Sweet Valley High #47 Troublemaker
Interesting note: The title is Troublemaker but there is also a Sweet Valley Senior Year book called Troublemaker. #34 in that series if you were interested. Guess the person who makes sure titles aren't reused was on vacation.
The cover is of Josh, Julie, and Bruce. And if you were wondering which ones were which, Julie is the petite redhead girl, Josh is the guy in the pullover staring angstily at…Bruce? Bruce is the one wearing Mr. Roger’s cardigan with his snootily arched eyebrows and prissy lips.
The book opens with Elizabeth practicing the recorder. For reasons known only to the ghostwriter, she has decided to take it up. Julie Porter-our heroine-of-this-book-is teaching her how to play. Jessica barges in and announces that she is going to try out for a part in a play. The part requires ballet knowledge and Jessica has studied ballet…four years ago. But she knows she is a shoo-in for the part. Elizabeth wonders how two such similar looking people (blonde hair, blue-green eyes, size six, dimple) can be so different. Liz then goes to catch up with Julie for another lesson. Julie has been talking to her sister Johanna who must’ve appeared in another book but I don’t know which one. Johanna had apparently dropped out of school to take on the glamorous job of food service. But now she is back in school and geeking it up with computers. Julie and Johanna’s mom died a few months earlier so Julie has become a little reclusive. It is only lately that her friend from middle school, Saint Elizabeth Wakefield, and she have been hanging out more. While leaving the school, they find the Phi Epsilon guys, Winston, Bruce, and some other guy who isn’t important, are working initiation pranks. The victim this time is Josh Bowen. So there are the major players, Saint Elizabeth, Dancing!Jessica, Musical!Reclusive!Julie, Jerky!Bruce, and Friend!Josh. Liz wonders why a nice guy like Josh is hanging out with Jerky!Bruce and Julie tells her that Josh’s brother had been in the fraternity and so Josh wanted to be in it too. Liz comments that the frat has changed a lot because her former boyfriend, Todd-Punch-Wilkins used to be in it before he moved away and it was fun to pledge, not mean. Julie wonders if Bruce is still hurting from the death of Heroically Deaf Regina Morrow because he has reverted to jerk-harasser-Bruce. But since her mom just died, she knows that losing someone is really hard so she feels kinship with Bruce. Liz mentions that Jessica went out with Bruce once and he “really hurt her feelings.” Yeah, that’s how I remember it too. That and he took her top off, but revise history all you want Lizzie-pooh. But Julie knows there is something more to Bruce by the way he looked at her and her heart is all aflutter.
The two practice at the Wakefield’s house. They make plans to practice again but Friday is out because Liz has to go to the Phi Epsilon party/dance/thing. Julie can’t go because Josh as a lowly pledge can’t invite her. They aren’t dating and are only friends. She says if she dated him, it would be like dating her brother, so you know they’ll end up together in the end. She shyly admits that she has a crush on Bruce (a crush that formed all of 30 minutes earlier) because there is just something about him. But come on now, Bruce has money and no ethics so you know if this weren’t Sweet Valley he’d’ve been visiting the “ladies of the night.” Hell, even though it is Sweet Valley, he probably has teh herp. And teh herp is no laughing matter. Liz is worried that naïve little Julie will get hurt. Bruce has a new girlfriend every week and Julie is so vulnerable right now. Saint Elizabeth warns Julie and Julie agrees. But she always falls for guys who wouldn’t even give her a second glance-she is wanting a prince charming to sweep her off her feet so her expectations are at least totally realistic. But she again states that she knows Bruce won’t give her a glance so she’ll just have to keep dreaming. Liz tells her that it isn’t any of her business but to still be careful. Liz then goes to help Jessica who is trying to remember ballet well enough to not make a fool of herself at the audition. Liz tells about Julie’s crush and Jessica also points out that it isn’t any of Liz’s business but that Bruce probably wouldn’t go for quiet-little-Julie anyway. Jessica then begins showing off and manages to land with a thud. Cliffhanger!
At lunch the next day, Julie is telling Liz stuff about the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra which her dad and Josh’s mom are members of. Josh is all spacey because some of the Phi Epsilon guys are supposed to meet him there and he doesn’t know if he can take any more pranks. Maybe they’ll make him eat shaving cream, that’s never happened before, right? Liz asks cogently why he doesn’t just quit and he gives the spiel that once you make it through the pledge process, you have a sense of accomplishment and a bond to share with your new brothers. Julie rightly makes fun of that. Well, the five guys enter and have huge banana splits. They sit down at the next table and start to eat but then decide that Josh looks like he is starving so they all bring their ice cream for him to eat. Josh-the-pushover gamely digs in. The whole tableau ends as one would expect with Josh making a mad dash to the bathroom to ralph up the ice cream. Julie and Liz comfort Josh while he walks off his upset stomach and then, shocker of all shockers, Bruce comes up and looks concerned. He says it was funny when it was just him and another guy or two, but with five total he realized it got out of hand. He apologizes to Josh. And then hell freezes over, time starts running backwards, human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria! Bruce then starts flirting with Julie and when Liz unsubtly tries to get her to leave, Julie decides to stay with Bruce. Oh noes! Bruce asks her out to the Phi Epsilon party and Julie says yes!
Jessica and Lila are shopping for a leotard for Jessica. She only strained her hamstring with her showing off and is almost all better. She picks the leotard that shows off her body the most, the little whore. But while at the leotard store, Lila and Jess see Danielle Alexander, a newly created senior, and serious ballerina. Jessica is worried that Danielle will snake her part, but Lila points out that Danielle would probably think she was too good for the little school play and too busy practicing to bother. Jessica decides to make sure and cleverly gets Danielle to mention that she is trying out for the Los Angeles Ballet Company, not the school play. (oh, the play is called You Can’t Take It With You and if you want to be spoiled, click the link and find out why Jess’ ballet worries are funny.)
At school the next day, Julie tells Josh about her date with Bruce for the party. Josh is appalled and tries to talk her out of it but eventually says that he just doesn’t want her to get hurt. Which makes two people at least so far with that opinion, but it upsets her this time. But maybe he is only bashing Bruce because he is jealous. Instead of finding out, Julie turns and races away. Jeffrey too is getting left out in the cold because for the second time Liz can’t hang out with him because she has to practice her recorder. It takes time to learn a new “instrument.” Okay, I am totally going to bash any recorder players, but they made us learn that in like 3rd grade and even as tone deaf as I am, I had no trouble mastering pretty basic songs within a few days. But maybe Elizabeth is going for Symphony-level recorder player. They have those in the symphony, right? Anyway, Enid comes up and asks for a ride to the dance because Hugh has something else to do but she is still going anyway. Enid and Hugh are about the two most awful names out there-they are your grandparents names. Liz heads off to find Julie for practice but finds Julie playing the piano beautifully so doesn’t interrupt. Turns out her mood dictates how her piano playing goes and since she is on cloud 9 today, it was awesome. Julie tells Liz that Bruce Patman invited her to the dance. Liz is shocked and tries to pretend to be happy for Julie but fails miserably. She tries to warn Julie again because Bruce wouldn’t ask a plain girl like Julie out without a hidden agenda but Julie is blind to Bruce’s faults and figures most of the rumours were spread by girls who were only after him for his money who he summarily dumped. Julie is different and can take care of herself.
At home, Jessica has carrots for dinner because ballet dancers have to be thin. Size six must be cow-area for ballet dancers. Wonder if Jessica will try to get down to a perfect size two and a private room in the Sweet Valley Hospital Anorexia Ward. Liz talks about the fraternity party but isn’t all the excited because she is worried about Julie. Jess makes an offhanded comment that Lila told here there is a rumour that Bruce asked another girl to the party. Liz gets even more upset but Jess tells her it is just a rumour and to not worry. I think we all know what Elizabeth will really do. Liz heads off at school to find Lila to pump her for information. Lila first confesses that John Pfeifer has been hanging around her too much and that she wants Liz to write a story for her newspaper column that Lila is dating a UCLA guy to get John off her case. Elizabeth works with John on the Oracle and likes him and won’t make up a story for Lila. Big mistake. Huge. But now Lila is petulant because she didn’t get her way and won’t tell Liz anything about any rumours.
At the Patman house, the pledges are busy cleaning the basement for the party. Bruce is again in “cruel” mode and picking on Josh. Josh decides he’s had enough of it and stands up to Bruce. Bruce pounces and it is up to the other Phi Eps, including the aforementioned John Pfeifer to pull Bruce off Josh and calm everyone down. Bruce tells Josh that the only reason he is being pledged is because of his older brother and Josh storms out. Josh sees the 1BRUCE1 (shout out!) and dreams about ramming it with his Chevy junker (noes!). John catches up with Josh and gives him a pep-talk. Turns out that Bruce felt he made himself too vulnerable dating Regina and is now acting double-jerky to make up for it. And he is trying to toughen Josh up too or something. John tells Josh to stick with it. Josh thinks that being in Phi Epsilon would be okay with cool guys like John and Winston to hang out with. NEWSFLASH, you don’t need to join a sorority/fraternity to hang out with people. But Josh thinks that if Bruce does anything to hurt Julie, Josh will make him very, very sorry. Josh thinks about how his friendship with Julie has evolved into deeper feelings but knows she doesn’t feel the same way. While driving past the school, Josh sees Elizabeth conveniently walking and gives her a ride. Liz tells him about the rumours and Josh says they are going over to Julie’s to tell her right now. So they do. They tell her about the rumor but actually stress that it might be totally false but Julie latches onto that it might be true. She is so confused now! Josh and Liz leave telling her to call if she wants to talk and Julie thinks about what she heard. It might be true, but she is going to the party with him and even if they never go out again, she’ll have a night to remember. A night to remember is not a good thing to ask for, but Julie doesn’t know that yet.
At the auditions, Jessica is bored waiting and does some practicing in the hall. She is as good as she can make herself. But she is second to audition, Danielle is first! And Danielle is amazing. Jessica doesn’t know how she can top that but when she peeks again, Danielle is having trouble and Jessica’s confidence returns. When it is her turn, she does her best, but her hamstring injury causes her to fall. She calls it her grand floppe. She tries to regain her composure but falls on her final move also. She gets a callback while Danielle didn’t. The director tells her to read the part carefully if she hasn’t already. And we all know she hasn’t. At the callbacks, Liz hurries from the Oracle deadline meeting to wish Jessica good luck. She sees Danielle who, even in flats, towers over everyone. And she is hoping to be a ballerina? Not likely. But she is also blonde and a senior and someone submitted an “Eyes and Ears” notice about Bruce spending time with Danielle. Danielle might be the rumoured extra date! Liz wants to tell Julie but doesn’t get a chance. Julie asks for a ride with Liz and Enid and Jeffrey because she is just meeting Bruce at the party. Liz hopes everything turns out all right.
At the audition, Jessica is up first. She still hasn’t read the play but thinks she is still a shoo-in. There is only one other girl reading for the part and she is a goofy looking one. The director tells Jessica to really awful-up her dancing and Jessica finally realizes that the part is comedic and not romantic. The character thinks she is the world’s best ballerina but she is really the worst. Jessica’s dreams are dashed!
On to the party! Jeffrey takes Liz, Enid, and Julie. Julie has never been to the Patman mansion so she is really impressed by the neighborhood. Jeffery does some joking that prove once again that he is miles superior to lame-o Todd. The door is answered by Josh in a woman’s wig as another pledge duty. The rest of the pledges are also dressed in crazy outfits and doing scut jobs. Julie heads over to Bruce and he offers her a tour of the house. Mention of “better things to do tonight,” “skinny dipping,” and “spending lots of time in the bedroom” are all mentioned. But Bruce doesn’t do anything skeevy and the two head back down to the party.
Liz and Jeffrey are dancing a little later. Liz spots Bruce awfully close to Danielle and Julie nowhere in site. Oh no! But then she sees Jess looking all down-trodden and hurries over to comfort her on not getting the part. But Jessica did get the part only now she doesn’t know if she wants it. She doesn’t want people laughing at her. The two then see Julie and Bruce together making their way to a secluded alcove. Bruce pulls Julie over to a sofa and they talk. Bruce asks her about herself and doesn’t remove her top. He then gets up to go put on some new music. Liz has forgotten about Julie and is trying to convince Jessica that the comedic characters get way more applause than the boring romantic ones. She then catches sight of Bruce all over Danielle again. Back in the alcove, Julie is waiting for Bruce to come back when he sits down next to her. He kisses her passionately and the lights come on. It isn’t Bruce, it is Josh and it was all a setup! Everyone is giggling and Julie runs from the party in tears. Elizabeth catches up with her and gets the story. Liz is really mad now. She goes and gets Jeffrey’s keys and drives Julie home. Meanwhile, Josh is really mad too. He thought it was supposed to be some unknown girl who was going to grade the pledges on kissing-he didn’t know it would be Julie. But Bruce thinks he is so funny for setting it up. Josh wants to slug him but doesn’t. He goes over and talks to Winston who laments on how the fraternity has changed. Bruce’s faction has gotten so powerful and Winnie is too lame to stand up to him apparently. We need the patented Todd Punch! But now Josh wants to join even more to make the fraternity better and as awesome as it used to be.
On Monday, Julie pretends to be over what happened on Friday but she really isn’t. She is so mad that Josh betrayed her and set her up like that. She doesn’t know that he was innocent also-well, mostly innocent. Bruce and the rest of his posse seem to have a homing device on him. They make him pretend to be a monkey at school which he further embarrasses Julie by kissing her again, then they have him do fifty pushups. He only gets 45 of them done so they promise to make him do the rest the next day. Josh then runs into Elizabeth and while driving her to a dentist appointment, he explains what happened. He asks Liz to explain to Julie because Julie won’t talk to him. Liz says she’ll try but wonders if his relationship with Julie deserves more attention than the Phi Epsilon pledging. Josh likes the sound of having a relationship with Julie so much that he starts smiling for the first time in days. Okay loser, you must’ve somehow failed to notice you blew it with her. But this is Sweet Valley, all he has to do is wear a short skirt and he’ll get the girl. Or something.
Jessica meanwhile is struggling with her part. She doesn’t want to mess up because she doesn’t want people to think she can’t dance. So she tries to be just a little bad but the director wants more bad. Jessica doesn’t know what she’ll do. Liz finds Julie playing a really sad song on the piano. Thus, we know her mood is very sad too. Elizabeth tells Julie what Josh told her and then wisely leaves. Julie breaks down into tears but not from anger or humiliation this time. Rather she “knew she was crying because of some strange, strong feelings for Josh-feelings she quite understand yet.” Honestly, that’s what it says.
The next day at lunch, Josh attempts to avoid the Phi Epsilons. He pulls a baseball cap down over his eyes and finds Liz. He asks her if she talked to Julie but before they can really talk, he is found by the Phi Epsilons. They had the pledges waiting on tables as though they were at a restaurant and since Josh tried to get out of it, he gets to go into line and get a bunch of Jell-O cups. He is then supposed go and offer it to Julie who is sitting by herself by the door. Because somehow being offered a lot of Jell-O is embarrassing? At first Josh is all “No, I won’t” but then he thinks about how his apparently sainted brother would mock him for not even making it through the pledging process. So he agrees. He goes and buys a bunch of Jell-O and puts it on a plate supplied by Bruce. But instead of giving it to Julie, he goes and dumps it onto Bruce’s lap. Which really, is almost as good as pushing him in the pool. Bruce is all upset because his new pants that were specially tailored are ruined. But everyone in the school saw it and you’d think that would sting more. But Josh is now totally out of the Phi Epsilons because apparently what Bruce says is law with no voting. So Josh goes up to Julie and asks to talk to her in private. She knows now that she is more important to him than the fraternity and they kiss and are now dating.
The next chapter, which in real life would have been a month or two away but in Sweet Valley time was probably the next week, everyone is at the play and Jessica was awesome. She managed to learn how to mess up totally and do it with aplomb and everyone loved her. After the play, Amy and Lila have something to show Jessica but when a teacher comes along they quickly hide it. Thus, we are introduced to Slam Book Fever.
The most disturbing thing about the book? There was a line where Bruce “leered” at Josh which could be taken totally the wrong way if one were so inclined. As I am so inclined.
# of parties: 1 (at Bruce’s house)
# of dances: 0
# of cheating cheaters: 1
# of times Todd punches someone/someone gets pushed in a pool: 0
# of days/weeks elapsed: 9+ days (Started on a Monday, ended on a Wednesday, + the time from rehearsals to performance, where I am from, usually at least 2 months, in SV, likely two days.)
The cover is of Josh, Julie, and Bruce. And if you were wondering which ones were which, Julie is the petite redhead girl, Josh is the guy in the pullover staring angstily at…Bruce? Bruce is the one wearing Mr. Roger’s cardigan with his snootily arched eyebrows and prissy lips.
The book opens with Elizabeth practicing the recorder. For reasons known only to the ghostwriter, she has decided to take it up. Julie Porter-our heroine-of-this-book-is teaching her how to play. Jessica barges in and announces that she is going to try out for a part in a play. The part requires ballet knowledge and Jessica has studied ballet…four years ago. But she knows she is a shoo-in for the part. Elizabeth wonders how two such similar looking people (blonde hair, blue-green eyes, size six, dimple) can be so different. Liz then goes to catch up with Julie for another lesson. Julie has been talking to her sister Johanna who must’ve appeared in another book but I don’t know which one. Johanna had apparently dropped out of school to take on the glamorous job of food service. But now she is back in school and geeking it up with computers. Julie and Johanna’s mom died a few months earlier so Julie has become a little reclusive. It is only lately that her friend from middle school, Saint Elizabeth Wakefield, and she have been hanging out more. While leaving the school, they find the Phi Epsilon guys, Winston, Bruce, and some other guy who isn’t important, are working initiation pranks. The victim this time is Josh Bowen. So there are the major players, Saint Elizabeth, Dancing!Jessica, Musical!Reclusive!Julie, Jerky!Bruce, and Friend!Josh. Liz wonders why a nice guy like Josh is hanging out with Jerky!Bruce and Julie tells her that Josh’s brother had been in the fraternity and so Josh wanted to be in it too. Liz comments that the frat has changed a lot because her former boyfriend, Todd-Punch-Wilkins used to be in it before he moved away and it was fun to pledge, not mean. Julie wonders if Bruce is still hurting from the death of Heroically Deaf Regina Morrow because he has reverted to jerk-harasser-Bruce. But since her mom just died, she knows that losing someone is really hard so she feels kinship with Bruce. Liz mentions that Jessica went out with Bruce once and he “really hurt her feelings.” Yeah, that’s how I remember it too. That and he took her top off, but revise history all you want Lizzie-pooh. But Julie knows there is something more to Bruce by the way he looked at her and her heart is all aflutter.
The two practice at the Wakefield’s house. They make plans to practice again but Friday is out because Liz has to go to the Phi Epsilon party/dance/thing. Julie can’t go because Josh as a lowly pledge can’t invite her. They aren’t dating and are only friends. She says if she dated him, it would be like dating her brother, so you know they’ll end up together in the end. She shyly admits that she has a crush on Bruce (a crush that formed all of 30 minutes earlier) because there is just something about him. But come on now, Bruce has money and no ethics so you know if this weren’t Sweet Valley he’d’ve been visiting the “ladies of the night.” Hell, even though it is Sweet Valley, he probably has teh herp. And teh herp is no laughing matter. Liz is worried that naïve little Julie will get hurt. Bruce has a new girlfriend every week and Julie is so vulnerable right now. Saint Elizabeth warns Julie and Julie agrees. But she always falls for guys who wouldn’t even give her a second glance-she is wanting a prince charming to sweep her off her feet so her expectations are at least totally realistic. But she again states that she knows Bruce won’t give her a glance so she’ll just have to keep dreaming. Liz tells her that it isn’t any of her business but to still be careful. Liz then goes to help Jessica who is trying to remember ballet well enough to not make a fool of herself at the audition. Liz tells about Julie’s crush and Jessica also points out that it isn’t any of Liz’s business but that Bruce probably wouldn’t go for quiet-little-Julie anyway. Jessica then begins showing off and manages to land with a thud. Cliffhanger!
At lunch the next day, Julie is telling Liz stuff about the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra which her dad and Josh’s mom are members of. Josh is all spacey because some of the Phi Epsilon guys are supposed to meet him there and he doesn’t know if he can take any more pranks. Maybe they’ll make him eat shaving cream, that’s never happened before, right? Liz asks cogently why he doesn’t just quit and he gives the spiel that once you make it through the pledge process, you have a sense of accomplishment and a bond to share with your new brothers. Julie rightly makes fun of that. Well, the five guys enter and have huge banana splits. They sit down at the next table and start to eat but then decide that Josh looks like he is starving so they all bring their ice cream for him to eat. Josh-the-pushover gamely digs in. The whole tableau ends as one would expect with Josh making a mad dash to the bathroom to ralph up the ice cream. Julie and Liz comfort Josh while he walks off his upset stomach and then, shocker of all shockers, Bruce comes up and looks concerned. He says it was funny when it was just him and another guy or two, but with five total he realized it got out of hand. He apologizes to Josh. And then hell freezes over, time starts running backwards, human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria! Bruce then starts flirting with Julie and when Liz unsubtly tries to get her to leave, Julie decides to stay with Bruce. Oh noes! Bruce asks her out to the Phi Epsilon party and Julie says yes!
Jessica and Lila are shopping for a leotard for Jessica. She only strained her hamstring with her showing off and is almost all better. She picks the leotard that shows off her body the most, the little whore. But while at the leotard store, Lila and Jess see Danielle Alexander, a newly created senior, and serious ballerina. Jessica is worried that Danielle will snake her part, but Lila points out that Danielle would probably think she was too good for the little school play and too busy practicing to bother. Jessica decides to make sure and cleverly gets Danielle to mention that she is trying out for the Los Angeles Ballet Company, not the school play. (oh, the play is called You Can’t Take It With You and if you want to be spoiled, click the link and find out why Jess’ ballet worries are funny.)
At school the next day, Julie tells Josh about her date with Bruce for the party. Josh is appalled and tries to talk her out of it but eventually says that he just doesn’t want her to get hurt. Which makes two people at least so far with that opinion, but it upsets her this time. But maybe he is only bashing Bruce because he is jealous. Instead of finding out, Julie turns and races away. Jeffrey too is getting left out in the cold because for the second time Liz can’t hang out with him because she has to practice her recorder. It takes time to learn a new “instrument.” Okay, I am totally going to bash any recorder players, but they made us learn that in like 3rd grade and even as tone deaf as I am, I had no trouble mastering pretty basic songs within a few days. But maybe Elizabeth is going for Symphony-level recorder player. They have those in the symphony, right? Anyway, Enid comes up and asks for a ride to the dance because Hugh has something else to do but she is still going anyway. Enid and Hugh are about the two most awful names out there-they are your grandparents names. Liz heads off to find Julie for practice but finds Julie playing the piano beautifully so doesn’t interrupt. Turns out her mood dictates how her piano playing goes and since she is on cloud 9 today, it was awesome. Julie tells Liz that Bruce Patman invited her to the dance. Liz is shocked and tries to pretend to be happy for Julie but fails miserably. She tries to warn Julie again because Bruce wouldn’t ask a plain girl like Julie out without a hidden agenda but Julie is blind to Bruce’s faults and figures most of the rumours were spread by girls who were only after him for his money who he summarily dumped. Julie is different and can take care of herself.
At home, Jessica has carrots for dinner because ballet dancers have to be thin. Size six must be cow-area for ballet dancers. Wonder if Jessica will try to get down to a perfect size two and a private room in the Sweet Valley Hospital Anorexia Ward. Liz talks about the fraternity party but isn’t all the excited because she is worried about Julie. Jess makes an offhanded comment that Lila told here there is a rumour that Bruce asked another girl to the party. Liz gets even more upset but Jess tells her it is just a rumour and to not worry. I think we all know what Elizabeth will really do. Liz heads off at school to find Lila to pump her for information. Lila first confesses that John Pfeifer has been hanging around her too much and that she wants Liz to write a story for her newspaper column that Lila is dating a UCLA guy to get John off her case. Elizabeth works with John on the Oracle and likes him and won’t make up a story for Lila. Big mistake. Huge. But now Lila is petulant because she didn’t get her way and won’t tell Liz anything about any rumours.
At the Patman house, the pledges are busy cleaning the basement for the party. Bruce is again in “cruel” mode and picking on Josh. Josh decides he’s had enough of it and stands up to Bruce. Bruce pounces and it is up to the other Phi Eps, including the aforementioned John Pfeifer to pull Bruce off Josh and calm everyone down. Bruce tells Josh that the only reason he is being pledged is because of his older brother and Josh storms out. Josh sees the 1BRUCE1 (shout out!) and dreams about ramming it with his Chevy junker (noes!). John catches up with Josh and gives him a pep-talk. Turns out that Bruce felt he made himself too vulnerable dating Regina and is now acting double-jerky to make up for it. And he is trying to toughen Josh up too or something. John tells Josh to stick with it. Josh thinks that being in Phi Epsilon would be okay with cool guys like John and Winston to hang out with. NEWSFLASH, you don’t need to join a sorority/fraternity to hang out with people. But Josh thinks that if Bruce does anything to hurt Julie, Josh will make him very, very sorry. Josh thinks about how his friendship with Julie has evolved into deeper feelings but knows she doesn’t feel the same way. While driving past the school, Josh sees Elizabeth conveniently walking and gives her a ride. Liz tells him about the rumours and Josh says they are going over to Julie’s to tell her right now. So they do. They tell her about the rumor but actually stress that it might be totally false but Julie latches onto that it might be true. She is so confused now! Josh and Liz leave telling her to call if she wants to talk and Julie thinks about what she heard. It might be true, but she is going to the party with him and even if they never go out again, she’ll have a night to remember. A night to remember is not a good thing to ask for, but Julie doesn’t know that yet.
At the auditions, Jessica is bored waiting and does some practicing in the hall. She is as good as she can make herself. But she is second to audition, Danielle is first! And Danielle is amazing. Jessica doesn’t know how she can top that but when she peeks again, Danielle is having trouble and Jessica’s confidence returns. When it is her turn, she does her best, but her hamstring injury causes her to fall. She calls it her grand floppe. She tries to regain her composure but falls on her final move also. She gets a callback while Danielle didn’t. The director tells her to read the part carefully if she hasn’t already. And we all know she hasn’t. At the callbacks, Liz hurries from the Oracle deadline meeting to wish Jessica good luck. She sees Danielle who, even in flats, towers over everyone. And she is hoping to be a ballerina? Not likely. But she is also blonde and a senior and someone submitted an “Eyes and Ears” notice about Bruce spending time with Danielle. Danielle might be the rumoured extra date! Liz wants to tell Julie but doesn’t get a chance. Julie asks for a ride with Liz and Enid and Jeffrey because she is just meeting Bruce at the party. Liz hopes everything turns out all right.
At the audition, Jessica is up first. She still hasn’t read the play but thinks she is still a shoo-in. There is only one other girl reading for the part and she is a goofy looking one. The director tells Jessica to really awful-up her dancing and Jessica finally realizes that the part is comedic and not romantic. The character thinks she is the world’s best ballerina but she is really the worst. Jessica’s dreams are dashed!
On to the party! Jeffrey takes Liz, Enid, and Julie. Julie has never been to the Patman mansion so she is really impressed by the neighborhood. Jeffery does some joking that prove once again that he is miles superior to lame-o Todd. The door is answered by Josh in a woman’s wig as another pledge duty. The rest of the pledges are also dressed in crazy outfits and doing scut jobs. Julie heads over to Bruce and he offers her a tour of the house. Mention of “better things to do tonight,” “skinny dipping,” and “spending lots of time in the bedroom” are all mentioned. But Bruce doesn’t do anything skeevy and the two head back down to the party.
Liz and Jeffrey are dancing a little later. Liz spots Bruce awfully close to Danielle and Julie nowhere in site. Oh no! But then she sees Jess looking all down-trodden and hurries over to comfort her on not getting the part. But Jessica did get the part only now she doesn’t know if she wants it. She doesn’t want people laughing at her. The two then see Julie and Bruce together making their way to a secluded alcove. Bruce pulls Julie over to a sofa and they talk. Bruce asks her about herself and doesn’t remove her top. He then gets up to go put on some new music. Liz has forgotten about Julie and is trying to convince Jessica that the comedic characters get way more applause than the boring romantic ones. She then catches sight of Bruce all over Danielle again. Back in the alcove, Julie is waiting for Bruce to come back when he sits down next to her. He kisses her passionately and the lights come on. It isn’t Bruce, it is Josh and it was all a setup! Everyone is giggling and Julie runs from the party in tears. Elizabeth catches up with her and gets the story. Liz is really mad now. She goes and gets Jeffrey’s keys and drives Julie home. Meanwhile, Josh is really mad too. He thought it was supposed to be some unknown girl who was going to grade the pledges on kissing-he didn’t know it would be Julie. But Bruce thinks he is so funny for setting it up. Josh wants to slug him but doesn’t. He goes over and talks to Winston who laments on how the fraternity has changed. Bruce’s faction has gotten so powerful and Winnie is too lame to stand up to him apparently. We need the patented Todd Punch! But now Josh wants to join even more to make the fraternity better and as awesome as it used to be.
On Monday, Julie pretends to be over what happened on Friday but she really isn’t. She is so mad that Josh betrayed her and set her up like that. She doesn’t know that he was innocent also-well, mostly innocent. Bruce and the rest of his posse seem to have a homing device on him. They make him pretend to be a monkey at school which he further embarrasses Julie by kissing her again, then they have him do fifty pushups. He only gets 45 of them done so they promise to make him do the rest the next day. Josh then runs into Elizabeth and while driving her to a dentist appointment, he explains what happened. He asks Liz to explain to Julie because Julie won’t talk to him. Liz says she’ll try but wonders if his relationship with Julie deserves more attention than the Phi Epsilon pledging. Josh likes the sound of having a relationship with Julie so much that he starts smiling for the first time in days. Okay loser, you must’ve somehow failed to notice you blew it with her. But this is Sweet Valley, all he has to do is wear a short skirt and he’ll get the girl. Or something.
Jessica meanwhile is struggling with her part. She doesn’t want to mess up because she doesn’t want people to think she can’t dance. So she tries to be just a little bad but the director wants more bad. Jessica doesn’t know what she’ll do. Liz finds Julie playing a really sad song on the piano. Thus, we know her mood is very sad too. Elizabeth tells Julie what Josh told her and then wisely leaves. Julie breaks down into tears but not from anger or humiliation this time. Rather she “knew she was crying because of some strange, strong feelings for Josh-feelings she quite understand yet.” Honestly, that’s what it says.
The next day at lunch, Josh attempts to avoid the Phi Epsilons. He pulls a baseball cap down over his eyes and finds Liz. He asks her if she talked to Julie but before they can really talk, he is found by the Phi Epsilons. They had the pledges waiting on tables as though they were at a restaurant and since Josh tried to get out of it, he gets to go into line and get a bunch of Jell-O cups. He is then supposed go and offer it to Julie who is sitting by herself by the door. Because somehow being offered a lot of Jell-O is embarrassing? At first Josh is all “No, I won’t” but then he thinks about how his apparently sainted brother would mock him for not even making it through the pledging process. So he agrees. He goes and buys a bunch of Jell-O and puts it on a plate supplied by Bruce. But instead of giving it to Julie, he goes and dumps it onto Bruce’s lap. Which really, is almost as good as pushing him in the pool. Bruce is all upset because his new pants that were specially tailored are ruined. But everyone in the school saw it and you’d think that would sting more. But Josh is now totally out of the Phi Epsilons because apparently what Bruce says is law with no voting. So Josh goes up to Julie and asks to talk to her in private. She knows now that she is more important to him than the fraternity and they kiss and are now dating.
The next chapter, which in real life would have been a month or two away but in Sweet Valley time was probably the next week, everyone is at the play and Jessica was awesome. She managed to learn how to mess up totally and do it with aplomb and everyone loved her. After the play, Amy and Lila have something to show Jessica but when a teacher comes along they quickly hide it. Thus, we are introduced to Slam Book Fever.
The most disturbing thing about the book? There was a line where Bruce “leered” at Josh which could be taken totally the wrong way if one were so inclined. As I am so inclined.
# of parties: 1 (at Bruce’s house)
# of dances: 0
# of cheating cheaters: 1
# of times Todd punches someone/someone gets pushed in a pool: 0
# of days/weeks elapsed: 9+ days (Started on a Monday, ended on a Wednesday, + the time from rehearsals to performance, where I am from, usually at least 2 months, in SV, likely two days.)