SVH04-Power Play (12 page)

The car glided to a halt in front of the limousine, and Bruce jumped out to open the door. Robin walked to it, turned to wave at the crowd, then motioned for quiet.

"Thanks," she said. "And now for the procession! With me will be my escort--Allen Walters."

Elizabeth walked over to where Jessica was sitting behind the team bench. "Hard to say who looks more stupefied--Allen Walters or Bruce Patman!" Elizabeth chuckled, but Jessica ignored her. She was looking in her pocket mirror, trying to figure out why she'd lost.

"Allen Walters?" Bruce muttered.

"Me?" Allen wondered aloud.

"Come on, Allen," the queen commanded, and a dumbstruck Allen walked over and handed his camera to Elizabeth.

"Uh--Liz, I guess I'm part of the story."

Blushing but eager, Allen squeezed into the

back of the black Porsche with Robin and sat there in a happy daze as they were driven victoriously around the field, with the marching band leading the way. The cheerleaders, with the exception of Jessica, piled into the limousine and then followed the Porsche on its triumphal ride. Robin smiled at Allen warmly, and he took her hand. Everyone's eyes were on the black Porsche, but theirs were on each other only.

Bruce Patman looked outraged, Jessica noticed as she put her mirror away. She was pleased that if she was to be denied her rightful title, he, also, would come away with nothing. And it only got worse when Elizabeth snapped a picture of him for
The Oracle
in his role as chauffeur.

"Get out of here." He moaned.

"You never looked better, Bruce." Elizabeth laughed.

Minutes later the second half of the game began. The Sweet Valley Gladiators rallied to run away from the Palisades High Pumas 28-7.

Elizabeth rushed back to her room after the game, typed up her story of the exciting day, and sped it over to Louis Westman's office. She'd poured everything she had into it and spent a sleepless night after the homecoming dance worried that it would join the stack of

rejections she'd piled up. But two days later she was thrilled to see it in the paper with her by-line.

"What do you know!" she exclaimed to her family. "Victories come in threes. We won the football game, Robin won the Miss Sweet Valley contest, and"--she waved the paper in front of them triumphantly--"Elizabeth Wakefield has her first by-line in
The Sweet Valley News!"

A
few days later, the Pi Betas, who appreciated popularity, if nothing else, invited Robin Wilson to join their sorority. They were instantly turned down, and they were stunned.

"Can you imagine that?" Jessica said to Elizabeth. "We overrule the blackball for the first time in our entire history, and she has the colossal gall to turn us down."

"Astonishing, isn't it?" Elizabeth laughed.

"She actually thanked me for blackballing her! Even though I swore I wasn't the one. She
thanked
me! Because we made her change her life."

"Well, I guess we did."

"Well, then, if
we
turned her from an ugly duckling into a swan, how does
she
have the incredible nerve to turn against us?"

Elizabeth knew there was no point in trying to explain anything so obvious to a furious Jessica.

Robin had better ways to spend her time. After the Palisades High game, she and Allen Walters became inseparable. Elizabeth even put a mention of them in her column, "Eyes and Ears." The item read: "Robin Wilson, Miss Sweet Valley High, and Allen Walters, resident genius and
Oracle
photographer, have discovered each other."

A few weeks later Elizabeth found herself worried about how the Pi Betas, and Jessica especially, were bearing up under the double blow of Robin winning Miss Sweet Valley High
and
snubbing the sorority.

Jessica had a distant look in her eyes most of the time and kept disappearing for hours on end after school and over the weekends.

Elizabeth finally confronted her sister. "I really hope you're not brooding about PBA."

"Oh, Liz, that nonsense is about seven hundred and thirty-seventh on my list of concerns," Jessica said.

Elizabeth could not believe she'd heard correctly.

"What was that, Jessica?"

"You
probably haven't noticed it, but the Pi Betas are terribly juvenile. I'm surprised you spend so much time with them."

Elizabeth took a good look at her twin sister. It seemed Jessica had shifted gears all of a sudden. This was not unusual, but the tone of her twin's voice made Elizabeth nervous.

"What's happened, Jessica?"

"What?" Innocence flowed.

"I've noticed lately that you've been walking around looking a little out of it, but I thought it was because you were sorting out that business with Robin."

"My dear, naive Elizabeth," said Jessica. "Those are things kids worry about."

"Well, if you haven't been hiding out because you didn't want to show your face, where have you been going?"

"To the beach. Sketching. I feel art is something extremely important to me, Liz."

"Beach? Sketching?"

"The dunes around Castle Cove are magnificent natural wonders."

Elizabeth did a double take. Was she hearing correctly? Castle Cove? That's where the crowd of college kids from State hung out.

"Jessica, are you hanging out with that college crowd?"

"I find them much more the sort of people I enjoy," Jessica said earnestly. "They understand life and art."

"Uh-huh! And is one of the natural wonders

you've noticed at the cove by any chance a college man?"

"Scott Daniels!" Jessica gushed excitedly. "Oh, Liz, he's such a gorgeous hunk! And he's interested in me."

"Jessica, does he know you're only sixteen?"

"Totally irrelevant! He's interested in me for what I am."

And with that Jessica packed up her tote and headed for Castle Cove.

Elizabeth watched her go, fearful of what this new adventure might mean for her impetuous twin.

Jessica in love with an experienced college man meant storm clouds would be gathering soon. And all Elizabeth could do was hope that the inevitable winds would not shipwreck those close to her sister--including herself.

Jessica with a college guy? Elizabeth fears her twin has gotten in over her head this time. Is she right? Find out in SWEET VALLEY HIGH
#5, All Night Long,
coming next month.

Share the continuing story of the Wakefield twins and their friends at

SWEET VALLEY HIGH

Created by Francine Pascal

Come to Sweet Valley High and get swept up in all the romance, drama, thrills, and heartbreak of high school life. Enter its halls and meet identical twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield"! Elizabeth is the caring school journalist who is everybody's friend. Jessica is the beautiful, coquettish captain of the cheering squad--and the most conniving sixteen-year-old ever to strut down a school corridor. Look for this exciting new series of novels wherever Bantam paperbacks are sold--there's a new one on sale every month!

?
#2 SECRETS

The only thing standing between Jessica and the queen's crown for the fall dance is Enid Rollins. And when Jessica discovers the truth about Enid's past, she knows the crown is within her grasp. It doesn't matter that Enid is Elizabeth's best friend-- or that revealing the secret may cost Enid both her reputation and the boy she loves.

?
#3 PLAYING WITH FIRE

Elizabeth doesn't trust Jessica's new boyfriend, Bruce Patman, one bit. He's arrogant, demanding--and way too fast. Jessica follows him everywhere, drops everything just to be with him. Her sister can usually hold her own with any guy, but this time Elizabeth's afraid Jessica may be going too far. . . .

?
#4 POWER PLAY

Small, round Robin Wilson follows golden girl Jessica Wakefield around like a puppy. Jessica is everything that Robin isn't: beautiful, popular, and president of Pi Beta Alpha, the most exclusive and chic sorority at Sweet Valley High. Robin has her heart set on pledging--and to Jessica's complete astonishment, her own sister is determined to help!

#5 ALL NIGHT LONG

Jessica's forbidden overnight partying leaves Liz to play the toughest dramatic role of her life. It's one thing to be a stand-in for her twin at the breakfast table, but to take a crucial test for her is another matter. . . .

?
#6 DANGEROUS LOVE

One of the only hard-and-fast rules in the Wakefield household is no motorcycles. So imagine Liz's surprise when a beaming Todd shows up with a huge new Yamaha for which he's scrimped and saved--not to mention sold his car.

Don't miss any of these great new
Sweet Dreams
romances, on sale soon!

? #55 SPOTLIGHT ON LOVE by Nancy Pines
true. She's slender, attractive--and up for the romantic lead in the school musical opposite handsome David Palmer. He makes her heart do flip-flops, and, to her amazement, seems to like her too. But Callie's visions of a long-running romance are shattered when Kim Crawford comes on the scene. Will Callie find herself out of the spotlight while Kim and David take center stage?

?
#56 CAMPFIRE NIGHTS by Dale Cowan

---Jill's summer as a junior counselor starts off with a bang when Brad Cassidy, the gorgeous new waterfront counselor, begins paying attention to her. She's on cloud nine--despite the fact that she doesn't really trust him. Then Jill meets quiet, serious Skip, and they spend hours just walking and talking. But somehow, Skip's just not as exciting as Brad. . . .

? #57 ON HER OWN by Suzanne Rand

--Most of the kids in the Roughing It program seem to have had a lot more experience with the Adirondack wilderness than Katie. But Lisa, who's become Katie's instant best friend, is more than willing to lend her a hand--until Jake Summers begins to take an interest in Katie. Katie's crazy about Jake, too--but he's Lisa's old boyfriend . . . and she's still in love with him.

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#58 RHYTHM OF LOVE by Stephanie Foster

--Darcy lost the two most important things in her life the day Scott told her he didn't need her as a keyboard player anymore--the fun of being in his band, and the chance to be his girlfriend. So she decides to get his attention by forming her own group . . . and that's when her troubles really start!

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