The New Elizabeth (Sweet Valley High Book 63)

by Francine Pascal

  "Here we are, then," the manager said, taking the dress off the rack. "Would you like to try it on?"

  "No," Lila said. "I'm sure it will fit."

  "All right, then," the manager said, taking it toward the counter. I hope you can carry it. Judging from all your bags, you've already been on quite a shopping spree."

  "I'm not so sure we can carry all of these bags," Jessica remarked wearily.

  "Yeah, it would sure be a shame to drop something," Lila added with a tired sigh.

  "Oh, I'm sure one of our salesgirls would be happy to help you carry your bags," the manager offered.

  "That would be absolutely perfect!" Jessica cried, winking at Lila.

  The manager pointed at Caroline. "She'd be delighted to help you," the manager said. "Will that be cash or charge?"

  Lila paid in cash, and the woman wrapped the dress. A few minutes later, Jessica, Lila, and Caroline were standing beneath the roof of the mall's outdoor walkway, looking at the torrential rain. Jessica and Lila reached into their bags and pulled out their umbrellas. They opened them and started out into the parking lot.

  Caroline hesitated, but a moment later she clamped her jaw and followed them into the rain. Jessica and Lila both looked back and saw that Caroline was already soaked, her red hair hanging flat against her forehead and neck. They both began giggling uncontrollably.

  When Caroline got to the car, she dropped the bags into a puddle, gave Jessica another withering glance, then whirled around and ran back to the mall. Jessica and Lila scrambled into Lila's car, perfectly dry.

  "She looked like a drowned rat!" Lila exclaimed.

  "Mission accomplished!" Jessica said. "Let's go to the Dairi Burger and celebrate with a malt."

  "Sounds perfect after a hard day's shopping," Lila remarked, laughing and pulling away in her car.

  The Dairi Burger was packed with Sweet Valley High students. Todd and Elizabeth grabbed a free table near the door and sat down with an order of french fries and a malt. As she sipped the thick chocolate malt, Elizabeth felt her mood begin to brighten.

  It's only a week until the big competition, and then Todd will understand everything. When the day of the competition came, she felt sure everything would fall into place. She would show everyone just how adventurous she could be, and they would no longer refer to her as "dull, boring, predictable Elizabeth."

  "Look who just came in wearing the biggest grin I've ever seen," Todd said, nodding toward the door and munching on a fry.

  Jessica stood at the doorway, surveying the Dairi Burger, with Lila at her side. She spotted some friends in the back and started heading toward them.

  As Jessica approached Elizabeth's table, she stopped and said, "Liz, what are you doing here? Why aren't you spending the day working on your wonderful science project?" Jessica rolled her eyes at Lila.

  "We were rained out," Elizabeth answered.

  "What a shame," Jessica teased. "I hope you and Todd found something just as exciting to do."

  "Actually, we played Scrabble," Todd answered, giving Jessica a wry smile.

  Elizabeth turned a little red.

  "I don't know how you can stand so much excitement, Liz," Lila remarked.

  "And what have you done with your afternoon?"

  "Nothing much," Jessica said coyly as she walked away. "We went shopping."

  Todd and Elizabeth looked at each other and shook their heads, smiling. Elizabeth knew that Jessica was up to something, and it involved getting back at Caroline Pearce. But she wasn't sure exactly what Jessica had been doing in the name of revenge.

  She and Todd had just about finished their french fries when Enid Rollins came up to the table.

  "Enid, I didn't know you were here," Elizabeth said.

  "It's so crowded that I didn't see you at first, either," Enid answered. "I have to tell you what I just overheard. Jessica and Lila were sitting at the table next to where I was sitting, and they were telling Amy all about what they did at the Unique Boutique today. Poor Caroline!"

  "Sit down and tell me everything!" Elizabeth said, moving over to make room for Enid.

  Elizabeth was putting the finishing touches on an English paper Saturday afternoon when the phone rang. She raced to pick it up, since she had a feeling Sean was going to call about their lesson. She didn't want anyone to start wondering who her new friend was.

  "Hello?"

  "Hi, Liz."

  "Sean!" Elizabeth responded. "What a beautiful day."

  "The rain looks like it's finished, anyway," Sean said.

  "We couldn't ask for a better day to go surfing, could we?" exclaimed Elizabeth.

  "Well, Liz," Sean began with a little hesitation in his voice, "I'm not so sure about that."

  "What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked. "There's not a cloud in the sky."

  "No, but the sea is still a little bit rough," Sean responded.

  "You can't keep me from surfing another day!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "The competition is next week, and we only have a few more lessons."

  "Listen, Liz," Sean said. "There are some pretty serious waves at Moon Beach today. Are you sure you can handle them?"

  "I'm a strong swimmer."

  "I don't know how great I feel about it, Liz," Sean answered.

  "Sean," Elizabeth began in a confident voice, "I'm certain I can handle it. That is, as long as you're around."

  "Well, I guess it'll be OK . . ." Sean said slowly.

  "Great!" Elizabeth cried. "But I may be a little bit late. My sister needs the car today, so I'm going to have to take the bus."

  "Oh, I'll pick you up," Sean suggested.

  "I won't have you picking me up to drive me to a free lesson," Elizabeth said. And I don't want to risk anyone seeing you here, she added to herself.

  "OK, if you say so. Well, hop on that bus and let's get to work!" Sean said cheerfully.

  Eight

  A little shiver ran down Elizabeth's spine as she watched the big waves crashing against the shore. She pulled a chunk of wax from her bag, knelt in the warm sand, and began to wax her board. "It looks pretty rough out there," she said nervously.

  "It is," Sean said. "Before you got here, I went out for a few rides just to test the water. It was definitely exciting. Those waves are huge. But I'm going to leave it up to you, Liz. If you think you can handle it, then we'll have a lesson. If you don't think you can, then we won't."

  "That makes sense, Sean," Elizabeth answered. "But to be perfectly honest, I really think I should give it a try. What if the water's like this on the day of the competition? Think of how much better I'll perform if I've done it before."

  "You may be right, Liz," Sean said, "but I'll leave the decision up to you."

  "Well, I didn't ride the bus all the way up here just to talk about surfing!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

  "I wouldn't mind if you did," Sean said, smiling.

  "So, what should I work on today?" Elizabeth asked, quickly changing the subject.

  "Today you should keep working on your pullout," Sean answered. "A well-executed pullout will win you lots of points with the judges."

  Elizabeth put the wax in her bag and picked up the surfboard.

  "Also, Liz," Sean added in a serious voice, "there are some riptides out there, so you should be extra careful."

  "Right!" Elizabeth said confidently.

  "And let me give you a little bit of advice. If you're about to wipe out in a really big wave, like the ones out there," Sean continued, nodding to the ocean, "take a big breath, and I mean big. And then if the wave tosses you around underwater, and you get disoriented, remember to head toward the light. The light means air and sky, and darkness means the bottom of the ocean. Got it?"

  "Take a big breath and head toward the light," Elizabeth answered. She nodded confidently.

  "Right," Sean said, gazing steadily into Elizabeth's eyes.

  "Here goes nothing," Elizabeth said as she headed toward the crashing waves.

  Once she got into the wa
ter, she discovered that the waves were stronger than she had expected. She had to admit, it was a little scary. As she paddled out, it seemed as if the waves sounded louder. Nobody else was surfing that day, and she felt lonely and isolated out there by herself.

  Take a big breath and head for the light, she repeated to herself as she paddled.

  She finally saw the wave she wanted. It was a big, swelling wave with a beautiful white top. Elizabeth turned her board toward the shore and then felt the swell of the wave lift her from behind. But it wasn't like anything she had ever felt before! The wave seemed to pick her up and toss her around like a piece of driftwood, and she struggled to stay in control. Finally, after a split second of desperate paddling, Elizabeth turned her board and felt it begin to slide along the wave. She was terrified, but somehow she found the strength to stand up.

  As she rode the wave, she couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. Usually at this point in a ride, she felt in control. But right then she felt just the opposite.

  She glanced over her shoulder and saw the huge wave beginning to crash down on top of her. She tried to brace herself for the impact, and then she took a deep breath.

  The water crashed over her, and the surfboard slipped out from under her. Just as Elizabeth was rising to the surface to get another breath, she felt a powerful thud on the side of her head, and suddenly everything went blurry.

  Elizabeth was sinking deeper into the wave when she felt a strong current catch hold of her. It dragged her down as if a great chain were attached to her legs, pulling her deeper and deeper into the water.

  Elizabeth felt her heart constrict. I'm caught in a riptide, she suddenly realized.

  Her body was crying out for air. Forgetting for a moment that she was underwater, she took a desperate breath. Then everything went black as night.

  Elizabeth slowly blinked her eyes. Everything looked blurry and out of focus. She thought she felt something on her mouth and nose, but she couldn't figure out what it was.

  Then suddenly her eyes cleared, and she saw Sean's face coming down to hers. She felt his mouth against hers, and then she felt her lungs expand with warm air. He was giving her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

  When Sean saw Elizabeth's opened eyes, he immediately lifted his mouth from hers.

  "Liz!" he cried, a look of utter relief on his handsome face. "Are you all right? I was so worried."

  "Sean?" she managed. "What happened?"

  "That doesn't matter now," Sean answered. "What matters is that you're alive."

  In a flash, Elizabeth remembered the terror of being dragged deep into the wave. It was the most frightening experience she had ever had. If Sean hadn't been there, she probably would have died. And when she thought of that—and never seeing her family and friends again—she began to cry. Without thinking, Elizabeth reached up to Sean for comfort, and Sean immediately wrapped his arms tightly around her.

  For a few minutes, Sean and Elizabeth embraced in the sand, and Elizabeth continued to cry. She held on tightly to Sean, as if she were still in danger of drowning, and Sean kept whispering, "It's all right, Liz, it's all right."

  When Elizabeth felt safe again, she pulled away from Sean and wiped her eyes.

  "How do you feel?" Sean asked.

  "A little shaken up," Elizabeth said. "But thanks to you I'm going to be just fine."

  "Let me check your eyes," Sean said, leaning close to Elizabeth's face. "When the board hit your head, you might have gotten a concussion, and I want to check your pupils."

  Elizabeth opened and shut her eyes for Sean. He gazed into her eyes and then gave her nose a little kiss. "No concussion," he said.

  "What happened out there, anyway?" Elizabeth asked, pulling away from Sean and wrapping a towel around her shoulders.

  "When you wiped out, your board came down on your head," Sean began. "That probably disoriented you, and you couldn't figure out which way was up. Then the riptide got hold of you, and you must have taken a big breath of water. I saw all of this happen and jumped in after you. You were pretty far out, and I really had to swim fast. Finally I grabbed you and pulled you back to shore, then started giving you mouth-to-mouth."

  "Sean, what can I . . . I mean, how can I ever thank you?"

  "I was just doing my duty for my student," Sean said, smiling. And then he added, "I guess this means you'll probably want to pull out of the surfing competition."

  "I don't give up that easily," Elizabeth replied. "My father always used to tell my sister and me, 'Whenever you fall off a horse, you've got to get right back on it, or you'll never get on it again.' So maybe at our next lesson I'll be ready to try again—that is, if the waves are smaller."

  "So there's going to be a next lesson?" Sean asked, his face brightening.

  "Of course," Elizabeth said.

  As the two of them walked back slowly to the clubhouse, Sean put his arm gently around Elizabeth's shoulders. She knew she should tell him not to, but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to say it.

  As they walked on across the sand, Elizabeth couldn't help but think that their hug on the beach had changed things between them. She hoped, more than anything else, that she hadn't led Sean on by holding him so tightly. But her instinct told her that Sean thought the hug meant much more than it did.

  Sean carried Elizabeth's surfboard to the clubhouse and put it on its stand. When he came back outside, there was a gentle glimmer in his green eyes.

  "Liz," he began, "would you like to go out for some dinner tonight?"

  "I'd love to, Sean," Elizabeth answered, "but I'm having dinner with Todd tonight."

  She was relieved to have such a good excuse. And she couldn't wait to see Todd. After this frightening day, it would be nice to curl up safely in his arms.

  "Too bad," Sean said sadly.

  Elizabeth looked down at her watch, and her heart skipped a beat. Todd would be showing up at her door in exactly half an hour!

  "Well, if I can't have dinner with you," Sean began, "can I at least drive you home? After a day like this, you shouldn't have to deal with the bus."

  "Now, that's an offer I can't refuse," she said, hurrying Sean out to his Jeep. They buckled up, and Sean pulled the Jeep out into traffic. Elizabeth tapped her fingers nervously against her leg as he drove. She hoped they would get home before Todd showed up.

  Thirty minutes later they turned onto the Wakefields' street. Elizabeth's heart sank when she saw Todd's car in her driveway.

  "Stop right here!" she cried.

  "Here?" asked Sean, confused. He pulled his car in front of an ultramodern home two houses down from the Wakefields'. "But you told me you lived in a split-level house."

  "Did I say that?" Elizabeth replied, her face turning red. "Maybe I meant our other house, the little vacation place we have up in the mountains."

  "I didn't know you had a vacation house," Sean said.

  I didn't know we had one, either! Elizabeth thought. "We don't use it much," she replied. Then she nervously cleared her throat. "Well, Sean," she said, "I can't thank you enough for what you did today."

  "I'm glad I was there to help," Sean said modestly, smiling at her.

  "I'll see you on Tuesday at the clubhouse," Elizabeth said, stepping out of the car.

  "Great!" Sean cried, waving as he drove away. Elizabeth waved back and slowly made her way up her neighbor's walkway. As soon as Sean's car disappeared, she turned and hurried down the sidewalk toward her house.

  Todd was waiting for her in the hallway, with his arms crossed. Elizabeth was still pretty shaken up after the accident, and even just the sight of Todd's familiar dark brown eyes and tall, lean figure made her want to fall into his arms and feel safe again.

  "Hi, Todd," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

  "Hello, Elizabeth," Todd responded coolly.

  "Sorry I'm late, but things got busy up at Moon Beach," Elizabeth said, blushing a little.

  "I'm just here to tell you that I have an extr
a-credit project I have to work on tonight, so I can't take you to dinner," Todd said flatly.

  "You're doing schoolwork on a Saturday night?" Elizabeth cried.

  "It came up suddenly. So maybe I'll see you in school on Monday or something." Todd turned and opened the front door.

  "Todd, wait!" Elizabeth cried, reaching out for his arm.

  "I'll see you later, Liz," Todd said, and then he slammed the door behind him.

  Elizabeth stared at the door for a moment, stunned. And then she burst into tears and ran up the stairs to her room.

  She shut the door behind her and buried her face in her pillow. She knew that Todd had seen Sean's car! And then he'd made up the story about some extra-credit project just to get out of dinner.

  Everything seemed to be going wrong. Not only had she almost drowned, but she had probably led Sean on by hugging him that afternoon. And now Todd had just broken their date—and slammed the door in her face!

  I wish I'd never tried to change at all! Elizabeth thought as she wiped her tears away with a tissue. It's just not worth it!

  Nine

  On Monday Elizabeth and Todd were eating lunch together in the cafeteria.

  "I called you a couple of times yesterday, but you weren't home," Elizabeth said quietly.

  "I was playing ball with the guys," Todd replied. He took a bite of his sandwich.

  "Oh," Elizabeth answered quietly. "I see." She took a deep breath and then let out a big sigh.

  "You know, Todd," she said at last, "I was really sad that we didn't go out to dinner Saturday night. I was looking forward to seeing you so much."

  "Yeah, well, schoolwork comes first," Todd said, shrugging. "But I guess you know all about that."

  "I know things have been a little weird lately," Elizabeth remarked. "But everything will be better once I've given my big presentation."

  "We just haven't been seeing enough of each other," Todd commented sadly.

  "I know," Elizabeth said.

  "So I was thinking, maybe we could go to the baseball game on Thursday," Todd said.

  "Oh, Todd," Elizabeth said with a frustrated sigh. "I really can't! Thursday is the last day to work on my project before the presentation on Saturday."