She was about to turn away when Melissa gave Spencer a saccharine smile. “Look, Spence, I know you’re annoyed about Colin. But he and I are much more suited to each other. We’re at the same place in life. There’s no reason for you to get nasty. That little Ian stunt you pulled yesterday? Totally not cool.”
It took everything in Spencer’s power not to smother her with one of Nana’s monogrammed bed pillows. Totally not cool? Did Melissa understand that it was totally not cool to steal the guy Spencer was after, too? And didn’t she know it was totally not cool to pretend to be on Spencer’s side before stabbing her in the back?
Before Spencer could say another word, Melissa stepped into the steamy bathroom and slammed the door shut. Seconds later, the shower curtain rattled closed. Whirling around, Spencer sauntered back downstairs to the patio. Her mother had paused from mug-decorating and was looking at a photo on her iPad. It was a picture of Mrs. DiLaurentis and Ali. They were standing in the Hastingses’ backyard at a family barbecue. Spencer’s dad was in the corner of the frame, handing Ali’s mom a grilled hamburger.
“Why are you looking at that?” Spencer asked.
Her mother jumped and minimized the screen. “I, uh, was just scrolling through old photos on our Kodak account. There are so many we need to delete.”
“Mom . . .” Spencer fiddled with a spare liner brush on the table. “Is something bothering you about the DiLaurentises?”
Her mother’s mouth opened and closed just as a scream pierced the air. A moment later, Melissa burst onto the patio in a terry-cloth robe that said WALDORF-ASTORIA, NEW YORK CITY on the breast. Her eyes were wild, her skin was still wet, and her dripping hair was a brilliant shade of sapphire. It was even more vibrant and extreme than Spencer could have hoped for.
“Melissa!” Spencer’s mother was so surprised she shot to her feet. “What on earth . . . ?”
Melissa pointed at Spencer. “You did this. You put something in my shampoo.”
Spencer shook her head innocently. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You probably just picked up one of Nana’s shampoos by mistake.”
“You’re such a liar.” Melissa shook her blue head, her hands quaking with rage. “A pathetic, jealous liar.”
“It’s a good look for you,” Spencer simpered, fiddling with her paintbrush. “And you never know, maybe Colin is into Smurfs.”
Melissa let out a piercing groan. Turning to her right, she snatched an unpainted bowl from the table and hurled it at Spencer. Spencer ducked just in time, and the pottery smashed against the brick pavers.
“You bitch!” Spencer screeched. She grabbed the water-filled cup her mother was using to wash her brushes and splashed it in Melissa’s face. Green-colored liquid spilled down her cheeks.
Melissa wiped her eyes and gnashed her teeth. She lunged for Spencer, her arms outstretched. “I’m going to kill you,” she growled.
“Girls!” Mr. Hastings appeared above them from out of nowhere, wearing a golf shirt and a pair of plaid shorts. “What the hell is wrong with you two?”
“She put blue hair dye in my shampoo!” Melissa wailed.
“She stole the guy I was interested in!” Spencer shot back.
A look of recognition flashed across Spencer’s mother’s face. “Wait. Melissa stole the guy you liked?”
Melissa scoffed. “I didn’t steal him. He chose me.”
“That is such a lie!” Spencer yelled and stomped her foot. Her Havaianas made a smack against the floor.
“You two are acting ridiculous,” their father boomed. “You’re too old to fight like this.”
“Your father’s right,” their mother said, placing her hands on her hips. She strode forward and positioned herself next to her husband. “Melissa, you’re twenty-two years old. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
Spencer shot a satisfied look at her sister. It had been years since Melissa had been reprimanded.
“Not that you’re any better.” Spencer’s father turned to her, as if reading her mind. “You girls should have learned your lesson about being interested in the same boy. There’s no excuse for putting hair dye in your sister’s shampoo.” Spencer’s parents exchanged weary glances with each other, letting out matching sighs.
Melissa reknotted her robe and yanked the patio door open. “I have to call the salon right now and see if I can get this disaster fixed,” she said, then flounced away.
Her footsteps could be heard all the way up the stairs. Spencer’s father began to sweep up the broken pottery shards with a dustpan.
Her mother turned to her and shook her head. “When I told you to do whatever it took to get that boy, I didn’t mean for you to ruin your sister’s hair.”
“Mom, I—”
But her mother cut her off with a wave of her hand. “Save it.”
Then she and Mr. Hastings wandered toward the pool, muttering quietly to each other. Spencer watched as her mother leaned into her father, and her father put an arm around Mrs. Hastings’s shoulder. Spencer couldn’t help but smile. It was the closest they’d come to embracing in days.
Nothing like two warring children to bring a couple back together.
Chapter 13
A Jump into the Unknown