Tagline: Sometimes friendship can be murder….
Back tagline: Best friends…to the end!
Summary: Who is Honey Perkins? She’s been telling everyone in Shadyside that she’s Becka Norwood’s best friend. But Becka’s sure she’s never met Honey before.
Honey systematically moves in on Becka’s life, copying her in every way. But when Becka presumes to have more than one “best friend,” the horrible accidents begin.
Does Honey just want a friend? Becka wonders.
Or does she want more—much more!
First impressions: I remember the cover for the reissued version, and I remember the name Honey, but I don’t think I’ve ever actually read this one. Unless I did, and it was completely unmemorable and faded from my mind…
Moving onto the cover – why’s Blanche Devereaux here instead of Becka or Honey? Hahahaha. Jokes aside, I guess this is Becka but she looks incredibly old lol. This came out the same year as the ‘Single White Female’ film, and with how quickly these books were churned out it wouldn’t be surprising if Stine and the cover artist took some inspiration from that plot.
It’s also weird that she looks like she’s seeing this gift for the first time… it’s in your lap, Becka, you didn’t notice the giant knife before you picked it up? Reminds me of Secret Admirer‘s cover.
I’ve never seen Becka spelled this way either. Does that mean her name is Rebecka? If it’s Rebecca, why is she replacing a C with a K? And speaking of names, Honey? Really? Honey. Not a fan.
With those little complaints out of the way, I am excited to read this one and its hard-to-find sequel; a stalker being out in the open rather that hiding in the shadows will be a refreshing change from the usual ones we come across. Let’s read!
Recap
R-r-r-roll call:
Becka – Our anxious heroine whose life is quickly turned upside down.
Honey – Becka’s obsessive best best friend.
Bill – Becka’s boyfriend who her parents don’t like.
Lilah and Trish – Becka’s hilarious besties.
The book begins with our inherently nervous protagonist, Becka Norwood, making out with her boyfriend, Eric Fraser, in his car somewhere on a snowy Friday night. He thinks they’re there to get handsy but really, Becka’s planning on breaking up with him [That’s gonna be an awkward ride home]. They’ve been dating for over three months, and Becka’s found that she’s never felt comfortable with him; he’s needy, immature, has an annoying giggle, is always pawing at her, and they’ve been bickering way too much lately. Another factor in the inevitable break-up is Bill Planter, Becka’s ex-boyfriend who she hasn’t been able to get out of her mind. Her parents had been so relieved when she’d ended things with Bill and started dating Eric, but yolo.
Becka finally tells Eric that they should see other people and he seems completely unbothered, telling her ‘”No problem,”‘ with a blank expression on his face. She tries to explain herself several times as he drives her home but he cuts her off with another ‘”No problem,”‘ each time. His reaction disappoints Becka; she’d wanted the break-up to be easy, but not this easy, ‘As if all the weeks they’d been going together were nothing.’ [Becka, you don’t even like him, what’s the issue?]:
By the time he turned onto Fear Street and pulled up her driveway, she was trembling. She pushed open her door. A blast of cold air invaded the car at once.
“See you in school,” Eric said brightly. “It’s been real.”
So cruel, Becka thought miserably.
He didn’t care about me at all.
She slammed the car door behind her. He didn’t wait for her to go into her house. He backed down the drive and was gone while she still stood searching her jeans pockets for her keys.
[I guess it would be bad for the ego if someone just shrugs it off like that, but since she wants someone else, she should be thanking the lord that this break-up was so chilled] The next afternoon, Becka’s in her bedroom with her two besties, Lilah Brewer and Trish Walters, complaining about her new haircut; she’d seen a similar looking model with the short cut and decided to chop all her blonde hair off too, but now she looks like a boy. The girls really love it, though, especially short and chubby Trish who wishes she could pull it off. She also moans about Eric’s obnoxious lack of reaction to the break-up, and Trish jokes that she should have mentioned Bill to get him riled up [Trish is a pot-stirrer and I love it].
Speaking of Bill, we learn here that the reason Becka’s parents don’t like him is because of the trouble he got into at school last year. His friends, Clay Parker and Mickey Wakely [From Silent Night], broke into the school and spray-painted everywhere. Bill was with them at the time and even though he didn’t take part in the vandalising he was suspended as well. Her parents banned her from seeing or speaking to him after that, so I guess that’s why they broke up [You didn’t see him at school? Or just lie about who you’re on the phone with?]. Bill’s ditched those loser friends and straightened himself out since then, so Becka hopes this year will be different. The door suddenly bursts open and a girl with long, auburn hair sweeps into the room excitedly:
“Hi!” she shouted, her eyes darting from girl to girl, finally landing on Becka.
“Becka!” the girl cried. Stepping over Lilah, she bent down, threw her arms around Becka, and wrapped her up in a tight hug. “Becka! Becka! I’m so happy to see you!” she squealed.
Her mouth open wide in bewilderment, Becka struggled unsuccessfully to free herself from the girl’s hug.
“I can’t believe it!” the girl cried. “I just can’t believe it! Becka, it’s really you!”
Becka gasped, utterly speechless. Who is this girl? she asked herself.
I’ve never seen her before!
[Ew, imagine a complete stranger waltzing into your bedroom and doing all this] Becka studies the full-figured girl, who’s dramatic looking but isn’t exactly pretty, with giant hands that seem out of proportion to the rest of her body. The stranger explains she let let herself in since the front door was open [That’s not how it works, Honey] and excitedly tells Becka she’s moved next door – ‘”Isn’t that the most amazing coincidence?”‘ Lilah and Trish introduce themselves and we finally learn the stranger’s name, Honey Perkins. She says she remembers them but declares that that she and Becka were ‘”best best friends”‘ in third and fourth grade. Deena Martinson was Becka’s best friend in fourth grade and even though Becka has absolutely no memory of this girl, she plays along since Honey’s so excited to see her.
Trish and Lilah ask Honey questions about herself, but she literally ignores them and won’t stop gushing that it’s really Becka and how awesome it is to be back [This bitch is getting on my nerves already]. Her mum died last year so it’s just her and her father. It’s been a hard time, which is why she’s so happy to be back on Fear Street; it’ll be just like old times and she and Becka can be best best friends again [Yes, she really says best best friends]! Becka feels super guilty for not remembering her because she was obviously an important part of Honey’s life, but Honey’s constant staring is making her uncomfortable; it’s like Becka’s ‘a hot fudge sundae she’s about to devour!’
Mrs. Norwood pokes her head through the door to see how everyone’s going, and Honey immediately rushes up to her and wraps her in a hug. It’s clear she has no idea who the heck Honey is either, which makes Becka feel a little better. Mrs. Norwood makes up an excuse to escape the room and Honey takes the opportunity to talk shit about her grey hair, which she thinks makes the woman look older. Lilah and Trish again try to contribute to the conversation but they’re completely ignored again because Honey’s noticed Becka’s gorgeous enamel parrot pin on the dresser. Honey remembers how Becka’s always loved animals and reminisces about a time when they found an injured bird, and cried and cried after failing to nurse it back to health. Becka, naturally, has no idea wtf she’s on about but pretends to remember anyway.
Honey tries on the parrot pin in front of the mirror and continues to gush over Becka – how stylish she is, how perfect her haircut is, how awesome her room is, how great her taste is, etc. [Honey has to be one of the most exhausting characters ever]. Honey wants her room to be just like this, and even wants the same posters! Becka admits she’s tired of the posters, so Honey immediately asks to have them [Omg, this fkn girl hahaha]. Becka was just trying to make conversation and doesn’t actually want to give them away, but Honey’s looking at her so eagerly and intently that she agrees to hand them over when Honey’s room is all unpacked. Honey then realises the time and heads home after another big hug for her old best best friend, leaving Becka, Trish and Lilah wondering wtf just happened:
“Do you remember her?” Becka demanded.
Lilah and Trish shook their heads.
“Why should we remember her?” Trish said. “She was your best best best best best friend!”
Trish and Lilah collapsed in hysterics.
[Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha I love these two] The girls decide to check the class picture from fourth grade where there’s a girl with the same hair as Honey, and all three of them suddenly remember her. She was super weird and kind of scary, almost never spoke, often burst into loud sobs for no reason and had no friends at all, so Becka can’t imagine why she thinks they were so close. Trish and Lilah tease her some more about her best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best best friend and are about to head off themselves when Becka realises her parrot pin is missing [So Honey’s a liar and a thief. Interesting]! The trio search for it, but Becka quickly determines that Honey stole it. The others suggest Honey simply forgot to take it off before she left [Doubt it] and encourage her to go get it back.
Trish and Lilah head off while Becka searches her room a little longer, but she eventually decides to head over to Honey’s. The phone rings as she’s putting on her parka and her mum answers it downstairs. A few seconds later, she calls out to Becka that Bill’s on the line, and she’s not impressed because Becka knows she’s not allowed to see him. Becka picks up the extension in her room and after a brief discussion about how her parents don’t like him, there’s a whole page of him repeatedly urging her to meet him at the mall tonight and her saying no because her parents will be on her case about it. Sneaking out isn’t an option either, because her parents stay up really late [Why don’t you just lie and say you’re going to meet Trish and Lilah? But it’s too late for that now because it’d be obvious who you’re really going to meet].
They say goodbye and Becka heads downstairs where she’s immediately confronted by her mother, who reminds her how she and Becka’s father feel about Bill, ‘especially after what happened to you, what you went through afterward [. . . .] You were so hurt. So upset. Your father and I don’t want to see you that upset again.” [Darl, she was only that upset because you banned her from seeing her boyfriend and forced her to end the relationship. Why you trying to gaslight her?] Becka angrily tells her that she’s just going next door and will be right back, not going to meet Bill if that’s what she’s worried about. She pushes past her mum and heads next door, but notices the house looks as abandoned as it’s always been. Becka peeks through the window and knocks on the door anyway, but there’s no signs of life inside, leaving her even more confused and hoping there’s a logical explanation for this and her missing parrot pin.
It’s Monday afternoon now and Becka and Lilah are walking home from school, slut-shaming Mary Haywood [Who isn’t a familiar name so probably doesn’t feature in another book], who Lilah had seen coming out of the supply closet with David Metcalf and a huge hickey on her neck:
“What’s with Mary’s mother?” Becka asked, shifting her backpack from one shoulder to the other, then adjusting the hood of her parka. “Doesn’t she know what a tramp Mary is?”
“She has no idea,” Lilah replied, an amused grin on her face. “Mary’s mom lives on some other planet. Billy Harper told Lisa Blume that he was making out with Mary Saturday afternoon on the couch in Mary’s living room. Mary’s mom walked up to them with a tray and asked if anyone wanted homemade fudge!”
[Was she the inspiration for Regina George’s mum?] Ricky Schorr drives past in a station wagon full of other kids from school and offers the girls a ride as long as they’re happy to sit in his lap, but neither is interested, obviously, and when he takes off, Becka tells Lilah he only has friends now because he drives to school [Hahahaha, poor annoying Ricky]. The girls continue on, discussing Trish’s upcoming Christmas party. Becka’s got a brand new silver silk skirt to wear over a black catsuit that she can’t wait to wear, while Lilah complains she’d look like a broom if she wore a catsuit.
Arriving home to what seems like an empty house, Becka hears a voice coming from her room as she heads up the stairs. Hiding by the railing, she peers across the landing and through the open door and spots Honey in there, laying out practically all of Becka’s clothes onto the bed. Honey disappears from view and reappears wearing the silver skirt along with a silky blue top gifted to Becka by her parents. Why is she in Becka’s room, trying on her clothes? And who is she talking to?! Only one way to find out!
Becka barges into her room but doesn’t know what to say [How about, “What the fuck are you doing?!”] and Honey, as if what she’s doing is completely normal, casually says Becka’s mum said she could come up, but ‘”I think she went out.”‘ Becka asks who she was speaking to in here, but Honey looks confused and insists she wasn’t talking to anyone and is all alone. Becka tries to protest but Honey cuts her off by gushing about Becka’s amazing clothes and style again, completely ignoring Becka’s obvious irritation. Then the delusional Honey starts raving about another memory of when they were younger:
“Do you believe it?” Honey cried happily. “We’re still the same size! I know I look bigger than you. But we’re still the same size. We can still wear the same clothes, just like when we were kids.”
“Really?” Becka uttered. She didn’t know how to reply.
“People always said we looked like twins,” Honey gushed, holding up a denim jumper and checking it out in the dresser mirror.
“They did?”
“We were always wearing each other’s clothes. Always trading everything. Even our jeans. Even our socks. It was so amazing,” Honey declared almost rapturously. “It got so we didn’t know what was whose. We really were just like twins.”
How come I don’t remember that? Becka asked herself. It seems to me I’d remember that if it were true. Honey seems so sincere. I don’t think she’s deliberately lying.
Does she live in some kind of fantasy world?
Honey continues showering Becka with compliments and praise before Becka finally brings up finding Honey’s house empty. Honey explains that the furnace wasn’t working and the house was freezing, so her and her father spent the weekend in a hotel but they’re finally in the house now. It sounds perfectly logical [I’d still drop by again to make sure though, tbh] but Becka’s still unsure, and also asks if she accidentally wore the parrot pin home on Saturday. Honey hesitates for the briefest of moments and then instead of answering, she reaches out and wraps her enormous hands around Becka’s throat, choking her [!!!].
Then, just as suddenly, Honey lets go, laughing triumphantly and crying out ‘”Gotcha!”‘ Becka is understandably pissed, but Honey declares it was just part of a game they used to play – ‘”We always thought the Gotcha game was a riot. You remember—don’t you, Becka?”‘ Becka, as usual, has no idea what she’s on about and is starting to think Honey’s making everything up [Just now you’re thinking that, Becka? Really?].
Instead of confronting Honey about her constant lies, Becka asks about her parrot pin again. Honey confirms she took it home, but it wasn’t an accident, kicking off the best gaslighting I’ve ever seen in a Fear Street book:
Honey tossed a thick strand of hair behind her shoulders. “You gave it to me, Becka, remember?”
“Huh?” Becka’s mouth dropped open in disbelief. “I what?”
“You gave the pin to me,” Honey insisted cheerfully.
“No, I—”
“It was very sweet of you too,” Honey said, a warm smile spreading across her face.
“No, Honey—wait,” Becka said, feeling her pulse throb against her temples. “You asked to try the pin on, and—”
“And then you said that since I liked it so much, I could keep it,” Honey’s smile faded. She stared at Becka now with a hurt expression, her full lips lowered in another pout. “You did say I could keep it, Becka.”
“But, Honey—” Becka suddenly realized that Honey was really upset. Her shoulders were trembling and her lips quivering.
“Ask your friends,” Honey said defensively. “Ask those two girls. They’ll tell you. They saw you give it to me. Really.”
Becka couldn’t decide what to do. Honey, she saw, was about to burst into hysterical tears. Becka didn’t want that. She wanted her pin back. but she didn’t want a big emotional scene. Most of all, she just wanted Honey to leave.
“You gave the pin to me,” Honey said, softening her tone, “and now it’s my most special special possession. I will always treasure it, Becka.”
“Well—uh, I’m glad you like it so much, Honey,” Becka said weakly.
Honey was grinning now.
No sign that she had been about to cry or make an ugly scene.
[This girl is the absolute queen of gaslighting, holy shit. I would just ask for it back anyway if I was Becka] As Becka starts putting her clothes away, Honey realises she’s gotten a stain on the silky blue top she’s still wearing. Becka tells her it’s fine, just leave it here and it’ll go in the wash, but Honey absolutely insists on taking it home and washing it herself.
Honey hands the silver skirt back to Becka and bangs on about how exciting it is to be back – she’s gotten the seating arrangement changed in homeroom so she’ll be right next to Becka, and they can walk to school together every morning, like the old days. She’s also keen to check out Becka’s bike ‘”so I’ll know what kind to get.”‘ [Oh god]
Becka asks where she had moved to after Shadyside, and Honey just says upstate before moving on to how hard it was to leave her best friend. It was the worst day of her life, and Honey remembers the two of them crying on the curb out front of her house. Becka starts dropping hints that Honey should leave but the deluded girl continues to chat away, inviting Becka over tonight to study, but Becka’s unavailable. Tomorrow night won’t work either, because Becka’s helping Lilah’s family set up their Christmas tree [Why?]. Honey coldly points out that Becka spends a lot of time with Lilah [Oh no, is she gonna kill her? Or just maim her?] and then finally decides to leave. Don’t worry, Becka; she’ll see you first thing in the morning!
Becka decides to call Bill, who quickly dismisses her worries about Honey and again encourages her to sneak out on Saturday to meet him. Becka doesn’t want to go behind her parents’ backs [You’re doing it right now, darl] and insists she’ll tell them about him when the time is right, but then she has to go because mum’s car’s pulling up. Becka meets her downstairs and demands to know why she allowed Honey to wait in her room, but Mrs. Norwood has no idea what she’s on about because she hasn’t been home all afternoon [Does Honey have a key somehow, or do they not lock their doors despite living on Fear Street?].
It’s two days later now, a Wednesday afternoon, and school’s just let out. Becka and Lilah head for the bike racks, where Honey seems to be examining some of bikes [I bet she’s cut Lilah’s breaks]. Becka tells Lilah she’s decided Honey isn’t that bad, just insecure [Becka, please. She stole your property and gaslit you when confronted about it, along with countless other lies. She’s more than insecure]. As the girls approach, Honey completely ignores Lilah and asks to go home with Becka, who breaks the news that she and Lilah are planning on a long bike ride up River Road, and Honey doesn’t have a bike.
As the girls head off, Becka explains to Lilah how emotional Honey is – ‘”One minute she’s ecstatically happy, the next she’s ready to weep bitter tears.”‘ [Maybe Honey’s bipolar?] The girls soon come to a big downward hill leading to an intersection that a delivery truck is also speeding towards. Becka quickly slows down, but Lilah shouts something about her brakes and picks up speed, straight into the path of the truck@!
A short time later, Becka’s sitting on the curb in shock, staring at the lights of the emergency vehicles. Lilah’s been taken to the hospital, unconscious and in bad shape but alive. Becka walks over to the intersection to grab Lilah’s bike and notice the rear brake cable has been removed!
Later, Becka’s on the phone to Bill, very upset about Lilah’s accident. Bill is very supportive, and again urges her to meet him Saturday night so they can take their minds off everything. Becka agrees without thinking, but tells him she’ll lie that she’s over at Trish’s place. Becka suddenly feels like she’s no longer alone and is startled by Honey, standing in her bedroom door.
Honey explains she came over as soon as she heard the news about Lilah and wraps Becka in a tight hug, urging her to let all her feelings out – ‘”You can be yourself, express your feelings without being embarrassed. That’s what best friends are for, right?” Becka doesn’t want to talk about it and tells Honey she’d rather be alone, which doesn’t surprise Honey, who comments that Becka’s always preferred to figure things out on her own.
Honey agrees to go home but reminds Becka she’s there for her since ‘”You don’t have Lilah anymore.”‘ Her strange words chill Becka to the bone and before she realises it, she’s started crying. Honey comforts her, and then there’s another voice from the doorway. It’s Trish, who’s also come to check on Becka, but Honey quickly dashes across the room to usher Trish out of the house because ‘”Becka wants to be left alone.”‘ [Why don’t you take the hint too, Honey?]
It’s Saturday night now, and Becka’s making out with Bill in his car at River Ridge. He finally pulls himself out of her grasp for a breather, and she admits this is the first time she’s felt relaxed all week, what with Lilah’s accident, having to lie to her parents about Bill, and that pesky Honey. Ever since Lilah’s accident, Honey’s been smothering Becka with attention at home and at school and driving her crazy. Becka also never got that blue top back, because Honey just stared at her like she didn’t know what Becka was talking about when she’d asked for it. Becka’s parents also adore Honey thanks to her buttering them up all the time, and they don’t want to hear it when Becka tries to complain about Honey because they think she’s just soooooo sweet [This is bad parenting lol].
Becka’s working herself up to a frenzy, so Bill tries to change the subject to Lilah, who Becka had visited this morning, but all roads lead to Honey. It turns out a day or two before the accident, Honey had been asking all sorts of questions about Lilah’s bike, like what kind it was and how the brakes work. Becka had then remembered Honey hanging around the bike rack shortly before the accident, and she hasn’t been able to stop thinking crazy things [I’m sure those crazy things you’re thinking are 100% true, Becka!].
Bill dismisses her concerns about Honey once again and tries to comfort Becka physically instead, but she spots something red behind a tree outside and is positive it’s Honey! Becka freaks out and leaps out of the car to confront the red kerchief [Fun fact: These are called bandanas in Australia] caught on a branch that she stupidly thought was Honey, and now Bill’s really worried about her [Poor girl, she’s already anxious by nature and the whole Honey situation is really exacerbating her nerves].
On Sunday night, Becka falls ill and spends all of Monday in bed with fever dreams involving Honey. She’s woken in the afternoon by a phone call from a very worried Trish, who explains Honey told everyone at school that Becka had a breakdown over Lilah’s accident. Becka explains she just has a virus and wonders if Honey’s a compulsive liar, and Trish agrees that she’s a strange girl.
The phone call ends and Becka’s getting ready to lay back down when she hears Honey bounding up the stairs, once again letting herself in because apparently the front door was unlocked [You need to lock the door, Becka!]. Becka’s flabbergasted when Honey steps into the room and strikes a pose, showing off her new haircut that’s exactly like Becka’s [See! Very ‘Single White Female,’ which is also a great book]!
We cut to later that night now as Becka is woken up by a phone call from Honey, the third one since she went home earlier that afternoon. Apparently they’d discussed what Trish said, and Honey just feels terrible that Becka would believe she’d spread that story around, insisting Trish is a liar. Becka just wants to sleep and ends up lying that she believes Honey to get her off the phone, but now Honey feels bad that Becka didn’t like her haircut. Again, she basically forces Becka to say she likes it before finally hanging up, leaving poor Becka more frustrated than ever.
God knows why, but Becka doesn’t want to miss the last day of school before the Christmas break, so she goes to school Tuesday, still feeling crappy. Cari Taylor, who’s locker is next to Becka’s, is surprised to see her, having heard the breakdown rumour. Becka explains she was just sick as they walk down the hall together, making small talk about their holiday plans – Cari’s going skiing with Reva Dalby‘s family, which she’s really looking forward to [I didn’t know they were friends!]. Becka also notices a lot of people staring at her and realises Honey really did spread the rumour [Was there really any doubt, Becka?]. Arriving in homeroom, Becka sees that Honey’s wearing the silky blue shirt and the parrot pin and wonders what the hell she’s going to do about this bitch.
During lunch period, Becka convinces Trish to go for a walk outside to get away from Honey and begs her for ideas of what to do about her. Surprisingly, Trish suggests ‘”Why don’t we murder her?”‘ but unsurprisingly, it’s just a little cliffhanger chapter ending and she’s just joking [Cheeky little devil!].
As the girls approach the parking lot, they spot Honey and Becka’s ex, Eric [Remember him?], making out in the parking lot. Becka is furious now – Honey’s dressed exactly like her and now she’s after her ex-boyfriend too! Honey and Eric start walking towards them, but Eric turns around and heads straight back into the school after noticing Becka. Honey cheerfully continues towards them and asks to join their walk, but Becka quickly explains she’s having a private chat with Trish:
Honey’s mouth dropped open. Her gray eyes narrowed. “What’s going on, Becka?” she demanded, sounding hurt. “There’s nothing you can’t share with your best friend.”
“That’s why I’m talking to Trish!” Becka said pointedly.
There, Becka thought. That should be clear enough. Now maybe Honey will take the hint.
Honey’s expression became a blank. It revealed no emotion, but her face turned bright red.
She shoved her large hands into the pockets of her down jacket and turned away quickly. “Talk to you later,” she called behind her and began jogging to the school.
Becka’s immediately filled with regret and fear over how blunt she was, but Trish assures her it was the only way to get the message across. Still, Becka warns Trish to be careful because Honey’s potentially dangerous and might do something if she’s feeling jealous, but Trish doesn’t seem fazed, hitting Becka with the old ‘”I mean, really. What can she do?”‘ [I’m sure you’ll find out, Trish!]
Back inside the school building, Becka finds her locker door open and the contents completely trashed. Frustrated, she heads for the bathroom to privately get herself together, but unfortunately Honey’s in there, standing at the sink. Becka can’t help herself and confronts her, but Honey claims to have no idea what she’s talking about and tearfully asks why Becka’s being so mean to her today. Becka orders her to stay away from her things, and Honey assumes she’s talking about Eric.
Becka insists it’s not about Eric, it’s about everything else – ‘”I want you to stay away from my house! Stay away from my room! Stay away from my friends!”‘ Honey angrily protests that Becka can’t talk to her best friend that way [Her best best friend, I think you mean!] and, with an angry cry, whips out a silver pistol from her jacket pocket. She aims it at Becka’s chest and pulls the trigger, but of course it’s just a water pistol, part of another Gotcha game, and more gaslighting ensues from a grinning Honey:
“Come on, Becka,” Honey repeated. “Don’t you remember how we both used to carry squirt guns all the time? Those red plastic ones? Remember? We used to shoot each other every time Miss Martin turned her back?”
“No,” Becka said softly.
Honey laughed. “We’d be totally soaked by the end of the day, remember?”
“”No,” Becka repeated more loudly.
“Becka, don’t you remember?”
“No! No! No!” Now Becka was screaming. “No, Honey, we didn’t! We didn’t! We didn’t have squirt guns! We didn’t squirt each other!”
“Of course we did,” Honey insisted, still smiling. “You just don’t remember.”
Later that night, Becka arrives unannounced at Bill’s house to confide in him about her Honey issues. Before she even gets to the part about her vandalised locker, Bill randomly [But for the plot, conveniently] interrupts her to reveal some guys broke into the school during the lunch period and trashed some lockers, including Gary Brandt’s. Becka feels terrible about accusing Honey and wonders out loud if she’s being unfair; is the reality that Honey’s the calm one and Becka’s the crazy one, constantly accusing her of things she didn’t do? [OK, you were wrong one time, that doesn’t justify the rest of Honey’s behaviour]
Bill thinks Becka might be being a little unfair to Honey, then makes the mistake of suggesting Honey’s not that bad – ‘”In fact, she’s kind of cute.”‘ [Fkn hell, Bill] Upon interrogation, he also reveals Honey may have come on to him, but it wasn’t a big deal. He then initiates a make-out sesh [Bill, plz] but Becka kind of has the ick now, unable to picture anything by Honey, so she pulls away mid-kiss and scampers out of the house without a word.
Becka drives around for a while before finally returning home around 10pm, surprised to find her mother waiting for her. Mrs. Norwood immediately accuses Becka of being at Bill’s and is disappointed that she’s been going behind her parents’ backs and sneaking around [Honey’s so petty lol]. Becka admits it’s all true but protests that they really gave her no choice, and again Mrs. Norwood makes it seem like Bill was responsible for their break-up – ‘”You’ve already had your heart broken once by that boy.”‘ [Let me reiterate here that Becka’s parents refused to let her continue the relationship – they broke her heart, not Bill. Why is Mum changing the narrative?!?!?].
Becka continues to argue that her only choice was to sneak around because her parents would never believe Bill had changed, and she was waiting for the right time to tell them. But Becka’s broken an important rule about honesty so is grounded until further notice, which means no friends, no car, and no Trish’s party on Saturday night!
Becka scurries up to her room and throws herself on the bed, too angry to even cry. Then she suddenly realises she’s not alone in the room and looks up just in time to see Honey stepping out of the closet [?????], grinning mischievously. Honey explains she dropped by earlier but Becka wasn’t here, so Honey pretended to leave but snuck up here to wait for her. Once again, Honey remembers doing a similar thing when they were kids, hiding in Becka’s attic closet while their parents searched for them, but Becka doesn’t even have an attic closet.
Honey has waited so long for Becka to return because she wanted to apologise for accidentally spilling the beans about Bill to Becka’s mother. She insists it was just an accident, but Becka knows better than that; this is Honey’s revenge for Becka’s outburst in the school bathroom! She begs Becka to forgive her, her best [Best best*] friend, and Becka tells her she’s not her friend:
Honey jumped back as if she had been slapped. “Huh?”
“You’re not my best friend,” Becka said, her voice trembling with rage. “You’re not my best friend and you’re not my friend. Trish and Lilah are my friends. Trish and Lilah are my best friends. My only friends.”
Honey stared at Becka thoughtfully, as if she were weighing Becka’s words carefully.
But her face revealed no emotion at all.
And when she finally spoke, her tone was bright and cheerful, as if she hadn’t heard Becka’s hurtful words.
“Oh. By the way,” Honey said, winking at Becka. “I broke up with Eric today. Just like you did.”
[At this point I wouldn’t blame Becka if she murdered Honey] We then jump to Trish’s party, where Becka’s just arriving thanks to her dad giving in at the last minute and convincing her mother to let her attend. Among the guests are Gary Brandt and Ricky Schorr, David Metcalf and Lisa Blume, who’s clinging to a cute redhead Becka doesn’t know [And it ain’t Cory, because he had curly black hair. When did they even break up?], and besties Deena Martinson and Jade Smith.
Becka gets lots of compliments on the silver skirt over the black catsuit and she’s having a great time at the party. Until later when she gets separated from Bill, that is, and runs into Honey, who’s wearing the exact same outfit and gleefully hits her with a ‘”Hiya, twin!”‘
It’s all too much for Becka, who begins shrieking at Honey to leave her alone. Some partygoers stop dancing to see what’s going on, but Becka continues to yell, reiterating that Trish and Lilah are her friends, not Honey, and that she looks ridiculous. Honey turns around and runs upstairs in tears, leaving Becka standing there, the centre of attention. Becka overhears people making jokes at her expense and tries to find Bill, but he’s nowhere in sight and instead she spots Trish at the top of the stares carrying a Christmas yule log cake [Why was she keeping that upstairs? Seriously Stine, why?].
Then Becka spots Honey standing right behind Trish, who goes flying as she takes a step, landing at the bottom of the stairs with… yep, you guessed it, ‘a sickening crack.’ [I wish I had started keeping a tally of this Stine trope] Everyone rushes over to Trish, who lays unmoving with her head tilted at a peculiar angle. Someone calls for an ambulance and Becka notices Honey standing at the top of the stairs still, a strange expression on her face. When she realises Becka’s looking at her, she turns on the waterworks and hurries down the stairs, claiming she tried to grab Trish as she lost balance because of the heavy cake.
Deena Martinson realises Trish is breathing noisily, like it’s hard for her, but at least she’s alive! Suddenly there’s a comforting arm around Becka’s shoulders, but it’s not Bill, who she’s expecting [And seems to have completely disappeared?], it’s Honey, tearfully telling her ‘”You still have a friend”‘ and promising she’s not going away.
Two officers arrive and Becka immediately accuses Honey of pushing Trish down the stairs. She’s feeling weak and dizzy as she says this, though, and quickly collapses to the ground, unconscious [Is falling unconscious as easy as it seems in these books? It’s never happened to me].
Becka wakes up in her own bed the next day with her mother and a doctor standing around her. They explain that Trish has a broken neck [Oof] but is alive, and Dr. Klein prescribes Becka some mild tranquillisers so she can get lots of rest to recover from her shock. Becka gets hysterical when Mrs. Norwood answers a phone call from Honey and after hanging up, her mother agrees to tell Honey not to bother Becka next time.
Becka spends the next few days drifting in and out of sleep with the help of the pills and eventually starts to feel better. She even talks to Lilah and Trish on the phone at one point; Lilah’s bored and eager for her leg to heal, while poor Trish sounds weak and miserable. Then one afternoon, Mrs. Norwood goes out [Why haven’t we met Becka’s dad yet? He’s been mentioned several times, but we haven’t seen him. Her parents are together too, so it’s kind of weird!], leaving Becka home alone. She’s overcome with a wave of sadness from everything that’s happened over the past few weeks and just as she’s about to try sleep it off, the phone rings.
It’s Honey, of course, who begs Becka to come over because she’s got a nice surprise for her that Becka will really like. Becka obviously wants nothing to do with Honey and tells her no, especially because she’s feeling weak and dizzy [From the meds, I think] but quickly changes her mind when she thinks she hears Bill’s voice in the background [Oop]. She slips on her robe and a coat and heads on over to Honey’s place through their backyards [Why not use the front door?], stopping in shock as she nears the back door because through the kitchen window, she can see Honey and Bill sitting at the table!
Honey’s wearing Becka’s best green sweater [When did she steal that?] and the parrot pin, and Bill’s smiling warmly at her. Becka is livid and absolutely refuses to let Honey take Bill away from her as well, and storms through the back door in a fit of rage. Honey’s all like ‘”Becka, surprise!”‘ and gestures to Bill [Is she trying to do something nice here?], but Becka is too enraged to hear her and grabs a knife from the wooden block, lunging across the room with the knife aimed at Honey’s chest:
Kill, Becka thought.
I’m going to kill Honey.
I have to kill her. Kill her!
Then I’ll be happy again. So happy.
Halfway across the room, Becka starts feeling dizzy and quickly slumps to the ground, unconscious. Bill jumps up from the table and accosts Honey for lying that Becka knew he was here and was coming over to see him. He tries to check on Becka but Honey pulls him away, ordering him to stay away from her best friend. She picks up the knife and threatens Bill with it, and a brief struggle ensues as he tries to grab it off her:
Catching his balance, Bill surged forward, reaching, reaching for it—and tumbled into the knife.
The blade pierced his chest.
Startled, Honey uttered a shrill cry.
It took her a few seconds to pull the knife out.
A bright circle of blood spread across the front of Bill’s sweatshirt.
“Hey,” he rasped, his voice a hoarse whisper. A loud, sickening gurgle escaped his open lips. “I’m—cut.” He raised his eyes to Honey’s and they revealed his disbelief, his horror.
He groaned, then slumped facedown besides Becka onto the linoleum. The blood puddled around him, spreading out over the floor.
He’s dead, Honey realized.
Becka’s starting to stir now so Honey quickly comes up with a plan, planting the knife in Becka’s hand [Omg noooooo]. As Becka slowly comes too, Honey’s cradling her, repeating over and over again that she’ll take care of her and won’t let the police know what really happened. Becka finally notices the bloody knife in her own hand and Bill’s corpse sprawled out next to her, and the book ends in the most grim way possible for poor Becka:
“What did I do?” Becka whispered.
“I’ll tell them it was self-defence, Becka,” Honey said softly. “They won’t have to know the truth. They’ll never know you stabbed Bill. Because I’ll protect you. I’ll protect you from now on. Because I’m your best friend. I’m your best friend, and your only friend, aren’t I. Becka? Aren’t I? Aren’t I your best friend? Aren’t I? Of course I am. I’m your best best friend. And I will never let them know what you did to Bill. Never. Never never.”
“Thank you, Honey,” Becka whispered gratefully.
[#JusticeforBecka!!!]
Final thoughts
OK, I really loved this one and I think it might be one of my favourite Fear Streets! What worked really well here was that Becka’s situation was a plausible one that anyone could randomly find themselves in. It didn’t need ghosts or a murderer or an anonymous stalker for the scares; Honey’s behaviour is genuinely terrifying, even before she cuts Lilah’s breaks and shoves Trisha down the stairs. And even more chilling is that no-one else seems to be concerned by Honey’s obvious obsession, leaving Becka totally isolated and lending a claustrophobic feel to the book.
I have no idea what’s going on with the cover, though, because there’s not even a scene slightly resembling what’s going on here. Was the artist given no information other than that the book is about a dangerous bestie and it takes place around Christmas? Surely there’s lots of other parts of the book they could have chosen for the cover. Oh well.
Becka was a great heroine and I loved Trish and Lilah, who were pretty fleshed out despite their limited screen time. I initially thought Bill was gonna be the usual Shadyside boy who was always after some hanky-panky, but I think he just wanted to spend as much time with Becka as he could. He did dismiss her Honey concerns way too much, but he was also supportive? It was very unusual.
Honey was fkn annoying, but she was an incredible villain and possibly the scariest one in any of the Fear Streets I’ve covered so far. Like, she was introduced by just barging into Becka’s house spewing fabricated stories about their childhood best best friendship, and then basically destroyed Becka’s whole life while gaslighting her the whole time. How could anyone not fear that?
I’m mad that Honey got away with everything in the end and poor Becka unwittingly takes the blame, and apparently a lot of readers felt the same way when this was released because Stine eventually held a competition years later where one lucky reader could decide what happens to Honey in a sequel. Was this just great marketing to renew interest in the series, which was declining in popularity by then, or was Stine out of ideas?
Of course, there was five years between this book and The Best Friend 2, and while I’m kind of hoping we learn more about Honey’s backstory and why she is the way she is, I’ll admit it would probably be more disturbing if it’s never explained. We’ll see what happens, I guess!
182 gloomy endings for the protagonist out of 214.
