Say Goodbye Read online

  "What's that?" Jessica asked suspiciously. "Something for The Oracle?"

  Elizabeth bit her lip. As the writer of the "Eyes and Ears" column for the school paper, she had a big commitment to fulfill each week. Ordinarily her assignments were done well ahead of time. Mr. Collins, who taught English and was the advisor for the paper, was Elizabeth's favorite teacher. She couldn't imagine letting him, or her readers, down.

  But this past week she'd let her newspaper work slide. It had been eight days since Todd had moved, and Elizabeth had spent every spare minute writing to him. The piece of paper she was holding now was part of the letter she'd begun the night before. At Jessica's query she hastily tucked it back inside her notebook. She didn't want Jessica to know what it was.

  "Oh, it's nothing," she said, pretending to concentrate on the lush scenery of the surrounding neighborhood as Jessica stepped on the gas pedal.

  "Another letter to Todd?" Jessica asked, her eyes on the road.

  Elizabeth sighed. "Yeah," she admitted. "I was hoping to get it to the post office during lunch. But—"

  "Liz," Jessica said firmly, glancing in the rearview mirror, "you can't spend your lunch hours running to the post office! Why don't you just give Daddy the letters and let him mail them from his office like we always do?"

  "It takes almost a whole day longer that way," Elizabeth said stubbornly. "I asked at the post office. Besides—"

  "You don't think Daddy would read your mail!" Jessica exclaimed, giving her twin a sidelong glance.

  Elizabeth shook her head. "Of course not," she murmured. "I just—" She hesitated. "I just feel better taking it myself. I know it's stupid, but"—Elizabeth blinked back tears—"somehow I feel closer to him if I take the letters myself," she whispered.

  Boy, Jessica thought, she really is far gone. I can't believe this!

  "Why don't we go see a movie sometime this week?" Jessica suggested, pulling the car into the school parking lot. "We haven't done anything like that together in ages."

  Elizabeth smiled. "I don't know, Jess. I've got all this stuff to do for The Oracle, and—"

  "Todd might call," Jessica finished for her.

  Elizabeth bit her lip. Her twin was closer to the truth than she might have guessed. So far Todd had called three times—three wonderful phone calls that stood out from the rest of the past week like brilliant points of light in pitch darkness.

  Elizabeth had anticipated that the separation was going to be bad, but she didn't think either she or Todd had known exactly how hard it was going to be. Every day—almost every minute—Elizabeth was reminded of Todd in some insignificant way that brought back a flood of warm memories. Passing the gym, for example, she'd catch sight of someone shooting baskets, and she'd remember all those afternoons cheering for Todd as he rushed across the court. When she opened her locker, she saw the coded message Todd had written on the inside of the door. It wouldn't have made sense to anyone but Elizabeth, who knew it meant "I love you." There was nothing Elizabeth did—and no place she went—that didn't remind her of Todd. She had never missed anyone so much in her entire life.

  Without Todd, the things Elizabeth had loved to do seemed suddenly hollow. What fun was there in writing the gossip column for the paper, without Todd around to contribute ideas or laugh at her jokes? What fun was studying, without Todd around to talk things over? The thought of going to see a movie without him made a lump form in Elizabeth's throat. She honestly didn't feel like doing much of anything these days. All day at school she watched the clock, longing for the last bell and the chance to go home to see if she'd gotten a letter from Todd. And only when she was writing a letter to him did her terrible loneliness subside. As always, Elizabeth was able to lose herself in her writing. As she poured out her thoughts and feelings, it actually seemed as if Todd were beside her, listening sympathetically. It seemed—

  "Hey," Jessica said suddenly, interrupting her twin's reverie. "You look like you're a million miles away! What's going on!"

  Not a million, Elizabeth thought sadly, gathering her books and opening the car door as her twin slipped the keys in the pocket of her jeans. A couple thousand is more like it. About the distance from here to Burlington, Vermont.

  "I said, do you want to have lunch together today?" Jessica demanded, looking miffed.

  Elizabeth shook her head, her blond ponytail swinging back and forth. "No, thanks," she said vaguely, looking across the parking lot to the place where Todd used to wait for her every morning. "Thanks anyway, Jess, but—"

  "Don't tell me." Jessica groaned. "You and Todd have arranged to send each other messages by mental telepathy every day at noon, right?"

  Elizabeth barely noticed the mocking tone in her sister's voice. All she could think about was getting through another day of school without Todd—a long, dismal day to suffer through until she could get home.

  I don't know, she worried to herself, oblivious to the concerned expression on Jessica's face. Maybe I can make it through today, But what about tomorrow—and all the tomorrows after that?

  She didn't know how she was going to make it till the summer, when Todd might be able to come back to Sweet Valley. But Elizabeth couldn't let herself think about that right now. All she could do was steer herself numbly from day to day and pray that somehow this terrible loneliness might ease up.

  Because if it doesn't, she told herself miserably, I think I'm going to die!

  "I don't blame Liz one little bit," Cara Walker announced, crumpling up her bag of potato chips and licking the salt from her fingers. "I'm sure I'd act exactly the way she is. I think you're being incredibly insensitive, Jess."

  Jessica and Cara were sitting at a table on the patio outside the cafeteria, finishing their lunches. Jessica, who never had to worry about her weight, was concentrating on her ice-cream sundae, her aqua eyes serious as she reflected on her twin's behavior.

  "You're wrong, Cara," she decided finally. "Liz has gone completely off the deep end. It's not that I don't understand how she feels," she added hastily. "I mean, I can see how she misses Todd and everything. But, Cara, she's acting like a widow or something! Does she think she can spend the rest of high school writing letters to Todd? It's ridiculous!"

  Cara bit her lip. "You're not being fair," she insisted. "How else is she supposed to react? She must be so lonely!"

  "That's the whole point," Jessica agreed, pushing her sundae away. "She's terribly lonely. And it's up to me to think of some way to help her."

  Boy, Cara sure wasn't acting like herself, Jessica thought, sneaking another look at her friend's pretty face. She used to be so much fun—always the first one to know all the gossip, the first to see the joke in everything. Jessica knew Cara's parents were having problems, but she'd never expected Cara to change so much because of it. First Liz, now Cara. Everyone she knew was massively depressed!

  "Maybe she just needs to be left alone for a while," Cara suggested quietly.

  Jessica's eyebrows shot up as she looked at her closest friend with surprise. Cara was really flipping out. Was she trying to suggest Jessica was interfering—with her very own twin? "What's eating you?" she demanded irritably. "You seem really grouchy today."

  Cara's eyes filled with tears. "Oh, it's nothing," she murmured, looking away. "My dad moved out," she said. The look in her eyes clearly said, and that's all I want to say about it right now. "But I still think Liz has a right to act how she feels," she added firmly. "Just give her some time, Jess. She'll find a way to come to terms with it."

  Jessica looked at Cara. How does she know? she wondered. A few weeks ago Jessica would have burst out laughing at such a suggestion. But Cara was so moody these days she didn't know what to say.

  "Well, thanks for the diagnosis," Jessica ventured. "But all the same, I think Liz is acting loony. And I intend to save her before she locks herself up in her room forever."

  Cara's pretty face tightened. "Well, she's your sister," was all she said.

  Jessica sighed. She was surrounded by crazy people!

  "Actually," she said briskly, "I have an idea that just may help Liz to get out of the doldrums."

  "What sort of idea?" Cara asked suspiciously.

  "You know how much Liz looks up to Mr. Collins—" Jessica began.

  "You're not going to tell me that you think Liz and Mr. Collins—" Cara began, her brown eyes wide with horror.

  Jessica burst out laughing. "Of course not!" she assured her friend. "All I'm going to do is ask Mr. Collins to give Liz a special assignment for the newspaper—a really big project that'll get her out of her room and make her stay involved with things at school."

  "That sounds like a pretty good idea," Cara said slowly, looking searchingly into Jessica's face. Too good an idea, she thought. It didn't sound like the sort of plan Jessica Wakefield usually cooked up.

  "It is a good idea!" Jessica exclaimed, bouncing up from the table. "In fact, I'm going to try to find Mr. Collins now and see if he can talk to Liz about it this afternoon."

  Of course, Jessica hadn't told Cara what made the plan really good. If Mr. Collins could get Elizabeth to cover the big sailing races on Saturday—and if Elizabeth agreed to do it—Jessica knew a contestant who'd be eager for a private interview after the regatta.

  Nicholas Morrow was one of the favorites in the race. And with just a little bit of string-pulling, Jessica had a feeling that this coming weekend was going to be her chance to get Elizabeth out of her room and onto Nicholas Morrow's boat. Or at least, she thought, smiling, into his arms!

  "I thought you were coming home straight after school," Jessica said innocently, brushing her blond hair in front of the mirror hanging over Elizabeth's dresser.

  Elizabeth turned a page in the book she was reading. "Oh, Mr. Collin
s asked me to stay after class for a few minutes. He wants me to cover the sailing races this weekend."

  Jessica's eyes lit up. "That's wonderful!" she exclaimed.

  "Why?" Elizabeth asked curiously, narrowing her eyes. "Since when are you so keen on journalism, Jess?"

  Jessica shrugged. "I'm just glad you're getting involved in things around here again, that's all."

  Elizabeth sighed. "I really don't feel like doing the story, to tell you the truth," she admitted. "If Mr. Collins hadn't been so insistent, I think I would have turned it down."

  "You'll do an excellent job," Jessica said firmly, plopping down on her sister's bed and pretending to think something over. "Who are you going with?" she asked finally.

  "Going with where?" Elizabeth asked absentmindedly, turning back to her book.

  "Elizabeth Wakefield, do you realize you've been treating me like a ghost for the past ten days!" Jessica shrieked. "I said, who are you going to the regatta with?"

  Elizabeth blinked. "Uh—I don't know."

  "That's great!" Jessica said sarcastically, slapping herself on the forehead and rolling her eyes. "You have to go with someone," she added, as if this were the most obvious fact in the whole world.

  "Why?" Elizabeth asked her mildly. "I'm a reporter, Jess. Remember? Reporters don't go on dates when they're doing a story."

  Jessica blinked. "I think you should go with someone who's in the race," she suggested slyly. "That way you can get kind of a bird's-eye view on the whole thing. Like—"

  "Jess," Elizabeth said firmly, "I appreciate your advice. Really. But I promise, the minute I feel like I need a date I'll come straight over to the dating agency and fill out a form. But before that, consider the issue closed."

  "But—"

  "Closed!" Elizabeth exclaimed, shaking her blond head as she turned back to her book.

  That's what she thinks, Jessica thought as she bounded down the hall to her bedroom. Like it or not, I'm going to get Elizabeth and Nicholas together, Jessica vowed. I can see it all now. Steven will be madly in love with one of the wonderful women I found for him at the agency. And Elizabeth . . .

  Elizabeth would be the darling pet of the Morrow household. Nicholas would give her all sorts of presents and invitations, and naturally he'd think of her poor little twin sister, too! They'd probably rename one of the wings of their house the Jessica wing, out of gratitude.

  These were long-range plans, and Jessica was sure they'd come to be. But right now she had her sights set on the regatta. Once Nicholas knew Elizabeth was going anyway, he'd jump at the thought of giving her a ride, Jessica thought, happily picking up the receiver of her phone and beginning to dial.

  And once he and Elizabeth spent a beautiful day together at the harbor, who knew what would happen next?

  Six

  "I don't see what you're so nervous about," Jessica remarked. It was Tuesday afternoon, and she was sitting in a booth at the Dairi Burger across from Nicholas Morrow, fiddling with the wrapper from her straw.

  "Are you really sure she wants me to call?" Nicholas asked, frowning. "Why doesn't she just call me if she really wants to see me?"

  Jessica sighed impatiently. She'd never expected Nicholas to object to making a simple phone call. He'd gotten so excited when she'd called him the night before. Then suddenly his mood changed, and he insisted that Jessica meet him that afternoon for a Coke.

  "I want to talk it all over with you before I call," he had told her.

  Talk what over? Jessica had wondered. All he had to do was dial seven little numbers and ask—no, tell—Elizabeth that he was going to pick her up on Saturday. It was simple!

  "Of course she can't call you," she told him, exasperated. "She's conflicted, Nicholas! And she needs you to settle her problems. OK, maybe right now she's feeling a little low about Todd. But I can guarantee it, Nicholas. You're the one she's really crazy about. If you press it right now, I know she'll come around."

  "I just felt so terrible after the last time," Nicholas said moodily. "You know how much I liked her, Jess. And I ended up falling flat on my face. If she's still in love with Todd—"

  "Oh, she's not," Jessica said hastily. "Not at all. The thing is, they knew each other for such a long time, they got really used to each other! How Elizabeth felt about Todd—well, it's kind of like smoking," she concluded. "Liz couldn't help herself. She got really dependent on him, and now she's having withdrawal symptoms. But she's almost cured. And all she really needs—"

  Nicholas burst out laughing. "All right, all right," he conceded. "I'll call her. Just between us," he added soberly, "I'm still awfully fond of Liz. I've thought about her a lot over the last few months, and sometimes I've considered calling her, trying again. But just looking at her and

  Todd...." His voice trailed off. "Still, Todd's gone now," he said decisively. "It can't do any harm to try."

  "That's the spirit!" Jessica cried, glancing at the clock on the wall. It was almost three forty-five, and she'd promised Mary Ann she'd be at the agency by four o'clock. "I'm going to have to run," she told him regretfully, "but thanks for the Coke, Nicholas. And good luck tonight. I'll be rooting for you."

  Jessica almost burst out laughing as she hurried outside to her car. The way things were going these days, it looked as if she was going to have to make matchmaking her career!

  Only one thing was bothering Jessica. She hadn't heard a single word from Steven about Beatrice Barber. Maybe he'd already fallen in love with her, Jessica thought happily, and just hadn't let anyone at home know about it yet.

  But news traveled fast in the Wakefield household, and if a mysterious, glamorous older woman had called Steven up from out of nowhere, Jessica had a feeling she'd have heard about it.

  She'd give her till the end of the week, Jessica told herself. And if Steven didn't mention anything when he called home, she'd have to call up one of the other two women. Steven was too good to waste.

  "Hello, is this Elizabeth?" a friendly male voice enquired. Elizabeth's heartbeat quickened when she heard the phone ring. It was nine-thirty, a little late for Todd to call, with the three-hour time difference, but maybe . . .

  "Yes, it is," she said politely, trying to cover up her disappointment when she heard the unfamiliar voice. "Who is this, please?"

  "Nicholas Morrow," he answered. After a brief pause, he added, "I heard that you're covering the races this weekend for The Oracle."

  "Yes, I am," Elizabeth said, slightly confused. "You're in the race, aren't you?" She was wondering why Nicholas was calling, but she didn't think it would be very nice to put it more directly.

  "I sure am," Nicholas said, chuckling. "And if I don't get the blue ribbon, I don't know how I'm going to be able to stand it around here anymore! My father's already planning a celebration party on his boat."

  Boat, Elizabeth thought, smiling, was Nicholas's understated word for the Morrows' enormous yacht. At the sound of Nicholas's voice, a flurry of memories came back to Elizabeth. She had always liked him. She didn't know him as well as his sister Regina, who was the twins' age, but she'd always seen Nicholas as a good friend—someone she could trust.

  "The reason I'm calling," Nicholas continued, "is that I wanted to know if I could pick you up and give you a ride to the marina on Saturday."

  "Oh," Elizabeth said, taken aback. "That's very sweet of you, Nicholas, but—"

  "Come on, Liz. I'll need a friend around to soothe my nerves before a race like that!"

  "Well . . . " Elizabeth began tentatively. She couldn't see anything wrong with accepting a ride, though it was kind of out of the way for him. Still . . .

  What happened before with Nicholas was history, Elizabeth told herself. And he knew how she felt about Todd. Nicholas was just a nice guy who happened to be racing in the regatta she was covering.

  "Sure, Nicholas," she said at last. "I'd appreciate the ride. But I have to warn you," she added, "journalists are always impartial at events like this. So I don't know how much I'll really be able to soothe your nerves."

  "Just having you near me should do the trick," Nicholas said lightly.

  "Great," Elizabeth said and laughed. "See you on Saturday, Nicholas. And may the best man win!"

  "See you," Nicholas echoed, "on Saturday."