Melissa Hastings

Melissa Hastings is a fictional character in the Pretty Little Liars franchise. Created in 2006 by Sara Shepard for the book series, the character was later reworked by I. Marlene King, the developer of the television series, in which she is portrayed by Torrey DeVitto. An antiheroine, Melissa is sister to protagonist Spencer Hastings, and the daughter of Peter and Veronica Hastings. She is a fierce woman who does everything to succeed in her life goals. In print, she is a guest character, while on screen Melissa has a much bigger presence in the story. Character in print Melissa has had recurring appearances in most of the Pretty Little Liars novels, starting with the 2006 homonymous book. She also appeared in the 2012 companion novel Pretty Little Secrets. She is the daughter of Peter and Veronica Hastings, sister of Spencer Hastings, and half-sister to the twins Alison and Courtney DiLaurentis, which are the result of an affair her father Peter had with the twins' mother Jessica. Melissa attended high school at Rosewood Day School and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. According to Spencer's description of Melissa, she closely looks to Mrs. Hastings in the physical appearance, with her chin-length ash blonde hair and blue eyes; Spencer sarcastically described her sister as "a perfect little clone." Melissa has an uptight, simpering personality to match her lack of style. Relationships Spencer Hastings: Throughout the course of the story, Melissa and Spencer had an incredibly unloving sister relation. The two were rivals for parental attention and success, and Melissa often won the fight, which angered Spencer. The sisters' iterations broke up after a traumatic memory loss Spencer had in their childhood. An armed robber accosted the family during an outing and Spencer, having lost all memory of the experience, was never the same since that day. Their parents apparently worried about her so much that Melissa had to miss several competitions that year. Thus, the rivalry for their parents' attention began. When Melissa finds out that Spencer plagiarized her AP Econ essay and got nominated for the Golden Orchid as a result, she is enraged, and the two get involved in an argument turned violent. Spencer pushes her down the stairs, and she suffers a broken arm. Their parents force them to spend time together at their grandmother's beach house in an attempt to reconcile their relationship, but it only has moderate, short-lived success.