What constitutes the most popular pop song in a given moment, anyway? The most illegally downloaded? The most ambiently inescapable? From all this chaos, though, one truism about popularity apparently survives: Popularity used to be simple.

“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.” -Benjamin Franklin. The first book in the series, Pretty Little Liars, is about five best friends – Emily, Aria, Hanna, Spencer and Alison.

She is portrayed by Troian Bellisario. Her birth mother, Mary Drake , was a patient at Radley while she was pregnant. Veronica couldn’t stand the thought of the baby being forgotten, so she adopted the baby. Immediately after Spencer’s birth, a nurse gave Spencer to a man who then gave her to Veronica, who was waiting outside the sanitarium in a car.

Spencer was never told that she is adopted. Unbeknownst to them, Spencer had a twin who was born a few minutes after her. However, the twin, who was named Alex , was given away to an English family, then abandoned, and lived a hard life. Years later, Spencer is a highly intelligent, overachieving and extremely wealthy young woman. She constantly balances many jobs; such as internships, charity work, being part of the field hockey team, and after-school clubs. She is confident, calculating and would stand up to Alison when no one else could, showing her determination and courage.