Ali and Chloe Revisted (Book 2)

Chapter 3: Dead Girls Don't Write Letters

Chloe leaned back on the chestnut brown leather couch, relaxing for the time being. Courtney and the four girls, sat next to her, sipping Godiva hot chocolate from striped ceramic mugs. They were all in Spencer's family's media room, which was filled with state-of-the-art electronics, a seven-foot movie screen, and surround-sound speakers. A large basket of Baked Tostitos sat on the coffee table, but none of them had touched it.

A woman named Marion Graves was perched on the checkered love seat across from them, a flattened, folded-up trash bag on her lap. While the girls were in ratty jeans, cashmere sweats, or, in Aria's case, a beat-up denim miniskirt over a pair of tomato red long johns, Marion was in an expensive-looking deep blue wool blazer and matching pleated skirt. Her dark brown hair shone, and her skin smelled of lavender moisturizer.

"Okay." Marion smiled at Chloe and the others. "Last time we met, I asked you guys to bring in certain items. Let's put them all on the coffee table."

Courtney handed over a photograph taken during one of the visits at the Preserve. Emily offered a pink patent leather change purse with a swirly E monogram on the pocket. Aria reached into her yak-fur tote and pulled out a creased, yellowed drawing. Hanna tossed out a folded-up piece of paper that looked like a note. And Spencer carefully laid down a black-and-white photograph along with a frayed blue rope bracelet. Chloe stared at the bracelet—she recognized the bracelet instantly. Courtney had made one for each of them the summer before seventh grade, before Ali came home from the Preserve. It was supposed to bind them together in friendship, to remind them how strong they were together. But this bracelet didn't belong to any of them: It was Ali's. Chloe had asked Courtney to make one for Ali, and Chloe was going to give it to her during one of their visits at the Preserve. Coincidentally, this was around the same time Chloe had written the note to Ali. Except the note was never mailed, and the bracelet was never given to Ali.

Chloe felt the same simmering anger she did around that time. Why was Ali crazy? And why did she have to do horrible things out of jealousy for Chloe's attention? It was an answer Chloe would probably never know.

It was the day after New Year's. School started again tomorrow, and Chloe had a feeling prayed this semester would be more action-packed than the last. Practically the minute she stepped through Rosewood Day's stone archway to start seventh grade, she could sense a big shift was about to happen. The night she told Officer Darren Wilden about who "really" planned on killing her and Courtney had been the same night the police also arrested Ian Thomas. Ian's trial was set to start at the end of that week. Chloe, Courtney, and the others would have to testify against him, and while getting up on the witness stand was going to be a million times exciting than when Chloe had had to sing a solo part at the Rosewood Day Holiday Concert, at least it would mean the ordeal would really, truly be over.

Because all of that was way too much for six teenage girls to handle, their parents had decided to call in professional help. Enter Marion, the very best grief counselor in the Philadelphia area. This was the third Sunday Chloe, Courtney, and the four girls had met with her. This particular session was dedicated to the girls letting go of the many horrible things that had happened.

Marion smoothed her skirt over her knees as she looked at the objects they'd laid on the table. "All of these things remind you of Alison, right?"

Everyone nodded. Marion shook open a black garbage bag. "Let's put everything in here. After I leave, I want you girls to bury it in Spencer's backyard. This ritual will symbolize laying Alison to rest. And with her, you'll be burying all the harmful negativity that surrounded your relationship with her."

Marion always peppered her speech with New Age phrases like harmful negativity and the spiritual need for closure and confronting the grieving process. Last session, they'd had to chant, What Ali did is not my fault, again and again, and drink stinky green tea that was supposed to "cleanse" their guilt chakras. Marion urged them to chant things into the mirror, too, stuff like, Ali is dead and never coming back, and, No one else wants to hurt me. Chloe longed for the mantras to work—what she wanted more than anything in the entire world was for her life to be normal again.