SVU #15: Behind Closed Doors
In which we have no less than four plots; one for Jessica, one for Elizabeth, one for Winston, and one for Lila. The Jess and Liz plots are about equal in importance, as are the Winston and Lila ones.
Basically the whole book is a big set-up for stuff in #16 and #17, but I summarised it anyway.
The book opens with Jessica and Elizabeth collecting their mail. Jess complains to an unsympathetic Liz that rather than getting onto her History of Film seminar with her best friend Isabella Ricci ("All you have do is show up for class, watch a movie, then leave. It's the perfect seminar") she has been put into a class on Medieval History. Heading out of the mail room, she is forced to don a black straw hat and sunglasses so she can hide from Randy Mason, once sixth-grade geek, then sexy mysterious stranger and now Jessica's ex. Isabella catches up with Jess, who tells her that she broke up with Randy last night because "I kept seeing him as the same nerdy little kid I knew in sixth grade." This is actually somewhat plausible, but I still think it's a shame after they took three books to get together. Three books set on a cruise ship in the Carribean[sic]! What a waste. Anyway. Isabella asks Jess who she has her eye on now, but Jessica informs her she is giving up on love - it never works out. Thinking about what's happened to the girl so far in her university career, this is actually understandable. She tries to get her course changed but fails, and storms off, musing on how she hates men, especially snotty registrars who won't respond to her flirting techniques and put her in a better class.
That evening, Elizabeth gets ready for a a party to see off the star of the college wrestling team, who's going to Las Vegas; Jessica does not wish to attend, as she hates men now. Jess mocks Liz's outfit and reminds her that Trusty Boyfriend Tom is going to be away from her (off to Las Vegas also to broadcast the match) and "out of sight, out of mind..." Liz scoffs, before changing into Jessica's suggested outfit. Jess curls up in bed with Liz's copy of Ulysses and muses on how she has already had one failed marriage and one attempted rape, and how romance sucks. However, she doesn't get very far with Ulysses, and so heads out to the college bookstore, because anywhere else she might run into one of the many men who've screwed up her life. She picks up a book on medieval history and pulls a face as she studies it, but is then approached by a cute guy dressed in boring clothes (a tweed blazer and loafers) who comments amusedly "I take it you don't like medieval history." They talk in a mildly flirtatious manner, and she challenges him to get her interested in medieval history - which he does, by comparing knights to Fred Astaire and Eleanor of Acquitaine to Scarlett O'Hara. Impressed, Jessica goes off with him for a coffee. When she gets back to her room, she is amused by what a good time she had, and flattered that the man - Louis - called her clever. She tells herself he's not her type, but she's far more cheerful now.
Louis muses on how enthusiastic he is to start class on Monday, how great Jessica is, how she has a passion for life "which he had lost" and how great it'd be to have his own office, with his name on the front: Professor Louis Miles. Oh snap, Jessica.
Jessica finds out who Louis is, and takes him a cup of coffee after class. She's decided to stay in the seminar. A strand of hair falls free of her ponytail, and he tucks it back behind her ear. Not wasting any time, then. As time passes, she tries to study, but keeps having romantic fantasies about Louis instead. However, she somehow manages to get ahead with the assigned reading, even if she is doing it outside. Louis helps her when her notes get blown away, and flirts converses with her about Tristan and Iseult. Jess reveals her cynicism, and Louis feels protective of her, admitting he has stirrings of attraction.
When Louis is late to class, Jess is the only one who waits for him. He's "the most fascinating man she had ever met" and she wanted to impress him by handing her essay in early. Louis asks her to read the essay aloud, and then they nearly kiss - but are interrupted by another colleague.
Liz confesses to Jess that the blouse she borrowed to wear to the party has been ruined, but Jessica doesn't care - so Liz asks her who the new man is. Jess feels she may be taking Louis a bit too seriously, and resolves to enjoy the class without hoping for further developments; so she tells Liz that she's discovered how much fun learning is. She then asks Liz how to go about impressing professors. Liz immediately leaps to the obvious conclusion, but Jess claims there's no kinky ulterior motives. Liz isn't convinced, but tells Jess not to giggle too much or sit up front in a mini skirt as professors see through those sorts of behaviours. She warns Jess things like this can quickly turn messy.
Jess goes to Lila's new house, and spies Louis on the beach. She hurries out to meet him, and they bond some more over Tristan and Iseult; and sandcastles. But then Louis sees a figure approaching and is filled with dread, positive it's someone he thought he'd managed to evade. He brushes Jessica off when she asks him more about himself, and leaves. Jess writes a note to Louis apologising for asking too many personal questions, but is too chicken to give it to him in person, scared of how he'll react.
Louis is left alone in his office reading essays when he hears someone creeping around. Terrified, he tiptoes down to the faculty mailroom and resolves to face the woman he suspects is following him; but there's no one there. When he finds a letter waiting for him, he is uneasy again, but relieved when it turns out to be Jessica's note. The next day he gives Jessica back her essay, for which she has received A-, and asks her to meet him after class, giving her the key to his office, where she goes to wait. When he arrives, he tells Jessica that a boundary has been crossed; he's her teacher, not her friend. Jessica runs out in tears (finally! There haven't been half enough girls crying in this book) and emotes in the rain, but Louis drives after her and offers her a lift back to campus. They end up kissing. This is where the book ends, asking us "Find out if Louis will risk his career for love in SVU #16, Deadly Attraction." SVU #16 is actually called The Other Woman... I thought the threat of death was a little premature. But I own it anyway, so I'll probably recap that next.
No-longer-Trusty Boyfriend Todd is violently (!) cleaning his room of all his basketball trophies and posters. His girlfriend, Gin-Yung Suh, is trying to get him to reconsider, but Todd is adamant, even going so far as to give Gin-Yung his prized basketball. We learn he's angry because he's not allowed to rejoin the basketball team and so "my career is over"; he was originally kicked off because he accepted special treatment as a star player, but the coach at SVH said he would be reinstated and he hasn't been.
At the party for the wrestling guy, Liz gets punch spilt all over the blouse that she's wearing (which happens to be Jessica's) but Gin-Yung helps her clean it up. Liz is impressed that Gin-Yung is so nice to her when she is Todd's ex. The two chat, and Liz is sorry to hear about Todd's problems. She vows not to let him go down without a fight. After the party, she takes a picnic to WSVU, where Tom is frantically working on an article. He tries to be attentive, but when Liz tells him what she heard about Todd, he becomes cold and refuses to let her do a story on it. Any conversation with your girlfriend that starts "I'm the station director here, and I think it's a waste of time" is not going to go well. Just a hint. Liz is very hurt, and, realising that "the romantic evening she had hoped for had completely evaporated", leaves, a tear rolling down her cheek. You know, you could stay and try and patch things up, Liz.
She goes off to hang out with her friend Nina, but she's moping about Tom, even though "she had finally come to the conclusion that maybe she'd overreacted a bit." Thank you. However, she feels like Tom isn't treating her as an equal any more when they work together now he's become director. Nina intelligently points out that maybe they're getting competitive with each other. Liz realises that's it, and heads out to try and talk to Tom before his plane leaves.
Tom reels off a list of things for Liz to remember about the station while he's away. She tells him she thinks she'll write the piece about Todd - but as a human-interest story, not as actual news. Tom isn't pleased, and tells Liz to focus instead on a story about alumni donations that he was supposed to do. Liz accuses him of palming off his work on her because he thinks he's too important to do the boring stories, and they part on bad terms. I think Tom is being kind of a jerk.
Liz mopes over Tom, but decides to meet him halfway and starts browsing the files he left concerning the alumni donations. At the bottom of the papers, she finds some records claiming that the athletics department have received over ten million dollars in alumni donations in the last four years. Which is odd, because Tom claimed the dean of SVU was freaking out because there hadn't been any donations for ages. What is also odd is that she's unable to access any information on the computers about the people who made the donations. A secretary calls, looking for the files, and on the spur of the moment, Elizabeth lies and says WSVU doesn't have them. Later, she talks to Todd, who looks tired and weary, and suggests maybe talking to the people who've donated to the athletics department - if they're on his side, perhaps the coach will listen. But Todd claims the department is broke - the floor of the basketball court needs replacing and the lockers are broken.
Liz then goes to interview Coach Crane, head of the athletics department, pleasantly surprised that he's still speaking to her after she uncovered the preferential treatment scandal in the first place. Crane claims to be unable to remember the date or amount of the last donation the department received, and Liz is forced to give up - he's not letting anything slip. However, as she leaves she literally stumbles over a box of computer disks, and takes the liberty of helping herself. (Oh, the joys of journalistic integrity.) On one of the disks, she discovers the list of donors, with claims that the money has been used for renovations of things like courts and lockers. Except, of course, that it doesn't seem to have been. Liz storms over to Todd's room, accusing him of lying to her about the donors, but he claims he's never heard of them, and Liz realises he's telling the truth.
Liz goes to interview another university coach, asking him if he's ever heard of any cases of students being bribed to join the basketball team. The coach denies it, and Elizabeth believes him, but they are interrupted by Coach Crane, who has evidently remembered who she is, and kicks her out before telling the other coach he'll be fired if he ever speaks to her again. She tells Todd about it, and he suggests they call Mark Gathers, another basketball player who was kicked off the team and left Sweet Valley for LA. However, Mark claims not to know anything about payoffs either. Back at the dorm room, Liz receives a call from Tom, and tries to tell him about the donations drama - but as soon as she mentions Todd's involvement, Tom gets irritated and tells her to stop working on it until he gets back because "this story should be left to someone with a little more expertise." He claims Todd is lying to Liz, trying to manipulate her into helping him - Liz is irritated, and the two again part on bad terms. Liz asks Jess if she knows any other basketball players, and Jess tells her about one, Daryl Cartwright, who was kicked off the team after suddenly becoming a mediocre player. Liz resolves to track him down - pity he's left the university.
She also talks to Dr Beal, who could potentially reverse the decision to kick Todd off the team. However, Dr Beal refuses, telling her that Todd is being made an example of so that the Alumni Association will see that they take scandal seriously. Liz asks to plead Todd's case before the Association, and is given the contact details of a Mr T Clay Santos. However, as she leaves, she hears Dr Beal take a call, in which he reassures someone that "I didn't tell her anything."
Todd and Gin-Yung settle down to watch a movie, but when Liz calls to tell Todd that they're going to the Alumni Association tomorrow night, Todd immediately starts planning outfits - and also tells Gin-Yung she can't come to support him because the committee will be more sympathetic if he presents his case alone. Um, okay. Gin-Yung tells him she's feeling hurt and like she has to share him with Elizabeth - she wants to know everything that's going on, but Todd won't tell.
Todd heads out to his meeting, reflecting that really he only didn't want Gin-Yung to accompany him because he didn't want her to see him recounting the scandalous events or grovelling to evil alumni. Then he is jumped by men in black! "Please don't hurt me," he cries, suddenly unable to channel that latent violent streak. The men warn him that he's been poking his nose into other people's personal files, and that he should stop it. They ram home their point with some fisticuffs. Liz finds Todd when he's struggled back to his room. Todd tells her what happened, and that he thinks they should call Tom - but Liz refuses. Todd then refuses to let her call Gin-Yung, not wanting to get her involved, but Liz is determined not to back down.
Liz is questioned by Gin-Yung (Todd explained his bruises by saying he got hit in the face by a basketball) and ends up telling her everything. Gin-Yung suggests that perhaps the university is involved in point-shaving; someone gambles on the outcome of the game and pays the top players to ensure the outcome.
Liz heads off campus to talk to Daryl Cartwright. She watches him shoot hoops in his yard and realises he's very skilled - then Todd randomly shows up. That's the end of this plot.
We first see Winston Egbert is talking to his dad on the phone. Egbert Senior is very pleased with his son's grades for last semester. What he doesn't know is that Winston has a girlfriend now, and hasn't done his last three physics assignments. Tsk. Winston has a covert panic attack during the conversation and although he tries to tell his dad "my classes have been a lot tougher this semester", his father won't listen. As Winston says goodbye, he muses how he has an exam in two weeks and even if he crams from now on, he'll probably only get a C. His girlfriend Denise Waters enters and reminds him that they're going to the party for the wrestling guy. Winston weighs up the options: physics revision vs missing the party and disappointing Denise, and physics loses.
He tries to cram for a few hours before the party, but dozes off, dreaming of being a famous physicist and giving a talk entitled "Einstein's Theory of Relativity: What's Wrong With It". However, after he says the E in E = mc2 stands for "explosion" and that you can see black holes through a telescope, he is mocked and Denise announces she's leaving him. He wakes in a cold sweat as Denise comes to pick him up for the party. Being with Denise makes him forget all his problems... for a while, anyway. After the party, he heads on to the after-party party, telling himself he has the whole weekend to study. Unfortunately, when he wakes up the next morning he realises he's forgotten to set his alarm clock and missed his study group meeting. Feeling another panic attack coming on, he realises he's so far behind now he doesn't know where to start.
He goes to talk to his lecturer, Professor Stark (who shares an office with Louis) to ask for more time on his work. Professor Stark points out he had the whole weekend to do it and then informs him that the exam has been moved forward a week - and if he screws it up, he'll have to take another science class in order to graduate. Winston realises he's seriously screwed. At lunch, Denise tries to convince Winston to come to a movie (girl, whose side are you on?) but Winston convinces them to keep apart while he's got to study. If he gets poor grades, his parents may stop paying for his schooling and he'd have to transfer to a community college; away from Denise.
Later on in the book, Winston has actually managed to complete a physics problem, and decides to break for lunch. He leaves a message for Denise asking if she wants to meet, but gets no reply, and has to go to lunch alone. He finds it increasingly hard to stop thinking about Denise, but she is firm with him, insisting they keep to their plan of staying apart.
When he has completed the problems he was behind on, Winston calls Professor Stark asking for help; Stark ravages him with sarcasm, but agrees to leave Winston a study guide containing the topics from the textbook that he should concentrate on for the exam. When Jessica unlocks the door to wait for Louis, Winston hurries in after her and finds the guide: Everything from page 1 to page 175. Burn. Winston is horrified, and even more horrified when he accidentally picks up a copy of the exam he'll be set. After a brief fight with his conscience, he tucks the test into his pocket and leaves. DON'T DO IT WINSTON...
Lila is ecstatically happy with Bruce: "convinced that even if they hadn't been in a plane crash and lost in the wilderness, something else would have brought them together". At the party, the two slow dance to a fast song. Bruce tells Lila that he's planning to move off-campus now that he has money from his trust fund - and he wants her to come with him. She's very happy. Bruce tells her he's keen to give her a nice lifestyle, but that he can't compete with her deceased husband, Tisiano the Italian count who was killing in a tragic boating accident. Lila tells him she doesn't care if they have to live in a coal mine - she's happy just to be with him.
Lila squees to Jess over how perfect living with Bruce will be: filet mignon every night and a maid coming to clean twice a week. Jess muses that "whenever [Lila] got an idea in her head, she took it as far as it could possibly go. Unfortunately, [her] sense of reality usually ended up getting lost somewhere along the way." Lila then squees over a baby robin, which Jess mentally sneers at; she tells Lila that she won't be so rosy-eyed when she has to pick up Bruce's smelly socks. Lila loftily informs Jess that Bruce's laundry doesn't stink. Jess points out that she's lived with a guy - Michael McAllery - and she knows it's a big step. Lila teases Jess that she's sounding like Elizabeth, before asking if Jessica had a hot date and that's why she missed the party. She disbelieves Jess's protestations of innocence.
Bruce and Lila go to look at an apartment. I was all set to mock their rich-kid naivety, but it does sound pretty depressing even for a student apartment: the coffee table has a book under one of its legs, the beds fold into the walls, the sink is rusty, the bath tub is behind a curtain in the kitchen, and the ceiling is so low Bruce keeps hitting his head. Lila is traumatised, so Bruce asks the estate agent if they can look at the far nicer apartment across the street. It's gorgeous, with massive windows, a lovely view of the beach, a balcony, a pool, and a plush white carpet. Lila tells Bruce she'll understand if it's too much for them to rent, but she loves it so much: Bruce muses that he can always make some sacrifices, like "vacationing in Bermuda this year instead of Greece", and they decide to go for it. I dunno, when I was a student I learnt to look at more than one house in my acceptable price bracket before giving up, but maybe it's different for trust fund kids.
Lila talks to Jess and Isabella about interior decorating; she has picked out a style involving "elegant mahogany tables and rich floral fabrics", whereas Bruce wants "zebra curtains, leopard-skin couches, big clay pots with artificial trees... a bearskin rug... in front of the fireplace." Jessica suggests having Lila's style downstairs and Bruce's in the bedroom. Grrr, baby. Lila approves.
Lila moves her stuff off-campus, getting the Thetas to help; she requests them not to mix up her dry-clean only clothes with the machine wash ones, because she has standards. She has glow-in-the-dark stars stuck on her ceiling, to remind her of when she and Bruce fell in love in the Sierra Nevada. The Thetas give her a quilt made up of T-patterned tiles, each one with a personal message from a different Theta. D'awwww. I think things can only go downhill from here...
Basically the whole book is a big set-up for stuff in #16 and #17, but I summarised it anyway.
The book opens with Jessica and Elizabeth collecting their mail. Jess complains to an unsympathetic Liz that rather than getting onto her History of Film seminar with her best friend Isabella Ricci ("All you have do is show up for class, watch a movie, then leave. It's the perfect seminar") she has been put into a class on Medieval History. Heading out of the mail room, she is forced to don a black straw hat and sunglasses so she can hide from Randy Mason, once sixth-grade geek, then sexy mysterious stranger and now Jessica's ex. Isabella catches up with Jess, who tells her that she broke up with Randy last night because "I kept seeing him as the same nerdy little kid I knew in sixth grade." This is actually somewhat plausible, but I still think it's a shame after they took three books to get together. Three books set on a cruise ship in the Carribean[sic]! What a waste. Anyway. Isabella asks Jess who she has her eye on now, but Jessica informs her she is giving up on love - it never works out. Thinking about what's happened to the girl so far in her university career, this is actually understandable. She tries to get her course changed but fails, and storms off, musing on how she hates men, especially snotty registrars who won't respond to her flirting techniques and put her in a better class.
That evening, Elizabeth gets ready for a a party to see off the star of the college wrestling team, who's going to Las Vegas; Jessica does not wish to attend, as she hates men now. Jess mocks Liz's outfit and reminds her that Trusty Boyfriend Tom is going to be away from her (off to Las Vegas also to broadcast the match) and "out of sight, out of mind..." Liz scoffs, before changing into Jessica's suggested outfit. Jess curls up in bed with Liz's copy of Ulysses and muses on how she has already had one failed marriage and one attempted rape, and how romance sucks. However, she doesn't get very far with Ulysses, and so heads out to the college bookstore, because anywhere else she might run into one of the many men who've screwed up her life. She picks up a book on medieval history and pulls a face as she studies it, but is then approached by a cute guy dressed in boring clothes (a tweed blazer and loafers) who comments amusedly "I take it you don't like medieval history." They talk in a mildly flirtatious manner, and she challenges him to get her interested in medieval history - which he does, by comparing knights to Fred Astaire and Eleanor of Acquitaine to Scarlett O'Hara. Impressed, Jessica goes off with him for a coffee. When she gets back to her room, she is amused by what a good time she had, and flattered that the man - Louis - called her clever. She tells herself he's not her type, but she's far more cheerful now.
Louis muses on how enthusiastic he is to start class on Monday, how great Jessica is, how she has a passion for life "which he had lost" and how great it'd be to have his own office, with his name on the front: Professor Louis Miles. Oh snap, Jessica.
Jessica finds out who Louis is, and takes him a cup of coffee after class. She's decided to stay in the seminar. A strand of hair falls free of her ponytail, and he tucks it back behind her ear. Not wasting any time, then. As time passes, she tries to study, but keeps having romantic fantasies about Louis instead. However, she somehow manages to get ahead with the assigned reading, even if she is doing it outside. Louis helps her when her notes get blown away, and flirts converses with her about Tristan and Iseult. Jess reveals her cynicism, and Louis feels protective of her, admitting he has stirrings of attraction.
When Louis is late to class, Jess is the only one who waits for him. He's "the most fascinating man she had ever met" and she wanted to impress him by handing her essay in early. Louis asks her to read the essay aloud, and then they nearly kiss - but are interrupted by another colleague.
Liz confesses to Jess that the blouse she borrowed to wear to the party has been ruined, but Jessica doesn't care - so Liz asks her who the new man is. Jess feels she may be taking Louis a bit too seriously, and resolves to enjoy the class without hoping for further developments; so she tells Liz that she's discovered how much fun learning is. She then asks Liz how to go about impressing professors. Liz immediately leaps to the obvious conclusion, but Jess claims there's no kinky ulterior motives. Liz isn't convinced, but tells Jess not to giggle too much or sit up front in a mini skirt as professors see through those sorts of behaviours. She warns Jess things like this can quickly turn messy.
Jess goes to Lila's new house, and spies Louis on the beach. She hurries out to meet him, and they bond some more over Tristan and Iseult; and sandcastles. But then Louis sees a figure approaching and is filled with dread, positive it's someone he thought he'd managed to evade. He brushes Jessica off when she asks him more about himself, and leaves. Jess writes a note to Louis apologising for asking too many personal questions, but is too chicken to give it to him in person, scared of how he'll react.
Louis is left alone in his office reading essays when he hears someone creeping around. Terrified, he tiptoes down to the faculty mailroom and resolves to face the woman he suspects is following him; but there's no one there. When he finds a letter waiting for him, he is uneasy again, but relieved when it turns out to be Jessica's note. The next day he gives Jessica back her essay, for which she has received A-, and asks her to meet him after class, giving her the key to his office, where she goes to wait. When he arrives, he tells Jessica that a boundary has been crossed; he's her teacher, not her friend. Jessica runs out in tears (finally! There haven't been half enough girls crying in this book) and emotes in the rain, but Louis drives after her and offers her a lift back to campus. They end up kissing. This is where the book ends, asking us "Find out if Louis will risk his career for love in SVU #16, Deadly Attraction." SVU #16 is actually called The Other Woman... I thought the threat of death was a little premature. But I own it anyway, so I'll probably recap that next.
No-longer-Trusty Boyfriend Todd is violently (!) cleaning his room of all his basketball trophies and posters. His girlfriend, Gin-Yung Suh, is trying to get him to reconsider, but Todd is adamant, even going so far as to give Gin-Yung his prized basketball. We learn he's angry because he's not allowed to rejoin the basketball team and so "my career is over"; he was originally kicked off because he accepted special treatment as a star player, but the coach at SVH said he would be reinstated and he hasn't been.
At the party for the wrestling guy, Liz gets punch spilt all over the blouse that she's wearing (which happens to be Jessica's) but Gin-Yung helps her clean it up. Liz is impressed that Gin-Yung is so nice to her when she is Todd's ex. The two chat, and Liz is sorry to hear about Todd's problems. She vows not to let him go down without a fight. After the party, she takes a picnic to WSVU, where Tom is frantically working on an article. He tries to be attentive, but when Liz tells him what she heard about Todd, he becomes cold and refuses to let her do a story on it. Any conversation with your girlfriend that starts "I'm the station director here, and I think it's a waste of time" is not going to go well. Just a hint. Liz is very hurt, and, realising that "the romantic evening she had hoped for had completely evaporated", leaves, a tear rolling down her cheek. You know, you could stay and try and patch things up, Liz.
She goes off to hang out with her friend Nina, but she's moping about Tom, even though "she had finally come to the conclusion that maybe she'd overreacted a bit." Thank you. However, she feels like Tom isn't treating her as an equal any more when they work together now he's become director. Nina intelligently points out that maybe they're getting competitive with each other. Liz realises that's it, and heads out to try and talk to Tom before his plane leaves.
Tom reels off a list of things for Liz to remember about the station while he's away. She tells him she thinks she'll write the piece about Todd - but as a human-interest story, not as actual news. Tom isn't pleased, and tells Liz to focus instead on a story about alumni donations that he was supposed to do. Liz accuses him of palming off his work on her because he thinks he's too important to do the boring stories, and they part on bad terms. I think Tom is being kind of a jerk.
Liz mopes over Tom, but decides to meet him halfway and starts browsing the files he left concerning the alumni donations. At the bottom of the papers, she finds some records claiming that the athletics department have received over ten million dollars in alumni donations in the last four years. Which is odd, because Tom claimed the dean of SVU was freaking out because there hadn't been any donations for ages. What is also odd is that she's unable to access any information on the computers about the people who made the donations. A secretary calls, looking for the files, and on the spur of the moment, Elizabeth lies and says WSVU doesn't have them. Later, she talks to Todd, who looks tired and weary, and suggests maybe talking to the people who've donated to the athletics department - if they're on his side, perhaps the coach will listen. But Todd claims the department is broke - the floor of the basketball court needs replacing and the lockers are broken.
Liz then goes to interview Coach Crane, head of the athletics department, pleasantly surprised that he's still speaking to her after she uncovered the preferential treatment scandal in the first place. Crane claims to be unable to remember the date or amount of the last donation the department received, and Liz is forced to give up - he's not letting anything slip. However, as she leaves she literally stumbles over a box of computer disks, and takes the liberty of helping herself. (Oh, the joys of journalistic integrity.) On one of the disks, she discovers the list of donors, with claims that the money has been used for renovations of things like courts and lockers. Except, of course, that it doesn't seem to have been. Liz storms over to Todd's room, accusing him of lying to her about the donors, but he claims he's never heard of them, and Liz realises he's telling the truth.
Liz goes to interview another university coach, asking him if he's ever heard of any cases of students being bribed to join the basketball team. The coach denies it, and Elizabeth believes him, but they are interrupted by Coach Crane, who has evidently remembered who she is, and kicks her out before telling the other coach he'll be fired if he ever speaks to her again. She tells Todd about it, and he suggests they call Mark Gathers, another basketball player who was kicked off the team and left Sweet Valley for LA. However, Mark claims not to know anything about payoffs either. Back at the dorm room, Liz receives a call from Tom, and tries to tell him about the donations drama - but as soon as she mentions Todd's involvement, Tom gets irritated and tells her to stop working on it until he gets back because "this story should be left to someone with a little more expertise." He claims Todd is lying to Liz, trying to manipulate her into helping him - Liz is irritated, and the two again part on bad terms. Liz asks Jess if she knows any other basketball players, and Jess tells her about one, Daryl Cartwright, who was kicked off the team after suddenly becoming a mediocre player. Liz resolves to track him down - pity he's left the university.
She also talks to Dr Beal, who could potentially reverse the decision to kick Todd off the team. However, Dr Beal refuses, telling her that Todd is being made an example of so that the Alumni Association will see that they take scandal seriously. Liz asks to plead Todd's case before the Association, and is given the contact details of a Mr T Clay Santos. However, as she leaves, she hears Dr Beal take a call, in which he reassures someone that "I didn't tell her anything."
Todd and Gin-Yung settle down to watch a movie, but when Liz calls to tell Todd that they're going to the Alumni Association tomorrow night, Todd immediately starts planning outfits - and also tells Gin-Yung she can't come to support him because the committee will be more sympathetic if he presents his case alone. Um, okay. Gin-Yung tells him she's feeling hurt and like she has to share him with Elizabeth - she wants to know everything that's going on, but Todd won't tell.
Todd heads out to his meeting, reflecting that really he only didn't want Gin-Yung to accompany him because he didn't want her to see him recounting the scandalous events or grovelling to evil alumni. Then he is jumped by men in black! "Please don't hurt me," he cries, suddenly unable to channel that latent violent streak. The men warn him that he's been poking his nose into other people's personal files, and that he should stop it. They ram home their point with some fisticuffs. Liz finds Todd when he's struggled back to his room. Todd tells her what happened, and that he thinks they should call Tom - but Liz refuses. Todd then refuses to let her call Gin-Yung, not wanting to get her involved, but Liz is determined not to back down.
Liz is questioned by Gin-Yung (Todd explained his bruises by saying he got hit in the face by a basketball) and ends up telling her everything. Gin-Yung suggests that perhaps the university is involved in point-shaving; someone gambles on the outcome of the game and pays the top players to ensure the outcome.
Liz heads off campus to talk to Daryl Cartwright. She watches him shoot hoops in his yard and realises he's very skilled - then Todd randomly shows up. That's the end of this plot.
We first see Winston Egbert is talking to his dad on the phone. Egbert Senior is very pleased with his son's grades for last semester. What he doesn't know is that Winston has a girlfriend now, and hasn't done his last three physics assignments. Tsk. Winston has a covert panic attack during the conversation and although he tries to tell his dad "my classes have been a lot tougher this semester", his father won't listen. As Winston says goodbye, he muses how he has an exam in two weeks and even if he crams from now on, he'll probably only get a C. His girlfriend Denise Waters enters and reminds him that they're going to the party for the wrestling guy. Winston weighs up the options: physics revision vs missing the party and disappointing Denise, and physics loses.
He tries to cram for a few hours before the party, but dozes off, dreaming of being a famous physicist and giving a talk entitled "Einstein's Theory of Relativity: What's Wrong With It". However, after he says the E in E = mc2 stands for "explosion" and that you can see black holes through a telescope, he is mocked and Denise announces she's leaving him. He wakes in a cold sweat as Denise comes to pick him up for the party. Being with Denise makes him forget all his problems... for a while, anyway. After the party, he heads on to the after-party party, telling himself he has the whole weekend to study. Unfortunately, when he wakes up the next morning he realises he's forgotten to set his alarm clock and missed his study group meeting. Feeling another panic attack coming on, he realises he's so far behind now he doesn't know where to start.
He goes to talk to his lecturer, Professor Stark (who shares an office with Louis) to ask for more time on his work. Professor Stark points out he had the whole weekend to do it and then informs him that the exam has been moved forward a week - and if he screws it up, he'll have to take another science class in order to graduate. Winston realises he's seriously screwed. At lunch, Denise tries to convince Winston to come to a movie (girl, whose side are you on?) but Winston convinces them to keep apart while he's got to study. If he gets poor grades, his parents may stop paying for his schooling and he'd have to transfer to a community college; away from Denise.
Later on in the book, Winston has actually managed to complete a physics problem, and decides to break for lunch. He leaves a message for Denise asking if she wants to meet, but gets no reply, and has to go to lunch alone. He finds it increasingly hard to stop thinking about Denise, but she is firm with him, insisting they keep to their plan of staying apart.
When he has completed the problems he was behind on, Winston calls Professor Stark asking for help; Stark ravages him with sarcasm, but agrees to leave Winston a study guide containing the topics from the textbook that he should concentrate on for the exam. When Jessica unlocks the door to wait for Louis, Winston hurries in after her and finds the guide: Everything from page 1 to page 175. Burn. Winston is horrified, and even more horrified when he accidentally picks up a copy of the exam he'll be set. After a brief fight with his conscience, he tucks the test into his pocket and leaves. DON'T DO IT WINSTON...
Lila is ecstatically happy with Bruce: "convinced that even if they hadn't been in a plane crash and lost in the wilderness, something else would have brought them together". At the party, the two slow dance to a fast song. Bruce tells Lila that he's planning to move off-campus now that he has money from his trust fund - and he wants her to come with him. She's very happy. Bruce tells her he's keen to give her a nice lifestyle, but that he can't compete with her deceased husband, Tisiano the Italian count who was killing in a tragic boating accident. Lila tells him she doesn't care if they have to live in a coal mine - she's happy just to be with him.
Lila squees to Jess over how perfect living with Bruce will be: filet mignon every night and a maid coming to clean twice a week. Jess muses that "whenever [Lila] got an idea in her head, she took it as far as it could possibly go. Unfortunately, [her] sense of reality usually ended up getting lost somewhere along the way." Lila then squees over a baby robin, which Jess mentally sneers at; she tells Lila that she won't be so rosy-eyed when she has to pick up Bruce's smelly socks. Lila loftily informs Jess that Bruce's laundry doesn't stink. Jess points out that she's lived with a guy - Michael McAllery - and she knows it's a big step. Lila teases Jess that she's sounding like Elizabeth, before asking if Jessica had a hot date and that's why she missed the party. She disbelieves Jess's protestations of innocence.
Bruce and Lila go to look at an apartment. I was all set to mock their rich-kid naivety, but it does sound pretty depressing even for a student apartment: the coffee table has a book under one of its legs, the beds fold into the walls, the sink is rusty, the bath tub is behind a curtain in the kitchen, and the ceiling is so low Bruce keeps hitting his head. Lila is traumatised, so Bruce asks the estate agent if they can look at the far nicer apartment across the street. It's gorgeous, with massive windows, a lovely view of the beach, a balcony, a pool, and a plush white carpet. Lila tells Bruce she'll understand if it's too much for them to rent, but she loves it so much: Bruce muses that he can always make some sacrifices, like "vacationing in Bermuda this year instead of Greece", and they decide to go for it. I dunno, when I was a student I learnt to look at more than one house in my acceptable price bracket before giving up, but maybe it's different for trust fund kids.
Lila talks to Jess and Isabella about interior decorating; she has picked out a style involving "elegant mahogany tables and rich floral fabrics", whereas Bruce wants "zebra curtains, leopard-skin couches, big clay pots with artificial trees... a bearskin rug... in front of the fireplace." Jessica suggests having Lila's style downstairs and Bruce's in the bedroom. Grrr, baby. Lila approves.
Lila moves her stuff off-campus, getting the Thetas to help; she requests them not to mix up her dry-clean only clothes with the machine wash ones, because she has standards. She has glow-in-the-dark stars stuck on her ceiling, to remind her of when she and Bruce fell in love in the Sierra Nevada. The Thetas give her a quilt made up of T-patterned tiles, each one with a personal message from a different Theta. D'awwww. I think things can only go downhill from here...