The Return 11-Push (Ensemble) PG-13
Title: The Return 11-Push
Rating: PG-13 (for some profanity and mentions of sexual situations)
Characters/Pairings: Dick, Mac, Duncan, Lilly the first, Logan, Veronica, Piz (mentions of: Lilly the second, Parker, Wallace, Weevil) MaDi and hints of LoVe
Word Count: 3,160
Spoilers: All episodes (from 1.01: Pilot to 3.20: The Bitch Is Back. Just to be sure) Although this is obviously AU and there are obviously going to be some alterations to events and especially some in the last couple of episodes.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Literally, nothing. So don’t sue me over his, because you won’t get anything. It all belongs to Rob Thomas and if I had owned it when it was still on the last season would have been way different.
A/N: This story was also no originally mine, and I’d really like to stress that in the first two chapters. The original story can be found here) And this is my first attempt at anything AU, so… enjoy
Chapter 1: Awake/ Chapter 2: Homecoming/ Chapter 3: Forgive/ Chapter 4: Arrival/ Chapter 5: Reconnect/ Chapter 6: Belong/ Chapter 7: Bets/ Chapter 8: Fight/ Chapter 9: Battle/ Chapter 10: Retreat
The Return
11
Push
~Weevil~
He’d snuck past Logan’s door, and his nosiness, to while Pick was blocking the door. Piz. He’d been corrected several times now, the last time by Piz himself. The kid had looked like he was going to wet himself when Weevil had just turned and looked at him. Parker didn’t seem too scared of him, just wary, but Piz acted as if he was suddenly going to turn around and start beating him for no good reason.
Mission accomplished, he supposed. Unfortunately Weevil had still been forced to spend the majority of his time with Piz and Parker. He had no idea why he had come on this trip, not a clue why he let Veronica talk him into this. Talk him into coming and working out all his issues, like this was some therapists weekend. Group therapy with people that had either screwed him over or the ones he screwed over. Or the people he didn’t even know.
He had thought he’d get to hang out with Veronica a little, something they didn’t really do back home. Not unless she needed something. And they weren’t the best of friends, but she was still a friend. He didn’t have many of those left, now that high school was over and he was no longer a part of the gang that they all were. He hadn’t really had any friends since Thumper power-played him right out of them all.
Weevil turned the doorknob and popped open the door to Veronica’s room without knocking. Who cares if she’s decent or not. Bonus for me.
Veronica looked up from her place on her bed, surrounded by papers and books. She had been staring at the laptop that was perched on her lap.
“I should’ve known, a vacation is not really a vacation for you.” He commented as he moved away from the door and closer to her and the bed.
“It is a vacation, but that doesn’t mean that everything at home stops completely. I’ve finished my Prophiling paper,” she pointed to a rather large pile of books and papers with a disc sitting atop, the word ‘Prophiling’ and the date printed clearly. “My lit assignment.” She gestured to another pile. “And now I’m working on several different… projects, so if you’ll excuse me.”
Veronica turned back to her computer and her hands reached for the keyboard. “And another thing, you don’t knock before you enter a room? God, I could have been…” she paused, working up a good head of steam. “I could have been fucking naked and you just burst in here like you’re completely allowed, like… like…” she stammered off at the end, giving him opportunity to jump in.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, you’re really pissed. How dare I and all that bull shit. You gonna sit up here all day?” Weevil asked, cutting directly to why he had come in here. He was getting more and more nervous being alone in her bedroom with her, like Sheriff Mars might jump out of the closet or slide out from under the bed.
All Veronica’s indignation from moments earlier had completely evaporated, proving that she wasn’t really mad. She probably thought that if he had walked in on her naked he would have apologized profusely and shut his eyes before turning around and leaving the room. And she thinks she knows everything.
“I haven’t been-” Weevil watched her glance at her watch, a smirk on his face. She obviously had no idea how long she’d been up here. “Oh my god, I’ve been up here since two. I’ve been in my bedroom for almost six hours!”
Weevil grinned a little as she catapulted off the bed, knocking all her books and papers down in the process. She frantically started gathering items and separating them again.
“So, we’re gonna play Monopoly. We would have started it forty-five minutes ago but Duncan brought the baby down for dinner and distracted Parker. But we’re going to start in about ten minutes if you want to play.” Weevil asked like he’d been directed to. Wallace had given him specific instructions: Go up and ask if V wants to play. Give her another ten minutes, that way she can do whatever it is that girls always seem to have to do before they do anything. Weevil chose not to repeat those exact words to her though, he valued his life and if it came down to it he’d roll over on Wallace in a heartbeat, and it turned out he wasn’t such a bad guy.
Veronica slowed her frantic piling and sorting, looking like she was thinking it over. But she stopped and shook her head.
“No, I think I’ll stay up here for the rest of the night. I have to start a book for a class and finish some of this stuff and it’ll just be easier to get this all done now.” She scooped everything back up into one pile, making her previous activity pointless, and dropped it all on the top of the nearest dresser.
“I don’t remember seeing you carry that in.” Weevil said aloud, not meaning to. It looked like an awful lot of school junk.
“I didn’t. Wallace went down and got it out of Mac’s car while we had Logan distracted.” Weevil raised an eyebrow at that. Snuck it in?
“Logan forbade any of us from bringing school work on vacation. I worked it out with all my professors when we decided on the trip. The only excuse for being absent and still being allowed to turn in your work without any kind of grade reduction penalty is hospitalization and bereavement. So I made fake death certificates for everyone, so they could claim they were to attend an out of town funeral and would have to skip class. Everyone worked out their assignments prior to leaving. Everyone has at least two assignments due, if not more, during this little vacation. Dick and Logan have opted for hospitalization, but I’ve already got their doctor’s notes and everything all forged and stuff, just forgot them at home.” Veronica explained, shoving her books into the backpack that looked too small to hold it all.
“Yeah, but what’s that have to do with sneaking your books in?” Weevil asked, jutting his head forward in a motion meant to urge her on.
“Well, Logan didn’t believe that Mac, Wallace and I could leave our homework behind. Which is true since Mac and I have each have papers due the day after we get back. And Wallace and Piz both have to rush in and turn their papers in the day we get back. But Logan didn’t know that, so before we left he did a search of everyone’s cars. He started with Mac’s and as soon as he moved onto Wallace’s car Mac and I started shoving book bags into the back. We had to move most of the luggage in Mac’s car into Wallace’s and a couple things into Logan’s, but we got all six of them in.” Veronica finished, looking a little proud of herself. “Even Dick brought his.”
“How did Logan miss this game of musical luggage?” Weevil was actually curious how rich boy missed it, he didn’t think Logan was that dense… or blind.
“I purposely made sure his cell phone got left up in his room, he had to run up and get it.” Veronica said, picking up the bag that was obviously too heavy for her and taking it to her closet, where she tucked it into a dark corner.
“Logan almost made us leave our laptops, he’s so freaking paranoid.” Veronica said, coming out of her closet and wiping her hands on her jeans.
Can’t imagine why.
“You sure you don’t want to play?” Weevil asked again, turning to leave.
“No, I don’t want to play. But if a poker game starts up…”
“I’ll run up here as fast as I can and make sure you’re locked in your room. I’d like to keep my money for once.” Weevil responded stepping out of the door. Of course he’d be eighty dollars richer soon. Mac and Dick had already lost their money, so that was automatically forty dollars. There was no way Lilly and Logan were getting back together after this afternoon, and there was never really a chance at Lilly and Veronica hooking up. And if the little scene of domesticity between Parker and Duncan was any indication, Veronica wouldn’t be hooking up with him either.
“Har har, very funny.” Veronica’s voice chased after him as he gently shut the door and headed down the hall. He snuck past Logan’s now shut bedroom door and quietly down the stairs.
~Logan~
The talking had faded away, Veronica no longer had any visitors. Logan was mildly curious as to who was in her room, but pushed it away as he ran his hand nervously through his hair.
He was pacing his room, the same path over and over again: the wall that supported his headboard, turn, wall that his mirror was mounted on, turn. His hair would stand straight up for a couple minutes, then he’d smooth it back down. Then the cycle would start all over again and he’d start running his hand through it again.
He had to talk to Veronica. As soon as whoever it was that was in there went away he’d go to her and talk to her. Rationally and reasonably, he’d talk to her.
The talking had faded and was quickly becoming a distant memory. Logan rushed to his own door, turned the knob and pushed. The door didn’t budge. He pushed again. Nothing.
Idiot. Logan pulled and the door opened smoothly. Four feet later and he was at her door, standing there staring at it. He turned the knob and pushed, the door slid open with ease.
“What is it with people just walking in without knocking?” Veronica asked, not once looking up from her novel. “Geeze.” The last word was done in imitation of Napoleon Dynamite, done with accuracy Logan struggled not to laugh.
“We need to talk.” Logan was shocked at how serious his voice sounded.
“Uh oh, are we breaking up?” Logan again struggled not to laugh, she was really on her game tonight.
“No, and quit goofing off Veronica, this is serious.” Logan’s voice was still serious, it held no traces of humor in it. Veronica’s shoulders stiffened and then relaxed, a clear sign that she’d caught on to the underlying tension in his voice. She was taking him seriously now.
“What exactly are we talking about Logan?” Her own voice had become more somber, more edgy. Her voice always got an edge to it during their ‘serious’ conversations. Like she was already preparing for the fight, whether the conversation was headed there or not, she was prepared. It usually ended in a fight anyway.
“Why did you tell Lilly we were a fling?” Logan knew she didn’t think of them as a fling. Even if Piz hadn’t confirmed that ten minutes ago, there was no way a six month relationship could be considered ‘a fling’. Still, she might have told Lilly they were a fling to avoid the discussion about their relationship with the other girl.
“What?” Veronica asked, looking genuinely shocked by the question.
“Why did you tell Lilly we were just a summer fling before senior year? Why didn’t you tell her how serious we had been?” Why didn’t you tell her that we were in love? That I’m still in love with you?
“I did.” She answered shortly, standing up and throwing her book down on the bed in the same motion.
“That’s not what she says.” Logan accused, not satisfied with her answer.
“I don’t give a fuck what Lilly says, I told her what we were. I never once mentioned the word fling and I’m pretty fucking sure I explained what happened last year with stunning clarity.” Veronica spit the words out, sarcasm dripping from them. Her glare making him want to squirm a little, instead he settle for shifting from foot to foot a couple times.
“Apparently you weren’t clear enough because she didn’t think it was all that serious. In fact, she thought we were so casual that it wouldn’t really be a problem when she and I got back together.” Logan saw Veronica flinch before she slipped her mask back into place. He hated that goddamn mask, that fucking hard look of the ice bitch that made him want to bash in her headlights.
“Oh, yeah. Lilly wants to get back with you, and you can’t wait to get back together with her right? Got to admire you self-respect, and your restraint.” She was hurt, Logan could tell. This conversation is now miles off course. “Wow! You’ve gone this long without running back to her, I’m amazed.” Veronica moved towards her closet door, for what reason he didn’t know.
“Oh stop it, Veronica. Or is this the part where you get out the piano wire?” Logan asked, calling her out on her apparent jealousy.
“What? Are you saying I’m jealous of Lilly?” Veronica had spun around in shock, knowing full well what he was talking about. “Oh, yeah. Totally jealous. I wish I could be in a coma too. Then maybe I’ll have done something stupid enough to ruin everybody’s lives and be able to sleep through the fallout.”
“Cute, Veronica. Real cute.” Logan said, smirking. “Why are you getting so upset? If we were just a fling, and you don’t care anymore, why are you upset about his?”
“I’m not upset, I don’t care and I never said we were a fucking fling. Now get out of my room.” Veronica lifted her arm and pointed at the door behind Logan, just in case he had forgotten where it was.
“You know, you sound like you care.”
“I don’t, now get out.” Veronica repeated, still pointing at the door.
“If we weren’t a fling, what were we?” Logan asked. He knew what they were, didn’t need it clarified, but he wanted to hear exactly how she described them. Maybe it was her description that gave Lilly the impression they were a fling, maybe it wasn’t Veronica’s intention. She always did have a hard time with emotions, describing them couldn’t be any easier.
“You know what we were, Logan.” Veronica’s arm dropped back down to her side and her voice got quieter.
“Yeah, I know what we were Veronica, but do you?” Logan was getting annoyed with her, he just wanted her to answer the question.
“We were what we were Logan. Why do you think I told Lilly we were a fling?” Veronica was just now catching on to that, just now realizing where he’d gotten this fling idea from, he could hear that much in her voice.
“Because she said you barely mentioned me. Well, in the relationship sector. I’m sure you told her what a jerk I was right? How I bashed in your headlights and taunted and mocked you. Told her what an evil doer I was. I’m sure you told her all about that.” Logan’s voice was a bit colder, angry.
“Barely mentioned you? She was my best friend Logan, I told her everything.” Veronica yelled at him.
“I know you used to tell her everything, Veronica. I’m talking about now!” Logan yelled back.
“Not used to Logan, I meant I told her everything that first night.” Veronica clarified, no longer yelling.
“Then why is she suddenly so pissed about it? Huh? It’s been almost a week and she’s just now getting angry? Why?” Logan questioned, urging her to answer him.
“I don’t know Logan. I don’t understand why she’s just now getting pissed.” Veronica answered, looking desperate to end the argument. Logan wasn’t in quite the same hurry.
“What did you tell her we were?” Logan’s voice was softer, no longer angry, bus still held a certain kind of steel that told her his bullshit tolerance level was down.
“I told her… I told her exactly what we were, Logan. Now can we just drop it?” Veronica’s hands started to fidget, providing a silly contrast to her stern expression and the tense way she was holding her body.
“Why can’t you explain it to me? Are you embarrassed or something?” Logan asked, kind of hoping she’d say she was embarrassed. That she’d been all mushy and stuff when she’d spoken to Lilly about him and now she was embarrassed by it.
Veronica remained silent, speechless, looking like she was caught between two options. Option number one, admit that she hadn’t explained well and misled Lilly or option two, admit that she explained extremely well.
“Why are you so scared of it, Veronica?” Logan yelled, annoyed by her lack of answer. He was so frustrated that she could never answer him, not when it came to the important emotional stuff. If he asked her for help on a test or an assignment, she’d have answered him the first time in less than a minutes. But when asked about their relationship, something personal, she couldn’t give any of the answers that only she had.
“What about me freaks you out so bad, huh?” Logan asked again, his voice rising another couple of notches. “I mean, I fucking love you, I’ve loved you for three years and in all that time you’ve been afraid.”
Veronica looked paler, and angrier in some ways but, in the end, still like a deer caught in the headlights.
“See, even now, in the face of an emotional confession, me pouring my heart out to you, telling you I love you, you’re still scared. You are so scared and so scared to admit that that you just keep running from me and us and using whatever excuse you can to do it.” Logan was yelling at her, distracting her from his approach, which went unnoticed. She was only focusing on his words.
“I’m not scared Logan, I just… I can’t…” Veronica yelled, stammering on the last few words, unable to get them out.
“You just can’t take an emotional risk that might actually make you happy, can you?” Logan was still yelling, but his anger was fading. He was starting to feel depressed, their subject matter starting to take a toll on his own heart, his own emotional wellbeing.
“I can’t… I just…” She stammered again, her voice quieter.
“You just what, Veronica?” Logan pushed, his voice quieter but still harsh.
“I just love you, okay?!” She yelled out, looking shocked that she’d just admitted that. Like if she could she’d gather the words back up and shoved them back into her mouth, swallow them up again forever.
Logan’s eyes got wide and he fought a grin, his heart hammering and his breath getting short and stuttered, making it hard for him to actually breathe.
“What did you just say?”
12:Sound
Rating: PG-13 (for some profanity and mentions of sexual situations)
Characters/Pairings: Dick, Mac, Duncan, Lilly the first, Logan, Veronica, Piz (mentions of: Lilly the second, Parker, Wallace, Weevil) MaDi and hints of LoVe
Word Count: 3,160
Spoilers: All episodes (from 1.01: Pilot to 3.20: The Bitch Is Back. Just to be sure) Although this is obviously AU and there are obviously going to be some alterations to events and especially some in the last couple of episodes.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Literally, nothing. So don’t sue me over his, because you won’t get anything. It all belongs to Rob Thomas and if I had owned it when it was still on the last season would have been way different.
A/N: This story was also no originally mine, and I’d really like to stress that in the first two chapters. The original story can be found here) And this is my first attempt at anything AU, so… enjoy
Chapter 1: Awake/ Chapter 2: Homecoming/ Chapter 3: Forgive/ Chapter 4: Arrival/ Chapter 5: Reconnect/ Chapter 6: Belong/ Chapter 7: Bets/ Chapter 8: Fight/ Chapter 9: Battle/ Chapter 10: Retreat
The Return
11
Push
~Weevil~
He’d snuck past Logan’s door, and his nosiness, to while Pick was blocking the door. Piz. He’d been corrected several times now, the last time by Piz himself. The kid had looked like he was going to wet himself when Weevil had just turned and looked at him. Parker didn’t seem too scared of him, just wary, but Piz acted as if he was suddenly going to turn around and start beating him for no good reason.
Mission accomplished, he supposed. Unfortunately Weevil had still been forced to spend the majority of his time with Piz and Parker. He had no idea why he had come on this trip, not a clue why he let Veronica talk him into this. Talk him into coming and working out all his issues, like this was some therapists weekend. Group therapy with people that had either screwed him over or the ones he screwed over. Or the people he didn’t even know.
He had thought he’d get to hang out with Veronica a little, something they didn’t really do back home. Not unless she needed something. And they weren’t the best of friends, but she was still a friend. He didn’t have many of those left, now that high school was over and he was no longer a part of the gang that they all were. He hadn’t really had any friends since Thumper power-played him right out of them all.
Weevil turned the doorknob and popped open the door to Veronica’s room without knocking. Who cares if she’s decent or not. Bonus for me.
Veronica looked up from her place on her bed, surrounded by papers and books. She had been staring at the laptop that was perched on her lap.
“I should’ve known, a vacation is not really a vacation for you.” He commented as he moved away from the door and closer to her and the bed.
“It is a vacation, but that doesn’t mean that everything at home stops completely. I’ve finished my Prophiling paper,” she pointed to a rather large pile of books and papers with a disc sitting atop, the word ‘Prophiling’ and the date printed clearly. “My lit assignment.” She gestured to another pile. “And now I’m working on several different… projects, so if you’ll excuse me.”
Veronica turned back to her computer and her hands reached for the keyboard. “And another thing, you don’t knock before you enter a room? God, I could have been…” she paused, working up a good head of steam. “I could have been fucking naked and you just burst in here like you’re completely allowed, like… like…” she stammered off at the end, giving him opportunity to jump in.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, you’re really pissed. How dare I and all that bull shit. You gonna sit up here all day?” Weevil asked, cutting directly to why he had come in here. He was getting more and more nervous being alone in her bedroom with her, like Sheriff Mars might jump out of the closet or slide out from under the bed.
All Veronica’s indignation from moments earlier had completely evaporated, proving that she wasn’t really mad. She probably thought that if he had walked in on her naked he would have apologized profusely and shut his eyes before turning around and leaving the room. And she thinks she knows everything.
“I haven’t been-” Weevil watched her glance at her watch, a smirk on his face. She obviously had no idea how long she’d been up here. “Oh my god, I’ve been up here since two. I’ve been in my bedroom for almost six hours!”
Weevil grinned a little as she catapulted off the bed, knocking all her books and papers down in the process. She frantically started gathering items and separating them again.
“So, we’re gonna play Monopoly. We would have started it forty-five minutes ago but Duncan brought the baby down for dinner and distracted Parker. But we’re going to start in about ten minutes if you want to play.” Weevil asked like he’d been directed to. Wallace had given him specific instructions: Go up and ask if V wants to play. Give her another ten minutes, that way she can do whatever it is that girls always seem to have to do before they do anything. Weevil chose not to repeat those exact words to her though, he valued his life and if it came down to it he’d roll over on Wallace in a heartbeat, and it turned out he wasn’t such a bad guy.
Veronica slowed her frantic piling and sorting, looking like she was thinking it over. But she stopped and shook her head.
“No, I think I’ll stay up here for the rest of the night. I have to start a book for a class and finish some of this stuff and it’ll just be easier to get this all done now.” She scooped everything back up into one pile, making her previous activity pointless, and dropped it all on the top of the nearest dresser.
“I don’t remember seeing you carry that in.” Weevil said aloud, not meaning to. It looked like an awful lot of school junk.
“I didn’t. Wallace went down and got it out of Mac’s car while we had Logan distracted.” Weevil raised an eyebrow at that. Snuck it in?
“Logan forbade any of us from bringing school work on vacation. I worked it out with all my professors when we decided on the trip. The only excuse for being absent and still being allowed to turn in your work without any kind of grade reduction penalty is hospitalization and bereavement. So I made fake death certificates for everyone, so they could claim they were to attend an out of town funeral and would have to skip class. Everyone worked out their assignments prior to leaving. Everyone has at least two assignments due, if not more, during this little vacation. Dick and Logan have opted for hospitalization, but I’ve already got their doctor’s notes and everything all forged and stuff, just forgot them at home.” Veronica explained, shoving her books into the backpack that looked too small to hold it all.
“Yeah, but what’s that have to do with sneaking your books in?” Weevil asked, jutting his head forward in a motion meant to urge her on.
“Well, Logan didn’t believe that Mac, Wallace and I could leave our homework behind. Which is true since Mac and I have each have papers due the day after we get back. And Wallace and Piz both have to rush in and turn their papers in the day we get back. But Logan didn’t know that, so before we left he did a search of everyone’s cars. He started with Mac’s and as soon as he moved onto Wallace’s car Mac and I started shoving book bags into the back. We had to move most of the luggage in Mac’s car into Wallace’s and a couple things into Logan’s, but we got all six of them in.” Veronica finished, looking a little proud of herself. “Even Dick brought his.”
“How did Logan miss this game of musical luggage?” Weevil was actually curious how rich boy missed it, he didn’t think Logan was that dense… or blind.
“I purposely made sure his cell phone got left up in his room, he had to run up and get it.” Veronica said, picking up the bag that was obviously too heavy for her and taking it to her closet, where she tucked it into a dark corner.
“Logan almost made us leave our laptops, he’s so freaking paranoid.” Veronica said, coming out of her closet and wiping her hands on her jeans.
Can’t imagine why.
“You sure you don’t want to play?” Weevil asked again, turning to leave.
“No, I don’t want to play. But if a poker game starts up…”
“I’ll run up here as fast as I can and make sure you’re locked in your room. I’d like to keep my money for once.” Weevil responded stepping out of the door. Of course he’d be eighty dollars richer soon. Mac and Dick had already lost their money, so that was automatically forty dollars. There was no way Lilly and Logan were getting back together after this afternoon, and there was never really a chance at Lilly and Veronica hooking up. And if the little scene of domesticity between Parker and Duncan was any indication, Veronica wouldn’t be hooking up with him either.
“Har har, very funny.” Veronica’s voice chased after him as he gently shut the door and headed down the hall. He snuck past Logan’s now shut bedroom door and quietly down the stairs.
~Logan~
The talking had faded away, Veronica no longer had any visitors. Logan was mildly curious as to who was in her room, but pushed it away as he ran his hand nervously through his hair.
He was pacing his room, the same path over and over again: the wall that supported his headboard, turn, wall that his mirror was mounted on, turn. His hair would stand straight up for a couple minutes, then he’d smooth it back down. Then the cycle would start all over again and he’d start running his hand through it again.
He had to talk to Veronica. As soon as whoever it was that was in there went away he’d go to her and talk to her. Rationally and reasonably, he’d talk to her.
The talking had faded and was quickly becoming a distant memory. Logan rushed to his own door, turned the knob and pushed. The door didn’t budge. He pushed again. Nothing.
Idiot. Logan pulled and the door opened smoothly. Four feet later and he was at her door, standing there staring at it. He turned the knob and pushed, the door slid open with ease.
“What is it with people just walking in without knocking?” Veronica asked, not once looking up from her novel. “Geeze.” The last word was done in imitation of Napoleon Dynamite, done with accuracy Logan struggled not to laugh.
“We need to talk.” Logan was shocked at how serious his voice sounded.
“Uh oh, are we breaking up?” Logan again struggled not to laugh, she was really on her game tonight.
“No, and quit goofing off Veronica, this is serious.” Logan’s voice was still serious, it held no traces of humor in it. Veronica’s shoulders stiffened and then relaxed, a clear sign that she’d caught on to the underlying tension in his voice. She was taking him seriously now.
“What exactly are we talking about Logan?” Her own voice had become more somber, more edgy. Her voice always got an edge to it during their ‘serious’ conversations. Like she was already preparing for the fight, whether the conversation was headed there or not, she was prepared. It usually ended in a fight anyway.
“Why did you tell Lilly we were a fling?” Logan knew she didn’t think of them as a fling. Even if Piz hadn’t confirmed that ten minutes ago, there was no way a six month relationship could be considered ‘a fling’. Still, she might have told Lilly they were a fling to avoid the discussion about their relationship with the other girl.
“What?” Veronica asked, looking genuinely shocked by the question.
“Why did you tell Lilly we were just a summer fling before senior year? Why didn’t you tell her how serious we had been?” Why didn’t you tell her that we were in love? That I’m still in love with you?
“I did.” She answered shortly, standing up and throwing her book down on the bed in the same motion.
“That’s not what she says.” Logan accused, not satisfied with her answer.
“I don’t give a fuck what Lilly says, I told her what we were. I never once mentioned the word fling and I’m pretty fucking sure I explained what happened last year with stunning clarity.” Veronica spit the words out, sarcasm dripping from them. Her glare making him want to squirm a little, instead he settle for shifting from foot to foot a couple times.
“Apparently you weren’t clear enough because she didn’t think it was all that serious. In fact, she thought we were so casual that it wouldn’t really be a problem when she and I got back together.” Logan saw Veronica flinch before she slipped her mask back into place. He hated that goddamn mask, that fucking hard look of the ice bitch that made him want to bash in her headlights.
“Oh, yeah. Lilly wants to get back with you, and you can’t wait to get back together with her right? Got to admire you self-respect, and your restraint.” She was hurt, Logan could tell. This conversation is now miles off course. “Wow! You’ve gone this long without running back to her, I’m amazed.” Veronica moved towards her closet door, for what reason he didn’t know.
“Oh stop it, Veronica. Or is this the part where you get out the piano wire?” Logan asked, calling her out on her apparent jealousy.
“What? Are you saying I’m jealous of Lilly?” Veronica had spun around in shock, knowing full well what he was talking about. “Oh, yeah. Totally jealous. I wish I could be in a coma too. Then maybe I’ll have done something stupid enough to ruin everybody’s lives and be able to sleep through the fallout.”
“Cute, Veronica. Real cute.” Logan said, smirking. “Why are you getting so upset? If we were just a fling, and you don’t care anymore, why are you upset about his?”
“I’m not upset, I don’t care and I never said we were a fucking fling. Now get out of my room.” Veronica lifted her arm and pointed at the door behind Logan, just in case he had forgotten where it was.
“You know, you sound like you care.”
“I don’t, now get out.” Veronica repeated, still pointing at the door.
“If we weren’t a fling, what were we?” Logan asked. He knew what they were, didn’t need it clarified, but he wanted to hear exactly how she described them. Maybe it was her description that gave Lilly the impression they were a fling, maybe it wasn’t Veronica’s intention. She always did have a hard time with emotions, describing them couldn’t be any easier.
“You know what we were, Logan.” Veronica’s arm dropped back down to her side and her voice got quieter.
“Yeah, I know what we were Veronica, but do you?” Logan was getting annoyed with her, he just wanted her to answer the question.
“We were what we were Logan. Why do you think I told Lilly we were a fling?” Veronica was just now catching on to that, just now realizing where he’d gotten this fling idea from, he could hear that much in her voice.
“Because she said you barely mentioned me. Well, in the relationship sector. I’m sure you told her what a jerk I was right? How I bashed in your headlights and taunted and mocked you. Told her what an evil doer I was. I’m sure you told her all about that.” Logan’s voice was a bit colder, angry.
“Barely mentioned you? She was my best friend Logan, I told her everything.” Veronica yelled at him.
“I know you used to tell her everything, Veronica. I’m talking about now!” Logan yelled back.
“Not used to Logan, I meant I told her everything that first night.” Veronica clarified, no longer yelling.
“Then why is she suddenly so pissed about it? Huh? It’s been almost a week and she’s just now getting angry? Why?” Logan questioned, urging her to answer him.
“I don’t know Logan. I don’t understand why she’s just now getting pissed.” Veronica answered, looking desperate to end the argument. Logan wasn’t in quite the same hurry.
“What did you tell her we were?” Logan’s voice was softer, no longer angry, bus still held a certain kind of steel that told her his bullshit tolerance level was down.
“I told her… I told her exactly what we were, Logan. Now can we just drop it?” Veronica’s hands started to fidget, providing a silly contrast to her stern expression and the tense way she was holding her body.
“Why can’t you explain it to me? Are you embarrassed or something?” Logan asked, kind of hoping she’d say she was embarrassed. That she’d been all mushy and stuff when she’d spoken to Lilly about him and now she was embarrassed by it.
Veronica remained silent, speechless, looking like she was caught between two options. Option number one, admit that she hadn’t explained well and misled Lilly or option two, admit that she explained extremely well.
“Why are you so scared of it, Veronica?” Logan yelled, annoyed by her lack of answer. He was so frustrated that she could never answer him, not when it came to the important emotional stuff. If he asked her for help on a test or an assignment, she’d have answered him the first time in less than a minutes. But when asked about their relationship, something personal, she couldn’t give any of the answers that only she had.
“What about me freaks you out so bad, huh?” Logan asked again, his voice rising another couple of notches. “I mean, I fucking love you, I’ve loved you for three years and in all that time you’ve been afraid.”
Veronica looked paler, and angrier in some ways but, in the end, still like a deer caught in the headlights.
“See, even now, in the face of an emotional confession, me pouring my heart out to you, telling you I love you, you’re still scared. You are so scared and so scared to admit that that you just keep running from me and us and using whatever excuse you can to do it.” Logan was yelling at her, distracting her from his approach, which went unnoticed. She was only focusing on his words.
“I’m not scared Logan, I just… I can’t…” Veronica yelled, stammering on the last few words, unable to get them out.
“You just can’t take an emotional risk that might actually make you happy, can you?” Logan was still yelling, but his anger was fading. He was starting to feel depressed, their subject matter starting to take a toll on his own heart, his own emotional wellbeing.
“I can’t… I just…” She stammered again, her voice quieter.
“You just what, Veronica?” Logan pushed, his voice quieter but still harsh.
“I just love you, okay?!” She yelled out, looking shocked that she’d just admitted that. Like if she could she’d gather the words back up and shoved them back into her mouth, swallow them up again forever.
Logan’s eyes got wide and he fought a grin, his heart hammering and his breath getting short and stuttered, making it hard for him to actually breathe.
“What did you just say?”
12:Sound