SVH06-Dangerous Love (6 page)

Todd approaching on the bike. About a block away, he cut the engine and rolled silently along the curb until he reached the driveway.

"Hey!" Elizabeth greeted him, standing as he removed his helmet. "What're you doing here?"

"Well, good morning to you, too," he joked with a smile.

Elizabeth smiled and jogged over to give him a kiss. "Sorry. I was just surprised."

"Honestly? Me too." Todd got off the bike and hugged her. "I started to come up your street to pick you up when I realized I wasn't in my car. I guess old habits die hard."

"Well, I am very happy they do," Elizabeth said, kissing him again. She was relieved that he wasn't there to try to talk her into a ride on his bike. And pleased that he was so used to being with her he had come over by rote.

"Hey!" Enid called out, holding up a pair of thick cream-colored envelopes. "I finally found your invites."

She walked across the lawn and handed them each an envelope.

"What's this?" Todd asked.

"Open them," Enid said with an amused smile.

Elizabeth carefully ran her finger under the flap and

opened the gold-lined envelope. Inside was an elegantly engraved invitation. A piece of tissue paper stamped with Enid's initials separated the invite from the RSVP card. Todd whistled.

"Wow. What are these made of? Silk?" he joked.

"No, but they cost about as much as silk," Enid replied, rolling her eyes. "Big waste of money, if you ask me, but no one did."

"Hey. Your mom thinks you're worth it and so do I," Elizabeth said, tucking the invitation back into the envelope.

"Thanks," Enid said, blushing happily. "So, are you guys in? Want to help me get through this whole sham?"

"You know I'm there," Elizabeth said.

"I am too," Todd said, slipping the invitation into the outer pocket of his backpack. "I just might be a little late. My grandfather's having a birthday party that afternoon, so I'm going to have to rush home and change and then come over. But I'll be there."

"Cool," Enid said. "It'll be nice to have some friendly faces around."

"Hey, how about a little pre-birthday present?" Todd suggested with a smile.

Elizabeth blinked, wondering what he had up his sleeve.

"Like what?" Enid asked.

"Want a ride to school?" Todd asked, placing his hand on the motorcycle seat.

"Really?" Enid's whole face lit up and Elizabeth's heart sunk. Perfect. Yet another girl who wasn't her riding on the back of Todd's motorcycle.

"Sure. I love showing this baby off," Todd said.

"Do you mind, Liz? If I ride with Todd instead?" Enid asked, practically glowing with excitement.

"Please. At least it'll spare you listening to Jessica whine all the way to school," Elizabeth said, trying to put on a brave face.

"Cool." Enid ran over to the bench to grab her stuff and came back with her book bag and gym bag. "Would you mind taking this to school for me? I don't think I can hold on to both," she said to Elizabeth, holding out her gym clothes.

Elizabeth gritted her teeth. "No problem."

Todd handed Enid the pink helmet, which she happily strapped on, then he waited on the bike while Enid climbed on behind him. Just the sight of her friend with her arms wrapped around her boyfriend's torso made Elizabeth squirm. She knew that Enid and Todd would never do anything, but it still felt weird. That was her torso to hug. No one else's.

"See you there?" Todd said to Liz, flipping his visor up for a kiss.

Elizabeth planted a quick kiss on his lips. "See you."

And then they were off, shooting down the street together like a happy little couple.

For a long moment, Elizabeth just stood there, clutching Enid's bag in her hands, listening to the fading sound of the bike's engine.

This is so unfair, she thought. Not only can I not be a part of this thing Todd loves, but it seems like every other girl in the world can and will.

Suddenly, the red Jeep she shared with Jessica pulled up right in front of her face. Jessica stared at her from the driver's seat.

"Earth to Liz!" she said, waving a hand. "Are we going to school today or what?"

Elizabeth hadn't even heard her sister start the car or back it toward her. Feeling like a moron, she jogged across the lawn for her bag, ran back, and climbed into the passenger seat without the smallest protest about the music or the top being down or anything. She was too distracted to care.

"You all right?" Jessica asked. "You look like you're about to hurl."

"I'm fine," Elizabeth muttered. "Let's just go."

"Whatever you say, Miss Moody," Jessica replied.

She zoomed out of the driveway and took off toward school, singing along with the radio. Elizabeth, meanwhile, stared out the side of the car, trying to squelch her sadness and jealousy. For the second day in a row, everyone in school would see the backseat of Todd's bike occupied by another girl. The thought really did make her want to hurl. But instead, she sat back, took some deep breaths, and did her best to blink back her tears as Jessica drove her to school.

CHAPTER 5

"Liz!"

Speak of the devil..., Elizabeth thought, looking up to find Enid scurrying down the hall toward her, her hair

flattened from the weight of the helmet. Her friend was flushed and grinning, like she'd just won the lottery or something.

"Omigosh, Liz! That was so much fun!" Enid gasped.

Annoyed, Elizabeth checked her watch.

"What did you guys do? Take the scenic route down to the beach first?" she snapped, slamming her locker door.

"What's the matter?" Enid asked.

"Nothing. Here's your bag," Elizabeth said, holding out the small duffel. "I've got to get to homeroom."

She turned and hurried off, leaving her best friend stunned behind her. About two seconds later, she started to feel guilty, and about five seconds later, she was wishing that Enid was in her homeroom so she could explain. It wasn't Enid's fault. Elizabeth was just having a hard time dealing with the whole motorcycle thing--a harder time than she ever would have thought possible.

Throughout the day, Elizabeth felt moody and preoccupied. She tried unsuccessfully to focus in chemistry lab, and nearly blew the whole place up by mixing the wrong chemicals together. Then, when she was called on to conjugate a verb in Spanish, she did

great job--except for the fact that she conjugated the wrong word.

At least I have a free period today, Elizabeth thought as the bell rang and everyone gathered their things. Can't do too much damage in the Oracle office.

Maybe working on her column would help take her mind off Todd and Enid and which girl might be next to straddle Todd's bike. As she threaded her way through the crowded halls toward the Web site office, she glanced up only when Dana Larson said hello--and then wished she had kept her head down. It just so happened that she was passing the huge glass windows of the library at that moment, and she saw that Todd and Mandy were sitting at a table in the middle of the room, squished together as they both tried to read the screen on the same computer. Their legs were touching; their arms were touching. Mandy's hair was even grazing Todd's shoulder.

Elizabeth stopped so abruptly she nearly tripped herself. As her faced burned with anger and embarrassment, she wished more than anything that she were more like her sister. Jessica would have stridden right through the doors with a grin, given Todd a kiss, and breezily asked how things were going with their project. She'd probably even loop her arm around Todd,

effectively separating him and Mandy and reminding them both exactly who Todd belonged to.

Do it. Just do it, she told herself.

But she couldn't. It just wasn't her. So instead of claiming her territory, she turned and hurried down the hall as if she hadn't seen anything at all.

The Oracle office was empty, except for Mr. Collins, the faculty advisor for the Web site and one of Sweet Valley High's favorite teachers. He looked up from his newspaper and smiled as she walked in, and Elizabeth attempted to smile back. Mr. Collins, in a blue crewneck and jeans, looked especially crushworthy that day. It wasn't hard to see why practically every girl in school got butterflies whenever he walked into a room.

"Nice to see someone at this school feels like working," Mr. Collins commented.

"Actually, I'm way behind on my column, so don't be too proud," Elizabeth joked.

"Well, at least you can admit it," he said.

Elizabeth sat down at her usual computer and booted it up. Trying to look as carefree as possible, she tightened her blond ponytail and typed out "The Insider" and the date underneath it. Then nothing. All she could think about was Todd and that empty space on the back of his motorcycle. If she were a good gossip columnist, she'd

probably start with a bit about Todd's new wheels and the two girls who weren't his girlfriend who had already been spotted on the back. But she couldn't write that. She just couldn't.

"Writer's block?" Mr. Collins asked.

The proximity of his voice startled her, and she looked up to find him hovering right behind her. How long she had been catatonic, she had no idea, and her face flushed scarlet.

"I wish," she replied, leaning her elbow next to the keyboard, and her head in her hand.

Mr. Collins pulled out the chair next to hers and sat. "Want to talk about it?"

Not really, Elizabeth thought. But then ... maybe she should. Maybe if she ran the whole mess by a third-party observer, she could get some unbiased advice. Besides, Mr. Collins had always been there for her in the past. She took a deep breath and let out a sigh.

"You know, it's like on the surface, nothing's actually wrong, but then ... everything's wrong," she said, knowing she sounded certifiable.

"Ah. One of those," Mr. Collins said with a smirk. "Like you know logically that you shouldn't be upset, but you can't help feeling the way you feel."

"Exactly," Elizabeth replied.

"So what's up?" he asked, leaning back in the chair. "I minored in psych, you know. Let me put it to good use.

Elizabeth laughed, and then, bracing herself, she let the whole story pour out. She told him about Rex and his death. And Todd and his bike. And her inability to share it with him. And how it seemed like every other girl in school was just dying to step in where she couldn't.

"What if he decides he'd rather go out with someone who likes his stupid motorcycle as much as he does?" she mumbled, the very thought sending a painful shot through her heart.

"I can see why you might think that, but let me ask you something," Mr. Collins said. "Todd's a basketball player, right?"

"Yeah."

"So do you think he's only interested in dating girls who can shoot hoops?" he asked.

Elizabeth saw where he was going. "No."

"And what about you? Are you only ever going to go out with guys who read classic lit for fun?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Elizabeth laughed. "Urn, no. I'd probably never have a date again."

"So do you really think he might be interested in Mandy or Enid just because they enjoyed riding his bike?" Mr. Collins asked.

Suddenly, Elizabeth felt extremely silly. "No. Not when you put it that way, I guess."

"So there you go," Mr. Collins said. "My psych professors would be so proud."

"But that's just the thing," Elizabeth said, shifting in her seat to better face him. "I know how I feel is silly, but whenever I see one of them hanging on to my boyfriend that way, I can't help being jealous. What's the matter with me?"

"I'd say ... nothing," Mr. Collins said, matter-of-factly. "I'd say you're a perfectly normal girl. It's totally normal to feel that way. You just have to keep reminding yourself that he may drive Mandy to the diner or Enid to school, but it's you he's looking for once he gets where he's going."

Elizabeth smiled. "True."

"I think it'll get better over time," he assured her. "You just have to get used to this new thing Todd has in his life. And that's all it is, Liz. It's a way to get from point A to point B. It's a toy--a novelty. The excitement is going to wear off eventually, for everyone. Are you really going to let that ruin your relationship?"

Elizabeth took a deep breath. She had never thought of it that way. "No," she said firmly. "I'm not."

"Good." He got up and pushed his chair back under the desk. "Now get to work already," he said lightly.

"I think I will," Elizabeth said, smiling.

"Thank God," Mr. Collins said. "Because I, for one, am dying to know what's going on around here."

Elizabeth laughed and turned back toward her desk. Feeling lighter and more awake than she had all day, she started to type.

A certain double-varsity-letter athlete has a new set of wheels--two of them, to be exact. And not only is he using them to get around town, but we hear he even rode in to break up a fight at the newly refurbished Valley Diner....

Twenty minutes later, Elizabeth's column was done and she filed it in the general server on the computer.

"All set," she said to Mr. Collins as the bell rang. She lifted her messenger bag strap over her head and smiled. "Thanks for curing my writer's block."

"Anytime," he said as he clicked open the file. "Good luck with everything, Liz."

"Thanks," Elizabeth said. "I think I'm gonna be okay." Now all I have to do is apologize to Enid, she thought as she headed to lunch. And maybe I can still save this day.

Elizabeth arrived at the cafeteria early. She had already gone through the line and claimed a table on the outdoor patio by the time Enid came around, her plate piled high with the day's special--rubbery-looking macaroni and cheese. Enid sat down across from Elizabeth, looking almost timid.

"Hey," Elizabeth said, gearing up for her apology. "I'm really sorry about this morning."

Enid's shoulders relaxed a bit. "Yeah. What was that about? You weren't mad at me for taking Todd up on his offer, were you?"

"No. Of course not," Elizabeth said automatically.

"Are you sure?" Enid asked as she shook up her bottle of iced tea. "Because for a second at your locker, I thought you were Jessica."