SVH10-Wrong Kind of Girl (7 page)

Pushing her half-eaten burger aside,

Elizabeth leaned across the little table. "Enid, you know I've been helping Annie Whitman with math." "You've mentioned it a few times." "She's really a nice kid in a lot of ways." "If you think so, I'm sure ifs true." "But have you heard any stories about her, Enid? Stories about her and boys, I mean?" Elizabeth didn't really want to hear the answer to her question, but she had to ask.

"Stories--at our school?" Enid rolled her eyes in mock surprise. "I hear they're going to change the name to Rumor Valley High any day now." Elizabeth laughed for the first time that day. She could always count on Enid to cheer her up. But then, becoming serious again, she sighed and said, "Then you
have
heard talk about Annie?"

Enid hesitated, then said, "Yeah, I've heard all the dirt about her. But you know the way the rumor mill works, Liz. If at first nobody believes a rumor, exaggerate it. Then every-body will believe it." There was a bitter note in Enid's voice, and Elizabeth knew she was speaking from experience. A long time ago, Enid had gotten involved with a bad bunch of kids, and the gossip had nearly destroyed her.

"Hey, I'm sorry, Enid," Elizabeth said, reaching again to touch her friend's hand.

"No problem, Liz," Enid reassured her. "That part of my life is over. The girl who had all those problems doesn't exist anymore. I feel terrific. And George thinks I'm kind of OK,

too," she added lightly. Her green eyes sparkled when she mentioned her boyfriend's name.

"He sure does," Elizabeth confirmed with a laugh. "And you
are
terrific."

"Yeah, I am. And so are you. But now that we've agreed that we're both absolutely out of this world," she said, growing serious again, "why are you so tense?"

Elizabeth looked down at the remains of her burger, deciding how much to tell Enid.

"Annie wants something very badly, and somehow I've gotten myself involved in helping," she confessed. "Am I being stupid?"

"That's hard to say, since I don't know what you're helping her with, besides math."

"Nothing really," Elizabeth began. "But the grades are important to Annie, because it means she can try out for the cheerleading squad. She wants that more than anything in the universe, Enid. She's trying to change her life, and she thinks being a cheerleader is the key."

"That's good, Liz. Everyone has the right to change. And if Annie keeps her grades up, I don't see where the problem is. I saw her at those tryouts you dragged me to. She's a natural."

Elizabeth hesitated before saying, "Her grades are fine--now---and she
is
a natural for the squad, but I'm afraid some people might hold her reputation against her."

"Some
people?" Enid knew that if Elizabeth was having troubles, "some people" was undoubtedly spelled J-E-S-S-I-C-A. But she held her tongue. Elizabeth was fiercely loyal when it came

to her twin, and Enid didn't want to get into an argument over the person she now realized was at the bottom of her friend's dilemma.

"What are you thinking, Enid?"

"I'm thinking that Annie is the only one who can change her own life. She has to want it, and she has to work at it."

"You're right, I know," Elizabeth said, wishing she didn't feel so helpless.

"But a good friend can help," Enid added. "Sometimes I don't know what I would do without your support, Liz. Annie's lucky. She's got you on her side."

Maybe it wasn't hopeless after all, Elizabeth thought.

Six

Annie Whitman would have felt a lot less confident and happy if she could have known what was going on in Jessica Wakefield's mind.

Somehow, despite Jessica's best efforts, Easy Annie had made it to the final tryout. She'd even managed to get her grades up, with the help of that sly traitor, Elizabeth Benedict Arnold Wakefield, Jessica thought.

But nothing more would be left to chance. Annie's flashy first appearance, her show-off exhibition the second time, her grades, her good looks, her dancing ability--none of them meant a thing unless she could get three of the five cheerleaders to vote for her.

Jessica had steered Helen Bradley away from school, avoiding the Dairi Burger, to Casey's Place over at the mall for this high-level strategy session.

Sipping a diet soda paid for by Jessica, Helen

was alert to what was obviously a highly important meeting.

"Helen," Jessica said sternly, "the image and the very integrity of the cheerleading squad are in terrible danger."

"What happened?" Helen asked, her eyes widening.

"Annie Whitman. That's what happened."

"Oh," Helen said thoughtfully.

"You know what kind of girl she is. Your own brother won't have anything to do with her anymore."

Helen looked into her soda and said nothing.

"You've seen her strutting around, haven't you?" Jessica demanded. "Out with Bruce Patman one night, with that Rick Andover the next. If s one guy after another."

"Yes," said Helen.

"If she gets on the cheering squad, everybody will think we're just like her!"

"Oh, no!" Helen said.

"They will! Birds of a feather flock together. I just wanted to find out how you feel about it. Who would you like to see on the team?"

"Well..." Helen thought. "Let's see."

"Cara Walker has been terrific, don't you think?"

"Oh, yes," Helen said. "It would be great to have her back on the team."

"Well, then, can I count on your vote for Cara?" Jessica asked.

"Oh, sure." Helen was relieved to find out that was all. Except that it wasn't.

"OK," Jessica went on. "Now for the second girl. Who would you like for the second one?"

"Well..."

"Isn't Sandra Bacon a good choice?"

Yes, Helen agreed, Sandra was great. "Only ..."

Jessica frowned. "Only what?"

"Well, Jess, I like Sandy a lot. But do you think she can beat out Annie?"

Jessica let out an exasperated breath. "Helen, of course she can! If three of us vote for her."

Helen sipped her soda and pondered that. "You mean even if Annie is better, we can vote in Sandra?"

Jessica sat back and let that idea float across the booth and through Helen's head.

"Whoever gets three votes is in," Jessica said.

"Yes, that's true," Helen mused. "I wonder who the others will vote for?"

Jessica glanced at Helen and decided to set her grand plan in motion. "Helen, the fact is that if s entirely up to one person. One person can uphold the squad or let it all go down the drain."

"Really? Who?" Helen asked.

"You. Helen Bradley, that's who. You have everything in your hands. I hope you won't let down your squad or your school."

Helen felt herself tingling with importance and confusion. She'd never expected this!

"But I don't understand, Jess," she said, bewildered.

"If s very simple, Helen," Jessica explained. "It takes three votes to be selected, right?"

"Right," said Helen.

"OK. I'm going to vote for Sandy Bacon. That's one vote. Now, tell me who is Sandra Bacon's very best friend in the entire school who also happens to be on the cheerleading squad?"

"Oh, sure--Jeanie West."

"Right," said Jessica. "So Sandra Bacon has my vote and Jeanie West's vote for certain. She needs only one more."

"Yeah," said Helen, realizing the meaning of it.

"Your vote will decide, Helen."

Helen shoved her glass away and looked out over the mall. "Oh, wow," she said. "You're right."

It was all very simple, Jessica told herself with satisfaction. No one could be sure of what Robin Wilson would do. And Maria Santelli simply kept raving about Annie Whitman so much that it looked as if her vote was lost.

But now it didn't matter.

"Will you promise to vote for Cara and Sandra?" Jessica pressed her.

"Well... OK," Helen said.

"I'll tell Jeanie that we'll both vote for Sandra and Cara, if she will, too."

"Then if s all fixed," Helen said.

Jessica smiled sweetly. "Yes, and you decided the whole thing."

Unaware that Jessica was maneuvering the final vote so that she could never become a

cheerleader, Annie Whitman continued to grow more confident, and a new sort of person was blossoming within her. For the first time, she noticed that quiet Ricky Capaldo shot looks at her in Spanish class and in the cafeteria. When she caught him, he always blushed violently and looked away.

After Spanish she often walked alongside Ricky and tried to talk casually, but he seemed uncomfortable and tongue-tied. Once, he started to relax, and the natural, friendly side of him was just coming out when somebody spotted them, and the next thing Annie knew a loud chorus of "Oh, Rickeeeee!" had him more flushed than ever.

"How do you get a shy boy to talk to you?" Annie asked Elizabeth one day as school was letting out.

Elizabeth laughed. "I didn't think you had any trouble getting anybody to talk."

"Oh, I don't. Not most of them, anyway. Bruce Patman calls me up all the time, but I've decided I don't like him. I've been waiting for a different type of boy to ask me out. I'm waiting for one particular
different
boy."

"Watch what you say, Annie," Elizabeth teased as the two girls strolled across the Sweet Valley campus in the warm afternoon sunshine. "Remember you're in the presence of the writer of the 'Eyes and Ears' column."

"Oh, Liz," Annie pleaded, "you wouldn't use this in your column. You couldn't!"

"Not if you don't want me to use it, Annie,"

Elizabeth said with concern. "Hey, we're friends, right?"

"You
want to be
my
friend?" Annie asked. "Somebody like you would be a friend to somebody like me?" The look of surprise and delight on Annie's face touched Elizabeth.

"Of course we're friends, Annie. But I thought we were talking about boys. Who is this
different
guy you're interested in?"

"Ricky."

"Ricky Capaldo? Don't I remember something about him being just a pal?"

Annie blushed. "I know, but I'm seeing him in a new way. He's so nice, Liz. He's so sweet and friendly, and I don't know--do you know what I mean?"

"Of course I know what you mean," Elizabeth assured her.

"But he doesn't ask me out. And neither do some of the other nice guys. I wonder why not."

This time there was no doubt left in Elizabeth's mind. Annie was totally unaware of what people thought of her. The next minute Elizabeth discovered she was on the spot.

"Have you ever heard anybody talk about me?" said Annie shyly. She and Elizabeth stopped in the shade of an oak tree.

"Well ..." Elizabeth hesitated. "Everybody gets talked about." She placed her books on the grass as she sat down near the tree, Annie settling beside her.

"Sure. They talk about you as a writer and

the nicest girl in Sweet Valley. But what do they say about me?"

"Listen, what difference does it make? You know that the Only thing that matters is how you feel about yourself."

"That's true." Annie brightened. "And people can change, can't they? And when you change and make yourself into a different person, people accept that, don't they?"

"Absolutely," Elizabeth said firmly. "If they're decent people, they do."

"Thanks," Annie said. "I always feel so much better after talking to you. Just think, when I finally get on the cheerleading team, there'll be a brand-new me at Sweet Valley High."

And before Elizabeth knew what was happening, Annie leaned over and hugged her. Then she jumped up and hurried off across the wide campus lawn.

Later, when Elizabeth reached the Wakefields' split-level house, she was humming to herself and feeling good all over at Annie's success. It wasn't easy for a person to turn her life around the way Annie was doing.

Coming in through the living room, Elizabeth heard laughter from the patio out back near the swimming pool. She strolled out to find Jessica serving Cokes to Jeanie West and Helen Bradley.

"Well, well," said Elizabeth, "the ears of every boy in town must be burning. And half the girls."

"Oh, go jump in the pool." Jessica laughed contentedly.

"So, what's happening?" Elizabeth asked. "Anything I can print?"

"You could, but you won't." Jessica grinned mysteriously.

"Oh?"

"Because you
never
print anything in advance, even though it's an absolutely, positively sure thing," said Jessica. "Am I right?" she asked the other two, and they all laughed like conspirators in on a big secret.

Elizabeth didn't like what she saw. "I would just take a wild guess that this little gathering has something to do with who the new cheerleaders are going to be," she said.

The three laughed again, but made no comment. At that moment Elizabeth knew with certainty that the two new cheerleaders would be Cara Walker and Sandra Bacon.

Elizabeth felt her breath go out like a beach ball deflating. What could she say? Cara and Sandy were certainly good choices, and it really wasn't any of Elizabeth's business; she wasn't even on the squad. Still, she felt a terrible sense of dread at the thought of how Annie would take it.

"Well?" Jessica challenged her twin. "Would you like to make a bet on this one, Liz?"

Elizabeth shook her head, and walked unhappily back into the house. This was another bet she knew she couldn't win.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Elizabeth and Todd were sitting on the sofa in the family room of the Wilkins home, watching an old movie on TV. The smell of homemade cake wafted in from the kitchen, where Mrs. Wilkins was preparing dinner.

Elizabeth snuggled closer to Todd, trying hard to concentrate on the movie. But her thoughts kept turning to Annie and Jessica. Without being fully aware of it, she heaved a loud sigh.

"OK, Wakefield. Out with it." Todd sat straight up on the sofa and looked searchingly into Elizabeth's blue-green eyes.

"Out with what?" Elizabeth asked.

"What's on your mind? You're hardly paying any attention to the movie. Are you bored? You want to see what else is on?"