The Perfect Girl (Sweet Valley High Book 74) Read online

  THE PERFECT GIRL

  Written by

  Kate William

  Created by

  FRANCINE PASCAL

  Copyright © 2015, Francine Pascal

  "Robin!"

  Robin flinched and stopped.

  Elizabeth hurried up behind her. "I've been looking for you," she said in a low voice. "Are you feeling OK? You look terrible. You're so white!"

  "I'm just tired," Robin whispered.

  "I'm taking you to the nurse's office," Elizabeth said, taking Robin's arm.

  "No!" Robin shook her head vehemently. "I'm really OK, Liz. I'm just—"

  Robin broke off as a flood of tears threatened to overcome her. She wanted so badly to tell someone how frightened she was. But how could she? It was too awful to admit that she was afraid her boyfriend was cheating on her. And it was too embarrassing to admit that she was afraid her diet had gotten way out of control.

  "I'm under a lot of pressure, that's all."

  It was all Robin could do to convince Elizabeth that she was fine. As soon as Elizabeth walked away Robin stepped into the girls' room. She had to sit down again and pull herself together. Her world was quickly coming apart at the seams.

  CONTENTS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  One

  "We're doomed!" Jessica sighed dramatically and flung herself into a chair at the lunch table.

  Unfortunately, not one of her fellow cheerleaders seemed to notice her. But Jessica knew how to get their attention. "There's a really cute new boy out in the hall," she said.

  "What?" several of her friends said at the same time and craned their necks toward the cafeteria door.

  "You guys are hopeless." Jessica popped open a can of diet soda and helped herself to one of Cara Walker's grapes.

  "OK, Jess," Maria Santelli said, laughing. "Why are we doomed, and how can we save ourselves?"

  That was more like it. As cocaptain of the cheerleading squad, Jessica was used to being in the limelight. She was naturally flamboyant and craved attention and excitement. Jessica always managed to be right in the center of whatever was most interesting. She always dated the cutest boys, wore the hottest clothes, and knew the latest scandal. The nickname "Hurricane Jessica" suited her perfectly.

  Jessica's love of turmoil came as a surprise to people who only knew her twin sister, Elizabeth. Elizabeth was quiet and hard-working and enjoyed spending time with her boyfriend, Todd. Her ambition was to be a professional writer, and she was a regular contributor to the school newspaper, The Oracle. People naturally gravitated to Elizabeth for sympathy and friendship, just as they gravitated to Jessica for adventure and excitement. Jessica was as impulsive as Elizabeth was thoughtful. To those who knew them well, Jessica and Elizabeth were like night and day. Except for their looks, that is. The Wakefield twins were identical, both as beautiful as a golden afternoon, with sun-kissed blond hair that brushed their shoulders, and eyes the color of the nearby Pacific. They were both tanned from the California sun, and their size-six figures looked great in any style of clothes. And if they happened to dress alike, the most reliable way to tell them apart was to see which one was wearing a wristwatch. Elizabeth liked to be on time. Jessica had a much more relaxed attitude, and punctuality was not one of her strong points.

  Being the only identical twins in Sweet Valley High's junior class lent the Wakefields a certain distinction. And Jessica thought that was just the way it should be.

  "Here's the story," she explained. "I was just at the gym, and the coach said that the whole gym floor has to be redone. Totally."

  There was an expectant silence. Jessica's cocaptain, Robin Wilson, was the first to speak.

  "And we're doomed because . . ."

  "Because it'll cost a megafortune." Jessica looked around eagerly. "Unless we help."

  "Another fund-raiser?" Sandra Bacon groaned, and Annie Whitman rolled her eyes.

  "I refuse to do another rocking chair marathon," Cara said. "I was rocking in my dreams for two nights after that event."

  "How about a bake sale?" Amy Sutton suggested.

  There was an immediate chorus of "no ways." Nobody wanted to have a bake sale or a car wash or anything typical. The Sweet Valley cheerleaders had a reputation for putting together exciting fund-raisers. Whatever they did now would have to be special.

  "How about trying to set a Guinness Book world record?" Robin suggested. "We could sell tickets to it."

  "Brilliant idea," Jessica said enthusiastically. "What kind of a record?"

  Robin laughed. "I don't know! I can only be brilliant a little bit at a time."

  "There's Liz," Cara said. "She's brilliant all the time. She's the smart twin."

  Jessica smirked at her friend. But she had to admit that it was always good to have Elizabeth around for brainstorming sessions. Jessica stood up and waved. "Liz! Over here!"

  In a moment Elizabeth joined the group. "What's up?" she asked.

  "We need to break a world record," Amy stated.

  "A particular world record?" Elizabeth asked politely. "Or just any old world record?" The sparkle in her eyes revealed her amusement.

  "We want to raise money for a new gym floor," Jessica explained. "Trying to break some kind of record and selling tickets to the event is all we've come up with so far."

  "I think it should have something to do with food," Annie said as she popped a french fry in her mouth. "World's biggest pizza. Yummmm."

  "That's all she can think about," Robin said with a moan. "FOOD!"

  Everyone laughed, and Elizabeth nodded. "Annie's got a good idea. But maybe not a pizza."

  "Biggest tuna fish sandwich?" Cara giggled.

  "Greasiest hamburger." Jessica's face clearly showed her distaste. "This cafeteria would win automatically."

  Robin laughed. "OK, then, how about the world's biggest ice-cream sundae?"

  Jessica's eyes widened. "Yes!" she gasped. "That's it!"

  "Really? I was kidding."

  "Why not?" Elizabeth leaned forward with an excited smile. "You could get donations of ice cream from all the ice-cream places in town, donations of plastic bowls and spoons, make a huge sundae, and sell people tickets for a serving."

  Jessica's mind was racing. She could just picture an enormous mountain of ice cream with chocolate sauce cascading down the sides and whipped cream billowing around the summit like clouds. She giggled at the thought: Mt. Everest of the Ice-Cream Range.

  She knew it was a great idea. The only annoying thing was that it wasn't her idea. Even more annoying was that it was Robin's idea. Jessica and Robin were cocaptains of the cheerleading team, but that didn't make them friends. There was a gut-level rivalry between them that never really died down. But Jessica had to admit that Robin had come up with a real winner this time.

  "We could make the sundae in a swimming pool," Amy suggested with a grin. "And then Robin could dive into it!"

  Everyone laughed. Robin was on the local diving team; so far, she had only dived into water.

  "No, thanks," Robin said, waving her hands and grinning. "Get me in a pool full of ice cream and I'll never come out again!"

  "What a way to go." Cara sighed.

  "OK, Robin doesn't have to dive in," Jessica said. "But I still think we should make the world's biggest ice-cream sundae."

  Elizabeth looked a
t Maria. "Do you think your dad would want to be the honorary chairman? It's a good cause, and we'd get a lot more publicity if the mayor was involved."

  "You're right, Liz. I'll ask him tonight. I'm sure he'll do it."

  "And if you put it together on a Sunday, you could call the event Super Sundae, you know, as in the Superbowl."

  "OK! OK!" Cara said. "Enough brilliant ideas for one day, Liz."

  "Sorry." Elizabeth grinned.

  "This is great," Jessica said with energy, already thinking about how she could take credit for the project. "Now all we have to do is put Operation Super Sundae into gear."

  "And Guinness Book, look out." Robin raised her fist in the air. "Here come the Sweet Valley High cheerleaders!"

  Walking toward the bus stop that afternoon, Robin thought over the lunchtime planning session. It was typical for Jessica to announce a problem and for Elizabeth to solve it. The Wakefields were always at the center of everything at Sweet Valley High. Being pretty and popular opened doors for Elizabeth and Jessica wherever they went.

  Of course, Robin was very attractive and popular, too. But unlike the twins, Robin had not always been so pretty. Until the beginning of her junior year, Robin had been overweight. "Tubby" was one of the nicest of the names she used to be called; "buffalo butt" was one of the worst. Being overweight had meant being picked last in team games, ignored at dances, and teased relentlessly.

  In fact, it had been partly due to Jessica and Elizabeth that Robin had changed. The twins were members of Pi Beta Alpha, the sorority Robin had decided to pledge. Elizabeth had stuck by her all the way, but Jessica had made it clear she did not want any "chubbies" in her sorority.

  So Robin had decided to lose weight, not so that she would be accepted by the sorority, but so that she could snub the group when she was finally Pi Beta Alpha material. It had taken strict dieting and a tough workout program, but Robin had shed the pounds and revealed the trim, athletic girl underneath.

  From then on, her life had really changed. Robin had joined the cheerleading squad, started competitive diving, and found a wonderful boyfriend. Still, it bothered Robin that so much in life seemed to depend on physical beauty. It shouldn't be that way, she knew, but that was the real world.

  And her own experience proved just how real it was. Over and over Robin reminded herself that having a boyfriend didn't make her a better person than she was before. But there was no denying the fact that George made her feel special. And it had all happened because she was slim. Robin had no doubt that her life would change for the worse if she ever became overweight again.

  But she would never be fat again. That was a promise Robin had made to herself, and one she intended to keep.

  It was strange, though, that she still thought of herself as a fat person. Years and years of being called tubby had left quite a mark. It didn't take much to make Robin feel self-conscious and unhappy about her looks. When that happened, she had to remind herself that things were different now. And usually a look in the mirror set her back on an even keel.

  A honking horn startled Robin out of her reverie.

  "Hey, gorgeous. Want a lift home?"

  Robin hid a smile and sauntered over to the light blue GTO parked at the curb. "Maybe," she drawled. "Maybe not." Then she grinned and leaned into the car to kiss her boyfriend. "Hi. I didn't know you were coming." George Warren had just transferred to UCLA, where he was a freshman, and he couldn't always get to Sweet Valley during the week. It was a wonderful surprise to see him there.

  "I have some really good news," George said as Robin got into the car.

  "What is it?" she asked, smiling. "You won a million dollars?"

  "Not quite. Promise you won't think this is crazy, but I've decided to start a new flying course."

  Robin's eyebrows shot up. "You have?"

  Flying was what had brought them together. While he was still dating Enid Rollins, George had met Robin in a flying class. Spending so much time together under intense conditions, and sharing exhilarating hours in the air, had led them to fall in love. Months ago, while he had been agonizing over how to break up with Enid, he had taken her for a plane ride. The small craft had malfunctioned in the air, and they had crashed. Enid had suffered temporary paralysis from the accident, and George had suffered permanent guilt. He had sworn he would never fly again.

  Robin waited for him to explain his decision. She was surprised, but hopeful, too. Maybe this was a sign that George's conscience was beginning to clear.

  "See, I was talking to a friend the other day," George said. "He just finished a flying program he said was really fantastic. And I got to thinking about it and . . ."

  "And you realized you still want to fly," Robin finished for him.

  He smiled sheepishly. "I really think if I could just get back into a plane, I could put all that stuff about the accident behind me. Then maybe I could finally stop feeling so guilty. Do you know what I mean?"

  Robin looked at George's strong profile and smiled tenderly. "I think so."

  "But here's the catch."

  "Great. There's always a catch," Robin teased.

  He grinned and touched her cheek with one finger. "Yeah. Well, it's an intensive program. Between the course and school, I'm going to be incredibly busy."

  "I guess so. Which means . . ."

  "Which means, I'm not going to be able to come see you so often, at least for a while. I'm sorry."

  By now they had reached Robin's home, and George turned off the engine.

  Robin leaned over to kiss him. "That's OK. I know how important this is to you. I'll just suffer quietly," she added with a twinkle in her eye.

  George laughed and put his arms around her. "I knew you'd understand. I love you, you know that?"

  "I know. Because I'm so nice and sympathetic."

  "No, because you've got great legs," George said in a growly voice.

  Robin winced. She knew he was just teasing, but for some reason it rankled. There was always a nagging doubt in her mind that George would never have noticed her if she had been fat. Lately this thought had been occurring to her more frequently. Robin had no real reason to feel so insecure, but she couldn't help it. And along with that doubt came an even more disturbing question: Would George continue to love her if she gained weight again?

  Of course he would, she told herself firmly. Those strong arms around her meant he loved her, the whole Robin Wilson. With a breathless laugh she pulled away and looked into his face.

  "You're going to crush me," she scolded.

  "Not a chance," George said and pulled her close again.

  Two

  "So what are you and George doing this weekend?" Elizabeth asked as she and Robin walked to their seventh period class on Friday afternoon.

  Robin smiled regretfully. "We aren't doing anything. George is starting a new flying course, so he can't come home this weekend."

  "So what are you going to do?" Elizabeth asked with a playful grin.

  "Probably nothing." Robin hugged her books and shrugged. She didn't want Elizabeth to think she couldn't handle a weekend alone without George. But she couldn't think of anything she really wanted to do. "Homework, I guess."

  Elizabeth stopped in her tracks. "Robin, you sound pathetic!" she teased. "Why don't you come to the beach with me and Todd this afternoon? We'll be there until dinnertime."

  "Oh, thanks, Liz."

  The girls walked on a few steps. Suddenly Robin had a vivid memory of a double date that Elizabeth and Todd had arranged for her back in her fat days. It had been so humiliating and awkward. She knew her friends had meant well, but the date had made her feel terrible. Robin's heart ached for the lonely girl she used to be. Just remembering what her life had been like brought on a wave of sadness and embarrassment. Suddenly Robin felt fat again.

  "I don't know if I can." She looked down and felt a bit of relief at the sight of her long, slim legs. She was not that lonely, fat girl anymore.

  "Besides, two's
company, three's a crowd, right?" she added.

  "Robin!" Elizabeth shook her head. "We're good enough friends for you not to worry about that, aren't we? Just come."

  Robin gave Elizabeth an absent smile. "Well, maybe. I have to go to diving practice for a while after school. Maybe I'll stop by the beach after that."

  "Great. We'll see you later, then. Bye." Elizabeth waved and ducked into a classroom.

  Robin paused in the hallway. She was glad George was enrolled in the flying course. But she was going to miss having a boyfriend around. It meant going places alone, or with other girls. It meant always wondering what other people were thinking about her. Why is she alone? What is wrong with her? Doesn't she have a good personality? Why doesn't she have a boyfriend?

  Robin shook her head. She knew better than to worry about silly, superficial things like that. But at the same time she knew she was going to be spending more time at home while George was busy. She just didn't want to go through that kind of scrutiny from other people. With a sigh, she headed on to her class.

  After school, Robin took the bus to the community pool. Her coach, Dina Taylor, was already talking to the rest of the diving team. She waved at Robin to hurry up.

  "Sorry," Robin said when she had changed and joined the group.

  She smoothed the sleek nylon of her tank suit around her waist and glanced around. A slim young girl from the junior high was standing next to her. Robin felt enormous next to her, and she surreptitiously inched her suit down on her hips.

  "I want everyone to work on legs today," Dina was saying. "Concentrate on your legs: perfect alignment, pointed toes. Just swan dives and jackknives to start with."

  Everyone nodded and began to stretch out. Robin stood by the side of the pool and gazed down into the water. As her reflection stared back up at her, a wavelet distorted her image, and Robin had a sudden vision of herself as a short, fat blob. Startled, she stepped back from the edge and shook her head.

  I don't look like that, Robin told herself anxiously. She found to her surprise that her heart was beating hard. Why was she so upset over seeing a distorted reflection? It was ridiculous.