Rumors Read online

  RUMORS

  Written by

  Kate William

  Created by

  FRANCINE PASCAL

  Copyright © 2015, Francine Pascal

  RUMORS

  "I thought you knew about Susan's mother," Lila said cautiously, looking first at Caroline, then at Cara. "I mean it's just something I heard. It could be a rumor."

  "What about her mother?" Caroline asked.

  "I really—I shouldn't. . . . I mean, it's none of my business."

  "What?"

  Lila looked over at Susan and shook her head sadly. "It's not what—it's where." Lowering her voice, she said, "She's in a hospital for the criminally insane."

  Cara and Caroline both gasped. "Are you sure about this?" Cara asked, grabbing Lila by the arm.

  An unpleasant sensation of guilt washed over Lila, but she quickly pushed it out of her mind. "Well," she said slowly, "nobody really knows anything for sure, do they?"

  Then she removed Cara's hand from her arm, stood, and walked away. As she passed by Susan's table she felt a surge of triumph overcoming the guilt. She strode out of the cafeteria with a victorious smile on her face.

  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

  "Mom, could you pass the butter, please?"

  "Of course, Liz. Here."

  Elizabeth Wakefield spread butter on a crisp english muffin and looked back at the front page of the Sweet Valley News.

  "May I have the comics?"

  Without taking her blue-green eyes from the paper, Elizabeth extracted the comics page and passed it to her twin sister.

  "Oh, give me a break!" Jessica exclaimed a moment later, licking jam off one finger. "This has got to be the stupidest joke in the whole world. Listen to this: What kind of ghost lives in an easy chair? An upholstergeist."

  Alice Wakefield let out a peal of laughter. "Oh, no! Who writes jokes like that?"

  "Sick people," Elizabeth suggested with a lopsided grin. "People with deranged minds."

  Jessica shook her head. "Sick people is right. Say, Mom, when's Dad coming back from Phoenix?"

  Mrs. Wakefield lowered her section of the newspaper a fraction and met her daughter's questioning gaze. "Is that a free association with sick people?"

  "No! When is he coming, though?"

  "Tonight. Why?"

  "He said he'd look at the Fiat to see why it's making that weird noise," Jessica explained. The twins shared a red Fiat convertible, and whenever anything threatened to cut off their transportation, it was cause for serious anxiety.

  "Well he'll be home by dinnertime, don't worry."

  An easy silence descended over the breakfast table in the Wakefields' warm, sunny kitchen. Together, the three Wakefield women made a charming picture: the twins, blond and tanned by the California sun, and their mother, pretty and youthful enough to be taken sometimes for their older sister.

  There was no way to miss the fact that the twins were California girls. Although Elizabeth's hair was pulled into a sensible ponytail and Jessica's swung loose and free around her shoulders, it was the same gleaming spun gold, burnished from long hours in the sun. And their trim, perfect size-six figures proved that they spent plenty of time swimming, playing tennis, and jogging. The two girls were identical in every way, down to the dimples in their left cheeks.

  Elizabeth's attention was riveted on an article about working mothers; the story was clear, informative, and fair, she decided with a nod of her blond head. Good reporting. If only she could write as well, she wished silently. Elizabeth wrote articles for The Oracle, Sweet Valley High's school paper, and hoped to be a professional writer someday. So whenever she could, she liked to read the News all the way through.

  "It says here that more and more women are choosing not to have any kids at all so they can devote all their time to their careers," she told her mother and sister, shaking her head. "That's a tough choice."

  "What a shame," her mother said, frowning. "I enjoy my work, but my family is much more important to me. Much more," she repeated emphatically.

  Jessica pulled absently at her delicate gold necklace and sighed. "It must be so much easier to be a man," she said. "You wouldn't have any of those really hard decisions we women have to make all the time."

  "Yeah," Elizabeth said wryly. "I know what you mean. Like which blouse to wear with your new skirt. One of yours or one of mine."

  "Ha-ha."

  "Listen to this name," their mother said suddenly. "Andrea VanAllen. I think Andrea is just a lovely name."

  "Mom! I know who that is," Jessica put in, finishing her orange juice. "She's that rich lady from Bridgewater who's always running charity events and stuff. Mrs. Megabucks." Bridgewater was a town twenty miles away from Sweet Valley and was famous for the number of wealthy people who lived there. It was considered one of the most prestigious areas around.

  "Andrea—or Andrew," Mrs. Wakefield continued in a dreamy voice. "They're both nice names."

  Jessica pulled the section of paper around so she could read it. "Oh, look. She's in charge of the Bridgewater Ball this year." She met her sister's eyes, and simultaneously they both said, "Whoooa!" and burst into giggles. As identical twins they often said or thought the same thing at the same time. It was only one facet of the special bond they shared.

  "The Bridgewater Ball, la-di-da," said Jessica. "You only have to be invited to spend about a million dollars a couple to go. Who needs it?"

  Elizabeth grinned. "If you were invited, you know you'd be out shopping for a new dress within ten seconds, Jess."

  "I never said I wouldn't go if I were invited."

  "Oh, OK," said Elizabeth, her eyes still twinkling. "I guess I misunderstood you."

  Her sister wrinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out at her. "Besides, who wouldn't? I read about it last year after it was over. The theme was 'Mississippi Riverboat,' and they spent something like five thousand dollars just on flowers for the Bridgewater Country Club. And they had all these really elaborate ice sculptures, too. One was this giant steamboat made of ice with jumbo shrimp all over it."

  "Does it say what this year's theme is?" Elizabeth craned her neck to see over the table.

  Jessica quickly scanned the column. "Oh, here it is. 'The theme of the Bridgewater Ball this year will be "Tales from the Vienna Woods." ' Wow, do you think they'll have gondolas and things?"

  Mrs. Wakefield chuckled. "Vienna, honey, not Venice. Vienna is Austria. Birthplace of the waltz."

  "I knew that."

  "All right." The twins' mother stood up and began clearing the table. "But it doesn't look as if you'll get so much as a glimpse. For better or worse, we don't move in such elaborate social circles." She sent Elizabeth a wink as she added, 'We're just humble folk in our humble little home."

  Elizabeth knew her mother was kidding. Their home was a comfortable split ranch house with a swimming pool on a quiet street, decorated with her mother's professional touch. She wouldn't trade it for any big mansion. Elizabeth had decided long ago that Sweet Valley, California, was the nicest place in the world to live.

  But Jessica pouted. "Well it wouldn't kill us if we lived in a more fashionable part of town, you know. We could have a lot of advantages if we hung out with those people."

  "Like what?" Elizabeth snorted, amused by Jessica's social ambitions.

  "I don't know. But it couldn't hurt. Besides, I bet Dad makes enough money for us to live in a bigger house. Isn't that what lawyers are supposed to do? Make money?"

  "Your father just happens to be one of those rare men who practices law because of his convictions, Jessica, not for money."

  Mrs. Wakefield turned from the sink where she had been rinsing dishes, and a grimace of pain crossed her face for a second. She put her hand to her stomach.

  "Mom, what is it? What's wrong?" Elizabeth asked, getting up quickly and coming to her mother's side.

  "Nothing, I've just been feeling a little under the weather lately," her mother said hurriedly, a slight frown creasing her forehead. "But that reminds me, I'm going to the doctor this afternoon after work, so I'll be late getting home. I'd appreciate it if you two would make dinner tonight. Your father will be home around six."

  Elizabeth and Jessica exchanged a look of concern.

  "Mom, are you sure you're OK?" Elizabeth repeated, looking anxiously into her mother's attractive, youthful face.

  Mrs. Wakefield smiled and touched Elizabeth's cheek lightly. "I'm fine, sweetheart. Don't worry about me. Now don't you two have to get to school?"

  "Oh, no!" Elizabeth said, darting a glance at the wall clock. "I wanted to get to school early to at least get a start on my column."

  " 'Bye, Mom."

  " 'Bye, Mom. See you later."

  Alice Wakefield pushed a stray lock of blond hair behind one ear and smiled at her daughters. "Have a good day, you two. See you tonight."

  Pausing only to pick up their books in the hall, Elizabeth and Jessica hurried outside and got into their red convertible. In moments they were driving down their quiet, tree-lined street toward Sweet Valley High.

  "I don't hear any weird noise," Elizabeth said to Jessica, who was driving
.

  "It's when you slow down to stop," Jessica replied. "It sounds like, I don't know—like a buzzing sort of sound."

  Elizabeth shrugged and looked at the scenery flashing past. Soon they were pulling up the driveway of the high school, and Jessica turned to her as she switched off the ignition. "What did I tell you? It sounds like the whole car is going to blow up any minute."

  "I didn't hear anything, Jess."

  "What? Are you totally deaf or something? Here, listen." Jessica turned the key, and the engine roared to life again.

  By straining her ears, Elizabeth could just make out a faint rattle from under the hood. She chuckled and shook her head. It was typical of her twin to be so dramatic about any tiny noise in the car. That was Jessica, all right. They were identical on the outside, Elizabeth thought, but on the inside they were as different as night and day.

  Jessica found drama in everything—or else created it herself, whereas Elizabeth thought of herself as practical and sensible. Half the time she found herself extricating her headstrong twin from some crazy predicament. Jessica never held back on anything, be it her cheerleading or the pursuit of a new boyfriend. It was a more helter-skelter style than Elizabeth liked for herself, but she couldn't imagine her twin any other way. And there was no one in the world who meant more to her than Jessica did.

  "You're right, Jess. We'd better get this thing looked at before it kills us both."

  Jessica nodded. "See what I mean? I knew something was wrong. Anyway, see you later," she said, springing from the car. Elizabeth opened her door, and the girls hurried into the building to begin their day.

  As Elizabeth made her way down the hall, she greeted many of her friends. But when Enid Rollins sent her a wave, Elizabeth just grabbed her best friend by the arm and towed her along.

  "Hey! What is this, a hijacking?" Green-eyed Enid laughed.

  "Something like that," Elizabeth said, pulling Enid along until they reached the door to the Oracle office.

  "I haven't finished my column yet," Elizabeth explained with a guilty smile. "Help me, Enid. I'm totally brain-dead today."

  The two girls hurried into The Oracle's cluttered office, and Elizabeth sat down at a typewriter. She was the writer of the "Eyes and Ears" gossip column. The column was one of the highlights of the paper, and everyone loved to find themselves and their friends in it, especially because Elizabeth never used her pen spitefully: "Eyes and Ears" was always funny and lighthearted.

  But that morning Elizabeth couldn't think of anything at all to write about, and she had to hand in her column by the end of the day.

  "Come on, come on, inspire me," she commanded her friend and bit her lower lip with concentration.

  Enid laughed, folded her arms, and focused her eyes on the ceiling. "How about—uh, you could write about . . ." Her voice trailed off, and she met Elizabeth's hopeful gaze. "I can't think of anything either."

  "Oh, Enid!"

  "Well you're the journalist, not me. I don't know how you can think of things to write about every week as it is. And besides," Enid added, flipping through a notebook of past "Eyes and Ears" columns. "There aren't any good events coming up for you to talk about. No big games, no dances—"

  "That's it!" Elizabeth shouted, tucking her chair in closer to her desk. "The Bridgewater Ball. I can talk about who might be going."

  "Are you serious? It's way over in Bridgewater. What do Sweet Valley High kids want to know about some fancy ball twenty miles away?"

  "Some will go, and you know it. Only a few kids from Sweet Valley High will go—that's why it's so juicy." Elizabeth began tapping out the beginning of her column on the typewriter, and Enid looked over to read upside down.

  "Well, who do you think will go? Bruce Patman, definitely. His family's so rich, and they always go," Enid said. "So of course that means Regina will go, too."

  Elizabeth paused and smiled softly. "I'm glad, aren't you? If anyone deserves to have a good time, it's Regina." Bruce Patman's girlfriend, Regina Morrow, had been born almost totally deaf. She had recently returned from Switzerland where she had undergone extensive treatments, and now she could hear just about perfectly.

  Elizabeth thought Regina was a truly special person and had gotten closer to her since the girl's return from Europe. They had spent many hours together talking about the wonderful things Regina had seen and done in Switzerland, and Elizabeth longed to see the beautiful mountains and quaint villages Regina described.

  With a nod, Enid agreed. "Regina isn't snobby like a lot of rich people. She's completely sincere. Hmm, I guess Roger Patman will probably go, too," she added, referring to Bruce's half brother.

  "Probably," Elizabeth muttered, typing. "And that means he'll take Olivia, so we'll get a good article from her about it. What do you think of this title: 'The Chic Mystique: Who Gets to Go to the Year's Most Exclusive Party?' "

  "I love it! I can see it now," Enid said, an impish smile on her face. "A stunning expose of Sweet Valley's elite set, by ace reporter, Elizabeth Q. Wakefield."

  Elizabeth raised one eyebrow. "What's the Q for?"

  Her friend shrugged. "I don't know. It just sounds good. Hmm. Let's see. I bet Suzanne Hanlon goes. She's about as snobby as they come."

  "Oh, please!"

  "And how about Lila Fowler? She'll be going, won't she?"

  "Probably," Elizabeth said, rolling her eyes. "And I'll never hear the end of it from Jessica. I don't know how those two can say they're best friends when they're always competing with each other. It's pretty bizarre."

  Enid made a sour face. "Well, just for once I'd like to see Lila not get the limelight. Wouldn't it kill her if no one asked her to go?"

  "Bite your tongue!" answered Elizabeth, suppressing a smile. She glanced down at the two long paragraphs she had just composed and then pulled the piece of paper out of the typewriter with a snap. "A little ego gratification for the lucky few," she quipped, picking up her books. "Ready?"

  Enid hopped down from the desk she had been perching on and swung her book bag over her shoulder. "After you, madam."

  "Oh, no, no, no!" Elizabeth replied airily. "After you! And I'll see you at the Bridgewater Ball!"

  For a moment, Enid's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Let's just see who ends up going. I have a feeling some people would give anything to go to that dance."

  Two

  Jessica slid into her seat next to Lila in health class and breathed a heavy sigh of resignation. "I didn't do my chemistry homework for today, and Russo called on me. Twice."

  "What a drag," Lila drawled, looking around her. "That's the problem with morning classes—you have less time to get the work from someone else first."

  "Tell me about it!" Usually she could copy her twin's homework in a pinch, but there were limits even to Elizabeth's generosity.

  Jessica glanced quickly to the front of the room: Ms. Rice hadn't arrived yet, so there was still plenty of time to talk. "Look at what Dana's wearing today," she said, nodding her head toward a tall blonde with a wild haircut. "I swear that girl gets more outrageous all the time."

  Lila looked over to where Dana Larson sat. She was wearing skintight, leopard-spotted jeans. Dana, the lead singer for a popular band called The Droids, tended to wear eye-catching, new-wave clothes to go with the band's image. But no matter how far-out her wardrobe was, Dana had enough poise to pull anything off. "Where does she buy her clothes?" Lila asked, her voice incredulous.

  "Search me. She probably has to go to L.A. for some of them."

  "Well, personally, I prefer more sophisticated clothes."

  Jessica sighed. Lila Fowler's father was a micro-chip tycoon with a macro-fortune, and he lavished on his daughter everything she could possibly want, including a huge clothing allowance. So Lila was always dressed in the most expensive, elegant things and made sure her appearance was always impeccable. At the moment, she was carefully smoothing her shoulder length, light brown hair with a manicured hand.

  "Hmm," Jessica mumbled, making a slightly sour face. Her thoughts went back to her breakfast-table conversation, and she turned to Lila again. "So, are you going to the Bridgewater Ball?"

  A slight flush colored Lila's cheeks. "Of course."

  "Well, who are you going with? That guy Grant?" Recently, Jessica and Lila had made a serious attempt to get boyfriends from Bridgewater. Jessica was positive it was her ticket to the ball. She had dated a boy named Rob Atkins, but that relationship had fizzled out pretty quickly. And Grant Palmer and Lila hadn't turned out to be the romance of the century either.