For once, identical twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield agree on something! Their friend, Mary Giaccio, spends too much time at their house. Mary is a foster child in the Altman family, but she's acting like part of the Wakefield family. If there's one thing Jessica and Elizabeth don't need, it's a third twin!
They're desperate to find some way to discourage Mary. Then Jessica overhears a private talk between her parents about Mary's future. Now she knows something that could solve the twins' problem and make Mary happy too. But Elizabeth warns Jessica against spreading her news. Does Jessica have any right to interfere with Mary's life?
One
Janet Howell clapped her hands impatiently. "This meeting of the Unicorns will now come to order," she said. The group of girls sitting around the cafeteria table quickly stopped talking.
Jessica Wakefield, a sixth grader and one of the younger members of the club, sat up attentively. Ever since she'd been asked to join the Unicorns at the beginning of the school year, she'd felt very special. All of the school's most popular girls belonged to the club. Jessica glanced around the table and smiled to herself. Her identical twin, Elizabeth, was probably home by now, curled up with a good book.
With the same long, blond hair and blue-green eyes, Jessica and Elizabeth were so much alike it was nearly impossible to tell them apart. But the two twelve-year-old girls couldn't have been more different. Elizabeth would have nothing to do with the Unicorns. "All they ever do is talk about clothes and boys," she once said. Elizabeth preferred working on The Sweet Valley Sixers, the sixth grade newspaper at Sweet Valley Middle School.
Jessica glanced at her friend Ellen Riteman and tapped her foot impatiently. She and Ellen had planned to go shopping at the Valley Mall that afternoon to expand their purple wardrobes. Purple was the Unicorns' favorite color, and Jessica tried to wear at least one purple thing every day. But at the rate this meeting was going, the stores would be closed before they got to the mall.
Janet waited until she was sure she had everyone's attention before she spoke. "We have got to do something about our treasury funds," she began. "There is no way we can sponsor a dance in one month with only thirteen dollars."
Jessica sighed. This was going to take forever. She absolutely hated it when the Unicorns discussed fund-raising. No one could ever agree on a project.
Lila Fowler raised her hand. "I have an easy solution," she said. "Why don't we collect all our old toys and sell them? I have lots that I never even used."
Everyone groaned. Only Lila would keep a roomful of unused toys. The Fowlers were one of the wealthy families in Sweet Valley, and Lila always got whatever she wanted.
Mary Giaccio raised her hand. Although Mary was a seventh grader, she and Jessica had started to spend more time together lately. "How about a celebrity cookbook?" she said. "Each one of us will write to a movie star and ask him or her to send their favorite recipes. We can type them up and sell them."
"What a great idea!" said Janet. The rest of the girls nodded enthusiastically.
Jessica raised her hand. "I'll volunteer to do the typing," she said. "I have an electric typewriter."
"That's terrific, Jessica." Janet beamed. "I didn't know you could type."
Actually, Jessica had no idea of how to type. Elizabeth did, though. Elizabeth had gotten the typewriter for her last birthday. Jessica was sure Elizabeth wouldn't mind helping the Unicorns just this once, and she might even write Jessica's celebrity letter. Jessica already knew whom she wanted to write—Vanessa Brittan, the star of her favorite TV soap opera.
Jessica looked around the table at the smiling faces and felt pleased with herself. She had obviously made another good move.
The Unicorns quickly wrapped things up. "That was a great idea, Mary," said Jessica as she and Ellen hurried out the door.
"Thanks," Mary replied. Mary, who was a foster child, lived with the Altmans down the street from the Wakefields. Although Mary had moved to Sweet Valley only recently, she was well liked by everyone.
Mary watched Jessica and Ellen leave. "Are you going home?" she asked Jessica.
"No, we're going to the mall," Jessica replied. "Want to come?"
Mary shook her head. "Maybe another time," she said.
When Jessica got home, Elizabeth lay reading on the living-room couch. "Hi, Liz," said Jessica. She flopped down on top of her sister's feet.
"Ouch," said Elizabeth, drawing up her legs. "That hurts."
"Sorry, big sister," said Jessica. Elizabeth had been born four minutes before Jessica, so she was the "big sister" and Jessica was the "little sister." It had become a running joke between the twins.
Jessica looked at her sister and grinned. "Any phone calls for me?" she asked.
Elizabeth made a face and put down her book. "Just one," she said. "Janet Howell wanted to know if she could borrow your typewriter to write a letter to Vanessa Brittan."
"But I was going to write to Vanessa!" Jessica protested. "No fair!"
"And whose typewriter was Janet planning to use, anyway?" asked Elizabeth.
Jessica clapped her hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry, Liz," she said. "I would have asked you sooner, but Ellen and I had to go to the mall. You don't mind if Janet uses your typewriter, do you?"
Elizabeth didn't answer.
"And, Liz," Jessica said in a very small voice, "while we're on the subject, would you mind doing a little typing for the Unicorns? I told everyone I would type up the celebrity cookbook we're compiling."
Elizabeth looked at her twin and sighed. Even though she loved Jessica more than anyone, it seemed that her sister was always asking her for something.
"You're such a good typist," Jessica added. "I didn't think you'd mind."
Elizabeth smiled. "How come you always get me into these things?" she said.
"Then you'll do it?" Jessica asked. "I promise never to ask another favor again."
"I'll believe that," Elizabeth said with a grin, "when it happens."
The next afternoon, Jessica was headed across the parking lot when she heard Mary Giaccio call her name.
Jessica turned around and waved.
"Are you going home?" asked Mary.
Jessica nodded. "Want to come?"
"Sure," said Mary. "Maybe we can get Elizabeth to help us write our celebrity letters."
Jessica frowned. "I think Elizabeth is working on The Sweet Valley Sixers this afternoon," she said. "The newspaper is planning a special issue for Career Day next month."
"That's OK," Mary replied cheerfully. "We can always listen to records."
Jessica looked down at Mary's wrist. "Oooh," she said. "You're wearing my favorite bracelet again!"
Mary smiled and held out her wrist as they walked toward Jessica's house. She'd had the narrow gold and silver band for as long as she could remember. Every time she wore it, she received lots of compliments.
Mary followed Jessica through the kitchen door. Mrs. Wakefield was sitting at the kitchen table, going through the mail. She worked as an interior designer.
"Hello, Mrs. Wakefield!" Mary beamed.
Mrs. Wakefield put down her mail. "Hello, Mary," she replied. "How have you been?"
"Fine," she said. "Have you heard about the celebrity cookbook we're writing?" Mary started telling Mrs. Wakefield all about her idea.
"Would anyone care for a soda?" Jessica interrupted.
Mrs. Wakefield looked up. "No, thank you." She smiled. She and Mary continued their conversation.
Just then Steven Wakefield barged into the kitchen. "A celebrity cookbook?" he hooted after hearing part of the conversation. "You've got to be joking. Since when do movie stars cook?"
"This happens to be a private conversation, Steven," Jessica said. She squeezed her chair in next to Mary's. Sometimes her brother was the world's biggest pain.
"And why would a movie star want to write to a lowly sixth grader?" Steven continued.
Jessica's eyes narrowed.
"Steven, that's enough," said Mrs. Wakefield. She glanced at the kitchen clock. "Oh, gosh, where did the time go?" she said. "I've got to make some phone calls before the end of the business day." She grabbed her appointment book and left the kitchen.
"Why don't we work on our letters," Mary said. "I'm going to write to Brett Savage. How about you, Jessica?"
"Janet Howell stole Vanessa Brittan from me," Jessica grumbled. "Maybe I'll try Parker Smith. He's cute." Before long, Jessica and Mary were busy composing, and Jessica had forgotten about Steven.
Elizabeth and her best friend, Amy Sutton, burst into the kitchen. "News flash! News flash!" cried Amy as she ran past the table, waving a piece of paper. "Soda and candy machines to be installed in the cafeteria."
Jessica stared in disbelief. "Wait till fatso Lois Waller hears this one," she said.
"Jessica!" Elizabeth protested. "That's not very nice. Anyway, we still don't know if it's really true."
"According to Caroline Pearce, we'll have them by next week," said Amy. Caroline wrote the gossip column for The Sweet Valley Sixers and was known to have the inside scoop on everything.
Elizabeth peered over her sister's shoulder. "What are you writing?" she asked.
"Letters to celebrities," Mary replied. "Want to help?"
Elizabeth pointed to Jessica's letter. "You misspelled 'recipe'," she said with a grin.
"I told you we needed help," Jessica said.
Mrs. Wakefield reentered the room. "I thought I heard a crowd in here," she said.
Mary got up from the table and ran over. "What do you think of my letter?" she asked eagerly.
Mrs. Wakefield quickly scanned the page. "Not bad." She smiled. "Did you know you misspelled 'recipe'?"
The girls burst out laughing.
"What's so funny?" said Mrs. Wakefield.
"Maybe we should give Mary and Jessica a dictionary." Elizabeth chuckled.
Mrs. Wakefield looked at Mary and Amy, and smiled. "Would you two like to stay for dinner?" she asked.
Mary shook her head. "I should probably be going," she said.
"Why don't we meet at your house tomorrow, Mary?" Jessica asked.
Mary hesitated. "We may need Elizabeth's help again," she replied.
"Not if you have a dictionary," joked Amy.
"What about a typewriter?" Mary added. "I know Mrs. Altman doesn't own one." Mrs. Altman was Mary's foster mother.
Jessica shrugged. "Then I guess we'll meet here."
That evening, Jessica knocked on Elizabeth's door. "What's up?" asked Elizabeth.
Jessica threw herself down on the end of Elizabeth's bed. "Tell me if this sounds OK," she said. She held up a piece of paper and began to read. "'Dear Parker, Love and Lace is my favorite TV show, and naturally you are my favorite actor. I'm writing to you because my club, the Unicorns, is sponsoring a dance next month, and we're broke. To raise money, we're putting together a celebrity cookbook. I hear you're a pretty good cook. Would you mind sending us a few of your favorite recipes? Also, how about an autographed picture for my wall? Is it true you're not married? Sincerely, your fan, Jessica Wakefield.'"
Jessica stared at Elizabeth hopefully. "What do you think?" she asked.
"It sounds fine except for one thing," said Elizabeth. "I think Parker Smith just married Vanessa Brittan."
Jessica gasped and fell back on the bed. "You're kidding!" she said. She looked at her sister suspiciously. "Liz, are you sure?" she said. "You never pay attention to movie stars."
"It's called 'reading'." Elizabeth laughed. "You should try it sometime."
Jessica carefully crossed out the sentence about marriage and over it she wrote, "What's it like to be married to another famous celebrity?"
Jessica handed the letter to Elizabeth. "Now it's perfect," she said. "Can you type it?"
"Not right now," Elizabeth said. "I need to write this story for the newspaper about Career Day by tomorrow."
Jessica's face dropped. "It'll only take a minute," she said.
Elizabeth sighed. Couldn't Jessica see she was busy? "I'll make a deal," she said. "I'm supposed to call Mr. Bowman right now to get some information for my story." Mr. Bowman, an English teacher at Sweet Valley Middle School, was the faculty adviser for the sixth-grade newspaper.
Jessica would do anything to get that letter finished. "I'll do it," she said with a smile. "Just give me the phone number."
Elizabeth wrote down the number. Jessica dashed to the phone in the upstairs hallway and dialed.
"Mr. Bowman?" said Jessica. "This is Elizabeth Wakefield."
"Right," he replied. "Here are the dates you need to know. Career Day is on the seventeenth. Our special guests will be David Tower of Consolidated Trucking, June Abraham of Food Industries..."
Jessica looked around for a pencil. No luck. She'd just have to remember what Mr. Bowman was saying.
"...Jane Adams of Pet World, John Jenkins of Miller Design, Henry Weir of Jewelry Mart..."
Jessica concentrated as hard as she could, but she was starting to become confused. Was Mr. Weir from Jewelry Mart or Miller Design?
"Do you have that?" Mr. Bowman said.
"I think so," Jessica replied.
"Good," said Mr. Bowman. "Gretchen Tyler from Sweet Valley Fashions..."
Jessica stopped listening. Gretchen Tyler! She owns the Unicorns' favorite clothing store in the mall. Wait till the Unicorns heard about this!
"One more thing," said Mr. Bowman. "Students must sign up for the career person they wish to visit by the fourteenth."
"Fine," said Jessica. "I'll tell Eliz... I mean, I'll be sure to write it all down." She hung up the phone and quickly redialed. "Hello, Lila?" she said. "Guess who's going to be at Career Day?"
In the other room, Elizabeth looked at the neatly typed letter to Parker Smith and smiled. She loved her typewriter more than anything. It was fun to use, and it made her feel like a real writer. Elizabeth glanced out in the hallway. What was taking Jessica so long? She should have been off the phone by now.
Just then, Jessica burst into the room. "Gretchen Tyler is coming to Career Day!" she said. "I can't wait to sign up for her. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a career in fashion?" She threw herself on Elizabeth's bed and stared dreamily at the ceiling.
"What else did Mr. Bowman say?" Elizabeth asked impatiently. She took a pen and pad of paper from her desk and waited.
Jessica bit her lip. "Let's see," she began. "Career Day will be the fourteenth." She hesitated. "Was it the fourteenth or the seventeenth? Make that the seventeenth," she said.
Elizabeth stopped. "Are you sure?" she asked.
Jessica nodded. "Positive." She took a deep breath. "The other guests will be David Abraham of Consolidated Trucking, Henry Miller of Jenkins Design, Mr. Weir of Jewelry Mart..."
"What is Mr. Weir's first name?" said Elizabeth, scribbling furiously.
"John," said Jessica. She couldn't believe she was remembering everything so well. She confidently finished giving the list of names to Elizabeth.
"When should people sign up?" said Elizabeth.
"By the twelfth," said Jessica. "Definitely by the twelfth."
Elizabeth smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Jess," she said. "I really appreciate this." She handed Jessica the neatly typed letter and matching envelope.
Jessica kissed the back of the envelope. "No problem." She grinned. "A favor for a favor, right?" She hurried off to find a stamp.
Two
"Jessica, wait up," shouted Mary.
Jessica shifted her books from one arm to the other. They felt as though they weighed about a ton.
"Can I still come over today?" Mary asked breathlessly.
"Sure," said Jessica.
"I have to stop by my house first," said Mary. "I forgot my letter."
"Fine by me," said Jessica. "I finished mine last night." She gave Mary a significant look. "Did you know Parker Smith is married to Vanessa Brittan?"
"Of course," Mary replied. "Doesn't everybody?"
The girls strolled up the spacious walk to the Altmans' front door. "Wait here," said Mary. "I’ll be out in a minute."
Jessica sat down on the doorstep. Several minutes passed.
The door opened. "Mary?" said Mrs. Altman.
Jessica stood up. "Hi, Mrs. Altman," she said. "It's Jessica Wakefield. Mary will be down in a minute. We're going over to my house to finish our celebrity letters."
Mrs. Altman looked puzzled. "Celebrity letters?" she said.
"Didn't Mary tell you?" said Jessica. "The Unicorns are compiling a celebrity cookbook."
Mary hurried out the door. "Hi, Nancy," she said.
Jessica thought it sounded funny to hear someone call Mrs. Altman "Nancy."
Mrs. Altman smiled. "Jessica just told me about your celebrity cookbook," she said. "You'll have to show me your letter when you're finished."
"OK," said Mary. She turned to Jessica. "We'd better get going," she said. "I still have lots to write."
Mrs. Wakefield was in the kitchen when Mary and Jessica walked in. "I see my cookbook experts have arrived," she said.
Mary put her book bag down on the kitchen table and ran over to the sink. "Hi, Mrs. Wakefield. What are you making?" she asked.
"Broccoli souffle," said Mrs. Wakefield.
"Mmm," said Mary. "That sounds delicious."
Jessica tried not to gag. She hated broccoli soufflé.
"You should tell Nancy to make this dish," said Mrs. Wakefield as she chopped the broccoli. "I hear she's a wonderful cook."
"She is?" said Jessica. "How come I've never been invited over to dinner?"
"I don't know." Mary shrugged. She leaned her elbows on the counter. "Can I help you do anything, Mrs. Wakefield?" she asked.
Mrs. Wakefield smiled. "You can chop up that onion if you'd like," she said.
"What about your letter, Mary?" interrupted Jessica.
"I'll work on it later." Mary shrugged again.
"Would you like to grate the cheese, Jessica?" said Mrs. Wakefield.
Jessica made a face. She hated to cook, but she knew it would be impolite to desert her guest. "I guess so," she said. As Jessica grated the cheese, she watched Mary and her mother talk. It seemed that Mary never took her eyes off Mrs. Wakefield.
"May I beat the egg whites?" Mary said.
Jessica sighed. She'd much rather be watching music videos or listening to albums right now.
Finally, the souffle was ready for the oven.
"Let's go watch some TV," said Jessica.
Mary lingered around the sink.
"Go on, girls," said Mrs. Wakefield. "I'll clean up."
Mary picked up a dirty pan. "That's OK, Mrs. Wakefield," she said. "This only takes a minute."
Jessica couldn't believe it. Was Mary here to see her or to wash dishes? "I'll be watching TV," Jessica said loudly. She stalked into the den and threw herself down on the couch. She'd had enough of cooking.
In Mr. Bowman's room at Sweet Valley Middle School, Elizabeth proudly held up the master sheets for the next edition. "Perfect!" she said. "Start the presses!"
Amy Sutton, Julie Porter, and Caroline Pearce applauded.
"Good work, girls," said Mr. Bowman. "Have you done a final proofreading?"
Elizabeth nodded. As editor, she'd put a lot of time into this issue. It had been her idea to have the newspaper cover Career Day. Elizabeth handed the ditto masters to Mr. Bowman.
"I'll try to get these run off right now so we can staple and distribute them tomorrow," said Mr. Bowman.
"Elizabeth," he called as the girls were leaving. "Do you have a minute?"
Amy, Caroline, and Julie gave Elizabeth a "look" as they scurried out the door. Sometimes they could be so immature, Elizabeth thought.
Mr. Bowman shuffled a few papers around on his desk. "I wanted to tell you what a terrific job you've been doing as editor." He smiled. "I think we have a really top-notch newspaper."
"Thanks." Elizabeth grinned.
Mr. Bowman handed her a piece of paper. "Are you familiar with the Los Angeles Newspaper Guild?" he asked.
Elizabeth shook her head.
"Every year the guild sponsors a competition for school newspapers," he said. "The prize for the best middle school newspaper is one hundred dollars. I think we have a good shot at winning."
Elizabeth was speechless. The Sweet Valley Sixers a statewide winner! What an honor that would be! "What do we need to do to enter?" she said eagerly.
"The first step is to submit a recent issue," Mr. Bowman replied. He held up the master. "I think this issue will make a good entry, don't you?"
Elizabeth nodded happily. "Wait until I tell the other girls!"
When Elizabeth got home, she found Jessica watching TV in the den. "Where's everyone else?" she said.
"How should I know?" Jessica said crossly.
Elizabeth ran into the kitchen. "Hi, Mary. Hi, Mom," she said. What was Mary doing there? "Mom, guess what! We're entering The Sweet Valley Sixers in a school newspaper competition. Mr. Bowman thinks we're good enough to win!"
"Elizabeth! That's wonderful!" said her mother. "I'm really proud of you."
Elizabeth beamed. "Also, I'm staying late tomorrow at school. Amy and Julie are throwing a surprise birthday party for Mr. Bowman after we finish distributing the paper. Caroline Pearce found out he's going to be twenty-seven years old."
Mrs. Wakefield laughed. "How in the world did she discover that?"
"He went to high school with Mrs. Pearce's younger sister," Elizabeth replied. "You should see his old yearbook picture. He had really long hair and glasses."
Elizabeth suddenly stopped talking and stared at Mary. "Are you doing dishes?" she said.
"I'm almost finished," Mary replied. "I'm just helping your mom."
Mrs. Wakefield dried her hands with a dish towel. "We should have Mary over more often." She grinned. "Don't you agree?"
That evening, Elizabeth was tackling a difficult math problem when Jessica barged through the door. "Liz, Janet Howell just called," she said. "She's coming over tomorrow to use the typewriter."
"But it's not here," said Elizabeth. "I took it to school today to type up the newspaper. That old manual one we used to use was just the worst!"
"But I promised Janet," Jessica said. "Can't you bring it home tomorrow?" said Jessica.
Elizabeth shook her head. "I'm staying late after school," she replied. "It's Mr. Bowman's birthday."
"No problem," Jessica persisted. "I'll pick it up myself. Just tell me where you left it."
Elizabeth put down her pencil. Sometimes Jessica could be so demanding. "Meet me in Mr. Bowman's room at three o' clock," she said.
Jessica hugged her sister. "Thanks a million times, Liz," she said. "I promise I'll take really good care of it."
The next afternoon, Jessica was hurrying to Mr. Bowman's room when she ran into Mary.
Mary seemed really happy to see Jessica. "Where are you going?" she asked. "I haven't seen you today."
"I have to pick up my typewriter," Jessica replied. "Elizabeth borrowed it yesterday to type the newspaper."
Mary smiled shyly. "Do you need help carrying it home?" she asked.
Jessica hesitated. "That's OK," she said. "I can manage. Janet is coming over this afternoon to type up her letter."
Mary lingered by Jessica's side. "I need to type my letter too," she said.
"Janet is a pretty slow typist," said Jessica. "It may take her a long time."
"That's OK," Mary replied. "I can always do something else while I'm waiting."
Mary followed Jessica into Mr. Bowman's room. Elizabeth was standing on a desk, hanging crepe paper streamers. "Hi, Jess. Hi, Mary," she said. "Good thing both of you showed up. This typewriter weighs a ton."
Before Jessica could say anything, Mary rushed over and picked the typewriter up. "Come on, Jessica," she said. "We don't want to miss Janet."
Twenty minutes later, Mary and Jessica struggled through the Wakefields' kitchen door.
"Anybody home?" called Jessica. There was no response.
As Jessica set the typewriter on the kitchen table, she suddenly realized that she'd forgotten to ask Elizabeth how to use it. She wasn't even sure how to get the case open. Jessica fiddled with the latch for several minutes. "Here we go," she said finally. She removed the typewriter from its case and to her despair found no manual.
The front doorbell rang. "That must be Janet," said Mary. "I'll get it."
Jessica could hear lots of voices in the front hallway. Mary reappeared with Janet, Betsy Gordon, and Tamara Chase. Betsy and Tamara were seventh grade members of the Unicorns.
"Hi, Jessica," Janet said. "You don't mind if Betsy and Tamara use your typewriter, do you?"
"No problem," said Jessica. She glanced nervously at the kitchen table. What if someone asked her to type something? What was she going to say?
Janet had already sat down at the typewriter. "How do you use this thing?" she said.
Jessica panicked. "Simple," she said. "You just plug it in and type."
Janet inserted a piece of paper. "Will you help me?" she said. "I'm not used to an electric typewriter."
Jessica held out her hand apologetically. "I can't," she replied. "I jammed my finger in gym class today."
"How did you do that?" said Tamara.
Jessica thought fast. "Lois Waller ran into me," she replied. "What a tub." Everyone except Janet burst out laughing.
"I hope you're still going to type the recipes," Janet said. "The Unicorns are counting on you."
"Oh, sure," Jessica replied quickly. The last thing she wanted to do was get on Janet's bad side. Janet was president of the Unicorns, and her opinion really mattered.
Mrs. Wakefield came through the back door carrying a stack of wallpaper samples. "Celebrity cookbook time?" she asked, smiling.
"Hi, Mrs. Wakefield," chorused the girls.
Mary rushed over. "Let me help you with those," she said.
"Thank you, Mary," said Mrs. Wakefield. "You're getting to be indispensible around here."
Jessica's eyes narrowed. Why was Mary paying so much attention to her mother? In all the time that Mary and Jessica had been friends, Mary had never once invited Jessica over to her house. She never wanted to go shopping or to the movies, either. All Mary ever wanted to do was come over to Jessica's house, especially if she knew Jessica's mother would be there.
"Jessica, your stupid typewriter isn't working right," said Janet. "Look. The keys are all jammed up."
Jessica leaned over the keyboard and gasped. What had Janet done? The inside of Elizabeth's typewriter was a hopeless mess.
"It looks broken to me," said Tamara.
Jessica couldn't believe it. Elizabeth was going to kill her. "It wasn't broken before," she said. "It was working perfectly yesterday."
"Don't blame me," said Janet. "I asked you how to use it, and you wouldn't help me."
"But I hurt my hand," said Jessica.
Just then, Elizabeth burst into the kitchen. She looked really angry. "Jessica," she said in a stifled voice, "I need to talk to you in the other room."
Jessica stared at her sister. It wasn't like Elizabeth to be this upset. Something must really be wrong. "I'll be right back," she told her friends. She followed her twin into Mr. Wakefield's study and shut the door.
"I thought I could trust you to at least get your facts straight, Jess," Elizabeth said angrily.
"What are you talking about?" said Jessica.
"The article I wrote about Career Day," Elizabeth replied. "You mixed up the dates and names that Mr. Bowman gave you. Now we have to completely retype the paper. I feel like a real idiot. I didn't even get to stay for Mr. Bowman's birthday party."
Jessica felt awful. "I'm sorry, Lizzie," she said. "I really am. I could have sworn I got the names right."
Elizabeth sighed loudly. "It's OK. I know you didn't do it on purpose." She smiled at her sister. "Good thing you brought my typewriter home," she said. "I'm going to have to retype everything tonight. The deadline for the competition entry is tomorrow."
"It is?" Jessica gulped.
Elizabeth nodded. "Is something the matter?" she asked.
Jessica glanced nervously toward the kitchen. "I hope not," she said.
Three
Jessica rushed back into the kitchen. All the girls were still huddled over Elizabeth's typewriter. "Is it working yet?" she said anxiously.
"Would everybody please stand back?" snapped Janet. "I can't see."
Jessica peered over Tamara's shoulder. The typewriter still looked hopelessly jammed.
"What's going on?" said Mary as she approached the kitchen table.
Jessica pointed to the typewriter.
"That's easy enough to fix," Mary said cheerfully. She stuck her fingers down into the machine and fiddled with a few of the parts. A minute later, the typewriter was clear. Mary put another sheet of paper in and expertly typed a few lines. "Done," she said.
The girls were speechless.
"Where did you learn to repair typewriters?" said Betsy.
"And when did you learn to type?" added Jessica.
Mary shrugged. "I just picked it up," she said. "It wasn't that hard to fix. A few of the keys were stuck together, that's all."
Jessica was puzzled. There were so many things about Mary that were a mystery. Why hadn't she told anyone she could type? That was the strange thing about Mary. As popular as she was, no one knew very much about her.
Mary invited herself over again the following day just as Jessica had expected. Jessica didn't understand why Mary always wanted to come over, and she didn't like it one bit. This time, though, she was prepared.
"Sorry, Mary," she said. "I'm going over to Ellen's."
Mary looked upset.
Jessica paused. Maybe Mary was just feeling left out. "Would you like to come with us?" she asked. "I'm sure Ellen won't mind."
"I don't think so," Mary responded. "I should probably work on my social studies report."
Jessica smiled to herself. So far, her suspicions were correct. Mary wanted to be around Jessica only if she could spend time with Mrs. Wakefield.
Later, as Jessica and Ellen sat around Ellen's living room, drinking diet soda and eating potato chips, Jessica mentioned Mary's name. "Does Mary ever come over to your house?" she asked casually.
"Sometimes," Ellen said. "Why?"
"Does she like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, talking to your mom?" Jessica continued.
Ellen looked at her as if she were crazy. "What are you talking about?" she said.
"Never mind," said Jessica. "I was just curious."
When Elizabeth heard the last bell, she quickly gathered her things and got ready to go home. All day she'd had trouble keeping her eyes open. She'd stayed up until almost midnight the night before, doing homework and retyping the newspaper. Mr. Bowman had been upset with Elizabeth when he'd read her article about Career Day. He kept saying that it wasn't like Elizabeth to be so careless. Elizabeth was glad for the chance to make it up, especially if it meant meeting the competition deadline. Good thing Amy, Julie, and Caroline had volunteered to do the stapling and collating this afternoon without her!
As she shut her locker, Elizabeth heard someone call her name. "Hi, Mary," she said.
"You walking home?" asked Mary.
Elizabeth nodded. "I'm exhausted," she said. "I stayed up really late last night."
Mary fell into step with Elizabeth. "Were you retyping the paper?" Mary asked.
"How did you know?" said Elizabeth.
"I overheard your conversation with Jessica yesterday," Mary confessed. "I was on my way back to the kitchen." She smiled at Elizabeth. "You know, I'm a pretty good typist," she said. "If you ever need help again with something, just let me know."
"Wow, thanks, Mary," said Elizabeth. "That's really nice of you." Elizabeth and Mary talked until they reached the Wakefields' doorstep.
Mary craned her neck. "Looks like your mom is home," she said.
"You want to come in for a minute?" said Elizabeth.
"Sure," said Mary. She followed Elizabeth through the back door.
When Jessica got home from Ellen's house about an hour later, the first person she saw when she walked into her kitchen was Mary Giaccio.
Jessica felt her stomach tighten. What was she doing here?
"Hi, Jessica," said Mary. "I walked home with Elizabeth today, so she invited me in for a while."
"I don't see Elizabeth." Jessica controlled her voice.
"She just went upstairs to take a nap before dinner," said Mrs. Wakefield. "Mary offered to help with dinner again."
That figures, thought Jessica.
"Do you want to clean the mushrooms, dear?" said Mrs. Wakefield.
Jessica made a face. She was beginning to wonder if she was going to spend the rest of her life in the kitchen with her mother and Mary.
Mary dried her hands with the dish towel. "I've got to be going," she said. "Nancy is probably wondering what happened to me." She turned to Jessica and smiled. "I finally finished my letter to Brett Savage," she said. "Maybe tomorrow I can come over and type it."
Mary seemed so nice, so sincere. Even though Jessica was angry she knew it was impossible to say no. "All right. I'll see you after school," she muttered.
Mary practically danced out the kitchen door. "Good night, Mrs. Wakefield. Good night, Jessica," she said. "Tell Elizabeth I said goodbye."
Mrs. Wakefield watched Mary leave and smiled. "Mary's such a nice girl," she said. "We should have her over more often."
When Jessica got home the following afternoon, Mary was already sitting at the kitchen table, talking to Mrs. Wakefield.
"Hi, Jessica," Mary said. "I looked for you all over school after the bell rang today".
"You must not have looked that hard," Jessica replied crossly. "I was there."
Mrs. Wakefield cleared her throat. "Did you have a nice day?" she asked.
"It was OK," Jessica replied. She yanked open the refrigerator door and grabbed at a container of milk. Out of the corner of her eye she watched as Mary read her celebrity letter to Mrs. Wakefield.
Mary was reading a sentence about how she'd heard that Brett was into health foods when Steven appeared out of nowhere and planted himself in front of the open refrigerator door. "I thought Brett Savage only ate Wheat Toasties," he said as he attacked the last wedge of apple pie.
"Hungry, Steven?" Jessica asked sarcastically.
"I'm a growing boy" Steven shot back.
"The least you could do is shut the refrigerator door," Jessica said.
"Why should I?" Steven replied. "This way I don't have to get a plate dirty."
Mrs. Wakefield looked over. "Steven," she said, "close the door."
Steven slammed the door shut. "Big mouth," he told Jessica.
Jessica folded her arms against her chest and angrily leaned against the sink. Why wasn't anyone paying attention to her? She peeked back over at her mother and Mary. Mrs. Wakefield was telling Mary how she met Mr. Wakefield.
Jessica almost choked. "Haven't we heard that story before?" she said loudly.
Mrs. Wakefield looked surprised. "Mary hasn't heard it yet," she said.
The phone rang. "I'll get it," Steven shouted. He practically knocked Jessica over as he lunged for the receiver. "It's some client for you, Ma," he said.
"Ma?" said Mrs. Wakefield. She picked up her appointment book. "I'll take it in my room."
After Mrs. Wakefield left, Mary got up from the table and walked over to Jessica. "Your mom is really nice," she said.
"I've noticed," said Jessica.
For an instant, Mary looked hurt. "I'll go get the typewriter," she said. "Where is it?"
"In Elizabeth's room," Jessica said.
Mary returned a couple of minutes later.
"Does Elizabeth like horses?" she asked. "She has lots of pictures of them."
"Elizabeth loves horses," Jessica replied. "My parents said that if she wants to, she can start taking riding lessons again in a few weeks."
"Lila might be getting a horse," Mary said. "Her father said he'd buy her one."
"Wait till Elizabeth hears that," said Jessica.
When Mrs. Wakefield returned to the kitchen much later, Mary got up from the table and ran over. "I want to hear the rest of the story about you and Mr. Wakefield," she said.
Jessica pursed her lips. Didn't Mary know how to take a hint? "Mary, how did your parents meet?" she asked.
There was an uncomfortable silence. "I—I'm not sure," Mary replied.
"Did you finish typing your letter, Mary?" asked Mrs. Wakefield, quickly changing the subject.
Mary nodded. "I guess I should be going," she said. She gathered her things together.
"When are you going to take us up on our dinner invitation?" Mrs. Wakefield asked Mary gently.
"I can't tonight," Mary replied.
"Another time, then," said Mrs. Wakefield.
Mary perked up. "How about tomorrow?"
Jessica clenched her fist. Mary had done it again!
"Fine," said Mrs. Wakefield. "We'll be expecting you."
That night, as Jessica lay in bed, she tried to think of some way to discourage Mary from coming over. It just wasn't fair that Mary spent so much time at their house. What was the matter with the Altmans? If there were just some way to prevent Mary's coming over without hurting her feelings...
Jessica suddenly sat up in bed. She had thought of the perfect excuse.
When the final bell rang the next day, Jessica hurried through the corridor to find Mary. Not even Bruce Patman, the cutest boy in the seventh grade, could slow her down.
"Where's the fire?" Bruce shouted as Jessica raced past him.
At the other end of the hall, Jessica spotted Mary. "Mary, wait up," Jessica called.
Mary turned around. Jessica got ready for her performance. She let her face sag and her eyelids droop and then she clutched her stomach tightly.
"What's the matter?" asked Mary. "You don't look very good."
"I think I have one of those stomach viruses," Jessica moaned.
Mary looked worried. "Is it contagious?" she asked.
"I don't know," Jessica replied. "It just came over me about five minutes ago. I feel like throwing up."
"Well, maybe I shouldn't come over," Mary said.
Jessica shook her head sadly. "Maybe you shouldn't," she agreed. She suddenly clapped her hand over her mouth. "Oops," she said. "Gotta go." She hurried out the door and across the parking lot. When she reached the road, she glanced behind her. Mary was nowhere to be seen.
"Anybody home?" called Jessica as she walked in the Wakefields' back door. There was no answer. Jessica looked to see if her mother had left a note on the kitchen table. Since she didn't find one, she figured her mother was probably just running late. Maybe this would be a good time for her to look for that purple knee sock that was lost somewhere in her room. That way her mother wouldn't come in and say something about her messy room.
Jessica pushed open her bedroom door and sighed. It was a wonder she ever found anything in this room. There were clothes, albums, hair bands, and cookie crumbs everywhere. She lifted up a pile of things that had been sitting on a chair and began sifting through them.
Just then Elizabeth burst through the door. "Jess, are you OK?" she asked. "Mary told me that you're sick."
"I'm feeling much..." Jessica did a double take as she ran into the hallway at the top of the stairs. Standing behind Elizabeth was Mary! "...worse." Jessica sighed. She couldn't believe it.
"I told Mary that she could come over anyway," Elizabeth said. "We're going to bake cookies together. Too bad you don't feel well enough to have any."
"Right," Jessica groaned.
"Can we get you anything?" Mary said cheerfully. "Sometimes soda helps settle your stomach."
All Jessica could think about was crawling into bed and pulling her pillow over her head. "I think I just want to be left alone," she said. So much for her brilliant plan!
Four
A few days later Elizabeth and Amy were sitting on the cafeteria stage after school, discussing their plans for Career Day.
Amy put down her pencil and lay on her back. "Have you ever looked at the stage from this view?" she said. "I never noticed how many lights were up there."
Elizabeth glanced absentmindedly at the ceiling. "Would you like to report on Mr. Weir, Ms. Abraham, and Mr. Jenkins?" she asked.
"Sounds fine," Amy replied. She lay very still. "Did you notice Mr. Bowman's new tie?" she said. "He told us that his mother bought it for him, but I don't believe it. I think he has a girlfriend that he isn't telling us about."
"Maybe he bought the tie himself," said Elizabeth.
"No way," said Amy. "His taste isn't that good."
"Hi, Amy and Elizabeth," interrupted Lois. She lumbered over to the stage. "Are you working on the paper?"
Amy nodded. "We're almost done," she said.
Lois peered around the empty cafeteria. "Anything going on in here?" she asked.
Elizabeth shook her head. "Not that I know of. Why?"
Lois shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "I heard something about candy machines being installed today," she said.
Amy sat up. "That's right!" she said. "Where are they?"
Ms. Wyler, the math teacher, walked past. "Ms. Wyler," said Amy, "what time are the soda and candy machines being installed?"
Ms. Wyler laughed. "That's a good one," she said as she hurried by.
Amy looked at Elizabeth. "Do you think Caroline could have made a mistake?"
Elizabeth grinned. "I told you so," she said.
Amy lay back down on the stage. "That's too bad." She sighed. "I was really working up an appetite for a candy bar."
"Me too," Lois chimed in.
"We can go to my house," Elizabeth said. "We have lots of good stuff in our refrigerator—that is if Steven hasn't eaten it all." Amy and Lois nodded enthusiastically.
As Elizabeth collected her things, she noticed Mary pass by. "Hi, Mary," she called. "How's it going?"
Mary seemed glad to see Elizabeth. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"We're going over to my house," Elizabeth said. "Want to come?"
Mary nodded happily.
Jessica got back from Lila's house around dinnertime. For the past several days, she'd managed to avoid having Mary come over by spending all her time at Lila's or Ellen's.
As the Wakefields sat down to dinner, Mr. Wakefield looked around the table at his family. "What did everyone do today?" he asked.
Steven was busy helping himself to potatoes. "Basketball practice," he grunted.
"I was at Lila Fowler's house," Jessica said. "She just got a whole bunch of new videotapes."
"Amy, Lois, and Mary were here this afternoon," Elizabeth said. "We mostly sat around in the kitchen."
Jessica almost choked on her steak. "Mary was here again?" she said. "Who invited her over?"
"I did," said Elizabeth. "What's the big deal?"
Jessica gave Elizabeth an exasperated look. Mary had some nerve, she thought. She obviously didn't care who invited her over, just as long as she got to spend time at the Wakefields'.
"What's the matter, Jessica?" teased Steven. 'Your face is turning red."
"Mind your own business," she snapped.
"Is little Jessie jealous?" said Steven.
"Of course not," said Jessica.
"Steven, that's enough," said Mrs. Wakefield. "I'm sure Jessica doesn't mind that Mary occasionally comes over with Elizabeth. Do you, darling?"
Jessica couldn't believe this conversation. Why was everybody missing the point. Wasn't it obvious that the only person Mary really wanted to see was Mrs. Wakefield? "Will everyone stop picking on me?" she said. "I don't want to discuss this right now."
Elizabeth looked at her sister and felt a twinge of guilt. Maybe Jessica was angry that she'd invited Mary over. She decided that she'd speak to Jessica privately after dinner.
A short time later, Elizabeth dropped by Jessica's room. "Jess," she called, "where are you?"
Jessica poked her head out of the closet. "Have you seen my pink sweater?" she asked.
"No," Elizabeth said, "but keep looking. It's probably here somewhere." Elizabeth was relieved that Jessica didn't seem angry with her.
Jessica cleared a path out of the closet. "What's up?" she asked.
"You don't care that I invited Mary over today, do you?" Elizabeth said. "I know she was your friend first."
Jessica paused. "That's not what's bothering me," she replied. "It's Mary."
"What about her?" said Elizabeth.
"Have you ever noticed how much time she spends talking to Mom?" Jessica asked.
Elizabeth seemed surprised. "Not really," she said.
"It's true," said Jessica. "Whenever Mom is in the room, Mary ignores everyone else. It's as if no one else matters."
"Are you sure?" said Elizabeth.
Jessica's arms dropped at her side. "Why don't you believe me?" she said. "All Mary cares about is talking to Mom. She doesn't even want to be here when Mom's not here."
Elizabeth looked at her sister and sighed. Once Jessica had made up her mind, it was hard to convince her otherwise. "Maybe Mary wishes she had a mother like ours," she said.
"There's nothing the matter with Mrs. Altman," Jessica replied stubbornly. "Why doesn't she spend time with her?"
Elizabeth didn't say anything.
"The next time Mary invites herself over," Jessica continued, "you watch and see who she follows around the whole time."
"OK, OK," said Elizabeth. "If it means that much to you, I will."
Jessica let out a sigh. "Thanks, Liz," she said. "You'll see I'm not crazy."
The next afternoon, Elizabeth and Amy were sitting around Mr. Bowman's room after school. "Any news from the Newspaper Guild, Mr. Bowman?" said Elizabeth.
Mr. Bowman looked up from the papers he was grading. "Nothing yet," he said.
Amy peered over Mr. Bowman's shoulder. "You gave Lila Fowler a D on her essay?" She grinned. "Why are you asking for trouble?"
Mr. Bowman covered Lila's grade with his hand. "These marks are supposed to be confidential, Amy," he said.
Amy wasn't the least bit rattled. "Is my essay in there?" she asked.
"You don't want to see it." Mr. Bowman laughed.
Amy's face fell. "Did I get a bad grade?" she asked. "I worked really hard on it."
"Amy," Mr. Bowman said, "you'll find out your grade with the rest of the class."
Elizabeth looked up and saw Mary enter the room. "There you are," Mary said in a relieved voice. "I thought maybe I'd missed you."
"We're helping Mr. Bowman grade papers," joked Amy.
Mary peered at the stack of essays. "Is my book report in there?" she asked.
"You'll find out your grade with the rest of your class," said Amy and Elizabeth in unison. They both burst out laughing.
"Are you going home soon, Elizabeth?" said Mary.
Elizabeth remembered her conversation with Jessica. It's true, she thought. Mary is inviting herself over. Still, it didn't bother Elizabeth. Mary was always nice to have around. "I guess Mr. Bowman could use some peace and quiet," she said.
"You could say that again," said Mr. Bowman.
***
No one was home yet when Jessica walked in after school. She was on her way over to the kitchen table to see if her mother had left a note when she noticed the large white envelope addressed to Ms. Jessica Wakefield that was sitting on top of the mail. She grabbed the envelope and opened it.
Inside was a large black-and-white glossy of Parker Smith that said "To Jessica, Love, Parker." There was also a typewritten letter. Jessica picked it up and read it aloud.
"'Dear Jessica, Thank you for your nice letter. Your celebrity cookbook sounds like a fabulous idea. I'm enclosing Van's and my favorite recipe for sweet 'n' sour barbecued ribs. Good luck with your cookbook. Love, Parker. P.S. Being married to Vanessa is heavenly.'"
Jessica sat down and sighed. Parker Smith could be so romantic. Wait until the Unicorns heard about this! A personal letter!
Jessica quickly called Lila. "Lila?" she said. "You won't believe what I just got in the mail. Can I come over right now and show you?" Within minutes, Jessica had left the house, still clutching the white envelope.
Several minutes later, Elizabeth, Mary, and Amy walked into the Wakefields' and threw their things on the kitchen table. "I guess no one's home," Elizabeth said. "Come on. I want to show you something in my room."
The three girls ran upstairs to Elizabeth's tidy blue-and-white bedroom. Elizabeth opened her bureau drawer and carefully took out a tiny gold locket. On the inside of the locket was a picture of a horse. "Isn't this beautiful?" Elizabeth said softly. "This locket belonged to my mom when she was my age. She just gave it to me."
"Was that her horse?" asked Amy.
"No," Elizabeth replied. "She just liked them. She found this picture in a magazine."
"Lila may be getting a horse," Mary said.
"Really?" inquired Elizabeth. "I didn't know Lila liked horses."
"She likes them OK," said Mary. "You know how Lila is. Whatever she decides she wants, she gets."
"I wish I were getting a horse," Elizabeth said wistfully.
The front door slammed just then. "Hello," shouted Mrs. Wakefield. "Anyone home?"
Mary's face brightened. "We're up here, Mrs. Wakefield," she called.
Mrs. Wakefield stuck her head in Elizabeth's room. "Does anyone know where Jessica is?" she asked. "Her letter from Parker Smith arrived."
"He actually wrote?" said Elizabeth. "I don't believe it!"
"I'm sure Jessica is thrilled," said Mrs. Wakefield. She turned to Mary. "Have you gotten a response yet?" she asked.
"I don't think so," Mary replied. "Maybe something came in the mail today." She watched Mrs. Wakefield go back down the stairs and head toward the kitchen. "Do you need help fixing dinner?" she asked.
"I thought I'd make a salad," said Mrs. Wakefield. "You can help if you'd like." Mary and Mrs. Wakefield disappeared down the stairs.
Maybe Mary just likes to cook, Elizabeth thought. Later, though, Elizabeth noticed that Mary was also helping Mrs. Wakefield out in the garden with the weeding. Nobody ever helped with the weeding!
By the time Jessica got back from Lila's, Mary and Amy had gone home. "Lizzie, look!" said Jessica as she burst into her sister's room. "He actually wrote me!" She read Parker's letter out loud for the fifteenth time and then fell onto Elizabeth's bed. Suddenly, she sat straight up. "Liz, has Mom made dinner yet?" she said. "We absolutely have to try Parker and Vanessa's favorite recipe tonight."
"I think Mom and Mary already made something," said Elizabeth.
Jessica groaned. "Mary?" she said. "Don't tell me she was here today."
"She wanted to come over," Elizabeth said simply.
Jessica stared intently at her sister. "Did you watch how she follows Mom all over the place?" she said.
Elizabeth didn't answer.
"It's true, isn't it?" Jessica continued. "Mary doesn't care which one of us she comes home with. As long as she can spend time with Mom, she's happy."
"But why should it matter to you?" said Elizabeth. "You weren't even here today."
"It does matter, Lizzie," said Jessica. "I don't happen to want to share my mother... especially when Mary has a perfectly good foster mother who cares about her." Jessica kicked off her shoes and lay back on the bed. "I don't want her coming over anymore," she said stiffly.
"What do you mean?" Elizabeth replied.
Jessica looked her sister straight in the eye. "I mean, I don't think either one of us should invite her over anymore," she said.
"But, Jess, that's silly," said Elizabeth. "Mary doesn't mean any harm."
Jessica's face turned red. "Liz, I don't like her here," said Jessica. "She gives me the creeps the way she hangs around Mom."
Elizabeth sighed. "All right," she said. "If it bothers you that much, I won't invite her over."
Jessica seemed relieved. "Thanks, Lizzie," she said. "I knew you would understand." She gave her sister a big hug. "And don't let Mary invite herself over, either," she added.
After Jessica left the room, Elizabeth sat quietly for a few minutes. She hoped she'd be able to discourage Mary without too much trouble. After all, Mary was such a nice girl. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Mary's feelings. Elizabeth stared at the door that separated her room from her sister's. Even though she and Jessica were identical twins, sometimes she felt they were totally different.
Five
In Mr. Bowman's classroom the next day, the staff of The Sweet Valley Sixers was hard at work. Career Day was only two weeks away, and there was still a lot to be done. In the corner, Julie and Caroline were busy trying to finish an advertising poster. On the other side of the room were Elizabeth and Amy. They had volunteered to coordinate the sign-up booths and were trying to make sure that each booth had the same number of participants.
Amy scanned the sign-up sheets. "How's this for original?" she said. "Every single one of the Unicorns has signed up for Gretchen Tyler."
"The Unicorns aren't big on individuality," Elizabeth said with a snicker.
"Speaking of individuality, did anyone notice Mr. Bowman's new jacket?" Julie giggled.
"Definitely Mr. B's taste," said Amy. "Terrible."
"What's wrong with red plaid?" Elizabeth said, trying to keep a straight face.
Mr. Bowman hurried through the door. "Hi, Mr. B," said Caroline loudly. "We were just talking about your new jacket."
Mr. Bowman grinned. "Do you like it?" he said. "I just bought it on sale."
Amy poked Elizabeth in the ribs.
"It's very unusual," said Caroline.
Mr. Bowman handed Elizabeth an envelope. "This just came for you," he said.
"It's from the Newspaper Guild!" said Elizabeth, ripping open the envelope.
The newspaper staff crowded around. "What does it say, Elizabeth?" said Caroline.
"'Dear Ms. Wakefield," Elizabeth read, "'we're pleased to announce that your paper, The Sweet Valley Sixers, has been chosen as a finalist in the LANG school competition." Elizabeth let out a loud whoop and then read on. "To help our panel make its final decision, please submit another current issue for our judges' consideration. Congratulations and good luck. LANG.'"
"Wow," said Julie. "I don't believe it!"
"Wait till everyone hears about this," said Caroline.
"That's perfect!" said Amy. "Our next issue is Career Day."
Elizabeth was ecstatic. "Do you really think we have a chance?" she said.
"It looks like a winner to me," said Mr. Bowman.
Later, as Elizabeth hurried home to tell her family the good news, she passed by the Altmans'. Elizabeth remembered her conversation with Jessica and quickened her step.
Just then, the Altmans' front door opened. "Hi, Elizabeth," called Mary. Elizabeth pretended she didn't hear anything and kept walking. "Elizabeth," shouted Mary. "I'm over here."
Elizabeth felt trapped. She turned and waved. "Oh, Mary," she said.
Mary ran over to the sidewalk. "Is it OK if I come over?" she asked.
"Uh, I'm not sure," said Elizabeth.
Mary looked confused.
"I have a lot of homework to do," Elizabeth explained. She pointed to her books. "Tons."
Mary seemed glad to see Elizabeth. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"I thought I'd make a salad," said Mrs. Wakefield. "You can help if you'd like." Mary and Mrs. Wakefield disappeared down the stairs.