Free The Ashley Project by Melissa de La Cruz

an eye on him from two blocks away. The boy stopped by a Starbucks for his daily double-shot espresso. She’d ordered it once after watching him down one and was totally disgusted. She couldn’t believe he could drink something so foul.
    â€œThat’s what I heard,” A. A. said. A. A.’s brother knew him from school, so she always had the best information.
    â€œI can’t believe he’s taken,” Lili lamented.
    â€œI know.” Ashley sighed. The boy’s name was William Augustus Reddy, Billy for short. The three of them had been crushing on him forever, and at the moment, Ashley was content to share him with her friends, like a bag of no-salt, fat-free soy crisps. But make no mistake, he was meant to be hers and hers alone.
    Like her, Billy Reddy was from one of the wealthiest and most prominent families in the Bay Area. His family had founded the Reddy Oil Company and lived in the Reddy Chateau, an imposing, fifty-thousand-square-foot structure in Pacific Heights that was so big that Mrs. Reddy had started a private Montessori school on the first floor for her grandchildren, according to Ashley’s mom. The family was also famous for owning a fleet of private jets that were always at the “Reddy.”
    On some days Ashley was almost positive that he noticed her walking behind him and would catch her eye with a smile. She watched as he left the Starbucks, and after a few minutes, she resumed her shadowing, followed closely by her two friends. Most days Billy walkeddirectly home from school after his coffee fix, although sometimes, like today, he stopped by a couple of the stores on Fillmore Street, browsing in the bookstore or record shop for CDs.
    While Billy was in the tiny storefront of the record shop, Ashley suggested to the others that they stop by a nearby deli to load up on snacks. Surveillance always made her hungry. She brought her nonfat selections to the front cashier, where Lili was paying for three Diet Cokes and A. A. waited with her choice from the candy aisle. They paid quickly.
    â€œPop Rocks?” offered A. A., tearing open the foil packet and shaking the tiny candies onto her hand as they walked out of the store.
    Ashley shook her head. “You know, if you eat Pop Rocks and Coke, you die,” she warned, looking meaningfully at the Diet Coke in Lili’s hand.
    â€œThat’s not true, it’s just an urban myth,” Lili retorted, although Ashley noticed she made sure to swallow her soda before putting a wad of Pop Rocks into her mouth.
    â€œWish we could invite Billy to the dance,” said Ashley, opening up a bag of unsalted popcorn and digging in.
    â€œOh, yeah. Come party with us from four to six.” Lilinodded. “He’ll be really into that.” Sometimes Ashley wished Lili would let up a little. A girl could dream, couldn’t she?
    â€œSeventh-grade boys are so immature,” said A. A., who’d told them earlier that she had no interest in the dance, especially since she was involved with someone who was older and way cooler. “I can’t possibly fathom a relationship with a boy our age. What would we do? Play Monopoly?”
    â€œBut we’ll still have fun,” Ashley whined. She hated it when A. A. got all smug about her so-called boyfriend and acted like she was so beyond them all. It was only a few months ago that they had avidly spied on the seventh graders at the dance, wishing they were old enough to join. “Everyone can come to my house to get ready, since it’s just across the street. Isn’t the VIP thing genius?” she asked.
    â€œYeah. About that. You should really give Lauren a break sometimes,” Lili said lightly.
    â€œWhy?” Ashley asked sourly. Hadn’t Lili been there when they all decided Lauren was still a zero? Hadn’t Lili been the one who made up the pig-nose thing? “What’s up with you? It’s like you have a girl crush on her or