The New Elizabeth (Sweet Valley High Book 63) Read online

  She paddled out farther, caught sight of the perfect wave, and turned to shore. Remember to turn to the left and slide along the wave, she reminded herself, looking over her shoulder at the approaching whitecap.

  I'll be happy to stay on my knees for this ride! she thought as she felt the swell lift her board. The power of the crashing wave rose behind her, and Elizabeth could hear its roar.

  "Turn left!" Sean shouted at her.

  She paddled desperately to the left, and then suddenly she felt her board dip gracefully down and go sliding along the wave. It took a moment for her to realize what was happening.

  She was surfing! She couldn't believe it.

  The ride seemed to go on forever. Elizabeth was sure she had been kneeling on the board for five full minutes when the wave finally tossed her from the surfboard. But this time she came up laughing, and paddled toward shore.

  Sammy, Dave, Sean, and Laurie were all standing together, clapping, as Elizabeth emerged from the surf.

  "Nice ride!" Sammy exclaimed as Elizabeth approached. "I give you a perfect ten for form."

  "So does Sean," Dave muttered, just loud enough for Elizabeth to hear. He jabbed Sean playfully in the ribs.

  "That was a great job, Liz!" Sean exclaimed. He reached around her and gave her a hug.

  "It wasn't that great of a ride," Elizabeth said as she quickly pulled away, a little shocked.

  "But you were up for almost fifteen seconds," Sean responded.

  "Fifteen seconds?" Elizabeth cried. "It felt more like fifteen minutes!"

  "It always does at first," Sammy added. "But believe me, fifteen seconds is a great first ride."

  "Even on my knees?" Elizabeth asked.

  "Even on your knees," Sammy assured her.

  "Now let's see you ride a wave, Sean," Laurie said. "I've always heard that the best teachers teach by example."

  "Come on, Mr. Big Surfing Teacher," Dave added. "Show your prize student how it's really done."

  "If you insist." Sean grinned and bounded off into the water.

  Elizabeth walked over to Laurie and watched Sean paddle out.

  "Are you a surfer, too, Laurie?" Elizabeth asked.

  "No," Laurie answered. "I just hang around the clubhouse."

  "You should give it a try sometime," Elizabeth said, still excited from her ride. "It's a terrific thrill."

  "I love watching Sean surf," Laurie said. "He's the best."

  Just then, Sean began a beautiful ride along a huge white wave. He crouched down into a graceful curl and held his arms out for balance. Suddenly Sean began walking toward the nose of the board.

  "What's he doing?" Elizabeth asked.

  "Hotdogging," Laurie said, smiling.

  "Not bad," Sammy said coolly, checking out Sean's form.

  "Not bad at all," Dave replied. "He's going to try to hang ten."

  "What's that?" Elizabeth asked, gazing out at Sean with rapt attention.

  "Only the most difficult stunt in surfing," Dave answered.

  Sean had moved to the very tip of the surfboard. In fact, Elizabeth noticed Sean was so far forward that his toes curled over the edge of the board. He was squatting down low, just under the curl of the cresting wave.

  "He's hanging ten!" Laurie cried.

  "I don't think I'll try that for a while," Elizabeth said to Laurie.

  Laurie laughed. "Me, either—I mean, I'd never have the guts to do what Sean does. He's incredible."

  "You sound like a big fan of his," Elizabeth commented.

  "Yeah, well, I guess so. I've known him for years," Laurie answered.

  "How nice!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "So, are you guys a couple?"

  Laurie hesitated, shifting a little in the sand. "Uh, sort of. Like I said," she answered at last, "we've known each other for a long time."

  Elizabeth breathed a little sigh of relief. As long as Sean was spoken for, she wouldn't have to worry about his flirtatiousness. Some boys are just like that, she thought. And some girls, too! Jessica immediately came to mind.

  Sean emerged from the surf with his board under his arm and looked at Elizabeth with a triumphant expression. "Not bad, huh, Liz?" Sean said, coming closer.

  "Pretty amazing, Sean," Elizabeth answered, turning to Laurie. But Laurie was walking quickly away.

  That's strange, Elizabeth thought. Why doesn't she want to see Sean?

  "Enough entertainment," Sean said, patting Elizabeth on the shoulder. "Now get back out there and get to work!"

  When practice was over for the day, Elizabeth said goodbye to Sean and headed over to the ice cream parlor on the beach. She was starved after such a long and difficult workout. Her knees hurt from crouching on the board, and she had fallen into the water more times than she could count.

  I feel like I'm training for a triathlon, she thought. But at least I'm doing something different.

  Elizabeth felt she deserved a triple scoop with extra chocolate sprinkles, but she settled for a small cone, since she would be heading home for dinner soon. She didn't want to surprise everyone with how fat she could get!

  She handed the boy a dollar and walked back onto the beach and dropped down in the sand. As she licked the ice cream, Elizabeth gazed out at the rolling waves. She was enjoying surfing a lot more than she thought she would. It was scary but thrilling.

  Elizabeth saw a girl over to her right riding a surfboard on her knees, just as she had earlier. Only this girl wasn't having very much success. It didn't look as if she had a teacher, either. For a minute Elizabeth thought the surfer was Laurie. But that was impossible: she said she didn't surf.

  It must be someone who looks like Laurie, she decided as she stood up to leave. Well, time to get back to being plain old Elizabeth!

  The next afternoon Jessica was having a malt with Lila in the Dairi Burger. She had called Lila and demanded that she meet her for a top-secret discussion.

  "This wouldn't have anything to do with Caroline Pearce, would it?" Lila asked.

  "You'd better believe it does," Jessica cried. "Listen to this. Last night Caroline Pearce borrowed her parents' new car. Her parents are out of town, and Caroline is under strict orders not to drive the car. So guess what happened?"

  "She got a parking ticket?" Lila suggested, looking decidedly bored.

  "No," Jessica said, ignoring Lila's tone. "She took out the car and put a big fat dent in the fender and scratched the side. And now she has to earn all the money for the repairs. And guess how she's doing that?"

  "How?" Lila asked.

  "She's got a job at the Unique Boutique, that new shop in the mall. And I've come up with a great plan to get back at her for spreading rumors about me." Jessica leaned back and crossed her arms. "But I need your help." She knew Lila couldn't resist being devious when given the chance.

  Lila smiled. "Just tell me what to do."

  "Well, you'll be the decoy," Jessica said. "All you have to do is buy a scarf or two."

  "I don't get it," Lila said, leaning closer to Jessica.

  "OK, here's the plan," Jessica began, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "I'm going to start spending a whole lot of time shopping in the Unique Boutique. And not only that, but I'm going to become the most demanding customer in the world. I mean the kind of customer that salespeople have nightmares about. And what can Caroline Pearce do about it? Nothing! Because she has to be nice and sweet to every single customer, or else she'll lose her job. And believe me, Caroline needs this job. The car repairs are going to cost a lot."

  Jessica and Lila broke out in peals of laughter.

  "You are terrible, Jessica Wakefield!" Lila managed between laughs.

  "And all you have to do," Jessica continued, "is buy a scarf or a pair of earrings every once in a while, so the boss doesn't get suspicious."

  "I think I can handle that," Lila remarked with a sly smile. "I need some new earrings anyway."

  "Great," Jessica said excitedly. "We'll start on Friday, right after school. This is going
to be so much fun!"

  Four

  On Thursday, right after school, Elizabeth was back at Moon Beach, ready to try her first standing ride. As she paddled through the surf on her purple board, Elizabeth had a vision of herself standing right up and slicing gracefully through a wave, just like Sean had done.

  "Remember not to try to stand up too fast!" Sean shouted from the beach. "Hey, Liz, are you listening? I said don't stand up too fast!"

  But Elizabeth didn't really hear the words. Instead, she was thinking about how beautiful her first ride would be. Even though the competition was three weeks away, Elizabeth couldn't wait to show off in front of all her friends. They would be both shocked and amazed when they saw her ride a wave with utter perfection.

  "Remember, Liz," Sean shouted, beginning to pace nervously around on the sand, "if your board pearls and you think it's flying above you, then dive! The ankle strap is long enough for you to dive deep so you won't get hit. Got it, Liz?"

  But Elizabeth had already caught sight of the perfect wave rolling toward her with a giant swell and a foamy white crest. She turned her board toward the shore and felt the exhilarating lift as the wave caught her from behind.

  What a thrill. Just as on her first ride, Elizabeth felt the board begin to slide effortlessly along the wave. Now all she had to do was get to her feet.

  She jumped up and planted her feet on the speeding surfboard. She knew something had gone wrong, but she couldn't figure out what it was. She felt the board dip down a little, and then the tip sank beneath the water. The next thing she knew, the board shot out from under her and went soaring up into the air. She tumbled into the water, and just as she was rising to the surface she felt a whack!—right on her rear end.

  Back on shore, Sean was waiting for her with his arms crossed, smiling and tapping his foot. "OK, Miss Hot Dog," he began, sounding like a cross schoolteacher. "Now, would you please tell me what you did wrong?"

  "I guess I thought I was a better surfer than I am," Elizabeth replied, struggling out of the water with her surfboard. "Can you believe I was actually thinking about hanging ten?"

  "Liz," Sean began, looking at Elizabeth with admiring eyes, "I surfed for a whole summer before I even thought about hanging ten. You're really an adventurous girl."

  "You think so?" she wondered out loud.

  "I do now," Sean said, spreading some sun cream on his muscular shoulders. "But when I first saw you, I had you pegged as just another good-looking scaredy-cat."

  "Really?" Elizabeth said, blushing. So I even look wimpy, she thought to herself.

  "But now that you're not a scaredy-cat," Sean continued, putting a dab of cream on his fingers, "I guess that means you're just good-looking."

  Elizabeth wished Sean wouldn't spend so much of the lesson flirting with her. But now that she knew he was going out with Laurie, at least she could tell he wasn't being serious.

  "I guess I screwed up that ride, didn't I?" Elizabeth said, anxious to change the subject.

  "But you were punished for it," Sean responded, sending Elizabeth a teasing smirk.

  "What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked, already feeling the blush creeping up her neck.

  "I noticed that the surfboard gave you a pretty good spanking!" Sean chuckled.

  Elizabeth felt her cheeks burning.

  "You're OK, aren't you?" Sean asked, peering around Elizabeth. "Just a bruised—"

  "Ego!" Elizabeth interjected, turning quickly toward the waves again before Sean could notice how red she was.

  This time when Elizabeth paddled out, she kept in mind everything Sean had told her. And when she caught her next wave, she stood up very slowly and very carefully. The board felt a little unsteady beneath her, but she was pretty sure she could keep it under control. She glanced over her back and saw the white crest of the wave curling toward her. The board seemed to speed along without any effort. And she had been riding for ten whole seconds before it finally dawned on her: she was actually standing up and surfing!

  But just then, the wave crested and crashed into her, and Elizabeth went sprawling into the water.

  "You did it, Liz, you did it!" Sean cried as Elizabeth climbed out of the surf. "I knew you could."

  "That was great!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "I felt like I was flying."

  Sean gave her a few more tips—especially on ways to stop a ride without wiping out each time—and then sent Elizabeth back into the surf. On her next few rides, she became more and more steady on her feet. Sean called out directions from the beach.

  When Sean and Elizabeth finally headed toward the clubhouse, Elizabeth glanced down at her watch. She couldn't believe her eyes. The lesson was only supposed to be an hour long, but nearly two hours had flown by. She was exhausted, but she couldn't help but smile happily to herself as she carried her surfboard across the beach.

  "I hope it's OK that the lesson went a little late today," Sean said as he replaced Elizabeth's board in the rack at the clubhouse. "I mean, I hope you didn't have any other plans or anything."

  "I totally lost track of the time," Elizabeth replied, tossing her wax into her knapsack. "But I didn't have any plans anyway."

  "Oh, really?" Sean's eyes lit up, and he opened his mouth to speak, but Elizabeth cut him off.

  "Sean, who do you think was the greatest surfer ever?" she asked. "And why?"

  "Bob Simmons, no doubt," Sean said. "Simmons was the greatest."

  "Why?" Elizabeth asked, slipping her shorts on over her swimsuit.

  She could hardly believe she was as interested in surfing as she was. She had expected her new daring life to be difficult, but it wasn't at all. She smiled as she realized how much she had been missing.

  "Bob Simmons lost the use of his left arm," Sean told her, "and he surfed with only one arm. Maybe he wasn't the best surfer, in terms of prizes and all that, but over thirty years ago he designed the kind of surfboard that we all still use today."

  "Really?" Elizabeth asked.

  "Yeah, it's incredible," Sean remarked. "In fact, the board you use is based on the design that Simmons came up with in the fifties. An original Simmons board is worth about five thousand dollars."

  "Five thousand dollars?" Elizabeth gasped. "For a surfboard?"

  "Not just any surfboard, a Simmons. And you know what?" Sean continued. "I actually have an original Simmons."

  "Are you kidding?"

  "No. I've got a pretty good collection of other rare boards, too. I keep them in the garage at home," Sean added. Suddenly a glimmer appeared in his eyes. "Hey, since you don't have any plans, would you like to come over and see them?"

  Elizabeth hesitated, but just for a second. "Sure," she said. "The more I learn about surfing, the better I'll be, right?"

  "Right," Sean agreed. "With that attitude, you'll be a pro in no time."

  That's the plan, Elizabeth thought, grinning. Elizabeth Wakefield, Surfing Champion. "Let's go!"

  The Blakes' garage was filled with beautiful, shining surfboards. Sean walked from board to board, giving Elizabeth the history of each one.

  "What's that beautiful red one?" Elizabeth asked, pointing at a board in the corner.

  "That's from the 1930s. It's a redwood surfboard, and it's heavy," Sean answered. "In fact, I'll bet you can barely pick it up."

  "I'm sure glad you didn't give me that one to learn on," Elizabeth said.

  "And here's the Simmons," Sean said.

  "It's beautiful. You really have an amazing collection," Elizabeth remarked.

  "Hey, Liz," Sean added. "Would you like to go inside and see some of my surfing trophies?"

  "Thanks for the invitation, but—" Elizabeth started.

  "Or maybe we could rent a movie for the VCR," Sean suggested eagerly.

  Elizabeth got the feeling it was time for her to leave. Something suddenly seemed a little too personal, in a way she couldn't quite explain. Sean wasn't just flirting anymore; he really wanted to spend time with her. Elizabeth wasn't interested in Sean in
any way other than as a teacher. She was about to tell Sean all about Todd when she remembered Laurie MacNeil. He has a girlfriend, she thought, relieved.

  "So what do you say, Liz?" Sean asked again. "Do you want to come in?"

  "It's nice of you to ask, Sean, but it's getting kind of late, and I should get home for dinner," Elizabeth said, starting to walk toward the door. "But I had a great lesson and learned a ton about surfing. Thanks!"

  "See you Saturday, OK?" Sean called after her.

  "Definitely!" Elizabeth replied as she got into the car.

  "Todd called at three-thirty, four-thirty, and five-thirty," Mrs. Wakefield announced when Elizabeth walked into the kitchen. Alice Wakefield smiled at her daughter. "My guess is that Todd misses you," she added.

  "I'm a little later than I thought I'd be," Elizabeth said. "I'll call him back in a second."

  "You look tired, Liz," Mrs. Wakefield said. "Is this marine biology project strenuous?"

  "It's pretty hard work, Mom," Elizabeth answered, "But I'm having the time of my life."

  "Good, I'm glad," Mrs. Wakefield said. "But you'd better give that boyfriend of yours a call."

  Elizabeth went upstairs and called Todd from her room.

  "I tried to get you a couple of times this afternoon," Todd said. "That project seems to be taking up an awful lot of time."

  "I did get kind of wrapped up in things today," Elizabeth admitted.

  "Are turtle eggs such good company?" Todd teased. But Elizabeth could tell that he was a little jealous.

  "You'll see what I've been so excited about pretty soon," she told him. Elizabeth didn't like to mislead Todd, or anyone else, for that matter. But, she thought, I'm not really lying—I'm just not telling the whole truth.

  "You know what I'm excited about?" Todd asked. "Our date Saturday night. And if you tell me you have to do research that night, then I'll be really mad!"

  "Of course I don't!" Elizabeth cried. She could tell Todd was only joking about being mad. "I can't wait for Saturday, either. But in the meantime, how about lunch tomorrow in the scenic Sweet Valley High cafeteria?"

  "Table for two?" Todd asked.

  "I'm not sure we'll be able to find one, but we can try!" Elizabeth said.