Free Secrets by Francine Pascal

sick, plummeting sensation in her
    stomach. Anyone could have come along and seen it. No, not just anyone.
    Only one person in this house besides their mother would have gone into her room. Jessica.
    Suddenly it was all horribly clear. She was certain her sister had read the letter and told Ronnie about it. That would explain the strange mood Jessica had been in for the last week. Elizabeth knew her twin well enough to have a pretty good idea why she'd told, too. Nothing or nobody was going to stand in the way of Jessica getting crowned queen. Including Enid.
    Trembling with rage, she folded the letter and tucked it away in a drawer. She was so furious with Jessica at this moment that she could have strangled her.
     

 

     
     

    Eleven
     
    "Enid!" Surprise was stamped on Nora Dalton's pale features as she opened the door to her apartment to find Enid standing there. "What on earth are you doing here?"
    "I--I hope you don't mind, Ms. Dalton," Enid said haltingly, "but I really had to talk to you, and since you haven't been at school ..." She let her voice trail off as she took in the unfamiliar sight of Ms. Dalton wearing a bathrobe in the middle of the afternoon.
    "Of course I don't mind. It's just ..." She touched her straight black hair as if wondering if she'd remembered to comb it. "I wasn't expecting company. You'll have to forgive me if I look a mess. I haven't been very well these last couple of days."
    "I, uh, heard you were sick. I'm really sorry if I'm bothering you."
    Enid reddened, suddenly feeling terribly awkward. She'd been so wrapped up in her own problem, she hadn't given much consideration to the ordeal her teacher must have been suffering at the hands of Sweet Valley High's gossip hounds.
    "You're not bothering me, Enid. Come in. I'm glad you came." Nora Dalton looked thinner and paler than the last time Enid had seen her. There were faint purplish smudges under her eyes.
    They sat on the couch in the slanting late-afternoon sunlight while Enid poured out her story. Talking to her mother had been difficult ever since the divorce--Mom had enough problems of her own without being dumped on by her kids, Enid figured. But she'd always felt free to confide in Ms. Dalton, sort of like an older sister. The three days she had been absent seemed like the longest days A Enid's life.
    "I'm probably the last person who should be advising you about this," Ms. Dalton said quietly when Enid had finished. "But I certainly know how you feel. It's not easy being convicted without a trial, is it?"
    "The worst part is knowing it was your best friend who put your head in the noose."
    Ms. Dalton shook her head slowly. "I still can't believe Liz would do such a thing."
    "Who else could it be?"
    "I don't know, but there has to be another explanation. Why would Liz want to hurt you? She's your best friend."
    "Maybe it's like Jessica said. It just slipped out. But she knew how important it was to me that no one find out. That's what really hurts. It's like my feelings didn't matter to her at all."
    "What does Liz have to say about all this?" Ms. Dalton asked, her hazel eyes filled with sympathy.
    "She denies it, of course."
    "Have you considered the possibility that maybe she's telling the truth?"
    Enid stared at the carpet. "I--I guess I've been too busy being mad to really listen to Liz."
    "You should listen, you know. No one should be condemned before all the testimony is in. If you don't trust Liz, aren't you doing the same thing to her that Ronnie did to you?"
    "I never thought about it that way," Enid said sheepishly.
    "Talk to Liz. I'm sure she'll understand. She knows how upset you've been. Sometimes people don't think things through when they're hurting."
    Enid got the feeling Ms. Dalton knew all too well what she was going through. The latest rumor around school was that Lila's father had broken off with her.
    "I doubt if Liz is still speaking to me," Enid said. "I haven't exactly been overly friendly to her