“No, I’m not.” There was another flutter in the woods; Ali stepped closer to Spencer, boxing her in so she couldn’t see. “You are.”
Anger flashed in Spencer’s eyes, and she pushed Ali hard on the shoulder. Ali staggered back, surprised by the forcefulness of it. Her feet slipped on the path, and she twisted to the right, grabbing a tree branch for balance.
She straightened up and gawked at Spencer. “Friends don’t shove friends.”
Spencer stood tall. “Well, maybe we aren’t friends.”
“Guess not,” Ali said. She wanted to add, So go back to the barn.
But still Spencer lingered. It had gotten past the point of annoyance. Now Ali wanted to hurt Spencer. She suddenly realized how. She licked her lips, the twist to the secret like rich juice on her tongue. “You think kissing Ian is so special,” she teased. “But you know what he told me? That you didn’t even know how.”
Spencer stepped back as if Ali had slapped her. “Ian told you that? When?”
“When we were on our date,” she lied.
Spencer’s lips parted. No words came out of her mouth.
Ali edged closer. “You’re so lame, acting like you don’t know we’re together. But of course you do, Spence. That’s why you liked him, isn’t it? Because I’m with him? Because your sister’s with him?” She shrugged. “The only reason he kissed you the other night was because I asked him to. He didn’t want to, but I begged.”
Spencer’s eyes boggled. “Why?”
“I wanted to see if he would do anything for me.” She stuck out her lip. “Oh, Spence. Did you really believe he liked you?”
Spencer looked dizzy. A lightning bug landed on her arm, but she didn’t flick it away. Ali waited for her to whirl around in fury, but instead, she reached out and pushed Ali so hard that her feet went out from under her and her body flew back. A series of images flashed past her: the hazy lights, the huge moon in the sky, and then whiteness. A loud crack sounded in her ears. Her head throbbed with pain. She landed sharply on her elbow and rolled to her side. Moisture seeped into her clothes, but for a moment, she was too stunned to move.
An owl screeched in the trees. Ali opened her eyes, then felt the dirt caked onto the side of her cheek. She wiggled her fingers, then her toes, then rolled over and attempted to sit up. Spencer was still standing there, but she looked transfixed, almost like she had been hypnotized. Ali stood and brushed herself off. When she ran down the path, Spencer didn’t follow.
Good.
She padded toward her yard. But as she reached the hedges at the back of the property, a door banged in the barn, and a new thought struck her. What if her sister had seized the opportunity and gone inside the barn with Aria, Emily, and Hanna? She might be pretending she was Ali—or telling them everything.
She wheeled back around, her head throbbing. That had to be it! She couldn’t believe she’d fallen for it.
She doubled back toward the barn, feet slipping in the dewy grass. A door slammed, and she could just make out through the windows Spencer walking back inside. A crack sounded behind her, and she turned. Something was moving near the Hastingses’ patio. A person.
Ali’s hand flew to her mouth. “Courtney?” she whispered, too quietly for anyone to hear.
Only, it was two people, not one. They stuck close together, moving toward the side of the house and stopping by the Hastingses’ garden hose caddy. The taller of the two pushed the smaller figure up against the side of the house. Their bodies pressed together, and their lips met in a kiss.
Ali squinted hard. At first, she thought it was Ian and Melissa—they were around here somewhere. Then a car passed on the street, its headlights shining against the figures for a brief second. Her mother’s long blond hair and sharp profile shimmered into view. Ali gasped and looked at the taller figure, who was now caressing Mrs. DiLaurentis’s neck. The headlights touched on his face for a brief moment, illuminating his strong jaw, long and slender nose, full head of hair. He leaned Mrs. DiLaurentis against the side of the house with authority, as though he owned the place.
And then it hit Ali: He did own the place. The man her mother was kissing was Spencer’s father.