SVH Senior Year #26: Too Late
In which we learn the ghostwriters don't know any more about kids and custody than they do about any other facet of real life.
When last we left our self-absorbed heroine, Jade's father had just announced he was going to battle for custody, despite years of having been an absentee parent. Nothing says love like barging in and trying to take over. Jade is less than thrilled. She hardly even knows her father, and he seems to have jumped to the worst sorts of conclusions about her. And had he been reading the Senior Year books, he would have found every confirmation he needed, and then some. After dropping this announcement, he gives an unwilling Jade a very awkward hug and takes off. Way to bond with your daughter, Mr. Wu.
Jade's mom is (understandably) devastated and starts second guessing herself. Is she as horrible a mother as her ex-husband seems to think? Jade assures her mom she loves their current arrangement, and has no desire to spend time with her father. Apparently, this is all the encouragement Mom needs, and the battle is on.
Later that night, Jade decides she needs to blow off steam, so she goes out dancing. I'm sure Daddy would be thrilled. "No doubt--the old party girl Jade Wu was on her way back." And then she wonders why her dad thinks she needs more supervision... yeah. Anyway, she starts dancing with this drunk guy, and he starts getting aggressive. Evan comes to the rescue, despite him barely knowing Jade, and she's pretty impressed. Enought that she lets him take out of the dance club and out for coffee (although decidedly not the one where Jessica and Jeremy work). She's still upset enough about her dad that she ends up laying it all on Evan, who proves a sympathetic listener. He suggests she talk to a lawyer to see what her options are, which Jade apparently hadn't thought of herself. And, of course, the name the kids come up with is Ned Wakefield, who seems to be the only lawyer in all of Sweet Valley. Jade feels much better now that she has a plan and has had a chance to hash things all out with someone. Also, she decides Evan's pretty cute... yeah, didn't see that coming at all.
The next day, Jade calls Jessica to arrange a meeting with Mr. Wakefield. Jess says he handles a lot of divorce cases, which confuses me a little. What kind of lawyer is Ned, anyway? Don't divorce lawyers only handle divorces and the like? I can see another kind of lawyer understanding how the legality of custody works better than a high school kid, but it sounds like he does this sort of thing often, despite it not being his specialty. Bwuh?
That afternoon, Jade goes over to the Wakefields' to have her chat with Ned Wakefield. He essentially tells her that custody will go to the parent who's proven to be the best for the job. Which means if her dad can make her mom look incapable, he wins. Given that she's working two jobs and was recently hospitalized for exhaustion, it's not looking too good for Jade. But since nobody's been served any actual papers yet, there's nothing they can do for the moment. Jade finds this meeting depressing rather than informative. Jade's not very bright, is she?
The next day, she has a meeting with the school social worker? I want to know why the school hires a social worker. We always had guidance counsellors who could put you in touch with social workers if you needed one, but to have one at the school? That seems like a bit of a stretch. It seems Jade's dad has been in touch with the school's social worker which also seems unlikely. Wouldn't the first step be to hire a lawyer? The chat with the social worker sounds about as promising as the chat with Ned Wakefield. Jade tries to make her mom sound as good as possible, but keeps tripping over herself. I'm seriously hoping that kid's not considering a law career.
That night, Jade breaks down at work, and ends up having to go home early. (Incidently, she's working at a pizza place, but didn't Jeremy get her a job at the sushi place after she was fired from the coffee house? Hmm.) Her boss is less than pleased, but lets her go as long as she promises it won't happen again. When Jade gets home, her mom is surprised to see her home so early, and Jade ends up telling her how worried she is about the whole thing. Now it's mom's turn to give the peptalk. We can do it! Huzzah!
Jade runs into Evan at school, and once again loads everything on him. This guy should either get laid or be nominated for sainthood. He offers to come to the big meeting between Jade, her mom, her dad, and the social worker planned for the next day if she wants the support. She briefly considers, but decides she doesn't particularly want Evan witnessing her family at their worst. She does, however, agree to cheer him on at swim meet, admitting to herself that she really likes Evan. Which, uh, doesn't sound as "party girl" as she was claiming to be earlier in the book.
Finally, the big meeting arrives, and still there are no lawyers or paperwork in sight. Hmm. Jade's dad starts off by listing all the things he feels he can supply Jade with that she can't get with her mom. When he's done blustering, Jade's mom steps up to bat and basically points out that he knows nothing about his daughter, and therefore can't know much about her needs, either. Mr. Wu concedes that maybe he was hasty in drawing his conclusions, and decides to drop the custody battle, but promises to visit more often. And they all live happily ever after or some such rot.
The B Plot:
Ken and Melissa are having issues. After seeing the way Ken supported his ex-girlfriend Maria in the recent scholarship battle, Melissa is convinced he's not over his ex. So she creates a series of tests to put him through, since if he's to be her boyfriend, he must pass a certain standard. My hate for Melissa knows no bounds. First, she demands Ken take her out for a burger (despite her dislike of red meat), since that's where Maria works. He argues against it, but Melissa insists, and so he takes her, and is miserable the whole time. And of course Maria is on shift and is also miserable to see them there together. Melissa is satisfied for some reason, though, and puts him through the second test: he has to take her out for coffee at House of Java, where all his friends will see them together. Jessica is not pleased to see them there together, but serves them their coffee and waits until Melissa is in the bathroom to chew him out over his thoughtlessness, especially where Maria and Will (newly returned to school after his football injury) are concerned. Later, gets mad at him for not putting on a show for her friends, apparently forgetting she doesn't have him whipped the way she did Will. Additionally, Ken's game is starting to fall apart; he's lost his focus.
The C Plot:
Jessica and Jeremy are also having relationship troubles. They aren't connecting the way they used to (you know, last week), and keep squabbling over petty things. And not so petty things. Really just a lot of annoying squabbling. They both start second guessing the relationship. They were so sure they belonged together, but now they can't agree on anything! Oh noes! Will they ever get it back together? After spending the whole book angsting about their relationship woes, Jessica finds herself driving to the Fantasy Island Fun House, where they had their first date, back when things were easy between them. (If this girl thinks relationships are supposed to be easy, she's in for a shock if she ever hits real life.) Jeremy also finds himself there, nostalgic for the easy connection of initial infatuation, and they see each other, knowing they're both there for the same reasons! It's like it was meant to be! So they play arcade games and decide even if they can't agree on everything, they can agree to compromise in the future. I can't believe they spent an entire book building up to that conclusion.
The D Plot:
As mentioned in the B plot, Will has returned to school. He's on crutches, and hates all the pity looks he's getting in the hallway. He hates even more seeing the football players going off without him, and especially seeing Ken Matthews in his place as quarterback. Most of all, he hates having to witness Ken and Melissa being all cozy and makey outy in the hallways. He's working hard on his physiotherapy, trying to get his leg back into shape so he can get back to football and the things that matter. His physiotherapist tells him to take it easy, that he's overworking himself, but Will points out how everyone's telling him he's making a remarkably fast recovery. He figures he'll be back on the football field in no time. The physiotherapist reluctantly breaks the news to Will; he'll never be able to play football on his damaged knee again. And his life is shattered. After all, what is life without football? "In seconds his whole life had been ripped away from him. Everything that mattered--football, his career, Melissa--it was all gone. No, not just gone, he realized. Stolen. Stolen--and delivered right to Ken Matthews." Duhn-duh-duhn! Let the crazy stalking begin!
When last we left our self-absorbed heroine, Jade's father had just announced he was going to battle for custody, despite years of having been an absentee parent. Nothing says love like barging in and trying to take over. Jade is less than thrilled. She hardly even knows her father, and he seems to have jumped to the worst sorts of conclusions about her. And had he been reading the Senior Year books, he would have found every confirmation he needed, and then some. After dropping this announcement, he gives an unwilling Jade a very awkward hug and takes off. Way to bond with your daughter, Mr. Wu.
Jade's mom is (understandably) devastated and starts second guessing herself. Is she as horrible a mother as her ex-husband seems to think? Jade assures her mom she loves their current arrangement, and has no desire to spend time with her father. Apparently, this is all the encouragement Mom needs, and the battle is on.
Later that night, Jade decides she needs to blow off steam, so she goes out dancing. I'm sure Daddy would be thrilled. "No doubt--the old party girl Jade Wu was on her way back." And then she wonders why her dad thinks she needs more supervision... yeah. Anyway, she starts dancing with this drunk guy, and he starts getting aggressive. Evan comes to the rescue, despite him barely knowing Jade, and she's pretty impressed. Enought that she lets him take out of the dance club and out for coffee (although decidedly not the one where Jessica and Jeremy work). She's still upset enough about her dad that she ends up laying it all on Evan, who proves a sympathetic listener. He suggests she talk to a lawyer to see what her options are, which Jade apparently hadn't thought of herself. And, of course, the name the kids come up with is Ned Wakefield, who seems to be the only lawyer in all of Sweet Valley. Jade feels much better now that she has a plan and has had a chance to hash things all out with someone. Also, she decides Evan's pretty cute... yeah, didn't see that coming at all.
The next day, Jade calls Jessica to arrange a meeting with Mr. Wakefield. Jess says he handles a lot of divorce cases, which confuses me a little. What kind of lawyer is Ned, anyway? Don't divorce lawyers only handle divorces and the like? I can see another kind of lawyer understanding how the legality of custody works better than a high school kid, but it sounds like he does this sort of thing often, despite it not being his specialty. Bwuh?
That afternoon, Jade goes over to the Wakefields' to have her chat with Ned Wakefield. He essentially tells her that custody will go to the parent who's proven to be the best for the job. Which means if her dad can make her mom look incapable, he wins. Given that she's working two jobs and was recently hospitalized for exhaustion, it's not looking too good for Jade. But since nobody's been served any actual papers yet, there's nothing they can do for the moment. Jade finds this meeting depressing rather than informative. Jade's not very bright, is she?
The next day, she has a meeting with the school social worker? I want to know why the school hires a social worker. We always had guidance counsellors who could put you in touch with social workers if you needed one, but to have one at the school? That seems like a bit of a stretch. It seems Jade's dad has been in touch with the school's social worker which also seems unlikely. Wouldn't the first step be to hire a lawyer? The chat with the social worker sounds about as promising as the chat with Ned Wakefield. Jade tries to make her mom sound as good as possible, but keeps tripping over herself. I'm seriously hoping that kid's not considering a law career.
That night, Jade breaks down at work, and ends up having to go home early. (Incidently, she's working at a pizza place, but didn't Jeremy get her a job at the sushi place after she was fired from the coffee house? Hmm.) Her boss is less than pleased, but lets her go as long as she promises it won't happen again. When Jade gets home, her mom is surprised to see her home so early, and Jade ends up telling her how worried she is about the whole thing. Now it's mom's turn to give the peptalk. We can do it! Huzzah!
Jade runs into Evan at school, and once again loads everything on him. This guy should either get laid or be nominated for sainthood. He offers to come to the big meeting between Jade, her mom, her dad, and the social worker planned for the next day if she wants the support. She briefly considers, but decides she doesn't particularly want Evan witnessing her family at their worst. She does, however, agree to cheer him on at swim meet, admitting to herself that she really likes Evan. Which, uh, doesn't sound as "party girl" as she was claiming to be earlier in the book.
Finally, the big meeting arrives, and still there are no lawyers or paperwork in sight. Hmm. Jade's dad starts off by listing all the things he feels he can supply Jade with that she can't get with her mom. When he's done blustering, Jade's mom steps up to bat and basically points out that he knows nothing about his daughter, and therefore can't know much about her needs, either. Mr. Wu concedes that maybe he was hasty in drawing his conclusions, and decides to drop the custody battle, but promises to visit more often. And they all live happily ever after or some such rot.
The B Plot:
Ken and Melissa are having issues. After seeing the way Ken supported his ex-girlfriend Maria in the recent scholarship battle, Melissa is convinced he's not over his ex. So she creates a series of tests to put him through, since if he's to be her boyfriend, he must pass a certain standard. My hate for Melissa knows no bounds. First, she demands Ken take her out for a burger (despite her dislike of red meat), since that's where Maria works. He argues against it, but Melissa insists, and so he takes her, and is miserable the whole time. And of course Maria is on shift and is also miserable to see them there together. Melissa is satisfied for some reason, though, and puts him through the second test: he has to take her out for coffee at House of Java, where all his friends will see them together. Jessica is not pleased to see them there together, but serves them their coffee and waits until Melissa is in the bathroom to chew him out over his thoughtlessness, especially where Maria and Will (newly returned to school after his football injury) are concerned. Later, gets mad at him for not putting on a show for her friends, apparently forgetting she doesn't have him whipped the way she did Will. Additionally, Ken's game is starting to fall apart; he's lost his focus.
The C Plot:
Jessica and Jeremy are also having relationship troubles. They aren't connecting the way they used to (you know, last week), and keep squabbling over petty things. And not so petty things. Really just a lot of annoying squabbling. They both start second guessing the relationship. They were so sure they belonged together, but now they can't agree on anything! Oh noes! Will they ever get it back together? After spending the whole book angsting about their relationship woes, Jessica finds herself driving to the Fantasy Island Fun House, where they had their first date, back when things were easy between them. (If this girl thinks relationships are supposed to be easy, she's in for a shock if she ever hits real life.) Jeremy also finds himself there, nostalgic for the easy connection of initial infatuation, and they see each other, knowing they're both there for the same reasons! It's like it was meant to be! So they play arcade games and decide even if they can't agree on everything, they can agree to compromise in the future. I can't believe they spent an entire book building up to that conclusion.
The D Plot:
As mentioned in the B plot, Will has returned to school. He's on crutches, and hates all the pity looks he's getting in the hallway. He hates even more seeing the football players going off without him, and especially seeing Ken Matthews in his place as quarterback. Most of all, he hates having to witness Ken and Melissa being all cozy and makey outy in the hallways. He's working hard on his physiotherapy, trying to get his leg back into shape so he can get back to football and the things that matter. His physiotherapist tells him to take it easy, that he's overworking himself, but Will points out how everyone's telling him he's making a remarkably fast recovery. He figures he'll be back on the football field in no time. The physiotherapist reluctantly breaks the news to Will; he'll never be able to play football on his damaged knee again. And his life is shattered. After all, what is life without football? "In seconds his whole life had been ripped away from him. Everything that mattered--football, his career, Melissa--it was all gone. No, not just gone, he realized. Stolen. Stolen--and delivered right to Ken Matthews." Duhn-duh-duhn! Let the crazy stalking begin!