Two-Boy Weekend (Sweet Valley High Book 54) Read online

  "Are you going to the girls' basketball game tonight?" Elizabeth asked as she drove.

  Jessica shrugged and looked out the window. "No. We're cheering at the playoffs, though," she said in a monotone.

  "I was thinking about doing a story on Shelley for the paper," Elizabeth went on. Shelley Novak was the star center of the girls' varsity team. She was the chief reason the team was doing so well.

  Jessica didn't answer. She was staring at the traffic, deep in thought. It was clear to Elizabeth that Jessica wasn't very interested in hearing about Shelley Novak.

  "You know what I noticed when I was talking to A.J. today?" Elizabeth asked above the rush of the wind. She glanced at her twin, wanting to coax Jessica into a better mood.

  Jessica pulled a strand of hair from the corner of her mouth. "What?"

  "His accent." Elizabeth said with a laugh. "I think being in Texas made his southern drawl stronger. Don't you think so?"

  "Oh. Maybe."

  Elizabeth looked quickly at her sister again, but Jessica seemed preoccupied and far away. Shrugging, Elizabeth turned her attention back to the road. When she pulled the car up the driveway, though, she remembered something she wanted to ask.

  "Enid and I thought we should have a meeting for all the big sisters," she said. They headed for the back door and walked into the kitchen. "Just to see how everyone's doing. What do you think?"

  Elizabeth and Enid had recruited a number of girls from Sweet Valley High to join the Big Sister program. So far it had been a success, and Elizabeth and Jessica each had a young motherless girl for a little sister.

  Jessica opened the refrigerator and brought out a giant bottle of diet soda. "Sure. I don't care. Whatever."

  "Is sometime this week too short notice?" Elizabeth prodded. "Or should we make it next week?"

  Slumping at the table, Jessica poured a glass of soda and looked bored. "Whenever, Liz. Just don't make it on a cheerleading day."

  "OK." Elizabeth sat across from her twin, feeling slightly hurt. Sometimes she wished Jessica would be a little more enthusiastic about the things she cared about.

  Elizabeth tipped her head to one side and toyed with the salt shaker, darting speculative looks at her twin. Jessica had been out an awful lot over the weekend, but she had been very vague about where she'd gone. She had brushed aside Elizabeth's questions without really answering them. Not that it was any of her business, Elizabeth knew. It was just a little surprising, since Jessica had expected to mope around the house all weekend.

  "Jess?"

  "Huh?"

  Just then he phone rang, and Jessica jumped out of her chair to get it.

  "Hello?"

  Suddenly Jessica's expression underwent a dramatic change. Within a split second Elizabeth saw everything from happiness and excitement to embarrassment and irritation pass across Jessica's face.

  "I—no. You shouldn't have—"

  There was a pause while Jessica listened. Elizabeth thought there was something very peculiar about the way her twin was reacting.

  "I told you—" Jessica broke off and glanced over her shoulder at Elizabeth, then turned her back, lowering her voice. "No. I told you I can't—no."

  The look Jessica had given her made Elizabeth feel a twinge of guilt at her eavesdropping. She stood up and went outside to get the mail. Whomever Jessica was talking to, she deserved her privacy.

  When Elizabeth came back in with the mail, Jessica was sitting at the table again, her face stony. There was a tense silence.

  "That was someone trying to sell magazine subscriptions," Jessica explained before Elizabeth even said anything. When Elizabeth gave her a look of mild surprise, Jessica added defensively, "They're so pushy, you know? I practically had to hang up on him—her."

  While Elizabeth stood staring at her twin, Jessica abruptly pushed herself up from the table and ran from the kitchen. Elizabeth was taken aback. It was so unlike Jessica to act this way, nervous and embarrassed.

  Elizabeth shook her head. She wondered what sort of trouble Jessica had gotten into now.

  "I've decided for sure. I'm selling my car." A.J. glanced up from his homework and gave Jessica a hopeful look. "That doesn't bother you, does it?"

  It was Tuesday night, and the two of them were sitting in the den at the Wakefields'. Jessica sat with her chin propped up on one hand while she doodled in her notebook with the other. She shrugged. "Are you getting another car?"

  "Yes, but not till I decide what I want to get."

  "Oh." Sighing, Jessica drew a long squiggly line with a curlicue at the end. She hated to admit it, but it was hard to get worked up about whether or not A.J. sold his car. And she didn't know why.

  A.J. nodded. "So I figure I'll put one of those For Sale signs in the car window. Someone will see it and call."

  "Yeah."

  "Is something wrong?" A.J. asked after a pause.

  Jessica looked up and managed a smile. "No. Nothing's wrong."

  With an effort, she dragged herself to the present. Her mind had been wandering aimlessly. "So. I can't wait for the Citizens' Day Ball," she said, giving him a bright smile. "You'll be king, and I'll be queen."

  "Right." A.J. laughed and shook his head. "Personally, I think the whole thing is pretty dumb, but you really get into it, don't you?"

  "Are you kidding?" Jessica rolled her eyes. "You just haven't lived here long enough to know. Everyone goes—the mayor, all the big shots—and it's even on TV, usually. Being queen of that dance is definitely a major deal, A.J."

  And I'm not going to miss it for anything, she added silently. There was a lot of prestige that went with that honor, and she wanted to be the one who got it. The king and queen would get their own special table, get to start the first dance after the ceremonies, be the center of attention, have their pictures in the paper, not to mention being on the news. No, she didn't think it was dumb at all. And she was going to be right there when A.J. was crowned, so he could turn around and crown her.

  That was one of the reasons why she couldn't let anyone know about Christopher. When he had called the day before, right in front of Elizabeth, Jessica had thought she would have a heart attack. But she had told him firmly not to call her again. It was over. Besides, she didn't want to risk losing her chance to be the star of the Citizens' Day Ball.

  I mean, risk losing A.J., she corrected herself after a moment's hesitation.

  "Do you have that book about Germany?"

  A.J.'s voice interrupted her thoughts, and she looked at him guiltily. "It's—"

  The phone rang. For a second Jessica felt a wild panic that it could be Christopher. But she had made it very clear she didn't want to hear from him again, so she put the possibility out of her mind.

  Jumping up, she crossed the room and grabbed the phone. "Hello?"

  "Jessica? It's me. Christopher."

  Her heart made a frantic leap and began pounding in her ears. She could feel her face flushing, and she quickly turned her back on A.J. so he couldn't see her expression. With a sense of alarm, she realized her mind was a blank. She didn't know what to say.

  "Uh—hi, Lila," she finally choked out.

  "Lila?" Christopher's voice sounded confused. "This is Christopher."

  Jessica gritted her teeth. "I know, Lila. But it's a really bad time right now, know what I mean?" With her back still turned to A.J., she closed her eyes in a silent prayer.

  Don't let this all turn into a disaster!

  "I know you don't want to see me anymore, but I thought we could just talk, just be friends. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

  "Well—I can't do that, Lila. I told you yesterday I couldn't—"

  "Don't do this to me, please?" Christopher pleaded. "We had something really special. Why just throw it all away?"

  Jessica swallowed hard and darted a nervous look over her shoulder at A.J. He smiled calmly at her, and in return she forced as natural a smile as she could muster. She turned back again and spoke into the t
elephone.

  "That's just the way it has to be, OK? I explained to you on Sunday."

  "I know. I know you have a boyfriend, but that doesn't matter—"

  "It matters to me," Jessica said forcibly. She turned to give A.J. another smile and tried to sound perfectly at ease and natural. "Nothing you can say will make me change my mind, Lila. Got it?"

  There was silence at the other end of the line while Christopher digested her words. Finally she heard him sigh in resignation.

  "OK. I understand."

  "Good. I have to go. Bye."

  Before Christopher could say anything else, Jessica slammed the phone down. She stared at it apprehensively for a second, almost afraid he would call back. But then she remembered A.J. She didn't know if he'd paid attention to her end of the conversation, but she was sure it must have sounded pretty strange.

  Jessica took a moment to compose her expression. When she rejoined A.J., she was looking amused and irritated at the same time.

  "What was all that about?" A.J. asked. His brown eyes were wide with surprise. "Poor Lila. You really laid into her."

  "Oh, well, you know Lila," Jessica stalled. She picked up her pen and clicked it rapidly several times. "She, uh, wants me to—" She broke off, staring at A.J., her mind a blank. A.J.'s eyebrows lifted a fraction.

  "She wants me to go shopping in L.A. with her the weekend of the Samaritans' Club dance," Jessica explained in a rush. "I told her before there was no way I could miss it, and besides, I can't afford to go. Lila thinks everyone's as rich as she is. And she just gets so unreasonable when I say I don't want to, like it's something personal, which it isn't."

  When Jessica paused to catch her breath, she had a suspicion she was babbling on and on like crazy. The look of surprise on A.J.'s face meant her explanation sounded a little bizarre.

  Trying to appear completely calm and unconcerned, she finished up, "So I hope she finally gets the message into her head. She can be really stubborn sometimes."

  A.J. shrugged and gave Jessica a lopsided smile. "You don't have to go to that dance just for me, Jess. I wouldn't mind."

  But I would.

  Jessica smiled indulgently at him while the thought went through her head. She wasn't planning on going to the dance just for A.J. She was going for herself, too. Of course, she was proud of him for winning the essay contest, and she thought he would make a great king. She could just picture him standing on stage, accepting the crown. A.J. really deserved all the attention and honor he would receive.

  But, still, the fact that she would get to stand in the limelight next to him was what made it so critical. The Citizens' Day Ball was one of the most prestigious dances of the year, and she was going to be center stage!

  But as they picked up their books to continue studying, a momentary fear flickered in Jessica's heart. What if Christopher didn't stop calling?

  When Jessica got to her English class on Wednesday, the teacher, Roger Collins, handed her a note from the office.

  "They have something for you," Mr. Collins explained. "A message maybe, or one of your books? I don't know."

  Jessica frowned at the note, wondering what it could mean. All it said was to go to the administration office when she had a chance. That didn't sound particularly urgent, she decided. But it was still mysterious.

  So when class was over, she headed downstairs. She could stop by the office on her way to the cafeteria for lunch. The halls were jammed and noisy, as usual, and she had to struggle to get through the crowd. She stepped through the administration office door with a feeling of relief and stood at the counter. At the far end, a bouquet of flowers wrapped in pink tissue paper gave off a faint perfume.

  ''And what can I do for you?" said one of the secretaries.

  "I'm Jessica Wakefield. I was supposed to come to the office," she explained.

  A huge smile broke over the secretary's face. "Well, lucky you. You have an admirer." She chuckled as she moved down the counter. She picked up the flowers and handed them over. "These came for you during third period."

  Jessica took the bouquet in complete astonishment. As she parted the pink tissue paper to look at the flowers, a sick feeling settled in her stomach. She didn't need to look at the note nestled amid the baby's breath to know whom they were from.

  I have to get rid of these, she thought frantically. She sent a rapid glance around the office, searching for a trash can. But the secretary was still beaming at her, so Jessica hurried out into the hall again.

  And ran into A.J.

  "Hey! There you are. I was looking—Hey, what are the flowers for?" A.J. did a double take when he noticed the lavish bouquet in her hands.

  A fiery blush swept across Jessica's cheeks. Turning away, she began striding down the hall toward the cafeteria. She had to think fast.

  "They're not for me," she said quickly. She gave him a frightened look and immediately dropped her gaze. The pace she had set was giving her a stitch in her side—she was practically running.

  Her mind a whirl, she dodged into the crowded cafeteria. She was nearly frantic for some kind of explanation for A.J. One of the first people she saw was Cara, and Jessica swooped gratefully down on her friend.

  "Look what Steve sent you!" she gushed, shoving the flowers into Cara's arms. She carefully palmed the card and stepped back. The note went into her pocket while she bounced into a seat next to her astonished friend.

  "Isn't he romantic? My brother gets these ideas sometimes," she explained to A.J. "He asked me to bring Cara some flowers today. Isn't that a riot? Isn't he great?"

  She turned her wide, desperate eyes to Cara, pleading wordlessly with her friend. Cara seemed to get the message.

  "He's always doing things like this," Cara said carefully. She kept her eyes on Jessica and gave her a slow nod. Then she smiled up at A.J. "You should get Jess flowers sometime."

  "I'll remember that," he said easily, taking a seat. He leaned forward to smell the bouquet. "Nice. I wouldn't mind someone giving me flowers sometime, too," he added with a grin.

  Jessica forced a weak giggle. "OK. You got it."

  Soon her friends were deep in conversation, and Jessica felt herself begin to relax. By some miracle, disaster had been averted. Her amazing luck had held, she realized, but it had been too close for comfort this time. Much too close. And she would have to think up an explanation for Cara.

  Six

  The Dairi Burger was crammed to capacity on Friday afternoon. In a corner booth by a window, Jessica was squeezed in with A.J., Lila, Cara, Ken Matthews, Winston Egbert, and Aaron Dallas.

  "I think I'm going to suffocate," Jessica cried. She was pressed into the corner. "And I lost one of my shoes. I think it's under you, Lila."

  "Well, don't expect me to get it. I can't move, either," Lila replied dryly.

  "Complain, complain." Winston sighed. He was the unofficial class clown. Sticking out his lower lip in an exaggerated pout, he added, "We should be grateful for what we have, thankful that—"

  "Yeah, yeah. Give us a break, Win," Ken cut in.

  Winston sighed dramatically. "I don't get any respect."

  "Hey, A.J." Aaron leaned forward across the table. "I saw you've got a For Sale sign on your car. What are you asking for it?"

  Cara and Lila put their heads together, starting a conversation about a new music video. A.J. managed to prop his elbows up on the table to answer Aaron.

  "Fifteen hundred. Are you interested?"

  "It was just like the last one they did," Cara pointed out. "Same kind of stuff."

  "Maybe," Aaron said to A.J. "I have to think about it."

  Lila grimaced. "They're all pretty boring, if you ask me."

  Ken and Winston scrambled out to get more food, and Jessica sat back, absently shaking the soda and ice cubes in her paper cup and staring out the window. The two conversations went on around her as she gazed vacantly out the window to the parking lot.

  Someone was standing by A.J.'s car, with his back to
Jessica. Someone with dark curly hair. He turned around and looked right at her. It was Christopher.

  "No!" Badly startled, Jessica lost her grip on her cup, and soda and ice cubes spilled all over the table and onto her lap. In the confusion, Jessica ducked her head to concentrate on cleaning off her jeans, while the others broke off to help mop up the mess with paper napkins.

  After a few seconds of sheer panic, Jessica raised her eyes to peek out the window. There was no sign of Christopher. He had vanished.

  "What is it with you lately?" Lila asked. She shuddered in distaste as she dropped a sodden napkin on the table. "You're so jumpy."

  "What do you mean? I mean—no, I'm not," Jessica protested. She didn't dare look up at A.J., afraid he would see some sign of guilt in her eyes. "I just dropped my cup, OK?"

  Lila raised her eyebrows. "OK."

  "But why did you say 'no'?" A.J. gave her a puzzled look.

  Jessica felt her face redden. "What?"

  "You said 'no' just then."

  "Oh. I—" Jessica scanned the room, her mind a blank. "I just—I dropped my cup, and it just came out," she explained falteringly. She looked quickly at A.J. and looked away. "You know?"

  "Right. I just thought it was about something we were talking about."

  She shook her head vehemently. "No. It wasn't."

  While the conversation resumed, Jessica slumped down in the corner. Her glimpse of Christopher had been so lightning fast that she was tempted to blame her imagination. But she knew he really had been there. Jessica was pretty sure she had seen him the day before, as well. Now she was convinced Christopher was following her.

  This is getting totally crazy, she wailed silently. He's going to blow it for me.

  She was sure the look on Christopher's face had been accusing and angry, just like the sound of his voice on the phone the night before.

  Jessica squelched a groan of pure frustration. No matter how many times she asked him—told him, begged him—not to call anymore, he kept calling. She was beginning to be afraid to answer the phone at all. He kept saying he just wanted to talk, but on Thursday night, his manner had taken a new turn.