Chapter 29: Double Dating Dud

*****Still Tuesday******

Logan and Veronica didn't speak as Logan drove her to her car at the high school. Neither were ready to address the ugly truth. Finally, Logan said, "So is Duncan going to go get tested just to be sure?"

"I think so," Veronica said softly.

"I called Beaver and told him we weren't going to be able to make dinner tonight," Logan said.

"No, we need to go out with him because I need to talk to him," Veronica said firmly.

"Why?" Logan asked.

"Because there were only four people who knew I was in that room: Cassidy, Sean, Dick, and Duncan," Veronica said. "If Duncan tests negative, then we know someone else took advantage of me." She wasn't ready to say rape out loud. It was too horrible. She felt sick just thinking about it.

"I've known those guys for years. They would never rape you!" Logan said, upset at the thought.

"Well, even Casey told me I wasn't myself that night and came on to him. From what I heard, I was even kissing Dick," she said with distaste. "What if they convinced themselves it'd be okay since I wasn't myself? I know Casey and Dick thought I was just hammered. You were drinking shots off of me. Maybe one of them thought I was free game."

Logan felt like she slapped him. He knew she was right, but he'd hope she'd forgiven him. Now this. He could lose her over this. He closed his eyes a moment before glancing over at her. "I hate myself for this you know. It's my fault no matter who did it."

"No, it's not your fault. It's the fault of whichever guy gave me an STD. They had to have known if I was sober, I would never give permission! Duncan was bad enough, but at least I had feelings for him. Waking up without my panties and knowing someone had raped me was a nightmare. When I found out it was Duncan I had been with, I didn't really view it as rape. I knew that I loved him, and I probably wanted to be with him on some level. But if someone else also had their way with me, they're not going to get away with it! I'm going to make them pay!" she said angrily.

Logan reached over and grabbed her hand. He was relieved that she didn't try to pull away. They held hands until he made it to her car. He parked and shut off his car.

"I think we should skip the movies and instead you can grab your trusty copy of Easy Rider. We can go over to Cassidy's. I can use that opportunity to check their medicine cabinets to see if Dick or Cassidy has a prescription for the same antibiotic I have. If one of them has it, we know it was them," she declared.

"Let's slow down! We don't know for sure that Duncan isn't the one with it. Sometimes you can be a carrier without symptoms. You don't have any. Your doctor said that 30% of women don't even show symptoms. Maybe some guys don't either," Logan said.

"If it wasn't Duncan, it has to be Dick or Sean. Sean was posing as an 09er. Who knows what else he's capable of?" Veronica reasoned.

"I know you hate Dick, and I know he can be a real moron sometimes. But I can't see him violating you like that. He would know that you would never be willing to have sex with him. He couldn't think it was okay," Logan said.

"Dick told Cassidy to lose his virginity to me, Logan! He threw condoms at him and said basically go for it! How can you defend him?" Veronica said angrily.

Logan wanted to argue, but he knew she had a point. He felt sick and helpless. He wanted to smash something. Finally, he said, "I'm sorry. I just don't want to think anyone I consider a friend would ever take things that far. But let's wait until Duncan gets tested, so we can at least eliminate him."

"Fine. I won't go snooping through their cabinets, but I still want to talk to Cassidy. So call him and pick me up at seven," she said. She didn't kiss him good-bye but got out of his truck.

Logan waited until she drove off before starting his car. In anger, he hit his steering wheel a few times. It didn't help. Just when things start to get better for him, something else happens.

*****The Casabancas*****

Dick's mind was disturbed. He wasn't used to keeping many serious thoughts inside his head. He liked living in the moment and just having a good time. He mostly ignored the news and put bad thoughts out of his mind. He liked to be happy. It didn't bother him that most people considered him shallow or a dumb blonde. If people didn't expect much from you, they were never disappointed in you. There were only two things he thought he was good at: surfing and being a good friend. He had never really considered being a good brother as something he should aspire to be. Beaver was like his little shadow. Always there. Mostly a pain. However, since Beav had gotten older, he wasn't quite so annoying. He could hang with Dick when Dick needed a wingman. Dick liked that. He'd spent more time with Beaver since Lilly died because both Duncan and Logan weren't the same. Lately, they both seemed more like themselves and that was good. Beaver didn't seemed bothered by anything. He was like he always was, but he never did confide much in Dick. So Dick didn't know what to think about the websites he stumbled on when browsing through Beaver's computer.

When Beaver left to go on his double date, Dick went into his brother's room looking for clues. His brother's laptop was closed. Dick opened up his dresser drawers looking for what he didn't know. Just something. Anything to indicate that there was something wrong. He shuffled through his brother's books. Wedged behind his yearbook was a photo. Dick pulled it out and examined it. It was a group photo of when Beaver was a bat boy for the Sharks. Beaver was around ten. It looked like he'd taken an ink pen and x'd out the coach's face so many times that Dick couldn't even see who the coach was. The ink pen had been pressed down so hard that it poked a hole through the photo. Dick looked down at the names. The coach was Woody Goodman. Beaver must've hated him. Maybe that's why he'd never played any sports in high school.

On an impulse, Dick took the photo. He folded it and put it in his back pocket. Then he bent down and looked under his brother's bed. Nothing. He lifted up the mattress and found a spiral notebook. He flipped through it. There were some drawings. Dick looked through pages, a knot formed in his stomach. Surely, this wasn't what he it looked like. Upset, he put the bed back the way it was. Then he examined the room to make sure nothing looked disturbed. He kept the notebook and went across the hall to his room. Pacing, he thought about what he should do. He was probably just imagining a conspiracy where there was none. His brother would never hurt anyone. He was just doodling. Dick felt ridiculous. However, he decided to go down to his dad's office and make copies of the notebook. Maybe he'd show it to Mac. If she laughed about it, he'd know he was being stupid. She was spending time with his brother, and she was really smart. If she thought Beaver was okay, then Dick was probably jumping to wild conclusions. Feeling like the idiot most thought him to be, he went back to his brother's room and put the notebook back. He placed the copies and the photo in his room in his underwear drawer. There would be no reason for his brother to look there. Dick knew he needed to get inside his brother's journal. It was on his laptop. Mac would have to do it. Dick hope the pictures he copied would be enough to convince her to ignore her scruples for once. He needed some time to think. Time to figure out what to do. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe he was just being ridiculous. Feeling unsure, Dick went down to his dad's bar and poured himself a drink.

*****The Double Date*****

Mac didn't know what was going on with Veronica and Logan, but something was definitely up. Both looked tense and out of sorts. Dinner was very awkward. Mac and Cassidy tried to carry the conversation, but it was hopeless. Finally, Mac excused herself to go to the restroom.

When Mac got up, Veronica signaled to Logan. He said, "Guess I'll go, too." When he left, Veronica pierced Cassidy with a look that had him feeling anxious.

"Is something wrong? Are you and Logan fighting?" Cassidy asked.

"Logan's just worried about me," she replied dismissively. "I need to ask you something while he and Mac are gone."

"Okaay," he replied, drawing the word out slowly. He clearly wasn't comfortable with her.

"Last weekend when we were playing the drinking game you mentioned that you saw Duncan leave the room your brother dumped me in at Shelley's party after Lilly died. You knew or at least surmised that Duncan and I had had sex," she stated. "What I want to know is why you never mentioned this to me before back when I was asking about what went on, and if you saw anyone else going or leaving the room when I was in it?"

Cassidy swallowed hard, clearly unhappy with her questions. However, he said, "I'm sorry I didn't mention you and Duncan. I shouldn't have said anything at the party. It just freaked me out to know that Duncan thought you were siblings, and he still slept with you."

"So how exactly did you know? Did you walk in on us or see me afterward?" she asked sharply.

Cassidy paused a minute before answering. "Well, Duncan was still putting on clothes as he stepped into the hall. That's when I spotted him. I did peer into the room to see if you were still in there. You looked like you were asleep."

"Was I naked? Did you see me naked?" she asked in anger. The thought that Cassidy got a free peep show make her ill.

"No, you were under covers! I swear! All I saw was the top of your head. Dick hollered at me wanting to bail right after that. Madison was being a bitch, and he was ready to leave," Cassidy explained.

Veronica watched him carefully to see if he was lying or trying to deceive. He looked her square in the eye and didn't look away like most would if dissembling. She wanted to believe him.

"So you didn't see your brother in the room at any time except for the first time when he put me in the room with you?" she asked.

Cassidy shook his head. "No. You know Dick. He has a short attention span. He didn't even mention you when I got into his truck to go home. He was too mad about Madison yelling at him," he replied earnestly.

Logan and Mac reappeared. Veronica gave Mac a tired smile. "Mac, I'm sorry I've been poor company. It's been a stressful day. I went to the doctor today," she said.

"Oh, Veronica, if you aren't feeling well, you should've said something. Cassidy and I don't mind skipping the movie," Mac said.

"Actually, I would rather not go to the movie if that's okay," Veronica said. She felt a bit guilty for misleading Mac, but she'd explain another time. "I'm sorry, Cassidy. I know we were supposed to be celebrating your driving record, and I'm sure you'll ace your test Friday."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it," Cassidy said.

Logan gave his credit card to the server who had dropped off the bill. "Dinner's on me," he said.

"Since we drove together, you can just take us to Veronica's. I'll drive Cassidy home," Mac offered.

Twenty minutes later, Logan and Veronica walked toward her apartment while Mac and Cassidy went to her car.

"Well, that didn't go too well," Mac said.

"Yeah, Veronica was definitely tense," Cassidy said. He was still feeling anxious about her questions and just wanted the night to be over. "Would you mind if we went to the movies another time?"

"Sure," she said, giving him a concerned look. "Did Veronica say something to you?"

"She was asking me about that party last spring at Shelley's when she and Duncan hooked up," he admitted.

Mac started the car and pulled out before replying. "What did she want to know?" she asked.

"If I saw her naked or if anyone else was in the room after Duncan left," he said. He figured that Veronica would tell Mac that much at least.

"Did you see anything that might upset her?" Mac wondered.

"No. Dick and I left right after Duncan did. He and Madison were fighting," Cassidy said.

"I guess it's probably upsetting to not be able to remember the events of an entire night," Mac said.

"Some things are better forgotten," he replied grimly.

Mac turned her head to catch his expression. He looked straight ahead without further comment. Mac frowned. His voice had a note in it that she'd never heard before.

*****Logan and Veronica*****

"Where's your dad?" Logan asked, looking around at the vacant apartment.

"He'll be home kind of late. He's on a stake-out," she said.

Logan sat down on the couch and tugged her down beside him. He put his arm around her. "Did you learn anything from Beaver?" he asked.

"Well, he insists that he didn't see me naked and only knew we'd had sex 'cause he saw Duncan still putting on his clothes as he came out of the room," Veronica said.

"Did you believe him?" Logan asked.

"Actually, I did. He seemed uncomfortable with the questions but not because he was lying. I think he was embarrassed about me and Duncan," she said. "He also insisted that he and Dick left right after that."

"So that leaves Sean," Logan said.

"Maybe. I haven't ruled out Dick," she said with a frown.

Logan opened his mouth to argue. Then he closed it. What could he say? He was raised by Aaron Echolls. No one ever knew what a person was capable of behind the mask they showed the public. "I understand," he said simply. He reached for her remote control. "Why don't we watch some TV and try not to think about it awhile?"

She looked up at him and smiled. "That sounds really nice," she said. She laid her head down on his shoulder as he flipped through the channels.

*****Mac*****

Mac looked at the clock with a frown. It was eleven o'clock, and Weevil hadn't called. He'd called around ten the last two nights. She tried to dismiss her concern. It wasn't like they had some kind of phone date or something. She finished getting ready for bed. Fifteen minutes had passed. She grabbed her cell phone. No texts. Her hand hesitated over her contact list. She wanted to call him, but she found the thought nerve racking. Cassidy was the only boy she'd ever called before. And for some reason, she found the idea of calling Weevil more intimidating. However, she was done being a wall flower or feeling invisible. Taking a deep breath, she push the button that would connect them.

Weevil was brooding alone in his room when his phone rang. He looked in surprise when Mac's number lit up his phone's display. "Hello," he said answering.

"Um, hi. It's me. Mac," she said hesitatingly.

"I'm surprised you called," he replied frankly.

"You are? Why? You didn't call me, so I thought I'd call you for a change," she said lightly.

"I didn't call 'cause I thought you were out on a date," he said, a note of censure in his voice.

Mac blanched, grateful he couldn't see her. "Well, I went to dinner with Cassidy, Veronica, and Logan. But something's going on with Veronica. She wasn't feeling well, so we called it an early night," she explained.

"Oh," he replied. "Logan isn't home yet, so I didn't know."

"Yeah," she said. Their rhythm was off. The last two nights' conversation between them flowed so easily, but now it seemed forced. She didn't know what to say.

"Okay," he said. What did she want from him? Was he supposed to tell her he didn't care if she went out with another guy? Is that what she expected him to say?

"Are you upset that I had dinner with Cassidy?" she finally asked.

"I don't care who you want to waste your time with," he said sharply.

Mac was taken aback by his reply and searched for a response that wouldn't alienate him. "Well, then...Okay...I guess I'll say goodnight," she said haltingly. She shouldn't have called.

Weevil regretted his sharp reply. He could sense her withdrawal. "Look, Mac, I'm sorry. I'm just not sure what you want me to say," he admitted.

"I want you to say whatever you feel like saying," she replied.

Weevil was silent so long that Mac thought he'd hung up. "Are you still there?" she asked.

"Yes," he said.

"Well?" she said, a questioning note in her voice.

"I don't really like the idea of you going out with other guys," he said quietly.

Mac thought about that a moment and then said, "Why's that?" She wasn't being coy, but she needed him to say clearly what he wanted from her.

"I..well..I guess I'd rather you go out with me..maybe. If you wanted," his voice trailed off. He winced at how lame he sounded to his own ears.

His confession caused a warmth to spread through Mac. She smiled into the phone. Suddenly, she wished she could see his face now. "You know I think that might be nice," she confessed.

"You do?" he asked.

"Yes. But Friday's Cassidy's birthday. I'd rather not ruin it for him. I'll talk to him Saturday morning," she said.

"You don't want to juggle us both?" he teased.

Mac laughed. "I can't see that happening. I can barely grasp the concept of one guy even wanting to go out with me," she admitted. "Cassidy is sweet, and I care about him. I don't want to lead him on."

Weevil couldn't help but feel grateful she was very different from Lilly Kane, the master at leading guys on. "I wish I could see your face right now," he told her.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," she said softly. "It's getting late. I should go."

"I'm glad you called me," he said.

"I'm glad I did, too," she said. "Good night, Eli."

"Good night, Cindy," he said with a chuckle. They both liked the idea of not always using the nicknames that everyone else used. It was like an inside joke. He hung up the phone, his dark mood gone. A second later his phone beeped. He looked at it and grinned. Mac had sent him a picture of her smiling face, her dimple flashing. He saved it as her called I.D. He turn the phone on himself and snapped a rare picture of himself posing with a genuine smile on his face. He sent it to her.

Weevil laid back in his bed, the smile still on his face. Life was a funny thing. People could surprise you.

*****Chapter End*****

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