SVH05-All Night Long (13 page)
Read SVH05-All Night Long Online
Authors: Francine Pascal
"Oh, so you'd rather he shatter his body, then?"
Elizabeth smirked sadly.
"What?" Jessica said.
"You sounded like me just then," Elizabeth pointed out.
"Well, good, for once," Jessica said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I just hope you still find it amusing when Todd ends up like Rex."
"Jessica, don't say that," Elizabeth snapped, tears welling from her eyes. "Never say that."
"Sorry. I just... God, I hate even thinking about it," Jessica said.
Three years ago, after months of begging, the twins' aunt and uncle had finally caved and given their cousin Rex a motorcycle for his sixteenth birthday. He went out and got his license and bought a helmet and took every precaution, just like the responsible guy he was. Everything was fine until three weeks later, when he lost control of the
bike and was killed in a head-on collision. His death had been a devastating shock to everyone, but especially to Jessica, who had adored Rex almost as much as she did her older brother, Steven. After the funeral, Jessica's parents had made all three Wakefield children swear that they would never get on a motorcycle, and they had all agreed. It was one of the few household rules that Jessica obeyed willingly.
"I know, Jess, but I couldn't tell Todd not to get the bike. I'm not going to be one of those girls who goes around telling her boyfriend what to do," Elizabeth said as they approached Sweet Valley High. "It's just not me."
"Even if it means you have to worry about him all the time?" Jessica demanded. "Even if telling him about Rex could, like, save his life?"
"He would have gotten the bike anyway," Elizabeth told her sister. "You know how guys are. He would have just said 'That's horrible, but it's not going to happen to me.' They all think they're indestructible or something."
"So what are you going to do when he asks you to go for a ride?" Jessica asked, curious.
"He already did. He wanted to pick me up this morning," Elizabeth replied.
"And? How did you get out of it?"
"I told him I felt a cold coming on and it wouldn't be good to expose myself to the wind," Elizabeth said.
Jessica smirked. "Oh. So that's why you don't want to put the top down. You're backing up your lie. Not bad, Liz."
"Well, I did learn from the best," Elizabeth said with a sidelong glance.
"Ha-ha. Well, that's fine for today, but what are you going to do tomorrow? Or the next day? Develop a permanent cough?"
Elizabeth's hands gripped the steering wheel.
"Look, I know I'm going to have to tell him the truth eventually. I just... I don't want to disappoint him."
Jessica studied Elizabeth's face. She looked genuinely distressed. "You know, Todd might not be my favorite person in the world, but I know he loves you. He's not going to let some stupid bike mess up your relationship."
"You think?" Liz asked uncertainly.
"I know," Jessica said with confidence. She shook her hair back as Liz pulled into the SVH parking lot. "And besides, if there's one thing I'm an expert on, it's guys. And if you keep telling him you're getting a ride with someone else or you want to drive yourself, he's going to start thinking you don't like him anymore. And
that
would not be good."
"No, it wouldn't," Liz agreed.
"So just tell him the truth," Jessica suggested.
"And if he's a jerk about it, then dump him and find yourself a guy who's not a motorcycle maniac. There are plenty of guys at this school who drive perfectly hot cars with four wheels and airbags and everything."
Elizabeth laughed as she turned into a spot and cut the engine. "Like Danny and his Charger?" she asked with a small smile.
Jessica grinned in return. She had just started dating Danny Stauffer, a senior with a brand-new, black Dodge Charger. He was cute but kind of scrawny. Luckily, the car made up for that.
"Exactly," Jessica replied. "Maybe this is just the excuse you need to start checking out your
options." She twisted the rearview mirror toward her again and checked her hair one last time. "Good luck with Todd, but I'll start compiling a short list of worthy boyfriend candidates just in case."
Her sister rolled her eyes as Jessica hopped out of the car and strolled off toward school, wondering what Elizabeth would ever do without her.
Excerpt copyright © 2008 by Francine Pascal.
Published by Laurel-Leaf Books, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, a division of Random House, Inc.,
New York.
Originally published by Bantam Books in 1984.
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