College Weekend Read online

  COLLEGE WEEKEND

  Written by

  Kate William

  Created by

  FRANCINE PASCAL

  Copyright © 2015, Francine Pascal

  To Alice Elizabeth Wenk

  "This is not the little party you promised," Elizabeth cried. "Steven didn't say we could have a party in his apartment at all!"

  "What do you want me to do about it?" Jessica asked her twin, her hands on her hips. "Tell people to stop having so much fun?"

  "Well, for one, you can turn down the stereo and start telling people to find another party somewhere else," Elizabeth said. Just then she saw one of the Thetas step on top of the coffee table and start spinning and dancing to the music.

  "She can't dance on there!" Elizabeth fumed. "Jess! Go tell your friend to get off the table right now!"

  Jessica turned around to see what had got her sister so upset. But instead of urging the girl off the table, Jessica ran right over and jumped up next to her. The two girls started bumping their hips, bending their knees to dip lower and lower.

  "You go girl!" another Theta called, clapping her hands to the beat. A number of other kids who had been talking or snacking jumped into the dance area. Someone turned up the volume on the stereo.

  Elizabeth stood breathless as she watched the party becoming more and more chaotic. If Jessica wasn't going to help her, she would have to take control herself.

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 1

  Sixteen-year-old Elizabeth Wakefield scrutinized her outfit in the bathroom mirror. Do I look too young in this? she wondered as she straightened her yellow-and-white flowered T-shirt. Maybe I should change.

  Elizabeth usually didn't worry about what she was wearing, but today was different. Today Elizabeth and her twin sister, Jessica, were leaving for a week-long visit to Sweet Valley University. They were planning to stay with their older brother, Steven, and his girlfriend, Billie, who were both students at the university.

  Elizabeth had been on the campus of SVU only a few times—to drop Steven off or pick him up. Sitting in the backseat of the family car, she had gazed longingly out the window at the beautiful, tree-lined campus. As she had watched the students lounging on the grassy fields, or walking among the buildings with their arms laden with books, Elizabeth had fantasized about being a student. This week was her chance to make that fantasy come true.

  Maybe I should wear something more mature, Elizabeth thought. Something that would make people take me seriously as a college student, instead of Steven Wakefield's kid sister from high school. But then Elizabeth remembered that she wanted to be taken seriously for her intellect, not for her clothing choices. She checked her reflection again in the full-length mirror on the back of the bathroom door. Her glossy blond hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail, and she was wearing crisp Levi's and clean white Top-siders. You look fine, she told herself. Leave it to Jessica to make the fashion statements.

  Elizabeth suddenly realized that she hadn't heard a peep out of her twin all morning. Jessica's bedroom was on the other side of the bathroom they shared. Maybe Jess slept through her alarm again, Elizabeth thought.

  She knocked on the door leading to Jessica's room. "Jess! Are you awake?" she called out.

  "I'm awake," Jessica grunted from behind the door, sounding as if she was buried under three layers of blankets.

  "Well, hurry up," Elizabeth said cheerily. "We want to get on the road by nine."

  Jessica's only response was a low groan. Elizabeth smiled. Nothing was going to squash her excitement today, not even her sister's usual morning laziness.

  Elizabeth picked up her toothbrush, which was the last item she needed to pack, and walked through her bedroom into the hallway to find her suitcase. She was surprised to discover that it wasn't at the top of the stairs where she had left it the night before after packing.

  Elizabeth knocked on Jessica's door. "Jess! Are you sure you're up?"

  The door opened. Jessica stood rumpled in her bathrobe. "I'm up, I'm up," she said, rubbing her eyes. "I was just waiting until you were out of the bathroom."

  "That's a first," Elizabeth said. "You waiting for me to come out of the bathroom."

  Jessica covered her eyes with her hands. "Please," she groaned. "No sarcasm first thing in the morning."

  "Anyway," Elizabeth continued, "I was just wondering if you'd seen my suitcase. I left it in the hallway before I went out with Todd last night." Todd Wilkins was Elizabeth's longtime steady boyfriend.

  Jessica blinked. "Right. Well." She paused, raking her fingers through her slept-on hair. "I guess I forgot to tell you."

  Elizabeth sighed. "What did you forget to tell me?"

  "Well, when I saw your suitcase sitting out here, I noticed that it was barely full," Jessica began. "It's so much bigger than my teeny one, so I didn't think you'd mind if I used it," she concluded sweetly.

  "You what?" Elizabeth cried, incredulous.

  "Don't get all bent out of shape, Liz," Jessica said. "I packed your stuff into one of my bags. Besides, it's not like you really needed a suitcase this big—you just packed a bunch of jeans, T-shirts, and sweaters, so it doesn't matter if they get wrinkled."

  "And what do you need all that room for?" Elizabeth asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

  "Well," Jessica explained, "since I'm planning to prerush Theta Alpha Theta, I had to bring my favorite outfits. I can't make my college debut in wrinkled silks and linens, can I?"

  Elizabeth smiled and shook her head. Theta Alpha Theta was one of the most prestigious sororities at Sweet Valley University, and their mother, Alice Wakefield, had been president of the Thetas as a senior. Jessica had been bubbling about Theta all week, especially after Mrs. Wakefield had brought down her old Theta memorabilia from the attic.

  Although Elizabeth didn't share Jessica's enthusiasm about being in a sorority, she knew how important it was to her sister. She decided to let this one go.

  "Jess," Elizabeth sighed. "Please ask next time, OK?" It wasn't the first time Elizabeth had been confronted with the differences between herself and her twin. Even though Jessica and Elizabeth looked identical on the outside—from their blue-green eyes, to their long blond hair, to the matching dimple in their left cheeks—their personalities could not have been more different. Elizabeth, the more responsible twin, chose to wear comfortable and practical clothes rather than fashionable ones—she didn't structure her life around the sales at the mall. Jessica did. And while Elizabeth loved to have fun, she never put off doing homework before socializing. Jessica did.

  The twins' extracurricular activities were polar opposites, too. Jessica spent every afternoon choreographing and practicing new cheers as the cocaptain of the cheerleading squad, whereas Elizabeth spent her afternoons writing the "Personal Profiles" column for the school newspaper, The Oracle. Elizabeth's greatest desire was to be a journalist. Jessica wanted to be an actress, a rock star, or some other sort of celebrity.

  "So what did you do with my stuff?" Elizabeth asked now.

  Jessica pulled her robe tight around her waist and surveyed her bedroom. "Where did I put that thing?" The room was in its typical disarray, with four large piles of clothing and a thin layer of socks and papers scattered on the floor.

  Elizabeth waited patiently while Jessica kicked at the assorted debris. "Aha!" Jessica exclaimed suddenly, bending to pull at a handle sticking out from underneath one of the larger piles. "Here we go," she said, holding out a bright-blue duffel bag. "It's my favorite one." Stenciled on one of the panels were the words "Sweet Valley High Cheerleading Squad."

  Elizabeth sighed and grabbed the duffel bag by the handles. "Gee, thanks. I've always wanted one of these," she said sarcastically.

  "You can't keep this, you know," Jessica said. "I'm just letting you borrow it."

  "And I'm grateful," Elizabeth said, laughing. Jessica never could figure out why Elizabeth wasn't dying to be a cheerleader. "Hurry up and get ready," she reminded Jessica again. "I think Mom's got breakfast waiting for us. We don't want to be late for our first day of college!"

  "How do I look?" Jessica asked as she entered the kitchen. She turned around slowly to let her family appreciate her outfit: hip-hugging white denim jeans and a boat-neck black-and-white-striped top. Her hair was twisted into a sophisticated upsweep.

  Ned Wakefield whistled. "I have the most beautiful daughters in the world," he said fondly. Jessica smiled, but she didn't really need her family to confirm what the mirror had already told her. She knew she looked good.

  Then Jessica noticed the breakfast feast on the table. "Yum! Bacon!" she cried as she pulled out a chair and joined her sister and parents at the table. "You never make bacon on Saturdays," she told her mother, helping herself to four pieces. "What's the occasion?"

  "I think this morning qualifies as an occasion," Mrs. Wakefield said, her eyes sparkling. "It's not every day my favorite daughters go off to college." She poured orange juice into Jessica's glass.

  Jessica took a sip of the juice. "And fresh-squeezed orange juice?" she asked, incredulous. "Mom, it's not like we're actually going away to college."

  "But you wi
ll be soon," Mrs. Wakefield said, reaching across the table to stroke Elizabeth's cheek. Elizabeth took her mother's hand and smiled.

  Jessica watched their display of affection. "I can't believe how sappy you guys are getting about a week-long stay with Billie and Steven," she said, rolling her eyes. She ripped off a chunk of her breakfast muffin and popped it into her mouth.

  "Now, Jess, I hope you're not thinking of this as a vacation," Mr. Wakefield said. Jessica recognized the telltale lecture expression on his face, and she groaned inwardly. "Consider yourself lucky," Mr. Wakefield continued. "It was very kind of Steven and Billie to let the two of you stay in their apartment for a whole week."

  "Did I hear you use the words 'kind' and 'Steven' in the same sentence?" Jessica asked with a laugh. Elizabeth kicked her under the table.

  Mr. Wakefield gave Jessica a stern look. "Steven and Billie expect you to be good guests, so make sure you show respect for their apartment." Steven had met Billie when he had advertised for a new roommate. When it turned out that "Billie" was female, the two of them had decided to try being roommates anyway, but they soon fell in love, and a real romance had blossomed between them.

  "I told Steven that if you cause any trouble, it's back to high school for the both of you," Mr. Wakefield warned, looking from one twin to the other. "I don't want to hear about any fights breaking out between you and your brother—"

  "Oh, Dad," Jessica said with a sigh. "Please. We've grown up. We don't get into silly fights anymore." Jessica and Steven had often argued in the past—both of them were opinionated and stubborn. But since Steven had left for college, their clashes had become less frequent.

  "Furthermore," Mr. Wakefield continued, as if Jessica hadn't said a word, "your mother and I didn't ask Steven to let the two of you stay with him just so you can goof off for a week in the middle of the semester." He began buttering a slice of toast as he spoke. "We thought it would be good for you to really try to get a taste of the college experience, so you can put all your worries about grades and SATs in perspective."

  Elizabeth began, "I never want to hear—"

  "—those three letters again," Jessica finished for her. The twins' eyes met, and they laughed.

  But now that the subject of the Scholastic Aptitude Tests had been raised, Jessica didn't really feel like laughing—or eating bacon; she felt like throwing up. A few weeks before, Jessica and Elizabeth had been gearing up, in their own individual ways, for their first attempts at the SATs. Elizabeth had worried and stressed out over the tests, studying furiously. Jessica, on the other hand, couldn't understand what all the fuss was about and didn't study at all. She even went out to dinner with her boyfriend, Ken Matthews, the night before the test.

  The real shocker came when they got their scores: Jessica had done tremendously well, and Elizabeth's scores were mediocre. Elizabeth had been devastated, seeing her college career and her future disintegrate before her eyes. Jessica's concern was different: She was accused of cheating.

  Jessica was infuriated that no one believed she was smart enough to do well on the SATs. That is, no one but Elizabeth. Elizabeth became her sister's greatest champion and successfully defended Jessica in front of the school and the test officials. And after taking the test over again, their scores had reversed: Elizabeth had got stellar scores the second time around, while Jessica's had been just average.

  "If I didn't think that test was meaningless before, I sure think it's meaningless now," Jessica pouted, poking at her bacon.

  "Unfortunately," Elizabeth said, staring woefully into her coffee, "the college-entrance officials don't think it's meaningless."

  Jessica suddenly pushed her chair away from the table with a loud scrape on the tile floor. "Well, we've got a car to load up," she said. "Let's get moving." She wasn't going to let thoughts of the SATs get in the way of what was really important: planning a week of college fun and parties. Without waiting for Elizabeth to follow, she charged up the stairs to get her suitcase. Leave it to Elizabeth to get all worked up about applying to college on this morning of all mornings, she thought. She'd better lighten up soon—before she ruins the whole week!

  Elizabeth was draining the last of her coffee when she heard her sister shriek in pain from somewhere upstairs.

  "Jess, are you OK?" Elizabeth called worriedly as she ran out of the kitchen.

  Elizabeth found her sister standing on the top landing of the staircase, warily eyeing the flight of carpeted stairs that stretched down to the front entrance of the Wakefield house. Elizabeth's suitcase, now overstuffed to the bursting point, leaned against Jessica's leg. "I'm fine," Jessica muttered. She grabbed the suitcase by the handle and heaved. It barely budged.

  Elizabeth walked to the front door, where she had left her duffel bag. She easily picked it up and slung it over her shoulder. "Now do you wish you had packed for a week instead of a month?" she called up to her sister.

  "Don't act so self-righteous," Jessica said, giving the suitcase a quick kick. "Do you think you could get Dad to give me a hand here?"

  "Sure, Jess," Elizabeth said, smiling.

  But Mr. Wakefield was already walking into the hallway. "You packed it, you carry it—that's what I always say," he said with a grin. Elizabeth stifled a giggle.

  "C'mon, Dad," Jessica pleaded. "If I try this alone, I'm bound to break my neck."

  "Well, I wouldn't want to be blamed for that," Mr. Wakefield joked. He climbed the stairs two at a time and bent to pick up the suitcase. "Here, let me—" He yanked on the handle of the suitcase and grunted under its weight. "Is it something in the genes that makes women overpack?" he complained.

  "What was that, Dad?" Elizabeth called up to her father. "Did I hear an obvious sexist comment cross your lips?"

  "No, no, no," Mr. Wakefield protested. "I can see that my other daughter didn't overpack."

  "I just wasn't sure what I would need," Jessica explained as she followed her father down the stairs. "I don't know what sorority girls are wearing these days."

  After Mr. Wakefield had successfully maneuvered the suitcase down the stairs, he dropped it beside the front door with a thud. "Jessica," he said sternly, "I don't remember giving you permission to go to a sorority party."

  "They might have an open house, to get to know the members," Jessica told her father. "It'll be during the day." When her father still looked suspicious, Jessica quickly added, "It won't be a party party, Dad."

  Just then a car horn honked outside. Elizabeth turned and opened the front door. Todd's BMW was pulling up in front of the Wakefield house. "Todd!" she called. Elizabeth jogged across the lawn as the car came to a stop.

  Ken got out of the passenger seat. "Is your sister around?" he asked Elizabeth.

  "Ken!" Jessica squealed from the house before Elizabeth could answer him. She ran over to her boyfriend. "What are you guys doing here?" she asked.

  "We couldn't let you two go off to college without giving you a proper farewell," Ken said. He opened his arms and Jessica gave him a big hug.

  Elizabeth watched them embrace. She liked the fact that her sister had been dating Ken. Jessica used to be known for dating a lot of guys—any cute guy she met, in fact. But she seemed to be happy with Ken, and Elizabeth was glad that her sister had finally "settled down." Jessica and Ken seemed destined for each other—not only did they look great together, with their blond hair and athletic builds, but Ken was Todd's best friend, so it seemed somehow fitting that Elizabeth's twin was dating him. It also seemed fitting to Elizabeth that Ken, the captain of the football team and its star quarterback, was dating Jessica, the cocaptain of the cheerleading squad.

  "We brought you bon voyage gifts," Todd said. He turned around to retrieve something from the backseat of his BMW.

  "Oh! I almost forgot!" Ken added, joining Todd at the open car door. Elizabeth's face lit up when she saw the boys emerge with two big blue sweatshirts and two red roses.

  "This is to help you fit right in," Todd said as he held out the sweatshirt to Elizabeth. The words "Sweet Valley University" were printed in white block letters on its front. "And this is to help you remember to come back," he continued, handing Elizabeth the rose.

  "Oh, Todd," Elizabeth said softly. "I'm going to wear this sweatshirt every day I'm gone. That way I'll feel like you're always right there next to me."