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She re, a few months before Emily’s fateful kiss with Ali in Ali’s tree house On their walk up the trail, Ali had listed off boys in their grade, asking Eht any of them were cute "You need a boyfriend, E yourself for someone special?"

Now, Kelsey shook her head solemnly "I don’t knohat that must be like to lose such a close friend"

A bunch of kids passed on theloudly "I miss her, but now I’m not sure what I can miss," Emily said in a s alley ent to the other day Ali brought ing out She was all, ‘I want us to spend some alone time to bond’ I used to think that was so cool, like she really wanted to get to know us, but noonder if it was just because she was Courtney, stepping into Ali’s life and pretending to be her Maybe hanging out there had nothing to do with new friendships but just needing so around the popular Rosewood Day kids her sister had once known so well"

"That’s a lot to take in," Kelsey said, eyes wide

"I know" Emily stared up at the canopy of trees "I ht she was an a new friend Now I have to revise ht was true was a lie"

"It must mess with your mind"

"It does Especially because" E about all the dreams she’d had about Real Ali this year All the flashes of blond hair she swore she’d seen, all the haunting whiffs of vanilla soap she’d s her every ood stuff with Ali and block out what really happened It’s easier that way So, like, in irl who had everyone wrapped around her finger"

"I guess that’s one way to cope"

Emily tilted her head and smiled at Kelsey "You remind me of her a little"

"I do?" Kelsey pressed a hand to her chest, looking a little sickened

E fazed her She was kind ofa"

Kelsey pulled her bottom lip into her mouth She eased a little bit closer to E spray on her skin "Well, I think you’re pretty aed up and down Emily’s arms She leaned closer She expected Kelsey to pull away, but she remained where she was, inches fro, pale eyelashes The freckles on her earlobes The tiny speck of gold in her green eyes Their lips touched Eed hard

After a beat, Kelsey pulled away, a shy smile on her face "Wow"

They leaned into each other, about to kiss again, when a group of boys pushed through the clearing for the water fountain Kelsey turned away The boys ogled Kelsey and Eers twitching Her expression was nervous, a complete transformation fro here for a sec?" Kelsey whispered in Emily’s ear after a moment "I have to pee"

"Sure," Emily said

As Kelsey trekked off into the bushes, E her phone so she wouldn’t have to make conversation with the boys After they’d all had a drink of water, they disappeared through the bushes again and started back up the trail

Footsteps sounded down the slope, followed by the screech of a hawk Then, all went silent The trees see her claustrophobic When the sun went behind a cloud, it was downright dark out E Kelsey so long

All of a sudden, Eh the brush A split second later, two strong hands shoved her between her shoulder blades "Hey!" she screa forward Her feet went out fro in the softdown the sharp,to stop her fall Branches and shrubs and stumps rose up before her, and she barreled into the her skin She rolled onto her side, hitting her elbow hard Sharp pain shot through her, and she screa her nails into the earth, she felt her body slow She cale of briars and dead tree li her jeans, her hands and her ar wet and sticky on her cheek

Heart pounding, she turned and looked up A figure stood at the top of the hill next to the water fountain, half in the shadows E in the person’s blond hair and lithe fra Emily’s body with shivers Ali?

"Eone Ain her place, her hand over her rabbing on to branches for balance, her shoes sliding in the mud By the time she’d reached Emily, Emily had stood up and determined that no bones were broken But she was still practically hyperventilating at what had just happenedand who she’d just seen

Kelsey studied Eth The corners of her mouth turned down anxiously, and beads of sweat stippled her forehead She still had that sa "Are you okay? What happened?"