King of Mars
A/N: Thank you everyone for your words of interest and support. To put it mildly, I was pleasantly surprised to see your responses. Thank you again! And like before, I may make updates to this chapter if I catch mistakes or inconsistencies.
Chapter 2
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"My life is ruined." She stood in the large room that she had fought Duncan for. The poor boy never had a chance.
It was bad enough that the stuffy headmaster at her previous school had kicked her out a month ago, but her parents had forced her to leave fabulous Los Angeles to move to dinky old Neptune. What kind of name was that anyway? It's a town, not a planet.
And, she was expected to go to public school. Neptune High School. What was it with this town and names? Did everyone run out of ideas?
She sighed exasperatedly. A queen as lovely as she was going to be forced to slum it with commoners. She was expected to live with them. Learn with them. Eat with them. Over her dead body. Poor people were only good for some fun (read: sex) or as her toys. Things to manipulate and use for her own personal gain.
She had left behind real people who had worshiped her. People that mattered. People who were rich. People who were friends, enemies, and lovers. Though, the categories were not mutually exclusive. She'd have to start finding more play things soon. She was bound to get bored and unpacking was so tedious and beneath her.
The last cardboard box marked 'Lilly' was deposited at the jaded blonde's feet. The man who had delivered it glanced at her for longer than necessary, and she smiled aggressively, baring her teeth. She could do better.
"You can go now." She dismissed him with a wave of her hand. Lilly Kane had standards, too, it seemed.
She looked around her with distaste. They didn't honestly expect her to unpack all of this by herself, did they? Even she didn't know how much clothing or items she possessed. She wondered if she could persuade her father to just let her get rid of everything and let her go on a shopping spree.
No, she thought, it was best not to push her luck with her parents right now. Celeste was on an even more vindictive warpath since Daddy dearest had told her where they were moving.
Finally there was one thing she and her mother had in common. They both hated Neptune.
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Duncan's room was down the hall from Lilly's. It was the same size as Lilly's but didn't have the same view of the pool or the private entrance to the outside. He had fought Lilly harder for that room than he had fought her for anything else ever before. And he still lost to her.
Duncan didn't care about the view or the pool, but he knew what Lilly would be using the side door for. He cringed imagining the sound of sliding doors in the middle of the night. Would she have her trysts in her room or theirs? Or in the backseats of cars? He really didn't want to know but found it impossible to stop wondering.
He heard Lilly's dismissal of the lecherous mover and glared at the worker as he walked past his room. He'd seen her staring at his sister while he worked. Didn't he realize that Lilly was underage? Only sixteen. Though not very sweet, she didn't need creepy middle aged men ogling her.
He located a leather satchel amongst the many bags and boxes surrounding him and pulled out his laptop. He kept a journal on it. The entries were few and far in between, but he always felt better writing down all his thoughts when something particularly bad happened. This time it was a startlingly realistic dream he had last night. Sitting down on the plush carpet and among the piles of boxes, he typed.
10 July 2003
Last night I dreamt about Lilly in a soccer uniform and knee socks because Mom and Dad said that she was signing up for soccer in the summer with me. She looked almost innocent. Almost. She came off the soccer field covered in mud, dirty. It should've been okay. She was already dirty, so I took her—
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Neptune was warm and bright today; it was the kind of weather that musicians wrote songs about.
School was out, so Veronica now played for the Proteans. They were the coed soccer team that the Neptune's community center ran during the summer. No doubt the booster club thought they were being clever by naming them after one of Neptune's moons.
Veronica absolutely loved soccer. Standing on the soccer field, she was in her element. Here her small frame wasn't a handicap but an asset. She could weave in between players, stealing the ball, or dodge them completely. What she lacked in strength, she more than made up for in agility and maneuverability.
Veronica was early to the first soccer practice of the summer season because it was her week to take care of and set up the equipment.
She finally finished up by setting up the cones on the edge of the soccer field. Looking up, she saw that she wasn't the only one early to practice.
The boy was standing off to the side with what appeared to be his mother. They were talking to Coach Roberts.
Veronica had never seen the boy before, so she supposed that it was his first time signing up for soccer, too. She sized up her future teammate. A habit she learned from her father early on. He always said that it never hurt to know the people around you.
She started with his frame. He looked to be fairly well built; a few inches shy of six feet tall. Judging by how he held himself, he was aware of his body and moved with purpose. His broad shoulders would come in handy for covering other players and defending against rough players. She bit her lip in concentration, and moved to his arms. He wore a long sleeved shirt, but Veronica could tell that he had some nice biceps and forearms. If anything, Veronica could appreciate his broad shoulders and strong arms. His hands were large, but she didn't know if he would know how to use them. The Proteans were in desperate need of a goalie after Corny had discovered the wonders of horticulture and lost interest in the sport. He was definitely a candidate. Her eyes lifted to his face, noting that his face still held some of its baby fat and looked soft. She couldn't see his eyes from her position on the sidelines, but they were dark. Perhaps even darker than his hair. Tall, dark, and handsome? Check. She forced her eyes to move away from his face and wish she didn't because they had landed on his ass instead. Very nice. Check. Perhaps she'd be able to confirm whether it was as firm as it looked in his soccer shorts, and…
Veronica realized that her actions no longer qualified as profiling. At this point, she was just checking him out. A rosy blush colored her cheeks, and she hit her forehead with her palm. She should've walked away then, but her coach chose that moment to call her over to meet their new player. Of course.
She made her way over to them. Let it never be said that Veronica Mars doesn't meet things head on.
"Logan. Lynn. This is Veronica Mars. She's the captain for the boys and girls team, ages fifteen to seventeen. She'll be Logan's captain for the summer. Veronica, this is Logan and Lynn Echolls."
Way to go, Veronica, you just checked out Logan Echolls. Probably before any other girls got to, too. Score one for the underdog. Wait, underdog for what? Damn Dick. It was his fault she was so internally flustered and confused. He had been not-so-subtly hinting that she should 'get to know' either Duncan or Logan since she hadn't dated anyone since middle school and 'did middle school romances even count'?
Giving them both a smile that belied her inner turmoil, Veronica politely shook Lynn's hand and greeted her. When she shook Logan's hand, their fingertips seemed to linger. The prolonged contact caused Veronica to automatically focus on Logan's face.
Ah, there it was. His smile was as polite as hers, but his eyes flickered with amusement. Did he notice her observant eyes? Denying would be akin to admitting, so she resigned herself to defeat and made a quick mental note that his eyes were actually a dark brown. Like chocolate. Yum. She subconsciously licked her lips. Oh shit.
Logan's eyes locked onto her lips and wolfishly grinned at her in response.
She would never admit it to anyone even under threat of death, but her mind had chosen to stop working at the sight of his ridiculously attractive smile. This explained why she could barely say, "Hi." The fact that her salutation had been delivered somewhat breathily did not escape either teens' attentions.
"Hey," he said. He rubbed the back of his neck and ducked his head down slightly. Veronica could still see that he was still smiling, but it was now more boyish than predatory.
All of her father's lessons had taught her that the boy in front of her was acting shy. Maybe even nervous. Because of her? She had to be wrong. This was Logan Echolls. From what she heard, usually from Dick parroting what he heard from Madison, Logan Echolls had a way with words. And he used his way with words to develop his way with women.
And as soon as she had seen it, it was gone again. Back to predatory.
Veronica never could leave a good mystery alone.
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Lynn looked from her son to the girl in front of her and smiled knowingly. She hadn't seen her son look so adorably his age since he was five.
Lynn considered the girl for a moment. Captain of the soccer team. That meant she was capable and could handle herself. Lynn could also tell she was a fiery little thing from the way she walked over to them, too. It was a determined walk. Confident with a little something extra. Veronica would be able to handle her son.
They would be fun to watch.
"It was nice meeting you, Tom. I have the utmost confidence in your coaching skills. It was a pleasure meeting you, too, Veronica. I'll leave Logan in both of your hands."
Hearing his mother's departing words; Logan kissed her cheek and bade her goodbye.
"Call the town car when you're ready. And be good."
"Room for compromise?"
"Nonnegotiable." She kissed him back on the cheek and walked back to the idling car waiting for her.
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Coach Roberts had left him with Veronica while he went to look over some plays to get ready for the summer season. Practice wouldn't officially start for another fifteen minutes.
There was an awkward moment of silence between them. He had to say something to break it. Anything.
"So… see anything you like?" Maybe not anything.
Her jaw dropped, but she quickly recovered. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
In for a penny, in for a pound. "Alright, I'll just turn this way for a minute. I sure hope no one takes advantage of me. Though, I do make exceptions for people in power. Like captains, for example."
"Shut up." She laughed and punched his arm lightly.
"Hey, it's alright. I don't mind. Turnabout is fair play, right? And yeah, I'll admit it. I only caught you because I was looking too."
For a moment, he thought he shouldn't have said it because she stopped laughing and tensed. But then he heard, "So… did you see anything you like?" Her laughter started again.
He let out a breath of air he didn't know he was holding when she laughed. He wondered if he should answer in the affirmative and chose to hold his tongue. He wasn't lying when he said he had been looking. More appropriately, he couldn't stop looking. In fact, he was still looking now. She was more than a head shorter than he was. Her short, blonde hair was held in tiny pigtails. Blue eyes sparkling. He made a mental note to personally thank whoever designed her workout clothes. Tight green top and black spandex shorts. No doubt they were standard issue for female athletes, but Logan was still grateful. It was a pity she didn't have knee socks on. But, he could add those in later. He was already preparing for her to be at the top of his rotation for a long time.
Logan looked back to the girl in front of him. She had stopped laughing a while ago and was looking at him expectantly.
She quirked an eyebrow at him, "You don't talk to people much, do you?"
No… most people who talked to him were usually using him to get to Aaron, but she didn't need to know that. "Why do you say that?"
"You haven't answered any of my questions. Like, 'How do you like Neptune?' Or 'Have you played soccer before?' Or 'Do your stalkers ever follow you into restrooms?'" She pointed behind him.
"What?" He turned around. He spotted a few people with cameras standing in the parking lot. They must have come to take pictures and write a story about how Aaron and his family were adjusting to life in Neptune. He flippantly says, "I think they prefer to be called devoted observers. And how do you know they're not here for you?"
She cocked her head and put a hand on her hip, "Unless they think I'm Paris Hilton, God forbid; they're all yours, tiger."
He roared at her, pretending to attack her, and she lightly punched his arm to stop him. "Be serious."
"Yeah, I guess they're mine. But they're more like herpes. I got them because of someone else, and now I can't get rid of them. How long did it take for you to figure out my parents were famous?" He almost didn't want to hear the answer.
"You're joking, right?"
He tried to let the disappointment not show on his face. Another fangirl, probably one of his father's. He wished she was different from the others. He mentally went through their conversation to see if her words or laughter seemed fake or scripted.
"You're all everyone's been talking about for the past month. Well, you and the Kanes. I recognized your name."
"I figured."
"My friends have been practically talking my ear off, Carmen especially."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. You'll meet Carmen soon. She's on the team with us. She's cool, a little star struck though. Your mom's her favorite soap star. She almost had a conniption when I told her I'd never heard of your parents—"
Logan's heart skipped a beat, and he looked at her warily. She couldn't be that good of an actor, could she? She looked honest to a fault and painfully innocent. Like he would corrupt her by simply touching her. He almost felt guilty about his previous thoughts, but he was a teenage boy, and she'd never know…
He concluded that she probably didn't even know how to trick people and relaxed.
"—My dad's more into movies like Pulp Fiction or The Outsiders and he makes me watch them with him, so I usually don't get to watch a lot of new movies. She forced me to watch a marathon of Shoot or Be Shot, Sex, Lies & Obsession, and Days of Our Lives." She held up one finger for each movie or show as she listed them and smiled up at him. Nope, she definitely wasn't playing him.
"She made you watch those? Are you sure she's your friend?" he asked.
"Yes. And, I enjoyed it. Really. I like your mom's acting. Very dramatic. Very apropos. And your dad's really… something." She laughed nervously and trailed off at the end.
"You're a terrible liar." He took perverse joy in the fact that his new friend couldn't stand his father's acting either.
"Sorry…" she tilted her head up at him.
"Don't worry about it. The amount of money he gets paid for his 'acting' should be a crime," he chuckled and softly hit her on her chin.
She rubbed her chin contemplatively, "Is this mutiny, soldier?"
"What if it is? I don't take direction well from anyone, let alone someone who wouldn't pass the size requirements for a roller coaster ride."
"Excuse you. It was just that one time!"
"You're kidding."
"Nope. Knott's Berry Farm, Bigfoot rapids. I got to the front of the line and they said I was too small and needed an adult to accompany me. They didn't even believe I was fifteen."
"And how old are you now?"
"… fifteen."
He tried to stifle his laughter, "That's a shame."
"Yuk it up. Snoopy's lucky that I love the Pony Express ride."
"Ponies? I pegged you for a lover of animals of the feline variety."
"Did you just call me a cat lady?"
"If the fur fits." He gestured to her fur covered shorts.
Her cheeks colored slightly, but she wasn't really embarrassed. "That's dog fur actually. My dad got me a puppy a few weeks ago as an early birthday present. He's got a shedding problem. You should see what he did to my room."
"See your room? Miss Mars, are you propositioning me?"
"Did I mention he's a pit bull named Backup? And my dad got him for my protection?"
"Protection?"
"From boys like you, I'm guessing."
"Your dad doesn't like you hanging around upstanding citizens?"
"He's not fond of any boys around hanging around me. Anyway, I save the taser for the upstanding ones. Backup is more for the boys with ulterior motives."
"Does that mean he won't attack me if I'm up front about my motives?"
"Depends. What exactly are your motives?"
Veronica liked to think that he was going to ask her on a date or something, and she wasn't really opposed to that idea. The boy had a certain pull. Unfortunately, Coach Roberts had called them both over. Practice was starting, and they didn't even notice that other people had arrived and were waiting on the field.
She sighed and said, "We should go."
He didn't protest and followed her.
She could see two unfamiliar people next to Coach. A boy and a girl. They couldn't be…
"Veronica. These two are Lilly and Duncan Kane. Veronica is your captain."
Veronica greeted the two teenagers. All of the new, rich kids on her soccer team. What luck. Once again, she profiled the newcomers. Duncan looked somewhat uncomfortable standing next to his sister but seemed capable. He definitely didn't look like an aggressive player, but she could be wrong. Either way, she was sure to find something for him. His sister, on the other hand, didn't look like she even knew the rules. Her long hair wasn't tied up; Veronica could just imagine the mess of tangles that would result later. She seemed more interested in pretending to accidentally give the other boys a show by bending over in her booty shorts to tie her shoes.
Veronica casually glanced over at Logan to see if he was enjoying the show. She would deny and deny again if someone ever asked if she was checking because she was jealous. She ignored the pleasant feeling in the pit of her stomach when she confirmed that he was just listening to the coach. When he caught her staring, the corners of his mouth lifted up.
He whispered, "Pay attention, captain."
She pulled a face at him and continued ignoring the pleasant feeling moving through her.
"We're going to take it easy today. Two laps around the field, then a fifteen minute stretch. You kids can get to know your new teammates during the practice match we're having today. I'm going to split you into two teams. Veronica will be one captain. And…" Coach Roberts looked at his clipboard before yelling, "Sean! You're going to be the other captain."
Sean Friedrich stepped up next to Coach, and Coach Roberts clapped him on the back.
"Get ready to go down," he sneered at Veronica.
Veronica never liked Sean. He was one of the typical 09ers who looked down on everybody else because they were in a lower tax bracket. He was one of the 09ers who looked down on her. She turned to him and said, "Sorry, Friedrich. Not interested. Try the street corners later. I hear repeat customers get special treatment, so they should treat you real nice there."
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Logan's eyes widened imperceptibly. She was a lot feistier that he had given her credit for. Perhaps she wasn't as innocent as she looked.
Logan could like Neptune. He could like it a lot.
The other teens around him seemed to be used to it and snickered. Even Coach Roberts couldn't completely hide his laughter.
The coach straightened up and cleared his throat to get their attention. He spoke again to assign the rest of the team members.
Before leaving to huddle up with Sean's team, Logan turned to Veronica and said, "Seems like we're enemies today."
"Looks like."
"I'm going to go ahead and apologize first."
"For what?"
"For making a bad first impression."
"What? I knew you were just teasing before."
"Good. But not what I meant."
"Then what?"
"I don't think you'll take it too well when my team completely crushes yours, you know?"
She shot him a look that excited him. "It's on, Echolls. I was going to take it easy on you since you guys are new. But it's so on."
"Care to make things more interesting?" He grinned at her mischievously.
"Are you looking to get tasered?"
"Are you saying I'm an upstanding citizen now?"
She rolled her eyes, "What do you want?"
You, he thought. "Loser buys the other lunch after practice?"
He could see her considering it and was afraid she would say no. "How about just ice cream?"
He was ridiculously relieved she hadn't flat out rejected him. "Why just ice cream? Scared you'll lose?" he teased.
"Ha. Keep dreaming. I just like ice cream better."
"Ice cream with a girl who's not afraid to actually eat it? Deal."
"Deal. I'll be looking to collect later." She gave him a wave before jogging over to the rest of her teammates who easily welcomed her into their circle. She hugged the girl to the left of her. They looked really close. She was probably the Carmen that Veronica mentioned earlier.
He made his way over to his own team. He hated to see her go, but he didn't mind watching her leave.
Over on his team, he only knew Lilly. Duncan was, unfortunately, on Veronica's team, and he hadn't had a chance to talk to him yet. However, they did share a look when Duncan managed to catch his eye. It was a silent plea to Logan to ask him to watch over Lilly.
Logan spared Lilly a glance and quietly assessed her. As usual, Lilly was dressed inappropriately. He figured they didn't meet up with the coach earlier because Lilly spent too much time primping and made them late. She had the boys around her eating out of the palm of her hand. She was pretending to be innocent and naive, but he knew better. He'd seen her do it many times before. Lilly Kane was no wide-eyed ingénue. He wondered how long she could keep it up before she got bored of the entire act.
He also wondered why she was even there. Lilly had never shown any interest in playing sports before, including soccer. He had a feeling that this was part of Celeste or Jake's punishment… plan to reform Lilly. Logan wished them the best of luck.
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Lilly Kane didn't do sports. However, she did do boys. Especially the cute ones. Luckily for her, this was coed soccer. She figured she could start her collections of boys and toys now with Sean Friedrich and John Enbom keeping her company for the time being. She didn't bother learning the names of the other boys, but she could string them along for fun, too. The more the merrier.
She scoffed at Logan who was standing away from her and talking to the other players. She scoffed at his pointed disinterest in her, too. As if she would even consider him worthy of her. He probably thought he was being loyal to the Donut by resisting her charms. Not like it mattered, she had plenty of others who were cuter or richer. He could keep his loyalty. If she really wanted him, she could get him. But she didn't, so she wouldn't waste her charm on him to prove a point now.
Looking back at her subjects, she knew spending those few extra minutes in the bathroom would come in handy. The other girls obviously didn't get the memo or didn't care that they looked completely uncute. Like that Veronica girl. Who did she think she was? Pigtails were for kindergarteners, and Lilly had refused to wear them even then.
Lilly looked over at Veronica who was surrounded by her teammates and did her own assessment. Her clothes weren't new or pressed; they weren't even designer labels. Her shoes were stained with mud splatters. Poor and pathetic. And absolutely no figure. Not like Lilly who filled out when she was thirteen. She probably hadn't even gone past first base. Though, Lilly couldn't even fathom anyone who would want to with her.
Yet, people still flocked to her as if she were worthy of any sort of attention. She could tell that Veronica was highly popular and that people actually liked her. She would have to change that. There was room for only one center of attention, and it wasn't going to be some poor, inexperienced tomboy.
.
Duncan couldn't believe that his father had let Lilly out of the house like that. They were heading to soccer practice, not… well, Lilly's outfit shouldn't really be appropriate for going outside anywhere. Or staying in.
It made Duncan extremely uncomfortable because it brought on thoughts of the dream he had a few days ago. And it didn't help that Lilly had paired her outfit with knee socks. He was very aware of the effect she was going for when she had put them on. It was too similar to his dream.
Earlier, Duncan had silently asked Logan to keep an eye on Lilly. He was a good friend. Logan was loyal to him for whatever reason and was really useful. Most importantly, he never looked at Lilly inappropriately. He kept a lot of guys away from Lilly, too. Unfortunately, Logan didn't scare everyone away. And no one here knew what Logan was capable of so they couldn't be intimidated yet. Duncan debated whether or not to ask Logan to reestablish that Lilly was off limits. It wouldn't keep everyone away, but it would keep most away like before. Duncan sighed and tried to pay attention to Veronica introducing the team members, most likely for his benefit. Everyone else looked like they knew each other and were friends.
Duncan wished he had a sister like Veronica. She was confident yet considerate. She didn't lord over everyone like Lilly even though Duncan was sure she could. And Duncan was sure that Veronica wouldn't do the things that Lilly does.
But, Veronica wasn't his sister. Lilly was. And he couldn't change that.
Though, he wished that he could.
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"Good hustle, kids. That's it for today. Mars, good form out there. Good job leading your teammates. Friedrich, walk it off. You'll be fine."
Sean limped past Veronica and glared at her.
She smirked, "Oh, suck it up. You deserved it."
"You tripped me."
"No. You tried tripping me and ended up tripping yourself. The ref saw it."
"The ref likes you better."
"A lot of people like me better than you. But that's hardly their fault. I'm me, and well, you're—"
"Richer than you'll ever be even if you and your mother spent a lifetime turning tricks on the boardwalk."
"Oh, Sean. Strike one. You get three."
"What? Am I supposed to be scared of you because your father's the sheriff? My father can ruin yours."
"Strike two."
"What are you even going to do? You can't touch me."
"Piss me off and find out." She bared her teeth menacingly. Her mother was a sore spot for her. Just earlier today, she had gone to her parents' room to ask her mother to give her a lift to soccer practice. Instead, she had seen her mother passed out in her bedroom. Her dad had ushered her away from the door, but the damage was done. It wasn't like it was the first time she'd seen her mother like that either. Veronica had no idea when it had gotten that bad, but she found hidden bottles around the house, too.
He was about to walk away, but something must have changed his mind because he said, "I'll tell you what. I'll forgive you for tripping me if you get on your knees and beg. You should be used to it, right?"
He just couldn't resist, could he? Veronica's eyes narrowed. She was ready to pounce when Logan interfered. He scooped her up by her waist, hoisted her over his shoulders, and carried her out to the parking lot. "Come on, bobcat. Let's go."
"What are you doing?" she demanded. "I refuse to let him get away with that." She was slightly embarrassed that he could carry her off so easily, but mostly she was annoyed.
He lifted her from his shoulders and carefully set her down.
"He's not going to get away with anything, but you fighting him is only going to get you in trouble."
"So?"
"So your father's apparently the sheriff. You really want him to find out that you've been fighting?"
She pouted and shook her head. She knew he was right. Her dad had enough to worry about. "He needed to learn," she said petulantly.
"And he will."
She looked up at him. "How?"
"Subterfuge."
"I'm listening."
"Let's go with the tried and true method of public humiliation. I'm thinking… naked pictures of him across town?"
She looked at him in disgust. "Gross. And I don't know, Logan. What if his parents see them?"
"Then maybe next time he'll think twice about running his mouth like that."
She saw the agitation simmering beneath his skin. "You're really worked up over this aren't you? You should've just let me beat him up."
"What, and let you have all the fun? Trust me, I would've gotten in the first punch if anything. I just didn't want you getting in trouble."
"And they say chivalry is dead. How would we even get naked pictures of him?"
"I thought you'd see it my way. We get him drunk. Or I get him drunk, anyway."
"Of course. Why didn't I think of that?" She shakes her head. "Oh right. We're underage. It's illegal for us to drink."
"Think of it this way. He's a teenager. He's going to end up getting drunk anyway. I'm just helping things along."
"You'd be taking advantage of him."
"You call it taking advantage. I call it being proactive."
"That's quite a silver tongue you have there, Echolls."
"It matches the silver spoon."
She punched him playfully.
"You keep punching me, and you're going to have to start playing nurse for all my bruises."
"Poor, wittle wogan. Want me to kiss it better?"
"I'd say yes, but you'd just punch me again." He pretended to think about it for a moment. "Actually, forget what I said before. Yes. Definitely, yes. Do you mind punching me in the chest again, too?"
She swatted at him to keep him from lifting up his shirt. "You should stop while you're ahead." She placed a hand on his arm. "Thanks for your help back there. Really. You were right, and I wasn't thinking."
"Stick with me, and you'll never have to think again."
She said, innocently, "Because stupidity's contagious?"
"Are you this insulting to all your friends?"
"You just met me, and you think you're my friend? How very presumptuous of you. I think you need an ego check, mister."
"There you go thinking again."
"Someone in this friendship has to."
"So we're friends now?"
Veronica let out an exaggerated sigh. "I'm probably going to regret this, but I guess I'll take pity on the new kid. Just this once. I'm a sucker for brunets with pouty lips."
"Duly noted. But I see you've been checking me out again."
"It's hard not to look at you when you kept chasing me on the field."
"You had the ball most of the time!"
"You were a goalie!"
"All the more reason. But that explains all the yelling. I figured you wholesome townsfolk just liked yelling."
"Wholesome townsfolk? You just wait till you meet everyone."
"Do my ears deceive me? Did Veronica Mars just speak ill of someone?"
"It's actually multiple people, but yeah. I tend to do that."
"You know you completely had me fooled. I thought you were all about the pretty ponies and unicorns."
"And now?"
"Well you're probably still all about ponies and unicorns. But, now I see you're just as depraved as the rest of us."
"Hardly. I just call things like I see them and can't stand not putting some people in their place when they're just asking for it. Scout's honor."
"That's… not the right sign for scout's honor."
"I know."
"You're incredible."
"Yeah, that's the general consensus."
"Well, I do agree with Coach. You had really good form out there. Very admirable, if I may say."
"Whatever, perv. That reminds me. Time to pay up, I won."
"Alright. Where's a good place to get ice cream around here? I can get my driver to take us there."
Veronica looked past Logan and furrows her eyebrows. She distractedly said, "Actually, raincheck? My mom just got here."
She missed Logan's frown.
Veronica certainly didn't expect her to come and pick her up. Her mother shouldn't be driving while hung over; she should have been at home sleeping it off. She hadn't even expected her dad to come since he had work. That was why she had readily agreed to collecting her ice cream debt with Logan after practice.
From where she was, she could see her mother talking with another man. He was middle aged and looked distinguished. She could see Duncan and Lilly next to him, too. He was probably their father, Jake Kane.
Her finally mother noticed her and called her over.
"Bye, Logan. It was nice meeting you."
"Same here, bobcat. See you tomorrow."
"So we're sticking with bobcat?"
"You can't tell me that you weren't ready to spring on him. Like a cat. See, cat lady at heart."
Smiling, she rolled her eyes at him. "Cat person. And still no. Find another nickname."
"Make me."
"I could pounce on you."
"Please tell me that's a promise?" He crossed his fingers.
She was about to punch him again but remembered what they said before. "I'm onto you, and I'll remember to collect later."
"Foiled again. Be safe, bobcat!"
She stuck her tongue out at him in response.
.
He grinned at her. He may have called her a bobcat, but he would be the predator in their dynamic.
Calling his driver, he waited and chatted up some of his male teammates, including Sean. Normally after soccer practices in LA, he and Duncan would wait together, but Jake had arrived early today. He would invite Duncan and the other boys over later so that he could help Veronica.
.
"Hey Mom," she hugged her and whispered, "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to pick you up, honey. Your dad's at work."
"I know that, but are you feeling okay?"
Her mom pursed her lips, "I'm feeling great. Why do you ask?"
If her mother could pretend and act normal, so could she. "No reason, I just saw you sleeping in today and thought you were tired. I don't want you to tire yourself out for me."
"Nonsense," she turned to Jake. "Kids these days are growing up so fast. So mature. Jake, this is the daughter I was telling you about. Veronica, meet Jake Kane. You, Duncan, and Lilly are all playing soccer together this summer. Isn't that wonderful?"
She could practically feel the waves of pep rolling off her mother. However, she was too distracted with the way Jake was looking at her to put too much thought into it. It unnerved her slightly. "Yeah, Mom. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Kane." He frowned, and she wondered what he was thinking. "Let's go home now?"
"In a little, honey. I'm talking with Jake here. I'm telling him and his kids about what's new in town and school. You and Duncan are probably going to be taking the same advanced placement and honors classes."
"But Mom, you should really rest now."
"Honey, what's gotten into you? I feel fine."
"It's alright, Lianne. I should get these two home, too. Duncan has his Chinese lessons, and Lilly needs to be with her mother. It was a pleasure to meet you and your daughter. I'm sure we'll see more of each other soon."
Jake hugged Lianne goodbye. He hugged Veronica, too, and Veronica thought he felt her stiffen. Feeling irrationally impolite and overly sensitive, she returned his hug out of guilt but felt uncomfortable doing so. He smiled brightly at her as if he didn't notice anything.
Veronica hoped she can start driving herself around when she turned sixteen so that her mother would never have to drive her hungover. Or worse.
"He seemed really friendly," Veronica said while her mother drove them home. A lot more approachable than his kids, Veronica thought. Though, the awkward feeling she got from being around him for those few moments still lingered.
"Isn't he? We used to go to school together, you know. We used to be friends."
"Really? Jake Kane was from Neptune? Do you know why he left?"
"You know how it is, baby. Things happen. People get married… and they just leave. But he's back now. And that's all that matters."
Veronica thought her mother's response was a little weird. But her mother had been acting weird for months now.
Later that night at dinner, she told her dad about the new kids on her soccer team.
"She was a complete liability, dad. I kept getting hit in the face with hair, too. Her brother's okay though. He'll probably be a fullback."
"I'm sure you can whip her into shape in no time, honey."
"I'm going to need more than a summer. She's a real piece of work." Veronica neglected to mention Lilly's provocative displays disguised as running on the soccer field. "Their father probably has his hands full. Mom said he was raised in Neptune, and she went to school with him. She was talking to him before and said they were friends. Does that mean you know Jake Kane from before, too?"
"No, sweetie. I only moved to Neptune a few years before you were born. That was way after your mom graduated from high school. If you're done with dinner, why don't you go to your room, champ? You must have had a long day of being a tiny tyrant. Your mother and I can take care of the dishes."
Veronica kissed her father on the cheek. "What can I say? They voted me captain, and the rules are no take backsies. Thanks, Dad. Thanks, Mom."
.
"Don't say it, Keith. Just don't."
Keith was eerily calm, "Say what, dear?"
"You know what. I didn't plan it. I was just going to pick up Veronica."
"When I left you, you were still passed out in our room. You just happened to feel like dragging yourself out of bed to pick up our daughter? You didn't mind it before when she walked home."
"I was trying to be a good mother!"
"That's pretty convenient, isn't it? And Jake Kane has a regular driver, doesn't he?"
"Believe me or not. But what I'm saying is true. I care about Veronica."
"I care about Veronica."
The two adults stared at each other. "I need a drink."
"You've had enough, and you need to stop. Veronica caught you passed out this morning. You can't keep doing this to her."
"Veronica this, Veronica that. Veronica is my daughter. I know what's good for her. She's strong."
"Veronica is my daughter, too. And she's strong because you forced her to grow up before she's supposed to."
In her anger, Lianne almost let it slip that Keith wasn't her father. And that her real father had finally come back to her, so he should just leave them alone. But she didn't. She couldn't. Not yet. So she bit her tongue and recited an apology. She didn't think he believed that she was really sorry anymore, but she did it anyway. It was just the game they kept playing.
.
All throughout dinner, Jake sang Veronica's praises and compared her to Lilly. He even suggested that she and Duncan befriend Veronica. That Veronica would be a good influence on Lilly.
Veronica this, Veronica that. Veronica was not better than her. She was indignant at the attention Veronica received from her father. He only saw her for less than five minutes, how could he act like he knew everything? Veronica could be a slut for all he knew.
Lilly was his daughter, and he never waxed poetic about her. He hadn't hugged her in forever, too.
That bitch was getting on her nerves. She initially thought Veronica was just an eyesore that she needed to take care of, but she was getting to be a real pain.
Yeah, she was going to be Veronica's friend.
Daddy dearest would just have to see who's a bigger influence on whom later though.
Lilly would have her father back, and she would never have to hear him comparing her with Veronica again.
.
Logan and a group of guys sat around his pool house drinking beer. The guys from practice had taken the liberty of inviting a few other guys to come along, too.
Sean was passed out in the bedroom. He would take care of the dirty work later.
"Hey, dude. I'm Dick. You're Logan, right?"
"I'm shocked that you know. I left my 'Hello, my name is…' nametag at home today."
"Bring it, don't bring it. Everyone's going to know who you are even if you weren't famous. You're new."
"Am I? I thought for sure I ditched my plastic wrapping and case years ago."
The guy talking to him laughed. "That sounds like something Ronnie would say. You two would probably get along."
"Ronnie? Sorry, dude. I don't swing that way."
Dick patted Logan on the back. "No, man. Ronnie's a chick. Real cute but don't let that fool you. She's like a doll with retractable claws sometimes."
"Really?" Logan was amused. He figured Dick was probably just rambling because of the alcohol.
"Yeah. She gets really protective or really defensive sometimes. But at least she has a reason to be a bitch. Not like Madison."
"Madison?"
"Yep, total bitch. My girlfriend. I think we're off again because of you and your buddy there." He pointed to Duncan who was nursing a beer and talking to a few other guys. Logan was immediately reminded of the time he saw the antelope habitat with his parents when they brought him to the zoo for his tenth birthday. There was this one big antelope; the guide called it the giant eland. It had a lot of smaller antelopes hovering around it. None of the animals were doing much, but the guide said the giant eland would sometimes provide for some of the female antelopes and calves. The other boys must have been hoping for the same from Duncan. He had to hand it to them. They certainly didn't waste time latching onto one of the richest guys in town.
"Don't think that's possible, Dick. I've never met a Madison."
"Probably not. But that doesn't matter. She's gunning for you, man. Or your friend. Or both. Who knows? Her friends are like that, too. Just watch your back."
"Thanks for the warning." He was warming up to Dick now. Drunk or not, Dick seemed like he was genuinely trying to help Logan. And Logan appreciated that even if he didn't need the advice. It didn't seem like Dick cared about his parents either. He hadn't really brought them up at all for the most part. Usually, people asked him for pictures or autographs before he barely got out a hello.
"No problem, dude. You should hang out with me and Ronnie, though. It'll be fun. We can all surf at Crescent Beach."
Not a guy, my ass, Logan thought. Logan couldn't think of any cute girls who would choose to mess up their hair to take up surfing. "Sure. Set it up. Need another beer?"
"Bring on the cervezas."
.
A/N: Please read the following if you want some background info or explanations.
To the guest reviewer who was wondering why Jake didn't get a paternity test: I always figured that Jake never really thought of Keith and Lianne's marriage as something real, so he would never think that any of Lianne's children could be Keith's. To alisosia: … it is certainly possible that Celeste had a hand in things. But it's Sheriff Mars after all, he's got friends high (and low) places. We'll find out eventually ^^. As to whether or not Lianne lied, I'm going to have to straight out say that she didn't lie. She just assumed because she, like Jake, don't think very much of her marriage with Keith. I wanted to get across the idea that Jake and Lianne are very self-involved people who are unwilling to consider the people around them because they're too wrapped up in themselves and couldn't let go of their first loves.
Some possibly important facts: Veronica is currently fifteen and her birthday's August. She will be a sophomore in the following school year. I know that with the American school system, she should actually be in Lilly's grade, but… let's just not. Humor me. Lilly is sixteen and her birthday is in early December. She will be a junior. Duncan is born in September, and his situation is like Veronica. He's fifteen and going into his sophomore year. Logan is the baby ^^. He's fifteen, but he's born in March. He's going to be a sophomore too. Madison is born January and is fifteen. Mac is born January and is fifteen.
Also, you may have already noticed, I made Duncan a bit self absorbed. So, he and Logan don't have a complete bromance going on. A little sad since we see that Logan thinks highly of Duncan. Oh well. That's going to change eventually anyway. Wink. Maybe?
This is the Veronica I'm trying to get across right now: Because she's getting older and seeing how other people can be (especially since she knows about her mother's problems and hangs around the station a lot), she's not a bambi type. However, she's not hardened either (she's a marshmallow, really). Which is why she's hesitant at the beginning to really get back at Sean and thinks about his parents. She's your average teenager, perhaps more sarcastic and smarter than most. But still a teenager. Think of her as a Meg type but with an attitude. She's generally nice to everyone unless provoked. She can hate. She's curious. She still believes in justice. And I think she's on her way to being the Veronica we see in the pilot episode, but she'll be more vulnerable. We'll see… There's a lot that has to happen first. She's also flirty with Logan because I can't resist. I defend myself by saying, that's total teenage behavior! ^^
(Fun fact: This is only half of what I was planning for this chapter, but I thought you guys would like the update sooner rather than later and I'm tired of working on it -.-)
Possible spoilers for next chapter: Madison and Lilly throw down their gauntlets (I haven't worked out the details yet, so this may be pushed back or not happen at all). And Lilly puts her plan into motion.
Let me know if things seem weird or inconsistent. Or if things don't seem to flow right.
Advice/feedback is much obliged.