Power Play (Sweet Valley High #4) by Pascal Francine

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

“Elizabeth, what is the significance of the Dred Scott case?” asked Mr. Fellows, her history teacher.

“What do I dread? What—what did you say?” Elizabeth stammered, to the merriment of the class.

“When you return to earth, let me know,” said Mr. Fellows. He then directed the same question to Todd Wilkins.

After class, a concerned Todd caught up with Elizabeth. “You really look spaced out,” he said.

“Oh, Todd! Things are in such a mess.”

“What happened?”

“Well—I just know it’s not true.”

“What’s not true?”

“But I know it is.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll see you later,” she said and hurried off, leaving Todd standing alone, shaking his head.

That day Elizabeth made a firm decision to tell everything to Mr. Collins. Then she decided just as firmly not to. She would simply forget about it all. Then she realized that was impossible. She had to find out the truth.

The battle in her head concerning Jessica’s involvement with the stolen goods gave Elizabeth such a headache that it was a relief to go to the sorority meeting that night at Cara Walker’s house on the hill. At least this problem will finally be resolved, she assured herself as she walked in a few minutes later.

The little red lacquered wooden box was already being passed around the room, and Elizabeth hurriedly grabbed a handful of marbles and took her seat. It was so quiet the girls could all hear the sharp clack of the marbles as they were dropped into the hole in the lid, one by one.

“Suzanne Hanlon,” Jessica said for Elizabeth’s benefit as she watched Cara hand the lacquered box to Lila Fowler.

Lila dropped her marble in, and the little box moved on, from one pair of hands to the next, until it completed a circle and was once again in Jessica’s hands.

Jessica opened the box and poured out the marbles. They were all white.

“Suzanne Hanlon is in,” said Jessica, and everyone applauded.

“She’s totally acceptable,” Lila whispered to Elizabeth. “And you know her father has a Rolls-Royce.”

Jessica had already closed the lid of the red box and was about to send it on another round.

“Robin Wilson,” she said, and Elizabeth detected a sarcastic note. Jessica avoided Elizabeth’s eyes, dropped her marble in, and sent the box along.

Elizabeth carefully separated the white and the black marbles in her hands, then dropped a white one in when the box came to her. She handed it on to the next girl and breathed a sigh of relief when the box had completed its rounds.

Jessica opened the box. “Uh-oh,” she said.

“What’s the matter?” Lila asked, with Cara echoing her question.

Jessica reached into the box and brought out a marble between her thumb and forefinger. She held it up. “Blackball!” she said.

Astonished looks flashed across the faces of the Pi Betas as they looked around at each other.

“Robin Wilson has been blackballed!” Jessica announced. “She can’t be a member of PBA.”

A hushed and embarrassed silence followed her pronouncement. Jessica and her sister had wanted Robin Wilson in, and now somebody had blackballed her. Sure, Robin was a loser.

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