Play Nice (Make the Play Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

the day, and my backpack slips from my shoulders. But I tug it back up. All of my friends discard their backpacks by the front door, but that’s not acceptable here. I have a hook on the wall in my bedroom, and it’s the only place where I can hang it. On a different day I might be rebellious and toss it on the ground, but not today. I’ve already been through enough. The last thing I want to do is heap Mom’s wrath on top of it. So I trek down the hallway to my bedroom and carefully hang my backpack on the hook near the doorway. Then I head into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water, maybe a snack.
    After taking a giant gulp of cold liquid, the front door pops open. Mom’s high heels click on the hardwood floors. My stomach tightens the closer she gets. When she reaches the kitchen, she freezes, her eyes widening as she takes me in.
    “Oh, I didn’t realize you’d be home.” Her lips purse as if she’s eaten something sour. She fingers the pearls around her neck, clinking the beads against her acrylic nails. Stepping forward, her skirt swirls around her legs. But her hair doesn’t move. It stays sleek against her skin, not a hair out of place. Mom prides herself on appearing perfect, put together, like she has it all figured out.
    But she’s not fooling me. I know better.
    “School ended a half an hour ago,” I point out, screwing the cap back on my water bottle.
    “Well, that doesn’t mean you have to be home.” She glides past, her floral perfume enveloping me. I scoot out of the way as she reaches for the fridge door. “Shouldn’t you be out with your friends like a normal teenager?” After snatching out a bottle of chilled wine she slams the fridge shut and turns to me. “Why aren’t you with that cute boyfriend of yours?” Setting the wine bottle on the counter, she moves toward the cabinets.
    My stomach bottoms out. I bite my lip. “He’s not really my boyfriend anymore.”
    “Oh, Ashley, what did you do this time?”
    Telling her was a mistake. When will I learn to keep my mouth shut? “I didn’t do anything, Mom. He messed up, not me.”
    After taking out a wine glass, she shrugs. “Guys mess up. It’s what they do. But that doesn’t mean you sit at home and pout.” Her gaze travels up and down my body. “What you need to do is go clean yourself up and go out. Get him back.” Rummaging through a nearby drawer, she fishes around for the wine opener. “Or better yet, find someone hotter.”
    Inwardly, I groan. The last thing I want to do is go out. Not after the day I’ve had. “Actually, I think I’ll just go hang out in my room.”
    Lifting up the wine cork, she nods noncommittally. “That’s the spirit. Get some beauty rest and start fresh tomorrow.”
    I wish I had a mom I could actually talk to about these kinds of things. A mom who would say helpful, nurturing things. “Yeah, okay,” I say quietly.
    “Oh, and just so you know, your dad will be gone all night. Work, you know?” She swats away the words like it’s no big deal, but I can tell it is. “And I’m on a diet again, so I’m sort of skipping dinner tonight.”
    Great. It’s not like Mom cooks very often, but at least when she’s eating we get take out or something. Now I will have to fend for myself. It seems that nothing is going my way today.
    “And actually, you could probably stand to skip dinner too,” she adds. The words maim me like a punch to my gut.
    I glance down at my body, wondering if she’s right. Is that why Josh hooked up with Talia? Because she’s thinner than I am? Talia is thin. Like rail thin. I’m not big, but definitely curvier. Reaching down, I pinch a fat roll near the top of my jeans. Ugh. No dinner tonight then. As I trudge back to my room, my stomach is already growling. But I’m determined to stay strong. Mom’s right. It’s my senior year. I should be out with friends. I should have a hot boyfriend.
    It’s starting off rocky but I can get myself back on track. And I’m