Elizabeth sighed. “So many things seem to be going wrong lately, Mr. Collins.” On the other end of the line, she could hear Mr. Collins clear his throat.

“Just keep talking, Elizabeth,” he said hoarsely. “I’m here to listen.”

“Well, there’s this whole thing with Steven and Cara,” Elizabeth said. “I mean, it’s my own brother! And then, I’m having so much trouble writing Eyes and Ears. It’s really lacking its usual punch.”

“Oh, yeah,” Mr. Collins said. “That’s right.”

It was an odd thing for him to say, Elizabeth thought for a split second, but then she continued on, happy for a rare moment in which, finally, the focus could be on her and her problems, instead of Jessica’s! “And then, there’s this whole weird thing with Todd. He and Enid are avoiding me like the plague. Apparently, he walked in on me interviewing Bruce Patman for the date rape article, and now he thinks there’s something going on between me and Bruce!” Elizabeth exclaimed. “And who knows what Enid is upset about – she won’t even tell me!”

“Yeah,” Mr. Collins said, his voice low. “Keep going.”

Elizabeth could hear a strange muffled sound in the background. “Is everything okay, Mr. Collins?”

“Fine,” he said, grunting. “Go on.”

“Anyway,” Elizabeth continued, twisting the telephone cord around her index finger, “there’s also this film thing. I know you said to give them a chance, but I’m just not interested in participating. It’s really Jessica’s thing, and not mine, but she’s depending on me. And I can’t let her dream die. I just can’t!”

There was a long pause and some heavy breathing from Mr. Collins.

“Mr. Collins?” Elizabeth finally asked. “Are you there?”

“Yeah!” he cried loudly, dragging out the word.

“Oh, okay, no need to shout, Mr. Collins,” Elizabeth said. “So, do you have any advice for me?”

“Listen, Elizabeth, I’ve got to go get cleaned up,” he said. “But you’re a smart girl. I’m sure you’ll figure everything out.”

“But, Mr. Collins—”

“Good night, Elizabeth,” he said quickly.

The dial tone echoed in Elizabeth’s ear. She gently set the receiver down in the cradle and sighed. Everyone’s turning against me! She thought. First Todd and Enid, then my parents and Mr. Collins!

Jessica emerged from her bedroom. “Why so sad, Lizzie?”

Elizabeth shook her head. “Oh, Jess!” she cried. “I feel like everything in my life is going wrong! Todd and Enid hate me, now Mr. Collins won’t even talk to me –”

“Listen, are you done with the phone?” Jessica interrupted. “Because I really need to talk to Amy Sutton.”

Tears stung Elizabeth’s eyes. Not you, too, Jess! She thought sadly. If I can’t depend on my own twin sister, who can I depend on?

It was dark when Elizabeth reached Bruce’s house. Well, mansion would have been the more appropriate term, she thought as she pulled up and parked the Fiat inside the gate. Bruce, unlike Lila, came from old money, and the Patmans and the Fowlers were often at odds with each other.

Elizabeth rang the doorbell. An extremely short, elderly man answered the door.

“Hello, sir,” Elizabeth said politely. “Is Bruce home?”

The man gave her a small smile and gestured for Elizabeth to come in. She stood just inside the imposing wooden doors as he man scurried down the hallway. He emerged minutes later, with Bruce at his side.

“Thank you, Jesus,” Bruce said, dismissing the man. He turned to Elizabeth. “My family illegally imports midgets from war-torn South American countries to work as servants,” he explained.

“Well, Jesus certainly seems very nice,” Elizabeth said.