•Change | Jason DiLaurentis

t h r e e

"My demons are begging me to open up my mouth"

♡Loosely based off 6x03♡

Within 5 minutes of waiting to enter the school I must've heard at least 20 conversations about my whereabouts of the past three weeks. One freshman who believed it was all for publicity and attention got Hanna's middle finger in her direction and a piercing glare from me.
Hanna sighed and folded her arms,
"They're not coming are they?"
We'd been waiting for Spencer, Aria & Emily for about 10 minutes.
I shook my head and slung an arm round her shoulder, walking her through the main entrance.
"Next time we see them you can shout at them, maybe give them a speech on not cancelling on your friends on the first day of school after being kidnapped"

Hanna placed her head on my shoulder and twinges of guilt went through me.

I had received a text from Spencer just as I met Hanna.

"Going to try get answers about Charles. Meet me outside the brew ASAP"

I bit my lip, I knew I wouldn't be able to sit through class knowing Spencer was possibly finding information on our tormentor.

"Uh Han, I'm going to use the toilet, I'll see you after class"

--

Skipping school reminded me of days with Alison- she'd call it "training". Mentally, I thanked her as I was out in seconds, undetected by student or staff. It was a cool day, the light breeze was enjoyable and I was taking time to admire the town.

Well, Rosewood was a nightmare, each street corner I turned it felt as if A was watching.
Always watching.
The paranoia was like a disease that had worked it's way into my system, getting to the heart. Not just from the first A message but from the night of Alison's "death" did something feel wrong, as if something in my universe had shifted. How could people stand this town their whole life? Because not everyone here is stalked and tormented for years.

Spencer was easily detectable outside the brew- the two coffees often gave it away.

"Hey, Spence," I sped up as I got nearer to her, eager to hear her plan. "I'm certain that you don't need those two coffees, let alone one. If it's possible to get coffee poisoning you definitely have it". My grin faded as she looked at me scathingly. "So, your plan? Are we breaking into Radley? Going after some potentially dangerous creep? Following a suspect around for a bit? You know, the usual"

I paused for a moment as Spencer finished gulping down coffee number one.
"Actually...no. I need you to go talk to Jason," I was ready to begin protesting but Spencer carried on talking before I could even try.
"Look, I tried asking Alison about Charles but she is adamant her dad is telling the truth, that there is no Charles."
I sighed and folded my arms, "I wouldn't believe him, I mean that family breaks the dysfunctional scale completely," Spencer gave me a 'tell me about it' smile.
I guessed Spencer would know, her family tree was ridden with secrets as well.
"Anyway, why can't you just do it?" I added after a moment.
"Because every time I go talk to Jason it seems to end in a fight, he'd probably slam the door in my face..."

--
Stepping forward I took a breath, practically rehearsing what I was going to say.
I shook my head, laughing at myself. Get your shit together, and don't do anything weird.

Jason was surrounded by piles of boxes, I guessed they contained files. He looked up at me, startled but recovered quickly.
"Hey Imogen, can I help you with something?" A questioning look was evident in his eye. As I was about to answer him his eyes drifted to the window behind me, a small smile had settled on his face.
"And whatever it is, does it have something to do with the fact Spencer is standing outside trying to look casual"

Oh god. I averted my eyes from Spencer trying to drink coffee nonchalantly and turned back to Jason.

"Look, Jason" I sighed, looking down. "When we were..away, we found a name. Someone we are beginning to think might be involved with it all."
I found myself put off  by the older boys intense stare. He could probably make anything dramatic.
"What name?"
"Charles...Charles DiLaurentis"

His expression was blank, and then slowly it changed. Something seemed to flicker behind his sea green eyes...recognition?

Just as I was about to ask him, Jason muttered something-"Charles...Charlie".
His eyes squinted and I noted that his grip on the box tightened, impulsively I reached out and put my hand over his. Jason tensed slightly so I quickly drew it back.

"What is it?" I asked him tentatively.
He sighed and set the box down on the oak desk beside us.
"Well, when I was a kid I had an imaginary friend. But to me, he was always so real. And then out of the blue one day my dad told me that, Charlie had to go away"

I ran my hand through my hair, trying to piece it together.
"So.. Charlie might not have been imaginary. Charlie or, Charles could've been watching Alison, and your family for years"

Jason leant on the desk and folded his arms, sighing heavily.

--
As the events of the day ran through my head I wanted to laugh- not humorously, but out of despair and anxiety.
Whilst being trapped in the dollhouse I truly believed that when we got out life would change. I'd almost managed to convince myself that A would give up, that the game would be over.
Instead my head was beginning to hurt as it all got more intricate- as the game continued.
"We're getting closer now, we're getting answers".
Spencer's words replayed in my head like a favourite song on repeat. I had to believe it or I'd start to unravel.

It was hard to believe that we were getting closer when A was still threatening us with other people's lives; giving us no choice.
And how could I tell myself we were getting answers as more questions arose?
The photograph Aria had found flashed behind my eyes, it seemed. The photo was...haunting. We had seen Charles, maybe just a kid, but we had seen Charles. It was so easy to forget A was a real person, even easier for A to become just the signature black hoodie or pixels on a phone screen.

He caught my eye as I looked up.
It wasn't Jason that made me look up though, it was the sky. The Stars were emerging, scattered across the darkening clouds.
He was walking in the opposite direction to me, obviously on his way back home, coincidentally where I had just come from.
Jason was in a hurry, (my guess was that Alison had told him about the photograph) and seemed distressed.

As I approached him I smiled slightly and was finding words to say- he got there first.
"I have to get home," he clarified "but can I meet you tomorrow? I feel like if I don't talk to someone outside of my family I'm going to go crazy" He hadn't even stopped walking, he'd just slowed down and was practically walking backwards.
"I'll get your number off Spencer and I'll call you tomorrow" He confirmed, before speeding up into what I'd class as a jog.

Dazed, I watched Jason go down the street, unsure whether to smile or laugh at the bizarre few seconds.
--

300 reads! Thank you so much :)
I know some Jason fan fictions have like 3k and stuff but I'm really grateful! Please continue to vote and comment, it means a lot.
As for the finale, I was very disappointed aha, what did you think? And oh my god Jason, he was just laid there probably internally screaming the whole time,, why are the writers so cruel to him