Free Play Nice (Make the Play Book 3) by Amber Garza Page B

were worth the sacrifices I’d made. That when I reached the top, the people I’d stepped on wouldn’t matter.
    Talia must have tired of it too, and that’s why she decided to pull the ladder out from under me. Now she was at the top, and I was battered and broken at the bottom.
    It’s hard to feel sorry for myself when I know that I would’ve done the same thing in her shoes.
    Feeling sick, I turn away from the corkboard and crawl back in my bed. I yank the covers up over my head and cocoon myself inside. Closing my eyes, I will sleep to come. Maybe then I can stop thinking. Maybe then I can shut off my mind.
    Maybe then I can stop feeling so guilty.

HAYES
     
    It’s Monday, and Ashley’s not at school. Not that I’ve been looking for her. She’s one of those people that’s impossible to miss. Even with her being shunned, she’s still larger than life. Her light blond hair, pink clothes, and overpowering scent can be spotted a mile away. Besides, she’s always the talk of the school. Even now.
    Her name’s been tossed around as often as a baseball during a game.
    Not that it’s unusual for Ashley to miss school. She’s been known to skip quite frequently. However, when Ashley’s missing, so are other people – Talia or Heather or Ashley’s latest boyfriend of the week. But this time no one else is absent.
    Only Ashley.
    That’s what makes it weird.
    At lunch I scan the cafeteria, my gaze flickering to the large windows that overlook the parking lot. Without meaning to, I glance at the spot Ashley’s car is normally in. Today there is a red truck parked there instead.
    “Who ya looking for?” Brady slides onto the bench next to me wearing a smug expression.
    “No one.” Lowering my head, I reach into my backpack and pull out a can of soda.
    “That’s good, because I don’t think she’s here today.” He nudges me in the side.
    “Who isn’t?” I play dumb.
    Brady snorts and shakes his head.
    “Do you think she’s really sick?” A nasally female voice floats from the other end of the table.
    As I grab a sandwich out of my lunch bag, I glance over to the end of the table where Talia and her friends sit.
    “Nah. I think she’s at home feeling sorry for herself.” Talia smiles wickedly, and it turns my stomach.
    Since when did she become so mean? When we were together she used to talk about how she hated the way Ashley treated people. But now here she is doing the same thing. Acting exactly the way Ashley used to. I know that everyone else thinks it’s justified, but I think it’s hypocrisy at its finest.
    “Same way she was on Friday night apparently,” Heather interjects, picking at her salad, but not eating it. As skinny as she is, I doubt she ever eats her food. Probably uses it as a prop.
    So Ashley wasn’t at the party on Friday night? I didn’t think she’d show up. But I’m sure everyone noticed. Ashley rarely misses a chance to party.
    I take a bite of my sandwich and wipe my face. The guys are talking about some movie I haven’t seen, and I find myself eavesdropping on the girls again.
    “And did you hear about what she was up to on Saturday morning?” Another girl pipes up. I can’t see who it is because her head is obscured by Heather’s ponytail.
    “Heather and I saw her at the coffee shop,” Talia says.
    “Well, a bunch of other kids saw her and said she was sitting with some old dude,” the girl relays. That’s when I get a glimpse of her face. Her name’s Aubrey. She’s a year younger than us, and I don’t know her very well. All I know is that she’s worked hard to climb the social ladder so she could hang with Talia and her group. Well, actually, the group that was once thought of as Ashley’s, but now seems to have been taken over by Talia.
    Talia giggles behind her hand as if she’s trying to be discreet, but she’s not fooling anyone. She’s eating this up. “Like how old?”
    “Ancient,” the girl says. “Like grossly old. He even used a