SVH11-Too Good To Be True by Francine Pascal

idea of Mr. Collins as a maniac struck him as funny.
    "I don't think it's a laughing matter," said Winston, shooting Tom a black look. Everyone turned to stare at him. Winston hardly ever stopped kidding around; so on the rare occasions when he got serious, people took notice.
    "Poor Suzy! Think of how she must have felt. Wow, I wish I'd been there to protect her!"
    "Yeah, Mr. Collins would've died laughing," Cara whispered to Caroline.
    Elizabeth couldn't help feeling sorry for Winston. Except for a few short, happy months with Mandy Farmer, he was always falling in love with girls who were unattainable.
    "Well, whatever happened, it must have been horrible for sure," said John Pfeifer.
    Elizabeth sighed. "I wish there was some way of making it up to her. I know it sounds dumb, but I can't help feeling sort of responsible. After all, if Todd and I hadn't gone to the game that night, I would have been baby-sitting for Teddy and none of this would have happened."
    Winston brightened. "I've got it! Why don't we use part of the money we collected for Lila's present to buy Suzy something really neat? You know, sort of a going-away present."
    "Hey, that's not a bad idea," Ken chimed in. "Lila's so rich anyway, we don't need to get her anything very expensive."
    "I love it!" Elizabeth cried. "I know exactly the thing to get her, too. We were out shopping yesterday, and she saw this blouse she really liked. It would be perfect for her."
    Even those who still doubted that Mr. Collins had done anything wrong were enthusiastic
    about the idea. Driving home with Todd, Elizabeth felt better than she had the past two days. Maybe she could even manage to have a good time that night in spite of her depression over Mr. Collins.
    On impulse, she decided she would also use the money she'd begun saving toward replacing her lost lavaliere on a pretty scarf she'd that would go with the blouse for Suzanne. After all, look at the time Suzanne had spent helping her search for her necklace! It was the very least she could do, Elizabeth thought.
     

Thirteen
     
    "How do I look?" Suzanne asked as she stood before the full-length mirror in Elizabeth's room.
    "Too gorgeous for words," Elizabeth pronounced. "You'd better watch out, Suzy. You may start a riot in that dress."
    Suzanne smiled. "Pete gave me this dress last Christmas. Wasn't that sweet? It's a Halston--it must have cost a fortune. I'm always telling him he shouldn't spend so much on me."
    "Well, in my opinion it's worth every penny. On you, at least." Elizabeth wasn't so sure how she would look in something as elegant as the off-the-shoulder white satiny dress Suzanne was
    wearing. She'd probably look like a high school junior masquerading as Princess Diana. On Suzanne it was naturally chic.
    Suzanne laughed, bending down to adjust the straps on her cream-colored high-heeled sandals. "Oh, Liz, you could probably make a hippo feel like Christie Brinkley."
    It was good to see Suzanne in such a happy mood, Elizabeth thought. Ever since the night at Mr. Collins's, she had seemed so withdrawn. Now her eyes sparkled, and the paleness was gone from her cheeks. Dressing up for the party had done wonders for her.
    As for herself, Elizabeth had chosen a slightly simpler outfit for the occasion. Looking in the mirror, though, she decided she didn't look too bad. She was wearing her favorite velvet skirt and a high-necked, lace Victorian blouse. Suzanne had helped her fix her hair in a fancy trench braid, into which she'd tucked a sprig of fragrant honeysuckle.
    "You look as if you belong on one of those old-fashioned Valentine's Day cards," Suzanne commented. "Todd's going to flip when he sees you."
    "Thanks, Suzy. I just hope Dad doesn't insist on taking our picture out by the pool the way he did the last time we got all dressed up.
    Actually, it was sort of funny. Jessica was so busy hamming it up for the camera, she didn't watch where she was going and ended up falling into the water. It was her own