SVH06-Dangerous Love (5 page)

Todd glanced at Elizabeth as if looking for backup. All she could do was shrug and smile in an apologetic way. "But that doesn't change your mind, does it?" Todd asked her dad.

"I'm afraid not," Mr. Wakefield replied. "I'm sure you're a capable driver, and you've impressed us with your concern for safety, but I still can't allow my daughter to ride a motorcycle. It's just not going to happen."

"I hope you understand, Todd," Mrs. Wakefield added gently. "It's not about you at all."

"Thanks. I get it. Liz's safety is the most important thing," Todd said.

Elizabeth's parents beamed and she knew that Todd had just said exactly what they wanted to hear.

"Well, thanks for your time anyway," Todd said, rising from the couch. "I promise you'll never see your daughter on my bike."

Mr. Wakefield rose as well. "That's one promise I'm going to hold you to," he said seriously. Elizabeth's heart dropped at his tone. Todd had already backed off. Did her dad really have to be so gloom-and-doom about

it? His seriousness had hit home with Todd as well. He gulped and looked at Elizabeth, who quickly jumped up.

"I guess I should go," Todd said. "We've both got a lot of homework, so ..."

"Sure. I'll... uh ... walk you to the door," Elizabeth replied. She wasn't sure whether to feel relieved that it was over or sorry for Todd for getting shot down. The whole thing had clearly meant a lot to him and she felt bad that his feelings had been hurt.

"Good night, Todd," Elizabeth's mother called after them.

He lifted a hand sheepishly. "Good night, Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield."

"You okay?" Elizabeth asked him the moment they were alone in the front hall.

"Yeah," Todd said with a sigh. He rolled his shoulders back, like he was trying to get comfortable for the first time all night. "I had to try."

"I guess," Elizabeth responded, realizing again how important this was to Todd.

"Hey, don't worry, though. We're still cool," Todd assured her, looking her in the eye. "So what if we can't drive everywhere together? As long as we're together when we get there, that's all that matters, right?"

Elizabeth smiled and let out a breath. "Right,"

Todd reached for her hand and tugged her closer. Elizabeth's heart swooped in her surprise. "Do you think your parents would mind if I kissed you in their hall, or should I ask their permission first?"

Elizabeth laughed. "There are some things I can still do without parental permission."

She grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled him. toward her, standing on her toes to touch her lips to his. After a long moment, they finally parted and Elizabeth smiled up at him. Todd's eyes were still closed, as if he couldn't think of what he was supposed to do next.

"Maybe I should stay a little longer," he whispered.

"Nice try," Elizabeth replied, reaching up to turn him toward the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay! Okay! You don't have to drop-kick me out of here," Todd said with a laugh.

"I think I do."

She opened the front door for him and he stepped out onto the walkway. Elizabeth caught sight of his bike parked near the curb and her heart skipped a nervous beat.

"Todd, could you do me a favor?" she asked.

He paused and looked back at her. "Anything."

"Just call me when you get home," she said, feeling almost silly for asking.

Todd smiled knowingly. "Sure. And I'll even drive extra slow just for you."

"Thanks," Liz said.

She lingered in the entryway for a few minutes, waiting until his taillight was completely out of sight, before closing the door. It wasn't until that moment that she realized how relieved she was that her parents had stuck by their rule. Clearly, just the sight of Todd's bike freaked her out. How would she have handled it if she had ever had to climb on the thing?

With a sigh, Elizabeth trudged up to her room and settled in at her desk. She pulled out her Spanish notebook and got down to work. There was nothing better to blot out the day's events than a couple of hours of total homework immersion. Of course, two seconds in, her sister barged into her room without a knock.

"Liz, we have to talk," Jessica announced, dropping onto the edge of Elizabeth's double bed.

"I'm not riding with Todd," Elizabeth said without looking up from her notebook. The last thing she wanted to do right then was hash out the whole situation for the ten millionth time that day.

"Oh, I know. I overheard all that when I was

eavesdropping downstairs," Jessica said with a wave of her hand. "I got back from Cara's half an hour ago."

"Jess!" Elizabeth protested, glaring at her sister.

"What? Sometimes it's the only way to find out what the heck is going on around here," Jessica said with a shrug. "Anyway. That wasn't what I wanted to talk to you about."

Elizabeth let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine. What is it? I have a lot of work to do."

"Do you remember Enid's cousin Brian?" Jessica asked, getting up and walking over to Elizabeth's dresser to toy with her jewelry box.

"Yeah," Elizabeth said. Foreboding skittered down her spine. "What about him?"

"Do you know if he's going to be around for Enid's party?" Jessica asked, still avoiding eye contact.

Elizabeth swiveled her desk chair to the left to better see her sister. "As far as I know. They're really close."

"That's nice," Jessica replied, dropping the lid of the jewelry box down with a bang. "I mean, that he's coming all the way down from UCLA. He still goes there, right?"

"Yeah. He's a sophomore," Elizabeth replied, growing impatient. "Jess, what's this all about?"

"I don't know; I was just thinking about him and how

much fun we had playing volleyball on the beach last summer, and I was wondering . ,."

"If I'd get Enid to set you two up," Elizabeth said flatly.

"Yes! Exactly! Thank you so much, Liz! I knew you would help!" Jessica trilled, catching Elizabeth up in a hug--or as much of a hug as she could give while Elizabeth was sitting.

"No way, jess. I'm not doing it," Elizabeth said, trying to wriggle from her sister's grasp.

"Why not?" Jessica asked. She stood up straight, suddenly indignant.

Elizabeth's jaw dropped. "Why not? Are you kidding me? How could you even think about asking me to ask Enid to do you a favor after what you did to her?"

About a month back Jessica had found out a shady secret from Enid's past and had spread it all over the school. The scandal had resulted in Enid's breakup with Ronnie Edwards and had put the two girls at odds ever since. Elizabeth knew that Enid hadn't forgiven Jessica and she had a feeling her friend never would.

"Omigod. I can't believe you're still hung up on that," Jessica said, crossing her arms over her chest. "So I told Ronnie and some people about her less-than-perfect past. It wasn't like any of it was a lie. Besides, she wouldn't even be going out with that hot boarding

school guy if she hadn't broken up with lame-o Edwards. I did her a favor."

"Wow. That's some logic you've got going there," Elizabeth said sarcastically, returning to her work.

"So that's it? You're just going to ignore me now?" Jessica demanded, throwing her hands up.

"Jess, you may be right that it all worked out in the end, but at the time Enid was crashed," Elizabeth admonished. "And you had zero sympathy for her and zero regret for what you'd done."

"Oh, great, so now you're going to lecture me for how I acted a million years ago?" Jessica demanded. "That's real nice, Liz. I guess no one's allowed to ever make a mistake in your perfect presence."

Jessica turned to flounce out of the room and Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Jess, stop."

"What?" Jessica asked, turning around again.

"Just calm down, okay?" Elizabeth said, rubbing her forehead. "You don't have to get all dramatic."

"Why shouldn't I? I did help you out with your whole Todd thing this morning, didn't I?" Jessica asked, tossing her blond hair back.

"Yes...."

"So why can't you do me this one teeny, tiny favor in return?" Jessica demanded.

Elizabeth sighed and looked down at her blank notebook

page, weighing her options. She could tell Jessica no and watch her throw another tantrum. Or she could tell Jessica yes and give it a try. She was sure Enid would say no anyway, but asking wouldn't hurt anyone. And going with option B meant she could get back to her homework sooner.

"Okay, fine. I'll ask her," Elizabeth said finally.

"Yes!" Jessica cheered.

"But don't be surprised if she says no," Elizabeth warned.

"Oh, please. She can't say no to you," Jessica said, reaching for the door to the bathroom that connected Elizabeth's room to hers. "That girl worships the ground you walk on. Omigod! Brian and I are going to look so perfect together! I can't wait!"

She bounded out of the room and Elizabeth's head hit her arm on the desk. It was amazing how often she found herself in that position after the whirlwind that was her sister left the room.

"Thanks again for offering to drive me to school," Enid said as she and Elizabeth sipped their orange juice in the Wakefields' kitchen. "My dad was suddenly all about: getting my car checked over, like it was going to explode if he didn't. The thing's brand-new!"

"Maybe your parents are pimping your ride for your birthday," Elizabeth said with a teasing smile.

Enid's face paled. "Oh, God! I hope not! If my Prius comes back all hot pink with a sushi bar in the trunk, I swear I'll disown them."

They both laughed as Elizabeth deposited their empty glasses in the sink. She checked her watch and sighed. "We should probably get going."

"What about Jessica?" Enid asked, shouldering her book bag.

"Never-on-Time Girl? I'll get her," Elizabeth replied.

Together they walked to the front hall and the stairs. Elizabeth grabbed the banister and shouted up to her sister. "Jess! Let's go! We're gonna be late!"

"I'll be right down!" Jessica called.

"That means about fifteen minutes," Elizabeth said, translating for Enid. "Come on. Let's go wait outside. It's so nice out."

Enid and Elizabeth walked out and dropped down onto the wooden bench near the front window of the house. Elizabeth took a deep breath of the fresh morning air and tipped her head back, glad she no longer had to stress out about Todd and lying to him about head colds and early-morning meetings.

"So, I heard I missed out on some serious drama at the diner yesterday," Enid said.

"Oh, yeah. That," Elizabeth replied, unenthused.

"Come on! I heard Todd totally swooped in and saved Danny Stauffer's butt!" Enid said, her green eyes sparkling.

"He didn't exactly swoop in," Elizabeth said. "He was more in the right place at the right time."

"Wow. Way to downplay your boyfriend's act of heroism," Enid joked. "Aren't you supposed to be swooning over it and stuff?"

Elizabeth looked down at her canvas bag in her lap and toyed with the strap. She didn't know why she couldn't get excited about Todd's role in the diner drama. Normally, she would have been retelling the story in vivid detail. Maybe she was letting the motorcycle thing affect her feelings. Which would be bad. And she really didn't want to think about it.

"How's the party planning going?" Elizabeth asked, abruptly changing the subject.

Enid rolled her eyes toward the sky. "My mom has officially lost her mind. Last night I overheard her on the phone freaking out on the caterer. 'If your idea of haute cuisine is pigs in blankets, then I see no reason to continue this conversation,'" she said, mimicking her mother's pinched voice.

"I love pigs in blankets!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"Me too!" Enid said, wide-eyed. "But Mom insists on going first-class all the way. It wouldn't surprise me if we ended up with caviar on toast points. So gross."

"I bet Lila and Bruce will eat it," Elizabeth joked.

"If Lila and Bruce even come," Enid said wryly. Her mother had forced her to invite everyone in the junior and senior classes, but Enid had never spoken one word to Bruce Patman, and she and Lila were as good as strangers. "Speaking of... I brought your invitation. I'm going to mail most of them, but I figured since I see you every day ..."

Enid leaned down to pick up her backpack, which she had dropped at her feet. When she unzipped the side, papers and notebooks came spilling out in disarray. For two people who were so very different, Enid and Jessica definitely had the disorganized thing in common. As soon as Elizabeth thought of Jessica, she remembered her sister's request and swallowed a lump of nervousness in her throat.

"Did you send one to your cousin Brian?" she asked.

"Yeah. Didn't I tell you he was coming?" Enid asked, glancing up from her dig through the bag. "He'll be here the Friday before."

"Right. I forgot," Elizabeth said, fibbing. "You know, I don't think I've seen him since the summer."

Enid smiled. "That's because he hasn't been here since then."

"I bet you can't wait to see him," Elizabeth said.

"Are you kidding? He's the closest thing I have to a brother, which means I can totally complain to him about my mom," Enid replied. She paused and sat up straight. "What's with the sudden interest in Brian?"

Elizabeth blushed and felt her confidence slip away. "Nothing. I was just curious. I mean, I'm glad he'll be around. For you."

Enid eyed Elizabeth quizzically. "Well, thanks," she replied, her tone doubtful. "So tell me already. What happened when Todd laid out Crunch McAllister?"

Elizabeth laughed. "He didn't lay him out. All he did was let him go for a ride on the Ducati."

"No! Come on! That's not what I heard!" Enid said, looking disappointed.

"Are you forgetting how the grapevine works around here?" Elizabeth asked.

"Good point," Enid said.

At that moment, they both heard the telltale roar of Todd's motorcycle engine. Elizabeth's heart skipped a beat. What was he doing there? He didn't still think he could change her mind about riding with him, did he?

Her stomach tightened as she turned around and saw