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Sweet Valley Sophomores | 2: Games People Play
Title: Games People Play
Fandom: Sweet Valley High
Universe: Pre-canon (sophomore year)
Genre: Drama
Rating: T
Word Count: 2,046
Summary: In which Bill Chase does the unthinkable: turns down a date with Jessica Wakefield.
Links: DW | FF.net | AO3
Wow, two weeks in a row?! I'm on a roll! =)
This is a pretty simple, straightforward little story, as it is basically pre-canon for one very specific book ~ #8 Heartbreaker, in which Jessica exacts the revenge that she vows by the end of this fic :P
Bill Chase is a lonely drifter at the beginning of SVH, one of the few who seems immune to the charms of the Wakefield twins. Only, of course, he's not - the twins are the splitting image of his dead ex-girlfriend, the one he mourned really hardcore before moving to the Valley. (Seriously, check out that link, it's a *great* rundown of the plot and the characters involved). His one grave mistake was turning down Jessica's invitation to the Sadie Hawkins dance, which he pays for - dearly - in book #8.
I wanted to write this story not only because it's a great place to slot in a little headcanon, but because the early editions of the SVH books had these 'character profiles' in the back, which go into great detail about some key "minor" players (Lila being the most major of them, but Bill Chase & Mr. Collins, the hunky English teacher, also get their time in the sun). Unfortunately, these tales of their backgrounds are all but completely disregarded as the series goes on - but, on the other hand, that makes them totally ripe for the picking. Bill's profile is the only one that really stays true to the character; his whole spiel in the middle of Heartbreaker is more or less a retread of the bonus profile section featured three books earlier.
I like characters with tragedy in their pasts, and Bill is certainly no exception. I tried to play up a bit of his hesitation when Jessica flirts with him, if only to hint that there was something beyond disinterest in his brushing her off. He can't accept her invitation because it's too hard to look at her without seeing his beloved Julianne - who just died a horrific death a couple of months earlier. Dude has problems, but also enough foresight to see that getting involved with Jessica Wakefield would lead to nothing but trouble.
Of course, eventually Bill's aversion to the twins because of their resemblance to his girlfriend morphs into him basically having gigantic crushes on them, for precisely that same reason. Jessica uses this mutation in Bill's feelings to her advantage in Heartbreaker. It's hard not to feel at least a little sorry for him when Jessica ensnares him, but he does eventually manage to break free.
Luckily :P
There are some other details thrown in to help establish the canon - Cara, the incontrovertible gossip, who still manages to have a better reputation than Caroline Pearce even though they tread the same waters; Lois Waller, the unfortunate "fat girl" whom everyone likes to make fun of; the trio of Winston, Todd, and Ken; Todd's hot-n-heavy relationship with Patsy Webber, which is the featured subplot of Heartbreakers; Tom McKay being a hit with the ladies, a good seventy books or so before he becomes the token questioning character. Lila's fling with Bruce is also canon, and is mentioned a lot at the beginning of the series. I think half the thrill Lila got out of that relationship was rubbing Jessica's nose in it, as she does here. After seeing their friendship from Lila's POV in the first installment of this series, we have a chance to look at it from Jessica's POV here, and its not really much different. They are constantly trying to one-up each other; its sort of the basis of their early canon friendship, LOL.
And, because I seem to have a penchant for titling my SVH fics after songs, here is "Games People Play" by the Alan Parsons Project:
My next idea, also inspired by the Summer Mini Challenge, is going to require a bit more research, so I don't know that it will be ready to go by next week. I'm looking to branch out of Lila-land for awhile, though, if only because the *other* ideas I've spawned revolve around her. Variety is the spice of life and all that, no? =)