Jessica Wakefield
Jessica Wakefield is one of the main characters in the Sweet Valley High book series. She was played by Brittany Daniel in the TV series of the same name.
Character
Template:Spoiler Outgoing, party loving Jessica was the wilder of the Wakefield twins. She was more concerned with fashion and looks than her twin sister, often judging other people by their appearance.
Her interests changed regularly, usually in an attempt to attract a whatever guy she liked at the moment. Her regular hobbies included acting (she starred in several school performances, including Splendour in the Grass), surfing and dancing, while her true passion was cheerleading.
Jessica remained good friends with Lila Fowler throughout the majority of the Sweet Valley spin-offs. Her best friend, however, has always been her twin sister.
Sweet Valley High
Jessica began the series as cheerleading captain and was made president of Pi Beta Alpha, the schools most exclusive sorority, in the first book. These activities, as well as her blond good looks, made her one of the most popular girls at school. Jessica was extremelly snobbish; her circle of friends, which included Lila, Cara Walker and Amy Sutton, contained only those who were popular and stylish.
Jessica was also very conniving. She often used her looks and popularity to get what she wanted (see Robin Wilson and Annie Whitman.) Her tendency to wreak havoc with her schemes earned her the nickname Hurricane Jessica.
Boys were a big part of Jessica's life. For a long time she dated around, refusing to be tied down to one particular guy. She often pursued attractive, preferrably wealthy, candidates, such as Nicholas Morrow and Bruce Patman, with whom she had a brief and ill fated fling.
AJ Morgan, a transfer student, was Jessica's first serious boyfriend. Although she tried to tone down her more flirtatious ways, her personality proved too much for the modest AJ. The Secret Diary special editions reveal that she had a secret fling with Todd Wilkins while she was with AJ.
Jessica's next boyfriend was Sam Woodruff, a dirt bike enthusiastic from nearby private school, Bridgewater Academy. Sam was Jessica's date for the Jungle Prom, where she competed against Elizabeth for Prom Queen. Sensing her twin sister was likely to win, Jessica spiked Elizabeth's drink. Unaware, Elizabeth drove Sam home, resulting in a crash that took Sam's life.
Furious with Elizabeth, Jessica dated Todd Wilkins in retaliation. She soon came to realise that she was indirectly the cause of the crash and eventually confessed to Elizabeth. Save for a few flings, Jessica remained single while she recovered from Sam's death.
Until Sue, the daugher of Alice Wakefield's late college roommate, came to Sweet Valley to plan her wedding. Jessica fell in love with her fiance, Jeremy Randall, and the two began a secret relationship which led to an engagement. However, she soon discovered that he was using her as part of a scheme to gain Sue's inheritance.
Her old friend, Ken Matthews, supported her throughout this period. Before long, the two were dating. Their relationship survived the revelation that Ken and Elizabeth had been together after Todd moved to Vermont, but ended when Jessica fell in love with her surfing instructor, Christian Gorman. Christian later died in a gang related incident.
Jessica's next conquest was Devon Whitelaw. She was hurt and angry when she discovered her preferred her twin sister.
Sweet Valley High Senior Year
Senior year saw a lot of changes in Jessica's life. After hooking up with Will Simmons, Jessica incurred the wrath of his girlfriend, Melissa Fox, who spread rumours about Jessica. Lila and Amy took Melissa's side and Jessica's image was temporarily shattered.
Despite Melissa's attempts to sabotage her try-out, Jessica remained on the cheerleading squad, although captaincy was passed on to Tia Ramirez.
A turbulent on/off relationship with Will was followed by a steadier, more compassionate relationship with Jeremy Aames. Jessica eventually patched up her life, making new friends and sorting things out with Lila at the end of the series.
Sweet Valley University
Shortly after starting college, Jessica became involved in a whirlwind relationship with Mike McAllery. The pair moved in together early in the relationship and eloped soon after in a Las Vegas ceremony.
Jessica lied to Mike throughout their entire marriage and refused to accept responsibility for her marriage run off to her brother, Steven, and his girlfriend Billie. When Mike came looking for Jessica, a scuffle between Mike and Steven led to Mike being shot and temporarily paralysed.
Steven was convicted of attempted manslaughter and faced jail time. However, Mike accepted responsibility for the incident and Steven was acquitted. The marriage between Mike and Jessica was annulled.
Jessica then joined the Thetas and began dating quarterback James Montgomery. Their relationship turned sour when he assaulted her on a date.
She later dated her attractive professor, Louis Miles. Unfortunately, he was already married.
She next dated undercover police officer Nick Fox, a relationship that almost led to her being jailed for cocaine posession. During the course of their relationship, Jessica developed an interest in detective work and even attended a "private eye" boot camp.
Nick was murdered shortly after testifying against Clay DiPalma, a criminal he'd been chasing for years. Jessica became deeply depressed following his death and was expelled from college. However, she later discovered that Nick had faked his death to protect her.
Jessica met Neil Martin when she took part in the "Coast to Coast Road Trip Challenge." Although initially attracted to Neil (who turned out to be gay), he later became her closest friend and housemate.