The Ashley Project by Melissa de La Cruz Page B

P.,” Dex said easily, wiping the counter and filling the dishwasher.
    They left the lounge, passing two businessmen waiting for their helicopters, and walked out to the small tarmac. The airfield was filled with small six- to nine-seater planes, as well as a few sleek G5’s.
    Lili automatically looked toward the smaller planes.Her dad had a little prop plane that he used to fly the family to Napa on weekends, and surely this wouldn’t be too different from that. They were just flying to L.A., after all.
    But to her surprise Lauren led them all the way back, to the largest plane on the lot, a behemoth 747 with the YourTV logo emblazoned on the wing. A rolling staircase led to the open entry door, where a uniformed flight attendant waved from the top of the plank. Lili could feel her mouth hanging open and closed it quickly. Were these people for real? It was like an episode of Your Fantabulous Life , that cable show where ordinary people lived like celebrities for one day, complete with narration by a guy with a fake British accent.
    They followed Lauren up the stairs. Dex walked in front of them, and Lili elbowed A. A., who’d been staring at his butt for too long to be polite.
    A gray-haired pilot emerged from the cockpit. “Morning, ma’am.” He nodded, tipping his hat to Trudy. “It’s a beautiful day for a flight; we’ll be in Los Angeles in no time. Hello, girls. Welcome aboard YourJet.”
    â€œ Our jet?” asked Ashley, turning to the other girls and raising an eyebrow.
    â€œIt’s a joke,” Lauren explained. “Dad’s company isYourTV, so he named the plane YourJet. He also calls our house YourHouse. Dad’s a little corny.”
    â€œOh. Can I have YourGucci, then?” A. A. asked with a smile, looking like she was thoroughly enjoying herself.
    â€œYou’re funny,” Lili deadpanned. “Get it? YourFunny?” The others looked blank. Lili shook her head. “Forget it.”
    They climbed aboard what looked like the most tricked-out airplane in existence. The main cabin was designed like a proper living room, with fluffy white couches that Lili could swear were made from the same beast that provided the fur for Trudy Page’s coat, several glass coffee tables, a mammoth flat-screen television, and an entertainment console with DVD and satellite receivers.
    â€œWow,” A. A. said simply.
    Lili nodded, glad that she didn’t have to say it.
    â€œWhen we rode our plane to Tokyo, they had all the magazines and snacks we’d requested beforehand on board already.” Ashley sniffed, still trying to look as if the jet was no big deal while she looked around for the remote control to the TV.
    Funny how Ashley said “our plane,” even though Lili knew from her parents that technically, the Spencersonly had a membership in a private jet club and didn’t own their own set of wings.
    â€œWhat would you like?” Lauren asked graciously. “We’ve got everything on hand.” She showed them the well-stocked pantry in the galley kitchen. It was like an upscale newsstand in there, complete with the latest issues of all the fashion and style bibles as well as the celebrity newsweeklies, including the international editions of OK! , Hello! , and Paris Match .
    Lili hesitated at first, noticing that Ashley had taken a seat on the couch and was looking around disdainfully with her arms crossed. But then she caught A. A.’s eye. The tall girl smiled gleefully and Lili grinned back, and soon the two of them began grabbing magazines, potato chips, candy, and sodas with abandon, losing all their cool in their rush to accumulate as much stuff as possible.
    â€œI’m not hungry,” Ashley said with a pout.
    Lili shrugged and joined A. A. on the couch with their bounty—every kind of candy imaginable, including gourmet chocolate bars from Switzerland and Belgium, a mouth-watering assortment of