Sweet Valley High #18: Head Over Heels

Publication Date: April 1985

The school is putting together a carnival to raise money for handicapped kids and Elizabeth is the chairperson. Skye Morrow, Regina’s mom, is the parent advisor.

Bruce Patman and Regina Morrow have been seeing each other lately. Lila knows Bruce is a sore subject for Jessica so she needles her about how much better Bruce treats Regina than he treated Jessica. Jessica bets Lila that they’ll break up before the carnival in two weeks. Whoever loses has to write the other’s term paper. Jessica has no idea if they’ll really break up, so she has to resort to crazy antics to make it happen. We’ll get back to that later.

Regina has dinner with the Patman family, during which Mrs. Patman yells everything she says to Regina because that’s how stupid people talk to deaf people. She asks about Regina’s mom being the parent advisor for the carnival, saying she thought she’d be given that job. Regina suggests Mrs. Patman call her mother and get involved. When she learns the Fowlers are donating the lumber to build the booths, Mrs. Patman says of course she’ll contribute something. After dinner, when they’re alone, Bruce tells Regina he loves her. This is new for both of them. Regina’s never had a boyfriend before, and Bruce has never had feelings before.

Mrs. Patman does indeed call Mrs. Morrow and says the Patmans will match whatever the carnival raises. She’s really pretentious about the whole thing and Skye gets a headache. She’s been getting a lot of those lately and her husband is worried about her. He remembers how fun and carefree she was before she caused Regina’s deafness by taking a bunch of diet pills while she was pregnant.

Mr. Morrow finds a doctor in Switzerland who might be able to restore Regina’s hearing. The family surprises Regina with the news and they are stunned when she doesn’t jump for joy at the idea of living in Switzerland by herself for a year. She says she isn’t going and runs out of the room.

Liz meets with Mrs. Morrow about the carnival and Skye tells this sixteen-year-old kid everything. About Switzerland, about the diet pills, everything. She asks Liz to try to change Regina’s mind about the treatment. It sounds to Liz like Regina didn’t mention Bruce as a reason not to go, but she’s sure he’s the main reason she doesn’t want to go.

Ken Matthews is running for president of the Sweet Valley Centennial Student Committee, whatever that is. He’s unopposed until a week before the election. Then Bruce decides to run against him and Jessica sees an opportunity to sabotage his relationship with Regina. The scheme is convoluted, but all her schemes are. This one starts with suggesting a mother-daughter fashion show at the carnival featuring Regina and Skye. She goes to the Morrow house to recruit them and just happens to mention the election and the rumor (that she just started) that Bruce is only dating Regina to boost his popularity and win. He didn’t even tell Regina he was running.

When Regina asks Bruce about the election he says he doesn’t want to talk about it. It was for some reason going to be a surprise for Regina when he won so he hasn’t mentioned it to her. She assumes, well, I’m not sure when she assumes but she throws the necklace he gave her at him and tells him she never wants to see him again. Jesus Christ, that escalated quickly. She tells her parents she’s going to go to Switzerland and get the treatment. She leaves Friday morning.

The Morrows have invited a boy to spend the weekend with them. His name is Donald, he’s eighteen, and he underwent the treatment the Morrows want Regina to get. They hope he’ll be able to change Regina’s mind. Jessica met him and flirted with him when she went to ask about the fashion show. So when Todd and Liz go to the Morrow house Donald flirts with Liz and gets Todd all pissed off. Liz doesn’t understand what’s going on even though she knows she has an identical twin who was at the Morrow house yesterday. Todd is so mad about it that he doesn’t speak to Liz the entire next day. He’s such a dick. Liz doesn’t figure it out until Jessica mentions the cute boy she met. She calls Todd and explains and they’re fine, don’t worry.

Word has spread about Bruce and Regina breaking up. Jessica is relieved she won’t have to write a term paper, but then she starts worrying that Lila will do a bad job on it. So I guess it was totally worth ruining someone else’s relationship.

Bruce begs Liz to talk to him about Regina. He doesn’t know why she broke up with him. Liz tells him it’s because she thought he was using her to win the election. He jumps up, ready to go explain and kiss and make up. But then Liz tells him about Switzerland. He wants her to get the treatment but he doesn’t want to let her go without telling her he loves her. Remember, he’s new to having feelings so he doesn’t know what to do.

In the end, Bruce decides to write Regina a letter and have Liz sneak it into her suitcase so she won’t find it until after she leaves. She finds it when she’s on the plane and she’s happy. Back in Sweet Valley, Liz tells the rest of the carnival committee about Bruce’s heroic sacrifice, so now everyone wants to vote for Bruce for the centennial thing.

Bruce wins the election and the carnival raises a bunch of money. Lila gets a B-minus on her term paper but only a D on Jessica’s, and that’s pretty funny.

The End

Things to know:

1.     Enid’s boyfriend George is taking flying lessons. I’m sure nothing terrible will happen.

2.     Lila meets a handsome construction worker who works for her father’s company. She thinks he’s odd when he doesn’t fall to his knees when she says she’s the boss’s daughter. She wants to get to know him better.