Chapter 9 – Words Fall Through Me
Rays of sunshine peeked through the blinds of Logan's bedroom, drawing Veronica out of her restful sleep. For the first time in ages, she found herself waking gradually and even with a smile, no less. The slivers of light felt warm on her skin, and it was such luxury to not wake up in a panic that Veronica wanted to stay cocooned in the covers forever.
Veronica kept her eyes closed and let out a soft moan as she stretched her arms high above her head. The memory of the night before flashed through her mind. You kissed Logan last night! Who knew you had it in you, Mars? she thought with a tiny giggle. Why am I not the least bit embarrassed? In fact, she was the opposite of embarrassed; she was inspired. I think I'd like to do that again, Veronica decided and reached an arm behind her to Logan's side of the bed to touch him.
But when her hand met only cold sheet, Veronica's entire body seized with foreboding. She couldn't seem to open her eyes. An overwhelming certainty overtook her suddenly, telling her that the previous night had only been a dream. Gone was the earlier moment of giddiness, replaced with the feeling that this was the worst nightmare she'd had since the stream of nights filled with terrible ones had begun. She was convinced that by opening her eyes, she would be back in the bed at the frat house on Halloween. She clapped her hands to her eyes, pressing her fingers into her sockets so hard that she began to see yellow and white streaks flash across the inside of her eyelids. "No!" This can't be happening all over again! Her head screamed; her breathing became a series of short pants.
No! Take control! Open your eyes and face reality, no matter what it is! Veronica's body obeyed her. She pulled her hands away from her eyes and squinted at the sudden onslaught of light as she took in her surroundings. Logan's room! Her heart leapt, but this time the panic was too acute for her to calm herself. Her body was still in the midst of a fight-or-flight reaction. Get out of here! her mind ordered her. Throwing back the covers, Veronica bolted out of the bed and took off toward the door, throwing it open without stopping. She'd made it partway down Logan's short hall when her body collided full stop into a solid mass.
Logan had awoken just as the sun had begun creeping across the sky. It was his usual wake-up time after so many mornings of riding the waves with Dick before class. But this morning's wake up had nothing to do with waves. There was no way his mind could be occupied with surfing or anything else so trivial.
All that he could comprehend at that moment was that Veronica Mars had kissed him. And, more importantly, he had kissed her back.
As nice as it had been, Logan didn't quite know what to expect from Veronica when she woke up. Especially after her confession the previous night. He hoped that she would be happy, relieved even, that he had kept things from going too far the previous night. But he wasn't sure what to make of Veronica's disposition lately and it seemed that he might need a contingency plan that would ensure her mood. And that contingency plan involved food.
Breakfast was one of the few meals he could cook with a modicum of proficiency, a fact that he was exceptionally grateful for on this glorious winter morning. He had plenty of time to prepare it if Veronica's usual schedule was any indication, so he'd hopped in the shower first before heading to the kitchen. He'd then busied himself collecting the ingredients that he needed to make one of Veronica's favorites, Leti Navarro's famous French toast.
He had everything prepared and was about to dunk the first piece of toast into the egg batter when he heard a noise from the other end of the apartment. Realizing Veronica was awake, Logan sighed in disappointment that he couldn't surprise her with breakfast in bed. When he heard nothing else, he grabbed the orange juice container off of the counter and topped off the glass that he'd poured for her to drink when she emerged from the bedroom. Correction. His bedroom. The thought made him smile.
Just as he was placing the carton of juice back into the fridge, he heard something that sounded like a groan and then Veronica shout 'No!' There was then a pounding of footsteps. Logan was off in a flash, stepping into the hallway in just a few steps, only to see a flash of blonde hair before Veronica crashed, full force against him. He had to grab her hard by the arms to keep her from falling to the ground after ricocheting off of him.
"Whoa, whoa. What's going on?" Logan bent forward slightly to her eye level and moved his hands to her neck to guide her face to meet his. "What happened?"
"Where'd you go?" Veronica demanded, shaking uncontrollably.
"Nowhere."
Veronica was gasping for air. "I woke up and…you were…" she gulped in a breath and tried to speak again but seemed unable to continue.
Logan pulled her tightly against him. As he led Veronica over to the sofa, he swiped the forgotten glass of orange juice off the kitchen counter to give her. He sat down and pulled her down with him onto his lap, gingerly handing her the glass.
"Here, take this. The sugar might help." He steadied her shaking hands to take a drink. When she barely took a sip, he motioned that she should drink more, but she shook her head and tried to move out of his arms.
"No, at least stay here until you stop shaking." Logan threw the blanket that was behind his head around her and drew her close.
"You were gone," Veronica chattered.
"I wouldn't leave you. I was right here the whole time. I mean, I came out here to make you breakfast, but that's as far as I went," Logan told her as he rubbed her back, hoping to sooth her.
"Okay. Okay," he heard her whisper into his shoulder. He couldn't tell whom she was trying to convince, but he was glad that her breathing and heart rate were gradually decreasing.
It took them both a few minutes to calm down completely, and then Veronica didn't hesitate before crawling off his lap. She sighed and kept her eyes averted as she stepped away from the couch and started gathering her belongings.
"Please don't shut me out again," Logan implored, getting off the couch to follow her into the bedroom. He knew that she was going to change and run.
"I'm not shutting you out; I need to go home."
"Now? This very minute?" He couldn't keep the desperate frustration out of his voice.
"I need to shower before class," Veronica said, her tone flat.
"But that's like two hours from now, and I'm making breakfast. French toast. It's Mrs. Navarro's recipe." He'd hoped to see her pause at that, but she didn't. Instead, she grabbed her folded clothes from the day before from the top of his desk and strode to the bathroom, shutting the door on his face. "Look, don't go! I was thinking we could talk, or, I dunno–" Logan called through the doorway, propping himself by the door with one arm against the wall.
Veronica didn't respond, but took an unexpectedly long amount of time in the bathroom. He was surprised when nearly twelve minutes later the door finally swung open again and she emerged dressed and ready to go. She ducked under his arm and quickly made her way down the hallway, stopping only briefly to grab her purse and swing it onto her shoulder.
Logan was struck with inspiration and a smile lit up his features. "I hate to break it to you, but I drove you here last night." She was facing away from him, but he could imagine her expression as it dawned on her that she was at his mercy this morning.
Veronica whirled around to face Logan before offering him a sad, unexpected smile just as a horn honked from outside. She stepped toward him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "That'll be Mac. I texted her from the bathroom." Before he'd realized what was happening, Veronica was out his front door and striding purposefully toward Dick's truck. She turned around just before she reached it and offered him another slight smile with a wave. "Don't worry, Logan. We'll talk. Later. I'll see you in class tomorrow," she called out to him before she opened the door to the truck, hopped in and then Mac sped away.
Logan was relieved to see Veronica in class on Thursday. He thought he knew Veronica well enough to know she wouldn't miss the last few opportunities for an in-class review since dead week was coming soon with finals the week after that. He'd held out hope that she wouldn't skip class, but Veronica was unpredictable these days. Logan wasn't at ease until he actually saw her walk through the doorway.
He was surprised that Veronica didn't run away from him after Psychology. She let him buy her lunch, but wasn't overly talkative or flirtatious at all. Logan didn't dare bring up the kiss. As much as he wanted to talk to her about the possibility of them becoming something more than friends, he thought that conversation might go over better if it were on her terms. He had figured out that with the new Veronica, being patient was key; he'd have to wait for her to approach him about it. He was resolved to not even talk to Lilly about it; it felt like a sort of betrayal to do so.
But even knowing all of this, Logan hated that he was back to tiptoeing around Veronica. He didn't want to make small talk with her, but the subjects of them as a couple and the investigation seemed too intimate for cheap cafeteria Italian food in the quad. Despite the fact that both topics were obviously weighing on Veronica's mind, she never brought either of them up. Logan followed her lead.
Not to his surprise, Veronica quickly made her excuses after Freshman Seminar and disappeared almost immediately. Part of Logan was relieved. It was too hard to be around her without touching her now that he knew what it was really like, and he didn't know how she'd react to that right now. He needed another plan as to how to approach her. From recent experience, Logan knew that Veronica was going to avoid him for a few days at least. He planned to use that time and space to think about how to proceed without letting the temptation of her cloud his judgment.
Saturday morning Logan went surfing with Dick and was surprised to learn that Veronica hadn't spent any time with Mac other than on the ride home from his place. Logan was disappointed; he'd hoped that she would reach about to Mac for support. He didn't like the thought of Veronica stewing all alone after what had happened between them.
Veronica spent the weekend alone under the guise of laundry, studying and cleaning, when in reality, she'd spent most of her time trying to sort through and make sense of her emotions. It wasn't that she wanted to be alone, it was that she didn't know what she wanted. There'd even been a few times that she'd contemplated calling Mac. Since Mac had come to her rescue with no questions asked on Wednesday morning, Veronica felt that if she hung out with Mac it would be nonthreatening. It would be a relief to be around someone who wouldn't be watching Veronica's every move and trying to gauge her mood the entire time. It sounded stress-free to spend time with someone who didn't know any of the intimate, gory details of what had happened on Halloween. But these days Mac and Dick were a package deal, and there was no way that Veronica was ready to take them both on.
There also was a small part of her that yearned to reach out to Logan or Lilly, but she held back, wanting to feel stronger before she approached the friends who would insist on answers. Both Logan and Lilly had each called and texted many times, but Veronica had held strong, replying to both with only brief texts. She didn't let herself engage in anything deeper so as not to upset her delicate balance of sanity.
The time she took for contemplation served her well. As embarrassed as Veronica was for running out on Logan the morning after their kiss, she knew deep down that he wouldn't hold it against her. Waking up in a strange bed had left her feeling as though she were back in the frat house, even if it was only for a split second. She knew this could happen again, but just because it could happen again didn't mean she would allow it to shape her relationship with Logan. She missed him. Despite her reaction when she'd woken up, sleeping in Logan's bed with him had made her feel the most safe she had felt in weeks. Veronica felt butterflies in her stomach at the thought of kissing him again, and by their next class together on Tuesday morning she was ready with a plan. Finals were coming up and studying together would be the perfect excuse to be alone with him.
After Tuesday's classes, Logan was surprised when Veronica insisted that they make a study outline for their Psychology final together at her house. He'd readily agreed, glad for the excuse to spend any time with her. As Logan followed Veronica home in his car, he decided to call Lilly. He'd avoided Lilly for long enough; she needed to know that Veronica had finally told him what had happened. What she didn't need to know about, however, was the kiss. That was none of her business.
He pressed send and stuck the phone to his ear.
"Hey there, Lover. How's our girl?" the familiar voice began without even a hello.
"She told me," he said simply.
There was a slight pause and then, "I know. She called me yesterday. Thank God. I really wasn't sure how much longer I could keep it to myself."
"Honestly, Lilly, I don't know how you did at all. I really wish you hadn't."
"Well, I wasn't going to make it much longer. I'm too far away to know how she is really doing. Someone down there needed to know. I can't believe she told you."
"It's killing me," he confessed. "I'm trying to act normal; hell, I don't even know what normal is anymore. Sometimes it's like being with the same old Veronica again. But then there are other times, like when it's quiet or if she thinks I'm not paying attention, I can tell she's just…absent or something." Logan shook his head and then continued. "And I'm a mess. As much as I want to help her, I know that I don't deserve to be the one to help. I wasn't there for her when she needed me most and it's...crippling," Logan admitted, glad to finally be able to tell someone what was going on inside his head. He couldn't dump it on Veronica.
"You know this isn't your fault, Logan." Lilly sounded sincere.
"Yeah, I know. Nothing's ever my fault," he said, blowing out a harsh breath.
"Well, this time it really isn't. It was some asshole's fault. And if anyone is to blame, it's me. I pushed her; I'm always pushing her. Even about her clothes. I always give her shit for being too perfect and too much of a princess. She was complaining about you hooking up with some redhead and not noticing her, and I told her—"
"Lilly, you couldn't have known that—"
"She finally admitted that she wanted you. And I encouraged her to be more aggressive. Logan, I told her if you didn't notice to forget you and find someone else. And guess what? She went to that party and she did find someone…a predator! I am the worst best friend ever, you don't hold a candle to me. I should have let her work up the courage at her own pace and let her talk about it as much as she needed. But I rushed her, and brushed off her wanting to talk about you more. And now I realize that she spent years listening to me go on and on about you." Her voice sounded tortured. "I was a terrible girlfriend to you, Logan, and have been an even worse friend to her. What the hell is wrong with me?"
"Lilly, I…" Logan felt speechless, shocked by Lilly's admission. She'd never been the type of person to spend time on self-reflection. Nor was she one to admit when she was wrong. There was more of her mother in her than either she or Celeste would ever admit. Logan sighed.
"Bygones, Lilly. What happened between us is water under the bridge. It's done. We were kids and I've clearly moved on."
"We both have," Lilly agreed. "You and I are much better as friends anyways. But as for V, I just can't believe this happened to her. After all the shit you and I have pulled, how is it that she's the one that something horrible happens to?"
"Because I—one of the people who cares about her the most—didn't bother to watch her. I let her walk away from me. She was pissed off at me. She was headed off to meet some other guy that she was interested in because I'd been drowning myself in other girls so that I didn't ruin her, and this is what happened. Is she paying for my sins, Lilly?"
"Logan, no! It doesn't work that way. And she doesn't feel that way or she would never have told you."
"Well," Logan cringed with the memory, "I didn't give her much of a choice. But I'm glad I'm aware now. I couldn't take not knowing what was going on with her. I've felt like I couldn't breathe for weeks now."
"When I talked to her she seemed okay about telling you, but I'm not buying it. She doesn't want you to see her as damaged."
"If she only knew how I really do see her," Logan murmured before clearing his throat. "She wants to investigate and refuses to tell her father. I understand her reasons, but I still think it's a mistake. I don't know how to help her. Any ideas?"
"I read online that you should 'let her take the lead and just be supportive. She needs to feel in control.'" Logon rolled his eyes, patiently listening to Lilly recite WebMD advice. "I'll be home in a few weeks and maybe then we can get her out of town. Ya know, spend New Year's in Aspen or something? I'll clear it with her dad. She needs to get away from everything and be with us. In the meantime," Logan heard her shuffling papers, "remember to 'be patient and make sure that you validate her feelings.'"
Logan suddenly had had enough of listening to Lilly's regurgitated online support. "Listen, I gotta run. We just got to her place to study."
"Okay, give her a hug from me and subtly plant the seed about an Aspen getaway. You know how she is; she needs to think it's her idea if she's gonna agree to go."
"Right. Thanks, Lil. I'll call you again later," he said and then disconnected the call. He grabbed his schoolbooks from the passenger seat and made his way to Veronica's front door, noticing that hers was the only car in the driveway.
Veronica met him at the door. He still didn't know quite how to approach her in private after their kiss and her subsequent freakout the morning after. His instinct was to lean into her, but he chickened out and stepped around her instead. A quick glance around the living room told him that she was the only one home.
"Your dad still working round the clock?"
"Yeah. There haven't been any new cases though," Veronica responded, her tone optimistic.
"You mean, there haven't been any more reported cases, Veronica." Although Logan meant it lightly, he regretted the words almost instantly.
Veronica's face was mixture of annoyance and astonishment. "Right. Whatever. I wish I could somehow see his notes on the case. Usually, he brings some case files home, but he's been working so much that he's left them at the station. I don't want to go snooping there. I guess I'm on my own."
"Gee, thanks."
"You know what I mean, Lo," she replied, clearly exasperated.
"No, actually, I don't. I thought we were in this together." Logan stared at her a moment, reminding himself how conflicted she must be. He took a breath. "So, what have you been doing to investigate on your own?"
"Nothing substantial without you, I promise. Mostly, I've been organizing. We don't know too much, but Dad always says to start with what you know and work from there. I know that I went to a frat party on Halloween," she ticked off the facts as if from a list, "and had some drinks that came from God-only-knows where."
"I had shots from the same tray you did. Did you drink after that?" Logan asked.
She shrugged helplessly. "I must have. I think I got one from the kitchen. It's fuzzy. I remember flirting with someone in a Batman costume, but not much more about him. I think he brought me a drink, and I may have kissed him," she admitted quietly, her face flamed red. "The last thing I'm sure of is standing in the bathroom line at the party. I remember feeling strange and that there was a girl there and we talked about how long the line was."
"You didn't know her?" Logan inquired, hopeful that they might have a place to start.
"No, but I remember her clearly for some reason. It's strange how some things come through so clearly in the midst of the fog…" she trailed off wistfully.
"If you saw her again, do you think you would recognize her?" Logan knew he was grasping at straws, but they had so little to go on.
"Yes, for sure. But there's no guarantee that she even goes to Hearst. It isn't much to go on, is it?"
"And that's all you remember?" He wished he knew how to prompt her memory.
"Well…I remember being in the bathroom upstairs, but I can't pinpoint exactly when it was. I'm not sure if I actually remember it from before…" she shook her head, clearly unwilling to say the word rape… "yeah…when I woke up, I used the bathroom, so I could just be remembering that."
"Hey, it's okay. Just concentrate on her. Can you describe her?"
"She wasn't wearing a mask. She was some kind of fairy." Veronica scrunched up her face in concentration. "Maybe Tinkerbell. Yes, I remember the green dress. She was blonde and not too tall."
Logan pulled out his phone and started cycling through his pictures. As Veronica leaned over to look, Logan found the few that were taken from that night. There was no sign of the mysterious Tinkerbell or anything else suspicious. Logan hadn't taken any pictures later in the evening, and he sincerely wished he had. Maybe then they would have more to go on. Suddenly, he remembered their conversation at the ice cream shop.
"Hey, was Batman that guy you said you wanted to meet up with? Lilly mentioned pushing you to find someone that night. At the time I didn't think much of you flirting with him because you'd told me you were trying to get someone's attention."
"No…he definitely wasn't the guy whose attention I was trying to get that night." Veronica wouldn't meet his eyes.
Uncertain of her reaction, Logan changed the subject. "Okay, so Tinkerbell is someone we can look into. What else do you know? What about the room you ended up in? Who lives there?"
"I did think of him, though the chances that a rapist would take a girl back to his own room to commit a crime were slim from the get-go." Veronica popped open her laptop and began typing frantically. "A simple internet search cleared his name because I wore his sweatshirt home." After finding what she looking for, she turned the machine toward Logan so that he could see the screen. "Chad Anderson, star Attacker for the Hearst Lacrosse team, and total hottie," Logan let out a huff, "scored three goals at the away game against Oregon on the evening of October 31st. He was in Eugene that night. Solid alibi."
"If only everything could be that cut and dry." Logan smiled at her, trying to sound reassuring.
"Don't I know it." Veronica snapped the laptop shut and picked up Logan's phone.
You sure didn't inherit any detective instincts at birth, Veronica. You're no further along than you were a few days ago, she thought to herself. And Logan has barely touched you since. Only the Neptune Sharks strike out more often than this...she thought as she glanced over at Logan.
Veronica plopped onto her bed. Feeling deflated at her lack of progress, she decided to look through Logan's pictures once again to see if she'd missed anything. Detective work looked so much easier on Law & Order.
Looking at the pictures of the party had affected her much more than she had anticipated it would. It was as if she were seeing a stranger instead of herself. Someone she didn't recognize anymore; someone happy. The pictures had all been taken before Parker had joined their group and started flirting with Logan. Before Veronica had let herself become annoyed and leave the safety of his presence.
"I can't believe how stupid I was," she thought, disgusted with herself. A leather corset and pants? Seriously? I never should have let Lilly talk me into it getting into the box.
"Um, what?" Logan came and sat next to her on the bed, pulling her legs up onto his lap, and began rubbing the arches of her feet.
Oh crap, how much of that did you just say out loud?
His eyes met hers and he frowned. "Do you still think this was your fault? Was it my fault with my dad? Was it all those other rape victims' fault? Veronica, think like a detective. Try to be objective. There is no way that what happened to you was your fault. And you aren't stupid. If you were sitting here talking to Mac or Lilly after they were attacked, you know you would tell them the same thing."
Veronica was too tired for logic. "Maybe so. I still wish I'd just stayed with the zombie bride costume. Maybe if I'd worn that I wouldn't be in this position right now," she said, yawning. "I dressed in leather because for one night I didn't want to be the princess-y sheriff's daughter. I wanted to look sexy." Her voice went almost to a whisper. "I wanted someone to want me." Too bad it was the wrong 'someone' who did, she thought.
"I wanted you," Logan said and looked away quickly when she glanced at him, open mouthed.
What?
She rolled her eyes, unbelieving. "Oh, please, Logan. You were practically drooling all over Parker. You've always been crazy for girls like her and Lilly. You're into sensual and extroverted," Veronica said, getting worked up.
Logan's eyes caught hers and suddenly she felt like she always did around him, as if she were the only person in the world. She gulped past the knot in her throat, willing her eyes not to tear up. Veronica knew him well, but right now couldn't read what it was she saw in his eyes. Pity? A twinge of regret? Anger?
"Are you serious?" Logan's eyes were wide and he seemed slightly out of breath. "I can't believe you think so little of me. You of all people—I always thought that you knew...that you saw me for…" Logan cleared his throat. "I am long over Lilly and never ever had any interest in Parker. How could I?" His voice was raw with emotion. "Are we going for honesty here, Veronica? Is it confession time?" He rubbed his hands up and down his face like he did when he was working up to something. "Because if we are laying ourselves bare here, I think it's time I tell you that I haven't been able to get you out of my head for, like, ages. Years." He kept his head bent down, appearing to be interested in a string dangling from her bedspread.
"What?" Veronica gasped. "That can't be true. I think I'd know. Lilly would know. She'd have said something."
"Lilly does know." Logan sighed. "Lilly knows. Dick knows. Duncan knows. Mac knows. Everyone in Neptune, except you, apparently, knows."
Veronica felt the tears she had been holding back start to fall.
Logan jumped off the bed and began to pace in front of her. "That's what makes this so much worse, Veronica. I wanted you. I wanted to be with you. I've wanted that forever. I haven't said anything because I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't want to drag you into my family's shit. My life is so fucked up, V; you deserve better than me," he said, his voice getting louder and louder with every word and his gestures more grandiose. "And now it's even more fucked up because if I had just told you, we would be together right now." He took a shaky breath. "We'd have been together on Halloween and none of this would have ever happened to you. I won't ever forgive myself; I can't take knowing that I hurt you when all I want to do is protect you." He collapsed back onto the bed, breathless by the end of his speech.
She grunted at the irony. "Well, then maybe we really are meant for each other, Echolls. I'll never forgive myself either." She flopped back onto the bed so that she was lying down next to him. "And, since apparently full disclosure is the theme of the day, I should probably mention that I wasn't trying to land Batman that night. I'd been trying to hint weeks ago when we were getting ice cream that…"
"Oh God, Veronica, please don't say what I think you are about to say," Logan said, rolling onto his side and settling in. He was facing her but his eyes were closed.
"You know what? I will say it; I think we've both danced around this topic for far too long. The Catwoman costume was for you. There's never been anyone else...not for me."
Logan groaned and pulled her into a tight hug, his eyes still clenched shut as he placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
Veronica tilted her head up, gazing at Logan's face, which was still pulled into a tight expression of regret. Seeing his distress, she nuzzled her face into his neck and breathed in his scent, hoping it would comfort them both.
To her surprise, Logan pulled away and met her eyes. She saw the depths of his soul revealed to her before he shifted and brought his lip down to meet hers. The kiss started out chaste and undemanding, but soon the passion that had been building between them for so long took over. The kiss turned into something deeper and Veronica lost herself.
Losing all sense of time, they kissed for what seemed like hours. When she finally pulled back, she remained still so that she was pressed into him. They lay there clinging to each other in silence for a long while; neither of them really seemed to know what to do with the new information or the new passion that had ignited between them. Their mutual declarations had merged and hung heavily in the air. For the time being, they both were content accepting the comfort being offered and keeping reality at bay a little while longer.
The next day, Veronica made a point to spend time with Mac. She knew that she had neglected her friends too much lately. After ditching Mac and Dick at the casino, Veronica was determined to try again. Mac had reached out to her several times—despite Veronica's change in attitude—and had even come to her rescue the week before. It was time for Veronica to make an effort.
They met in the cafeteria and grabbed coffee. As soon as they'd paid, Mac asked Veronica if she would mind running over to Benes Hall. Apparently, Mac needed to swing by her dorm room to pack an overnight bag before her afternoon class. She was meeting Dick later and wanted to be ready when they met up.
When they walked into the small dorm room, Veronica forced herself to relax. Being in Mac's room again should feel nice; this was a place she could be carefree. She remembered helping move Mac in here just a few months ago, so eager to start college, and how jealous she'd felt at Mac's independence. Lilly and Duncan were on the East Coast, Logan had a new apartment and Mac was moving into the dorms. Dick was a legacy and had so many connections on campus that he'd moved into the frat house before he'd officially even become a member. Despite being at peace with her decision to stay home, Veronica had felt a little left out at the time. How silly that all seemed now.
While Mac busily threw some clothes into a bag, Veronica took the opportunity to check out the new pictures Mac had pinned onto her bulletin board. Veronica immediately caught sight of a picture of herself, Mac, Logan and Dick from the Halloween party. She laughed at the sight of Dick dressed in his pink princess suit. They each were holding a shot glass and toasting to the camera.
Mac came up behind her. "I love those pictures." She pointed to another one. "I can't believe I got Dick to wear that. It was rad. Why does it feel like it was a lifetime ago?"
"For you and me both. Did you take more pictures that night?" Veronica asked, trying to keep her voice even and unassuming. "I'd love to see them."
"Yeah, tons. Who could resist taking pictures of Dick in pink bejeweled Converse? They're on the computer. Take a look while I run down the hall and use the restroom," Mac said, pausing to login to her computer. She quickly bypassed her encryption software and pulled up the photos.
Veronica had gone through half of the pictures before Mac returned. At first she didn't see anything of note, but then someone in the background of a shot caught her eye. She saw Tinkerbell, the one person she remembered in her foggy haze, standing behind Dick, fuzzy and facing away from the camera. She quickly cycled through the next few shots, hoping to get lucky. Three photographs later, she found what she was looking for. Tinkerbell had posed with Mac and Dick for a picture. "Yahtzee!"
"What's that?" Mac said, coming up behind her.
"This girl, do you know her?"
"You mean, who Tinkerbell is? No, she asked someone to take a picture of us with her because she liked our costumes. So we used my camera to take one, too. Why?"
"I remember her from that night. Was she with someone else? Someone you or Dick knew?"
"No. I told you, she just liked our costumes." Mac glanced at Veronica. "What's wrong, V? What's going on? And don't tell me 'nothing'. I'm so sick of hearing that."
"I just don't remember much from that night, Mac. But I do remember her," Veronica replied as she clicked on the picture to zoom in on Tink. "What's that around her neck? Can you make this less pixelated?"
"I know my way around computers, but, despite what they say on TV, there's no way to make things more clear when you're this zoomed in. It looks like some Greek letters though. She's in a sorority, I'd guess," Mac said, studying the photo closely.
Veronica's intake of breath was instant. "I need to know who she is."
"I can have Dick ask around, if you want. One of his Pi Sig brothers might know her."
"Yes, can you call him now?" Veronica hated the desperation she could hear in her voice, but this felt almost like a real lead.
"He's in class now. I can talk to him about it when I see him later. But I'll only do it if you tell me what is going on. I think I've been pretty patient so far. I've given you plenty of time and space. What do you mean you can't remember things from that night? How much did you drink?"
"Too much probably, but I think someone slipped me something. I haven't been totally wasted since Homecoming sophomore year with Logan, Lilly and Duncan. But I still remember that night. I don't remember much of the Kappa party at all." Veronica turned back to the computer and pointed at Tinkerbell, "But I remember that girl. I need to talk to her. I want to see what I can piece together."
"I know there is more to this story," Mac sighed.
Veronica could tell that Mac wanted to press her further, so Veronica preemptively gave her friend a pleading look.
"I'll skip my afternoon programming class and talk to Dick," Mac sighed, sending the picture to print.
"Mac, you don't have to skip class for me. Tonight will be fine," Veronica protested.
"Please!" Mac scoffed. "I could've taught that class when I was ten. I won't fall behind." She grabbed the picture from the printer and the two friends made their way out of Mac's dorm room.
Veronica was reeling from her first real lead in her case. That and the fact that she had the greatest friends ever.
Dick was surprised when Mac was waiting for him outside his business class. Not only was she supposed to be in her programming class, but she seemed upset. Dick quickly folded his girlfriend into a hug.
"What's up?"
"It's Veronica."
"You're still worried about Ronnie? I told you, Logan said she was doing better," Dick told, her, gently stroking his hand down her back.
"I just spent some time with her. I thought hanging out with her would help, but now I'm even more concerned. Dick, do you know this girl?" Mac asked, stepping out of his embrace to pull a photograph from her back pocket. "Veronica says she can't remember much from the night of Halloween. She thinks someone slipped something into her drink. One thing she remembers is talking to this girl though, and she wants to find her."
Dick leaned in to look more closely at the photograph and shook his head. "I don't remember her or even taking this picture. And I wasn't even that trashed. There were just so many people there. I'll ask around and see if any of my brothers know her."
"Thanks. She's wearing a sorority necklace," Mac said pointing to the barely visible necklace. "But I don't know if she even goes to Hearst." Rather than continue to stare at the photograph, Dick turned his attention to Mac. He realized how worried she actually was when she asked him, "Can you ask them tonight? We can go out another time. I'm not much in the mood to spend the night at the frat house anyways."
"Of course. She's my friend too. By default at least, right? I'll see what I can find out tonight. Be safe. And don't skip any more classes. One of us has to maintain some level of scholarliness and there's no way in hell I'm going to pass anything this semester," Dick said with a wink, pulling her close again and slipping the photo into his back pocket.
Dick walked into his frat house that night, carrying a stack of Cho's pizzas. As predicted, his brothers smelled fresh pizza from every corner of the house and came running.
As they clambered around him, Dick opened the box on the top of the stack. "Hey guys, I got laid three times last night and I thought I'd share the joy. Help yourselves." He waited until the last of the guys dug in before he pulled out the picture Mac had given him earlier. "Hey, so check this out. I went all out for this year's Kappa Halloween party with my girl, Mac. I'm totally Princess Peach. It was off the hook, man. I was worried that I looked like a pussy at first, but everyone totally dug it."
He handed the picture off and then stuffed his face with a slice of meat lover's pizza, happy to be able to eat it without being on the receiving end of his vegan girlfriend's glare. As the guys passed the picture around, they gave him a hard time, and Dick bantered back easily when they joked that he was Mac's bitch.
After a few minutes of this, Dick decided to take his shot. He pointed out Tinkerbell in the picture. "Hey, anyone know who the fairy chick in that picture is? I think she's a sorority girl. She was so damn hot. My buddy Logan lost his chance to get on that and I think he should give her a call. She look familiar to any of you?"
Chip Diller didn't even look at the picture again before speaking up first. "Oh yeah, I tapped that last year during Sexfest. She was hot but totally needy. She actually called me the next day." Everyone chortled. "Total psycho. I think she's a Zeta Theta Beta but I can't remember her name. Maybe Crystal or Christy? Something like that." His face screwed up in concentration. "No, Claire, that's it. I think Chase knows her better."
Dick called out to Chase Penny, who had wandered off to watch the game in the main room, "Hey! Penny, my man, hook a brother up! Give that hottie Claire a call and offer up some pizza. I'll call Logan; there is plenty to go around. He wants to meet her."
To Dick's shock, Chase actually shot a text and Claire agreed to come over with some friends. Like taking candy from a fucking baby, I swear. Maybe Ronnie was right about frat guys and stupidity. He couldn't believe his good luck and immediately picked up his phone and called Logan.
When he answered, Dick exuberantly said, "Hey Logan, man. I totally hit pay dirt with the whole hush-hush Ronnie situation."
"What about her? What do you know about it?" Logan demanded.
"Mac told me. She sent me on a mission. I don't have time to answer your stupid questions, dude. Meet me at the Pi Sig house before seven so we can go over the plan. Bring some beer that chicks would dig. We only have el cheapo shit here. Oh, and look hot."
"Right," Logan replied and the line went dead in Dick's ear.
A/N: Yes, I know...Veronica ran. I couldn't help it. She's still Veronica...but she didn't avoid him forever, so I hope my twist on her canon running worked okay. And yay! The sleuthing begins.
To my betas LVFangirl and kmd0107, two words: endless gratitude. Thank you for all the hard work.
A very huge Happy Birthday shout out to BewitchingRedhead36. My gift was a very Mac-y chapter just for you!
Thanks to all of you still reading, following and commenting. And thanks to wolfe80 for reminding me that today is Wednesday! Oops!
More Saturday!
