Sweet Valley Twins #45: Lucy Takes the Reins
Let me just say that I've never seen a helmet chin strap like that, and that the throat piece on the bridle isn't under the throatlatch. That's wrong, because it will interfere when the horse stretches his head, and it also isn't too secure for the bridle... And the bit is too low in the horse's mouth. Oh, and those aren't proper tall boots. They look more like jockey boots. They'll work, but they won't look as nice as some black, oiled tall boots. Tsk.
When we open, Jessica and Liz are at a picnic by Secca Lake with their parents and Steven. Jessica has eaten three hot dogs and she and Elizabeth walk up a bridle path to work off the calories. I'm suprised Jessica didn't just throw up. I would've thought her 'future list' would include 'be size six in high school'. They talk about Ted, a hot stable hand who is at SVH. Apparently, Jessica had a crush on him once. (Really? A high schooler who had to work for money?) A beautiful Arabian passes by, and Elizabeth gushes about the perfect conformation. It's a black Arabian, which are actually kinda rare. Liz explains to Jess about conformation and currycombs, and they return to find a skunk eating the chocolate cake. Jess is very upset. I see that just like in SVH, Jessica can eat and not gain weight and get acne. Oh, the unfairness!!!
The next afternoon, Elizabeth goes to see Ted and finds out that he is behind on his horse Thunder's (Lila's horse that she got bored with) boarding payments. The stable owner, Mr. Carson, only gives Ted until the championship competition to pay! OH NOES! She promises to help Ted with his work, which I don't understand. How would the barn owner be o.k. with having a twelve-y\o stand in for a paid employee? Granted, I worked at the barn for free after my lessons, but the barn owner approved, and I didn't fill in for a high-school barn hand, because what I did was not a full workload.
One day at school, Elizabeth stops by to say that she's going to the barn after school and won't be walking home with Jessica. Jessica says that's fine--she has a Boosters meeting (see B-plot). Ellen Riteman talks about the competition and brags about how she'll win on her horse, Snow White. Elizabeth the buttinski asks Ellen if she's been practicing. Ellen says she's practiced enough--that you can practice too much. Actually, Ellen's right, even if she's a snob, but Elizabeth says:
"Ted has been practicing with Thunder every spare minute."
Whoa--don't want to make the horse get jump-sour. It happens. Days pass, and one day, While Elizabeth is helping Ted, someone has started giving the horses treats. Who? Eventually, they find out that it is a girl named Lucy Benson, who claims she is a great rider and loves horses, but doesn't ride anymore. Ted offers to let Lucy ride, without parental supervision or consent, on Thunder. That is very, very stupid of Ted. Especially since it is a lesson barn, and should have waivers. But Lucy refuses, looks nervous, and runs off! Elizabeth's saintly senses are tingling!
On a field trip to the Sweet Valley Aquarium, Liz and Lucy meet up again, and agree to help at the barn after school every day. Ted gives a lesson to Ellen, who sizes up Lucy and decides she's lowly, and it is suggested that it is because she's not popular, or a Unicorn, and just moved to Sweet Valley. Ellen pushes Snow White around, and Ted confides in Liz and Lucy that Ellen isn't very good over taller jumps, which is kind of jerky, because it's a private lesson, and nobody's business. Snow White won't go over properly, and Ellen huffs and says it is her horse's fault. Lucy suggests that Ellen lean foreward more--which Ted should've caught anyway, but Ted praises Lucy's insight. Ellen gets mad at the suggestion that she's making a mistake. She thinks Lucy's not a good rider, and Elizabeth says Lucy's won blue ribbons. Lucy averrs.
"If you're such a hotshot rider," Ellen says, "why don't you prove it to us?"
Suddenly Lucy seems scared, and she again refuses to ride! Ellen harasses her, and Lucy runs to the tack room. Saint Elizabeth runs after her, and the former explains that she does want to ride, but...she doesn't finish the sentence, so Elizabeth digs some more. Lucy won't answer.
The next day that Lucy, Elizabeth, and Ellen are at the barn, and Thunder keeps missing jumps. Lucy suggests that Thunder is jumping shadows (pretty impressed the ghostwriter knew about that) and tells Ted that he should be more assertive about where to jump. It works! Liz and Ted are amazed, but Ellen's suspicious:
"I still say you're all talk...I've never seen you ride." To Liz: "Maybe she just likes to read horse books."
Angry Lucy gets on Thunder, and makes an impressive round. Ted's helmet also fits her, BTW, so either Lucy's head is as big as as your average teenage boy's head, or Ted had a teeny head. LOLZ! Ellen is shocked. When Lucy gets off, though, she is shaking. When she calms down, she reveals that she once had a horse named Starfire, because Ellen says, "If you're such a big deal rider, why don't you have your own horse?" Snort. Because some of us don't get horses handed to us on a silver platter, Ellen. I'm a good rider too...Lucy suddenly seems sad. Ellen prods. Elizabeth goes after Ellen.
That night, Liz calls Lucy. Her dad answers and says, "Oh, you must be one of Lucy's friends from glee club." A what club? Didn't those go out waaay before the 90's? Elizabeth doesn't respond, because she is transferred to Lucy, who seems really nervous. Elizabeth invites her to dinner, and Lucy says the next week will be better. Liz mentions that Dad Benson mentioned glee club. A nervous Lucy asks, "What did you tell him?" Surprised, Elizabeth says she didn't. Uh oh, something's suspicious noooow! The next day at the stable, an incident drives everything out of the girls' minds. It starts to storm while Ted is riding Thunder! Ted falls and he hurts his leg. While Liz, Ma Wakefield and Lucy are waiting at the hospital, a nurse comes by--and she greets Lucy very familiarly and asks her if she's alright! Alarmed, Lucy says that the nurse is a friend of her mom's, and she doesn't know why the nurse was so enthusiastic. They go to see Ted, who has a cast on his leg and can't ride for six weeks. Thunder will be sold!
At the barn the next day, Lucy is encouraged to ride in Ted's place. (Oh, really? If it's such a big competition, there would be a lot of red tape regarding that, especially as Lucy has no parental consent...no waiver...hasn't ridden in a long time...they know nothing about her...) Lucy says she just can't. Ellen smirks and says she won't ride under pressure. Ellen is pleased because she wants a blue ribbon and the $1000 prize. Eventually, Lucy gives in. All is happy. she has dinner at Casa Wakefield. Jessica suddenly pretends to like horses, and she interrogates Lucy. Why? Because Ellen told her to--she's suspicious of Lucy, and wants some dirt to hurt Lucy with, so she gets the thousand dollars! Meanwhile, Lucy suddenly says she feels a little sick, and says she needs to take aspirin. But the bottle doesn't look like an aspirin bottle when Lucy takes it out to go to the bathroom for water! Jessica wonders, and so does Liz, but Liz scolds Jess for wondering aloud, though Lucy can't hear.
One day, Jess is at school, and wants to play hooky to see a seal--see B-plot. She goes to the nurse, after Lila entreats her to go to the mall after the seal. Jessica has to fight down a "twinge of envy" when Lila says she hasn't bought new clothes in "a long time". She thinks Lila is spoiled rotten. And, oh my, Lucy is in the office, too! Jess gets suspicious, but doesn't dwell, because she's busy heating up her thermometer on a light bulb. The nurse all but laughs Jess out of the office, and now she can't see her seal or be jealous of Lila as Lila spins through the mall...
Jessica had learned that Lucy had some kind of accident, and her parents don't want her to ride, and Starfire was sold. Dun dun duuuun! NOW Elizabeth sees. AND while researching whether or not anyone in SVMS has won a riding competition before, she finds out that in Grove Hills, a town that isn't Sweet Valley (GASP!), a girl had a riding accident! It's Lucy! Elizabeth goes to Lucy afterwards, and Lucy confesses she has epilepsy. I have mild epilepsy, too, so this actually struck a chord with me. Lucy's parents don't want her riding! But through Jessica, Ellen finds out. Ellen tempts Jessica and the other Unicorns with the $1000 prize--if she wins, there will be a biiig party. Again. Ellen tries to call Lucy's parents, but they are out of town. Relieved, Elizabeth and Lucy head to the competition.
Lucy jumps wonderfully until she sees her parents. She almost screws up a jump, but saves herself just in time! She sets a new record and is ready for the jump-off, but the Bensons are furious. They are glad that Ellen, who claimed to be Lucy's friend, told them. Ted confesses his part in the plan, and the Bensons rightfully chew him out. But after a passionate speech, which is actually very mature and inspiring, Lucy's parents realize they have to stop being scared. Lu will prolly be fine when she takes her medicine. Lucy wins the competition and the money! She even beats an old frienemy, Alison Thatcher. They are both friends and competitors, so I call them frenemies. Everyone's happy but Ellen, who's absolutely furious. And Starfire is on the verge of being put up for sale!
Just think, if it weren't for Saint Elizabeth, Lu would never be riding, because Liz is the only one who can encourage people.
B-plot:
Jessica and Lila go to the beach, and it is deserted. Uh oh. Then they realize the waves are black and oily. Double uh-oh! Lila, as usual, is totally, like, awesome. "See!" she says. "This is why I need my own private beach--then noone could ruin my whole day like this". You go, Lila. Then the come to some rocks. In the distance, people are working. One of them's a cute high-schooler with blonde hair. Jessica, in her eagerness to get to the boy save the environment, ignores Lila's bitching about how she'll get dirty, and Lila warns "If I ruin my shorts so you can talk to a boy, I'll never forgive you!" (Why? Couldn't Lila buy dozens of duplicate pairs with Daddy Fowler's $$$?) Suddenly, they hear a barking and then a cooing. A seal is trapped in the oily hole! Flipper! Where are you? Never mind, because Jess got him out and just in time, because the blonde boy, who has brown eyes, says hi. He's part of an environmentalist group, Ecology Now, and has brown eyes and a smile. Lila then pretends that saving the seal was her idea, and Jessica and Lila compete to get the story out, trying to impress Adam. Then Adam says that the seal will have to go to the vet. Jessica names him Whiskers. How original!
They call him Whiskers, Whiskers, slicker than butter
No one you see
Is oilier than he...
Heh. Couldn't resist.
Long story short, because there isn't much snark in the B-plot, Jessica helps clean the oil off the rocks. She does miss her first day, though, because she has a Boosters meeting, and she absolutely cannot miss her baton twirling routine, because someone might get better than her. Good old Lila tries suggesting that she can learn it another time, but Jessica wants it all to be about her. Finally, she goes another day to clean the rocks, saying she had an emergency, because she has no conscience. She ruins a cool outfit on the first day, because she's crushing on Adam. Jessica also goes in an environmentalist fit, and tells the family to recycle, stop using paper napkins, and bow to her for being such an earth saving angel. Not literally on the last part, but you know Jess, the attention whore. She visits Whiskers at the Sweet Valley Aquarium and then watches him go free when the oil is cleaned up (in a remarkably short time). It's actually kind of sweet.
Steven is hilarious in this book, at least as hilarious as a 14 y\o boy can be. He is stunned when Jessica is doing something kind, without being paid. Then she makes the mistake of mentioning Adam. "I KNEW there was a catch," Steven said with a laugh.