keep me counting ➳ j. dilaurentis

four.

➳
december 31, 2008

it was new year's eve. everyone who was anyone was packed into the khan's cabin, a red cup in their hands. obviously, alison dilaurentis was there, and wherever she went, aria, hanna, emily, spencer, and maisey followed. everyone talked, and danced, and played games, and drank, the air in the cabin was humid and loud, suffocating.

while the girls were busy dancing around, maisey told spencer she'd just go get a refill for her drink, which was actually full. the young girl made her way out of the cabin, pushing open a door to a little back porch that was empty except for one guy, who was leaned against a wooden post facing the woods, smoking something. she stepped outside, floorboard creaking under her feet. the guy turned around, and it happened to be jason.

"oh, hey," he nodded, taking whatever he was smoking away from his mouth. it was a joint, maisey guessed. being fourteen, she never came across one, or never even thought about it. he blew smoke out of his mouth, away from her. "sorry."

"it's okay," maisey said, giving a smile. "i just came out here for some air."

"guess i shouldn't do this around you then," he chuckled, tossing the blunt onto the ground.

"no, oh my god, you didn't have to toss it," she said, shifting her weight from foot to foot. "doesn't that like, cost money."

jason laughed, shaking his head. "yeah, whatever," he answered, tucking his hands into his pockets. "you're one of ali's friends, right?"

"i guess so," she shrugged, leaning against the post across him.

"can't believe she actually let you go out for a breather."

"i don't need her permission to do things," maisey smiled, causing jason to smile back and chuckle. "so, um, who'd you go here with."

"ian and garrett," he muttered. "eh, don't really like them that much. sweaty people piled up together like a can of sardines isn't exactly my scene."

maisey chuckled at that, leaving a smile on her lips. "me too," she said, trying to carry on the conversation. "ali has us go to all these things and going is just the path of least resistance."

"thought you said you didn't need her permission to do things?" he smirked.

"well, that doesn't mean i'd rather avoid the drama of ali throwing a fit, or holding her breath," she smiled. jason chuckled to that. "you're not as bad as ali says you are."

"well, what does ali say i am?"

"a creepy stoner that hides in his room all day," maisey said, holding back laughter as jason didn't.

"well, ali's a little brat that spends twenty dollars a minute," jason snickered, making maisey giggle. "anyway, in the three minutes we've been talking, what makes you think im not a creepy stoner that hides in his room all day?"

"i can just tell," she smiled, taking a sip from her cup. "i have a pretty good sense of judgement, if you ask me."

"hmm," he hummed, taking a sip from his own. "so, what do you think of me, then?"

"you're ali's older brother," she shrugged. "textbook tall, dark and handsome."

both of them giggled at maisey's comment. being around jason felt natural to her, as if she'd known him her whole life. well, she has, being a friend of ali's since she started studying at rosewood high. but they never talked, never greeted each other formally, never hung around.