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"Come on You read about it in my diary, didn’t you?"

"I wouldn’t read your stupid diary," Spencer spat "I don’t care"

"Right" Ali took a step toward Spencer "You care way too much"

"You’re delusional," Spencer sputtered

"No, I’ht next to her now "You are"

Anger boiled up inside Spencer, and she shoved Ali on the shoulder It was forceful enough toon the path’s rocks, which were slippery with dew The older Spencer winced She felt like she was a pawn, being dragged along for the ride A look of surprise crossed Ali’s face, but it quickly turned to"Friends don’t shove friends"

"Well, maybe we’re not friends," Spencer said

"Guess not," Ali said Her eyes danced The look on her face indicated she had so pause before she spoke, as if she was considering her words very, very carefully Hang on, Spencer urged herself REMEMBER

"You think kissing Ian was so special," Ali growled

"But you knohat he told me? That you didn’t even kno"

Spencer searched Ali’s face "Ian…wait Ian told you that? When?"

"When ere on our date"

Spencer stared at her

Ali rolled her eyes "You’re so laether But of course you do, Spence That’s why you liked him, isn’t it? Because I’ed "The only reason he kissed you the other night was because I asked hied"

Spencer’s eyes boggled "Why?"

Ali shrugged "I wanted to see if he would do anything for me" Her face went into a mock pout "Oh, Spence Did you really believe he liked you?"

Spencer took a step back Lightning bugs strobed in the sky There was a poisonous smile on Ali’s face Don’t do it, Spencer screamed to herself Please! It doesn’t matter! Don’t!

But it happened anyway Spencer reached out and pushed Ali as hard as she could Ali slid backward, her eyes widening in alarht into the stone wall that surrounded the Hastings property There was a terrible crack Spencer covered her eyes and turned away The air smelled metallic, like blood An owl screeched in the trees

When she took her hands away froain, curled up and screa

Spencer sat up and checked the clock It was 2:30 AM Her head throbbed The lights were all still on, she was lying on top of her covers, and she was still wearing her black party dress and Elsa Peretti silver bean necklace She hadn’t washed her face or brushed her hair one hundred times, her typical before-bed rituals She ran her hands over her arh She touched it and it ached

She clapped a hand over her mouth That memory She instantly knew all of it was true Ali ith Ian And she had forgotten all of it That was the part of the night that was

She walked to her door, but the handle wouldn’t turn Her heart started to pound "Hello?" she called tentatively "Is someone there? I’m locked in"

No one answered

Spencer felt her pulse start to speed up Soed back to her The Scrabble ga Melissa the Golden Orchid essay And…and then what? She cupped her hands over the crown of her head, as if trying to jostle the memory free And then what?

All at once, she couldn’t control her breathing She started to hyperventilate, sinking to her knees on the ivory carpet Cal to breathe easily in and out But it felt like her lungs were filled with Styrofoa "Help!" she cried weakly

"Spencer?" Her father’s voice e on?"

Spencer jumped up and ran to the door "Daddy? I’m locked in! Let ood You scared us"

"Scared you?" Spencer asked "H-how?" She stared at her reflection in the mirror on the back of her bedroom door Yes, it was still her She hadn’t woken up in someone else’s life

"We’ve taken Melissa to the hospital," her father said

Spencer suddenly lost equilibrium Melissa? Hospital? Why? She shut her eyes and saw a flash of Melissa falling away fro? Spencer’s hands shook She couldn’t reht?"

"We hope so Stay there," her father said fro wary Perhaps he was afraid of her--perhaps that hy he wasn’t co time How could she not have re Melissa? What if she did lots of horrible things and, in the next second, erased theht in front of you, A had said Just when Spencer was looking in the mirror Could it be?

Her cell phone, which was sitting on her desk, began to ring Spencer stood up slowly and looked at the screen on her Sidekick Hanna

Spencer opened her phone She pressed her ear to the receiver

"Spencer?" Hanna ju You have to htened and her ht in front of you She killed Ali She didn’t kill Ali It was like pulling petals off a flower: he loves me, he loves me not Perhaps she could meet Hanna and…and what? Confess?

No It couldn’t be true Ali had turned up in a hole in her backyard…not on the path against the stone wall Spencer couldn’t have carried Ali to her backyard She wasn’t strong enough, right? She wanted to tell someone about this Hanna And Emily Aria, too They would tell her she was crazy, that she couldn’t have killed Ali