Pretty Little Liars

Chapter 15: All of Dakota's Wishes Coming True

Dakota ventures off to her own locker after leaving Neah, a newly found prance in her step. This is good, her hanging out with Neah later. She has been spending so much time alone lately that it's almost getting boring. She doesn't trust herself alone in the house with Alison's killer still on the loose and if that means having the chance to hang out with one of her old friends, she will take the opportunity while it's fresh. Plus, now that Remy Thorne is back in town, everything needs to be readjusted.

Her conversation with Neah floods through her mind again, welcoming a memory of Alison a month after the Remy Thing. It was the beginning of August and Dakota found Ali in her backyard, planted under a tree with a leather-bound notebook in her lap. Dakota's hair was in braids, her denim shorts covered fishnet tights, and her crop-top was one that her mom got from China, showing off her fake bellybutton ring.

"I've been calling you," Dakota quietly called out to her friend. As much as she was comfortable with her own company back then, summer afternoons were endless. Neah was forced to spend family time with her new stepbrother, Bree was dragged to Philly for her dad's business dinner, and Sabrina was volunteering backstage at a local production of As You Wish. But since the Fourth of July, Dakota had been wanting to spend as much time with her friends as possible.

"I left my phone inside." Alison shut her journal, looking Dakota up and down, shaking her head. "You should let me give you a makeover sometime."

"Okay," Dakota agreed, because that's what she did when it came to Alison dishing out advice. She plopped down next to her in the grass, picking at the blades. "I had a dream last night."

"We dream every night." Ali slid her journal under her thigh, resting her head against the trunk of the maple tree. "At least fifteen a night. Did you know that?"

Dakota shook her head. "No, but I dreamed that Remy was fine. That he wasn't burned or anything and that he got out and was okay. And he didn't see anything--"

"Stop it, Dakota," Ali cuts her off, her summer high fading from her face. "We said that we wouldn't talk about it."

"I know, but it was a good dream." Dakota was dying to tell someone this. The only person she could was Ali.

"What's done is done," Ali spat and Dakota shamefully stared back down at the green grass. Ali reached out to spin a strand of Dakota's hair around her finger. "That's one of the best things about you, you know. Your optimism. How you care so much for others, even when they don't deserve it."

Dakota managed a smile, feeling like the most important girl in Rosewood. It wasn't every day that Alison said these sorts of things.

Alison's face looked pained. "I wish I was more like that."

"Hey." A deep voice pulls Dakota back to reality.

She blinks, finding Tyler standing at her locker with a boyish smile she used to love back in middle school. She offers one in return. Extra boyish. "Hello."

"I tried looking for you at the funeral yesterday," he says, gently leaning against the wall of lockers.

"You went?"

He nods his head. "Everyone did."

"Right." She pops her locker open after her second try, feeling Tyler's eyes bare into her.

"I guess I wanted to apologize or something," he continues awkwardly.

Dakota looks at him out of the corner of her eye. "For what, exactly?"

"I know that you and Ali were friends at one point so all this must be really hard on you," Tyler explains, fidgeting with the bent corner of his algebra book.

"She's been gone for two years but it still feels like she's dying again." Her comment makes her shudder and she quickly looks at Tyler. "I don't say that to gain pity."

"I know," Tyler assures but Dakota isn't sure that he's convinced.

"Okay."

"Are you ready for Raholey's pop quiz today?" For some reason, Tyler joins her walk down the hallway like they're friends. As though they do this type of thing every day.

She snaps her head to look at him. "Pop quiz? But it's only the third day of school. How can there be a pop quiz?"

He grins. "It's over the syllabus."

"Well then to answer your question, no," she answers, sighing. Can't some of the teachers cut them some slack? They just had to bury a classmate.

"We sit close enough," Tyler reminds her, leaning in a little so she can smell the cinnamon gum off his breath. "I'll let you cheat."

Dakota feels chills explode up her arms. She blows air out of her mouth and quickly nods before they separate, him going one way and her nearly tripping down the steps.