The New Elizabeth (Sweet Valley High Book 63)

by Francine Pascal

  Elizabeth could hardly believe her good luck. A big public competition would be the perfect opportunity to show everyone what she had been up to—and that she could do more than museum-hop.

  "We'll need a lot of practice for the competition, so we'll meet here three afternoons a week for hour-long lessons," Sean continued, crossing his muscular arms. "How does next Tuesday sound for the first lesson?"

  Elizabeth tried to hide a knowing smile. She didn't think she had ever met such a cocky, confident guy in all her life. Sean just assumed she would go along with whatever he offered. But she had to admit, everything he said fit in perfectly with her plans.

  "That'll be fine, Sean," Elizabeth answered, standing up to leave. She knew that three days a week was a lot of time. She was usually pretty busy after school, either writing for The Oracle or spending time with Todd. But she was determined to become a surfer in time for the championship.

  "Then it's all settled!" Sean exclaimed, jumping to his feet. He grabbed Elizabeth's hand and gave it a hearty shake. "Watch out, you guys. Elizabeth Wakefield is about to become one of California's hottest surfers!"

  Laurie MacNeil leaned her head back against the wall and watched Elizabeth leave the clubhouse. She hated to admit it, but her heart had sunk as soon as Elizabeth walked through the door. Why couldn't a boy have come in, or at least a girl who wasn't quite as pretty and outgoing as Elizabeth Wakefield?

  Liz is just Sean's type. And now he'll be spending lots of time with her because of the bet, she thought.

  Laurie quickly checked her watch and saw it was time for her to get back to work. She had a job at the Moon Beach Ice Cream Parlor, which was a few doors down from the surf club. Usually she liked the thought of serving ice cream and seeing all her friends, but right now she felt more like being alone.

  "My break is over, guys," she said, rising slowly from her chair. "I'll see you later."

  Sean was busy talking to Sammy and Dave about the big bet and hardly threw a glance in her direction.

  Laurie shut the door behind her, then stopped on the sandy path to take a deep breath. Everything is going to be just fine, she told herself. Sean and I have known each other for a long time, and we have something very special.

  She had known Sean since they were small, and she had always liked him. This year they had spent a lot of time hanging around together—especially since Laurie started working at the ice cream parlor. She didn't surf, but she spent almost all of her breaks in the clubhouse with Sean and his friends.

  Laurie was just about to leave when she heard the boys' voices from inside the clubhouse. She hated eavesdropping, but she couldn't help over-hearing a sentence or two.

  "Liz is really pretty," Dave said.

  "You may be a winner even if you lose the bet," Sammy added.

  "Maybe so," Sean replied, laughing.

  Laurie turned and hurried away across the sand. She didn't want to hear any more about Elizabeth Wakefield. Right beside the clubhouse was a café where lots of Big Mesa students hung out after school and on weekends. As she passed the café Laurie couldn't help but think of the previous Saturday, when she and Sean had sat there together. Sean had asked her out to a movie, and that very night they had gone on their first real date. Nothing major had happened, but they had had a good time, and Laurie hoped it would be the start of something great.

  But now, with Elizabeth in the picture, Laurie had the sinking feeling her romantic relationship with Sean had just ended.

  She hurried past the café, hoping that none of her friends would notice her.

  "Hey, Laurie," John Monroe called out. "What's going on in the clubhouse?"

  "Strategic planning for the big competition next month, right?" Phil Carter added.

  "You could say that," Laurie admitted with a shy smile.

  "Did they convince you to enter it yet?" Phil asked.

  Laurie shook her head. "No way! You know I don't surf."

  "But you must know all the moves, since you hang out with Supersurfman himself," John said with a smile.

  "Not really." Laurie wrinkled her nose. "I mean, it's one thing to know what they do, but actually getting out there and doing it is another story. Anyway, I'm too busy working to be a surf bum. I'll see you guys later. Have a good weekend!"

  "OK, Laur. Catch you Monday," Phil said.

  Laurie walked into the ice cream parlor and slipped her apron on over her clothes. As she moved behind the counter, she couldn't help thinking that maybe John Monroe had been right. She did know a lot about surfing; she listened to the guys at the clubhouse talk about it nonstop. And she had to admit that she was a natural athlete. She never had had any trouble picking up a new sport.

  Maybe I will learn to surf for the big competition, she thought. I could show Sean that I'm more than just the girl next door.

  On Monday at lunch, Elizabeth sneaked up behind her boyfriend, gave him a quick kiss on the ear, and then sat down beside him.

  "Who are you?" Todd asked, a glow coming to his coffee-colored eyes.

  "Your long-lost girlfriend," Elizabeth answered brightly. "I thought I'd never get out of class."

  "Well, I'm glad you did," Todd answered. "Speaking of which, I forgot to ask you how the exhibit was at the museum last Friday."

  Elizabeth started unpacking her lunch bag. "Let's just say it was more exciting than I expected."

  "Liz, you're about the only person I know who gets excited about museums," Todd responded.

  "What's that supposed to mean?" Elizabeth asked. "That I'm dull and boring and completely predictable?"

  "Of course not," Todd said, sipping his milk. "It just means that you're—different, that's all."

  "I'm not sure how much I like the word different," Elizabeth said. "That's what my father says whenever Jessica cooks dinner. 'Well . . . it's different.' "

  Todd laughed. "He's right—I've tasted her cooking. But you know I meant different in a good way—as in unique. I really don't know anyone like you." He reached over and squeezed Elizabeth's hands. "OK?"

  "I guess so," she said, smiling.

  "Good. So are you ready to hit the courts tomorrow? It'll be fun to play a few games together. We haven't done that in a while," Todd said.

  Suddenly all the blood drained from Elizabeth's face. She had forgotten all about their tennis date. And tomorrow was Tuesday—the day of her very first surfing lesson. There was no way she could miss that.

  "Did we have a tennis date for Tuesday, Todd?" Elizabeth asked sheepishly, stalling for time while she searched for a good excuse.

  "Don't you remember, Liz?" Todd said. "I was going to help you with your serve."

  "Oh, Todd, now I remember, but . . ." Elizabeth looked down at her tray and thought for a moment. She didn't like misleading Todd, but she wanted the big surfing competition at the end of the month to be a complete surprise.

  "It sounds like you've made other plans," Todd finally said.

  Elizabeth paused before saying, "Well, I'm doing this extra-credit project at Moon Beach. You know, out at the Marine Biology Center. And I'm supposed to be there Tuesday after school. We're just getting started, actually."

  "Marine biology," Todd mused. "You mean like tide pools and turtle eggs and slimy seaweed?"

  "Exactly," Elizabeth replied, laughing. "I guess I became interested in it after our field trip out to Anacapa Island."

  "Uh-oh," Todd said. "You're not going to get shipwrecked like your sister did, are you?"

  "No way."

  "I guess I don't really need to worry about you, anyway," Todd said, leaning back in his chair. "Jessica is the one who's always getting into trouble, not you. Jessica and her crazy adventures." Todd chuckled and gently nodded his head. "A marine biology project! How much safer can you get?"

  "Do you mean how much more boring can you get?" Elizabeth asked.

  "Well . . ." Todd shrugged playfully.

  "Liz!" Jessica's voice rang out suddenly from across the crowded cafeteria. Elizab
eth turned around and saw her twin hurrying toward her.

  "Hi, Jessica," she said pleasantly.

  "Liz, I'm completely humiliated!" Jessica moaned, nearly collapsing into the chair beside her sister.

  "What are you talking about?'' Elizabeth asked.

  Jessica opened her mouth to speak, but before she had a chance to say a word, Winston Egbert sneaked up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder.

  "Well, if it isn't Magenta Galaxy," Winston said, grinning. "Do you think I could borrow your Psychedelic Overtones tape?"

  "Winston," Jessica growled, "you're treading on very thin ice!"

  "Oh, pardon me," Winston continued in a snobby, sophisticated voice. "You're not Magenta Galaxy. You must be the famous, sophisticated Daniella Fromage! I was wondering if you could interpret that experimental theater piece we saw last week."

  Magenta Galaxy and Daniella Fromage were the two names—for the two different personalities—that Jessica had invented to help her attract interesting guys from a computer dating service she had signed up with a couple of weeks earlier. The plan had backfired when she found out that the interesting guys she met had invented names and personalities every bit as phony as hers.

  Elizabeth was having a hard time keeping herself from laughing out loud at Winston's performance.

  "That's very funny, Winston," Jessica snapped. "But if you don't tell me exactly who told you that story in exactly two and a half seconds, I'm going to perform some experimental theater on your face!"

  "Don't do that," Winston said, bringing his hands to his mouth. "I'll talk! I heard about your latest adventure from Caroline Pearce."

  "Caroline Pearce!" Jessica exclaimed, crossing her arms. "I should have known she couldn't stop gossiping for long," Jessica said, fuming.

  "I really thought she had quit," Elizabeth answered sadly. "Especially after all her gossiping blew up in her face."

  "Don't get me wrong, Liz. I don't care if she spreads rumors," Jessica snapped. "But when she spreads them about me . . . then that means war!"

  "But, Jessica, they're not rumors," Elizabeth reminded her twin. "The story is true."

  "Wait a second, Elizabeth. Whose side are you on, anyway? I mean, even Aaron Dallas called me Magenta Galaxy in the hall today. Everybody knows about it!"

  "Maybe Aaron likes this Magenta person," Todd suggested, grinning.

  Elizabeth giggled. "Wait until he meets Daniella."

  "Look, I know you two think this is very funny," Jessica said, standing up to leave. "But I can tell you something right now. Caroline Pearce won't be laughing when I'm through with her."

  "What are you going to do, Jess?" Elizabeth asked.

  "Get revenge!" Jessica shouted.

  Three

  On Tuesday afternoon Elizabeth pulled the Fiat to a stop in the parking lot of the Moon Beach Surf Club. While sitting in the car for a moment, Elizabeth took a deep breath and looked out at the ocean just beyond. This is the moment to prove you can be as daring as anybody, she thought. But her spirits sank when she got out of the car and saw the size of the crashing waves. She had always loved the ocean and was a strong swimmer, but she had never really ventured out too far from shore.

  "Hi, Liz!" Sean Blake called to her from the clubhouse door. "Ready to go? Let's find you the perfect surfboard."

  "Hi, Sean," Elizabeth said as she walked over to the little shack. The whole place smelled of wax and sea salt.

  "Let's see," Sean said, stepping back and studying Elizabeth. "How tall are you?"

  "Five feet six," Elizabeth told him.

  "Hmmm." Sean sifted through the boards. "I want to give you one of our best boards. It'll move a lot faster in the water."

  "I'd rather have a slow one, actually," Elizabeth said and laughed.

  "Don't sell yourself short, Liz," Sean answered. He chose a purple board with a hot-pink stripe down the middle and headed out on to the beach. "It may take a lot of work—and maybe even a little bit of overtime," he added with a significant glance at Elizabeth. "But I'll make you into a surfer. I promise."

  Sean sure is confident, Elizabeth thought, and a little bit too friendly sometimes. As they walked down to the water, Elizabeth saw a surfer wipe out in the waves offshore. His board flew up above him, and he went sprawling into the waves. Suddenly Elizabeth's stomach started to churn.

  "Did you see that wipeout?" Sean asked, pointing at the ocean. He swept his blond hair back and stopped in the middle of the beach. "Let that be a warning to you that there's more to surfing than riding the curl. Safety always comes first, OK?"

  "OK." Elizabeth smiled. She slipped off her sandals and began to take off her shorts.

  "Are you a good swimmer?" Sean asked.

  "We have a pool in our backyard," Elizabeth replied. "I practically grew up in the water."

  "Good. Now, the first thing you should know is you always use the ankle strap." He showed her how to attach the strap to her ankle. "That way you'll never lose your board. But that doesn't mean your board can't pearl, and if—"

  "Pearl?" Elizabeth interrupted. "What does that mean?"

  "When your board shoots up from under you and goes flying into the air, that's called pearling—like what happened to the guy who just wiped out. And pearling is one of the most dangerous things about surfing. The board can come down on top of you and give you a pretty good whack in the head. That's how most surfing fatalities happen."

  Elizabeth swallowed hard as she pulled off her T-shirt. This kind of talk sure wasn't helping her nervousness!

  "To prevent pearling, just make sure the nose of the board doesn't dip under the water," Sean continued, kneeling down in the sand and removing a stick of wax from a small bag. "But before we talk about anything else, let's wax this board of yours."

  Sean started to rub the wax across the purple board. "What's the wax for?" Elizabeth asked.

  "Without wax," Sean answered, "fiberglass can be pretty slippery. Some boards need more wax than others, and you can tell by . . ." As Sean lectured and rubbed the wax into the board, Elizabeth removed a bottle of suntan oil and was about to spread it on her shoulders.

  "And you should always wax in the sun, so the wax melts faster." Suddenly Sean looked up at Elizabeth. "Stop! Stop right there!" he cried.

  "What's wrong?" Elizabeth asked.

  "You should never use tanning oil when you're surfing," he continued. "If you do, I guarantee your board will be as slick as a greased frying pan. You won't be able to stand up for a second."

  "But I don't want to burn in the sun," Elizabeth said.

  Sean removed a plastic tube from his bag. "Here's some special tanning cream. It's not greasy and won't make you slip and wipe out. Want me to spread some on your back?"

  "No, thanks," Elizabeth said. "I can do it."

  "Are you sure?" Sean asked, lifting his eyebrows suggestively. "I wouldn't mind."

  "I think I can handle it myself," Elizabeth said. What a flirt! she thought.

  Sean handed her the tanning cream. As he talked about beginning surfing techniques, Elizabeth listened intently and smoothed the cream over her shoulders and arms.

  "So the next thing you do after attaching your ankle strap is kneel on your board and paddle out into the waves," Sean went on, continuing to rub the wax into the pink-striped board. "Surfers spend most of their time paddling, Liz."

  "Sounds like fun," Elizabeth teased. "But you must get to stand up for a few seconds."

  "Sure, eventually. But you won't be standing up for a while," Sean continued, laughing. "Standing up on a surfboard looks a whole lot easier than it is. Today I just want you to ride on your knees to get the feel of the waves and the board."

  Elizabeth was secretly relieved. As Sean spoke, Elizabeth found herself glancing uneasily at the ocean, watching the waves roll in to shore. If she had to do it on those gigantic waves, even riding on her knees seemed pretty scary. For a moment she considered backing out, telling Sean she had made a terrible mistake. No one would eve
r know the difference, and she could go on being Miss Conservative for the rest of her life.

  Come on, Liz, she told herself. Aren't you trying to be more daring? You came out here to prove a point, so prove it!

  "OK, Liz," Sean exclaimed, throwing the wax into his bag. "Let's hit the water!"

  Elizabeth's heart was pounding as she knelt on the surfboard and paddled farther and farther out into the waves. Sean assured her that the surf was not that big, but the waves seemed huge to her.

  She tried to concentrate on Sean's instructions. Paddle out to a good wave, turn around and face the shore, catch the swell, and then turn to your left and slide along the wave. Finally she got up the nerve, turned her board toward the shore, and felt herself rising on a wave. But suddenly her mind went blank, and she forgot what she was supposed to do. She panicked as the wave grew under her. A moment later the water crashed over her, and Elizabeth toppled into the water.

  She came up gasping for breath and grabbed her board, which was floating beside her.

  "Are you all right, Liz?" Sean shouted from shore through his cupped hands.

  Elizabeth raised her arm in response.

  "Great. You forgot to turn to the left and slide along the wave," he called out in a calm, assuring voice. "Why don't you try again, and this time don't forget to turn to the left."

  "All right," Elizabeth called, trying to sound confident. But she was even more nervous for her second try than she was for her first.

  "And you'd better not wipe out again. You've got an audience now!" Sean called.

  Elizabeth looked off to the beach and saw Sammy, Dave, and Laurie standing next to Sean. When Sammy and Dave waved at her, she gave a little shy wave in return, then felt a rush of nervous energy. This time I'm going to do it right, she thought, setting her jaw.