A/N - This chapter was a hard one. I really hope I did Logan justice, writing from his POV. Without Irma66's guidance, this would have been complete mush. Irma, you are the absolute best. Enjoy!
Chapter 4 - In My Head, In My Heart, In My Soul
"Oomph…"
A boney shoulder jabbed into Logan's as they rounded the corner. When envisioning a 'Logan Sandwich', the fantasy looked nothing like the reality in which Logan currently found himself — smooshed between Dick and Beaver in the back of their hired stretch limo, unable to breathe without choking on the way-too-peppy Gia's ridiculous perfume. Where are the Olsen Twins when you need them? Way to ruin the dream, guys. Glancing around at his companions, he was reminded why he had retreated into his head in the first place.
Logan's gaze fell on Duncan and Enbom, who were deeply engrossed in some kind of techno-babble bullshit he couldn't care less about. For someone who'd just been given a public evisceration by his spitfire of a girlfriend, Duncan seem completely unfazed by it—or by her choice to ride in a smelly bus rather than with him. Logan thought that probably wasn't all that surprising, considering what a zombie he'd been last year, ignoring all the negative things swirling around him, but still...Logan couldn't imagine anyone not being affected by Veronica Mars in some way. He, probably more than anyone, understood that. How much easier would my life be if I was indifferent to her?
But of course he wasn't, and he was slowly resigning himself to the fact that he probably never would be, never could be. All of their interactions today had been exactly what he'd been hoping for when he'd changed his plans and gotten on the bus. He'd known she'd been watching him walk away earlier—as soon as he'd seen that look in her eyes, there was no turning back for him. He'd take any opportunity he could to be close to her again, to interact with her again, especially when she would reciprocate. Their banter back and forth had been more than he could've asked for, but he'd admittedly let it go farther than either of them were ready for. Kissing her again would have been euphoric, but he wouldn't cross that line. For all his faults, loyalty was still everything to him. He would never do that to Duncan, no matter how mad at him he was, and he would definitely never do that to Veronica. Her beliefs in monogamy were irrevocable; Logan refused to be the one to tarnish that.
He rolled his neck and was settling back into his seat, when the limo took a tight turn and everyone shifted. Beaver, the little runt boy he was, practically flew out of his spot and straight into Logan's side, forcing a grunt out of him at the impact.
"Dude, get off me," Logan scolded as he pushed Beaver back. "This jacket is worth more than your entire outfit." Not to mention, it's the last thing my Mother bought me, but no way in hell am I bringing that up. Sitting upright again, Beaver gave him an odd look, quickly shoving something into his pocket as he nodded in response.
Logan shook his head, God, what a lameass, and turned away to face Dick, when, out of nowhere, he heard the distinct sound of screeching tires, followed by a loud crash. The limo swerved into a fishtail, coming to a sudden halt as everyone inside shifted and tumbled into each other.
"What the fuck was that?" Dick boomed, as Logan stretched down to help Gia back up.
Duncan was pulling Enbom back onto the seat as he looked up towards the window. "No idea, man. It almost sounded like a—"
"Oh my GAWD, you guys!" Ashley squealed out, panic in her voice. "Look!"
She pointed toward the bus they'd been following, bound for Neptune High. It was now teetering on the edge of the cliff, most of it broken through the guardrail and looming above the ocean cove below. The limo occupants fell silent, all eyes now locked on the terrible sight. The skylight in the roof had been open since departure, and through it, Logan faintly heard screams from the students trapped inside, frantic cries of terror as the bus started to shift forward.
"Holy Fuck!"
"Oh my God.."
"Dick, do something!"
"What the hell do we do?!"
"My name is Duncan Kane, I need to report an emergency! Yeah, Pacific Coast Highway just south of Del Mar.."
"Dude, Logan…! Wasn't Ronnie on that—"
"NO!"
Veronica...
Logan threw himself across Beaver, trying to get to the door. He had to get Veronica off that bus. He had to save her. He was pushing his way through his panicked friends when a loud crack rang out, and he froze, eyes pinned on the horrifying scene he could see through the window. The last barrier holding the bus on the cliff had snapped, and the metal seemed to moan as the weight of the bus tipped it slowly forward. He could swear that time stood still as he stared, unable to move, and he felt his brain hollow out as the bus vanished over the edge.
The disappearance of the bus broke his stupor, and he shoved through the crowd to the door, throwing it open and bursting out. He heard the others following him as he rushed toward the edge of the cliff and peered over the side, watching the bus slip into the angry ocean below. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Duncan come up beside him, looking down at the terrible sight. More students clustered around them, all deathly silent, as they listened to the roar of the bus being inhaled by the rough sea echoing up from the cove.
...You can't leave me...You promised, Veronica. You promised...
*FLASHBACK*
Logan closed the door behind Veronica as she stepped out of the limo. The massive crowd of paparazzi he'd just waded through outside the courthouse was unlike anything he'd experienced before on the red carpet. When it was "Aaron Echolls and Family", the questions thrown out were almost always about Aaron. Logan's only job had been to show up sober and look pretty, smile and laugh on cue, and make sure the focus stayed on his Dad. These guys were a different breed. It was post-Lilly all over again, only this time, their viciousness was directed towards him, instead of Sheriff Mars. Ironically, Veronica was on his side this time, once again throwing herself into the throng unnecessarily. He was in awe of her even more now, still unsure of why she'd chosen him after everything.
"Hey," Veronica said quietly, nudging him with her shoulder. "Let's go inside and see if there are any more cookies in the freezer." She gave him a small smile and motioned towards the door with her head.
God, I love you.
He knew it was probably way too soon, but he was never one to run away from his emotions. Every day, he was falling harder and harder; he only hoped she was feeling even a fraction of what he was. He wasn't willing to say it out loud yet, but it was a constant, on the tip of his tongue, waiting for the right moment.
"I'm not sure if there's anything left. You ate your weight from the last batch we found." He attempted to smirk, but he knew he'd fallen short by the concerned look on her face.
"Well, let's still go inside. If you're nice, maybe I'll make you some of my cookies."
"Baby, I'll take your cookies any day." He knew his leer was probably as half-assed as his smirk, but he bobbed his eyebrows at her, hoping she'd get the point.
Rolling her eyes as she smiled, Veronica grabbed his hand and gently pulled him towards the house. He followed as she lead them to the kitchen, but changed their direction as he lightly tugged her hand and steered them towards the stairs to his room.
"Logan? What's wrong? I thought we were gonna—"
"I'm not really feeling it, Veronica." He'd stopped and turned to face her. He could feel himself grasping at the thin threads of his control, barely keeping himself in check. "I really just want to lie down; do you mind? It's been such a fucked up day."
He watched as the magnitude of the situation they'd just left dawned across her face. Sure, all charges related to that Toombs' kid's death had been dropped; there was no doubt that he was a lucky son-of-a-bitch if there ever was one. But Logan and Veronica both knew—this was a game changer. The paparazzi mob would be nothing compared to whatever the PCHers had in store. This was just the beginning of whatever was to come.
Veronica was looking up at him, expression full of concern and compassion and something more that he wasn't sure she even realized was there. She lifted her free hand and cupped his cheek, rubbing her thumb back and forth across it, giving him a small smile.
"Whatever you need."
Never breaking eye contact, Logan brought their joined hands up to his mouth and kissed her knuckles, before turning to lead them up to his room.
He opened his door, and motioned her in ahead of him. She moved straight to his bed and climbed up to lean against the headboard, her hand outstretched to him in invitation.
"C'mere," she whispered, patting the bed beside her. "Let's just veg for a bit, OK? I think we both need it."
Logan crawled up and wrapped his long arms around her, pulling them both down to lay on the bed. He snuggled into her, his face buried into her neck, breathing in her scent...feeling the warmth and compassion she continued to give him, despite the royal fuck up he was. Ever since that night on the bridge, when he'd shown up on her doorstep and she let him in—he'd never once doubted when she said she believed him. Veronica had been by his side throughout this entire murder disaster, AKA another Echolls family shit show, and he hoped to God she wouldn't give up on him like everyone else in his life.
Veronica's fingers were running through his hair, her free arm wrapped tightly around his upper torso. He lifted his head to her face, brushing a few stray hairs behind her ear. His eyes roamed across her face, seeing in it everything he could ever want, whether he deserved it or not.
Please don't leave me...
"Thank you, Veronica. I'm sorry I dragged you into my fucked up life, but I'm so glad you're still here with me."
He gave her a sad smile, hoping that in his vulnerable state, he wouldn't scare her away with his mushy declarations.
Veronica smiled back at him, and he felt the crackle of energy between them. She cupped his cheek, caressing it with her thumb.
"I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be."
Lost in each other's eyes, a beat passed before she began to shake her head, her smile morphing into a smirk, breaking the heavy moment.
"Don't worry, I would never throw you to the wolves and let them rip you to shreds. No one messes with my boyfriend!" She gave him a playful snarl and flexed a bicep, then pinched his cheek and snorted out a laugh. Logan rolled his eyes and nuzzled back into her neck.
"Help me, Mars-Wan-Kenobi. You're my only hope!" he mumbled.
He felt her laughter rumbling in her chest as she squeezed him a little tighter.
"Whatever, goober," she said with a giggle. "Besides, that's my job."
"What is? Ripping me to shreds?"
"I was thinking more of the messing with you part," Veronica said with a suggestive chuckle, trailing her hand along his back, but when he only sighed and pressed her to him a bit more, she tipped her head back and kissed his forehead. He knew what she meant, and ordinarily, messing around with her would be one of his favorite things, but,still feeling the weight of the day hanging over them, what he really needed was reassurance.
"You're gonna be OK, Logan," she murmured.
"Please don't leave me too, Veronica," he whispered. "Promise me you won't leave."
Veronica shifted herself onto her side, facing him fully and hugging him fiercely.
"You can't get rid of me that easily, Echolls. I'm here, even if it's just to annoy you." A moment passed, then, her hold never breaking, she turned her mouth to his ear and whispered, "I'm not going anywhere, Lo. I promise."
*END FLASHBACK*
The silence broke as Kimmy let out a soft cry, reaching for Duncan, Ashley following suit with Dick. As the small group rallied together in support of their newly shared trauma, Logan slowly backed away, unable to handle being around anyone else. He headed towards the bend in the road, stopping at the cliff's edge just around the curve in the mountain.
Logan inched as close as he could to the edge—with no guardrail to stop him, he could see almost straight down the side of the cliff. His eyes searched the deep water below, looking for any sign of movement...air bubbles, tail lights, anything to give him hope. He could hear the others' cries in the distance, but they were barely more than white noise. No one else mattered. No one else existed as far as he was concerned. The only person worth living for was currently at the bottom of the fucking ocean, all because fucking Duncan couldn't take the Goddamn hint earlier and wake the fuck up about his girlfriend...that she was on the verge of figuring out that he knocked up fucking Meg Manning of all people. And he couldn't wait until Veronica did figure it out and reamed him a fucking new one when she—
Oh shit, no... VERONICA...FUCK!
His eyes never left the thrashing sea—something he once loved that he would now forever hate. He watched the waves crash against the jagged rocks, then he took a deep shuddering inhale as his legs gave out and he collapsed onto his knees.
You promised...
After what felt like a lifetime, his gaze shifted to the horizon, his vision tunneling as the realization of what had just happened hit him like a Mack truck. His eyes fluttered closed, as he let himself imagine that by some miracle she wasn't on the bus, and she was going to just materialize next to him on the cliff...kind of like Lilly used to, only real.
She can't be gone. Veronica. You just….please God, no. I have…I am…you promised you wouldn't leave me!
"Veronica! Oh my God, Veronica! Hey!"
Wait? What the …?
"Babe! Veronica!"
Logan's eyes flew open, confused by what he was hearing. He'd know Duncan's voice anywhere – but Veronica? It can't be…
He turned his head towards Duncan's voice and there, barreling towards him, eyes locked on his, was Veronica. He barely had time to register her face—eyebrows furrowed, eyes on the verge of tears—before she was next to him. On his knees, their height difference put them at just about eye level. They stared at each other for a moment, then threw themselves together in a desperate embrace. Veronica's arms wrapped around his neck like a vice grip as she collapsed down into him while Logan secured his around her waist with the same fierceness, lifting her slightly to pull her as close as he could to his chest. Veronica. You're here. You're real. Thank fucking God, Veronica! Veronica…
"Veronica…"
He took a deep breath, nuzzling his face into her neck, relief flooding his chest. The feel of her pressed up against him—breathing, fucking alive, here! Never in his life had he been religious, but at that moment he was silently thanking every deity known to man for this miracle. Veronica was here with him, unharmed, clinging as tightly to him as he was to her. Feeling her grip on his neck loosen, he straightened up on his knees, gently guiding her body with him, refusing to let go of her waist. He leaned forward slightly and pressed their foreheads together as Veronica's eyes moved quickly around his face.
"How did you...I thought...oh God, Veronica…" Logan whispered. He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
"I-I thought I'd lost you.." she said, barely a whisper, but Logan heard it.
He opened his eyes and searched her face, thrilled to see what he'd only dared to hope would be there. It was that same look she'd given him all those months ago, when it was them against the world, just after the charges were dropped. For the first time since Mr. Mars had kicked him out of their apartment, he could feel the stirrings of hope. Out of this darkest moment, rivalled only by finding out for sure that his mom was dead, finally came reassurance that Veronica could still be his.
Despite that, he knew that now was not the time or place to act on any renewed feelings. Instead, he placed his hands gently on either side of her face and pulled her toward him, pressing a firm kiss to her forehead, hoping she would understand everything he was feeling in that moment, but couldn't express.
Leaning back from the kiss, he glanced over her shoulder and saw Duncan walking quickly towards them, somehow looking both pissed off and relieved at the same Donut didn't really concern him though, and he pulled his eyes back to Veronica. She was giving him a shy smile, which he gladly returned with one of his own.
"You thought you could get rid of me that easy, Mars?"
"I told you before, Echolls, I'm not going anywhere."
Logan gave her a goofy grin, dropping his hands from her face so he could wrap his arms around her again. He felt her reciprocate and squeeze him into another hug, as they both giggled awkwardly, maybe even a little hysterically, at the sheer magnitude of what they'd just been through. Beyond what had just happened, Logan realized that they'd both just publicly declared that they still had feelings for each other, which Logan knew would be a giant surprise to everyone, especially Duncan. Speaking of…
"Veroni—what are you doing? What the hell is this?"
Logan looked up at Duncan, now towering over them with a look that he probably thought was intimidating. Unfortunately for the Donut, his flaring nostrils and beet red face were anything but. Squeezing Veronica tightly one more time, Logan reluctantly relinquished his grip on her, although his fingers continued to rest lightly at her hips. He looked away from Duncan, back at her, and was surprised to see that the softness that had been there as they'd held each other had been replaced with something else.
Confused by her sudden change, he gave her a quizzical look. "Are you OK?" Silent communication had always been something they'd been good at, so he understood that she wasn't, but he wasn't certain of the reason for the sudden stiffness of her body, and the fire that he watched ignite in her narrowed eyes.
"Isn't there someone more important who you should be checking on, Duncan?" Veronica said quietly through clenched teeth.
Logan's eyes widened as he suddenly understood her reaction to Duncan's presence. She knows! He should probably have been worried on Duncan's behalf, but Logan had never agreed with his decisions regarding Meg, so as far as he was concerned, Golden Boy had it coming.
Duncan leaned toward her and grabbed at her arm which was still looped around Logan's neck, attempting to pull her away, but she wouldn't budge. Logan had never been so thankful for his excellent poker face than he was right this second. The laugh that wanted to escape would be in really poor taste right now.
"What are you talking about Veronica?" he huffed out, attempting to pry her away with a bit more force. When that got him nowhere, he looked up at Logan. "Dude! Could you let go of my girlfriend, man? I just found out she's alive - I'd kind of like to kiss her."
Logan scoffed and shook his head, ready to point out that he wasn't the one keeping Veronica from falling into Duncan's arms, but then Veronica did pull away from him and took a step back, turning toward Duncan. Logan was discouraged for a moment when she removed her arms from his neck, but when he noticed how stony her expression was as she turned toward Duncan, he recovered quickly, realizing what was about to happen. He rose to his feet, moving to stand behind her, hoping to imply a united front.
"I said, isn't there someone—actually two someones you should have checked on first, before you came and found me?"
"Veronica." Duncan grimaced, like she'd mentioned something unpleasant, and shook his head, trying again to grab her hand. Logan watched as she side stepped further out of Duncan's reach, and back into his own. "Don't be like that, Babe. It's just us. The way it's meant to be." He reached for her again. "What are you doing?"
Veronica stopped moving and looked at Duncan, her eyes cold.
"What about Meg?" she growled.
"What about Meg?"
Logan could only see the side of her face, but her wide-eyed incredulous look made him cringe. Oooh. Wrong thing to say, DK. Logan had been on the receiving end of that kind of look plenty of times and he was pretty sure that Duncan really didn't comprehend the verbal lashing he was about to receive. But how could he? Most things magically went his way with minimal unpleasantness.
Shaking her head, Veronica let out a tired sigh, crossing her arms in front of her.
"You know, Duncan," she said her voice now dangerously low. "I'm really trying to understand you here, give you the benefit of the doubt."
Wait, seriously, Veronica? Where's the riot act you'd be reading me right now?
Logan's irritation at her always cutting Duncan more slack than she did him flared, but then immediately waned as he watched her look towards the edge of the cliff and take a long, shuddering breath. He'd always done the same with DK and honestly, he was feeling almost as let down as she probably was. He reached forward to gently rub between her shoulder blades and she glanced at him with a sad smile, then turned back to Duncan with a much more pointed look.
"Those people down there...they just di-, they're gone. And yes, I was supposed to be on that bus. But so was Meg. Meg, Duncan. Thank God we weren't. But if we had been, if she had been—I think we both know why that would be significant. "
Shock couldn't even describe the state Duncan was in at the moment. Embarrassment, arrogance and a furious blush all spread across his face. Logan huffed out a disgusted laugh. The two emotions that should have been there, guilt and shame, were nowhere to be found. Typical Kane. They can do no wrong. Geez, DK.
"V-Veronica, it's not like that. You're both lucky. It's good she's safe too. I-I'm not—" Duncan's attempt to stammer out some excuse was interrupted by Veronica raising her hand to stop him.
"Duncan!" she said forcefully. It served its purpose; Duncan shut his mouth. "If your first thought was about me, then you seriously need to straighten out your priorities." Duncan looked at her in disbelief; clearly he hadn't expected her to cut him off as she had.
"Look, we can stand here with you rambling off whatever excuses you can think of, but at the end of the day, you did what you did and now you have to face the consequences. You've seen that I'm fine. Now you need to go deal with your other priorities."
"Veronica, I wasn't trying to hide anything from you! It just...it has nothing to do with us, so I didn't think it mattered." The casualness in Duncan's voice was so unexpected that it left Logan bewildered. Veronica apparently felt the same.
"Didn't matter?" she cried out. She stiffened and looked down, taking a deep breath as she appeared to try to get her emotions in check. After a moment, she looked up at Duncan again, shaking her head. "Of course it matters! We're in a relation—no, no. We were in a relationship." She took another step back, close enough to Logan that she was able to grab at his fingers with hers, keeping them twisted together behind her back. Logan understood immediately. She needs support.
"Neither of us are the people we used to be; I was foolish to think we could go back to that. Too much has happened...but this? I'm embarrassed for you. And disappointed. I really thought you were a better guy than this. All the things we always thought you were—" she twisted back, seeming to include Logan in her statement, before swiveling back to face Duncan again "—but you're not, at least it doesn't look like it. Bottom line—the hero is the one that stays, the villain is the one that splits. "
She dropped her head to her chest, looking down at her shoes. Logan gave her hand a tight squeeze so she'd know he was there for her. Seeming to accept what he was offering, she straightened back up and looked Duncan straight in the eye.
"Man up, Kane. Try being the hero and take responsibility. Ignoring it won't work this time."
She put her free hand on Duncan's shoulder; the fight draining out of her as Logan watched. She nodded at Duncan, seeming resolved, and Logan's eyes dropped to their interlaced fingers. He hoped he was right about what he thought was coming next.
Taking a deep breath, she spoke the words that he'd wished she'd said weeks ago..
"Goodbye, Duncan."
Duncan may have looked surprised by Veronica's initial words, but her final statement, the one that Logan had wanted so badly to hear, turned Duncan's face red with anger. His body tensed and his eyes narrowed as he glared at Logan.
"You put her up to this, didn't you?" Duncan growled.
"No, not at all. I didn't even know she knew about Meg, and I didn't tell her, although I'm not sure why I didn't. Because I agree with her. What you did to Meg was shitty, just like hiding the situation from Veronica was shitty." He reached for Duncan's shoulder with his free hand, thinking maybe he could soften the blow—they were best friends, even if a girl was absolutely changing things between them—but Duncan jerked away.
"Fuck you, man."
He focused back on Veronica again and she took another step back, halted from moving any further away by Logan himself. At the sight of Veronica pressed against Logan, Duncan scowled.
"You already know he's not who you want. Yeah, we're having a rough patch, Veronica, but this'll blow over. Now that I know that you want me to take care of Meg, I'll do it." His voice lowered. "She and the baby won't want for anything. But you and I…we're the ones who are supposed to be together. Not me and Meg, and certainly not you and him." The look he gave Logan would probably have been lethal if that were possible. "Don't do anything you're gonna regret, Veronica. We're forever, but make sure you don't make a mistake with him that I can't forgive."
He turned on his heel, and stalked away toward the crowd of 09ers at the cliffside, most of whom looked torn between watching the tragedy unfolding in the ocean below and the drama going on between Duncan, Logan, and Veronica. He felt Veronica lean her head back against his chest.
"So I think I was just admonished to not let you soil me with your dirty, sexy hands before I come to my senses and crawl back to him."
Logan jerked at her blunt statement. "Umm, yeah, I think that's a fair interpretation. I guess that best friend charm is really lost this time."
Veronica turned to face him. "I'm sorry about that. You guys have been best friends for so long. I'm sorry that's wrecked because of me."
He squeezed the hand he was holding, and chucked her under the chin with the other. "You didn't wreck anything. Duncan's doing that all by himself." He gave her a smile and moved his hand to the top of her head, caressing down her face until he cupped her cheek. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, but I'm kinda in awe of you right now. Standing up for Meg like you did, at the expense of your relationship. You're an amazing friend, Veronica."
"Don't worry about my relationship, Logan," she replied. "I already knew it wasn't going to last, whatever Duncan thinks. And I just did what was necessary. It's like I told Meg—there's no excuse for what he's done, what he's doing. She doesn't deserve that...no one does." She shrugged and shook her head like she was trying to clear Duncan out of it before she spoke again.
"Did you see what happened? With the bus?" Veronica asked quietly.
He ran his free hand through his hair and nodded. "It was fucking awful. We were right behind it when it crashed...and when we heard the barrier give out...God, Veronica. I-I...I thought...and then, I ran...and I-I couldn't—I couldn't see anything— "
"Hey," she said as she pulled their joined hands up to her chest. "It's OK. I get the gist...I don't want you to have to live through it again. I'm just glad you're safe." She gave him a warm smile and final squeeze before dropping their hands, letting go of his in the process. "C'mon, let's go see if they need anything from us. Plus, I need to talk to Meg."
Logan stayed close to her as they walked back towards the commotion. He felt his phone vibrating in his pocket again—something it had been doing all damn day. He knew there was a bored, horny, and probably pissed off housewife wondering why she'd been stood up—and he didn't give two shits. After everything that had happened over the last few hours, there was no way he was going to give up on the possibility of having Veronica back, not matter how good the sex might be. Whatever it fucking takes.
"Veronica! Honey! Oh my God, Veronica! Are you hurt? Are you OK? I came as soon as I heard it over the scanner! You were supposed to be on that bus!" Keith Mars' anguished voice broke Logan's inner thoughts, and he felt the loss of Veronica's presence as she was pulled into a grizzly bear sized hug by her father.
"I'm OK, Daddy. I'm not hurt. I wasn't on the bus. I'm OK, I'm OK," Veronica repeated as she burrowed into her Dad's embrace. Meg chose that moment to join them, sneaking up next to Logan, sliding her arm around his and hugging it.
"Glad you're OK, Logan,"she whispered. He removed his arm from hers and wrapped it around her shoulder, giving it a little squeeze.
"Ditto, Meg. I thought you guys were supposed to be on the bus, and—wait, why weren't you on the bus?" He looked down at her and she gave him a look of disbelief.
"You forgot to ask Veronica that question?" she teased gently.
"Umm, yeah. We had other, more pressing, topics to discuss. So tell me; what happened? And how'd you get here?"
"We missed it! That was... just horrific. Those poor kids...I just can't believe it." She glanced toward the cliff for a moment, then back at Logan. "So, we missed the bus while I was in the bathroom for the three hundredth time today, but Mr Cook was still there and offered us a ride. We were with him when we got here. I think we were right behind you guys." A contemplative look crossed her face for a second, before she shook her head and looked up at Logan.
"You know, Veronica was pretty upset when she didn't see you with the others…" Meg stepped out from under Logan's arm and turned to face him. She gave him a pointed look and said, "If I hadn't noticed you when I had, I'm not sure what she would've done...the look on her face, Logan…" She offered him a small smile and after a slight look of hesitation, she nodded to herself as if in resolve. "Maybe you're already there, I don't know, but I just think that you shouldn't write her off just yet. I know it's been hard for you, but Veronica's...well, just—just don't give up on her. I made that mistake, but thankfully, she didn't. I would probably have gotten on that bus if she hadn't have been holding me up trying to talk me into being her friend again."
Logan nodded and smiled, trying to control the sudden burst of warmth exploding in his chest at hearing how much he meant to her. "Well, it's good that her constant peskiness was finally valuable," he said, and Meg laughed. "But don't worry Meg, I have no intention on giving up on her. Not ever." He gave her a wink and nodded at her responding smile.
They turned their attention back to the girl in question, who currently had a flashlight shining in her eyes by the EMT who'd suddenly appeared.
"This really isn't necessary, I wasn't even on the bus," Veronica was grumbling, her annoyance at the distraction apparent.
"Sorry, Miss, I'm just following protocol. You were present when we arrived, we have to account for you," the young EMT stated while taking her pulse. He glanced up from his watch and looked at Logan and Meg. "You two are next."
"Oh, um...I'll go find...I'll go find someone to check me out, thanks," Meg said softly. Logan gave her a pained look and watched as she rushed away. Looking back at Veronica, his eyes met hers and the unspoken 'we need to talk' passed between them. He raised his eyebrows in question and she nodded.
"I'm going to go check on Meg, see if she needs me at the hospital." Veronica said nonchalantly. Ignoring her dad's confused expression , she looked again at Logan. "I'll talk to you later, OK? Um...you know where to find me." Dog Beach. Our Beach.
She nodded at his confirming smile, and then took off towards Meg, Mr. Mars in tow. Logan was left, alone and feeling a little awkward, when his phone began to buzz with a stream of incoming texts.
"Come on, buddy, you're next," the EMT said in an expectant voice. Logan let his head drop back as he closed his eyes and groaned. Seriously, I don't have time for this shit. Opening his eyes, he lifted his head and looked at the emergency tech. Yes, you do, where else you have to go right now? You just going to sit at the beach for two hours, waiting for Veronica to show? Smirking, he stretched his arm out to the young man.
"You know, I've always been curious. I guess I can let you have your way with me." He bobbed his eyebrows suggestively. "Do what you must."
Ignoring the comment, the EMT began his work-up, chatting as he worked. "Sure is sad about all those kids. I bet the paps are gonna have a field day. First the Kane murder and cover up. Then Aaron Echolls—that surprised the shit outta me, I'll tell ya—and now this? Guess Neptune can't catch a break!"
Any pithy response he might have had waiting dried up in his mouth as he listened to the young man's comments. Logan ran a hand up through his hair, shaking his head slowly as the EMT continued with the exam, wishing time would move faster ahead, closer to Veronica.
Fucking Neptune.