It wasn't the first time Veronica had been shoved to the floor by a Heather, but it was the first time she actually felt hurt by the action. Sure, she'd had bruises and scrapes from other brush-ins with the Heathers, but none of them had made her actually want to cry.

Now she was on her knees in the cafeteria with half the class gathered around her.

"Whore!" someone called.

"Freak!"

"Slut!"

Ram and Kurt looked pretty pleased with themselves, elbowing each other and pointing and laughing as Duke and McNamara stood nearby, laughing as they stood with one hip jutted out, hand on that hip, looking positively flawless.

Bitches, Jason Dean thought, glaring at them as he entered the cafeteria. What's holding their limited attention now- his heart stopped and he felt all the blood rush out of his face as he realized that he recognized that blue blazer, that brown mop of shoulder-length hair.

"Veronica!" he hollered as he pushed through the crowd. Ram caught sight of him and nudged Kurt, who grabbed JD by the shoulder and spun him around. Caught off guard, JD was met with a fist to the gut as Ram got him under the arms and held him for Kurt.

"No!" Veronica cried. She reached out for him, but the crowd that separated them quickly moved to force them further apart. The laughter was deafening.

And then, nearly as suddenly as it had begun, the two outcasts found themselves alone as the dust settled and their classmates wandered off to their classes or lockers.

Veronica took one look at JD, laying facedown in a crumpled heap, and had to choke back a sob. "Oh no," she groaned, crawling closer to him, "JD- JD I'm so sorry."

"Veronica," he pushed himself up until he was sitting and he reached a hand out to cup her cheek. "Are you all right?" he asked in a worried whisper. She nodded.

"Yeah, I'm- I'm fine, I just-" she sobbed and covered her mouth with her hands, squeezing her eyes shut as a fresh onslaught of tears threatened. JD pulled himself forward, cringing as he put weight down on his wrist. Ram had kicked it out from under him as the jocks had taken to kicking him. "I'm sorry for the waterworks, I just-" Veronica's speech became too incoherent to be understood and JD flung his arm around her, pulling her against his chest.

It was then that he decided for sure. The jocks had to go. Duke had to go. McNamara was hanging by a thread, if Veronica showed even a slight sign that she wasn't still friends with the yellow Heather she'd be gone as well.

"They made you cry, but that will end tonight. You are the only thing that's right about this broken world," he told her, kissing her forehead as he pulled her closer.