Heaven
G
Veronica/Casey
Note: Pre-series, pre-murder, pre-Duncan/Veronica. Written for lj user"vmfanficutopia" 's "Trapped!" challenge.
Summary: What if Lilly knew Veronica had never been kissed?
"Wait, wait, wait!" Lilly Kane laughed as she turned to lie on her stomach and face Veronica. "You're honestly telling me that you've never, ever been kissed before?" Lilly giggled.
"Yeah." Veronica replied, suddenly wishing she hadn't told her new friend such a intimate secret. "But it's not a big deal!" Veronica protested weakly.
"Not a big deal?" Lilly gasped, jumping up. "Veronica Mars! Have you seen the male population of Neptune High? And it's no big deal that you haven't even started exploring the options?"
"It's not like I'm going to…I don't know, open a kissing booth at our lunch table or something." Veronica said, picking up a magazine and attempting to change the direction of the conversation. "So have you heard that new song by…" She started.
"Oh, no! This is not something you're going to wiggle your way out of." Lilly replied, grabbing the magazine. "I will not have my best friend be sweet 16 and never been kissed. How clichéd is that?" Lilly asked.
"So what are you going to do about it?" Veronica asked, a little wary of what Lilly might think up.
"Don't you worry your pretty little head, Veronica. I've got this under control." Lilly said, smiling down at the blonde on her bed.
"Wait, so you're parents aren't going to be home?" Veronica asked her fair-haired friend a week later.
"No," Lilly replied. "Donut's got as soccer tournament, so they're leaving me home alone. Which means there couldn't be a better time for a party!"
"But my parents will never let me go if your parents aren't there!"
"Earth to Mars! You don't tell your parents that mine won't be there!" Lilly sighed in exasperation.
Veronica frowned, knowing that lying really would be the only way she would get to go to the party which Lilly was proclaiming to be the most important one of the year—even bigger then Shelly Pomroy's end of the year parties.
As Lilly rummaged through Veronica's closet, Veronica nervously twisted a lock of her hair around her index finger. Who was Lilly going to set Veronica up with? Veronica knew that Lilly hadn't forgotten about her sleepover confession, and certainly wasn't going to forget her promise to fix what she saw as a dire problem.
Would it be Dick? Or his little brother, Beaver, since he had as little experience as Veronica, if that was possible. Or maybe Cole, although Veronica thought he might like Meg Manning. Would Lilly subject Veronica to getting pity kisses from Logan, who was practically attached to Lilly at the lips?
"Veronica! This is absolutely tragic!" Lilly exclaimed dramatically, falling back onto Veronica's bed.
"What is?" Veronica asked, dropping her hand to her sides so her friend wouldn't catch on to her anxiety.
"You literally have no true party clothes, unless you're going to party at a old folks home." Lilly replied, jumping up and grabbing Veronica by the wrist. "But I'm sure I can find something for you at home. Let's go!"
Veronica rolled her eyes as she followed Lilly down the hall and to the staircase.
"And quit worrying about the party. I swear, it's not like anyone I've picked is going to bite you." Lilly laughed as Veronica's eyes grew wide.
Veronica checked her watch, noting that it had only been about two minutes since she had last checked it. The party was officially underway, already almost half over without a mention of Veronica's kissing partner for the night. Veronica stole a glance at Lilly, who was sitting on a couch in the Kane's basement, where she had been for about half a hour, making out with Logan. Veronica was often grossed out by their blatant PDA, but right now she was glad for Lilly's distraction.
How was Lilly even going to get Veronica and this mystery guy alone together? Lilly wouldn't do something stupid like get them to kiss in front of everyone. Lilly had to know how important a first kiss was, even if she had received her quite some time ago. Or at least Veronica hoped Lilly knew…
Right as worry began to cloud Veronica's eyes again, Lilly emerged from back of the basement, Logan trailing behind.
"Hey! I have a idea!" Lilly announced, turning off the stereo to get everyone attention. The room cheered and Veronica knew why. Lilly's party games where always fun, if not a little risqué.
"Seven minutes in Heaven!" Lilly cried as Logan produced a pad of paper from what seemed like thin air. "Everyone write your name down and give it to me."
Veronica shook her head in dismay as the line for a piece of paper formed.
"Okay, I'm picking the first two!" Lilly yelled over the din of noise that came from the other teenagers in the basement. She made a great show out of pretending not to look as she dipped her hand into a bowl that once held chips but was now holding the names of the party goers. Laughing, Lilly looked down into the bowl and quickly pulled out the two names that had a black dot on the outside.
"Casey and Veronica!" Lilly cried gleefully as the crowd gasped and cheered, pushing the unsuspecting couple to the front of the crowd and toward the storage closet that Lilly had deemed 'Heaven'.
"Casey GANT, Lilly?" Veronica whispered in her ear fiercely. "I'm sure he won't be impressed by my non-existent skills."
"I wouldn't worry about it" Lilly grinned, grabbing Veronica's arm and Casey wrist and pushing them towards the closet. "Come on! The rest of us want a chance too!" She cried.
Casey shut the door, slightly muffling the cheers from the group assembled right outside.
"So that was a little embarrassing." Casey said, smiling at Veronica as he swatted some Christmas decorations out of his face.
"Listen, I don't know what Lilly might have told you, but this wasn't my idea or anything…" Veronica explained quickly, but was cut off by Casey's laugh.
"Don't worry about it, V. I know Lilly was just trying to…do a good thing, however twisted this might seem." Casey replied. "We don't have to do anything…I mean, I know what they're expecting us to do, but I won't tell if you don't."
"It's not like I'm a freak or something, I just really don't want to make out with you in a dark closet with Lilly and Logan right outside."
"I understand." Casey grinned, a devilish grin slowly making its way on to his face. "You're scared."
"I am not scared." Veronica replied defiantly.
"Really? You haven't heard about my fabulous reputation as a womanizer? You haven't heard about all the different girls that have seen the backseat of my car?"
"Of course I've heard." Veronica replied sharply. "But I think that not everyone is exactly what rumors make them out to be. I mean, look at Lilly. When I first started at Neptune, I never, ever thought we'd become friends."
"And now she's locking you into closets with strange guys you don't want to kiss." Casey replied. "The good news is that I think we only have a few more minutes. And I don't think anyone is listening anymore." Casey said, noting that the CD had started again outside the closet.
"So you really haven't kissed as many girls as everyone thinks?" Veronica asked, looking at Casey.
"No." Casey replied, shrugging. "But who am I to argue, as long as they don't say I'm a bad kisser."
"I highly doubt Lilly would have picked a bad kisser for my first kiss." Veronica laughed.
"Well, I guess you'll never know." Casey replied. "It's not like I'm going to force you to kiss me or something Dick-like."
"I was actually worried that Lilly might pick someone like Dick for me."
"I doubt Madison would have allowed it. She's very possessive."
"I noticed." Veronica agreed. "So you're not going to try to kiss me at all? And you're willing to go out there and lie about it?"
"Yeah. And if you bite your lips a little, it'll look like something happened. They'll get red." Casey said, demonstrating.
Veronica nodded her head, eyeing Casey's mouth.
"If I said I did want you to kiss me, you wouldn't turn me down thought, right?" Veronica asked coyly.
"I'd never let you down." Casey said, looking at Veronica. "Although it is still dark in here, and I know you're not a fan of kissing in the dark, right?" Casey grinned, stepping closer to Veronica.
"I think I could learn to enjoy it, if someone taught me." Veronica said, stepping a little closer as well.
"Sounds like a plan…" Casey said, closing the space between the two and leaning down, pressing his lips to Veronica's.
Veronica's eyes were wide at first, but then she felt Casey take her arms and move the to rest on his shoulders, and then he wrapped his arms around her, and Veronica slowly closed her eyes.
"Alright, time's up!" Lilly called, throwing open the door. Veronica's eyes flew open as light flooded the room and the crowd caught Casey and Veronica.
"So…how was it, really?" Lilly asked as she painted Veronica's toes in the twilight.
"A lady never kisses and tells, Lilly." Veronica replied, laughing.
"Oh, come on! It's Casey Gant, one of Neptune High's kissing Hall of Fame-ers. If, you know, NHS had something like that."
"Let's just say seven minutes wasn't nearly long enough." Veronica replied, grinning as her friend laughed.