Don't Go Home with John Read online

  DON'T GO HOME WITH JOHN

  Written by

  Kate William

  Created by

  FRANCINE PASCAL

  Copyright © 2015, Francine Pascal

  "You started this," said John, pulling her just that little bit nearer, just that little bit harder. "You can't stop now."

  Not breathing, Lila snatched the keys from behind him and jabbed him hard in the neck.

  "What are you doing?" He was so surprised that he let her go.

  Lila wasn't even thinking, she wasn't even feeling. She pushed open the door and staggered to the ground. She felt his arm reaching out for her, but she started swinging her bag at him. "Get away from me!" she screamed, her voice so shrill she couldn't believe it was hers. "Get away from me, I'm warning you."

  She saw him freeze, suddenly frightened. "Calm down," he said, trying to sound as he usually did. "Get in the car, Lila, and I'll drive you home."

  For one second, Lila almost believed she should get in the car and let John drive her home. But then she remembered his hands on her hair and the hardness of his voice just a few minutes before. "Don't you come near me!" she yelled. "Don't you ever come near me again!" With every ounce of strength she had, she took his car keys and threw them over the Point.

  CONTENTS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  One

  "I can't believe none of you have decided what you're wearing to my party yet," Lila Fowler said, shaking her head. "Not only is it a major social event, but it is just ten days away, you know."

  Lila, Jessica Wakefield, Amy Sutton, Rosa Jameson, and Maria Santelli were having lunch in the Sweet Valley High cafeteria together on Wednesday afternoon. Two weeks ago Lila had announced that she was going to throw the biggest costume ball Sweet Valley had ever seen, and since then no one had been able to talk of anything else.

  Jessica groaned. "Don't remind me. Sam and I have been arguing about our costumes for days. I want to go as a romantic couple, like Romeo and Juliet. But you know Sam, all he's interested in is dirt-bike racing." She rolled her eyes. "He'll only go as Romeo and Juliet if they wear leather."

  Marie laughed. "Count yourself lucky," she advised. "Winston's so romantic he wants to go as Tweedledum and Tweedledee."

  Jessica couldn't help laughing. "Tweedledum and Tweedledee?"

  Maria nodded. "You know what a great sense of humor Winston has," she said glumly. "He thinks it's funny."

  Rosa rolled her beautiful brown eyes. "I don't know why you guys think you have problems," she said. "I haven't even decided who I'm going with yet, let alone what I'm going to wear."

  "At least you have an excuse," Lila said. "You can't possibly choose a costume if you're still deciding on your date. But Amy has no excuse." She raised one perfect eyebrow in Amy's direction. "She's going with Barry."

  Amy met Lila's raised eyebrow with one of her own. "I don't know what you're being so smug about," said Amy, pointing a carrot stick in her friend's direction. "I'll bet you don't know what you're going as yet, either."

  Lila ran a slim hand through her light-brown hair. "I'm torn between Princess Diana and Marie Antoinette," she confessed. She smiled thoughtfully. "I don't just want a costume, you understand. I want to express my character, too."

  Jessica smirked behind her sandwich. "How about a butterfly, then?" she teased. "You do a lot of flitting around."

  Lila gave her best friend a scornful look. Lila was used to being teased because she had a reputation as a flirt. Up until recently, being without a steady boyfriend had never bothered her. In fact, she enjoyed it. Lila enjoyed being popular. One of the benefits of being pretty and the daughter of one of the richest men in Sweet Valley was that you could pick and choose your dates. Lila, Jessica, and Amy used to be like the three musketeers of the Sweet Valley dating scene, flirting with every cute boy they met and going out with most of them. But now Amy had Barry, and Jessica had Sam. In fact, ever since Jessica and Sam Woodruff became such an item, Lila had begun to notice exactly how many couples there were in the world. Zillions. You couldn't turn around without tripping over one, gazing soulfully into each other's eyes. She seemed to be surrounded by people who were always doing things together, who talked about "we" all the time. Jessica especially had always been available for the spur-of-the-moment movie or shopping trip, but lately even she was always busy with Sam. And couples, Lila was also realizing, were taken more seriously than girls who played the field. Even incredibly attractive and wealthy girls like herself.

  "I don't really think that's very funny, Jessica," Lila snapped, unhappy that her own friends didn't take her any more seriously than anyone else did. "You never can tell, you know. I might just surprise you yet."

  The other three girls exchanged a look.

  "Oh, really?" asked Amy. "I wonder who we're talking about now."

  "Let me think," said Jessica. She closed her eyes and put her hand to her forehead, pretending to concentrate. "Wait a minute—I'm getting an image. I see a boy. He's tall and thin. He has dark, wavy hair and green eyes . . ."

  Rosa put her face in her hands. "Yes," she breathed. "Yes, I think I see him, too. He's sitting at a typewriter . . ."

  "Oh, don't tell me!" Maria gasped.

  "Yes!" cried Jessica excitedly. "Yes! I think it must be—"

  "It's not John Pfeifer, is it?" Maria, Rosa, and Amy shouted together.

  "Why . . . you're right! It is John Pfeifer, boy sports editor!" Jessica's eyes opened wide. She grinned. "How did you ever guess?"

  Lila speared some salad with her fork. "You four are so funny," she drawled. "Remind me to laugh, will you?" But though she acted annoyed, secretly Lila was pleased that they had noticed all the attention John had been paying her lately. Over the past few weeks she and John, who was the sports editor of the school newspaper, The Oracle, had been spending quite a bit of time together. They hadn't actually gone out on a date yet, but he always seemed to be around. If she wasn't bumping into him in the hallway or at her locker, she would find herself walking across the parking lot with him, or running into him when she was coming out of class. John had recently broken up with Jennifer Mitchell, whom he had been dating for a long time, so Lila had reason to think he might be seriously interested in her.

  "Well, I think John's very nice," put in Rosa quickly. "Very polite and well-mannered."

  Amy smirked. "You make him sound like a butler," she teased.

  Jessica tossed her sun-blond hair over her shoulder and stared straight at Lila. "Well, I, personally, can't believe you'd even consider going out with John," she said. "He's not your type at all." An impish grin turned up the corners of her mouth. "Let's face it, Lila. If boys were automobiles, you usually go out with Corvettes. John's more like a Volvo with an air bag."

  "And exactly what do you mean by that?" asked Lila. It was true that John wasn't like most of the boys she had dated in the past. He wasn't rich, or spectacularly handsome, or a big man on campus. Girls weren't lining up to date him, that was for sure. But in a way it was his ordinariness that made him appealing. John was an all-around nice guy who was hardworking, talented, and liked and respected by just about everyone. Exactly the sort of guy who usually found Lila frivolous and spoiled.

  Jessica gave her a mocking look. "He's so serious, Lila. All he ever does is work. What could you two possibly have in common?" Jessica continued. "If you ask me, John Pfeifer is the sort of boy Elizabeth would fall for—that is, if Todd weren't in the picture."
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  Lila grimaced. Although Jessica and Elizabeth had the same California-blond beauty, the same blue-green eyes, the same perfect size-six figure, and the same dimple in their left cheek, they were identical only in looks. Jessica was the fun-loving twin whose schemes were always getting her in and out of trouble. She was irrepressible and funny, and dedicated to enjoying herself. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was serious and studious. She wanted to be a professional writer someday, and got more pleasure out of spending time with her best friend, Enid Rollins, and her boyfriend, Todd Wilkins, than she did in having a busy social life. Jessica was Lila's best friend; Lila had absolutely nothing in common with Jessica's sister. Nothing, that is, except for John Pfeifer.

  "I'll have you know that I'm not just a pretty face," she said archly. "Just because I like to have a good time doesn't mean I'm not a serious person myself, you know."

  "Oh, sure," said Jessica. "Very serious about shopping."

  After school, Lila drove her lime-green Triumph into town to pick up some things for her big party. It was a warm, sunny afternoon, so she parked in the lot at the far end of town and walked down to the card and party shop. Even Lila herself would admit that she didn't normally have much more on her mind than what she was going to wear, or where she was going to go, and with whom she was going. This afternoon, however, was different. This afternoon Lila wasn't thinking only of party decorations and the menu for the buffet. This afternoon Lila had John Pfeifer on her mind.

  She smiled as she thought about him. He had an intense manner that she wasn't used to, but that she was finding herself drawn to nonetheless. I guess maybe opposites really do attract, Lila thought as she strolled down the street. She liked John's attentiveness and the way he listened seriously to what she said. She liked his lopsided grin, and the way his eyes looked right into hers when they were talking. She liked the fact that he, unlike some people she could think of, people who considered themselves her close friends, didn't think she was superficial or flighty. He was kind and sympathetic, and he was always complimenting her and telling her how smart he thought she was. Lila caught her reflection in a store window. She was used to being told how pretty she was, but not how smart. Lila gave herself an approving smile. It wasn't that John made her feel special. Lila already knew she was special. It was that he made her feel that it wasn't just her beauty or her money that attracted him, it was the sort of person she was underneath.

  Lila moved on, a tiny frown line appearing between her brown eyes as another, less happy, thought occurred to her. For, despite what she told the others, Lila did have some strong reservations about The Oracle's sports editor. His seriousness and earnestness, as much as she was attracted to them, also made her a little nervous. She was used to boys who took things lightly, and who treated relationships as casually as she did. Sometimes, when she was with John, she wasn't really sure what to expect. He seldom talked about Jennifer Mitchell or their breakup, obviously shying away from the subject whenever Lila broached it. But when he did say something about Jennifer, the deepness of the hurt and anger he obviously felt about her made Lila uncomfortable. Just yesterday Lila suggested to John that he and Jennifer might be able to go back to being friends some day, and he had instantly become furious. "Not in this lifetime!" he shouted. When he saw the shocked look on her face he realized he had overreacted and recovered himself right away, but Lila still found the memory disturbing.

  She came to a stop in front of the party-supply shop. Should I get silver or purple paper plates? she wondered as she stared at the bright and cheerful window display. She was just thinking that maybe she would get half silver and half purple when she realized that someone was smiling at her in the glass. She raised her eyes. There, reflected in the window of Party Paradise, was John Pfeifer himself, standing behind her, so close it almost looked as though they were holding hands. Unasked and unexpected, a warm glow spread through her.

  Lila turned around slowly. "Why, John," she said, managing to keep her manner slightly aloof and casual. "How long have you been standing here?"

  "I saw you from across the street," he explained, "and I just had to come over. I've had some great news, and you're just the person I wanted to share it with."

  There was something about the way he was looking at her that made her blush. An unaccustomed thrill of pleasure rushed through her. She moved so that she lightly brushed his arm with her hand. "Well, tell me," she said in her most coaxing voice. "Don't leave me in suspense."

  "Not here," John said quickly. "Why don't we go for coffee? I was thinking we could try out that new café."

  All thoughts of silver and purple plates went out of Lila's head. She gave him one of her best smiles. "You know, I've been wanting to try it. I hear the flavored coffee's very good."

  "Only the best for you," John said.

  Somehow, though neither of them moved, their fingers touched. "I know," she purred, her eyes on his.

  They talked about school and the weather and the chances of the basketball team in the upcoming league tournament as they walked along. Once they were seated in the café, however, John couldn't contain his excitement any longer.

  "You're not going to believe this," he boasted, his eyes shining with pride. "I didn't believe it myself." He shook his head. "I mean, I know I'm good," he went on, "but this is incredible!"

  Lila couldn't get over the transformation. Usually John was so quiet and reserved. This was the first time she had ever heard him sound like a talking ego. "Why, John," she drawled, finding this new side of him undeniably attractive. "What is it? Don't tell me they're holding the next Olympics in Sweet Valley and you've been asked to cover it."

  He shook his head. "Close." He grinned. He took a deep breath. "I've won a special internship with the sports department of the L.A. Sun! Isn't that great? They only give out a couple a year and you've got to be really excellent to even be in the running."

  Lila's doubts about John began to drift away like clouds. An internship with the L.A. Sun was no small accomplishment. John might not be a football star or a TV personality, but a boy who won an honor like this was definitely going somewhere. Impulsively, she leaned over and gave him a hug. "John," she gushed. "I think that's just wonderful. I'm really proud of you."

  This time it was John who blushed. "I knew you'd be pleased," he said. His gaze went from her face to the sugar bowl on the table between them. She could see that he was struggling to find the right words. "It's just that I . . . I really needed this, you know."

  "Oh, I know," said Lila, unused to so much open emotion. "I know how much you want to be a professional sportswriter."

  He raised his eyes to her again. "It's not just that," he said softly. "When Jennifer and I broke up . . . well, I cared for her so much that I think my self-esteem really took a beating."

  "Jennifer? You shouldn't feel bad about Jennifer, John," Lila said gently. "There are plenty of other fish in the sea."

  "Oh, come on, Sam!" Jessica sighed. "Stop being so stubborn. I think we'd make a perfect Romeo and Juliet." She held his arm. "Wouldn't you be willing to die for my love?"

  Sam turned the car into Calico Drive. "Dying's one thing," he said. "Wearing tights is another."

  Jessica gave him a punch. "Sam Woodruff. You told me there was nothing you wouldn't do for me."

  "Except wear tights." He pulled to a stop in front of the Wakefields' split-level house. "That's the one thing I won't do, not even for you, my little spark plug."

  "But, Sam . . ." She leaned her head on his shoulder.

  "No, Jess, I mean it."

  She put her arm around him. "Sam," she coaxed, "think of what a beautiful Juliet I'd make."

  He turned so their faces were almost touching. "Then it'll have to be Juliet after Romeo's already dead, because I'm not running around in public in a pair of your pantyhose, and that's all there is to it."

  She gave him the tiniest of kisses. "You're sure?"

  He kissed her back. "I'm very sure."


  She kissed him again, but this time the kiss wasn't quite so small. "Positive?"

  His arms enfolded her. "Positive," Sam whispered, barely moving his lips from hers. "Absolutely certain."

  Jessica could feel herself melting in his embrace. Who cares about Romeo and Juliet? she thought as their kisses became longer and more urgent. If we'd lived first, they'd have been going to a masquerade as Sam and Jessica.

  The kissing went on and on. She never wanted to stop. She wanted to kiss Sam forever. Her mother could come to the door and call her, but Jessica wouldn't move. Her teachers could come by the car and shout at her to get to school, but she would keep right on kissing Sam. Elizabeth could come by and tap on the window, looking at her watch, but she and Sam would pretend they didn't hear her. "Elizabeth?" Jessica would whisper. "Elizabeth who?"

  The longer they stayed in each other's arms, the more Jessica felt herself slipping away. She was no longer in the front seat of Sam's car on Calico Drive, she was floating in the sky of a sunny day. She and Sam, so close she could feel him breathing, as warm and strong as a kiss themselves.

  Sam pulled back at the same moment as Jessica. Still holding on to each other, they sat for a few minutes, trying to regain their composure. Jessica's heart was racing.

  Sam leaned against the headrest. "You know what I think we should go to Lila's party as?" he said once he had finally caught his breath.

  Jessica stared out at the street. "What?"

  He squeezed her hand. "A nuclear bomb."

  Jessica didn't smile. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened. Lately, every time the two of them kissed it was harder and harder to stop. "This is serious, Sam," she told him once she had caught her own breath. "I'm really getting worried about this. What if I lose control?"

  Sam put an arm around her shoulder. "What are you talking about, if you lose control? You're not the police force here, Jess. We're both involved. Nothing's going to happen if we don't want it to, and we don't. Just because we like kissing doesn't mean we're going to go too far. We've discussed that already."