Sweet Valley University #23: Sweet Kiss of Summer

Ryan took off after sharing a kiss with Elizabeth and now Liz is all heartbroken. Pretty much all she does is sit around and moan about being alone because he’s her one true love. Jessica has completely moved on with Ben, but now she’s worried that they’re moving too fast. Gee, just because you’ve been together for three seconds and you think that you’re going to get married someday.

This book sucks pretty hardcore so lets get it over with. Winston starts mouthing off to Rachel and the gang from the other shore/lifeguard team. They decide to bet their merit pay on some triathlon that both squads are doing. Everyone on the squad flips out about him doing it, mainly because Ryan’s gone, so they don’t have a good team. Winston lets it slip that someone saw him working an hour away.

Liz runs up to see him and finds him working in a bar as a waiter. They talk, share a kiss and then he tells her to get lost. The squad tries to convince her to go talk to him and she refuses, but then does it anyway. This time she sees him going into a church with a pretty girl and becomes convinced that he’s getting married. Apparently in Liz’s mind, the only reason you’d go to church during the week is because you’re getting married.

It turns out that he’s actually in AA. He tells a story about how he was so drunk last summer that he called in sick to work. A rookie took over his shift, a kid drowned and he blames himself. He sees Liz there and tells her that he won’t come back, even though she knows his secret. She accuses him of being a quitter and tells him that the squad still uses everything he taught them.

Liz and Nina talk constantly because they both have boyfriends, but have few qualms about cheating. They basically go out with other guys and then whine to each other about how hard it is to love two guys at the same time. Only in Sweet Valley. Liz even realizes that when the summer ends, she’s going back to Tom, but then can’t figure out why she shouldn’t give into Ryan. I love it too because she remembers how hard it was when Tom kissed his ex on the cruise ship and yet she’s sharing more than one kiss with Ryan.

All these weird things start happening at the shore. Wendy is watching over Pedro’s house while he’s on tour and someone breaks in and steals her wallet. Then somehow breaks into the lifeguard tower. Then someone poisons her dog. By the way, Wendy only pops up every few pages to whine because Pedro hasn’t called her in a few weeks.

Jessica goes for a run on the beach, falls on something and cuts open her foot. They find a knife in the sand, just like the one Nina’s non-boyfriend Paul carries. Jess can barely walk and is taken out of the running for the triathlon. The squad tells Winston that he’s in as their alternate. Unfortunately Winston’s been taking bets on the race and gets tossed out. One of the kids placing bets is some little punk, who keeps showing up with extra cash.

Everyone starts freaking out about the race, until Ryan shows up and takes over as captain of the squad again. They head off to the race and lose the first round to the other squad. Then they win the second and it all comes down to some run wearing full scuba gear. Wendy gets lost in the woods and Nina gets pushed. She finds Paul tied to a tree and saves him, but not before they kiss.

Wendy finds her way and ends up right behind Rachel, Ben’s ex and captain of the other squad. Rachel slows down and she crosses the line first, to find Pedro waiting for her. He announces that he left his tour and went to Mexico to get his grandmother’s engagement ring. He proposes and she accepts, despite the fact that they only had like 2 dates before he went on tour.

Sweet Valley loses and everyone pouts because they won’t get their merit pay. Then the punk kid shows up and it turns out that he’s Rachel’s little brother. She was causing all the problems and stole money from a bunch of people. She bet on Sweet Valley and tried to throw the race. The police arrest her and everyone gets their money back.

Jessica gives Ben a going away present, which is actually kind of sweet. It has a map of Sweet Valley on one side, a map of Chicago on the other and says “the heart will find a way” on the front. He gives her a UCLA shirt and she’s all confused until he announces that he plans on transferring to LA to be with her. Sweet, until you realize that in the next book, she meets Nick.

Wendy invites Winston to her wedding and he invites her to visit him at college. Nina and Paul share a kiss, but she tells him that she loves her boyfriend and isn’t giving him anything but friendship. Liz and Ryan kiss on the beach and then she looks forward to getting back to Tom.

Random note: Ben asks Jessica if he can spend the night with her and her eyes get all big, before she agrees. Are they sleeping-sleeping or is Jessica having sex with someone yet again? I know she has sex with Nick, but did she screw Ben too??