Jessica sighed. She rolled down her window to catch some of the early-morning breeze. Although it was only eight o'clock, the air was already warming under the bright sun. It was going to be another gorgeous day in Sweet Valley. "Hey, Liz," Jessica said excitedly, "let's take down the top."

"No!" Elizabeth answered a bit too sharply.

"Why not?"

"It's just not a good idea," Elizabeth said with uncharacteristic edginess.

"Sounds like I touched a raw nerve," Jessica noted. "What's with you this morning? Here it is a beautiful day, and we've got the car and-" Jessica stopped herself. "Hey, why do we have the car?"

"I told you-to go to the Dairi Burger."

"No, no, I mean what happened to Todd?" she asked. "How come you're not going to the Dairi Burger with him?"

"How do you know I'm not?" Elizabeth asked.

Jessica pressed on. "He's got his own set of wheels, doesn't he? Or are you playing chauffeur for the day?"

"No, it's nothing like that."

"Then what is it, Liz?" Jessica insisted. "Will you please tell me what's going on?"

Elizabeth waited until she reached the stop sign at the corner before answering. "Todd's not driving his car anymore."

"He what-?" Jessica said before remembering. "You mean he finally bought that motorcycle he's been talking about?"

Elizabeth nodded. "He was supposed to get it Friday, but there was some delay, so he picked it up last night. He's driving it to school today."

"I should have known," Jessica said, not bothering to hide her dislike for Elizabeth's boyfriend. The two had been at odds with each other ever since Todd had rejected Jessica for her sister. "I really don't believe that guy," she continued. "Here he is, claiming to love you so much, yet he goes off and gets that awful machine when he knows that you can't-"

Elizabeth quickly cut her sister off. "He doesn't know," she said quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I didn't tell him yet," Elizabeth admitted. "He thinks I'm as excited about the bike as he is."

"How could you?" Jessica was shocked at her sister's deception. Not that fibbing was a foreign concept to her-Jessica had often stretched the truth when it served her purposes-but that Elizabeth had felt the need to be less than forthright truly puzzled her. Elizabeth was the most honest and straightforward person she knew. Jessica would have expected her to be especially up-front on this issue, a subject that had been discussed at length in the Wakefield household and one on which Jessica herself had very strong opinions. Motorcycles were nothing but death machines as far as Jessica was concerned, and she would have been perfectly happy if every single one were banned from the universe. She was sure Elizabeth felt the same way-at least she had been until right then. Was love blinding her sister's good sense?

"I mean, after Rexy, how can you even consider getting near one of those things?" Jessica asked.

"I'm not, Jess. I have no intention of ever riding on that motorcycle. And I hate the thought of Todd on it, too. But how could I tell him that? He's been fantasizing about this bike for years. I couldn't bear the thought of shattering his dream."

"But you wouldn't mind if he shattered his body? Come on, Lizzie, be sensible!"

Ordinarily Elizabeth would have chuckled at Jessica's advice. After all, she'd told Jessica to be sensible more times than she cared to count. But this time she knew Jessica had a point.

Their cousin Rexy Wakefield had been a bright, handsome boy who had everything in the world going for him. Then, three years ago, a few days after his sixteenth birthday, he bought himself a motorcycle, despite his parents' objections. The following day he was killed in a head-on collision with a station wagon. His death was a blow to all of them, particularly to Jessica, who'd adored Rexy almost as much as she did Steven, her older brother. Afterward, their parents made them swear they'd never ride on a motorcycle. It was a rule they all obeyed, one of the few that Jessica obeyed willingly.

When Todd first mentioned getting a motorcycle, Elizabeth had dismissed it as just talk. But as his bank account grew and his talk continued, Elizabeth had come to understand how serious he was. She knew it was time to tell Todd about Rexy and her inability to share his dream. But she couldn't. He'd taken her silence as merely fear of the unknown and had assured her that the first time she got on the bike with him, all her fears would disappear.

If Elizabeth had been a different kind of person, not only would she have spoken up sooner, she would have begged Todd not to buy the motorcycle in the first place. But she felt strongly that she didn't have the right to impose her own restrictions on Todd-though if she had done so, she would certainly be sleeping better at night. Even at this very moment she was filled with worry over whether he'd get to school safely.

"Look, Jess," Elizabeth told her twin after much thought, "Todd's bike is just something I'm going to have to learn to accept."

"And ride with him?" Jessica asked, her blue-green eyes wide in amazement.

"Of course not!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "One has nothing to do with the other."

"Oh, no?" Jessica shot back. "Don't be a fool, Liz. Look at the reality. That bike has a backseat. What are you going to tell him when he asks you to ride with him?"

"He already did. He wanted to pick me up this morning."

"And how did you get out of that?"

"I told him I felt a cold coming on, and it wouldn't be a good idea to expose myself to the wind."

"So that's why you didn't want to put the top down. Great." Jessica shook her thick blond mane. "That's fine for today, Liz, but what are you going to tell him tomorrow-or the next day?"

Elizabeth hit the steering wheel in frustration. "Look, I know I've got to tell him the truth. I'm just afraid of what he might say."

Seeing her sister's distress, Jessica decided to back down. She put her hand on Elizabeth's shoulder and said, "Liz, Todd may not be my most favorite person in the world, but I know he cares for you enough not to let the bike interfere with your relationship."

"I'm not so sure, Jess...."

"You can't put it off, Liz," Jessica warned, her voice growing harder. "The more excuses you make to Todd, the more he's going to think something's wrong. He might as well know the truth now, before he starts to think it's him you're turned off to."

Her sister hadn't said anything that Elizabeth hadn't thought about before, but hearing it so plainly made her realize what she had to do. She was just about to say so when Jessica added, "Of course, I can't see why you'd want to continue a relationship with a motorcycle maniac-especially when there are so many great guys around who drive cars."

"Like Danny and his Trans-Am?" Elizabeth asked. Danny Stauffer was a boy that Jessica had just started to go out with.

"Exactly. You said yourself how handsome and terrific he is. Maybe this is just the excuse you need to check out your options."

Elizabeth smiled ruefully. She knew Jessica had a hard time understanding just how much she loved Todd. Her sister hadn't yet experienced such a deep and caring relationship with any of her many boyfriends. But in her own way Jessica had gotten her to see how important it was to tell Todd the truth. Jessica was right, Elizabeth concluded. If Todd loved her, he would understand.

Todd hadn't yet arrived when Elizabeth pulled into the Sweet Valley High parking lot. But as soon as she stepped out of the car, she spotted Enid Rollins, her best friend, getting off the school bus. Enid held a thick stack of books close to her side and walked along slowly, her round face slightly lowered, as scores of carefree kids flew right by her.

Elizabeth had often wished that others could see what a bright and witty person Enid was, but it was a side that the normally reserved brunette revealed to only a handful of people. Perhaps it was because she was the youngest junior in the class. She had skipped a grade when she was in elementary school and, as a result, had been subjected to much teasing by her older classmates. Elizabeth was one of the few people she confided in, as was Enid's boyfriend, George Warren, a freshman at Sweet Valley College.

Elizabeth waved to get her attention. "Enid!"

Jessica looked at her sister with undisguised pity. Elizabeth was the type of person who never gave up on a lost cause, and Jessica felt that Enid was a prime example. For the life of her she couldn't figure out what the two of them had in common.

Enid brightened a bit when she saw Elizabeth. "Hi, Liz," she said, pointedly ignoring Jessica. "I've got to talk to you."

The two friends had spent the better part of the previous day's gym class going over the dilemma with Todd, and Elizabeth hoped Enid wouldn't bring it up again this morning. She was all talked out.

She needn't have worried. "You won't believe the number my mom pulled on me this morning," Enid said dejectedly. "I was on my way out of the house when she told me I've got to rush home right after school and address invitations to my party!"

"What for?" Jessica asked incredulously. "You've already invited half the school!"

"I know," Enid said, "but Mom's insistent. She said a special occasion like my sixteenth birthday deserves special treatment. So she went out and got these incredibly fancy engraved invitations. Can you believe it?"

"For your silly little party?" Jessica wondered.

Enid's face turned beet red. She never quite knew how to answer one of Jessica's put-downs.

This time Elizabeth came to her rescue. "If it's so silly, Jess, how come you're going?"

"Oh, never mind," Jessica said, looking ahead toward the white columns that flanked the entrance to the massive brick building. "I think I see Cara up there. I've got to talk to her. See you later, Liz."

As Jessica dashed off to her own best friend, Enid stuck her tongue out at her, making sure Elizabeth didn't notice.

"Well, I think the invitations are a nice idea," Elizabeth said. "They show how much your mother cares for you."

"I'd rather be spending my time at the Dairi Burger," Enid grumbled.

Elizabeth's response was drowned out by the roar of a motorcycle engine. Todd's motorcycle. Her stomach churned as a mixture of emotions rushed through her. She was glad he'd made it to school safely, but his arrival also meant that she'd come to the moment of truth. She had to tell him she couldn't ride with him.

It was going to be difficult. If possible, Todd was even more attractive than ever that morning, cutting a sexy, self-assured pose astride his shiny black bike. He was wearing a soft leather jacket, which hugged his long, trim body, and a black full-faced helmet, which he now took off to reveal his tousled head of dark brown hair and the biggest smile Elizabeth had seen on his face for ages.

"Well, how do you like it?" he asked, directing his gaze at his girlfriend. "A Yamaha 750 Virago. It's a beauty, isn't it?"

Before Elizabeth could answer, they were joined by Guy Chesney and Max Dellon, members of Sweet Valley High's most popular band, The Droids.

"It sure is," Max said, caressing one of the handlebars. "Pretty powerful, huh?"

Todd proudly patted the teardrop-shaped gas tank. "It's as much as I'll ever need," he answered.

"Very impressive, Wilkins," said Guy. "I suppose you'll be going everywhere on that from now on."

"As long as it doesn't rain, this is where you'll find me."

"Boy, are you going to have fun, Liz," said Guy, turning to face her.

Elizabeth nodded absently, her gaze now focused on something else, a hot-pink helmet attached to the side of the bike. Her helmet, she presumed, another wave of dread washing over her. Telling Todd the truth was going to be very hard.

"Well, Liz," Todd repeated, "what do you think of it? Want to take a little spin before the bell rings?"

"I can't, Todd," she answered, hastily checking her watch. "I just remembered, I'm supposed to meet Mr. Collins in the Oracle office before first period. Got to run. See you." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Then she turned to her best friend. "I'll talk to you later, Enid."

Two.

Elizabeth was the first person out of her math class after the bell rang. She had to find Todd and explain why she had run from him earlier in the morning. She had to tell him before it was too late. Jessica was right. Putting it off might be fatal to their relationship.

Fatal. Elizabeth cringed at the word. Ever since Rexy's death, the words fatal and motorcycle were synonymous to her. Rationally, she knew that was silly-she saw lots of cyclists riding safely down the streets of Sweet Valley every day. Yet that emotional reaction was hard to shake. She couldn't quite get it out of her mind that all people who rode motorcycles were flirting with death. But she knew she had to stop feeling that way. For Todd's sake.

Where was Todd? She didn't find him on the cafeteria line, nor was he joking around with his basketball buddies on the outdoor patio. Despairingly, Elizabeth approached the table occupied by several of Jessica's friends.

"Liz, have you heard anything about the tryouts for the school play?" Lila Fowler asked before she had a chance to say anything.

"I think that's still a few weeks away, Lila. Listen, you haven't seen Todd around, have you?"

"Have you tried the lost and found?" Lila purred.

"Lay off her, Lila," said Cara Walker. "I think she's serious. Is anything wrong, Liz?"

"I just have to speak to him. Do you have any idea where he might be?"

"Hey, Liz," said Ken Matthews, overhearing the conversation as he passed by the table with his lunch tray. "If you're looking for Todd, you'll find him in the parking lot with his new toy."

"Thanks, Ken," Elizabeth said, giving her favorite football player a squeeze on the arm. "You're an angel."

A few minutes later Elizabeth approached Todd, who was busily polishing the Yamaha's gleaming chrome exhaust pipes. "Oh, hi, Liz," he said, looking up at the sound of her footsteps. "I can't believe how much dirt I picked up just riding to school. I'm going to have to spend all my spare time keeping this baby clean." He dropped his rag and gave Elizabeth a hug. "How's my favorite motorcycle mama?"

That was the last thing she needed to hear. Feeling her determination slip a little, she released herself from his strong grasp, then looked him in the eye. "Look, Todd, I'm sorry I ran out on you this morning. I-"

"Hey, what's the big deal?" Todd interrupted good-naturedly. "You had work to do. I can understand that."

"Thanks," Elizabeth said. "I-"

Todd cut her off again. "I'm just sorry I didn't get a chance to give you this." He bent down to unlatch the pink helmet from its perch on the side of the bike. "I thought you'd look terrific in hot pink. The guy in the shop looked at me kind of funny when I told him I wanted pink, but when I said it was for my girlfriend, he said I had excellent taste. Here, try it on." Rising, he held out the helmet to Elizabeth, but she wouldn't take it.

"I-can't," she said haltingly.

Todd refused to be bothered by her hesitation. "Look, if you're worried about making your cold worse, you don't have to ride with me now. I just want to see how the helmet looks."

"No, Todd, I don't want to."

"Hey, don't tell me you're afraid of messing up your hair. Now, if it was Jessica, I could understand it, but you.... Hey, what's the matter, Liz?" Todd asked, noticing the tears welling in her eyes.

"I don't have a cold, Todd," Elizabeth admitted. "I made that up."

"Why?" Todd asked, a puzzled expression on his face.

"It was easier to tell you that than to tell you I can't ride with you. And not just today, Todd. I mean ever."

"You can't?" Todd exclaimed, nearly dropping the helmet. "Why not?"

Elizabeth took a deep breath and said, "A few years ago a cousin of mine, Rexy, died in a motorcycle accident. Since then my parents have forbidden us from ever riding on one."

"How come you've waited till now to tell me this?" Todd said brusquely, setting the helmet on the motorcycle's black leather seat. "You knew for months I was getting a bike."

"I was afraid of how you'd react."