Jealous?

by Melissa de la Cruz

  SMILE: 9

  Didn't look too happy to find out it would be a six-week

  turnaround on her Friendship Ceremony banner.

  SMARTS: 10

  Offered the team triple the fee if they got it done faster. Banner production confirmed!

  CUMULATIVE SCORE: 39 (Hey, no one is perfect!)

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  #2 ASHLEY "A.A." ALIOTO

  STYLE:10

  Fills out an Adidas by Stella McCartney jog bra and leggings like no one else can.

  SOCIAL PRESENCE: 8

  Kept her cool when she noticed crazy boy stalker from last semester has resurfaced and was peeking in on dance-team practice.

  SMILE:10

  Looked positively ecstatic when crazy stalker beat it after dance coach scared him away.

  SMARTS: 9

  Maybe next time should think twice before kissing

  two boys at Truth or Dare.

  CUMULATIVE SCORE: 37

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  #3 ASHLEY "LILI" LI

  STYLE:10

  Looked especially chic arriving for French

  conversation on Monday afternoon.

  We gotta admit, she's got a certain ye ne sais quoi

  SMILE: 7

  Wheezing French professor keeps inserting herself in conversations made for two.

  SMARTS: 9

  Kudos to a girl who can flirt in two languages!

  CUMULATIVE SCORE: 36

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  #9 LAUREN PAGE

  STYLE: 9

  Speaks softly but carries a Prada handbag.

  SOCIAL PRESENCE: 9

  From head lunch table to the Bench of Judgment in a week! Who knows how high this one is going to go?

  SMILE: 6

  Current bemused expression an improvement on look of total anxiety.

  SMARTS: 8

  Aligning with the Ashleys is the smartest move she's made.

  CUMULATIVE SCORE:

  32

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  CHAPTER 9 LILI HAS A SECOND CHANCE TO MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION

  "SO HOW ARE YOU FEELING RIGHT NOW?" The production intern was holding a microphone just off camera, and Lili made sure to talk slowly to be understood. It was halftime at the Gregory Hall--Saint Aloysius varsity lacrosse game, and in a few minutes Lili would be out there dancing her butt off for the crowd. Right now they were taping a "confessional" for the reality show. Jasper had explained that since they weren't going to mike them up during the performance but tape them from afar, they wanted to get their thoughts on the action beforehand.

  "I'm really pumped. I like seeing hard work pay off," she said.

  The day was gray and rainy and the game was tied at four

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  all. Saint A's had managed to bus in dozens of cheering supporters, but only half of the upper-form girls from Miss Gamble's had bothered to show up.

  Standing in a muddy field didn't sound like a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon, even with the promise of boy watching. To muster interest, Lili had started a rumor that the person behind AshleyRank would be revealed at the game, not that it had helped much. There were a bunch of younger girls who looked like sixth graders watching the game, probably there to cheer on someone's older brother. Oh well. Nothing was going to spoil her moment of triumph. Coach had come up with a brilliant routine as usual, and they were going to dazzle the halftime crowd.

  Lili looked straight at the camera, hoping it captured her good side. "To be honest, I'm a little nervous."

  "But aren't you used to performing?" the intern prodded.

  "Yeah, but this is different."

  Really, Lili wanted to dazzle one player in particular. The junior high match was already over, but the players were still around, most of them seated in the sidelines with their helmets off, resting and eating oranges. She'd already found Max on the far right corner of the field, wearing his red and black Reed Prep uniform. This little routine was All About Max, as far as Lili was concerned. She'd never been this sweet

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  on a boy, unless you counted Zac Efron when she was in fifth grade.

  She debated whether to reveal her crush on national television. Why not? Maybe it would garner her more votes. Surely a girl in love was always a sympathetic character.

  "I'm nervous because a boy I really like is here," she said finally. She looked over her shoulder.

  Max looked so incredibly darling today in his lacrosse uniform, with his giant padded gloves and crimson helmet, especially when he was pounding up and down the field. He'd scored two goals and four assists in the game. The Reed Prep Lions had beaten the crap out of the Gregory Hall Wolverines. And he could speak French! (Well, sort of.) He was amazing. She was glad to see he wasn't going anywhere.

  Lili had arranged special dance-team outfits made for the occasion in Gregory Hall colors, blue and gold, designed by her cousin who used to work for Isaac Mizrahi. But the craziest thing about this performance was how easy it was to keep it from Ashley. Ashley was utterly preoccupied with having her own way on the banner and song and speeches for the Friendship Ceremony next week. And when she wasn't personally supervising the hand-stitching of every item, she was hanging out after school with loverboy Tri. With Ashley so busy, keeping the secret was easy--the hardest thing was finding time for rehearsals in Lili's own schedule.

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  "Let's go!" A.A. was jumping up and down in excitement, or maybe just to stay warm, since their outfits were a bit skimpy. Lauren looked a bit sick with nerves, especially when she noticed the size of the crowd. Lili knew extreme action was necessary. If Lauren was nervous, she'd make mistakes. And there was no way Lili was going to have the dance team made a laughing stock today. They were the Ashleys, after all, even if one of their usual members was AWOL.

  "Lauren, you look fantastic. Doesn't she, A.A.?"

  "Sure." A.A. leaned over to touch her toes. "Cute."

  "Wow." Lauren gulped. "There are so many people. I didn't think anyone would actually be here. I hope I don't mess up."

  "You won't--don't worry," Lili reassured her. "And even if one of us makes a tiny mistake, who cares? Just smile and they won't notice. This is all about fun!"

  A.A. stared over at Lili as though she was out of her mind. Lili knew what she was thinking--last night she'd talked A.A.'s ear off about how stressed she was about the three of them messing up. Lili shrugged. Sometimes lies were necessary if you wanted to get a good performance out of someone. Seven years of violin recitals had taught her that.

  "Right," Lauren said, doing a quick twirl and landing perfectly. "Okay, let's nail this thing!"

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  "Yeah, let's get out there," A.A. said quickly. "Coach is waving at us--he has the music ready."

  The two Ashleys and Lauren walked slowly to the middle of the field. The thundering bass line of Missy Elliott's "Lose Control" blared from the overhead speakers.

  "Everybody step, step," Lili called, and they all jumped to the left in perfect unison. The routine was going exactly as planned. A.A. was kicking so high she looked like a Rockette, and Lauren, to Lili's left, was keeping up without any problem. She even seemed to be enjoying herself. Lili hadn't been lying completely earlier--Lauren was gorgeous, and she looked hot in the slinky blue and gold minidress. She was the only girl at Miss Gamble's who could approach the poise and style of the Ashleys.

  The best part of all was that Lili could sense they had the crowd's full attention. By the time they were thirty seconds into their routine, the boys in the stands were on their feet, hooting and clapping. Trent was glowing like a proud parent on the sidelines.

  And with one final leaping kick, it was over.

  Lili beamed up at the applauding crowd and the cameras, then sneaked a quick look down the sidelines. Where were the Reed Prep players? More to the point, where had Max gone? A few of them were huddled around, talking to their coach. If Max hadn't been watching, this whole performance was for nothing.

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  "Yay, Ashl
eys!" some of the sixth-grade girls in the stand were shrieking. "Yay, Lauren!"

  Lauren waved up at them, looking as if she'd been used to adoring crowds all her life. Lili knew why the girls were all into Lauren now--no one had been admitted into the Ashleys' inner circle in a long time, and Lauren proved that maybe any of them could be an Ashley if they were lucky enough. If only the other girls knew they were only using Lauren to get on television.

  "Come on," AA. urged them, grabbing Lili's hand and motioning back toward the stands. "Game's about to start again."

  It was true: The players were lining up, helmets already in place, most of them swinging their lacrosse nets. As the girls jogged back to where they'd left their things, one of the Gregory Hall players waved at them with his giant glove.

  "Hey, Lauren!" Billy Reddy yelled through the grille in his helmet, looking like a fierce blue and gold tiger. "Thanks a lot!"

  Next to her, Lili saw Lauren blush prettily.

  But where was her guy? Had Max gone home?

  "Hey, over there, someone's trying to get your attention," A.A. murmured in Lili's ear.

  She looked over to where A.A. was pointing. Most of the

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  Reed Prep team were congregated to the side, but Lili didn't see Max anywhere . . . oh, wait. A.A. was right. There he was. Giving her a big thumbs-up sign.

  "Great show!" he called.

  "Good game, Max!" she yelled back, returning his smile. She checked to see if the camera had captured Max waving at her. Yes, it had. She beamed. All her planning had worked out just fine. She couldn't wait for French conversation class on Monday.

  "Uh-oh." Lauren had picked up her bag and was staring up into the stands.

  "What?" Lili followed her gaze. Maybe everything wasn't so perfect after all. Right in the back, hanging on to Tri's arm, was Ashley. And she looked p-i-s-s-e-d.

  "I hope she's not angry with me for taking her place," said Lauren anxiously, though Lili thought a tad disingenuously. She seemed to still be reveling in the success of their performance.

  "Don't worry." Lili squeezed Lauren's arm. "She's not mad at y ou."

  "Why don't you guys go up there and say hi?" Jasper suggested, standing just outside of the shot.

  Lili nodded. She'd known this was coming.

  Ashley could be as mean as she liked, but she wouldn't care, Lili told herself. Ashley might think she had the

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  Preteen Queen title in the bag, but it was too late for her to take over the halftime show. Lili had outsmarted her.

  But Lili didn't feel quite as brave as she would have liked as she climbed up the stadium steps to face the music.

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  CHAPTER 10 ASHLEY PUTS ON HER GAME FACE

  ASHLEY SLUMPED BACK IN HER SEAT AND tried to get interested in the lacrosse A game. Or at least pretend to be interested. She was glad that Tri hadn't seen her face burn while the girls put on that shameless performance. He'd gotten up to get them drinks and popcorn at halftime, and when he returned, her so-called friends had already cleared the field.

  Tri had played earlier, and Ashley had yelled her head off, not that it had done much good, since his team had been trounced badly. Like the rest of the guys, he was still wearing his uniform and had stayed to watch the high school team. Tri had been cool about losing, though, chalking it up to Reed Prep's better defense.

  Ashley didn't think she could be as sporting. Especially since her dance team had practically been hijacked! What

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  kind of team gave a performance without its captain? She was boiling.

  Thank God she had a boyfriend. She didn't think she could face this humiliation alone. She gave Tri an affectionate arm squeeze, and he patted her knee absentmindedly. He was already in another world, on the edge of his seat, cheering on the Gregory Hall team, going crazy every time the boys in blue and gold got anywhere near the other team's net. At least this time their team was winning. The score was 5 -- 4, apparently. Or was it? Ashley really wasn't paying attention.

  She had a smile on her face, but inside was another story. Her best friends had planned and performed a dance routine for the television show without telling her. Without. Telling. Her. She would scream or kick something, but there was a camera planted in front of her face.

  She wasn't sure what to do. This wasn't very Ashley at all. Usually the right plan of action came to her in a flash. This is what she did best. Hello.

  And the best thing about the three Ashleys was exactly that--there were three of them. When A.A. wasn't around, she could assassinate her character with Lili. When Lili wasn't around, she and A.A. could buddy up and be the A-team. Three's a crowd, as the saying went, but to Ashley it was the perfect-size crowd. She could control it.

  But now, with Lauren on the scene, a subtle power shift

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  was taking place. Lili had found an ally, someone who lent weight to her cause. There she was today, dancing in Lili's usual place. And where was Lili? Right in the center, in Ashley's preordained spot. So. Not. Cool. If Lili wanted to send a message to Ashley--that she was dispensable, and that someone else could take her place--then the message had been received, loud and clear.

  Ashley did not need this. She had a lot on her mind right now. Tri still hadn't kissed her. He hadn't even tried to kiss her. After the cold reception she gave his good-bye hug, he'd started shaking her hand instead. What kind of a boyfriend just shook your hand? Maybe her beauty was intimidating. 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 adored her 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?

  "Ashley!" 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

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  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.

  "Hey, pretties!" she called gaily. "You guys rocked!"

  "You'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!

  "What 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.

  "Hey, 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."

  "Yeah, 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.

  "I guess." A.A. said a bit dismissively. Ashley glanced at her friend. A.A. couldn't still be annoyed that Tri liked

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  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.

  "You'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.

  "Why would I be?" Ashley asked, as if it were the most ridiculous thing in the world.

  "You know," Lili continued, smoothing down her blue and gold skirt. She was the only one of the three girls 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.

  "I just have other things on my mind these days," she said

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  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.

  "I 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.

  "You bad girl," Lili murmured, giggling.

  A.A. shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I don't know why you guys are sitting all the way back here," she complained. "It's impossible to see a thing."

  "Do you want to move forward?" asked Tri, swinging his head to gaze at A.A., but Ashley gripped his hand tightly. They weren't going anywhere, especially not if A.A. wanted it. The way he only joined the conversation when A.A. said something was annoying her.

  "No point now," A.A. said sharply. She turned to Lauren to point something out about the opposing goalkeeper.

  "So you're really not mad at us at all?" Lili probed, an edge of nervousness in her voice. That was the thing with Lili: She didn't have Ashley's nerve. If she wanted to brazen it out, she should stick with the plan. Really, she should listen and learn.