A/N : Two very short chapters... there's method to the madness, I promise! Thanks for reading and for the reviews!

Kyla : Unstable

I had to think very carefully how I wanted to go about this. Part of me wanted to ignore everything and just run off to Mexico right after the Desert Quarter. But the other part screamed to tie up all the loose ends first, and leave in two months as I planned. I still didn't trust Spencer, so if there was any chance at all that Madison was right about her, I had to be sure that she'd never find me after retiring in Mexico. The other problem was Ashley… I needed her to go willingly. I didn't trust her either. I couldn't risk her staying behind. And killing her wasn't an option – all my off-shore accounts I'd created was in her name. So hearing about their little date-night made me very nervous, to be honest. Why did Ashley have to go and meet someone now? We're so close…

Spencer seemed to eat up all the emotion I put into the stories I just told her. Some of it was the truth, but not everything… Not that it mattered anyway. I just had to find my angle to make her believe that Ashley was unstable, and let her play the hero she so obviously wanted to be. I knew her type – it was blatant that Spencer just loved playing the protective butch girlfriend. It was sickening, really. Especially considering how much of a wuss Ashley was. All the while I also desperately needed to distract the blonde while Clay and I dug more into her credentials. Thanks for making me so paranoid, Madison.

"I guess things make a little bit more sense now, I mean, I haven't spent that much time with Ashley but I could pick up that there's something…"

I tried to hide my triumphant smile. Spencer was so into Ashley it was clear she wasn't paying attention to anything else. I wondered how she felt about the tidbit about Ashley nearly killing a guy with a torque wrench. Ashley didn't have the balls, but Spencer didn't have to know that.

I sighed, laying it down thick. "Spencer, you've got to understand something about Ashley. After jail, she kind of lost it a little. She still sees a shrink once a month. She doesn't always live in reality, if you know what I mean."

Well, that got her attention. Spencer leaned against the dusty Dodge and frowned at me, waiting for an explanation.

Lies came so easily to me. And unlike most people, I could do it very convincingly. Especially to this love-sick blonde bimbo in front of me. "You know she thinks she's studying to become an Accountant, right?"

The confused look on Spencer's face was priceless. "What do you mean she thinks?"

"The books, the papers, the homework… it's not real. She's not enrolled anywhere, Spencer. I doubt she can even do basic multiplications." Sorry Ash, but you can't even make a decent fucking cup of coffee.

I watched Spencer battle with her own thoughts. "But… she wrote midterms?" she finally stated, more asking, probably wanting to know how that was possible.

"She spent the last two weeks in therapy, Spencer. We need to send her away from time to time. She takes her books with her, she doesn't always know what's going on around her." Oh, the lies came easy indeed. I surprised myself at how well this was going to play out.

Spencer seemed flabbergasted. Disappointed. I couldn't believe she was eating up all this shit.

"Look, Spencer, I appreciate that you're hanging out with her. You're good for her, she's better when you're around. Please don't let what I told you affect what you two have. I just need someone to be there for her – you've basically swept her off her feet. I've haven't seen her so happy since… " I could also cry on cue – thanks to years of pretending to be a caring sister. Allowing a tear to trickle down my cheek, I watched Spencer's reaction to all the lies I've just told her. "Since my dad died…"

The blonde was obviously a softie. Just like Ashley. No wonder they're perfect for each other. Fucking idiots.

"I uh, I don't really know what to say," Spencer said softly, staring at the floor. She kicked at imaginary dirt. I could tell she didn't expect any of this. She was probably going to go home and replay every second she'd spent with Ashley so far to try and find clues and signs that my idiotic sister was unstable. I would give anything to be a fly on the wall on their date tonight.

"Say you'll go on that date with her tonight – she likes you and could really use a friend right now, you know?"