Dinner that night had gone just as smoothly as it had the night before, and Spencer had found a way to avoid any excess stress. Currently, she was upstairs laying on her bed and continuing her binge read of To Kill a Mockingbird. The window in her room was closed, blocking out all excess noises and adding a sweet bliss to her bedroom. It was the first moment of real peace she had felt all day. She was so focused on the lines of the book that she almost didn't hear Melissa's drunken laughter echoing across the backyard. Even through the closed window, Melissa found a way to intrude on Spencer's life.
Melissa was notorious for having too much wine at dinner, similar to her mother, but today she had gone a little bit overboard. Spencer got up from her bed to glare at them. She didn't like having any unwanted noises distracting her from reading. She looked out the window and saw the couple outside of the barn door, laughing and kissing before they went inside. Spencer had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. It was just like her to get tipsy and giggly in front of a boy.
Wren was a really good guy, but she couldn't understand why he was so into Melissa. He was really laidback and cool, while Melissa was a bit of a stuck-up bitch. Spencer and Melissa had never gotten along for that exact reason. Despite the similarities in grade-point average and life accomplishments, Spencer and Melissa had very different personalities when it came to social interaction. So why a guy like Wren was with a girl like Melissa was beyond her. He wasn't even really Melissa's type, which Spencer had told him. Melissa was into guys that were just as straight cut as she was, everything her parents ever wanted her to be with not a hair out of place. Wren seemed to be the complete opposite of that.
Her computer beeped from her desk, announcing that a new email had just arrived in her inbox. She crossed the room and sat down at her desk to inspect, ignoring the massive piles of textbooks and old notes lining the desk. She had to read the email a few times to really understand what it said, but no matter how many times her eyes ran over the words on the screen, nothing about it made any sense at all.From: A
To: Spencer
Poor Spencer. Always wants Melissa's boyfriends.
But remember, if you kiss I tell.
-A
Spencer's heart raced as she read the message again. There was no way anybody could've seen her looking out the window. She was looking into the backyard, after all. The only people there were Melissa and Wren. The message itself was what scared her the most. It sounded exactly like something Alison would've said. Was it possible that Ali could've sent it? She looked back at the window before reading the message one more time.
Alison, Spencer, and Hanna traipsed into Spencer's house, laughing with one another. They had just finished playing a super intense game of Truth or Dare over at Alison's house while the chocolate chip cookies they had baked were cooling down. Aria and Emily had both been busy so they hadn't come with them to sunbathe and gossip with the rest of them.
As soon as they stepped over the threshold of the Hastings house, the sweet smell of freshly baked cookies mixed with their suntan lotion making the air around them smell amazing. The house seemed to be empty, and the silence and stillness of the house was welcoming to them. They could continue their game without anyone hearing or seeing them. They could dish out all kinds of ridiculous dares and personal truths. It was Alison's favourite game.
Hanna reached for one of the cookies. She had just barely lifted it to her lips before Alison noticed her. "Are you really gonna eat that, Sweetie?" Alison asked. "I'm being a friend, Hanna."
Hanna frowned and put the cookie back on the tray, glancing at her arms and covering her stomach with them. Melissa came in through the open front door, holding hands with her insanely hot boyfriend, Ian. All the girls secretly harboured crushes on him. He was older and hot, but he was Melissa's boyfriend and he never even looked at any of them in the way they wanted him to. But it was still fun to talk about him and the other older Rosewood boys.
Melissa rolled her eyes when she saw the three girls. "Aren't you supposed to be at Alison's?"
"Hi, girls!" Ian said cheerfully.
"Hi, Ian," Ali said sweetly, batting her eyes like she always did when a cute guy was talking to her.
"You still need help with your scoop, Spence?" Ian asked her, ignoring Ali completely. "I've got my stick in the car."
Ian had been coaching Spencer on her field hockey skills since he started dating Melissa. Both sisters had been obsessed with the sport for a long time, and Ian happened to be a really good coach. Ian and Spencer had practiced before, but Spencer wasn't expecting it to happen again anytime soon. For some reason, Melissa didn't like when Ian hung out with her.
"What are you? Her babysitter?" Melissa asked. She chuckled at her own joke and started to pull Ian up the stairs toward her bedroom.
Alison turned to Spencer just before the couple disappeared up the stairs to do nothing more than sit next to each other and read. "You need to tell your sister," she said.
Melissa and Ian stopped in their tracks. Melissa rolled her eyes again, as if she was expecting Alison to start some kind of drama. That's what Alison was best at after all. She loved to turn a perfect day into a drama filled day of craziness. "Tell me what?" Melissa asked, looking at Spencer.
The room fell completely silent. Alison had cast her spell, and now it was up to Spencer to steer this conversation in the opposite direction as quickly as possible. Ali looked at Spencer eagerly, waiting to see what she would do. "Nothing," she lied smoothly, hoping that Melissa would just accept that answer and forget about it. Spencer glared at Ali, who seemed unbothered by the situation.
Melissa shrugged. "Come on," she said to Ian, and she dragged him up to her lair as she did so.
Spencer rounded on Alison. She had never been so angry at her in her life. How dare she bring her sister into something that didn't involve her? What Melissa didn't know wasn't going to kill her, and Alison had no right to try to get Spencer to tell her. "Outside," Spencer demanded before pushing through the back door.
Alison followed her out into the backyard, strutting like she owned the place. Spencer shut the door behind them before Hanna could join them. She couldn't risk even one more person knowing what had happened. Alison was the only person who knew, and that was only because she had been a witness to it. "What the hell are you doing?" Spencer asked through her clenched teeth.
Ali turned to face her, her lips curved into a sneer. "She's gonna find out," she said, crossing her arms.
"No, she's not," Spencer said.
Alison smiled, the same way a snake smiles at an unsuspecting mouse. "I promise you, she is," she said, "because if you don't tell her, I will."
Spencer's mouth dropped open. She couldn't believe Alison was threatening her like this. She would get in so much trouble if her sister found out what had happened earlier that summer. Melissa would tell the whole family, and Spencer would never hear the end of it. She couldn't bear her sister and her family hating her, and that was exactly what would happen. Alison knew that too. "I thought you were my friend," Spencer said, her voice cracking slightly.
"Don't you get it?" Alison said with a short laugh. "I'm trying to help you do the right thing!"
"It was one kiss!" Spencer exclaimed.
Alison scoffed and shook her head. She turned and started to step off the back porch to go back to her own house. It was right next door, and all she would have to do was push through the gap in the bushes before she arrived in her own backyard. It was their secret way of hanging out without anyone else seeing them.
Spencer lunged forward and grabbed Ali's arm before she could disappear off the porch. "Now, you listen to me, Alison—"
"Or what?" Alison spat back.
Spencer's heart raced as she looked into Alison's fierce blue eyes. Alison was a great fighter, but Spencer knew exactly what would keep her quiet. She wasn't afraid to use her greatest weapon against Ali. "If you say one word to my sister about Ian, I will tell everyone the truth about the Jenna Thing."
Alison glared at Spencer and shoved her arm off her own. She stormed off the porch and vanished behind the bushes lining their backyards. Spencer let her go. It wasn't worth fighting over anymore. Besides, they didn't need Alison to enjoy their day together. Hanna and Spencer would find something to do together.
Spencer hadn't thought about that day in months. That was the only instance of Ali thinking that Spencer wanted one of Melissa's boyfriends that she could think of. Alison had been the only person who knew anything about that day. Not even Hanna had known what was going on when she and Ali had gone onto the porch.
A flash of light caught Spencer's attention from the window facing Alison's old house. Spencer stood and walked over to the window she had been looking out at for her entire life. She hadn't seen even the slightest hint of movement for the year since the DiLaurentises had moved out, but a lamp had just been turned on. As Spencer's eyes glanced into the room, she thought she saw a flash of blonde hair whip out of sight. There was no way. The new family was black, weren't they?
A chill ran down Spencer's spine. "Alison?" she gasped.
She stared out the window for a long time, waiting for the next hint of Alison in the next house over. No sign of her missing best friend showed itself. She assumed it must have just been a trick of the light. There was no way that Alison was back. She would've made a much bigger scene for her dramatic return. Spencer tried to go back to her book, but her mind was racing way too fast. With one final glance at the house next door, she closed the curtains and got ready for bed, determined to forget the whole thing.