I feel so low tonight

Jealous Lies
September 1986

Someone doesn't want Jean in Pi Beta Alpha-
her best friend, Sandra.

Backstabber...


   It's pledge season for Pi Beta Alpha, and everyone in the exclusive Sweet Valley sorority expects Sandra Bacon to nominate her best friend, Jean West. But Sandra's tired of always hearing about Jean's perfect figure, terrific grades, and fantastic cheerleading. The sorority is the only thing Sandra has that Jean doesn't, and even though Jean is her best friend, Sandra wants to keep Pi Beta Alpha for herself.
   When Sandra unwillingly becomes Jean's pledge sponsor, she's determined to do everything she can to insure Jean doesn't make it through the pledge period. But how far can Sandra go and still remain friends with Jean?


  Sandy Bacon is one of those characters who reduces me to my fourth grade self. Mostly I snicker like a fool whenever I read her last name. Also, I really crave breakfast foods. Go figure. Aside from that, she also reminds me of how I felt in fourth/fifth grade. Like Sandy, I had a really close friend who I thought was smarter, prettier, nicer, better, more fantastical than I could ever hope of being. Unlike Sandy, I never intentionally set her up for absolute failure. I figured all her 'better than me' stuff came at a price, namely, I had a summer vacation [and spring, winter, and any other extended period of time off from school] and she... well, she didn't. I could read SVH and she had to read the classics. I could eat junk food and the closest she came was making the most disgusting Jell-o concoctions known to mankind that none of us would ever eat.
  But enough of me, that's for later anyway.

  Sandy and Jeanie West are best friends. They're mentioned off and on throughout the series thus far, although we know more about Sandy than Jeanie at this point. We know Sandy's a klutz and not so hot under pressure [her wipe-out during the great cheerleading tryout debacle] but pretty funny all the same. Jeanie is Sandy's best friend and an excellent cheerleader, one of the nicer ones in fact, but that's about it.
  With this in mind, we step into a whole mess of insecurities. Jeanie's not only an ace cheerleader, she's an A student, really sweet, really nice, really pretty, and sophisticated. No jeans for Jean. Nope, she's all about the skirts and dresses, although I suspect the occasional trouser sneaks its way into her wardrobe. She's a girlie girl with an athletic side.
  Sandy feels painfully average next to her overachieving best friend. Been there, honey. The one thing Sandy has that Jeanie doesn't is membership in PBA. Jean's all excited over joining and really, really wants into the sorority, but Sandy would rather keep her best friend out. She's sure that the moment Jean gets in, she'll dump Sandy after having realized that Sandy's just plain boring. Which isn't exactly an irrational fear, considering how horrible girl world can be. That said, Jeanie's usually described as really pretty, really nice, and Sandy's best friend. I think she knows you're average by now, Miss Bacon. Or maybe, y'know, she sees you in a better light than you see yourself.
  All of this is beyond Sandy, although it must be pointed out that she's well aware that she's being nutty about this whole thing. Figuring too many questions will come up if she doesn't, Sandy nominates Jeanie for PBA. Jeanie's so popular that three or four girls all second her at the same time. Not even Amy Sutton got that kind of love. Since she's the one who nominated Jean, Sandy is her pledge sponsor. It's her job to make sure that Jean finishes all her pledge tasks and makes it into the sorority. Except, y'know, she totally stabs Jean in the back.

  Their first task is to get a certain assigned guy to go with them to a pledge party at Cara's. Upon hearing that Tom McKay isn't all that fond of Jeanie, Sandy suggests that Tom be Jean's assigned date. Lila's not so sure about this, since the general consensus among the kids at school is that after Jessica screwed with his emotions so long, Tom's given up on the female sex forever. She ruined him for all girls. I'd totally forgotten this little tidbit and snorted Pepsi. Foreshadowing! Anyway, Lila relents and Jean is assigned Tom. In an uncharacteristic show of kindness, Lila offers her expertise on guys in an effort to help Jeanie snag her boytoy. It works [like there was any doubt] and Sandy is more than a little miffed. Her plan did not include Tom falling for Jeanie's charms. Still, him standing her up would be even better/worse than just shooting her down to begin with, so she heads over to the mall one afternoon and lets it slip that Jean may or may not have asked him to Cara's party as a pledge prank.
  Tom ain't thrilled about this, especially since he's had a crush on Jean for awhile and fallen even harder since she asked him out. So, he blows her off. Sort of. He calls her well after he should have been there, saying she should grab a sandwich or something, he's on his way. Hours pass and then he calls again, claiming to be at the hospital with food poisoning. Jean heads to the party where Sandy suggests that Jean call and verify Tom's story. Jean is pissed that Sandy is humiliating her, but does it. He's not there, hasn't been there, and poor Jeanie's up shit creek without a paddle. Until she decides that she'll get Tom back by pretending she believed him, getting him to go with her to the Friday the Thirteenth dance, and then when she's supposed to ask him to dance, she'll call out some other boy's name. The PBA girls are all atwitter over this and readily agree.
  Sandy's pissed but what can she do? Doesn't matter. Jeanie falls for Tom and realizes she can't publicly humiliate him, so she never tells him that she's being given the honor of the first dance [as is Dana] since Friday is her birthday, and confesses to Sandy that she's fallen for Tom.
  Then Tom tells Jean that it was Sandy who told him about the pledge party and Jean is crushed. Why would Sandy do this to her? All she wanted was to join PBA so she could spend even MORE time with Sandy... But she decides not to confront Sandy about the knife sticking out of her back, figuring Sandy will either fess up or... I dunno, she'll die from blood loss.

  At the dance, everyone is all freaked out when Jean calls Tom's name, and they're ready to boot her right then and there. Sandy stands up to them and says it was all her fault. She sabotaged Jeanie's first date because she was jealous of her perfect best friend, and had she not done that, Jean would have been a shoo in for PBA. So let Jean in and kick Sandy out.
  Sandy and Jean hug and make up, and the witches of PBA consider their options. In a rare moment of non-bitchery, they decide to keep both girls. It's all very touching.

  On the flip side, we can't have a SVH novel without some Wakefield drama, and this go round we're back to Steven. Steven has decides to drop out of SVU and get a job on his roommate's father's cruise ship. He expects everyone to tell him what a complete ass he's being, but instead they've all listened to Saint Elizabeth and are pretending they think it's great. Naturally her plan works and Steve eventually snaps out of it, but for awhile he actually thinks Cara would wait around without seeing [or really hearing from]him for seven to nine months. Idiot. When I haven't just read a Steven storyline, I think he's fab. When I have, I think he's a giant dumbass. Although, I do feel for him considering he's pretty much going to be in school for a giant chunk of his natural life. Sucker.

Trivial Pursuit:

• Li is pledge chairman. She takes this job fairly seriously. Yay, Lila!


• Jeanie: Long glossy, dark brown hair, big green eyes, perfect white skin, petite, fast metabolism, no jeans, only skirts/dresses, A student, award winning flutist, fabulous dancer, great cook.


• Jessica nominates Amy for PBA. Cara seconds it.


• Sandy nominates Jean and three or four other girls rush to second it.


• Winston is sending Lovegrams, a paper airplane made from a love note. Li is not amused.


• There's mention of Orion High in reference to tennis. Orion. High. I lack the words...


• Tom McKay's got a thing for Jeanie, but whenever he tries to talk to her she lacks the social skills to make much of a go at it.


• Tom's blond, clean-cut, a tennis freak, science whiz, and an outdoor junkie.


• Steven's roommate is Bob Rose. Mr. Rose, Bob's father, owns the Bellefleur, a cruise ship.


• Tom works at the Tennis Shop, located in Valley Mall. Not even our preppiest of malls has a tennis shop in it.


• Jean West and Dana Larson share the same birthday. It happens to be the 13th of some month, given that they get the birthday honors at the Friday the 13th dance.


• Penny Ayala is on the dance committee.


• Caroline is the head of the dance committee.


• Most shocking of all? Neither of the twins is mentioned as being involved in said dance committee. The end of days is nigh!


• Jean got $100 when a bond her grandparents bought her matured. I thought of Monopoly, how about you?


• Cara's pledge party starts at 8:30 on Saturday night.


• Amy's date was Aaron Dallas.


• Sandy's mother has a Toyota.


• Tom pretends he has food poisoning when he founds out that Jean asked him out as a sorority thing.


• Tom and Jean have a picnic in front of SVH. Jean isn't too thrilled about it, but they have fun.


• Tom mentions he has brothers. I know about, uh, Dylan? From SVT. Who else?


• Jean's oldest brother is Richard.


• Jeanie is afraid of heights, but she manages to make it up to the top of the Ferris Wheel with Tom and they kiss. Aww.


• Pledge pranks abound:


• "Leslie Decker had had to recite a poem in the middle of the corridor; Janice Young and Becky White had had to steal towels from the boys' locker room, and Amy Sutton had to walk backward for an entire day." All we've heard Jean having to do is get Tom to go to two dances with her. Uh, favoritism much? Even if she IS supposed to crush him... though why anyone would care who she picked to dance with first, I dunno.


• Clinton Falls Amusement Park is the site of Tom/Jean's first kiss.


• Dana picks Jerry Novak as her dance partner.


• Jeffrey appears on page 126, but they've been dropping hints for the last two books.

Quote Me:

  "I believe the whole point of having a club is to keep people out."
  "Daddy," Jessica protested, pouting, "it isn't like that at all. Tell them it isn't, Liz." - Jessica's appealing to the wrong girl. p6

He was exactly the kind of guy most girls dreamed about, but he seldom dated. The last girl he'd gone with was Jessica Wakefield, and a few people joked that she had turned him off the female sex forever, having strung him along until someone better came along. - so, so true. p20




   Not the hardest book to get through, and one I could relate to more than a little. I get Sandy feeling second best, I can even understand her thinking that once she and Jean were completely even, Jean, whom she saw as infinitely superior, wouldn't need her, years of friendship aside. I don't think I ever got her sabotaging Jean, but I do understand desperate measures and hoping the other person never finds out.
  But my absolute favorite little twist comes when we realize that for as awesome as Sandy thinks Jean is, the general population of SVH isn't quite so sure. I love that it never occurs to Sandy that her best friend is anything less than perfect and that all the things she admires in Jeanie are things that make other people pause and think, "Hmm, bitch?"
  Also, for years I was convinced that the blond with the unfortunate bangs was Jeanie and that the brunette was Sandy. I don't know how in the hell I could ever have thought this since I own the other Sandy-centric book and it's very clear that she's got short, blond hair and a tendency to look around 30... but yeah. I think my little kid mind decided Jeanie was prettier but looked self assured, which I was positive Jean West was, so that the cover had switched them around. Ignoring, I suppose, the numerous occasions where Jeanie was described as a brunette, and once they went so far as to wax poetically about her ebony hair. For future reference, ebony does not equal dark brown hair, writer of the week.
  The other surprising bit is that when presented with a perfect moment to go batshit crazy, Jean doesn't. She's sure that Sandy had a reason, and she'll try and wait for it. And then it doesn't work, but Jean still tries. Hey, it isn't often you get actual friends in these books, not just frenemies. Also love that they acknowledge that sisters fight, which is something a lot of books gloss over when comparing friendship to sisterhood. My best friends? Sisters. They fight/backstab/annoy the piss out of each other on an hourly basis at times. A little less backstabbing and you can use the same mental picture to describe our friendship. :P
   Oh, I thought the big thing with Robin getting into PBA last go round was that it was essentially her last shot at the sorority... I know the books cycle through time in an endless loop, but if we're still referencing Robin's blackballing, it only stands to reason that we might still remember that little tidbit. Or did I just make up the whole thing? Sleep deprivation...

I feel so low tonight

Jealous Lies
September 1986

Someone doesn't want Jean in Pi Beta Alpha-
her best friend, Sandra.

Backstabber...


   It's pledge season for Pi Beta Alpha, and everyone in the exclusive Sweet Valley sorority expects Sandra Bacon to nominate her best friend, Jean West. But Sandra's tired of always hearing about Jean's perfect figure, terrific grades, and fantastic cheerleading. The sorority is the only thing Sandra has that Jean doesn't, and even though Jean is her best friend, Sandra wants to keep Pi Beta Alpha for herself.
   When Sandra unwillingly becomes Jean's pledge sponsor, she's determined to do everything she can to insure Jean doesn't make it through the pledge period. But how far can Sandra go and still remain friends with Jean?


  Sandy Bacon is one of those characters who reduces me to my fourth grade self. Mostly I snicker like a fool whenever I read her last name. Also, I really crave breakfast foods. Go figure. Aside from that, she also reminds me of how I felt in fourth/fifth grade. Like Sandy, I had a really close friend who I thought was smarter, prettier, nicer, better, more fantastical than I could ever hope of being. Unlike Sandy, I never intentionally set her up for absolute failure. I figured all her 'better than me' stuff came at a price, namely, I had a summer vacation [and spring, winter, and any other extended period of time off from school] and she... well, she didn't. I could read SVH and she had to read the classics. I could eat junk food and the closest she came was making the most disgusting Jell-o concoctions known to mankind that none of us would ever eat.
  But enough of me, that's for later anyway.

  Sandy and Jeanie West are best friends. They're mentioned off and on throughout the series thus far, although we know more about Sandy than Jeanie at this point. We know Sandy's a klutz and not so hot under pressure [her wipe-out during the great cheerleading tryout debacle] but pretty funny all the same. Jeanie is Sandy's best friend and an excellent cheerleader, one of the nicer ones in fact, but that's about it.
  With this in mind, we step into a whole mess of insecurities. Jeanie's not only an ace cheerleader, she's an A student, really sweet, really nice, really pretty, and sophisticated. No jeans for Jean. Nope, she's all about the skirts and dresses, although I suspect the occasional trouser sneaks its way into her wardrobe. She's a girlie girl with an athletic side.
  Sandy feels painfully average next to her overachieving best friend. Been there, honey. The one thing Sandy has that Jeanie doesn't is membership in PBA. Jean's all excited over joining and really, really wants into the sorority, but Sandy would rather keep her best friend out. She's sure that the moment Jean gets in, she'll dump Sandy after having realized that Sandy's just plain boring. Which isn't exactly an irrational fear, considering how horrible girl world can be. That said, Jeanie's usually described as really pretty, really nice, and Sandy's best friend. I think she knows you're average by now, Miss Bacon. Or maybe, y'know, she sees you in a better light than you see yourself.
  All of this is beyond Sandy, although it must be pointed out that she's well aware that she's being nutty about this whole thing. Figuring too many questions will come up if she doesn't, Sandy nominates Jeanie for PBA. Jeanie's so popular that three or four girls all second her at the same time. Not even Amy Sutton got that kind of love. Since she's the one who nominated Jean, Sandy is her pledge sponsor. It's her job to make sure that Jean finishes all her pledge tasks and makes it into the sorority. Except, y'know, she totally stabs Jean in the back.

  Their first task is to get a certain assigned guy to go with them to a pledge party at Cara's. Upon hearing that Tom McKay isn't all that fond of Jeanie, Sandy suggests that Tom be Jean's assigned date. Lila's not so sure about this, since the general consensus among the kids at school is that after Jessica screwed with his emotions so long, Tom's given up on the female sex forever. She ruined him for all girls. I'd totally forgotten this little tidbit and snorted Pepsi. Foreshadowing! Anyway, Lila relents and Jean is assigned Tom. In an uncharacteristic show of kindness, Lila offers her expertise on guys in an effort to help Jeanie snag her boytoy. It works [like there was any doubt] and Sandy is more than a little miffed. Her plan did not include Tom falling for Jeanie's charms. Still, him standing her up would be even better/worse than just shooting her down to begin with, so she heads over to the mall one afternoon and lets it slip that Jean may or may not have asked him to Cara's party as a pledge prank.
  Tom ain't thrilled about this, especially since he's had a crush on Jean for awhile and fallen even harder since she asked him out. So, he blows her off. Sort of. He calls her well after he should have been there, saying she should grab a sandwich or something, he's on his way. Hours pass and then he calls again, claiming to be at the hospital with food poisoning. Jean heads to the party where Sandy suggests that Jean call and verify Tom's story. Jean is pissed that Sandy is humiliating her, but does it. He's not there, hasn't been there, and poor Jeanie's up shit creek without a paddle. Until she decides that she'll get Tom back by pretending she believed him, getting him to go with her to the Friday the Thirteenth dance, and then when she's supposed to ask him to dance, she'll call out some other boy's name. The PBA girls are all atwitter over this and readily agree.
  Sandy's pissed but what can she do? Doesn't matter. Jeanie falls for Tom and realizes she can't publicly humiliate him, so she never tells him that she's being given the honor of the first dance [as is Dana] since Friday is her birthday, and confesses to Sandy that she's fallen for Tom.
  Then Tom tells Jean that it was Sandy who told him about the pledge party and Jean is crushed. Why would Sandy do this to her? All she wanted was to join PBA so she could spend even MORE time with Sandy... But she decides not to confront Sandy about the knife sticking out of her back, figuring Sandy will either fess up or... I dunno, she'll die from blood loss.

  At the dance, everyone is all freaked out when Jean calls Tom's name, and they're ready to boot her right then and there. Sandy stands up to them and says it was all her fault. She sabotaged Jeanie's first date because she was jealous of her perfect best friend, and had she not done that, Jean would have been a shoo in for PBA. So let Jean in and kick Sandy out.
  Sandy and Jean hug and make up, and the witches of PBA consider their options. In a rare moment of non-bitchery, they decide to keep both girls. It's all very touching.

  On the flip side, we can't have a SVH novel without some Wakefield drama, and this go round we're back to Steven. Steven has decides to drop out of SVU and get a job on his roommate's father's cruise ship. He expects everyone to tell him what a complete ass he's being, but instead they've all listened to Saint Elizabeth and are pretending they think it's great. Naturally her plan works and Steve eventually snaps out of it, but for awhile he actually thinks Cara would wait around without seeing [or really hearing from]him for seven to nine months. Idiot. When I haven't just read a Steven storyline, I think he's fab. When I have, I think he's a giant dumbass. Although, I do feel for him considering he's pretty much going to be in school for a giant chunk of his natural life. Sucker.

Trivial Pursuit:

• Li is pledge chairman. She takes this job fairly seriously. Yay, Lila!


• Jeanie: Long glossy, dark brown hair, big green eyes, perfect white skin, petite, fast metabolism, no jeans, only skirts/dresses, A student, award winning flutist, fabulous dancer, great cook.


• Jessica nominates Amy for PBA. Cara seconds it.


• Sandy nominates Jean and three or four other girls rush to second it.


• Winston is sending Lovegrams, a paper airplane made from a love note. Li is not amused.


• There's mention of Orion High in reference to tennis. Orion. High. I lack the words...


• Tom McKay's got a thing for Jeanie, but whenever he tries to talk to her she lacks the social skills to make much of a go at it.


• Tom's blond, clean-cut, a tennis freak, science whiz, and an outdoor junkie.


• Steven's roommate is Bob Rose. Mr. Rose, Bob's father, owns the Bellefleur, a cruise ship.


• Tom works at the Tennis Shop, located in Valley Mall. Not even our preppiest of malls has a tennis shop in it.


• Jean West and Dana Larson share the same birthday. It happens to be the 13th of some month, given that they get the birthday honors at the Friday the 13th dance.


• Penny Ayala is on the dance committee.


• Caroline is the head of the dance committee.


• Most shocking of all? Neither of the twins is mentioned as being involved in said dance committee. The end of days is nigh!


• Jean got $100 when a bond her grandparents bought her matured. I thought of Monopoly, how about you?


• Cara's pledge party starts at 8:30 on Saturday night.


• Amy's date was Aaron Dallas.


• Sandy's mother has a Toyota.


• Tom pretends he has food poisoning when he founds out that Jean asked him out as a sorority thing.


• Tom and Jean have a picnic in front of SVH. Jean isn't too thrilled about it, but they have fun.


• Tom mentions he has brothers. I know about, uh, Dylan? From SVT. Who else?


• Jean's oldest brother is Richard.


• Jeanie is afraid of heights, but she manages to make it up to the top of the Ferris Wheel with Tom and they kiss. Aww.


• Pledge pranks abound:


• "Leslie Decker had had to recite a poem in the middle of the corridor; Janice Young and Becky White had had to steal towels from the boys' locker room, and Amy Sutton had to walk backward for an entire day." All we've heard Jean having to do is get Tom to go to two dances with her. Uh, favoritism much? Even if she IS supposed to crush him... though why anyone would care who she picked to dance with first, I dunno.


• Clinton Falls Amusement Park is the site of Tom/Jean's first kiss.


• Dana picks Jerry Novak as her dance partner.


• Jeffrey appears on page 126, but they've been dropping hints for the last two books.

Quote Me:

  "I believe the whole point of having a club is to keep people out."
  "Daddy," Jessica protested, pouting, "it isn't like that at all. Tell them it isn't, Liz." - Jessica's appealing to the wrong girl. p6

He was exactly the kind of guy most girls dreamed about, but he seldom dated. The last girl he'd gone with was Jessica Wakefield, and a few people joked that she had turned him off the female sex forever, having strung him along until someone better came along. - so, so true. p20




   Not the hardest book to get through, and one I could relate to more than a little. I get Sandy feeling second best, I can even understand her thinking that once she and Jean were completely even, Jean, whom she saw as infinitely superior, wouldn't need her, years of friendship aside. I don't think I ever got her sabotaging Jean, but I do understand desperate measures and hoping the other person never finds out.
  But my absolute favorite little twist comes when we realize that for as awesome as Sandy thinks Jean is, the general population of SVH isn't quite so sure. I love that it never occurs to Sandy that her best friend is anything less than perfect and that all the things she admires in Jeanie are things that make other people pause and think, "Hmm, bitch?"
  Also, for years I was convinced that the blond with the unfortunate bangs was Jeanie and that the brunette was Sandy. I don't know how in the hell I could ever have thought this since I own the other Sandy-centric book and it's very clear that she's got short, blond hair and a tendency to look around 30... but yeah. I think my little kid mind decided Jeanie was prettier but looked self assured, which I was positive Jean West was, so that the cover had switched them around. Ignoring, I suppose, the numerous occasions where Jeanie was described as a brunette, and once they went so far as to wax poetically about her ebony hair. For future reference, ebony does not equal dark brown hair, writer of the week.
  The other surprising bit is that when presented with a perfect moment to go batshit crazy, Jean doesn't. She's sure that Sandy had a reason, and she'll try and wait for it. And then it doesn't work, but Jean still tries. Hey, it isn't often you get actual friends in these books, not just frenemies. Also love that they acknowledge that sisters fight, which is something a lot of books gloss over when comparing friendship to sisterhood. My best friends? Sisters. They fight/backstab/annoy the piss out of each other on an hourly basis at times. A little less backstabbing and you can use the same mental picture to describe our friendship. :P
   Oh, I thought the big thing with Robin getting into PBA last go round was that it was essentially her last shot at the sorority... I know the books cycle through time in an endless loop, but if we're still referencing Robin's blackballing, it only stands to reason that we might still remember that little tidbit. Or did I just make up the whole thing? Sleep deprivation...