Power Play, chapter 12

If there was one thing Jessica Wakefield found totally unbearable, it was her twin sister's Cheshire-cat grin. It meant that Elizabeth knew something Jessica didn't know, and that was enough to drive Jessica into a screaming, clawing tantrum.

The day started with Elizabeth wearing that absolutely exasperating Cheshire-cat face.

"Elizabeth Wakefield, you stop that."

"Stop what?"

"Stop looking like that. What do you know that I don't know? Don't deny it, you creep! What is it?"

Elizabeth drank her orange juice, munched on her toast, and smiled. "You'd know something, too, if you read the paper once in a while."

Jessica snatched up The Sweet Valley News and searched through it frantically. Nothing but the usual hundred and thirty-seven disasters and boring business and politics, she said to herself.

Elizabeth was finishing up her toast when she finally offered, "I mean our newspaper-The Oracle."

"The Oracle?" Jessica pounced on it, devouring the six pages in record time. When she saw it, she practically fell off her chair.

"Oh, no!"

"Yes, Jessie, it looks like you've got competition on the cheerleading squad. Robin Wilson."

Jessica threw the paper under the table with a flourish and crossed her arms. "Who said she could try out?"

"Anybody can try out, Jessie. The Pi Betas don't control that."

"But she's a-space cadet, Liz! Have you seen her walking around like something out of a horror movie?"

"I've seen her, Jess. And a lot of other people are seeing her these days, too."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean she's getting popular in a big way since she lost all that weight and did herself over. And she doesn't act like a space cadet, either!"

"I don't think it's a bit fair," Jessica pouted, reluctantly admitting Elizabeth was right. "I mean, a few weeks ago I could see she was a little less of a slob, but how could she possibly get so good-looking so fast? I mean we're talking about Tubby here."

"Well, she's been working hard at it," Elizabeth pointed out. "Haven't you noticed that? She deserves to look gorgeous."

"Oh, keep quiet for once!"

"I saw Bruce Patman drooling over her the other day after school."

"Bruce Patman is the jerkiest person in thirty-seven states and Mexico," Jessica fumed. "And anyway, what does he know? Beauty is only skin deep, Liz. Just remember that. It's what's underneath that really counts. And underneath, Robin Wilson is a deranged freak! Why she doesn't like any of us after all we did for her, I'll never know. But it's the mark of a sick person."

What the Pi Betas had unintentionally done for Robin certainly was remarkable, Elizabeth had to admit. She had not simply avenged herself by losing weight. Robin had gone through a complete transformation. The old tent dresses had slowly disappeared, replaced with flattering and stylish outfits. The pale face had taken on a healthy glow, and all in all a totally new Robin Wilson was dazzling Sweet Valley High. There were many kids, in fact, who swore she'd just moved to town. They'd never even noticed her before.

And it all started to come together the week of cheerleader tryouts.

On Monday Robin showed up in designer jeans, a rainbow top, and a new hairstyle. Lip gloss and perfect eye makeup created an effect that almost caused Bruce Patman to walk into the gym door.

"Who was that?" he gasped.

"She just moved here from Mars," said Elizabeth, who'd witnessed his near accident. "We call her Wrecker Wilson."

Most of the school jocks turned out for cheerleader tryouts, including Bruce, and Robin went through the routine as if she'd done it a thousand times before. Not only was she picked at once, but she was made co-captain with a completely astounded Jessica Wakefield.

But Jessica wasn't the only one who was shocked.

"I can't deal with this," muttered Bruce Patman to anyone who would listen. "That gorgeous girl is Robin Wilson!"

Elizabeth decided to interview Robin for The Oracle, as her new status as co-captain of the cheerleading squad had to be one of the school's hottest items in the past few weeks.

She asked her a number of questions, which Robin answered enthusiastically, with occasional bursts of cheerful laughter. It was the first time Elizabeth had heard her laugh in months.

Finally Elizabeth asked a question that was, as she told Robin, "off the record." "Well, how does it feel to shove it all down their throats?"

"Heavenly." Robin giggled, then she regained her composure. "Well-I don't care about them. Although, let me tell you, Liz, you haven't seen anything yet."

"You've got other surprises for us?"

Robin smiled. "I've got the biggest surprise of all. Just wait."

"I hope you're not going overboard, Robin."

"Don't worry, Liz. I've learned how to swim with sharks."

After that victorious afternoon, it seemed Robin regained some of her old friendliness, and Elizabeth was happy to find herself sitting together with Robin and Enid outside under a tree one beautiful day, having lunch.

"At first I thought you really had set me up," Robin told Elizabeth. "I thought you must have known somebody was going to blackball me. I thought you just might be as rotten as your sister."

"Come on, Robin. Jessica isn't rotten."

Robin looked at her. "You're too much, Liz. You know that? You can't see rottenness in anybody! She's the one who blackballed me."

"Jessica? No!" Elizabeth couldn't bear for Robin to be so hurt, so disillusioned. "She was your friend!"

Robin laughed and shook her head. "Liz, don't try to protect her. I know it was Jessica. I decided after a lot of thinking that you couldn't have been in on it. I'm even starting to believe you don't understand that scheming sister of yours."

"Oh, but, Robin-"

"You just don't want to face up to what kind of person Jessica is. She and I were never really friends. I used to pretend to myself that we were because I wanted to believe it was really true. It must have given Jessica a few good laughs."

Little by little Elizabeth began to feel that she and Robin were becoming close friends. Somehow, through adversity, a strong bond of friendship had sprung up, grown, and deepened.

"I was so afraid," Robin confessed one day. "I needed to be accepted so much that I threw away my pride and self-respect. Believe me, it's never worth it."

"I tried to tell you that silly sorority wasn't worth it," said Elizabeth.

"I know you did. And you were right. But you were already in, Liz. Everything comes easy for you. You're bright, pretty, everyone likes you. You don't know what it's like to have troubles."

Remembering the recent past, Elizabeth had a difficult time keeping her mouth shut at that last remark.

Being Robin's new friend proved to be quite entertaining. Everywhere they went, Bruce Patman followed. Todd wasn't pleased to find him hanging around Elizabeth, but he could see it wasn't his girlfriend Bruce was interested in. Bruce simply couldn't keep away from the new cheerleader. He seemed to have completely forgotten that he once called her the Queen Mary. Everybody at Sweet Valley High, even Elizabeth, gradually forgot there had ever been a fat Robin.