Lovestruck Read online

  LOVESTRUCK

  Written by

  Kate William

  Created by

  FRANCINE PASCAL

  Copyright © 2015, Francine Pascal

  To Rodney Vaccaro

  LOVESTRUCK

  It was two-thirty in the morning, and his composition was due in a few hours. If Ken didn't hand it in, he'd fail English and be thrown off the football team. When that happened, how would Suzanne feel about him? Would she still love him? The answer was pretty clear in Ken's head. When all this came out, Suzanne would dump him for sure, no matter what she'd said.

  He glanced at Elizabeth's paper. It was so easy for her. She wrote these stories for fun. She didn't hand them in to anyone, no one was forcing her to write them. She hadn't even ever showed one to anyone. If only the paper in front of him were his and not Elizabeth's, everything would be fine. If only the title page had Ken Matthews written on it. . . .

  CONTENTS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  One

  Elizabeth Wakefield sat by the family pool in the bright Sweet Valley, California, sun, trying desperately to drown out her twin sister's voice. Jessica was talking about the centennial student picnic again. Though Bruce Patman, president of the Sweet Valley Centennial Student Committee, had put her in charge of the picnic more than two weeks ago, now that the day of the celebration was approaching, it was all Jessica talked about. It wasn't that Elizabeth wasn't interested in Sweet Valley's centennial. Of course she was. Everyone was. It was going to be a huge celebration with a parade, fireworks, special exhibits, an exhibition football game, and the picnic. Nearly everyone in Sweet Valley was involved in one way or another, but to Elizabeth, it sounded as if Jessica thought the picnic was the only event.

  Although it was only four in the afternoon, Elizabeth felt absolutely exhausted. It seemed as though she hadn't slept for a month. Just a week before, Elizabeth, her sister, and their friends Bruce Patman and Nicholas Morrow had spent all their waking hours trying to rescue Nicholas's family from the couple who had kidnapped them. Phillip Denson, a deranged former employee at Mr. Morrow's computer firm, had held Mr. and Mrs. Morrow hostage in his house, while Denson's friend, Claire, stood guard over Nicholas's sister, Regina, at the Morrow estate. Day after day had gone by as the Wakefield twins, Nicholas, and Bruce waited for an opportunity to rescue the Morrows. Finally the four friends devised a daring plot to free Regina and her parents at the same time, and to foil the kidnappers.

  The strain of the Morrow kidnappings had caught up with Elizabeth, and she had been resting a good deal throughout the previous week. Today she had been looking forward to a few quiet hours by the pool. But just as she had lain down in a chaise longue, Jessica had come outside. Elizabeth had tried to avoid answering her twin's questions by wrapping her beach towel around her ears. When she realized that it wasn't working, Elizabeth had dived into the pool and stayed under water for almost a full minute in the hope that Jessica would go away. But it was to no avail: Jessica was on a roll. Giving up, Elizabeth had climbed out of the pool and was now sitting by the edge of it, dangling her feet in the water.

  "Maybe we should think about hiring a band," Jessica went on. "It'd take money away from the final profit, but live music is so much better than records, don't you think? Of course, I'd like to get The Droids to play, but they might be busy that weekend."

  Elizabeth looked up at her sister. It was like looking in a mirror. Both twins were blessed with the same sun-streaked blond hair and the same blue-green eyes, and each had a little dimple on her left cheek. Everything about the twins' appearance was identical—down to the matching gold lavalieres they both wore, presents from their parents for their sixteenth birthday. But there the similarity ended.

  Elizabeth had always been the sensible twin. She was a good student, loved to read and write, and was a sweet, sincere, and friendly person. Elizabeth could always be counted on to do what was right. Jessica, on the other hand, seemed at times to care only about herself and having fun. She loved adventure, good-looking boys, and wild clothes. Jessica's search for a good time had often gotten her into trouble and many times Jessica had counted on her twin to help clear things up. But Elizabeth never faltered in her devotion to Jessica. No matter how much trouble Jessica stirred up, Elizabeth's loyalty was always to her twin.

  Jessica was sitting on a chair on the patio that surrounded the pool. "Of course," she said, "I suppose the important thing is to raise money for the community. But who's going to care about that if no one's having a good time?"

  Elizabeth sighed loudly. She thought that if she heard one more word from Jessica about the centennial picnic, she would explode. From the day Jessica had been put in charge, she had been driving everyone in her family crazy. If she wasn't persuading someone to do something, she was throwing out hundreds of ideas, pretending to be asking for advice. As if Jessica ever takes advice from anyone! Elizabeth thought.

  "Well," Elizabeth offered, "do you have enough money in the budget to cover a band?"

  "I think so," Jessica replied uncertainly. "But I'd hate to dip too much into the profits. That's the good thing about records. I could borrow them, so they wouldn't cost anything."

  Elizabeth swung her legs out of the water and stood up. "Well, maybe you can get The Droids to do it for free." Elizabeth knew Dana Larson, the lead singer for The Droids, and Emily Mayer, their drummer, pretty well. She was sure the band would pitch in and help if it could.

  "That's a great idea. Wait until I tell Lila!" Jessica smiled.

  "Jess," Elizabeth warned, lying down on one of the chaise longues on the patio surrounding the pool, "don't count your Droids before they hatch. They might have a paying job that day. Remember?"

  Jessica began toying with a strand of her sun-streaked hair. "Don't be silly, Liz. Everyone who's anyone is going to be at that picnic. Either as a paying guest or. . . . " Jessica smiled at her sister. It was that too-sweet smile that Jessica used when she wanted a favor from her twin.

  Elizabeth moaned. "OK, Jess. What do you want me to do?"

  Jessica jumped up from her chair and dropped down at the foot of Elizabeth's chaise. "Well, it'd be a big help if you'd man the kissing booth. After all, you're the most logical choice. What guy in Sweet Valley wouldn't pay a dollar to give Jessica Wakefield's twin a kiss?"

  "Jess, your humility amazes me," Elizabeth said, giggling. "But actually, that job doesn't sound bad. All right, I'll do it."

  "Great!" Jessica jumped to her feet. "Do you think you could also write the copy for the posters? You know you're so much better at that sort of thing than I am," Jessica said in her most flattering tone. "By the way, do you have any ideas for decorations? I just can't figure out what to do. I mean, there's nothing out there but a bunch of trees. It isn't like we're going to be in the gym or anything."

  "Wait a minute," Elizabeth said, sitting up. "Just what are you going to do?"

  "I'm the chairperson," Jessica said haughtily. "Half the job is delegation. Dad says that all the time."

  "Yeah? Well, what are you delegating yourself to do?" Elizabeth asked.

  Jessica ran her fingers through her hair. "Liz, I can't take care of everything."

  Elizabeth stared at her sister. "What I am trying to get at, dear sister, is, if I do the posters and the kissing booth and the decorations, what's left for you and Lila?"

  "OK," Jessica said sullenly, "I guess I could give some of that stuff to Lila. I mean, she is supposed to be my assistant."

  Elizabeth smiled at the thought of Lila Fowler being Jessica's assistant. One of the richest girls in Sweet Valley, Lila was as beautiful and popular as Jessica. Even though the two of them were best friends, they were often at each other's throats about something. "Does Lila know she's your assistant?" Elizabeth asked.

  Jessica's expression was sheepish. "Well, that's not exactly how I phrased it when I asked her."

  "I can imagine," Elizabeth said, smiling. She knew that Lila was too much of a snob to be anyone's assistant. Elizabeth was certain Jessica had given the job a much more impressive title, or Lila would never have accepted.

  Suddenly Jessica looked very serious. "I don't think you've grasped the importance of this event, Liz," she said. "I mean, a centennial only comes along once every hundred years. A hundred years, Liz! And I've been put in charge of a major charity event. This is a big responsibility. It's an event that people will be talking about for years."

  "Raising money for the community is a wonderful thing, Jess, but I don't think it's going to win you a Nobel Prize."

  "I don't expect a prize, Liz," Jessica said in her best hurt voice. "Just the thought of raising money for a good cause is enough for me."

  I'll bet, Elizabeth thought to herself. She knew it was awful to think that way about her twin sister. But Elizabeth knew Jessica seldom did anything for anyone other than herself. But whatever Jessica's motivations for doing a good job of organizing the picnic, Elizabeth had to admit it was for a good cause.

  Elizabeth smiled. "Jess, I'd be happy to help you with anything you need."

  "Elizabeth Wakefield, you are the best sister any girl
ever had."

  "But," Elizabeth added, "I can't take care of the decorations. That's a lot of work, and I'm already overloaded with the special edition of The Oracle." The Oracle was Sweet Valley High's newspaper. Elizabeth wrote the "Eyes and Ears" column, as well as articles on a variety of subjects.

  The smile on Jessica's face faded, and she looked thoughtful. "OK, I guess that's all right. I can get Lila to take care of that. But you'll do the kissing booth and write the poster copy, right?"

  "Sure," Elizabeth said. She turned as she heard the hiss of the sliding door leading into the house. Mrs. Wakefield came out onto the patio. She was wearing a blue terrycloth cover-up over her white, two-piece swimsuit. Elizabeth smiled as she looked at her mother. With her tanned, youthful figure and her blond hair, Alice Wakefield was sometimes mistaken for the twins' older sister. Mrs. Wakefield looked especially beautiful that day, Elizabeth reflected, probably because she had had a chance to relax, having taken a day off. Mrs. Wakefield was an interior designer and lately had had an unusually busy schedule.

  "Well, if it isn't 'double trouble,' " she said and laughed, looking at the twins.

  Jessica moaned. "Honestly, Mother. I hate it when people say that."

  Elizabeth eyed her sister and said, " 'Single trouble and sister' might be more accurate." Then she laughed.

  Jessica stuck her tongue out at Elizabeth.

  Mrs. Wakefield dropped a towel on one of the lawn chairs and turned to the twins. "So, what's on the agenda for this afternoon? More daring rescues? Foiling an assassination plot? Or are you two just going to try something simple, like taking over a small country?"

  Elizabeth sat back in the chaise and closed her eyes. "I think we've had our fill of adventure for a while."

  "You said it," Jessica agreed. "Anyway, I'm too busy with this picnic to get involved with anything else."

  Their mother started the stretches that preceded her daily swim. "That's right. How's it going?"

  "Terrific," Jessica stated. "But there's just so much to do!"

  "That's the way those things are," her mother said sympathetically.

  "Fortunately," Jessica added, "I have a wonderful sister, who's helping me out." Jessica smiled at Elizabeth. "If everything goes as planned, the picnic should be the high point of the whole celebration."

  "We might need it if Sweet Valley doesn't win the football game," Elizabeth said thoughtfully.

  "Why do you say that?" Mrs. Wakefield asked.

  Elizabeth sighed. "Well, it seems that having Ken Matthews playing is crucial to our winning. Without him as quarterback, we haven't got a chance, and it looks as though he might not be in the game."

  Her mother stopped stretching and sat down on the end of Elizabeth's chaise. "Oh, really? Why's that?"

  "Well—" Elizabeth began, but Jessica, always eager to gossip, burst in excitedly.

  "Ken is failing English. English! Can you believe it? And if he gets a failing grade, they won't let him play."

  "I see," Mrs. Wakefield said thoughtfully.

  "It's going to ruin the whole afternoon if we lose," Jessica moaned. "And then, all this work I did on the picnic will be for nothing."

  "Well, there's still a chance," Elizabeth said. "Ken has one more assignment before the game: a short story due Wednesday. And if he gets a good grade on that, he'll be able to play."

  "It must be pretty hard for Ken if everyone at school knows about this," Mrs. Wakefield stated.

  "Well, not everyone knows. Jess and I found out from Bruce Patman. I don't think many other people are aware of it. It would probably be the best thing for Ken if it stayed that way." Elizabeth eyed her twin warningly.

  The three of them were silent for a moment. "You know," Elizabeth said finally, "maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea for me to call Ken and offer to help him, like you suggested, Jess."

  "I can't imagine that he isn't getting help already. From Suzanne Hanlon," Jessica said sarcastically. She didn't hide her dislike for Suzanne. To everyone's amazement Suzanne and Ken had recently begun dating each other. Even Elizabeth agreed that they were an unlikely couple. Suzanne was from a very wealthy family and always made a point of demonstrating how cultured and refined she was. Just the week before, she had phoned Elizabeth about a literary evening she was organizing at school for the Honor Society. Ken, on the other hand, was the captain of the Sweet Valley High football team and seemed more at home on the playing field than in a concert hall. But Elizabeth didn't share Jessica's dislike for Suzanne. In fact, she hardly knew her. Elizabeth had to admit that at the few meetings of Pi Beta Alpha she had attended, she had found Suzanne to be aloof and snobby. Pi Beta Alpha was the exclusive sorority that the twins belonged to. But then, everyone there seemed aloof and snobby to Elizabeth. She had joined the sorority at Jessica's insistence and was now a member in name only. Elizabeth figured that if Ken liked Suzanne, that was his business. She only hoped, for Ken's sake, that Suzanne's attraction to him was genuine.

  "Ken might be afraid to tell Suzanne about his grade," Elizabeth said, thinking aloud. "After all, it isn't the sort of thing he'd want to broadcast."

  "Especially to someone like Suzanne Hanlon," Jessica said slyly.

  Elizabeth stood up. "You know, I think I will give Ken a call." She checked her watch. It was four-thirty. "He should still be at school. I can probably reach him at the athletic office after practice."

  "I think that's a good idea," Mrs. Wakefield agreed. "At least he would appreciate the offer."

  Elizabeth slid open the door and went inside the house. She walked into the kitchen, poured herself a glass of iced tea, then sat down by the phone. A few minutes later, the high school office had put her in touch with the athletic office, and she was waiting as the person on the other end called Ken to the phone.

  "Hello," Ken said on the other end. He sounded slightly out of breath.

  "Hi, Ken. This is Liz Wakefield."

  "Oh, hi, Liz," Ken said. He sounded a little puzzled by the call.

  Elizabeth picked up a pencil and began doodling on the pad next to the phone. "I hope I'm not taking you away from anything."

  "No," Ken replied. "We just finished practice."

  "Good," Elizabeth said. "Ken, I don't know how to put this delicately, so I'm just going to say it. I've heard you're having some trouble in English."

  "Who'd you hear that from?" Ken said, sounding annoyed.

  "That doesn't matter," Elizabeth replied. She didn't want to get Bruce into trouble with Ken. "I'm calling because I thought I might be able to help. I know the whole situation, and I know about the writing assignment. If you'd like, I'd be glad to give you a hand."

  Ken was silent for a moment, and Elizabeth began to think that her idea might not have been such a good one. "Actually, Liz," Ken finally said, "I could use a hand. I don't know why, but I'm just freezing up on this thing. Maybe if we could talk about it, it might help."

  "Sure." Elizabeth sighed in relief. "Can you stop by later this afternoon?"

  "That would be great," Ken answered. "Just give me about half an hour to shower and get dressed."

  "No problem," Elizabeth said. "I'll be here."

  "Great. See you in a while," Ken said, sounding much happier than he had a few minutes earlier.

  Elizabeth said goodbye and hung up. She picked up her glass and walked out of the kitchen, thinking about Ken. She knew what it could be like to be stuck on something you were writing. Even though she had been writing for years, she sometimes still had problems getting started. Perhaps if she could talk to Ken and show him some things she'd written, it might help him.

  Elizabeth walked onto the patio, pulling the sliding glass door shut behind her. Her mother was swimming laps in the pool, and Jessica was sitting by the diving board, paging through an issue of Vogue.

  "Did you talk to him?" Jessica asked without looking up from the magazine.

  "Yes," Elizabeth took her place on the chaise. "He's coming over here in about half an hour."

  "Well"—Jessica eyed her twin slyly—"that's quick."

  "I swear, Jess," Elizabeth said in a tired voice. She knew what her twin was thinking. Jessica would like nothing better than to have Elizabeth steal Ken from Suzanne. "We're just going to talk about English. You're welcome to stay with us and listen if you like."