~Author's Note~

1/2009

Ok, so many of you might be wondering 'what happened?'

Well, I've been reading over Project Ashley and all I've been doing is cringing. The story was losing shape, the characters weren't developed enough and I was just clueless as to where I should take it. This is probably due to bad planning and my ability to click the 'post up' button before editing and, well, basically, thinking about what I had posted.

So, I'm sorry to everyone who's been continuing with this story because I've decided to REWRITE the whole thing (well, what I have written). It's going to be very different from the previous Project Ashley as I don't believe everyone likes to read the same thing over and over just because it's more grammatically correct or another paragraph's been added. Therefore, the storyline and characters are changing (not too much) so please bear with me.

Once again, a big THANK YOU to all who have been reading, reviewing and supporting me ever since I started with this 'project.' Also, (this is very late) HAPPY NEW YEAR! Hope you all have a super 2009 =)

Prologue

project[n. proj-eckt, -ikt]

1. task or scheme

A task or scheme that requires a large amount of time, effort and planning to complete

I've always been good at projects.

Design a website, construct a telescope, draw up a house plan- whatever, throw it at me and it'll be on the teacher's desk the day before it's due.

I remember my first project in Year 1: "Create a volcano. Best one gets a huge chocolate crunchie," Mrs Duff had said. It was exciting, all that playing around with clay and chemicals (under the guidance of my mother, of course) and watching as it 'erupted' in front of the class. Actually, it was the only volcano which erupted though. Of course, the other one's erupted but they were, to put it simply, 2D shaped. Turns out when Mrs Duff had said create, she meant draw. Needless to say, I went home with chocolate around my mouth.

It seemed the success of this first project ignited something inside me. That feeling of satisfaction every time I saw that huge A+; that feeling of achievement every time I went up for that award and most importantly, that feeling of happiness every time my parents boasted about me proudly to their colleagues.

But these feelings were quickly washed away once I entered Ashbury High. Here, there was this thing called a social ladder- something new to someone like me. From where I came from it was academics first but I quickly caught on after getting jeered at by the popular people- the ones at the top of this social ladder.

Jeered at… because there's this one thing projects (or any academically related work) don't help with. It's status and all the clothes, friends and popularity that come with it. I mean, if it wasn't for my best (and only) friend, Ashley, I'd be the loner of all loners. As in, I'd be by myself completely. Sure, some people like it that way but that's beside the point…

Either way, I continued in my academically achieving goals knowing, thinking, wishing that it'd pay off one day. I mean, I was hoping I would make it to Yale so high school's just a simple stepping stone, right?

Wrong

Completely and utterly incorrect.

Seriously, how was I suppose to know that there would this project- this one, BIG project- waiting for me in my last year of high school?

This one project which left me totally confused.

This one project which went haywire.

The one project with the most unexpected and blissful prize of all.

Project Ashley.

~Author's Note~

Very different from the old prologue right? Ok, pretty much completely unrelated XD

Anyways, reviews would be nice =)

Ice-cold-pepsi