Ricky called himself every name in the book. Why had he told Annie the harsh truth? Because she wanted to know, he told himself. But did she really?

Ricky hurried from the stadium back toward school, his face set in a worried mask, his thoughts swirling out of control. Surely, he told himself, Annie must have known what the kids were saying!

But it was clear she had not known. Annie's anguished face appeared before him over and over again, and the words echoed in his head: "Ruin the whole squad?"

Why didn't I keep my mouth shut? Ricky raged at himself.

No one at Sweet Valley High saw Annie Whitman the rest of that day. Ricky went from class to class like a sleepwalker, hardly knowing where he was. After school the cheerleaders welcomed their two new members in the gym. Ricky had to hand out outfits to Sandra Bacon and Cara Walker, along with a schedule of practices, games, and other planned appearances. He knew it wasn't fair, but he could barely stand to look at their smiling faces. It wasn't their fault, he reminded himself, but that didn't help.

Finally, out of sheer frustration, he approached Jessica. She was the only person who had the power to make things right for Annie. Or was it already too late? His feet felt like lead weights, and his heart was thumping wildly, but he had to do it. He had to talk to Jessica for Annie's sake.

"Jess, have you got a couple of minutes?"

"Sure, Ricky. What's up? A problem with the new schedules?" Jessica flashed him a smile.

Maybe she would listen to him, he thought hopefully. "It's about Annie Whitman-" he began.

Jessica was no longer smiling. "I don't want to talk about that girl," Jessica snapped. "She is not on the squad. She will never be on the squad. That's final, Ricky."

"But Jessica, you don't understand," Ricky persisted. His pleading tone called out for her sympathy. "Annie's taking this very hard."

"Well, that's just too bad," Jessica returned coldly. "We all have to learn how to handle disappointments in life, don't we?" With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Ricky feeling more dejected than ever.

He went to the mall and bought a cheerful greeting card, writing on it, "You always make my day." The next day he got to Spanish class early and put the card in an envelope on Annie's desk. It lay there untouched all through the period. Annie didn't show up.

The day after that, Annie was absent from school again. Ricky got out the entry forms the aspiring cheerleaders had filled out and found her home telephone number. But no one answered his calls.

On the third day Ricky was desperate. Coming into the cafeteria, he spotted the one person he thought might be able to help.

"Hey, Liz," he said softly, "can I talk to you?"

"Sure," Elizabeth answered. "What's up?"

"Liz," Ricky said, his voice trembling, "I'm worried about Annie."

Elizabeth nodded in sympathy. "Yeah, I can understand that."

"She hasn't been to school in three days!"

"Oh, no," said Elizabeth. "Is she ill?"

Ricky hid his face and spoke hesitantly. "Yeah, she's ill, all right. Ill from dumbness and stupidity."

The cruel words surprised Elizabeth. "I thought you liked Annie, Ricky."

"Oh, Liz, I do! Of course I do. The stupidity I'm talking about is mine!"

"Yours? What happened?"

Ricky shook his head in agony, unable at first to make the words come out. Finally he forced himself to speak. "I did about the dumbest thing possible, Liz. I told her why she was kept off the cheerleading squad."

Elizabeth sat quietly as Ricky continued.

"I gave it to her with both barrels. Don't ask me why! She kept questioning me about why Jessica had ruined her. Finally I told her."

Elizabeth sighed. "Poor Annie. What did she say?"

"She just ran away, Liz."

"She was never aware of the things people said about her," Elizabeth said, voicing Ricky's own suspicions.

"I figured that out," he said, his eyes watery as he looked at Elizabeth. "But too late. If I'd realized it from the beginning, I might not have said anything. I didn't think it would be such a shock."

Elizabeth put her hand over Ricky's. "You did what you thought was right, Ricky."

"Liz, you've got to talk to your sister."

"To Jess?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"You've got to. Tell her what it means to Annie."

Elizabeth looked at the heartbroken boy and was filled with pity. "OK, Ricky," she said, "I'll talk to her."

By the time Elizabeth got a chance to talk to her twin that afternoon, the story about Annie was all over the school.

"Is it true," Enid asked Elizabeth between classes, "that Jessica called Annie Whitman 'Easy Annie' to her face?"

"No, no, of course not," Elizabeth said.

"That's that I heard from Emily Mayer."

"Well, Emily's wrong."

Jessica also heard stories. In gym class Susan Stewart whispered, "Tell me about the big fight."

"What big fight?" Jessica asked, eager for gossip.

"Everybody says you and Annie Whitman had a big fight about her being a cheerleader, and you called her the tramp of the school."

Jessica allowed herself a small smile. "Is that what they're saying?" She didn't deny a thing.

"So what happened?" Susan pressed.

"What happened," Jessica said firmly, "is that she's not on the cheerleading squad."

After school Elizabeth found her sister in their pool floating on her back on a rubber raft. She put her books down and sat on the edge of the small diving board.

"Jess," she called, "I want to talk to you."

Jessica opened one eye, then closed it again. "I'm working on my tan, Liz. What is it?"

"Have you heard what they're saying about you and Annie?"

"So?"

"Is any of it possibly true? Did you call her Easy Annie to her face?"

Jessica turned over onto her stomach, being careful not to slide off into the turquoise water. She glanced at her sister. "Lizzie, do you think I'm an absolute, total beast without feelings?"

"Don't make me answer that one, Jess. Just tell me-yes or no?"

"Oh, of course I didn't. I haven't even seen her since the tryouts."

"Promise?"

"Honest. Ask Robin or any of the girls."

"Well, I'm glad that at least you didn't make the situation any worse than it already is."

Jessica paddled to the side of the pool and pulled herself out of the water onto an immense beach towel. "Whatever are you talking about?" she asked her sister as she began rubbing oil on her perfectly tanned legs.

"Jess, you know Annie was the best person to try out for the squad. You should have made her a cheerleader."

"I told you from the start there was no way Easy Annie would ever be on the squad while I was a captain," Jessica said sternly.

"But you didn't say anything to her face?"

Jessica tossed her head. "No! But the truth is the truth, Liz."

Elizabeth walked over to a little wrought-iron chair under the brilliant yellow beach umbrella and sat down near Jessica. "Jess, don't you think you could reconsider?"

"What?"

"Couldn't you let Annie on the cheering squad?"

"Elizabeth Wakefield, sometimes I think you're from another world! I just explained that-"

"Yes, but it would mean so much to her," Elizabeth interrupted.

"It means even more to us to keep the squad clean," Jessica said righteously.

"Good heavens, Jess, she's only fifteen years old! And she's trying her best to become the kind of person everyone will respect. I'm really impressed with how much she's changed during the last few weeks. The cheering squad would have a wonderful influence on her. Come on, Jess, show a little compassion."

Jessica's face grew contorted with anger. Lightning flashed from her blue-green eyes. "I am sick and tired of hearing that girl defended," she exploded. "For the last time, Annie Whitman is a disaster!"

Jessica stood up, pulled her bath towel around her, and stalked across the patio and into the house.

On Monday afternoon Alice Wakefield and the twins were sitting in the living room talking about Suzanne Devlin again and discussing which twin would go to New York and which would stay in Sweet Valley to show Suzanne around.

"We could let you draw names out of a hat," Mrs. Wakefield said.

"But I don't know whether I'd rather see New York or stay around here and be with Suzanne," Jessica moaned. "How about you, Liz?"

"Tell you what," Elizabeth said. "You do one, and I'll do the other."

"What?"

"Gotcha!"

The ring of the telephone put an end to the conversation. Elizabeth moved across the room and picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Elizabeth?" said an extremely distraught voice.

"Yes. Is that you, Ricky?"

"Liz, I don't know what to do!"

"What's the matter?"

It seemed a thousand years before he replied. "Liz, it's Annie!"

"Annie?"

Elizabeth automatically looked at her sister, and Jessica looked back as she heard the name.

Ricky was on the edge of losing control. "They've rushed her to the hospital," he said.

Elizabeth gasped. "Oh, no! What's happened?"

Ricky wasn't trying to hold back his grief now. Between sobs, he blurted it out: "Liz, Annie tried to kill herself!"

Eleven.

Elizabeth hung up the phone in a daze. "Oh, my God."

Jessica leaped from the sofa and dashed to her twin's side. "What is it, Liz?"

"Annie! Oh, Jess, she tried to kill herself."

"What!" Jessica's tanned face went pale with shock. "What do you mean?"