Who's to Blame? Read online

  WHO'S TO BLAME

  Written by

  Kate William

  Created by

  FRANCINE PASCAL

  Copyright © 2015, Francine Pascal

  To Hilary Bloom

  Enid put her arms around Elizabeth. "Hey," she said softly, ''don't torture yourself. It isn't your fault that your parents are separating. Will you trust me on this one? However terrible the things you may have done seem to you right now, they aren't the cause," Enid insisted.

  Elizabeth sighed. Enid just didn't understand. "I guess you're right," she muttered.

  "I know I'm right," Enid said confidently. "There's no way their separation was your fault. You have to stop thinking like that."

  Elizabeth nodded glumly. Of course Enid would say those things—that was what best friends were for. But deep down, Elizabeth knew she was at least partly to blame for her parents' separation, and nothing was going to convince her otherwise.

  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

  One

  "Liz?"

  Elizabeth Wakefield heard a voice calling her through the closed bedroom door. She sat up sleepily and rubbed her eyes. But before she could focus on her alarm clock, the door burst open, and her twin sister, Jessica, rushed into the room.

  "What are you doing still in bed?" Jessica cried accusingly. "It's almost ten-thirty!"

  "You're kidding." Elizabeth groaned. She had set her alarm for nine o'clock, but obviously she had slept through it.

  "You'd better hurry up and get dressed," Jessica added. "Daddy finished packing his stuff half an hour ago. We've all eaten breakfast, too."

  Elizabeth's heart sank. Now she knew why she had overslept. She had been deep in the middle of a wonderful dream about her family. In the dream, her parents had been holding hands and laughing. They told Elizabeth, Jessica, and their older brother, Steven, that they weren't separating after all.

  Elizabeth swung her tanned legs over the side of the bed and reached listlessly for her bathrobe. Too bad it was only a dream! Now that she was awake, she would have to face reality. It was the first day of the month, and her father was moving into an apartment downtown.

  "You don't have to act like you're going to a funeral," Jessica said. "It's not the end of the world. Dad's only going to be a few miles away. We can visit him whenever we want to, and he's going to take us out to dinner and do things with us all the time. I think it'll be kind of fun."

  Elizabeth stared uncomprehendingly at her sister. Sometimes she couldn't believe she and Jessica were even related, let alone identical twins. But the two girls were identical. Both had long, blond hair and perfect size-six figures. They both even had identical dimples in their left cheeks that showed whenever they smiled. But Elizabeth's dimple hadn't been showing much lately. Ever since her parents had started to have problems, Elizabeth had been unhappy. Now that they had decided to separate, she was miserable. She loved her family more than anything, and she hated to see it falling apart.

  The fact that Jessica looked at the situation differently was hardly surprising—Elizabeth and Jessica were as different on the inside as they were identical on the outside. Elizabeth was sensitive and thoughtful; she was the kind of person other people came to with their problems. Jessica, on the other hand, was about as sensitive as a bass drum. She loved adventure and excitement—and made sure she had plenty of both. Sometimes Jessica thought Elizabeth was a little too predictable, and sometimes Elizabeth thought Jessica was a bit too impulsive.

  Elizabeth couldn't remember ever feeling more distant from Jessica than she had since her parents' shocking decision to live apart while they tried to resolve their differences. For Elizabeth, it felt as though someone had dropped a bomb on their house. She had always believed that whatever happened, the Wakefields would weather it together. Over the past month or two, though, Elizabeth had watched her parents drift farther and farther apart.

  Jessica had insisted almost from the first fight between their parents that everything was going to be fine. She refused to recognize the seriousness of their problem, and even after her parents had decided to split up, Jessica was acting as if it were no big deal.

  Elizabeth sighed and walked over to her chest of drawers. After getting some underwear, she went over to her closet and grabbed chinos and a sweater. In a way, she couldn't really blame Jessica, she thought as she put the clothes on her bed. In a situation like this, who knew how to act or what to feel?

  "Where's Mom?" Elizabeth asked Jessica suddenly. It would be hard enough for the twins and Steven to watch their father pack up his things and leave. But for their mother . . .

  "She left for the office an hour ago," Jessica said abruptly. "Pretty rude, huh? Especially since Daddy's been on her case about working so many hours for the past month." Jessica frowned. "I think the least she could've done was wait till he left."

  Elizabeth shook her head. "She probably wouldn't have been able to take it," she said quietly.

  Jessica shrugged. "She should still be here," she insisted. "Anyway, hurry up—we're packing the car!"

  Ten minutes later Elizabeth walked into the garage. She was surprised by the big stack of bags and boxes gathered there. Mr. Wakefield had turned his car around so the back was close to the kitchen door, and Steven was helping him load things into the trunk. Though he was a freshman at the nearby state university, Steven had been spending as much time at home lately as possible, especially now that his parents had decided to separate.

  A lump formed in Elizabeth's throat as she watched them pack the car. You'd never guess that Dad is old enough to be Steven's father, Elizabeth thought. Both had dark hair and eyes, broad shoulders, and nice smiles. Steven looked grown-up for his age, and Ned Wakefield still looked young. Young and handsome, Elizabeth thought with a pang. Think of all the women who are going to want to date him once they know he and Mom have separated! The thought made her feel miserable.

  "Hi, Liz," Mr. Wakefield said, giving her a hug. "Hey," he added softly, rumpling her hair a little, "don't look so sad, sweetie. You know you can't get rid of me this easily, don't you?"

  Elizabeth didn't answer. She didn't know that for sure. She didn't know anything anymore!

  "Listen, clones, are you going to help load the trunk, or are you just going to stand there and watch us do all the work?" Steven demanded.

  Elizabeth smiled, despite herself. Steven had been calling her and Jessica clones for years. Even at the age of eighteen, he still teased them the way he had when he was eight years old!

  But Elizabeth's smile faded as she helped Jessica lift a box into the trunk. In it she spotted a few of her father's legal textbooks that he usually kept in the study. It seemed as though he was taking everything he owned. What was it going to be like without her father in the house? And what if he never came back?

  "I know you haven't had breakfast yet, Liz," Mr. Wakefield said, interrupting her thoughts. "Why don't you grab a muffin from the kitchen? I'd like the three of you to follow me downtown in Steve's car. That way you'll see my place, and you'll know where I am." He patted her on the shoulder. "And you won't have any excuses not to come visit right away."

  Blinking back tears, Elizabeth nodded. It was really happening. Her father hadn't changed his mind, and it didn't appear that he was going to anytime soon.

  Jessica was the only one who was talking during the drive downtown. Steven was conc
entrating on trailing Mr. Wakefield's car, and Elizabeth sat looking out the window, absorbed in her own sad thoughts.

  But Jessica chattered on and on. "Dad's handling all of this so well. Can you believe it, with all the pressure that's on him? I mean, not only did he have to deal with the Santelli trial and everything, but running for mayor . . ."

  Elizabeth leaned her head against the window and tried to shut out Jessica's voice. She still couldn't believe her father was serious about running for mayor. For Elizabeth, his decision was so wrapped up in his arguments with Mrs. Wakefield that it was hard to know what to think.

  It had all started a month or so ago, when the Wakefields were supporting Peter Santelli for mayor. Mr. Santelli, the father of Maria Santelli, one of the twins' friends at Sweet Valley High, had had a successful career as Sweet Valley's planning commissioner. His race for mayor had been going well until an unidentified source "leaked" an allegation to a local paper that Mr. Santelli had accepted bribes while in office.

  All of this had come at a time when Ned Wakefield's interest in his law career was at an all-time low—and Mrs. Wakefield's career as an interior designer was just beginning to soar.

  When Mr. Wakefield had decided to defend Peter Santelli in the public trial following the accusations of bribery, the whole family had been behind him. But the judge had dismissed the case due to lack of evidence, and Mr. Wakefield had been devastated. Not long afterward, when some local businessmen asked him to run for mayor in Mr. Santelli's place, Mr. Wakefield hadn't known what to do. He had put off making the decision because he wanted to make sure that his family was behind him.

  But after a terrible fight with Mrs. Wakefield, which had been the final straw for both of them, he had decided to go ahead and run for office against her wishes.

  "Dad's good at handling pressure," Steven said quietly. "But I wouldn't put too much emphasis on it, Jess. He's trying to put on a good front—for our sake."

  Jessica frowned. "You and Liz are both so serious," she muttered. "I don't see why you have to make things even worse than they are. Can't you lighten up a little?"

  Steven didn't answer. He was concentrating on fitting his car into the one parking space left at the lot Mr. Wakefield had pulled into.

  "Is this it?" Elizabeth asked, craning her neck for a better look at the building. She swallowed hard. It was a plain sandstone structure about six stories tall, without much character. She thought of their pretty split-level house, and her heart ached. Poor Dad, she thought. How can he stand this?

  "Wow," Jessica said, jumping out of the car. "This looks cool."

  Elizabeth and Steven followed her over to their father's car. "Can we help bring things up?" Steven asked.

  Mr. Wakefield squinted up at the apartment building, and for just a moment Elizabeth thought his controlled expression would crumple. But he just smiled and nodded. "That would be great. Thanks."

  At least having so many boxes to move upstairs took Elizabeth's mind off what was really happening. But before long, the job was done, and they were all standing uncomfortably inside the one-bedroom apartment.

  Jessica flashed the chandelier on and off. "Look—you've got one of these really cool dimmers on your light switch," she said brightly.

  Steven coughed. "Dad, do you want to go out for some lunch or something?"

  Elizabeth guessed how he was feeling. She couldn't bear the thought of leaving her father there. The apartment was all right, but it was nothing special. It certainly didn't look like a home, not with its blank white walls and beige wall-to-wall carpeting.

  "Nah," Mr. Wakefield said with a shrug. "I've got some work to do this afternoon. Henry Patman and his friend James Knapp are coming over to talk about the mayoral race, so I'll be plenty busy." He gave each of them a hug. "Now promise me you three will take good care of one another—and good care of your mother."

  No one said anything. Elizabeth was sure she was going to cry. "Daddy—" she began.

  But Jessica cut her off. "We'll be fine, Dad," she assured him. "Hey, can we come over and have dinner here sometime soon? Like maybe next week?"

  Mr. Wakefield laughed. "Sure thing. But don't forget, I'm not such a hot cook!" His expression grew serious. "I know how hard this is for you—for all of us. But I want you to remember that this is only temporary. And just remember that your mother and I love you very much."

  Elizabeth stared hard at a faint stain in the carpet. She didn't want to look up. She was afraid she would burst into tears if she looked at her father.

  "Come on, Liz," Jessica said, tugging her arm.

  Elizabeth felt frozen. Finally she let her brother and sister half pull her out the door with them. But she knew that as long as she lived, she would never forget the look on her father's face as he stood in the doorway and waved goodbye.

  "Hey," Todd said, tipping up Elizabeth's chin and staring deeply into her eyes. "Are you going to tell me what you're thinking, or do I need ESP?"

  Elizabeth's eyes filled with tears for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. It was Saturday night, and she and Todd were sitting on the comfortable sofa in the Wilkinses' living room, watching a video and munching on popcorn—or trying to watch a video, anyway.

  Elizabeth couldn't do anything except think about how her parents weren't living together anymore.

  Todd had been her boyfriend for a long time. They had been through a lot together, including separation when Todd's father was transferred to Vermont, and an eventual breakup when the distance proved too great for them. But since the Wilkinses had returned to Sweet Valley and Todd and Elizabeth had gotten back together, their relationship had been stronger than ever.

  Elizabeth felt she could tell Todd anything, but that night she found it hard to put her feelings into words.

  "Listen, you don't want to watch this junk," Todd said, switching off the video with the remote control. "Tell me what you're feeling instead."

  Elizabeth kept staring blankly at the TV. "You want to know the truth, Todd? What I really feel—way down deep—is guilty."

  "What could you possibly have to feel guilty about?" Todd demanded.

  Elizabeth shook her head. "A lot of stuff. I can't describe it. Never mind," she added impatiently.

  She knew she was pushing Todd away, but she didn't want to tell him the terrible truth: her parents' separation was all her fault.

  Two

  Sunday brunch, one of Elizabeth's favorite family traditions, was a big flop the next day.

  It started off all right. Steven and Jessica were making pancakes, and Elizabeth tried to keep busy reading the Sunday newspaper so she wouldn't notice her father's empty place. Then Alice Wakefield came downstairs, looking more like the twins' older sister than their mother, in a pair of blue jeans and a fleece sweatshirt.

  "Mmm, something smells good," she said, giving them all a cautious smile. "How are you all doing? Did everyone sleep well?"

  "Not bad," Steven said.

  'Tine," Elizabeth said, trying to sound cheerful.

  "Listen, I have to run over to the office to check some of the fabrics Sal got from the Design Center yesterday," she went on. Sal was one of the people working with Mrs. Wakefield on designing the interior of the new wing at the Sweet Valley Mall.

  "Aren't you even going to eat breakfast, Mom?" Elizabeth asked with concern. It appeared to her that her mother had lost weight. The soft lines on her face were more drawn than usual, and there were faint shadows under her eyes.

  "I'll grab a doughnut on the way. Will you three be all right here?"

  "We'll be fine, Mom," Jessica said. There was a bit of an edge to her voice, but Mrs. Wakefield didn't seem to notice.

  "Good. Let's all have an early supper together tonight, OK?"

  Jessica waited until her mother pulled the door closed behind her. "No wonder Dad left," she said bitterly. "Mom's so obsessed with that ridiculous project of hers that she doesn't have time for anything else."

  "That isn't fair, J
ess," Elizabeth said. "Did it ever occur to you that Mom can't stand being around the house with Dad gone? Maybe she just feels like she has to get out of here for a while."

  "She's just being selfish," Jessica objected. "I can't believe her. Here Dad's facing one of the biggest challenges of his life, and how much support does she give him?" She shook her head. "It's horrible. As if running for mayor of Sweet Valley isn't a much bigger deal than picking some fabrics and lighting for the inside of the mall!"

  "That's a rotten thing to say, Jess," Steven said. "You know that there's a lot more to interior design than just picking fabrics. And you're not exactly one to put down the mall, either. You spend half your life there!"

  "Stop it, you two!" Elizabeth cried.

  But Jessica and Steven were just warming up. "You don't know what you're talking about," Jessica snapped at her brother. "How could you understand what's going on between Mom and Dad, anyway? You've been off at college the whole time. You think just because you drop in for a weekend here and there that you're the big expert."

  "I happen to have been around enough over the past few months to know that this separation isn't all Mom's fault!" Steven shot back.

  Jessica glared at him. "Come to think about it, you have been hanging around here an awful lot," she went on. "Don't you have a dorm room anymore? I thought you were supposed to be so big and grown-up now."

  "Don't start taking things out on me, Jess," Steven said angrily. "This isn't my fault!"

  "It isn't Dad's fault, either," Elizabeth commented.

  Jessica's eyes sparked with anger. "Whose side are you on, anyway?" she demanded, spinning around to confront her twin. "I thought you were taking Mom's side, not Dad's."

  "Who says there are sides in any of this?" Elizabeth cried.

  Jessica threw the spatula she was holding into the sink. "I don't want any of these stupid pancakes," she muttered. "Anyway, I don't see why everyone has to make such a big deal out of the whole thing. Lots of people I know have parents who have split up, and they're perfectly fine. Lila's parents are divorced. So are Cara's," she added. Cara Walker was one of her best friends and Steven's girlfriend. She looked defiantly from her brother to her sister. "If you two would stop acting like some big tragedy is going on, maybe everything around here could get back to normal!"