Pretenses Read online

  PRETENSES

  Written by

  Kate William

  Created by

  Francine Pascal

  Copyright © 2015, Francine Pascal

  PRETENSES

  Steven didn't seem to be acting like himself at Cara's party. She watched anxiously as he left the table in the restaurant. "Jessica," she said, frowning, "has Steve been acting differently since he came home?"

  "What do you mean?" Jessica asked.

  "He seems distant. I'm going to go try to talk to him. I'll be back in a second," she said, pushing her chair back and standing. She found Steven sitting on a chair scanning a piece of pink stationery, his brow wrinkled.

  "Hey," Cara said with a smile, coming up behind him and putting her hands on his shoulders, "what's that?"

  Steven jumped. His face turned bright red, and he folded the stationery hastily. "Cara," he said, annoyed, "since when do you go sneaking up on people and read over their shoulders?"

  Cara felt her face grow hot. "I wasn't sneaking!" she said indignantly. "I just came out here to make sure you were all right. Anyway, what difference would it make if I were looking over your shoulder? Since when do you get letters that you have to hide from me, your own girlfriend?"

  "Some things are private, that's all," Steven said defensively. He put the letter into the breast pocket of his suit and turned away.

  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

  "I hate taking the bus to school," Jessica Wakefield grumbled to her friend Cara Walker. It was Wednesday morning, and the girls were taking the bus together to Sweet Valley High. Jessica's blue-green eyes flashed with impatience as she surveyed the crowded seats around them. If there was one thing Jessica didn't like, it was having to compromise, especially first thing in the morning! But her twin sister, Elizabeth, had taken the Fiat they shared to a doctor's appointment, leaving Jessica without a car. That meant taking the bus to Sweet Valley High with Cara—and several dozen others.

  Cara giggled. "Come on, Jess. It's not so bad. You act like it's a fate worse than death to take the bus. I kind of like it." She grinned. "It gives me time to reread the great letters your brother sends me, like the one I got this weekend. He's a terrific writer, Jess, and his letters are incredibly romantic." She pulled the letter out of her shoulder bag. "Just listen to this part," she began, her eyes shining with pleasure.

  Jessica forgot how agonizing it was to take the bus as she regarded her friend. "Cara," she said seriously, "I've been meaning to talk to you about this. When are you two going to smarten up and drop this whole long-distance thing?" Cara had been dating Jessica's older brother, Steven, a college freshman at a nearby state university, for some time now. Although it had been her idea to fix them up in the first place, Jessica had recently decided that Cara and Steven were no longer an ideal couple. For one thing, she preferred having her friend all to herself, and for another, she was sick of so many of her good friends being involved in such serious relationships. Especially with Steven forty-five minutes away! What was the point? After all, there were plenty of good-looking guys right there in Sweet Valley. Lately it had been irritating her more than ever. And Cara—pretty, dark-haired Cara, who had always been so much fun—had really lost a lot of her spunk since she started going out with Steven. The old Cara was much wilder, much more fun. Now she was so—so responsible. Much more like Elizabeth than like Jessica!

  "Don't start in on all that nonsense again," Cara warned her. "How many times have we been through this, Jess? You know I'm madly in love with Steve, so quit trying to talk me out of it. Besides," she added, smiling again, "we have more important things to talk about, like planning my birthday party. So you can just forget this nonsense. I don't need you to wreck my love life."

  Although Cara's birthday was actually a few months earlier, both she and Steven had been going through a rough period at the time, so Cara hadn't really celebrated properly. She had recently decided to throw herself a belated party.

  Jessica sighed and looked out the bus window at the beautiful southern California landscape. "OK," she said at last. But she couldn't help thinking that Cara was being awfully defensive about Steven. She had noticed recently how moody and preoccupied Cara seemed, and she was pretty certain something was wrong between the two of them. She was going to have to make a point of finding out exactly what was going on.

  "I did something totally dumb," Cara confided as the bus lurched around a corner, getting nearer to the high school. "I mentioned to Abbie Richardson that I was having a party, and I think she thinks I'm going to invite her."

  Jessica frowned. Abbie, a sweet-tempered brunette who had never spent much time with Jessica or any of her friends since ninth grade, suddenly seemed to be everywhere. "I don't know what the deal is with Abbie," Jessica complained. "Ever since she broke up with that guy from Palisades High, she's been hanging on everyone, trying to get herself invited to everything."

  "I don't think that's what she's doing, Jessica," Cara said. "Actually, I was the one who brought it up. And she's really very nice. I'd like her to come. It's just that I'm having the party in a private room at the Marine House, and I can't afford to invite more than fourteen. I've gone over the guest list about a dozen times, and there's no one else I can possibly leave out."

  "Don't worry," Jessica assured her. "I'm sure Abbie has forgotten all about it by now. Your party isn't for ages, anyway."

  "It's a week from Sunday," Cara objected. "Not ages away!" Cara's voice was hesitant as she said, "So you really don't think Abbie will mind if I don't invite her? It seems kind of rude after I brought it up."

  Jessica made a face. "I wouldn't waste time thinking about it, Cara. Abbie Richardson managed to get along just fine without any of us for years. I'm sure she'll live if she misses this one little party."

  "I guess you're right," Cara said reluctantly, even though she wasn't so sure. Just then the bus pulled into the parking lot, and total mayhem erupted as everyone tried to squeeze out of the narrow doors at once. In the crush, Cara forgot, for the moment, about Abbie Richardson.

  Elizabeth Wakefield sighed and pushed her lunch tray away. "I don't understand it," she said to Penny Ayala, the editor of the student newspaper. "What do you suppose is wrong with The Oracle? Why isn't it as popular as it used to be?"

  Elizabeth was completely devoted to the school paper. She hoped to be a writer one day, and she wanted all the experience in journalism she could get. Jessica was constantly teasing her about staying locked inside the Oracle office on gorgeous sunny afternoons, afternoons when Jessica was invariably at the beach or at least outside for cheerleading practice. But working on the newspaper didn't seem like a sacrifice to Elizabeth. And, as she often reminded her twin sister, she had gotten to know her boyfriend, Jeffrey French, at the newspaper office. So it wasn't all work and no play after all!

  Jeffrey, who had moved to Sweet Valley from Oregon in the middle of the junior year, was a photographer for the paper. Now he put his hand over Elizabeth's and patted it affectionately. Penny, Elizabeth, and Jeffrey had met at lunch to discuss the questionnaire The Oracle had distributed to the student body the week before. It seemed that Sweet Valley High wasn't quite as interested in its school paper as it had been the past few years.

  "Maybe my column hasn't been exciting enough," Elizabeth said. Her job was to write the "Eyes and Ears" column, a weekly gossip feature that kept everyone aware of who had been s
een where with whom. It had always been one of the most popular features in The Oracle.

  Winston Egbert, a lanky junior who was widely acknowledged as the class clown, set his tray down next to Penny's. "Any room here? Hey," he added, "why all the long faces? You guys look like you just won second prize in the Sweet Valley High sweepstakes."

  When no one responded, Winston looked pained. "Aren't you even going to ask what second prize is?" he demanded.

  "OK," Jeffrey said. "What's second prize in the Sweet Valley High sweepstakes?"

  "Two lunches," Winston said cheerfully, bowing as everyone burst out laughing.

  "We're talking about the questionnaire The Oracle sent out last week," Penny told him. "We're all worried because the responses showed that people are less enthusiastic about the paper than they were the last time we took a poll. We're trying to figure out what we can do to make the paper more lively."

  "Simple," Winston said, unwrapping an ice-cream sandwich with great attention.

  Elizabeth glanced at Jeffrey. "Simple?" she repeated to Winston. "You mean you know what's missing?"

  "Of course," Winston said with authority. "It should be obvious. Look, you've got a great photographer, right?" He patted Jeffrey on the shoulder. "You've got a great editor and some of the best writers around. What you don't have"—he took a bite of ice cream—"is humor. No cartoons. No comic strip. No puzzles. Nothing funny in the whole darn paper."

  "He's right," Penny said to Elizabeth. "I never even thought of that. Did you?"

  Elizabeth had to admit she hadn't. "Winston, that's a great idea! If we add a humorous feature to the paper, I bet people will like it every bit as much as they did when we first started putting the paper out!"

  "The question is, what kind of funny feature?" Jeffrey said musingly. All eyes fell on Winston, who pretended to writhe with pain.

  "Quit looking at me," he said with a groan, covering his face with his hands. "I can't stand it."

  "Winston," Penny said pleadingly, "how would you like to be the new humor editor? Just come up with something truly hilarious by next week and make everyone say how much they love the paper again."

  "Not me," Winston said. "I happen to have an incredibly demanding schedule. David Letterman and Johnny Carson have both been clamoring for my jokes."

  "Winston!" Elizabeth shrieked. "We need you. Can't you see how badly The Oracle needs a good shot of humor?"

  "Of course I can. I'm the one who suggested it," Winston said calmly. "But listen, seriously, guys, I couldn't possibly accept the job. I promised my parents I'd get my grades up by next marking period, and if I don't, I have a feeling they're going to keep me from ever telling a joke again. So no more extracurricular stuff till my grades are as good as Elizabeth Wakefield's." He winked at Elizabeth. "Don't look so depressed," he added, patting her on the arm. "Why don't you guys just handle this the good old American way? Run a competition!"

  "That's not a bad idea," Penny said thoughtfully. "What do you think, guys? Maybe we could put Olivia in charge of it." Olivia Davidson was the arts editor of the paper.

  "I think it's a great idea," Winston said vehemently. "In fact, I'm even willing to work as a consultant—for a nominal fee, of course." Everyone laughed, and he pretended to look hurt. "Nobody knows how tough it is having a good sense of humor. It's so hard to get taken seriously!"

  Penny and Elizabeth immediately began to discuss plans for the humor competition. Jeffrey joined in, and before long they had the plans firmed up. They decided to advertise the competition that very afternoon. Entries would be due a week from Thursday. All they had to do now was present the idea to Mr. Collins, the popular English teacher who also served as adviser to the The Oracle. He was almost certain to approve of whatever they chose to do.

  The four of them were so involved in their conversation that they didn't even notice when Abbie Richardson approached their table, balancing her tray awkwardly in her small hands. "Hey," she said in a soft voice, "mind if I join you?"

  "Not at all," Elizabeth said at once, sliding over to make room for the pretty girl. She gave Abbie a welcoming smile, trying to hide the surprise she felt that Abbie had come over to sit with them. She barely knew Abbie. Maybe Winston did, or Penny. But the others seemed as surprised as Elizabeth, and the conversation faltered a little.

  Abbie Richardson had been friendly with Jessica in ninth grade. In fact, for a few months they had been practically inseparable. Then Abbie had dropped out of the picture. Elizabeth hadn't really kept up with all the details, but as far as she could remember, Abbie had met a tenth-grader from Palisades High—Doug Brewster, a baseball player. From then on Abbie spent all her free time with Doug and his friends. She sat on the Palisades' side when the two schools played each other and never bothered to keep up her friendships with people from Sweet Valley High. That was two whole years ago, and since then most people had forgotten all about Abbie Richardson, at least, until a few weeks ago when Abbie and Doug broke up. Shortly after the breakup, Abbie started showing up in places where she hadn't been seen for ages.

  Although Elizabeth knew little about Abbie, she liked her. There was something sweet and appealing in her expression. She was strikingly pretty in a demure way, her dark brown hair as fine as satin and her eyes a clear light blue. Everything about her was delicate—her ivory complexion, her dainty hands, her soft smile. Even her voice was sweet and well modulated.

  "We're just talking about running a competition for a new humor feature in The Oracle," Penny said to Abbie and went on to explain the idea the group had come up with.

  Abbie's eyes lit up. "I love The Oracle," she said quickly. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

  Elizabeth was surprised. It wasn't exactly typical to hear someone volunteer, especially someone with no connection to the paper.

  Penny smiled. "Maybe you can. We're going to need to make posters to advertise the contest. If you really want to, Abbie . . ."

  "Oh, I'd love to!" Abbie said quickly. She blushed slightly under Winston's scrutinizing gaze.

  "You know, Abbie is an ace cartoonist," Winston said thoughtfully. "Shouldn't you be trying out yourself instead of making the posters?" he asked Abbie. He turned to the others to explain that he and Abbie had been in an art class together the year before, and she had been one of the most talented students in the class.

  Abbie shrugged. "I think I'd rather help Penny and Liz make posters," she said matter-of-factly. "Anyway, Winston is exaggerating."

  Elizabeth looked at her with increasing interest. Abbie didn't seem the sort of girl to put herself down. Winston wouldn't have said she was talented if she wasn't. So why would she rather help make posters than enter the competition? It didn't make sense.

  "I'd better take my tray up," Penny said, brushing the crumbs from her lap. "I've got to go talk to Mr. Collins about our new scheme."

  "Let me take it for you," Abbie said, jumping to her feet and taking the tray before Penny could say a word in protest.

  Penny stared at her. "Uh, thanks," she said, confused.

  "What a nice girl," Jeffrey said, watching Abbie hurry off with Penny's tray.

  Elizabeth and Penny exchanged glances. Elizabeth wondered if Penny was thinking the same thing she was. Nice wasn't the word. Abbie seemed too good to be true!

  Two

  "Anyone home?" Elizabeth called later that afternoon as she opened the front door to the Wakefields' comfortable split-level house.

  "We're in here," Jessica called from the living room, where she and Cara had spread their homework all over the carpet only to ignore it. They were watching Jessica's favorite soap opera on TV.

  Elizabeth laughed when she walked into the room. "Hard at work, as usual," she said dryly. Homework was the bane of her twin sister's existence. Luckily there were distractions such as radio and television to help her get through the ordeal!

  "You two crack me up," Cara said, pushing a strand of hair away from her face. "How is it possible to look like clon
es and act like total opposites?"

  Elizabeth and Jessica grinned at each other. They had asked themselves the same question for so long now, it was hard to believe they hadn't figured out a sensible answer. Cara was right. On the outside they were mirror images—sun-streaked blond hair, blue-green eyes the color of the Pacific, tiny dimples that showed when they smiled, and shapely size-six figures. Their voices were identical, and their gestures were the same. It was no wonder people had a hard time telling them apart!

  But that was it as far as identical went. Elizabeth couldn't believe that she was only four minutes older than her twin. Sometimes those minutes felt like years! Not that Jessica was immature. She could act much older than sixteen—especially if a cute older guy was around to watch her. It was just that Jessica thrived on excitement and change. Whatever the latest fad, Jessica had to be in on it. She wore the newest fashions, which she got sick of almost as soon as the bills were paid, if not sooner. She went through hobbies with feverish zeal and got bored easily, so easily that she complained that her twin sister was set a whole gear too slow. "That's why I don't wear a watch," Jessica was fond of saying. "Because I like to go at my own pace." Elizabeth always rolled her eyes at this remark. It was so typical of Jessica—trying to make a virtue out of an honest-to-goodness bad habit! She was notoriously late to everything. She couldn't be counted on for anything but excitement—and trouble. More times than she could count, Elizabeth had been called on to bail her sister out of difficult situations. And sometimes Jessica's antics got to be more than she could bear. But deep down the twins loved each other with all their hearts, and Elizabeth could never stay mad at Jessica for very long.

  Elizabeth, in contrast to her impulsive twin, possessed a calm, even-tempered personality. She was as fair and judicious as her sister was hot-tempered and irrational. Sometimes Elizabeth thought it was her desire to be a journalist that made her so objective. Whatever the cause, she prided herself on looking before she leaped whereas Jessica never looked.