Tall, Dark, and Deadly, page 4
"Hi, guys," Maria greeted them cheerfully.
Elizabeth sat down next to her. Enid took the seat on the other side of Elizabeth.
"Seems you've had an exciting weekend," Maria said pointedly. "Or at least Jessica did. Do you know if the police have any suspects?"
Elizabeth shook her head weakly. "I really don't want to talk about it."
"But Liz, we should know if there's a deranged serial killer out there," Enid protested.
"Sorry," Elizabeth muttered. She turned to Maria with a meaningful look. "I have something to show you." Elizabeth fumbled through her backpack and pulled out the letter that had twisted her heart into knots. "Three guesses who it's from," she challenged as she handed it to Maria.
Maria raised her eyebrows and silently mouthed, "Joey?" Elizabeth nodded solemnly.
"Who is it from?" Enid asked.
"A guy I met at camp," Elizabeth answered over her shoulder. She had avoided telling Enid about Joey because it would have made him—and their relationship—seem too real. But he is real, and you did have a romance with him, Elizabeth objected inwardly. "What should I do?" she asked Maria.
Maria's scanned the letter and looked up with an alarmed expression in her eyes. "Oh, my gosh, he's transferring to UCLA! He's going to be living within driving distance. This could seriously effect your life, Liz."
Enid leaned closer. "How will what effect your life?"
"I'm still not sure if I want to see him again," Elizabeth told Maria. "No, that's not really true. I'm not sure if I should see him. But I do want to."
Maria nodded, catching her bottom lip between her teeth. "You'd better think this one through very carefully. Joey is terrific, I know, but you and Todd—"
"Elizabeth, will you please tell me what's going on?" Enid demanded.
Elizabeth sighed wearily. She felt terribly confused about Joey and couldn't bear to rehash the gory details of her dilemma, especially in a crowded auditorium. "I can't go into it right now," she told Enid. "Maybe later, OK?"
"Fine," Enid replied tersely.
Mr. Cooper stepped up to the podium on the stage and quieted the students. "Good morning. May I have your attention, please?" The bright stage lights cast a shiny reflection on his bald head.
Sitting in the back row of the auditorium, Jessica balanced her history textbook and notebook on her lap as she frantically scribbled her essay about the impact of World War I on the women's suffrage movement.
"We have received some distressing news regarding an incident that took place in Sweet Valley over the weekend," Mr. Cooper announced.
Jessica half listened as the principal gave a brief account of the murder that had happened on Saturday night. She caught a few curious glances from some of the people sitting near her. I guess it is my story, she reminded herself as she acknowledged their attention with a brief smile.
"The Sweet Valley police are making every conceivable effort to apprehend the killer," Mr. Cooper assured them. "In the meantime, however, it's very important that everyone exercise extreme caution. We are advising students to practice common sense—to avoid desolate areas, especially at night, and to report any suspicious activity to the police. We still don't know what we're dealing with, I'm afraid."
No kidding, Chrome Dome, Jessica thought as she lowered her head and returned to her history assignment. Let's see . . . "After World War I, the Nineteenth Amendment gave women the right to vote, in 1920 . . ."
Jessica stopped reading and wrinkled her nose in distaste. She couldn't understand why Elizabeth found history so fascinating. History is either utterly boring or terribly depressing—or both, she thought.
On the stage, Mr. Cooper cleared his throat loudly. "And now I'd like to share with you some lighter news."
Jessica pushed her hair behind her ear with the cap of her pen and looked up, curious to hear Chrome Dome's announcement.
"I'd like to introduce Jonathan Cain, a senior transfer student to Sweet Valley High." Mr. Cooper motioned to someone in the first row "Please stand up and take a bow, Jonathan."
A tall, lanky guy wearing black leather pants and a black T-shirt stood up and turned to the group. Jessica inhaled sharply, her eyes wide as she studied the gorgeous new student. Just when I thought there wasn't anyone interesting at Sweet Valley High! she thought excitedly.
He turned to sit back down, but Mr. Cooper flicked his hand, gesturing for him to remain standing. Jessica's pulse quickened and her mouth went dry as Jonathan Cain turned around again slowly. A lock of jet black hair fell across his forehead. He absently pushed it back with the back of his hand; the small movement seemed incredibly sexy. He's totally hot! she thought.
His eyes were fascinatingly beautiful. Jessica regretted sitting so far back that she couldn't see what color they were. His eyebrows were thick and as dark as his hair, making his skin seem very pale in contrast. He had sexy deep red lips, which Jessica noticed were turned up slightly at the corners, as if he found all the attention amusing.
"Jonathan has been living abroad," Mr. Cooper explained. "He has attended schools in Sweden, Greece, and most recently England. . . ."
Jessica was completely mesmerized. Her palms were sweaty, and she could hardly catch her breath. He was the most gorgeous guy she'd ever seen. He will be mine, she vowed. Soon.
Enid sat glumly in the auditorium, feeling like a total third wheel. Next to her, Elizabeth and Maria were scribbling messages back and forth in an open notebook. For some time now, Elizabeth hadn't been acting like Enid's best friend. She's been acting like Maria's best friend, Enid thought hotly.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Elizabeth drop the notebook. Maria laughed softly as she and Elizabeth groped under their seats for it.
Enid felt her throat tighten as she watched them. Elizabeth used to talk to her about everything, but now it was Maria she turned to—and that hurt Enid deeply.
Maria retrieved the notebook and passed it back to Elizabeth. Enid sniffed and folded her arms. Forcing herself to ignore them, she faced forward—and her heart stopped. Standing in the front row was the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. All her thoughts of Maria and Elizabeth were completely forgotten as she listened to what Mr. Cooper was saying.
". . . and I know you'll all join me in welcoming Jonathan Cain to Sweet Valley High and in wishing him the utmost success."
Jonathan Cain, Enid repeated silently. Even his name sounds beautiful. She stared into his deep blue eyes and felt utterly captivated by their intensity. I've just met my soul mate, she decided with complete certainty.
That's him! Elizabeth realized. Jonathan Cain.
The creep who had nearly knocked her down that morning was standing up in the front row, smirking at the audience. And Mr. Cooper was going on about him as if the jerk were the new crowned prince of Sweet Valley. What is going on? she wondered.
Jonathan turned his head slightly and looked right at her with blue eyes that seemed ice cold and feverishly hot at the same time. Elizabeth shuddered as a wave of nausea passed over her. She had a bad feeling about Jonathan Cain.
Chapter 5
"I think I'll get myself a pair of black leather pants," Winston told Todd as they made their way through the food line at lunchtime. "Did you see the girls ogling that new guy in assembly this morning?"
Barely listening to his friend's lighthearted chatter, Todd grunted in reply. His mind was still whirling from the puzzle of Elizabeth's strange behavior during their date on Saturday night. He'd been thinking of her nonstop for two days, and his brain felt as if it were tied up in knots. His confusion had grown to a state of near panic. He couldn't get the question out of his head: Why has she been acting so cool toward me lately?
After he'd purchased his lunch, Todd scanned the crowded cafeteria, looking for Elizabeth. Winston came up behind him and asked, "Where are we sitting?"
Todd spotted his girlfriend at a table with Maria Slater. "Listen, Winston," he said, "I really need to talk to Elizabeth alone."
Winston glanced at him with an understanding look and nodded. Then he added jokingly, "Ask her what she thinks of black leather pants."
Shaking his head at the silly remark, Todd headed toward Elizabeth's table. As he got closer, he stopped and watched her for a few seconds. She was wearing a pink sweater that made her face seem as though it were glowing. The diamond earrings in her ears sparkled like stars.
She was talking to Maria about something serious; Todd recognized the small wrinkle between her eyebrows that always appeared when she was thinking hard or saying something important. Is she telling Maria that she doesn't love me anymore? he wondered. His heart squeezed painfully at the thought of losing her.
As he approached their table, Elizabeth and Maria's conversation instantly stopped. Elizabeth turned to him with a startled look in her blue-green eyes. Sure looks like it, Todd thought. They were talking about me.
He swallowed hard and plunked his tray down on the table. He no longer wondered if something was terribly wrong—because now, in his gut, he was certain.
He sat down across from Elizabeth and took a deep, steadying breath. "Liz, can I talk to you privately?" he asked. He glanced at Maria with a pleading look.
Maria gave him a tight smile and discreetly picked up her tray. "See you later, guys."
The tension at the table seemed to grow after Maria had gone. Now that Todd finally had Elizabeth alone, he wasn't sure where to begin. Part of him wanted to know what was going on, but another part of him was afraid that the truth was going to hurt badly.
But he couldn't go on as he had been, scared and anxious and not knowing what was about to happen—or why. Gripping the edges of his tray, Todd took another deep breath and braced himself. "What's going on, Liz?"
She looked at him with a tortured expression in her eyes that tore at his heart. "Maria and I were just going over some details about the Oracle. I'm writing about her in 'Personality Profiles' for the next issue. I told you about it last week, remember?"
Todd shook his head. "That's not what I mean. I'm talking about the way you've been acting lately. I know you're keeping something from me."
She blinked. A bright pink flush rose in her cheeks. "I don't understand what—"
"I think you do," Todd interrupted softly.
"No, I don't," she insisted, twisting a napkin in her hands. "I'm not keeping anything from you, I swear."
They're the right words, Todd thought, but she doesn't mean them. He noticed that Elizabeth wasn't looking him in the eye.
He poked a straw into his milk carton and unwrapped his sandwich, stalling for time. Should I just come out and call her a liar? he wondered.
Before he had a chance to say anything more, Elizabeth gasped. "Oh, no!" she exclaimed, glancing at her watch. "I just remembered I have to print something out in the Oracle office before my next class." With that, she grabbed her things and rushed off as if she were being chased by a pack of dogs.
Todd watched her go, feeling more frustrated than ever. He clenched his fists, crushing the milk carton in his hand. A spray of milk spewed out, and he jumped, cursing, as milk splashed all over him, the table, and the floor. It can't get any worse than this, he told himself.
Jessica studied her reflection in the mirror above the sinks in the girls' room. I can't believe this day is almost over, she thought.
Standing next to her, Lila gushed on and on about Bo—as usual. Jessica did her best to ignore her. She had more important things on her mind, after all. Last period was about to start any minute, and she still hadn't gotten a chance to meet Jonathan Cain.
She'd looked for him between every class and during lunch. She'd even gone to the office during her free period with a flimsy question about the upcoming college fair, hoping that Jonathan's schedule would be lying on the secretary's desk. Unfortunately, Rosemary, Chrome Dome's secretary, had mistaken Jessica's question for genuine interest and proceeded to waste the entire period demonstrating the school's new computerized college-data system.
This is my final chance, Jessica realized as she dabbed some of Lila's perfume behind her ears. It was time to step up the search.
"Go easy with that stuff," Lila protested. "That's real French perfume; you don't have to bathe in it.
Jessica sniffed. "I do smell like I've been hit with a flower truck. If I had known that a sexy, wonderful guy was going to land in Sweet Valley High today, I would have brought my bottle of Rendezvous. It's still my favorite."
"Yours?" Lila asked pointedly.
Jessica giggled. "OK, Elizabeth's Rendezvous." She handed the small crystal bottle of perfume back to Lila and pulled out a tube of lipstick.
Lila gathered her things and shoved them into her bag. "You'd better hurry, Jess. The bell's going to ring in a few seconds."
Jessica pulled open her mascara wand. "You go ahead. I'm skipping my last class."
"But you have French this period," Lila said, sounding incredulous.
"So what?" Jessica added a few more strokes of mascara to her left eye and leaned back, studying the result before moving on to the right eye.
"French is one of the few classes offered at SVH that's worth attending," Lila declared. "Bo says that French novels are the most lushly romantic in the world, but unless you read them in the original language, you miss most of the subtle richness of the text."
Jessica paused, holding the mascara wand in midair, and glared at Lila in the mirror. "Lushly romantic? Subtle richness? He really talks like that?"
"Oh, yes," Lila replied, her eyes flashing excitedly. "He is so sophisticated. His mother is French, you know. And he's also fluent in Italian and German."
Jessica brushed on a few more strokes of mascara, then began gathering her makeup, brushes, and combs, which were strewn across three sinks. "I would love to hear more on this fascinating topic," she drawled sarcastically, "but really, I have to go."
"Go where?" Lila asked.
Jessica smiled. "I'll tell you all about it later," she said with a jaunty little wave.
The bell had just stopped ringing as Jessica brazenly walked out the side door to the student parking lot. Swinging her arms, she headed to the twins' Jeep and started the engine.
I'll know you when I see you, Jessica thought as she cruised the lot, trying to figure out which vehicle belonged to Jonathan Cain. I'm sure it's something impressive, unique, and . . . dangerous, she guessed.
When Jessica saw a huge Harley parked near the edge of the lot, she grinned. "Jonathan would drive something just like that," she whispered to herself.
She parked the Jeep next to the motorcycle and rolled down the window. It was a handsome bike, black with silver stripes. She imagined riding on it through Sweet Valley, with her arms wrapped around Jonathan's lean waist, taking the winding road up to Miller's Point at a dizzying speed. We're going to have a good time, she decided.
She checked her appearance once more in the rearview mirror, then pulled out the latest issue of Ingenue, her favorite fashion magazine, to browse through as she waited.
She gave a silent cheer when the shrill sound of the dismissal bell rang out from the building. A few seconds later, students began streaming out the front doors. Jessica scanned the crowd for the gorgeous face she'd been searching for all day. A few minutes later she spotted him. With a sharp intake of breath and a quickening in her heart, she noticed that he was heading in her direction. I knew it was his bike, she thought excitedly.
She felt dizzy just watching him walk. He moved with the sleek, powerful grace of a tiger—dangerous, enticing, and terribly sexy. He's incredible, she thought.
As he came closer Jessica tore her gaze away and pretended to be engrossed in her magazine. I don't want to look too anxious, she reasoned. She was sure that Jonathan would notice her and make the first move. A guy that hot won't pass up the opportunity to meet someone like me. But there was nothing wrong with making it a little easier for him.
She caught a glimpse of him over the top of the magazine as he walked by the Jeep to his motorcycle. Her heart began to thump wildly as his shadow fell across the magazine page. He's probably watching me! she thought triumphantly. She waited for him to say something. When he didn't, she chuckled softly, figuring he was shy.
Putting on her sexiest, most welcoming smile, Jessica turned to face him through the open window. "Hi—"
The rest of her greeting was cut off by the roar of the motorcycle's engine. To her surprise, Jonathan peeled out of the parking lot without even looking at her, the sound of the motorcycle dying down to a faint buzz as he drove away from the school.
Jessica crossed her arms and fumed.
The following morning, Elizabeth stood in front of her opened locker, trying to get organized for her first period class. "What am I going to do?" she asked Maria, who was rummaging through her own locker a few feet away. "I can't think straight anymore. I hardly slept at all last night," Elizabeth admitted.
Maria closed her locker with a firm clang and leaned against it sideways, facing Elizabeth. "You're going to have to decide on your own," she said. "The only advice I have for you is to be careful Guys like Todd don't come along every day, and he's bound to figure out sooner or later that your feelings for him have changed."
Elizabeth shut her locker and leaned forward, touching her forehead to the cool metal surface. "I think he already has." She felt Maria's hand on her arm.
"Elizabeth, you can't go on like this," Maria said. "You know that, don't you?"
Elizabeth turned around and nodded. "He caught me off guard yesterday at lunch when he asked me if I was keeping something from him. I didn't know what to say to him. Then when he called me last night, I told him I couldn't talk because I had too much homework to do."
Maria shook her head slowly. "You can't keep stringing him along. If I were you—"
"Hi, guys," Enid said brightly, interrupting the conversation. Her green eyes seemed radiant, and Elizabeth could tell she was excited about something.
It's just as well, Elizabeth thought wearily. So far, talking about her troubled feelings hadn't helped her one bit. She was still helplessly torn between her love for Todd and her unresolved attraction to Joey. "What's up?" she asked, welcoming the distraction.
