SVH #5 - All Night Long
As requested.
Sweet Valley High #5, All Night Long, or, The One Where Liz Is An Even Huger Doormat Than Usual.
Book blurb: Elizabeth Wakefield knows her beautiful twin can handle almost any guy . most guys are just no math for Jessica's seductive charms. But Scott Daniels, Jessica's latest love, is more of a man than a boy, much older and much more experienced than anybody Jessica's ever dated.
When Jessica sneaks off too a college beach party with Scott, Elizabeth's afraid of what could happen. And when her twin isn't back by morning, Elizabeth's fear turns to alarm. Where's Jessica? Why has she stayed out all night long?.
The A Plot: Jessica is getting ready to go to a college beach party with Scott, despite her mother vetoing the idea, and not only does she not care that she's going directly against her parents' wishes, she's bragging about it to Elizabeth, excepting her to a) keep quiet about it. b) cover her back should anything go amiss (which - knowing Jessica - something of course will). If I were Liz and I knew my sister was heading for trouble, I'd have done something about it already then - no matter if that'd make her hate me for life or not. But then, that's just me.
I find this exchange interesting: "I'm not promising anything," Elizabeth said. "If she asks me, I'm not going to lie." Jessica leaped from the bed, facing Elizabeth squarely, hands planted on her hips. "Some friend you are!" Unfazed, Elizabeth replied dryly, "I'm probably the best friend you've got Jess, you just don't know it."
As for Liz' first comment - famous last words. Of course she's going to lie. Anything not to get poor Jessica in trouble! . As for her second... well, yes and no. True, not many other people would put up with Jessica's abuse for so many years. But if she really was such a good friend, she'd risk Jessica's wrath and involve her parents more often.
Anyway, enough moralizing and on with the snarking!
Turns out Jessica doesn't have nearly as much fun at the party as she thought she would. They're all much older and more sophisticated (snort!) than she is, and she feels distinctly out of place. It doesn't help that Scott is much more physical than Jessica feels comfortable with, and she keeps trying to get away from him.
... which makes it really, really odd that she just a couple of pages later agrees to go into the woods with him, ending up in an abandoned boathouse, where she has to fight him off as he slips his hand down the back of her bikini bottoms (gasp!), loosens the string of her bikini top (shock!) and reveals to her that this is no mere afternoon beach party, it's an all-nighter (horror!), so there's no chance of her returning to SV that night - unless she wants to walk.
To his credit, after Scott's initial "you know you wanted this, you're practically naked!" (yeah she's wearing a bikini, it's a beach party, how did he THINK she'd be dressed? 12 layers?), he actually doesn't attempt to rape her, but taunts her with the fact that she played with fire and got a little scorched, and then leaves to go back to the house, where Jess - being unable to get to a phone - has to spend a miserable night on the floor. Poor, poor Jessica.
(Reading this so shortly after the review of "Don't Go Home With John", I can't help but think that it's a wonder Jess doesn't get as shaken up as Lila did. Once she's safely back home, she never thinks about the experience again! Silly girl, who doesn't learn from her mistakes.)
Back home, Elizabeth is getting in a frenzy with worry because Jessica isn't home when she wakes up the next morning, and doesn't dare tell her parents, because then she'll be in trouble too, for not saying something earlier. Excuse me? Ah, but I forget. This is Sweet Valley, and everything is always Elizabeth's fault. Fortunately Jessica calls right as Elizabeth is going down to breakfast (why did Liz pick up the phone instead of her mom? As far as I know the twins don't have their own private number like Claudia does. And why doesn't her mom ask who it was? But I digress), tells her that she's alright, and that she'll be right back, and makes Liz promise to cover for her. Not knowing what else to do Liz goes along with it, and eats breakfast twice! First as herself, then - dressed in Jessica's clothes - as her sister, fooling even her own mother! Poor, poor Elizabeth.
At school Liz is alternative Jessica and herself, depending on who she's together with, and what's smartest for the moment. How on earth she manages to do that, without somebody catching on to it, I'll never know. SVH must be really, really huge. Elizabeth and Jessica both have a tourist guide test that day (must be a SV thing - I've never heard of any school arranging that!), and after not enough contemplation, Elizabeth goes against her better judgement and decides to take Jessica's test for her. Unfortunately Todd calls her out on it, and instead of listening to his good arguments for not cheating on the test, she blows up at him for talking trash about her sister, and breaks up with him, leaving her a mess for the test, and thus failing it.
Jessica turns up shortly after school finished for the day, not at all the worse for wear after her experiences in the woods, and totally ignores Liz' worry, immediately heading off to go through some cheers with Lila and Cara. She's just been through what to anybody else would be a harrowing experience, and she worries about cheering routines? Jessica surely is something else.
No more is mentioned about Scott at all showing me very clearly that the A plot wasn't that Jess got stranded in a potentially very dangerous situation, but that Liz tried to cover for her, loosing her boyfriend and her dignity in the process. And yet you KNOW she'd do it all again in a heartbeat. Yet another girl who doesn't learn from her mistakes.
Of course, being Sweet Valley, the twins can never be at odds for long. Jessica blows up when she finds that 'she' failed the test, and accuses Liz of doing it on purpose because she's jealous and wanted Scott for herself, but then turns on a penny when she's offered to retake the test as the teacher "could see she was obviously sick". Todd and Elizabeth make up too, and all's well that ends well... for now.
The B Plots are basically non-existing. Just some talk about a surfing competition that Bill Chase (natually) wins (but how on EARTH is "Chase Is One" a good headline for an article about his succes? I don't get it...) and a LOT of foreshadowing about the trouble that is to come, once Todd buys his motorcycle...
Sweet Valley High #5, All Night Long, or, The One Where Liz Is An Even Huger Doormat Than Usual.
Book blurb: Elizabeth Wakefield knows her beautiful twin can handle almost any guy . most guys are just no math for Jessica's seductive charms. But Scott Daniels, Jessica's latest love, is more of a man than a boy, much older and much more experienced than anybody Jessica's ever dated.
When Jessica sneaks off too a college beach party with Scott, Elizabeth's afraid of what could happen. And when her twin isn't back by morning, Elizabeth's fear turns to alarm. Where's Jessica? Why has she stayed out all night long?.
The A Plot: Jessica is getting ready to go to a college beach party with Scott, despite her mother vetoing the idea, and not only does she not care that she's going directly against her parents' wishes, she's bragging about it to Elizabeth, excepting her to a) keep quiet about it. b) cover her back should anything go amiss (which - knowing Jessica - something of course will). If I were Liz and I knew my sister was heading for trouble, I'd have done something about it already then - no matter if that'd make her hate me for life or not. But then, that's just me.
I find this exchange interesting: "I'm not promising anything," Elizabeth said. "If she asks me, I'm not going to lie." Jessica leaped from the bed, facing Elizabeth squarely, hands planted on her hips. "Some friend you are!" Unfazed, Elizabeth replied dryly, "I'm probably the best friend you've got Jess, you just don't know it."
As for Liz' first comment - famous last words. Of course she's going to lie. Anything not to get poor Jessica in trouble! . As for her second... well, yes and no. True, not many other people would put up with Jessica's abuse for so many years. But if she really was such a good friend, she'd risk Jessica's wrath and involve her parents more often.
Anyway, enough moralizing and on with the snarking!
Turns out Jessica doesn't have nearly as much fun at the party as she thought she would. They're all much older and more sophisticated (snort!) than she is, and she feels distinctly out of place. It doesn't help that Scott is much more physical than Jessica feels comfortable with, and she keeps trying to get away from him.
... which makes it really, really odd that she just a couple of pages later agrees to go into the woods with him, ending up in an abandoned boathouse, where she has to fight him off as he slips his hand down the back of her bikini bottoms (gasp!), loosens the string of her bikini top (shock!) and reveals to her that this is no mere afternoon beach party, it's an all-nighter (horror!), so there's no chance of her returning to SV that night - unless she wants to walk.
To his credit, after Scott's initial "you know you wanted this, you're practically naked!" (yeah she's wearing a bikini, it's a beach party, how did he THINK she'd be dressed? 12 layers?), he actually doesn't attempt to rape her, but taunts her with the fact that she played with fire and got a little scorched, and then leaves to go back to the house, where Jess - being unable to get to a phone - has to spend a miserable night on the floor. Poor, poor Jessica.
(Reading this so shortly after the review of "Don't Go Home With John", I can't help but think that it's a wonder Jess doesn't get as shaken up as Lila did. Once she's safely back home, she never thinks about the experience again! Silly girl, who doesn't learn from her mistakes.)
Back home, Elizabeth is getting in a frenzy with worry because Jessica isn't home when she wakes up the next morning, and doesn't dare tell her parents, because then she'll be in trouble too, for not saying something earlier. Excuse me? Ah, but I forget. This is Sweet Valley, and everything is always Elizabeth's fault. Fortunately Jessica calls right as Elizabeth is going down to breakfast (why did Liz pick up the phone instead of her mom? As far as I know the twins don't have their own private number like Claudia does. And why doesn't her mom ask who it was? But I digress), tells her that she's alright, and that she'll be right back, and makes Liz promise to cover for her. Not knowing what else to do Liz goes along with it, and eats breakfast twice! First as herself, then - dressed in Jessica's clothes - as her sister, fooling even her own mother! Poor, poor Elizabeth.
At school Liz is alternative Jessica and herself, depending on who she's together with, and what's smartest for the moment. How on earth she manages to do that, without somebody catching on to it, I'll never know. SVH must be really, really huge. Elizabeth and Jessica both have a tourist guide test that day (must be a SV thing - I've never heard of any school arranging that!), and after not enough contemplation, Elizabeth goes against her better judgement and decides to take Jessica's test for her. Unfortunately Todd calls her out on it, and instead of listening to his good arguments for not cheating on the test, she blows up at him for talking trash about her sister, and breaks up with him, leaving her a mess for the test, and thus failing it.
Jessica turns up shortly after school finished for the day, not at all the worse for wear after her experiences in the woods, and totally ignores Liz' worry, immediately heading off to go through some cheers with Lila and Cara. She's just been through what to anybody else would be a harrowing experience, and she worries about cheering routines? Jessica surely is something else.
No more is mentioned about Scott at all showing me very clearly that the A plot wasn't that Jess got stranded in a potentially very dangerous situation, but that Liz tried to cover for her, loosing her boyfriend and her dignity in the process. And yet you KNOW she'd do it all again in a heartbeat. Yet another girl who doesn't learn from her mistakes.
Of course, being Sweet Valley, the twins can never be at odds for long. Jessica blows up when she finds that 'she' failed the test, and accuses Liz of doing it on purpose because she's jealous and wanted Scott for herself, but then turns on a penny when she's offered to retake the test as the teacher "could see she was obviously sick". Todd and Elizabeth make up too, and all's well that ends well... for now.
The B Plots are basically non-existing. Just some talk about a surfing competition that Bill Chase (natually) wins (but how on EARTH is "Chase Is One" a good headline for an article about his succes? I don't get it...) and a LOT of foreshadowing about the trouble that is to come, once Todd buys his motorcycle...