Ali's Pretty Little Lies (Prequel)

Twelve: Ali In The Alley.

Aria laughed. "And he'd believe you?"

"Of course, Aria. Noel listens to me. Whatever I say, goes. I can convince him that you're the only girl he should go out with." She looked around at the others. "Tell her, guys. Tell her I can convince him Aria is amazing."

"She can," Emily said. Of course she was the first to agree.

"It's true." Hanna nodded.

Even Spencer reluctantly shrugged. Aria swirled her spoon around rapidly melting ice cream. "You would really do that for me, Ali? What's the catch?"

"No catch." Ali mussed Aria's barrel curls, which helped her do that morning before school. "I just want you to be happy." As happy as I am, she thought.

"You're amazing." Aria gave Ali a huge hug.

After the girls finished their dessert, Spencer announced she was due at the Rosewood Memorial Hospital, where she volunteered as a candy striper. Hanna's mom was waiting for her at the Starbucks down the street. Emily and Aria mounted their bikes and headed for home, too. Ali tossed her yogurt cup in the trash and sauntered toward Wordsmith's, then sped Jason's car parked in a no-loading zone. For once, he was actually on time.

"Do you mind if we stop at Kinko's in Hollis before we go home?" Jason asked when Ali climbed into the car. "I have to make a photocopy of my transcript for school." Then he glanced at her in the backseat. "And move to the front! I'm not your chauffeur!"

Ali grumbled, then climbed into the front seat at the next stoplight and buckled her seat belt. "Why do you have to make a copy of your transcript for Yale?" she asked.

"Because it has my final grades," Jason answered. "Yale required all submit them to make sure they still want to admit us."

Ali wrinkled her nose. "I thought you were already in."

"It ensures that kids don't flunk out their last semester of high school," Jason said, hitting the gas when the light turned green.

Ali closed her eyes and thought about her brother going to college. It used to be one o the things he talked to her about when he visited her at the Radley—he wanted to major in political science, he said, and then maybe become a lawyer who specialized in child emancipation cases. I should get emancipated from Mom and Dad, she'd said sadly. Then maybe I could get out of this place. Jason had murmured in agreement.

They were quiet as the car rolled past the curlicue-lettered sign announcing Hollis College. The campus had a lot of old, brick buildings, a Big Ben-type clock tower, and a big arena that held the ice hockey rink and the fencing rings—Hollis's only Division I sports. They passed a bar called Snooker's, which had a chalkboard out front that listed that week's Phillies schedule. As Jason took a left at the next light, cruising down a street that was rife with college bars and head shops, he gave Ali a sidelong glance. "Can I ask you a question?"

Ali shrugged. "Depends what the question is."

Jason took a big swallow from his water bottle. "I know Courtney was in the bathroom with you before we left the hospital. Did she say anything?"

The smile melted off Ali's face. She didn't think anyone had seen Courtney go into the bathroom. When she'd emerged, the hall had been empty—Jason and the others had been waiting in the lobby. Was it possible that he'd heard what her twin had said?

"I saw her come out after you," Jason said, as if reading her mind. "Was everything okay?"

Ali flicked the string bracelet on her wrist. "It was fine. We just talked about stupid stuff."