Wanted. (Book Eight)

Eleven: A Sympathetic Ear.

After school the following day, Aria screeched into the parking lot of the Rosewood YMCA, an old mansion that still maintained an English-style garden and a giant carriage house that had once held twenty Rolls-Royces. Mr. Kahn had needed Noel's SUV for the afternoon, and Aria had offered to pick Noel up from his Wednesday afternoon support group. She was also dying to tell Noel about the slinky, twenties-style red dress she'd found at a vintage store in Hollis this afternoon. Silly as it was, the Valentine's gala was the first school-sponsored dance Aria had ever attended, and she was surprised by how excited she was.

She maneuvered around the big parking lot, veering so as not to hit a Mercedes SUV whose driver was back out of a space without bothering to check behind him. Suddenly the Grateful Dead song on the college radio station went silent. "We have an update on the Rosewood Serial Killer," a reporter broke in. "Billy Ford, the alleged murderer in custody, claims he has an alibi for both the night Alison DiLaurentis went missing and the night Jenna Cavanaugh was killed. Police will look thoroughly into these findings. If his lawyers can prove his alibi, he may be able to go free. This will open up what investigators thought was an airtight case."

The double doors to the Y opened wide, and Aria looked up. A crowd spilled down the massive stone steps. Two people walked apart from the others, deep in conversation. Aria recognized Noel's dark hair right away. The person with him had a mane of blond hair. When she pushed her hair behind her ear, Aria gasped. It was Courtney.

She wanted to duck, but Noel had already spied the Subaru and was on his way over. Courtney followed. Aria watched them approach helplessly, feeling like a firefly caught in a jar.

"Hey," Noel said, opening the passenger door. "You wouldn't mind driving Courtney home, too, would you? Her mom's supposed to pick her up, but she called and said she was going to be really late."

Courtney waved at Aria sheepishly, lingering a safe distance away. Aria scrambled for an excuse, but she couldn't come up with anything fast enough. "Fine," she muttered.

Noel mouthed Sorry. But he didn't look particularly sorry. He shut the front door and clambered into the backseat, beckoning for Courtney to follow. Anger surged into Aria's chest—were they both going to sit in the back and make Aria look like a chauffeur?

But then Courtney opened the front passenger door and slid in next to Aria. Aria tried to meet Noel's eyes in the mirror, but he was typing on his iPhone. Was this his way of getting them to bond? Hadn't she already told him about being around Courtney brought back too many unhappy memories?

The first mile was quiet. They passed the empty playground, an organic restaurant, and the entrance to the Marwyn running trail. Courtney sat prim and straight in her seat; Noel pounded away on his keyboard. Finally, Aria couldn't stand it anymore. "So you're both in the sibling support group, huh?"

"I told Courtney that she should check it out," Noel said. "I said it helped me."

"I see." Aria resisted the urge to drive the car into the icy duck pond on their left. When had Noel and Courtney had that conversation?

Noel leaned his elbows on the backs of the front seats. "Do you like it, Courtney? I think the counselor is really cool and down-to-earth."

"A little too down-to-earth," Courtney laughed. "'Now, fall back into your partner's arms!'" she imitated, using a deep, dopey voice. "'The idea is to trust someone else as much as you would trust a tree or a brook.'" She snorted. "You were totally about to drop me, too."

"I was not!" Noel insisted. His cheeks were pink.

Aria clenched her teeth. "You guys were partners?"

"Well, yeah. We're the youngest ones there by far." Noel switched his STX baseball cap so that the brim faced backward.