Sweet Valley High #78: The Dating Game

Jean West is down in the dumps because Tom McKay dumped her when he came out of the closet and she hasn't dated anyone since. To make it worse, it's just like any other week at SVH, which means there's a big dance coming up. Instead of talking to anyone about how she's feeling, she just kind of mopes around and whines to herself.

That all changes when she finds a letter in her locker. It's from Scott Trost and it's all about how she's the perfect girl for him and how he's had a crush on her for years but never knew how to approach her. After worrying about what to do or say, she finally writes him a note. When she goes to leave it in his locker, she sees Claire hanging around. Claire says she needed to get her science notes back from him before hurrying off, which lets Jean slip the note in his locker.

Though she asked him to call her, he doesn't call until after 10 that night, but he does ask her out. She's so excited that when she runs into Claire the next day, she starts eagerly talking about her date. Turns out that Claire also has a date. Even though they were never friends before, they decide to go shopping together and help pick out outfits for their dates.

During their shopping trip, Claire drops just enough hints that Jean realizes she has a date with Scott too. After bringing it up, she learns that he left the exact same note in Claire's locker. They even show each other the letter they got. Instead of confronting him, the girls decide to play a trick on him.

This sounds super interesting, but it's totally not. Claire arranges for Jean to be at the coffee house where they go on their date. Scott sees her and just takes Claire somewhere else. She can't get over how absolutely boring he was and how they have nothing in common. Jean's date goes much better. She discovers that she actually kind of likes him, but she keeps telling herself that he's a dog.

The two girls then go to all their friends and tell them that each one is Scott's new girlfriend. Liz is all shocked because Claire seemingly had a crush on Danny Porter and John P. was sniffing around her too. She's also shocked because Scott is an ass who only cares about football. After word spreads around school, Jean and Claire confront him in the middle of the cafeteria. Instead of getting upset, he tells them that there is enough of him to go around and that they should compete for him. Jean and Claire surprise everyone by agreeing to compete with each other.

No worries though. They really just want to make a fool of him and leave him without a date for the big dance. Claire keeps going out with him and pinching herself under the table and stuff just to stay awake. Jean has a completely different experience and realizes that she's falling in love with him after three dates or whatever. He tries to talk about the competition at one point but she freaks out and makes him stop.

Cut to the day the two planned to DESTROY HIM (sorry, couldn't resist). Jean is so upset that she ends up crying in the hall and conveniently runs into Liz. She tells her all about how she really loves him but can't tell Claire, but Liz encourages her to talk with Claire before it all goes down.

They get to the cafeteria and find him surrounded by his bros. Jean plans to confess her feelings, but he then starts his same old routine about being a woman's man. She ends up screaming at him and then running away in tears after he says she won. He then turns to Claire and says he'll take her. Danny walks up and points his arm around her, and Claire turns Scott down. She then reveals that the two made plans the week before to go to the dance.

Jean is so upset that she just goes home and cries a lot, big surprise. Liz goes to Claire and tells her all about how Jean loves Scott. They run over and try to cheer her up. Nothing works until Scott shows up. He explains that he actually liked her all along (bull), he only wanted to ask her out (bull), and that he gave into peer pressure and sent Claire a letter as his back up (bull). She naturally forgives him and the book ends with them kissing.

Liz and Todd have some random fight too. She decides to write this big article about what people really want in a partner and send out questionnaires. The majority of people put looks first, which ticks her off, especially when Todd agrees. She basically stops talking to him because she hates being wrong. Someone writes a heartfelt letter to the paper that she loves. Todd eventually confesses that he wrote it, so they make up for the 317^th time.

Jessica has a dream that she's walking on the beach in Hawaii and sees a hot guy. She keeps having the same dream and decides that it means she needs to go to Hawaii and find her soul mate. Each dream reveals a little more, which seems to prove she was right. When she sees a television special about the hidden meaning of dreams, she becomes obsessed with the idea.

Jess launches her own dream interpretation business at school to raise money for her trip to Hawaii. No one really believes her until random things start coming true. She spends so much time on her business that she forgets to do an assignment for school and doesn't get a date for the dance. Jess later finds out that everything she dreamed about was from a magazine she read, but luckily, she runs into a hot guy she had a crush on who conveniently didn't have a date to the dance.

*Jessica clearly doesn't understand dream interpretation, even though she supposedly read a bunch of books. Instead of saying what the dreams mean, she just keeps making random predictions for the future.

*Lila tells her to abandon the guy in her dreams in favor of some hot guy in school because he drives an MG. I love her.

*Jessica asks Alice if she can go to Hawaii if she raises the money for her trip. Alice thinks for a second about her daughter's crazy ideas, realizes that she can't even afford to buy socks, and tells her it's fine. It actually made me giggle.

*Todd explains that Scott has it rough sometimes. His older brother was a huge football star who blew out his knee, started his own business, and became a millionaire, so Scott feels like he needs to compete with him. Liz acts all cool and says that's just an excuse. I kind of agree with her, but I feel like if Scott was a girl acting this way, she wouldn't have a problem with him.

*Liz and Claire act like their super close and bestest of friends, but Claire is barely mentioned after her and Liz "grow close" when she tries out for the football team.

*Someone makes a comment about how Amy dated Scott and dumped him, and Todd's all like, "Oh Amy? That doesn't count." I love seeing how people think of her LOL.

*Scott shows up to Jean's house in fancy clothes, so she decides to take him miniature golfing. He's shocked because, what teens go on dates like that. I don't know Scott, maybe every teenager in the world? Miniature golfing sounds more realistic than a romantic candlelight dinner at a four star restaurant.

*I love that Tom came out in that one book and then basically never shows up again. Everyone keeps talking about his and Jean's breakup, but no one says why they actually broke up.

*Claire is way cuter on the cover. Jean looks like her eyes are way too big for her head, and Claire seems like someone you could have fun with.