Double Love, chapter 8

“Oh, Lizzie, it was so awful!" Jessica wailed, bursting into tears. "There was drinking and fighting, and Rick had his hands all over-"

"Rick!" Elizabeth cut in. "Did you say Rick? You mean you weren't with Todd?" Elizabeth was so relieved, she felt her anger deflate like a punctured balloon.

"I wish I had been with Todd," said Jessica. "He would never have taken me to that awful place! I'm telling you, it was all Rick's fault. He practically dragged me in there, for heaven's sake!"

"If it was all Rick's fault," Elizabeth asked, suspiciously, "then how come the police ended up with my name?" She wasn't letting Jessica worm her way out of it this time.

"It was a mix-up, Liz," Jessica cried. "You've got to believe me! The cop was Emily's uncle, and he said he recognized you, and-"

"And you didn't correct him." Elizabeth's voice was hard.

"I tried to, Lizzie. Honest, I did. He-he wouldn't listen."

Jessica was sobbing uncontrollably now. Elizabeth felt torn between wanting to comfort her sister and wanting to murder her. Knowing she'd been with Rick instead of Todd made it easier for Elizabeth to forgive her.

"Stop crying, Jess," she commanded softly. "I know how scared you must have been. I guess I would've been, too. What I don't understand is how you could let people think I was arrested."

"That's so totally ridiculous," she said, grabbing a handful of tissues and mopping her face. "The cop just drove me home and gave me a warning. If I'd been arrested, Mom and Dad would've been called. I can't believe Caroline would spread a story like that about you!"

"I suppose this whole thing is Caroline's fault now, huh?"

"Please don't hate me," Jessica begged. "I'll clear your name, Liz. I promise. Even if it ruins me." She sneaked a look at her sister to see if she would demand such a sacrifice.

Elizabeth just thought for a moment.

"But you know, Liz, doing that just might keep the gossip going on forever. You know how it is. Anyway, something will happen tomorrow, and everybody will forget about this," she said hopefully.

"Jessica, I don't care about the whole world. I just want my friends to know the truth."

Jessica sensed she was almost off the hook.

"Certainly you don't think your friends-your real friends-would think you were arrested. Don't tell me that your very best friend, wimpy Rollins, would turn on you?"

Jessica knew she shouldn't make a crack about Enid, but she couldn't resist. She didn't like Elizabeth being close friends with anyone but her.

Lost in thought, Elizabeth mumbled, "No, Enid is my friend. She'll stick." But what about Todd? she thought.

"Is there anyone else you want me to tell the truth to? Maybe Todd Wilkins? Are you and he kind of buddies?" Jessica asked, never taking her eyes off her sister's face.

Buddies? Buddies! The one boy in all the world whom Elizabeth loved, who made her heart beat faster and her breath catch in her throat. Buddies?

"Yeah, I guess that's what we are," she finally answered.

Knowing she had won the battle, Jessica gave Elizabeth a hug. "Don't worry about a thing, Liz. Todd and I have gotten very close. I'll tell him the truth. I just know he's too terrific a guy to hold it against you. No way do I want him mad at you, Lizzie. Like, wouldn't it be impossible when he picks me up for dates for him not to say hello to you, at least?"

The picture of a smiling Todd picking up Jessica for dates, holding her hand-kissing her good night at the front door-made Elizabeth want to weep. She could only imagine in despair what Todd must think of her now....

Ronnie and Enid had a date to spend what was left of the day at the beach, but when Ronnie knocked on Enid's door, Todd was standing beside him.

"You don't mind, do you, Enid?" Ronnie asked as they clattered down the deck steps. "Just look at Todd. He's a mess. I couldn't let a frat brother go moping around like that without doing something. So I asked him to come along with us today, OK?"

Enid took one look at Todd's sheepish, embarrassed expression and melted. She ruffled his hair, linked arms with the both of them, and said, "Come on, you gorgeous guys. Let's go!"

At first the job of cheering Todd up didn't appear to be very difficult. By the time they hit the blue-green water, he was actually laughing. Immediately Enid and Ronnie announced, "It's water war time!" and splashed Todd from both sides. They all rode in on the waves like human surfboards. When they finally dragged themselves from the water, dripping and shivering, they were all in great spirits. That is, until Ronnie, sitting cross-legged on the small blanket Enid had brought along, said, "Hey, what do you think of Liz Wakefield and Rick Andover?"

Todd sat upright, scowling. "I heard the rumor," he muttered unhappily. He looked crushed.

Enid glared at Ronnie for being so stupid, but he didn't seem to get the message.

"That guy is such a beast. I can't believe her!" Ronnie added, not realizing he was rubbing salt in the wound.

"Now, wait a minute," Enid said. "We've all heard the same rumor and-"

"See?" Ronnie interrupted. "Even Liz's best friend-"

"No, no!" Enid protested. "We've just heard the rumor. But I know it's not true. I asked her about it."

Smiling sarcastically, Ronnie demanded, "And what did poor Liz do? Burst into tears?"

Enid didn't like Ronnie's attitude. "No, she didn't burst into tears. In fact, she seemed quite angry and confused that anybody would say such things about her. She flatly denied the rumor, Ronnie."

"And you believed her?" Ronnie asked, amazed.

"Of course I believed her!" Enid said hotly. "She wouldn't lie to me. She's my best friend!"

Sitting on the plaid blanket in the blazing sun, the three friends shared an awkward silence. Enid picked up handfuls of sand, letting the grains sift out from between her clenched fingers. "I know Liz better than just about anybody. And I can't imagine her with a guy like Rick-especially in a place like Kelly's."

"Well, sometimes a person is not what she seems," Ronnie said sharply.

Todd nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's true. I mean, that's what I'm finding."

Enid couldn't believe her ears and told them so. "I know there's another explanation. I can't accept these rumors, especially after Liz has denied them."

Todd, a sad, faraway look in his brown eyes, said, "Maybe there's just so much a person can take. I mean, how long can you go on trusting someone, believing in someone?"

"If you're her friend," Enid said, "you should never stop."

Todd looked down at the sand.

Desperately, Enid turned to Ronnie. "Sometimes people make mistakes they're sorry for later," she said slowly and from her heart. "Don't you think they should be forgiven?"

Ronnie thought for a moment, throwing a pebble over and over into the sand. Finally he shook his head. "Some things are unforgivable."

Enid was shaken by Ronnie's attitude. It was a side of him she hadn't known before-a cold, hard, unforgiving side-and it frightened her.

"How did you hear about Liz?" Todd asked Ronnie.

"I heard it from at least three people," Ronnie answered. "She was seen getting out of the police car. She was overheard promising never to go to Kelly's again-with Rick, especially."

"Well, I guess that's it, then," Todd said with bitter resignation. "There's no use arguing because it's a plain fact-Liz was there with Rick, and no amount of explaining can change that."

"Well, I don't believe she was there," Enid said, "but even if she was, the real question is, are you a true friend, and can you forgive her?" She was really asking Ronnie, pleading with Ronnie, but it was Todd who answered.

"I don't know. I really don't."

"Well, I do know," Ronnie said vehemently. "And if a girl I liked did something like that, I'd never speak to her again."