IT’S ALL FUN AND GAMES UNTIL SOMEONE LOSES HER HEART
A. A. WISHED SHE COULD BE all hardworking like Lili, but when school was over, the last thing she felt like doing was more work. She needed to unwind, especially with all this fuss about Congé and the annoying S. Society.
And she needed to hang out with Tri.
Now that they were friends again, A. A. and Tri had made a pact the week after Ashley’s party: They were going to give video games a rest for a while and catch up on the fun stuff they used to do.
“Fun stuff,” A. A. knew, was code for “kid stuff,” and that was fine with her. Some days she was in no hurry to grow up. In fact, she kind of missed the days when she could just play games and ride bikes with Tri and not . . . well, not feel anything.
Feeling things made everything in life more complicated, she decided. Having a boyfriend just wasn’t her thing right now, obviously. Let Ashley gush about Cooper, and Lili moan about Max, and Lauren go all dreamy eyed every time Christian’s name came up. Who cared? She and Tri were friends, nothing more, nothing less—and that was exactly the way she wanted it.
They met up outside the Fairmont Hotel, where they both lived, A. A. pushing her Raleigh bike, zipping up her nylon jacket to keep the wind out. Tri was messing around in the valet parking area, doing wheelies on his neon green BMX like a pro. A. A. climbed onto her bike and fastened the silver helmet her half brother Ned had given her for her birthday.
“About time!” he shouted, ramming on his own helmet. “It’s freezing out. Let’s get going.” His smile lit up his whole face, and his cheeks were red from the cold.
A. A. thought he looked cuter than ever, with his dark hair falling into his eyes, even though she told herself she wasn’t noticing those kinds of things anymore. “Race you down Nob Hill!” she called, whizzing out into the street ahead of him.
They raced down the hill toward Chinatown, dodging cable cars and pedestrians, turning back for a marathon uphill battle. Sometimes A. A. was way ahead; sometimes Tri was.
Even though it was a cold day, it was sunny and bright. Before too long, A. A. was feeling hot and tired—but in a good way, the way she felt after a strenuous game of soccer, when she’d scored a couple of goals. Lauren was always talking about the amazing home gym her family had built, but this was A. A.’s idea of exercise—getting out in the fresh air and racing about until she was exhausted. This afternoon she felt happy for the first time in ages. Hanging out with Tri was great. Friendship was much less stressful than having a silly boyfriend.
“Need an afternoon nap?” Tri mocked her, waiting for her at the corner of Jackson and Presidio. His bright blue eyes were twinkling. “Ready to admit defeat?”
“As if!” A. A. gasped. She set both feet on the ground, trying to get her breath back. She needed to play for time. “My helmet’s come loose. I have to fix it.”
“That old line.” Tri rolled his eyes, although he looked pretty worn out himself. A. A. pulled off her helmet and adjusted her two pigtails, bundling them together so they didn’t fly into her face when she was riding.
“A. A.! Tri!” Ashley appeared at the door of a boutique, waving frantically at them. “What are you guys doing here?”
“What does it look like?” asked Tri. The smile disappeared from his face.
Ashley ignored him. “A. A., what are you doing to your hair?”
“It keeps blowing into my mouth,” A. A. explained. Ashley raised a critical eyebrow. Ashley was wearing a chic little cardigan over pedal pushers, and her hair was newly blown out and shiny. A. A. felt like a slob by comparison.
“You look kind of bizarre, you know. Someone might see you!”
“So?” A. A. felt defensive.
“Someone from the S. Society, for example!” Ashley tapped one foot on the sidewalk. “Do you want them saying the Ashleys run around after school looking like hippies—or boys?”
Tri gave an impatient snort.
“What did you buy?” A. A. asked her quickly.
“I didn’t buy anything,” Ashley complained. She brandished a large white shopping bag, which was tied with pale green ribbon. “My mother is in that store,” she said, gesturing with her shoulder, “buying stuff for you-know-who.”
“Who?”
“The baby,” Ashley whispered. She seemed embarrassed every time the subject came up. “I don’t know why the stupid thing can’t use all my old stuff. It’s not even born yet, and it has more clothes and toys than I ever did!”
“I guess.”
“And my mother knows I need something new to wear for my date with Cooper on Saturday night. She knows how important this relationship is to me.”
“Oh.” A. A. didn’t really know what to say. She felt intensely awkward. Being friends with Ashley was one thing; being friends with Tri was something totally separate and different. Standing together like this on a street corner talking about relationships only reminded her that there was something unresolved among the three of them. Something to do with secrets, kisses, and lies. In other words, something A. A. really would rather not think about this afternoon.
Because all she wanted to do today was ride her bike and have some fun, not obsess about grown-up things like kissing and breaking up. But here was Ashley and the real world—or the Ashley version of the real world, anyway—to spoil their fun.
“Hey, I’m just going to get some water.” Tri climbed off his bike. “Watch my stuff, okay?”
A. A. nodded, glad that Tri was going to be out of earshot for a few minutes. This whole situation was just too awkward.
“Your mother might be looking for you,” she suggested to Ashley.
“She doesn’t even know I exist anymore,” Ashley sniffed. “Why—are you trying to get rid of me?”
“No—I mean, well . . . it’s kind of weird, isn’t it? Hanging out with me and Tri? Don’t you think? Seeing as you guys broke up and everything.”
“Not really.” Ashley dismissed that idea with a wave of her hand. “The only weird thing is the way you can hang out with a boy all the time when he’s not into you. I know, I know—you’re going to say you’re just friends, and it doesn’t mean anything. Well, you’re probably right. It doesn’t mean anything to him. That’s pretty obvious.”
“What do you mean?” A wave of annoyance swept through A. A.—what was Ashley suggesting? That she, A. A., was so unattractive that Tri could never fall for her the way he fell for Ashley? That A. A. was into Tri but he wasn’t into her?
“You know,” said Ashley breezily. Tri was ambling back toward them, a bottle of water in each hand. He looked about as happy as A. A. felt, as in not at all. “I better go back in the store before my mother buys some heinous matching bunny rabbit PJs for the entire family. Have fun!”
But fun was the last thing on A. A.’s mind now. The afternoon was ruined.