CANARY CRY [pretty little liars]

25. my name is trouble

Early mornings were always an experience in the Argent household. Used to, Adaline would either be sneaking back in, incredibly hungover, or still going off her drunken high from the previous night. More recently, Adaline could barely bring herself to get up after a full night of tossing and turning.

Like always, Adam wakes up early, showers, checks email, makes breakfast and coffee, and insures Adaline has left the house all before going to work. He's done this routine for years. It's easier in the summer when Adaline can sleep in, but during the school months, he practically works in overtime.

On a chilly morning, Adam stood at the base of the stairs, listening to Adaline's footsteps in her room. Once he knew she was awake, he started to make his way to the kitchen but a knock at the door stopped him.

"Jason. Hello," Adam greeted as he opened the front door. He stepped aside and allowed Jason to walked into the foyer. Closing the door behind him, Adam continued. "What can I do for you this morning?"

"I'm sorry to bother you this early, but Adaline told me you worked at Hollis and come home late, so I thought I'd get this done early," Jason tried explaining. "I'm building a fence around my property, and I'm wondering how far your property stretches through the woods so that I don't start building on yours."

Adam nodded. "I think I have the measurements in my office. You can wait in the kitchen if you'd like."

Jason nodded and headed into the kitchen as Adam heading towards in office. He sat down at the kitchen island, taking in the Argent's kitchen. Every item in the kitchen had its own place. Jason could not figure out if it was an Adaline thing or an Adam thing.

"Hey dad, my friend—" Adaline stopped short of her sentence as she rounded down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Your not my dad."

The corners of Jason's mouth twitched upwards. "He's just checking something for me in his office."

Adaline clenched her jaw and walked over to the counter to start making coffee. With her back turned to Jason, she started over analyzing her clothes, which she couldn't understand why she was doing it. Her pants were too tight and the black fabric made her appear far too skinny for her liking. Her pink shirt also fit snugly against her chest. She tried secretly tugging at her clothes, stretching it out, but she feared Jason would catch on.

"So what do you need from my dad?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder. She caught onto Jason's eyes. He was staring at someplace lower before looking further up.

"Making sure our property lines are the same before starting the fence," he replied.

Adaline nodded just as the coffee finished up filling the pot. "You you like some?" she asked.

Jason's chuckled mostly to himself. "The coffee you make gives me full body shakes."

Adaline smiled to herself, her face hidden from Jason's view. She opened the cabinet above the coffee maker and searched for a travel mug to bring with her to school. Normally, her dad had that all prepared before she got down stairs, meaning the travel mugs were on the top shelf.