Amy's True Love (Sweet Valley High Book 75)

by Francine Pascal

  "You're a godsend, Amy," Kathy said when Amy showed up at Project Youth half an hour later. "Thanks for coming down. You know, I've been listening in on your calls. You've got a real talent, Amy. I think you have what it takes to become a first-rate youth counselor one day. Of course, you'd need to take a further professional training course, but I think you're a natural.''

  Amy blushed. "Thanks," she murmured, suddenly shy. Usually Amy adored praise, lapped it up. But this was a different sort of praise, a kind she was not accustomed to receiving. Kathy was not praising her looks or her flirtation skills. She was giving Amy a new message, one that was not so simple to process.

  "I know you're only supposed to work here for a few more weeks," Kathy continued. "But if you have any interest in staying on, I'd be happy to have you. We can't afford to pay very much, but we could certainly figure out a way to give you something. I think you'd enjoy it. If you're interested, that is."

  "Thanks," Amy said again. "I'd like that. I really like working here."

  When Kathy had gone off to lead a counseling session, Amy sat down at the telephone table. For a moment, all her bad feelings of the morning came flooding back. But then the first call came in. That was one of the things Amy liked best about working at the clinic. She couldn't think about her own problems for very long.

  "Jessica," Elizabeth exclaimed as she stood in her sister's doorway. "You're not wearing that to the Beach Disco, are you?"

  "Why not?" Jessica said calmly. She swiveled in front of her full-length mirror and admired her reflection. Her bright red miniskirt swirled when she turned. It was perfect for the new dance steps she had been trying out earlier with Lila. The black top was a little skimpier than the tops Jessica usually wore, but she liked the racy effect it created. And with the black bangles she had layered on her wrist, she knew she looked hot.

  Elizabeth shook her head. "Those heels look too tall for walking, let alone dancing," she objected.

  "Haven't you noticed," Jessica said as she outlined her lips with fire-engine red lipstick, "that Enid's cousin is very tall?"

  "Oh, no," Elizabeth groaned. "You're not seriously going after Jake, are you?"

  Jessica fluffed up her hair. "Not 'seriously,' Liz, of course not. I have nothing in mind but pure fun." She reached for a can of hair spray. "Don't look so shocked," she admonished. "If you weren't so 'serious' about Todd Wilkins, you might have noticed that Jake is a hunk! He's got so much style," she added. "Not like the guys around here. And he's got a great sense of humor. Don't you remember, Liz, how much fun it is just to flirt?"

  "Of course I do." Elizabeth frowned. "But isn't Jake going to get confused if both you and Lila are chasing him tonight?"

  "Why should he be confused? I think he'll be flattered." Jessica did one last twirl before the mirror. "It isn't too late to change what you're wearing, you know," she added with a quick, critical glance at Elizabeth's khaki pants and striped tank top.

  Elizabeth laughed. "I'm happy as is, Jess. No chance of anyone mistaking us for each other tonight!"

  The phone rang as the twins got downstairs. "Let the machine get it, in case it's for Mom," Elizabeth suggested. The machine beeped and they heard Amy Sutton's plaintive voice.

  "Jess, where are you? I thought we were going to the Beach Disco together tonight. I'll wait at home until seven-thirty, and if I haven't heard from you by then, I'll just go ahead." Elizabeth was about to pick up the receiver, but Jessica stopped her.

  "It's almost seven-thirty. Let's just go," Jessica said to Elizabeth.

  Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. "Still mad at Amy?"

  "Well, I'm not the only one," Jessica retorted. "Didn't I tell you she's been saying she's interested in Tom McKay? Poor Jean is still really upset about him and Amy's acting as if he's hers to pounce on! We are all cheerleaders, you know. And cheerleaders should stick together."

  Elizabeth groaned as she opened the door. "I don't see why cheerleaders owe each other any more loyalty than any other friends. And as for going after someone else's ex, that's not exactly an abnormal activity in your crowd, is it? I hate to be the one to remind you, Jess, but didn't you try to steal Roger Barrett Patman away from Olivia Davidson a while back? Your crowd doesn't usually require an official mourning period before moving in for the kill!"

  Jessica pouted. "I'm surprised you're taking Amy's side. You're the one who always says Amy is flighty and boy-crazy."

  "I just think you should be fair, that's all." Elizabeth slipped into the driver's seat of the Fiat. "If you're mad at Amy for something, you should tell her. But I get the feeling you guys are waging a cold war against her. And that isn't very nice."

  Jessica was silent for a moment. "Well, maybe we have been a little harsh," she admitted. But Jessica wasn't ready to let her friend off the hook so easily. At least, not yet.

  By the time Amy pulled up in front of the dance club on the west end of the beach, the parking lot was already crowded. Amy got out of her car and walked slowly toward the building. She wondered if she was dressed right. It was hard coming to this sort of thing all alone without a friend to give her emotional support and wardrobe advice.

  Amy had decided to dress all in white. Tom was tennis-obsessed enough to appreciate the look. She had chosen tight white jeans, a white halter top, and a lot of silver jewelry. The Beach Disco often used strobe lights, and Amy thought the effect of the lights on her blond hair and white clothing would be dynamite.

  Amy passed inside and looked around for Tom. About fifty kids were already packed onto the small dance floor, and the tables were full as well. It looked like a great party.

  Amy narrowed her eyes and scanned the crowd. She spotted Jake right away. He looked very chic in a funky gray jacket, baggy gray trousers, and a wild bow tie. Jessica was hanging on one arm, Lila on the other, Amy noticed. Maybe that's why they hadn't answered her phone calls. They were too busy fighting over Enid's cousin!

  Enid was sitting at a big table with Elizabeth, Todd, Winston, and a bunch of other kids from school. Amy saw some of the cheerleaders and sorority girls seated at another table. There was Jean West, looking pretty in a blue dress . . . and there was Tom, deep in conversation with her!

  Amy quickly pushed her way through the crowded dance floor until she got close to Tom and Jean. She paused and pretended to look around for someone. "Oh, Tom! Jean! Hi," she exclaimed. "Have either of you two seen Jessica?"

  It worked. Tom and Jean were forced to interrupt their conversation. Amy stood her ground until they included her in idle chatter. After a few minutes Jean excused herself and vanished through the crowd.

  "Tom," Amy said, putting her hand on his arm, "you look great. Where on earth did you get that shirt?"

  Tom blushed and looked uncomfortable. It was so sweet, Amy thought, his being shy about his appearance!

  "I don't remember," he said, looking around nervously.

  "Would you like to dance?" Amy asked coyly as a slow song began to play.

  "Uh, maybe a little later," Tom stammered.

  Amy gave him a warm smile. Tom's answer implied they would be spending a lot of the evening together! She edged closer to him.

  "Do you think Jake is having fun?" she asked, nodding toward the spot on the dance floor where Jake was dancing with Enid.

  "I hope so. He's a great guy," Tom replied. "And he's an incredible tennis player," Tom continued admiringly.

  Amy was glad that Tom was confiding in her. Still, she wanted the conversation to get more personal. "You know, Tom," she said daringly, "I'm not usually this direct, but—"

  "Amy, listen, I've got to get something to drink." There was a look of panic on his handsome face. Amy watched in silence as he took off in the direction of the soda machine.

  "Problems, Amy?" Lila's face wore a knowing smile. She had come up from behind Amy and had heard Tom's hasty excuse.

  Amy felt her face burn. "As a matter of fact, no," she answered. Some friend Lila was, making fun of her about something
that really mattered! But then, Lila didn't realize that Tom was not just another crush for Amy. That this time she was really in love.

  Amy followed Tom. She refused to give up. She reached the soda machine just as Barry Rork approached from the other direction.

  "Hi, Amy!" Barry's eyes brightened. "Want to dance?"

  Amy stared at Tom. "Uh, not now, Barry. But thanks anyway," she said. "Tom, won't you let me share that with you? I'm absolutely dying of thirst."

  Tom reached in his pocket for two quarters. "Here, take mine. I'll get another one," he said. He would not meet her eyes.

  A new song had just begun and Amy tried again. "Ooooh, Tom," she gasped. "This is absolutely my favorite song. Won't you dance with me?"

  "Sorry, Amy, but I twisted my ankle slightly today playing tennis. I don't want to risk a serious injury by dancing." Tom was polite but firm.

  "I'll dance with you," Barry said. Before Amy could refuse again, he led her onto the dance floor. Amy sighed audibly and watched Tom walk away from the soda machine with evident relief. Now she was stuck dancing with Barry and would probably lose Tom in the crowd. Amy felt her spirits sink. She knew she should be a good sport about dancing with Barry. She did like him a lot. As a friend.

  "Barry," she said as he put his arms around her for a slow dance, "can I ask you a huge favor?"

  Barry looked as if he were on cloud nine. "Whatever you want, Amy. Just name it."

  "Help me get Tom to dance with me," Amy begged.

  Barry loosened his embrace a little but said nothing. Amy didn't lose heart. Barry was her friend, Amy reminded herself. She knew he would help her. He had promised as much the other day, at the clinic.

  Jessica wiped her brow and smiled happily. Three dances in a row with Jake! She was having a ball.

  "How many for you?" Lila demanded.

  Jessica put up three fingers.

  "I'm killing you. He's danced five times with me," Lila said triumphantly.

  Jessica giggled. "But I got a slow dance. It's quality, Lila, not quantity!"

  The girls decided to freshen up. They got in the long line for the girls' bathroom. Across from them, in line for the boys' bathroom, were Tom McKay and Barry Rork, deep in conversation. Jessica's ears pricked up when she heard Amy's name.

  "Listen, I'd do anything to be in your shoes," Barry was saying glumly. "But Amy doesn't give me the time of day."

  "Tell me what I can do to help. Believe me, I'm not interested," Tom exclaimed.

  "Nothing. What can you do? She adores you," Barry said. "All I can do is suffer, I guess."

  Tom ran his hand through his hair. "Well, I'm not sure how much longer I can suffer. She's been chasing me around all night!"

  "Come on, McKay. Don't break my heart," Barry pleaded.

  Jessica leaned over to hear more, but the two boys seemed to sense someone was listening and they fell silent. Jessica looked at Tom and Barry. It did not surprise her one bit that Tom wanted Amy to leave him alone. What did surprise her was that Barry Rork sounded totally in love. Jessica knew Barry vaguely through Bruce Patman, another senior on the tennis team. Barry was a nice guy, really sweet and sincere. What could he possibly like about Amy Sutton?

  As she watched Barry, Jessica remembered a bit more about him. Bruce had said that he was a pretty intense guy, involved in the community, and also a good student. Either Barry had really changed, or he saw something in Amy that nobody else did!

  Seven

  Tom got to the courts at nine-thirty on Sunday morning. He was supposed to meet Jake at ten, which meant he had half an hour to himself to practice some strokes on the backboard.

  Tom quickly got into a rhythm, hitting the ball over and over again. The last few weeks had been very hectic. He had spent a lot of time at tennis practice, and a lot of time with friends. Tom knew he had not really begun to digest what had happened with Jean.

  Their having broken up still made him incredibly sad. Tom had never had a steady girlfriend before Jean, plenty of dates, of course, but nothing serious. Jean was one of the nicest girls he had ever met, and he knew he would never forget her. Never, he thought, giving the tennis ball a hard swipe with his racket.

  Their whole history flashed before him. He remembered, with a pained smile, what Jean had put him through when she had first started to show an interest in him. Jessica Wakefield and some of the other members of Pi Beta Alpha, the sorority Jean had been so eager to join, had made Jean ask him out as part of her pledge task. Tom had been furious when he found out he was being used. But what had started as a dare turned out to be much more. Jean really liked him. A lot. And Tom liked her.

  Very quickly they had become boyfriend and girlfriend. Tom had discovered, to his surprise and delight, what wonderful company she was, how understanding, sympathetic, and loving. For a long time they had been very happy together. Then, well, he wasn't sure why, but he had begun to feel as if something important was missing from their relationship.

  He still could not understand what had gone wrong between them. Was it just part of growing up, realizing that sometimes relationships didn't make it, and for no apparent reason? Tom had heard guys talking about breaking up with girls. He had heard them say they had gotten bored, that they had met someone new. Well, he didn't have an excuse like that. How could he have gotten bored with Jean? And he certainly could not imagine anyone else he would rather be with. The relationship just hadn't felt right, and the more he had tried to hide his feelings, the worse it had become.

  Tom sighed, threw his racket up in the air and caught it. The whole thing really hurt, maybe even more because he didn't understand what had happened.

  "Hey, Tom! Quit throwing your racket around! You're supposed to be saving your energy for some serious tennis," he heard Jake call.

  Tom grinned. It had been great having Jake around this weekend. Jake had helped him take his mind off Jean. In fact, if he were the sort of person who could talk about his feelings, instead of keeping them bottled up inside, he would tell Jake about Jean. Maybe someday he would.

  Jake slipped off his tennis sweater and looked closely at Tom. "Were you OK last night? I was worried about you," he said.

  Tom smiled self-consciously. "I had to get away for a bit, so I went outside to take a walk."

  Jake nodded. "Yeah, I looked for you, and Todd Wilkins told me you'd cut out for a while. Too hot in that place, huh?"

  "Well, especially . . ." Tom paused for a second. He was not used to talking about girls, and he did not want to put Amy down, but he would not mind sharing a little of what he had been feeling last night. "You know who Amy Sutton is, don't you? Blond hair, gray eyes? She was wearing all white last night," he added.

  Jake nodded. "She's cute," he said neutrally.

  "Yeah, well, she may be cute, but she's a little too pushy for my taste." Tom sighed. "I just split up with a girl I'd been seeing for a while. We were pretty serious. But Amy's barely given me a chance to take a breath before jumping all over me!"

  "I do remember her following you around. She sure seemed interested." Jake grinned.

  "I don't know what it's going to take to get the message that I'm not interested through to her." Tom shook his head. "I had to pretend I needed some air last night, because I couldn't think of any more good reasons not to dance with her!"

  "Poor guy," Jake teased. "It's hard having gorgeous girls falling all over you."

  Tom laughed. "The worst part of it is that my friend Barry Rork is nuts about Amy, and she won't give him the time of day."

  Jake shook his head. "It's rotten, isn't it? Sometimes you feel as if you're always in love with someone who's in love with someone else."

  "Yeah," Tom agreed.

  Jake hesitated, as if he were going to say something more, then reached for a canister of tennis balls. "But enough talk," he chided. "Let's play some tennis!"

  It took both boys a game to warm up. By the third game, Tom was amazed at how well they were both playing. Jake was enough of
a better player to make Tom perform at his best. Tom could not believe the shots he was able to make.

  "Nice!" Jake called when he won the fourth game.

  "Nice for whom?" Tom called back.

  But by the middle of the second set, Tom's strength began to serve him well. He won two games in a row, and, with some struggle, was able to take the second set.

  "You know, it's lousy having to stop with the sets tied up," Jake said as he wiped his face with a towel. "But I haven't got time for a third set now. I promised Enid I'd meet her back at her house in half an hour."

  "How about this afternoon?" Tom asked, still struggling to catch his breath.

  Jake shook his head. "I can't, Tom. Enid and I have a lot to catch up on. We've been with her mom and her friends a lot the past few days, and we haven't been able to talk alone."

  "How about late this afternoon?" Tom was dying to play the third set.

  "I don't really see how. You know Enid's having a party tonight, and I want to help her get things ready." Jake grinned. "Don't look so bummed out. It's great leaving things tied up. That way you can come up to San Francisco sometime to play the last set."

  Tom felt funny all of a sudden. It had just struck him that Jake was leaving the next day. "It's too bad you don't live in Sweet Valley," he blurted out.

  Jake was leaning over to scoop up his racket. Tom could not see his reaction. "Oh, well," Jake said cheerfully as he stood up. "Just means you'll have a good reason to come up and say hi sometime." He gave Tom a friendly pat on the shoulder and started off toward the parking lot. "You need a ride anywhere?"

  "No, thanks," Tom said, watching Jake walk off.

  "See you tonight at Enid's, right?" Jake called.

  "Right," Tom called back. "Hey, Jake?"

  Jake turned and waited.

  "Thanks for a great match. A great almost-match."

  Jake waved his racket. Tom saw him get into Enid's car and pull out of the parking lot.