Secrets (8 page)

A breathless hush fell over the gymnasium as the results of the voting were handed over to Ronnie, who stood poised onstage to announce the new queen.

"By a landslide," he boomed into the microphone, "the winner is ...."

A few people were looking at Enid, obviously wondering if there was a chance she could have won.

"Jessica Wakefield!"

"I don't believe it!" Jessica shrieked, as if she hadn't known all along, in every inch of her bones, that she was going to win.

She glowed with a radiant sense of accomplishment. She'd worked so hard for this moment. Now it was all going to be hers! The crown, the boy she adored--everything!

She held her breath even so, as Ronnie leaned into the microphone to announce the king's name. It
had
to be Bruce, she told herself. Everyone knew he was the cutest guy in school. No one else came close. She glanced over to where he was standing, slouched against the wall, whispering into his date's ear as if he didn't care whether he won or not. How could any guy be so incredibly adorable?

Ronnie's voice crackled through the microphone as he read the results of the voting off a slip of paper. "OK, folks, are you ready for this? Can we have a drum roll, please?"

Emily Mayer, The Droids' drummer, obliged, as Jessica stood licking her dry lips. Each drumbeat echoed her hammering heart.
Oh, please, let it be Bruce!

"Our new king is ..."

Please, please ...

"Winston Egbert! Congratulations, Win, wherever you are."

A loud whoop from somewhere in the thick of the crowd announced Winston's whereabouts.

Jessica listened in stunned disbelief. It wasn't possible! This wasn't happening to her. Her heart went into a sudden tailspin as the meaning of it sank in.

She would be stuck with Winston for the rest of the semester for any big school events.

Her vision of gliding across the dance floor in the arms of Bruce Patman vanished under a

cloud of dark fury. Well, she wasn't going through with it! She would refuse the crown. Let-someone else be stuck with Winston. This whole mess was the fault of Enid and her dumb letters. Let Enid be queen!

"Congratulations, Jess!" Cara screeched, swooping down on her with a fierce hug. "I knew you'd get it. I just
knew
it. Aren't you happy? Aren't you just positively ecstatic?"

"I'm so ecstatic, I could die." Jessica groaned. "Can you believe it? The big disco dance is coming up in exactly three weeks, and I'm stuck with Winston Egbert!" She was close to tears. "I was so sure Bruce would be king. Now he'll be taking someone else. How could anything so hideous have happened to
me?"

Cara was confused. "But I thought you wanted to be with Winston. Everyone's been saying you'd really flipped over him. I thought it sounded kind of funny, since I know how crazy you were about Bruce, but let's face it, Jess, you
have
been known to change your mind on more than one occasion."

"I'd like to murder whoever started that rumor," Jessica muttered darkly.

Who could hate her enough to do such an awful thing to her?

Suddenly Jessica remembered about the funny way Elizabeth had been acting earlier that evening. She remembered Elizabeth saying that Winston would make some lucky girl a wonderful

king. It had to be! Who else but her own twin would be jealous enough of her to want to stab her in the back? She'd always known Elizabeth was jealous. And why not? Jessica was a thousand times more popular, she told herself.

Jessica was glowering, close to tears, when Elizabeth tracked her down near the refreshment table. Elizabeth was smiling.

"Congratulations, sis," she offered. "You don't look too happy about it."

"How could you do such a horrendous thing to me?" Jessica hissed, her eyes throwing off sparks of green fire.

"I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about," Elizabeth answered, smiling sweetly. "Would you like some punch, Jessica?"

"I'd like to punch
you
in the face! Don't play innocent with me. You know very well what I'm talking about.
You're
the one who started that rumor about Winston and me so that everyone would vote for him. Don't you dare deny it!"

"OK, I won't. I did start the rumor." Elizabeth glared back at her sister in defiance.

"How
could
you, Liz? You've practically ruined my life!"

"You mean the way you tried to ruin Enid's?"

Some of Jessica's anger fizzled. "I don't know what you mean."

"Oh, I think you know very well. You're the one who told Ronnie about those letters. You

purposely came between Enid and Ronnie just so you'd have a clear shot at being queen. Well, Jess, you got what you wanted. Aren't you satisfied?"

"I'm not going through with it!" Jessica stormed. "No one can make me. I won't be stuck with creepy Winston. I'll resign!"

"No you won't, Jess," Elizabeth said quietly.

"What do you mean? You can't tell me what to do!"

Jessica was so furious she thought she just might strangle her sister on the spot. Only the thought of spending the rest of her life in jail-- away from Bruce--kept her from going through with it.

"You're going to walk up on that stage and accept that crown as if you were Miss America," Elizabeth was saying in a threatening voice. "Not only that, but you're going to love every minute of it. Or at least
pretend
to."

"Why should I?" Jessica demanded petulantly. She didn't like to admit it, but on the rare occasions that Elizabeth really lost her temper and told her off, it had the desired effect of making her back down.

"Because if you don't"--Elizabeth leaned close to make sure she didn't miss a word--"I'll tell everyone in school what you did to Enid."

Jessica was really frightened now. Deep down she knew what an awful thing it was she'd done. Not even Cara would have gone that far.

What would people say about her if they knew? What would Bruce think?

She gulped back the sob she could feel forming in her chest. Even if Elizabeth had won this round, Jessica wasn't about to let her sister think she cared. "Have it your way then!" she flung back. "But if you think I'm going to do anything really gross like kissing that nerd, you'd better think again!"

A devilish grin spread across Elizabeth's face. "Gee, Jess, I hadn't thought about it, but that's not a bad idea. You know, you can really be sweet when you want to. I'm sure that would make Win very happy."

"Oh, no ..." Jessica began backing away.

Elizabeth advanced on her, step for step. "Oh, yes."

"Liz, you can't do this to me! Think of my reputation. I'll be absolutely ruined!"

"I don't think so, Jess. Who knows? Your reputation might even improve."

"Lizzie, please, have a heart! You can't do this to your very own sister!"

"Try me. Just remember, dear sister, who writes 'Eyes and Ears,' in case you're tempted to back out. I can put all this in the paper!"

Jessica sank down in the nearest chair in temporary defeat. Over the heads of the dancing couples, she caught sight of Winston, a huge grin plastered across his face, bobbing toward her.

She groaned, wishing the floor would swallow her up that very instant.

A roll from Emily Mayer's drum announced that the photographer had set up his equipment and the crowning of the king and queen was about to take place.

Jessica approached the stage as if she were about to be beheaded. It was so unfair! Why couldn't Enid have been the one to be stuck with Winston? Of course, she knew perfectly well why, but that didn't stop her from feeling a flood of resentment.

Meanwhile, she was smiling so hard the muscles in her cheeks ached. Under Elizabeth's watchful eye, she mounted the short flight of steps leading onto the stage. Winston approached from the opposite end, looking like a scarecrow in a tuxedo jacket that was a little too short. His knobby wrists stuck out as he reached to take her hand.

The crowd burst into uproarious applause. Jessica wanted to crawl into a hole in the ground. She'd never been so humiliated in her entire life.

"Congratulations, Jessica," Ronnie murmured as he positioned the rhinestone tiara on her head. "You deserve it. I'm really happy you won."

"I'll second the motion," Winston chortled, looping a bony arm about her shoulders.

Jessica winced, fighting back her tears. This was supposed to have been the happiest moment of her life. And it would have been if only Bruce were here at her side.

She looked out over the blurry sea of faces below. Only one seemed to stand out more clearly than the rest. Her gaze connected with Bruce's sly blue eyes, which seemed to sparkle with some secret message intended just for her, even while his arm rested about the shoulders of his date, a stunning, green-eyed redhead. If only ...

Jessica was snapped back to reality by the blinding explosion of a flashbulb. She noticed that her sister was whispering something in the photographer's ear.

Suddenly he called, "How about a kiss for the camera, you two lovebirds?"

Jessica steeled herself for the inevitable, cringing inside as she was forced to endure Winston's damp kiss.

I'll get you for this, Liz,
she raged inwardly.

Her last sight of Bruce from the stage, before he strolled off, linked to his date, was of a lazy arm raised in mock salute, as he called, "Way to go, Wakefield!"

Jessica longed to run after him, to throw herself at his feet--
anything.
But she knew she'd made enough of a fool of herself for one night. Besides,

there was still hope. Despite her frustration, she wouldn't let go of the deep-down belief that someday, somehow, she would have Bruce Patman.

Of course, that would mean coming up with an entirely new plan, since this one had failed so miserably. But she'd think of something.

Didn't she always?

Smiling through her tears, Jessica allowed herself to be tugged onto the dance floor by an eager Winston, who was practically tripping all over himself in his exuberance. She closed her eyes, trying hard to imagine that he was Bruce ... that she was floating in the strong arms of the boy she loved. But the image dissolved every time Winston's clumsy foot ground down on her toe.

Just then Bruce sailed past, nearly colliding with her as she stumbled backward in an attempt to escape Winston's murderous feet. He swept her with a long look that sent an electric shock tingling up her spine. There was a hint of invitation in his smile, and more than a spark of interest in his sexy blue eyes. Some of her misery faded.
Could it be? ...

Can Jessica play Bruce Patman's game and win? Find out in SWEET VALLEY HIGH
#3, Playing with Fire.

Bantam Books in the Sweet Valley High series

Ask your bookseller for the books you have missed

#1 DOUBLE LOVE #2 SECRETS #.'3 PLAYING WITH EIRE

#4 POWER PLAY #5 ALL NIGHT LONG #6 DANGEROUS LOVE

#7DEAR SISTER #8 HEARTBREAKKR #9 RACING HEARTS

#10 WRONG KIND OK GIRL #11 TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE

#12 WHEN LOVE DIES #13KIDNAPPED!

#14 DECEPTIONS #15 PROMISES

#16 RAGS TO RICHES #17 LOVE LETTERS

#18 HEAD OVER HEELS #19 SHOWDOWN

#20 CRASH LANDING! #21 RUNAWAY

#22 TOO MUCH IN LOVE #23 SAY GOODBYE

#24 MEMORIES MARTIN #25 NOWHERE TO RUN

#26 HOSTAGE #27 LOVESTRUCK

#28 ALONE IN THE CROWD #29 BITTER RIVALS

#30 JEALOUS LIES #31 TAKING SIDES

#32 THE NEW JESSICA #33 STARTING OVER

#34 FORBIDDEN LOVE #35 OUT OK CONTROL

#36 LAST CHANCE #37 RUMORS

#38 LEAVING HOME #39 SECRET ADMIRER

#40 ON THE EDGE #41 OUTCAST

#42 CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE #43 HARD CHOICES

#44 PRETENSES #45 FAMILY SECRETS

#46 DECISIONS #47 TROUBLEMAKER

#48 SLAM BOOK FEVER#49 PLAYING FOR KEEPS

#50 OUT OF REACT! #51 AGAINST THE ODDS #52 WHITE LIES

#53 SECOND CHANCE #54 TWO-BOY WEEKEND

#55 PERFECT SHOT #56 LOST AT SEA

#57 TEACHER CRUSH #58 BROKENHEARTED

#59 IN LOVK AGAIN #60 THAT FATAL NIGHT

#61 BOYTROUBI.E #62 WHO'S WHO?

#63 THE NEW ELIZABETH #64 THE GHOST OF TRICIA

#65 TROUBLE AT HOME #66 WHO'S TO BLAME?

#67 THE PARENT PLOT #68 THE LOVE BET

#69 FRIEND AGAINST FRIEND #70 MS. QUARTERBACK

#71 STARRING |ESSICA! #72 ROCK STAR'S GIRL

#73 REGINA'S LEGACY #74 THE PERFECT GIRL

#75 AMY'S TRUE LOVE #76 MISS TEEN SWEET VALLEY

#77 CHEATING TO WIN

#78 THE DATING GAME

#79 THE LONG-LOST BROTHER

#80 THE GIRL THEY BOTH LOVED #81 ROSA'S LIE

#82 KIDNAPPED BY THE CULT! #83 STEVEN'S BRIDE

#84 THE STOLEN DIARY #85 SOAP STAR

#86 JESSICA AGAINST BRUCE #87 MY BEST FRIEND'S BOYFRIEND

#88 LOVE LETTERS FOR SALE #89 ELIZABETH BETRAYED #91 DON'T GO HOME WITH JOHN

#91 IN LOVE WITH A PRINCE #92 SHE'S NOT WHAT SHE SEEMS #93 STEPSISTERS

#94 ARE WE IN LOVE? #95 THE MORNING AFTER

#96 THE ARREST #97 THE VERDICT

#98 THE WEDDING #99 BEWARE THE BABY-SITTER

#100 THE EVIL TWIN (MAGNA) #101 THE BOYFRIEND WAR

#102 ALMOST MARRIED #103 OPERATION LOVE MATCH

#104 LOVE AND DEATH IN LONDON #105 A DATE WITH A WEREWOLF

#106 BEWARE THE WOLFMAN (SUPER THRILLER) #107 JESSICA'S SECRET LOVE

#108 LEFT AT THE ALTAR #109 DOUBLE-CROSSED

#110 DEATH THREAT #111 A DEADLY CHRISTMAS (SUPER THRILLER)

#112 JESSICA QUITS THE SQUAD #113 THE POM-POM WARS

#114 "V" FOR VICTORY #115 THE TREASURE OF DEATH VALLEY

#116 NIGHTMARE IN DEATH VALLEY

SUPER
Editions:

PERFECT SUMMER

SPECIAL CHRISTMAS

SPRING BREAK

MALIBU SUMMER

WINTER CARNIVAL

SPRING FEVER

Super THIRILLERS
:

DOUBLE JEOPARDY

ON THE RUN

NO PLACE TO HIDE

DEADLY SUMMER

MURDER ON THE LINE

BEWARE THE WOLFM AN

A DEADLY CHRISTMAS MURDER IN PARADISE