Sweet Valley High #6: Dangerous Love
Publication Date: March 1984
Elizabeth has the stupidest problem in the world. Todd has bought himself a motorcycle but the Wakefield family has a strict no-motorcycle policy ever since the twins’ cousin Rexy died on one three years ago. For reasons passing understanding, Elizabeth is afraid to tell Todd she’s not allowed to ride with him. It’s a huge non-problem that she spends way too much time fretting about. The first day Todd rides his bike to school, Liz forces herself to tell him the truth.
After school, the entire student body goes to the Dairi Burger. The owners, the Doherty brothers, have refurbished the whole place and today is the grand re-opening. Jessica arrives with Danny Stauffer in his red Trans-Am, which Danny accidentally bumps into a purple van belonging to Jerry “Crunch” McAllister. Crunch dropped out of school after a knee injury made him quit football a few months ago, and now he spends his days getting drunk at the Shady Lady across the street from the Dairi Burger.
Just as Crunch is about to start wailing on Danny, Todd shows up on his motorcycle. Crunch is distracted by the shiny thing and Todd lets him take a spin. Elizabeth is upset, however, because Todd showed up with Mandy Farmer on the back of the bike, and she was wearing the hot pink helmet Todd had bought for Liz. Todd explains they were just working on a school project together. He offers to talk to Liz’s parents about how safe bikes actually are. Unsurprisingly, a TED talk about motorcycle safety from their daughter’s sixteen-year-old boyfriend does not convince them to change their rule.
Todd keeps giving rides to anyone who asks for one, but he gets jealous when Liz catches a ride to the Dairi Burger one day with Guy Chesney. They have a talk and it’s fine. Todd tells Liz the second seat on his bike is reserved for her, even if she never uses it. Aww.
Enid’s sixteenth birthday party is coming up and Jessica wants Enid to introduce her to her cousin, Brian, who attends UCLA. At first Enid says no, but changes her mind when she decides the past is in the past. This is irrelevant and it really could have been any boy she goes to the party with, so I don’t know why all the talk about Enid’s cousin.
1984 Yamaha XV 750 Virago
The party is at the country club, where all the best parties are. Todd doesn’t show up until midnight, after the party has already moved to a club called Caravan. When he finally gets there, he tells Liz he’s selling the bike to Crunch McAllister. That’s where he was all night, watching Crunch celebrate with an entire bar’s worth of beers. Enid’s mom, who stayed behind to clean up, offers Liz a ride to Caravan, but Liz decides she’ll take this one ride with Todd before he sells the motorcycle.
Jessica and Brian are making out at Miller’s Point when Jess gets a twin premonition. She asks Brian to take her to Caravan to see if Liz made it. On the way there they come upon an accident. Crunch McAllister and his purple van drunkenly crashed into Todd’s bike. Todd and Crunch are fine, but Liz is in a coma. Since Todd decided he wouldn’t give anymore rides, he stopped toting the second helmet around, so Liz wasn’t wearing one.
Todd, the Wakefields, and Mr. Collins all hang around the hospital all night. The Wakefield parents and brother Steven are furious with Todd for letting Liz get on the motorcycle, but Mr. Collins and his crinkly eyes intervene and mediate. The book ends with Liz still in a coma. The doctor warns that she suffered a blow to the head, and if she wakes up she might have brain damage. The End.
Best Outfit: Jessica
Notes:
1. Todd the gentleman doesn’t let Liz wear his helmet. Just saying.
2. Todd’s bike is a Yamaha 750 Virago. I don’t know motorcycles, but my boyfriend does and he says that’s a good bike. In case you were wondering.
3. As a kid, whenever Guy Chesney showed up I had a little giggle at the name Guy. I don’t know if it’s supposed to be pronounced Ghee, but I’m gonna keep saying Guy because it amuses me.
4. I almost forgot to mention this. The project Todd has been working on is with Mandy and Winston. By the end of the book, Mandy and Winston are a couple.
5. Shout out to Jessica’s party outfit, a black and white satin jumpsuit with tiny spaghetti straps.
