The Ashley Project Read Free Page A

without complaint.
    Lili noticed an old Chinese lady smiling at her from across the room. Old Chinese ladies were always smiling at her. She figured she probably reminded them of their granddaughters or something. They were always patting her on the head and saying, “Piao liang, piao liang” (pretty, pretty). Lili always smiled back. She knew how to take a compliment.
    Her jet black hair fell just below her shoulders, and today she was wearing it in soft curls. She had fine, delicate features, slightly almond-shaped eyes, a tiny chin, and a flawless, caramel complexion. People always said she looked like Lucy Liu from Elementary , but maybe that was because there were no other Asian actresses to compare her to. She didn’t think she looked a bit like Lucy Liu, but she liked hearing it anyway. Speaking of things she liked to hear . . .
    â€œHi, pretty!” called a clear, singsong voice from the entrance of the shop.
    She turned. Ashley had finally arrived. Lili got up from her chair so fast she almost knocked over her coffee cup.
    â€œHi, pretty!” she gushed back. “Omigod!” she exclaimed, slapping her hands on her hips in dismay.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œYour bag!” Lili accused, pointing to the offending accessory.
    â€œI know! Don’t you love?” Ashley grinned, holding it up to the light.
    â€œIt’s red  !” said Lili indignantly. “You said we were all getting beige!”
    â€œI changed my mind,” Ashley said, shrugging. “I’m always red,” she added, quoting from their favorite movie, Heathers .
    â€œHa-ha,” Lili deadpanned sourly. “But now we don’t match.” She frowned. “We were all supposed to get the same one.”
    â€œYou and A. A. still match,” Ashley pointed out. “What’s the big deal? It’s just a bag, Lil. Chill out.”
    Lili pasted a smile on her face. It was just a bag. Ashley was right. She was Lili’s best friend, and so what if she’d changed her mind? Lili could have changed her mind just as easily, but of course, the thought would never have occurred to her. They had an agreement. Now instead of three Ashleys, she and A. A. would look like backup singers to the main Ashley. This was so Dreamgirls . But if Ashley didn’t watch out, Lili was going to Jennifer Hudson her one day.
    â€œIs there time for me to get my chai?” Ashley said, angling up to the counter.
    No, thought Lili.
    â€œUh-huh,” she said instead. It wouldn’t make a difference. Ashley collected late notices like Repetto ballerina flats.
    â€œI’m totally parched. Where’s A. A.?” asked Ashley,moving to the pickup section and looking around the busy Starbucks.
    â€œHere.” A tall, tanned girl strode toward them. She wore her hair in a pair of signature pigtails. Only a girl as gorgeous as Ashley Alioto could get away with such a juvenile hairstyle. A. A. towered over both of her friends. She was built like a tennis player—slim, toned, and tanned—and walked with an athlete’s bouncy step.
    â€œHi, pretty!” Ashley cooed.
    â€œHi, pretty!” A. A. greeted back.
    They kissed each other on both cheeks the way they’d seen fashion models do it.
    â€œYou got the red,” A. A. noted, stroking the soft leather of Ashley’s new bag. “I like.”
    Lili tried not to gag. It was so obvious what A. A. was doing: sucking up to Ashley as usual. It would be sickening if it wasn’t so sincere. A. A. had the well-deserved reputation as being the nicest of the Ashleys; everyone in class called her mega-dece. More likely she was just too spacey to be mean. Lili tried to feel annoyed but decided it was too much trouble. And besides, frowning caused wrinkles at some point. Only ugly girls had reason to frown, and Lili’s life was as perfect as any twelve-year-old could hope for.
    â€œIs that a new lunchbox?” asked