The Ashley Project Read Online Free PDF Page B

daintily wiped her lips with a Kleenex. “Puppy cooties, eww.”
    â€œPrincess Dahlia is cleaner than you!” Ashley retorted, picking up the dog and kissing her on the lips as well. “Pick your victim.”
    Lili pointed a breadstick in A. A.’s direction, but put it down before eating it. “A. A. What’ll it be?”
    â€œTruth,” A. A. said cheerfully.
    â€œDo you stuff your bra?” Lili asked quickly, so it was obvious it was a question she’d been meaning to ask A. A. for some time now.
    Ashley snorted. “Lil, that’s so lame. We all know A. A. is rolling Cs,” she said, noticing A. A. hug herself tightly so no one could look at her chest. “Do-over,” she ordered.
    â€œFine,” Lili huffed. “Truth again?”
    A. A. mulled it over. “I’ll take a dare this time,” she mumbled.
    Ashley whispered in Lili’s ear, and when she pulled away Lili had a slightly mocking smile on her face. “I dare you to text your boyfriend you love him,” she said. All the while, Ashley noticed that Lauren was hunched over her teacup, trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible.
    â€œDo I have to?” groaned A. A.
    â€œYou know the rules,” Ashley reminded her gleefully.
    A. A. sighed, took out her phone, and began to type. “Okaaaay. God, I hope he doesn’t think I’m some kind of stalker!” she said, putting away her iPhone.
    She turned to Ashley. “Your turn!”
    â€œDare,” Ashley said, knowing that A. A. thought up the least exciting dares. Sure enough, A. A. came through. “I dare you to yell ‘Miss Gamble’s sucks!’ right now,” A. A. ordered.
    â€œEasy,” Ashley mocked. “Watch this.” She threw her head back and yelled, “MISS GAMBLE’S SUCKS!” to the surprise of the room. Spoons clattered to the floor. Her mother shot her a look, but she shrugged it off.
    â€œDone,” she said. “Now it’s my turn to choose.”Ashley looked intently at the three girls. She loved this part—the anticipation on her friends’ faces, the barely disguised anxiety on Lauren’s. Ashley prided herself on thinking up the most revealing questions and the most impossible dares. Last time they’d played, Lili had to walk around at the mall with her skirt tucked into her underwear and toilet paper hanging out, and A. A. had to moon a bus filled with Gregory Hall boys. A picture of A. A.’s butt was still floating around in cyberspace.
    â€œLauren,” she finally decided, zeroing in on the intruder in their midst. “Truth or dare?”
    â€œDare?” Lauren asked tentatively, with a nervous smile frozen on her face.
    â€œGood choice.” Ashley got up and walked through the room, pausing to smile at a few mothers on her way out of the party.
    â€œUh, bye,” said A. A. as she looked at Lili. “Totally random.”
    Ashley smiled to herself. If Lauren thought her dare would be as easy as kissing a dog, she had another thing coming. And then she was back, holding out her hand to Lauren. On her palm were a few dark clumps. “I dare you to drop these into the chocolate fountain,” she said.
    â€œWhat? Why?” asked Lauren, giggling nervously.
    â€œBecause I dared you, duh,” Ashley snapped.
    â€œWhat are they?” Lauren asked.
    â€œPoisonous mushrooms grounded up. I’ve been saving them for a special occasion. Oh, don’t look at me like that, A. A. They’re not going to kill anyone. These are pretty benign. All they’ll do is make a few people throw up.”
    â€œC’mon it’ll be funny,” Lili cooed.
    â€œNo, it won’t,” muttered Lauren, picking up the puppy and holding her so close that they couldn’t see her face.
    â€œYou could call a double dare,” put in A. A. helpfully. “But I wouldn’t, since Ashley’s double dares