Title: Disguising Mistakes With Goodbyes (1/2)
Author: Kayla
Pairing/Character: Dick, Veronica, Logan, Troy, Luke. Hints of Dick/Veronica.
Word Count: 1,300
Rating: PG-13 (language)
Summary: Dick hated pretending. So he stopped.
Spoilers/Warning: Takes place during 1x05 (You Think You Know Somebody)
A/N: Written for 100situations at livejournal
> > >
He wouldn't say she was a disease because that would be lame, right? She was more like death, or sin, or something equally bad. Not that sin was bad, because it felt damn good, it's just, when he used to go to church with his mom as a kid, they said sin was bad. Either way, Veronica was one of those things. Just because she was. He wasn't going to sit there and think about it for hours because that would be even more lame than calling her 'the disease.'
More or less, she hated him and he pretended to hate her. Why? Asking Logan fucking Echolls. Logan made the rules, not him. He just followed them like some dumb fuck. God, Logan pissed him off sometimes. Outcasting Veronica was easy for Logan. He just came to school one day and started calling her a bitch.
For Dick, it was harder. He'd see her in the hallway and she had that look. The look where you knew something was off. Worst part is, he knew the look. He knew all of her looks. The miserable ones, the pleased ones, all of them. Basically, she tortured him. Not on purpose, of course, but every time he tried to throw an insult her way, she's shot him a look that said, 'why are you doing this to me?' and he'd shut the fuck up.
The other 09ers, they were like Logan. It was so fucking simple for them and he hated it.
Dick hated pretending. So he stopped.
"Hey, you alone?" she asked.
"Nah, Kendall, listen, I'm trying to get home."
"Kendall? Hmm, not sure if I like that one," she teased. "But listen, you can hang out with the guys. You don't need to come over. It really wasn't that big of a deal."
"Right, dinner, I know. I'm on my way."
Hanging up the phone, he looked at Logan, Troy, and Luke.
"Looks like Kendall decided to be a bitch today. Dude, I'm out. Something about family dinner," Dick lied.
"What the fuck? On the day we were planning the TJ trip?" Logan questioned.
"Oh, about that. My dad says he doesn't want to take Beav camping alone. Some shit about needing another man there, so yeah, I can't make that either."
"Damn, Dick, your family has tight reigns," Troy observed.
"They never used to," Logan stated.
"Yeah, whatever."
And then he's out the door and on the way to her house.
> > >
"God, your pretend-boyfriend is one annoying fuck," Dick stated as he entered the apartment.
"He's not pretend, Dick," Veronica informed him.
"Yeah, well, he should be. He's planning on buying steroids on the trip to TJ next weekend."
"He what?"
"Dude, well, not him, but he knows about it." He smirked and looked down at her. "Listen, I told them I couldn't go to TJ so we could like, do the whole Nancy Drew routine on him while he's gone. Ya know, dig up all that shit he's trying so hard to hide."
Veronica sighed, wondered over to the couch and plopped down.
"You think he's trying to hide something?"
Walking to the couch, he grinned. "Come on, Ronnie. Troy, he's like, trying to act all smart and shit and I just, I don't like him," he reasoned.
"You don't like him because he tries to act smart? That makes no sense."
If there's one thing Dick knows about Veronica, it's that she traps all of her emotions in a small box and hides it under her bed. Discussing feelings—that never happened in their familiarity. Not that Dick referred to what he had with Veronica as familiarity; it was more like escaping reality. Veronica—she didn't have to act like such a Badass and Dick—he didn't try so hard. He just was…Dick. Simple. Funny. What-the-fuck-ever he wanted to be.
And he liked it.
But he didn't really like Troy. Not because Troy was like, terrible or some shit. Just because Troy was fake. He comes to Neptune like he fucking owns the place and then starts dating Veronica Mars. And no one says shit. That pissed Dick off more than fucking Santa Claus. And Santa Claus pissed him off hardcore.
It was like Troy was above Logan's outcast law. Troy Vandergraff was fucking new. Dick Casablancas was not. If there was anyone in the 09er's that shouldn't have to follow the rule, it should have been Dick.
But that was that and Dick doesn't like to think about it anymore. Just because it doesn't matter anymore. Veronica is his friend, even if nobody else knows. They dance around their issues and watch WWF. They have ice creams nights and fucking go to all the carnivals…outside of Neptune. But it's not like he dropped by Veronica's house one night and she magically agreed to be friends. Because he didn't. Drop by her house that is.
It just sort of happened. She broke down; he gave her a lift, and the next thing he knew…he was apologizing. Not that he had done anything wrong—because he hadn't. He hadn't mocked her once. He just acted as if she didn't exist. Kind of like Santa Claus. But, alas, he was sorry either way.
At school, yeah, he pretended to hate her. Mocked her, shit like that. And she just took it. That didn't matter either though because their mockery at school was enjoyable. She'd shot all his jokes down in a split two seconds and they'd laugh about it later that night.
Not that Dick ever thought of himself as weak, but after watching Veronica deal with rejection first hand, he knows he's just another one of Jack Bauer's bitches. He could never do what Veronica does.
She's jagged and broken in so many places. He doubts if she'll ever be able to piece herself back together. Not that like, he analyzes this shit at night or anything, because he doesn't. He just knows. He knows because he knows her.
Like after her mom left, Logan was off creating A-material for the next Monday at school. According to Logan, Monday, Veronica was going to crash and burn. But Dick, he knew that wasn't going to happen.
He was there when she shattered and fell to the floor. He was there when she chopped off all of her hair. Hell, he even went fucking shopping for her new wardrobe. And if he's being technical, he bought the fucking clothes. Sure, it was battle, because it took a lot of convincing for Veronica to let him buy the clothes, but he did.
And she changed. She's not pink flowers and bubbly hearts anymore and he likes it. She's more rugged, worn…she has so much character and bite and it's fucking awesome to him. She's come out of Lilly's shadow and created an outline four times bigger.
But she's dating Troy and he fucking hates it. If he were evaluating his relationship with Veronica—which he's not—but if he were, he'd probably know that he has some kind of sentiment towards her. Because he does. But he doesn't like, go around and write it on billboards.
"What's on your mind, D?" she questioned, pulling him back to reality.
"Did you just call me D?"
"Yeah, so?"
Jumping off the couch, Dick grabs a nearby pillow and flings it at her.
"Oh, you are so dead," Veronica proclaims and she runs down the hallway after him.