“You do rock paintball!” he cried, his smile wide. “I guess you haven’t changed completely.”
“I guess not,” Ali said as he gently put her down. Her chest heaved from her sprint across the field. But standing there with Nick, grinning like crazy, she didn’t notice any pain at all. I’m the best Alison ever, she thought.
No one, not even the real Alison, could ever take her place.
12
ALI IN THE ALLEY
A few days later, Ali sat with her friends on a bench in front of Pinkberry, which was on Rosewood’s main thoroughfare a few blocks away from school. Across the street, the neon sign for Ferra’s Cheesesteaks blinked off and on. Women in capri pants and big Chanel sunglasses went in and out of the Aveda salon. The bells on the door of Wordsmith’s Books jingled cheerfully. Aside from the occasionally stinky exhaust from the passing cars, the whole world smelled like spring flowers and hot caramel from Pinkberry’s toppings bar.
“And then, when I looked out my window, one of the workers was staring at me.” Ali was telling her friends about the guys who’d come to dig the hole for the gazebo that morning. “And then he actually whistled! I mean, he was as gross as Toby Cavanaugh used to be. Maybe even grosser. I felt icky all over. What if they took pictures of me?”
Spencer dropped her spoon in her cup. “You should have closed your curtains if you didn’t want them to see you.”
“What does it matter?” Emily jumped in. “Those guys can’t do that! You should tell your parents, Ali.”
Ali made a halting motion with her hand. “It’s okay. I can handle it on my own.”
“Seriously.” Emily was breathing heavily, which she always did when she got worked up. “That’s, like, harassment! They should hire someone else! Do you want me to tell them for you?”
“Easy, Killer,” Ali teased, using her favorite nickname for Emily. Okay, so she’d stretched the truth a teensy bit. The workers actually hadn’t as much as cast a glance in her direction this morning, even when she walked to Jason’s car.
“Okay, everyone, switch,” Ali said to her friends, plopping the plastic spoon back into her cup of Pinkberry and handing it to Hanna, who was on her left. Hanna handed her pistachio to Emily, Emily gave her peanut butter–flavored frozen yogurt to Spencer, and Ali got Aria’s lychee-nut with chocolate sprinkles.
Ali let the flavors melt on her tongue, feeling that all was right with the world. So far today, she’d received three texts from Ian promising her that Spencer’s kiss would come soon but also wanting to know when his kiss with her would be. Hopefully, in time, he’d just forget—especially now that things were going so well with Nick. She was still basking in the glow of their amazing date. Part of her wanted to tell her friends about it, but part of her wanted to keep Nick to herself for a little longer. She hadn’t even written about him in her diary yet; he was so special she hadn’t been able to find the right words to describe him.
She suddenly felt so happy that she wanted to pass the feeling along. She rested her head on Spencer’s blazer-clad shoulder. “So, girls. I think we should all find amazing crushes for the summer. And then we make a move to turn those crushes into boyfriends.”
Hanna looked thrilled. “I’m in! I claim Sean!”
“Great!” Ali grinned. “What about you, Spence? Got anyone you’re into?” She didn’t know when Ian was going to make his move, but the sooner, the better.
Spencer stiffened and gave her a Please don’t tell anyone look. “Uh, no.” She stabbed her spoon into the ice cream and vigorously scooped up a bite.
“Well, I have a crush,” Aria said proudly when Spencer didn’t answer.
“We know, we know.” Emily cuffed her playfully. “On Noel. You’ve only told us fifty times.”
“Yeah, and we even bonded last week,” Aria said excitedly.
Ali demurely blotted her lips with a napkin. “Why don’t I ask him out for you?” she said, feeling generous.
Aria’s eyes widened. “What would you say?”
“I’d tell him that you’re the most awesome girl in the world.”
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 her 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 she’d helped her do that morning before school. “I just want you to be happy.” As happy as I am, she thought.