Eight.

As soon as she heard the front door slam, Elizabeth tossed aside her history book and jumped up from her bed. Like a shot, she was out of the room and down the stairs.

"Jess!"

Jessica was in the kitchen pouring herself a glass of milk when her sister reached her.

"What happened?" Elizabeth asked eagerly.

Jessica smiled innocently. "What happened where?"

"Come on, Jess, out with it."

"Well," Jessica said, talking a gulp of milk, "we voted."

"And?"

"And I dropped off the list of the new cheerleaders in the box at the Oracle office, as I promised."

"Jessica Wakefield!" Elizabeth wailed. "You know I won't see your note until tomorrow morning. Now tell me who got picked?"

Jessica cocked her head as though in surprise. "But, Elizabeth, you don't want to know in advance, do you?"

"It isn't in advance anymore. Who was chosen?"

Jessica giggled. "That's for me to know and you to find out."

"Oh, are you asking for it!" Elizabeth fumed.

Jessica smiled maddeningly. "The best ones were selected."

"Really?" Elizabeth asked hopefully. Did that mean that Jessica had come to her senses and voted for Annie? "Well, who did you vote for?"

"It took a lot of thought," Jessica said with studied seriousness. "Finally, I voted for Pat Benetar!"

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Elizabeth exploded and was advancing around the counter toward her tormentor when they heard a car door slam.

"There's Mom and Dad," Elizabeth said. "Did you see their note? They want to talk to us as soon as possible."

"What's doing?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "Got me."

Ned and Alice Wakefield were talking excitedly as they entered the house. When they reached the kitchen area, they both stopped and looked at the twins and then at each other.

"OK, who tells them?" Ned Wakefield asked.

"You can."

"Girls, we've got some news."

"You're going to love it," said their mother, jumping in. "Wait till you hear."

"What?" Jessica asked eagerly.

"What's going on?" Elizabeth urged.

"Actually, it's going to be kind of a difficult choice," Alice Wakefield said. "Ned, you tell them."

"I'm trying to," said their father. "OK-"

"We're going to have a house guest," Mrs. Wakefield interrupted.

"I thought you wanted me to tell them," Ned Wakefield reminded his wife.

"You take too long," Alice Wakefield said.

"A house guest?" Jessica cried. "Anybody terrific like-a rock star?"

"You wish," their father drawled.

Their mother laughed. "Now, Jess, be serious. You remember your father talking about Tom Devlin, his roommate at college who became a diplomat?"

"An ambassador is coming to stay?" said Elizabeth.

"Not Tom, honey, his daughter Suzanne."

"She's just your age," their father said. "It'll be like having another sister in the house."

"Hey, wow," Jessica exclaimed. "Suzanne Devlin! Don't they live in New York?"

"Yes," said Alice Wakefield.

"And Paris?" Elizabeth added.

"And in London, too," said Ned Wakefield.

"Boy, she's been all over," Elizabeth said.

"Wow, a really sophisticated New Yorker who's lived in Paris and London?" Even Jessica was impressed.

"She's beautiful, too," Ned Wakefield said.

Elizabeth laughed. "She would be."

"Anyway," their father said, with a glance at his wife, "if I'm allowed to get a word in here ... Suzanne will be here for two weeks."

"That'll be fun," Elizabeth said. "We can find out all about New York!"

The twins' parents were looking at each other slyly and smiling again. Mrs. Wakefield whispered to Mr. Wakefield. He whispered back.

"What's going on?" said Jessica.

"There's more?" Elizabeth wanted to know.

"There's more," said their mother. "A lot more. But-"

"Uh-oh," Jessica moaned. "There had to be a 'but'!"

"It's good," said their mother, laughing. "But part of it's better than the other part."

"Boy, you two ought to be diplomats yourselves," Elizabeth said.

"While Suzanne Devlin is here with us, one of you will go to New York for the same two weeks," said Mrs. Wakefield. "There, it's out."

Jessica and Elizabeth looked at each other in astonishment.

"One of us?" Elizabeth asked.

"But which one?" Jessica asked.

"We're not going to decide that right now," Alice Wakefield said. "But either way, it should be fun. One of you will get to show Suzanne Devlin around Sweet Valley, and the other will see New York."

"Liz is already a lot more sophisticated than I am," Jessica said. "So I think I need the New York trip the most."

"Jess," Elizabeth countered, "you are about as unsophisticated as a mink coat."

Alice Wakefield laughed. "We're not deciding now, so you can both compose yourselves."

"It's not fair!" Jessica wailed. "I won't be able to sleep for days! I can't stand secrets!"

"You can't stand secrets," Elizabeth remarked after their parents had retired to the study and she and Jessica were on their way back upstairs. "But you won't tell me who you picked for the cheerleader squad."

"Later, Liz, later. I have just had the most sensational idea!"

"Oh, no," Elizabeth groaned. "Not another one of your sensational ideas. It could mean disaster."

"Not this one," Jessica insisted as she sat down on her sister's bed. "You are going to flip over this one, I promise."

"OK, Jess, out with it."

"Suzanne and Steven!" Jessica announced with the air of someone who has just discovered the secrets of the universe.

Elizabeth stared at her. "Look at me closely, Jess. I am not flipping. And do you know why I am not flipping? It is because you, sister dear, are not making any sense."

Jessica shot Elizabeth a look of disgust. "I really hate it when you talk to me like that, you know? If you would just take a minute to think about my idea, you would see how good it is. Suzanne Devlin is beautiful, talented, intelligent, and sophisticated," Jessica pointed out.

"So?"

"So? You are deliberately being dense, Liz. Our visitor is the perfect girl to lure our brother away from Tricia Martin!"

"Do you have a death wish, Jess?" Elizabeth asked. "Steven would take you apart if you butted into his relationship with Tricia."

"Not if you helped me," Jessica suggested, reluctant to give up her plan.

"No, Jess, no way. Forget it," Elizabeth said, shaking her head. "Tricia is sweet and lovely and a terrific girl for Steve. I absolutely refuse to take your side against her. Case closed. And now let's get back to the real subject."

"What subject is that?" Jessica asked innocently.

"About how you can't stand secrets but won't tell me who the second new cheerleader is."

"Oh, that's different." Jessica pouted. "I already know that secret."

"Jessica, you are being impossible!"

"OK." Jessica grinned. "I'll tell you half. We picked Cara Walker."

Jessica's self-satisfied little smile was suddenly buried under a pillow expertly thrown by her sister.

"OK, Liz, you asked for it."

Jessica grabbed a pillow and charged. Elizabeth retaliated. Wham! Crash! The twins blasted each other, laughing wildly the whole time, tumbling over Elizabeth's bed.

Downstairs, Alice Wakefield sighed. "Do you suppose they're still fighting about who the more sophisticated one is?"

To Elizabeth's astonishment, Jessica never did reveal the outcome of the cheering tryouts. It was practically the only time she could remember Jessica keeping any kind of a secret more than five minutes. When she went to sleep, Elizabeth was still wondering who the other new cheerleader was.

The secret of who had been chosen for the Sweet Valley High cheering squad caused even more suspense for another person at Sweet Valley High that night.

Annie Whitman tossed and turned and woke up again and again. She slept fitfully, dreaming of one cheer after another and waiting impatiently for the night to end.

Finally, another day began at Sweet Valley High. Annie knew she would get the note telling her if she was in or out during her fourth-period Spanish class, because that was the class she had with Ricky Capaldo. The first three periods seemed to last forever.

When he arrived at Spanish class, Ricky lingered outside until it was almost time for the bell. Then he slipped in and handed Annie her note at the last second.

Annie grabbed the little white envelope with a shaky hand and slid it into her book. Several times during the class period, she started to open it and read the message, but each time she stopped and told herself to wait until class was over.

After all, it wouldn't do to leap up and do a cartwheel right down the aisle, she decided, laughing to herself.

She just had to have made the squad. Every one of her appearances had been a triumph, and Sandra Bacon had clearly put herself out of contention when she tripped.

I'm almost a cheerleader! A real Sweet Valley High cheerleader! Annie told herself over and over.

Annie peeked shyly across at Ricky Capaldo, but for once he was not looking at her. Ricky was staring straight down at his book.