Prologue

"I turned around
Before I could run
I found you already settled down...
In the back of my mind"

Everything in Rosewood was topsy-turvy now.

Or at least, that is what Aria surmised. The people they were supposed to be able to trust; cops, friends, parents even, to a certain extent, had all turned around and stabbed them in the back. And those they were supposed to shun and avoid, the Tobys and Calebs of the world, were in fact the most trustworthy of all. In Rosewood, the bad guys, of all people, were the ones you trusted the most.

Now, even her own brother had betrayed her. And no one seemed to care nor understand.

Her parents were too busy turning the tables on each other, Mike was just refusing to talk to anyone, Emily had just been in the hospital with problems of her own, Hanna was too concerned with her own parents, and Spencer...was just Spencer. Someone who refused to see the other side of the story. Just a year ago, according to her, the 'freak' of Rosewood was Toby. Now it was Jason.

"Look, guys, all I'm saying is that its not normal. He's hiding something in that house, I'm sure of it," Spencer's voice chimed in, as her hands flicked through the textbook with gentle ease. "Or someone,"

"Can we not talk about this right now? I've already missed enough work as it is. I really need to study," Emily said, propped up against a pink, fluffy pillow, clutching the side of her ribcage in pain. She may have been discharged from the hospital after A's attempt at poisoning her, but she still hadn't fully recovered.

"Besides, we don't know anything for sure," Aria stated, not really focusing on her studies. "You're just jumping to conclusions, Spence,"

"But I saw someone in that house, I'm sure of it!"

"So? It could just have been a trick of the light. It doesn't mean anything,"

"It doesn't mean anything? Aria, can I remind you, this guy might have killed his sister, and you're saying the fact he's hiding someone in his house doesn't mean anything?"

"Guys, can we please drop this?" Groaned Emily, but her voice was lost among the heated voices in the room.

"You don't know that! None of us know who's responsible for Ali's death. Besides, weren't you the one who just a few weeks ago was swearing it was Ian who killed Ali?"

"That's because that's what A wanted us to think," Spencer cried out, quick to defend herself. "Why are you so quick to defend Jason? Remember what he was like to us when he was younger?"

"Why are you so quick to accuse him? And let's not forget what we were like when we were younger," Aria's eyes remained focused on her lap. "We were the ones responsible for the Jenna incident..."

"That was an accident!" Hanna quickly pointed out, waving her pen in the air. "We never meant for that to happen,"

"So? We're still responsible...anyway, that's not my point. My point is we all did when we were younger that we regret. That doesn't mean we're bad people now, though,"

The room fell quiet for a second, the girls contemplating Aria's words. None of them spoke, until Spencer whispered quietly.

"None of us might have killed out sister though..."

"God! Look, all I'm saying is we shouldn't be so quick to judge, OK? You're the one who just last year was saying that Toby was someone who couldn't be trusted, and look what's happened now," Aria snapped, immediately looking away from Spencer as a tension settled in the room.

"Jeez, Aria," Hanna laughed, trying to keep her tone lighthearted. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you actually liked Jason,"

Aria, froze for a second, eyes flickering upwards, trying to think of what to say, when Emily jumped in.

"Oh my God, you do like him,"

Spencer momentarily forgot she was supposed to be offended as she turned to stare at Aria.

"Wait, what?"

"No, no, nothing like that..." Aria hurried to declare, words flying out of her mouth at the speed of light.

"You do, you do, you do!"

"Wait, is this after he had dinner at your house the other week?"

"Guys we really should be studying..."

"Enough!" Aria almost shouted, her voice becoming suddenly agitated. "You guys are all forgetting I have a boyfriend, who I'm very happy with, thanks,"

Well, she wished that was true, but recently, things between her and Ezra had become...tense. Well, not tense per say, but it was like there was some sort of invisible obstacle had come up between the two of them in the last few weeks, a barrier, that they had yet to overcome. It was as if there were a thousand unsaid words between them, buzzing around their heads, desperate to be said but neither of them had the courage to say them or ask them.

"Oh, yes, how is Mr. Fitz with his new competition? Stepped up his game yet?" Hanna's voice took on a light, teasing tone. "Actually held your hand in public?"

"Aria, you can't be serious about this," Spencer stated, her voice still serious. "After all the thing's he's done? You like him like that?"

"No, I don't! And Hanna, that's not helping,"

"Come on Spence, lighten up! He may be creepy, but come on, have you seen that man's abs?" That comment earned her a swift smack to the head with Emily's pillow. "Ow! I'm just saying. With Ezra, they can't even leave his apartment. That's gotta be tough,"

"So not helping, Hanna," Aria groaned. "And like I said, things between me and Ezra are totally fine,"

"Not if you like someone else, they aren't!" Spencer's agitated voice broke through. "Then they're totally not fine,"

"I never even said that I liked Jason!"

"Oh, sweetie, you didn't have to, your face said everything," Hanna laughed, winking.

"Have you even spoken to Ezra about this?" Asked Emily, concerned.

"There's nothing to talk with him about, OK? You guys are just making this up in your heads," Aria huffed, throwing her textbook up in the air. "I'm not discussing this anymore!"

"Jason and Aria, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G..."

"There clearly is something we need to discuss!" Spencer snapped, grabbing Aria's textbook. "You like Jason DiLaurentis!"

"There isn't anything we need to discuss as I don't like Jason DiLaurentis!" Aria yelled, snatching her textbook out of Spencer's hands. Their voices were interrupted by Aria's beeping phone, lulling the girls into a silence. "Oh, look, its my mom, apparently I have to go home now,"

"Don't you run away, Aria, we have to talk about this!" Spencer cried out. Both Emily and Hanna looked away awkwardly.

"Like I said, there's nothing to talk about," She sighed. "Look, I'll just see you guys tomorrow at school, Ok"

Both Hanna and Emily bade Aria goodnight quietly, not quite sure how to answer, while Spencer turned around and stared at Aria, a concerned look on her face.

"Look Aria, just...be careful around, Jason DiLaurentis alright?"

Aria paused momentarily, turning the knob on Spencer's bedroom door, before turning round to glance at Spencer.

"Goodnight, Spence"

And with that, she left the room and headed home.

A/N: Asfslfgd I literally wrote this within half an hour. Late night insomnia is never a good thing. R&R? And the lyrics at the beginning are from Alison Krauss and the Union Station - If I didn't Know Any Better. ;)