Free The Ashley Project by Melissa de La Cruz Page A

something.”
    Lili flushed. “Whatever. Forget it.”
    Ashley was so busy being annoyed with Lili that she didn’t notice that as they were walking, Billy had stopped at the crosswalk, and the three of them were now standing just a few feet behind him. “Omigod! He’s turning around! He’s looking! He’ll see us!” she whispered frantically, fearing imminent exposure. She couldn’t fathom anything worse than being discovered. It was almost like being caught with no clothes on.
    â€œWhat are we going to do?” Lili panicked.
    â€œHide!” A. A. hissed.
    â€œOver here! Follow me!” Ashley ordered, like a general leading the troops into battle, and dove into a nearby rosebush for protection. Lili and A. A. followed, laughing and pushing as they stumbled into one another in their haste to scramble for shelter.
    â€œOmigod! I think I’m bleeding!”
    â€œWhose idea was this?”
    â€œAah, I have a thorn in my side!”
    â€œWill you guys please shut up?” Ashley pleaded, trying to keep her voice as low as possible. Her friends gave her such a headache sometimes. It was such a burden having to be the brains of the operation all the time.
    â€œWhat’s going on in there?” a male voice asked from the sidewalk.
    The three of them screamed. Pop Rocks, popcorn, and Diet Coke spilled everywhere. Ashley peered out of the prickly foliage anxiously, convinced that their cover was totally blown.
    But it wasn’t Billy Reddy who stood in front of them—it was a very confused-looking Tri Fitzpatrick.

14
GUESSING GAMES
    â€œWE’RE SAFE. IT’S JUST TRI,” A. A. told the other girls. Trust Ashley to find the worst hiding place in the world. Who in their right mind jumps into a rosebush? Even worse, they’d lost the trail. There was no sign of Billy Reddy anywhere. A. A. didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed as she picked her way out of the bushes onto the sidewalk to examine the tiny scratches on her arms and legs.
    â€œHi, Tri,” Ashley and Lili chorused as they, too, pushed branches aside and climbed their way out of the disastrous hiding place. They smiled at Tri like they would smile at a pet dog. A. A. knew they didn’t think you could really take a guy seriously when he was shorterthan you, and as much as it pained A. A. to do so, she had to agree.
    â€œWay to go, Ash, I think I’m scarred for life,” Lili complained, exaggerating as usual, since the cut she was talking about was barely even bleeding. “Does anyone have a Band-Aid?”
    â€œYeah, can you, like, find us a more comfortable hiding place next time?” asked A. A., shaking her head and showering rose petals all over the sidewalk.
    â€œEmergency measures had to be taken,” Ashley said. “I didn’t hear either of you come up with anything else.” Of course, she couldn’t understand what the big deal was, since she had escaped the bushes relatively unscathed. Typical Ashley. The girl had a good-luck charm over her head.
    Tri regarded them with an I’ll-never-understand-girls look on his handsome face. “What’s up? What were you guys doing in there?”
    â€œNothing.” Ashley giggled, brushing out a few leaves from her sweater. “We were just—”
    Lili elbowed her. “Shhh.”
    â€œWhat’s the big deal?” asked Tri, looking to A. A. for an explanation. But she merely shrugged, embarrassed to have been caught on their private expedition.Tri wouldn’t understand—he’d think it was dumb, and it was dumb, but there were some things that only girls should know. At least until Ashley opened her big mouth and told him all about their “walk and stalk.”
    â€œA stalk and what?” Tri asked, his forehead crinkling adorably, looking more confused than ever.
    â€œAsh, shut up!” Lili yelped, clamping both hands over Ashley’s