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Noel’s face fell It was clear he knew exactly who Aria was talking about--in the ce prom, Aria had explained, briefly, hysterically, that Ali was after them "I don’t think so"

Aria bristled "Why? Because you love her so much and can’t see how evil she is?"

Noel recoiled "I don’t love her, Aria"

Aria stared at hi He’d said he did

"Look, I loved so her when I fell in love with you" He choked back a sob "I’ I knoe can’t be together But I want you to know that I’ll always regret what I’ve done"

His voice was so small and scared that it ," she said in the toughest voice she could muster "How often you saw Ali at The Preserve Who else you saw there What she said to you If she told you" Aria took a breath, trying not to burst into tears "If she told you what she was going to do to us"

"I had no idea what she was going to do to you, I promise," Noel said fiercely

"Fine Then tell hed "I don’t know I felt sorry for her"

"How did you know she was at The Preserve?"

He shifted under the blankets "My parents had me talk to someone after my brother committed suicide It was a therapist orked in an outpatient building at The Preserve One day, I bu out--it was Alison She was really cagey, and I thought it was, you know, the girl I knew froain--and I was really confused, because the sixth-grade field hockey teaaoal"

Aria nodded "Got it"

Noel paused to take a breath "I kind of put it all together inat Ali come out of the therapist’s office She realized it, because she waited for me after my appointment and confessed who she really was She told me she was Ali’s twin, trapped in a hospital, blah blah blah"

"And you believed her?"

"Well, sure She didn’t seem crazy Justa victie of her nose "So that’s where you guys got to know each other? Outside the shrink’s office?"

Noel looked ashamed "No After that, II visited her at the hospital"

A pain shot through her "How often?"

"Regularly"

"Why?"

He twisted his mouth "She made me feel heard Important"

Sucker Ali--both Alis--had a way ofyou feel very, very special But it was always for their own selfish needs "And let uess, she made it out like Courtney was the crazy one?" Aria spat

Noel nodded "Prettyout with Courtney, though," Aria pointed out, re how Noel had attended every party Their Ali threw He’d sat at their lunch table and winged Cheetos at Ali’s head He’d partnered with Ali for a three-legged race during the sixth-grade field day, laughing hysterically when they’d sturade, you even went out with her!"

Noel cocked his head "No, I didn’t"

"You did, too! I know because Ali--Courtney--told you I liked you first--but you came back and said you liked her instead She liked you, too--but then du she and Noel had never gotten into, but Aria could remember the incident as clear as day Ali had broken Aria’s heart when she’d announced Noel was into her

Noel shifted in the bed, wincing as he twisted his torso "Courtney never told me about you I never liked her She probably said that I liked her just to piss you off"

That was soive Noel the satisfaction of being right "If you really thought Courtney was dangerous, why didn’t you warn anyone?"

For a moment, there were only the sounds of the beeps on Noel’s erous I stayed out of it Besides, Ali told me not to tell a soul the truth I kept my proirlfriend?"

Noel cut his gaze away "I wanted to so hed "I’m sorry"

She balled up a fist in her lap Sorry? "So, at the end of seventh grade, did you know that the real Ali was out of the hospital for a few days?"

Noel took a sip from the plastic cup on the tray next to his bed "I went to the DiLaurentis house the day before graduation I only saw Ali, though I didn’t see Courtney"

Aria wondered if Their Ali had been home at the time If she wasn’t, she was probably out with Aria and the othersor else her new, older friends fro co Ja out at Spencer’s? Little did she know she was going to die the next day

"When Courtney went , did you suspect Ali?" Aria asked

"No way," Noel said forcefully "She see anything crazy I really thought Courtney ran away And when everyone found out about Ian, it uy could be a real asshole"

"Did Ali contact you when she was back in The Preserve?"

There was a loud ding, and Noel glanced at the monitor next to his bed A heart flashed red, then vanished "She wrote a letter saying that sending her back to The Preserve was a huge oingand so shocked that they couldn’t find her I fell for it"

"And you visited her again, for years"