Too Much in Love Page 2

  DeeDee stared down at her tray. She'd been too embarrassed to tell Patty that she'd stopped going to the courses at the civic center several weeks before. Somehow they seemed like a waste of time, time she could spend with Bill, DeeDee thought.

  Patty Gilbert was a senior, ten months older than DeeDee. A beautiful black girl, with short, dark hair and large, sparkling brown eyes, she was one of the most popular, talented girls in her class. The two girls had met at summer camp when they were little and had been as close as sisters ever since. But DeeDee couldn't help feeling now that theirs was an unequal friendship. Patty was so friendly, so outgoing, while she herself was much quieter, much shyer. For the last couple of weeks, anyway, she had felt less comfortable around her old friend.

  "I haven't really been going to the classes anymore," she mumbled, avoiding Patty's gaze. "I've been so busy. . . ."

  "But you were looking forward to those classes for ages!" Patty burst out. "You said Ms. Jackson was the best design teacher within a hundred miles!"

  "She's OK." DeeDee sighed. "The classes just weren't that helpful, that's all. Not for me, anyway. I just don't think I'm ready yet for that level of training."

  Patty looked searchingly at her friend. "You just need confidence. You were recommended to that class by two art teachers, remember?"

  DeeDee blushed. "I'll pick the classes up again some time. Really, Patty. Don't worry about it." She wished Patty would quit going on about the design courses and get back to their plans for this coming weekend. Patty's boyfriend, Jim Hollis, who lived in a town about two hours' drive away, was coming to Sweet Valley for the weekend, and DeeDee and Bill had made plans to meet them at a Chinese restaurant on Friday night. DeeDee couldn't wait. She really liked Jim, and she had a feeling the evening would help straighten things out between Bill and her. Just being with another couple, seeing how close they were, how much in love . . .

  "Are you going to help Liz out with the talent show?" Patty continued, nibbling on a carrot stick. "I ran into her this morning, and she told me she'd asked you to be in charge of the sets. You'd be perfect, Dee, and it would give you more experience."

  DeeDee bit her lip. She'd been worrying all day about the talent show, praying she wouldn't run into Elizabeth so she could stall a bit longer. The idea of taking charge of such an important part of the show frightened her. She'd love to try her hand at it, but she was afraid she'd mess the whole thing up. If only she were as confident as Patty!

  Besides, there was Bill to think about. If Bill was planning to be in the show, it would be a good way to get to see more of him. He was so incredibly busy these days. Aside from surfing and the special research project he was doing for Mr. Fellows, the history teacher, he was spending about ten hours a week at swim practice. DeeDee felt as if he barely had time for her anymore. And when she did see him, he was tense and distracted.

  Just as her father used to be, she thought, remembering his heavy schedule before the divorce. And her mother had only made it worse by filling up every spare minute with her own job and part-time night school.

  If I take over the sets for the talent show and Bill isn't involved with it, I may never see him again! DeeDee thought miserably. She wished she could share her fears with Patty. But it didn't seem to be a good idea. After all, Patty saw Jim only once or twice a month. And she never complained.

  "I'm not sure yet," DeeDee told Patty. "I'd love to help out, but I have to talk to Bill about it. He may have something in mind for the show already—a skit or something—and he may need my help."

  Patty seemed on the verge of saying something but then apparently changed her mind. "I hope you decide to do it," she said at last. "I'm going to be doing a modern-dance routine, and it'll be much more fun if you're involved!"

  "Mmm," DeeDee murmured noncommittally. She had just caught sight of Bill coming in through the doors, and she bounced up from her chair, waving at him to come over and join them.

  "Thank goodness!" she cried as he made his way through the crowded cafeteria to where she and Patty were sitting. "Bill, I thought you'd disappeared from the face of the earth!"

  DeeDee didn't care that Patty was staring at her and shaking her head. DeeDee was too happy to see Bill again to care what anyone thought.

  Looking anxiously at her watch, DeeDee shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Four-thirty, and still no sign of Bill. He's usually done with practice by four-fifteen, she fretted. What in the world can be keeping him?

  "DeeDee!" an excited voice called. Spinning on her heels, DeeDee saw Bill hurrying out of the locker room, his blond hair combed back after his shower, and a white towel around his neck. "I made it!" he cried, throwing an arm around her neck and giving her a hug. "I qualified for the regionals!"

  For a minute DeeDee went blank. Then she remembered that the swim team had been timed that day to see who would qualify for the regional meet. Bill's best stroke was the butterfly, and he'd been practicing for weeks, hoping he'd qualify.

  "I'm so glad!" DeeDee said happily, her brown eyes shining under her glossy fringe of bangs. Bill was amazing, she thought. He'd already won every award there was to win in surfing, and he was one of the most talented actors around. He was so good at everything!

  I wonder what he sees in you, a nagging little voice inside her whispered. But DeeDee brushed her feeling of inadequacy aside. This was Bill's moment, and she wasn't going to spoil it for him.

  "When's the meet?" she asked, slipping her arm through his as they walked together down the hall.

  "Friday night," Bill told her. "The day after tomorrow. Can you believe it? I've got so much to do between now and then—and this morning I promised Liz Wakefield that I'd try to do a short reading for the talent show."

  DeeDee pulled her arm away and stared reproachfully at Bill. "Friday?" she demanded. "But we've got plans with Patty and Jim Friday night. Don't you remember?"

  Bill slapped his hand to his forehead. "Gosh, that's right! I'll have to call Patty and apologize. I'm sure she and Jim will understand. You don't expect me to do anything else, do you?" he asked incredulously, staring at DeeDee as her expression darkened.

  "Jim's almost never in town," DeeDee said glumly. "We can't stand them up, Bill. It just isn't fair."

  Bill's blue eyes were thoughtful. "Well, then, why don't you go ahead and go out with them?" he suggested, a look of relief appearing on his face. "That way Jim and Patty won't be let down. And maybe we can all meet somewhere later on."

  DeeDee felt herself getting frantic. Couldn't Bill see how important it was for them to be together, to be a couple? "I can't go alone!" she exclaimed. "It wouldn't be right."

  "Come on, Dee," Bill admonished. "Where's the independent girl I fell in love with? Besides it's only for a couple of hours," he pointed out. "It seems like the most sensible way to handle things."

  "Maybe Jim and Patty will come with me to the meet," DeeDee said lamely. "I think that's a much better idea. And then the four of us can go out together later, just like we'd planned."

  Bill shrugged. "I don't know," he demurred. "It sounds kind of dumb to me, to be perfectly honest. Why should Jim and Patty want to spend a Friday night at a high-school swim meet, when they could be out somewhere nice? Just go out with them, Dee, and don't turn it into such a big thing."

  "But it is a big thing!" DeeDee wailed. "It's a weekend night, Bill, and I want to be with you! Is that so strange?"

  Bill blinked. "No," he began, "but—"

  "I never see you anymore," DeeDee insisted. "You're so busy you don't even have time for me." Tears were welling up in her eyes. "I was really hoping we could have a good time this weekend," she said, a tear sliding down her cheek. "And now . . ."

  "Dee, I don't know what's gotten into you lately." Bill slipped his arm around her and pulled her tightly against him. "You know how crazy I am about you. And we see each other all the time! We have lunch together, take classes together, study together . . ."

  DeeDee drew in a long, quavering breath. "I know," she said at last, trying to sound brave. "I'm sorry, Bill. I think I'm just overly sensitive these days for some reason. I don't know what's gotten into me, either."

  "Liz mentioned that you might be taking over the sets for the talent show," Bill remarked, looking at her thoughtfully. "Are you going to do it?"

  "Sure," DeeDee said casually, making her mind up then and there and trying not to panic at the prospect of making a complete mess of the whole thing. After all, Bill had said he was going to try to put a dramatic reading together, she reminded herself.

  And if things kept going the way they had that week, it looked as if the talent show would be about the only chance she'd have to see Bill!

  "I can't believe Mom and Dad are really leaving on Saturday," Jessica said excitedly, turning the rearview mirror toward her so she could check her reflection.

  "Cut it out, Jess," Elizabeth said sharply, turning the key in the ignition of the twins' red convertible Fiat. "That mirror's to keep us from getting killed, not for you to admire yourself in!"

  "Just think," Jessica said, sighing. She settled back comfortably in the passenger's seat. "Daddy said they'll be gone for at least ten days! We're going to have such a wonderful time."

  Elizabeth gave her twin a searching look as she backed the Fiat out of the parking space in the Sweet Valley High student lot. "Just what do you mean by 'wonderful time'?" she asked. "You know what Mom and Dad said. We promised them we'd act like responsible adults."

  Jessica shook her head wearily. Sometimes her sister's naiveté astounded her. "Do you mean to tell me that you're planning to act the same way you do when they're at home?" she demanded.

  Elizabeth laughed. "What's wrong with that?" she asked her sister. "You make it sound like I'm the most boring person on earth!"

  "We-ell," Jessica began. "It's not that you're boring, Liz. But you have to admit that you don't take many risks."

  "Right," Elizabeth said matter-of-factly, slowing down for a red light.

  "We've been studying the Brontë sisters in Mr. Collins's class," Jessica added slyly. "And Mr. Collins said they were truly remarkable women because they had vivid imaginations and they took risks all the time."

  "Just what have you got in mind?" Elizabeth asked warily. "Are you planning on running through Sweet Valley at midnight screaming 'Heathcliff'?"

  "I was thinking," Jessica said, dropping her voice confidentially, "more along the lines of having a party."

  "Jessica!" Elizabeth wailed. "We can't have a party if Mom and Dad aren't around! They'll kill us!"

  "How would they possibly find out?" Jessica demanded, her blue-green eyes wide with disbelief. "I don't mean a big party," she amended hastily. "Lila and I were just going to invite a few people over. You know, about five or ten. And you and Todd can ask some people, too," she added generously.

  Elizabeth groaned. "Leave Todd and me out of it," she suggested. "I think I'm going to have enough of a headache for the next couple of weeks, trying to get this talent show organized. I don't need to drive myself crazy worrying about what disasters might occur once you and Lila have set your friends loose!"

  Jessica shook her head, her eyes filled with mock pity. "Poor, poor Liz," she moaned. "Don't you realize you're missing a perfect opportunity to change your whole life and do something wild? It'll be a wonderful party, Liz. Honest. And—"

  "Thanks," Elizabeth said firmly, "but no thanks. I think I'm going to leave all the risk-taking to you and Lila this time around. Besides," she added dryly, "something tells me that I'll be able to enjoy the party secondhand. It'll probably be so loud I'll be able to hear it all the way at Todd's house!"

  "Don't be silly," Jessica said, shaking her blond hair back from her face. "For goodness sake, Liz, you act like Lila and I are both two-year-olds. Don't you think the two of us have got everything under control?"

  Elizabeth shook her head. "I shudder to think," she murmured, turning the Fiat down the shady side street where the Wakefields' attractive, split-level home was located.

  Any time Jessica was involved in a plan like this, Elizabeth had learned from experience, there was no point in guessing in advance how things would turn out. There was simply no way to know.

  Three

  "OK," Elizabeth said loudly, riffling through her papers and looking at the high-spirited group gathered around her in the auditorium of Sweet Valley High. It was Thursday afternoon, and she was trying to compile a final list of the talent-show entrants to give to Mr. Collins. "Patty, you're doing a dance number, right?"

  Patty nodded enthusiastically. "It's all set," she assured Elizabeth. "I've got my music picked out and everything."

  "Good." Elizabeth smiled. She consulted her list again. "Todd, what are you going to do?" she asked, turning to look into Todd's warm brown eyes.

  Winston Egbert, generally known as the clown of the junior class, let out a loud groan. "You two probably have it all planned already," he muttered. "I bet it's something really mushy, like a love scene from Romeo and Juliet."

  Todd laughed. "Foiled again, Egbert. Actually, I was planning to try my hand at a stand-up comedy routine."

  Elizabeth winked at him, scribbling furiously. "OK, Winston, what are you going to do?" she asked.

  "Ken Matthews and I are going to do magic tricks," Winston said solemnly. "And Jessica's going to be our assistant."

  "I am?" Jessica asked, looking surprised. "What do I have to do?"

  "You'll see," Winston said mysteriously, trying to catch Ken Matthews's eye.

  Ken, a well-built, handsome boy, was captain of the football team. His amused gaze rested on Jessica. "Mostly all you have to do is let us cut you in half," he drawled.

  "Very funny," Jessica retorted. "If you think I'm going to—"

  "OK, OK," Elizabeth broke in, turning to Mr. Collins. "It looks like we've got twelve entries. Each of the acts should be five minutes long, and counting time for set changes and applause and everything, it should run about an hour and a half."

  "That's fine," Mr. Collins said, smiling as he looked over Elizabeth's list. "Now, what's going on with the sets? Is DeeDee going to take charge of that?"

  "I don't know," Elizabeth admitted, looking troubled. "She said she'd get back to me. I had a feeling that she was going to do it, but she hasn't made a commitment yet."

  Mr. Collins frowned. "That isn't good," he said softly. "We haven't got much time. We really need a definite answer from her right away."

  "I'll be seeing DeeDee later," Patty Gilbert said suddenly. "Should I ask her what's going on, and tell her to get back to you, Liz?"

  Elizabeth looked questioningly at Mr. Collins. "I'd really like DeeDee to do it if she can," she began. "But if we're really in a hurry, maybe—"

  "No, that sounds like a good idea, Liz," Mr. Collins said quickly. "I'd like DeeDee to help out, too. She's a very talented girl, and I think we'd all benefit if she'd take charge of the sets. So why don't you just let me know what she says."

  No wonder Mr. Collins was one of the best-liked teachers at Sweet Valley High, Elizabeth thought, slipping into her denim jacket as the meeting broke up. Jessica thought he was popular because he looked like a movie star. But Elizabeth thought it had more to do with his attitude. Mr. Collins was always willing to be patient, to give his students a break.

  "Well, boss," Todd teased, "you really know how to run a meeting. How about a trip to the Dairi Burger?"

  "Liz!" an agitated voice called. Elizabeth turned, her eyebrows raised, to face Patty Gilbert. Everyone else had left the auditorium by now, but Patty still looked around her as if to make sure no one was listening.

  "I'm furious with DeeDee," she burst out. "I'm going to let her have it tonight when I talk to her!"

  "Why?" Elizabeth asked, shooting a puzzled look at Todd out of the corner of her eye. Patty and DeeDee were like sisters, she thought. What in the world could DeeDee have done to make Patty mad?

  "I said I'd ask her about the sets," Patty said angrily, "but I have a feeling she didn't show up this afternoon because she found out Bill's not going to be in the show."

  "What does that have to do with anything?" Elizabeth asked, her confusion growing.

  "It's only a hunch." Patty sighed and ran her fingers through her dark curls. "Look," she added, "you two know how crazy I am about Dee. I'm only angry because she's so close to me. She's a terrific friend. But lately . . ."

  "Lately what?" Todd probed gently, slipping his arm around Elizabeth.

  Patty's brow wrinkled. "Oh, nothing," she said finally. "I just think it's wrong of her not to give you a definite answer," she repeated lamely.

  "I still don't understand," Elizabeth said. "As a matter of fact, Bill did ask me this morning if he could cancel the reading he'd planned to do. He's made it to the regionals this weekend, and he's got a special research project he's doing for Mr. Fellows. It sounds like he's swamped. But what does that have to do with DeeDee?"

  "It shouldn't have a thing to do with her," Patty answered. "But I suspect it does."

  "Uh-oh." Elizabeth sighed. "I was kind of worried about this. Do you mean that you think DeeDee won't work on the sets because Bill isn't going to be in the show?"

  Patty nodded glumly. "I'll tell you something. A year ago, even a few months ago, DeeDee Gordon was just about the last girl on earth I could imagine saying that about! She's always been one of the most independent people I've ever known. In fact, I used to worry about her. I used to wonder how she'd ever be able to get along with Bill once they started seeing each other all the time. It wasn't that she was headstrong or anything. She just always had her own ideas, her own plans."

  "Bill's the same way," Todd said thoughtfully.

  "I know." Patty sighed. "Well, DeeDee's changed," she announced, looking from Todd to Elizabeth. "I don't know why, and I'm not even sure I can find out without losing her friendship. All I know is that she won't do anything without Bill anymore. It's like she's his shadow. She doesn't even seem interested in anything but Bill! He's all she talks about. She keeps harping on what he's doing, the prizes he's won. She sounds like a broken record!"