Social Order by Melissa de La Cruz Read Free Book Online Page A

and celebrity stratosphere.
    â€œOnly one of us can get through?” Ashley’s mind was whirring.
    â€œUnfortunately.” Jasper laughed. “I hope it doesn’t come between your friendships. It’s only a game, yes?”
    â€œRight,” A. A. mumbled, while Lili looked as intense as Ashley had ever seen her and Lauren bit her nails.
    Lauren hadn’t been exaggerating. The producers wanted to start taping right away, and they had already approached Miss Gamble’s for permission to film an Honor Board meeting the following week.
    â€œBut the only one of us on the Honor Board is Lili,” Ashley pointed out, and Lili gave her a cat-who-swallowed-the-cream smile. Lil was acting very smug all of a sudden, and Ashley realized that Lili had probably one-upped her and called the producers even before the meeting. Ashley wouldn’t put it past her. She had to make sure Lili wouldn’t get filmed on her own turf, hello.
    â€œI’ve got a better idea,” Ashley said, fixing her wide-eyed gaze on Jasper, the look she used on her father whenever she wanted to buy something too expensive or possibly age-inappropriate. “I’ve been planning something special for our class, and the four of us are having our first meeting about it on Thursday. You could film that.”
    â€œThe four of you?” Matt sounded eager. “That would be great. What is it?”
    Ashley ignored the puzzled looks A. A. and Lili were shooting her.
    â€œIt’s a . . . um, it’s a Friendship Ceremony,” she faltered. Quick, Ashley—think. “I’ve been talking to Miss Charm about it, and she loves the idea,” she lied.
    â€œThat’s our Manners and Morals teacher,” Lili explained, and when the producers all looked blank she went on, “She teaches etiquette. It’s our first class on Mondays and Thursdays.”
    â€œSorry to be slow, but what does this Friendship Ceremony entail exactly?” asked Jasper.
    â€œIt’s a celebration of friendship.” Ashley fluttered her long lashes in his direction. She felt like patting herself on the back. The producers wanted friendship drama, didn’t they? Well, she would give it to them. In spades.
    â€œMiss Charm wanted us to find a way of creating some new traditions at Miss Gamble’s, and I came up with this.” Ashley began outlining her idea.
    â€œI don’t remember . . . ,” Lauren began, and then stopped herself. Ashley smiled: Lauren was learning fast. You should never admit to not knowing something, because that just told everyone else what an out-of-the-loop loser outsider you were. A. A. and Lili didn’t know anything about this either—mainly because Ashley was making it up on the spot—but they weren’t drawing attention to themselves. They’d learned to go along with whatever Ashley wanted, anyway.
    â€œBut doesn’t Miss Gamble’s have a policy against cliques?” asked Lauren a little sharply, when Ashley was done describing her awesome idea. Ashley bristled. Lauren must have forgotten the importance of being a team player. Maybe she wasn’t such a fast learner after all.
    â€œYeah,” said Lili, her pretty face troubled. She placed her glass of iced tea carefully on its ivory paper coaster. “I don’t know if Miss Charm is going to like that idea very much.”
    Lili could be such a goody-goody sometimes.
    â€œShe’ll like it. She likes anything I suggest,” Ashley said. “I could turn the whole class against her in a second.”
    â€œI wish we were filming right now. I can tell you guys are the arbiters of what’s in and out at school,” Jasper observed with a wry smile.
    â€œExactly.” Ashley brushed a hank of blond hair away from her face. “Once in a while we get into a little trouble, mainly because girls are so jealous of us. That kind of thing happens a lot