"Wow, that explains it then",she said jokingly. when veronica looked at her funny she added,"i heard lucy and jane talking about what a slut you were this morning and about how logan and dick had walked in on you and some guy at shelly's party. wierd shit that goes around here aye!!"

"Oh, thats not even the worst of it, if you come around my place this afternoon we can check out all the hate mail i got from almost everybody in that group...and a couple from random people that were at the party!!", she said just before the bell rang. "Oh i cant though...i have to go do this thing with my mother, she thinks we need to bond",she said, rolling her eyes.

It was last period. Veronica had to go meet duncan behind study hall. she said goodbye to everyone and ryan and tammy walked off towards the library and wallace walked off towards the gym. Wallace and his gym, shaking her haid and laughing to herself as she thought about the game that was coming up. the one she had to go to according to wallace. Veronica hated basketball, infact she hated anything to do with balls. It annoyed her. by the time veronica got over this she was shocked to see she'd gone from the courtyard to the edge of the oval and was almost to the study hall.

unfortunately she'd forgoten about the grade 9's exam that was taking place that day and it was absolutely crowded. She walked slowly out the back of study hall while avoiding the teachers. duncan was standing about 20 metres away from her, clicking his fingers.

"Duncan, isnt this a bit crowded to be talking here?", veronica asked as she walked towards him. "exactly what i was just about to say, got any other ideas?",he questioned, walking with her down the back of the oval. "There's a tree we can hide behind over there", she said, pointing at the oak tree. It had a low branch and she doubted wether anyone would bother checking.

veronica was so against skipping class and she didnt like the idea of her father catching her. she had a back up excuse if he ever found out anyway so it didnt really matter. "Veronica, you know i dont like anyone",duncan said after they had reached the tree and sat down out of sight. "What does this have to do with lily?",She asked, slightly confused and worried. "I know logan likes you, he never shuts up about you and-",he got cut off just like logan did. "Duncan, logan has nothing to do with lily, apart from maybe that he was dating her when she got murdered but still, is what you have to say got nothing to do with lily and everything to do with who likes me and who doesnt...because if it does i'm going to class, i know who hates me and i know who likes me, no actually let me rephrase that, i couldnt give a shit who likes me".

"i like you, veronica, i only broke up with you because logan told me too...i'm sorry for lying but he made me!".

"wow, that was pretty random",she said, showing every sign of shock on her face. she didnt like duncan anymore, but what was she suposed to do? he was on the verge of a mental breakdown and she didnt like the fact that he had broken up with her just because of logan. "why didnt you tell me this before he used me?".

"What do you mean?", he asked.

"He said he loved me and i believed him and he got me into bed and yeah...",veronica really didnt feel like she should finish what happened that morning. "Veronica, he blackmailed me into breaking up with you",duncan said impatiently.

"How, what did he say??", she asked, very concerned with the way this conversation was going.

"He said that if i didnt dump you he was going to hurt lily, he said he was going to bash my mother. I couldnt do anything about it. i'm sorry",he finished, while not looking at veronica, but instead looking around the edge of the tree to see if anyone was coming. he looked helpless, confused, annoyed, everything that could make a person breakdown, go insane. it wasnt anything that veronica wanted to feel. she didnt know what to say...so she moved her back against the tree and just waited until duncan said something else. it went on for at lest 5 minutes. veornica stole glances at duncan every few minutes and he looked somehow comforting. she moved closer to him and put her arms around him, slowly rocking back and forwards. he put his arms around her and said,"Thanks for everything, i really need help".

The bell rang and they both got up. They waited until a couple of students had come onto the oval so it didnt look suspicious and walked back to the courtyard. veronica had changed the way she felt towards logan, she used to think that he was a nice, lovely, and a very trustworthy person but now she thought that he was a loser and a jerk, she hated him. she didnt know what she felt towards duncan though.

"Why dont you come and sit with wallace and me?", she asked as he started walking towards the 09er table, not looking very happy. He stopped and turned to her,"Yeah that would be nice". he needed a friend, veronica wasnt very busy but she didnt really think that she was the one to help him in this problem. logan watched them walk over to her usual table; duncan's new one; and sit. wallace was over sitting with a girl with dark red hair and then she realised it was mac! No way, she thought, you have to be kidding me. They weren't...together...were they. No, surely not. He kissed her cheek and got up. Yep, they were, but it couldnt be that bad, having two best friends together. Wallace started walking over to veronica and duncan just as they both sat down.

"Hey V, and ahhh...duncan!".he said as he arrived. "Hey...ummmm...Wallace right?",Duncan said, He didnt look to sure. "Yeah, thats me".

"Wallace",veronica said to draw attention to herself instead of a sulking duncan,"Are you and Mac...like, you know, together?"

"You guessed it!",he said, sitting down next to her.

"Wow, since when?"

"Umm, About 5th Period"

Veronica looked over at mac and saw that she wasnt there anymore. Wallace turned around and looked at duncan, He gave veronica a questioning look and veronica shook her head. He took it as "I'll tell you later" and asked,"So, duncan what are you doing tonight? I was thinking maybe we could catch up, just you and me and a basketball!"

"Ahh, sorry wallace, i'm kinda busy tonight, i'm sorry but i really am", he said, shaking his head. Veronica knew what he was doing, he was coming around her place to tell her what he knew about lily's murder. How could she just leave lily, to go to logan, it wasnt suposed to be like that, if she would've just stayed with her she wouldnt have died. She was blaming logan, it made her feel at peace, If a drunk logan hadnt called her and threatned her to have a swim. It was his fault lily was dead or is it? If he hadnt called then would veronica be dead as well? Or would veronica have'd been able to save her best friend. She didnt know, and she didnt think that she should know.

"Oi, Veronica, are you in there!!!", asked wallace as the bell rang.

"Oh yeah...",She said, collecting her things and standing up. Duncan was walking away towards the lockers and he didnt look back at her,"sorry, in my own world, what happened with duncan?".

"Nothing happened with duncan!!!", he asked, though a little concerned with the way his friend was acting.

"Oh umm...i have to go, i'm going home, i dont feel well, i'll see you tomorrow",Veronica said as she walked towards the Neptune High car park.

She drove all the way home thinking about one thing, if logan really did hurt lily then why was he acting like it didnt hurt him, they were soul mates, he said it himself. I dont know why he would even think...or say...anything like that she thought, he just wasnt that type of guy, she just knew it. She only just realised to herself that she'd been sitting in the car for about 3 minutes when she snapped out of her world again.

"Veronica, What do you want?", the strange person said.

"I wanted to talk to you...about lily's murder",she said, only moving her head to face him, as though she was paralised. She should have known he had something to do with it. Just known, lily was always talking about him and the way he helped her.

"I dont want to talk about it alright, you need to get some sleep, you look really pale",he continued,"Are you sure your okay?".

"i'll be okay when lily's murderer is behind bars now just help me!", veronica actually got out of the car this time, how could she be so stupid.

He was going to help her, she could see it in his eyes.

Sorry that it took so long but i had heaps of shit going on and homework and crap. I Hope you like it, it's not as long as i'd like it to be but i hope you dont mind, i'm working on another chapter as we speak.