The cover is this book is one of the absolute best, and the plot is equally as iconic. Are Liz and Todd heading for disaster after he buys a motorcycle? I mean, they’re always kinda heading for disaster, but this book makes their drama especially juicy! Plus it drives the message home to all the pre-teen readers that motorcycles are dangerous.

We open a week after the last book ended. Liz and Jess are driving to school, Jess marveling at how Liz got their mom to agree to loan them her red Fiat Spider for the day. Liz nervously mumbles that it’s a special occasion and claims it’s so she can go to the reopening of the Dairi Burger after school to cover that event for the Oracle. I’m not sure when the Dairi Burger was closed, since I’m pretty sure the gang was just there a few weeks prior. Jess is unimpressed. She calls the Dairi Burger a grease pit and asks why Liz didn’t just ride with Todd. Liz says that Todd bought a Yamaha motorcycle. Jess says she can’t believe Todd would buy that knowing Liz can’t ride it… and Liz has to admit she hasn’t told Todd their parents have forbidden them to get on a motorcycle. Jess asks why not. Liz says Todd had been so excited about the motorcycle that she didn’t want to crush his dreams so she let him think she’s as happy about it as he is. He offered to drive Liz to school that morning on his brand new bike, but she lied and told him she felt a bit sick and didn’t want to expose herself to the wind. You know, the sort of thing you say to your boyfriend in a healthy long-term relationship.

Motorcycles are not allowed in the Wakefield house. Three years earlier, a few days after their cousin Rexy Wakefield’s sixteenth birthday, he bought himself a motorcycle over his parents’ objections. Where/how did he get the money?!?? Or the motorcycle license? My adult self can’t help but pick holes in this story, while my younger self just accepted this as plausible. Anyway, Rexy died the very next day in a head-on collision with a station wagon. Ever since, the Wakefield house has had a strict “no motorcycles” rule. Apparently Rexy’s death hit Jessica especially hard, since she’d been very close to him. I have to wonder whose child Rexy is, as the last name implies he’s a cousin from their dad’s side. However, The Wakefield Legacy: The Untold Story, which chronicles the Wakefield ancestors, claims Ned was an only child, while a later book in the series features Ned’s mom saying his dad had been previously married with a son when they met, so that implies that Ned has a half-brother. So I guess if we go with the family history in the latter example, Ned’s half-brother could have had this son? It’s almost like the Wakefield family history is made up on the fly in these books. Also, I’m skeptical of the claim that Jess was close with this cousin, since I don’t think a single book in the Twins series mentions this cousin, and that series would have taken place a year or so before Rexy’s accident.

Liz tells Jess she’s worried what Todd will think when she tells him that she can’t ride with him. Jess gives Liz a surprisingly nice reality check and says that although Todd isn’t her favorite person, he cares enough about Liz not to let a motorcycle ruin their relationship. Jess also wisely advises Liz to tell Todd about this now, before she makes more excuses and causes Todd think she’s not interested in him anymore. Jess adds that if Liz doesn’t want to keep dating a “motorcycle maniac,” there are lots of eligible guys who drive regular cars!

They arrive at school. Todd isn’t there yet, but Enid is and she starts telling Liz about her upcoming sweet sixteenth party. Apparently Enid skipped a grade in elementary school and is only now turning sixteen. She says her mom is going all out for the party; half the school has already been invited, but engraved invitations have now been ordered and she will be addressing them that evening. Why are they sending out fancy invitations to people who have already been invited? Unclear. Before they can talk too much about it, Todd’s motorcycle roars into the parking lot. Liz is thrilled he made it there safely but also nervous since she knows she needs to tell him the truth. We get a description of Todd that made my inner 12-year-old swoon a little:

If possible, Todd was even more attractive than ever that morning, cutting a sexy, self-assured pose astride his shiny black bike. He was wearing a soft leather jacket, which hugged his long, trim body, and a black, full-faced helmet, which he now took off to reveal his tousled head of dark brown hair and the biggest smile Elizabeth had seen on his face for ages.

If I’ve learned anything from this series, it’s that being attractive is everything and Todd sounds hot! Liz notices that a hot pink helmet is attached to the side of his bike. Her helmet. Todd asks if she wants to take a spin before school starts, but Liz makes an excuse and rushes off.

At lunch, Liz finds Todd polishing the Yamaha’s exhaust pipes in the parking lot. He says it picked up a lot of dirt on his ride to school so he’ll be spending all his spare time keeping that bad boy clean. Todd calls Liz his “favorite motorcycle mama” and asks what’s up. Liz’s eyes fill with tears and she tells him about her cousin and says she can’t ride with him. Todd says that won’t impact their relationship but that he thinks she’s missing out. Besides, he says that the majority of accidents happen to people who aren’t protected or don’t know how to ride and he’s a good driver. I mean, he just got the motorcycle and he’s had his driver’s license for less than a year total since he’s only 16, but sure, he’s a pro on it. Todd offers to talk to her parents and change their minds, and Liz says why not. She goes to lunch while Todd heads off to meet up with Winston and Mandy Farmer, who are working on a school project about the Save the Whales movement.

After school, basically the entire school goes to the reopened Dairi Burger. The place now has wooden booths and tables, a new order board as long as the wall, and a game room. Liz decides in honor of the event, she won’t order her usual chili dog but goes for the special instead: a “concoction of clams and a mysterious batter” that has a slightly bitter taste. What on earth?!? Why would you order (or offer) something like this at a place called the Dairi Burger?

Liz jots down some notes about the clam special for her article and then the sound of Danny Stauffer’s Trans Am arriving with Jess in the passenger seat drowns out her thoughts. Danny hits the brakes a little too late and bumps into the rear fender of Jerry “Crunch” McAllister’s purple van. Crunch is another SVH dropout who occasionally works construction but mostly spends his time at the Dairi Burger or the Shady Lady bar across the street, so you know he’s bad news. Crunch is pissed. He gets in Danny’s face, yelling about the damage. Danny tries to tell him it’s just a tiny dent, but Crunch is not having any of that. To be fair, Crunch has a point: if someone hits your car and then tries to tell you it’s not a big deal, of course you’re going to be mad. But Crunch wants to take out his anger somehow, so he throws Danny against the front fender. Before he can do any more damage, Todd roars up on his motorcycle, Mandy sitting behind him in Liz’s hot pink helmet. I half thought we were going to get a scene where Todd punches Crunch to save the day, but alas. Crunch is distracted by the arrival of the Yamaha and starts asking questions about it, impressed. Todd offers to let Crunch take the motorcycle for a spin, which he does (he trusts him enough to loan him the bike??) and suddenly all tension is diffused. Crunch returns from his test ride and tells Todd that if he ever wants to sell the bike, he’d buy it. Todd says Crunch can take it for a ride anytime but he’s not selling.

One of the Dairi Burger’s owners comes out and thanks Todd for saving the day, saying he was worried things would escalate and that he’d have a lawsuit on his hands. To thank him, he tells Todd that he and his girlfriend will be each getting a free clam special! The owner starts to usher Todd and Mandy inside, and Todd says that Liz is actually his girlfriend. The owner says that all three of them will get a free hot clam special! Liz isn’t looking forward to eating another but she can’t turn down free.

That evening at home after dinner (they still ate dinner after all these hot clam specials?!? Again, I call BS about Liz saying she keeps her figure because she watches her diet), Jess comments that Todd didn’t waste any time finding another girl to ride with. Liz gets defensive and says Mandy’s just one of his friends. But she does feel a little jealous nonetheless, which she doesn’t admit to Jess.

Todd comes over later to talk to the Wakefield parents, hoping to convince them to let Liz ride with him, but they stand firm. Liz is relieved because she was scared to get on the motorcycle anyway. Liz goes upstairs to work on homework, and Jess bursts in to ask about Enid’s upcoming party. She wants to know if Enid’s cousin Brian, a sophomore at UCLA, will be at the party because she wants to be set up with him. I assume this is the “older cousin” who warned Liz and Enid about wild college parties where partygoers wore pajamas and hung out on mattresses. Liz says yes, he’ll be there, but that after what Jess did to Enid, why would she set them up? Jess rationalizes that everything worked out and that Enid should thank her for telling Ronnie about her past because if he hadn’t dumped her because of this, Enid would never have reconnected and fallen in love with her current boyfriend, George. Jess says clearly Enid now owes her one.

The next morning, Liz meets up with Enid before school. Todd rides up and offers to take Enid for a spin, which she happily accepts. Liz watches them ride off, feeling jealous, and then takes the bus to school by herself. She’s still upset the next period when she has study hall, so she makes her way to the Oracle office and talks to Mr. Collins about it. He points out that she and Todd don’t need to share all their interests and asks if she’s talked to Todd about this. She says no. Liz then writes her article about the Dairi Burger, advising readers to see how their first hot clam special goes down before ordering another.

At lunch, Enid apologizes for going on a ride with Todd and Liz apologizes to her for being weird about it. Then Liz asks if Enid will set Brian up with Jess. Enid says no, since Jess hurt her a lot when she was gossiping about her past, and Liz pushes back, saying that Enid hasn’t even thought about Ronnie for months so why not? Enid points out that Jess never apologized and she’s going out with Danny Stauffer anyway. Liz says she doesn’t think Jess is serious about Danny (duh), but Enid still says no. Liz is not being a very good friend to Enid here because seriously, why would she want to set her cousin up with Jess?? Todd comes over briefly to give Liz a kiss, then rushes off to meet with Mandy to work on their project. When he leaves, Enid asks what’s wrong and Liz tells her she’s jealous of Mandy and even of Enid because they’re sharing Todd in a way that Liz never will, thanks to that motorcycle!

After school, Guy Chesney asks Liz if she needs a ride to the Dairi Burger, since Todd mentioned that she wasn’t riding with him. Liz says sure. On the drive, they talk a bit about the Droids and their recent almost-big break. Guy asks why Liz isn’t riding with Todd and she gets annoyed and says, “Personal reasons.” Guy says that anytime she needs a ride, he’s happy to give her one. He puts his arm on her shoulder and says that a closed car can be more fun than a motorcycle. Whoa! Liz tells him thanks but no thanks, and Guy says he’s telling her this as a friend. Liz emphasizes that they’re just friends. They pull into the Dairi Burger’s parking lot and she slides out of the car. Todd is there already and jealous that she got a rid with Guy. I mean, how else was she supposed to get to the Dairi Burger, walk? Liz orders the clam special again and a root beer; Todd says the special is awful so why is she ordering it again? She says she wants to give it another try just in case it’s improved. Todd gets a cheeseburger and fries, a much more normal order, then asks what she was doing in Guy’s car. Liz says he just gave her a ride and Todd says he doesn’t like it and that he’s jealous. Liz admits she’s been jealous too recently. Todd says he won’t offer rides to any other girls because if she can’t be on the bike with him, no girl can. Todd adds that she doesn’t have to be worried about Mandy because she and Winston have found each other and are dating. He says having to watch them two of them together when they work on their class project is getting to him. Liz says the clam special is getting to her. Which begs the question: why did she order it again?!?

At home that evening, Liz gets a call from Enid. She tells her friend that everything is right again with Todd. Enid tells Liz that she’s decided to set Jess up with Brian. Apparently Enid talked about it with George, who convinced her to let bygones be bygones and that Enid now thinks she was being spiteful by not setting them up. Wow. Liz tells Jess the good news and, predictably, she’s thrilled. Liz asks what Jess is going to do about Danny, and Jess says she’ll just pawn him off to Julie Porter, who doesn’t have a date to Enid’s party. I have no idea why Jess was invited to Enid’s party in the first place, considering there’s no love lost between them, and I also don’t know why you need to have a date to go to a birthday bash. But such are the rules in Sweet Valley.

Enid’s party is at the Country Club, which is decorated beautifully. The Droids are playing, nearly everyone from school is there, including Mr Collins (why, when this isn’t a school event?), and everyone’s having a great time. After midnight, the party is moving from the Country Club to the Caravan, a new rock club in town that apparently allows minors. Mr. Collins has agreed to chaperone the group at the Caravan, since Enid’s mom has to oversee the cleanup at the country club. I’m not sure why cleanup isn’t included with the cost of having a party at the country club, and I’m also not sure why a chaperone is needed, but okay. Todd hasn’t arrived yet, so Liz assumes his grandfather’s party is running late, since he had to go to that first. Liz plans to get a ride there with Jess, once she returns from wherever she disappeared to (obviously making out with Brian somewhere).

As people start leaving for the Caravan, Todd calls to say that he’ll be there soon and then turns up on his Yamaha. He gets serious and tells Liz that he’s come to a decision about their relationship and his bike. Liz immediately assumes that he’s going to pick the motorcycle and break up with her, but Todd reveals that he’s decided to sell his bike! That’s why he missed the party: he sold the bike to Crunch, who insisted on celebrating by drinking beer while pouring Todd soda after soda. Why Todd decided to sell his bike on the same night of his girlfriend’s best friend’s birthday party instead of waiting for the next day is a mystery to me, but apparently Liz is so overjoyed that he chose her over his Yamaha that she doesn’t care. She asks Todd to drive her to the Caravan on his Yamaha, since she doubts Jess is returning anytime soon and she wants to experience riding with him at least once. Todd is conflicted because although he wants her to go with him, he did make a promise to her parents. Liz convinces him to go for it and they head out! Liz is terrified at first but then starts to relax and enjoy the ride!

Meanwhile, Jess and Brian are making out at Miller’s Point.

He sure was gorgeous, she mused, and his time at UCLA had certainly taught him a thing or two about pleasing girls.

I don’t know why I found this sentence so entertaining, but I did. Probably because it sounds so R-rated, yet these books are decidedly not. Anyway, Jess realizes that she’s over an hour late to pick up Liz! Brian says that Liz has to have figured out by now that Jess isn’t coming, which is true. But Jess feels like she should go back for her sister. On their drive back to the country club, they pass an accident. Jess sees a black motorcycle and thinks it’s Todd’s! They stop, and Jess sees Todd in a daze. He tells Jess that Liz was on the bike with him! And he doesn’t know if she’s okay! EMTs are taking Liz to a hospital, and police are arresting Crunch, who was drunk driving and hit them.

The Wakefields gather at the hospital to keep an eye on Liz. Everyone’s mad at Todd for breaking his word that he wouldn’t take Liz out on the motorcycle. He blames himself too. The doctor says Liz has a concussion. She is in a coma and could make a full recovery but could also have brain damage. Mr. Collins, Enid, George, and a bunch of Liz’s friends turn up. Mr. Collins consults with Ned and Alice, then tells the kids that they should all go home. He stays behind and goes to get himself a cup of coffee, which is when he finds Todd, miserable. Todd tells him about how he had just sold his bike and how Liz had insisted on riding it once with him. Mr. Collins tells Todd not to blame himself because they both know Liz can be very headstrong. Just then, Steven races in to tell them that Liz has taken a turn for the worse and they don’t know if she’s going to make it!

Of course, this is not really a cliffhanger since we all know nothing’s going to really happen to one of the Wakefield twins. Sure enough, the doctors stabilize her condition and confirm there’s no brain damage but they don’t know how long she’ll be in a coma. The family talks and Todd acknowledges that he’d planned to sell his bike. Ned asks why he didn’t tell them earlier, since that changes everything! They’re no longer upset with him. Jess admits to Todd later that the accident was her fault because she was supposed to pick Liz up. Todd tells her that Liz knew she wasn’t going to be there, and Jess is surprised. Todd then tells Jess that he was talking to Mr. Collins, who’d told him a story about a friend he’d had who’d been in a coma after doing drugs. Is the takeaway here the fact that drugs are bad or that Mr. Collins used to hang out with people who did drugs? My younger self remembers learning “drugs are bad,” whereas my older self is questioning the crowd Mr. Collins used to run with. Todd tells Jess that Mr. Collins said they brought this kid out of a coma by squeezing his hands and saying “Wake up.” Todd and Jess try this miracle cure, but Liz remains unresponsive. Will she ever wake up??

Notes:

Time elapsed in this book: 1-2 weeks.

Jessica’s love interests: Danny Stauffer, Enid’s cousin Brian

Apparently Bruce is more than 2 years older that Enid, since he already had his 18th birthday whereas she’s just having her 16th birthday now.

Mandy Farmer is mentioned to be a member of Pi Beta Alpha. I don’t think she’s present at any of the past or future sorority meetings, but maybe I’m wrong. Who isn’t a member?

Entertainment factor: 8/10

By Sara

One thought on “#6: Dangerous Love”
  1. Not to make light of it, but a head-on collision with a station wagon is so specific and dated. Do they make those anymore? I wonder what model the updated version would have? Tesla? Escalade? Just a minivan?

    I don’t remember Mr. Collins as creepy, but when I look back at the books, eeesh….

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