SVT #85 - Elizabeth the Seventh-Grader
This is going to sound crazy, but this cover actually depicts a scene from the book (with clothes that match the book’s description!).
That is Bruce "Jellyfish Lips" Patman leaning in to kiss Liz the Prude Wakefield while other kids cheer.
Yes. To succeed in seventh grade life, one must kiss Bruce Patman.
Liz and Jess are at home Monday night by themselves, and Liz is stressing out because her teachers have called their parents in for a special conference. Jess teases Liz and says maybe she’s failing something, but Liz has no sense of humor about it. At nine-thirty that night, when Liz is in bed but not yet asleep, her parents walk in to tell her the news: the teachers think Liz is so smart that she should be bumped up to 7th grade! Liz thinks this is the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to her. Her parents caution that just because she may fit in academically doesn’t mean she’ll fit in socially, but Liz doesn’t believe them.
The next morning, Jess starts complaining that Tom McKay is having a party but only inviting 7th and 8th graders to it. He won’t even make an exception for the 6th grade Unicorns!
Since when is Tom McKay in 7th grade? He supposedly has an older brother, Dylan, who’s in 7th grade, but this book makes no mention of Tom even having a brother. I guess being gay makes you ageless. And brotherless.
Anyway, Liz tells Jess and Steven the big news about skipping a grade that night at dinner. Jess is upset and doesn’t want Liz to be in a different grade than her. Later, she complains about this to Steven, who admits that he’s not thrilled about Liz being in 7th grade either. He says, “Those older kids can be pretty… wild. I don’t think she’s ready for it.” They decide to use reverse psychology on Liz, acting like they’re thrilled, so Liz will realize she belongs in 6th grade. Because this technique has never been used before in the world of Sweet Valley.
Wednesday is Liz’s last day as a 6th grader. After school, she picks up her new schedule from Mrs. Arnette. She’ll now be taking classes like intermediate French and pre-algebra and she has a ton of work to catch up on, which is probably why kids don’t normally skip a grade in the middle of the school year. Of course, it’s not like a school year ever really ends in Sweet Valley.
Liz heads into the office of The Sixers to share her news with the other journalism dorks and finds Amy sitting in her editor-in-chief chair. Since Liz will no longer be in 6th grade, she can’t work for the paper anymore. Liz is shocked - shocked! She’s even more shocked to discover that Jessica’s in the room too, saying she’s decided to join the paper. Liz puts on a brave face and says she’ll now work for the 7&8 Gazette instead.
Liz has to do a ton of homework to catch up on all her new classes. Jessica rubs her own free time in Liz’s face, saying she’s going to watch some TV and then talk to Liz’s friends about upcoming 6th grade events, like the big 6th grade camping trip (wtf?) that Liz the 7th grader is no longer welcome at.
Thursday morning, Liz walks into her very first 7th grade class, science. The teacher, Ms. Sawyer, welcomes her. Liz stands around, looking dumb, and then asks where she’s supposed to sit. Ms. Sawyer tells her there are no assigned seats in 7th grade, and Liz hopes no one overheard her embarrassing question. The class, including Liz, is then immediately given a quiz, which Liz finishes quickly because she read that section of the textbook the night before. As the teacher grades the papers at the front of the class, Liz hears other students whispering that she got an A+ because she’s a genius. Liz is confused how they know (duh, it’s because she’s a Wakefield) but then gets excited because maybe it’s true! But then the tests are handed back and Liz sees she received a B+. She decides she’ll have to work harder.
At lunch, Liz walks into the cafeteria with Amy but is quickly intercepted by 7th grader Helen Bradley (isn’t she the same age as the twins in SVH??), who invites Liz to eat at her table, along with Leslie Carlisle and Kerry Glenn. We get this titillating conversation:
Leslie: Hi, Jessica. Welcome to the seventh grade.
Liz: Actually, I’m Elizabeth. Jessica’s my identical twin sister. She’s in sixth grade.
Leslie: Oh, I see.
Speaking of tits, the ghostwriter throws in this descriptive gem: Leslie was large-chested and very mature-looking.
After school, Jessica goes to Casey’s for ice cream with Todd, Amy, Maria, and Winston, wanting Liz to see her with her friends and be jealous - and SOON - so Jess can ditch the nerds and hang out with the Unicorns at another table. Liz arrives and is indeed jealous. Tom McKay drops by the table while Liz is there and says he hopes to see her at his party the next night. Jessica is jealous but plays it off.
Later, Jess offers to loan Liz some clothes for the party, saying that if Liz shows up in her usual getup, they’ll laugh her out of the house.
That night at dinner, Jessica asks her parents if Liz has mentioned the “seventh and eighth grade party” that she’s been invited to. Steven jumps on the bandwagon and says, “I remember those parties from when I was in seventh and eighth grade. They were pretty wild.” Jessica says she heard that they’re going to be playing lots of wild games there. Mrs. Wakefield asks what types of games. "I think I know the kind of games she’s talking about,” Steven said. “And I don’t think we want to talk about it at dinner." The parents decide that Liz can’t go to the party. Jess feels triumphant.
At lunch the next day, Liz’s new lunch buddies talk about the upcoming party, saying that Tom’s parties are totally wild. (Duh, gay guys throw great bashes!) They tell Liz going to this party means she’ll have a chance to get to know other 7th graders and that she’s lucky there’s a party happening so soon after she was bumped up a grade. Like a weekend in Sweet Valley ever goes by without a party. Liz thinks she just has to go to the party that night, even if it means she must sneak out!
Liz tells Jess her plan that night and Jess is shocked. Sneaking out is so unlike Liz! Jess says she won’t tell on Liz but says that Liz absolutely needs to change her clothes because she looks “like a big green bean.” Liz is wearing a green T-shirt with green jeans and a matching green headband. Barf. Jess loans Liz a denim miniskirt and a long-sleeve purple-and-white top.
Jess tells Steven that Liz is sneaking out and that once they inform their parents, Ned and Alice will be sure to send Liz back to 6th grade! Steven disagrees, saying that they’re too proud of Liz to send her back to 6th grade and will just ground her. Steven suggests that they let Liz go to the party because it’ll likely prove that Liz isn’t ready for the 7th grade social scene.
Liz gets a ride to the party with Mary Wallace. Jessica also takes a ride with Mary but has Mary’s mom drop her off at Amy’s house, supposedly to help plan the camping trip.
At the party, Liz goes up to her new lunch buddies, since she doesn’t really know anyone else, and listens as they gossip about other students. Then they discuss what games they might play that night. Liz perks up and thinks that since she’s good at games, she’ll probably like that part of the party.
The games begin! Everyone sits in a circle, which confuses Liz. She thinks, The only game I can think of where we sit in a circle is Duck Duck Goose. There’s a soda bottle in the middle of the circle. Kerry whispers to Liz that she hopes the bottle lands on Rick Hunter when it’s her turn. Liz nods and thinks, What is she talking about? Is everyone going to take turns throwing the bottle at one another?
Tom says Liz can go first and hands her the bottle. She asks what she’s supposed to do with it, and everyone snickers. Tom says to put it in the middle of the circle and spin it around. So Liz does that and it lands on Bruce.
Another age/grade-related continuity problem, for those keeping track: this book says that Bruce is in 8th grade. Who proofreads these?? (er, no one, I suppose)
Anyway, Bruce stands up and walks over to Liz with a big grin on his face. He puckers up his lips and leans in to her… and Liz suddenly realizes what’s about to happen… and at the last moment, Liz turns her face so Bruce’s lips land on her cheek! Bruce asks if Liz even knows how to play this game. Everyone laughs. Liz runs into the bathroom to cry, then decides she needs to return and prove she belongs in 7th grade.
After Liz returns, the partygoers decide to play Truth or Dare. This game, Liz has heard of but never played. Janet asks Liz truth or dare, and Liz says she doesn’t care. Tom says he’ll decide for Liz and picks dare. Mary suddenly grows protective of Liz and whispers that she probably doesn’t want to do whatever dare Janet has in mind. Mary makes an excuse for them to leave. Janet looks at Liz disapprovingly and says that since Liz is leaving in the middle of her turn, she will come up with a dare for Liz over the weekend that Liz will have to do the next week in front of the whole school. Liz agrees.
Liz returns home, and her parents are waiting for her. Mrs. Wakefield tells Liz that she knows Liz was at the party and that it’s okay because they understand that Liz needs to fit in socially as well as academically. Liz is glad they understand, then thinks that her parents would be heartbroken if she ever decided to return to 6th grade.
Jess asks Liz how the party was and Liz says it was great and that they played lots of games. Jess asks what games, and Liz says, “Oh, you’ll find out when you’re in seventh grade.” Jess gets angry because Liz is rubbing this in and returns the favor by rubbing it into Liz’s face that she hung out with Liz’s real friends the night before!
Saturday afternoon, Jess goes out shopping with the Unicorns, who ask how Liz is doing. Jess is confused until they tell her what happened at the party. Jess then starts thinking up ideas for what sort of dare Janet could give to Liz that would prove Liz belongs in the 6th grade. And then it hits her: since Liz didn’t kiss Bruce during Spin the Bottle, Janet should dare Liz to kiss Bruce in front of the whole school!
Monday at lunch, Liz complains to Amy and Maria about the party she went to, and then Janet and co come up to the table to inform Liz of her dare: Friday, in the cafeteria, Liz has to kiss Bruce on the lips, in front of the whole school. Liz is shocked! Amy and Maria tell Liz that it’s ridiculous and that she doesn’t have to complete the dare. Liz says she doesn’t have a choice. Amy tells Liz that of course she has a choice and that she doesn’t have to do stuff just to be accepted. Liz says that yes she does, that it’s different in 7th grade.
Tuesday after school, Liz goes to meet with Jed Michaels, the editor-in-chief of the 7&8 Gazette. He tells Liz that she can’t write for their paper but she can make photocopies and deliver papers for them. Hehe!
At the same time, Jessica is at a Sixers meeting. Amy says that Jess is supposed to write an article about the camping trip, so Jess says she’ll bring it to school the next morning. As she leaves, Jess flirts with Todd, saying that she’s surprised Liz has any time for him anymore since she’s so busy being a 7th grader. When they run into Liz, Todd blows her off. Liz is confused. Jessica says that Todd must just be upset because he’s heard about the kiss Liz is going to bestow on Bruce. Liz wants to know how Todd’s heard of it, and Jess is like, “Duh, everyone’s heard of it!”
Later that night, Jessica tricks Liz into writing the story about the camping trip for the Sixers by saying that Amy gave it to Jess at the last minute because she can’t handle all the editor-in-chief responsibility. Liz agrees to not “embarrass” Amy by saying she wrote it and lets Jess take all the credit.
Wednesday at school, all everyone can talk about is the upcoming Liz/Bruce action. Rick Hunter tells Liz to “pucker up”. Tom McKay gets in on the action by showing his true rainbow colors:
”Bruce! Bruce! Kiss me! Kiss me!” Tom McKay said as he clasped his hands to his chest.
That night, Liz feels really low. She knows she’s the joke of the school and thinks that even though she’s doing great work academically, she hates being in 7th grade. She goes to her parents to say that she wants to transfer back into 6th grade, but before she can say anything, they start raving about what great work Liz has been doing and how proud they are of her. Liz decides not to say anything because she doesn’t want to disappoint them.
Thursday afternoon, Jessica tells Liz that people are placing bets on whether she’ll actually kiss Bruce. Jess says that Lila’s the only one who bet that Liz would go through with it. Jessica casually mentions that Todd is pretty miffed, since 7th and 8th grade guys are teasing him about it. Liz says she’s still going to go through with the kiss because she doesn’t want to look wimpy.
At the breakfast table Friday morning, Jess and Steven tease Liz. Jessica suggests that Liz wear nicer clothes because everyone will be looking at her. Steven asks if Liz wants to borrow his chapstick so her lips will be in better condition when they touch Bruce’s. Liz grows angry, and Jessica starts to feel bad for being mean but then remembers that the more afraid they make Liz, the more likely she’ll chicken out. So then Jess says that one kiss is no big deal and that it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if Todd broke up with her anyway. Liz gets upset and asks if Todd said he was going to break up with her. Jess says not exactly but that it would obviously be humiliating for him to see Liz kiss someone else in front of the whole school and besides, if Liz is in 7th grade, she doesn’t need a boyfriend in 6th grade.
At school, all anyone can talk about is the kiss. At lunch, Liz can barely eat, she’s so nervous. Amy and Maria remind Liz that she doesn’t have to do this, but Liz still thinks that she needs to in order to fit in. Janet approaches Liz and says that she needs to kiss Bruce now, before the bell rings.
Liz stands up and the cafeteria falls silent. Even the teachers are looking at Liz like they know something’s about to happen. Liz feel bad because her teachers are so proud of her and she thinks their opinions are about to be changed forever. She walks over to Bruce’s table. He closes his eyes and puckers his lips. Liz leans into him… she can feel his breath on her face… and then Liz jumps back, saying she can’t do it.
Everyone starts talking and laughing. Liz says she should have listened to her friends in the first place and gives Todd a hug. Jess says she’s looking forward to having Liz in 6th grade again. Liz says she’s not going back to 6th grade, she’ll still be in 7th grade classes; she’ll just be hanging out with her old friends again.
After school, all the 6th graders get on a bus to go off on their camping trip. Liz wants to go with them and forget about being in 7th grade, but she feels guilty for even thinking this because her parents and teachers are proud and she doesn’t want to disappoint them. The bus leaves without her.
Liz goes home, unhappy, and Mrs. Wakefield asks if she can run an errand with her. Liz agrees and they drive off. Liz can’t figure out where they’re going, and Mrs. Wakefield says she’ll find out. What do you know, it’s the campground where the other 6th graders are! Mrs. Wakefield announces, “Welcome back to the sixth grade!”
Apparently, Mr. Bowman heard Liz talking to her friends after school about how much she wanted to go on the camping trip with them, so he called Mrs. Wakefield to talk about how Liz was doing. Mrs. Wakefield said Liz was doing great but then realized that Liz was only doing great academically. So they decided that Liz should be brought back into 6th grade. The adults apologize to Liz for “forcing” her to move into 7th grade without a thought for how it would affect her socially.
Jess admits to Liz that she was only pretending to have a good time with Liz’s friends to make Liz jealous. Everyone’s happy again.
The next week at school, Aaron Dallas tells Jessica that they’re going to have a guest teacher in social studies class. Find out what happens in #86, It Can’t Happen Here
That is Bruce "Jellyfish Lips" Patman leaning in to kiss Liz the Prude Wakefield while other kids cheer.
Yes. To succeed in seventh grade life, one must kiss Bruce Patman.
Liz and Jess are at home Monday night by themselves, and Liz is stressing out because her teachers have called their parents in for a special conference. Jess teases Liz and says maybe she’s failing something, but Liz has no sense of humor about it. At nine-thirty that night, when Liz is in bed but not yet asleep, her parents walk in to tell her the news: the teachers think Liz is so smart that she should be bumped up to 7th grade! Liz thinks this is the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to her. Her parents caution that just because she may fit in academically doesn’t mean she’ll fit in socially, but Liz doesn’t believe them.
The next morning, Jess starts complaining that Tom McKay is having a party but only inviting 7th and 8th graders to it. He won’t even make an exception for the 6th grade Unicorns!
Since when is Tom McKay in 7th grade? He supposedly has an older brother, Dylan, who’s in 7th grade, but this book makes no mention of Tom even having a brother. I guess being gay makes you ageless. And brotherless.
Anyway, Liz tells Jess and Steven the big news about skipping a grade that night at dinner. Jess is upset and doesn’t want Liz to be in a different grade than her. Later, she complains about this to Steven, who admits that he’s not thrilled about Liz being in 7th grade either. He says, “Those older kids can be pretty… wild. I don’t think she’s ready for it.” They decide to use reverse psychology on Liz, acting like they’re thrilled, so Liz will realize she belongs in 6th grade. Because this technique has never been used before in the world of Sweet Valley.
Wednesday is Liz’s last day as a 6th grader. After school, she picks up her new schedule from Mrs. Arnette. She’ll now be taking classes like intermediate French and pre-algebra and she has a ton of work to catch up on, which is probably why kids don’t normally skip a grade in the middle of the school year. Of course, it’s not like a school year ever really ends in Sweet Valley.
Liz heads into the office of The Sixers to share her news with the other journalism dorks and finds Amy sitting in her editor-in-chief chair. Since Liz will no longer be in 6th grade, she can’t work for the paper anymore. Liz is shocked - shocked! She’s even more shocked to discover that Jessica’s in the room too, saying she’s decided to join the paper. Liz puts on a brave face and says she’ll now work for the 7&8 Gazette instead.
Liz has to do a ton of homework to catch up on all her new classes. Jessica rubs her own free time in Liz’s face, saying she’s going to watch some TV and then talk to Liz’s friends about upcoming 6th grade events, like the big 6th grade camping trip (wtf?) that Liz the 7th grader is no longer welcome at.
Thursday morning, Liz walks into her very first 7th grade class, science. The teacher, Ms. Sawyer, welcomes her. Liz stands around, looking dumb, and then asks where she’s supposed to sit. Ms. Sawyer tells her there are no assigned seats in 7th grade, and Liz hopes no one overheard her embarrassing question. The class, including Liz, is then immediately given a quiz, which Liz finishes quickly because she read that section of the textbook the night before. As the teacher grades the papers at the front of the class, Liz hears other students whispering that she got an A+ because she’s a genius. Liz is confused how they know (duh, it’s because she’s a Wakefield) but then gets excited because maybe it’s true! But then the tests are handed back and Liz sees she received a B+. She decides she’ll have to work harder.
At lunch, Liz walks into the cafeteria with Amy but is quickly intercepted by 7th grader Helen Bradley (isn’t she the same age as the twins in SVH??), who invites Liz to eat at her table, along with Leslie Carlisle and Kerry Glenn. We get this titillating conversation:
Leslie: Hi, Jessica. Welcome to the seventh grade.
Liz: Actually, I’m Elizabeth. Jessica’s my identical twin sister. She’s in sixth grade.
Leslie: Oh, I see.
Speaking of tits, the ghostwriter throws in this descriptive gem: Leslie was large-chested and very mature-looking.
After school, Jessica goes to Casey’s for ice cream with Todd, Amy, Maria, and Winston, wanting Liz to see her with her friends and be jealous - and SOON - so Jess can ditch the nerds and hang out with the Unicorns at another table. Liz arrives and is indeed jealous. Tom McKay drops by the table while Liz is there and says he hopes to see her at his party the next night. Jessica is jealous but plays it off.
Later, Jess offers to loan Liz some clothes for the party, saying that if Liz shows up in her usual getup, they’ll laugh her out of the house.
That night at dinner, Jessica asks her parents if Liz has mentioned the “seventh and eighth grade party” that she’s been invited to. Steven jumps on the bandwagon and says, “I remember those parties from when I was in seventh and eighth grade. They were pretty wild.” Jessica says she heard that they’re going to be playing lots of wild games there. Mrs. Wakefield asks what types of games. "I think I know the kind of games she’s talking about,” Steven said. “And I don’t think we want to talk about it at dinner." The parents decide that Liz can’t go to the party. Jess feels triumphant.
At lunch the next day, Liz’s new lunch buddies talk about the upcoming party, saying that Tom’s parties are totally wild. (Duh, gay guys throw great bashes!) They tell Liz going to this party means she’ll have a chance to get to know other 7th graders and that she’s lucky there’s a party happening so soon after she was bumped up a grade. Like a weekend in Sweet Valley ever goes by without a party. Liz thinks she just has to go to the party that night, even if it means she must sneak out!
Liz tells Jess her plan that night and Jess is shocked. Sneaking out is so unlike Liz! Jess says she won’t tell on Liz but says that Liz absolutely needs to change her clothes because she looks “like a big green bean.” Liz is wearing a green T-shirt with green jeans and a matching green headband. Barf. Jess loans Liz a denim miniskirt and a long-sleeve purple-and-white top.
Jess tells Steven that Liz is sneaking out and that once they inform their parents, Ned and Alice will be sure to send Liz back to 6th grade! Steven disagrees, saying that they’re too proud of Liz to send her back to 6th grade and will just ground her. Steven suggests that they let Liz go to the party because it’ll likely prove that Liz isn’t ready for the 7th grade social scene.
Liz gets a ride to the party with Mary Wallace. Jessica also takes a ride with Mary but has Mary’s mom drop her off at Amy’s house, supposedly to help plan the camping trip.
At the party, Liz goes up to her new lunch buddies, since she doesn’t really know anyone else, and listens as they gossip about other students. Then they discuss what games they might play that night. Liz perks up and thinks that since she’s good at games, she’ll probably like that part of the party.
The games begin! Everyone sits in a circle, which confuses Liz. She thinks, The only game I can think of where we sit in a circle is Duck Duck Goose. There’s a soda bottle in the middle of the circle. Kerry whispers to Liz that she hopes the bottle lands on Rick Hunter when it’s her turn. Liz nods and thinks, What is she talking about? Is everyone going to take turns throwing the bottle at one another?
Tom says Liz can go first and hands her the bottle. She asks what she’s supposed to do with it, and everyone snickers. Tom says to put it in the middle of the circle and spin it around. So Liz does that and it lands on Bruce.
Another age/grade-related continuity problem, for those keeping track: this book says that Bruce is in 8th grade. Who proofreads these?? (er, no one, I suppose)
Anyway, Bruce stands up and walks over to Liz with a big grin on his face. He puckers up his lips and leans in to her… and Liz suddenly realizes what’s about to happen… and at the last moment, Liz turns her face so Bruce’s lips land on her cheek! Bruce asks if Liz even knows how to play this game. Everyone laughs. Liz runs into the bathroom to cry, then decides she needs to return and prove she belongs in 7th grade.
After Liz returns, the partygoers decide to play Truth or Dare. This game, Liz has heard of but never played. Janet asks Liz truth or dare, and Liz says she doesn’t care. Tom says he’ll decide for Liz and picks dare. Mary suddenly grows protective of Liz and whispers that she probably doesn’t want to do whatever dare Janet has in mind. Mary makes an excuse for them to leave. Janet looks at Liz disapprovingly and says that since Liz is leaving in the middle of her turn, she will come up with a dare for Liz over the weekend that Liz will have to do the next week in front of the whole school. Liz agrees.
Liz returns home, and her parents are waiting for her. Mrs. Wakefield tells Liz that she knows Liz was at the party and that it’s okay because they understand that Liz needs to fit in socially as well as academically. Liz is glad they understand, then thinks that her parents would be heartbroken if she ever decided to return to 6th grade.
Jess asks Liz how the party was and Liz says it was great and that they played lots of games. Jess asks what games, and Liz says, “Oh, you’ll find out when you’re in seventh grade.” Jess gets angry because Liz is rubbing this in and returns the favor by rubbing it into Liz’s face that she hung out with Liz’s real friends the night before!
Saturday afternoon, Jess goes out shopping with the Unicorns, who ask how Liz is doing. Jess is confused until they tell her what happened at the party. Jess then starts thinking up ideas for what sort of dare Janet could give to Liz that would prove Liz belongs in the 6th grade. And then it hits her: since Liz didn’t kiss Bruce during Spin the Bottle, Janet should dare Liz to kiss Bruce in front of the whole school!
Monday at lunch, Liz complains to Amy and Maria about the party she went to, and then Janet and co come up to the table to inform Liz of her dare: Friday, in the cafeteria, Liz has to kiss Bruce on the lips, in front of the whole school. Liz is shocked! Amy and Maria tell Liz that it’s ridiculous and that she doesn’t have to complete the dare. Liz says she doesn’t have a choice. Amy tells Liz that of course she has a choice and that she doesn’t have to do stuff just to be accepted. Liz says that yes she does, that it’s different in 7th grade.
Tuesday after school, Liz goes to meet with Jed Michaels, the editor-in-chief of the 7&8 Gazette. He tells Liz that she can’t write for their paper but she can make photocopies and deliver papers for them. Hehe!
At the same time, Jessica is at a Sixers meeting. Amy says that Jess is supposed to write an article about the camping trip, so Jess says she’ll bring it to school the next morning. As she leaves, Jess flirts with Todd, saying that she’s surprised Liz has any time for him anymore since she’s so busy being a 7th grader. When they run into Liz, Todd blows her off. Liz is confused. Jessica says that Todd must just be upset because he’s heard about the kiss Liz is going to bestow on Bruce. Liz wants to know how Todd’s heard of it, and Jess is like, “Duh, everyone’s heard of it!”
Later that night, Jessica tricks Liz into writing the story about the camping trip for the Sixers by saying that Amy gave it to Jess at the last minute because she can’t handle all the editor-in-chief responsibility. Liz agrees to not “embarrass” Amy by saying she wrote it and lets Jess take all the credit.
Wednesday at school, all everyone can talk about is the upcoming Liz/Bruce action. Rick Hunter tells Liz to “pucker up”. Tom McKay gets in on the action by showing his true rainbow colors:
”Bruce! Bruce! Kiss me! Kiss me!” Tom McKay said as he clasped his hands to his chest.
That night, Liz feels really low. She knows she’s the joke of the school and thinks that even though she’s doing great work academically, she hates being in 7th grade. She goes to her parents to say that she wants to transfer back into 6th grade, but before she can say anything, they start raving about what great work Liz has been doing and how proud they are of her. Liz decides not to say anything because she doesn’t want to disappoint them.
Thursday afternoon, Jessica tells Liz that people are placing bets on whether she’ll actually kiss Bruce. Jess says that Lila’s the only one who bet that Liz would go through with it. Jessica casually mentions that Todd is pretty miffed, since 7th and 8th grade guys are teasing him about it. Liz says she’s still going to go through with the kiss because she doesn’t want to look wimpy.
At the breakfast table Friday morning, Jess and Steven tease Liz. Jessica suggests that Liz wear nicer clothes because everyone will be looking at her. Steven asks if Liz wants to borrow his chapstick so her lips will be in better condition when they touch Bruce’s. Liz grows angry, and Jessica starts to feel bad for being mean but then remembers that the more afraid they make Liz, the more likely she’ll chicken out. So then Jess says that one kiss is no big deal and that it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if Todd broke up with her anyway. Liz gets upset and asks if Todd said he was going to break up with her. Jess says not exactly but that it would obviously be humiliating for him to see Liz kiss someone else in front of the whole school and besides, if Liz is in 7th grade, she doesn’t need a boyfriend in 6th grade.
At school, all anyone can talk about is the kiss. At lunch, Liz can barely eat, she’s so nervous. Amy and Maria remind Liz that she doesn’t have to do this, but Liz still thinks that she needs to in order to fit in. Janet approaches Liz and says that she needs to kiss Bruce now, before the bell rings.
Liz stands up and the cafeteria falls silent. Even the teachers are looking at Liz like they know something’s about to happen. Liz feel bad because her teachers are so proud of her and she thinks their opinions are about to be changed forever. She walks over to Bruce’s table. He closes his eyes and puckers his lips. Liz leans into him… she can feel his breath on her face… and then Liz jumps back, saying she can’t do it.
Everyone starts talking and laughing. Liz says she should have listened to her friends in the first place and gives Todd a hug. Jess says she’s looking forward to having Liz in 6th grade again. Liz says she’s not going back to 6th grade, she’ll still be in 7th grade classes; she’ll just be hanging out with her old friends again.
After school, all the 6th graders get on a bus to go off on their camping trip. Liz wants to go with them and forget about being in 7th grade, but she feels guilty for even thinking this because her parents and teachers are proud and she doesn’t want to disappoint them. The bus leaves without her.
Liz goes home, unhappy, and Mrs. Wakefield asks if she can run an errand with her. Liz agrees and they drive off. Liz can’t figure out where they’re going, and Mrs. Wakefield says she’ll find out. What do you know, it’s the campground where the other 6th graders are! Mrs. Wakefield announces, “Welcome back to the sixth grade!”
Apparently, Mr. Bowman heard Liz talking to her friends after school about how much she wanted to go on the camping trip with them, so he called Mrs. Wakefield to talk about how Liz was doing. Mrs. Wakefield said Liz was doing great but then realized that Liz was only doing great academically. So they decided that Liz should be brought back into 6th grade. The adults apologize to Liz for “forcing” her to move into 7th grade without a thought for how it would affect her socially.
Jess admits to Liz that she was only pretending to have a good time with Liz’s friends to make Liz jealous. Everyone’s happy again.
The next week at school, Aaron Dallas tells Jessica that they’re going to have a guest teacher in social studies class. Find out what happens in #86, It Can’t Happen Here