Ali and Chloe Revisted (Book 2)

Chapter 9: Good Chemistry On Chemistry Hill

A half hour later on Wednesday, just as the moon rose over the trees and the big Hollis parking lot floodlights snapped on, Chloe stood at the top of Chemistry Hill, holding a donut-shaped snow tube in her mittened hand. Minutes ago, she'd changed out of Ella's dress after arriving at her house to meet Emily and Courtney for their fun night of sledding. "You sure you guys want to race me?" Chloe teased Emily and Courtney, who were each holding their own snow tube. "I'm the fastest sledder in all of Rosewood."

"Says who?" Emily asked. "You always lost whenever we raced."

"I let you guys win," Chloe said confidently.

Courtney grabbed the snow tube's pink handles. "The first one to that big tree at the bottom wins. Ready...set..."

"Go!" Chloe preempted them, jumping on the snow tube and whizzing down the hill.

"Hey!" Emily yelled.

"Chloe!" Courtney called.

Chloe bent her knees, picking up her boots so they wouldn't drag on the ground, and angled her tube toward the steepest part of the hill. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Emily and Courtney steering their tubes in that direction, too, but she was ahead of them. Emily and Courtney approached her at a hurtling speed, and then she rolled off her sled into the soft snow. Then Emily and Courtney collided with each other and rolled off their sleds, landing next to Chloe.

Courtney's snow tube continued down the hill without her, heading straight into the woods. "Hey!" she cried, pointing to the tube as it drifted past the tree they'd designated as the finish line. "It looks like I won!"

"Chloe let you win," Emily said good-naturedly. "She rolled off her sled on purpose."

Chloe giggled and covered her mouth with her pink fleece mittens. "That's exactly what I did."

A wave of happiness and excitement filled Chloe's body. The moment Emily had pulled into the chemistry building parking lot, Courtney looked back at her from the passenger seat and smiled, then gave Emily the same smile. This was exactly why Chloe loved spending time with Courtney. She wasn't jealous or crazy like Ali.

Speaking of Ali, Chloe thought of the A text she and Aria had received at the vegetarian restaurant. When Chloe had glared around the room, she didn't see anyone who could've been doing this. But she didn't need to. She already knew it was Ali—that was why she'd left the picture she'd drawn on the floor as she was leaving—and she had a feeling that Ali was probably somewhere close by right now.

"I haven't been here in ages." Emily broke the silence, gazing at the brick chemistry building at the bottom of the hill. "My brother and sister found this place. They're in college now, in California. I don't understand how they could've gone somewhere where it never snows."

"At least you're siblings aren't crazy," Chloe said, loud enough for a certain someone to hear.

"Chloe, don't say those things," Courtney said, taking Chloe's hand.

"Yeah," Emily said. "I used to wish I was an only child. There were always way too people at my house. And I never got new clothes—only hand-me-downs. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that being an only child must be lonely. Plus, I didn't used to be that close with my brothers and sisters like I am now."

Courtney's gaze drifted to the woods. "I better go down and rescue my snow tube before it gets too dark."

Chloe placed her hand on Courtney's arm. "I'll get it." She looked down the hill and at the woods. Then her eyes moved to the empty chemistry building parking lot. A car was making a wide circle around the parking spaces, coming to a stop under a spotlight at the bottom of Hollis Hill, not that far from where she and Isaac had crashed. Rosewood PD was printed on the car's side. Chloe squinted, recognizing the driver's familiar brown hair. It was Officer Wilden.