Power Play, chapter 14

Robin had to fight her way through the crowd and out onto the football field. Clearing the way for her was an excited Bruce Patman, who gave every indication that he was the date of the new Miss Sweet Valley High.

"Out of the way," Bruce commanded, shoving people aside. "Robin's coming through. Come on, Robin!"

As soon as she reached the field, a camera crew from KSVH trained its floodlights on her. Elizabeth, covering the event for both The Oracle, and The Sweet Valley News was there, too, asking questions of a glowing Robin.

"Did you expect to win?" she asked.

"No, not really. If you never expect too much, you'll never be disappointed."

"Do you have anything to tell the student body?"

Robin searched the sky for a moment. "Only something we all know but don't always remember-'Know yourself.' And don't try to be anyone else."

"OK!" Elizabeth yelled. She noticed Allen Walters trying to get through the crowd. "Make way for the man with the camera. The Oracle needs pictures of the new Miss Sweet Valley High!"

The crowd gave way. Robin stood alone at the edge of the field.

Mr. Cooper stepped up and handed her an armful of American Beauty roses, and Allen Walters recorded the moment for The Oracle.

"Procession," the students began yelling. "Procession!"

It was a tradition for Miss Sweet Valley High to ride around the football stadium in the backseat of a limousine to celebrate her triumph. The limo was out on the track, but Robin hesitated.

"Bruce," said Robin, waving him over. "Do you suppose I could ride in your Porsche instead of the limo?"

"Sure!" Bruce beamed. "Shall I get it?"

"That would be terribly nice of you," she said, giving him a dazzling smile.

Bruce raced down the field to the exit, leaped into his sleek black car, and vroomed back up the track to the field. It seemed to everyone that Robin had achieved absolute top status at Sweet Valley. She was the football queen, and now she would take her triumphal tour in Bruce Patman's black Porsche.

The car glided to a halt in front of the limousine, and Bruce jumped out to open the door. Robin walked to it, turned to wave at the crowd, then motioned for quiet.

"Thanks," she said. "And now for the procession! With me will be my escort-Allen Walters."

Elizabeth walked over to where Jessica was sitting behind the team bench. "Hard to say who looks more stupefied-Allen Walters or Bruce Patman!" Elizabeth chuckled, but Jessica ignored her. She was looking in her pocket mirror, trying to figure out why she'd lost.

"Allen Walters?" Bruce muttered.

"Me?" Allen wondered aloud.

"Come on, Allen," the queen commanded, and a dumbstruck Allen walked over and handed his camera to Elizabeth.

"Uh-Liz, I guess I'm part of the story."

Blushing but eager, Allen squeezed into the back of the black Porsche with Robin and sat there in a happy daze as they were driven victoriously around the field, with the marching band leading the way. The cheerleaders, with the exception of Jessica, piled into the limousine and then followed the Porsche on its triumphal ride. Robin smiled at Allen warmly, and he took her hand. Everyone's eyes were on the black Porsche, but theirs were on each other only.

Bruce Patman looked outraged, Jessica noticed as she put her mirror away. She was pleased that if she was to be denied her rightful title, he, also, would come away with nothing. And it only got worse when Elizabeth snapped a picture of him for The Oracle in his role as chauffeur.

"Get out of here." He moaned.

"You never looked better, Bruce." Elizabeth laughed.

Minutes later the second half of the game began. The Sweet Valley Gladiators rallied to run away from the Palisades High Pumas 28-7.

Elizabeth rushed back to her room after the game, typed up her story of the exciting day, and sped it over to Louis Westman's office. She'd poured everything she had into it and spent a sleepless night after the homecoming dance worried that it would join the stack of rejections she'd piled up. But two days later she was thrilled to see it in the paper with her by-line.

"What do you know!" she exclaimed to her family. "Victories come in threes. We won the football game, Robin won the Miss Sweet Valley contest, and"-she waved the paper in front of them triumphantly-"Elizabeth Wakefield has her first by-line in The Sweet Valley News!"

A few days later, the Pi Betas, who appreciated popularity, if nothing else, invited Robin Wilson to join their sorority. They were instantly turned down, and they were stunned.

"Can you imagine that?" Jessica said to Elizabeth. "We overrule the blackball for the first time in our entire history, and she has the colossal gall to turn us down."

"Astonishing, isn't it?" Elizabeth laughed.

"She actually thanked me for blackballing her! Even though I swore I wasn't the one. She thanked me! Because we made her change her life."

"Well, I guess we did."

"Well, then, if we turned her from an ugly duckling into a swan, how does she have the incredible nerve to turn against us?"

Elizabeth knew there was no point in trying to explain anything so obvious to a furious Jessica.

Robin had better ways to spend her time. After the Palisades High game, she and Allen Walters became inseparable. Elizabeth even put a mention of them in her column, "Eyes and Ears." The item read: "Robin Wilson, Miss Sweet Valley High, and Allen Walters, resident genius and Oracle photographer, have discovered each other."

A few weeks later Elizabeth found herself worried about how the Pi Betas, and Jessica especially, were bearing up under the double blow of Robin winning Miss Sweet Valley High and snubbing the sorority.

Jessica had a distant look in her eyes most of the time and kept disappearing for hours on end after school and over the weekends.

Elizabeth finally confronted her sister. "I really hope you're not brooding about PBA."

"Oh, Liz, that nonsense is about seven hundred and thirty-seventh on my list of concerns," Jessica said.

Elizabeth could not believe she'd heard correctly.

"What was that, Jessica?"

"You probably haven't noticed it, but the Pi Betas are terribly juvenile. I'm surprised you spend so much time with them."

Elizabeth took a good look at her twin sister. It seemed Jessica had shifted gears all of a sudden. This was not unusual, but the tone of her twin's voice made Elizabeth nervous.

"What's happened, Jessica?"

"What?" Innocence flowed.

"I've noticed lately that you've been walking around looking a little out of it, but I thought it was because you were sorting out that business with Robin."

"My dear, naive Elizabeth," said Jessica. "Those are things kids worry about."

"Well, if you haven't been hiding out because you didn't want to show your face, where have you been going?"

"To the beach. Sketching. I feel art is something extremely important to me, Liz."

"Beach? Sketching?"

"The dunes around Castle Cove are magnificent natural wonders."

Elizabeth did a double take. Was she hearing correctly? Castle Cove? That's where the crowd of college kids from State hung out.

"Jessica, are you hanging out with that college crowd?"

"I find them much more the sort of people I enjoy," Jessica said earnestly. "They understand life and art."

"Uh-huh! And is one of the natural wonders you've noticed at the cove by any chance a college man?"

"Scott Daniels!" Jessica gushed excitedly. "Oh, Liz, he's such a gorgeous hunk! And he's interested in me."

"Jessica, does he know you're only sixteen?"

"Totally irrelevant! He's interested in me for what I am."

And with that Jessica packed up her tote and headed for Castle Cove.

Elizabeth watched her go, fearful of what this new adventure might mean for her impetuous twin.

Jessica in love with an experienced college man meant storm clouds would be gathering soon. And all Elizabeth could do was hope that the inevitable winds would not shipwreck those close to her sister-including herself.