The Parent Plot Read online

  THE PARENT PLOT

  Written by

  Kate William

  Created by

  FRANCINE PASCAL

  Copyright © 2015, Francine Pascal

  Jessica fiddled with the gold lavaliere around her neck. "So who else do you think Mom would want to go out with?"

  "Are you out of your mind?" Elizabeth shouted, slamming down her book. "Doesn't it mean anything to you that Mom and Dad were happy being together tonight? Doesn't that matter to you at all?"

  Jessica sighed and shook her head. "Sure, it was nice, Liz. But it doesn't change anything."

  "But this could be the start of their getting back together," Elizabeth insisted. "If you just leave them alone, they'll work it out!"

  "I don't think that's going to happen, I really don't," Jessica said regretfully.

  Elizabeth's lower lip trembled. "How can you say that? How can you be so casual about it? How can you keep trying to fix Mom up with dates? I think it's really sick!"

  Jessica shrugged and leaned back on her elbows. "I just don't want Mom to be lonely, that's all. There's nothing sick about that. You're the one who wants to keep dragging the past around. That's sick."

  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

  Elizabeth Wakefield brought the morning issue of the Sweet Valley News into the kitchen and handed it to her mother. "Morning, Mom," she said. "The paper's late this morning. I heard Tom throwing it on the porch, so I went out and got it."

  Alice Wakefield, who was sitting at the table, drinking a cup of coffee, smiled as she took the paper. "Thanks, honey."

  The kitchen door opened again, and Elizabeth's twin sister, Jessica, breezed in. "We're getting our French quiz back today," she announced ominously. "Quel horreur."

  Mrs. Wakefield laughed as she opened the front section of the newspaper. "You'll survive, Jess."

  Elizabeth helped herself to a blueberry muffin and orange juice. It was a normal breakfast, like a thousand others at the Wakefield house. Normal, that is, except for the fact that Mr. Wakefield wasn't there.

  Recently Ned and Alice Wakefield had been going through a difficult period in their marriage. After weeks of unhappiness and bitter arguing, the twins' father had moved out of the house. Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield had decided that they both needed some time apart to figure out where their marriage was headed.

  Nobody knew how long the separation would last, and Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield had urged Elizabeth, Jessica, and their brother, Steven, not to let it interrupt their routines. So Steven, who had been spending an unusual amount of time at home, had gone back to the nearby state college he attended. And Jessica, to Elizabeth's surprise, had gone right on with her life as if nothing had changed. But Elizabeth—even though she had tried—hadn't been able to stop worrying about her parents.

  Now Mr. Wakefield was busy running for mayor of Sweet Valley, which didn't leave him much time to work things out with his wife.

  "Mom, don't forget that Liz and I are going to the campaign office after school," Jessica said, polishing an apple with her napkin. "Dad says there're a bunch of envelopes that need stuffing." She sat back and took a big bite of the apple. "It is so hectic over there," she said, "but it's fun, too."

  Mrs. Wakefield gave her a weak smile. "That's nice."

  Elizabeth winced. Tact was not Jessica's strong suit. In fact, Jessica didn't believe in subtlety at all. She was wild and daring, and she loved making grand entrances and dramatic exits. Some of her friends called her Hurricane Jessica, and Jessica always tried to live up to her nickname. If there was excitement somewhere, Jessica was sure to be in the middle of it. She loved being the center of attention.

  Elizabeth was just the opposite. She was quiet, and even though she often headed committees at school and was extremely popular, she didn't really enjoy the limelight. Unlike Jessica, who changed her interests almost hourly, Elizabeth knew that she wanted to be a professional writer someday. She considered the hours she spent working on Sweet Valley High's school newspaper, The Oracle, valuable experience.

  Also, Jessica liked to date a lot of guys. No one boy held her interest for any length of time. Elizabeth, however, had a steady boyfriend, Todd Wilkins, and enjoyed spending as much time as possible with him.

  Sometimes it was hard to believe that Elizabeth and Jessica were identical twins. But both were five feet six, with golden blond hair and eyes the color of the Pacific Ocean. Each twin had a dimple in her left cheek that showed when she smiled, and each of them wore an identical gold lavaliere around her neck. They were carbon copies, or clones, as Steven liked to call them.

  In spite of their differences, there was a special bond between the girls. Being identical twins gave them a closeness that nobody else could understand. Elizabeth loved her twin sister and was fiercely loyal to her—even if Jessica was as subtle as a bulldozer sometimes.

  "Mom, I can come home after school if you want," Elizabeth offered.

  Her mother shook her head. "Don't be silly," she said gently. "I know your father needs help."

  "OK," Elizabeth agreed. She glanced at her mother from the corner of her eye. To Elizabeth, her mother looked tired and preoccupied. If only there was some way to get Mom and Dad back together, Elizabeth thought wistfully. But with the mayoral campaign in full swing, her father hardly had time for meals, let alone working out a complex relationship. Elizabeth shook her head regretfully. The odds were against her parents patching things up right now.

  "Come on," Jessica said, pushing her chair back. "We'll be late for school."

  "See you later, Mom," Elizabeth said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

  All the way to school Jessica chattered about the varsity cheerleading team, of which she was co-captain, and about her best friend, Lila Fowler. Elizabeth hardly listened, however. She was too preoccupied thinking about their parents' situation.

  Once at school, she headed for her locker. She worked the combination mechanically, opened the door, and stood staring into the locker, lost in thought.

  "You look like you just spotted a UFO in there," said a voice behind her.

  Startled, Elizabeth turned around. "Oh, hi, Win," she said, laughing.

  Winston Egbert was a boy she had known since first grade. He was tall and skinny, and always had a wisecrack for everyone. But that morning Elizabeth noticed the usual impish sparkle was missing from his eyes.

  "What's up?" Elizabeth asked. "You look pretty gloomy."

  Winston shrugged. "Oh, nothing, I guess. Well, OK, since you insist on dragging it out of me—it's Maria."

  "Maria?" Elizabeth echoed. "I guess she's still pretty upset about her father having to drop out of the mayoral race, right?" Maria Santelli was Winston's girlfriend.

  Winston nodded. "That, plus people are really acting snotty to her. She thinks her father was framed, that he never took that bribe. But people in school are treating her like some kind of outcast."

  Peter Santelli was the reason Mr. Wakefield was running for mayor. The two men had been friends for years, and when Mr. Santelli declared his candidacy, Mr. Wakefield had been behind him one hundred percent. Then an anonymous source had leaked the information that a large sum of money had been deposited in Mr. Santelli's bank account. It could only have been a bribe, or so everyone believed. In spite of a quick investigation and trial, during which Ned Wakefield had defended Peter Santelli, the possibility of a bribe could not be proven. There hadn't been enough evidence one way or the other. The damage had been done, however. Santelli had dropped out of the race in a cloud of suspicion, and Ned Wakefield stepped into his place.

  "But even if he was guilty, that doesn't have anything to do with Maria," Elizabeth pointed out. "That's just not fair."

  "Yeah, well, whoever said life was fair?" Winston said bitterly. "And she was so excited, too. She really had fun working on the campaign for him."

  Elizabeth brightened. "Listen, do you think she would like it if I asked her to help my dad? I mean, that wouldn't hurt her feelings, would it?"

  "I don't know," Winston admitted, putting his hands into his pockets. "But I think you should definitely give it a shot."

  "I will," Elizabeth said firmly. She took her chemistry book out of her locker and then snapped the door shut. "I'll see her in French class. I'll ask her then."

  Winston looked hopeful. "Great. Catch you later."

  All through homeroom Elizabeth debated with herself. If her father had dropped out of the race, how would she feel about working for another candidate? She wasn't really sure, but she decided it wouldn't hurt to ask. And second period when she got to French and saw how depressed Maria looked, Elizabeth got up her nerve.

  "Work for your dad?" Maria answered, sounding surprised.

  Elizabeth bit her lip. "I just thought you might want to help out."

  "He wants to work for the same things my father did," Maria went on in a thoughtful voice. She twirled her pen absently. "And I know my father really likes yours."

  "So what do you think?" Elizabeth pressed. "Do you want to come this afternoon and see how it goes?"

  Maria smiled. "Sure," she said. "As long as you don't mind being associated with me."

  Elizabeth gav
e her friend a playfully severe look. "Don't even joke about something like that," she said.

  "Thanks," Maria whispered. She looked away. "Well, I'll meet you after school, I guess."

  "And don't worry," Elizabeth went on emphatically. "I know he'll be cleared soon. I really believe that."

  Maria nodded and smiled weakly.

  Elizabeth went to her desk, deep in thought. Between worrying about her parents, trying to get her father elected, and wondering who was behind the Santelli scandal, she had quite a lot on her mind these days.

  The moment Elizabeth, Jessica, and Maria entered the campaign office after school, two people called out to them.

  "I need you guys over here!" Amanda Mason, a pretty, young attorney, said, waving sheets of telephone numbers.

  Another one of Mr. Wakefield's aides, Ramon Valdes, dumped a box on a table. "These envelopes need stuffing immediately," he insisted.

  "Whoa! I thought you guys liked me for my charming personality," Jessica said laughing. She pushed up her sleeves. "I hate stuffing envelopes," she told Ramon as she headed for Amanda.

  "How about you two?" Ramon asked Elizabeth and Maria.

  Elizabeth looked at Maria. Telephones were ringing, and people were talking and rushing back and forth.

  "Well," Elizabeth said, her eyes sparkling, "are you ready for the madhouse?"

  Maria chuckled and nodded. "I think I can handle it."

  Together they headed for the table where Ramon was piling up envelopes, mailing labels, and letters. In minutes they had set up a miniature assembly line.

  "You could use one more person here," Ramon said, frowning. "I think Terry is here somewhere." He hurried off.

  "Is that Terry Knapp?" Maria asked Elizabeth. She peeled off a mailing label and pressed it down on an envelope.

  Elizabeth nodded while she folded up a letter. "Yeah, he's been working here. He's really nice, but whenever his uncle shows up, Terry suddenly has the urge for some fresh air."

  "I can understand that," Maria said dryly.

  Terry Knapp's uncle was one of Ned Wakefield's top political advisers. He had been helping out on Mr. Santelli's campaign. When Peter Santelli dropped out of the race, James Knapp and Henry Patman had convinced Mr. Wakefield to run in his place. Knapp had a lot of influential friends, and his advice on political matters was indispensable. Elizabeth knew her father relied heavily on him. But the fact was, Mr. Knapp was not exactly a likeable man. His nephew Terry wasn't the only one who avoided him. Elizabeth thought he was pushy and overbearing.

  "Hi, Liz," Terry said, walking up. He gave Maria a big smile. "Welcome back to politics, Maria. Sorry about your dad," he added in a sympathetic voice.

  Maria returned his smile and looked around the campaign office. "Thanks. I still want to help out, even though it isn't my father's race anymore."

  "That's great," Terry said. He looked at the pile of stuffed envelopes and made a face. "Somebody has to lick all of those, right? Yuck."

  "You can use a sponge," Elizabeth said, and laughed.

  While Terry brought Maria up to date on the campaign, Elizabeth glanced around, wondering where her father was. She hadn't even had a chance to say hello to him yet. Part of the office was partitioned off with tall filing cabinets, creating a makeshift office for Mr. Wakefield. In a moment he came around the corner of the filing cabinets, and Mr. Knapp was right behind him. The two men walked over to the table where Elizabeth and the others were working.

  "Well, all hands on deck, I see," Mr. Knapp said in a loud, hearty voice. He clapped Terry on the shoulder. Terry looked uncomfortable.

  "Hi, Dad," Elizabeth said. She kissed him quickly on the cheek.

  "How are you, honey?" he asked. He smiled at Maria. "Nice to see you."

  "Looks like we can't get rid of you!" Mr. Knapp said to her. "Well, now, we know that you know how to lose; let's see if you can learn to win!"

  Maria's cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "I just wanted to help," she protested.

  "And I appreciate it," Mr. Wakefield said quickly.

  Elizabeth felt sorry for her friend. She couldn't believe Mr. Knapp would be so insensitive, but that was just the way he was. She watched as her father walked to the door with the other man. They spoke for a few minutes, and then Mr. Knapp left. Ned Wakefield stood where he was for a while, lost in thought.

  He looks tired, Elizabeth realized.

  She wondered if he missed her mother or if he was too busy to think about her. Elizabeth had to look away. Thinking about it only made her hurt more inside.

  Two

  Jessica checked the rearview mirror for traffic and then pulled away from the curb. The twins shared a Fiat Spider convertible, and Jessica loved driving with the top down. It was easier to get noticed that way. She smiled at a cute guy in an oncoming car and then glanced over at her twin.

  "Politics is pretty crazy, isn't it?" she said in a casual tone. "I mean, you'd never catch me running for mayor, but it's fun working on Dad's campaign."

  "Mmm." Elizabeth propped her elbow up on the door and leaned her head on her hand.

  "And you meet really interesting people, don't you think?" Jessica went on. "Like, oh, say, Amanda Mason, for instance. She's nice."

  Elizabeth was staring out at nothing. After a moment, she looked over. "What?"

  "I said, Amanda Mason is really nice," Jessica repeated distinctly. She grinned and poked her twin in the ribs. "Come back to Earth, Liz."

  "Sorry." Elizabeth sighed and lapsed back into moody silence.

  Jessica gave her sister an exasperated glance. She was pretty sure she knew what Elizabeth was brooding about—their parents. But as far as Jessica could tell, it was a hopeless situation. She had seen it happen so many times to friends at school that she was absolutely positive about one thing: "trial" separations were just the first step toward getting divorced.

  Of course, it was a terrible thing to have happened to their family, Jessica admitted. But what was the use of trying to change what wouldn't change? That would only make them all more upset. They would be better off if they accepted the situation as it was and concentrated on the future.

  "So, Amanda was telling me all about how she went to law school in Washington, D.C.," Jessica went on, weaving in and out of traffic. "She says she wants to run for Congress someday, or maybe even governor or something."

  She looked over at her sister and waited for an answer. "Liz?" Jessica finally said.

  Elizabeth raised her head. "Sorry—what? Who are you talking about?"

  "Amanda Mason," Jessica said, rolling her eyes. "She's so interesting, and smart. And pretty, too. Don't you think?"

  "I guess," Elizabeth said.

  Jessica gave her sister a sidelong look. "I think Dad thinks so, too."

  "Oh," Elizabeth said in a faraway voice. Then she did a double take. "What do you mean?" she asked sharply, sitting up straighter.

  Jessica arched an eyebrow. "I just said I think Dad likes Amanda, that's all. She's just his type."

  "Just his type?" Elizabeth echoed, horrified. "Jessica, don't tell me you're trying to fix Dad up with Amanda Mason. Are you?"

  "What's wrong with her?" Jessica asked indignantly. "Not only is she smart and pretty but—"

  Elizabeth groaned. "There's nothing wrong with her. But Dad still happens to be married to Mom, in case you forgot. They'll get back together, you'll see."

  Jessica shook her head and turned the car down their street. "Liz, face facts. It's over. Mom and Dad both have to get on with their lives. I think we should just accept that."

  "No, I won't accept that!" Elizabeth retorted. "They'll work it out on their own eventually, but if you start messing things up with some crazy matchmaking scheme, you're only going to make it more difficult for them." Her voice was shaking with emotion.

  "OK, OK," Jessica said mildly. She didn't want Elizabeth to get all worked up. "Forget it," she went on, pulling into the driveway and turning off the motor. Their mother's car was already parked ahead of them.

  Elizabeth sat back and regarded Jessica in silence for a few moments.

  "Promise me you won't try to mess things up, Jess," Elizabeth pleaded.

  "I won't mess things up," Jessica promised, her eyes wide and innocent. She crossed her heart and snapped her fingers twice. "Remember that? Our secret promise sign from when we were little?"