Read Play Nice (Make the Play Book 3) for Free Online

or anything, but she’s always been in my circle. “What do you want, Ashley?”
    I cock my head to the side. “Why are you giving me attitude?”
    She rolls her eyes. “I don’t have time for this conversation. Talia’s waiting for me inside.”
    A shoulder bumps mine, and I swiftly turn to glare. A couple of boys holding instruments hurry past. When I swing back to face Heather, she’s moving away from me.
    “Heather!” I snap angrily. Since when does she ignore me? There was a time she practically worshipped the ground I walked on. None of this makes any sense. Ever since Talia and Josh made out at the party on Friday, everyone has been giving me the cold shoulder. I don’t get it.  “What the hell is going on? Talia hooks up with my boyfriend, and somehow I’ve become the bad person here?”
    Heather smirks. “No, Ashley, you haven’t just become the bad person. You’ve always been the bad person.”
    “What?” I recoil from her words.
    “Oh c’mon. Don’t act so surprised.” Heather flips a strand of hair over her shoulder. “You know you’re mean to everyone.” She pauses, her expression pensive. “Or maybe you don’t. But you are. And we’re all kinda tired of it.”
    “Did Talia put you up to this?” I place a hand on my waist. “You know she’s always wanted to be me. That’s what this is really about.”
    Heather snorts. “Listen to yourself. You don’t get it.”
    “No, you don’t get it.” Anger flaring, I step closer to her. “Talia’s using you. She’s using all of us to climb up the social ladder.”
    “No, Ashley, that sounds like you.” Heather shakes her head. “I’m so done with this conversation.”
    “You’re done when I say you’re done,” I instruct her.
    “I’m sorry, Ashley, but the days of me letting you tell me what to do are over.” She spins on her heels. “I’m outta here.”
    “You’re gonna regret this!” I holler after her, but she doesn’t respond. Doesn’t even flinch. It’s as if I haven’t spoken. Like I’m invisible. I glance around the hallway that is almost cleared out. The few stragglers left openly gawk at me. “What are you looking at?”
    At my outburst, they scurry off. It gives me a slight sense of satisfaction. But that quickly dwindles when I glance out at the quad and spot Emmy and Taylor sitting on a bench laughing and talking. Not that I want to be sitting with them. Not in the quad. Eww.
    It’s baffling, though. Emmy was a booknerd when we started hanging out. No one gave her the time of day. And when Taylor showed up at the school everyone thought she was a freak. But somehow they both managed to snag the two hottest guys at the school. And not only snag them, but keep them.
    I mean, I’d had my fifteen minutes with Cal like so many other girls here. But then he tossed me aside like I meant nothing. He committed to Taylor, overlooking the fact that she was pregnant with another man’s baby. A baby she’s giving up for adoption, but still. After all the times he’s accused me of being a slut, it seems odd to me that Taylor’s pregnancy didn’t scare him off. I mean, I may have been with a lot of guys, but I was never stupid enough to get knocked up.
    As I watch Emmy and Taylor interact, my stomach twists. They both appear content, comfortable, and I wonder if I’ve ever been like that. Emmy’s hair is pulled back in a messy bun as if she hadn’t a care in the world. And Taylor is showing off her prego belly like she isn’t embarrassed about it at all. Their easy conversation and quick laughs reveal that they’re not trying to impress each other. They’re simply being together.
    Sadness blankets me, and I quickly turn around.
    It doesn’t matter how appealing that looks. It can never be my life. I wouldn’t even know how to do that. I’ve been pretending so long, I’m not even sure I know the real Ashley. And the small part of her I do know makes me certain that no one else would be interested in