Popularity Takeover (15 page)

34

DRAWING A LINE IN THE SAND

“SO,” SAID A.A, STARING STRAIGHT
at Ashley. “I want to ask you something.” A. A. had reached a breaking point with Ashley. She was ecstatic that she and Tri had finally been honest with each other about their feelings, but she also realized they could have been happy many months ago if not for a certain blond-haired queen bee with an ego the size of the yacht docked by the beach getting between them.

“Of course.” Ashley nodded, but A. A. wasn't buying her reassurances. Ashley was as slippery as an eel when it came to truth and lies. Sometimes A. A. wondered if she actually knew the difference between the two.

“When you and Tri broke up, it was
before
the
Preteen Queen
party, wasn't it? He told you he wanted to go out with me, and you asked him to keep pretending to be your boyfriend until the party was over. That's true, isn't it?”

“Well . . . technically, I guess.” Ashley looked guilty, shifting from one foot to the other.

“Technically?” A. A. was floored. “But
you
told me that you were dumping
him
. That he begged you to stay with him! When, in fact, the opposite was true. Wasn't it?”

“I suppose,” Ashley admitted. “But everything's okay now, right? I just saw you and Tri all over each other a second ago. And I have Cooper. Can't we just forget it and move on?”

But A. A. was too angry to move anywhere.

“You,” she snapped, “are
supposed
to be my best friend. But really all you cared about was yourself. You didn't care if I was unhappy, or if I thought Tri was a total heel.”

Ashley heaved a sigh, digging her heels into the sand. “Why are you making such a scene about this
now
? All that stuff's in the past.”

“But I've been miserable for weeks!” protested A. A. Ashley just didn't get it. She didn't get anything that
wasn't about Ashley Spencer. She was never going to change—A. A. had to accept that. Accept it, or end their friendship.

“So it's all about you,” complained Ashley. “As usual.”

Coming from Ashley, this was
too
outrageous. A. A. felt herself fill with righteous rage.

“I'm thinking about myself
right now
,” she told Ashley, raising her voice to a shout. “And do you know what I'm thinking? I'm thinking that I can't be your friend anymore. That it's all over. All this Ashleys stuff! I'm out!”

“What?” Ashley looked at her as though she was insane. “You can't just drop out of the Ashleys. It's not possible.”

“Watch me,” warned A. A. Lili was hurrying toward them, and even Lauren—who'd been in a major sulk all day—was walking over. Both were wearing the red sweatshirts Ashley had brought. Lili had put away her shimmery jacket. What was it the S. Society said about them? The Ashleys were all exactly the same—all matchy-matchy. Well, A. A. was tired of everyone thinking she was the same as Ashley. She would
never
be as selfish as that. Never!

“What's going on?” Lauren frowned.

“We could hear you guys shouting from over there,” Lili told them. “What's up?”

“I'll tell you what's up,” said A. A., before Ashley had a chance to get a word in. “Ashley lied to me. She told me that Tri was desperate to stay with her and that he preferred her to me, when the opposite was true. He wanted to dump her for me, and she just couldn't bear it. It's taken her all this time to admit it! But it's too late. Our friendship is over. And as far as I'm concerned, the Ashleys are over.”

“Oh my God!” Lili gasped. Lauren shook her head, looking down at the ground.

“So the question for you two is this—who are you going to choose? Me or Ashley? Because from now on, you can't be friends with us both,” A. A. said.

“Excuse me?” Ashley looked aghast.

Lili looked from one to the other, as though she couldn't believe her ears. Lauren just kept staring at the ground.

But A. A. was defiant. They had to choose. If they chose to side with Ashley, so be it. She'd survive. School would be hard, but at least she'd have her dignity—­and Tri.

But whatever they chose, the Ashleys were finished. Of that, A. A. was absolutely, positively certain.

“Lauren?” she demanded. “What's it going to be?”

“Well,” Lauren said slowly, still looking at her feet, “Ashley is the only one of you who's apologized for not telling me about Congé. Why didn't you tell me about the change in plans?”

“Because we don't trust you!” blurted Lili, her face red. “You're not really one of us yet, however much you suck up to Ashley.”

Lauren's eyes filled with tears.

“
I
trusted you,” said Ashley defiantly. “I told them that you were on our side. It was Lili's idea for us to trick you. Don't even try to deny it, Lil!”

“I'm not denying anything.” Lili linked her arm through A. A.'s. “I
know
who my real friends are. And I'm tired of buying shoes and bags just because you say we have to!”

“Lauren?” A. A. said again. “Me or Ashley?”

Lauren brushed her tears away with the back of her hand.

“I'm really sorry that we didn't tell you about Congé,” Ashley said quickly. “A. A. and Lili talked me into it. Ask A. A. yourself if you don't believe me.”

A. A. rolled her eyes.

“I didn't talk you into anything,” she said. “We ALL agreed about lying to Lauren. Lili and I just explained the facts to you and—”

“So it
was
you and Lili?” Lauren interrupted. She looked shocked, as though someone had slapped her across the face. “It wasn't Ashley's idea?”

“Well—no, I guess,” A. A. had to admit. One thing she wasn't, and that was a liar.

“Then I choose Ashley,” said Lauren, and moved to stand next to her. The four girls—two on one side, two on another—stared at one another as if from across a great divide. The sides had been chosen. A line in the sand had been drawn. It was two against two. United they stood, divided they fell.

And that was that, thought A. A.—the end of the Ashleys.

EPILOGUES

Dear Diary,

I never thought I'd write this, but . . . I'm BFFs with Ashley Spencer. How weird is that? She's actually not as bad as you'd think. Sure, she's kind of bossy and a drama queen, and keeps telling me what to buy and how to wear it, and she won't shut up for a second about her love life. But the other day she totally cracked me up by making milk come out of her nose.

Still, it's a lot of pressure. When we walk into school together, everyone stops and stares. The S. Society is yesterday's news. Losing Congé and the bet really took the air out of their push-up bras. All anyone can talk about at Miss Gamble's these days is the Ashleys breakup. They can't believe it. As for me, I can't believe that Ashley and I are still friends.

Christian says I'm insane, and maybe he's right. Who'd have thought that the Ashleys would fall but that Ashley would still be standing? And that I'd be standing right next to her?

Lili and A. A. are not speaking to me at all, which is funny because they were always
much
friendlier than Ashley to me. It's like a parallel universe.

Who knows—maybe it's a dream? When we get back from spring break I'll wake up and discover I'm still plain, frumpy, poor, and friendless.

I hope not! Stay tuned for more craziness.

Lauren Page

MEMO: FILE: DIARY: ALIOTO, ASHLEY

I'M IN BLISS. TRI IS A DOLL. LIFE AFTER ASHLEY IS STRESS FREE. JUST 1 DARK CLOUD. MOM SAYS WEDDING TO MARTY IS A GO. DOES THIS MEAN MOVING TO LA-LA  LAND?

HOW DO I TELL TRI?

Hello? HELLO? Ashley here, reporting from the front lines of the war zone. I'm under attack on all sides, as usual. But I'm sure I'll come out the winner. I'm still Ashley Spencer, aren't I?

A. A. and Lili will have to give in sooner or later. They'll come crawling back. Without me, they're not the Ashleys. They're just two girls with a lot of clothes and no idea how to accessorize.

In the meantime, while I'm waiting for them to beg for forgiveness, I guess I'll hang with Lauren. She seems okay. She's practically an Ashley, and at least she didn't jump ship and race off with the S. Society when all the other rats were abandoning me. Her family is taking me with them on their trip to St. Barts over break. Her dad just bought a sweet yacht.

Speaking of ships, I can't stop thinking of Cooper in his hot uniform. I told him I'd love to be his cruise director. I'd be great at telling everyone on an ocean liner what to do. After all, I've seen
Titanic
a dozen times.

Later, skaters!

Ashley

JOURNAL.DOC

This has been a very disturbing week. Now Max is an ex-preppie, and I'm an ex-Ashley. Hard to comprehend. It feels like I've been an Ashley all my life—literally.

I've often wondered what
not
being friends with Ashley would be like. And now I know.

Life's a little dull, I have to say. A. A. is great, but she's really preoccupied with her romance with Tri, plus she's obsessing over her mother getting married again. I'm not allowed to talk to Lauren. And Ashley is strictly off-limits.

Weird, but I kind of miss her. Who would have thought??

Yours in confusion,

Lili

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks again to the fabulous Team Ashleys: Emily Meehan, Courtney Bongiolatti, Carolyn Pohmer, Paul Crichton, Matt Schwartz, Lucille Rettino, Valerie Shea, Brenna Sinnott, Richard Abate, Richie Kern, Melissa Myers, Paula Morris, Christina Green, and Adam Parks.

Love to everyone in my family, especially Mike & Mattie.

MWAH, MWAH, MWAH to all my readers, who are just so cute and enthusiastic!

Don't miss any of the Ashley Project books:

The Ashley Project

The Ashley Project #2:

Social Order

The Ashley Project #3:

Birthday Vicious

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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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This Aladdin M!X edition April 2015

Text copyright © 2008 by Melissa de la Cruz

Previously titled
Lip Gloss Jungle

Cover illustration copyright © 2015 by Jason Brooks

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Library of Congress Control Number 2014949114

ISBN 978-1-4814-0974-2 (hc)

ISBN 978-1-4424-9041-3 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-4424-9042-0 (eBook)