Decisions Read online

  DECISIONS

  Written by

  Kate William

  Created by

  FRANCINE PASCAL

  Copyright © 2015, Francine Pascal

  DECISIONS

  George's face was grim as he drove along with Robin. "Your aunt has no right to mess up our plans, Robin. You're staying right here. She can't send you three thousand miles away like you're her property."

  A chill traveled up Robin's spine. George was doing the same thing her aunt was doing—deciding what was right for her without asking her what she thought! "Can you just take me home?" she asked.

  "Sure. No problem."

  The whole ride passed in dismal silence. She should have known better. George wasn't going to be impartial and objective about this. He wanted her to stay in California.

  But as she stared out the window, George kept up an indignant running tirade. He accused everyone but himself of trying to run Robin's life for her. Finally he stopped speaking as he pulled the car up in front of the Wilsons' house.

  "Don't—you don't have to come in, okay?"

  George smiled. "I don't mind, Robin. You know I wouldn't leave you all alone."

  But she shook her head vehemently, not trusting herself to meet his eyes. "No, that's not it. I really want to be alone for a while," she told him. Before he could protest, she jumped out of the car and hurried to the front door.

  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

  With a flick of her wrist, Elizabeth Wakefield snapped open The Oracle to the second page. She ran her eyes down her weekly gossip column, "Eyes and Ears." Oblivious of the students who were passing by on their way to have lunch, Elizabeth smiled to herself. Even after months of writing for the school newspaper, she still got a rush every time she saw her words in black and white.

  One day, she told herself, I'll see my name on the cover of a book!

  Still grinning, she tucked the paper under one arm and turned to twirl the dial of her combination lock.

  "Liz, where have you been? I've been looking for you for ages!" Jessica, Elizabeth's identical twin sister, came bouncing up to Elizabeth. "You're never around when I need to talk to you!"

  "What's up, Jess? Critical fashion news from Lila? Or you want me to make dinner? Or you need a favor? Which is it?" A dimple appeared in her left cheek as Elizabeth teased her twin.

  Jessica pouted. "How can you say that? I don't ask you to do that many favors for me, do I?"

  "I'm not going to answer that," Elizabeth replied.

  "It's only because you're the sweetest, nicest, best sister in the world," Jessica continued, leaning against the set of lockers. "I just naturally turn to my big sister for guidance."

  Holding back a giggle, Elizabeth gave her twin a light punch on the shoulder. All kidding aside, Jessica did turn to her very often, and had for most of their sixteen years. But Elizabeth turned to Jessica, too. It was simply a part of being identical twins, as Elizabeth had figured out a long time ago. It was impossible to imagine going through an entire day without relying on each other in some way.

  And Elizabeth knew it was her responsibility to keep Jessica firmly on the ground. Otherwise, Elizabeth thought, her twin might fly off into the ozone layer. Jessica's style was fast, impetuous, and adventure-seeking. She only stayed in one place long enough to capture another boy's heart or lead the cheerleading squad through practice.

  But where Jessica was a whirlwind, Elizabeth was thoughtful, introspective, and studious. Of course, she loved spending time at the beach and going to parties, too. But she spent those times talking and laughing with her closest friends instead of flitting around in a breathless social whirl the way her twin did.

  Those were the inner differences, though, and it took most people awhile to understand that identical twins were only identical on the surface. On the outside, it was nearly impossible to tell the two apart. Both of them could pose as models for the California girl, with perfect size-six figures and sun-kissed shoulder-length hair, their golden tans set off by sparkling eyes the color of the Pacific. They each had a dimple that showed up whenever they smiled, and they each wore identical gold lavaliere necklaces, presents from their parents on the twins' sixteenth birthday.

  "So what's so life-and-death that you have to tell me?" Elizabeth asked as she pushed her locker shut.

  "I just wanted to remind you that I'm starting my new baby-sitting job after school, so you'll have to get a ride home from Jeffrey," said Jessica.

  As usual, Jessica was suffering from a shortage of spending money. She had asked their older brother, Steven, to keep an eye on the bulletin board at the state university and to let her know of any jobs that were available. Over the weekend he had given her a phone number, and she had arranged to baby-sit a few days a week for the little sister of a music student, Alex Kane. Alex was very busy with an important composition project for his senior thesis, and because his parents worked all day, he wanted someone to keep his little sister from disturbing him while he composed.

  "I didn't forget," Elizabeth said. "And I already asked him."

  Tall, handsome Jeffrey French was Elizabeth's steady boyfriend. Fortunately he was generous about giving her rides whenever she needed them, because Jessica had a way of appropriating the red Fiat convertible the twins shared. Jessica always seemed to find a convincing reason why she absolutely had to have the car.

  "I hope this job turns out OK," Jessica muttered as they turned toward the cafeteria. "I don't know—do you think he might turn out to be one of those eccentric musicians?"

  Elizabeth shrugged and then smiled at some friends as they walked down the hall. "Not necessarily, Jess. If he's living at home while he works on this big composition and he needs to concentrate, I can see how he'd want someone to watch his little sister."

  "I guess," Jessica said skeptically.

  "Well, just don't worry about it. Besides," Elizabeth added, "you need the money, right?"

  Rolling her eyes, Jessica sighed. Her good friend, Lila Fowler, was one of the richest girls in Sweet Valley, and Jessica was constantly broke just trying to keep her wardrobe and her record collection up with Lila's. And then there were all the other indispensable necessities of life, as she was always telling Elizabeth, such as tanning lotion, makeup, concert tickets, milk shakes at the Dairi Burger . . .

  "Right," Jessica said. "I need the money. There's a new bathing suit at Lisette's, and I've got to have it or I'll just shrivel up and die."

  Elizabeth giggled and pushed open the cafeteria door. "I don't think that's likely, Jess."

  For a moment the twins stood at the entrance to the cafeteria, each of them silently scanning the crowd for her particular friends. The cafeteria hummed with a dull roar of talking and laughter, chairs scraping across the floor, soda cans dropping down from the soda machine, and cash registers rattling.

  "Where is Lila?" Jessica scowled across the room. "Hey," she went on, touching her sister's arm, "there's Robin. That reminds me, did I tell you what she said yesterday when I went over to her house to talk about cheerleading?"

  Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. "Noo," she drawled. Reporting what people said was one of Jessica's favorite activities.

  "She said she applied early admission to Sarah Lawrence College—you know, in New York? And she was accepted," Jessica announced with a significant look.

  Surprised, Elizabeth glanced across the room to where Robin Wilson, Jessica's co-captain on the cheerleading squad, was sitting with Annie Whitman. One of the brightest girls in their junior class, Robin juggled excellent grades with cheerleading and participating in the community diving program. She had confided in Elizabeth many times about her hopes and aspirations, and Elizabeth knew Robin was determined to get the best possible education.

  "You're kidding!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "She never said anything to me about it. You have to have perfect grades to be able to skip senior year and go straight to college."

  "That's not all," Jessica continued in a hushed tone, her eyes wide with meaning. "As soon as she told me, she practically burst into hysterics."

  "What?"

  "Crying."

  Elizabeth frowned, puzzled. "Hmm . . . that's strange. But, still, I'm impressed that she got accepted. I bet she'll do well."

  With a shrug Jessica replied, "If she goes."

  "Well, of course she will—why else would she have applied?" Elizabeth said with an incredulous laugh.

  Jessica shrugged again. "Who knows? Hey, there's Lila. I'll see you later."

  "Robin? I said what did you get on your chem quiz?"

  Flushing, Robin Wilson put down her can of diet soda and met Annie Whitman's bright green eyes. "Oh, A minus. Sorry, Annie, I guess I'm a little distracted."

  Annie looked at Robin with a sympathetic expression. "Still trying to decide about school?"

  "Yeah." Propping her chin up on her hands, Robin sighed. "But I'm really not sure what to do! I mean, if I go to Sarah Lawrence, Aunt Fiona will pay for it all—and that's a lot of money."

  Annie frowned. "But I don't see why she can't just pay for whatever college you want to go to. Why does it have to be Sarah Lawrence?
"

  "Family tradition, that's why," Robin replied in a dry tone. "She went there, and my grandmother went there, so I have to go there She'll pay if I go there, but not somewhere else."

  Letting out a deep sigh, Robin swept her wavy brown hair off her forehead and frowned down at her lunch. Her aunt was a brilliant, successful artist, and when their parents died, she had raised Robin's mother almost single-handedly. Money and success after years of struggling had made her used to getting her own way.

  And ever since Robin could remember, her aunt had been extremely generous to the Wilsons—but only when she wanted to be, and only if they played their part by being very grateful for the help they needed. She was opinionated, domineering, and impatient, but that was because she had had to fight so hard to get where she was. But as much as Robin admired her aunt's success, and appreciated the help, it was hard to like her. And that made it hard for Robin to swallow the idea of her aunt paying her entire college bill.

  Forcing her thoughts back to the present, Robin shook her head again. "There's just so much to decide, that's the problem. But if I don't go there, I can't go anywhere. My mother can't afford to send me to school herself."

  "Why not a state university?" Annie suggested.

  "Yeah, I know. And UCLA has a good computer science program, too. But it still isn't free."

  "What does George think?"

  At the mention of George Warren's name, Robin blushed and dropped her eyes. She and Annie had become close friends from being on the cheerleading squad together, but there were certain things Robin couldn't tell Annie. One of them was that she hadn't even mentioned to her boyfriend that she had applied to college in the East.

  "Oh, you know," she stalled. Finally she looked up at her friend. "Actually, he doesn't know about it."

  "What?" Annie gasped, setting her soda can down with a thump. "How could you not tell him something so important?"

  "I just—I knew he'd be upset, that's why. He thinks I'll be staying here in California and that I would never even want to go somewhere else."

  "Well, do you want to go to Sarah Lawrence?"

  Robin winced. "I don't know! I don't know what I want," she continued moodily. "I can't even think. I'm supposed to be getting myself ready mentally for the diving competition, and I can't even concentrate on that, or schoolwork, or cheerleading, let alone make one of the most important decisions of my life!"

  Annie raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Robin," she said gently, "take it easy. You're going to drive yourself into the loony bin."

  "I know, I know." Slumping back in her chair, Robin allowed herself a self-mocking smile as she looked at her friend. "Either that or I'll start stuffing myself with every fattening thing in sight!"

  "No, no! Not that!" Annie laughed.

  For years Robin had been overweight. Eating had been the biggest part of her life, and it didn't seem like a problem until she ran into Jessica Wakefield and the Pi Beta Alpha sorority. Because she wanted to be a member, Robin had done whatever pledge tasks the sorority sisters asked her to. And in the end Robin had still been blackballed—because she was fat.

  After that, Robin started exercising and dieting seriously—not to impress the girls in the sorority, but to prove to herself she could do it. Shedding the pounds had transformed Robin, and she found she was a very attractive, even beautiful girl. Since then, she had become co-captain of the cheerleading squad and a very good platform diver, using athletic talents she had never known she had. But whenever she was upset or depressed, she had to fight the urge to binge on ice-cream sundaes or pizza.

  "Don't worry," Robin said. "Every time I go to diving practice and see myself in a bathing suit, I say 'Don't eat—don't eat.' So far it's worked."

  Annie smiled. "Don't get so worked up about this college stuff, OK? I know it's important, but it shouldn't drive you crazy."

  Robin managed a grin. "OK, OK!"

  "And don't you think you should tell George?" Annie continued tentatively. "I mean, won't he be kind of upset when he finds out you waited this long already?"

  Robin slumped even further in her seat. Upset wasn't the word. She and George were supposed to be in love, not keeping secrets from each other. When they fell in love, he was still dating Enid Rollins, and secrecy had been a big part of their lives. But since that time, they had promised not to lie or hide the truth from anyone, especially each other. She sighed and pushed the straw into her soda can. "Yes. I know I have to tell him. But I'm really not looking forward to it."

  Two

  A salt-scented breeze blew through Jessica's hair as she turned the Fiat onto the coast highway. A smile of pure satisfaction spread across her face. If there was one thing Jessica loved, it was driving with the top down!

  And if she could only be sure that this job was going to turn out all right, she'd be perfectly happy. Alexander Kane had sounded nice enough and normal enough on the phone. However, Jessica's past adventures in baby-sitting had sometimes turned out to have horrible surprises. But she was ready to keep an open mind. Besides, as Elizabeth had reminded her, she needed the money.

  She was humming to the song on the radio when she spotted the cedar-shingled bungalow with white shutters she was looking for.

  "Seventeen twenty-nine," she murmured, stopping to read the numbers on the mailbox. "This is it."

  She put the car into gear again and turned into the driveway. Gravel crunched under the tires as the car rolled to a stop in front of the quaint dollhouselike cottage. White roses climbed up a trellis by the front door, and around the corner of the house Jessica caught a glimpse of windswept pines and the rocky coastline.

  "Nice place," she said under her breath, her eyes lighting up with speculation. "I guess it won't be so bad."

  Just as she climbed out of the convertible, the front door of the house opened, and a small blond girl poked her head out.

  "Are you Jessica?" the little girl piped eagerly. Feathery gold ringlets bobbed past her shoulders, and her huge brown eyes were wide with excitement. She wore yellow corduroy overalls and a pink T-shirt, and her bare toes peeked out from under turned-up cuffs.

  "That's right," Jessica replied with a delighted grin. She guessed the girl was about five years old. "Are you Allison Kane?"

  Allison nodded, her curls bouncing and swaying. "Alex said I should introduce myself." She had a trace of a lisp but was obviously trying hard to overcome it. She frowned in concentration as she added, "Pleased to meet you, Jeth—Jessica."

  Holding back a smile, Jessica allowed Allison to lead her by the hand into the house. It would be a relief to baby-sit for someone who wasn't a little brat. Allison seemed like the sweetest little girl she'd ever seen.

  So far, so good, Jessica told herself with satisfaction.

  "This is our house," Allison chirped as she dragged Jessica through a cozy, cluttered living room.

  Jessica gazed around, making a lightning-quick inspection of the house. Books and piles of sheet music covered most of the surfaces in the living room, and there were musical instruments everywhere. Apparently Alex wasn't the only musician in the family. She paused for a moment, noticing an expensive stereo system. Then Allison tugged on her hand.

  "Alex is in the sun-room."

  "OK, OK." Jessica followed, and through a pair of french doors she saw a gigantic grand piano. Sheets of music notation paper were spread across the music stand. Beyond the piano were windows looking out across the ocean.

  She raised her eyebrows appreciatively. Spending three afternoons a week in this house wouldn't hurt at all! "Nice view," she observed casually, smiling down at Allison.

  "Isn't it fantastic? A real source of inspiration," came a warm, low-pitched voice from behind her.

  She turned, recognizing Alex Kane's voice from the telephone. But she stopped in her tracks when she saw him. For a long, heart-fluttering moment, she couldn't think of a thing to say. Alex was undoubtedly one of the best-looking guys she had ever seen. The same soft blond hair that framed his sister's pixie face curled behind his ears like gold silk, and intelligence and sensitivity sparkled in his eyes.

  "Hi, Jessica. Thanks for coming," he said warmly, walking toward her with his hand outstretched. "I really appreciate your helping me out this way."