Free Social Order by Melissa de La Cruz Page B

That’s what her mother would say, if she told her. Not that she planned to share this particular nugget of information with anyone.
    Unlike A. A., Ashley didn’t want to be friends with a boy. She wanted a boyfriend—the kind who adoredher and brought flowers and held her hand and kissed her. Tri was good-looking and adoring and sweet, but without the kiss he wasn’t a real boyfriend. What was wrong with him? Surely there couldn’t be something wrong with her ?
    â€œAshley!” She heard A. A.’s voice and snapped to earth to see A. A., Lili, and Lauren all trooping up the stairs toward her, that idiot Jasper and several cameramen following.
    She knew her friends probably felt guilty and were coming over to make nice. Ashley had to think quickly. How was she going to behave? Frosty and furious? Sad and left out? So in love with Tri she didn’t even notice their little performance?
    She glanced at the camera and knew what she had to do.
    â€œHey, pretties!” she called gaily. “You guys rocked!”
    â€œYou’re not mad?” Lili asked, squeezing in next to her and leaning in for the air-kiss. Lauren plumped down at Lili’s side, and A. A. quickly sidled in as well without meeting Ashley’s eyes. At least one of them had the decency to look ashamed!
    â€œWhat are you talking about? I’m so proud of all of you!” Ashley gushed.
    Lili didn’t even try to disguise her confusion, and Ashley was glad.
    â€œHey, A. A.” Tri was leaning over Ashley to say hello. “We sucked today, huh?”
    A. A. shrugged. “You guys got unlucky with a few of those calls.”
    â€œYeah, well, our regular goalie has a sprained ankle. Hunter Mason. He just transferred here from Bellingham, and he’s amazing. If he was playing, we would’ve won for sure.” Tri grinned.
    â€œI guess.” A. A. said a bit dismissively. Ashley glanced at her friend. A. A. couldn’t still be annoyed that Tri liked Ashley more than her . . . what a crybaby! A. A. had had a million chances to hook up with Tri before—the two of them used to be irritatingly inseparable. It wasn’t Ashley’s fault if Tri preferred a more sophisticated girl.
    â€œYou’re sure you’re not mad?” Lili asked for what seemed like the hundredth time. It was almost as if Lili wanted a fight for the cameras. But Ashley wasn’t about to give her one.
    â€œWhy would I be?” Ashley asked, as if it were the most ridiculous thing in the world.
    â€œYou know,” Lili continued, smoothing down her blue and gold skirt. She was the only one of the threegirls who hadn’t changed after the routine. “If we’d had any idea you’d be here today, we would have insisted you take part in our little number. But you’re impossible to track down. I guess you and Tri are just glued at the hip.”
    So this was the way they were going to play it. Ashley took a deep breath and considered for one brief, crazy moment the idea of letting Lili have it. There were so many things she could say right now about friendship and betrayal and lies and backstabbing . . . but no. The cameras. The votes. No one voted for a whiner. She had to let it go. Now was not the time to bitch-slap these ungrateful wenches who had forgotten that the Ashleys without Ashley was just a clique without a clue.
    â€œI just have other things on my mind these days,” she said with a sigh, taking Tri’s hand. Tri seemed kind of startled, but he flashed her a smile before focusing on the game again. “We have been spending a lot of time together.”
    She raised her eyebrows at Lili and gave a coy smile.
    â€œI might,” she said, lowering her voice to a whisper, “need to borrow some ChapStick.” She winked at the camera. Hey, kissing your boyfriend didn’t count as slutty.
    â€œYou bad girl,” Lili murmured, giggling.
    A. A.