I killed Liz, I killed the teen dream, deal with it.

Dangerous Love
March 1984

Are Elizabeth and Todd heading for disaster?

The end of the road for Todd and Elizabeth?

   One of the strictest rules in the Wakefield house is "No motorcycles." Ever since their cousin was killed in a crash, Elizabeth and Jessica have been forbidden to go near them.
   So when Elizabeth's boyfriend Todd drives up on a shiny new Yamaha, she knows there's trouble ahead. She can't ride Todd's bike, but other girls can- and do. And the sight of those girls riding with their arms around Todd is making Elizabeth crazy with jealousy.
  Todd tells her not to worry, but Elizabeth's scared of losing him. Will Todd's new bike drive them apart?


  Ah, Dangerous Love. A true classic of the SV world. Not only do you take Saint Liz out for the count, you repeatedly bash us over the head with tales of Rexy, the oddly named Wakefield cousin and his tragic tale of woe. But a classic. Even if your cover art is a lie. A lie! They rode at night, Liz is in a dress, and I imagine Todd to be a little more dressed up than that. Oh well.
  The story is simple. Todd's been hinting since, what, the third book, that he wants a motorcycle. Liz thought he was all talk for awhile, until he began to seriously begin saving his money and working his cute butt off. But still she didn't mention that the only rule Jessica actually obeys is the little known 37th commandment: Thou Shalt Not Ride A Motorcycle... under penalty of death or twin switching brain wonkiness. Yeah, had Liz told Todd this, we'd be dealing with something a little less dramatic than a coma. But Liz didn't want to force her beliefs on Todd. However, she also didn't want to tell him that she couldn't partake in his dream. This'll drive you nuts if you're logical, but it's also one of the more realistic aspects of the book. Go figure.
  Anyway, none of this really mattered until just recently. The Friday after the surfing championship [see last book], Todd was all set to get his new wheels. Didn't happen for another couple of days after that, but come Monday morning, Todd rides to school in style. Suddenly all the girls are impressed and some of the guys are, too. Especially the dudes in SV's rock band, The Droids. There are about a hundred and thirty-seven jokes I could make there, but I won't. Yet, at least.
  The book begins with Liz driving the Fiat to school with Jessica putting her makeup on in the passenger side. Jess is impressed that Liz managed to finagle use of the Fiat and asks how exactly this little miracle happened. Liz fudges the truth a little and says it's because she needs it to get to the newly re-opened Dairi Burger.* Jessica's such a master of the lie that she knows when she's being fed one, so after she's done being sidetracked by the memory of her flirtation with poison oak, she goes back to needling her twin. Where exactly is Todd, she wonders. Why isn't the wonder-boy toy taking Liz to the DB? Huh, huh huh? Liz confesses that Todd has finally managed to get the bike of his dreams and that despite Jessica's low opinion of him, Todd does NOT know she can't ride the death machine with him.
  And then the world grinds to a halt as Jessica offers fantastic advice. She tells her twin that while she still thinks he's a dumbass for having picked the wrong sister, it's obvious the guy is crazy about Liz. If Liz keeps ducking out of their plans with only vague excuses, not being a great liar and all, Todd is going to assume that Liz has a problem with him, not the bike. To cut out the drama, Liz has to come clean.
  See? Good advice. Scary.
  Before Liz can work up her nerve to do so, we run into Enid. Somewhere between Double Love and now, Enid seems to have been downgraded to someone only Liz and possibly Todd can see. I swear, before she seemed to be semi-popular of her own accord, or hell, maybe simply because one of the Wakefield twins found her good enough to call best friend. Now students walk by her and pay her no attention at all. We seem like we're supposed to pity her or something, and that was not the way she was presented before. Given the way the twins were talked up in Power Play, you'd think anyone they hung around that much would be granted a little bit of cool factor, and not even the drug scandal Jess let slip in Secrets should have diminished it that much, especially given how Enid managed to snag a super hot older guy. But apparently not, or else I'm reading way too much into Enid's little intro. The important thing is that Enid IS fifteen and her mother is throwing her a huge Sweet Sixteen bash. Not like that crap currently on MTV where you wish the parents had been sterilized before unleashing brats that make vintage Jessica look like an angel. Nope, this is kind of the anti-MTVS16. Enid's annoyed by all the fuss her mother is going to, what with fancy invitations, the outlawing of pigs-in-blankets [which I whole heartedly agree with, gross!] and freakouts about flowers. Siiiiiiiigh. Must be nice.
  Now, we return to the motorcycle drama that's been unfolding while I skipped ahead a little. Todd appears on his shiny new wheels, offers Liz a ride, and she runs off. Way to tell the guy the truth, sunshine! Luckily, her morning classes gave her plenty of time to think, and by lunch she's worked up the nerve to tell Todd the truth. She looks everywhere for him, which leads me to wonder how normal it is for a school cafeteria to have a patio, and eventually, thanks to Ken, finds Todd out playing with his new toy. That was a no brainer. Todd offers Liz her hot pink helmet and she declines. A lot. Eventually she spills why she can't ride with him. Ever.
  Once upon a time, long long ago, there was cousin Rexy. Three years older than the twins, Rexy was beloved by all who knew him, or at least Steven, Jessica, and Liz. Rexy badly wanted a motorcycle but his parents said no. Rexy told them to kiss his arse and a few days after his 16th birthday, he bought himself one. The day after that, he plowed into a station wagon and thus the legacy of Rexy was born. No Wakefield shall ever ride the deathtrap known as motorcycle. Even Jessica obeys this one, which just goes to show you how serious they are about it.
  Todd, being the saint of a guy he is, understands up until a point. He wants to talk to Liz's parents and see if they'll reconsider, seeing as he's not a jackass like Rexy. Liz agrees, knowing that if she doesn't, it'll hurt Todd. So Todd invites himself over that night.
  Later, the gang heads to the DB to celebrate the reopening. Liz tries the new clam special and realizes it's disgusting, Jessica shows up with Danny who managed to dent Crunch's van and Crunch freaks out. Before Crunch [I'll never get tired of saying that] punches Danny's pretty face in, Todd shows up on his new bike. Only he's not alone. Mandy Farmer is with him. Mandy who? Yeah, she's some chick working with Todd [and Winston] on a Save the Whales project. She's also hot. Anyway, Liz is jealous, but not so much so that she doesn't notice that Todd saves Danny by merely showing up on his new bike. [Crunch has serious bike envy] John Doherty offers Todd and his lovely lady the new clam special. Only, he means Mandy, not Liz. The drama! [Todd easily corrects this and all three are treated to a vile concoction.]
  Back to Casa Wakefield. We're given another brief interlude with Jessica flipping out about the bike, and then she heads off to Cara's. Todd fails to convince the Wakefields that he's an expert after owning the bike for maybe three days, and Liz is relieved that it's not her decision to make. Which I could bitch about, but I've been there and on less serious matters, too. Sometimes you just don't want to hurt someone's feelings and if someone takes that decision out of your hands, it seems to hurt less, since it's not you rejecting them, but someone forcing your hand.
  Jess has come back in time to overhear this and now she wants something. Jessica wants Liz to ask Enid to fix her [Jess] up with Brian, Enid's favorite cousin, whom they met last summer. Liz doesn't want to ask, what with the aforementioned secret stealing and blabbing problem. But Jess manages to guilt her twin and Liz agrees to ask, but makes no promises as to whether Enid will say yes.
  After a brief interlude where Enid gets to ride Todd's bike and Liz is exceptionally jealous, we head back to SVH where Liz finally gets around to asking Enid about her cousin. No surprise here. Enid says no. She's not offended that Liz would ask and then begin to badger her about her no, because Enid is either a better person than we are, or maybe she's just accepted that where Jessica is concerned, Liz is an idiot.
  Luckily for Liz [and us, cuz the angst can be a bit much], Mr. Collins has a way of cutting through the BS and getting right to what matters. Does Liz fear Todd will fall for the entire girl's basketball team? Of course not. What about Liz falling for any Lit loving dude? Naah. So why is the bike such a big deal?
  Uh, cuz the bike is a substitute for sex, maybe?
  Still, Liz isn't sure how to bring this up with Todd. She heads to the DB again and Guy, of The Droids fame, offers her a ride. Then he offers her a ride. Yeah, he hits on her but she reminds him that she's with Todd, even if she's not exactly with him at that moment in time. Guy seems to get the point for about two seconds. Then he follows Liz, who has met up with Todd at this point, reminds her to think about what he said, and Todd gets jealous. Oh, how Liz laughs and realizes what an ass she's been, and if I were Guy, I'd be offended.
  To make the day even more perfect, given how understanding Todd was about her jealousy and the retirement of the pink helmet [no more rides to other girls] Enid calls and tells Liz that she's reconsidered. Brian would have a fabulous time with skank-a-Jess and she'll hook the two of 'em up. Liz tells Jessica and Jessica is so happy they spend the next two hours planning an outfit for this monumental date.

  Fast forward to the night of Enid's party. Brian and Jess give Liz a ride to the Sweet Valley Country Club where the shindig is being held. Liz kills time and watches people arrive while Brian and Jess go and make out in the corner somewhere. Eventually Liz realizes Todd is running late and maybe she should go see the birthday girl, y'know? Enid and Liz gush over each other and Liz kills time. Todd doesn't show to the party, though he does call. Liz worries her head off, chats with Mr. Collins, and dances with boys she's not in love with. By the time Todd shows up, the party has moved to the Caravan club, and there's no sign of Jessica who was supposed to come back from Miller's Point to give her a ride to said club. Todd informs Liz that he has something important to tell her, and Liz freaks out. Of course he's going to dump her!
  No, you idiot, he's selling his bike to Crunch. Yeah. Crunch, the raging alcoholic. Good move, Todd. How many people could Crunch hurt on your bike? Anyway, Liz is so happy she cries, which makes Todd cry. Eventually Enid's mother pops her head out of the CC and tells Liz she can't drive her to the Caravan, would she like a cab called or one of their friends to come pick her up? And Liz tells her no, she's going to get a ride with Todd. And Enid's mother is fine with this. Which means one thing:
  The Wakefields do not socialize with Enid's mother AT ALL. Otherwise she'd have hit the roof and the whole ensuing drama would not necessarily have happened. See, this is why your parents should talk to your friends parents. It'll keep you out of soap opera fantasy moments. But I'm skipping ahead.
  Todd freaks out. He promised her parents he wouldn't. They couldn't! It would be wrong! And about halfway through the conversation, I swear, I just assumed they were talking about sex. Anyway, Liz wins the argument and off they ride. Seconds after Liz decides that she loves the bike and Todd has to keep it, they crash.
  Via twin's intuition, Jess breaks up her grope-fest with Brian and they head to the Caravan to see if Liz made it there okay. On the way, they come across an accident scene. It's Todd and Liz, only for a moment Jess thinks she's going to have to tell her twin that Todd's been killed. Nope, he's fine. However Liz is still lying on the ground, so you know that twin power works fast. Jess spies Crunch [the dude who slammed into Todd and Liz] and she flips out. She hops on his back and scratches him like craaaaaazy. It's awesome. We head to the hospital where the Wakefields rip Todd a new one and Liz is in a coma. After a turn for the worse, she returns back to her normal coma state... and end scene. Will Liz live or die? Yes.


*- Okay, the timeline was going along quite nicely up until this point. When exactly did the DB close for renovations? I don't remember a word about that in the previous book, and besides, we're still somewhere in the fall/early winter as far as I can tell. We're taking place a week after the end of All Night Long, and Dangerous Love itself only takes about two weeks, and we skip one of those entirely. So when did the Doherty brothers have time to gut and fix the good ol' DB? I'd think this would take a couple of months, which would mean that at the very least, the place would have been closed from the end of DL until now. But it's not, because I know they mention it in the books in between. Confused.

Trivia:

• Dangerous Love takes place a week after All Night Long and over a maximum of two weeks, based on things people have said.


• The Dairi Burger is owned by the Doherty brothers, one of whom is named John.


• Enid skipped a grade in elementary school and has been teased for being the youngest. This makes her drug days a little creepier, especially since I always got the impression she and George went a little far, so... whoa.


• Todd's bike is a Yamaha 750 Virago, black


• Crunch McAllister is actually Jerry, who was starting tackle on the SVH football team until a knee injury killed his career. He dropped out, possibly at the start of this school year. He's got a fondness for alcohol despite being underage, and a terrible temper.


• Foreshadowing brings us mention of a school play that Lila is awfully interested in.


• Todd, Winston, and Mandy are working on a current events project for Mr. Marks [Save the Whales]


• Mandy does a good job of fawning all over Todd while actually falling for Winston. Aww, Winston scored a hot one.


• In addition to falling for Winston, Mandy is allegedly a friend of Elizabeth's and also in PBA. Seriously, will they let anyone except Robin in?


• Guy Chesney, in addition to having a really bad name, is the keyboardist for The Droids, and also the song writer. He apparently also has a thing for Liz. Doesn't everyone?


• Enid's cousin Brian is a sophomore at UCLA, and spent some time visiting the Valley last summer.


• Enid's mother talks with a nasally twang.


• For someone who's portrayed to be a dork later on, Julie Porter gets around. She was Ken's arm candy last go round and when Jess gets her date with Brian, she fixes him up with Julie.


• Cara Walker is repeatedly referred to as Jessica's best friend.

Quotes:
"I couldn't bear the thought of shattering his dream."
"But you wouldn't mind if he shattered his body? Come on, Lizzie, be sensible!" Liz/Jess, p6

She wished she could share Todd's joy, but she couldn't imagine how he could be relaxed and comfortable and enjoy the view when his life depended on being able to balance five hundred pounds between his legs at fifty-five miles per hour. - Liz, p19

He opened his eyes to look toward Jessica. Any chance he might have had with her was gone, he realized. Jessica went for winners. And there was no way he was going to win this bout. - Danny, p29

"Because you were sharing Todd in a way I never will." Liz to Enid, p60

"You're not making me, Todd. It's something I want to do. Just tonight and never again. Just once I want to feel what it's like to ride with you." - Liz is talking about the bike. I think. p87

  Sensing her sister's distress, Jessica decided to back down. She put her hand on Elizabeth's shoulder and said, "Liz, Todd may not be my most favorite person in the world, but I know he cares for you enough not to let the bike interfere with your relationship.
  You can't put it off, " Jessica warned, her voice growing harder. "The more excuses you make to Todd, the more he's going to think something's wrong. He might as well know the truth now, before he starts to think it's him you've turned off to." - Jessica, p8



  Alright. I've always been a fan of Dangerous Love, because it leads to Dear Sister which I was a sucker for like you would not believe. On the other hand, I've always hated the end. So we'll concentrate on that. When Ned, Alice, and Steven attack Todd, not a single one of them mentions the fact that the jackass let Liz get on his bike and didn't have a helmet for her to wear. Instead of giving her his, he let her ride without one. NO ONE calls him on this. So when people try and convince him he couldn't have done anything differently, I say fucking bullshit. You didn't have a helmet, you made a huge deal about the majority of people hurt/killed in accidents either didn't know what they were doing or were improperly protected, so you just let your beloved girlfriend ride off without one? Yeah, you deserved the yelling, screaming, and dirty looks. You deserved more of them. The only person who ever mentions the helmet debacle is Todd.
  On the other hand, while Todd is berating himself, Jessica saves him from the fire and admits to her own wrong doing. Which was nice and long overdue. I could have done without the "remember the time she took my tour guide test for me?" bit because of course we remember, it was the last book and it couldn't have been that long ago! Feh.
  Other things that bugged me included the re-haul of the Dairi Burger. Before I always got this 50's diner sort of vibe, but run down a little around the edges. Then they turned everything to boring wood and it sounds very generic. Even their sign sounds lame:
  "in it's place was a brown plastic sign with the words spelled out in yellow script letters."
  Too much brown, too dull. Bah.
  Also included is a little bio for Mr. Collins that really didn't go anywhere. Messy divorce, drinking is the root of all evil, yadda yadda yadda. Still love these little profiles, and I always will.
  In general, it's a good solid look at Todd and Elizabeth, particularly their flaws. Liz tries to avoid conflict, which only winds up eating her up inside, leaving her to take out her emotions on unsuspecting people. She's also trying way too hard to copy Jessica's carefree attitude, but it's sort of endearing that she acknowledges that maybe she's a little too uptight at times. I get the feeling that if Liz weren't allegedly freakishly hot, she would be a big old dork. But since she is, they overlook her bookish ways for the most part. Ah, lucky.
  And we're posting this today because it's my birthday and it coincides nicely with Enid and her B plot storyline. Yay!

I killed Liz, I killed the teen dream, deal with it.

Dangerous Love
March 1984

Are Elizabeth and Todd heading for disaster?

The end of the road for Todd and Elizabeth?

   One of the strictest rules in the Wakefield house is "No motorcycles." Ever since their cousin was killed in a crash, Elizabeth and Jessica have been forbidden to go near them.
   So when Elizabeth's boyfriend Todd drives up on a shiny new Yamaha, she knows there's trouble ahead. She can't ride Todd's bike, but other girls can- and do. And the sight of those girls riding with their arms around Todd is making Elizabeth crazy with jealousy.
  Todd tells her not to worry, but Elizabeth's scared of losing him. Will Todd's new bike drive them apart?


  Ah, Dangerous Love. A true classic of the SV world. Not only do you take Saint Liz out for the count, you repeatedly bash us over the head with tales of Rexy, the oddly named Wakefield cousin and his tragic tale of woe. But a classic. Even if your cover art is a lie. A lie! They rode at night, Liz is in a dress, and I imagine Todd to be a little more dressed up than that. Oh well.
  The story is simple. Todd's been hinting since, what, the third book, that he wants a motorcycle. Liz thought he was all talk for awhile, until he began to seriously begin saving his money and working his cute butt off. But still she didn't mention that the only rule Jessica actually obeys is the little known 37th commandment: Thou Shalt Not Ride A Motorcycle... under penalty of death or twin switching brain wonkiness. Yeah, had Liz told Todd this, we'd be dealing with something a little less dramatic than a coma. But Liz didn't want to force her beliefs on Todd. However, she also didn't want to tell him that she couldn't partake in his dream. This'll drive you nuts if you're logical, but it's also one of the more realistic aspects of the book. Go figure.
  Anyway, none of this really mattered until just recently. The Friday after the surfing championship [see last book], Todd was all set to get his new wheels. Didn't happen for another couple of days after that, but come Monday morning, Todd rides to school in style. Suddenly all the girls are impressed and some of the guys are, too. Especially the dudes in SV's rock band, The Droids. There are about a hundred and thirty-seven jokes I could make there, but I won't. Yet, at least.
  The book begins with Liz driving the Fiat to school with Jessica putting her makeup on in the passenger side. Jess is impressed that Liz managed to finagle use of the Fiat and asks how exactly this little miracle happened. Liz fudges the truth a little and says it's because she needs it to get to the newly re-opened Dairi Burger.* Jessica's such a master of the lie that she knows when she's being fed one, so after she's done being sidetracked by the memory of her flirtation with poison oak, she goes back to needling her twin. Where exactly is Todd, she wonders. Why isn't the wonder-boy toy taking Liz to the DB? Huh, huh huh? Liz confesses that Todd has finally managed to get the bike of his dreams and that despite Jessica's low opinion of him, Todd does NOT know she can't ride the death machine with him.
  And then the world grinds to a halt as Jessica offers fantastic advice. She tells her twin that while she still thinks he's a dumbass for having picked the wrong sister, it's obvious the guy is crazy about Liz. If Liz keeps ducking out of their plans with only vague excuses, not being a great liar and all, Todd is going to assume that Liz has a problem with him, not the bike. To cut out the drama, Liz has to come clean.
  See? Good advice. Scary.
  Before Liz can work up her nerve to do so, we run into Enid. Somewhere between Double Love and now, Enid seems to have been downgraded to someone only Liz and possibly Todd can see. I swear, before she seemed to be semi-popular of her own accord, or hell, maybe simply because one of the Wakefield twins found her good enough to call best friend. Now students walk by her and pay her no attention at all. We seem like we're supposed to pity her or something, and that was not the way she was presented before. Given the way the twins were talked up in Power Play, you'd think anyone they hung around that much would be granted a little bit of cool factor, and not even the drug scandal Jess let slip in Secrets should have diminished it that much, especially given how Enid managed to snag a super hot older guy. But apparently not, or else I'm reading way too much into Enid's little intro. The important thing is that Enid IS fifteen and her mother is throwing her a huge Sweet Sixteen bash. Not like that crap currently on MTV where you wish the parents had been sterilized before unleashing brats that make vintage Jessica look like an angel. Nope, this is kind of the anti-MTVS16. Enid's annoyed by all the fuss her mother is going to, what with fancy invitations, the outlawing of pigs-in-blankets [which I whole heartedly agree with, gross!] and freakouts about flowers. Siiiiiiiigh. Must be nice.
  Now, we return to the motorcycle drama that's been unfolding while I skipped ahead a little. Todd appears on his shiny new wheels, offers Liz a ride, and she runs off. Way to tell the guy the truth, sunshine! Luckily, her morning classes gave her plenty of time to think, and by lunch she's worked up the nerve to tell Todd the truth. She looks everywhere for him, which leads me to wonder how normal it is for a school cafeteria to have a patio, and eventually, thanks to Ken, finds Todd out playing with his new toy. That was a no brainer. Todd offers Liz her hot pink helmet and she declines. A lot. Eventually she spills why she can't ride with him. Ever.
  Once upon a time, long long ago, there was cousin Rexy. Three years older than the twins, Rexy was beloved by all who knew him, or at least Steven, Jessica, and Liz. Rexy badly wanted a motorcycle but his parents said no. Rexy told them to kiss his arse and a few days after his 16th birthday, he bought himself one. The day after that, he plowed into a station wagon and thus the legacy of Rexy was born. No Wakefield shall ever ride the deathtrap known as motorcycle. Even Jessica obeys this one, which just goes to show you how serious they are about it.
  Todd, being the saint of a guy he is, understands up until a point. He wants to talk to Liz's parents and see if they'll reconsider, seeing as he's not a jackass like Rexy. Liz agrees, knowing that if she doesn't, it'll hurt Todd. So Todd invites himself over that night.
  Later, the gang heads to the DB to celebrate the reopening. Liz tries the new clam special and realizes it's disgusting, Jessica shows up with Danny who managed to dent Crunch's van and Crunch freaks out. Before Crunch [I'll never get tired of saying that] punches Danny's pretty face in, Todd shows up on his new bike. Only he's not alone. Mandy Farmer is with him. Mandy who? Yeah, she's some chick working with Todd [and Winston] on a Save the Whales project. She's also hot. Anyway, Liz is jealous, but not so much so that she doesn't notice that Todd saves Danny by merely showing up on his new bike. [Crunch has serious bike envy] John Doherty offers Todd and his lovely lady the new clam special. Only, he means Mandy, not Liz. The drama! [Todd easily corrects this and all three are treated to a vile concoction.]
  Back to Casa Wakefield. We're given another brief interlude with Jessica flipping out about the bike, and then she heads off to Cara's. Todd fails to convince the Wakefields that he's an expert after owning the bike for maybe three days, and Liz is relieved that it's not her decision to make. Which I could bitch about, but I've been there and on less serious matters, too. Sometimes you just don't want to hurt someone's feelings and if someone takes that decision out of your hands, it seems to hurt less, since it's not you rejecting them, but someone forcing your hand.
  Jess has come back in time to overhear this and now she wants something. Jessica wants Liz to ask Enid to fix her [Jess] up with Brian, Enid's favorite cousin, whom they met last summer. Liz doesn't want to ask, what with the aforementioned secret stealing and blabbing problem. But Jess manages to guilt her twin and Liz agrees to ask, but makes no promises as to whether Enid will say yes.
  After a brief interlude where Enid gets to ride Todd's bike and Liz is exceptionally jealous, we head back to SVH where Liz finally gets around to asking Enid about her cousin. No surprise here. Enid says no. She's not offended that Liz would ask and then begin to badger her about her no, because Enid is either a better person than we are, or maybe she's just accepted that where Jessica is concerned, Liz is an idiot.
  Luckily for Liz [and us, cuz the angst can be a bit much], Mr. Collins has a way of cutting through the BS and getting right to what matters. Does Liz fear Todd will fall for the entire girl's basketball team? Of course not. What about Liz falling for any Lit loving dude? Naah. So why is the bike such a big deal?
  Uh, cuz the bike is a substitute for sex, maybe?
  Still, Liz isn't sure how to bring this up with Todd. She heads to the DB again and Guy, of The Droids fame, offers her a ride. Then he offers her a ride. Yeah, he hits on her but she reminds him that she's with Todd, even if she's not exactly with him at that moment in time. Guy seems to get the point for about two seconds. Then he follows Liz, who has met up with Todd at this point, reminds her to think about what he said, and Todd gets jealous. Oh, how Liz laughs and realizes what an ass she's been, and if I were Guy, I'd be offended.
  To make the day even more perfect, given how understanding Todd was about her jealousy and the retirement of the pink helmet [no more rides to other girls] Enid calls and tells Liz that she's reconsidered. Brian would have a fabulous time with skank-a-Jess and she'll hook the two of 'em up. Liz tells Jessica and Jessica is so happy they spend the next two hours planning an outfit for this monumental date.

  Fast forward to the night of Enid's party. Brian and Jess give Liz a ride to the Sweet Valley Country Club where the shindig is being held. Liz kills time and watches people arrive while Brian and Jess go and make out in the corner somewhere. Eventually Liz realizes Todd is running late and maybe she should go see the birthday girl, y'know? Enid and Liz gush over each other and Liz kills time. Todd doesn't show to the party, though he does call. Liz worries her head off, chats with Mr. Collins, and dances with boys she's not in love with. By the time Todd shows up, the party has moved to the Caravan club, and there's no sign of Jessica who was supposed to come back from Miller's Point to give her a ride to said club. Todd informs Liz that he has something important to tell her, and Liz freaks out. Of course he's going to dump her!
  No, you idiot, he's selling his bike to Crunch. Yeah. Crunch, the raging alcoholic. Good move, Todd. How many people could Crunch hurt on your bike? Anyway, Liz is so happy she cries, which makes Todd cry. Eventually Enid's mother pops her head out of the CC and tells Liz she can't drive her to the Caravan, would she like a cab called or one of their friends to come pick her up? And Liz tells her no, she's going to get a ride with Todd. And Enid's mother is fine with this. Which means one thing:
  The Wakefields do not socialize with Enid's mother AT ALL. Otherwise she'd have hit the roof and the whole ensuing drama would not necessarily have happened. See, this is why your parents should talk to your friends parents. It'll keep you out of soap opera fantasy moments. But I'm skipping ahead.
  Todd freaks out. He promised her parents he wouldn't. They couldn't! It would be wrong! And about halfway through the conversation, I swear, I just assumed they were talking about sex. Anyway, Liz wins the argument and off they ride. Seconds after Liz decides that she loves the bike and Todd has to keep it, they crash.
  Via twin's intuition, Jess breaks up her grope-fest with Brian and they head to the Caravan to see if Liz made it there okay. On the way, they come across an accident scene. It's Todd and Liz, only for a moment Jess thinks she's going to have to tell her twin that Todd's been killed. Nope, he's fine. However Liz is still lying on the ground, so you know that twin power works fast. Jess spies Crunch [the dude who slammed into Todd and Liz] and she flips out. She hops on his back and scratches him like craaaaaazy. It's awesome. We head to the hospital where the Wakefields rip Todd a new one and Liz is in a coma. After a turn for the worse, she returns back to her normal coma state... and end scene. Will Liz live or die? Yes.


*- Okay, the timeline was going along quite nicely up until this point. When exactly did the DB close for renovations? I don't remember a word about that in the previous book, and besides, we're still somewhere in the fall/early winter as far as I can tell. We're taking place a week after the end of All Night Long, and Dangerous Love itself only takes about two weeks, and we skip one of those entirely. So when did the Doherty brothers have time to gut and fix the good ol' DB? I'd think this would take a couple of months, which would mean that at the very least, the place would have been closed from the end of DL until now. But it's not, because I know they mention it in the books in between. Confused.

Trivia:

• Dangerous Love takes place a week after All Night Long and over a maximum of two weeks, based on things people have said.


• The Dairi Burger is owned by the Doherty brothers, one of whom is named John.


• Enid skipped a grade in elementary school and has been teased for being the youngest. This makes her drug days a little creepier, especially since I always got the impression she and George went a little far, so... whoa.


• Todd's bike is a Yamaha 750 Virago, black


• Crunch McAllister is actually Jerry, who was starting tackle on the SVH football team until a knee injury killed his career. He dropped out, possibly at the start of this school year. He's got a fondness for alcohol despite being underage, and a terrible temper.


• Foreshadowing brings us mention of a school play that Lila is awfully interested in.


• Todd, Winston, and Mandy are working on a current events project for Mr. Marks [Save the Whales]


• Mandy does a good job of fawning all over Todd while actually falling for Winston. Aww, Winston scored a hot one.


• In addition to falling for Winston, Mandy is allegedly a friend of Elizabeth's and also in PBA. Seriously, will they let anyone except Robin in?


• Guy Chesney, in addition to having a really bad name, is the keyboardist for The Droids, and also the song writer. He apparently also has a thing for Liz. Doesn't everyone?


• Enid's cousin Brian is a sophomore at UCLA, and spent some time visiting the Valley last summer.


• Enid's mother talks with a nasally twang.


• For someone who's portrayed to be a dork later on, Julie Porter gets around. She was Ken's arm candy last go round and when Jess gets her date with Brian, she fixes him up with Julie.


• Cara Walker is repeatedly referred to as Jessica's best friend.

Quotes:
"I couldn't bear the thought of shattering his dream."
"But you wouldn't mind if he shattered his body? Come on, Lizzie, be sensible!" Liz/Jess, p6

She wished she could share Todd's joy, but she couldn't imagine how he could be relaxed and comfortable and enjoy the view when his life depended on being able to balance five hundred pounds between his legs at fifty-five miles per hour. - Liz, p19

He opened his eyes to look toward Jessica. Any chance he might have had with her was gone, he realized. Jessica went for winners. And there was no way he was going to win this bout. - Danny, p29

"Because you were sharing Todd in a way I never will." Liz to Enid, p60

"You're not making me, Todd. It's something I want to do. Just tonight and never again. Just once I want to feel what it's like to ride with you." - Liz is talking about the bike. I think. p87

  Sensing her sister's distress, Jessica decided to back down. She put her hand on Elizabeth's shoulder and said, "Liz, Todd may not be my most favorite person in the world, but I know he cares for you enough not to let the bike interfere with your relationship.
  You can't put it off, " Jessica warned, her voice growing harder. "The more excuses you make to Todd, the more he's going to think something's wrong. He might as well know the truth now, before he starts to think it's him you've turned off to." - Jessica, p8



  Alright. I've always been a fan of Dangerous Love, because it leads to Dear Sister which I was a sucker for like you would not believe. On the other hand, I've always hated the end. So we'll concentrate on that. When Ned, Alice, and Steven attack Todd, not a single one of them mentions the fact that the jackass let Liz get on his bike and didn't have a helmet for her to wear. Instead of giving her his, he let her ride without one. NO ONE calls him on this. So when people try and convince him he couldn't have done anything differently, I say fucking bullshit. You didn't have a helmet, you made a huge deal about the majority of people hurt/killed in accidents either didn't know what they were doing or were improperly protected, so you just let your beloved girlfriend ride off without one? Yeah, you deserved the yelling, screaming, and dirty looks. You deserved more of them. The only person who ever mentions the helmet debacle is Todd.
  On the other hand, while Todd is berating himself, Jessica saves him from the fire and admits to her own wrong doing. Which was nice and long overdue. I could have done without the "remember the time she took my tour guide test for me?" bit because of course we remember, it was the last book and it couldn't have been that long ago! Feh.
  Other things that bugged me included the re-haul of the Dairi Burger. Before I always got this 50's diner sort of vibe, but run down a little around the edges. Then they turned everything to boring wood and it sounds very generic. Even their sign sounds lame:
  "in it's place was a brown plastic sign with the words spelled out in yellow script letters."
  Too much brown, too dull. Bah.
  Also included is a little bio for Mr. Collins that really didn't go anywhere. Messy divorce, drinking is the root of all evil, yadda yadda yadda. Still love these little profiles, and I always will.
  In general, it's a good solid look at Todd and Elizabeth, particularly their flaws. Liz tries to avoid conflict, which only winds up eating her up inside, leaving her to take out her emotions on unsuspecting people. She's also trying way too hard to copy Jessica's carefree attitude, but it's sort of endearing that she acknowledges that maybe she's a little too uptight at times. I get the feeling that if Liz weren't allegedly freakishly hot, she would be a big old dork. But since she is, they overlook her bookish ways for the most part. Ah, lucky.
  And we're posting this today because it's my birthday and it coincides nicely with Enid and her B plot storyline. Yay!