Thanks to LadyD for correcting a detail. I tried to fix it somewhat. I probably will be posting this story every other week due to my class load this semester. I will focus on each of my stories a week at a time. I apologize for disappointing you, but I figure every two weeks is still pretty good compared to most writers on this site! I will try to make the chapters worth the wait. Ideas are coming to me the more I write this story.
Chapter 10: Friendships Formed
*****The Next Tuesday*****
Wallace and Dick left the Lakers' game riding the high of the Lakers' win. "Dude, that was such a good game!" Dick enthused.
He and Wallace exchanged high fives. "Good is too mild of a word! Awesome is a much better description!" Wallace exclaimed. Dick grinned as they made their way to his truck.
Wallace was still in awe of the prime seats they had. He hadn't exactly been courtside, but he might as well have been. "I can't thank you enough, man, for inviting me," Wallace said to Dick.
"No problemo, dude. You're surprisingly cool for someone who hangs out with Ronnie the ball-buster," Dick said with a grin.
Wallace nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, she is somewhat off a ball-buster-at least to those that deserve it. But she was the only one who had the balls to face down the PCHers and cut me down from the flagpole my first week at Neptune High," Wallace told him.
"Dude, that was you?" Dick asked and laughed.
"You didn't know?" Wallace asked in surprise.
Dick shrugged. "I don't keep up with who all the PCHers torture unless it involves one of my friends," Dick admitted. "I can't say I'm surprised that Ronnie took them on. She's pretty freaky these days. She didn't use to be so scary. Back when Lilly was alive, Ronnie was sweet and innocent. Very Meglike."
"Really? It's hard for me to see her that way. I've witnessed her in action too many times. She's got mad skills," Wallace said.
"People change. Look at Meg. She was like the Virgin Mary of the school, and now she's all knocked up," Dick pointed out.
Wallace winced. "I don't think we should be talking about that. It's bad enough that you blurted that out a few days ago at the pool party. Meg was really upset," Wallace said.
Dick didn't look ashamed; he just grinned. "How was I supposed to know I was right? When am I ever right about those things? I wouldn't have believed it either if someone had told me," Dick said.
Wallace shook his head. The party pretty much died after Dick guessed Meg's condition. Meg had gotten so upset and embarrassed that she fled the scene, causing Dick's cavalier, off-handed accusation to be the obvious truth to the onlookers. Veronica had flashed daggers at him as had Logan. All four of them left right after the bomb was dropped. Duncan drove Meg home, insisting that she was too upset to drive. Veronica drove her car while Logan followed, so he could take her back home. Everyone figured the party was at an end.
Wallace and Mac had insisted that they all clean up the mess for Logan. While cleaning up, Dick brought up the game again and got Wallace's number. Wallace had been pleasantly surprised. Veronica spoke so disparagingly about Dick that he hadn't expected much. However, the guy was one of Logan's best friends, and she was dating Logan, so how bad could he really be? They'd had a lot of fun at the game.
"I can't imagine being a father, especially not before I even graduate," Wallace said.
"I'm all for sharing my seed though!" Dick quipped.
Wallace laughed. "I haven't had much luck with the ladies of Neptune High," Wallace admitted.
"Yeah, they can be a bit harsh on a man's ego. Madison, my ex, strung me along for years. Now she's banging some college guy or something. I haven't met the new guy. She just brags and says he's older and more experienced any chance she gets," Dick confessed.
"Ouch! She sounds like a real nice gal," Wallace said sympathetically.
"She's the Bride of Chucky. But she's hot, and she eventually put out after stringing me along for two years," Dick said.
"Hey, would you mind dropping me off at Veronica's? I wanna give her a play by play of the game," Wallace said.
"Sure. But I don't think Ronnie follows basketball," Dick said. "Even though we're frienemies, I have known her most of our lives, and I can't recall her ever being into sports. She played soccer in middle school, but never liked it enough to play in high school. It's too bad 'cause she looked hot in those knee socks. She was on the pep squad freshman year, but that was only 'cause Lilly probably made her. Back when Lilly was alive, we all spent time together. Now Lilly Kane, she was smokin' hot!"
If Wallace hadn't been so used to Veronica's sometimes random and rambling conversations, he may not have been able to keep up so easily with Dick. However, he found Dick highly entertaining. "Veronica is best friends with a basketball player. She's learning to love the sport 'cause she loves me!" Wallace bragged.
"She must 'cause if you're not bangin' her, and she listens to you talk about sports and goes to your games, she's gotta love you a whole lot," Dick said with a knowing nod of his head.
Wallace had learned quickly that Dick meant no real offense by the way he talked about sex and women. It was just the way he was. He truly didn't get Wallace and Veronica's friendship. "You've never been friends with a girl, have you?" Wallace asked.
Dick frowned. He had girls that he'd call friends maybe, but he still wanted to bang them. "Friends I don't want to sleep with? No. I've never been friends with a girl I didn't want to sleep with," Dick admitted. "I didn't think any guy and girl could ever be friends without one of them secretly wanting the other. Logan and Veronica were just friends back when Lilly was alive. But now look at them."
"Well, believe me when I say Veronica is not secretly lusting after me. Nor do I want to sleep with her," Wallace said with a shudder.
Dick gave Wallace a perplexed look. "How can you not want to sleep with Veronica? I don't even like her most of the time, and I'd have sex with her in a heartbeat!" Dick informed him a-matter-of-factly.
"She's like a sister to me. Our parents are dating. We could be step-siblings someday," Wallace shared.
"Really? I didn't know that," Dick said.
"What about Mac? You and her seemed to get along well at the pool party," Wallace observed.
"Ghost World's cool. I don't know her that well though," Dick said.
"Why do you call her that?" Wallace wondered.
"'Cause she looks like that chick from that movie," Dick explained.
"Is she someone you'd want to sleep with?" Wallace asked.
"Of course not," Dick replied easily. He believed that as he said it; however, he did find her kind of adorable in a weird way. She definitely wasn't his type, so she was probably safe.
"Okay, so there you go. You can be friends with her. She's wicked smart and interesting. Don't try to get in her pants, and just be friends with her. Think of her like a sister from the beginning, and you'll keep most inappropriate thoughts away. You'll see that being friends with a girl can be great. They're different from guys, but different in a good way," Wallace said.
"Maybe," Dick said thoughtfully. He arrived at Veronica's apartment complex.
Wallace looked at Dick questioningly when he turned off his truck. "You coming in?" he asked Dick.
"I'm not going to pass up a chance to see Ronnie's new digs firsthand," Dick said with a grin. "She used to live in a decent house. I was at her sixteenth birthday party."
Wallace shrugged. He didn't still understand the way the minds of the 09ers worked. Veronica wasn't really one of them, but she had been when Lilly Kane was alive. Lilly's death really had destroyed Veronica's world. Wallace just hoped dating Logan now would make things better for her for a change. She deserved it.
Veronica was in her room with Mac, who was helping her track down a bail jumper. Her dad went out of town chasing down another one, so Veronica needed to nail down this guy's location. Not that she'd try to capture him herself. Keith was going to be back tomorrow, and Veronica hoped to make it easier for him by surprising him with the guy's location.
Her doorbell rang. She went to opened it and smiled to see Wallace. Then she saw he'd brought a friend. "What is Dick doing here with you?" she asked somewhat accusingly.
"Hey, Ronnie. Nice digs. I couldn't pass up a chance to see your new place. I've never been slumming before, so this is like a field trip for me," Dick said with a happy smirk.
Wallace took exception to the comment. "Hey, don't be like that! It's not cool!"
"Don't worry, I can handle the annoying one," Veronica told Wallace. "Dick, if you're going to be a jack ass, you can go now."
Dick grinned. "You know I had to make a crack. You would've been disappointed if I didn't," he said. He stepped in the doorway without an invitation.
Dick looked around with interest. "Wow! Your kitchen is like in the living room. How convenient is that!" he exclaimed.
"We just got back from the game. It was so awesome. Kobe was on fire!" Wallace shared.
Veronica couldn't help but smile at Wallace's enthusiasm as he began describing his Lakers' triumph. Veronica was caught up in his tale and forgot about Mac, who she had left in her bedroom.
Dick wandered through the small two bedroom apartment with interest. He didn't really understand how anyone could live with so little space. The bathroom was practically in the living room. He poked his head in the master bedroom that he assumed was her dad's. Not very interesting. He wandered to the other room, which he correctly guessed was Veronica's.
Dick was surprised to find it occupied. Veronica's quirky friend Mac was at a desk on her laptop, oblivious to the fact that she now had an audience. Dick didn't think he'd ever seen someone so focused or intent. Mac was kind of like that when you talked to her, too, he'd noticed. She focused intently on what you were saying. It made him a bit nervous to have all that intelligence focused on him. Unlike, Ronnie, however, Mac didn't seem primed to mock or scorn. She didn't seem to feel the need to lord her superior intellect over everyone else. But she was shy and more reserved in her intelligence. It made her a lot easier to be around. Dick thought about what Wallace said about making friends with Mac.
"Hey, Mac. What are you doing?" Dick asked as she stepped all the way into the room.
Mac looked up in surprise when she heard her name. Dick Casablancas was the last person she'd expect to be visiting Veronica. "Helping Veronica with a case. I'm surprised to see you here. I didn't get the feeling that you and Veronica were exactly pals," Mac said, giving him a shy smile.
Dick walked over and nosily looked around the room, picking up anything that caught his interest. "We're not really. She was the enemy for a while, but now her and Logan are together. Bygones and all that," Dick said in way of explanation.
He finally made it around the room and rested on Veronica's bed. "Wallace and I just got back from the Laker's game. He wanted to come tell his beard all about it. I wanted to check out Ronnie's new digs," Dick explained.
"You used to hang out at Veronica's old place?" Mac asked curious. Veronica never really talked about her life before Lilly Kane was murdered and her dad was Sherriff.
He shrugged. "Not really. Sometimes we met the girls there when Lilly was alive. I was at her sixteenth birthday party. Stuff like that," he said.
"So sometimes a non-09er is allowed in the group?" Mac asked.
"If they're dating Logan or Duncan, yeah. But Veronica was friends with Lilly before she was dating Duncan. When you're best friends with the Queen Bee, you are pretty much welcomed anywhere," Dick said.
"But when her best friend was murdered, you all went out of your way to hurt her and humiliate her every chance you got," Mac pointed out. "That's what I don't get. It seems like your friendships are pretty shallow."
Dick frowned. Mac had a point. Veronica's dad had been right all along; Veronica had chosen the right side. One of their own had killed Lilly. Before Dick could figure out how to respond, Mac continued. "How do you think Lilly would have felt about the way you all treated Veronica?"
Dick's eyes widened slightly at the question. He hadn't considered that before. "She'd have kicked our ass. Lilly didn't let anyone hurt Veronica. Even Madison was nice to Veronica when Lilly was around, and she hated Veronica," he said.
Mac had pretty much figured that had been the case. However, she had wondered if Dick had realized that fact. "Pack mentality," she said knowingly.
Dick looked confused. "Huh?" he asked.
"Like dogs. A pack of dogs will always attack together. Follow the leader- that kind of thing. The alpha male, which is Logan, turned against Veronica, so the mindless drones, which are you and the rest of the 09ers, followed his example," Mac explained.
Veronica had made it to her bedroom door in time to hear Mac's titillating analysis of her relationship with the 09ers. "I couldn't have put it better myself," Veronica said as she joined them.
Dick got up quickly from the bed, figuring Veronica was about to be pissed at him-she usually was. "We were just talking," Dick said quickly, sounding guilty.
"So does that mean that now that Logan loves me, the 09ers are supposed to love me, too?" Veronica asked with a saucy grin.
"That would naturally follow," Mac said. Both girls looked expectantly at Dick.
He looked mildly panicked. "What?"
"You're an 09er. Does that mean you love me?" Veronica asked him. She tilted her head and waited.
Dick's eyes widened as he thought of a polite way to answer. Before he could squeak out a response, both girls burst out laughing. "It's okay, Dick. I'll accept polite tolerance. It's all you're getting from me. Minus the polite part, of course," Veronica said.
"Where did everyone go?" Wallace asked as he came into the bedroom. "You didn't tell me Mac was here. Hi, Mac," Wallace said with a wave.
Mac said hello.
"So are you guys coming to my Fourth of July party?" Dick asked.
"If we're invited," Wallace said.
"Of course. The more the merrier. Beav and I are hosting it at our place while Dad's out of town. Everyone will be there. It's Friday night since the Fourth is Saturday," Dick said. "Most go to the beach on the Fourth.
"Are you going?" Wallace asked Veronica.
She shrugged. "Probably. At least for a bit. Logan knows I have an 09er level of tolerance. When I start to reach for my taser, that's usually when Logan decides it's time to leave," Veronica replied with a satisfied smile.
Mac laughed. Wallace looked at her and said, "You think she's joking. Trust me. She's not."
Dick frowned. "Your taser needs to stay at home, Ronnie," he said.
"Hey, I'm outnumbered. The 09er to 02er ratio will be decidedly uneven. I need every advantage I can get," she stated. "Besides, where I go, so goes my taser. That's my dad's orders."
Dick looked pained but knew better than to belabor the point. "Whatever," he said. "I guess I'll get out of here. It's kind of crowded."
"Thanks for dropping by uninvited," Veronica said with false cheer.
"Thanks for the game, Dick! It was one of the best days of my life," Wallace said.
"Dude, you totally need a girlfriend," Dick replied with a grin. Then he said to Mac, "If you come to the party, Beav and I will make sure and have veggie dip or something for you."
Mac looked surprised. "That's not necessary but thanks. I'll try to come," she said. However, the thought of an 09er party terrified her. She gave Veronica a beseeching glance.
"Don't worry, Mac. I'll be there to protect you from their evil ways," Veronica assured her.
Dick frowned at the implication that his friends would be less than nice to Mac. An unfamiliar feeling rose up in him. "If anyone bothers you, let me know," he told Mac.
Both Mac and Veronica's surprised expressions made him uncomfortable, so he quickly made a hasty retreat.
"See, V, Dick's not all bad," Wallace said after Dick left.
"That remains to be seen," Veronica replied. However, she refrained from saying more. Dick had been surprisingly nice to both her friends. It was more than she had expected from him.
*****Across Town*****
Meg was waiting with Duncan at his doctor's office. She had already peed in a cup for the nurse, and they were now waiting for the doctor.The silence between her and Duncan was not very comfortable. Meg didn't know exactly what she expected Duncan to do, and she could tell he had no clue either. The entire situation was so depressing.
The doctor came in. "Well, it looks like you're two months along. The home pregnancy test was right. Your due date is Jan 25th. Of course, that's an approximation," he told them.
Duncan reached over and grabbed Meg's hand. She was grateful for his support. She had known that she was pregnant, but now it seemed so much more real. More final.
"Have you thought about your options?" the doctor asked.
"I don't believe in abortion," Meg said firmly.
"You're very young to be a mother. Abortion isn't your only option," the doctor said.
"We haven't decided yet," Duncan spoke up. He didn't know how Meg would feel about adoption, but he knew that it was something they had to talk about with each other before they could discuss it with someone else.
The doctor nodded. "I'm going to refer you to a female OBGYN that will take excellent care of you. You should start taking prenatal vitamins," he said. He handed her a pamphlet. "This has some information for you to read up on and some referrals."
"Please, don't mention this to my parents. We're going to tell them ourselves," Duncan said to the doctor.
"Patients all are entitled to privacy. I would never violate your trust. Don't worry. Call me, if you have any questions," he said.
Meg and Duncan thanked the doctor. When they got to Duncan's truck, he opened the door for her. "Would you like to go grab a coke or something? We should talk," he said.
Meg agreed. They drove to a nearby fast food place. "No one we know works here. We can talk without being bothered," he told her.
Meg followed him into the restaurant. She knew caffeine wasn't good for the baby, so she ordered a chocolate milk, which only had a small amount of caffeine. She was so worn out that she needed some type of energy boost. Duncan carried their drinks to a table in the corner. He sat down across from her.
"I want you to know that I will support you, Meg, no matter what you want to do. If you want to keep the baby, I'll help you every step of the way. If you want to give the baby up for adoption, I'll help you. You're not going to be alone with this. I know I've let you down, but I promise I won't anymore," Duncan assured her earnestly.
Meg was relieved to hear that. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't imagine giving her baby up to strangers, but how would she manage? Her parents wouldn't let her keep the baby; she just knew it. Suddenly, it was all too much, and she burst into tears.
Duncan got up and moved next to her. He put his arms around her. Meg wanted to push him away, but she couldn't bring herself to reject the comfort he was offering her. She knew she shouldn't let the fact that he was being nice now cause her to let her guard down. Duncan Kane had proven to be completely unreliable. A few kind words now weren't suddenly going to change that particular fact. Knowing that made her cry even harder.
*****A few hours later*****
After her friends left, Veronica found herself at loose ends. She called Logan.
"I was just about to call you," Logan said.
"You were? Good thing I'm not the kind of girl to wait around for the boy to call," Veronica replied, grinning into the phone.
"So how was your day?" he asked.
"Good but strange. Mac came over to help me trace a jumper for dad, and Wallace and Dick showed up," Veronica shared.
"My Dick?" Logan asked.
"Well, I didn't know he was yours. Should I be jealous?" she teased.
"Ha, ha! Very funny. Did they go to the game?" Logan asked.
"Yes. Wallace was over the moon. He had to come give me a play-by-play. Dick decided it was time for him to come make fun of my two bedroom," Veronica said.
"I like your two bedroom. It's cozy," Logan said.
"It's kind of lonely tonight," Veronica said.
"Oh yeah? Why's that? Your dad working late?" Logan asked.
"Actually, he's out of town. He won't be back until tomorrow sometime," Veronica said casually.
Logan waited a moment before replying. "I'll be right over," he said. Then he hung up.
Veronica laughed as she hung up her phone. Guys were so predictable sometimes.
Her doorbell rang ten minutes later. She couldn't hide the grin as she opened her door. "Did you break all the speed limits?" she asked.
Logan stepped in and pulled her into his arms, lifting her off of her feet. He twirled her around. Then he sat down on the couch with her in his lap. "I broke a few. No cop would blame me. Hot girlfriend home alone. What else could a guy do?" Logan asked with a satisfied grin.
"So now that you're here, what do you plan on doing?" Veronica asked him, giving him a coy look.
"Bake cookies?" he suggested.
"Wow, how the mighty have fallen! Here I thought I was dating a bad boy," Veronica said smiling.
"I thought you didn't really like bad boys. I'm reformed," he said with a grin.
"Not too reformed I hope," Veronica replied.
"You do inspire all kinds of naughty thoughts," Logan said, giving her a suggestive leer.
Veronica leaned closer and nipped his earlobe with her teeth. She tugged on it. Releasing it, she whispered, "Oh yeah? What kind of naughty things would you like to do?"
Logan felt all the blood pool inside his nether regions as he reacted to her suggestive whisper. "Anything you will allow," he said. Then he kissed her. It wasn't long before she leaned back further into the couch until she was lying down with his body nearly covering hers. He finally released her lips to kiss a path down her neck. His hand slipped under her shirt to fondle her breasts.
She moaned his name. "God, I love it when you touch me," she said breathlessly.
"And I love touching you. It's become my favorite past-time!" he said happily. Then he fused their mouths together again. The intensity of their kisses heated up. Veronica was considering allowing him to remove her shirt when the doorbell rang.
Logan sat up suddenly, breathing heavily. "Expecting company?" he asked.
"Just about everyone I know was already here today," she said. She got up and smoothed down her hair when her bell rang again. Then someone thumped on the door. "Open up, Veronica. I saw Logan's ugly truck, so I know you're home!"
Recognizing Weevil's voice, she straightened up her shirt, and Logan grabbed a pillow and put it on his lap. Veronica flashed him an impish grin and opened the door.
"This is a surprise," Veronica said, letting him in.
"I hope I'm interrupting," Weevil said, giving Logan a satisfied smirk.
"You are," Logan replied disgruntled.
"It's okay. What's up?" Veronica asked. She knew Weevil wouldn't stop by unless it was important. He wasn't a stop-by-to-shoot-the- breeze kind of guy.
"We gotta talk. I saw Logan's ugly ass car in the parking lot and figured it'd be a good time for a pow-wow. Things are happening," Weevil said grimly.
Veronica sat down on the couch next to Logan. She indicated the chair. "Have a seat and fill us in," she told Weevil.
****TO BE CONTINUED****
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