Power Play, chapter 5

Robin stood there, alone, still, for what seemed like an eternity. Waves of humiliation washed over her. Omigod, she thought, this can't be happening. Not tonight. Not after everything she'd gone through in the past few weeks. She heard neither the embarrassed laughter nor the murmurs of pity from the surrounding crowd. Robin had only one thought in her mind now. And it was an overpowering one.

Snapping out of her shock, she frantically pushed through the crowd and headed for the entrance to the gym. Like an animal momentarily paralyzed by a bright light, once recovered, all she could think about was escape.

Elizabeth reached her just before she opened the door.

"Robin!"

"Leave me alone, Liz! I've got to get out of here!"

"Wait, Robin, come with me first." Firmly Elizabeth grabbed her hand and pulled the protesting Robin down a hall to the girls' room. Elizabeth didn't know who she was maddest at-Bruce Patman for being totally disgusting; Jessica, Lila, and Cara for thinking up the stunt; herself for bribing Bruce into going; or Robin for wanting to get into PBA so desperately in the first place.

Just as they reached the door of the girls' room, Enid Rollins, Elizabeth's best friend, caught up with them.

"Robin-Liz-is there anything I can do?" Good old Enid, Elizabeth thought. She could always be counted on.

"There sure is, Enid. Stand outside and guard this door. Don't let anyone in, especially not my sister and the other two witches."

Once inside, Robin broke down completely.

"Oh, Liz, I'm so ashamed!" she wailed. "I'll never be able to face anybody again. Never! My entire life is ruined!"

Elizabeth grabbed some paper towels from the wall dispenser and ran cold water into one of the sinks.

"Here, put some water on your face. And stop talking like that. You didn't do anything to be ashamed of. If anybody should be ashamed, it's Bruce Patman-that rotten, egotistical creep!"

"Liz, it is my fault. How could I have been so totally stupid? Why would somebody who looks like Bruce Patman go out with somebody like me!" A fresh wave of tears ran down her cheeks.

"Just stop it right now, Robin Wilson!" Elizabeth snapped, hoping a tougher approach might work. "If you'd stop crying and feeling sorry for yourself for a minute, you might learn something."

"What could I possibly learn?"

"First of all, the only thing Bruce has going for him really is his looks. You happen to be lucky enough to have that and more."

"Liz, you must be out of your-"

"Look in the mirror," Elizabeth plowed on, determined to speak her mind. "Your eyes are kind of red and puffy now, but you've got a pretty face. A very pretty face."

"Look in the mirror?" Robin gasped, her shoulders still shaking with sobs.

"Yes, look," Elizabeth practically commanded, examining Robin more closely now. She had complimented Robin in order to cheer her up, but she saw now that it was true. Maybe it was the makeup and the care she'd taken with her hair. Whatever it was, Robin's face was lovely.

"Look in the mirror?" Robin repeated, fury edging into her voice. She turned to face Elizabeth. "I spend most of my life not looking in mirrors! I don't need a mirror to know what I look like. I'm fat and ugly. I may just be the fattest and ugliest girl in California!"

"Robin!"

"Don't 'Robin' me, Liz. You look in the mirror, and you see beauty. I look, and I see the beast."

"Robin, that's just not true."

"It is true, Liz. Sad but true." She grabbed her purse. "I'm getting out of here and going home right now!"

"Terrific, Robin. That will really impress Jessica."

"You think I could go back in there after what happened?" Robin demanded.

"Robin, I think you should do whatever you want to do. I'm just suggesting that running away isn't going to solve anything."

"And I'm telling you that staying certainly isn't going to solve anything!"

The door opened, and Enid stuck her head in.

"Hey, you two. I can't hold them off much longer. There's more dancing in the girls' room line than on the dance floor. I think they need to use something besides the mirror."

"We're coming, Enid. Thanks."

"I hear Todd's offered to rearrange Bruce Patman's face," Enid added, laughing.

"Omigod, look at the trouble I'm causing," Robin cried. "I can't go back to the dance! I can't even go back to school. I'm quitting! I should have done it before. I'll never come back to this school again!"

"Robin!"

Before Elizabeth could stop her, Robin squeezed by and ran out of the girls' room. Frantically she pushed her way down the crowded hall toward the front door.

"Liz, what's going on?"

"Not now, Enid. Not now."

Elizabeth had to dodge groups of people as she chased after Robin. Preoccupied with the problem of what she would say once she caught her friend, Elizabeth crashed into someone.

"Ouch!"

She looked up, and up. She had nearly knocked over the tallest, the smartest, and perhaps the shyest boy at Sweet Valley High. Allen Walters's one extracurricular activity was taking pictures for The Oracle. Other than that, he kept to himself.

"Allen, I'm sorry."

"No, Liz, it's probably my fault. I shouldn't have been in the way."

Inspiration struck Elizabeth. "Allen, you have to do something for me-right now. It's crucial!"

"Me? Now?"

"I don't have time to explain. I've got to stop Todd, and you have to stop Robin Wilson. She ran out the door. She's totally upset, and I'm worried about what she'll do!"

"Liz, I can't-"

"You have to, Allen! Trust me, it's important!" She gave him a shove in the direction of the front door, then hurried over to where Todd and Bruce were standing, glaring at each other, eyeball to eyeball. Discomarathon had become Discodisaster.

Robin was halfway across the parking lot before she realized someone was running after her.

"Robin! Hey, Robin, wait up!"

Frightened, Robin turned around. It was Allen Walters running toward her. Wasn't the evening bad enough without this?

"Why are you chasing me?" she demanded.

The harsh glare of the parking lot's neon lights revealed a belligerent Robin, standing with hands on hips. Allen stood before her, panting.

Surprised at his own brazen behavior, he muttered, "I guess I was chasing you, wasn't I?"

"Why? You heard me, Allen. Why were you chasing me?"

"Gee, I don't know, Robin. I just-well, Liz Wakefield said that you were-and-I-" Allen looked down at his feet, unable to continue.

"'I don't know-Liz Wakefield said-'" Robin mimicked. "Can't you put a sentence together, Allen? I thought you were supposed to be so smart."

"I thought you needed help, Robin," he blurted out.

"Help? Help!" Robin's rage was fast approaching a fever pitch. "Did you see what happened to me in there?"

"Well-uh-"

"I’m a total outcast! I'm ruined!" Robin was nearly screaming.

"If I can-"

"If you can what? Help me? You are going to help me? You are going to somehow, magically, help me fit in? That's the biggest joke of the whole night!"

Allen's face turned red. "Hey, look, I'm sorry, Robin."

"Sorry? My whole world is falling down around me, and who offers to help me?" She looked up into the sky. "Allen Walters! Omigod!"

Allen edged away, head down. "I'd better go. I have some things to do at home. I-I'm sorry, Robin."

Robin watched him head off across the parking lot. The misery on Allen's face looked familiar to her. In her anger at the world, she had attacked an innocent bystander. She was no better than Bruce Patman.

"Allen, wait up! Please!"

Allen stopped and waited for Robin to catch up with him.

"Allen, I-look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

"It's OK. I shouldn't have butted in."

"What were you doing in there, anyway, Allen?"

"Hey, I go to school here, too, you know?"

Flustered, Robin blurted out, "It's just that-well, sure I know you go here, but I didn't think-I mean, I didn't know you went to dances."

Allen shrugged and looked up at the sky.

Robin was immediately contrite. "I didn't mean it like that, Allen. It's just that I'm used to seeing you in the library or the chem lab. I guess I didn't think you were interested in things like dances." Wow! she thought. Can you stick your foot in any farther?

"I guess I have to get out of the library once in a while," he said with bitterness. "I should have gone to the movies instead. I don't have a lot to say to people at dances."

"You, too?"

"I say a lot of dumb things at places like this," he admitted. "I like the movies-especially old movies. Did you know there's a Humphrey Bogart festival at the Valley Cinema? There's someone who always knew the right thing to say!"

Robin smiled for the first time in an hour. "Lauren Bacall always knew the right thing to say, too. Maybe we should get a scriptwriter."

Allen laughed. It was a nice laugh, Robin realized.

"Well, I guess I'd better get going, Robin."

"Going?"

"Yeah. I've got to get home."

"You're not going back to the dance?"

"Back there? No way. I didn't belong there in the first place."

Remembering Elizabeth's lecture, Robin took a deep breath. "You know, Allen, running away from a problem doesn't solve it."

"Huh?"

Robin paused, finding it hard to believe she was trying to talk Allen Walters into going back to the one place she was determined to avoid. I must be as out of it as everybody thinks I am, she told herself.

"Maybe you should assert yourself, Allen. You have as much right to be there as anybody else."

Allen thought about that. "Maybe you're right. OK, let's go."

"Us?" Robin sputtered. "I meant you. I'm going home."

"I don't think I can go in there alone, Robin."

Running her fingers through her dark hair, Robin tried to imagine what would happen if she went back to the gym. Oh, why not? she finally concluded. The worst had to be over.

"One dance?" she said.

"I can if you can."

They both cringed a little as they reentered the gym. The noise, the lights, the crowd made a sharp, unfriendly contrast to the peace of the parking lot.

Just at that moment, Jessica swirled by. "Robin, PBA pledges are supposed to dance, to mingle-not to hide out in corners with..." The rest of her words were lost, but Robin got the message: PBA pledges do not hide out in corners with wimps like Allen Walters.

And then she was in Allen's arms, and they were dancing. If it could be called that. He seemed to want to turn in only one direction, so they were constantly spinning backward. Robin glanced at him, and his face was red and grim. A little embarrassed for both of them, she looked over her shoulder again, only to see smirking faces watching them as they moved across the floor.

Robin wasn't the only one who noticed. At the end of the song, Allen muttered, "Listen, I have to get out of here. I'm just not much good at this."

"Sure," said Robin. "I understand. I'll see you around sometime." Wondering if Allen thought her dancing was as clumsy as his, she swiftly turned and headed for the door. She was going to do what she should have done all along-go home.

To her surprise Allen caught up with her again. "Say, can't I see you home?"

"What?"

"Well, I mean-"

"You want to?"

"Yeah, sure I do."

Robin smiled, surprised. "OK, Allen."

As they walked out, Robin glanced at Allen Walters again. He was even taller than she had realized. And he had very nice eyes.