On the Edge Read online

  ON THE EDGE

  Written by

  Kate William

  Created by

  FRANCINE PASCAL

  Copyright © 2015, Francine Pascal

  ON THE EDGE

  Regina's eyes widened as she stared across the lawn. Bruce and Amy were emerging from behind the tree in the back of the Wakefields' lot.

  "You knew where he was all along," Regina said in a choked voice. "Why didn't you tell me, Liz?"

  "I didn't think it was up to me," Elizabeth murmured, putting her hand on Regina's arm. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything. I just wanted to keep you from getting hurt."

  "Let go of me." Regina jerked her arm away. "I thought you were my friend," she repeated, her voice so cold and angry that she sounded like a stranger. "But you let me come here and make a fool of myself!"

  Elizabeth's eyes filled with tears. "Regina, please let me try to explain—" she began. But it was too late.

  Regina stormed across the lawn, her black hair flying. "Don't give me that look," she snapped at Bruce. "I want your keys. I'm going to drive your car to my house. Come pick it up whenever you want it. The keys will be in the mailbox." Her face was ashen, and she was trembling with rage. "I never want to speak to you as long as I live!"

  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

  One

  Jessica Wakefield flipped her sun-streaked blond hair back and checked her appearance in the locker-room mirror with obvious satisfaction. She loved her cheerleading costume. The red cotton sweater really made her blue-green eyes stand out, and the white pleated skirt showed her long, tanned legs off to perfect advantage. Jessica loved cheerleading. She prided herself on being one of the most visible members of the junior class at Sweet Valley High, and she did everything possible to make sure that wherever the action was, she would be right in the middle of it.

  Her reverie was shattered as the door to the locker room burst open and the rest of the squad came hurrying in. "Jess!" Amy Sutton exclaimed, her blue eyes wide with excitement. "You were completely wrong about Bruce Patman. And I mean completely! Just ask these guys," she added, gesturing to her squadmates. "We just bumped into him in the hallway, and you should've seen the way he looked at me." She hugged herself and sighed. "It's obvious, Jessica—the guy's completely flipped over me! He and Regina Morrow are history."

  Jessica looked skeptically at her friend. Though she usually defended Amy—especially to her twin sister Elizabeth—she had to admit that lately the girl had been getting worse. Amy really did seem boy-crazy these days. Ever since she had gotten it into her head that Bruce Patman was in love with her, she'd been more and more difficult to deal with.

  "It's true, Jessica," Maria Santelli agreed. The pert brunette opened her locker and took her cheerleading skirt out of her knapsack as she talked. "Believe me, I couldn't have imagined it either. I thought Bruce was as devoted to Regina as a guy could possibly be. But he really was fawning all over Amy. He seems hopelessly in love."

  Jessica looked thoughtful as she turned from the mirror. Maria wasn't exactly given to overstatement. Was it possible Amy wasn't just imagining the whole thing? Jessica narrowed her eyes at the blonde, trying to imagine what Bruce Patman might see in her. But then, she reminded herself, who could possibly tell what Bruce Patman saw in anyone? The only son of one of the richest families in the valley, Bruce had earned himself a reputation as the most arrogant boy around—until he fell in love with Regina Morrow, that is. If he was starting to get interested in Amy, he must be reverting to his old self.

  Amy was certainly pretty. Tall and slender, with soft blond hair that touched her shoulders, she had the willowy good looks of a cover girl. Lately Jessica had noticed that Amy seemed especially self-absorbed. All she seemed to talk about was the latest diet she had discovered or special tricks to bring out the highlights in her hair. And ever since she and Bruce had been assigned to work together on a special project in their health class, her main interest in life—other than herself—was Bruce Patman.

  Jessica could hardly believe how much she had heard from Amy about Bruce Patman over the past few days. In part she was getting sick of the subject. But her natural curiosity made her want to pump Amy for more information. Her friends Lila Fowler and Cara Walker would want to hear all about this, and Jessica hated to stop good gossip at its source.

  "OK, OK," she said, relenting. "Tell me all about it."

  "You know how it is," Amy said airily, grabbing a brush out of Maria's hand and setting to work on her hair. "You start working with someone—especially on an intense project like ours—and one thing kind of leads to another." She leaned forward, admiring herself in the mirror. "Naturally, Bruce is very attracted to me. I mean at first I could see how hard he was trying to restrain himself, but it was just too much—for both of us." She sighed. "I really admire Bruce for wanting to let Regina down easily. After all, you know how fragile she is—how temperamental. If he told her how he felt about me right away, who knows what she'd do?"

  Jessica's eyes widened. "You really think things have gone so far that Bruce is going to dump Regina for you?"

  Amy pouted. "Jessica, please," she objected. "You make it sound so heartless." She tossed her hair back and reached for a red ribbon. "It's obvious that their relationship is over, that's all. Bruce has pretty much said so himself." She lowered her eyes modestly. "I don't want to push him or anything," she added. "After all, they've been together for a long time. But I do think it's inevitable that they're going to split up." She smiled knowingly. "And I intend to be right there for Bruce when they do!"

  Jessica frowned. She was surprised that things had progressed so far between Bruce and Amy. Not that she'd ever had that much faith in Bruce as a person—in fact, there had been no love lost between Jessica and Bruce for quite some time now. But Regina really seemed to have changed Bruce. It was hard not to love Regina—everyone did. And though Jessica didn't see Regina as the "fragile" type, as Amy had just described her, it was certainly true that Regina had been through quite a bit.

  Regina Morrow was one of the most strikingly beautiful girls at school. Everything about her made her stand out: her raven black hair, her enormous blue eyes, her ivory complexion. But Regina's beauty wasn't the thing people remembered most about her. She was sweet, soft-spoken, and somewhat shy, although once you got to know her, she had a delightfully warm sense of humor.

  Elizabeth often remarked to Jessica that Regina's shyness might well be traced to the handicap she had overcome during the past year. Born with a severe hearing loss, Regina had attended special schools before entering Sweet Valley High in the middle of the junior year, and then had to work hard to be accepted. Treatments in Switzerland had given her almost normal hearing, but she still seemed to have a different quality, something that set her apart and made her unusual.

  No one could believe it when Bruce and Regina fell in love. It seemed uncharacteristic for Bruce to fall for someone, especially someone as gentle and genuine as Regina. But their relationship was far from trouble-free. No sooner had they fallen in love than Regina was offered the opportunity to go to Switzerland for the special treatments. Only after much thought did she decide to leave Bruce to undergo the procedures. Everyone assumed they would break up, but in fact they had managed to survive the difficulties posed by a long-distance relationship. Jessica had assumed, as had all her classmates, that things were still going strong between them.

  Unt
il Amy Sutton had entered the picture.

  But Jessica wasn't one to judge when it came to love. Her motto had always been, "Make sure you get what you want." She knew her twin would see it differently, but Jessica loved nothing better than a scandal. Her eyes sparkled now as she regarded Amy.

  "You know," she said mischievously, "things have been getting a little dull around here." She giggled. "I mean, people having to resort to using personal ads and everything." Jessica was referring to the ads that had been run in The Oracle, the school newspaper, which had generated a great deal of excitement and confusion over the past few weeks. "It sounds like you and Bruce are going to do your best to create some action!"

  Amy gave her a smug little smile. "You're absolutely right," she said coolly. "I couldn't have put it any better myself."

  "I don't get it," Elizabeth Wakefield said sharply, frowning at Jessica as she rinsed some lettuce in the sink. The twins were in the Wakefields' Spanish-style kitchen, and Jessica was filling her sister in on the goings-on between Bruce and Amy while Elizabeth prepared a salad for dinner.

  "I told you," Jessica said politely, reaching over to snatch a piece of avocado. "Didn't you just hear what I said?"

  "I did, but I can't believe Bruce would. . . ." Elizabeth's voice trailed off as she stared at her twin. "I can't believe Amy Sutton," she added with irritation. "It sounds to me like she's completely out of line. She's wrong to be trying to get Bruce to like her, and she's certainly wrong to be telling all you guys about it!" Still frowning, she shook the lettuce dry. "What if Regina hears about it from someone before Bruce talks to her? That is," she added, "if Amy's right and there really is something going on. It wouldn't surprise me if she's just made the whole thing up."

  Jessica looked at Elizabeth with an expression halfway between frustration and concern. It was always this way when she tried to explain something perfectly simple to her sister. Elizabeth just couldn't seem to grasp the essentials. But that was because Elizabeth had such a fierce sense of right and wrong. As Jessica took another piece of avocado, she thought about how ironic it was that she and Elizabeth should look exactly alike. They were worlds apart when it came to their personalities!

  Elizabeth was the older of the two by four minutes, and sometimes it seemed to Jessica that she took her role as "older" sister way too seriously. Not that Elizabeth meant to reprimand Jessica as much as she seemed to, but the truth was that Elizabeth was the more serious twin. She actually enjoyed doing homework and working long hours at The Oracle. She was incredibly loyal, and the things that mattered most to her—such as her boyfriend Jeffrey French, her best friend Enid Rollins, her commitment to writing and schoolwork—absorbed her entirely. Jessica, however, was as changeable as the Pacific Ocean, full of energy and high spirits—and as inclined to get into trouble as her sister was inclined to stay out of it.

  Nevertheless, the two looked like exact duplicates. With their five-foot-six-inch, model-slender figures and sun-streaked hair, they seemed to embody Southern California beauty. Every detail about them was identical, from the dimple each showed when she smiled to the gold lavaliere necklaces they wore—presents from their parents on their sixteenth birthday.

  But right now Elizabeth's expression was considerably darker than her twin's. She liked and respected Regina Morrow, and the thought of Amy Sutton trying to break up her relationship with Bruce really aggravated her.

  The funny thing was that Amy had originally been Elizabeth's friend, not Jessica's. In sixth grade Elizabeth and Amy had been almost inseparable. When Amy's mother was offered a job as a broadcaster in Connecticut, the Suttons had moved away, and eventually Elizabeth and Amy's friendship lapsed. Elizabeth had been delirious with joy when she learned that the Suttons were returning to Sweet Valley this year.

  It had been quite a shock to see Amy again—the new Amy. The quiet tomboy was gone, and in her place Elizabeth found a spoiled, self-obsessed, boy-crazy girl who was manipulative rather than caring. Jessica, who had been less than thrilled at the prospect of Amy's return, was the one who ended up enjoying her company. In fact, Jessica had found her transformation a pleasant surprise. But then Jessica liked hours and hours of talk about hairstyles, fashion, and boys. Especially boys. And Elizabeth just didn't.

  "I don't think it's necessarily such a bad thing," Jessica defended Amy. She reached for another piece of avocado.

  Elizabeth slapped her hand lightly. "Save some of that for dinner, OK?" She gave Jessica a searching look. "Don't you care about Regina's feelings? I can't believe Bruce, even the old Bruce, would consider giving up someone as wonderful as Regina for Amy." She grimaced.

  Jessica sighed. "Liz, I still can't see why you're so hard on Amy. Anyway, I don't think it's healthy for couples to stay together so long." She gave Elizabeth a meaningful stare. "I mean, what's the point of being young if you can't have lots of different experiences? Bruce and Regina have been together forever—even longer than you and Jeffrey."

  "I'll try to ignore that," Elizabeth said lightly, taking ingredients for salad dressing out of the refrigerator. "I know you aren't big on serious relationships, but even you have to admit that Regina's done Bruce a lot of good. If he really likes Amy. . . ." She shuddered.

  "Amy says it's because they've been thrown together so much on this health class project. They're supposed to be doing an oral report on drugs in Sweet Valley, and Amy says they're finding out all kinds of stuff. She says it's just natural that she and Bruce would end up feeling really strongly about each other."

  Elizabeth groaned. "That makes absolutely no sense. All I can say is that Bruce would be out of his mind to lose a great thing like his relationship with Regina." From her expression it was clear the discussion was over. "Let's just hope he realizes that—and that Amy's exaggerating things. It sure wouldn't be the first time."

  Jessica didn't answer. She was thinking that for such a smart girl, her twin could be pretty off-base at times.

  She knew Amy Sutton well enough to know that when Amy wanted something, she got it. And clearly what Amy wanted was for Bruce Patman to tell Regina it was over between them forever.

  Two

  Amy Sutton was having the time of her life. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon, and she and Bruce were sitting together on the patio overlooking the Patmans' sprawling estate. Their notes for their report were spread out before them, but Amy was too intent on Bruce to be worried about their work. "I love this place," she gushed, putting her hand closer to his on the table. "Bruce, it's so much fun working together on this project." She looked meaningfully into his eyes. "Do you think it was fate that we were assigned to work together?"

  Bruce laughed. "I don't think so. I think it may have been the seating chart that did it. It looks like people who sat next to each other were assigned to be partners."

  Amy pouted. "I think it was fate," she murmured, inching her fingers closer to his.

  Bruce reddened slightly and cleared his throat. "So—uh, do you think we're really going to be able to learn much about the drug situation in Sweet Valley from interviewing this cousin of yours?"

  "Of course," Amy purred, her fingers almost touching his. "Mimi knows lots of people who know all about drugs. She'll be able to give us all the inside information we need." She lowered her voice, trying to make it sound husky. "I'm sure our report will be the best in the class."

  Bruce looked down at her hand, obviously confused. "And you're sure the only time we can talk to her is tomorrow night?"

  Amy nodded, trying to look very serious. Actually it had taken some effort to convince her cousin to meet with them on a Friday evening, but it seemed to Amy that she had to increase her efforts to win Bruce away from Regina. Getting him to work with her on a Friday night was a step in the right direction. It had worked the week before. Amy had insisted they work together, and Regina had been left at home—alone. There was a forties dance at school, and Amy heard from Lila Fowler that everyone had commented on the fact that Bruce and Regina hadn
't appeared together. The way Amy saw it, it wouldn't take much more time before she had Bruce doing what she wanted. She knew how much he liked her, and she had been thinking for weeks now about nothing else but how to get him to admit his feelings.

  "You know, Bruce," she said meaningfully, shifting on her chair so that her knee bumped his under the table, "I had this amazing dream last night." She fixed her eyes intently on his. "I dreamed that you and I were out in the middle of nowhere together, just the two of us, and we were talking about our report, and all of a sudden. . . ." She tried her hardest to look embarrassed. That summer spent studying acting back East was sure paying off now, she thought. Bruce looked positively mesmerized. "Oh, never mind," she said, pretending to be annoyed with herself. "Why am I bugging you with dumb personal stuff like my dreams when we have all this work to do?"

  "No, go on," Bruce pleaded, fascinated. "What happened in the dream?"

  Amy stared at his lips. "It's kind of embarrassing," she whispered, so caught up in her act that she almost forgot she was making the whole thing up as she went along.

  "Tell me," Bruce said, entranced, "I promise I won't hold it against you. It's only a dream, right?"

  "Yeah," Amy said huskily, her knee against his again, "but remember what we learned in our psychology unit—don't some people think dreams represent wishes or something?"

  Bruce stared at her. "Tell me what you dreamed," he repeated.

  Amy took a deep breath. She had him exactly where she wanted him now, she thought triumphantly. "Well," she said softly, leaning closer to him, "we were, you know, in the middle of nowhere. And all of a sudden"—she gazed meaningfully up into his eyes—"all of a sudden you were kissing me." She dropped her eyes demurely. "See why I'm embarrassed?" she asked.

  "Amy," Bruce said huskily, leaning forward and covering her hand with his. In the old days Bruce Patman would never have let an opportunity like this pass him by, and it was clear he was fighting now with his conscience.