Summer of Love (Sweet Valley University(R)) - Softcover

Pascal, Francine

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0553492705 ISBN 13: 9780553492705

Publisher: Sweet Valley, 1999

Synopsis

The end of the road...

A $5,000 scholarship is just a mission away, but Elizabeth Wakefield would rather win Sam Burgess's love.  Impossible--since Sam's girlfriend is waiting for him at the finish line.  Well, Elizabeth hasn't come this far for nothing.  She's going to show Sam how strong she really is...even if it kills her.

The final straw? Jessica Wakefield has had it! Her team does nothing but argue, she hasn't hooked up with anyone, and her final mission involves facing one of her biggest fears.  Will she abandon her team at the last minute?

Tom Watts and Todd Wilkins--best buddies? Absolutely! Angered by Sam's treatment of Elizabeth, they're ready to fight for her--unless they wind up fighting over her instead!

About this title

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

"Who's up for the rattlesnake?" Todd asked, looking over the top of his menu at his teammates.

"Ugh! You've got to be kidding!" Pam exclaimed with an exaggerated shudder. "Rattlesnake meat? That's disgusting!"

For once I agree with Frizzhead, Jessica thought. She suppressed a shudder of her own and reached for her mug of coffee. It was Sunday morning, two days after the competition event at the Grand Ole Opry, and she and the rest of Team One were crowded into a booth at one of Nashville's funkier diners. "I'd rather eat cheap shoe leather," she said after a sip of the strong, hot brew.

"Why?" Todd asked reasonably as he put down the oversized menu. He picked up the salt-and-pepper shakers--miniature ceramic versions of Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton--and examined them closely. "Rattlesnake is considered a delicacy in Tennessee. Besides, I've heard it tastes like chicken."

"That's what they say about frogs' legs too," Tom chimed in. He grabbed the Dolly Parton saltshaker away from Todd. "And believe me, frogs' legs do not taste like chicken."

"You better watch where you're holding that saltshaker," Rob said with a loud guffaw.

Oh, brother, get ready for some stupid frat-boy humor! Jessica removed the well-endowed saltshaker from Tom's grasp and set it back down. Rob considered himself to be the life of the party. The fact that he was about as funny as a bad-hair day was obvious to everyone but him.

"So what does rattlesnake meat taste like?" Neil asked, pleating one of the red-and-white checked napkins between his long, sensitive fingers.

"Probably considerably worse than it sounds," Jessica muttered, but nobody appeared to hear her.

"It couldn't possibly taste as sweet as my snookums," Rob murmured. He draped an arm around Pam and snuggled closer to her, forcing Neil, who was sharing their side of the booth even deeper into a corner. Rob ducked his head to nibble on Pam's ear and ran a hand through her orange, permed hair.

"How can you even think of comparing me to a snake?" Pam squealed indignantly. She made a show of pushing Rob away, but it was clear she relished his attention.

If you ask me, the snake's the one that should be insulted! Jessica thought as she glanced across at Pam from underneath her long lashes. I'm sure the average snake has way more personality, and it's got to have better legs!

"Would someone pass the cream, please?" Jessica asked. She gestured toward the small, blue, spatter-ware jug at the other end of the table, but nobody paid her any attention. With a sigh she shifted uncomfortably in her seat and reached across Tom and Todd, nearly spilling the cream on their laps as she did. Sharing a small bench with a former football star and a basketball star was far from comfortable.

But that's the least of my problems, she thought. So far, her dream summer was not turning out as planned. In fact, as far as Jessica was concerned, the summer was more like a nightmare. She'd been so sure the Intense Cable Sports Network Competition was going to be a total blast, a chance to make some serious cash and meet some great people. All she had to do was drive across the country, compete in different events, and rack up points, which got converted into a cash prize at the end of the trip. But reality had a funny way of not living up to expectations. Not only was her team in last place, but as for meeting great people . . . Jessica rolled her eyes heavenward.

First she'd gotten stuck in the middle of the battle between Elizabeth's exes. She glared at Tom and Todd, who had started thumb wrestling. In the past weeks the two of them seemed to have morphed into Beavis and Butthead.

As if Watts and Wilkins weren't bad enough, she had to spend every day and night with the nightmare couple from hell. Her gaze flickered back to the nauseating sight of Pam and Rob wrapped in each other's arms. Rob had all the personality of a wet paper towel, and Pam had a voice that sounded like nails being dragged across a blackboard. Rob was slightly overweight, with stringy hair that always looked unwashed, and Pam's frizzy perm looked an awful lot like a clown wig. They had a disgusting habit of slobbering all over each other in public--when they weren't on the outs. The fact that Rob and Pam had found each other was proof that miracles did happen.

But as boring as Tom and Todd might be, as awful as Pam and Rob were, they were nothing compared to Neil Martin. Jessica slid her eyes across to the table. Neil was from Stanford. He was smart, funny, and totally gorgeous. He was so gorgeous, in fact, that Jessica had made a major play for him. There was just one problem. He was gay.

Jessica slammed her menu down on the scarred wooden table in irritation, her cheeks flaming in embarrassment as an image of her trying to put the moves on Neil flashed before her eyes. She'd been so sure Neil had been sending her romantic signals that she was totally unprepared for his bombshell. As if being rejected for the first time in her entire life wasn't bad enough, the shock of Neil's news had sent her reeling out into the night, only to be separated from her teammates and stranded in the wilds of South Dakota.

Not every male was immune to her charms, however. Jessica smiled as she remembered Elvis, the slick, gentlemanly guy with a gorgeous convertible Caddy who'd picked her up and dusted her off. After showing her a good time in Memphis, he'd helped Jessica return to her team. And at the Opry, after a dazzling duet with Jessica, Elvis had convinced her not to bail on the whole trip--and urged her to make up with Neil.

Jessica knew that she'd changed over the summer--before the road trip she would never even have considered apologizing to anyone--but her first experience saying "I'm sorry" had left a pretty bad taste in her mouth. Although Jessica had practically groveled in front of Neil and the other team members, their only response had been to fling her apology right back in her face.

Jessica's eyes shot fiery sparks at her teammate, but Neil appeared to be engrossed in studying the gold records that decorated the walls of the diner. And while Neil was totally ignoring her, her other teammates were treating her like a necessary evil--like somebody's annoying little sister or something. In spite of Nashville's sweltering heat the atmosphere around the breakfast table was positively glacial.

Everyone's treating me like I'm a total outcast. Jessica sighed disconsolately. They're acting like I have the plague or something. Worse! They're acting like I'm wearing polyester!

"Well, I'm going to try the rattlesnake," Todd announced as a waitress dressed like a country-and-western star approached the table. "After all, you only live once."

"I'II have it too." Tom nodded agreement. "In fact, I'll take a double order." He handed his menu to the waitress.

Jessica bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from bursting out laughing. She couldn't get over the way Tom and Todd had been behaving since the team had left San Francisco, veering back and forth between being best buddies and mortal enemies. You didn't have to be Einstein to figure out that Tom was still trying to win Elizabeth back and that both he and Todd were trying to keep her out of the clutches of Sam Burgess, one of Elizabeth's teammates. .Privately, Jessica didn't think they had a chance. From what she'd seen of Sam, he was way more manly and grown up than Tom Watts or Todd Wilkins would ever be.

"I'II skip the rattlesnake, but get me a cheese omelet and a side of pancakes," Rob said. He patted his rounded stomach. "I'm hungry today."

"For you, miss?" The waitress turned to Jessica.

"Uh, I'll just have some scrambled eggs and a side of bacon," Jessica said, momentarily dazzled by the flash of rhinestones embedded in the waitress's three-inch-long nails. She hadn't seen such big hair or such overdone makeup since the last time she'd stayed up late watching televangelists. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that Neil was having a hard time keeping a straight face too.

Just my luck. Jessica shook her head in chagrin. The one person on the trip I could totally bond with, and we're not even speaking to each other! Anger and resentment welled up in her, and she handed her menu back to the waitress with a sullen expression on her face.

"Anyone see the sugar?" Neil asked after the waitress had taken their orders and departed. He sipped his coffee and studiously avoided looking at Jessica. "There's got to be some little white packets with Wynonna Judd's picture on them around here." He twisted around in the booth to check the table behind them.

Jessica did not like being ignored. Tom and Todd were thumb wrestling again. Rob and Pam were kissing. Just perfect! In a burst of anger she grabbed the Dolly Parton saltshaker and dumped half of it in Neil's cup.

"I guess I'll have to wait until the waitress comes back," Neil said as he turned around and picked up his cup.

Jessica gave him a brilliant smile as he took a large sip. Neil gagged as if he were drinking poison and dropped the cup with an exclamation of surprise. The ceramic shattered in a million pieces, and hot coffee streamed all over the table and down the front of his pants. Pam squealed and jumped out of Rob's lap.

Jessica shook her head as she watched Neil dab frantically at his lap with the checked napkin. "Accidents will happen," she said sympathetically. Yeah, they sure will, she thought. Especially when you ignore Jessica Wakefield!
"I don't know," Elizabeth said slowly as she adjusted her sunglasses against the glare. She looked at Ruby with a small frown. "I t...

About this edition

• Publisher: Sweet Valley
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0553492705
• ISBN 13: 9780553492705
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 240