Sweet Valley Kids #6: Lila's Secret

For some reason, Elizabeth and Jessica are hanging out in their backyard with Amy. They build a tunnel of cardboard boxes that ends in a creek that I'm pretty sure never existed before and will never exist after. Liz comes up with a fun idea for a backyard camp out, and they make plans to invite all their friends.

The only one unhappy with this plan is Lila. She suggests having the party at her house, which leads to a fight over whether her in ground pool is better than the above ground pool at the Wakefield house. Lila keeps whining about the bugs and the wild animals to the point where the others tell her she can just stay home. Todd and Winston overhear them and joke about showing up in the middle of the night to scare them. Liz calms the group down by pointing out that since they can't sneak out, Todd probably can't either.

Ned and Alice go all out for the girls. They put up a tent, let them cook hot dogs and marshmallows, and then leave them alone outside. Everyone brings some type of stuffed animal to sleep with, but Lila acts really haughty. She says she's too old for that but does have a paper bag that she won't let anyone see. Later, she pulls out an old blankie and says she can't sleep without it when away from home.

The girls all start hearing weird noises and freak out until they hear laughter. Steven and Todd worked together to make them think there were wild animals outside before spraying the tent with water. Ellen cries so much that Alice takes her inside to call her mind before Ellen can decide whether to stay. Ned then walks Todd home.

Liz wakes up in the middle of the night to hear Lila crying. It turns out that Lila has a little bed wetting problem that only occurs when she's away from home. Jessica wakes up to hear them talking, and even though she initially finds it funny, she agrees to help her keep her secret, especially when she sees how much it hurts her best friend. When they wake up for breakfast the next morning, Jessica gives her that look, which lets her know that her secret is safe. Aw.

*Though I totally had an above ground pool growing up, there really is no competition: in ground pools are way better.

*Lila says that her parents are super strict and might not let her go. This makes me once again point out that her mother actually left when she was a baby and was not there when Lila was in the second grade.

*Ned and Alice pretty much do nothing to Steven, even though he literally made Ellen cry for like an hour. Would it be too much for them to punish one of their children?

*As soon as Lila pulled out that bag, I knew she was a bed wetter. We also learn that Steven wet the bed until he was in second or third grade, which is something I would bring up every time he brought home a new girlfriend...