2009
"Babe, I'm fist-fighting with fire just to get close to you."
Jason gave two more sloppy thrusts, completely spent, before pulling away from her. He moved back into the driver's seat and collapsed in exhaustion. "That was pretty hot."
Jo moved the passenger's side seat into a sitting position as she tugged her swimsuit back on. She looked at him and rolled her eyes, snorting. Could he be any more of a boy? "I know. I was there."
He laughed as he dug for his ringing phone in the empty cup holder of the car. Jason's easy-going look hardened as he checked his messages.
"Who is it? Your mom asking you where the hell you were last night?"
He cleared his throat as he rubbed his neck. "Actually, it's my girlfriend. She wants me to take her on a date this weekend."
"Girlfriend." She nodded, letting the word slide around in her head.
"I have a girlfriend. Her name is CeCe." He confirmed as he slid the phone into his shorts' pocket. When Jo still hadn't said anything, he raised his brows. "Does that upset you?"
"Do you honestly give a damn?" She blurted out. There was no point in talking about feelings. Not when most of their time was spent doing things that didn't require words.
He hesitated, before shaking his head.
To anyone else, it was a setback, a heartbreaking betrayal. But Jo didn't see it that way. They were already hiding their relationship from the world—what was one more person? Besides, she could never take Jason seriously. He didn't glance at her differently than he would other girls. Why should she do that for him when she could keep her options open? Smirking, she shrugged her shoulders. "Then, me neither."
Jason laughed, reaching over the console to kiss her. It was rough and rushed, like most of them were. Everything was about reaching a climax, rather than enjoying the ride. "Can you spare another round?"
"I'm already late as is."
"C'mon, I'll be very quick." He whispered as he trailed his fingers up the inside of her thigh.
"I'm sure you will, but I won't." She grinned as she gripped his wrist, and pulled it away. "Your sister is going to kill me if I don't hang out today. She's already mad at me about something else. Let's not add to it, OK?"
Jo pushed open the car door and stepped out. As Jason cranked the car to life, Jo turned around and thanked him for the ride before walking through the woods to the lake.
2010
"Sorry that I'm late, ladies." She mumbled through a mouthful of a warm blueberry muffin. Jo walked through the kitchen door of Spencer's house. "But it's for a good cause. Doc removed my stitches this morning!"
"There she is!"
She rounded the corner and caught sight of the girls seated around the island with Jason standing before them. He was dressed formally in gray slacks and a fitted navy button-up. His dirty blond hair had been combed back, away from its usual shaggy look. She was stunned by his appearance. It screamed Ivy League, and if she hadn't known better, she would've never guessed he had been anything else than polished. Not a single thing about him hinted at his former party-boy ways. "Jason?"
"I'm glad you could make it." He brought her in for an awkward hug. It was a hug that he would've given to any of his little sister's friends, not a girl he used to undress. "Heard about the incident. It's good that you are healing up."
"Mhm," She grimaced, taking a seat between Aria and Spencer.
It stung to have him act so formal towards her. There had been so much between them, it was painful for Jason to treat them as any less. Of course, she didn't expect a passionate kiss as soon as she walked in. But some sort of signal, some sort of charismatic smile to let her know that he'd never forgotten about them was all she wanted.
"Anyways, I just was thanking you girls for the phenomenal work you put into this memorial. My family and I are more than grateful." He looked down to the papers spread before him, picking up a glossy photograph of his sister. "Is this the picture we're using?"
"Yes," Emily confirmed. "It's everyone's favorite."
"It's a good one. I would've picked this one, too." He swallowed hard as he stared sadly at Alison's face. "It's been a year already. I look at this picture, and suddenly it's oh-nine, again. You, six girls, are huddled away in her bedroom down the hall, giggling at whatever gossip you'd heard that day."
If she hadn't been staring, she never would've seen him glance up at her. It was quick, no longer than half a second. But that's all it took. He did remember and that gave Jo a spurt of arrogance. Maybe it wasn't too late for them. Maybe she could convince him to come back to her, that breaking things off was a mistake.
"That was a long time ago." He shook his head like he was ridding the memories from it. "I'd like it if each of you spoke. As her best friends, I think there's no one more important to hear from."
"Okay," Jo approved, looking to each of the girls around the island. "It's a good way to find closure with this memorial. Like the last words, we never got."
"Closure," repeated Jason. "The only way we're going to get closure is by finding the person that murdered my sister."
The girls gave one another an uncomfortable look. It wasn't easy to talk about Ali's murder, especially with Toby Cavanaugh on the run.
"By the way, Jenna Marshall asked if she could speak at the ceremony. I'm adding her to the list of speakers."
Jo's eyes bugged. "No shit? She asked you that? You've got to be kidding."
Aria kicked her foot under the table, muttering something about profanity. Jason raised an eyebrow at her. "Do you have a problem with that?"
Hanna chimed in, backtracking for Jo. "No, we just didn't think Jenna and Ali were... close."
Jason shrugged as he compiled all his belongings. "I didn't either but if anything, Alison was popular. She probably had a whole closet of friends no one knew about. Anyways, I have to speak with Detective Wilden and figure out why the hell he hasn't located Toby yet." He glanced at the fresh, pink scar on Jo's forehead. It was hard to tell what he was thinking as he saw it. Was it anger? Indifference? Blatant curiosity like everyone else? Jo wasn't quite positive. "I'll catch you, girls, later."
As Spencer walked Jason to the door, Jo jerked around in her seat to face the girls. "That blind bitch is out to get me!"
"We cannot let her speak." Emily declared.
Aria tilted her head to the side, clearly confused. "Why is Jenna out to get you?"
"When is she not?" Jo raged as she ran her hands through her hair. She took a deep breath in hopes of calming her racing heart. "When she confronted me about the file, I snapped and threatened her. I know it was wrong, but she made me feel trapped in a corner; I got defensive."
"So, how are we going to stop her? If we do, we're going to look like total bitches." Aria asked, annoyed.
"Let me handle Jenna."
Spencer shuffled back into the kitchen and crossed her arms. She pointed an accusing finger at Jo. "No, you handling Jenna is what got us into this in the first place. Put a muzzle on it, guard dog. Try making Jason happy with the memorial planning. Keep him busy."
2009
It was unfair to other girls how seductively she looked, walking from the water. She was strutting purposely, too. It wasn't something she did naturally rather something she'd been practicing the minute she knew she was pretty.
She bent down and grabbed her towel that was laid next to Emily's chair. Jo dried what little she could from her face and hair before plopping down as well.
"Could you show any more skin?"
"Could you sound any more bitter?" Alison hissed at Spencer, defending Jo. Ali always loved the way Jo wasn't afraid of anything. If she wanted to dress skimpy and sneak out, she did it. If she wanted to say what she felt, she did it. There wasn't anything holding her back.
But above all, she was loyal. There wasn't anything she wouldn't do for Alison, and nothing could shake her allegiance. Much unlike Spencer. "I think she looks great. Prudence Finn, on the other hand, should take your advice. She's cringe-y."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that she should've waited for her boobs to fall back down before she let Noel Kahn take them out for a spin." Ali scoffed, rolling her eyes at the teen boy rubbing lotion on Prudence's shoulders. "They're supposed to waterfall, not still look like a push-up after she takes off the bra."
"Wait, you think Prudence Finn got a..." Emily leaned in close as if she was about to say a dirty word. "Boob job?"
"Hell, I would, too." Jo laughed, pushing the clinging hair from her shoulders. "She's got to do something to compensate for being called Prudence. Why not have the biggest ta-ta's on the block?"
Ali turned to Aria who was staring intensely at Noel and Prudence. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out Aria wanted to trade places with Prudence. "Considering it, Aria?"
"Considering what?"
"You know, doing something drastic to get Noel's attention."
"No," Aria rushed out. "Of course not."
Alison smirked down at Aria, looking through her as if she was a window. In a sing-song voice, she teased, "Aria likes them brainy."
"Cute, rich, and brainy." Hanna giggled along with Ali. She looked dreamily to Noel, with hearts in her eyes. "You get the whole package with Noel Kahn."
"You know, personally, I like them with a little bit of maturity. Not that Noel doesn't have potential, he just lacks a little seasoning." Alison explained as she looked at her manicure for any chipped nails.
If every girl wanted to be her and every boy wanted to be with her, why not choose the top brass? Jo respected that theory, although she wasn't exactly picking the best partners. She'd been caught with a fair share of questionable guys, and Ali hadn't dropped it since, adding another name to the list. "What about you, Jose? I heard you like them brainy, too."
Jo looked at Alison over the top of her glasses with a bored expression. "I don't know. I'm really into the whole 'has a pulse' sort of thing."
"So, Noel has a nice pulse then."
"What?" Aria inquired, only paying attention when she heard Noel's name.
"I wouldn't know, Alison." She lied through clenched teeth, shooting her a deadly look. It wasn't surprising that she would pick this time to tease her about it. She'd been trying for a while to get to Jo confess her treachery. But Jo said it wasn't worth enough to hurt Aria like that, that it was just one time. "Aria, she just means that Noel is perfect for you. Don't wait too long to let him know."
2010
"Well, that was painless." Jason breathed.
Emily, Jason, and Jo were walking through the empty school hallways as they left a meeting with the Principal. Jo was donned in an ornate romper that she picked for its revealing nature, with her hair done up in two messy space buns. Jason hadn't given her outfit an obvious double-take most boys would've, but she knew she still made an impression. She was too confident in herself to think anything else. "Not for Principal Hackett."
"I just needed to let him know who's running the show around here." Jason clarified as he slipped his hands into the pockets of his slacks.
"I think we all know that," Jo grumbled.
He stopped abruptly and spun to face the girls. "Okay, is there a problem?"
"Yes." Jo nodded
"No," Emily told him at the same time. She shot Jo a look from the corner of her eyes. "You're Alison's brother. You should have the final say."
"Bullshit. We were Ali's best friends. We deserve that right." Jo spat, scrunching up her face. If anyone had asked, she would've said she didn't like the way he took their hard work and changed it. But, underneath, his playing hard-to-get was the real issue at hand. What was his problem? Why was he treating her like an invalid? "You're not the only one going through this, so maybe you should cut it out with the rich asshole thing you've got going on."
Jason took an offensive step forward as he crossed his arms across his chest. "Oh, so you're saying you knew her better than me?"
"N-not that, just that we knew her in a different way." Emily intervened, desperate to diffuse the tension between them.
"No, I definitely knew her better." Jo huffed before looking to the end of the hallway, at a group of people huddling around a locker. She tugged on the long sleeve of Emily's shirt as she pointed towards them. "That's Toby's locker."
Jason spun around to see Wilden putting on gloves to inspect the missing boy's belongings. He forgot all about Jo's loud opinion as he marched to Wilden, the girls following quietly as they waited for the showdown.
Wilden looked over his shoulder at his newfound crowd. "Ah! This should be interesting—especially for you, Ms. Jameson. We're having a look into the Cavanaugh boy's locker."
Jo moved her head to peer inside the locker sarcastically. "Oh, is he in there somewhere? Top-notch detective work for looking."
"He's a suspect, Ms. Jameson. Everything he's touched is evidence. Which reminds me, I'd like to speak with you at the station about that night."
Jo felt chills crawl up her spine at the thought of being alone in an interrogation room with Wilden. Something about him screamed crooked, whether it be his impeccable eavesdropping skills or the way his eyes were always squinted like a serpent's. "That night is over. I've given everything I had to say to my dad. Talk to him."
Intimidatingly, Jason crossed his arms as he looked down at Wilden. While it was probably just protectiveness over his sister's case, Jo hoped it was for her. Yet, she wasn't naive enough to believe in that false hope. "You need to dig something up better than old gym socks."
"You wanted action. I'm giving you action." Detective Wilden huffed as he flipped through an old chemistry textbook.
"You have nothing to give me, Detective. I realized that yesterday."
Something in Wilden snapped as he clenched his jaw and slammed the book shut, before tossing it carelessly back in the messy locker. The man had an issue with all things that concerned his ego and pride. "Did you know Toby called your sister the night she disappeared? We checked the phone records; she took the call."
***
The little suburban home was empty aside from Jo and Jason. Her parents had decided to eat dinner on the town while Riley was bowling with a few friends from Philly—something that couldn't have worked out better if Jo had planned it herself.
She walked from the kitchen with two steaming cups of warm tea in each hand. She took a seat on the plush sofa after handing Jason a cup graciously. Jo scrolled through channels on the TV before settling on the weather channel. She watched as the painfully generic man in a suit broadcasted the week's climate. "It's going to rain. Starts at midnight, and continuing throughout the day."
Jason blew softly on his tea, taking a sip gingerly. "I wish the ceremony could be held outside."
"It's going to be beautiful either way."
"Yeah, thanks to you." He told her, finding a more comfortable spot on the sofa. It'd been the first time Jason had ever stepped foot inside her living room, only having seen her bedroom after climbing the trellis outside her window one too many drunken times. He was initially uncomfortable when he first entered but had seemingly eased the more time had passed. "And, I lit a fire under the cops today. So, maybe, everyone will be pleased."
Jo sat her teacup on the coffee table and tucked her knees beneath her chin. "My dad said that Wilden really shouldn't have told you that."
"Bullies are pretty easy to shake up like that. Unlike your father." Jason paused, thinking for a second. "Speaking of, why didn't he keep the case? He's pretty much the only one competent enough in this town."
Jo used to wonder the same thing. Her dad could crack the case and find the monster that hurt her best friend. It used to rattle around in the back of her mind until she worked up the nerve to finally ask him. They didn't like to talk about the things that concerned his work as most of it left him sleepless at night. "He said once they found her body, he couldn't bear to stay on any longer. I don't think he wanted me to have access to the case. I'd like to say I would be too scared to snoop through his files, but I know there's nothing I'd want to do more."
Jason shook his head as those blue eyes wandered her face with a sense of nostalgia. "You always were Alison's most loyal friend. Even in death, you're still looking out for her, taking care of that other half."
"Don't you think it's pointless to call me loyal when I betrayed her every time you called?" Jo couldn't help but find the irony hilarious. There were times she would've—metaphorically—died on a cross somewhere for Alison and others she would've given it all up for her brother. "Sometimes without a second thought."
"It doesn't take away from the fact you cared about her more than anyone—that you would follow her into the dark. Probably the reason you sought after her suspected murderer alone."
She swallowed hard before speaking, her voice no louder than that of a whisper. "She's not the only one I would've done that for."
Jo watched as Jason veered his eyes to the ground. There was so much that needed to be said—why he changed so much, what he had been doing since he left, why he acted so cold to her advances. But Jo didn't want to use her words. Everything she felt could've been summed up into one action. So she leaned into him, bringing her lips to his. She lightly pulled his top lip between her own as he eased his hand to her knee. Seconds later, he broke the kiss with a smack, not looking nearly as mesmerized as she. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course," She confessed eagerly. "Anything."
"Jenna's accident... Spencer was behind it. Alison told me she wanted to teach Toby a lesson by throwing a stink bomb in the garage. She said Spencer convinced all the girls to back her up and threatened Toby if he ever told the cops." He looked into her eyes accusingly and leaned forward. "Is that how you remember things?"
Jo held a straight face, her school-girl-in-love look disappearing. "Do you think Spencer has it in her?"
"No, but I think I know someone who might."
***
"Are you sure he's not going to tell?"
"God, Spence, he knows the story is bogus. Just Alison covering her tracks, even from the grave." Jo snapped as she bent down to her fix the strap of her nude-colored heels. Between Spencer's trillion and one questions and the rubbing of her shoes, she wasn't sure which was irking her nerves more. Nothing she couldn't fix with another Valium, but that would have to wait as she wasn't sure a bathroom break was on Spencer's itinerary. "If he really wanted to tell, he would've said something the day they noticed she was missing."
"Was that all he said?" Spencer asked as she clung desperately to the sleeve of Jo's black jumpsuit. "What happened after that?"
Jo brushed her off as she made her way into Rosewood High's multipurpose room, and to her friends seated on the front row. "We awkwardly finished our tea and I kicked his ass to the curb."
"Why did you kick him out? You're supposed to be keeping an eye on him for reasons like last night!"
"Because, Spencer, he may have told me what Alison said, but that's not what he thought. He knew it was me." She pulled Spencer closer, whispering in her ear low enough for only her to hear. Their conversation being overheard by a lurking detective in the shadows was the last thing Jo needed at the moment. "What was I supposed to do? Refill the guy's tea and discuss the details of blinding a teenage girl? Fuck that. I wanted him gone."
Spencer quickly took her seat next to the three other girls, leaving Jo without a spot. She gave them a disbelieving look as she realized the only other spot open was next to Jenna and Jason. She glared at an apologetic Spencer, taking the seat.
Ignoring Jason as revenge for his rejection and accusations, Jo leaned across him and pat Jenna on the knee. "Thank you for showing up on behalf of those who loved Alison."
Jenna pursed her lips and nodded slightly in response to the hidden warning. Jo turned her attention to Spencer, standing before everyone at the podium. Spencer eyed the crowd in front of her, her eyes stopping on something in the back. Jo moved around in her seat as she caught sight of Ian Thomas entering. Her jaw dropped slowly, a quiet holy hell slipping through her lips.
She tucked her brown curls behind her ears as her friend shuffled her note cards, sharing a secret look with her. Jo shook it off, allowing her mind to only focus on Alison. People like Jason and Ian would have to wait until the memorial was over.
Spencer had, undoubtedly, spent half the night writing something award-winning for the memorial. Aria's speech would be just as beautiful but passionate. Emily's words would be short and sweet, while Hanna's would be full of hilarious memories.
And they were just that. She was sure everyone was out of tears by the time her turn to speak had come. They wouldn't be as moved by what she had to say, she was positive. Nevertheless, she walked to the podium and inhaled deeply. Nervous didn't even begin to cover what she felt. "I can't promise you that my words will be as pretty or as gentle as those before me. But I can offer you some insight into the jumbled thoughts in my head."
Breathing, that's all she could focus on. One shaky breath after another. Jo fiddled with the violet beaded bracelet on her wrist as she spoke again. "You think you have a whole lifetime before you have to worry about writing things like this—sixty-years of memories to summarize in a short speech. But, I got three. Three dazzling years with her, and I still couldn't tell you the first damn thing that was Alison DiLaurentis. What I can tell you is that I never thought, not once in my life, that I would meet someone like her and love someone so unconditionally as I did. For even a second more with her, I'd give it all up. I'd walk to the end of the Earth for Ali and I know she would do the same for me. I just never thought she'd beat me there first."
a/n:
the 2009 flashbacks won't be in order just as they weren't always in order on the show. 2010 scenes will always be in order.
-b