SVH07-Dear Sister (6 page)

"Well," she said. "Well, well." How quickly could she get rid of them? "Don't you have some homework to do?" she asked hopefully.

"There's no school tomorrow," said Jean.

"It's Saturday," said Joan.

"Great. Just my luck," Jessica said. "Maybe you could get a head start on the work. It's not a good idea to leave studying to the last minute, you know."
And I should
know, she thought.
I do most of my studying five minutes before a test.

When the girls didn't take her up on that suggestion, Jessica felt a touch of panic. She was determined to get them out of the living room before Danny arrived.

"Hey, kids, I've got it! You could go up to Liz's room and play whatever is in those little black cases for her. She really likes music. I mean, that would really make her night."

"Those are flutes," said Jean.

"Liz isn't in her room," said Joan.

"She's not? Where is she?" Before either twin could answer, Jessica came up with what she hoped was the right answer. "Oh, I see. She

must be in the kitchen fixing a snack for you. She's just great at that. That sister of mine is so sweet and thoughtful," she said.
And if she's not in the kitchen,
Jessica added to herself,
I will be violently ill immediately.

"Liz went out," said Jean. "She said she had an important date."

"She said to tell you she was sorry and that she'd make it up to you," Joan added. "She said you'd take us to the movies tonight."

"She went
where?
She said
what?"
Jessica was stunned. It couldn't be happening to her. She didn't deserve this kind of treatment from her sister. It was a joke, that's what it was, an elaborate practical joke just to scare her.

Another look at those identical serious faces and Jessica knew that Elizabeth was not going to pop into the room shouting "Gotcha." It was a joke, all right, a deadly serious one.

"No, no, no," she said. "I've got plans for tonight, and they do not include a cast of thousands."

Her mind worked frantically as she paced back and forth across the room. A baby-sitter! That's it, hire a sitter!
Great, Jessica,
she told herself in disgust.
You've got exactly seventy-five cents. Not even the neighbor's dog would sit for wages like that.

Jessica was ready to grab any sensible solution. Forget sensible--any solution at all would do.

"I bet you two have stayed at home without a

sitter lots of times." Hope was still alive in Jessica's heart.

Both girls shook their heads, their panic now as obvious as Jessica's.

Jessica considered and then immediately rejected the idea of leaving them on their own. Her parents would probably ground her until she was old enough to collect Social Security checks.

Never in all her sixteen years had Jessica Wakefield been so angry at her sister.

How could she do this to me?
she raged silently. She knew Elizabeth had been sick, desperately sick. But Jessica had been patient and loving, hadn't she? And this was her reward?

How am I going to get out of this mess?
she asked the ceiling. Just then the front doorbell rang.

"Oh, rats, he's here!" She looked wildly around the room, hoping a solution might pop out of thin air.

The doorbell sounded again.

"It's not fair. It's absolutely the most unfair thing that's ever happened to me in my entire life!" Jessica stormed as she opened the front door.

"Why, hello there." Even in the depths of despair, Jessica could always manage a dazzling smile.

Tall, good-looking Danny Stauffer stepped into

the foyer, returning the smile as he looked Jessica over.

"You're gorgeous, as usual," he said, putting his arms around her and kissing her on the mouth long and hard.

At that moment Jessica didn't care if the whole world were sitting in the living room with the Percy twins. Danny Stauffer knew how to kiss a girl better than any boy Jessica had ever dated. She melted into his arms for a second kiss.

"Jess," he murmured.

"Hmmmmmm?" She wanted to prolong the kiss and the feeling of his strong body against hers.

"Jess," he said again, shaking her slightly. "I think we've got company." He was grinning and looking into the living room.

"Company? That's nice." She didn't move.

"There are two munchkins watching us. Maybe we'd better wait till we get to the drive-in."

Munchkins? Watching? Rats! They were still there.

"Oh!"
Think fast,
she told herself. "Look, Danny, there's been just a small change in tonight's plans. You're really going to freak out when you hear this. I mean, it's really the funniest thing."

"Funny? Funny like in ha-ha or funny like in strange?"

"Oh, it's funny ha-ha, I promise you." Taking

a deep breath, she led him into the living room.

"These are the Percys. That's Jean, and that's Joan."

"She's Jean, I'm Joan."

"That's right. I'm Jean, she's Joan."

"Thanks for clearing that up," Jessica said through clenched teeth. Turning her brightest smile on Danny, she tried to explain the situation.

"You see, Danny, Jean and Joan, whichever one is which, are staying with us for a few weeks. My parents have gone out for the evening and so has my sister.

"So?"

"Soooo, they have to come with us to the drive-in."

Danny stepped back a little, looking at Jessica as if she were a candidate for the funny farm.

"Those two"--he gestured in the general direction of Jean and Joan--"Those two whatevers are going to come with us to the drive-in? I don't believe this!"

Jessica pulled him out of the twins' earshot and began speaking as fast as she could.

"Danny, please listen to me. It'll be all right, I promise you. Look at them. They're small, they're quiet, they hardly ever say a word. They'll fade right into the upholstery. Trust me!"

Danny didn't even bother looking at the twins again. He looked directly into Jessica's eyes and said, "No way, Jess. I told you what I had

planned for tonight. There is no way I want an audience. I'm leaving." He started for the front door.

Jessica was desperate. If Danny left, she was not only stuck with the twerps for the night, she would probably never get another chance to go out with him.

"Danny, don't go!" She grabbed his arm. "Please don't go. It won't be so bad. They'll be in the backseat. We'll still be alone in the front."

"Whoopee." The look on his face was anything but friendly. "That's not what I had in mind."

"Danny," she said hesitantly. "I'll make it up to you."

"Make it up? How?"

Jessica knew she was getting in deeper than she wanted to, but she couldn't seem to stop herself. "Any way you want," she finally said.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"OK! Let's go, munchkins. You don't look much like lucky charms, but that's what you're turning out to be."

Jessica scrawled a quick note to her parents and stuck it under a magnet on the refrigerator door before dashing off to get into the car with Danny and the twins.

Three misery-filled hours later, Jessica unlocked the front door for herself and Jean and Joan.

She knew it hadn't really been three hours. It 'had been three weeks or maybe even three centuries. She didn't want to see twins or movies or maybe even Danny Stauffer ever again. With any luck at all, she would die sometime during the night.

Just as she was going to send the twins upstairs, she saw her parents come out from the kitchen.

"Jess, we saw your note," her mother said. "How nice of you to take the twins out with you tonight. Did you have fun, girls?"

"Yes, thank you," they said in unison.

"Isn't that nice? You two better get up to your room. It's late. Sleep well."

Jessica watched in disbelief as they went quietly up the stairs. As a matter of fact, she regarded the whole evening with disbelief.

"Honey, I'm so proud of you," Alice Wakefield said.

Ned Wakefield put an arm around his daughter's shoulders. "We can always count on our little pumpkin, can't we?"

"Mom! Dad! This has positively been the grossest night of my life!" Jessica burst into tears of rage.

"Jessica, what's wrong?"

"Everything's wrong, Dad!" Alice and Ned Wakefield exchanged questioning looks, and Jessica wondered if they were

aware of what was going on under their very own roof.

"OK, for starters, Mom, those two little people who just went upstairs are not what they seem to be. Oh, boy, are they not what you think they are!" Jessica was just getting warmed up when her father interrupted her.

"Jessica, those girls are our guests. They are sweet, shy, and quiet. It's up to us to make them feel wanted and comfortable in our home." He was wearing his grim don't-talk-back-to-me face.

Jessica was too frustrated and angry to pay attention to any danger signals. "Sweet? Shy? Quiet?" The words came out of Jessica's mouth like bullets. "Those two little jerks are about as quiet as a disco on Saturday night. They did nothing but talk and eat from the time we left this house! Danny spent an absolute fortune on pizza, soda, and popcorn for them. Do you know they can even talk with a faceful of popcorn?" Jessica stormed around the room, picking up pillows, tossing them down, stamping her feet.

"Danny couldn't talk to me. I couldn't talk to him. It was the worst date of my entire life. And do you know whose fault it is? Do you even
care
whose fault it is?"

"Calm down, Jess. You're not making any sense."

Jessica turned on her mother. "Not making

any sense? Nothing makes any sense in this house anymore! Liz is ruining my entire life-- and you don't care!"

Jessica regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth.

"What has Liz got to do with what happened tonight?"

"What has Liz got to do with it? Well, practically nothing, really. I thought she was going to take care of the twins tonight. I had made plans--important plans. But Liz just took off without a word to me."

"Liz has a right to go out and have a good time," her mother said, "but that does seem thoughtless of her."

Jessica sighed. "It was probably just a mix-up, Mom. And, look, I didn't mean it when I said she was ruining my life."

"We know you didn't, honey," her mother said. "We appreciate how responsibly you acted tonight."

"You know something," Jessica said, looking first at her mother and then at her father. "Responsibility can get in the way of having a good time."

Grinning broadly, Ned Wakefield walked over to her. "I do believe you just discovered one of the great truths of the world," he said, hugging her. "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Dad," she said, basking in the glow

of approval and yawning at the same time. "I'm tired. I'll see you in the morning."

As she walked up the stairs, Jessica heard her mother say, "Quite a girl, our Jessica."

The muffled sound of crying hit Jessica's ears as she passed Elizabeth's door. She stopped to listen. She could hear her sister moaning between sobs.

She pushed the door open slowly. "Liz? Hey, Liz, are you OK?" The sobs and moans didn't stop.

Jessica walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. "Lizzie? It's Jess. What's wrong?"

Elizabeth sat up and wrapped her arms around Jessica's neck tightly. "Oh, Jessie, I'm so glad you're here! I had the most awful nightmare!"

Jessica hugged her sister tightly. "Lizzie, take it easy. Everything's all right."

Elizabeth's arms tightened around Jessica's neck.

"Nightmares don't last forever, Liz," Jessica soothed.

I hope I know what I'm talking about,
she added to herself.

Seven

"Is that trench toast I smell, Mom?" Jessica asked as she came into the kitchen.

"It's nearly ready, honey. Juice and milk are on the table. Why don't you sit down and get started?"

"It's not fair of you to fix my favorite breakfast."

"Not fair?"

"How am I supposed to fit into my cheerleading outfit, or anything else, if I stuff my face?"

Alice Wakefield smiled as she turned from the stove. "Oh, I think you've got a few pounds to go before people start calling you Tubby. Is Elizabeth on her way down?"

"In a few minutes. She's drying her hair." Jessica flipped open her French book as she sipped her orange juice. "Do you understand irregular verbs, Mom?"

Alice Wakefield appeared lost in thought. "Mom?"

"Sorry, Jessica. Did you say something?"

"Is anything wrong?"

Alice Wakefield brought her coffee cup over to the table and sat next to Jessica. "I've been wanting to talk to you about Elizabeth."

Jessica felt an overwhelming sense of relief. She and Todd weren't the only ones worried about her twin. She knew her parents were too observant not to have noticed the changes in Elizabeth.

"I've been wanting to talk to you, too, Mom."

Alice Wakefield held up her hand. "Before you say a word, honey, I want you to know that your father and I are aware of what you're going through. You have every right to complain, but you haven't. We're grateful for that, Jess."

"Huh?" What in the world was her mother talking about?

"We've been paying a lot more attention to Elizabeth than to you lately, but I don't want you to think we don't love you every bit as much."

"Mom, I know--"

"Let me finish. I don't want you to resent your sister because of that extra attention."

"Mom, I could never resent Liz!"

"Good. Now, what did you want to say?"

"Oh ... nothing important, Mom."
Nothing

except I'm feeling miserable and guilty and worried,
she thought.

If her parents hadn't noticed the changes in Elizabeth, how could she tell them?

Elizabeth and Jessica were walking across the front lawn of Sweet Valley High when Jessica spotted Enid Rollins.

"Liz, there's Enid waving at you."