The Ashley Project (7 page)

Ashley reddened. “There's nothing we can do about that. I already asked.”

“You know this means we have to change in the locker rooms,” Montgomery Cunningham grumbled.

“We should just wear our uniforms,” joked A. A. Ashley frowned. A. A. would probably do just that if she weren't an Ashley. She didn't seem to care what she wore, since everything ended up looking good on her.
One time Ashley and Lili had noticed A. A. wearing odd-looking shorts to gym class, and they turned out to be her brother's boxer shorts. They were beyond horrified, but A. A. had merely shrugged.

“Dances are for losers,” Eva Tobin, another eighth grader, declared.

“Shut up! The dance is going to be fun!” Ashley said, trying to restore order as the committee meeting began to degenerate into gossiping cliques. Sure, they could complain and moan forever about how an afternoon dance was strictly kid stuff. But they had to face facts. They went to an all-girls school. They had to take what they could get. Even if the dance was at a mega-lame hour, it still meant they could hang out with capital-B Boys.

Ashley put her hands on her hips and cleared her throat. “Okay. So what's our theme?”

“What about the sixties?” chirped Melody Myers, who could always be counted on to contribute, since she was a perennial hand-raiser. “I just saw
Grease
, and it was so cute. We could all wear poodle skirts and bobby socks—whatever those are.”

“Cute! But isn't that the fifties?” A. A. asked, looking up from her phone.

“Fifties, sixties, what's the difference?” Melody asked.

“What about a Hawaiian theme?” Melody's friend Olivia DeBartolo suggested. “That could be cute, right? We could all dress in cute beachy clothes.”

“Pass,” Ashley said, crinkling her nose. “Do you guys really want to wear grass skirts and coconut boobs?”

“We could do an eighties theme,” Lili suggested, sitting up straight in her chair. “Play a lot of Madonna, Prince, Billy Joel. Leggings are in now, and my mom said they were huge in the eighties, too. We could wear headbands and fingerless gloves and leg warmers! Ooh, leg warmers!”

“Eh,” Ashley sniffed. She looked around the room to gauge interest level. A. A. was madly texting on her phone as usual, the eighth graders were completely ignoring her, and she knew the rest of the club would be happy to just let her decide.

“And we could rent, like, Pac-Man video games and Donkey Kong for the guys,” said Lili, getting more and more enthusiastic.

“Sure, so they can totally ignore us at the dance,” A. A. piped up, finally putting her phone away.

“Yeah, Lil, be serious. I'm so tired of eighties nostalgia, it's so cliché,” Ashley finally declared.

“Well, what are your ideas, then?” Lili asked, looking hurt and annoyed.

Ashley listened as the club discussed the merits of a winter wonderland theme. But the whole idea was nixed when A. A. pointed out that it was still autumn. There was a long, semiheated debate on whether or not to serve food (would anyone actually eat in front of the boys?), and it looked like the meeting would accomplish exactly nothing, until a clear voice spoke from the back of the room.

“What about doing it like a celebrity event? We could do a red carpet—or a green one for Miss Gamble's. And the yearbook people can pose as paparazzi. And we could all get really, really dressed up,” Lauren said, blushing deeply when all eyes turned to her.

Ashley raised an eyebrow. Okay, so it was not such a bad idea, but she couldn't very well acknowledge that.

“That doesn't sound too bad,” Lili chimed in. “Don't you think, Ash?”

In response, Ashley flipped her hair over her shoulders and pointedly ignored Lili's comment. “I know,” she announced, snapping her fingers. “We'll throw a VIP. A Very Important Party. We'll call it Miss Gamble's Goes Hollywood and have a velvet rope and lists and we could
dress up in really cool clothes and get our pictures taken for the school newspaper.”

Ashley watched as Lauren's color deepened. It was so obvious Ashley had just stolen her idea, but nobody seemed to care or notice. Lauren put her head down, her cheeks aflame. But she didn't say anything.

Just the way Ashley knew it would happen.

AFTER THE MEETING ENDED, LILI
watched as Lauren collected her things slowly so it wouldn't be so obvious that she had to walk out of the room by herself while everyone else was bunched into chattering groups. Why had she spoken up in favor of Lauren's idea? Especially since Ashley had declared Lauren a no-friend zone? If Lili stepped out of line . . . Well. What would happen? An idea began to form in her head.

Lili checked to see if Ashley had left the room, and when she was sure Ashley wouldn't see her, she ran up to Lauren. “Hey, wait up.”

Lauren turned around. Her face was still bright red, from anger or embarrassment, Lili didn't know.
She gave Lauren the once-over. Lauren was wearing her hair back in a long, dark ponytail, and she'd lost the thick socks for a pair of cable-knit burgundy tights. Her uniform, Lili couldn't help but notice, was custom-tailored so it fit her perfectly. She made the green plaid kilt look almost chic. No wonder Ashley hated her.

“What?” asked Lauren, when Lili didn't say anything for a long moment.

“Gum?” Lili offered, holding out a Trident pack, not knowing quite how to start or what to say. The room where the meeting was held was one of the Gamble mansion's old bedrooms, with floral wallpaper and a brass chandelier hanging from the ceiling. An eighth grader stuck her head in the room looking for a forgotten binder and gave the two girls a curious look.

Lauren waited until she left before shaking her head. “No, thanks.”

Lili shrugged and popped her gum. You weren't supposed to chew gum at Miss Gamble's. You also weren't supposed to slouch when you stood, sit with your legs spread, or talk loudly. But Lili was getting tired of playing by everyone else's rules.

“Listen . . . I know I'm probably not one of your
favorite people right now,” Lili said cautiously. “But I'd really like to talk to you.”

Lauren snorted. “Why? So you can take credit for something I came up with, like your friend just did back there?” she asked, a cold edge to her voice.

“Look, I know what you're trying to do,” Lili said softly. Why was she doing this? She looked at the swinging door. Her friends would be waiting for her, hiding behind a bus stop that had a perfect view of Gregory Hall across the street. They would be wondering where she was. Why was she wasting her time with Lauren? But something was compelling her to do it.

“What? What am I trying to do?” asked Lauren, blushing and twirling a lock of hair between her fingers.

“Get in with us,” Lili said evenly.

Lauren gave her an eye roll and a dismissive snort. “Please.”

“Fine.” Lili slapped her notebook closed with a bang, as if considering the matter closed. “I thought I would try to help, but I guess you don't need any.”

She'd approached Lauren on impulse, because she was mad at Ashley for being so rude to her at the meeting. But maybe it had been a mistake, after all.
Lili began to walk away briskly. Maybe if she hurried, Ashley and A. A. wouldn't even notice that she had lagged behind.

“Wait.”

Lili turned around slowly.

“I want to know what you wanted to say to me,” Lauren said, biting her lip but looking Lili straight in the eye.

Lili took the gum out of her mouth and spit it gracefully into a Kleenex. “Well, I was going to tell you that Ashley doesn't like to make new friends. . . .”

“I don't need you to tell me that,” said Lauren.

“Will you listen?” Lili asked. She couldn't tell who was more annoying, Ashley or Lauren—they kind of reminded her of each other.

“Go on,” Lauren said stubbornly.

“Ashley doesn't like new people, but if you can give her something that she wants, then she'd be okay with having you around.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Lauren asked.

Lili sighed. It was a question she was asking herself as well. Why rock the boat? Why befriend Lauren? She thought about how Ashley always got the red bag, the best seat, the ability to use her own name.

Ashley always got what she wanted, and she wanted Lauren “out.” But maybe things would be more fun if Lauren was “in.” Her mother's words rang in her ear.
You have to be your own person. Get out of Ashley's shadow.

“I don't know,” Lili said finally. “Maybe I'm just bored.”

“WHERE'S LI?” ASHLEY ASKED, KEEPING
her voice low even though there was no one around to hear.

“Dunno,” A. A. whispered back. The two of them were being as quiet as possible, and every few seconds one of them would peek out from their hiding spot behind the bus shelter, eyes trained on the massive oak doors of Gregory Hall across the street.

The boys' school was located just a few blocks away from Miss Gamble's, housed in four interconnected ivy-covered brick buildings. Ashley watched several cars idling by the sidewalk as moms and drivers awaited their passengers. A crossing guard (a parent in an orange tech vest) stood at the corner, ready to marshal
little ones to safety. The girls had been standing there for what seemed like hours, although in reality it was only a few minutes.

“Here I am,” Lili said, materializing suddenly and squeezing in next to them. “I was in the bathroom,” she explained. “Had to change my tampon,” she added smugly. Lili always had to rub it in that she and A. A. had gotten theirs while Ashley was still waiting for hers.

“TMI!” Ashley gagged. Let A. A. and Lili bond over getting their “little friend,” as her mom called it. Gross! She could wait forever if she had to. Who wanted to walk around with all those icky things between your legs? Ashley noticed that Lili had also put on an extra coat of lip gloss so that her lips were pink and shiny, and she'd gone a little heavy on the perfume. Ashley immediately checked her reflection in the glass and noticed A. A. was doing the same.

“Did I miss anything?” asked Lili, chancing a look from behind the glass wall with the STD poster urging young girls to get vaccinated.

“Nothing. But I think they just let out, I just heard the bell,” replied Ashley, removing a tiny bottle of Benetint from her pocket and rubbing a little red stain
on her cheeks, while A. A. pulled out her pigtails and shook out her hair.

“Has He come out yet?” Lili asked. They always spoke of Him in Capital Letters. He was that Important.

“No,” Ashley said. “That's why we're waiting, duh!” She wrinkled her nose and sniffed the air. “Lil, what did you put on?”

“Why?” Lili asked. “It's YSL. I nicked it from my mom's dresser.” She stuck her wrist directly under Ashley's nose. “Doesn't it smell good?”

“Um, yeah,” Ashley replied.

“Whatever it is, I think I'm allergic,” said A. A., coughing into her hand.

“You're a spaz!” Lili exclaimed, pushing her backward, and A. A. pushed back, the two of them giggling.

“Stop it! He'll see us!” Ashley ordered, shushing them, and the two girls calmed down. Serious business was at hand. She staked her place in the very front, with a direct view to the sidewalk across the street.

“Oh, look—there—there he is,” A. A. said excitedly as the doors suddenly opened and a stream of boys in blue blazers exited in a mad rush, spilling out into the street. “I see him!” She peered out from behind the bus shelter, accidentally surprising an elderly woman
who was waiting for the bus. A. A. ducked her head back behind the glass to give her two friends room to take a look.

Lili stood on her tiptoes. “Ash, could you move? You're hogging the prime spot, as usual,” she complained.

“Am not!” Ashley protested. Lili always said that, and nothing could be further from the truth. She could barely see the top of his head.

“SHUSH!” A. A. warned.

“God . . .” Ashley sighed, reflexively putting her hands over her heart.

“He's just
sooo
 . . .,” Lili cooed.

“Cute,” finished A. A., pushing her two friends to the side so she could get a shot with her cell phone camera.

Cute wasn't even the word, Ashley thought. More like Perfect. Or Unbelievable. The object of their affection was a tall, towheaded boy. Like the other boys, he wore a navy blazer, a white shirt with a blue and gold tie, and gray flannel pants. But even from a distance, he stood out from the crowd. His hair was a shining crown of gold ringlets, he had the broad shoulders and slim hips of a swimmer or a tennis player, and he walked with a confident, loping stride.

There was something nonchalant and easy about him. Ashley even loved the way he wore his clothes—the blazer was pushed up to his elbows, his gray flannel pants were worn too long so the cuffs dragged on the ground, and his tie was askew. A lacrosse stick was slung behind him with his backpack. He walked across the street, maddeningly close to the bus station, then turned the corner and disappeared down the hill.

“Okay, he won't see us now. Let's go,” Ashley said, inching out from their hiding place once she was confident they would not be discovered. The other two followed after her, and they walked in the same direction he had gone.

“Look,” said A. A., showing them the fuzzy, pixilated image she had taken. “I'm so making this my screen saver.”

“A. A., can you please get a new phone? I can barely see him in this,” Lili complained, returning it.

“Do you really think he has a girlfriend?” Ashley asked, keeping 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.