Sweet Valley High #58: Brokenhearted

Todd Wilkins is moving back to Sweet Valley! It seems like everyone in the world knows this little tidbit, except Elizabeth. Lila informs everyone that his dad got a promotion, they’re buying a huge house down the street from her and Todd will be going to Lovett Academy, a nearby private school. Liz is heartbroken about the whole thing, until she gets a letter from Todd. He wrote her weeks before hand to tell her the news, but it got lost in the mail.

Liz is naturally freaked out because she loves Jeffery, but she isn’t really sure how she feels about Todd. She never thought they’d have a chance together again and now he’ll be back. Jeffery is equally freaked out and tries harder to prove that he’s the right one for her. When Todd finally comes back, Liz makes the mistake of wearing the locket he gave her. He thinks it means something and then agrees to give her time.

Alice decides the best way to fuck with her daughter’s head is to invite Todd to a good old family dinner. It really freaks Jeffery out because he feels like Todd is sliding right back into his old spot. He takes Liz out for a fancy dinner, they have a great time and then go parking. She says she loves him, but admits that she’s confused about her feelings. Like a dumbass, he agrees to give her more time to work out her feelings.

Jessica is pulling for Todd because now he’s super rich. She wrangles an invite from him to take the twins to view his new school. There she meets Sheffield Eastman, a super rich guy who has a serious interest in her. They go out a few times and she starts fantasizing about double dates with her sister. She also brags about her new boyfriend because she knows Lila’s wanted a private school guy for awhile.

Lila has a new friend at the country club named Courtney Kane. She reveals that Courtney and Todd have been going to the country club together a lot and going out. Liz feels jealous, but thinks that he’ll pick her. Courtney meets Liz and decides she’s a pain, so she goes to Sheffield and tells him that Jeffery gave Liz a pre-engagement ring. He tells Todd, who pulls away from Liz.

Todd is having a huge party and Liz keeps waiting for him to ask her as his date. Then she gets an invite, for her and a guest. She feels so bad that she immediately asks Jeffery to go with her. The party is big and elaborate and completely unlike Todd. Liz feels really bad when she sees him with Courtney. Courtney knows that Todd has feelings for Liz, so she slips a note in her pocket, saying he wants to meet her outside.

Jeffery sees her put something in Liz’s pocket and then sees her go to Todd and pretend she’s sick. She asks him to take her outside to the gazebo and he agrees. Then she grabs him and kisses him. Liz sees it happen and runs off in tears. Jeffery watches the whole thing and doesn’t know what to do.

Liz drives out to Secca Lake, where she cries for an hour. She thinks that things are really over and Todd is in love with someone else. Just then, Todd pulls up in his new car. Jeffery tracked him down and told him what happened, so he came after Liz. They make up and get back together (um, don’t you need to break up with your boyfriend first?) and Liz realizes that they will always belong together.

Oh and Sheffield announces at the party that he’s doing a senior thesis project the following year. He’s taking the whole year off to work full-time in a homeless shelter. Seeing as how Jess doesn’t like dirty stuff, you know the relationship is over.

*Lila is jealous because Sheffield goes to a private school, but her new boyfriend is college. I don’t care where you live: college boys trump high school boys in the boyfriend department.

*This book reminds me of all the reasons why I hate Elizabeth Wakefield. She hasn’t mentioned Todd in months, but all the sudden he comes back and she’s crazy about him. She doesn’t tell Jeffery that she has feelings for her ex, but thinks he should understand. Then both guys willingly sit back and let her date them both, until she makes up her mind. Grow a fucking backbone.