."
But Jason can't hold his laughter that long. He embraces Aria from behind and kisses her neck. "You're so cute."
"Shut up." Aria said, pouting. She turned around and faces Jason. "That is so embarrassing. I know them so long, and that never happen to me."
"Well, if it makes you any better, the hard part is over. They know that we're sleeping together now. So it won't be awkward next time." Jason teased her.
"It didn't." Aria pouts, but then she smiled. "Shame on you." Aria said while she playfully hit Jason's arm.
"Come on, let's get dress. They know exactly what we do if we didn't come back soon." Jason kissed her cheek and let her go to get dress.
They comes back to the front door before Spencer could yelled at them some more. "Let's go." Aria said.
"You missed a button." Hanna said, looking at Aria.
Aria immediately looked down to her dress and notices that her dress has no buttons in it. She glared at Hanna who is smirking at her. "It is very funny, Han."
"You did miss a button earlier, in Jason's shirt." Hanna said again, still smirking.
"Hanna, do you think this is the time!" Spencer said, annoyed.
Hanna sighed. "She is just joking, Spence. Don't be so tenses. We finally get something." Emily tries to calm Spencer over.
Jason looked at the girls. "Do I need to come there with you?" He looked at Spencer and sees that she hasn't in her right mind. The last thing he wanted to do is offend her. But clearly she isn't exactly really fond of him. She seems has a lot of reasons to pick a fight with him, so the safest thing to do for him is stay away.
Emily turned to Jason. "Of course you are. It is your name on the listed. I doubt that they will let a bunch of school girls to open the box even thought we have the key." Jason took a glance at Spencer again and sighed.
"I promise I will protect you from her. I won't let her bite your head off." Aria whispered to his ear. Jason chuckled.
Spencer looked at the two sweet couple and sighed. "Could you continue that after we take care of this?"
"Let's just go." Emily grab Spencer's arm and walked out from the house. The others are following them.
"Name?" The postman on the post office asked Jason. He keeps glaring at the girls. Well, if anybody sees them right now. They must be curious of them. They couldn't be more suspicion than ever. One guy bring four teenage girls to the post office is highly suspicious. But they barely care about that at the time.
"Jason DiLaurentis." Jason took out his wallet and gives his ID to the postman.
The postman checked Jason's ID. "Help yourself." He said, pointed to the room behind him. Jason and the girls immediately walked to there. "And no funny business." He said again, before they all are disappeared into the back room.
"Do I look like a pervert that doing four girls?" Jason shook his head.
Hanna glared at him. "Do I look like you can get me?" Hanna said to Jason too. "I'm so out of your league." Jason glared back at her. Aria is laughing. She loves that her friend could be that friendly with her boyfriend. That makes her feels so grateful at Hanna.
"First thing first, guys." Spencer snapped them back to reality. "This is the box." Spencer pointed to the box in front of them.
"Open it." Emily said.
Spencer took out the key from her coat's pocket and opened the box. When they saw what is inside the box, the result isn't what they expected. "It is just a bunch of mail." Spencer said.
"Well, what do you expected? It is a PO Box." Jason said.
"Just take the entire letter and we read it at home, okay?" Emily said.
They take the entire letter and returned to Spencer's house. It may have been a few months since the last time Ian checked his mails, because the mail he got is a lot.
"These are just phone bill and stuff." Hanna said, waving the letter that she holds. They divided the letters five parts, so each one of them checked the letters.
"Same with me." Aria also said.
Spencer also gets the same unimportant letter like coupon and stuff. She looked at Jason. Jason is just shrugging at her. And then she looked at Emily. "I may find something."
Spencer immediately shifted closer to Emily and looked at the letter that she holds. "What is it?"
"These are a bunch of letter Ian got from someone name Joshua Thomas." Emily tells everyone. They all are looking at her, waiting for her to continue. "I haven't read the whole letter but it seems like they're related. Family."
Now they all are looking at Spencer. Spencer knows the reason for it. "Ian told us that he didn't have any family left." Spencer said. And then they are looking at Jason. Ian is his best friend.
Jason shook his head either. "He never talks about his family. I just knew that his parents were died because of a car crash and he didn't have any siblings. I don't know that he still have any family."
"Well, he has." Emily said. She is quiet for a while and continues reading the letter. The others are force to be patience at waiting until she finished reading the letter. "Joshua Thomas is his cousin. They aren't that close but keep track of each other once a while. But reading from his last letter, he's been asking why Ian hasn't replied his letters for a while, I think he has no idea that Ian is dead."
"I think we should meet this Joshua Thomas. He is Ian's family. He might know something about him." Spencer said. The others are looking each other. But they all nodded.
"It's worth a try." Aria said. "Where he lives?" She asked Emily again.
Emily reaches the envelope on the ground. "There is no home address in here. I think he send it from where he is working. He works at the – Lindlemint hospital." Jason is suddenly coughs. They are looking at him.
"What's wrong?" Aria asked him.
He looked kind of pale at the moment. "My throat feels a little dry. I'm gonna pour some water." He immediately sat up and walked to the kitchen.
They all are turned back to Emily. "It located at Hicksville." Emily said again.
"It is just a couple towns from here." Spencer said.
"Guys, it is a psychiatric hospital." Emily said again. They all are looking at each other, so they didn't see Jason was drunk down the whole glass of water with a big sweat on his face.
"So he is a patient there?" Hanna opened her mouth.
Spencer looks at the girls. "He still could be a nurse or a doctor that work there. Maybe even a janitor." Spencer is trying to stay positive.
"Who are we kidding, Spence! With our luck, he must be a patient there." Aria said with a sarcastic tone. Remembering what they have been through all of this time, it is hard for stay positive. All the clues they had are turned into a dead end. Hanna nodded with her.
"Whatever he turns up to be, we have to checks this out." Spencer said. She took a glance at the clock on the wall. It is almost eight o'clock. There is no way that they can go right at this moment. "Tomorrow."
"We have school, Spence." Emily said. "We can't just bail out of school. Nothing is more suspicious if the four of us bail from school together at the same time."
Spencer thinks about this. Emily is right. Everyone knows that they were arrested by the police. Twice. They can't do anything freely anymore without raised a suspicion. "Fine, I'll go. It doesn't need all of us to checks the hospital." Spencer looks at Aria. Someone has to be come with her. It is too dangerous for her to go alone.
Aria rolled her eyes on Spencer. "I can't bail on school, Spence. In case you forget, my mom is the teacher."
After that Spencer turned to Hanna. "I have a history mid test tomorrow. I will fail this class if I didn't take the test." Hanna said.
Her last hope is Emily. "Hanna and I are the same class, remember."
Spencer sighed. "You can ask Toby to come with you." Aria said.
Spencer shook her head. "He has this job at the woodshop in the border for three days. He won't be back until the day after tomorrow."
"Caleb can't miss another day at school. He already missed a lot when he went to California." Hanna said. And then she looked at Jason who still standing behind the counter with an empty glass in his hand. "You can go with Jason." Hanna looked at Aria.
Aria nodded. "Yeah. Jason has no counseling on Tuesday. He can come with you, right?" Aria looked at Jason. Aria is just noticing at this moment how pale he becomes. "Are you okay?"
Jason coughs again. He put the glass on the counter and walked back to them with his hand on the back of his neck. He always do that when he is nervous, Aria knows that. "I suddenly don't feel really well. But yes, I can go with Spencer. If she doesn't mind." Jason added.
The last person she wanted to go with is Jason, but he is the only one available at the moment. And Spencer couldn't risked go there alone. They didn't know that they can find out there. "It is better than none, right?"
Aria turned to Jason again. "Are you sure you're okay? You don't look so well." Aria asked, worried.
Jason tried to smile. He can see how worried Aria is. "Don't worry. I just need some sleep. I'll be better tomorrow." Jason said.
"Then you better go home and sleep. We need you one hundred percent tomorrow." Hanna said.
Jason nodded. "Guess I'm out, ladies. I'll see you tomorrow, Spence." Jason waves his hand the girls. He looked at Aria and kissed her cheek softly. "Call you tomorrow."
"I'll walk you." Aria slipped her arms to Jason's and they walked out from Spencer's house. "You're fine earlier. Suddenly you feel sick?" Aria asked again while they are walking to Spencer's house to Jason's. She couldn't aside the feelings that something is up to with Jason. She can't explain it. But she is just having that feeling.
Jason smiled at her while he shrugged. "I guess our exercise earlier really take a toll on me." Jason whispered in her ear. Aria smiled. She knows that Jason is trying to tease her. And she also knows that she wouldn't get anything out of him right now.
"We're here." Aria said in front of Jason's house. "Go get some rest." Jason nodded.
Aria is just about to turn around and walked back to Spencer's when Jason called her again. "I really love you, you know that right?"
Aria nodded in smile. "I know. And I love you too. Now go get some rest." Jason nodded in smile too and he gets into his house. Aria walked back to Spencer's with a doubt in her mind. She knows Jason too well. She knows that he is hiding something from her. She is just not sure if she wanted to know something that Jason really trying to keep from her. She knows that Jason loves her. She has no doubt in that. So when Jason is hiding something from her, it couldn't be something good. She is just has no other space in her life for something bad. She already has enough of it and it hasn't over yet.
"Are you ready to go?" Jason asked Spencer who sits next to her on the passenger's side.
Spencer glared at him. "Are you kidding me? I am ready to go since yesterday." Spencer said.
"Let's hit the road, then." Jason started his engine and drove away from Rosewood.
They've been on the road for almost two hours in silence. If anybody rides with them, they must be thinks that Spencer is hitch riding with him and they don't know each other. And that makes Spencer feels tense. She doesn't like an awkward feeling.
"So everything went smoothly with Aria?" Spencer asked Jason.
Jason turned to her with a glared. "Are you seriously starts a pep talk with me?" Spencer rolled her eyes. "And it has to be about Aria?"
Spencer turned to Jason. "We have nothing in common. Nothing to say to each other. Just Aria. For her sakes, I think we have to know each other a little better."
Jason turned his eyes on the road while he sighed. "You knew me, and yet you don't like me." Jason took a glance at Spencer. "You never had. For you, I always this Ali's brother who was stone all the time."
"Well, that is exactly who you are." Spencer said, without even thinking it. Jason hit the right place. As soon as she said it, she immediately regret it, maybe she shouldn't be this harsh to him. "Were." She added, finally.
But Jason is already feels annoyed with Spencer's answer. "You know what your problem is, Spencer? You're always this judgmental to anyone. Just a hint, not everyone is as perfect as you are."
Spencer rolled her eyes on him. "I never say that I am perfect."
Jason turned to her. "But you are perfect. You are the perfect daughter that any parents could wish for. Not everyone is as smart as you are. As confident as you are." Actually Jason is always admiring Spencer. Melissa is one of his best friends since they were still in high school. He heard a lot about Spencer. "Sometimes life is sucks." Jason shouted at her. "No wonder Melissa hates you." Spencer gasped and widened her eyes. She understands that Jason is angry to her, but she never thought that he will bring this up. Jason also realize that he went too far after he said that. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't bring that up." Jason said to her.
Spencer turned to him. "No. Continue." She is surprise that Jason could say that to her. But that makes her realized that Jason is Melissa's friend. For a while she only thinks of him as Alison's brother and now Aria's boyfriend. She forgets that he is also Melissa's friend. Spencer locked her eyes on the road. "When I read that diary I just realized, that I never really know my sister because I never know how much she hates me." Spencer turned to Jason again. "You are one of her closest friend. I'll be happy to get any explanation that I can get at the moment."
Looking at her right now, how vulnerable she is at the moment, Jason isn't seeing Spencer Hastings, Aria's friend again. He sees Spencer Hastings, Alison's step sister. Technically she could also be his sister because Spencer is Alison's sister. "I can understand why Melissa didn't like you. I have the same feelings toward my sister. I always envied her. She is always so perfect. It is like she never did something wrong. My parents were always proud of her. I always this loser son who should never been born. The only thing that I do best is humiliating the family. Even after Ali is dead, I always feel my parents regretted that she was the one that died. They got the wrong child."
Spencer looked at him. She never sees this side of him before. It is feels like she just saw the real Jason DiLaurentis for the first time. "I'm sure that is not true. Yes, they must be devastated that Ali is dead. But they won't hope that you're the one that should be dead because they are your parents too. They love you."
Jason scoffed. "I doubt that. When they could have a child like Alison, why they would want me?" Spencer could see how broken Jason is. Jason turned to her again. "That is what Melissa is feeling too. She is smart. But never as smart as you. You're brilliant." Spencer is just silently looking at him. "That is what she always said. My sister is brilliant. My parents don't need me anymore. They only love Spencer. For it's worth, I don't think she hates you. She is just envy you. Like I envied Ali." Jason turned his eyes on the road. "I never could hate Ali. She could be mean sometimes. But she is also always this scared little sister that need her brother protection. I failed her. And now she is dead." Spencer saw a glance of tear in Jason's eyes.
"It happens." Spencer said. Jason looked at her. "Regret always comes later after the failure. But you have to remember, that none of this is your fault. Someone killed her. And that isn't you, so this is not your fault. Yes, you shouldn't get high at the time, but it had happened. The only things you can do right now are deal with it and move on." Spencer suddenly smiled at him. "She would have wanted you to move on. She would hate if you keep drowning in guilt for her death, because she loved you."
Jason scoffed as he looked at her. "This is Alison who we're talking about here."
"She is your sister. You should know her better than me." Spencer rolled her eyes on him.
"Well, I knew her." Jason said. "But I lose track of her for the last years of her life because I was too busy getting high. You know that."
"She is a bitch." Spencer said. She can feel the glare that Jason gives to her. But Spencer ignored him. "She may act tough, but she always had a soft spot for us, for you." Spencer said with a smile.
Jason shook his head. "I never can understand how the five of you could be best friend." Jason said.
Spencer put a sincere smile in her face. "Because no matter how many things I hate about her, one thing that I always knows." Spencer looked at Jason. "That she will always have my back, every time I needed her, she always there for me. I admitted that she has different approaches, mostly is a harsh one, but in the end, she did it for us. Like you too." Jason raised his eyebrows. "She always complains about her big brother who always got high all the time. But somehow I still can see the anger and concern in her eyes. She just thought that you could do better. She cares about you. Don't you ever doubt that."
Jason smiles at her. "Looks like we did have something in common after all." Spencer turned to him. "Alison."
Spencer nodded in smiles. "Yeah, she will always be the common thing for all of us."
Jason looked at her. "Thanks, Spence. Whether you mean it or not, I really appreciated it."
Spencer also looked at him. Their eyes locked to each other. "Likewise. I also appreciate that you're talking to me about Melissa." Spencer said.
"Just don't give up on her yet." Jason said again. "No matter what, she is still your sister. That fact is won't ever gonna change. Trust me; blood really is thicker than water." Spencer has a feelings he isn't just say that to her, but also to himself. Considering his relationship with Ali, she understands.
They've been drove for almost three hours until finally they arrived at the Lindlemint hospital. Spencer immediately gets out from the car and observed the place. Jason looks more nervous than ever. He walked to her.
"Maybe we should reconsider about coming here." Jason said to her.
Spencer widened her eyes. "Are you kidding me? We've been on the road for almost three hours. I am not leaving here until we get what we're looking for." Spencer looked very determined right now. Jason also can see that.
Jason sighed. "You go." Spencer rolled her eyes on him. "I have to go to the men's room." Jason said again. Spencer sighed. "I'll catch up." Jason added.
Spencer shook her head and walked into the psychiatric hospital. She walked to the nurse station. There is only one nurse in there. "Excuse me."
The nurse raised her head and looked at Spencer. "Yes, how can I help you? The visiting hours hasn't started yet."
"No. I'm not here to visit anyone." Spencer said. "I hope." She added quietly. "I am looking for a Joshua Thomas."
The nurse rolled her eyes on Spencer. "Who are you? And why are you looking for him?" She didn't seem very fond of Spencer asking around about him.
Spencer is already thinking about this reason all night yesterday. She won't just go without preparation. "My name is Spencer Hastings. Ian Thomas was my brother in law. He passed away."
"Ian passed away?' The nurse is looking surprise and a little sad. She is definitely knows Ian.
"You know him?" Spencer asked.
"He used to come here all the time." The nurse answers. "Nice guy." She praised.
Spencer is trying her best not to puke at the moment. She forces a smile on her face. "You don't say." She commented.
"I'm so sorry for your loss." The nurse said again.
"Thank you. And about Joshua Thomas? When I take care of Ian's stuff, I notice the letters from him. I just found out that Ian still has a relative." Spencer asked about the reason they came here.
The nurse is smiling at her now. She doesn't look so rude anymore. "Josh is a nurse here."
"Thank God." Spencer whispered to herself.
"But he is at the camping trip for two weeks." The nurse said again.
Spencer sighed. "Of course." She said with a sarcastic tone. It never easy for them, she should know that. Spencer looked at the nurse again. "Where is this camp?"
The nurse raised her eyebrows. "Are you planning to catch up with him at the woods?" The nurse asked her with a surprise tone.
Spencer put her smile face again. She almost forgets that she is supposed to act normal. "Of course not. Why I want to go the woods? It is just – I think I should have the complete information, to tell my sister, you know. She is already through a lot. I'm sure you're understood."
The nurse smiled sincerely at Spencer. "Of course." She flipped a few pages on the book and looked at Spencer again. "Josh is camping at the Middleton woods."
"Thank you so much." Spencer put her sweet face. After that she looked around. Jason hasn't come back yet. She is so annoyed right now. "Where the hell is he? He's been gone forever!" Spencer pouts. She doesn't have any other choice. She goes back to the nurse. "I'm sorry. One more thing. Could you tell me where the men's room is?" The nurse raised her eyebrows again. "I came with a friend. He went to the men's room for a while and hasn't returned yet."
Spencer walked to the direction that the nurse pointed to her. She is just about to turn right when she sees Jason on her left side. He is shaking hand with someone. When he turned, he notices Spencer. He still looked nervous.
"What are you doing here?" Spencer asked him. "Isn't the men's room supposed to be this way?" Spencer pointed to her right. "And who is that?"
Jason coughed nervously. "I'm lost. This place is big." Jason said. Spencer rolled her eyes on him. "And that is the overfriendly chief. She insists on briefing me about this place."
Spencer shook her head. "Let just go, okay? We're still have three more hours ride." Spencer walked out from the hospital. Jason is following behind her.
They are just about to get into the car when the chief of the hospital ran after them. "Jason!" Jason took a glance at Spencer and immediately walked to the chief.
Spencer watched them. It is looks like that they involve in a very serious conversation. But she can't hear a thing from the place she stands at the moment. She stepped closer to them. "I promise that I will take care of this as soon as possible." The chief said to Jason.
Jason nodded and walked back to Spencer. "What's going on? Why is she calling you?" Spencer asked him. He looks more suspicious than ever.
"I forget my wallet." Jason shows the wallet that he holds.
But the situation is just too suspicious for her. "How she knows your name?"
Jason shrugged nervously. "Maybe she looks the ID on my wallet."
Spencer looked at him. She still can't believe him. "Even she looked at your wallet; it is kind of rude to call you by your first name. You didn't know each other."
Jason chuckled nervously. "Well, I supposed she is an overfriendly chief with no manner, then."
"She said she promise to take care of something as soon as possible. What is she talking about?" Spencer asked again.
"Err." Jason is starts combing his hair with his hand. "The bathroom's floor cracks."
Spencer just watched him for a while. She still doesn't believe him, but he shouldn't have any reason to lie. And she already has a lot to think about. So she decided to let it go. "Let just go, okay." Jason immediately nodded and get into the car. Spencer is still walking to the passenger side, so she isn't notice that Jason let out a sigh of relief.
to be continued...