White Lies (Sweet Valley High Book 52)

by Francine Pascal

  "Don't let her boss you around, A.J.," Ken warned.

  "Stick up for your rights, Jess," put in Maria.

  Jessica felt a blush of embarrassment sweep over her cheeks, but when she looked up at A.J., she saw the good-natured acceptance in his eyes. She smiled. "Let's talk about it later, OK?"

  "Good idea," he agreed, shaking his head and laughing. "In private."

  Sighing, Jessica took another sip of her soda and let her eyes roam around the crowded hamburger restaurant. The door opened, and a figure caught her eye. "Oh, gross." She shuddered.

  "What? Who is it?" Cara said, craning around.

  Jessica rolled her eyes and watched the tall, dark-haired boy cross the Dairi Burger. "Rick Andover—scum de la scum."

  "Oh, you're kidding."

  A.J. looked mildly surprised. "What's wrong with the guy?"

  "Well . . ." Jessica and Cara and Lila exchanged a significant look. Then Jessica explained. "He's a total loser, that's his problem. First he dropped out of school and just cruised around all the time—"

  "As if that were really impressive," Lila put in disdainfully.

  Jessica nodded. "Right. So then he started telling everybody how he'd got this great music career all lined up—how he was going to L.A. to play for some big record companies and agents and stuff."

  "So what happened?" A.J. prompted. He sat back in the booth and folded his arms.

  Dana Larson leaned forward, her brown eyes filled with scorn. "Nothing. And it was always someone else's fault, according to him. He always made it sound like people were jealous of him and that they'd sabotaged his big chance."

  "So he didn't exactly become a big rock star," A.J. concluded wryly.

  "Not even close."

  "Hey, Dana," Winston put in. "Didn't he try to join The Droids?"

  Dana shrugged and ran one hand through her short blond hair. "He tried, but first of all, he had no talent on the guitar, and second, he was a total goof-off. He wouldn't come to rehearsals, and he got high all the time. He wanted all the good stuff and none of the work."

  "I hate guys like that," A.J. said. He shook his head. "What a pain."

  "No kidding," Dana replied. "He's a total farce."

  Ken spoke up. "You know he works at Mello Music. Every time you go in there he tries to tell you about his big break in L.A. and how everyone was out to ambush him because he's so good."

  A.J. snorted. "He sounds like a pretty paranoid guy."

  "No. He's just a fool," Jessica corrected him.

  She watched while Rick Andover left the cashier, tray in hand, and joined Jennifer Mitchell at a booth. The girl's face lit up with a brilliant smile as he spoke to her, and Jessica repressed a sneer. Obviously Jennifer was head over heels in love.

  "She must be an even bigger fool," Jessica said. "What does she see in him?"

  Lila giggled softly. "Same thing you saw maybe?" she said in an undertone.

  Jessica sent her friend a fierce warning look and glanced at A.J. to see if he had heard Lila. Jessica didn't particularly want him to know she had once dated Rick Andover herself. But he was still listening to Dana and the others and seemed not to have noticed.

  Jessica turned back to her friends.

  "Jennifer could be good if she really tried," Dana observed to the group. She was looking speculatively at Rick Andover and Jennifer Mitchell, too.

  "Good at what?" Cara asked.

  Dana rattled ice in the bottom of her cup. "Keyboards—piano, synthesizers—but I don't know if she's got the drive. She might, with the right group. I heard her one afternoon, when she was just goofing on the piano in the band room, and she wasn't bad at all."

  Jessica shrugged. She couldn't be bothered about someone who was dating Rick Andover.

  "Ready to go?" A.J. asked, a warm, open smile on his face.

  Pushing herself up, Jessica nodded emphatically. "Definitely. Let's hit the road. Catch you later, everyone."

  On the way home Jessica brought up the subject of Dana's party again. "You've never been to one of Dana's parties before, so you don't know. She gives the best parties."

  A.J.'s expression was stubborn as he turned up the Wakefields' street. "I promised my uncle we'd come though."

  "I know, A.J." Jessica decided it was time to turn on the charm. She slid closer to him and took his hand. "And I really want to meet your grandfather, too," she murmured, giving A.J. a melting look. She laced her fingers with his. "But it's really important to me. All our friends will be there. And we could have dinner with him some other time, right?"

  "Well . . ."

  "I mean, it doesn't have to be this Friday, does it?" she continued.

  The car rolled to a stop in front of the Wakefields' attractive split-level house. A.J. turned off the ignition and sat staring straight ahead. "I don't know. I'd hate to cancel on him."

  Jessica resisted the urge to scream. Why did A.J. always have to be so conscientious? She slid her arms around his neck and put her cheek against his. "Please, A.J. Just this once." She felt him tighten his arms around her. "Please."

  "All right." He sighed and let out a soft chuckle. "You got me."

  "You're great, A.J. You're really great," Jessica murmured. She sat up and met his gaze evenly. Then she leaned forward and gave him a long, lingering kiss. She opened the car door. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said with a dazzling smile.

  "OK. Bye."

  As A.J. drove off, Jessica hugged herself happily. Nothing was so satisfying as getting her own way. She headed for the front door, deep in thought.

  I always thought Liz was crazy for going out with just one boy at a time, she reflected soberly. But this is turning out just fine.

  Jennifer Mitchell carefully closed the front door behind her and paused to listen. The low murmur of the television drifted out from the living room. Hugging her books to her chest, she hurried silently toward the stairs.

  "Is that you, Jen?" Her mother's voice halted her in her tracks.

  Jennifer swallowed hard before she answered. She couldn't let her parents know there was anything different or unusual going on. In a calm, steady voice she replied, "Hi, Mom. Sorry I'm late. I—I stopped at the Dairi Burger with some friends."

  Without waiting for an answer, she turned and ran up to her room. Breathless, she shut the door and leaned against it, her heart racing.

  Across her small bedroom, Jennifer caught sight of herself in the mirror over her bureau. Her brown eyes were sparkling with happiness and excitement. "Rick, I love you so much," she whispered to her reflection. "It's going to be so great."

  Her glance fell on her electronic keyboard, and a ripple of fear and excitement ran through her. She crossed the room and switched on the power for the portable keyboard. Her fingers wandered over the keys, striking chords at random. Suddenly she splayed her fingers and made a harsh, discordant sound. She turned away.

  "I've got to tell somebody," she muttered, biting her lower lip.

  The feelings bottled up inside her were so powerful, so intense, that she couldn't keep still. Every muscle was tensed, ready for action. But Jennifer knew she had to keep herself in check until the right time. Until then, she needed an outlet, someone to confide in.

  Her parents were out of the question, of course. If they had any idea what she and Rick were planning, they would have a fit! For some reason they absolutely hated Rick. No one really understood him, Jennifer thought indignantly. Not the way she did. They didn't understand him, so they hated him instead. Her father was always reminding her about all the trouble Rick had been in.

  "As if it matters," Jennifer scoffed, throwing herself onto her bed. "I don't care about any of that."

  Her long, straight blond hair fanned out on her pillow. For a long, dreamy moment she treasured the memory of how Rick had run his hands through it. No one had ever made her feel as special as Rick did. He had dreams and plans and ideas. He had fire.

  That was something her parents would never see. They just couldn't und
erstand him—or her either, anymore. When she was younger, she and her parents had always been very close, and her father had been especially good at knowing what was on her mind and cheering her up.

  But lately it seemed that neither one of her parents was being supportive. For the first time Jennifer was really in love. Instead of being happy for her, her parents were acting as though she had committed a major crime. So telling them her news was definitely out of the question.

  Abruptly she turned on her side, too agitated to stay in one position. "I've got to tell somebody," she whispered.

  She scowled to herself as she ran through a mental list of her friends for someone she could trust with the secret. Then, smiling, she sat up and reached for the phone.

  Three

  After school on Thursday, Elizabeth took a seat in the bleachers and closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the sun. When she opened them, she immediately searched for Jeffrey among the running soccer players. As soon as she spotted his tall, athletic figure, she smiled. She loved going to soccer practice to watch him. Sometimes she caught up on homework, and sometimes she just watched the players. Knowing he was there filled her with contentment.

  Almost as though he felt her gaze, Jeffrey paused and looked in her direction. He waved, then deftly blocked a pass from Aaron Dallas. On the sidelines, the cheerleaders went through their warm-up drills. Elizabeth opened her math book.

  For the next ten minutes, she concentrated on her homework. Then she felt the bleachers vibrate as someone climbed up. She raised her head and saw John Pfeifer.

  "Hi, John!" she shouted. She raised her hand to attract his attention. "Come sit with me."

  John nodded without much enthusiasm and walked slowly toward her. Elizabeth could see the deep lines of anxiety creasing his forehead.

  "Hi," he muttered, sinking down next to her.

  Elizabeth felt her smile fade. She had never seen John looking so perturbed, and her heart went out to him. "Working on something for the paper?" she asked softly.

  He shrugged. "Yeah. Just a follow-up. I don't know." Sighing, he opened a notebook and stared blankly at some notes.

  Elizabeth didn't know what to say. Normally she respected people's feelings and gave them their privacy. Of course, she was always ready and willing to listen if a friend needed to talk. But she sensed that John was deeply troubled and didn't know who to turn to, and that he would keep his feelings bottled up unless someone drew him out.

  "John," she began hesitantly. He met her eyes, and she gave him an encouraging smile. "You know you can always talk to me if you're feeling down about anything."

  He smiled faintly in return. "Thanks. I know."

  "So? You want to talk about it?" she coaxed.

  He stared straight ahead for a few seconds, as though debating with himself. Then, unexpectedly, he let out a low groan and dropped his face into his hands. "Liz, what am I going to do? It's driving me nuts!"

  Elizabeth bit her lip. "What? What's wrong?"

  "Remember what I was telling you the other day?" John looked around edgily and shifted on the hard wooden bleachers.

  Elizabeth nodded, thinking of Jennifer Mitchell and Rick Andover. As she took in the expression on John's face, a wave of alarm swept over her. Had Rick gotten Jennifer in some kind of trouble just as John had predicted? A dozen speculations raced through her mind.

  "What is it?"

  Reluctantly, as though it hurt, John explained. "Last night she called me and said—" He broke off, twisting a pencil between his fingers. "You know, normally I would never blab if someone told me a secret. . . ."

  "I know," Elizabeth said. She knew it must be very serious for John to betray a confidence. He was obviously very distraught over whatever Jennifer had told him. "I know—and believe me, I won't tell anyone."

  John nodded and swallowed audibly. Looking at his hands, he confessed, "She says she and Rick are going to take off—go to New York and start a band."

  For a moment Elizabeth was too shocked to utter a word. She stared at John in disbelief. Finally she said, "You mean she's going to run away? Drop out of school?"

  He nodded again, rubbing one hand across his eyes. "You got it," he said bitterly.

  "Didn't you try talking her out of it?" Elizabeth asked.

  John let out a sharp snort. "Are you serious? I practically went hoarse trying to talk her out of it!"

  Elizabeth was stunned. It was hard to believe that anyone would contemplate such a crazy scheme. But apparently Jennifer was serious about going through with it. That was further proof that the girl either had very bad judgment or she was completely blinded by infatuation. And the look of anguish in John's eyes told Elizabeth how much it hurt.

  "Maybe her parents—" Elizabeth began.

  "Oh, come on, Liz! She'd never listen to them." John shook his head mournfully. "Liz, I've got to do something, but I don't know what!"

  Elizabeth turned away in confusion and stared blankly at the soccer players running up the field. In the past, she had been asked for advice dozens of times. But knowing what to tell someone didn't seem to get easier with practice. It was so difficult to know what to say.

  But I'm the one who pushed him into talking, she told herself silently.

  "Liz, you've got to help me," John pleaded, sensing her reluctance. He looked at her with sorrowful eyes. "Jennifer is going to ruin her whole life unless I can do something!"

  She nodded. All she could do was say what was in her heart. "John, I don't know if this makes any sense, but I think if you tell on her, Jennifer will end up hating you. She'll blame you, and she'll never realize what a mistake it was listening to Rick." Elizabeth looked up quickly to see if her message was getting through.

  John was silent, clenching his jaw stubbornly as he looked out across the field. "I can't just ignore it," he finally said angrily.

  "No, not exactly," Elizabeth conceded. "But you've got to let Jennifer make her own mistakes. I mean—" She broke off, searching desperately for the right words. "You can't try to control a person's life, even if it's for a good reason. You can't protect Jennifer from herself."

  "So I do nothing?" John choked out fiercely. He turned to her, and there was a bleak expression in his eyes. "Just let her go ahead and totally ruin her life?"

  Elizabeth shrugged in sympathy. She knew she would have trouble following her own advice if it was someone she cared about.

  "Maybe Jennifer will realize what Rick's really like before it's too late. You've got to trust her, you know. But if she's going to go, there's no way you can stop her." She put one hand on his arm. "But if you turn her in, she'll never forgive you. You'll end up losing her friendship for sure."

  "Oh, man." John let out a heavy sigh and nodded grudgingly. "I guess you're right. But it just kills me."

  "I know," Elizabeth replied, her voice compassionate. "I'm sorry."

  "Well, I'll tell you one thing: I'm definitely not going to turn my back on this!" he exploded, his anger returning. "I don't trust Rick Andover for a second, and I'm watching him from now on. If he does anything that isn't a hundred percent legit, I'm going to pin that guy to the wall. I'm not letting him drag Jennifer down with him."

  "Good idea," Elizabeth agreed, moved by John's loyalty. "Just be careful."

  "I will," John said. "But I'll make sure she sees who's screwing up her life. And it won't be me."

  On the sidelines of the soccer field, Jessica collapsed dramatically onto the grass, and Amy Sutton and Cara sprawled next to her.

  "I'm totally wiped out," Jessica announced with a weary groan.

  "Well, who's in charge here, anyway?" Cara complained. "You're co-captain of the squad."

  "OK, OK. Don't mutiny on me." Jessica rolled over onto one elbow and surveyed the rest of the cheerleaders. The other co-captain, Robin Wilson, was absent that day, so Jessica was completely in control, just the way she liked it. "That's it for today, you guys."

  Moans of relief went up from the cheerleaders. Jessic
a grinned and let out a contented sigh. Then she turned her gaze toward the soccer players.

  "Hey, Aaron," she called out as Aaron Dallas paused nearby.

  He lifted one hand to wave and cocked his head to one side. "Hey, Jessica. How's it going?"

  "Not bad. Not bad."

  Aaron's intent gaze followed the soccer ball, and he was off in a flash.

  "He has got really muscular legs, did you ever notice?" Amy drawled, tossing back her blond hair.

  Jessica giggled. "Me? Notice?" Her blue-green eyes danced mischievously as Michael Schmidt ran by. "Hey, Mike! Keep your eye on the ball!"

  Startled, Mike spun around to see who was talking to him and missed the ball as it sped by. He dove frantically to keep it in bounds, and the cheerleaders laughed.

  "I said keep your eye on the ball, didn't I?" Jessica teased.

  Mike pointed one finger at her and gave a crooked smile. "You can get a penalty for that, Wakefield," he warned her, laughing.

  "Uh-oh! Look out!" Jessica's eyes sparkled flirtatiously, and she gave him a dimpled smile. "What kind of penalty?" she challenged.

  With a long, appraising look, Michael replied, "I'll think about it and let you know."

  "You do that." Jessica grinned as he dodged away after the ball. She loved flirting. It made life so much more interesting. She sat up and crossed her legs at the ankles, enjoying the sunshine.

  "Jess—A.J.'s here." Cara's voice broke into her cheerful musings.

  Jessica looked up, surprised. A.J. was standing nearby, watching. As their eyes met, he started walking toward her.

  "Hi," she piped up.

  He stayed standing, his eyes on the soccer team. "What's going on?" he asked casually.

  "Nothing." Jessica squinted up at him. Was it her imagination, or did he seem a little ticked off? "Just sitting here," she added in a defensive tone. She wondered how much of her conversation with Michael he had overheard.

  A.J. nodded but said nothing.

  For a moment Jessica was tempted to say something sarcastic about how he couldn't expect her to ignore half the world's population just because they were dating. But he hadn't actually said anything about her flirting, so she decided to just let it drop.