I'm sitting on Alison's bed fiddling with my nail polish thinking about what Ali had said about noel. Something about it didn't seem right. Not that she could read Ali's expressions, not like anyone could, but the way she said it didn't sound right. She seemed scared. And Spencer was right this wasn't the same -A that left notes in our lockers. This is someone that can kill us and not think twice, look at Mrs.. D and how she ended up. If it is true I can't be mad at Ali, it was a smart move, I wish she would have let us in on it.

"I can hear you thinking from over here." a familiar voice said from the door of the bedroom.

"Nothing important." I say without hesitation

Ali comes and sits by me and waits for me to tell her what's on my mind, since she always knows when I'm lying .

"Why didn't you tell me about noel?"

" I didn't want you to worry." she says easily.

"Are you sure it was noel?"

"Of course I do, I told you, I asked him to break in."

" Ali don't lie to me." I tell her with an edge in my voice.

"Em don't worry about it." Ali stands up to leave but I grab her hand, she turns to look at me.

" Ali I may not be able to read your thoughts like you can read mine but I'm catching on to the way you think. You were to scared. Don't lie to me was it noel or was it -A."

" Emily I told you it was noel why are you so sure that I'm lying to you?"

" Because although it makes sense you wouldn't do that to Mrs.. Marin. I know the truth I just want to hear it from you." Ali sits down and lets out a sigh of defeat knowing I wont let this go.

"Ok, I asked noel to break in to the house just to get people to look the other way and look for A and maybe even find them." I stare in to Ali's eyes not impressed with the answer.

Ali keeps going. " So I wasn't scared when they broke in, I just reacted along with Mrs.. Marin. When it was all done and she called the cops I was getting my game face on to lie my butt off and look as scared as I could when I got a text."

"From -A?"

"No from noel saying he couldn't make it tonight, that he couldn't get to rose wood because someone slashed his tires. That's when the cops showed up and I didn't have to lie. Because I have no idea who broke in to the house. Then they found the knife on the floor by the door where someone dropped it on there way out."

"Ali why did you lie to us? If it wasn't noel then it was obviously -A trying to kill you!"

" I didn't want to scare you more than you guys already are."

" Ali you can't keep things like this from us anymore, this is huge they could have killed you or Mrs.. Marin."

" Yea they could have easily, but they didn't they just wanted to scare me, they knew about the plan with noel and I would assume are the ones that slashed his tires to keep him from coming. They just wanted to scare me Em."

"And it worked. I knew you were lying to us because you were freaked out and I could tell, we have to tell the girls now." I'm now fuming with irritation that Ali once again lied to me. I take her wrist and lead her out the door and to my car.

"Ali I'm serious this is enough you have to stop lying to me. To us" I correct myself. Knowing this isn't just about me and her. "We can't protect you if we don't know what's going on. And you can't except us to just go along with whatever flimsy lie you come up with at the top of your head."

"Em I only lied because I didn't want you to worry." she has an edge in her voice as if she were tired of explaining her self to me.

"Ali there is someone out there tormenting us and threatening and now trying to kill you. Keeping this from me isn't going to stop me from worrying about you.'

"I'm sorry."

"About lying or that you got caught this time?"

"That I lied that you are always scared because of me. That you are always in danger because of me."

"Ali at this point it doesn't matter who's fault it is. We just need t stick together. As in not lying to each other or keeping things from each other."

"Ok"

"Ok what?"

"No more lying."

As much as I want to believe Ali all I can think about is the past. The manipulations, the heart breaks, and most of all the lies. I want to believe Ali has changed but it was hard when she was still lying. Sure this time seemed as though it was to keep us safe but it still didn't make it feel any better.

Laying in bed that night all I can think about is Ali. Whether or not she was lying to me. Even after all this time she still has me wrapped around her finger. I think about what Aria asked me the other day. Do I still have feelings for Ali? And even when I ask myself that I can't help but scoff. Of course I still have feelings for her. I still get the teenage humming bird heart beat when she walks in the room, when she looks at me, winks at me, and when she brushes by me .

I spend the day with my mom helping her pack up stuff for the yard sale and spring cleaning. When 5 o'clock comes around I get a text from Paige asking me to go to the boys swim meet with her. As I'm texting her back that I would love to I get a text from Ali asking me to come over , that her dad left her home alone and she's scared. Without thinking I forget about Paige and grab my keys to go to Ali's house. As I'm in the car I see myself falling back in to Ali's hand, dropping everything to go by her side when she needs me, not thinking twice or about anyone else especially not Paige. But even realizing this I keep going but decide I should tell Paige that I will try to make it. When I pull in to Ali's drive way I see there is only one light on and its thee living room. Someone walks by the window and pulls the curtain closed, they have a black hoodie on and it is too big to be Ali so I run into the house with my pepper spray and when I get into the living room Ali is sitting on the couch reading a magazine, I didn't come in quietly but when she see's me she lets out a yelp finally realizing its me.

"Emily what are you doing?"

" I came over like you asked."

"I didn't ask you to come over?"

"Yeah you did you texted me like 20 minutes ago."

"No I didn't Em."

"Ali knock it off it isn't funny." my irritation is getting ready to boil over there is no way I'm in the mood to play her game tonight, not after what we talked about earlier. But when she looks at me with sincere confusion in her eyes I know that something is wrong.

"Emily I didn't text you, and why did you run in here with your pepper spray, were you really mad that I would ask you to come over?"

"I came in because I saw someone in a black hoodie close your curtains."

"Let's go." she grabs my wrist and pulls me outside.

"Ali what are you doing stop! Tell me what is going on!" she keeps pulling me to my car and I let her because I want to leave anyways.

"Emily I'm home alone."

"Okay? And that requires you to man handle me to my car?"

"Giving the fact you saw someone in a black hoodie close the binds that were behind me yes, yes it does!"

Realizing that I'm being a bitch I quietly say, "get in" Ali looks at me with what looks like real hurt in her eyes and it breaks my heart to know that I did that I her. She gets in the car and we sit in quiet the whole time. When we get to my house we go up to my room and she sits on my bed while I awkwardly stand next to it. She looks up at me with her hurt blue eyes and quietly asks me "What did I do?"

Knowing what she means I play dumb and say "What do you mean?"

"I obviously did something to hurt you beyond anything I can repair in the dark, you can't trust me and I understand that but Emily I'm trying to earn it back."

"It's not that."

"Then what is it?" she looks genuine so I decide to be honest.

"You have me wrapped around your finger and you know it, I will drop everything for you and I know its one sided."

"What?"

"Ali I was in love with you and all you did was toy with me and my feelings you knew just the way to manipulate me, just the sweet spot to keep me in place but still have the flicker of hope that you felt the same way. Don t you remember Ali? 'those kisses are just practice for the real thing'?"

"Emily"

" No listen, and now you come back from dead and I'm like a sick puppy coming to your every beckon need, just wanting to feel wanted by you, and its despicable."

With pain in her eyes "You think your feelings for me are despicable?"

With discuss I look her in the eye. "What does it matter that part doesn't effect you, all that matter is that I will still come."

Pain turning into anger " No Emily it does matter to me, you matter to me, those kisses weren't just for practice."

"Stop Ali I don't want to play your game believe it or not I actually do care for you."

Without hesitation she stands up grabs my neck and kisses me. Not like they used to be, with passion with need, like she couldn't live without it. I don't kiss her back at first I just stand there frozen, I've wanted this for so long I don't know what to do. I push her away. And look at the floor.

"Emily I'm not using you, I've always had real feelings for you, but I was afraid to take that step, I was raised thinking that feelings like that were wrong, and everything that I've been through my feelings for you terrified me."

I slowly look up at her and make eye contact. "how can I know you not lying?"

"I guess you can't, but Emily I'm not afraid anymore, not after everything, ill take as long as I have to, to prove it to you."

Baffled all I can say is "Okay."

She looks at me shyly now which doesn't make sense after what she just said. "If its not too much to ask." she hesitates "Would I be able to stay here tonight?"

I'm about to say that's a bad idea when I remember what I saw in her house and know I can't say no "Of course."

She takes a shower and walks out in just a towel. All I can focus on is the water slowly dripping down her chest to the towel and down her legs. When I realize she's talking to me. "What?" I say stupidly

She knowingly grins but I wonder if she's blushing or of its just from the hot water. "Can I borrow some clothes to sleep in?"

"Oh yeah, sorry" unless you want to sleep in that towel I think. Then mentally kick myself because I'm trying to distance myself from her. Which is obviously failing as she slides into my bed next to me. We lay silently for a long time. Thinking of everything she said, I feel like my head is full of static, I can't think of anything but how much I hope she was telling the truth, but how much she put me through even if it was just fear. I decide to jump. "Ali? Are you awake?"

She doesn't respond all she does is roll over and looks and me with her blue eyes and waits. I roll over and stare at her for a few moments just thinking of all the time I thought she was dead and I layed in this bed dreaming of this moment. I'm getting ready to apologize to her when she crosses the neutral line and puts her lips on mine, but this time I kiss her back. With everything I have, the pain the longing, the fear and all the love I had been holding back. She deepens the kiss when she puts her hands on me. Thee wave of shock coming from her touch on my face and the other on my hip. As distant as I wanted to be a few hours ago seems pointless now, what ever walls I had up she melts away with the heat of her body on mine. She slowly moves on top of me taking al of the control, my hands on her face moving down her back when she pulls away slowly looking me in the eyes she says

"I'm sorry, I don't want to move too fast." she rolls off of me and lays back down. I touch my lips as the feeling of hers on them slowly fades away like a dream. I lay silently when she turns to me and says.

"Emily its not that I don't want to its just I don't want to ruin this I don't want to scare you" I take this as an insult as if I don't have any experience when in reality I probably have more than her, I'm about to say that when she interrupts "I don't want you to think that I'm going to sleep with you and end it there, that's not what I want." I get a warm feeling in my chest, I smile and look at her.

"Okay Ali."