Play Nice (Make the Play Book 3) by Amber Garza Read Free Book Online Page A

reaching out to push Taylor up off the bench. Brady raises his arm and latches onto her hand, guiding her to a standing position. She throws him a smile of gratitude, but I give him a stern look. He swallows hard, his face sobering.
    Taylor sighs. “If I’m not back in five, come look for me, Em. Make sure I didn’t fall in.”
    “There’s no way you could fall in,” Emmy points out. “You couldn’t fit.”
    “Shut up.” Taylor sticks out her tongue before slowly turning around and waddling off.
    “She must be due any minute,” I muse aloud.
    “Nope. Not for another two months,” Emmy says.
    “Yikes,” Brady says.
    I nod.
    Emmy giggles. “I know, right? I think she’s ready now.”
    “I bet.” The minute the words leave my mouth the bell peals.
    Emmy leaps up. “Oh. I better bring Taylor her stuff. She’ll never make it back here in time.”
    “Need help?” I offer.
    “No, I got it,” she responds. Then she gathers up both of their backpacks and scurries off, one on each shoulder.
    When she’s out of earshot, I smack Brady in the arm. “Dude, you need to lay off of Cal’s girl.”
    “We told Cal and Chris we’d watch out for them.”
    “Yeah. Watch out for them, not flirt with them.”
    He shakes his head, but a small smile plays on his lips. “I can’t help it if she’s drawn to my charm.”
    “You know Cal will be back for holidays, right?”
    His face grows serious. “Fine. I’ll try to dial back my natural charisma around her.”
    I snort. “Oh, okay.” I’m about to toss out another joke when I spot Ashley sauntering up from the parking lot. Did she leave? I think of Josh and his fast food burger, but I know she wasn’t with him. Not that I’d put it past her but if they were hooking up again, she would’ve been hanging on his arm making sure Talia knew all about it. Besides, the look on her face tells me she’s been alone. It’s not the usual “Ashley” look. Normally she’s smug and arrogant. Right now she appears unsure, timid, and insecure. When she steps into the hall, her gaze darts around as if she hopes no one notices her. The Ashley I know welcomes attention. She doesn’t hide from it. But this isn’t the Ashley I know, and my heart pinches. I don’t know why I care, but for some reason I do. Seeing her like this does something inside of me. Something that makes me uncomfortable. I think about Talia sitting at the end of the table chatting with all of her friends, girls that used to follow Ashley around like her shadow.
    But Ashley wasn’t with them. She was apparently hiding in the parking lot.
    Talia has become the new Ashley. Maybe that was what the kiss with Josh was about. It was a way for Talia to become queen bee. It angers me further.
    “Don’t do it, man,” Brady cuts into my thoughts.
    My head swivels in his direction. “Do what?”
    He nods toward Ashley. “Get involved with Ashley.”
    “I’m not,” I insist. “I don’t even like her.”
    “Well, you might want to inform your face.”
    Averting my gaze, I smooth out my features, embarrassed by his words. It’s not true anyway. I’m not interested in Ashley. Sure, I may have been at one point, but I know better now.

ASHLEY
     
     
    I hate being alone. There’s nothing worse than quiet. When I was a little girl, I had three imaginary friends who kept me company. I truly believed they were real, and I talked to them all of the time. It freaked my mom out, and she made me stop. Still, I spoke to them when no one was around. It wasn’t until I started having real friends that I realized how silly I was being.
    Or maybe it was that I didn’t need them anymore.
    Either way, eventually I stopped talking to them. Stopped believing in them.
    But now I kind of wish I had them back. As I sit in my bedroom listening to the whir of my ceiling fan, I fight the urge to cry. It’s not like it will do any good anyway. Crying has never made me feel better. If anything, it makes me feel worse. Then my