Elizabeth is Mine Read online

  ELIZABETH IS MINE

  Written by

  Kate William

  Created by

  FRANCINE PASCAL

  Copyright © 2015, Francine Pascal

  To Andrea Jean Stone

  "I'm the one who's had enough," Todd shouted. "If you knew what was good for you, you'd go away—far away. You'd leave town just the way you came."

  Devon crossed his arms over his chest. "Is that a threat?" he asked quietly.

  "Yes," Todd answered, taking a few menacing steps forward. "It is."

  Devon shoved him on the chest. "I've told you before, Wilkins, nobody threatens me," he said.

  Todd shoved him back. "Well, there's always a first time," he retorted.

  Devon pushed Todd hard, and he slammed into the table. There was a sound of shattering glass and Todd whirled around, his fists clenched. Todd gave Devon a sharp hook to the jaw, and Devon responded by punching him in the gut. Todd recoiled, wrapping his arms around his stomach. Gritting his teeth, he flew full force at Devon.

  A crowd of students had gathered around to watch. "Fight! Fight! Fight!" they chanted.

  Elizabeth grabbed her head with her hands, feeling as if she were caught in some horrible nightmare. "Somebody stop them!" she cried.

  Visit the Official Sweet Valley Web Site on the Internet at:

  http://www.sweetvalley.com

  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 1

  Sixteen-year-old Elizabeth Wakefield's heart was pounding as she passionately kissed Devon Whitelaw. They were in a deserted field behind Sweet Valley High, but Elizabeth felt like they were in their own private paradise. The slanting rays of the afternoon sun touched her shoulders lightly, and Devon's lips were warm on hers.

  Devon wrapped his arms tightly around her and lifted her in the air, kissing her all the while. Elizabeth giggled as he set her down, feeling light-headed and giddy in his intense embrace. She felt as if she had never kissed anyone before.

  "My Elizabeth," Devon whispered, gently kissing her cheeks. "I've been dreaming of this moment ever since the first day I saw you."

  He ran a finger through her silky blond hair and caressed her cheek lightly with the back of his hand. Then he brought his lips to hers, kissing her slowly and sweetly this time.

  Elizabeth's heart fluttered at his tenderness, and she closed her eyes, lost in the feeling of Devon's warm lips on hers. Kissing Devon was exciting but oddly familiar at the same time. Elizabeth had the strange sensation of being where she was meant to be. She wished she could blot out the rest of the world and stay here with him forever.

  But she couldn't get rid of two nagging thoughts in the back of her mind—her twin sister, Jessica, and her longtime boyfriend, Todd Wilkins. Elizabeth had promised Jessica she would meet her by the lockers after school for a sister's night out. "It's very important," Jessica had said. "Don't be late." Not only was Elizabeth skipping out on their date, but she was in the arms of the guy her sister had been talking about nonstop since his arrival in Sweet Valley. And Elizabeth was cheating on Todd. He would be devastated if he could see her now.

  Feeling a wave of guilt roll over her, Elizabeth pulled out of Devon's embrace. "Devon, we really shouldn't be doing this," she said. She almost didn't recognize her own voice. It was low and husky, with a breathless quality to it.

  Devon gazed at her intensely, liquid fire in his slate blue eyes. "Elizabeth, you can't fight this forever," he said softly "You know we were meant to be together."

  Elizabeth bit her bottom lip, his words ringing in her ears. Ever since Devon had started at Sweet Valley High a week ago, Elizabeth's whole life seemed to have turned upside down. He had been assigned as Elizabeth's lab partner in AP chemistry, and he had turned out to be a total genius.

  Devon had been charming her every day in class for the past week. On the first morning they met, he had mixed together a number of solutions to match her eye color, and another day he had written her a secret message in invisible ink. Last week he had even put on a fireworks display for her in the field behind school.

  Not only was Devon incredible at chemistry, but he had an extremely quick mind and a wry sense of humor. Elizabeth had felt herself growing more and more attracted to him every day, and she had been desperately fighting her feelings for him. When he had asked her out last week, she had reluctantly refused. She had explained that she had a serious boyfriend whom she could never cheat on. And she had even gone so far as to send Jessica out on a date with Devon on Saturday night.

  But like Devon said, there seemed to be something undeniable between them. Elizabeth felt herself thinking about him all the time. And the more she got to know him, the more she admired him. Devon was painfully handsome, but he didn't seem to be aware of it. Instead he was a bit of a loner, self-contained and self-reflective. He seemed much older than his seventeen years, Elizabeth thought. But then, he'd experienced a lot more than a normal junior in high school.

  The week before, Devon had begun to open up to her. He'd been through a really hard time in the last few weeks. He had grown up in Westwood, Connecticut, but he had recently lost his parents in a car crash. After that he had moved all the way across the country to live with a woman who had been his nanny as a child. He had survived so much tragedy, yet he seemed so strong. Elizabeth sighed. There was no denying it. Devon had touched her soul.

  Running an agitated hand through her hair, Elizabeth felt more confused than ever. Did this mean that everything was over with Todd? Was she ready to give him up forever?

  Devon lightly cupped her chin. "A kiss for your thoughts?" he asked, a rakish grin on his face.

  Elizabeth couldn't help smiling back. Devon's eyes twinkled mischievously, and tiny laugh lines appeared around the corners of his eyes.

  Pushing away her troublesome doubts, Elizabeth leaned in for another kiss. For the moment she was with Devon, and nothing had ever felt so right. She'd worry about the consequences later.

  "Elizabeth and Devon?" Todd exclaimed, staring at Jessica in shock. It was Monday afternoon, and he and Jessica were at Crescent Beach. She had just broken the news to him that she had caught Elizabeth in Devon's arms. As if to confirm Jessica's horrible words, the beautiful weather was beginning to turn. A few dark storm clouds had appeared on the horizon, and a light wind was picking up.

  Jessica's blue-green eyes flashed angrily. "Yep, that's right. My darling, loyal twin sister is now locked in a heated embrace with Devon Whitelaw." She kicked at the ground with her foot, sending a spray of fine white sand across the beach.

  "But—but that's not possible," Todd sputtered.

  "Believe me, Todd, I saw them with my own eyes," Jessica said, her voice dripping with revulsion. "They were so lip locked they didn't even notice they had company."

  For a moment Todd couldn't digest the information. He stared at the elaborate spread laid out on the sand, feeling a well of confusion mount in him. Todd had just spent nearly a week preparing a romantic beach picnic for Elizabeth. She was a staff writer for the Oracle, the school newspaper, and today was the one-year anniversary of the day her first article had been published in the paper. Todd had wanted to do something special for her, so he had put together the picnic as a surprise.

  Todd had thrown himself into the preparations with all his heart and soul and had gotten all his friends involved. Enid Rollins had come over one night to give him some cooking tips, Maria Slater had made a tape of Elizabeth's favorite music, and Bill Chase had helped Todd cart everything out to the beach in his surf-mobile.

  Now everything was laid out perfectly on a big blanket on the sand. A beach basket was overflowing with Elizabeth's favorite foods—lobster salad, fruit cocktail, and focaccia bread. For dessert there was a homemade raspberry chocolate trifle cake and fresh strawberries. A wooden dinner tray was set up to serve as a table. A bouquet of fresh flowers in a vase stood in the middle of the tray.

  Sitting on the side of the table was the final touch—Todd's gifts to Elizabeth. He had gotten a copy of Elizabeth's first article framed, and he had bought her a beautiful silver-and-diamond ring. The gifts were wrapped in elegant silver paper and topped with a matching bow.

  Todd blinked. After all his efforts Elizabeth wasn't coming to his picnic? Elizabeth was with someone else? His Elizabeth? It just couldn't be. Todd shook his head hard. "Jess, you must finally be losing it," he asserted. "There's no way Liz would do that to me."

  Jessica sank down onto her knees on the blanket, a look of sheer exasperation on her face. "Todd, why aren't you listening to me?" she asked in a frustrated voice.

  A gust of wind whipped across the beach, scattering sand onto the blanket. Todd reached over and covered the picnic basket. Then he blew out the candles, sighing deeply. "I am listening to you, but I don't think we should jump to conclusions. I'm sure this is some kind of misunderstanding." Todd squinted thoughtfully. "How do you know it was her?" he asked.

  Jessica eyed him in disbelief. "Um, Todd, Elizabeth and I are twins, remember? I'd probably recognize my sister if I saw her." She stood up and held her hands in front of her, indicating an imaginary scene. "Look, I was standing in the clearing behind school, about fifteen feet away fro
m them. They were sitting on the grass behind the softball field. Devon's hands were tangled in Elizabeth's hair, her arms were wrapped around his neck, and they didn't come up for air the whole time I was standing there."

  A fierce dart of pain shot through Todd's chest at the vivid image. He felt hot tears spring to his eyes, and he quickly wiped it away in embarrassment.

  Jessica shook her head. "You shouldn't waste a second crying over my two-timing twin," she declared, her voice hard. "Millions of girls would be all too happy to have a guy throw them this kind of romantic beach picnic."

  Suddenly Jessica seemed to consider her own words. Her eyes softened, and she gazed into space. Then she nodded to herself slowly. "Yes, it really is romantic," she added. "It's a pity to let it go to waste." Jessica looked at Todd, as if seeing him for the first time. Kneeling down next to him, she reached out and put a suggestive hand on his.

  Todd yanked his hand back as if he had been burned. "Jessica! Are you mental?"

  Jessica shrugged. "It was just an idea."

  "You're not into me, Jess," Todd said. "You're into Devon Whitelaw, Mr. I'm-too-cool. The guy you claim Elizabeth is with at the moment, remember?"

  Jessica rolled her eyes. "That's my point," she scoffed. "Revenge." She stood up and paced across the sand. "If we were to start going out together, we would completely shock Liz." Jessica's eyes gleamed greedily. "She would get just what she deserves." Then she turned back to Todd, her expression softer. "Don't you want to make Elizabeth jealous?" she asked quietly, a lilting tone to her voice.

  Todd was incredulous. The idea of fooling around with Jessica made his stomach turn. And playing a game wasn't going to get him anywhere. Not to mention the fact that he didn't even really believe that Elizabeth was cheating on him in the first place. There had to be some mistake.

  Todd jumped up and grabbed his jacket. The only way to get to the bottom of the matter was to find out for himself. He wouldn't accept the fact that Elizabeth was with another guy until he saw it with his own eyes.

  Jessica's mouth dropped open as Todd reached for his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. "But what about this spread?" she asked.

  Todd shook his head. "Enjoy it," he said. Then he raced off.

  Jessica sat alone on the beach, shoveling lobster salad into her mouth with a serving spoon. The gourmet dish was delicious, but Jessica could barely taste it. She was so angry, she felt like she was going to burst.

  The storm was really picking up now, and gusts of wind shot across the beach. Jessica stared out at the foamy green ocean, the crashing waves reflecting her tumultuous mood. She didn't know when she had been so furious. Or so frustrated. Elizabeth had double-crossed her. Devon had rejected her. And Todd was acting like a total wimp.

  Jessica shoved the lobster salad away and wiped her mouth furiously with a white cloth napkin. Then she reached for a pickle and took a vicious bite out of it. The image of Devon and Elizabeth kissing in the field came back to her, causing a pain in her chest. She couldn't believe that her own sister had turned on her like this. And that Devon had chosen Elizabeth over her.

  Jessica shook her head. What was going on? Devon was meant for her. She could feel it.

  From the moment she had caught sight of Devon Whitelaw in the parking lot of Sweet Valley High just over a week ago, Jessica had known he was the one for her. He was strikingly good-looking and the definition of cool. Tall and lanky, Devon had longish brown hair, intense charcoal blue eyes, and full, kissable lips.

  Devon was clearly Jessica's kind of guy. He was the strong, silent type, and he had a dangerous edge. He wore a brown leather bomber jacket and drove a black Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Jessica had noticed him immediately, and he had noticed her too. They had shared a moment of eye contact so intense, it had taken her breath away. Jessica was used to being looked at that way by the guys at Sweet Valley High, but she wasn't used to feeling equally captivated. In that instant she had known that this guy was the one.

  Jessica had been trying to get to know him for the past week. She had deliberately "bumped" into him at school a number of times, showing up at his classes just as he was leaving them. She had invited him to the Dairi Burger for shakes one day after cheerleading practice, and she had asked him to join her at an exclusive party at Bruce Patman's on Friday night. She had even studied up on motorcycles on the Internet in order to impress him with her knowledge. But nothing had seemed to work. Devon had been cordial, but he had politely declined all her invitations. Jessica hadn't been able to understand it.

  But now she did. Jessica balled her hands into tight fists, feeling the rage fire up in her again. She had asked Elizabeth to put in a good word for her in chemistry class, and Elizabeth had promised she would. But all the while her calculating twin sister had been busy seducing Devon herself.

  On Saturday night everything had come to a head. Elizabeth had told Jessica that Devon would be at the Box Tree Café alone, and Jessica had gone to join him. Devon had been thrilled to see her. His eyes had lit up, and he had enfolded her in a warm hug. "I knew you would come," he had whispered in her ear.

  Jessica had been thrilled too. She had been sure Devon would come around. There was no way he could resist her forever. But then she had realized that he thought she was Elizabeth—and that it was Elizabeth he wanted.

  Not one to be made a fool of, Jessica had played along. She had been sure Devon would realize that Jessica was the one for him if he spent a little time with her. She had gone into her best Elizabeth imitation, and they had shared a passionate kiss.

  That's when Devon had figured out which twin he was kissing. And he had immediately pushed her away.

  "Did it ever occur to you that if you gave me a chance, you might not want to throw me away?" Jessica had persisted, using her most coquettish tone.

  But Devon had just added salt to her wounds. "You're not the one I want," he had said coldly. "You're not even my type." Jessica's cheeks burned at the memory.

  Jessica raked her fingers through the sand, feeling desperate. How could Devon prefer Elizabeth to me? she wondered in frustration. Doesn't he realize we're made for each other?

  Suddenly Jessica was struck with a moment of clarity. She and Devon were meant for each other. She was drawn to him like a fish to the ocean. And she was sure that Devon felt the same irresistible pull as she did. Jessica knew that he had experienced the electricity crackling between them in the parking lot, and she knew he had felt the searing passion in their kiss at the beach. Elizabeth was the problem. Her twin sister had confused him. She had gotten in the way and was doing everything in her power to keep Devon and Jessica apart.

  Jessica stood up angrily, the depth of the deception hitting her again. Not only had Elizabeth tricked her, but she had set her up to look like an idiot. Jessica walked rapidly down the beach, staring out at the whitecapped water in wonder. She didn't know what had gotten into Elizabeth. The girl just wasn't acting like herself.

  Despite their physical resemblance, from their golden blond hair to their sparkling blue-green eyes to their slim, athletic figures, the girls were completely different in character. Elizabeth was the responsible and conscientious twin, always weighing the pros and cons before making a decision. Jessica, on the other hand, tended to plunge headfirst into all her activities.

  Jessica sat down at the water's edge, deep in thought. Usually Elizabeth lived according to an extremely high set of moral standards. She was a fiercely loyal friend and a highly protective sister. In fact, Jessica reflected, Elizabeth was usually too perfect. She was a straight-A student and actively involved in extracurricular activities. Elizabeth was always fighting for one cause or another. If she believed there was an injustice in the world, she threw herself wholeheartedly into correcting it.

  Jessica, on the other hand, preferred to stir things up. If there wasn't trouble, she created it. There was nothing she liked more than getting herself into a difficult situation and then scheming her way out of it. The cocaptain of the cheerleading squad and an active member of Pi Beta Alpha, the most exclusive sorority at Sweet Valley High, Jessica led a high-profile existence at school. If there was ever a commotion, Jessica was sure to be found in the center of it.