"Are you doing good? Listening to mommy and daddy? Good. Tell your parents Maria and I said bye. Love you. Bye."
Elizabeth smiled as she hung up the phone. She loved her adorable nephew Austin. He just turned three and Elizabeth just returned from California for his birthday. She had fun but wasn't comfortable when Jessica showed up. She was polite, but when Jessica kept pushing her to come visit her in LA, Elizabeth made up an excuse she had to return to New York.
She hated putting her brother Steven and his wife, Billie in the middle. They were innocents in their arguments. Both Elizabeth and Jessica were still not speaking. Not since college. Elizabeth wondered why she was so stubborn, her and Todd were just casually dating. She didn't even care he was dating other women. It was because of Jessica.
Her whole life she made sacrifices for her sister. She defended her sister in her petty squabbles back in middle and high school, defended Jessica from her disastrous marriage from Mike McAllery, saved her from being sexually assaulted by her date, and was there for her when she lost her loves in college.
Jessica was always there for her. What changed? Elizabeth didn't know. Maybe because Jessica started changing in college. She married some guy she knew for a few weeks, got her marriage annulled before Christmas, and ended up in many disastrous situations.
She was always impulsive, but she was a adult. Elizabeth tried. When they finished sophomore year and went on that road trip is when Elizabeth was fed up. Her slacker maybe boyfriend/roommate Sam Burgess and herself were getting closer and more intimate. Elizabeth was nineteen about to turn twenty and was ready to take the next step with Sam. Why did she wait so long to lose her virginity? Elizabeth had no clue. She wasn't ready with Todd, Ryan, or with Tom. Or even with that asshole Finn. It wasn't until Sam saved her from being used by Finn Robinson, is when something in her heart changed. Sam, unlike any of her boyfriends never judged or pressured her. He and Elizabeth fought more often than not. But after that night with Finn, and his failed attempts of trying to take her "flower," (ugh. She was disgusted about that part of her life). She started to fall for him hard. She was confused and frustrated on her failed attempts to woo him. He ran away and avoided her for weeks. It wasn't until their romantic dinner is when her reluctantly agreed to give their relationship a shot.
Thinking back, he was throwing a lot of red flags. But Elizabeth was too blinded by love. Jessica tried to warn her, but Elizabeth stubbornly refused to see it. When she confided she was ready to sleep with Sam for the first time is when Jessica panicked. Jessica knew Sam was a bum. She kept her month shut about all of Elizabeth's exes, and supported her in her beliefs of waiting. But her and Sam butted heads. She knew Sam would break her heart eventually. So she did a radical decision. She pretended to be her twin and made sure her and Sam were caught by her sister. It worked too well sadly. Elizabeth was heartbroken. She jumped on a plane and disappeared for almost a year. Poor Jessica and her parents spent months looking for her to no avail.
Looking back Elizabeth understood why Jessica did what she did, but she wished they had talked to a professional. Or a least a gab feat with their closest girlfriends, or even her mom, Alice Wakefield. She did lose her virginity a few months later. She was ready. Her ex, Max Pennington was the perfect guy for her. At least at the time. He was engaged to a woman he didn't love, a gold digging socialite. When he broke off the wedding with his father's consent, both him and Elizabeth spent a wonderful night together. She was grateful he was gentle and understanding. Deep down inside, she was glad Jessica broke her and Sam up.
She was starting to get homesick. Her new boyfriend, started to make secret plans to reunite her and her estranged sister. He knew how much she missed her sister, and how stubborn Elizabeth was. He suggested they fly back to Sweet Valley to see her parents. She was terrified. But when she went to her house, she was relieved to see her sister wasn't there.
It was close to the holidays, and when Jessica walked into the door, she and Jessica had a long tearful reunion. That Christmas was special. Her parents reluctantly agreed to have Elizabeth and Max share a room. She remembered how her and Tom, despite dating were forced to spend time apart. Even Steven and Billie showed up. Billie was back from Spain and Steven surprised everyone when he proposed during the New Years Eve party. Jessica had to return home right after New Years and Elizabeth made the decision to stay in Sweet Valley.
Her and Max tried to have a long distance relationship but, realistically it didn't work. They had a amiable breakup. Elizabeth cried. It was hard. To forget about Max, she went to the newly built Dairy Burger. The owners there used the insurance money to rebuild the restaurant after the old restaurant was flattened during the earthquake years ago. When Elizabeth walked in she was surprised to see it looked almost exactly the same. Almost, just a few updates. She sat down and ordered a vanilla milkshake.
When she saw who her waitress was she wanted to laugh. It was none other than her old roommate Celine Boudreaux. Celine must have recognized her she flinched. She pretended not to recognize Elizabeth and Elizabeth returned the favor. After taking her order she walked away. Prison did Celine no favors. Her once beautiful honey blonde hair was now dull and greasy. But only because she was just released on parole.
After she double checked her milkshake to see it wasn't tampered with she took out her book and started reading. When she heard some familiar voices, she looked up from her book.
"A beautiful day in sunny Sweet Valley, and once again Elizabeth nose is stuck in a book. You never changed."
When Elizabeth looked up, she was surprised to see her old classmates. Todd Willkins, Ken Matthews, AJ Morgan and Winston Egbert. Elizabeth seeing Todd blushed. Todd looked way more manly then freshman year at SVU. AJ grew out his hair. He looked so different than high school. He said he was touring with his new band KrashKart. Wow. That wasn't the only thing different about him, he was dating ex Droids member Dana Larson. Both were the lead singers of their new band. According to AJ, he and Dana were in talks to sign with a major record label thanks to Winston playing their demos on SVU's student radio station. A record producer heard their single, "Starting Again," and immediately wanted to sign their band.
That song was haunting to Elizabeth. It was a rock and roll number, but it talked about losing friends and starting over alone. It was a hit. Now AJ and Dana were household names. They were no longer together, but stayed friends. Dana was currently touring in Europe as a successful solo artist, and AJ recently got married and had a baby with a girl he met in Chicago. He was still with his band, but was taking a break from music to concentrate on his family.
Ken Matthews was doing great. After he graduated from the University of Southern California, he returned to Sweet Valley and got a job as a coach for Sweet Valley High. Thanks to his knowledge of football, he helped the school win countless games. Many of his former students went on to achieve athletic scholarships to various universities. He said he wasn't ready to get married, he was too busy. But rumor is he was dating former ballerina Jade Wu.
Winston and Todd were doing fine. Winston at the time was on a break from SVU same with Todd. Winston was still dating Denise. Their relationship was as strong as ever. Todd was doing okay. But at the time he was hiding the fact he was depressed and worried. His father's company was laying off countless people, and his dad became a alcoholic. They were in danger of losing everything. Their mansion, their cars, savings, everything. Todd was worried he wouldn't be able to pay for college. His mom assured him they had a separate back account just for Todd, including his trust fund.
Todd was worried. He already used his trust fund to put a payment on a bar, Frankie's. He promised his parents he wouldn't drop out, and he didn't. He hired a manager, a graduate from OCC, and she helped promote the bar. Her smarts actually helped bring Frankie's out of the red, and Todd was making a profit. Until the recession hit. Most students stopped coming including the local folk. Todd and Elizabeth were slowly picking up where things left off. Todd just broke up with his girlfriend, she gave her notice and moved back to Texas. She knew she was in danger of losing her job, and moved back in with her parents.
Elizabeth and Todd weren't serious. They were just casually dating. Both admitted it was a rebound thing since both their relationships went down the toilet. Todd was depressed and angry these days. He and Elizabeth got into a small spat when Elizabeth said something like, things could be worse, and Todd snapped. Throwing down the cup, he stormed out to the back and ran into Jessica. That night was Todd's biggest regret. He slept with his ex's twin. When Elizabeth caught them, Todd and Jessica never forgot the anguish in her eyes. Elizabeth ran away to Europe and didn't return for three years.
Elizabeth only came back to celebrate Steven's engagement and wedding. She was living in New York, with her best friend Maria Slater. Both of them flew out to congratulate Steven and Billie. Her and Jessica were polite to one another, but didn't talk very much to the disappointment of her parents. The wedding was beautiful with Elizabeth and Jessica as co maids of honor. It was Brooke that caught the bouquet. Both twins refused to catch it.
After the wedding, both twins returned to their lives. They were slowly talking more, especially when Billie and Steven announced they were pregnant. Hearing that Elizabeth was happy. It was a honeymoon baby, but unlike the last pregnancy, they were thrilled. Little Austin was born nine months later. He was so small. Both Ned and Alice were spoiled their grandson rotten. Especially his aunts.
Robin French also came from San Diego. Both her and Jeffrey were trying to get pregnant themselves. They met years ago, but didn't get serious until senior year at Pacific University in Oregon. They dated sophomore year, until they got engaged during finals. They got married in Bora Bora in a private destination wedding. No one was there except Robin's and Jeffrey's parents. They wanted to keep their wedding low key. Their families were disappointed but understood. They were now living in San Diego with Robin working as a wedding planner and Jeffrey working as a radio DJ in the city. Both him and Winston joked about being DJ rivals.
Now that Austin was three, Elizabeth was wondering if she and her sister should bury the hatchet. They can't be good aunts if they don't talk. Besides,Todd was in the past. He was a grown adult. Jessica had her own life, Steven was working in their dad's law firm as a attorney, and Billie was a kindergarten teacher. Elizabeth herself was doing alright. Her job at the magazine was doing good. She also freelanced working a a playwright.
She remembered her last play. Her twin and a famous actor played the leads. Of course that was all the way back when she was in college. Maria remarked Elizabeth should create stories. That was the only play Elizabeth was famous for. Her other plays did poorly. Not that they were bad, just New York was full of competition. But in New York, it was all luck. Looking at her newest play, not yet titled, she wondered if she should try again. Become big in Broadway as a writer. Her newest play was about betrayal. Two sisters fighting over a man. It was a musical, something Elizabeth never tried. She wondered if she can ask Maria for help. Looking at her phone, she needed to buy a dress for Winston's and Brooke's wedding. There was no set date, but Elizabeth hoped her and Jessica talked by then.