Chapter Seven
A few months passed since the oh so very joyful beach party. Everything returned to pretty much how things were before Aaron attacked Lilly. Well everything except Logan and Veronica. For the first time they didn't talk at all. They were usually good friends, but now they were never seen together. Veronica avoided Logan at all costs for a month, before he realized what she was doing. After that, they just stayed away from each other as much as they could. Most of the school noticed this, especially because they were part of the most talked about people in the school. Yet, all though it was talked about, people didn't really seem to care about it. It was just something to gossip about. Well with the exception of Lilly and Duncan. The spring dance was less than a month away and since Logan and Veronica refused to speak, it would make for a very awkward night.
"What are we doing for the spring dance?" Duncan asked Veronica while they sat in the journalism room. She looked from her computer to him.
"Um, I don't know. Dress up? Dance?" Veronica said, not really sure what to say.
"Well Lilly and I were planning to have another 'not go to the dance' party." Duncan said Veronica bit her lip, before smiling weakly.
"We got busted last time, remember." Veronica said just as the bell rang. They gathered there stuff and walked into the hallway.
"Yeah, well, we're teens. We're supposed to get into trouble." Duncan said as Lilly came up behind them.
"Did you tell her about the dance?" Lilly asked and Duncan sighed.
"I was working on it. It's your turn now." Duncan said, before kissing Veornica's cheek and walking off with Dick and Logan. Lilly watched them and then turned to Veronica.
"First thing before I forget. What's going on with the whole Mars-Casablances thing? I assume Dick brought it up to the parents." Lilly said and Veronica sighed.
"It's a huge mess. We've been talking a lot more though. Right now it looks like things will stay the same, but if Dick keeps pushing his dad, he might just give up custody of him. Which that means he will go to Betine. He would rather live on the streets. That means he goes to my dad. I swear I will die living with Dick." Veronica said dramatically as they waked out into the school parking lot. Lilly nodded sympathetically and then she began to laugh at her.
"He will be living with you guys in a month tops." Lilly responded with and Veronica faked a cry as they walked down the steps. Meg walked up next to the two of them.
"So is the 'dance' still on?" Meg asked and Veronica glared at Lilly.
"Does everyone plan this without me?" Veronica asked, which not only shocked the two girls, but herself as well. She was pretty sure by now they noticed that she was a lot less timid and a lot more Lilly like.
"Well we wanted to make sure that Dick and Meg were in and then work on you and Logan since you two refuse to talk." Lilly said in a way that sounded like she was defending herself. Veronica raised an eyebrow as they all got into Lilly's car.
"Dick and Meg. As in a couple." Veronica said, looking at Meg waiting for the scoop.
"What? Ever since he found out he was a Mars, he's been different. He asked me and I said yes." Meg said and Veronica looked at her shocked.
"So you have to go." Lilly said, nearly begging Veronica.
"Logan and I just don't get along as great as we used to." Veronica said and Lilly smiled in her 'I'm plotting' way. Veronica looked at her and immediatly knew she was up to something.
"Tonight you and Logan are hanging out. Duncan and I will go out with Meg and Dick, while you two reconnect. I can't have one of my best friends not friends with my boyfriend. And to add more to it he is your boyfriend's best friend!" Lilly said over dramatizing it like she had with the yellow cotton dress and Veronica began to shake her head. She would just have to keep refusing it.
Veronica sat in her living room with Logan. They had been sitting there in silence for around fifteen minutes now. The other four left around ten minutes ago after realizing that even with them there, they wouldn't talk. To say the least, things weren't going well. Veronica prayed for the night to end and Logan... Well, who knows what goes through Logan's head.
"Veronica?" Logan said, causing her to startle and jump a bit.
"Huh?" She responded with, very unenthusiastic.
"Why have you been avoiding me?" He asked and Veronica sighed, feeling bad for ignoring him, just like she felt bad when she did the same thing to Dick. I think I may have a problem with avoiding things I don't want to deal with. My dad had tried to talk to me about the whole Mars-Casablances-Kane thing. I was suddenly tired at eight p.m.
"A lot has been going on, I guess." She said, using the best lie she could come up with right then.
"I see." He paused. Then continued. "Now how about you tell methe truth." He said and Veronica looked at him weridly.
"What do you mean?" She asked, doing her best to act like she didn't know what he was talking about.
"Every since we were twelve I have been able to tell when you were lying. Now just tell me and makes this all very simple for us." He said and Veronica sighed. Damn him and his stupid lying detecting skills.
"What happens everytime we are together?" She asked, breaking it down for him.
"We talk. I open up to you and vise versa." He said and Veronica laughed a bit at how sentimental he was being right now. And to how much he was avoiding the truth. See Mr. Echolls. We both avoid things we don't want to discuss. We are not so different after all.
"And then?" She said, urging him on. He nodded finally realizing he had no choice but to see it her way.
"We usually kiss." He said and Veronica applauded.
"Correct. Now why is that terrible. Because I am dating your best friend and you are dating mine. Not just dating, but on going dating. As in pretty serious." She said and Logan looked away.
"Veronica, I like talking to you. We kissed a couple times. Its no crime. Lilly slept with god knows how many people while we've been dating." Logan said and Veronica turned her head sharply at him.
"And Duncan has been completly faithful." She snapped at him and he sighed.
"Yes. Kissing isn't so bad though." He said, standing and moving to sit next to her on the couch. He leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Then he have her a light peck on the lips. He pulled away and leaned back.
"Pretty much the same thing, but just one was on the cheek and one was on the lips." He said and Veronica nodded slowly. Then she smiled. Someone likes to twist the truth, now don't we. Alright Mr. Echolls. I'll play your little game.
"You've been thinking this through haven't you?" She asked and he smiled widely.
"Yes. Now can I have the only person I feel free enough to open up to back?" He asked and she smiled. Then she nodded.
"I guess." She said simply and he smiled.
"Good, because my sister wants me home for dinner. She wants to try her cooking on me and I am not suffering through it alone." He said before grabbing her hand and dragging her off of the couch before she even had a chance to process and turn down what he said.
Veronica choked down the last bit of her food and smiled at Trina. Logan dropt his napkin on his plate and forced a compliment, before picking up his and the proceeding to pick up Veronica's plate. Veronica thanked Trina and was about to follow Logan when Trina said to sit down.
"Logan's night to do the dishes and I need to talk with my little bro." She said, before exiting the dining room. This was the first time she had dinner over here that Aaron and Lynn hadn't been at. Aaron spent a lot of the dinner complimenting how polite, smart and pretty she was. It didn't bother her then, but now it gave he chills. Then there was Lynn. Lynn was always very nice to her. She would compliment Veronica in less shallow ways then Aaron and was like a second mother to Veronica. She looked around awkwardly now, but when she heard her name brought up in the other room, she couldn't help but get up and listen.
"I thought you were dating Duncan's sister. Dear daddy's play thing." Trina said, obviously knowing she was getting under Logan skin, which seemed to be her intention. Logan turned a bit red from anger, but remained calm.
"Veronica and I are friends." He said. Veronica looked passed him and noticed a maid doing the dishes. They were silent for a few moments and when the maid finshed, Trina sent her home.
"Then I will be fine leaving my baby brother home alone with his 'friend'." She said, pinching his cheek when she said baby brother and using air qoutes for the word friend. Logan then burst out from anger.
"I'm not sure what your implying but I swear if you are in anyway implying she is anything below your standards, I will make sure you end up on the streets." He said and Trina smiled. She walked towards the front door and Veronica followed them, doing her best to make sure she did it quietly.
"Keep her around. Its nice not having some girl with her breast hanging out at the dinner table." Trina said, before shutting the front door. Logan turned around, running a hand through his hair and Veronica smiled when his eyes landed on her.
"You were listening?" He asked, dropping his hand.
"Only a little." She said, holding her index and thumb finger centimeters apart.
"Well no need to worry about anything she says. She a bit loopy." He said before leading her to his room. He opened the door and Veronica walked in collapsing on his king sized bed with a sigh. He walked over to his vent and began to unscrew it.
"What are you doing?" She asked as he pulled a bottle of Jack from his vent hiding place.
"Lilly gave it to me earlier today. Said that the four of them are going to a party and that we should have our own party while we work out our problems. She said if the bottle is not nearly empty by tomorrow, she won't be a happy camper." He said, collapsing into his bean bag chair. He began to open the bottle and smirked at Veronica who shook her head.
"I'm not a big Jack fan. I think you can handle it yourself." She said and Logan smiled, before taking a chug from the bottle.
Veronica giggled like mad as she pulled the half gone bottle from her lips. Logan had talked her into having some around five minutes after she said no. Now it was an hour later, and both were rather giddy. Veronica was laying on his bed, on her stomach, her feet in the air, kicking back and forth. Logan was upside down in his bean bag chair and the two were talking and Veronica was giggling like every few seconds, making Logan smile and laugh.
"So your grandpa died when you were ten?" She said and Logan shook his head.
"No thats when you went to Disneyland. My grandpa died when I was five." Logan said and Veronica laughed.
"Oh yeah, Disneyland. I don't like those dwarfs." She said glaring into space.
"And you don't like people eating lobsters!" He said and Veronica turned her glare to him.
"That was once and I was seven!" She yelled to him, before laughing. "At least I'm not a guy that got a purse for my tenth birthday!" She said and Logan swatted at her playfully.
"Yeah, that was the same year we went to the zoo and when my dad gave me a bloody nose." He said looking up at her.
"Ow. That sounds like an awesome present. Like the pear christmas!" She said taking another drink from the bottle and handing it to Logan.
"To the Echolls family!" He said, raising up the bottle and then taking a swig.
"I should have brought pears!" She said loudly.
"Yeah and I could bring Brad and Suzy to see if you could hook them up this time around." He said and Veronica glared once again.
"Yeah and I can bring Tammy around so you can get further then second base this time!" She said and he flipped over on the bean bag, landing on the ground. He jumped up and onto the bed. He grabbed her side and she laughed as it left her with a tickling sensation.
"Tell me something serious." He said laying on his back. Veronica looked at him, trying to think of something.
"I still have no idea who raped me at Shelly's party." She said and Logan looked at her. He reached his hand up and moved hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. He muttered something and Veronica asked him to repeat himself since she didn't catch it.
"If I found the guy would you like me better." He said looking up at her seriously. Veronica tilted her head a bit, somewhat confused.
"We are friends. I don't dislike you or anything." She said, assuming he meant that she was still mad at him. She was glad they hung out and she didn't want him thinking that she was going to continue avoiding him.
"I want you to like me like you like Duncan." He said, taking a drink from the bottle and sitting up. He turned around on the bed and leaned on the bedpost. Veronica half turned to look at him.
"What about Lilly?" She asked, before sitting up and moving closer to him.
"I love her. I do. But sometimes I feel stronger for you then I do for her." He said and Veronica crawled over to him. "Maybe its because I'm comfortable around you. Maybe because you bring out a better side to me. I don't know what it is." He said and before he could think Veronica threw her arms around him and kissed him deeply. Of course, Logan wasn't the one to refuse a kiss, especially after a few drinks. He flipped her around so she was on her back and moved over her, slipping his tounge into her mouth and deepening the kiss.
The heated make out lasted for quite sometime before Logan pulled away. The pain of his member pushing against his pants was growing to be intolerable and he couldn't do anything. Not now. Not when they had been drinking.
"Hey you." She said, trying to pull him back he shrugged her hand off.
"We can't. We have to stop." He said and Veronica's face turned grim.
"I finally loosen up a bit around and now your telling me no." She said, getting slightly angry.
"No what I mean is if we continue, we will continue. There will be no stopping it." He said and Veronica finally caught on.
"You can't do that to Lilly can you." She said and he shook his head.
"Its not that. Its just we've been drinking and your not thinking clearly. If this happens again, maybe we will be sober and maybe we will know what we want." He said and Veronica smiled. She kissed him lightly, but passionitly. She pulled away then pushed him on to his back. She curled up in his arm, her head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forhead. They were both asleep within moments.