SVH Senior Year #21: The It Guy
First, I'd like to call the publisher on the cover of this book.



When has there ever, in the history of Sweet Valley, been a book about a happy teenage couple? Look at them! They're all nuzzly and intimate. FALSE ADVERTISING, I CRY!!!! Relationships in Sweet Valley never last more than a couple of books, and if they do, one of them either winds up dead or they become a boring old couple (*cough*LizandTodd*cough*). Happy nuzzling is right out. And let's not even get started on the interracial aspect...

The A Plot:
In the book previous, which I don't have, Will Simmons is badly injured during a football game. Enough so that Ken Matthews, who's been playing second-string quarterback, has to finish the game as Will is taken off to the hospital. He plays phenomenally, of course, leading the team to a rousing victory and winning back the affection of his loser father. The morning after the game, Ken is in the greatest mood ever. He's a little sore, but even that makes him happy, since it reminds him of his awesome athletic prowess. It's a good thing he's so humble. The previous night's game goes so well, a bunch of cheerleaders drop off a "spirit package," a basket full of goodies given to a player of note after a particularly exciting football victory. I've never heard of anything like this, but I'm not American, so maybe it really does exist. Ken's dad is all happy about the game, his athlete son, and Ken being acknowledged with a spirit package. But since dad didn't want to have anything to do with him when he was just sitting on the bench, Ken doesn't want to hear it. He takes off for the library instead, which... yeah, actually I kind of have to give Ken kudos for that.

When Maria wakes up, she calls Ken to congratulate him on the game, since she apparently hadn't had the chance the night before, despite the fact she was there. Um, okay then. Ken's dad answers the phone, and tells her a bunch of cheerleaders came over early that morning, and he hasn't seen Ken for almost an hour. Clearly, Mr. Matthews is working on that Father of the Year award. Although considering his competition includes the Wakefields and Lila's neglectful pa, he might still have a shot.

Later that day, Ken and Maria talk on the phone. Ken explains about the spirit package and that he was at the library, not out with the cheerleaders, but he feels a little resentful that Maria hasn't even congratulated him on the game yet. The coach calls on the other line, and Ken takes the call to find out Will's been hurt badly enough that he'll be out of the game for the rest of the year. He may never play again. Ken has mixed feelings on this; it means he now has a chance at a sports scholarship. For the record, may I just say that scholarships for jocks seems like a really stupid idea to me? You're gonna pay this kid to come to your university so he can play sports, regardless of what his grades look like? Wouldn't that money be better spent on a kid who really wants the higher education, who wants to learn? I don't know, maybe it's just me. (Sorry, that rant had very little to do with Sweet Valley...) Um, anyway, Ken gets back to Maria, after having had her on hold for quite awhile. She tries to talk to him about Conner's recent weirdness, but Ken doesn't want to hear about it. His mind is still on football, and he's not keen on Conner anyway, knowing Maria was madly in love with him earlier in the year. He's miffed that she hasn't said a word about the big game, and she's ticked that he's brushing off her concerns. All in all, a good discussion.

At school the next day, Maria waits by her locker for Ken, but he's late. Turns out he was held up by all the legions of adoring fans. after he played in one game, everyone wants a piece of Ken. And while he was willing to brush his fickle dad aside, he's basking in the attention of the kids at school. Um, okay then. Maria is concerned at the difference, but tries to tell herself she's just being paranoid.

Also totally unrelated to anything, there's a blatantly gay moment during a football practice between Ken and Todd that made me giggle because I have roughly the maturity of a six-year-old, so I must share.

Ken heard the loud grunt...just a few feet to his left, arms outstretched like a wild animal. He lunged forward, feeling a hand slap against his thigh. Come on, Todd.

Yeah, awesome. So anyway, Coach is going on and on about how wonderful Ken is at all the practices, and now that Will is ineligible for the big Michigan scholarship, they have their eye on Ken. After practice, all the guys decide to go visit Will in the hospital. Ken's not sure it's a good idea for him to come along; after all, if he were the injured one, he wouldn't want to see the guy who was taking his place on the team and possibly his scholarship. Todd, being his usual dense self, talks Ken into going anyway. It falls out about the way you'd expect; Will is thrilled to see the guys, until he notices Ken there. He suddenly withdraws and tells everyone they should leave now, all the while glaring daggers at Ken. Way to help Ken avoid a sticky situation, Todd. You da man.

Because of the visit to the hospital, Ken is late for dinner with Maria and her parents. This was important to her, as a sign her parents were finally starting to care about her life, and by the time he finally calls, they've given up waiting for him and have started already.

Maria starts ranting to Andy about her recent relationship problems, but stops guiltily when she remembers he's having his own issues; he's still struggling with coming out and most of his friend (ie: Tia) have been ignoring what's going on in his life in light of their own problems. As they hash out both sets of troubles, a bunch of jocks come by and ask Maria if she's going to tomorrow night's party, since the football team is having it in Ken's honour. Of course they are. There hasn't been a party since Conner's big gig, which was at least a few days ago. Thing is, this is the first Maria's heard of it. Now that Ken's the "it guy" (whoa! For once, the title relates to something in the book!), he hasn't been paying as much attention to Maria as usual.

At school, Ken sees Melissa in the hallways, and she's obviously upset. After some digging, it comes out; Will has been refusing to see her or anyone ever since Ken visited in the hospital. Ken feels guilty and sympathetic to Melissa's pain. He gives her a comforting hug, and because this is Sweet Valley, that's right when Maria walks down the hallway. She's so hurt she can't face confronting him right then, so she takes off. Later, of course, they get into it; he explains, and she seems to believe him, but he can't figure out why knowing the truth doesn't seem to make her feel any better. Why can't everyone just be happy for Ken now that things are all coming together for him? It's so hard to be a jock in high school!

The night of the party rolls around, and Ken comes to pick Maria up. Only she's received word that they're holding the intervention for Conner (see B plot) that same evening, which she thinks is more important. And... yeah, okay, it is, but she seems to think Ken will be only too happy to ditch the party in his honour to confront Conner about his problems. Dude doesn't even like Conner, so I'm wondering if maybe Maria has stolen some of whatever it is the ghostwriters like to smoke. Predictably, they get into a fight, each thinking their plan for the evening is more important. Finally, they decide it's in everyone's best interest for them just to break up and go their separate ways. I'm not sure why they couldn't have their separate evenings and talk about it later, but at least they'll stop angsting about their misunderstandings now.

The B Plot:
Conner has been drinking more and more, starting the predictable spiral we've been watching for many books now. His family and friends keep trying to tell him he has a problem, but he won't listen to them. As a desperate measure, Conner's mom contacts Elizabeth; she thinks it's time to have an intervention. Despite her misgivings, she agrees. Liz spreads the word among all Conner's friends, and they more or less all have the same reaction as her. None of them think Conner will react particularly well to being cornered by everyone like that, but it's a last, desperate measure for all of them. Finally, they all get together for the intervention, and wait for Conner to arrive. He comes in late, and he of course has been drinking. He takes one look at all his friends there, together with his mother and his sister, and knows exactly what's going on. Liz gets all of one sentence out before he turns around and leaves. So she, of course, blames herself because everyone and everything in Sweet Valley is directly her responsibility. Methinks Conner's not the only one who has issues.

The C Plot:
Jessica has told Ally, the boss at the coffee shop, about skipping work, and Ally tells Jess to fire her. (Jess is assistant manager.) Jessica is nervous about this, but agrees. Jade, of course, throws a hissy fit and vows revenge on Jessica. Because clearly the only reason Jess would ever have said anything about that is out of jealousy over Jeremy, who the girls were fighting over. So Jade goes back to flirt with Jeremy, despite him having caught her cheating on him. Jade is all class. Jeremy thinks "whatever" and accepts when she asks him out for dinner, but says they'll have to have a night in at his place. He figures a night with his little sisters serves Jade right for everything she's put him through. But, uh, his sisters aren't exactly little terrors, so I have no idea why he's thinking that. In fact, I remember then charming Jess when he was dating her. For whatever reason, Jade the self-absorbed party girl decides that Jeremy's way of dealing with his younger sisters is totally dreamy, and she starts trying to convince herself she's totally not falling for him. But since she says it every other page, I'm having a hard time believing her. (Also, I've read the recap for the next book, but that's beside the point.) And of course, Jade then proceeds to rub her continued "relationship" with Jeremy in Jessica's face at every opportunity. After all, Jessica deserves it. How dare she fire Jade over skipped shifts, lazy work ethics, and a tendency to leave her co-workers in the lurch?!?

The D Plot:
Just more hoopla with Will and Melissa. Will is hiding from the world, even to the point of taking home schooling rather than return to SVH on crutches. He won't talk to Melissa, won't make any re-arranged plans for the future, now that he can't count on a sports scholarship. So she decides to plan for university on her own, instead of with him. Duhn-duh-duhn!