Miss Teen Sweet Valley Read online

  They stopped to listen while Elizabeth gave her quick speech, and Amy looked annoyed when the grandmotherly type Elizabeth had been talking to signed the petition.

  "What are you trying to do?" she demanded.

  "I think it's obvious, Amy," Elizabeth replied politely. "We want the Chamber of Commerce to call off the pageant."

  Amy's cheeks flushed. "Have you ever heard the saying, 'Live and let live'? Nobody's forcing you to attend the pageant. I just don't understand why you'd want to spoil it for everybody else."

  "Amy . . ." Barry said hesitantly.

  Amy ignored Barry. She folded her arms and frowned. "Well, you're not going to get me to sign!"

  Elizabeth spoke quietly, and with a smile. "I didn't expect to, Amy. I take it you're planning to enter?"

  "I already have," Amy answered with a defiant toss of her hair. "C'mon, Barry." She took Barry's arm and they walked away.

  "Some things never change," Dana commented as she came over to stand beside Elizabeth.

  Elizabeth sighed. "Actually," she said, "Amy has changed. You read my interview with her. She's doing some great work at Project Youth, taking calls from troubled kids. When it comes to beauty pageants, though, it looks as if she and I will never agree."

  Elizabeth put Amy out of her mind and thought instead about her twin. Jessica's commitment to winning the pageant was just as strong as Elizabeth's commitment to stopping it. Elizabeth loved her sister, but that didn't stop them from being on opposing sides of an issue.

  Later that night, after an awkward family dinner at which neither Jessica nor Elizabeth joined in the conversation, Elizabeth went to her room and rolled a piece of paper into the typewriter. Then, with quick keystrokes, she typed: "Why Beauty Pageants Should Be Outlawed."

  Beneath the title she added, "by Elizabeth Wakefield."

  After a glance at her notes and a few minutes spent organizing her thoughts, Elizabeth began to do what she did best: write. Words flowed from her mind onto the paper. She wrote one draft of the article, and then another.

  When she laid the last page face down on the table beside her typewriter, Elizabeth felt better. Maybe her opinions wouldn't be appreciated by some people—Jessica, for example—but she'd stated them clearly, and that was what a journalist was supposed to do.

  On Friday afternoon Jessica dragged Lila to the mall the moment school was out.

  "I have to look sensational for the pageant," Jessica said as she and Lila stalked through the mall.

  "You always look sensational," Lila replied, sounding a little bored. "And how do you plan to buy new clothes when you just got through telling me you've spent all your allowance?"

  "Part of being Miss Teen Sweet Valley," Jessica grinned, tapping her temple with one index finger, "is having brains. On the night of the pageant I'm going to wear the most beautiful evening gown I can find, and it won't cost a cent."

  Lila's eyes widened. "Jess, you wouldn't shoplift!"

  "Of course not," Jessica said pointedly. She hadn't forgotten how Lila had framed her for shoplifting, hoping to take Jessica's place on Eric Parker's talk show, and she wanted Lila to know she remembered. In the end Elizabeth had stepped in and saved the day by appearing in Jessica's place, pretending to be Jessica. As far as Lila knew, it had been Jessica on stage!

  Lila's cheeks were tinged pink and she examined her beautifully manicured nails as she and Jessica entered Simple Splendor.

  Normally, Jessica liked to look in every store in the mall before she chose an important outfit, but that day, the moment she entered Simple Splendor, the perfect dress was staring her in the face.

  It was a pale pink creation with a full chiffon skirt. Tiny pearls stitched to the simple, fitted bodice gave it a look that made Jessica think of knights in shining armor going into battle for their ladies.

  The dress was perfect for royalty.

  Jessica's fingers trembled a little as she reached for the tag, and relief flooded her when she saw that the gown was a size six. She didn't bother to check the price; she didn't have any money. She didn't need any.

  "Would you like to try it on?" asked the saleswoman, a well-dressed woman about Mrs. Wakefield's age.

  Jessica slipped into the dressing room and put on the dress. When she saw herself in the mirror she had an odd, enchanted feeling, as though a fairy godmother had touched her with a wand and turned her into a princess. All she needed now was a crown.

  "You look wonderful," said the saleswoman as Jessica emerged.

  Even Lila looked impressed, in an envious sort of way. "We're just browsing," she said.

  Jessica turned to one side and admired her reflection. She could just see the winner's sash draped across the front of that fabulous dress.

  "I'd like to wear it in the Miss Teen Sweet Valley pageant," she told the saleswoman, smiling her most dazzling smile. "Of course, it would say in the program that the dress came from Simple Splendor, and I could bring it back the very next day. In excellent condition, naturally."

  The woman looked thoughtful. "I suppose that would be good publicity, wouldn't it?"

  "The best," Jessica agreed quickly. When she came back to the mall for her shopping spree as Miss Teen Sweet Valley, of course, she would buy the gown outright.

  "You certainly make an excellent model," the saleswoman said. "Let me call the manager."

  Jessica turned her smile setting from "dazzle" to "sweet." "Thank you," she said in her warmest, most musical voice.

  Five minutes later, Jessica and Lila left the store with the magical dress.

  "Wow," Lila raved. "How did you do that?"

  Jessica batted her eyelashes. "Do what?" she asked, teasing.

  Lila laughed. "You have more nerve than anybody I know," she said with grudging admiration.

  Jessica's happy mood dimmed a little, though, when she caught sight of Elizabeth and her crew in the mall's central concourse. Either they'd just arrived, or she hadn't noticed them on the way in.

  "What are they up to?" Lila asked, following Jessica's troubled stare.

  "Guess," Jessica answered with an angry sigh. "You know that Liz has decided that pageants are sexist. She's out to get the whole thing canceled."

  Lila nodded. "That sounds like Liz. Looks like they're getting a lot of signatures, too."

  Jessica shifted the bulky dress box to her other arm and started toward her sister.

  "Hi," she said coolly, enjoying the startled expression in Elizabeth's eyes when she looked up from her clipboard and saw Jessica standing in front of her.

  "Care to sign?" Elizabeth asked mildly, without missing a beat. She held out the clipboard and a pen.

  "Right," Jessica answered, ignoring both items.

  Elizabeth stood her ground, her chin set at an obstinate angle, and said nothing.

  "I suppose you're planning to keep this up all weekend," Jessica said when the silence became strained. She was talking about the anti-pageant campaign, of course, and she knew Elizabeth knew it.

  Elizabeth nodded. "Until the Chamber of Commerce sees things our way and calls off the contest," she replied.

  Jessica gave her twin a slow once-over. "Good luck," she said, without a shred of sincerity.

  "Same to you," Elizabeth replied, with about the same amount of enthusiasm.

  Enid touched Elizabeth's arm as Jessica walked away. "Don't worry," she scolded good-naturedly. "Things will be back to normal between you and Jessica as soon as this controversy blows over."

  Elizabeth nodded, but inside she wasn't at all sure her best friend was right. By working to get the pageant called off she might win a moral victory, but she might also lose her only sister!

  That night, in the Wakefields' basement, Elizabeth and her friends consumed three take-out pizzas while making signs with slogans like WOMEN ARE MORE THAN PRETTY FACES and NO MORE PAGEANTS. The march on the courthouse was planned for ten o'clock the next morning.

  "How's Jessica taking all this?" Todd asked. He and Elizabeth were kneeling side by side on the basement floor, working on their separate signs. Jessica and Elizabeth didn't travel in the same circles, but Jessica normally would have stopped in to say hello and grab a slice of pizza. Todd had clearly noticed her conspicuous absence, as had everyone else in the group.

  Elizabeth sighed. She didn't look up from the letters she was painting in yellow tempera. "Not well, as you can imagine. We're one hundred and eighty degrees apart on this."

  Todd curved a finger under Elizabeth's chin and grinned when she looked at him. "So what's different about that?" he teased.

  Elizabeth felt better, and she returned his smile. "Not much, I guess." She shrugged, and her expression was serious again. "It's just that . . . well . . . I wish Jess and I could agree on something for once."

  Todd chuckled. "You don't want much, do you, Liz?"

  "No," Elizabeth laughed, adding a flower to Todd's sign with a few squiggles of yellow paint. "Not much."

  Elizabeth was up early the next morning. Dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers, her sun-streaked blond hair wound neatly into a French braid, she was loading protest signs into the small back space of the Fiat when her father came out of the house to pick the newspaper up off the step.

  He walked across the lawn, read one of the signs, and grinned. "Reminds me of the sixties," he said. "We had sit-ins, sing-ins, and sleep-ins."

  Elizabeth laughed, though her mood was a little on the dark side. "This is a walk-in," she told her dad, pulling the Fiat keys from the pocket of her jeans. "We're going to march in front of the courthouse. Democracy in action."

  "Good luck," Mr. Wakefield said as he scanned the front page of the paper.

  "Dad?"

  Mr. Wakefield gave his daughter a friendly, questioning look.

  She sighed. "Jess is really furious with me."

  "I suppose she is," Mr. Wakefield agreed. "You two are certainly poles apart on this issue."

  "What about you, Dad?" Elizabeth pressed. "Where do you stand on beauty pageants?"

  Mr. Wakefield smiled. "Squarely on neutral ground," he answered. "You and your sister are going to have to work this one out on your own."

  Four

  Jessica was waiting on Monday morning when the principal's secretary pinned the list of Sweet Valley High pageant entrants to the bulletin board outside the office. Her own name was there, along with Amy's. Half a dozen sophomores had signed up—no competition so far—but two other people listed worried Jessica. Just a little.

  Maggie Simmons, for one. A junior, Maggie was a talented actress who had attended a special theatrical high school in L.A. and starred in a number of plays there before her family's move to Sweet Valley. According to rumor, Maggie had even had a few bit parts in the movies. She was a pretty redhead with big green eyes.

  The second bothersome name was Sharon Jefferson. Sharon was a senior, an excellent student liked by both teachers and kids. Sharon wasn't beautiful, but she was very attractive and she'd consistently won a place on the honor roll. Despite a serious hearing impairment, she played classical piano. What if the judges voted for her because she had not let her handicap inhibit her?

  Jessica sighed. No one at Sweet Valley High, except for Elizabeth, of course, could compare to her when it came to looks. But Jessica hadn't even considered the possibility that someone might outshine her in the talent segment of the pageant.

  Jessica was nibbling at her lower lip, deep in thought, when Amy came up beside her. She scanned the names on the typewritten list, then turned to look at Jessica with a blend of shock, betrayal, and anger in her eyes.

  "I should have known!" she hissed.

  Amy's fury didn't faze Jessica in the least. If there was one thing she thrived on, it was competition. At least, competition with someone like Amy. Maggie and Sharon could be another matter entirely.

  "Known what?" Jessica asked innocently.

  "That you definitely planned to enter the Miss Teen Sweet Valley pageant!"

  Jessica smiled and started off toward her locker. Amy came along, still visibly annoyed. "It took me a while to make up my mind," Jessica said.

  "Now I'll have some real competition," Amy fretted.

  Jessica smiled sweetly at her friend and tried to seem modest. "Don't be silly, Amy. You have as much chance to win as anybody."

  Although Amy still seemed upset, she relaxed a little with Jessica's praise. Jessica had learned a long time ago that she could get Amy to settle down by flattering her.

  Amy sighed. "I guess you're right," she said.

  And then Amy dropped her bomb. "I heard the winner is going to be awarded ten thousand dollars," she said, her voice hushed with awe.

  Jessica stopped dead in the busy hallway and stared at her friend. She was sure she remembered Lila saying the prize was only five thousand. "Ten thousand dollars?" she echoed, and the words squeaked a little because her throat had gone tight. "You're kidding!"

  Amy shook her head wisely. "It's true, Jess. I overheard some kids talking about it at the beach on Saturday."

  If it wasn't for Maggie's acting ability and Sharon's talent at the piano, Jessica would have been walking about a foot off the floor from sheer delight. With that much money she could get an even better car. And Jessica intended to be generous. She would let Elizabeth drive it once in a while.

  Probably.

  "What are you doing for the talent competition?" Amy asked as she and Jessica reached their lockers.

  Jessica was still feeling secretive, and a bit worried, about her plans to dance, particularly since she had seen Maggie's and Sharon's names on the pageant contestant list. She just shrugged. "I haven't decided," she lied. "Are you still going to do a baton routine?"

  Amy got out her math book and closed her locker door. She frowned a bit as she nodded.

  Jessica hid a smile.

  By the time lunch rolled around, Jessica had managed to quiet all her fears. OK, so there was more to winning a beauty pageant than being good-looking. She had always known that, even if Elizabeth pretended not to. Both Sharon and Maggie were talented, popular, and smart. But so was Jessica, after all. Everyone had always said she was a born dancer, and that with a little training she could be a professional.

  Elizabeth's voice rose softly over the general clatter of the cafeteria as Jessica carried her tray toward the table where Amy and Lila were already waiting for her.

  "Hi, Jess."

  Jessica's nod was cool. She couldn't forget that her sister was actively campaigning to ruin the Miss Teen Sweet Valley contest. Elizabeth had gathered signatures all over town and talked to practically every student and teacher at Sweet Valley High. While Jessica had been sleeping in on Saturday morning, Elizabeth had been leading a protest march at City Hall. If Jessica didn't miss her guess, there would be a blistering article with Elizabeth's byline in the next edition of The Oracle.

  "Hello, Liz," Jessica answered, barely pausing.

  Elizabeth started to say something, stopped, and then said, "Feel free to use the Fiat if you want to. Todd is taking me home."

  "Great," Jessica said, without the touch of friendliness or enthusiasm she would have added at another time. She took the set of car keys Elizabeth held out to her, nodded her thanks, and walked away.

  Elizabeth sighed as she watched her sister sit down with Amy and Lila and some of the others in her crowd.

  "This division over the beauty pageant is starting to get to you, isn't it, Liz?" Enid asked. She wasn't Elizabeth's best friend for nothing: the two girls had a lot in common, and at times they could almost read each other's minds.

  "It's not like it's anything new," Elizabeth answered. "But it certainly isn't going to help matters any when the new issue of The Oracle comes out tomorrow."

  Todd shrugged, though his expression was gentle and sympathetic. "What's the big deal? You and Jessica have had differences of opinion lots of times, and neither of you has disowned the other yet."

  Elizabeth shrugged as she thought of the way she had roundly denounced both beauty pageants and the people who entered them in her piece for the school newspaper. Her opinions hadn't changed since she'd written the article, but still, she never liked having a strain between herself and Jessica.

  "Look at it this way," Enid said, opening her milk carton and sticking a straw inside. "Whether we succeed in getting the pageant canceled or not, the whole controversy will be ancient history in a couple of weeks."

  Elizabeth shook her head sadly. "I wish it were that simple," she said. "If we don't stop this sexist exhibition, there will be another one just like it next year. And the year after that."

  Todd grinned at her. "Hey, cheer up, will you? This isn't brain surgery, Liz. We're not talking life or death."

  Elizabeth and Enid laughed. "You have a way of putting things into perspective, you know that, Wilkins?" Elizabeth said.

  Piano music flowed through the open doors of the auditorium at Sweet Valley High. It seemed to sparkle and dance in the air around Jessica as she stood listening after school that day.

  "This is not a favorable development," she murmured to herself as she stepped into the shadows at the back of the enormous room.

  Sharon Jefferson was seated at the baby grand piano on one side of the stage. Her hands flowed gracefully over the keys, and her concentration was so intense that Jessica could feel it.

  Jessica thought of the flashy silver convertible she meant to buy with the prize money from the pageant, as well as the clothes and jewelry she would bring home from the shopping spree. Doubts began to creep into her mind, but she pushed them firmly aside, more determined than ever to win the title.

  No one—no one—was more qualified to reign as Miss Teen Sweet Valley than she was.

  Resolutely, Jessica turned and walked out of the auditorium.

  The faithful Fiat was waiting when Jessica reached the school parking lot. She slipped behind the wheel, started the engine, and headed for home.

  By the time Mrs. Wakefield got home from work, Jessica had cleaned her room, done a load of laundry, and put a simple casserole into the oven to cook. She was hacking vegetables into salad-sized pieces when her mother entered the kitchen and gave her daughter a tired smile.