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"Well, I heard they host orgies," Hanna added Everyone let out a collective Ew, but then a face had appeared at theof the Purple House and they’d all quickly biked away
Murderer
Spencer paused fro into her throat She stared at the quiet, al houses on the street A shadow slipped behind a pair of e cans in the alley
She shivered and thought of her most recent note from A Maybe her friends weren’t convinced that Kelsey could be their new evil text-ical answer Spencer had ruined Kelsey’s life Now Spencer had to stop her before Kelsey ruined hers--and her friends’, too
Over the summer, Spencer and Kelsey had become fast friends Kelsey had confessed that after her parents had gotten divorced, she started acting out and fell in with a wild group of girls She’d gotten into pot, and then started selling it During a locker search at school, security found her stash The only reason she wasn’t expelled frones was because her dad had recently donated a science wing, but her parents threatened to send her to a super-strict Catholic school in Canada if she stepped out of line again
"I decided to turn things around," Kelsey said one night as she and Spencer lay together on her bed after a night of studying "My parents refused to pay for it, saying it would be a waste after all the trouble I’d gotten into, but aly, a nonprofit I’d never heard of swooped in at the last ram I want to show my parents it was all worth it"
In turn, Spencer told Kelsey about her troubles, too--well, some of them Like how she’d been tortured by A How she’d stolen her sister’s paper and passed it off as her own for the Golden Orchid prize How she wanted to be the very best all the time
They’d both been the perfect candidates for Easy A At first, the pills hadn’t hadthehters But as tian to notice when they hadn’t taken it "I can’t keepclass "I feel like a zoroan They watched Phineas across the rooue If he was okay taking more,htening up, she climbed the steps to Beau’s front porch, checked herself out in the front sidelight --she’d dressed in skinny jeans, a soft cashht looked appropriately cute but not like she was trying to i the bell
No one answered She rang it again Still no one
"Hel-lo?" Spencer said i hard on the door
Finally, a light snapped on, and Beau appeared at theHe whipped open the door His eyes were sleepy, his dark hair was tousled, and he was shirtless Spencer nearly sed the piece of Trident she was chewing Where had he been hiding those abs?
"Sorry," Beau said drowsily "I was "
"Of course you were," Spencernot to stare at his thousand-sit-ups-a-day torso This was like the ti class at Hollis that had nude male models Theto burst into giggles
She strode into the foyer, noting that the inside of the Purple House was as chaotic-looking as the outside The hallalls were filled with an eclectic ns advertising brands of cigarettes and long-defunct diners Shabbyroom off to the left, and a rustic maple table covered in hardcover books of all shapes and sizes took uprooa , and an incense holder bearing a single lit stick wafted smoke into the air fro this place?" Spencer asked
Beau strolled over to the mat, scooped up a white T-shirt from the floor, and pulled it over his head Spencer was both relieved and oddly disappointed that he was covering up "No, we’ve owned it for almost twenty years My parents rented it out to professors, but then ot a job in Philly and we decided to move back in"
"Did your parents paint it purple?"
Beau grinned "Yep, back in the seventies It was so everyone knehere the orgies were"
"Oh, I heard so to sound nonchalant
Beau snorted "I’ with you They were both literature professors at Hollis Their idea of a thrill was reading The Canterbury Tales in Old English But I heard all the ruly "Rosewood people love to talk, don’t they? I heard some rumors about you, too, Pretty Little Liar"
Spencer turned away, pretending to be fascinated with a folk art sculpture of a large black rooster Even though surely everyone in town--in the country--had heard about her ordeal with Real Ali, it was strange that someone like Beau had paid attention "Most of the rumors aren’t true," she said quietly
"Of course they aren’t" Beau strolled toward her "But it sucks, doesn’t it? Everyone talking Everyone looking at you"
"It does suck," she said, surprised Beau had nailed her struggle so succinctly
When she looked up, he was staring at her with an enig to memorize every inch of her features Spencer stared back She hadn’t noticed how green his eyes were before Or the cute little diet started?" she asked after an aard beat
Beau broke his gaze, walked across the room, and settled into a leather chair "Sure If you want"
Spencer felt a stab of exasperation "You told me to come here so you could teach me Soteach me"
Beau tilted the chair back and pressed a hand to his lips "Well, I think your probleh school girl regurgitating her lines"
Spencer straightened her spine "Of course I understand her She’s deterets in over her head And then she’s plagued by guilt for what she did"