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. It'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 it'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.

"It'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 it'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?"

"No, this is-fine," Elizabeth said falteringly.

"But you're not fine. Come on, Liz, it's me, Todd. I thought you could tell me anything."

"Oh, Todd. It's nothing. I guess my thoughts were someplace else."

He unfolded his long frame, stood, and walked over to flip off the set.

"That's been happening a lot lately. Are your thoughts someplace else, or on someone else?"

Someone else? Todd couldn't think that! She hadn't been interested in another guy since the day she met Todd.