Dangerous Love

by Francine Pascal

  “Never know when someone’s going to need some music,” Guy said, grinning. “Actually, I’m going over to Max’s later, to practice. After I get a bite to eat.”

  Elizabeth marveled at the change in Guy since the last time she’d talked to him. He was so relaxed and confident, nothing like the tightly wound, nervous musician who was ready to explode anytime one of his group members hit a wrong note. “You’re going to be playing at Enid’s party, aren’t you?” she asked.

  Guy started up the car and steered out of the parking lot with his left hand while he rested his right arm on the top edge of the front seat. “That’s our next gig. You going with Todd?”

  “Of course,” Elizabeth said, looking out the window as she spoke.

  “Todd’s sure a lucky guy,” Guy remarked, “to have a girl like you.”

  “Thanks, Guy,” Elizabeth said.

  “I mean it. But could I ask you a question?”

  “Sure.”

  “How come you’re not riding with him?”

  Elizabeth felt her stomach tighten again. He was only about the eighth person who’d asked her that question that day, and she was getting tired of explaining why. “Personal reasons,” she said tersely.

  Guy picked up on her uneasiness. “Doesn’t sound like you’re too happy about it.”

  Elizabeth sat straight “It’s nothing I can’t handle, Guy.”

  “Well, I just want to let you know that anytime you need a ride, just say the word, and I’ll be there.” Guy let his arm slip a little, just enough so that it now rested on Elizabeth’s shoulder.

  She moved away. “That’s sweet of you,” she said, watching the scenery rush past her.

  Stretching his arm as far as he could, Guy edged her back toward his side. “A closed car can be a lot more fun than a motorcycle,” he hinted.

  Elizabeth turned to face him, the signal he was sending quite obvious to her. “Thanks, but no thanks, Guy,” she said, moving as close to the door as she could.

  “I mean it, Liz. As a friend.”

  “Just as a friend, Guy. OK?” Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief as, at that moment, they pulled into the Dairi Burger parking lot.

  Todd was already there, leaning against his bike, waiting for her. “I’ve got to go,” she said, turning back to Guy. “But thanks for the ride. See ya.” Quickly she got out of the car and walked toward her boyfriend.

  She saw Todd’s smile begin to fade as she approached, with Guy following persistently, not too far behind her. “Hey, you forgot these,” he said, catching up to her. He handed Elizabeth her books and added with a flirtatious wink, “Think about what I said, will you?”

  “What was that all about?” Todd grumbled as the two of them went inside and approached the counter.

  “Nothing,” Elizabeth said, before ordering the hot clam special and a root beer.

  “Why are you ordering that?” he whispered after ordering a cheeseburger and fries for himself. “It’s awful.”

  “I want to give it one more chance. Maybe it’s improved.”

  Neither one said another word until their food was ready and they had grabbed an empty table near the window. Then Todd spoke up.

  “You still haven’t explained what you were doing in Chesney’s car.”

  “Nothing,” she repeated. “He gave me a ride, that’s all.”

  “Well, I don’t like it,” Todd muttered darkly, taking a bite of his burger.

  “Don’t like what?” Elizabeth asked, scooping up some of the clam mixture with her fork.

  “You riding with another guy.”

  Elizabeth’s eyes grew wide as an amazing revelation sunk in. “Todd Wilkins, I believe you’re jealous.”

  “Darn right, I am!”

  Without warning, Elizabeth began to laugh, loud enough so that some heads turned in the next booth.

  “Would you mind telling me what’s going on here?” Todd demanded, anger rising as Elizabeth’s giggles continued.

  She took a deep breath, then quieted down. “I’m sorry, Todd. It’s just that you’ve made a light bulb go on in my head.”

  “Now I’m really confused.”

  “You’ve made me see how silly I’ve been acting for the past two days,” she explained.

  “About what?”

  “That thing out there.” She waved her fork in the direction of the parking lot.

  “You mean my bike? I thought we cleared that up.”

  “I thought so, too, until I saw you riding with Mandy yesterday. And Enid this morning.”

  Todd looked hard at Elizabeth as he grasped the meaning of her words. “Are you trying to tell me you were jealous also?” Then he smiled as he realized they had been feeling the same way, without being aware of it. “Gosh, Liz, I thought you knew better,” he said, breaking into a laugh that matched hers.

  Elizabeth reached across the table and ruffled his hair playfully. “And I thought you knew better than to think I’d have something going with Guy. Which I don’t,” she added for emphasis. “All I did was catch a ride with him.”

  “I guess I knew that all along,” Todd said. “But something inside me didn’t like seeing you with him.”

  “And I guess I know that you meant nothing by giving Mandy a ride. But when I saw her holding on to you, I couldn’t help but think that you liked that feeling—and that if I couldn’t be on the back of your bike, then eventually you’d find someone who was more willing.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me it bothered you so much?”

  “I guess I was afraid of sounding too demanding.”

  “Well, you don’t. And I don’t ever want you to be afraid of talking to me about anything again. I’m glad you finally spoke up. Now that I know it bothers you, I won’t offer any more rides to other girls.”

  “Todd, you don’t have to—”

  He shook his head emphatically. “It’s what I want to do, not what I have to do. You’re the only person I really want to ride with me, and if you can’t, then nobody else will, either. I want to pretend you’re on the bike with me every minute. From now on that empty seat’s reserved—even if you can’t use it, it still belongs to you.”

  “Thanks,” Elizabeth said. “I couldn’t ask for anything nicer.”

  “Anyway,” Todd continued, “if you were worried about Mandy going after me, you can forget it.” He pointed to one of the corner booths, where Mandy was sitting with Winston Egbert. They were seemingly lost in their own world, feeding each other french fries.

  “When did that happen?” Elizabeth asked.

  “They both discovered they have this thing about whales,” Todd said, adding, “I’m sure going to be glad when this project we’re working on is over. Having to watch the way those two act when they’re together is beginning to get to me.”

  “And so is this clam special.” Elizabeth smiled and tossed her fork down on her plate in playful disgust.

  Seven

  Elizabeth was doing her French homework when the phone rang that evening. Thinking it might be Todd, she dropped everything and picked it up on the second ring. It wasn’t Todd, but it was for her.

  “Hey, what’s going on with you and Todd?” Enid asked her. “When I got to the Dairi Burger, you guys were huddled so close together I thought I’d be intruding.”

  “You could have joined us,” Elizabeth said happily. “We were just celebrating the realization that Elizabeth Wakefield isn’t going Loonytoons after all.”

  “That’s a relief. For a while there I was getting really worried about you. Do you mean you’re all sorted out on that bike business?”

  “Yes. I’ve finally come to terms with it. It’s only a means of getting from place A to place B. Nothing more, nothing less. And my not riding on it hasn’t changed Todd’s feelings about me one bit.”

  “That’s terrific news,” Enid responded. “But now on to another subject. Did you tell Jessica what I told you about Brian?”

  “Yeah, when I got home. I can’t say she to
ok it too well. She hardly ate a thing during dinner.”

  “That’s too bad,” Enid fretted. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and I’ve changed my mind. I’ve decided to fix up Jessica and Brian.”

  “You really mean it?” Elizabeth couldn’t believe her ears. “That’s great, Enid. Jess is going to love to hear that. But what made you reconsider?”

  “I had a long talk with George about it, and he made me see how wrong it was to keep punishing her for what happened. ‘Keep the past in the past’, he told me. By turning her down, I was just being spiteful, and that’s a pretty dumb thing to do—particularly since I know Brian would have a good time with her. I just called him to let him know what was going on, and he thinks it’s a great idea. He had such a good time that day we all spent at the beach last summer. He can’t wait to see her again.”

  “And I can’t wait to tell her,” Elizabeth bubbled.

  “I hope you can wait a couple of minutes,” Enid interrupted, “’cause there’s something else on my mind. My mother.”

  “More party stuff?”

  “It’s getting worse by the minute, Liz. She’s thrown herself into every little detail—the flowers, the decorations, even the little party favors. It’s all she cares about nowadays. And it all means so little to me.”

  “I know,” Elizabeth commiserated.

  “I almost get the feeling…”

  “What?” Elizabeth probed.

  “It’s almost as if the party is more important to her than I am. No, that’s not exactly what I mean. More like it’s starting to be her party. Does that sound crazy to you?”

  “I know what you’re saying, Enid, but if I were you I’d try to enjoy it. She’s probably just having a good time making the preparations.”

  “You really think so?”

  “Well, the party was her suggestion, so she was under no obligation to make it this elaborate. Face it, Enid, she’s doing it because she loves you.”

  “After all that grief I put her through, I’m not sure why.” Enid winced, remembering the days when the problems in her family had driven her to join a wild crowd and get heavily involved with drugs.

  “That’s the point, Enid. You came pretty close to hitting rock bottom at one point, but you survived. You’re doing great now. I think your mom is pretty proud that you’ve made it to sixteen in one piece. For a while there she probably didn’t think you were going to make it at all. This party is a celebration for her as much as for you.”

  “When you put it that way, I see what you mean. She probably is throwing this party out of love for me. If she wants to make a big deal out of it, I guess I have no right to stop her.”

  “That’s the idea.”

  “But I refuse to make myself crazy over it, too!” she added emphatically. “Gosh, Liz, do you think I really care whether there are yellow or blue carnations on the tables?”

  “No,” Elizabeth said, chuckling. “Look, I’ve got to go. I think Jessica’s in her room, and I want to give her the good news. See you tomorrow. ‘Bye.”

  Elizabeth hung up the phone and scurried off to find her sister. She didn’t have to go far. Jessica was standing before the mirror in the bathroom the two girls shared, brushing out her long blond hair. “I never should have tried that new shampoo,” Jessica said, noticing Elizabeth’s reflection. “It’s made my hair so lifeless.”

  “You can use mine,” Elizabeth offered. “Especially the night of Enid’s party. I know you’ll want to look great for your date with Brian.”

  Throwing down the hairbrush, Jessica whirled around and grabbed her sister by the arms. “Are you kidding? You mean Enid changed her mind?”

  “She decided ‘twas better to forgive and forget,” Elizabeth said.

  “I knew that girl would come to her senses,” Jessica proclaimed. “Want to come help me pick out an outfit to wear? I can’t be seen in just any old thing with Brian.” She breezed into her room and yanked open her closet door.

  The empty hangers on the rack were more a reflection of Jessica’s disdain for orderliness than a lack of clothing. At least half her wardrobe was strewn in all corners of the closet, over and under the mismatched shoes that had been accumulating ever since junior high. Most of the rest of it was draped across the chair in the corner near her bed. Elizabeth couldn’t see how Jessica ever found anything.

  The truth was she didn’t. “Darn, there’s nothing here,” Jessica grumbled, sorting through the few garments still hanging. “Oh, I just remembered.” She stopped what she was doing. “I’d better call Danny while I’m thinking of it.”

  “What for?”

  “To tell him I can’t go with him to Enid’s party.”

  “You were going to go with him?”

  “I had to have someone to go with, and the party’s less than two weeks away. When you told me Enid had said no about Brian, I called Danny.”

  “But I thought after the other day you didn’t want to have anything to do with him anymore.”

  “Did I say that? I’ll admit I wasn’t wild about the way he handled himself with Crunch, but I suppose even Bruce Patman wouldn’t have done well against that big brute.… Listen, did I tell you that Lila told me Bruce has been asking about me again?”

  Detecting a note of excitement in Jessica’s voice, Elizabeth said worriedly, “I didn’t know you cared.”

  “Oh, I don’t, Liz. I just find it very amusing.”

  Elizabeth wasn’t so sure that was all there was to it. After the shabby way Bruce had treated Jessica during their intense but brief relationship, Elizabeth assumed her sister would never want to have anything to do with him for the rest of her life. But perhaps the torch Jessica had always carried for Bruce hadn’t been totally extinguished.

  However, that had nothing to do with the problem at hand. “What are you going to do about Danny?”

  “Him? Oh, I’ll think of something. I always do, don’t I?” Jessica said sweetly as she did a quick inventory of the garments on the left side of her closet. “I’ve got it!” she announced.

  “A dress?”

  “No, a date for Danny. I remember overhearing Julie Porter say she didn’t have a date. They’ll love each other,” she added before announcing, “I can’t find a thing here, Liz. Maybe there’s something in your closet?”

  “Sure, let’s go see,” Elizabeth said generously, feeling happier than she had for days. “You know that green polka-dot dress with the puff sleeves? I think it would look terrific on you.”

  At that moment Elizabeth wouldn’t have minded if Jessica wiped out her entire closet. For a day that had gotten off to a bad start, things were working out wonderfully for everybody now. Enid had George and her fancy party. Mandy had Winston. And now Jessica had Brian.

  And she was more secure than ever in the knowledge that she was Todd’s one and only girl.

  Enid’s party was going to be great, Elizabeth thought. She could hardly wait.

  Eight

  The Sweet Valley Country Club never looked better, Elizabeth decided as she entered the elaborately decorated ballroom in the club’s main building, accompanied by Jessica and Brian. Enid’s mother had really gone all out, turning the stately old room into a garden of multicolored flowers and plants. Every table had its own vase filled with blue and yellow carnations—Enid’s compromise—and above the bandstand at the far corner of the room there was a huge floral arrangement that spelled out, “Happy Sweet Sixteen, Enid.”

  “Isn’t it beautiful?” Elizabeth exclaimed.

  “They’ve gone a little overboard on the flowers,” Jessica chided.

  “My aunt loves flowers,” Brian noted. “Looks fine to me.”

  “But they are pretty,” Jessica quickly added, not wanting to get off on the wrong foot with the guy she considered a monument to male perfection.

  “Not as pretty as you,” Brian whispered.

  It was an old line, but Elizabeth felt that in Jessica’s case it happened to be true. After much searching,
her twin had finally found an outfit that did her justice, a black-and-white satin jumpsuit held in place by two tiny spaghetti straps. With her hair piled atop her head and long black-and-white earrings dangling from her lobes, Jessica looked stunning.

  Brian was a fitting companion, his six-foot-plus body shown off by the Egyptian cotton dress shirt and charcoal-gray pants he wore. He was even more handsome than Elizabeth had remembered, and she planned to thank Enid for having changed her mind about Jessica. She only hoped that Jessica would show the same consideration.

  “Why don’t we see what they’ve got to eat?” Brian suggested, pointing to the table of gleaming silver chafing dishes straight ahead of them.

  “Fine with me. Liz?” Jessica asked perfunctorily.

  Elizabeth could tell from Jessica’s tone that she wanted to be left alone with her date. “I’ll stay here,” she said, adding, “Todd ought to be along any second now.”

  “OK. And don’t worry—Brian and I will take you to the club later.” After a little prodding Elizabeth had convinced Jessica to give her a ride to the Caravan, Sweet Valley’s newest rock club, where Enid planned to move the party after midnight.

  “Though I can’t understand why Todd couldn’t borrow a car for tonight,” Jessica needled.

  “Don’t start that again,” Elizabeth warned.

  “You’re right. We’re here to have fun. See you later.”

  Because the night was warm and clear and she felt a little awkward standing around alone, Elizabeth waited for Todd in front of the building, between the club’s stately carved pillars. It was as good a place as any to survey the scene. Nearly everyone from school was beginning to arrive: Cara Walker and Ken Matthews, John Pfeifer, Winston and Mandy, Caroline Pearce, Penny Ayala, Lila Fowler and her date Tom McKay, Bruce and the brunette from the Dairi Burger. More of her friends were already inside, either dancing to The Droids’ music or sampling the food.

  After a while, Elizabeth wandered back into the ballroom. On her way over to the buffet table, she ran into Enid, who looked adorable in the teal-blue dress Elizabeth had helped her pick out the week before. George was at her side, his sparkling eyes reflecting the joy he took in watching Enid have her night in the spotlight.