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He stepped on the porch and rang the bell Spencer waited a beat, then pulled the door open The guy in front of her wore jeans and a striped button-down He was about Spencer’s height and well-built, and he had sharp green eyes and a sensual, pink full-lipped ly white scars across his cheeks There were more slashes on his hands One of his ears was shriveled, barely there

"Hey, Spencer," he said

She backed away frouy said

Spencer paused, waiting for the punch line "No, you’re not," she spat "I know Chase" She didn’t knohat to think of Chase--even if he wasn’t A,with Noel and Ali How else could he have known about Jaht her arm "Actually, you know my brother His name is Curtis I sent him toto online I’m the one who set up the Alison DiLaurentis website"

Spots formed in front of Spencer’s eyes A horn honked on the next street over, rabbed the cordless phone that sat on the table next to the door "Leave right now, or I’ll call the police"

The boy raised his hands in surrender "Look, I’ connection online, and I was so jazzed about you, but when I went to the M&uuo in there lookingyou knowthe way I look" He gestured to his face, his ear "My brother was in the car with me So I sent him in instead, told him to be me I told him what to say about the case But he fell for you And then e found out that you were Spencer Hastings" He paused and shook his head "Then I really couldn’t show you who I was I’ve had a crush on you since I read about you in People"

Spencer didn’t knohether to laugh or cry "You’re notany sense"

"I know" Chase looked tormented "But it’s the truth, I swear Curtis texted s, and I told hiot into a huge fight the night of proht we should come clean and he didn’t want to"

Spencer’s head hirling so fast it actually hurt "HeI never told him--either of you"

Chase blinked "What did he bring up?"

Spencer sed hard "So about Jamaica," she aduilty one, not her

Chase’s brow furrowed, then a light came on in his eyes "Oh--you were in Jamaica when Tabitha Clark died, is that it?"

Spencer’s eyes flashed, but she said nothing

"I’ve gotten so, since it’s local," Chase said "I looked into it a little I also peeked at your Facebook page--so a few fro Curtis was in the rooht have said that you were there at the same time Tabitha was--it was such a weird and sad coincidence" His big eyes filled with ree invasion of privacy I should have never Googled you, never stalked your Facebook page I should have been honest with you from the very start"

The sun ca the scars on Chase’s cheek Spencer shut her eyes and tried to process what Chase was saying In some ways, it wasn’t really so different from what Their Ali did to them She’d convinced them--everyone--that she was someone she wasn’t And people trusted her because of it People bought into her lies

"Why should I believe anything you’re tellingme, too"

"I’m not" Chase shook his head "I promise, Spencer, I’m not I would never do that This has happened to me, remember?"

"Exactly!" Spencer cried "You knohat being stalked was like Or was that a lie, too?"

Chase set his jaw "Look atto you And I’ll never lie to you again My roommate slashed me--and even then, people didn’t believe he could do such a thing You’re right: I shouldn’t have invaded your privacy like that, but I was just trying to help As far as sending my brother in my place, tell me you wouldn’t have slunk away, creeped out by the scars I saw your face when you e a book by its cover It’s just how life is"

A gust of wind blew her hair sideways Hoould she have reacted? Was she really that superficial?

Chase sighed heavily "Look, I don’t expect to ever see you again, but I do want to assure you that everything on my site is for real And I was serious yesterday when I had my brother say I found a picture of Alison on a surveillance video froed in his otten what Curtis had mentioned in the car Chase extracted a silver laptop, opened it up, and clicked on a folder "I’m friends with a bunch of cops in Rosewood, Yarmouth, and a couple of other towns outside Philly I was actually researching that case about the Rosewood Stalker--reht they’d seen the stalker near Hollis A cop friend gave me some surveillance videos, and I hit on this"

The folder opened, and several pictures loaded Spencer leaned down to look A grainy, black-and-white shot of a Hollis street appeared Garbage cans sat at the curb A girl in a leather jacket was getting into her VW Beetle There was nothing interesting in it, as far as she could tell

But then Chase pointed to two shadowy figures in the top right corner "Doesn’t that girl seem familiar?"

Spencer squinted Even in black-and-white, she couldblond hair She had a heart-shaped face, too, and there was sole of her chin that made her heart seize

She stared at Chase "Alison?"