Steven's Bride Read online

  Steven stroked Cara's hair, her face, her shoulders, devouring her with his eyes, which, like hers, were filled with tears. "Cara," he whispered hoarsely. "Please don't leave me."

  Cara looked at him helplessly. "Oh, Steven, what are we going to do?"

  Two

  "You knew about the possibility of your mom getting transferred before you went to London? And you didn't tell us? No wonder you weren't looking forward to the trip!" Amy commiserated as she wrapped a framed photograph of Cara and Steven in tissue paper and carefully placed it in a large cardboard box.

  It was Saturday afternoon and Jessica, Amy, and Lila had come over to the fourth-floor apartment on Roundtree Road where Cara and her mother had lived since the Walkers' divorce. They were helping Cara pack some things that were to be shipped ahead to London. After telling Steven about the move Thursday night, Cara had realized she could not put off telling her friends any longer and had shared the sad news with them at school on Friday.

  "The company sure didn't waste any time, and neither did your mom," Jessica observed. "I can't believe that in two and a half weeks you'll be in London for good!"

  Cara couldn't believe it either. But it was real; it was happening.

  "I'm glad my father runs his own company," Lila said. "Nobody can transfer him."

  Jessica frowned at Lila. "Thanks for reminding us, Lila." She turned to Cara. "Tell us about your new apartment in London," she said.

  "To tell you the truth, I don't remember it all that clearly," Cara admitted. She and her mother had looked at a number of flats while they were in London, and Mrs. Walker had since phoned the realtor to confirm a rental in the elegant neighborhood of Knightsbridge. But the whole process had been a blur to Cara. She hadn't wanted to see the apartments, or the city. She had even hoped that her mother would not get the promotion. "I think it has bay windows overlooking a park."

  "It sounds pretty," Amy ventured.

  "Well, it's not," Cara said sharply. "London is hideous. It's nothing like California. It rains all the time. I'm going to hate it!" Hot tears sprang to her eyes. Wiping them away with the sleeve of her T-shirt, Cara forced herself to laugh. "At least the apartment has a guest bedroom, so all of you can come and visit me."

  "As soon as school gets out for the summer, I'll be there," Jessica promised.

  Cara collapsed on a beanbag chair. She reached under the bed and pulled out a flat plastic box. "I can't believe all the junk that's piled up over the years," she said. She removed the lid and held up an old, dried-out corsage. "Look at this!"

  "What dance was that from?" Jessica asked.

  Cara studied the brown flowers, the faded ribbon. "Oh, I don't remember." She tossed the corsage back in the box. She didn't want to remember. It was too painful. Her mother was dragging her away from her friends, her town, her school, her boyfriend. Before long, memories would be all she had.

  Lila reached into the box. "An invitation to a party at my house!" she said.

  Cara smiled. "That was a great party. Remember? You had a live band. Steven and I danced the whole night!"

  "I really should have another party soon," Lila remarked. "How about a party in your honor, a going-away party?"

  Cara shook her head. "Thanks, Li, but I don't think I could take a scene like that." Her voice shook, tears threatening again. I'm not going to cry, she told herself silently. "It's going to be hard enough to say goodbye to everyone."

  Jessica jumped up from her chair and crossed the room to give Cara a hug. "Oh, Cara, it's going to be so lonely in Sweet Valley without you. Don't move."

  Cara laughed through her tears. "OK, Jess. If you say so, I won't go."

  Jessica sniffled. "Seriously, isn't there anything you can do?"

  "I wish!" Cara rubbed her forehead; she had had a tension headache for a week now. "But the plans are already set. Mom's contracted the movers and booked our flights. I'm going, whether I want to or not."

  At that moment, there was a knock on Cara's bedroom door. "Yeah?" she called.

  Mrs. Walker peered around the door. "Hi, girls. I just thought I'd see how you're doing. Can I bring you something to eat or drink? I've got cookies and fruit and some fresh-squeezed orange juice."

  Cara was about to decline her mother's offer, but Amy spoke first. "That sounds great, Mrs. Walker. Can I help you?"

  "No, I can get it." Mrs. Walker disappeared. A few minutes later, she returned with a tray. She lingered for a moment in the doorway, as if she might like to chat with the girls, but when Cara didn't look at her or speak to her, Mrs. Walker made a quiet exit.

  "You're pretty mad at her, huh?" Jessica guessed, reaching hungrily for a plump, fuzzy peach.

  "Why shouldn't I be?" Cara said defensively. "If it weren't for her stupid job, this wouldn't be happening!"

  "It's not a stupid job, though," Amy reminded her. "It's your mom's career. You should be proud of her, making a new life for herself."

  "But what about my life?" Cara rejoined. "Doesn't it count for anything?"

  Amy sighed. "You're right. It's really not fair. I remember how mad I was when we had to move from Vermont because WXAB offered my mom the sportscasting job."

  "But that was different," Cara said. "You weren't moving to a strange new place a million miles away. You were moving back to the town where you were born!"

  "But after all those years, Sweet Valley was like a new place," Amy persisted. "Everybody had grown up and changed. I had to make friends all over again."

  "You'll make new friends in London," Jessica told Cara.

  "But I don't want to make new friends." Cara yanked a tissue from the box and blew her nose. "I want to keep the friends I have."

  "I didn't say you'd make friends as good as us," Jessica amended. "But, you know, just because you're moving doesn't mean we won't stay friends. I, for one, am not going to let little things like the continent of North America and the Atlantic Ocean come between us!"

  Cara smiled weakly. She appreciated Jessica's enthusiasm; she only wished she could share it. But she knew how expensive overseas phone calls were, and neither she nor Jessica were great letter writers. Sure, they would keep in touch for a while. But eventually other friends would fill Cara's place in Jessica's life. And eventually another girl will take my place in Steven's heart. That thought brought more tears to Cara's eyes, and she reached for another tissue.

  Lila was reclining on Cara's bed. Now she sat up, but only to grab a cookie from the tray. "Well, if you really don't want to go to London, don't," she said, biting into the cookie for emphasis.

  "I don't have a choice," Cara reminded her.

  "Why can't you just live with your dad in Chicago?" Lila asked.

  "Well, he hasn't invited me to," Cara answered.

  "He probably assumes you're psyched about London," Jessica exclaimed. "I bet if you told him you aren't, he'd invite you to live with him and Charlie in Chicago."

  Cara shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. But it's kind of complicated." She shivered, recalling her parents' divorce and the arguments over where she and Charlie would live. Finally, the Walkers had compromised. Cara had stayed in Sweet Valley with their mother, and Charlie moved to Chicago with their dad. There had been no easy solution then and there was no easy solution now. In a way it would be great to live with her father and brother again, but Cara knew that, as mad as she might be at the moment, she would miss her mother terribly if they were separated. Why can't we just be a family the way we used to be? Cara thought, not for the first time. Mom and Dad and me and Charlie, all living together here in Sweet Valley. Why did everything have to change?

  "Anyway, it's not like Chicago is right down the road," she concluded out loud. "It's two thousand miles away. It wouldn't really be any better than London."

  "I suppose you're right." Jessica sighed. "So much for that idea."

  "I guess you just have to make the best of it," Amy said cheerfully as she sealed the cardboard box with heavy-duty tape. "It'll be hard at first, but a
fter a while I bet you'll love London."

  Cara shrugged. London might be glamorous and exciting, but it would never be home. Cara was overwhelmed by anger and frustration. She had absolutely no control over her own life! Her mother was hauling her off to London as if she were a suitcase instead of a person.

  Make the best of it. . . . Cara threw a pile of paperback books into an empty box. She couldn't. She wouldn't.

  It was a perfect night for dancing under the stars at the Beach Disco. The sky overhead was like a piece of black velvet scattered with sequins. But Steven was oblivious to the beauty of the setting. He was aware of only one person, one thing: the girl in his arms and the fact that soon she would be on a plane to London.

  The current song had a quick tempo, but Steven and Cara danced close and slowly. "Let's stay like this forever," Cara whispered, her breath warm against Steven's neck.

  His arms tightened around her. "I wish we could," he whispered back.

  He also wished they could leave the Beach Disco and go somewhere where they could be alone, but he knew Cara wanted to spend time with her other friends, too. There was so little time. Over Cara's head, Steven watched the people dancing near them. He glimpsed his sisters and their boyfriends. Jessica and Sam were laughing. Elizabeth and Todd were engaged in an animated discussion. Virtually everyone at the club looked carefree and happy. Everyone but us . . . Steven's jaw clenched. It simply wasn't fair.

  "Remember our first date?" Cara said now, lifting sad but smiling eyes to Steven's.

  He grinned. "Do I ever. I never expected to like you so much. I thought you were going to be a little too much like Jessica for my taste!"

  Cara laughed. "Well, I knew I was going to fall for you. I'd admired you from afar for a long time."

  "No, you didn't," Steven teased.

  "Yes, I did," Cara insisted. "My best friend's tall, dark, and handsome older brother, a sophisticated college man. How could I not have had a crush on you?"

  "Well, when you put it that way . . ."

  "Then I really got to know you," Cara continued, "and I found out that you weren't just handsome and smart, you were also the kindest, most wonderful guy in the whole world. . . ." Her voice cracked, and she hid her face against his broad chest. "I've never loved anyone the way I love you, Steven," she whispered.

  Steven's throat tightened. "I love you, too, Cara."

  "You'll forget all about me after a while."

  "Never," he swore, his voice husky.

  The song ended. Reluctantly, Steven and Cara stepped apart. Making a visible effort, she flashed him a bright smile. "I'm dehydrated from crying so much. How about getting something to drink?"

  Together they walked toward the juice bar on the opposite side of the dance floor. While Cara ducked into the girls' room, Steven ordered two sodas.

  Glasses in hand, he looked around for an empty table. Just then, Elizabeth appeared at his side. "Having fun?" she asked.

  Steven shrugged. "I guess I'm having as much fun as I can, considering the fact that I'm absolutely miserable."

  He rested the glasses on a nearby table. Elizabeth slipped an arm around her brother's waist. "I know how hard this is for you," she said softly. "I know what it's like, having to say goodbye to someone you love."

  Steven looked down into his younger sister's sympathetic eyes. "That's right," he said. "I guess it was just as tough for you when Todd's dad was transferred to Burlington."

  Elizabeth nodded. "When Todd moved away, I was crushed. I never dreamed we'd be reunited. But we were. Maybe someday you and Cara will be, too."

  Steven looked skeptical. "How? When?"

  "Well . . ." Elizabeth considered. "She could come back to California to go to college."

  "She's just a junior. College is still a long way off," Steven said glumly.

  "You can still hope, Steven," his sister said. "Maybe someday . . ."

  Steven frowned. "Sorry, but I just don't believe in 'someday,' Liz. There wasn't any someday for me and Tricia, and there won't be one for me and Cara, either."

  Elizabeth gasped. "Don't talk that way, Steven."

  "Why not?"

  "You sound so . . . so hopeless. So desperate!"

  "Well, that's the way I feel," he declared roughly. "When Cara leaves, it will be forever."

  Elizabeth wanted to reassure her brother, but there was nothing else she could say. She squeezed his arm and slipped away into the crowd.

  His throat suddenly bone-dry, Steven gulped down his soda. He saw Cara approaching. She was smiling at her friends, trying so hard to be cheerful. Steven's heart ached. His own words echoed in his brain like a voice from a nightmare. It was inevitable. When Cara leaves, it will be forever.

  In all his life, Steven had never felt so powerless. At least when Tricia had been near death, he had been able to accept the fact that her illness was beyond all human control. This was different. I should be able to do something! Steven thought desperately.

  Three

  "It never rains in southern California," Sam grumbled, looking out the window of the Wakefields' den at the steady downpour.

  "Well, it's raining today," Jessica said, her eyes glued to the TV screen.

  It was Sunday afternoon. Sam had dropped in on Jessica unexpectedly because his dirt bike rally had been canceled. He sat next to Jessica on the sofa, careful not to disturb the big bowl of popcorn she had balanced on her lap.

  A commercial flashed on the screen and Jessica moved the popcorn to the end table so that she could wrap her arms around Sam. "I ordered this weather just to get you to hang out with me today, instead of with your dirt bike buddies," Jessica whispered.

  "I guess this isn't so bad, afterall," Sam teased. He brushed a strand of golden hair back from her forehead and gave her a lingering kiss. "Hmm, I kind of like that. I guess this isn't so bad at all."

  He bent to kiss her again, but Jessica wriggled out of his grasp. The movie had resumed and she didn't want to miss a single second of it. Sam shook his head. "How can you stand to watch this corny old movie?" he asked, reaching over to grab a handful of popcorn.

  "It's not corny. It's a classic," Jessica informed him. "It's the saddest and most romantic movie ever. Ryan O'Neal is so gorgeous, and Ali MacGraw is so tragically beautiful. . . ." Jessica reached for the box of tissues on the end table and positioned it on her lap. She had seen Love Story at least three or four times, and she knew she would need the tissues before long.

  "It's just a movie," Sam reminded her.

  "It may be just a movie, but it's a lot like real life. They're young and in love, and she's dying! How would you feel if I died?" she asked melodramatically.

  "Don't even say such a thing!"

  "Well, it could happen," Jessica insisted. "My brother had a girlfriend who died. So you'd better appreciate me while you have me!"

  "I appreciate you plenty," Sam assured her.

  The Love Story theme song swelled as the hero and heroine kissed. A tear trickled down Jessica's cheek as she thought of her brother and his tragic relationship with Tricia Martin. Jessica had never been wild about Tricia, but she loved her brother dearly and she had shared in his pain.

  "Poor Steven," she mused out loud. "Someone should make a movie about him. He's had so much tragedy in his love life. First Tricia dies and now Cara's moving halfway around the world."

  "It is pretty rotten luck," Sam agreed.

  Jessica wiped away another tear. There was no doubt about it. Steven and Cara's situation was dire. Cara's moving to London was almost as bad as if she were dying! Steven would never see Cara again. And they're really in love. They might even have gotten married someday, Jessica thought. At least the hero and heroine of Love Story had been married. They had been truly united, body and soul, before being parted forever.

  Suddenly, Jessica sat bolt upright. That was it! The couple in Love Story were in college, not much older than Steven and Cara. Jessica shoved aside the box of tissues and jumped to her feet. "Where are y
ou going?" Sam called after her as she bolted from the room. "You're going to miss the end of the movie!"

  "I'll be back!" Jessica cried. Forget the end of the movie. She was interested in real life. And she had just discovered the perfect ending to Steven and Cara's real-life love story.

  She ran up the stairs three at a time and skidded down the hall to Steven's bedroom. He was home for the weekend and was forcing himself to spend a few hours apart from Cara in order to get some studying done.

  Jessica burst into her brother's room without bothering to knock. Steven looked up from his book in surprise. "Steven, I've figured it all out!" she announced excitedly. "You and Cara don't have to break up."

  "We don't?"

  "No." Jessica flashed him a triumphant smile. "All you have to do is get married!"

  Steven's eyes, already wide, grew even wider. "Get what?"

  "Get married," Jessica repeated. "It's the perfect solution! You and Cara are in love, right? You'd probably get married someday, anyway. But if you get married now, Cara won't have to move to London with her mom. She'll stay in Sweet Valley with you. You'll be together forever!"

  Steven sat back in his chair and stared up at Jessica. Jessica held her breath and watched her brother impatiently, waiting for him to consider her suggestion and discover that it was absolutely brilliant.

  Slowly, a smile spread across Steven's face. He sat up straighter, as if an incredible burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

  Steven jumped to his feet. "Why didn't I think of that?" he shouted. "Jess, you're a genius!"

  Jessica grinned smugly. "No kidding."

  Steven fumbled on top of his desk for his car keys. He found them and stuck them in his pants pocket. Then, impulsively, he picked Jessica up by the waist and twirled her around. They were both laughing breathlessly. "I'm going to do it," he declared when he set her down again. "I'm going over to Cara's right now."

  Jessica clapped her hands. "Good luck!" she called as Steven strode from the room.

  Jessica collapsed backwards on Steven's bed. I'm a genius! she thought happily. Steven was on his way to Cara's to propose, and it was all Jessica's idea!