A Limited Edition Love

Emily doing everything possible to make ali happy

The moment Alison walked into the room, Emily knew something was wrong. She had been moody all day, dragging herself through conversations and barely reacting to Hanna's exaggerated storytelling or Aria's latest drama. Even Mona's sarcastic comments—normally enough to get a smirk out of her—were met with nothing but a sigh.

Emily finally found her chance to ask when the two of them were walking to their next class together. "Okay, what's up with you? You've been in a funk all day."

"It's stupid," Alison muttered, keeping her eyes ahead.

Emily nudged her playfully. "Since when do you care about being stupid in front of me?"

That got a tiny, reluctant smile from Alison. "Fine," she sighed. "I wanted this limited edition of The Secret Garden, but by the time I tried to order it, it was already sold out."

Emily blinked. "Wait. That's what this is about?"

"It's not just a book, Em," Alison said, rolling her eyes. "It's the special anniversary edition with gold detailing and annotations from the author's notes. They only printed a few hundred copies. It's beautiful."

Emily had never seen Alison so heartbroken over something like this. Usually, she shrugged things off, acted like she was too cool to care. But this? This mattered to her. And that was all Emily needed to know.

"I have to go," Emily said suddenly.

Alison frowned. "We literally just got to class."

"Uh, bathroom." Emily waved her off, already backing away.

"Seriously?" Alison called after her. "Are you five?"

But Emily was already halfway down the hall, pulling out her phone and typing as fast as she could. She needed to find that book.

For the rest of the day, Emily scoured every bookstore website she could find. No luck. Sold out everywhere. She called a few local indie stores, but they all gave her the same answer—gone.

By the time she met up with the girls again after school, she was desperate. "I need your help," she announced, dropping into the seat beside Spencer in the café.

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "With what?"

Emily hesitated, "I need to find a book. A very specific, very sold-out book."

Hanna leaned in, intrigued. "Ooh, a challenge."

Mona smirked. "What's in it for us?"

"I don't know, eternal gratitude?" Emily said.

"I was thinking Starbucks," Mona countered.

Emily sighed. "Fine. Whatever. Just help me find it."

Spencer was already typing on her laptop. "We could check resellers. eBay, rare book forums—"

"Wait," Aria cut in. "I think I know someone."

Emily turned to her so fast she nearly gave herself whiplash. "You do?"

Aria nodded. "I used to work at Hollis's literary journal, and one of the editors collects rare books. He might have a copy or know where to get one."

Emily grabbed Aria's arm. "Call him. Right now."

Three hours, five phone calls, and one extremely overpriced transaction later, Emily had secured the book. She picked it up the next morning from a tiny bookstore outside of town, clutching the wrapped package to her chest the entire bus ride home.

By the time she got to Alison's house, she was practically vibrating with excitement. She knocked on the door, shifting from foot to foot as she waited.

Alison opened it, blinking in surprise. "Em? What are you doing here?"

Emily grinned. "I come bearing gifts."

Alison gave her a skeptical look. "Unless it's a time machine to go back and buy my book before it sold out, I'm not interested."

Emily just smirked and handed her the package.

Alison took it hesitantly, peeling back the wrapping. The moment her eyes landed on the gold-detailed cover, her entire face changed.

"No way," she breathed.

Emily bit her lip, watching her carefully. "Way."

Alison looked up at her, completely stunned. "How did you—?"

Emily shrugged, playing it off. "I have my ways."

Alison stared at the book, running her fingers over the intricate design. Then, without warning, she launched herself at Emily, wrapping her in a tight hug.

"You are officially my favorite person," Alison murmured into her shoulder.

Emily laughed, hugging her back. "I better be after all that effort."

Alison pulled back, her blue eyes warm. "You were already my favorite."

Emily felt her heart stutter in her chest. She quickly looked away, cheeks heating up.

"Enjoy your book, Ali," she said, stepping back.

As she walked away, she heard Alison flip through the pages, whispering, "I can't believe you did this."

Emily just smiled to herself. She'd do it a hundred times over if it meant making Alison this happy.