Bitter Rivals Page 2

  Lila's look was devastating. "Christopher," she said pompously, "is quite simply the world's most fabulous man."

  "Lila's cousin," Jessica put in.

  Lila smiled. "He's from a really interesting branch of the family tree."

  Winston laughed. "As opposed to the Fowler trunk, that is," he said teasingly.

  Lila ignored him. "And," she went on, "he's six foot two, with really wavy, thick, blond hair, and the most amazing blue eyes. They just sort of pierce right through you."

  Enid giggled. "When is this gorgeous man coming? Sounds like I should enter that day on my calendar."

  Lila prodded her chicken salad with her fork. "He said he's coming this weekend. Christopher doesn't really like being confined to one particular day, you see."

  "Where did you say he was from?" Elizabeth asked curiously.

  "Kennebunkport, Maine. He's a terrific yachtsman, and he's a great dancer, too. Which brings me to the subject I know you've all been waiting for."

  "Another party," Jessica said.

  Lila frowned at her. "Not just a party, Jess. The party. The party of the year. I already talked to Daddy, and he said the sky's the limit. So we're throwing the biggest and best bash ever. We're going to get a really good band from L.A., maybe the Number One if they're not booked already. And I thought it would be fun to have it be a costume party, don't you think? I haven't had one in a long time."

  Jessica's face lit up. "That's a great idea," she said enthusiastically.

  Elizabeth and Enid exchanged glances. Apparently Jessica had a good idea for a costume!

  "And," Lila said dramatically, "we're going to have really good food. Maybe even a lobster dinner!"

  "I'll come as a lobster," Winston said, grinning at her. "That is, if I'm invited," he added hastily.

  "When's the party going to be, Lila?" Elizabeth asked.

  "Two weeks from this coming Saturday," Lila said. "I'll remind you," she added quickly. "Daddy's letting me print up invitations. You'll all get one."

  "Amy will be here then," Elizabeth reminded her.

  Lila frowned. "Don't worry, Liz. I'd be delighted to invite Amy Sutton. This is going to be such a big bash that there's plenty of room, even for tomboys."

  Elizabeth bit her lip. She didn't like the way Lila sounded when she talked about Amy.

  Elizabeth wanted her old friend to fit in at Sweet Valley High. Not that being friendly with Lila Fowler mattered to Elizabeth. She cared much more about getting Amy involved with The Oracle, introducing her to her closest friends, and making sure she felt welcome and happy.

  She just hoped that Amy would find a warm reception when she finally moved back!

  Enid Rollins loved walking home from school. For one thing, it was a chance to sort out what had taken place during the day. And the neighborhood was so pretty. She loved looking at the houses, the bright green lawns, the richly scented flowers. From certain places she could even see the nearby ocean, sparkling as the sunlight hit it.

  But that afternoon Enid wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings. She was thinking about Elizabeth—and about Amy Sutton.

  Enid had never met Amy. Unlike most of her classmates, she hadn't gone to elementary school in Sweet Valley. In fact, she hadn't moved there until she was in eighth grade, right after her parents split up.

  She hadn't met Elizabeth right away, either. In fact, Enid had gone through a rough transition period after she moved in. Depressed about her parents' divorce, she had gotten mixed up with the wrong kids, the sort who were trouble in almost every way and were involved with drugs. Her boyfriend then was George Warren, who was older than Enid. They got into serious trouble together and eventually were separated when George was sent to boarding school. Enid was forced to face up to what she'd done. She went through a long withdrawn period, spending most of her time alone, usually buried in a book. Then, in tenth grade, she and Elizabeth became friends.

  It was hard for Enid to sort out exactly what Elizabeth Wakefield meant to her. It wasn't just that Elizabeth had been a kind of model for Enid, then and afterward. Enid admired Elizabeth and counted on her advice and support. And that Elizabeth had helped her out of numerous scrapes. The one Enid could never forget was after the plane crash. . . .

  Enid had stayed in touch with George, and when he came back to attend college in Sweet Valley, they put the pieces of their relationship back together. George had changed as much as Enid. He was sober, hard-working, earnest, and trying to realize a lifelong dream of becoming a pilot.

  Enid and George were close for a long time. Enid had no idea that he had started to have strong feelings for Robin Wilson, whom he'd met in his flying class. George had planned on telling Enid after he had taken her for the plane ride he had promised her. However, after the two-seater plane crashed into Secca Lake, Enid was temporarily paralyzed, and George decided to postpone saying anything. An operation removed the pressure on Enid's spine, but to the doctor's surprise, she was still unable to walk. Only later did she realize a psychological block kept her from walking. It was Elizabeth who saved her . . . Elizabeth who had discovered what was going on between George and Robin and helped Enid to see that her fear of losing George was preventing her from recovering completely.

  But Enid's feelings about Elizabeth went far beyond gratitude. Enid often watched Elizabeth and Jessica with a mixture of amazement and envy. She couldn't imagine what it must be like to have a sister, let alone a twin, someone so like yourself in every way. Elizabeth was the closest thing Enid had to a sister. She realized now that she felt very possessive of her.

  It was one thing sharing Elizabeth with Jessica. That was only natural. And for a long time, Elizabeth had gone out with Todd Wilkins, the brown-haired, handsome star of the basketball team. And Enid had had George. Elizabeth and Enid were used to weeks when they saw relatively little of each other. But since Enid and George had broken up and Todd had moved to Vermont, it seemed that she and Elizabeth were closer than ever. They often spent weekend evenings together, and Enid realized now that she had grown very dependent on her friend.

  Maybe it'll do us good to spend less time together, she thought. But she didn't really believe it. Secretly she felt jealous of Amy Sutton. After all, Amy had known Elizabeth, Enid reflected, a lot longer than she had. And every time Elizabeth described her, Amy sounded more ideal. How could Enid possibly hope to compete with her?

  Enid knew Elizabeth would never drop her for Amy. That just wasn't the way Elizabeth operated. But all the same, she was anxious.

  Elizabeth kept saying how much she wanted Enid and Amy to spend time together, to get to know each other. And Enid knew that, as always, Elizabeth's heart was in the right place. But she couldn't help wondering, with a sinking feeling in her stomach, what would happen if she didn't like Amy Sutton. Or if Amy Sutton didn't like her.

  "Well, our very first column has gone off to the printer," Cara Walker said happily, swiveling around on the chair in the Oracle office to face Jessica. "What do you think? You think we're ready for national syndication? Or do we still need a little work?"

  Jessica sighed. "The column's OK," she said moodily. Her mind wasn't on her role as half of Miss Lovelorn right then. The column was at the printer's, and the paper wouldn't come out until Wednesday. Jessica wasn't used to thinking about something so far out of sight. Besides, she had more pressing things on her mind.

  Such as Jay McGuire.

  It had been a long time since Jessica had fallen in love like this; painfully, breathtakingly, heartbreakingly in love. Every time she saw him her stomach did flip-flops. She had even started arranging to run into him between classes. French, the one class they had together, was delicious torture. She spent the whole hour staring at him and by some sort of incredible fluke had managed to get him for her dialogue partner. This week they were pretending to be tour guides, learning the names of famous sites in Paris, but Jessica couldn't concentrate, she was so busy studying Jay.

  He was gorgeous. About six feet tall, with sandy hair and the most fabulous green eyes with gold highlights in them. Jessica had always thought he was cute, but when their gazes locked after class one day, Jessica knew that true love between them was destined. Jay McGuire. Jessica loved saying his name to herself, and she had already figured out their future, step by step. She was certain he liked her, too. She had been turning the charm on full force every day in French, and if it weren't for one tiny little problem, Jessica was sure they'd be conversing outside class as well as in. If only she could get rid of that one little problem . . .

  The problem was Denise Hadley.

  Jay and Denise had been going out for a couple of months. And from the look of it, Jay was hooked—even Jessica had to admit that. Denise was a senior, a striking redhead with almond-shaped brown eyes and a knockout figure. Jessica didn't know her very well, but she would have liked her a lot more if she hadn't thrown herself at Jay. Jessica was convinced that was what had happened. Jay would probably drop Denise in a minute and realize Jessica was the one woman of his dreams if only she could think of some way . . .

  "Jess." Cara pouted. "You're not listening to a single thing I'm saying. What's with you this afternoon?"

  "Sorry," Jessica said, sighing miserably. "Cara, I think I need Miss Lovelorn's advice."

  "Try me," Cara said, bright-eyed. "It can't be that bad," she added, seeing the look on Jessica's face.

  "Try this, then," Jessica mumbled. " 'Dear Miss Lovelorn,' " she improvised, " 'I am madly, desperately in love with Jay McGuire. The only problem is Jay McGuire is madly in love with Denise Hadley. What should I do?' "

  Cara stared at Jessica. "Jay McGuire . . . oh, dear. How long have he and Denise been going out?"

  "Forever," Jessica moaned. "Anyway, for mo
nths. I think it really is desperate."

  "Can't you fall in love with someone who isn't already taken?"

  Jessica stared glumly at her.

  "Hmmm," Cara said quickly. "I guess not. Well, in that case . . ."

  "It's not even as though she's any good for him," Jessica pointed out. "I mean, she's over a year older than he is. She's old enough to be his—his—"

  "Girlfriend," Cara cut in, and giggled.

  Jessica glared at her. "Come on, Cara. She really is a lot older than he is. I mean, what's he going to do next year when she's in college? It's crazy. Besides, all her friends are seniors. He needs a junior. That's obvious. If only—"

  Cara smiled at her. "Well, maybe working on the column will take your mind off him," she said, picking up some letters and tossing them onto the desk in front of Jessica. Jessica stared at the letters, her eyes widening as a wonderful idea began to take shape. "What about using the column to get a message to Jay McGuire?" she said craftily.

  Cara stared at her. "You mean—"

  "Run a letter or two from an older woman. Or a younger man. You know, something really clever. That's what I'm famous for, isn't it?"

  Cara stared at Jessica, her eyes troubled. "Jessica, you're awful. Do you mean you're going to use the column to convince Jay that Denise is wrong for him?"

  Jessica grinned. "Isn't it perfect? 'Cause once he's figured that out—"

  "Once he's figured that out," Cara said wryly, "all I can say is, I hope the poor guy has insurance! Either that, or that he's Jessica-proof. Because if he isn't, he's got a rough couple of weeks ahead."

  Jessica jumped up. "You know something?" she exclaimed, grabbing a piece of paper and slipping it into the typewriter. "I have a feeling I'm really going to do all right in the creative business after all!"

  Cara laughed. "All I can say is, wherever you are, Denise Hadley, you'd better look out. Because with Jessica Wakefield and Miss Lovelorn both working against you, you probably won't have a chance!"

  Three

  "Where are you going?" Jessica mumbled from underneath her covers. It was ten o'clock on Saturday morning, but it might as well have been the middle of the night in Jessica's room, which the other Wakefields affectionately called "The Hershey Bar" because Jessica had painted it mud-brown one rainy afternoon.

  Elizabeth had poked her head in the doorway to say goodbye. "I'm supposed to meet Enid at the beach in half an hour," she told her sister. "Mom's gone out, and I thought I'd better wake you up before I left."

  Jessica groaned as she sat up in bed. "The beach?" she mumbled sleepily. "What time is it?"

  "It's ten o'clock," Elizabeth said and laughed when Jessica groaned again and lay back down. Elizabeth had a feeling it would be hours before Jessica emerged in public.

  "Come join us later," she called over her shoulder, grabbing her big striped towel and running downstairs. She was about to step outside when the telephone rang.

  "Liz," an excited, feminine voice exclaimed. "It's me, Amy!"

  Elizabeth listened for the familiar buzz of long distance. To her surprise, it sounded as though Amy were calling from nearby! "Amy! But where are you?" she asked, feeling confused. This was Saturday. The Suttons weren't supposed to move in until the following day!

  "Right here in Sweet Valley," Amy sang out. "At the Bradleys' house—or should I say, our house, now. And I'm surrounded by millions of crates and boxes," she added. "Liz, you should see this place! Daddy says it looks like we've got enough stuff to fill two houses!"

  Elizabeth felt like jumping up and down. "You mean you're here, really and truly here? I have to see you," she said impulsively. "Can I come over right away?"

  Amy giggled. "You may not want to stay long, the way this place looks," she warned. "But, of course, come on over! I was hoping you'd come," she added. "You know, the old place sure looks different, Liz."

  "I'll be right over," Elizabeth promised. She glanced quickly at her watch. It was ten-fifteen. She's have plenty of time to drop by and give Amy a welcome hug before heading to the beach.

  A few minutes later Elizabeth was getting out of the red Fiat Spider the twins shared. The scene before her was one of chaos. An enormous moving van was parked in the drive, and men were rushing back and forth with boxes and furniture. In the middle of all the chaos Dyan Sutton, looking stunning in a white linen suit, was standing perfectly still and shouting directions to the movers.

  "Mrs. Sutton!" Elizabeth called, moving forward.

  The next thing she knew, Mrs. Sutton was engulfing her in a warm, perfumed hug. "Good heavens, Liz," Mrs. Sutton said, stepping back and looking her up and down. "I'd never have known it was you in a million years if Amy hadn't said—Excuse me!" she called to one of the movers. "That goes in the living room."

  She turned back to Elizabeth and shrugged helplessly. "Moving," she said simply, shaking her head. "Wait till you see Amy," Mrs. Sutton added. "You'd never know her. She's—"

  But Mrs. Sutton never got to finish her sentence. The next instant a bloodcurdling shriek resounded from the top of the drive, and Amy Sutton came barreling toward her old friend, her arms outstretched.

  "Amy!" Elizabeth cried.

  The two girls threw their arms around each other. For several minutes they were laughing and hugging and talking and making no sense at all. But at last Elizabeth extricated herself from Amy's exuberant embrace long enough to get a good look at her.

  "Good lord, Amy," she said, shaking her head. "You never told me you got so beautiful!"

  When Amy had left Sweet Valley after sixth grade, she was a skinny kid who needed braces. Now . . . well, Elizabeth could hardly believe her eyes. Amy was an inch or two taller than Elizabeth and slender, with dark-blond hair that fell to her shoulders. Her eyes, a slate-gray color, were outlined with gray pencil. Her smile was flawless. She looked, Elizabeth thought with admiration, like a fashion model. She was wearing a cotton miniskirt and a T-shirt, and even in that outfit she would have looked at home in any of the top fashion magazines.

  "What about you, Liz? You're the one who's a knockout. Oh, Liz, it's so wonderful to actually see you again! And now that I'm back in Sweet Valley, it'll be just like old times."

  "I feel like I have to pinch myself," Elizabeth whispered. "I just can't believe it's really happening. I didn't even expect you till tomorrow!"

  "Well, we were all just in such a panic," Amy said, running her eyes speculatively over the chaos in the driveway. "You see, we were waiting until Mom knew about the contract and the station, and then we wanted to leave tomorrow but the moving company had scheduled to drop off all our stuff today. I was going to call you last night before we left, but I ran out of time. I was at this party—Oh, Lord, I have so much to tell you!"

  Elizabeth hugged her. "We've got all the time in the world, now. You're practically my next-door neighbor!"

  Amy frowned at the yellow dresser being carried past them. "That's mine. Recognize it?" she asked Elizabeth. "Goodness knows how I'll ever be able to sleep in that room tonight, though. It looks as if people have been dynamiting in there!"

  Elizabeth grabbed Amy's arm. "Come over to my house," she said impulsively. "And spend the night tonight. Please, Amy, it'll be so much fun! And it'll give us a chance to start catching up."

  Amy's face lit up. "What a great idea! If my parents don't mind," she added, sighing as she surveyed the driveway once more. "I'd hate to desert them now."

  "Who's deserting whom?" Mr. Sutton demanded, coming over and giving Elizabeth a big kiss on the cheek. His blue eyes twinkled. "I hate to say it, but, boy, have you grown up since I last saw you!" he told her.

  "Elizabeth wants me to go over to her house and spend the night," Amy said. "I don't suppose . . ."

  "That's fine with me," her father told her, smiling at them both. "Who am I to wreck a great reunion? Just check with your mom, and get lost, you two!"

  For the next half hour or so Elizabeth chatted with the Suttons, waiting for Amy to collect some clothing to take with her. She felt vaguely uneasy about something, but couldn't quite place what it was. Not until she and Amy were driving back to the Wakefields' house and the radio announcer said it was eleven-thirty did Elizabeth realize that she had forgotten about Enid.

  "Omigod!" she cried, slapping her forehead. "I forgot Enid. I was supposed to meet her at the beach. It's so late she may have gone back home. I'll have to try to call her from the house."