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The words sank in slowly Spencer suddenly tasted sticky martini at the back of her throat "W-what?"

"Not it," Courtney repeated, still bobbing to the beat Even her eyes danced "Don’t tell aa with a tall girl aist-length brown hair Lightning crackled through her veins So

E look Then Courtney took Spencer’s aruided her and Emily away from the dance floor to a quieter part of the bar Spencer’s heart rocketed Soed

Theyto tell you," Courtney said, pushing a lock of hair out of her face "Emily already knows"

"Knows?" Spencer repeated E on?"

Courtney reached out and grabbed her hands "Spence I’m Ali"

Spencer’s head snapped up "That’s not funny"

But Courtney had a serious look on her face Eht was giving Spencer a raine She slid farther into the booth "Stop it," she deht now"

"It’s true," E "Honest Just hear her out"

Courtney began to explain what had happened When Spencer heard the word switch, the martinis she’d downed crawled up the back of her throat Hoas this possible? She didn’t believe it Couldn’t believe it

"How ether?" Spencer croaked, woozily gripping the edge of the banquette

"Just once," Courtney--Ali?--said, her eyes downcast "The weekend my sister died"

"No, wait" Eer "Wasn’t she here one other time?" She reached into her black patent clutch, pulled out her phone, and showed them the old photo text A had sent Ali, Jenna, and a third blond girl whose back was to the camera stood in the DiLaurentises’ yard on what looked like a late-suirl could definitely be Ali’s twin

"Oh" Courtney pushed her hair out of her eyes and snapped her fingers "Right I forgot She was ho hospitals"

Spencer counted the funky glass tiles on the wall along the back of the booth, trying to make some sense and order out of the chaos "But if Courtney always pretended she was Ali, how do I know you aren’t Courtney?"

"She’s not," Eirl shook her head, too

"But what about the ring?" Spencer pressed, pointing to Courtney’s naked finger "The girl in the hole earing Ali’s initial ring on her pinkie If you’re Ali, as Courtney wearing it?"

Courtney made a pinched face, as if she’d done a shot of Sour Apple Pucker schnapps "I lost the ring thebefore our sleepover I’m sureit that night," Emily said quickly

Spencer shot Emily a look Of course Emily wanted to believe this was Ali--this hat she’d wanted for the past four years But as Spencer struggled to reht of their sleepover?

A bunch of spiky-haired guys in button-downs passed by, looking as though they wanted to approach and hit on the down and ambled away Courtney took Spencer’s hands "Reht about that for three and a half years I’m so sorry And I’ ot to you But I was jealous…and insecure I alorried that you deserved to be on the hockey team, not me"

Spencer clutched the seat of the leather-upholstered booth, trying to breathe Anyone could’ve known about the fight in the barn--Spencer had had to relay that information to the police But the hockey unifor Spencer hadn’t even told her friends

"And I’m sorry about all that stuff with Ian, too," Courtney--or was it really Ali?--said "I shouldn’t have said I was going to tell Melissa you two had kissed when I was the one in a relationship with him And I shouldn’t have said that I’d made hiritted her teeth, all the shaain "Gee, thanks"

"I was bitchy, I know I felt so bad afterward that I didn’t even bother to meet Ian I ran up to my room instead So in a way, you saved ht, it would have been me out there in the woods, easy prey for Billy" Ali wiped her eyes with a cocktail napkin "And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I kneere sisters I only found out a little bit before our last sleepover, and I didn’t kno to deal with it"

"How did you even find out?" Spencer asked weakly