SVH06-Dangerous Love (3 page)

Elizabeth and Todd looked at each other and Todd smirked.

"Well, when you put it that way, it does sound kind of stupid," Elizabeth said.

"Try very stupid," Todd said, teasing. He reached out a finger and hooked it through one of the belt loops on her jeans, tugging her forward. "C'mere."

Elizabeth's heart skipped a beat as she tripped forward. Todd slid his hands along her cheeks and pulled her in for a long, lingering kiss. When he pulled back, she was so loopy she almost fell into him.

"I love you, Liz," Todd whispered. "I'd never try to make you do something you didn't want to do. And I'd never break up with you because of something like that. Okay?"

"Okay," Elizabeth murmured.

Todd pulled her into his arms, his leather jacket squeaking as he held her close. Elizabeth took a deep breath of his spicy, leathery scent and felt all the tears that had welled in her eyes quickly fade away. Everything was fine. Everything was going to be just fine.

"Thanks for understanding," she said, taking a step back.

"Are you kidding? If something like that had happened in my family, I'd probably feel the same way," he

told her. "I guess you're pretty freaked about me riding this thing, huh?"

"Kind of," Elizabeth replied, biting her lip. "But I know you're going to be careful. You are going to be careful, right?"

"Of course," Todd said, shoving the rag he'd been using into the back pocket of his jeans. "Listen, most of the people who get hurt on these things either don't know what they're doing or aren't properly protected."

Neither was the case with Rex, but whatever, Elizabeth thought sadly.

"I feel awful about what happened to your cousin and your family, but what really sucks is you'll never get to see what it feels like to ride one of these things," Todd said, growing animated. "It's unbelievable."

"You think I'm really missing out, huh?" Elizabeth said, pushing her hands into her pockets as she eyed his bike.

"I know you are. When the weather's warm and sunny like today, it's pretty much the best thing ever," Todd said, his brown eyes glowing with excitement. "I could take you up into the hills and you'd feel the wind wrapping around you.... You'd be able to look around at the trees and the sky and the road and see it like you've never seen it before. You can't get that kind of experience cooped up in a car."

"Yeah, well, that's what convertibles are for," Elizabeth joked.

"It's not the same," Todd said.

Elizabeth sighed and looked at the bike. She wished she could feel even one shred of Todd's excitement, but she couldn't imagine how he could be relaxed and comfortable and enjoy the view when his life depended on his being able to balance five hundred pounds between his legs at fifty-five miles per hour. And why did he have to pick black? The color of death. Briefly, an image of Rex flashed through her mind. She had to shake her head to get rid of it.

Stop it, she told herself. What happened to Rex doesn't have to happen to Todd. What are the chances?

"It really scares you, doesn't it?" Todd said.

"I can't help it," she replied.

"I get it. I do. I was a little nervous the first time I got on one of these things too," Todd said. "But it's not like you think."

"Don't you always feel like you're going to fall off?" Elizabeth asked.

Todd chuckled. "Not really. The bike practically stands up by itself. The only way anything can happen to me is if I'm careless, and I don't plan to be."

"Nobody plans an accident," Elizabeth said, reminding him.

"Liz, come on," Todd said, then clucked his tongue. "I know you're naturally cautious and practical, but think about it. What happened to your cousin doesn't happen to everyone who gets on a motorcycle. Otherwise they'd ban these things."

"I know," Elizabeth said with a shrug. "It's just... it's going to take a while for me to get used to it."

Todd glanced back at his bike, then looked at her with a question in his eyes. "If your parents changed their minds and lifted their rule, do you think you would ever consider riding with me?"

Elizabeth looked away, unable to meet his hopeful gaze. "They'll never change their minds. They loved Rex and they don't want to see that happen to any of us."

"What if I talk to them?" Todd asked, taking her hand lightly. "Maybe if they hear what a safe driver I am, they'll reconsider."

Elizabeth knew that it would be pointless, but she couldn't let him down again. "Okay. You can ask them. Just... don't get your hopes up."

"Cool. I'll come over tonight," Todd said with a grin.

A wave of dread washed over Elizabeth. What if her parents had a joint moment of insanity and said yes? What was she going to do then? It wasn't like she was going to feel any safer if they did.

"Tonight? Really?" she said, her mouth dry.

"Why not? The sooner the better," Todd replied, shouldering his backpack. "Thanks, Liz. I bet any money I can talk them into it."

I really hope not, Elizabeth thought. "We'll see," she said. "Do you want to go inside and get some lunch? We only have fifteen minutes."

"Crap, is that all?" Todd said, checking his watch. "Actually, I can't eat with you today. I have to go meet Winston and Mandy in the courtyard."

"What for?" Elizabeth asked as they headed back toward the school.

"Mr. Marks grouped us together for this project. We all have to pick a charity and do an overview of their effectiveness or something," Todd said quickly. "We only have a few days, so we have to get right to work."

"Wow. So you're gonna be kind of busy," Elizabeth said, sensing an opportunity. "If you can't come over tonight, I totally understand."

"Hey! Never too busy for you." Todd gave her a quick kiss and squeezed her hand. "We're still going to the Valley Diner thing after practice, right? I'll meet you there?"

"Definitely."

"And maybe next time we go, we'll go on my bike!" Todd said with a grin.

He turned and jogged off before Elizabeth had a chance to respond. Apparently, Todd had spaced on the fact that it wasn't just her parents who hated motorcycles; it was her, too. But at least he had been understanding for the most part, and as she joined the lunch line inside, she felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her heart.

Todd was still her boyfriend. He wasn't going anywhere.

CHAPTER 3

The Valley Diner lot was already more than half filled by the time Elizabeth pulled in with the Jeep that evening after her Oracle meeting. She found an empty space near the back, killed the engine, and took a good look at the refurbished hangout. She had been driving by it the whole time it had been under construction, so she had seen the changes as they were being made, but now she checked the whole thing over with a reporter's eyes.

The owners had gone for a 1950s vibe that totally worked. It was all chrome and neon and looked welcoming. The scent of frying burgers and french fries wafting

If

through the open front door helped as well. Liz could already see that the booths near the window were jam-packed with kids from school. She smiled as she got out of the car. As much as she loved Casa del Sol, it was all the way out by the water. Valley Diner was closer to school and home, so it was going to be nice to have it up and running again.

Inside, the retro look continued with chrome and Formica tables, vinyl booths, and menus with bright drawings of various dishes. The walls were decorated with SVH memorabilia--everything from ancient lettermen's sweaters to megaphones to photos from state championships the sports teams had won through the years. Elizabeth even caught a photo of her sister's smiling face as she hugged Cara and Lila after their state championship cheerleading win the past spring. Leave it to Jessica to make the wall of fame. She was sure that as soon as her sister heard about that, she would no longer think the Valley Diner was such an uncool hangout.

Elizabeth scanned the room, looking for an empty table or a spot at the counter, but everything was taken. Great. How was she supposed to write a thorough article if she couldn't even sample the food? Then she saw Robin Wilson flagging her down from a booth next to

the front windows. Freshly showered after cheerleading practice, Robin was wearing an SVH hoodie and sitting with her new boyfriend, Allen Walters. The two of them sipped sodas as they waited for their food.

"Hey," Elizabeth said with a smile, walking over to them. "I can't believe how crowded this place is."

"Seriously. It's a madhouse. Wanna sit with us?" Robin asked, sliding toward the window.

"You don't mind?" Elizabeth asked, glancing at Allen. "I don't want to interrupt."

"Don't worry about it," Allen said. "It's not like this is the locale for a romantic date or something."

In the back of the restaurant, someone shrieked and a tray crashed to the ground; that noise was followed by a round of applause and cheers. Elizabeth, Robin, and Allen laughed.

"Yeah. I guess it's not the most lovey-dovey setting," Elizabeth joked, sitting down next to Robin. "Actually, I'm supposed to be writing an article about the opening for The Oracle. Want to do the pictures?" she asked Allen, who was one of the photographers for the Web site.

"Sure," Allen replied, pulling his camera from its bag, which sat next to him on the bench. "I'm always up for an assignment."

The waitress appeared and placed Robin's and Allen's

food before them--a grilled chicken sandwich for Robin and a bacon cheeseburger for Allen. Elizabeth's stomach grumbled at the sight of the food. Allen snapped a picture of the heaping plates before reaching for a fry.

"What can I get you, hon?" the waitress asked, looking frazzled.

"I'll have the Valley Diner signature burger with fries and a chocolate milk shake," Elizabeth replied. "Oh! And some onion rings."

"You got it," the waitress said, moving quickly back to the kitchen.

"Wow. Hungry?" Robin joked, twisting her dark hair back into a ponytail.

Elizabeth blushed. "I have to try their most popular dishes, right? For the article."

"Yeah, yeah. Good excuse," Allen teased, taking a huge bite of his messy burger. His eyes rolled back in ecstasy. "Omigod. I want to marry this burger."

Elizabeth and Robin laughed as Elizabeth whipped out her digital recorder. "Can I quote you on that?"

"Definitely," Allen replied, digging into the fries.

"So, where's Todd?" Robin asked as she added the sliced tomato and lettuce to her sandwich. "Shouldn't you two be out joyriding or something?"

Elizabeth forced a smile. "I have the Jeep today, so I

drove myself here," she replied. "Todd should be here soon, though. He said he'd meet me after practice."

She glanced past Robin out the window, realizing that Todd should have arrived by then. What was keeping him? Suddenly, she found herself imagining him lying in a heap on the road with his bike beside him, and her breath caught. Sometimes having a vivid imagination was a bad thing. She took a deep breath and told herself to calm down. Todd was a responsible guy. He wasn't going to go speeding around like a maniac.

And if you don't start trusting him, you're going to turn yourself into a nervous wreck, she thought.

She was just about to tear her eyes away from the window when she saw Danny Stauffer's black Charger roar into the parking lot with Jessica sitting in the passenger seat. Danny had been driving fast and he slammed on the brakes a little too late. Elizabeth gasped as the Charger bumped the rear fender of a big blue SUV.

"Oh my God!" she said.

"What happened?" Robin asked.

All the people at the window tables were up on their knees, checking out the situation in the parking lot. Luckily, it appeared that no real damage had been done, and both Jessica and Danny looked fine. Startled, but fine. Elizabeth was about to relax when the owner of the

SUV got out and stormed over to Danny's car. It was Jerry "Crunch" McAllister-pretty much the most belligerent guy ever to have attended Sweet Valley High.

"Oh, crap," Allen said under his breath.

"Danny's a dead man," some guy at the next table added.

Just like that, half of the diner's customers, including Elizabeth, emptied out the front door to see what would happen next. Elizabeth's heart was in her throat as she scurried down the stairs outside. Jerry hadn't gotten his nickname, Crunch, for nothing. As starting defensive end on the SVH football team, Crunch McAllister had recorded more sacks than anyone else in the history of the school-until his playing career was cut short by a knee injury. Jerry had never been much of a student, so once he'd been deemed unable to play, he dropped out of school. That had been the past fall. Ever since, he had been working construction jobs around town and was regularly spotted stumbling out of Kelly's, the seedy bar down by the beach. Even though he was under twenty-one, he never seemed to have any problem getting alcohol, and he had a reputation for being drunk most of his waking hours--which only made him nastier. Elizabeth could only hope that he wasn't drunk then.

Danny had maneuvered his car into the space next to

the SUV. He rolled down the window when he saw Crunch approaching.

"Hey, man," he said, attempting a smile. "Sorry about that. But no damage done, right?"

"Get out," Crunch grunted.

"Ten to one says Crunch pummels him into next week," Bruce Patman said.

"Why don't you go help him?" Elizabeth suggested. "Aren't you and Danny supposed to be friends?"

"Please, Wakefield. I don't like the guy enough to get killed for him," Brace said with a scoff.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. Bruce was one of the wealthiest guys at SVH-and one of the hottest, according to Jessica and her friends. Or at least Jessica bad felt that way before their over-before-it-began romance had recently ended--and badly. Elizabeth could sort of see it, what with Bruce's dark hair offsetting his light blue eyes and everything, but she had always thought there was a lot less to him than met the eye. He'd just proven her right.