Title: Just Not Enemies
Summary: LoVe season one. I hate you. Who knew those words could hurt so much? He didn't..
Disclaimer: Rob Thomas created the characters, but I love 'em more.
A/N: so, my apologies about not getting it out sooner. but, its out now, so please review and let me know what you think!

Just Not Enemies
Part 1/?

"I... hate you."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Veronica knew they would change everything. She'd never said that to anyone before. Not Duncan when he broke up with her, not Weevil for his lame attempt at sexual harassment, and not even Lamb for telling her to 'go see the wizard' when in the most vulnerable state of her life.

Logan's mouth had been open and ready with a retort for her latest comeback, but instead it hung open in shock.

Veronica didn't know what made this day, or this argument, different from their usual spats. She'd had a bad day long before Logan had cornered her in the hallway on her way back from the bathroom.

She'd woken up late for school, spilled coffee all over her jacket in the car, and had still received a reprimand from her homeroom teacher on tardiness.

And when he'd asked her slyly if she'd 'had a late appointment' the night before, she'd just snapped.

After a moment of silence, Logan still hadn't managed to recover from the shock, his mouth still open. He felt as if he'd been punched in the stomach. She'd managed to knock the wind out of him with that one word. Hate.

He stuttered over his next word. "Wh...What?" He gazed at her for a long moment, his brows furrowed, different emotions playing across his face.

Part of him understood how she could hate him. He had after all been the one to turn the student body against her. He'd been the one in charge of making her life hell for over a year. He'd publicly slandered her father, slashed her tires, and even taken a crowbar to her headlights.

But another part of him couldn't understand at all. The Veronica he'd been friends with hadn't been able to hate anyone or anything. It was the one thing her large heart didn't seem to have the capacity for. And even though her attitude and her clothes and her hair had changed, Logan had never considered that her heart may have hardened as well.

"What?" Logan repeated, more to himself than the small blonde standing in front of him .

As Veronica watched the confusion portrayed on his face change from confusion, to disbeleif, and then unmistakably to hurt, she felt her own hard stare soften to remorse.

Stuttering as if wanting to say something else, Logan finally turned and hurried off in the direction from which he'd originally come.

Veronica stared after him until the bell ran, and she was forced to shake the jumble of thoughts in her head in order to go retrieve her bag from class.

Troy dropped his bag on the ground and slid onto the bench beside Veronica, reaching over to take a fry off of Wallace's plate.

The other boy scowled at him, but grinned as Troy turned his attention to the blonde beside him, snapping his fingers in front of her as she seemed to be staring off into space. "Hey! Earth to Mars!"

As Veronica tore her gaze away from the 09er table in which the king was conspicuously missing from, she scowled at her boyfriend. "Earth to Mars? I must have heard that joke about a million times since kindergarten. It wasn't funny back then, and its not funny now."

Troy feigned hurt. "So you're coming to my party tomorrow night right? At the beach house?"

Veronica furrowed her eyebrows. "Troy, I really don't know. 09er parties and I just don't really mix."

Troy pouted. "But its my 09er party. And Wallace is going!"

After about five minutes of coaxing, Veronica gave a small smile and agreed. She convinced herself she'd be fine. She could bring her own bottle of water to drink, and leave after an hour. Besides, she had Wallace now. And Troy.

Her boyfriend pecked her on the lips in thanks just as the bell rang.

As the quad began to empty, Veronica got up and slowly made her way towards the journalism room.

Veronica had hoped that if she took long enough to walk to journalism class, then Logan would have already arrived and she would be able to avoid a confrontation with him.

She knew she wasn't the only one doing the avoiding, if Logan's skipping lunch was any indication.

However, it seemed that Logan had had the same idea. The two stopped in front of each other, coming face to face directly in front of the classroom's doorway. Logan stared at her while Veronica focused her gaze on the tiled floor beneath her feet.

The moment was the epitome of awkward, and Veronica was more than relieved when Miss Dent broke their silence from the door. "Logan. Veronica. Are you coming in?"

Veronica brought her gaze up to stare at Logan. He appeared to give a small flinch, and then moved past her and down the hallway towards the school exit.

"Logan!" Miss Dent yelled after him. Letting out a frustrated sigh, the teacher looked on Veronica with almost a sympathetic expression. "Veronica. Are you coming in?"

She almost felt like going after him. She didn't know why. If anyone deserved her hate the most, it would be Logan Echolls. But somehow hurting him didn't cause her the satisfaction that it should have.

It took a moment for Veronica to tear her gaze away from the doors which Logan had just exited. She nodded half heartedly at her teacher, and slipped into the classroom quietly.

With one last glance around the hallway, Miss Dent closed the door behind her.

A/N: so, thats the first half. maybe not as long as i would have liked, but oh well :) please review and let me know what you think! this was originally going to only have two parts with a possible sequel, but i've decided based on feedback to stick with it for longer. see, reviewing works :)