Alexandra Rollins smacked her lips together and blotted them with a tissue. She dropped it onto the bathroom counter and leant forward to admire herself. "You're not half bad, Rollins," she said to herself gleefully. "Not bad at all."

It was still a kick to see how much she'd changed, even though she'd been beautiful, popular Alexandra for a while now. College had been the start of something new, and Alexandra refused to be drippy Enid for a moment longer. She'd spent a fortune buying a completely new wardrobe, mixing an array of vintage and designer pieces. She'd paid to get her hair chemically straightened, and invested in a full-coverage foundation that hid her freckles. She'd worked hard in the last couple of weeks leading up to the first semester and managed to lose those last few kilos that she felt had been holding her back. The result was incredible. She was no longer Enid Rollins, the daggy sidekick of the beautiful Elizabeth Wakefield. Alexandra Rollins was her own woman.

Fluffing her hair and giving her reflection one last look, Alexandra turned to walk out and almost slammed straight into Lila Fowler. If it had happened in high school, she would have shrunk back and tried to scurry around the wealthy fashion queen, but this wasn't high school. Lila barely stumbled in her five-inch Manolo's. "Alex!" she exclaimed. She placed her arm on the sleeve of Alex's billowing Neiman Marcus. "Thank God. I've been standing out there for the last half hour listening to Tina Choi and Alison Quinn wax lyrical about their spray tans."

Alexandra felt a rush of happiness, and the same mild shock she experienced from such a friendly greeting from the ice princess. She felt like it was something she wouldn't get over quickly. Rolling her eyes, she allowed Lila to tug her back towards the mirror so she could do emergency touch-ups. "Why do you think I'm in here, pretending to fix my eyeliner?"

Lila mimicked her expression, setting down her gorgeous Nicola Finetti clutch. "Trés boring."

Alexandra hummed her agreement. "So," she began. "Where's Bruce? Don't tell me he's abandoned you tonight."

"Unfortunately, he had to have dinner with the parents," Lila answered, stabbing her mascara wand back into the container. "But I'll see him tomorrow when he gets back."

"Is he staying at his old house?" Alexandra asked.

"No, his parents are in Prague at the moment," Lila replied. She ran her fingers through her hair, teasing the roots. "Bruce flew in two days ago, because his mother was complaining that she never gets to see him. And what Marie Patman wants, Marie Patman gets." Lila rolled her eyes.

Lila was one to talk. The only child of millionaire George Fowler, who had made his fortune on a computer chip business, she had never been denied a thing in her life. Even as Alexandra watched Lila put her makeup back into her clutch, she saw the silvery DIOR stamped on the side of her possessions. Her makeup probably cost more than the dress Alexandra was wearing, and she had saved for weeks to buy it.

Lila turned to leave. "We'd better get back out there. Jessica will be around somewhere."

"It's not nearly late enough for Jess to arrive," Alexandra joked.

They stepped out of the bathroom. "True," Lila conceded as they jostled past the shouting crowds of people. "But she's going with Elizabeth. There has to be some sort of happy medium for those two."

Alexandra caught sight of a halo of blonde hair near the bar. "Is that her?" she shouted over the music, indicating to Lila. Lila followed her line of vision and craned her neck over the sea of bodies.

The girl turned. It was Jessica. Alexandra eyed her lithe body with envy, watching as Jessica danced over to them with ease, smiling and laughing with shouting teens as she drew nearer. Alexandra reminded herself that she had no reason to be jealous of Jessica – after all, they were best friends now. It wasn't high school anymore. She wasn't drippy Enid, standing on the outside, looking in. She was the centre of the social circle now. Everything was fine.

Jessica stopped in front of them. "Isn't this great?" she shouted, leaning forward so that the girls could hear her. "Randy Mason might be a total dud of a date, but he sure knows how to throw a great party!"

Lila wrinkled her nose in true Lila fashion. "Fowler affairs are a hundred times better than this," she shot back. "I mean, sausage rolls and mini hot-dogs? Why doesn't he just give everyone an IV drip with a direct hook-up of fat into our veins? I mean, where are the canapés? Where are the miniature quiches?"

"Where is your inner teenager, Lila!" Jessica replied. "I don't want lobster bisque and expensive imported escargot. Give me chips and dip any day."

Alexandra sniffed. "You're lucky you were born with good genes and a fast metabolism, Jess, otherwise you'd be the size of a house by now."

Years ago, Alexandra couldn't have imagined speaking to Jessica Wakefield like that. She couldn't have imagined her taking it so well either. Jessica just laughed and sashayed off, making some excuse about seeing where Denise had gotten too. Lila excused herself as well, deciding to head out to the back courtyard to call Bruce. Alexandra was left alone, and before she could talk herself out of it, she headed towards the bar.

A recovering alcoholic, Alex knew the last place she should be was in front of a bar. But she actually felt that it helped; seeing all the inebriated and shocking drunks made her more resolute and determined than ever to never be that far gone again. For a while, she had had the perfect life. Noah Pearson, the shy and perfect Prince Charming who had helped her get over her break-up with Mark Gathers and her alcohol dependency, had been the centre of Alexandra's world, before their differences saw them splitting. Alex still thought about him wistfully, wondering whether he was doing the same about her, but she knew it was the right decision in the end. Noah had never been comfortable with her choice to leave Enid behind forever, and had urged her to embrace some of her old, homely traits. In the end, they had called it quits, and for a while, it had been really tough. Alexandra couldn't take more than a few steps out of her dorm without bursting into tears and running back in. But she was stronger now. She didn't need a guy.

She perched gracefully on a bar stool, tucking her long flowing train behind her knees. She hadn't been sure whether the light floral-patterned dress would be right for the party. At Sweet Valley University, your image was everything. Alexandra recalled the nervousness she felt when pledging the Theta's, unsure whether her shoes were right, or if she still hadn't lost enough weight to wear skimpy bandeaus to the Theta pool party. Getting into the sorority had been a major accomplishment.

"Hey! Alex!"

Alexandra jumped, and turned to her left where someone had shouted in her ear. Elizabeth Wakefield grinned back at her, and promptly took the seat next to her. "How have you been?" she continued.

Alex stared back at her, a smile forming on her lips. It was nice to hear Elizabeth say 'Alex', especially after she had protested the transformation so vehemently. "I've been good," she answered. "How about this party? Are you friends with Randy?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "No more than you are," she replied. "I mean, I saw him a couple of times when he came round to take Jessica out, but that's about it. I haven't really had a conversation with him since grade school."

Alexandra leant back, and ordered a lemonade from the barman. Elizabeth requested the same thing, and they both sipped their drinks and surveyed the scene in front of them. A couple of seconds passed before Alexandra spoke.

"So, how are things with Tom?"

Elizabeth tensed visibly. "Not so good," she admitted. "We're not seeing each other anymore. Last I heard, he was dating Dana Upshaw again. They're planning on moving out together."

Alexandra was quiet. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not," Elizabeth said lightly. "We were on different wavelengths, anyway. I can focus on my studies now, without any distractions."

"Same," Alexandra responded. She raised her drink and bumped it with Elizabeth. "To being single and successful!"

Elizabeth repeated what she said, and then laughed. "Of course, I wouldn't say no to a devastatingly good-looking heir who wants to sweep me off my feet."

"I can't imagine anyone who would," Alexandra replied, also laughing.

They were still discussing potential husbands when the music abruptly cut off, and Randy Mason appeared on the small platform stage, clutching a beer. He swayed a little, but other than that, seemed to be fine. He stomped his foot a couple of times to get the attention of the crowd, and then he finally began to speak.

"Sweet Valley University!" he shouted, and the crowd whistled and cheered. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Randy Mason, and I am the reason for your good time tonight!"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Well, he's certainly not the same Randy from grade school."

"Now, you're probably all wondering why I threw this little shindig," he continued. "Let me tell you, it's going to be the event of the year. When Sweet Valley University was first established, they had a tradition that they called the Murder Game. One person each year hosted the event and became the Caretaker of the game. This game hasn't been played in twenty years. This year, I am your Caretaker. And tonight, the Murder Game begins."