SVT #40: Danny Means Trouble
In which we have Danny means Trouble, or, more aptly, Liz sticks her nose in, yet again! Plus a really stupid B plot that teaches us that exercise is pointless after all *rollseyes.* Especially if you can't get your own way all the time!
I heart these circles covers. They have such an, antiquated feel to them :-)
Why does Danny look about nine years old? And yes, that's Liz, looking all forlorn as she ruminates over her latest test subject in her quest to save the world. Nice brogues there. She's got a really good quiff going on, too, Elvis would be proud!
A Plot - SV gets a token learning disability, it's only taken 40 books!
We meet another SV one book character here, a Mr Danny Jackson. Anyone have any further info on him? Liz and Amy are eating lunch in the cafeteria when they hear Jessica shrieking in gossip fueled excitement. They have a quick bitch about the 'herd of purple unicorns' but the smiles are soon wiped off their faces when Jess rushes over to inform them the third member of their lesbian crew, Julie Porter, has had her hair chopped off by Danny Jackson in English class. Oh Noes, cries Liz, and we hear all about the twins identical-yet-oh-so-different looks and personalities. Yawn. This is because Jess thinks it's OH SO DRAMATIC and EXCITING, and if it was her she'd be able to stay home all day and watch a new TV show called All the World. Then we learn that Danny is quite a newboy to SVMS, but he's well known due to his pranks and the fact he's the best runner on the track team. Apparently, according to premiere world gossip Caroline, Mr Clark, principal, has told Danny that if he carries on with this bad behaviour, no more track team! That is absolutely A* teaching there! Cut someone's hair off and whaddya get, a threat to stop track team. That'll teach him. There's apparently an important meet against Pinecrest, (who?) and SV will never win without Danny. Oh Teh Drama! Later on, Liz rings Julie who says that it wasn't so bad; she had her hair trimmed and in fact she likes the new style. So Danny is absolved. *moreeyerolling.*
The next morning, the kids find out Danny has been moved into their homeroom, as Mr Davis is really strict and might be able to keep him under control. But we also know he's a complete bigot, so whafuck? Liz notices how Danny actually seems quite quiet and doesn't cause much trouble, even without Mr D breathing down his neck, and she feels all anxious wondering when he will start. Better tie that long hair back Lizzie my girl!
In Social Studies, they are studying parliament or something, and Mrs Arnette, AKA the Hairnet, asks Danny a verbal question, which he answers straightaway. She gets called out for a phone call, telling the class to copy down the info from the board, and he leaps up and draws an unflattering pic of her on the board. She comes back and has a tiny go at him (honestly, no wonder he does what he does if he never gets punished) and the class ends. In Science, Danny has been placed in Jessica's class, and he gets in a fight with Ken Matthews, who he is working with on a write up of dissecting a worm. Nice. He rips their paper up, and gets sent to Mr Clark's office, again.Has this boy no brains? Tut!
At lunch, Julie is showing off her new haircut, much to Jessica's disappointment as I think she was hoping for more drama. Jessica tells them all about Danny and Ken's fisticuffs in the classroom, and then they discuss the meet at SVMS that afternoon against Pinecrest. At the meet, Elizabeth sits with Belinda Layton, who is 'a Unicorn, and a friend of Elizabeth's,' which is a contradiction in itself surely. Danny runs the eight hundred metre race, and wins, setting a new school record in the process. Liz gets a couple quotes out of him for the Sixers, and asks him if his parents are proud. Danny's mood evaporates faster than rain on a hot car bonnet, and snaps her head off and leaves. This of course is like waving a red flag under a bull's nose, and Liz is now on a mission to find out what's wrong with him. She meanders over to Jim Sturbridge, and does a bit of blatant fishing, asking about Danny's parents and homelife. Jim spills how Danny's parents are both super intelligent lab scientists, and want Danny to quit running so he can study more. By now, her nose is firmly on the scent, and off she goes. St Liz on the case!
In Social Studies, Danny manages to answer a couple of verbal questions right, but then gets himself in trouble when, instead of reading the page in his textbook that's he's supposed to, he suggests watching a TV program, The Citizen's Court, to learn about the judicial system. Sounds like a rip off of Judge Judy to me, which, yes, us Brits do watch on Sky for teh laughs (although it doesn't beat that ol' Jerry Springer). The rest of the kids get all disrupted and Mrs Arnette gives Danny detention. Then, the next day in English, they get a supply teacher, Mrs Winderhoven, who is one of those teachers everyone picks on. She makes them read a short story aloud in turns, and when it gets to Danny's turn he creates pandemonium by saying there's a mouse under his desk. Mrs W rushes out to get the caretaker and the class gather round looking behind the bookcase. The caretaker comes and says he's never seen a brown mouse at the school (a likely story) and Mrs W has a go at Danny, but she doesn't make him read his share of the story. On the way home, Jess tells Liz about the mouse thing, and predicts Danny won't be able to last another three weeks until the track meet without getting into trouble, and will therefore be kicked off the team.
Next week is parent's evening at the school (lo, and behold, is there such a thing in SV?) and Danny's really worried that his parents will find out how naughty he's been behaving. Apparently Mr Clark gave him a letter to take home about his behavious that his parents needed to sign, and he forged their signatures. Tut. Double tut! The twins are waiting in line behind him at the maths teacher's table and Liz overhears how disappointed his parent's are in him because he's only getting a B due to some issues with the word problems they're been doing. We then have a bit of an aside about how Liz talks to Mr Bowman about her article in the Sixers and she vows to finish her article on the track team. Liz then manages to overhear Mr Bowman discussing Danny's progress in English with his parents (I'll bet she just 'overhears'). Apparently Danny is brilliant at class discussions, but his homework is awful. His parents plump for Mr Bowman to agree with them that Danny should give up the track team to concentrate more on his homework, but Mr Bowman disagrees and says Danny is an exceptional runner and would be unhappy. Go Mr Bowman. I don't like Danny's parents.Then Danny's parents say how they'd like to meet Mr Clark, which puts the wind up Danny because then he'll be in big trouble for sure, but luckily enough, they decide to go straight home. Danny is relieved and prays for his luck to hold until the next track meet.
The next day, Liz goes into the library to show Danny her article on his track prowess before it goes to print. She interrupts him watching a movie, and says she loves the book of The Red Pony, but Danny is really grumpy and changes the subject. Liz points out her quotes she made, and notices Danny seems to be having a hard job reading the short quote (maybe it's just her handwriting). Suddenly, everything clicks into place. Liz recalls every time Danny is asked to read something aloud, or even at all, he makes trouble. MAYBE DANNY ISN'T A GOOD READER! To top notch writer Liz, this seems impossible, and she decides Danny must need someone to confide in, so she comes out and asks him if he has trouble reading. Danny loses it; he goes mental and rips up a magazine and throws it at her, screaming how she's such a pain (correct) and he doesn't need her help. Poor Lizzie; she's dumbfounded and just stands there in shock as magazine pieces flitter by. Danny threatens her with, "if you ever tell anyone what you told me, you'll be sorry," and she gets all frightened.But, oh noes, in comes Mr Clark and hauls Danny off to his office. Liz feels guilty as she remembers that Danny will now be taken off the track team, and tries to tell everyone it was her fault for upsetting him when he was busy, but they don't listen (they're too used to Liz's saving the world trips by now) and she has to give up. At lunch, Liz finds out Tamara has spread the story over the school, although she didn't hear what Liz said to him to upset him, and Liz gets all pissily annoyed and goes to Mr Clark's office to try and get him to let Danny off. Instead of telling him what she thinks she's found out, she just makes up some story about how she annoyed Danny. Mr C isn't having any of it, and tells her he's kicked Danny off the track team indefinitely.
Danny goes to the field and mopes over the race lines. He thinks about how much trouble he's always had reading and that's why he causes trouble to distract the teachers. So, his parents are big hot shot labbies and they didn't notice their darling son couldn't read? Or his supposedly qualified teachers. It took an unqualified 12 year old to do that. Why am I trying to make sense out of this, anyway! He feels all guilty about how he treated Liz, though not guilty enough to hope she doesn't pass on her new found knowledge to anyone else. You wouldn't think St Liz would, would you. BUT, no, she does! And who does she tell but motormouth herself, the one and only Jessica Wakefield. Admittedly, Liz does tell Jess if she blabs then she'll never forgive her, and of course we all know how long that'd last, but Jess considers this as much of a threat to swear AND write it down on a piece of paper that she won't tell anyone Danny's secret. By the way, they stick this signed declaration on Elizabeth's notice board, which from any GOOD parents would solicit some concern that their daughters had potential secrets about someone else, but not the Wakefield ones. Or am i expecting too much? Anyway, Jess does point out that surely Danny's teachers' would have noticed, but, no, Liz is more clever than they are! Jess tells Liz to cheer up, it isn't her problem, and then we get the truest Elizabeth quote in the book - 'It isn't my problem, and that's what makes it so hard. I can't do anything to fix it.' Hehehehehe! St Liz, on the case! Liz goes and tells Ned what she's found out, after swearing him to secrecy as well (*rollseyes* - like, who's he gonna tell?) and he tells Liz to basically keep out of it as if Danny has a learning disability (the token learning disability for SV), Danny needs to find someone he can trust to tell. So Liz hopes he'll tell Mr Bowman. OK then! We don't all have a bit of Mr Bowman (if you're nasty) in us Elizabeth!
The next day, Liz helps Jess give her room it's annual clean up, and they come across an article in one of Jessica's new found exercise magazines (see B plot) about some young up and rising track star called Greg Voynow (another one to add to the famous list) who just might be the inspiration Danny needs, as he has a learning disability but overcame it by asking for help when he couldn't fill in application forms for jobs. So Liz sticks her nose in as usual and gets Greg's address through calling Information who just happen to give this famous person's address out to random children. She then writes him a heartfelt letter about Danny's 'problem' and how he's the only one who can help. She posts the letter off and awaits his call, which of course comes the following Tuesday. Jess is totally overexcited because she thinks Greg is hot, hot, hot and even Liz admits to a small crush ("wow, your first crush. Isn't it exciting?" Jessica asked). I guess Todd's not her sort-of-boyfriend yet. Greg arranges to come to the school unannounced (what about the pap? Or his bodyguards? How famous is this guy, anyway?) the next day at three, and meet Liz by the doors so she can show him where Danny is (because obviously Liz has him on high priority stalker alert or something). Jess wants to meet Greg too, but Liz says no for some inane reason like Greg won't know who she is (although it might be obvious who she's related to...) and Jess stomps off.
The next day, Liz is all excited about meeting Greggy boy, but what should happen but Mr Bowman assigns her the task of running off extra Sixers copies or something so Jess has to go instead (I'm sure she minds, honest). Liz is pissed but that's what you get for being nice to everyone. Greg is really nice to Jess even though she's not Liz (no, she doesn't do a twin switch for a change) and Jess does try to stall him so Liz can hurry up and meet him but eventually he asks where Danny is (he's probably bored of the inane conversation). Greg goes over to where Danny is sitting alone watching the track team practice and probably planning his suicide, and makes up some lame excuse about how SVMS are so good, he's come to check them out. Danny lies and says he isn't running because he's injured, and then Greg takes him of in his car for ice cream. Guess his parents never told him to get into a car with a stranger. Tut! At Caseys, Greg tells Danny all about his reading issues, and Danny finally admits the truth. Greg tells Danny he HAS to tell a teacher so he can get help, and, like magic, Danny decides that's what he'll do! And then Greg buys him another sundae. Come sit on my knee, little boy, and...oh, sorry, getting a bit carried away there!
Meanwhile, Liz is pissed, big time. She can't get the mimeograph machine to work, and spends ages on it when she should be meeting Greg, and then Mr B comes by and tells her not to bother cos he didn't need the issues after all. Liz rushes out to find Jess and hopefully Greg, but obviously Greg's gone with Danny, and Jess is telling everyone about how fit Greg is and how she met him. Liz acts up and blames Jess, even though really it's not her fault, and then gives in and forgives her, though for what, I don't know. The next day, Amy asks Liz what she's being a grumpy biatch for, and Liz tells her she's all jealous about not meeting Greg because she really wants to ogle him from afar and imagine him with no clothes on (although I'm more than a bit convinced that SV males are like Ken dolls - flat underneath) he's an incredible athlete, what with all his reading problems and all. Her bad mood is worsened by Jessica boasting it all round school about how cute (and shaggable) he was, but then she sees Danny walk out of Mr Clark's office looking happier and it's all worth it. OK, on the count of 3...1...2....3... AWWWWWW BLESS! Sigh! Plus Mr Bowman's there and he looks happy too. Wait a minute. Happy because it's been made glaringly obvious all the teachers are numbnuts who need help from a 12 year old (OK, who is a saint we know but still) to spot a reading problem. Erm...! Anyway, skip to English and the class is just starting when a man comes in with a briefcase and takes Danny out. This is his new tutor. How to segregate him even further, ya! Afterwards, Jim tells Liz that Danny has also been reinstated on the track team, so his life is all complete and happy again.And of course SV will kick the rival teams' asses now! Yay! Then, in the next English lesson, Mr Bowman tells the entire class that Danny has a condition called Dyslexia. The token dyslexic kid in Sweet Valley. Hands up who saw that coming. Mr Bowman tells them all about it (obviously to educate the younger reader) and how they shouldn't treat Danny any differently, or bully him (yeah right, like after his temper tantrum and hair cutting that'd happen), and he didn't catch it he was born with it, etc etc! Thanks, Francine. But I have the Internet these days for this vital information. :-)!
Just to round the story off nicely, as I'm sure you're all aware it's compulsory to do in Sweet Valley, all the kids assemble at the next meet to cheer on their newfound interest in track, and, yep, Danny wins. Just to add that special touch, Danny's parents are there and they're all ecstatic about how well he ran and all supportive now they realise their son has a problem. It's OK, Danny parents, in SV you can be as negligent as you like and noone will care, just look at the Wakefields. Oh, and Danny sets a state record in the four hundred metre race. Yay. Go Danny. In assembly the next day, Mr Clark gives Danny a medal for winning and who should be there but Greg. So Liz gets to meet him after all, because he announces how much of a kind and caring girlie she is and asks her onstage. GREG THEN KISSES HER ON THE CHEEK! Wooo! Actually, this could be taken as seriously inappropriate given his thing for taking young boys to ice cream parlours in his car, but, whatevs! He could probably come onto Mr Clark onstage and noone would bat an eyelid so...! At lunch, Danny gets a big cake set out for him in his honour, and he apologises to Elizabeth. So, sorted, everyone is happy and we can move onto the next book, #41: The Twins Get Caught. Does everyone feel fulfilled having read this. Now SV has it's token learning disability in place. Good good!
B Plot - Jessica gets fit, or is that fat.....?
Jessica is tired of the cute boys (i.e. Bruce Patman and Jerry McAllister) not noticing her; they only notice the sporty girls like Chrissy (who is a random character for this stupid plot). Add to that Lila is allowed to get her ears pierced and Jessica isn't allowed until she's 14 (which does seem a little harsh) and Jessica is pissed! She gets all empowered and decides to buy some work out clothes (purple tights and a white Tshirt with purple, pink and blue swirls on it) and exercise magazines. She does a test in a magazine and finds out her body is half fat and half fit (but where is this mysterious fat on her wonderful body? Maybe it's you know, essential. No. OK then.) She then does yoga and jogging etc, all the while pretending to Lila she might be allowed to get her ears pierced because she's hoping to change her parent's minds. Eventually, Lila gets them done and Jessica has to admit she isn't allowed. Also, she runs to the beach and gets a huge blister, and decides to give up exercise because, after weighing herself, she's actually gained weight because she's been getting so hungry she's been eating more food (actually, it might be muscle but what do I know)She gets a lift back from Jake's mother, and thinks the only time Jake was nice to her was when she hurt herself, and therefore exercise is pointless. Thanks for letting all those young adolescent girls know that, ghostwriter! Unless it's meant to point out that articles stating half fit-half fat are a load of bollocks, but I don't think concluding with the lesson that exercise is a waste of time is the best thing to do. But, there ya go!
I heart these circles covers. They have such an, antiquated feel to them :-)
Why does Danny look about nine years old? And yes, that's Liz, looking all forlorn as she ruminates over her latest test subject in her quest to save the world. Nice brogues there. She's got a really good quiff going on, too, Elvis would be proud!
A Plot - SV gets a token learning disability, it's only taken 40 books!
We meet another SV one book character here, a Mr Danny Jackson. Anyone have any further info on him? Liz and Amy are eating lunch in the cafeteria when they hear Jessica shrieking in gossip fueled excitement. They have a quick bitch about the 'herd of purple unicorns' but the smiles are soon wiped off their faces when Jess rushes over to inform them the third member of their lesbian crew, Julie Porter, has had her hair chopped off by Danny Jackson in English class. Oh Noes, cries Liz, and we hear all about the twins identical-yet-oh-so-different looks and personalities. Yawn. This is because Jess thinks it's OH SO DRAMATIC and EXCITING, and if it was her she'd be able to stay home all day and watch a new TV show called All the World. Then we learn that Danny is quite a newboy to SVMS, but he's well known due to his pranks and the fact he's the best runner on the track team. Apparently, according to premiere world gossip Caroline, Mr Clark, principal, has told Danny that if he carries on with this bad behaviour, no more track team! That is absolutely A* teaching there! Cut someone's hair off and whaddya get, a threat to stop track team. That'll teach him. There's apparently an important meet against Pinecrest, (who?) and SV will never win without Danny. Oh Teh Drama! Later on, Liz rings Julie who says that it wasn't so bad; she had her hair trimmed and in fact she likes the new style. So Danny is absolved. *moreeyerolling.*
The next morning, the kids find out Danny has been moved into their homeroom, as Mr Davis is really strict and might be able to keep him under control. But we also know he's a complete bigot, so whafuck? Liz notices how Danny actually seems quite quiet and doesn't cause much trouble, even without Mr D breathing down his neck, and she feels all anxious wondering when he will start. Better tie that long hair back Lizzie my girl!
In Social Studies, they are studying parliament or something, and Mrs Arnette, AKA the Hairnet, asks Danny a verbal question, which he answers straightaway. She gets called out for a phone call, telling the class to copy down the info from the board, and he leaps up and draws an unflattering pic of her on the board. She comes back and has a tiny go at him (honestly, no wonder he does what he does if he never gets punished) and the class ends. In Science, Danny has been placed in Jessica's class, and he gets in a fight with Ken Matthews, who he is working with on a write up of dissecting a worm. Nice. He rips their paper up, and gets sent to Mr Clark's office, again.Has this boy no brains? Tut!
At lunch, Julie is showing off her new haircut, much to Jessica's disappointment as I think she was hoping for more drama. Jessica tells them all about Danny and Ken's fisticuffs in the classroom, and then they discuss the meet at SVMS that afternoon against Pinecrest. At the meet, Elizabeth sits with Belinda Layton, who is 'a Unicorn, and a friend of Elizabeth's,' which is a contradiction in itself surely. Danny runs the eight hundred metre race, and wins, setting a new school record in the process. Liz gets a couple quotes out of him for the Sixers, and asks him if his parents are proud. Danny's mood evaporates faster than rain on a hot car bonnet, and snaps her head off and leaves. This of course is like waving a red flag under a bull's nose, and Liz is now on a mission to find out what's wrong with him. She meanders over to Jim Sturbridge, and does a bit of blatant fishing, asking about Danny's parents and homelife. Jim spills how Danny's parents are both super intelligent lab scientists, and want Danny to quit running so he can study more. By now, her nose is firmly on the scent, and off she goes. St Liz on the case!
In Social Studies, Danny manages to answer a couple of verbal questions right, but then gets himself in trouble when, instead of reading the page in his textbook that's he's supposed to, he suggests watching a TV program, The Citizen's Court, to learn about the judicial system. Sounds like a rip off of Judge Judy to me, which, yes, us Brits do watch on Sky for teh laughs (although it doesn't beat that ol' Jerry Springer). The rest of the kids get all disrupted and Mrs Arnette gives Danny detention. Then, the next day in English, they get a supply teacher, Mrs Winderhoven, who is one of those teachers everyone picks on. She makes them read a short story aloud in turns, and when it gets to Danny's turn he creates pandemonium by saying there's a mouse under his desk. Mrs W rushes out to get the caretaker and the class gather round looking behind the bookcase. The caretaker comes and says he's never seen a brown mouse at the school (a likely story) and Mrs W has a go at Danny, but she doesn't make him read his share of the story. On the way home, Jess tells Liz about the mouse thing, and predicts Danny won't be able to last another three weeks until the track meet without getting into trouble, and will therefore be kicked off the team.
Next week is parent's evening at the school (lo, and behold, is there such a thing in SV?) and Danny's really worried that his parents will find out how naughty he's been behaving. Apparently Mr Clark gave him a letter to take home about his behavious that his parents needed to sign, and he forged their signatures. Tut. Double tut! The twins are waiting in line behind him at the maths teacher's table and Liz overhears how disappointed his parent's are in him because he's only getting a B due to some issues with the word problems they're been doing. We then have a bit of an aside about how Liz talks to Mr Bowman about her article in the Sixers and she vows to finish her article on the track team. Liz then manages to overhear Mr Bowman discussing Danny's progress in English with his parents (I'll bet she just 'overhears'). Apparently Danny is brilliant at class discussions, but his homework is awful. His parents plump for Mr Bowman to agree with them that Danny should give up the track team to concentrate more on his homework, but Mr Bowman disagrees and says Danny is an exceptional runner and would be unhappy. Go Mr Bowman. I don't like Danny's parents.Then Danny's parents say how they'd like to meet Mr Clark, which puts the wind up Danny because then he'll be in big trouble for sure, but luckily enough, they decide to go straight home. Danny is relieved and prays for his luck to hold until the next track meet.
The next day, Liz goes into the library to show Danny her article on his track prowess before it goes to print. She interrupts him watching a movie, and says she loves the book of The Red Pony, but Danny is really grumpy and changes the subject. Liz points out her quotes she made, and notices Danny seems to be having a hard job reading the short quote (maybe it's just her handwriting). Suddenly, everything clicks into place. Liz recalls every time Danny is asked to read something aloud, or even at all, he makes trouble. MAYBE DANNY ISN'T A GOOD READER! To top notch writer Liz, this seems impossible, and she decides Danny must need someone to confide in, so she comes out and asks him if he has trouble reading. Danny loses it; he goes mental and rips up a magazine and throws it at her, screaming how she's such a pain (correct) and he doesn't need her help. Poor Lizzie; she's dumbfounded and just stands there in shock as magazine pieces flitter by. Danny threatens her with, "if you ever tell anyone what you told me, you'll be sorry," and she gets all frightened.But, oh noes, in comes Mr Clark and hauls Danny off to his office. Liz feels guilty as she remembers that Danny will now be taken off the track team, and tries to tell everyone it was her fault for upsetting him when he was busy, but they don't listen (they're too used to Liz's saving the world trips by now) and she has to give up. At lunch, Liz finds out Tamara has spread the story over the school, although she didn't hear what Liz said to him to upset him, and Liz gets all pissily annoyed and goes to Mr Clark's office to try and get him to let Danny off. Instead of telling him what she thinks she's found out, she just makes up some story about how she annoyed Danny. Mr C isn't having any of it, and tells her he's kicked Danny off the track team indefinitely.
Danny goes to the field and mopes over the race lines. He thinks about how much trouble he's always had reading and that's why he causes trouble to distract the teachers. So, his parents are big hot shot labbies and they didn't notice their darling son couldn't read? Or his supposedly qualified teachers. It took an unqualified 12 year old to do that. Why am I trying to make sense out of this, anyway! He feels all guilty about how he treated Liz, though not guilty enough to hope she doesn't pass on her new found knowledge to anyone else. You wouldn't think St Liz would, would you. BUT, no, she does! And who does she tell but motormouth herself, the one and only Jessica Wakefield. Admittedly, Liz does tell Jess if she blabs then she'll never forgive her, and of course we all know how long that'd last, but Jess considers this as much of a threat to swear AND write it down on a piece of paper that she won't tell anyone Danny's secret. By the way, they stick this signed declaration on Elizabeth's notice board, which from any GOOD parents would solicit some concern that their daughters had potential secrets about someone else, but not the Wakefield ones. Or am i expecting too much? Anyway, Jess does point out that surely Danny's teachers' would have noticed, but, no, Liz is more clever than they are! Jess tells Liz to cheer up, it isn't her problem, and then we get the truest Elizabeth quote in the book - 'It isn't my problem, and that's what makes it so hard. I can't do anything to fix it.' Hehehehehe! St Liz, on the case! Liz goes and tells Ned what she's found out, after swearing him to secrecy as well (*rollseyes* - like, who's he gonna tell?) and he tells Liz to basically keep out of it as if Danny has a learning disability (the token learning disability for SV), Danny needs to find someone he can trust to tell. So Liz hopes he'll tell Mr Bowman. OK then! We don't all have a bit of Mr Bowman (if you're nasty) in us Elizabeth!
The next day, Liz helps Jess give her room it's annual clean up, and they come across an article in one of Jessica's new found exercise magazines (see B plot) about some young up and rising track star called Greg Voynow (another one to add to the famous list) who just might be the inspiration Danny needs, as he has a learning disability but overcame it by asking for help when he couldn't fill in application forms for jobs. So Liz sticks her nose in as usual and gets Greg's address through calling Information who just happen to give this famous person's address out to random children. She then writes him a heartfelt letter about Danny's 'problem' and how he's the only one who can help. She posts the letter off and awaits his call, which of course comes the following Tuesday. Jess is totally overexcited because she thinks Greg is hot, hot, hot and even Liz admits to a small crush ("wow, your first crush. Isn't it exciting?" Jessica asked). I guess Todd's not her sort-of-boyfriend yet. Greg arranges to come to the school unannounced (what about the pap? Or his bodyguards? How famous is this guy, anyway?) the next day at three, and meet Liz by the doors so she can show him where Danny is (because obviously Liz has him on high priority stalker alert or something). Jess wants to meet Greg too, but Liz says no for some inane reason like Greg won't know who she is (although it might be obvious who she's related to...) and Jess stomps off.
The next day, Liz is all excited about meeting Greggy boy, but what should happen but Mr Bowman assigns her the task of running off extra Sixers copies or something so Jess has to go instead (I'm sure she minds, honest). Liz is pissed but that's what you get for being nice to everyone. Greg is really nice to Jess even though she's not Liz (no, she doesn't do a twin switch for a change) and Jess does try to stall him so Liz can hurry up and meet him but eventually he asks where Danny is (he's probably bored of the inane conversation). Greg goes over to where Danny is sitting alone watching the track team practice and probably planning his suicide, and makes up some lame excuse about how SVMS are so good, he's come to check them out. Danny lies and says he isn't running because he's injured, and then Greg takes him of in his car for ice cream. Guess his parents never told him to get into a car with a stranger. Tut! At Caseys, Greg tells Danny all about his reading issues, and Danny finally admits the truth. Greg tells Danny he HAS to tell a teacher so he can get help, and, like magic, Danny decides that's what he'll do! And then Greg buys him another sundae. Come sit on my knee, little boy, and...oh, sorry, getting a bit carried away there!
Meanwhile, Liz is pissed, big time. She can't get the mimeograph machine to work, and spends ages on it when she should be meeting Greg, and then Mr B comes by and tells her not to bother cos he didn't need the issues after all. Liz rushes out to find Jess and hopefully Greg, but obviously Greg's gone with Danny, and Jess is telling everyone about how fit Greg is and how she met him. Liz acts up and blames Jess, even though really it's not her fault, and then gives in and forgives her, though for what, I don't know. The next day, Amy asks Liz what she's being a grumpy biatch for, and Liz tells her she's all jealous about not meeting Greg because she really wants to ogle him from afar and imagine him with no clothes on (although I'm more than a bit convinced that SV males are like Ken dolls - flat underneath) he's an incredible athlete, what with all his reading problems and all. Her bad mood is worsened by Jessica boasting it all round school about how cute (and shaggable) he was, but then she sees Danny walk out of Mr Clark's office looking happier and it's all worth it. OK, on the count of 3...1...2....3... AWWWWWW BLESS! Sigh! Plus Mr Bowman's there and he looks happy too. Wait a minute. Happy because it's been made glaringly obvious all the teachers are numbnuts who need help from a 12 year old (OK, who is a saint we know but still) to spot a reading problem. Erm...! Anyway, skip to English and the class is just starting when a man comes in with a briefcase and takes Danny out. This is his new tutor. How to segregate him even further, ya! Afterwards, Jim tells Liz that Danny has also been reinstated on the track team, so his life is all complete and happy again.And of course SV will kick the rival teams' asses now! Yay! Then, in the next English lesson, Mr Bowman tells the entire class that Danny has a condition called Dyslexia. The token dyslexic kid in Sweet Valley. Hands up who saw that coming. Mr Bowman tells them all about it (obviously to educate the younger reader) and how they shouldn't treat Danny any differently, or bully him (yeah right, like after his temper tantrum and hair cutting that'd happen), and he didn't catch it he was born with it, etc etc! Thanks, Francine. But I have the Internet these days for this vital information. :-)!
Just to round the story off nicely, as I'm sure you're all aware it's compulsory to do in Sweet Valley, all the kids assemble at the next meet to cheer on their newfound interest in track, and, yep, Danny wins. Just to add that special touch, Danny's parents are there and they're all ecstatic about how well he ran and all supportive now they realise their son has a problem. It's OK, Danny parents, in SV you can be as negligent as you like and noone will care, just look at the Wakefields. Oh, and Danny sets a state record in the four hundred metre race. Yay. Go Danny. In assembly the next day, Mr Clark gives Danny a medal for winning and who should be there but Greg. So Liz gets to meet him after all, because he announces how much of a kind and caring girlie she is and asks her onstage. GREG THEN KISSES HER ON THE CHEEK! Wooo! Actually, this could be taken as seriously inappropriate given his thing for taking young boys to ice cream parlours in his car, but, whatevs! He could probably come onto Mr Clark onstage and noone would bat an eyelid so...! At lunch, Danny gets a big cake set out for him in his honour, and he apologises to Elizabeth. So, sorted, everyone is happy and we can move onto the next book, #41: The Twins Get Caught. Does everyone feel fulfilled having read this. Now SV has it's token learning disability in place. Good good!
B Plot - Jessica gets fit, or is that fat.....?
Jessica is tired of the cute boys (i.e. Bruce Patman and Jerry McAllister) not noticing her; they only notice the sporty girls like Chrissy (who is a random character for this stupid plot). Add to that Lila is allowed to get her ears pierced and Jessica isn't allowed until she's 14 (which does seem a little harsh) and Jessica is pissed! She gets all empowered and decides to buy some work out clothes (purple tights and a white Tshirt with purple, pink and blue swirls on it) and exercise magazines. She does a test in a magazine and finds out her body is half fat and half fit (but where is this mysterious fat on her wonderful body? Maybe it's you know, essential. No. OK then.) She then does yoga and jogging etc, all the while pretending to Lila she might be allowed to get her ears pierced because she's hoping to change her parent's minds. Eventually, Lila gets them done and Jessica has to admit she isn't allowed. Also, she runs to the beach and gets a huge blister, and decides to give up exercise because, after weighing herself, she's actually gained weight because she's been getting so hungry she's been eating more food (actually, it might be muscle but what do I know)She gets a lift back from Jake's mother, and thinks the only time Jake was nice to her was when she hurt herself, and therefore exercise is pointless. Thanks for letting all those young adolescent girls know that, ghostwriter! Unless it's meant to point out that articles stating half fit-half fat are a load of bollocks, but I don't think concluding with the lesson that exercise is a waste of time is the best thing to do. But, there ya go!