SVH11-Too Good To Be True by Francine Pascal Read Free Book Online Page B

day.
    By the time they returned home later that afternoon, sunburned and happy, Elizabeth had pushed all thoughts of the lost necklace to the back of her mind. It was Suzanne who reminded her.
    "Why don't we look for your necklace now, Liz?" she suggested as they were going upstairs. "I'll feel so much better when you've found it. I know how awful it is to lose something you really care about."
     

Eight
     
    The phone rang just as Elizabeth was getting ready for bed. She was expecting a call from Todd, and so she quickly grabbed the extension in her room.
    "Hi!" a voice chirped over the crackle of longdistance static.
    "Jess!" Elizabeth cried. "How come you're calling? Isn't it expensive?"
    "Don't worry, the Devlins can afford it," she said. "Anyway, I wanted to see how you were getting along without me."
    "Fantastic!" Elizabeth blurted out. Then, realizing Jessica's feelings might be hurt, she quickly backtracked. "What I mean is, we really miss
    you and all, but you wouldn't believe Suzanne-- she's really fantastic. I wish you could meet her."
    "Yeah, I wish I could, too," Jessica said.
    "Are you OK?" Elizabeth wanted to know. "You don't sound too happy."
    "I don't?" Jessica said quickly. "It must be this awful connection. Honestly, Liz, I've never been so deliriously happy in my entire life. The Devlins--well, it would take me a hundred and thirty-seven years to describe them. Everyone around here is so fabulously rich, it's enough to make you sick!"
    "I'm glad you're having such a good time," Elizabeth said. She didn't feel a drop of envy. She was having too good a time herself to care.
    "I'm having a fantastic time!" Jessica emphasized. "Last night some of Suzanne's friends gave a party in my honor. You should have been there, Liz. They're all so sophisticated. There's this one girl, Evelyn--she's our age, and she's dating a guy who's twenty-five. She says she never gets asked for her I.D. when they go places."
    "It sounds a little strange to me."
    "That's because you're so inexperienced," Jessica said in a lofty tone.
    Elizabeth laughed. "What's that supposed to
    mean--that you're so experienced? Come on, Jess, neither of us is exactly Liz Taylor."
    "Speak for yourself!"
    "OK, what's all this leading up to?" Elizabeth asked impatiently. "I know you, Jess, you didn't call up for no reason. What gives? Or should I say who? Knowing you, it's got to be a boy."
    "How did you guess?"
    "Easy. Your track record speaks for itself. Who is he?"
    "Oh, just a friend of the Devlins," Jessica hedged. "Oh, Liz, I wish you could meet him. He's the sexiest guy you could possibly imagine."
    "I couldn't possibly imagine anyone sexier than Todd," Elizabeth declared staunchly.
    "OK, then, he's just as sexy as Todd."
    "Mmmm. Sounds intriguing. Tell me more."
    "He's tall, dark, and handsome, with the most incredible green eyes you've ever seen--"
    "I prefer brown myself."
    "--and you wouldn't believe how sophisticated he is!"
    "I'll take fun-loving over sophisticated any day."
    "Naturally, he's crazy about me."
    Elizabeth smiled. "Naturally."
    "When we're together, he can't keep his hands off me."
    "Uh-oh, sounds pretty dangerous."
    "Don't worry, I can handle it."
    "Are you sure? Remember what happened with Scott Daniels."
    Scott was a college guy Jessica had thought so terrific--until he pushed her past her limits. They fought, and she ended up spending a night stranded in a mountain cabin.
    Jessica groaned. "Do you always have to remind me about him? That was ages ago. Besides, this time it's completely different."
    "I hope so, for both our sakes."
    Elizabeth couldn't forget the way she'd been dragged into the Scott Daniels fiasco. After staying out all night, Jessica ended up missing an important test in school the next day--a test she talked Elizabeth into taking for her. Elizabeth had felt horribly guilty afterward, and her fight with Todd over the incident hadn't helped.
    "Oh, Liz!" Jessica brought her back to the present. "Don't be