"We were best friends. I cared about her so much. So this one day, sort of out of the blue, I did it ... Ali and I were in this tree house in her backyard – we went there a lot to talk. We were sitting up there, talking about this guy that she liked, some older boy whose name she wouldn’t say, and I just felt like I couldn’t hold any of it in anymore. So I leaned over and kissed her."
— Pretty Little Liars

And then, because Emily couldn't stand it any longer, she leaned forward and kissed Ali. There was a singular, wonderful moment; then Ali pulled away and laughed. Emily tried to pass it off like she was just playing ... and then they went to their separate houses to have dinner. She’d thought about the kiss so many times, she’d hardly remembered what had come before it.
— PLL: Flawless

Emily had loved Ali more than anyone — they used to call Emily 'Killer,' as in Ali's personal pit bull.
— PLL: Perfect

There were many times she’d imagined running away before — Ali used to say she’d go with her. Hawaii was one of their top five choices. So was Paris. Ali said they could assume different identities. When Emily protested, saying that sounded difficult, Ali shrugged and said, "Nah. Becoming someone else is probably really easy." Wherever they chose, they promised to spend tons of uninterrupted time together, and Emily had always secretly hoped that maybe, just maybe, Ali would have realized she loved Emily as much as Emily loved her.
— PLL: Unbelievable

"She used to talk about you, you know ... She said you were her favorite of all her friends. You guys had a special bond."
"We did," Emily said, her cheeks warming. "I miss her so much ... I've never had another friend like Ali," Emily admitted. "Even though she could be mean, I would have done anything for her."
— Pretty Little Secrets

If I've learned anything, it's that the key to Emily's heart is the best friend she loved and lost. If Emily thought there was any chance that her dear Ali was back, she'd go to the ends of the earth to find her.
— Pretty Little Secrets

Out of all Ali’s old friends, Emily was definitely having the toughest time handling Ali’s death. It was just that she’d never had a best friend like Ali, before or since. It didn’t help, either, that Ali had also been Emily’s first love, the very first girl she’d ever kissed. If it were up to Emily, she wouldn’t be burying Ali at all. She was perfectly fine with keeping her Ali memorabilia on her nightstand forever and ever.
— PLL: Wicked

She’d fallen in love with Ali in seventh grade ... In fact, now that she thought about it, the very first time Emily had ever seen Ali ... It was a few days before she started third grade, and Emily and her mom were at the grocery store ... A pretty blond girl about Emily’s age bounded right past them, skipping up the cereal aisle. There was something intoxicating about her, probably because she was everything plain, introverted Emily wasn’t.
— PLL: Killer

Emily had spent years pining over Ali, obsessing over every contour of her face, memorizing every hair on her head ... When she’d seen Ali in the woods on Saturday night, her heart had filled with joy ... Emily couldn’t imagine why Ali would want to leave Rosewood; she always secretly hoped that it was because Ali wanted Emily all to herself.
— PLL: Heartless

Emily heard a sigh and opened her eyes. Courtney’s face was inches from hers. "Oh," Emily breathed. Courtney moved even closer. The room vibrated with possibility. "I ..." Emily started, but then Courtney leaned forward and touched her lips to Emily’s. A billion explosions went off in Emily’s head. Courtney’s lips were soft yet firm. Emily’s mouth fit hers perfectly. They kissed deeper, pressing harder. Emily was pretty sure her heart was beating even faster than it did in a fifty-meter freestyle sprint. When Courtney broke away, her eyes were shining.
— PLL: Wanted

Carolyn didn’t understand. This wasn't a normal crush like the one she had on Maya or Isaac. For years she’d thought of being with Ali, of going to Stanford with her and then maybe — if she was lucky — getting a little house together with one of those cute rooster weather vanes out front. The idea of coming on too strong and ruining her chances with Ali paralyzed Emily. Ali's opinion meant everything, and if Ali rejected her, Emily wasn’t sure what she’d do ... Emily had already envisioned sitting with Ali by the duck pond’s edge in the springtime, holding hands and blowing dandelion seeds across the grass. She’d imagined riding bikes with Ali around the winding streets of the development and camping out in her big backyard, waking up every few hours to kiss. And she’d pictured pulling up to Ali’s house tomorrow to pick up Ali for the Valentine’s Day dance, Ali descending the staircase dressed in a gorgeous red silk gown and red satin heels.
— PLL: Wanted

Ever so slowly, Ali took a step toward Emily. Her lips quivered. The corners of her eyes were wet. They stared at each other for a static-filled moment, Emily barely breathing. And then, Ali yanked Emily into an empty stall and pressed their bodies close. They kissed and kissed, the world melting away, the music from the dance subsiding until it was a dull echo. After a moment, they pulled back, breathless.
— PLL: Wanted

"She wasn't the love of my life or anything." That, of course, was Ali — her Ali. Was it crazy to still crush on a dead girl? Her Ali still had such a hold on her. And when "Courtney" returned, confessed to Emily that she was her real friend, and kissed Emily passionately on the lips, Emily had been in heaven. Now, even though Emily knew, logically, that her Ali had died the night of the seventh-grade sleepover, she still longed for that girl to return once more.
— PLL: Twisted

Emily trailed off, thinking about all the dreams she'd had about Real Ali this year. All the flashes of blond hair she swore she'd seen, all the haunting whiffs of vanilla soap she'd smelled. Her firm belief that she was still out there, watching her every move. "I try to think about only the good stuff with Ali and block out what really happened. It's easier that way. So like, in my head, My Ali is still this bubbly, intoxicating girl who had everyone wrapped around her finger ... You remind me of her a little ... In a good way. Nothing fazed her. She was kind of ... amazing."
— PLL: Ruthless