Chapter 6: Classes Begin

"How in the world can the two of you possibly have so much stuff?" Wallace grumbled as he and Piz came into the room with another load of boxes.

"You know, Papa Bear, a girl's got to accessorize!" Veronica said with a wink. She was so happy to be here with her friends. Teasing Wallace was one of the things she missed most while she was gone. Discovering that Parker was not coming back to Hearst this year and that she could room with Mac was such a great thing. She felt a twinge of guilt, knowing she was partly the reason Parker didn't want to return here. However, Mac seemed to be equally happy about the arrangement, so Veronica decided to give herself a break.

"Your room at your apartment didn't seem that big. I still don't see how you're going to find room for everything here," Piz insisted in disbelief as he examined the chaos the overflow of boxes was creating in the cramped quarters. "I think I pulled a muscles carrying all these boxes down the stairs of your apartment and then to here!" he grumbled.

"Oh, I think I can find a way to make you feel better!" Veronica said she sauntered over to him with a sexy twist of her hips. Piz was powerless against her when she was in one of these moods, and she knew it. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed each side of his neck. "Surely, I have something to offer you that will make it worth your wild," she coyly said as she finally placed her lips on his.

"Okay, stop it! That's so not fair!" Wallace said in protest. "He gets lovin', and what do I get?"

Mac looked at Wallace with a mischievous grin, "Why, Wallace, do you want me to kiss you and make it all better?" Veronica had looked up from Piz when Wallace started to complain, so she was in position to catch the look on Wallace's face when Mac propositioned him. She burst out laughing.

"Oh, that is too funny! You should see the look on your face, Wallace!" she exclaimed, choking on her laughter.

"I don't know if I should be insulted or what!" Mac teased.

"Uh..Well, I…" Wallace was having trouble forming words.

"Man, she was just ribbing you! Breathe, already!" Piz said laughing at his obvious discomfort.

"I knew that!" he responded, defensively. "She just took me by surprise. That's not the normal way she and I communicate. Usually she saves the torment for Dick."

"Hey, I'm an equal opportunity tormentor these days! Spending so much time around you and your two stooges has sharpened my predatory instincts!" Mac said as she grinned wickedly.

"She's gotten sassy. I kind of like it," Piz said, grinning.

"Being close friends with Veronica here, it was bound to happen eventually!" Wallace added.

Veronica smiled fondly at her friends. Last year, when she started at Hearst, she wasn't nearly as excited as she was this year. Having wanted so badly to go to Stanford, she hadn't been convinced Hearst was the right choice. She had mixed feelings when she began her freshman year. Her summer with Logan had been so perfect. Whenever she had a moment of perfect happiness, it was always followed with calamity. She shouldn't have been so surprised that her freshman year was full of so much turmoil. It seemed liked she was forever chasing a dream. However, this year was different. This year she had a part of Lilly back with her in the form of Duncan's daughter. Also, having both Logan and Duncan in her life eased a hole inside of her that she hadn't realized had been there. She felt free to really enjoy herself for the first time in a long time. Things with her and Piz were better than they'd been in a long time. This year was going to be great. She just knew it.

Two days later, classes started. Veronica had decided to change her focus a bit in her studies, so she was really excited about the psychology class she was taking. It was supposed to focus on how the mind of a killer worked. Maybe one day she'd finally understand how a man could murder his son's girlfriend and try to kill another. When she went into class, she was taken aback to see Logan sitting in a desk checking his text messages.

"Hey, Logan! I didn't expect to see you in this class. Are you taking it?" Veronica inquired.

Logan looked up at her and smiled in surprise. "I didn't expect to see you either. Although knowing you as I do, I shouldn't be surprised that this would be a class that would grab your interest. It's one of the required classes for a psychology degree, and it serves as a psychology credit for pretty much any B. A. degree."

"So you decided to major in psychology?" Veronica asked.

"No, not yet. I am still unsure. I really enjoy my literature classes, too. I'm thinking about English as a focus. This semester I have a creative writing class and a 19th century novelist class. I also squeezed in my last math requirement. I figured I'd be more focused taking it the first semester than in the spring!" he said with a smile.

Veronica smiled back, knowing how antsy he always gets in the spring when the waves are at their peaks. "That's great, Logan! I'm glad you're taking your future so seriously."

"I have always taken my future seriously. I just never could convince myself that I had much of one to look forward to," he replied honestly.

"What's changed?" she asked.

"Well, a lot of things. But I don't really want to get into that now. The professor will be here soon. I want to know how your internship went. We haven't had much time to talk. Did the F.B.I brainwash you enough to convince you to like black suits?" he asked, smiling.

"It was interesting. However, I did decide for sure that I do not want to be a field agent."

"Really?" Logan said in surprise. "I was getting used to the idea one day of having connections the next time someone tried to pin a murder on me!"

"Well, I attended the profiling seminar that one of the behavioral analysis units puts on. It was fascinating. To be a full field agent, you have to be very physically strong and willing to chase bad guys. Contrary to what you may believe, I don't enjoy being in danger or having violent criminals target me. I'm not even twenty-one yet, and I've already had my fill of that. What I like about crime solving is picking a part a puzzle and seeing justice served. The BAU branch of the F.B.I is a different thing. Occasionally, a member of their team may do actual field work. However, the focus is on understanding the mind of the killer so that you can anticipate their moves. They equip the field agents with the knowledge they need to set up stings and find the target."

"That sounds interesting," Logan responded, secretly relieved she had found a safer goal.

"It is. I decided I want to do a double major in criminology and psychology. That will make it easier for me to pursue a Masters in psychology with a criminal justice emphasis."

"In that case, we could end up having another class or two the same. I hope you won't mind seeing my mug so often," he said with a smirk.

She laughed and said, "I think I can handle it." An opportunity to talk further was cut off when the professor finally entered the room and began passing out the syllabus.

As Veronica and Logan we're learning about what their course load was in their psychology class, Mac was in the food court killing some time before her next class. She was annoyed to hear a familiar voice call out, "Mackie-Mac! What's up?" She looked up to see Dick grinning at her with that Chestier grin of his. She refused to respond and kept flipping through the newspaper, ignoring him.

Dick was not used to being so blatantly ignored by Mac. A lot of girls blew him off. However, he had gotten used to Mac always smiling and laughing with him. Even when she gets annoyed with him, he usually gets a smile out of her before she leaves. However, since a few days ago at the party at his house, she'd been giving him the cold shoulder. He didn't understand why she was so bent out of shape. She should appreciate that he was watching out for her. That's the least he could do for Beaver. No matter how whacked out he was, Dick knew that Mac was the only girl Beaver ever really cared about. Dick teased him enough about her to know that for sure. Beaver didn't even try to talk smack about her like guys normally do with a girl they start dating. When Logan didn't dish about Veronica, that's when Dick knew he really liked her. Normally, he and Dick would swap war stories. But with Ronnie, he was different from the start. Not only didn't he talk about her, no one else was allowed to either. That's when he finally realized that most guys didn't talk about girls they cared about behind their backs. Beaver cared about Mac. He knew Mac cared about him, too. He wasn't the best brother, but he knew that Beaver would want him to watch out for Mac. He didn't wait for an invite but sat down next to her.

"Whatcha doing, Macster?" he asked her refusing to acknowledge her cold shoulder.

"What's it look like I'm doing? I know most of the time you're completely clueless, but even you can see that I am reading the paper. I don't recall inviting you to sit down with me!" she said coldly.

"Since when do I need an invitation to hang out with you?" he asked with a raise of an eyebrow.

"Since you embarrassed and insulted me at the party the other night!" she replied in annoyance.

"Insulted you? How did I insult you?" he asked, genuinely perplexed.

"By implying all a guy would want from me is to get into my pants!" she told him, getting angry again at the memory.

"What? That was so NOT what I was implying! How do you chicks come up with this crap?" he asked incredulously.

"Oh, so now I'm just some chick? Well, it's good to know where I stand!" she said as she got up to leave.

"Wait, Mac! Don't leave all mad again! I'm sorry! You know I don't think you're just some chick! Nor do I think a guy would only want to know you just to get into your pants. I just didn't like the thought of some loser taking advantage of you. I was watching out for you. Isn't that what friends do?" he asked her sincerely. "Don't leave all mad."

She looked at him and could see that he was sincere. She decided to sit down and make him understand. "John is not a loser. You don't even know him. He was just talking to me. He was not propositioning me. Even if he had been, that would not be any of your business, Dick."

"I guess you're right. I was just thinking about what I'm usually thinking of when I talk to some random chick at a party. I can't just sit around and let some guy treat you the way I treat girls!" he insisted emphatically, not realizing how that made him sound.

"Dick, have you ever thought that maybe you shouldn't treat girls that way? Just because you don't really know how to treat women, does not mean all guys are like that!" Mac told him.

"Well, I know a lot of guys are exactly like I am. It's the rare guy that isn't. Most guys just hide it better than I do. With me, whatcha see is whatcha get. A girl always knows what she's getting into with me. I won't be accused of breakin' hearts. I'm a love 'em and leave 'em kind of guy," he said proudly.

"Don't you ever want more? Don't you want to be with a girl that loves you and that you can love back? Surely you've thought about getting married some day and producing some little Dicks?" she asked with a smile.

"Woe! The Dickster won't be havin' any little Dicks anytime time soon! I can't even commit to a cell phone company! Besides, I can't see my genes being any that I should be in a hurry to pass on to some poor chick!" he exclaimed with a shudder at the thought.

"I don't know about that, Dick. You're not too bad. Most of the time anyway. You just need to learn how to balance yourself more. Maybe work on being a jerk less and being the sweet, fun guy I know you can be. And although I appreciate the sentiment that led you to think you were protecting me at the party, I'd appreciate it more if you'd respect me. Respect that I know what I'm doing. I know my track record isn't the best, but I am a good judge of character. At least most of the time," she said thinking, of course, about his brother Cassidy. "And really you should respect all women more. That's the only way you're going to ever attract a quality woman."

"I respect you, Mac. More than anyone. Except for maybe Ronnie, she put the fear of God in me a long time ago!" he said grinning.

"That I can understand! I respect her more than anyone else, too," Mac agreed. And finally, they looked at each other in mutual accord. All was well again.

Dick was relieved. "Can I grab you something to drink?" he asked her.

"Sure. An orange juice would be nice," she said as he got up. She was pleased to think that maybe her words got through to Dick. She felt proud. "Maybe guys can be taught new things. Look at how much Veronica changed Logan. Surely there's hope for Dick," she thought, looking after him with a fond smile.

As Dick came back with their drinks, he saw that Veronica and Logan had joined Mac at the table. "Dude, how's it going? How was your first class?" he asked Logan.

"It's going to be pretty cool. Veronica is in the same class with me, so it should be fun," he said with a grin. "Today, the professor just went over the course syllabus and gave a course overview."

"What time is it? I left my cell phone in my room," Veronica asked Logan. When he told her, she jumped up. "Crap! I'm going to be late. I wanted to check out the first meeting of the photography club here on campus. Since Dad closed down the biz, I know I'll need to keep myself busy, so I'll stay out of trouble."

"Yes, please, stay out of trouble! A nice quiet semester where I don't have to rescue you would be nice!" Logan joked.

"Exactly how many times have I saved your butt, Mr. Echolls?" Veronica demanded. "I gotta go. I'll argue with you later. Bye, guys!" she said as she ran off.

She made it to the photography meeting just as it was getting started. She slipped into the back behind a girl with long, black hair. The guy leading the meeting told everyone to bring any pictures they wanted to share with the group at the next meeting. Once they assess what kind of pictures each of them like to take, they would start working on figuring out the projects and subjects to focus on for the semester.

After the meeting, the girl sitting in front of Veronica turns around and offered her a friendly smile. "Hello, I'm Jazmin Jaleno." Veronica introduced herself, and they start to chat. Jazmin seemed pretty cool. It wasn't often that Veronica hit it off with a girl on first meeting, especially a girl as attractive as Jazmin. She had this porcelain skin you rarely see on dark haired girls. However, it was her blue eyes that were so attractive. Veronica wasn't attracted to women, but she found herself a bit mesmerized by them. It was somewhat disconcerting. She decided to do something she rarely did and extended an invitation to Jazmin to grab lunch with her at the food court.

When they got to the food court, she was surprised to see Dick and Logan still there. However, Duncan had joined them and Mac was gone. She led Jazmin toward them.

"Hey, guys. I didn't expect to see you still here," Veronica said to her friends.

"Yea, we were about to leave when we ran into this lost freshman asking for directions," he teased referring to Duncan. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh, this is Jazmin. We are both joining photography club. We were going to grab a bite. Jazmin, these are friends of mine: Logan, Dick, and Duncan," Veronica introduced.

The guys, of course, were a bit spell bound when Jazmin flashed a friendly smile at them. Dick promptly jumped up. "Hey, Jazmin, you can my chair," he offered with a flirtatious smile. He grabbed a chair from a nearby table.

Jazmin sat down, and Duncan and Dick stared talking with her. As per usual, Logan was rarely interested in talking to anyone else if Veronica was in his vicinity. "How did you like the photography club?" he asked Veronica.

"It seems like it's going to be fun. They want us to bring some pictures we've taken at the next meeting."

"What will you bring?" Logan asked. "I'll bring some pictures I took of all of us at your place. The pictures of Lily are so cute! I also took some amazing shots over the summer in Virginia. The terrain there is beautiful," she replied.

Duncan checked his phone and told the group that he has to go. Dick and Logan realized the time and both said their goodbyes, too. As they leave, Veronica noticed Jazmin's gaze following after them.

"None of those very fine guys belong to you?" she asked Veronica.

"Nope. I have a guy. Although I must admit, I did date both Duncan and Logan at one time," she said. "Naturally not at the same time!" she clarified.

"And you are still friends with them? That's impressive. Most of my exes hate me or I hate them," Jazmin said.

"Well, it's not easy. There's been some hating between Logan and me at times. But there's too much history, common friends, and affection really to stay too distant from each other too long. Did any of them catch your fancy?" she asked, slyly.

"I don't really go for the surfer guys. Dick was clearly one of those. He seemed nice enough though. Logan had this intensity and broodiness that I find hot, but it was obvious he could only see you!" she said knowingly to Veronica.

"Really? I didn't realize he treated me any differently than anyone else," Veronica said in genuine surprise.

"Don't tell me you're one of those girls that are so used to guys giving you all of their attention that you take it for granted!" Jazmin teased, smiling to make it obvious.

"No, not at all! But I guess with Logan, I am. I just didn't realize it would be so obvious to someone who just met us. That's something to think about," Veronica said thoughtfully.

"While you think about that, I'll be thinking about your delicious friend Duncan and all the ways I'd like to dunk him!" she joked.

Veronica laughed at her, shaking her head. Jazmin's comment was something like she used to hear Lilly say all the time. Lily loved objectifying men. "That's funny you should say that because his late sister used to always call him Donut as a nickname."

"Late sister? She's dead?" Jazmin inquired.

"Yes, she was murdered by Logan's father. She was my best friend. It happened a few years ago. I'm surprised you didn't hear the reports. Logan's dad was a pretty famous actor," Veronica informed her.

"Well, I'm from Chicago, and there's always some depressing drama or another on the news, so I make it a habit to not watch. I don't keep up with gossip either. It's just not my thing," she said.

Veronica was pleasantly surprised to discover Jazmin was refreshingly different from so many other girls she had known.

While Jazmin and Veronica are getting to know one another better, the guys were making their way across the quad Suddenly Dick said, "Dudes, look who's over there." They looked and saw that Gory Sorokin was talking across the way to some guys. The guys with him noticed their attention and pointed them out to Gory. Gory looked over at them. He smiled and made a gun with his fingers and pointed it at Logan. Then he mimed shooting him.

"Did you see that?" Dick asked. "That guy is totally whacked."

"Of course, we saw it. We're standing right here looking at him," Logan said. "I feel like I might need to go over there and give Gory another lesson in manners."

"No, I got a better idea," Duncan said. "I think it's time I bring out the big guns."

"What do you mean?" Logan asked.

"It's time I called Clarence Weidman, my dad's head of security, and get him to dig up some dirt on Gory and his family. Mob guys usually have a lot of skeletons in their closets. Let's see what he finds," Duncan said with a cold, smile. Unlike his friends, he knew that there were no lengths Clarence wouldn't go to for him.