You're No Good At Lying

DECEMBER

“Spencer, would you mind getting the drinks?” Her mother asked as she alternated between tossing a garden salad and checking on the lasagna that was cooking in the oven.

“No problem, mom,” Nineteen year old Spencer responded, reaching in the fridge and pulling out a liter of soda and lemonade before putting it on the table. Her older brother, Morgan, sat at the end of the four-person table, and on his right sat Kelsey, the girl he had brought home for dinner. Spencer put the drinks down on the table, glancing over at her brother and his girlfriend. The gaze between Morgan and Spencer was tense for the split second it lasted, something that Kelsey couldn’t put her finger on.

“Food’s ready!” Spencer’s mother exclaimed, setting down a steaming plate of lasagna in front of Morgan, who swiftly cut it into small pieces and served it to his date, mother, and younger sister.

“It smells delicious, Mrs. O’leary,” Kelsey said sweetly, blowing on her bite before eating it with a smile on her face.

“Thank you, dear,” she replied, and Spencer watched the scene unfold before he carefully. The conversation flowed smoothly from the food to school to Kelsey's family. It seemed as though Mrs. O'leary had taken a liking to Kelsey.

“Looks like you’ve spent some time tanning,” Spencer said, the first time she had spoken all night. Morgan’s eyes shot up, looking at her oddly. Kelsey glanced down at her chest, as if she had forgotten the color of her bronzed skin. It made Spencer chuckle on the inside.

“Oh…” Kelsey responded, caught a bit off guard by Spencer’s sudden addition to the conversation. “Yeah, I just got back from a vacation last month.”

“Orlando?” Spencer asked, taking a sip of her lemonade.

“Tampa Bay,” she replied slowly, though it came out like more of a question. Spencer nodded and returned to her food. Morgan exhaled, before turning the conversation towards college, and the history project that had introduced Kelsey to him. Spencer sat quietly, listening to how her mother cooed when Morgan described their first date a few week ago, and congratulated them when he told her how together, they had gotten the highest grade on the project in their class. Kelsey toyed with her diamond necklace, laughing at all the right occasions and constantly complementing Mrs. O’leary on her cooking.

“I love your necklace,” Spencer abruptly said, causing Kelsey to drop the diamond chain around her neck. To the outside voice, her tone was kind and endearing, but Morgan glared at her with the intensity only a brother could bestow on a sister.

“Thank you,” Kelsey responded, her grin stretching from ear to ear.

“Where did you get it?”

“Oh, it was a gift from my parents.” Kelsey responded, as if her parents bought her diamond necklaces all the time.

“How lovely,” Mrs. O’leary added, a questioning look on her face as she watched Spencer.

“I’ve always loved diamonds,” Spencer began, toying with the sterling silver ring on her finger. “Especially diamond rings.” Kelsey swallowed hard, Spencer’s penetrating glare finally getting to her. “It’s such a shame I can never find a guy,” she continued, holding her hand out and admiring where her current silver ring sat, as if she could imagine a diamond engagement ring replacing it. “They make such beautiful engagement rings these days.”

“They do,” mumbled Kelsey lowly, taking her hands off of the table and putting them down on her lap where Spencer could no longer see them.

“So tell me, what did you do in Tampa Bay again?” Spencer asked, her false genuine smile adorning her lips. Kelsey forced the same sort of smile on to her face, before excusing herself to the bathroom. Leaning back and taking a bite of her lasagna, Spencer flatly said, “Your date’s been engaged.” Morgan didn’t say anything, and neither did their mother. They were used to it. And Spencer was used to explaining her reasons fully, not bothering to wait for her family to add anything. “I assume her fiancé left her, or else it wouldn’t be such a touchy subject.” Spencer looked up, her eyes flickering between her mother and brother, who looked equally upset. “It was the tan line on her finger that tipped me off, if you’re wondering.”

Morgan sighed and got up from the table, leaving a frustrated mother and an emotionless daughter. “I don’t understand why you had to do that, Spencer.” Her mother muttered, beginning to clear the table.

“She was lying to him, mom,” Spencer responded evenly. “You’re going to let some girl lie to your son?”

“That wasn’t lying!” She exclaimed quickly, catching Spencer off guard, though her face didn’t show it. “She wasn’t being malicious, Spencer,” her mother continued, her tone more controlled, “she just didn’t want to talk about it.”

“And that makes it alright?” Spencer pressed.

“And that makes it alright.” She affirmed.

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JUNE

“Now you listen here, Spencer,” Mrs. O’leary warned as Spencer hoped on the counter. “Morgan’s been dating Amanda for three months now, and I want everything to work out just as much as he does. So I swear, if you pull one of your little stunts tonight –“

“Are you asking me not to be myself, mom?” Spencer responded cheekily, earning a cold glare from her mother. She sighed and grabbed the pre-prepared plates, setting them on the counter.

“I’m just asking you to let Amanda get through this dinner without… doing what you always do.” Spencer snickered and Mrs. O’leary rolled her eyes. “Go get the two of them, will you? Dinner’s ready.”

When the four of them were sitting and eating contently, conversation began to flow smoothly. Of course, Spencer didn’t talk, instead listening and occasionally sneaking a glance at Amanda. She was gorgeous, Spencer wouldn’t deny that, with her low cut top and mini skirt, but like she did with everyone, Spencer was able to find flaws. And these were the kinds of flaws that, no matter how hard her mother begged, Spencer couldn’t keep to herself. “Mom, did you know that Hunter,” she glanced at Amanda, “he’s a boy in my communications class,” and then back to her mother, “has gonorrhea?”

“I didn’t,” her mother replied through gritted teeth, but Spencer just smiled as if nothing was wrong.

“Well, he went to the doctor a few days ago,” she began, taking a bite out of her food and looking at Amanda from the corner of her eye, “and the doctor suggested he go on Cefoxitin. But I told him he was crazy, and the best way to treat that shit was Amoxicillan.”

“What are you getting at?” Morgan spat abruptly, causing a shaky Amanda to jump in her seat slightly.

Spencer shrugged, “Nothing. I just figured mom would be interested. She is a nurse, after all.”

“I’ll – I’ll be right back,” Amanda mumbled pathetically, taking her purse and getting up from the table.

“Take your time,” Spencer replied kindly. She looked back down at her plate, and once Amanda was out of earshot, she laughed. “Oh, I hope you haven’t fucked her yet, Morgan,” she smirked, slowly regaining her breath.

“How the fuck can you even tell!” Exclaimed Morgan, throwing his hands in the air.

“She has a rash on the back of her neck, she was constantly itching her arms, and her skirt was shorter than your attention span. I think the better question is how could you not tell?”

“I hate you,” Morgan mumbled, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands. “So much.”

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“Please take her with you, Morgan. For me!” Mrs. O’leary begged after Amanda had driven home that night. Spencer sat silently on the stairs, hidden from the two people in the kitchen who talked about her in a hushed tone.

“Why would I ever take her with me?” He spat, and Spencer blinked a couple of times.

“Because she’s miserable here, can’t you tell?”

“She seemed pretty damned pleased of herself tonight when she accused Amanda of having an STD,” Morgan scoffed.

“She was right though, wasn’t she?” Morgan didn’t respond. “She’s always right.”

“That’s not the point, mom. She’s a liar and she’s nosey and precocious and you know what, she can be a real bitch sometimes.” Though her face remained expressionless as she sat on the dark stairwell, Spencer could feel her insides melt just a bit. She was doing it all for his own good. “There’s no way in hell she’d fit in with the people on Warped Tour.”

“You know Spencer, she’ll find a way to fit in. She’s… good at that.”

“It’s not my place, mom!” Yelled Morgan, though his mother quickly shushed him. “I’m just a guitar tech for a band that isn’t even headlining. What makes you think that I can just bring someone on tour with me?”

“They’ll like her once they get to know her,” she pleaded, and Spencer could tell she was reaching her limit on reasons as to why Morgan should bring her along.

“Mom, Spencer has the personality of a… a… a pathological liar!”

“She’s not a liar, sweetheart. If anything, she hates liars. You know that.” There was silence for a few seconds, before her mother continued, quieter than before. Spencer had to strain her neck just to catch a glimpse of what was being said. “Listen, Morgan, if you bring her along, I’ll help you buy that new guitar you keep talking about.” Spencer didn’t need to keep listening, instead standing up and walking up the stairs to her room. She knew what Morgan was going to say; in two days, she was going on Warped Tour.