In Love with the Enemy Read online

  "That's right," Ken said, clenching his jaw angrily. "And I don't like to see my players being abused that way."

  "Let it go," Todd advised. "They may have won the game, but we're going to win the season."

  Suddenly heavy footsteps sounded behind them on the gravel. "Well, if it isn't the little windbag!" a voice said behind Ken's back.

  Ken wheeled around. It was Greg McMullen, the Palisades linebacker. Even without his football pads, he was a hulking guy. Two burly dark-haired friends flanked him.

  "What did you call me?" Ken asked, his eyes flashing.

  "I called you the little windbag," Greg said in a jeering tone. He turned to his friend and made wheezing noises, imitating the sounds Ken had made after he had got the wind knocked out of him. The guys snickered.

  Ken could feel his blood boiling. His whole body tensed, and he clenched his fists into tight balls at his sides. He rocked on his feet, ready to lunge at Greg.

  Todd blocked Ken's way with an arm. "Ignore them," he said in a low voice. "They're all talk and no action."

  "What did you say?" Greg asked, his tone menacing.

  "Nothing," Todd muttered, taking Ken's arm and trying to lead him away. Ken shrugged him off angrily.

  "You want to say that to my face?" Greg taunted.

  "Yeah," Ken said, taking a few steps forward and facing him squarely. He could feel the blood pounding through his veins, and he was itching for a fight. "He said you're all talk, McMullen."

  Greg's eyes narrowed dangerously. "We'll see about that," he hissed. He jumped forward and punched Ken in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him again. Ken stumbled to the ground, gasping for air. The guys snorted, pretending to huff and puff. As the pain throbbed in his stomach, Ken was suffused with rage. He leaped to his feet and flew at Greg, his face contorted in pain. Todd jumped forward and grabbed Ken, locking him in a wrestler's hold.

  "Let me at him!" Ken growled, struggling with Todd to break loose and lashing out with his fists. He felt like a caged animal struggling to get free.

  "Aaron, help me out here!" Todd called. Aaron rushed over and pinned Ken's arms to his sides. Ken kicked at them both with his feet.

  "C'mon, Ken," Todd said between clenched teeth. "Get in the car."

  Aaron pulled open the door of the passenger seat, and the two of them finally managed to push Ken in.

  Greg and his friends snorted with laughter.

  "What's wrong?" Greg jeered. "Afraid Matthews will break a fingernail?"

  "Good thing you've got your little friends to protect you," his friend sneered.

  Todd started the engine and peeled out of the parking lot.

  Ken slammed his fist into the dashboard as Todd swung the car onto the main road. Then he fell back against the seat, seething in frustration. He would find a way to get back at those Palisades jerks. This time they had gone too far.

  Chapter 3

  "Hey, you girls wanna join us?" a guy with curly blond hair yelled at the beach on Saturday afternoon.

  "We could use a little diversity," his friend said. He was a big guy with shaggy brown hair and a dark tan, and he was holding a volleyball in his hand.

  Jessica smiled at the guys flirtatiously, enjoying the attention. She was with Lila and Amy at Ocean Bay, the most popular beach at Sweet Valley. They had been cruising the beach for the past hour, checking out guys and showing off their bathing suits. Jessica was wearing a new red string bikini, and Amy had on a floral pink two-piece. Lila was sporting the latest fashion her mother had brought back from Paris, a white maillot with a sash around the waist.

  Amy pushed her sunglasses on top of her head. "They're kind of cute," she whispered.

  Jessica looked over the guys at the net. She wouldn't mind playing some volleyball. But the guys on the team were all unattractive and looked as if they belonged in a science lab, not on the beach.

  "Amy, maybe you should put your glasses back on," Jessica said. "Look at the rest of the team."

  "Jessica, sometimes you can be such a snob," Lila said, putting a hand on her hip and striking a pose for the benefit of the two guys.

  Jessica snorted. "Coming from you, that's a compliment."

  The curly-haired guy swaggered up to them. "Well, you up for it?" he pressed.

  "No, thanks," Lila said. "We want to go where the action is."

  "Well give you action," his friend said in an insinuating tone.

  "Not that kind," Jessica retorted. "And definitely not from you."

  The girls sauntered off down the beach, laughing.

  Jessica shook out her golden-blond hair, enjoying the feel of the sunlight pouring down on her back. It was a perfect day for the beach. The sky was a robin's-egg blue, and the sun was shining down brightly on the sparkling aquamarine water. Actually, Jessica reflected, any day in Sweet Valley is a perfect day for the beach. But today was special. It was the annual all-day surfing competition. This year there were cameras from Rock TV, the music-video channel, taping the entire event.

  "Let's go back to the main boardwalk," Jessica suggested. "I want to check out the surfing contest." Actually, Jessica was less interested in the surfing competition than in the live cameras. She wanted to be an actress, and she had a recurring fantasy of being discovered by a famous director and becoming an overnight sensation. She didn't like to pass up any chance to get on TV.

  "Sure you do," Amy teased. "I think you want to check out the surfers."

  "Who, me?" Jessica said innocently. "I have a boyfriend."

  Lila laughed. "That's never stopped you before."

  "Look who's talking," Jessica retorted.

  Weaving their way through the hordes of young people dotting the beach, they made their way back to the main boardwalk. It appeared as if the entire population of young people in Sweet Valley had turned out for the surfing event.

  "Looks like the girls' competition is over," Amy said as they joined the crowd in the sand. A bunch of young women in wet suits were standing by the cameras. There were only guys out in the water riding the waves. They were practicing for their competition later that afternoon.

  Jessica dropped her beach bag onto the sand and fished through it. She had forgotten to bring her towel. "Lila, did you bring something to lie out on?" she asked.

  "Of course," Lila said. "I always sun in style." She pulled a folded-up wine-colored Persian rug out of her bag and threw it onto the ground. Jessica picked it up and flung it across the sand. A gust of wind caught it and sent it flapping wildly in the air.

  "Jes-si-ca!" Lila yelled as bits of sand flew into her face. She ducked and jumped out of the way.

  "Oh, sorry," Jessica said. Amy grabbed a corner of the rug, and they laid it flat on the ground. They quickly jumped on to anchor it.

  "Sometimes you can be so annoying," Lila told Jessica, kneeling down on the rug and running a finger through her tangled hair.

  "Oh, c'mon, Lila, it's just sand," Jessica said. "We lie on it all the time."

  "I like to walk on the sand," Lila corrected her. "I don't like to bathe in it." Lila stood up and shook out her hair, showering Jessica with tiny grains.

  "Lila, that's not funny!" Jessica protested, wiping off the rug with the back of her hand.

  Lila plopped down onto the rug, turning an innocent face to Jessica. "What? It's just sand."

  Jessica grinned in spite of herself. She pulled out a lime-flavored Perrier. "Here, drink this and shut up," she said, handing it to Lila.

  Lila laughed. "Thanks," she said, unscrewing the cap and taking a big gulp.

  Jessica turned her attention to the surfers in the ocean. "Wow, they're really pros," she said.

  "Yeah, they're amazing," Amy agreed.

  Jessica watched in awe as the boys practiced their moves in the high-rolling breakers of the foamy Pacific Ocean. They were definitely experts. Each one seemed to outmaneuver the others. One guy was standing on his head on a surfboard, riding the wave upside down. Another had two boards and was stepping from one to the other. A guy on his right was spinning on the tail of his board in a perfect three-sixty.

  "Look, a tandem surf!" Amy said, pointing out to sea. A guy in a brightly colored orange wet suit was riding a cresting wave, the nose of his surfboard pointing to the sky. A terrified-looking cocker spaniel was sitting on the edge. Suddenly a huge wave appeared on the tail of the first one and overtook it. The dog and rider flew into the water. Moments later the dog's nose popped up and he swam, panting, toward shore. Trotting out of the water happily, he shook his body violently, spraying the girls with water.

  "Gross!" Lila shrieked, flicking away a speck of water from her arm. "A canine!"

  Amy knelt on her towel and hit her leg. "C'mere, boy!" she called, but the dog ran down the beach.

  Jessica stood up and wiped wet sand off her legs. "Let's get closer to the camera," she suggested. "Maybe we can get interviewed."

  Lila snorted and pushed her sunglasses up on her forehead. "For what? Looking good?"

  Jessica shrugged. "You never know."

  The girls made their way across the warm sand and joined the crowd near the camera. The winner of the girls' surfing competition was being interviewed—a tough-looking girl named Rosie Shaw. Her short reddish-blond hair was wet, and she was wearing dark sunglasses. Her surfboard was propped in the sand by her side.

  Jessica looked on with envy as the girl played up to the camera. All Jessica needed was one short interview. If she could just get a few minutes on television, some well-known director would be sure to notice her.

  "Will you look at that?" Lila asked as they watched Rosie being interviewed. "That is the tackiest bathing suit I have ever seen." Rosie was wearing a fluorescent lime-green bikini with neon-pink straps.

  "It's hideous," Amy a
greed.

  "Jessica, can you believe it?" Lila said.

  "No, I can't," Jessica said. But she wasn't referring to Rosie. She had just spotted an incredibly gorgeous guy. He was out in the ocean, riding a ten-foot swell. The other surfers had dived through the wave and were floating on their boards, but he was standing above them all. Poised on the white summit with his feet buried in the churning foam, he looked like a Greek god, like Mercury on winged feet. Even from where she was, Jessica could tell he had a body like sculpted marble.

  "And Wilkins takes the floor!" Todd said, picking up a grapefruit and pretending to bounce it on the ground. "He dribbles down the center of the court, pivots to the left, and drives to the middle. The fans are going wild! Wilkins gets in position, leaps up, and . . . slam dunk! Two points!"

  Elizabeth rolled her eyes as Todd clowned around in the grass. It was Saturday afternoon, and she and Todd were having a picnic at Secca Lake. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining brightly, and the lake was a clear, sparkling blue. Elizabeth had gone all out, preparing an elaborate spread of salmon, arugula salad, fruit, cheese, and French bread. And to top it off, she had brought homemade brownies and sparkling apple cider.

  Elizabeth tore a piece of bread off a baguette and coated it lavishly with warm Brie cheese. She stuffed it into her mouth, feeling dissatisfied. Todd didn't seem to be sharing her mood. Ever since he had picked her up, he had talked nonstop about getting his cast off. Elizabeth didn't know what was worse—when Todd had his cast on and talked about getting it off, or when he had it off and talked about nothing but basketball.

  Elizabeth brushed the crumbs from her lap and stood up. "Todd, do you think you could take your mind off basketball for one moment to take part in our picnic?"

  But Todd ignored her. "The forward has the ball!" he said, running toward Elizabeth and circling her, his hands held out as if he were blocking her. "Wilkins is guarding her. She's young. She's blond. She's beautiful." He jumped from side to side in front of her, making her feel dizzy.

  "Todd!" Elizabeth protested, trying to get out of his way.

  "She tries to dribble past him, but—" Todd leaped onto the blanket and dived for Elizabeth, tackling her to the ground. "He bumps her to the floor! It's a foul for Wilkins! Free shot for the beautiful forward." Todd smothered her face in tiny kisses.

  "Your shot, Liz," Todd whispered.

  Elizabeth fended him off, but she couldn't help laughing. "Todd, sometimes you can be so idiotic."

  "That's just because I'm so happy," Todd said, picking up his plate and taking a bite of salad. "Last week I was a wrecked man. My girlfriend was leaving me, and I was out for the season. Now I've got the two most important things in the world back again: basketball and my girlfriend."

  Elizabeth feigned hurt. "You mean I'm only as important as basketball?"

  Todd paused, pretending to be deep in thought. "Hmm, which is more important?"

  "Todd, that's not funny," Elizabeth said, picking up her champagne flute and taking a sip of apple cider.

  Todd nodded solemnly. "You're right, basketball is obviously more important."

  Elizabeth whacked him in the arm, sending his fork flying out of his hand.

  Todd put his plate down and his expression turned serious. "Liz, you know you're the most important thing in the world to me." He turned and looked at her, his coffee-colored eyes warm with love. Elizabeth's stomach fluttered at the intensity of his gaze.

  "Liz, it's so nice to have you back again," Todd said in a husky voice, taking the glass out of her hand and setting it down. "For good." He took her in his arms and kissed her deeply. Elizabeth closed her eyes and returned the embrace with ardor, wrapping her arms around his neck. But in the middle of the kiss Todd suddenly pulled away.

  "Todd, what is it?" Elizabeth asked.

  "For a second I thought that was Greg McMullen, the Palisades linebacker from the game last night," Todd said, his expression grim. Todd was staring at a couple that had spread out a blanket near them. He sighed. "But it just looks like him."

  Elizabeth shrugged, rolling her eyes. Football and basketball. That's all she seemed to hear about lately. Wasn't there anything else in the world besides sports?

  Elizabeth quickly changed the subject. "Todd, I met some girls from Palisades last night at the game," she said, excited to tell him about their plan for the dance. "We came up with a great idea." But then she noticed that he wasn't listening. "Todd?"

  "I'm sorry, what?" Todd asked.

  Elizabeth sighed and fell back onto the blanket, dropping a grape into her mouth. It looked as if they were going to have to talk about sports. "What's wrong?" she asked.

  Todd shrugged. "Oh, nothing, really. Ken just had a little run-in with Greg McMullen after the game yesterday."

  Elizabeth sat up again. Now she was interested. "What do you mean, a run-in? Did they get into a fight?"

  "Well, not really. Actually, Greg socked Ken in the stomach. And then Ken tried to fight back. But Aaron and I broke it up."

  "Well, that's good," Elizabeth said with relief.

  Todd shook his head. "I don't know. It was a bad scene. I've never seen Ken like that. He was sort of . . ." Todd paused, searching for the right word. "Possessed," he said finally. "I've never seen Ken act so violent."

  "I can't believe it," Elizabeth said, shaking her head. "Ken is normally so gentle."

  "I know," Todd said. "I don't know what got into him."

  "Well, at least nothing happened," Elizabeth said.

  Todd shook his head. "Not yet, anyway." He had a worried expression on his face. "I don't think Ken is going to take this lying down. This isn't the last we're going to hear of Greg McMullen."

  Elizabeth stared out at the still blue lake. Even though the sun was shining brightly, a chill traveled slowly up her spine.

  Todd turned to her. "I'm sorry, what were you saying? You met some girls at the game?"

  Elizabeth bit her lip and waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, it was nothing," she said. Now was not the time to mention her plans for the dance.

  "Attention, all surfers!" a voice squawked over the loudspeaker at the beach.

  Jessica opened her eyes and flipped to her side to see what was going on. She was lying out on the Persian rug with Lila and Amy, listening to rock music from Amy's portable CD player. Rosie Shaw was sitting on a towel next to them, talking to two guys. She had really been irritating Jessica. Every male of the species that had passed by had stopped to congratulate her. She'd been asked out by at least five guys in the last half hour.

  The hip host of Rock TV was standing with a microphone in the middle of the beach in front of the cameras. She was wearing a funky tube miniskirt and a spandex half top. "Rock TV is sponsoring a statewide surf contest in one month!" the host announced.

  Lila yawned and picked up her suntan oil, pouring a handful into her hand.

  "There will be two winners, one male and one female," the host continued. "Not only will our two winners get an exclusive interview on RTV, but they'll also get an all-expenses-paid surfing trip to . . . Hawaii!"

  "Did you hear that?" Jessica asked, sitting up. This was the chance she had been waiting for If Jessica could get an interview on RTV, she would be sure to be discovered.

  "Uh-oh," Amy said to Lila. "Jessica has that look in her eyes."

  "I'm going to win that interview," Jessica declared. "And the trip to Hawaii."

  "Oh, rad, man, I'm really psyched," Lila said, making fun of surfing jargon.

  "Cool out, a surfing competition," Amy chimed in. "That's really gnarly, dude." Rosie turned toward the girls and gave them a dirty look.

  "Surfing is a serious sport," Jessica said. "It developed in Hawaii in the eighteenth century."

  Lila looked at her in surprise. "How do you know that?"

  Jessica shrugged. "I know more about surfing than you think."

  Lila scoffed as she rubbed oil onto her legs. "Well, you may know something about surfing, Jessica, but that's not going to help you win the contest."

  "Why not?" Jessica demanded.

  Lila laughed. "Because you don't know how to surf."

  Jessica shrugged. "So I'll learn."

  Lila snorted. "In a month?"

  "Sure, I'll pick it up with no problem," Jessica said. "After all, I've been cheerleading for years. The principle is the same. It's all about coordination and balance."