Too Much in Love

  TOO MUCH IN LOVE

  Written by

  Kate William

  Created by

  FRANCINE PASCAL

  Copyright © 2015, Francine Pascal

  TOO MUCH IN LOVE

  "It was nothing," Bill said. "Dana had tickets to a movie, and she asked me to go with her!"

  "Why didn't you tell me?" DeeDee sobbed.

  "You've been acting so strange lately," Bill said. "I thought it might upset you."

  "Are you going to do anything with Dana again?" DeeDee asked, brushing the angry tears from her eyes.

  "I don't know," Bill said defensively. "Since when do I have to ask you for permission to do everything? I just don't know what's gotten into you these days!"

  "You don't understand anything!" DeeDee shrieked. The minute the words left her mouth she wished she hadn't said them.

  "Maybe I don't," Bill muttered. "I sure as hell don't understand what's gotten into you, Dee. And the way things are going, maybe it's time we called it quits!"

  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

  One

  "I feel left out," Mr. Wakefield complained, looking affectionately at his twin daughters sitting on either side of him at the dinner table. "One day at the office, and it seems like I've been away for about ten years! Now, what's all this I hear about a talent show?"

  "It's true, Daddy," Jessica said. "Mr. Collins asked Liz to take charge of the whole thing! He was really impressed with the way she ran the carnival awhile back, and he thinks she's just right for the job this time, too."

  Jessica looked proudly across the table at her twin. It was like looking into a mirror. Elizabeth's oval face, framed with shoulder-length, sun-streaked blond hair, was a perfect reflection of her own, from her sparkling, blue-green eyes to the tiny dimple in her left cheek. The physical resemblance between Jessica and Elizabeth was uncanny. But that was only half the story, as Mrs. Wakefield was fond of saying. True, the twins were often mistaken for each other, and from a distance their own parents couldn't differentiate between them. But "up close, and personal," as Alice Wakefield put it, they were as different as night and day.

  Elizabeth was dependable, hardworking, and earnest. A committed staff writer for The Oracle, the student newspaper at Sweet Valley High, Elizabeth found herself increasingly involved in school activities. The Oracle took up a good deal of time, and Mr. Collins, the English teacher who acted as faculty adviser for the paper, had been so impressed with her hard work and organizational ability that he'd been finding new ways to keep her busy. He had recognized the characteristics that Elizabeth was well-known for among her friends and family members. Bright, hardworking, honest, she was always willing to chip in and lend a hand. "Conscientious"—that was the word Mr. Collins had used when he had asked her to be the student chairman of the talent show that morning.

  And Jessica—well, Jessica was Jessica. Never on time if being five minutes late would do as well. She'd die of boredom if she had to be cooped up in the Oracle office on a gorgeous afternoon. She'd much rather work on her tan at the beach or shop for clothes at the Valley Mall. "Live for the moment," that was Jessica's philosophy. And if it got her into trouble—and trouble, Mr. Wakefield was fond of grumbling, was Jessica's middle name—well, she could usually count on Elizabeth to come to her rescue.

  Jessica always had a million schemes under way at the same time, and she couldn't help teasing her twin sometimes for being so cautious about everything. But deep down, Jessica adored her sister and would do anything rather than hurt her. She was feeling especially close to Elizabeth right now, thanks to the events of the past few weeks—events that still hurt Jessica when she thought about them.

  Jessica had decided that her family didn't love her as much as they loved Elizabeth. She knew now she was crazy to have felt that way, but it was still easy to see how it had happened. Elizabeth was so good at everything she did and never got into trouble, while she herself was always getting into scrapes and causing her family to lose patience with her. One thing had led to another, and finally Jessica had convinced herself that no one loved her at all. Thanks to the influence of a new friend named Nicky Shepard, she'd actually tried to run away from home. Luckily Elizabeth and Steven, the twins' older brother, had caught up with her before she got all the way to San Francisco. Jessica still felt sick when she remembered that bus ride. She had felt so lonely, so cut off from everything she'd ever known. . . .

  Anyway, that was all history now, and Jessica was determined never to act like such an idiot again. In fact she could barely imagine how she'd let her self-confidence crumble as it had. Proud as she was of her twin, she was perfectly happy being Jessica Wakefield. In fact, she wouldn't dream of being any other way.

  "The talent show sounds like a lot of work," Alice Wakefield said thoughtfully, looking at Elizabeth as she passed her the salad bowl. "Are you sure you're not taking on too much responsibility, honey?"

  Jessica giggled. "What about Todd?" she asked slyly. "I bet he's not so happy about this!"

  Todd Wilkins was Elizabeth's steady boyfriend. Like the twins, he was a junior at Sweet Valley High. Just thinking about him now—his dark brown eyes, broad shoulders, and lean, athletic build—made Elizabeth's pulse quicken. "Todd doesn't mind," Elizabeth said truthfully. "He's incredibly busy these days himself. He's been working about ten hours a week at his father's office, and with that on top of his sports schedule, he's got almost no time at all!"

  "I'll bet you rope him into being in the talent show," Jessica mumbled through a mouthful of salad. "Even if he is too busy."

  "Girls," Mrs. Wakfield said, shooting a look across the table at her husband, "your father and I have a serious question for you two."

  Jessica sat up straighter, her aqua eyes widening with surprise. It was unusual for her mother to sound so solemn.

  "You ask them, Ned," Mrs. Wakefield said, her blue eyes softening. "You're the one who's trained at interrogation!"

  Mr. Wakefield was a lawyer, and he was used to being teased by his family about his courtroom manner. He laughed and leaned back in his chair. "Don't look so worried, you two," he told them. "This isn't as serious as all that. In fact, it isn't really serious at all. It has to do with a vacation," he concluded, his dark eyes twinkling.

  "A vacation!" Jessica shrieked. "Daddy, are you going to take us to Europe?"

  Mr. Wakefield burst out laughing. "Not exactly," he told her. "As a matter of fact, this vacation doesn't include the two of you. That's what we want to talk to you about."

  "What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked.

  "Well, the case I've been working on is a little more involved than we thought at first," Mr. Wakefield confided. "You may remember my mentioning it to you last week. It involves the illegal importation of goods over the Mexican border. Anyway, to make a long story short, there's a lawyer in Mexico City who has some documents I need. We thought he might be able to come up to Sweet Valley, but he's very busy at his office and can't leave. So it looks like I'm going to have to make the trip down there. And your mother and I decided—"

  "I'm about ready for a break myself," Mrs. Wakefield interrupted, her pretty, tanned face relaxing into a smile as she looked from one daughter to the other. "Everything's been such a zoo at the design firm with this Williams project, and I'd be so much better off if I got some rest."

  "It's been ages since your mother and I have been away by ourselves," Mr. Wakefield confessed. "And it would be so much nicer for me if she came along. Otherwise, I'm afraid it would be pretty dreary."

  "You don't have to explain!" Elizabeth burst out. "For heaven's sake, of course you should go with him, Mom. It sounds like a wonderful trip."

  Mrs. Wakefield sighed. "The problem is what to do about the two of you. I thought about asking Mrs. Lawrence over to stay with you, but I wasn't sure—"

  "Mother!" Jessica shrieked. "How can you even suggest such a thing? Mrs. Lawrence used to stay with us when we were babies! We don't need a baby-sitter anymore!"

  Elizabeth laughed. "We've been baby-sitting for other people for years," she pointed out. "You don't have to worry about us! We'll be fine."

  "You see, Alice?" Mr. Wakefield said reproachfully. "I told you. They're big girls now!"

  "I don't know," Mrs. Wakefield said doubtfully. "After all, it isn't as if we're going to be only an hour or two away. Mexico City is a long way off. And with Steven back at college—if anything were to happen . . ."

  The twins' brother Steven had taken sometime off from school, having gone through an especially hard time after the tragic death of his girlfriend, Tricia Martin. Things were beginning to improve, however, and he was back at college again now.

  "What," Jessica said pointedly, "could possibly happen?"

  "We'll be fine," Elizabeth chimed in. "Honest, Mom. You just go ahead and plan yourself a wonderful vacation. Jessica and I will take care of everything here. We promise!"

  "We'll have a wonderful time," Jessica echoed, her blue-green eyes shining. Something wonderful, something far too wonderful to share with her parents or Elizabeth, had just occurred to her. Her parents were going out of town,
and she and Elizabeth were going to have the whole house to themselves—entirely, completely, one-hundred percent, and absolutely to themselves!

  Elizabeth was upstairs, stretched out on her bed on her stomach, her favorite position for talking on the phone. She had finished the dinner dishes about five minutes earlier, and now she was trying to get in touch with DeeDee Gordon. Mr. Collins had suggested that DeeDee would be a good person to take charge of designing the sets for the talent show, since she was so interested in art. Elizabeth had never hung out with DeeDee, but she had always liked the small, dark-haired girl.

  Mrs. Gordon answered the phone, and a minute later DeeDee picked up another extension. She seemed surprised to hear from Elizabeth and listened in silence while Elizabeth explained what Mr. Collins had suggested.

  "Me?" DeeDee said at last. "Mr. Collins wants me to be in charge of the sets?"

  "Why not?" Elizabeth said. "You'd be perfect. Besides, I heard the art teacher say the designs you'd done for the foreign-language festival were superb."

  "Oh, those," DeeDee said disparagingly. "Those were nothing, really. I haven't the faintest idea how I'd go about organizing something as big as this."

  "You'd be terrific, DeeDee," Elizabeth said warmly. "I'm sure you have enough experience. Besides, we'll all be helping each other out. It's not going to be a professional show or anything."

  DeeDee was quiet for a minute. "I'll have to talk to Bill about it," she said. "Maybe if he's interested in it, then . . . " Her voice trailed off.

  Elizabeth sat up on her bed. Bill Chase and DeeDee Gordon had been a couple for some time now. She knew they were very close, but she didn't see what Bill had to do with this. Still, she didn't want to interfere. And she really did want DeeDee to help with the show. "When can you let me know?" she asked.

  "We-e-e-ll," DeeDee said tentatively, "I'll ask Bill about it as soon as I can. I don't know. I'll try to get back to you tomorrow sometime. How would that be?"

  "That's fine," she said politely, although she was confused by DeeDee's hesitation. "We'd really appreciate your help, DeeDee. And thanks for thinking it over."

  "What was that all about?" Jessica asked. She had wandered in to hover over her twin, hoping to get Elizabeth off the phone so she could call her friend Lila Fowler. Her news right now was just too good to wait!

  Elizabeth shook her head, looking puzzled. "Have you noticed anything strange lately about DeeDee Gordon?" she asked. "Does she seem like she's acting funny all of a sudden?"

  Jessica wrinkled her nose. "No stranger than usual," she said. "Why?"

  Elizabeth laughed. "I forgot," she said. "You're not exactly objective when it comes to DeeDee, are you?"

  "I'm always objective," Jessica said. "Can I help it if DeeDee's a total weirdo?"

  Elizabeth's expression was still thoughtful as Jessica flounced out of the room. She wasn't surprised Jessica still felt a little annoyed about DeeDee. It wasn't like her twin to forgive the competition, especially when the competition had won.

  Some time ago Jessica had starred in a school play opposite Bill Chase. She had enjoyed flirting with him and making sure he fell head over heels in love with her. But Jessica hadn't taken him seriously until DeeDee got into the picture. DeeDee really cared for Bill. They had a lot in common. They both liked reading, drama, and all kinds of sports, especially surfing.

  Once DeeDee got involved, Jessica suddenly couldn't bear the thought of losing Bill. She started to lay it on thick, and Bill almost fell for it.

  But Bill had had too much good sense to trade the real thing for a fake. He saw how much DeeDee loved him, and he realized he felt the same way about her. Jessica was edged out of the picture, and Bill and DeeDee had been a twosome ever since.

  Still, Elizabeth thought, that doesn't mean that DeeDee has to consult Bill before signing up for a project!

  She couldn't get over how strange DeeDee had sounded on the phone. She had seemed so insecure, so uncertain. Not like the old DeeDee at all.

  I hope everything's OK, Elizabeth thought anxiously.

  But a minute later Elizabeth was riffling through a stack of papers on her desk. She had homework to do, a story to revise for The Oracle, and six more people to call about the talent show—not to mention Todd, whom she hadn't seen all day!

  Worrying about DeeDee Gordon, she decided firmly, was just going to have to wait.

  "DeeDee!" Mrs. Chase exclaimed, opening the screen door and looking at the girl. "Did Bill know you were coming over tonight? I'm afraid he isn't here!"

  "He isn't here?" DeeDee repeated, crestfallen.

  "He's at the library, dear," Mrs. Chase explained. "Do you want to come in anyway?" she added, noticing the anxious expression on DeeDee's face. "He had to do some work for history, you see, so he took the car and went over to the library. But was he expecting you?"

  DeeDee shook her head. Bill wasn't expecting her, as a matter of fact. But she'd barely seen him all day! She'd tried to call before she came over, but the line had been busy.

  DeeDee couldn't believe how disappointed she felt. During the ride over to the Chases' house, she'd been thinking how great it would be to watch television with Bill on the old plaid couch in the basement. They'd make popcorn and just hold each other in the dim light of the television set . . .

  "No, thanks," DeeDee said at last when Mrs. Chase urged her again to come inside. "But can you ask Bill to call me as soon as he gets in? I really need to talk to him," she added.

  She could hardly blame Bill for going to the library; it wasn't as if he knew she was coming over. But DeeDee couldn't help thinking that a few months before, this sort of thing wouldn't have happened. She and Bill always made plans together then. If he was planning to go to the library, he would have asked her to go along, or said he'd drop by her house afterward.

  Something felt wrong to her lately, though she couldn't quite pin it down. They'd had lunch together that day, but Bill had been distant. He didn't seem to be really listening to what she was saying; he had a distracted expression on his face. When she asked him about it, he just said he was worried about his history paper.

  And the same thing had happened that day after school. Bill almost always gave her a ride home, but that day he didn't come by her locker as he usually did. She had wandered all over the halls trying to find him. He was talking to Ken Matthews and Roger Patman about something, and she'd had to stand around for ages before he even noticed her.

  And then, DeeDee thought miserably, sliding behind the steering wheel, he barely even talked to me all the way home!

  DeeDee wasn't sure what was bugging Bill, but she had a pretty good idea of what she should do. It was what her mother had once said about her divorce from her father. "We should have just taken more time to spend alone together," her mother had told her grandmother. "We both got too busy, and we ran out of time for each other. And then one thing led to another, and the marriage fell apart."

  DeeDee's eyes stung with tears when she remembered the day her father had walked out of the house forever. Watching her parents break up had hurt her terribly.

  But that isn't going to happen to Bill and me, she vowed, turning the key in the ignition. We just need to spend a little more time with each other. And Bill needs to see how much I depend on him, how much I need to be with him. Once he realizes that, DeeDee thought fiercely, he won't leave me.

  Not for anything in the world.

  Two

  "DeeDee," Patty Gilbert complained, shaking her head, "what in the world is wrong with you today? You're barely listening to a word I'm saying."

  "Sorry," DeeDee mumbled, pushing her sandwich away and craning her neck to see if Bill had come through the swinging doors to the cafeteria yet. Patty was her best friend, and DeeDee had looked forward to their lunch together all morning. But now she was a million miles away. She couldn't help it. She was worried about Bill. He hadn't called her when he got home the previous night, and he hadn't come by her locker that morning to say hello before homeroom, either.

  "I was asking you about your design courses," Patty said impatiently, as if she'd had to repeat her words to get her friend's attention. "How are they going? Is Ms. Jackson as good a teacher as you'd heard she was?"