part0012

"Attention, everybody! I want to make a speech! It is my party, after all," Robin shouted above the noise. It was Saturday night, and Amy was throwing a good-bye party for Robin in her backyard. Some people were standing on the patio around the pool drinking exotic nonalcoholic drinks, and others were dancing on the lawn.

Jessica was really sad about Robin leaving, but she was just a little bit thrilled to have an occasion to get dressed up and see Ken again. She'd thought about him all day long, and it was almost too good to be true that she was seeing him two nights in a row. She was enormously pleased with the peach linen minidress she'd bought that day. When she'd tried it on, she'd known it was a "must buy," in spite of Elizabeth's trying to discourage her.

Jessica was so sure about Ken's feelings for her that she didn't even mind that he hadn't come by to pick her up for the party. After all, it was a last-minute party, since Robin had announced she was leaving only the day before. All of the doubts Elizabeth had expressed to her at the mall didn't worry Jessica. She knew her sister was overprotective of her. She'd always been that way. When Jessica had first started seeing Jeremy, Elizabeth had practically physically prevented her from going out with him. Unfortunately, in that case Elizabeth's fears had been justified, but it was an entirely different situation with Ken. She decided not to be annoyed by her sister's warnings. She knew Elizabeth was behaving that way only out of love and concern. Luckily, she knew she had nothing to worry about as far as Ken was concerned.

Jessica turned to look at Robin, who was giving her speech, but she was also trying to strike a sexy pose for Ken, who was standing on the other side of the pool.

"I am going to miss all of you so much," Robin was saying as she obviously tried to fight back the tears. "I can't imagine what my life will be like without all of you in it. One thing I'm really going to miss is the pleasure I get from being a cheerleader here. But I'm pleased to officially announce that Heather Mallone will be my replacement as the cocaptain of the cheerleading squad. I know she and Jessica will lead the squad in their continued support of the Gladiators, the best football team in California!"

People cheered and applauded, and a couple of guys shouted, "Babearama!" and "What a dish!"

Jessica had managed to forget about Heather and cheerleading for the time being and resented this ugly reminder.

"Hey, Jessica, how was your date last night?" Lila asked Jessica as she bounded up next to her. "I want a full report."

"Let's just say it was a night I'll never forget," Jessica said, sighing heavily. She was happy to have her thoughts taken away from Heather for the moment. "Ken's the greatest guy in the world. I can't believe I've known him all these years but I'm just now realizing how terrific he is."

"It looks like you're not the only person who thinks so," Lila said. "Check out the action by the refreshment table."

Jessica turned around and, to her horror, saw Heather talking to Ken! They were standing by the table, which was at the edge of the pool, and Heather was laughing loudly and gesticulating wildly.

"That girl is seriously out to ruin my life," Jessica fumed. "It's bad enough that she's moving in on my cheerleading domain. Now she has to go after my guy."

"Well, I'm sure that if Ken is as great as you say he is, you'll have nothing to worry about," Lila said. "Although Heather is dressed rather seductively. I guess he'd have to be superhuman to resist her charms."

Jessica scrutinized Heather from across the pool. She was wearing high heels, a supertight pink miniskirt, and a white halter top, and her long blond hair was curlier and fuller than ever.

"First of all, Ken has already told me that he's not the least bit interested in Heather," Jessica said. "And I think Heather is wearing about the tackiest outfit I've ever seen."

"But you have to admit she's got an awesome body," Lila said. "I mean, I'd kill for legs like that."

Jessica glared at Lila. "I think Ken is smart enough to see past a good pair of legs," she said, trying to sound calm.

"I kind of like her," Lila said. "Do you really think she's that bad?"

"I knew she was bad news since the first moment I laid eyes on her," Jessica said. "I can't stand that girl."

"So I guess you're really excited about being a cocaptain with her," Lila said sarcastically.

"I hate the idea of being a cocaptain with her," Jessica said, feeling her face turn red. "I've put too much work in the squad to let some interloper take it away from me."

Heather and Ken were still talking to each other, and it was more than Jessica could take. Her dislike for Heather was stronger than ever, but she had a sudden feeling of power. I'm not going to let her destroy what I've worked so hard to create , Jessica thought. I'm going to show her who's in charge, and I'm going to start right now .

Jessica walked over to Ken and Heather, ready to do battle. "What a cute little bitty skirt you're wearing," Jessica said, smiling.

"Thanks," Heather said, posing with one hip out by the side of the pool. "I just bought it at the mall today. It was hard to find anything halfway decent there. This was the only thing that wasn't totally hideous."

"I know what you mean," Jessica lied, flashing Heather a bright smile. "Come on, Ken, why don't we dance?"

"Great idea," Ken said.

Jessica slid her arm through Ken's and as she did she "accidentally" bumped into Heather. Heather, teetering on her high heels, tried to regain her balance—she even reached out for Jessica so she wouldn't fall. But Jessica artfully stepped away, leaving Heather to fall into the pool with an unceremonious splash.

"Oh, Heather, I'm so sorry!" Jessica said when Heather surfaced, her long blond curls a sodden mess and mascara dripping down her face. "I'm so clumsy sometimes. And you were wearing your brand-new skirt. Oh, and Heather, a word to the wise: always were waterproof mascara to pool parties."

And with that Jessica walked away, hand in hand with Ken, enormously pleased with herself. Now she'll know who she's doing business with , Jessica thought triumphantly.

"Those two really look like they're getting serious," Todd said to Elizabeth as they slow-danced at the party for Robin. "If they stand any closer together, they'll have to be surgically removed."

Elizabeth didn't need to have it pointed out to her that her sister and Ken were extremely cozy on the dance floor. She'd barely taken her eyes from them since they'd started dancing. "Can we not talk about Jessica and Ken?" Elizabeth asked.

"Sure, but I thought you'd be happy about the two of them being together," Todd said. "It's pretty neat that my best friend and your twin sister are a couple. We could have a lot of fun together double-dating and stuff. As you know, I'm not crazy about Jessica, but with you and Ken there, it could be cool."

"I am excited about their being together, but I just want to concentrate on you and me," Elizabeth said, putting her head against Todd's chest. The more Todd talked about Ken and Jessica, the guiltier Elizabeth felt. But Elizabeth didn't know which feeling was stronger—her guilt or her jealousy.

Elizabeth looked at her sister, whose face was right up against Ken's. They were speaking to each other in an extremely intimate way, and Elizabeth was dying to know what they were talking about. They were so wrapped up in each other that they barely even moved to the music.

Elizabeth couldn't stand it any longer. She started to move Todd gently in Jessica and Ken's direction. When the two couples were right next to each other, Elizabeth saw that her sister and Ken were about to kiss.

"Why don't we change partners?" Elizabeth suggested suddenly. She ignored the irritated look Jessica shot her way.

"That's a great idea," Todd said. "Hey, Ken, can I cut in?"

Suddenly Elizabeth was standing in front of Ken, and she felt her heart pumping ten times its normal rate.

"How've you been, Liz?" Ken asked awkwardly. He was still avoiding Elizabeth's gaze, just as he'd done the night before when he'd come to pick up Jessica for their date.

"Fine," Elizabeth murmured. Now that she'd arranged to dance with Ken, she was unable even to speak to him.

What's wrong with me? She felt her palms get sweaty as Ken put one hand on her waist and another on her shoulder. They started to sway slowly to the music, when Elizabeth felt as if she was going to be sick. This is too weird , she realized. It was almost harder for her to be close to Ken like that in front of everyone, unable to talk about their shared secret, than it was to see him at a distance.

"I'm sorry, Ken, but I have to go." Before Ken had a chance to respond, Elizabeth ran into the house and headed for the bathroom, where she wiped away the tear that had fallen down her cheek.

"I love that dress you're wearing," Ken said to Jessica after most people had left Amy's party. They were sitting close together on the edge of the pool, dangling their feet in the water. Only a few couples, Robin's close friends and their dates, were left, and the only light came from inside the pool. "It's a great color on you."

"Thanks, I've had it forever," Jessica lied. She certainly wasn't going to tell Ken she'd bought it just for him. They'd had only one real date so far, and she didn't want to scare him away.

"This was a great party," Ken said. "I love dancing with you. You're a terrific dancer."

"I do like to dance," Jessica said. "I felt terrible about Heather falling in the pool like that. I guess I was just a little overeager to get to the dance floor."

"She seemed pretty upset," Ken said. "She went home right after that."

"Well," Jessica said, "I just hope she realizes it was an accident and doesn't think I did it on purpose."

"Why would she think that?" Ken asked.

"I don't think she likes me very much," Jessica said in her most innocent voice. "She's a little competitive with me."

"That's understandable," Ken said. "You are really popular and pretty. I'm sure a lot of girls are jealous of you."

"You really say the sweetest things," Jessica said.

"I just call it like I see it," Ken said, kissing Jessica on the cheek.

"Speaking of saying things, what did you say to my sister tonight?" Jessica asked.

Jessica noticed that Ken's whole body seemed to tense up, and he moved away from Jessica a few inches. "Nothing," he said abruptly and defensively. "I didn't say anything to her. Why do you ask?"

"I'm not suggesting that you said anything mean to her," Jessica said, confused by his reaction. "It's just that she ran off while she was dancing with you. She looked upset about something. I just thought you might know what she was upset about."

"I have no idea," Ken said. "Maybe you should ask her."

Ken's whole demeanor was suddenly different. He seemed nervous and upset, and Jessica couldn't figure out what she'd said that had got him so agitated.

"Maybe she and Todd were having a fight or something," Jessica said. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it's not very interesting. I love my sister, but she is pretty boring."

Ken was staring off in the distance, and he seemed miles away. "I wouldn't know," Ken said quietly.

"She's been kind of weird lately," Jessica said.

"How do you mean?" Ken asked.

"She keeps warning me about you," Jessica said.

"Warning you how? What did she say about me?" Ken's attention was focused back on Jessica, and he seemed intensely interested all of a sudden.

Maybe he's just worried that I'm going to stop liking him , Jessica reasoned. He doesn't want Elizabeth to say anything negative about him that would turn me away from him .

"She's just protective of me," Jessica said. "She didn't say anything bad about you, don't worry. Elizabeth would warn me about anyone I was dating right now. She doesn't want to see me get hurt again like I was by Jeremy."

"Oh, well, she doesn't have anything to worry about," Ken said, putting his arm around Jessica and breathing a sigh of relief. "I should get you home. It's after midnight, and we don't want your sister worrying about you."

Jessica knew she should have Ken take her home, because for some reason she felt unusually tired, and her shoulders had that aching feeling she got whenever she was about to get sick. She knew she ought to get some sleep, because getting sick now was the last thing she needed, but she couldn't bear to leave Ken.

"I can't believe you're leaving tomorrow morning," Annie said as tears streamed down her face. "This all feels so sudden."

"I know, I feel like my whole life is changing overnight," Robin said between little sobs. "I don't want to say good-bye, though. Let's just all say we'll see each other later—kind of pretend like this isn't happening."

Robin was saying good night to her girlfriends after the party while their dates waited outside in their cars.

"Just think of all the good stuff you have to look forward to," Jessica said.

"Like what?" Robin asked, sniffing.

"Like all the boys to have crushes on, and all the new stores to discover," Jessica said.

"But I'm going to miss my friends like crazy," Robin said.

"You'll make new friends instantly," Amy said.

"They won't be like you guys," Robin said. "They'll never be as much fun."

"We love you, Robin," Annie said as everyone gave Robin a big group hug.

"I love you guys," Robin said, and the tears really started to flow. "Let's always stay in touch."

Jessica was glad Heather wasn't there to spoil that moment. Good thing I sent her running home in those wet clothes , she thought. Otherwise, I'm sure she'd he here faking her own tears .

"We'll always be here for you," Jeannie said. "You can come back for big parties and proms. We'll just pretend like you're going on a long vacation."

Elizabeth was lying on a lounge chair by the Wakefields' pool on Sunday afternoon while Jessica worked on her cheers nearby. It was a beautiful afternoon, and Elizabeth was determined to stay in a good mood. She'd jumped out of bed that morning telling herself that she just had to forget about Ken. Whatever happened between him and Jessica was beyond her control. Besides, she already had a terrific boyfriend whom she loved.

She'd given herself the opportunity to be close to Ken the night before, and she'd blown it. Maybe I don't like Ken as much as I thought , Elizabeth decided as she closed her eyes and enjoyed feeling the sun against her skin.

"I'm coming up with the best cheers I've ever done," Jessica said, startling Elizabeth out of her thoughts. "They're going to blow Heather out of the water. I've decided that I'm not going to let her get me down."

"That's great," Elizabeth said. Because Elizabeth had been feeling guilty about the jealous feelings she'd been having toward her sister, she was glad that things were going better for her in terms of her cheerleading. "That sounds like the Jessica Wakefield we all know and love."

"I'm working on a cheer that has a salsa influence," Jessica said. "Here—watch."

Elizabeth watched as Jessica showed her her new routine. Elizabeth was about as bored by cheerleading as a person could be, but she feigned interest for Jessica's sake. She knew how important cheerleading was to her. Sometimes Elizabeth worried that it was a little too important.

"Bravo," Elizabeth said, clapping her hands. "That was great."

"Could you tell that it had a salsa influence?" Jessica asked. "I tried to add a few dance steps and rhythms that I saw in that movie I rented about salsa dancing."

"I definitely see the salsa influence," Elizabeth lied. She couldn't tell the difference between one silly cheer and the next, but she didn't need to tell Jessica that. "I'm glad you're not letting Heather bother you anymore."

"I think one reason I'm not letting Heather get to me is because of Ken," Jessica said.

Please don't talk about Ken , Elizabeth wanted to say to her sister. She'd been trying so hard to put him out of her mind.

"What does Ken have to do with Heather?" Elizabeth asked, not sure that she really wanted to know the answer.

"He's just so incredible," Jessica said, bending down to stretch. "On Friday night we had a long talk about Heather and cheerleading, and he really made me feel confident about my cheerleading abilities. He also made me realize that Heather is really nothing special."

"What did he say exactly?"

"He just said that he didn't think Heather was all that pretty," Jessica said. "In fact, he said she was boring looking."

Elizabeth felt relieved—not because of Jessica's interest in Ken, but because of her own. She had been a little jealous on Friday night when Heather was flirting with him at Casey's. But I shouldn't feel relieved , she told herself. I shouldn't feel anything at all. I just decided I don't care about him anymore .

"So it sounds like you and Ken are good friends," Elizabeth said, trying to sound cool. "I mean, it sounds like maybe you're just friends."

"We are friends," Jessica said, getting that annoying, dreamy look in her eye she'd been getting every time she mentioned Ken lately. "But the really wonderful thing is that we're also more than just friends. In fact, I think we're getting pretty serious."

"One date is not exactly serious," Elizabeth said. She knew she was bursting Jessica's bubble, but she couldn't help it.

"That was just the beginning. Last night, when we were slow-dancing—and I mean slow- dancing—Ken asked me out again for this coming Friday," Jessica said as she leaped into a cartwheel.

"What are you going to do?" Elizabeth knew that she should stop asking questions for her own good, but she couldn't.

"He wouldn't say," Jessica said, coming back up into a standing position. "He just said he wanted to do something extra special. I can't wait. I wish it was tomorrow. I don't know how I'll get through the entire week!"

"Jess, I really think you need to watch out," Elizabeth warned. "I mean, I'm really happy that he asked you out again, but I just think you should be careful."

"Ken is so wonderful," Jessica said. "Of all people he's the last person who would ever hurt anyone. I'm surprised you would doubt that. He is Todd's best friend, after all."

"I know that, but sometimes you never really know about a person," Elizabeth said. "You had no idea that Jeremy was going to turn out to be the kind of jerk that he is. Sometimes appearances are deceiving."

"But it's not like I just met Ken," Jessica said. "I've known him since kindergarten, and so have you, for that matter. I thought you'd be really happy for me."

"I am happy for you," Elizabeth lied. "I just think you should take it slowly, that's all. Also, I just don't see how you and Ken could ever work as a couple."

"You just seem so different from each other," Elizabeth said. "I mean, you're a lot more fun than he is. He's a pretty serious guy."

"Haven't you ever heard the expression 'Opposites attract'?" Jessica asked. "Besides, look at you and me."

"Well, we're both totally different and we get along—most of the time," Jessica said.

"Just watch out," Elizabeth said. "It might seem great now, but anything could happen."

"I really wish you'd stop raining on my parade," Jessica said, picking up her pom-poms. "All I want is a little excitement about the fact that I've found a new guy that I really like. Instead all I'm getting is negative warnings."

Jessica walked back into the house, and once again Elizabeth felt terrible about how she'd discouraged Jessica from being with Ken. She was still so confused about her own feelings for him. One minute she thought she was over him, but then, as soon as Jessica started talking about him, she realized that maybe she wasn't. How am I ever going to know how I really feel about Ken? she asked herself. Would I even be thinking about him at all if Jessica weren't seeing him?

"We gotta fight—fight—with all our might. We gotta dance—dance—and take a chance. We gotta win—win—and do a spin," Jessica wrote on Sunday night after dinner. She'd been sitting at the kitchen table, writing down words to the new cheer she'd just made up while her mother finished the dishes. She put her hand on her throat and felt that her glands were a little swollen. Every time she swallowed, it hurt, but she had too much on her mind to think about being sick.

She looked up from her notebook and drifted into a daydream about leading her squad to the state championship. The daydream didn't end there, however. Not only did her squad become the state champions, they went on to the nationals and became the champions of the entire country.

The best part of the daydream was that Heather was disqualified from the squad because none of the judges liked her. When Jessica was being photographed and interviewed by dozens of journalists, Ken came running up to proclaim his love.

Jessica looked over to the crowd and saw the stricken Heather, sobbing her eyes out. . . .

"Jessica, honey," Mrs. Wakefield said. "Are you OK?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Jessica said, quickly snapping out of her daydream. "Why do you ask?"

"You've been coughing," Mrs. Wakefield said. "Maybe you're coming down with something."

"I'm as fit as a fiddle," Jessica said.

"Well, let's make sure you stay that way." Mrs. Wakefield put a vitamin-C tablet and a glass of water in front of Jessica on the table. "I want you to start taking vitamin C every four hours to make sure you don't get really sick."

"Mom, I'm not getting sick," Jessica groaned.

"Jessica . . ." Mrs. Wakefield warned.

"OK, OK," she said, gulping down the pill. I guess the more vitamins, the better. After all, I need all my strength to lead us to the nationals! Sometimes dreams do come true!