"Step away from the bomb."
Veronica slowly, coolly, stepped out of the shadows, armed with a croquet mallet. She was certain J.D. could hear her heart pounding in her chest.
J.D. turned, and at first his face was full of astonishment, but quickly turned to amusement. He gave a breathy chuckle. "This little thing? I'd hardly call this a bomb. This is just to trigger the packs of thermals upstairs in the gym. Those are bombs." Despite his apparent rock-solid resolution, his voice was shaking.
"Please, J.D," she nearly choked on the words. "Don't do this. You said you wanted a life with me." She felt like curling up into a ball and crying. She loved him, but she had since come to understand that if he wouldn't end this himself, she would have to. No matter what it took.
"Of course I do, darling." His face actually softened, even if just for an instant. But as soon as it appeared, it was gone. "But we can't have our life together like this. These assholes, this school, they've blinded you. We can't be together until they're gone." He turned back to his bomb, making final adjustments.
Veronica knew she had no choice. "I wish you'd come with me…" She pleaded.
"I wish I had more TNT," He growled in response. That was it, she resolved to herself. No more second chances. She hoped to get a swift blow to his head and knock him out cold. She knew he was much stronger than her, and if he was given the chance to fight back, he would win.
She took a swing at him, but he had to have seen it coming because he dodged it with ease. He took hold of the mallet, yanked it from her hands, and threw it aside. She desperately tried to grab something, anything, his hair, his neck, but it was in vain. He grabbed her by the hair and threw her against the cinderblock wall. She cried out in pain and landed on the ground.
God, it fucking hurt. For a few very long seconds all she could feel was pain. She felt dizzy and briefly thought she might throw up. When she opened her eyes, she saw he had turned back to his bomb again. It had started beeping. If she hadn't been in so much pain, she might've also felt despair and anguish. Tears further blurred her vision.
He stood up and dusted his hands off. "Sorry, Veronica. Really. But you knew what would happen." He turned around to face her, and kneeled down to kiss her forehead. "I'll miss you," he admitted. He got back up, and started for the door.
"Wait," she cried out, surprised at herself for how weak she sounded. He stopped. "No one… has to die." At this, he raised an eyebrow. She was struggling to prop herself up on her forearm. "It can be just you and me. No one else. We can leave everyone behind and start our life together. Just please… Don't kill anyone."
For a last ditch effort at stopping him, he actually seemed to be considering it. He furrowed his brows. "Veronica, these people deserve to die. They're all horrible. They hurt you. They made you cry."
"I know," she panted. "But if you do this, if you kill all these people, we will never get our life together. We can't be normal. We can't go back. Please, if you want a life with me, stop this. We'll run. It'll be just us, together. We can be normal."
He chuckled lightly. "I think we're past normal." She feared her pleading with him wasn't working. He was going to do it. Until finally, he added, in a voice softer than she had heard in a long time, "Do you promise?"
It caught her by surprise. "What?"
"Do you promise? That we'll leave this all behind and start our life together, if I stop this?" She realized he thought she was tricking him. Even she was unsure if she meant what she was saying. But this could be her chance to stop him.
"Yes," she blurted, okay with the fact that she sounded weak and wounded. "Please, J.D. That's what I want. Just stop the bomb."
He stood frozen for longer than Veronica would have liked. Her heart was pounding so loud it was all she could hear. But after a moment that seemed like eternity, he said in almost a whisper, "Okay."
She was so exhausted and in pain that she didn't know what to do except to close her eyes. She heard mechanical beeping and metal clattering against the ground. Nearly instantly, he had scooped her up into his arms like it was nothing. "I knew we'd be together again, my darling. I was sure. You're meant to be mine." He kissed her forehead gently and mused, "Our love is God, Veronica. Let's go."