“Thanks, Ali,” Melissa said, scooping one up and biting into it greedily. “Delish.”
JD grinned. “I think you may have a new president of your fan club,” he said in a stage-whisper to Ali, who laughed. She had kind of a low voice but her laugh was high and tinkling, like falling glass. Melissa reached around to punch him and JD fake-winced, pretending it hurt. “So, Mel tells me you’re studying to be a nurse—do you live around here?”
Ali shifted in her seat, rolling her shoulders back. JD caught himself staring at her chest and immediately looked away. Christ. He was sweating. She was straight out of a Victoria’s Secret catalog.
“I’m taking classes up at UNE,” she said. “I was just visiting some relatives today.”
JD nodded. The University of New England was known for its nursing program—Em’s parents were always talking about it. “Well, thanks. You know, for doing your job—even in the field.”
Ali smiled. “I love it. Some people are freaked out by blood, you know? But I never was.” Her smooth voice provided a sharp contrast to the words coming from her mouth. “It’s almost like I get a rush from it.”
JD felt his stomach clench up. He didn’t like blood. There’d been too much spilled this winter in Ascension. “Plus you’re good at being in the right place at the right time,” he said to change the subject. “I’m not sure Melissa and Jenny would have really known what to do on their own.”
“Um, I’m not an idiot,” Melissa said. “We would have just called you. And if you weren’t too busy moping somewhere, you would have come to get me.”
“Moping?” Ali asked. Her eyes, icy blue, seemed to bore into him.
“JD is, like, mope-city these days. Not that you don’t have a reason to be,” his sister added quickly as JD shot her his look of death. “But admit it: ?You’ve been basically a zombie.”
He looked over at Ali with an expression of both apology and embarrassment. “I’m sorry,” he said. He pushed his glasses up his nose and cleared his throat. “It’s nothing. I just . . . I lost a friend recently, and I’ve been dealing with that.”
“Oh, that’s awful,” Ali said, bringing a hand briefly to her mouth. Her nails were red. Blood colored. Suddenly he wasn’t finding her so pretty anymore. There was a pause. Then she looked at him with eyes full of sorrow. “I know about tragedy,” she said quietly. Her voice seemed to drop octaves as she spoke her next sentences: “I know how you feel. Sometimes it seems like the wrong people get hurt, doesn’t it?”
JD felt a ripple of discomfort shimmy along his spine; something about this girl was . . . different. He was about to ask her what she meant when Ali leaped up from her perch.
“Well, I’ve intruded long enough,” she said, and JD noticed that all of a sudden she was back to cheerleader mode. “I better get going. I’m so glad you’re okay, Melissa. I hope I see you again—oh!” She cut herself off, pointing at a picture on the mantel. “You know my cousin Ty?”
JD squinted at the photo, confused. “That’s our neighbor Emily,” he said. “Emily Winters. She lives next door.”
Ali frowned for a second. But then she smiled, and her face was once again transformed: radiant, gorgeous. “So weird . . . they could be twins!” In a quieter voice she said, “Very pretty.”
“JD has a total crush on Em,” Melissa blurted out.
JD stared at her. “I give up with you, Melissa. You’re worse than Gossip Girl.”
“Sorry,” she said, not sounding very sorry at all. “But it’s true, isn’t it?”
Fortunately, Ali only laughed. “Well, if you like Em, you’ll have to meet my cousin Ty,” Ali said as she walked toward the Founts’ front door.
“Ali, wait,” Melissa called out. “When are you going to show Jenny and me those drills, the ones for high kicks?”
JD rolled his eyes. “You wanna talk about crushes? I think you have one on Ali.” He ducked to dodge the pillow that Melissa lobbed in his direction.
“Oh, don’t worry, you can’t get rid of me that easy,” Ali said musically as she sailed out the door. “You’ll see me really soon—that’s a promise. And I never break my promises.”
The house felt eerily quiet with Ali gone. JD stood there for a moment, thinking of what to do next. It was weird—Ali was clearly very sweet, but she’d left him somehow feeling sour.
“Is that Ali’s glove?” Melissa asked, pointing at a bright red leather glove on the floor.
JD picked it up and ran outside, strangely grateful for the excuse to get some fresh air. To thank Ali again, too, and try to shake off the bad feeling he had. But outside, he found that Ali had already disappeared.