Todd frowned. "We'll be late," he muttered. "Listen, will you be around after basketball practice?"

"Sure," Elizabeth said, her heart beating faster. "I have to stay late at The Oracle. How about under the clock-around five-fifteen?"

"I'll be there."

Elizabeth watched starry-eyed as Todd loped gracefully across the lawn. Suddenly she remembered Jessica! She whirled around and spotted the black Porsche and the red Fiat. Jessica was gone.

Between classes, the halls of Sweet Valley High resembled the battle scene from Star Wars, with bodies hurtling in all directions accompanied by collisions and dropped books. It was while Elizabeth was picking up hers that Jessica raced by, wearing a smile brighter than California sunshine in July.

"I have the most sensational news, Liz!"

Down on her hands and knees, Elizabeth looked up. Why, she wondered, didn't Jessica ever get caught in such ungraceful situations? Because she was Jessica. If a book of hers ever fell, there was always a handy male eager to pick it up.

"What news, Jess?"

"You won't believe it."

"Is it about the dance?"

"You'll see." And she darted off, pausing to look back. "Lizzie, dear, do get up off the floor. I would positively die if anyone thought it was me grubbing around like that."

Bite your tongue, Elizabeth warned herself. Don't say what you're thinking. Murder's still illegal in California!

She gathered her books and stood up. It wasn't until she was halfway down the hall that she realized she'd been so angry at Jessica's remark that she had forgotten to ask for the car keys!

At noon, just as the president of Pi Beta Alpha was about to announce the list of new sorority members, Jessica leaned over to Elizabeth and whispered, "I think Todd's going to ask me to the Phi Epsilon dance."

Elizabeth felt as if a balloon had just burst inside her. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Elizabeth Wakefield, congratulations!" the president shouted. "Elizabeth, where are you? Come up here and join your sisters."

Heads turned to look at her. Everyone thought she was crying with happiness. Somehow she made herself stand up, but she couldn't make herself look at Jessica. She would never tell Jessica now how she felt about Todd. And she would never, ever stand in Jessica's way-but she couldn't look at her sister just then.

Jessica was tugging on her sleeve, trying to stop her as she was about to make her way to the front of the room.

"What about me?" Jessica hissed. "Why haven't they called my name?"

The president called out, "Cara Walker, congratulations!" Jessica applauded reluctantly for her friend.

Elizabeth stood beside Jessica's seat. She wouldn't go up there and accept membership until Jessica's name was called. After all, the only reason she had decided to pledge Pi Beta was so she and Jessica would be together.

Lila Fowler, another friend of Jessica's, was called. Even Enid Rollins got in, and she'd pledged Pi Beta mainly to keep Elizabeth company. Elizabeth applauded loudly for her best friend. But still Jessica's name was not called. Could it be that her sister might have been blackballed? Jessica, co-captain of the cheerleaders, beautiful, popular Jessica?

With a pleased smile, the president announced, "Last but absolutely not least-Jessica Wakefield, congratulations!"

Elizabeth and Jessica ran up to the front of the room. Even though her tears had dried, Elizabeth felt as if she were still sobbing on the inside.

Jessica was ecstatic. "There's so much I want to learn about Pi Beta Alpha," she was gushing to one of the senior girls. "For instance, just how many votes do you need to become president?"

For Elizabeth, the rest of the day was spent playing catch-up, but she never quite did. She was late getting to the newspaper office, late getting the column finished, and late going over it with Mr. Collins. Didn't it always happen that way when you had someplace special to go? she wondered. Todd was probably waiting for her under the clock right now. What did he want to talk about?

Please don't be angry with me for being late, she prayed silently. If only Todd wanted to ask her to the dance, it would be all right. She would forgive Jessica for everything-even for swiping the car keys.

Elizabeth ran down the last flight of stairs, tore through the lobby, and rushed toward the big Romanesque clock that was the pride of Sweet Valley High.

At first she didn't see Todd. But then, as she came outside, there he was-walking across the lawn to their little red Spider and climbing in beside Jessica!

Elizabeth's heart sank. She stood there, numb with shock, as the convertible backed up and spun merrily down the drive, carrying Jessica and Todd.

Three.

"Hey, is anybody home?" The call brought Elizabeth to the top of the stairs.

"Steven!"

"You must be that ugly Wakefield twin I hear so much about. What's the matter? No hello for your older and infinitely wiser brother?"

Elizabeth hurtled down the stairs and into her brother's outstretched arms.

"Your repulsive face couldn't have shown up at a better time," she said with her first real laugh all day.

Disentangling himself from his sister's hug, Steven gave her a questioning look. "Yeah? What's up?"

"Oh, nothing," she lied hastily. "I just have these spells when I get totally weird-and actually start missing you."

"Sure you do. I'm repulsive but lovable. So tell me, how many princes did you turn into toads this week?"

Elizabeth pretended to think for a moment, then held up six fingers and shrugged. "Slow week. Seems fewer and fewer princes are passing through Sweet Valley these days. But I bet you have no trouble stopping clocks at State U. with that face of yours."

"You know it. When I get through with that place, no one will know what time it is."

Sister and brother stood smiling at each other, enjoying the special bond they shared. Elizabeth's blond beauty came from their mother, while Steven's dark good looks made him a younger version of Ned Wakefield. Slightly over six feet tall with beautiful brown eyes and a slim, athletic build, Steven had long been a target of crushes from Elizabeth and Jessica's girlfriends.

The two had started their "ugly" routine ages ago after spending a totally boring afternoon listening to a distant relative drone on and on about "how too, too adorable you children are. Just too, too!" They had invited Jessica to join in their game, but she was never bored when people discussed her beauty.

"Tell you what, little sister," Steven said now. "I'm starving. If you insist on fixing me something, I promise not to complain about your cooking."

"Insist! How do you know I don't have ten more important things to do?"

She couldn't resist the mock hangdog look on her brother's face. "OK, I insist, I insist! Let's go check the fridge for possibilities."

While Steven made himself comfortable at the round kitchen table, Elizabeth checked out the contents of the large, copper-colored refrigerator.

"How are things on the home front these days?" he asked.

"Oh, great, just great," Elizabeth mumbled, her back to him.

"What?"

Carrying cold cuts, mustard, pickles, and a carton of milk, she came over to the table. "Things are OK. The usual, I guess. School, homework. Stuff-you know."

Should she tell Steven about Todd? she asked herself. Or about Jessica? Or about Jessica and Todd, hating to link those two names even in her mind. No, she decided. It wouldn't be fair to put Steven in the middle.

"Stuff? You might not be much to look at, but I always thought you knew how to talk," Steven teased.

"One more crack out of you, Steven Wakefield, and I'll fix you a knuckle sandwich!"

"Peace!" he said, throwing up his arms in surrender. He grew serious as he watched Elizabeth fix him a huge sandwich.

"You know, Lizzie, big brothers are great listeners."

She smiled at his concern.

"Steve, things are fine. Just fine!" Or they will be when I'm dead and can't think of Todd anymore, she added to herself. "And now if you're through grilling me, big brother, how about telling me why you're home for the fourth weekend in a row. I thought sophisticated college men spent their weekends dating sophisticated college women."

"Well, you know, I, uh, like to see the family once in a while." Elizabeth could have sworn he was blushing.

"Sure you do, Steve. And we're really grateful for the fifteen minutes you spend with us every weekend. What I'm absolutely dying to know is where you spend the rest of the time."

"I see old friends. That kind of thing." Then he laughed. "You're getting to be a nosy brat, you know that?"

"OK," she relented. "I'll let you off the hook for now, but I'm not through with you yet. I sense a mystery here, and you know how I love a mystery."

"Nosy and weird-what a combination," he said, biting into his sandwich. "Tell me what's new with Jessica and the folks."

"Jess is fine." Boy, is she ever, Elizabeth thought. "And the folks are, too, I guess."

"You guess?" he asked between bites.

"They're so busy I hardly see them. Mom's always rushing off to meet a client. Her design business is really booming. And Dad-well, he's always out. He's working on a case with a new lawyer in the firm, somebody by the name of Marianna West. She used to be married to that big heart specialist, Gareth West."

"Dad and a divorcee? Hmmm." Steven lifted one eyebrow.

"For heaven's sake, Steve, you're as bad as Jessica. She said, and I quote, 'If I were married, I wouldn't let my husband spend so much time with a good-looking divorcee!'"

Steven nearly choked on his sandwich at Elizabeth's perfect imitation of their sister's voice.

"If I know Jess, she wouldn't let a husband of hers get any farther from her than the length of a two-foot leash," he said.

Just then the back door flew open, and Jessica whirled in, smiling as only she could when her day had been a perfect dream.

"Steve!" she squealed, dropping her books on the counter and rushing to hug her brother. "I didn't know you were coming this weekend!" She stepped back to get a better look at him.

"You're absolutely too gorgeous! Aren't we lucky, Lizzie?" she asked, turning to flash dazzling white teeth at her unsmiling sister. "We probably have the town's-maybe even the state's-handsomest brother!"

"What, that repulsive thing?" Elizabeth teased.

"What, this repulsive thing?" Steven added.

"Why in the world are you two still playing that ridiculous game? You wouldn't think it was funny if you really were gross-looking," Jessica said, shuddering at the thought of having anything other than an attractive family.

Elizabeth busied herself with cleaning up the table, tuning out Jessica and Steven for the moment. She wanted to ask Jessica where she and Todd had driven off to, but she just couldn't. Maybe I'm afraid of the answer, she thought. She felt tears starting to fill her eyes, but she willed herself not to cry. After all, she told herself, if Todd preferred Jessica-and that certainly was how it looked-she would not stand in the way. She'd do the decent thing. Die. Her unhappy thoughts were interrupted by Jessica's outraged cry.

"You didn't tell Steve about PBA? I simply don't understand how you could forget to tell him something so vital!"

"What about PBA?" Steven asked.

"We made it, Steve! We made it! Just today at lunch, Lizzie and I were accepted as full-fledged members of the most terrific sorority on campus!"

"No big deal," Elizabeth said.

"No big deal? Elizabeth, how can you say that? How can you even think it? You've got to be seven hundred and thirty-seven kinds of idiots not to be excited about associating with the best girls at Sweet Valley High. What's wrong with you?"

"It's hard to get excited when your feet hurt," Elizabeth muttered.

"Your feet hurt? What in the world do your feet have to do with Pi Beta Alpha?" Jessica demanded.

"My feet always hurt when I have to walk all the way home from school," Elizabeth answered in an ominously quiet voice.

Sensing a crisis, Steven stood and said, "Hey, you two lovelies, I hate to eat and run, but I've got to go up and shower."

The twins ignored him. Their eyes were locked on one another.

"Look, I'll see you later," Steven said. "Take it easy on the guys this weekend. Broken hearts are not a lot of fun." He sighed, and there was a funny smile on his face.

Jessica turned suddenly toward Steven, grateful for an excuse to break away from Elizabeth's angry gaze. "Steve, I have the most terrific idea! If you're not busy this weekend, maybe you'd like me to arrange a date for you with Cara Walker," she said hopefully.

"Cara Walker?"

"You remember Cara, Steve-long dark hair, terrific figure, fantastic tennis player. She's one of my best friends. She always thought you were soooo good-looking."

"Yeah, yeah, I remember. She's a cute kid, but a little young for me."

"Cara has become very mature, Steve. She's really ready to date a college man."

"Thanks, Jess, but no thanks. I have plans," he said, trying to edge out of the room.