Starring Jessica! Read online

  STARRING JESSICA!

  Written by

  Kate William

  Created by

  FRANCINE PASCAL

  Copyright © 2015, Francine Pascal

  Dedicated to Rod Ritchie and Ben Baglio

  "Look, Lila, if you're going to stick up for Jessica—" Bruce began.

  "But I'm not," Lila assured him quickly.

  "Then what do you—?" A knowing gleam came into Bruce's eyes. "Aha. I think I have an idea why you're here."

  Lila lowered her thick eyelashes and smiled coyly. "I think you and I share something, Bruce. A pure and simple desire for revenge."

  "What did you have in mind?" Bruce asked, folding his arms across his chest.

  "Jessica took something that rightfully belongs to me. The guest spot on Eric Parker's TV program. I want it back, and I plan to get it."

  A malicious smile creased Bruce's tanned face. "Ruining Jessica's chance to be on TV also occurred to me as a suitable punishment. But how are we going to do it?"

  "Well, I've got a plan." Lila bent forward and related the particulars of her plan to Bruce. When she had finished, Bruce's eyes were glinting with excitement.

  "It's perfect," he said. "I always knew you had an evil streak, Lila, but this time you've really outdone yourself."

  Lila beamed. "Thank you, Bruce. I think we're going to make a great team."

  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

  "Applications for everyone," Winston Egbert announced as he passed out a handful of printed sheets to his friends in the Sweet Valley High cafeteria. "Sign up here to be a TV star!"

  Jessica Wakefield grabbed one of the applications eagerly, almost falling off her chair in the process. Lila Fowler had reached for the same sheet, and she scowled as her hand came up empty.

  "Now, now. No need to fight, girls." Winston offered Lila another form. "There's enough to go around. And let's see a smile, Miss Fowler. Eric Parker's not going to pick a sourpuss to appear on his TV show."

  Lila snatched the application from Winston and flashed him a dazzling smile.

  Jessica laughed. "That fake smile won't fool anybody, Li."

  Lila snickered. "Believe me, I wouldn't waste the real thing on Winston. I'm saving my charm for Eric Parker himself."

  "I really don't see what all the fuss is about," Elizabeth Wakefield remarked, glancing idly at one of the applications.

  Jessica stared at her twin, her eyes wide with disbelief. "You've got to be kidding!" she exclaimed. "Eric Parker is absolutely the most gorgeous man on TV, and he's coming to Sweet Valley next week! He's going to pick one of us to do a special guest spot on his talk show. One of us is going to be interviewed live on national TV! It'll be a million times more exciting than when I was on Jeremy Frank's local show. We're talking about the big time, Liz!"

  Just then, Jessica caught the mischievous twinkle in her twin's eyes. Elizabeth knew as well as anybody what all the fuss was about. She was just teasing Jessica because she knew she had her heart set on being the Sweet Valley High student selected to appear on TV. The special edition of Eric Parker's weekly talk show was called "Growing Up in America."

  "Go ahead, give me a hard time," Jessica said. "You'll change your tune when Eric Parker makes me a major celebrity."

  "So I take it you've made up your mind to apply for the guest spot," Todd Wilkins, Elizabeth's boyfriend, remarked wryly.

  Jessica nodded vehemently. "Isn't everyone going to try for it?" she asked.

  Todd shrugged his broad shoulders. "I'm not bothering."

  "You wouldn't have a chance anyway," interjected Winston. "Eric Parker's looking for a typical high school student, not a superjock."

  "And you don't have to be a straight-A student," added Jessica.

  "Nope, just an ordinary, all-American, well-rounded type of kid, like Eric Parker probably was when he went to Sweet Valley High," Winston said. "What do you say—do I fit the bill or what?"

  Aaron Dallas groaned. "If you're all-American, Egbert, this country's in trouble!"

  "Are you going to list 'school clown' on your application?" Todd joked.

  Winston grinned. "No, I'll just surprise Eric Parker with my incredible wit when he interviews me on his show."

  "Unfortunately he'll never get to hear it, because you're not going to be on his show," Lila promised with a toss of her long, light brown hair. "I am."

  Winston raised one eyebrow. "You?"

  "Yeah, right, Li," Jessica said. "You'll be the average American high school student when the average American high school student drives her own sports car and lives in the biggest mansion in town!"

  Jessica knew she had Lila there. Her best friend—and occasional enemy—could not deny that her father had made millions in the computer business. As a result of his success, she was the richest girl in Sweet Valley, California.

  "I have a lot of interests and special qualities," snapped Lila. "A lot more than you, Jess."

  "We'll see about that," Jessica declared hotly.

  "Hey, let's keep the competition friendly, girls. This is supposed to be fun," Winston reminded them. "I think everybody would agree we've had enough controversy at Sweet Valley High lately," he added, his tone suddenly serious.

  All of the students at the lunch table understood what Winston meant. Not long ago, the high school had been shocked by a racially motivated disturbance. Charlie Cashman, a notorious bully, had caused trouble for Andy Jenkins, a popular black student. Bad feelings had escalated. Coming to understand how such a thing could happen at Sweet Valley High had not been easy; it had been a painful learning experience for the entire student body.

  Now Winston turned to Elizabeth. "You're the one I'm worried about beating me out for the TV spot, Liz."

  "Well, put your mind at ease," Elizabeth said. "I'm not applying."

  "Why not?" Winston asked.

  "I just don't have any desire to be on TV," Elizabeth confessed. "To tell you the truth, I think I'd be more comfortable giving the interview than being the person interviewed!" Elizabeth had conducted her share of interviews as a reporter for the school newspaper, The Oracle; her latest had been with Claire Middleton, a new student who had made a name for herself at Sweet Valley High by trying out for the boys' football team—and making it.

  "You'll do just fine as part of the audience," Jessica assured Elizabeth. "You can be the head of my cheering section!"

  Elizabeth smiled. Appearing on a TV talk show was right up Jessica's alley. She loved being in the limelight.

  The Wakefield twins' different reactions to the news that a famous TV personality planned to broadcast a program live from Sweet Valley High was typical. The sixteen-year-old sisters were both five feet six inches tall and slender, with shoulder-length silky blond hair, eyes the blue-green shade of the Pacific Ocean, and clear, suntanned complexions. Still, no one who knew them well ever mixed them up—unless Jessica and Elizabeth wanted to be mixed up! Certain clues helped their friends distinguish between the twins. Elizabeth often wore her hair up in a ponytail or pulled back with barrettes; Jessica preferred hers loose. And while Elizabeth's taste in clothes was conservative, Jessica enjoyed turning heads by wearing the latest fashions.

  But the real difference between the two was not apparent from just looking at them. Elizabeth, older than Jessica by four minutes, was known as the responsible twin. She was a serious student, and her ambition was
to be a professional writer. She never missed a deadline for The Oracle. But that didn't mean Elizabeth favored all work and no play. She loved writing, but she also loved having a good time with her boyfriend, Todd, and a few special friends. And she was often called upon to head committees at school.

  For Jessica, having a good time always came first, with schoolwork placing a distant second. It was a Wakefield family joke that Jessica had plenty of energy when it came to jumping around at cheerleading practice or to getting into trouble, but never when it came to pushing the vacuum cleaner or washing the dishes. Still, it was almost impossible to stay mad at Jessica; Elizabeth knew that better than anyone. Jessica's irresistible charm had gotten her out of more sticky situations than her twin could count—and when her charm didn't work, she could usually count on Elizabeth to bail her out.

  Elizabeth listened as Jessica and Winston debated whether Eric Parker was more likely to pick a boy or a girl for the TV interview.

  "Since he's a man, it would be more balanced if he picked a girl," Jessica reasoned. "Besides, I'm more photogenic than any boy."

  "Modest to the last," quipped Winston. "But I remember a time when you didn't look so photogenic. When we were shipwrecked on Outermost Island."

  Jessica grimaced. She remembered only too well the day that the excursion boat the school had chartered ran into a storm. She and Winston had spent a full day and night together on Outermost Island before they were rescued—definitely the longest twenty-four hours of Jessica's life! And it was true that with seaweed in her hair, she had not been looking her best.

  "The point I'm trying to make is that people would rather watch a pretty girl than a guy on TV any day," Jessica continued. "Isn't that true, Amy?"

  Amy Sutton was gazing idly around the cafeteria. Jessica tapped her friend on the arm to get her attention. "Hey, Amy. This concerns you, you know. You're applying, aren't you?"

  "I don't think so," Amy replied. "Eric Parker isn't that hot, if you ask me."

  "Not that hot!" Jessica could not believe her ears. Amy was always making fun of Jessica and Lila for their crush on rock star Jamie Peters, and now she wasn't interested in Eric Parker either. "Amy, you just don't know a gorgeous guy when you see one."

  "Yes, I do. How about him?"

  Jessica followed Amy's gaze, which had zeroed in on a blond, clean-cut boy sitting a few tables away from them. "Tom McKay, from the tennis team?" Jessica was surprised. "He's not bad, but I wouldn't exactly put him in the same category as Eric Parker."

  "That's your opinion."

  "Since when is Tom McKay your type?" Jessica asked.

  "Since I noticed he's ten times cuter than any other guy at this school," Amy retorted. "And I don't think he and Jean are going to be together much longer. Probably because he's been looking for Miss Right."

  Jessica shrugged. Who cared whether or not Tom McKay was looking for Miss Right? What really mattered was that Eric Parker was looking for Miss Right, and her name happened to be Jessica Wakefield!

  "Let's get back to Eric Parker," Jessica suggested.

  "OK, back to Eric Parker," Amy agreed. "According to my mom, he's just another talk-show host with toothpaste-ad teeth and a mannequin's personality."

  Amy's mother, Dyan Sutton, was a sportscaster on WXAB, a local television station. Maybe that was why Amy didn't think Eric Parker's broadcasting a show at Sweet Valley High was such a big deal—Amy lived and breathed TV. In fact, she had been the first to know about Eric's special broadcast. Still, Jessica thought, her friend didn't have to ruin everyone else's excitement.

  "I bet your mother hasn't even met Eric Parker," Jessica declared. "He's a household name all across the country; he moves in the most exclusive circles. WXAB is just kid's stuff."

  Amy laughed. "Whatever you say, Jess. I'm on your side, really. Go for it."

  I will, thought Jessica. Today was Monday—the applications were due on Friday. And next Wednesday, Eric Parker would announce the winner. She folded the paper, kissed it for luck, and carefully tucked it into her shoulder bag. That piece of paper was going to be her ticket to a career on national television!

  Jessica sprinted up the stairs to her bedroom. Cheerleading practice had gone overtime, and she was eager to start working on her application.

  Jessica paused at the door of her cluttered bedroom, which was nicknamed "The Hershey Bar" by her family because she had chosen to have the walls painted chocolate brown. She knew her desk was in there—somewhere. Jessica rarely sat at it to do homework. She used it more as a dumping ground, and at the moment it was hidden by a small mountain of clothing and magazines.

  But she couldn't just slouch on her bed to fill out the application. She needed to make sure that her handwriting was absolutely perfect. Eric Parker would be reading it with his own eyes!

  Jessica took the shortcut to her twin's bedroom, through the connecting bathroom. She did not bother to knock; Elizabeth was used to her barging in unannounced.

  Elizabeth was at the table she used as a desk, her fingers flying across the keys of her typewriter. "What's up, Jess?" she asked, looking at her twin.

  "This." Jessica dangled the application form in front of Elizabeth's nose. "I'm going to pull up a chair and fill it out right now."

  Jessica sat down next to Elizabeth and helped herself to a pen from Elizabeth's ceramic pencil holder. Name, address, age, classes, and grades at Sweet Valley High. Jessica wrote rapidly; that part was easy. Next came a space—a large space—in which to list extracurricular activities, work experience, and hobbies. Co-captain of varsity cheerleading squad, member of Pi Beta Alpha sorority, Big Sister/Little Sister program. Tennis, dancing, the beach, boys. Jessica paused. It wasn't really much of a list, was it? she thought. There was an awful lot of blank space left.

  Jessica flipped the application over and stared at the section headed "Plans for the Future." Plans for the future? Jessica was dismayed. She didn't have any plans for the future, unless you counted planning to save up enough money to buy that suede miniskirt she had been coveting at Lisette's, her favorite boutique in the Valley Mall.

  Jessica quickly turned back to her list of interests. Tennis, dancing, the beach, boys. . . . Maybe she should cross that last item off. Jessica frowned. When she looked at herself this way, on paper, she almost seemed—was it possible?—a little bit shallow.

  "Liz, what am I going to do?" Jessica wailed, tossing the application aside. "Eric Parker's never going to choose me to be on his TV show! I'm not well-rounded!"

  Elizabeth smiled. "Don't be silly, Jess. You stand as good a chance as anyone of being chosen."

  "But that's not good enough," Jessica pointed out. "I want to be a shoo-in. I want that TV spot! I need that TV spot. It could be the start of my career!"

  "What career?"

  "Well, my career of being famous."

  "OK, let's see." Elizabeth turned off the electric typewriter, picked up Jessica's application, and scanned it quickly. "Here's something you haven't covered in your list: work experience. You baby-sit, and you've had about a million unusual part-time jobs."

  Jessica made a sour face. "You mean like selling Tofu-glo beauty products door to door?" she asked skeptically. "Yeah, I really want to include that disaster on my application! This is serious, Liz."

  "Well, what about being a candy-striper at the hospital?" Elizabeth reminded her.

  "Oh, that's a good one!" Jessica couldn't believe she had forgotten that. She had become a candy-striper just to meet local celebrity Jeremy Frank, who at the time was hospitalized with a broken leg. Candy-striping had led to her first TV appearance! Back then, Jessica had thought that Jeremy Frank was the ultimate male. But that was before she discovered Eric Parker.

  Jessica snatched the application from Elizabeth and added candy-striper and baby-sitter. Still, the list looked somewhat skimpy. "I'm just going to have to get some new interests," she decided.

  "Between now and Friday?" Elizabeth asked.

  "Yep!"
/>
  "Jess, I wouldn't worry about it so much. Eric Parker's looking for an ordinary high school student, remember?" Elizabeth reminded her.

  Jessica shook her head. There was ordinary—and then there was ordinary. And it looked like being the right kind of ordinary to be chosen by Eric Parker was going to take a little more work than she had anticipated!

  Two

  "I just don't know what to do," Jessica declared three days later as she dumped her bookbag next to the swimming pool in the Wakefields' backyard.

  Elizabeth was lying on a beach towel she had spread on the white pavement, reading her history textbook. She rolled over to look at her twin and pushed her sunglasses up on her head. "What to do about what?"

  Jessica sprawled dramatically on a lounge chair. "My application for Eric Parker's talk show. Tomorrow's the deadline, and I still haven't come up with a way to beef up my application without outright lying!"

  Elizabeth grinned and picked up a section of the daily paper, which she had been reading earlier. "Here's just the story for you: 'How to Become a Well-Rounded, Average American Kid Overnight!' "

  "Go ahead and laugh," Jessica said, sighing in resignation. "I'm glad you're amused by my anguish."

  "Poor Jessica," teased Elizabeth. "You're right, it does say right here on page two that the earth will stop turning if you don't win the spot on Eric Parker's TV program."

  Jessica yanked off her sweatshirt and pushed aside the straps of her tank top in order to tan her shoulders. Elizabeth just did not understand. Elizabeth wasn't the one who had sneaked a peek at Lila's application at lunch that day, when Lila was away from the table buying a soda!

  Jessica had stared in disbelief. Lila, who Jessica knew for a fact was the most spoiled, selfish, and lazy girl in the whole world, who had zero community spirit, and who had never held a job or participated in extracurricular activities, had fudged a list of pseudo-interests and involvements as long as Jessica's arm. She described herself as an amateur chef; Jessica guessed that had come from the time the two of them had taken a cooking class at the Sweet Valley Civic Center. Lila had been even more of a disaster in the kitchen than Jessica! And she certainly had never touched a dirty dish or cooking utensil at Fowler Crest.