Heartbreaker (Sweet Valley High #8) by Pascal Francine

Author:Pascal, Francine [Pascal, Francine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-11-27T06:00:00+00:00

Writing was one of the few things that made Elizabeth feel better when she was really down. It had always been that way, since the day she’d started filling the pages of her very first diary, when she was nine or ten. Now she not only kept a journal faithfully but also worked as a reporter and columnist for The Oracle, the school paper. At the moment her article on summer job opportunities was coming along nicely.

After crying her eyes out over Todd for nearly an hour, Elizabeth decided to spend the rest of the afternoon working on the article as an antidote to her misery. It was a poor substitute for Todd, but it was certainly better than sitting around feeling sorry for herself.

Her father had promised to get her an interview with the man who owned the building his office was in. Mr. Pendergast often hired teenagers, though it was rumored he only did so to save money. Elizabeth knew he worked on Saturdays, so on impulse she decided to drive over there. If he wasn’t too busy, maybe he wouldn’t mind talking to her for a few minutes.

Fortunately, her dad didn’t mind letting her use the Fiat, since it was for a good cause. His office was a four-story gray building just off Calico Drive, only ten minutes away. Elizabeth parked the little red convertible in front, then made her way through the heavy plate-glass door. The first thing she noticed was the sharp, damp smell of disinfectant.

A boy dressed in dark green overalls was swabbing the floor with a wet mop. A janitor’s pushcart full of cleaning supplies was angled alongside him. As Elizabeth walked in, the boy looked up at her in surprise. She was equally surprised. It was Roger Barrett!

“L-Liz,” he stammered. “W-w-what are you doing here?”

She grinned. “I should be asking you the same thing. How come you never mentioned you worked in my dad’s building? You’re the one I should be interviewing for my article.”

“No! Please, I—I don’t want anyone to—” He stopped, his gaze dropping down to the scuffed toes of his shoes.

Roger’s reaction took Elizabeth by surprise. Had she said something wrong? He almost seemed afraid of her. Then she looked at his flaming cheeks, and she knew what it was. He was embarrassed to be working as a janitor.

“I think it’s great,” she said softly. “I’ll bet there are at least fifty kids who would love to trade places with you. There aren’t really all that many good jobs for kids our age in Sweet Valley.”

Roger shook his head. “I doubt it. I’ll bet most of them wouldn’t be caught dead doing what I do.”

“I don’t see what’s wrong with it.”

“Please, Liz, just don’t tell anyone you saw me,” he begged. “I—I have my reasons. Besides, they’d only make fun of me if they knew.”

“I think you’re wrong,” Elizabeth said. “I really admire you for what you’re doing. Not everyone has enough ambition to get a job on top of their schoolwork and everything else.

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