Playing With Fire by Francine Pascal

didn’t forget his earlier warning, though she secretly believed his frustration and anger were caused more by his unreturned affection for Dana than anything to do with the band. He’d never said as much to Emily, but she was sure she hadn’t misread the look on Guy’s face every time the group’s singer smiled at him. Whatever the source of Guy’s problems, though, Emily was anxious not to push her luck. After the group decided to call it a night, she went home and practiced every song in The Droids’ repertoire.
    It was only as she was getting undressed for bed that she remembered Russo’s test. Slipping under the covers, an exhausted Emily opened her chemistry book. But ten minutes later, the lights still on and the textbook uselessly on the floor where it had fallen, she was sound asleep.

Six
    â€œI don’t believe it. I just don’t believe it!” Jessica wiped a hand across her tear-streaked face, then threw herself into Bruce’s arms. It was lunchtime on Friday, and the couple was sitting under one of the many white oak trees that graced the Sweet Valley High campus.
    Bruce couldn’t imagine what had happened, but he liked playing the role of Jessica’s savior. Sure that he knew exactly what she really wanted, he began to caress and stroke her back gently. Nibbling at her ear, he whispered, “Hey, I’m not going to let anything upset my baby. What’s wrong, Jess?”
    Jessica pulled away just enough to look directly into Bruce’s concerned blue eyes. “That idiot Mr. Russo had the nerve to give me an F on my chemistry test,” she cried.
    Bruce stroked her cheeks tenderly. “No more tears, babe. It’s only a dumb test.”
    â€œIt’s more than that. You don’t understand, Bruce. I was just getting by before this, and now I might fail the whole semester!”
    â€œCalm down, Jess. Maybe this will help.” Bruce gave her a deep, lingering kiss.
    â€œThat was nice, Bruce,” Jessica said when they parted. “Unfortunately it doesn’t solve my problem.”
    â€œBut there’s a solution to every problem. Tell me what happened.”
    â€œRemember my secret weapon, Emily Mayer? She let me down. This time she failed the test, too.”
    â€œSo next time cheat off someone else’s paper.”
    â€œI have a feeling if I switch seats now, Russo will get suspicious.” Jessica anxiously picked at the grass by her side. “Bruce, what am I going to do?”
    He clasped her hands in his. “First of all, you’ve got to see that flunking chemistry isn’t the end of the world. What are you ever going to use it for, anyway?”
    â€œI haven’t the foggiest idea. But if I flunk, I’m off the cheerleading squad. And that I care about.”
    â€œA bunch of silly-looking girls jumping up and down and yelling in front of a lot of people?” Bruce patted Jessica’s head as if she were a little girl. “You care about the strangest things.”
    Jessica didn’t like his tone, but she didn’t want to risk upsetting him by making an issue of it. So she quickly switched gears, pretending she didn’t care about the squad. “Well, I have to admit it’s been getting a little boring lately. And I did miss a few practices this week. But even so, it would be humiliating to be kicked off the squad.”
    â€œWell, you’ve come to the right person,” Bruce declared.
    Jessica looked up at him with hope. She knew Bruce would come to her rescue. “What do you mean?” she asked.
    â€œI should have told you the other night that you shouldn’t count on unreliable people like Emily. I’ve got a foolproof way for you to get an A in chemistry.”
    â€œBruce!” Jessica’s eyes widened expectantly. “Tell me!”
    Taking his time, enjoying the suspense, Bruce stretched out his legs and leaned against the oak.