Free Ali's Pretty Little Lies by Sara Shepard Page A

wonderful as Courtney says.”
    “Oh, and Courtney does say you’re wonderful.” Iris didn’t blink. “But she’s pretty awesome, too. We have a lot of fun here. Tuesday’s our standing spa day, isn’t it, C? And Thursday is yoga!”
    “How nice!” Mrs. DiLaurentis clapped her hands.
    Ali squinted. “You have a spa here? And yoga?” The Radley didn’t have either of those.
    “Uh-huh.” Iris’s smile showed all her teeth. “You’re jealous, aren’t you? I bet you want to be in here, too.”
    Ali flinched, a chill running up her spine. Her sister had told this girl everything. And Iris clearly believed her.
    Iris stood. “Well, I’ll let you guys catch up.” She waggled her fingers at the family and sauntered off, her jeans hanging low on her skinny hips.
    Mrs. DiLaurentis set her Coke on the coffee table. “She seems . . . nice.”
    “She’s a skeleton,” Jason mumbled.
    “She’s pretty cool.” “Courtney” fiddled with her earrings. “She’s in here for an eating disorder. But I guess she’s doing a lot better—she’s leaving on Wednesday. Who knows who I’ll get stuck with. I liked the roommate I had before her, too—her name was Tabitha. But I feel like I can’t get lucky three times.”
    “So how are your classes?” Mr. DiLaurentis asked. Everyone at the Preserve had a private tutor who kept them on pace with their grade level.
    “They’re going really well,” “Courtney” answered eagerly. “I’ve definitely aced English. Geometry, too. I’m not so sure about history and science.” Her face brightened. “But I’ve had a lot of help. A friend of mine, Tripp, tutored me. He’s awesome.”
    Mrs. DiLaurentis exchanged a surprised glance with her husband, who looked just as floored. “That’s so nice!” she chirped. “Is Tripp here?”
    “Courtney” shook her head. “He was. But he transferred elsewhere.” She ran her finger in a groove in the table. “It’s a bummer, but we’ve been emailing a lot.”
    She trailed off and stared at her lap. The DiLaurentises exchanged a charged look Ali couldn’t quite decipher. “You seem much happier,” Mrs. DiLaurentis said.
    “I’ve been feeling pretty good,” Courtney said. “I guess it’s the new meds they have me on.”
    “And your nurses said you’ve been really cooperative,” Mr. DiLaurentis added.
    “They’ve been nice to me,” “Courtney” said. “They all work so hard.”
    Ali turned her head and rolled her eyes. What was with the sweet-as-pie act? And why was her twin acting so normal ? Usually when they came here, “Courtney” was combative and angry, barely speaking to any of them.
    “In fact, I’ve been doing so well that they’ve given me permission to leave campus every once in a while,” “Courtney” added.
    Ali flinched. “By yourself?”
    “No.” Her sister smiled sweetly. “With a chaperone.”
    “Goodness.” Mrs. DiLaurentis smiled. “You must be improving.”
    Ali pulled a loose string on the upholstered couch they were sitting on so vigorously a whole row of stitches unraveled in her hands. What lunatics allowed her sister to leave campus? Didn’t they realize what she was capable of?
    After a while, a nurse tapped Mrs. DiLaurentis on the shoulder to say that Courtney’s group session would begin soon. Everyone hugged, Ali gritting her teeth as she wrapped her arms around her sister’s shoulders. Then her twin disappeared out of the day room, an odd spring in her step.
    Ali excused herself to use the bathroom—she felt light-headed and needed a few seconds to herself. She pushed through the door of the visitors’ bathroom in the hall, wrinkling her nose at the acrid scent of bleach and the ring of rust around one of the sinks. Then the door opened again, and two girls walked inside. One of them was Iris. Another was her twin.
    “H-hi?” Ali stammered. “Don’t you have group therapy?”
    “Oh, don’t worry about that, sis ,” “Courtney” sneered, glancing at