A/N: Ok, I guess I should thank all of you who reviewed, because from my experienced reading of fanfiction I realized that is what the authors do. Thanks to:
storynerd89: I was really worried about the characterization on the flashback, thanks a lot!
Vartan-LoVer: Thanks for the motivation, I guarantee it will be a LoVe story.
rowanceleste: Keep reading, if you really dislike Veronica/Piz, you will like this. Thanks for the review.
Beccakell13: I don't think the whole story will be in journal format, but I'll try for a little portion at the beginning and possibly the end. I'm glad you like it.
cosmopolitan: I'm happy you like it.
SatisfactoryInfluence: Thanks for the review and everything else.
Again, this chapter may seem like a Piz/Veronica story but, it's not. By the end you will see why.
Disclaimer: I don't own Veronica Mars, or the characters. I do love the show, and the characters.
Now on to the story...
How It Begins
Dear Journal,
Wait didn't I promise that I wouldn't say that again? Never mind.
Ok, so it's Friday night, and I'm getting ready to go on the double date with Piz. And Logan and Parker. We're going bowling. Total déjà vu to when I was with Logan and Piz invited me bowling, and then Parker came. It's like the same thing except now I'm with Piz and Logan is with Parker.
I hope this isn't too weird. I wonder how we'll divide the teams. Wouldn't it be awkward if Parker wanted to play with me, and Piz and Logan played together? Ha, like that would happen. Parker isn't that blonde.
I think Piz just got here. I'll give you the update when I get home.
Goodbye lovely lined pages.
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"Veronica," Piz shouts into the empty living room and kitchen space, "are you ready, we're going to be late."
"Almost, I'm just going to brush my teeth," Veronica replied cheekily, "don't want my breath smelling bad for all those hot old men in the bowling leagues."
Veronica laughed at her joke.
She came running out of the bathroom with a white fleck of toothpaste still on her upper lip. She was wearing dark jeans and a grey, vintage looking T-shirt, with the ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz on it. Underneath the picture, the shirt said There's No Place Like Home. She looked ready for a date but also casual. Piz liked that about her.
Piz leaned down to her face, and nearly kissed her, but then pulled away and wiped the toothpaste away with his thumb. Then he kissed her.
"Shoot, I forgot my purse, just a second," she ran back to her room. The back of her shirt said, NOT! Piz laughed at that. He knew she always wanted to leave Neptune, and he felt bad that she didn't get that scholarship so she could go to Stanford, but then again, he wouldn't have gotten to go out with her if she did. He always believed in fate, and he believed it was fate that brought him and Veronica together.
He began to walk around the room, and he saw pictures lining the walls. First he saw a picture of Veronica and her dad in front of what appeared to be Chrysler building in New York. He moved on and he saw a picture of Veronica, her dad and another woman, who looked a lot like Veronica. He assumed she was Veronica's mom. Veronica had told him that her mom had left them when she was sixteen after she had an affair. He felt bad that Veronica had to go through that. His parents were divorced but he still got to see both of them. Veronica didn't get to see her mother.
He continued looking at the pictures, and he came to one with Veronica – probably when she was sixteen – Logan, and two other people. A dark haired boy and a blonde girl. It looked like they were going to prom, or homecoming. Veronica and the girl were hugging, faces pressed together, looking directly at the camera, posing. The dark haired boy, was standing behind Veronica, looking like he was laughing at them a second before, and Logan was laughing; head tilted back, eyes closed, kind of laughing.
The next picture over, was of the same night. In this one the dark haired boy had his arms around Veronica, and they were both grinning for the camera. Logan and the other girl were next to them, and Logan had his arms around this girl and he was kissing her on the cheek, and she had a huge smile on her face.
He didn't know why but, seeing these pictures angered him. He felt like Veronica had this part of her life she wasn't telling him about, that she didn't want to tell him about. He looked behind him. Veronica was standing there staring at him. She looked like she was going to cry. He went up to her, and enveloped her in his arms. He felt her stiffen and then relax into his touch.
"What's wrong, Veronica? What's wrong?" he asked gently.
"It's just I miss her so much," she whispered.
"Miss who?"
"Lily," she said softly, as if embarrassed.
"Who's Lily," he said startled, until it dawned on him, "the girl, in the picture," Veronica nodded, "the one that died," she looked at him, like she was startled that he new. He felt ashamed that he would reveal something that Wallace had told him in confidentiality. "Wallace told me," he said, "I'm so sorry."
"It's okay; I'll have to have a word with Wallace though. Telling you all my secrets." She said jokingly.
That was something Piz didn't like. Whenever she wanted to avoid something, she would make a joke. He figured that was her way of dealing. But still, it bothered him none the less.
"We better get going," he said, "wouldn't want to be late for the big date."
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When they got to the bowling alley, Logan and Parker were waiting for them at the lane they had reserved earlier in the day.
"Sorry we're late," Veronica yelled out, "I decided tonight was the night I was going to try toothpaste as lip gloss."
Logan laughed at that. He knew Veronica had an art for being a little clumsy with the toothpaste. He learned that after one of their sleepovers when she didn't leave before he woke up.
Piz glared at him. Logan knew the guy didn't like him, but he had no idea why. He guessed it was because he was Veronica's ex, and he just didn't like the ex of his girlfriend. But why would he plan the double date then? He shook the thought aside. He probably just didn't like him laughing at what Veronica said. After all, he wasn't her boyfriend anymore, he wasn't allowed to laugh at the inside jokes. Even if they weren't that "inside" after all. Even Duncan probably knew that she had a knack for the toothpaste lip gloss.
"So I was thinking, Piz and Logan on a team, and Veronica and me," said Parker.
"Sure."
"Sounds good."
"We need shoes," said Veronica, to everyone's groans. No one likes bowling shoes. "C'mon guys. Retro red and blue, what's not to love!"
"Eeew, I can't believe you just said that," said Parker, "they are like clown shoes."
The guys laughed behind them.
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"We win AGAIN!!! In your face, Echolls!" Veronica shouted.
Logan laughed, Veronica was always competitive. Even before, when she used to play soccer, she used to get so into the game. She was always the one that would try and be everywhere at once, and always the first to get excited when they won. That was why he was first attracted to her. Because she was competitive. And because she was his friend not because of his father, but because of him, and who he was.
"Should we play again?" He asked. He would play 30 more times, and lose, just to see the joyous look on her face when she won again. He couldn't help it. He would always love her. But he was happy she was with Piz; he was normal, and he could make her happy, and also bring out some of the old Veronica, that Duncan had also used to bring out. If he was totally honest with himself he would say that he was only with Parker because she would help him move on, he didn't really feel anything for her.
"God no! I'm so tired. We've already played four games!" Exclaimed Parker.
"Well, like Lionel Richie said, 'I can go all night long,'" Logan said, raising his eyebrows suggestively. And even though the comment was directed at Parker, he saw, Veronica blush, out of the corner of his eye. Piz is already bringing out some of the old Veronica.
"We should probably get going," said Piz.
"Yeah, I have a case to work on tomorrow," said Veronica, yawning.
"Ok then, bye, this was fun." Said Parker
"Yeah," said Logan, "lots of fun. See you around Piz. Veronica."
"Bye," said Veronica.
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Piz was silent the entire drive home. Veronica assumed he was thinking about his paper that he had to write for one of his classes. She knew it was bothering him, because he couldn't think of a topic.
It wasn't until they pulled into the apartment complex that she knew something was wrong.
"That was actually fun," Veronica said, leaning over to kiss him, "I had my doubts but…It was okay."
She leaned in to kiss him, but he pulled away, and turned to face the window of the car.
"What's wrong," she asked worriedly.
"I see the way you look at him," Piz said calmly, but she could hear the anger beneath the surface of his words.
"What?" Veronica asked, genuinely confused.
"Don't pretend you don't know," Piz yelled, "you always look at Logan like he is still the love of your life, that you and I never got together."
"What? No, it's nothing like that. I don't love Logan. How can I after what he did?" Veronica said. No matter how strong she was on the surface, she was genuinely scared of Piz right now. When Logan was yelling at her that first summer, she had also been scared, but she had known that Logan was aggressive. She had always thought Piz was just a sweet guy who cared about her. This was a side of him she hadn't seen before.
"Stop! Don't try and defend yourself." Said Piz.
"Honestly, I don't love…" started Veronica, but she never got a chance to finish.
"I said stop!" yelled Piz. And that's when Veronica felt the sharp sting of a hand slapping across her cheek.
A/N: Okay, so another little cliff hanger here. Please, review, review, REVIEW!!! Thanks to Jenna for reading this chapter and the last one for me.
A/N.2: Just so you know, I don't think old men are hot, a couple of my friends have a joke about that, so I put that in for them. Plus it seemed like something Veronica would say.
