Sweet Valley High #40: On the Edge

You have no idea how much I looked forward to finally, finally recapping this one.

Regina Morrow is one of the most beautiful girls in Sweet Valley High. Daughter of a former professional athlete and a fashion model, she was also deaf before having a miraculous surgery that restored her hearing. Now she's back in Sweet Valley and in love with Bruce Patman.

Bruce doesn't feel the same way, according to Amy Sutton. Ever since the two paired up to work together on a class project, there's been love in the air. She delights in telling her friends all about her relationship with another girl's boyfriend. Jessica doesn't really believe it until the other cheerleaders tell her that Bruce saw her in the hallway and couldn't keep his eyes off her.

Elizabeth thinks that someone should tell Regina what's going on before she hears it through the grapevine. Not her, god, not her. No, she thinks Bruce should tell her. She's perfectly fine lecturing others about the importance of honesty as long as it doesn't apply to her. Even though she planned a big party and invited all three members of this screwy love triangle, she doesn't tell Regina the truth.

Regina's been feeling a little down lately. Things seem off with her and Bruce, and she even wonders if maybe he's seeing someone else. She also can't help noticing how much time he spends with Amy. He even blows off a date at the last minute because Amy's cousin agreed to meet with them but could only do it on Friday night. Her cousin is a sociology student at Sweet Valley College and knows all about drugs. What he doesn't know is that Amy arranged it so she could get him away from Regina on a date night.

The Wakefield party goes well, but some people do notice that Bruce and Amy can't take their eyes off each other. Liz then realizes that the two of them sneaked away together into a wooded area that we've never heard about before. Who knew Calico Drive sat right up against a forest? She gets Jeffrey to get them out and tries to talk to Regina. Regina wants to go home and asks about Bruce, Liz tries to change the subject, and she then sees the two of them coming out with Jeffrey. Regina explodes on all of them, tells Liz that she should have told her the truth, and demands that Bruce give her his keys before saying that she never wants to speak to him again.

Bruce tries calling multiple times, but Regina refuses to talk to him. She even leaves his keys in her mailbox so she can avoid him. This guy Justin recently struck up a friendship with her, and after the break up, he becomes her rock. The only problem is that Justin hangs out with a bad crowd, and many of his friends use drugs and alcohol. He even takes her to Kelly's on one of their dates. The other problem is that he once dated this girl Molly. She keeps giving Regina the eye and acting like a huge bitch around her, making it clear that she wants him back.

Molly and her best friend Jan invite Regina to a party at Molly's house while her parents are gone. Regina wants to be brave and have them like her so she agrees to go. Liz tries to talk to her a few times about the reputation of that crowd, but Regina is all like bitch, please. Actually, she just gives her the evil eye and points out that her life is no longer Liz's concern.

Amy's cousin is giving them more information on the drug scene in Sweet Valley, including this big time drug dealer named Buzz. Jan, Molly's best friend, is super tight with him, and she heard through the grapevine that Buzz would be at Molly's party. Bruce is all "oh noes, I must save Regina," and Amy is all "man, now he'll be too busy trying to save her to make out with me." Despite warning Regina, she still goes to the party. Bruce then warns Liz, who warns Nicholas, who rushes over to stop her. The cops stop him for speeding and make him go to the station because they don't believe his story. Regina does write and send a letter to Liz before leaving.

The party consists of a random group of people sitting around and drinking beer. Regina has a few sips to fit in, but she really just wants to go home and get away from that crowd. Buzz then shows up, and Molly and Jan totally peer pressure her. Jan keeps pushing her to try his coke, and Molly says that it will be an experience she never forgets. Justin just kind of fades into the background.

Regina does one line and notices that her nose burns. Jan then forces her head down and says she should do another before actually kind of shoving a 20 dollar bill up her nose and pushing her down again. After this line, Regina starts talking about some weird noise that she hears. Jan realizes that it's the sound of her heart beat, which is way too fast. Justin shows up again and says that she needs to lay down, so he puts her on the couch. When she gets worse, he demands that someone call 911, and Buzz freaks out.

Nicholas tells the cops about the party, and after some back and forth, they agree to take him to the party and give him his ticket later. They arrive just in time to find Regina mumbling incoherently and nearly passed out on the couch. As they put her in an ambulance, she tells Nicholas that she wants to see Liz and Bruce. They get to the hospital and sit around waiting for some news. The doctor comes out after talking to the parents to talk with them about how Regina had a heart murmur and the coke caused a heart attack. Just as he finishes, Nicholas walks in and tells them that Regina is dead.

There are hundreds of rumors going around school, so Chrome Dome announces a special assembly. Mr. and Mrs. Morrow requested that the school have a memorial service for her at the end of the week and that the funeral remain open to family only. They also wanted students to know that it was an unfortunate accident and that the cops would arrest some people but they didn't want kids blaming anyone. Liz thinks that she'll always blame Molly.

When she gets home, she has a letter waiting for her from Regina. The letter basically says that no one can tear apart a happy couple and that she had known for awhile that she and Bruce weren't happy. She also apologizes, of course she does, and says that she hopes Liz and she will be friends forever.

Nicholas comes to the memorial service and reads a poem by one of Regina's favorite poets. Liz then gives some lame speech about forgiveness and all that jazz. In the end, she once again thinks about how everyone should blame Molly for what happened and how she can never look at her the same way again.

*It's really sad that Bruce became a good guy and then completely reverted to his old behavior. Anyone want to guess how long good guy Bruce will last if SVC continues?

*Liz really pisses me off. She always brags about what a good friend she is, but she can't be bothered to tell a good friend that her boyfriend is cheating on her and that everyone in the school knows? Did she learn nothing from the Enid/George thing?

*This book scared the shit out of me as a kid. It made me say that I would never, every try drugs no matter what. A lot of people roll their eyes and say the book is cheesy, but damn if I didn't remember the entire plot of it after reading it as a kid.

*Amy also ticks me off. Why would you want to be with a guy who is willing to cheat on his girlfriend with you? I can never figure out why some girls do this, and yes I know, guys do it too. I actually knew someone who had a boyfriend and cheated on him with a guy who had a live-in girlfriend. Her excuse was, "well they clearly weren't happy so why does it matter." I've also known girls who would date guys where were married or in relationships because they assumed the guys just weren't happy. I no longer know any of them.

*The memorial service and hospital scenes are kind of sad. I totally cried and then had to explain that I was crying over the fictional death of a character...again. Did I mention that he was around when I read The Faults in Our Stars and then watched the movie with me?