Starting Over

  STARTING OVER

  Written by

  Kate William

  Created by

  FRANCINE PASCAL

  Copyright © 2015, Francine Pascal

  STARTING OVER

  "You know," Sally said, "this is so incredibly different from, well—" She broke off, searching for the right words. She faced Dana with a look of wonder on her face. "I've never lived in such a nice place before."

  "Listen, forget about it, OK?" Dana said. "You live with us now, so you don't have to think about your old life. You can just pretend it never happened, right?" She paused, looking carefully at her cousin's face. "Right?" she insisted.

  A look of surprise crossed Sally's features. "Oh, sure, I'll just try to forget about it."

  Behind Sally's back, Dana scowled. She was concentrating on creating a new Sally, but Sally insisted on bringing up the past. "Listen, I really think you should think about the future," said Dana.

  She looked intently into Sally's face, searching for signs of agreement. After a moment, Sally dropped her eyes to her lap and nodded. "If you say so, Dana."

  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

  One

  "Dana, I said let's take it from the beginning again, OK? We're doing 'Meltdown.' "

  Dana Larson was startled out of her thoughts. Guy Chesney, the keyboard player for The Droids, Sweet Valley High's most popular band, was looking at her impatiently, waiting for her to snap out of her reverie.

  "Hey, sorry, you guys," The Droids' léader singer said with a self-mocking smile. "I guess I was in outer space for a minute there," she added, looking around at the familiar faces in the basement of lead guitarist Max Dellon's house.

  "Yeah, well, come on back to Sweet Valley, OK? That's where we're practicing—at least for this Friday afternoon."

  Dana smiled weakly. She had been far away. She was thinking about her cousin, Sally Larson, who was arriving that night to live with Dana's family for a while. Dana hadn't seen Sally since they were very small. Back then, Dana had envied Sally. After all, she was a year older than Dana and it seemed to make a big difference. But she didn't envy Sally any more.

  After Sally's father had left home thirteen years before, Sally's mother had remarried and given her up to a foster home. When that hadn't worked out, she was sent to another.

  For years, Dana's cousin had been bouncing from one home to another. She'd even had to drop back a year in school, because she'd missed so much. Who knew how all that shuffling around had changed Sally, Dana mused.

  As she forced her attention on rehearsal, Dana was still preoccupied. She wasn't sure how to break the news to her friends in the band. They were just about the most important people in her life: The Droids spent so much time together, practicing for and playing gigs, that they were like a second family to Dana. So she wanted to tell them about Sally.

  The only problem was that Sally's situation was embarrassing. A father who was a bum, no real home, a year behind in school. Sure, it wasn't Sally's fault, but . . .

  They ran through "Meltdown," but Dana couldn't really concentrate. When they had finished, Dana said, "Listen, everybody, I've got an announcement to make." She ran her fingers through her cropped hair. It felt strange to be nervous about talking to the other Droids.

  Dana looked at her fellow band members. Emily Mayer was sitting behind the drums, beating a tempo softly on the rim of a snare. In the corner, Max Dellon was leaning against his amplifier with his guitar hanging in front of him, and Dan Scott, the bass guitarist, was sitting next to him on another amplifier. Behind the keyboard, Guy was picking out a quiet melody.

  "So, what's the big announcement, Dana?" Guy asked finally, looking up from the keys.

  She laughed. "I don't know why I'm making such a big deal about it. I just wanted to tell you that my cousin Sally is coming to stay with my family for a while. She'll be going to school here."

  Quiet, dark-haired Emily smiled. "Hey, that's great, Dana! Think she'll want to watch us practice?"

  Shrugging her shoulders, Dana looked from one band member to another. "I hadn't thought about it, but if you guys don't mind, maybe it would be a good way to get her involved, get right into the action." She was greeted by nods and smiles.

  "Sure, no problem," Max said. "It never hurts to have a fresh ear listen to us, keep us from getting lazy, you know? Does she play?"

  "Well, actually, I don't know." Dana laughed, a little embarrassed. "I don't really know too much about her, to tell the truth. I haven't even seen her since we were little."

  Emily spoke again. "How old is she?"

  That was one direct question Dana didn't want to answer. "She's a junior," she said, after a moment's hesitation.

  Dan, who was sorting through some sheet music, looked up. "So when do we get to check her out?"

  "Well, she's coming tonight, so Monday, I guess. I'll bring her to practice, OK?"

  The Droids nodded. "Sure, no problem," Guy repeated. "Let's call it quits for today, anyway. I told Lynne I'd take her to dinner."

  Dana breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't know why she was so nervous. She told herself firmly that Sally would probably turn out to be a great kid and she'd really like her.

  The band busied itself, putting away instruments and picking up school books. But Dana was still distracted. She couldn't stop thinking about Sally, wondering what she would be like and how they would get along. What would she look like? Would Sally like old movies as much as Dana did? What kind of music did she listen to?

  She became more excited when she got home. In a few hours, another person would be living there. She went into the kitchen for a snack and found her brother, Jeremy, pouring himself a bowl of cereal. Jeremy was a year older than Dana and was a senior at Sweet Valley High.

  "I can't believe Sally will be here tonight," Dana said, getting a bowl and spoon and pouring some cereal for herself. She hopped up on a stool and reached for the new issue of Rolling Stone. Anticipation was making it hard for her to concentrate, and she barely glanced at the articles in her favorite magazine. Finally, she gave up trying to read. "I just can't believe it," she said, taking a spoonful of cereal.

  Jeremy grunted. "Yeah. Me neither."

  "Hey, come on, Jer." She looked into her brother's dark brown eyes, which were clouded with annoyance. "Aren't you kind of excited about it? Don't you wonder what kind of person she is? Whether you'll like her?"

  "No," he said.

  "Jeremy, I mean, it'll be like having another sister."

  "Ha!" He snorted, bringing the spoon to his mouth. "That's all I need is another sister," he mumbled through a mouthful of cornflakes.

  "Sorry! I didn't know it was such a burden to live with me."

  "Well, come on," he complained. "I mean, out of the blue comes this cousin we haven't seen in years, and I get talked out of my room and have to move into the attic. The attic!"

  Dana made a sour face at her brother. "Oh, Jerry, lighten up. You know the attic is like a whole separate apartment. It'll be much better living up there."

  "Yeah, well, I wish Mom and Dad would lay off about this whole welcome wagon stuff," Jeremy stormed on. "You'd think she was some kind of princess or a cripple or something. 'Be nice, kids,' " he mimicked in a high voice. " 'Try to be sensitive and thoughtful. Sally's had a hard time.' God, I'm already sick of her!"

  Dana stared at him in surprise. "What's go
tten into you?"

  He placed his bowl in the sink with a clatter. "Nothing. There are just too many people in my life already, OK? I'm going over to Mark's." Facing his sister, he added defiantly, "And I may stay for dinner."

  "All right. Jeez, chill out, Jerry. You don't have to get so wired up about it." Dana raised her eyebrows and gave her brother a quizzical look. "It's none of my business, but you probably should be home before Sally gets here."

  Jeremy answered by walking out of the house and slamming the door.

  Elizabeth Wakefield sat on her bed, pen and notepad on her lap, lost in thought. The article she was writing for The Oracle, Sweet Valley High's student newspaper, was giving her an unusual amount of trouble, and she was having a hard time concentrating.

  Standing up to stretch, she wandered over to the window, eager for a distraction. As she scanned the shady, tree-lined street below, she saw Jeremy Larson ride by on his bike. His face looked like a thundercloud, and he was pedaling furiously.

  She stared after him for a moment, lost in thought. After a few minutes, she felt refreshed enough to get back to her article. But shortly afterward, she heard the squeal of tires outside and a car door slamming. She shook her head. "Here comes Jessica," she said softly, an affectionate smile on her lips.

  "Elizabeth!" Jessica Wakefield burst into her twin sister's room, panting after her dash through the house and up the stairs. She looked quickly from side to side and then ran to the window.

  Elizabeth laughed. "What's wrong, Jess? Is somebody following you?"

  Her sister whirled around to face her, her blond hair swirling around her shoulders. "It's an emergency!" she hissed.

  "Oh?" Elizabeth wasn't alarmed. Her sister's emergencies were hardly ever more serious than an occasional lip-gloss shortage.

  "What's happened this time? Some cute guy didn't look at you during cheerleading or something?"

  Jessica folded her arms and looked at her twin imploringly. "Liz, you never take me seriously. Please, for once, will you believe me?"

  Elizabeth took one look at her sister's serious expression and stopped smiling. She never meant to hurt her twin. Their special bond made it painful for her if her sister's feelings were hurt, even if Jessica didn't always seem to have the same regard for her. "I'm sorry, Jess, I was just teasing you. Really," she said. "What's wrong?"

  Jessica squeezed her hands together and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She was worried, anxious, and excited. "I've got—" Her blue-green eyes opened wide, and she burst out, "I brought home a puppy!"

  Elizabeth's mouth dropped open in utter disbelief. "What? Jessica, you can't do that without asking Mom and Dad first!"

  "I know," Jessica admitted, biting her lip. Then her face lit up with a brilliant smile. "But they won't even be back from that resort until Sunday night, and it might be too late then. Just come and look at him, Lizzie. A man had all these puppies in a box at the game, and he was just giving them away! He's the most adorable thing you ever saw. Really!"

  "The man or the puppy?"

  "Liz! The puppy!"

  Elizabeth shook her head, smiling in spite of the seriousness of what Jessica had done. "But, Jessica, you don't even like dogs. Remember how much you hated taking care of Mrs. Bramble's dog?"

  "Liz, that was ages ago. We were in sixth grade. I love dogs now."

  Elizabeth's raised eyebrows should have conveyed some skepticism to Jessica. The episode with Mrs. Bramble had been a fiasco. Jessica, who had promised to take care of the old woman's dog, had tied it up, then sneaked away to a rock concert, and it had broken loose and run away. It was a miracle the incident had ended happily.

  Now Jessica was looking at Elizabeth earnestly. "I really do love dogs now, honest. Especially this one."

  "Jess, you've really outdone yourself this time."

  "Oh, Liz, you're smiling. That means it's OK. Come on," she cried, grabbing her twin's hand and trying to pull her from the bed. "Please come look at him." She grinned. "I promise that if you don't absolutely adore him the minute you see him, I'll take him right back."

  Elizabeth laughed. "OK, OK! You're dislocating my shoulder!" she teased, standing up.

  "Oh, you're the most wonderful sister in the whole universe!" Jessica shrieked. She threw her arms around Elizabeth and then grabbed her hand again.

  With Elizabeth in tow, Jessica raced down the stairs of the Wakefields' split-level home and out to the street. "There!" Jessica cried triumphantly, her arms extended.

  At the curb was the girls' red Fiat convertible. Though it was a glorious day, the top was up. Elizabeth soon realized why. A pudgy little golden Labrador pup, tail wagging exuberantly, was standing on the passenger seat. His front paws rested on the window, which was open enough to allow him air.

  Elizabeth stared, trying to take in every feature of the puppy at once. He had brown eyes and a healthy share of fat underneath his golden yellow fur. He seemed to be grinning with pure delight as he looked at the twins. Elizabeth was captivated.

  "Ohhh," she murmured, opening the door. The puppy promptly fell out and then scrambled into her waiting arms as she sat down. He grunted and yipped in ecstasy as Elizabeth fondled his silky ears.

  Her eyes shining, Elizabeth looked up at Jessica. "Oh, Jess, he's the most . . ." She looked down at the puppy squirming in her lap.

  "I told you," Jessica said. She was grinning as she reached for the dog and folded him in her arms. "This is without question the most beautiful, lovable, adorable, darling, sweet—" She broke off breathlessly, out of words to describe him. "Puppy in the whole world," she concluded. She gave him a loud kiss.

  "You're right," Elizabeth whispered. She couldn't take her eyes off the puppy. And she couldn't stop smiling.

  A car drove past, reminding the girls that they should get their new dog inside.

  "Now listen, Liz. I know I should have asked first," Jessica began, as she pushed the door open. "But since Mom and Dad are away for the weekend, I figured we could keep him and hide him, then show them after we've had him for a while." She turned innocent eyes on her sister. "Once they see he's no trouble, they'll say yes. I'm sure of it."

  Elizabeth smiled skeptically. "No trouble, Jess? Is he housebroken?"

  A momentary look of confusion crossed Jessica's face as they stood in the hallway. She looked at the puppy and bit her lip nervously. But she quickly recovered and widened her eyes. "Liz! How could you even think I'd bring an unhouse-broken puppy into our home?" Her face took on a look of hurt innocence. "But just in case he can't wait," she added hastily, "maybe we'd better get some newspaper."

  "Jessica! Are you sure he's housebroken? Or at least paper-trained?"

  Jessica shrugged. "Oh, don't worry about it. He must be. Let's just be prepared—for emergencies or something."

  "Hmmm. Yes, I think we'd better." Elizabeth eyed the puppy with a mixture of nervousness and tenderness. "You're such a doll, little puppy," she crooned as she tickled him under his chin. "But what are we going to do with you?"

  He looked up at her with adoring, luminous eyes. The girls laughed with delight.

  "He'll stay in my room," Jessica stated firmly.

  "But, Jess," Elizabeth warned. "He can't stay there when Mom and Dad get home. They'll find him."

  Jessica hugged the puppy close. "I'll think of something, Liz. I will. Besides, no one ever goes in my room."

  She was right about that, Elizabeth thought. Jessica's room usually looked like an earthquake zone, and Mrs. Wakefield had long ago given Jessica her last lecture on neatness. But even if someone did go in, anything as small as the puppy would probably be hidden under mounds of clothes.

  "And I'll take such good care of him," Jessica added earnestly. "I really will."

  Elizabeth shook her head. She had never seen Jessica so serious about taking on responsibility, but she was sure that keeping the puppy a secret from their parents would be utterly impossible. On the other hand, Jessica had pulled off a lot more outra
geous stunts than this in the past. Elizabeth walked into the living room with Jessica behind her.

  She tickled the puppy again. "Now you stay quiet and be on your best behavior, sweetheart."

  "That's right," Jessica added, rocking him in her arms like a baby. "Because we want to keep you right here with us."

  In response to that, the pup squirmed out of Jessica's arms and landed on the floor, rolling into the coffee table. Elizabeth lunged forward to grab a vase of flowers just as it skidded across the slick surface to the edge, and Jessica tackled the dog before it could scurry into the hall. For one suspended moment, the two girls stared at each other, scarcely daring to breathe.

  Then the dog yipped twice and licked Jessica's face. Both girls burst into laughter.

  Two

  "We're almost there, Sally. We'll be home in about five minutes."

  Sally Larson smiled gratefully at her uncle Hal. Home, she echoed in her mind. Could she really be coming home at last? Could this beautiful, quiet town really be hers?

  She settled back against the car seat and looked out the window at the beautiful California town. It seemed that each house was prettier than the last.

  Whatever happens, please don't make me leave again, she prayed silently. Please let me stay here. I want a home so much.

  Some of the places she had lived before could have been homes. But none of them had worked out. She knew it wasn't her fault. Some people just couldn't adjust to having a new person moving in with their families. But fault or no fault, she'd always had to leave, to move to yet another foster home.

  They passed two little boys on bikes. The kids were laughing and calling out to each other in the dim early evening light, and a large, shaggy dog bounded happily along beside them. A sprinkler doused the car briefly as they drove past, and a man stood on his porch, smoking a pipe.

  Sally pressed her lips together to keep them from trembling. I'm going to make this work, she vowed to herself. I'll do anything, anything, to make Uncle Hal and Aunt Anne glad I came. And Dana and Jeremy, too, she added.