Sweet Valley High #44: Pretenses
I discovered a buttload of SVH through the interlibrary loan program! Whoo! It's almost cool enough to not laugh about Steven's really bad suit. Ugly color! He doesn't look upset, like he is in the book. He looks like he's just seen a pimple on Cara's face, but Cara looks kinda foggy-eyed. Maybe she's planning on convincing Steven to cut down on the hair gel.
Oh well...onward!
When the book opens, Jessica is mentally bitching about how she has to take the bus to school, since Elizabeth has a doctor appointment. Not...THE BUS!!! Surely not the bus? Oh, no! There's probably icky, fat people on it! Jessica sits with Cara Walker, who only wants to talk about Steven Wakefield and his perfect boyfriend-ness. Jessica is annoyed at Cara and Steven keeping up the long-distance (45 minute) relationship. Yeah, 45 minutes seems not long distance to me, but okay. Jessica thinks A) it's too boring and B) she is a sociopath, and wants Cara all to herself. If Jess wasn't such a man-whore, I'd think that sounds kind of lesbian.
Cara then says that she did something stupid--mentioned her birthday party (but you don't really age, Cara dear) in front of an Abbie Richardson. Jess is disgusted; after hooking up with a Palisades boy a year older than her, Abbie was totally not on the SVH side, and she didn't hang with Jess's gang anymore--a total crime! Abbie forgot her SVH friends for a while, so she's a total screwball, but now she's trying to get back into SVH society, after breaking up with Doug (the Palisades boy). Cara is scared that Abbie's awaiting an invitation. It is mentioned in the B-plot how pretty and perfectly-complexioned Abby is, and she's so nice and sweet, because nobody can be "ugly" and nice.
Cara and Jessica are watching soaps when Elizabeth comes home, but their unfinished homework is all around them. Jess and Liz bicker about homework, and Cara wonders...yep, how two 'clones' can look the same and act different. We get the serious-Liz and devious-Jess explanation and the blue-eyed, golden-haired, perfect-skinned, shapely-bodied description again. Size six! Not to mention four minutes=four years. Steven calls--he's coming home to be treated for allergies! Yay! Cara is thrilled, not once giving thought to the fact that her BOYFRIEND has ALLERGIES. Jess tries to get Cara to play the field. Doesn't work. She then tells her to add mystery to her and Steven's relationship. HMM...
Meanwhile, after sucking up to everyone, Abbie is chattering away at home to her psychologist mum, who apparently tends to practice her physco-stuff on Abbie. Abbie is sure she'll get invited to Cara's party, so she and her mom go out dress shopping, because Cara's having it at a fancy restuarant. SV kids are S-P-O-I-L-E-D! All throughout whatever time span this book occurs on, she sucks up to everyone--ESPECIALLY Liz. She thinks Liz is the perfect friend--smart, caring, popular, pretty. Barf.
The girls prepare a special dinner for Steven. He isn't interested in them, or Cara or Cara's non-sex advances. Cara is disgusted that Steven should be feeling rotten from the medicine and allergies. He's HERS, DAMNIT!
Pretty soon, Cara's feeling rotten. Her birthday party approaches, and Abbie does not get an invitation. She spent the week cleaning up after everyone and groveling for friendship, and she has no invite to the party of a girl she hasn't talked to for a couple of grade. The SHOCK! Cara isn't having any fun, either, though. Steven is not interested in the party, and he's holding a pink letter. Wuh-oh. She asks him what is about, but doesn't seem upset til he freaks. If you can't see where this is going...
After that, Steven and Cara keep avoiding each other or flunking intelligent conversations until they part ways. Abbie, who has been getting together with Liz regarding the Oracle (see B-plot) hangs out at Casa Wakefield with Steven whilst waiting for the twins. One day, she forgets Liz is working late at the Oracle office, and has heart-to-heart talk with Steven. Jessica and Liz are suspicious, absolutely suspicious. Steven also keeps getting pink letters--on stationary that Tricia Martin used!!!!!!11!! OMG! The Wakefield kids think someone's playing a horrid joke, but when the girls make an errand to the stationary store (whilst going to buy Jessica some jeans) they see the same stationary in blue, and a salesgirl says that someone, a girl the twins' age, bought the last box of pink. She doesn't describe the girl, but Jessica and Elizabeth jump to conclusions. Soon, Abbie comes again. Abbie's thrilled, because Steven invited her to a Laker's game instead of Cara (though she does feel bad about Cara). Abbie is holding a pink letter, because Steven asked her to read it. The twins come in and accuse her of writing the letter, without any evidence. Even their brother chews Abbie out. Abbie may be a succubus, but I still feel sorry for her. Everyone's a bitch, especially Jessica. But Abbie then stands up for herself, declaring she doesn't need jerks like the Wakefield kids if it means getting kicked in the teeth. Little does she realize that Cara's coming over. She gets away before Cara gets to Casa W., but guess what...
Lila encouraged Cara to make it up with Steven, have a real talk. Cara will do it in person! She is invited in, makes up (not out) with Steven, and then, with Jessica, Liz, Steven, and God as her witnesses, confesses to writing the letters. She's sorry that they are in Tricia's stationary. She didn't know. She spent a long time type-writing (lol!) them in an italic font (lol). The Wakefields realize how horrible they've been, and Cara feels guilty, so they head over in person and apologize to Abbie! Liz had a speech planned (of course) but then they all just gush apologies, and Abbie realizes that they are her friends after all. Some friends, attacking her without evidence! But she actually thinks the Wakefields are the "best family ever"
Liz, Jess, Cara, Abbie, Steven, and Ned and Alice all go to the Lakers game--Ned had gotten the tickets, and then scored an extra one for Cara! The end-diddly-end!
B-Plot:
Elizabeth feels awful--the Oracle is failing! Not even the "popular English teacher, Mr. Collins" (oh, popular? How so? ;) ) can help. Then Winston suggests adding humor, and a humorous column contest is set up. Abbie Richardson (see A-plot) submits a comic strip called 'Jenny', about a sixteen-year-old's humorous but realistic (er...) real-life troubles. She wins, against Amy Slutton's 'Miss Manners' knockoff column.