"I was stuck in this life I didn't remember, squeezed into the shell of this girl-this stranger-and the more I learned about her, the more I was starting to hate her." Veronica sighed as she fidgeted with the small letter opener in her hand, glancing at the pretty white flowers on the window sill. "Memories define us, they tell us who we've been in the past and give insight to who we are likely to be in the future. But what if you wake with no memory? Can you imagine the bone chilling dread on waking up, to discover, not only that you have no idea where you are, but also that you have no idea WHO you are?"

"I'm pretty sure that losing your memories was like winning the lottery. You were getting a second chance at being a better daughter, and friend, and falling hard for Logan Echolls, a boy who had always looked out for you-even if the old you treated him like an enemy" Ms James offered.

"Memory. That's a minefield. And according to the student body here… and the old Logan? Veronica Mars was awfully unlikable, I'm assuming you remember the rumours that used to be scribbled on the bathroom walls? Because I do… I still do now… and presumably it was only contracting a heavy dose of jerkiness with that head trauma that made me tolerable to them now" she snapped back.

"You feel resentful about your new acceptance among your peers?" Ms James asked.

"I don't trust it…" Veronica admitted.

Her hopes of escape to Stanford and catching Lilly's killer had been the only thing to get her through her time here, now her nemesis, Logan Echolls comes back into her life and does everything he can to drive her out of her mind even as he steals her heart?

He hated her.

At least, he tried to hate her, but it was so damn difficult to hate someone that he couldn't live without. He tried to ignore her, tried to focus on anything but her, but nothing worked… at least that's what he had told her when he finally confessed everything.

"Are you reluctant to reconcile?" she asked carefully. There was no doubt for her that they still had feelings for each other and their unresolved issues before Veronica's recent medical issues had been tearing them both apart inside. It had been one of the toughest situations for her personally in the last year, seeing two young people who obviously cared so much for one another put each other through so unnecessary misery after the loss of a loved one… Logan had allowed his anger and pride to him from hearing her out.

Becky James watched the question crossover the teenagers face. She just really hoped that she could save the situation for them both…. Neptune high school had been chaotic, turbulent in the wake of Lilly Kane's death. Veronica had been the unfortunate outlet for much of the Echolls boys pain and frustration. There were moments she had hated Logan, but in the end, when he finally started opening up in their sessions… he was completely redeemed. His changes were gradual… he was very affected by her departure… she just wished she could make Veronica see that. Part of the poor girl was convinced that he would only hurt and humiliate her again.

Seemingly having resolved in the idea, her confidence boosted her up in her seat like a pair of 6 inch heels. Unflinching she shook her head, she was cold-as-ice composed, her sapphire blue eyes daring Ms James to contradict her or press her further.

"I was very sorry to hear about your friend" Ms James told her softly.

"Daisy" Veronica told her.

"Yes… she used to be a student here" Ms James answered her.

"Yeah.. she was…" she nodded.

"How have you been processing that?" Ms James asked.

"Fine" she answered evasively, but despite the back-off vibe she radiated with her prickly demeanour, Ms James continued.

"And has it been difficult rediscovering the memories of Lilly?" the older educator pressed.

"I don't want to talk about Lilly" Veronica told her quickly.

"Your medical counsellor said here that you have been reporting unsettling nightmares after your Recovered Memory Therapy… are those still occurring?" she asked, changing the subject.

Veronica felt the breath seize in her throat.. the nightmares… the ones with the fragments of pressure and pain from the night she had been raped… sometimes there was no such thing as sufficient mental preparation. Shaking her head a little too abruptly she shook no. Their gazes tangled for a few painful moments and she was thankful when the older guidance counsellor just decided to give her a tight smile.

"Do you have any more idea of what they were about?" Ms James asked.

"I'd rather not discuss it… ever" Veronica told her firmly.

"I can't help you Veronica if you at least try to open up..." Ms James scolded, she didn't want to have to pry her secrets out of her so forcefully… but it wasn't good for anyone to keep that kind of unspoken pain all bottled up. Her eyes trailed over the petite little cat like girl in front of her, hair the colour of spring sunshine, a slim, almost curve less body with wide elusive blue eyes. She gave a little sigh of despair as she was met with the usual blank stare of resistance. She could almost hear her brain whirring with all the defiance just waiting to throw up it's sarcastic defensiveness. The bell sounded and the session was officially over, glancing at the clock on the wall, Veronica didn't say a word, she just returned her gaze back to hers and Becky cave a small deferential nod of approval for her to return to class.

"Just.. think about what I said Veronica… this could be an opportunity if you allowed it" Ms James told her softly as she stood and put her brown bag over her shoulder. Veronica knew that she had been churlish, the woman was just doing her job, but somethings… somethings belonged only to her. They fuelled the tempest that raged inside her, gave her power to keep going, drove her to get the answers she needed. She didn't care if it made people think she was Little Miss Wound-too-tight.

She was obviously the wrong person to try and get through to the Mars girl… she just hoped that Logan Echolls could use some of that casual insolence of his that set teeth on edge to break through whatever walls she used to keep herself isolated.

It didn't do anyone any good trying to go through life alone…

Logan's deep throaty laugh was the first thing she heard as she rounded the corridor and bumped into Madison Sinclair who rolled her eyes in disgust and stormed off down the hallway.

Roll those eyes back further in your head bitch… you just might find a brain back there… Veronica mused to herself.

"Veronica! Hey!" Meg smiled as she greeted her. It was lunch break and they were waiting for Wallace to come back from the boys locker rooms.

"Did you just get Shrunk or have you always been that small?" Dick joked, his hair was tousled from gym class. Ignoring him, Veronica slipped an arm around Logan's waist and pulled him closer.

"Thank you for letting us survive that trip from hell. Thank you for ignoring my prayers for a quick death when I didn't think that I'd be able to survive another day of Mr Daniels English class," he said in a mock prayer as he put his arm around her shoulder. She gave him a reassuring smile but there was something beneath her veneer that told him she didn't have her unexpected toughness in place. She wouldn't want to talk about it, but he didn't want to leave her in her own troubled thoughts.

He would put an end to this estrangement once and for all…

"So what are we thinking? Sushi?" Dick suggested.

"Sushi? What the hell is wrong with you?" Wallace said in disgust, his dark hair was sitting in wild untamed curls around his face.

"What?" Dick retorted defensively.

"Hey Babe.." Wallace said, gripping Meg's hips and giving her an affection peck on the lips. "I just don't know how you can eat all that... rawness" he replied finally.

"Says the Man Child who ate two boxes of spirit cookies before lunch?" Meg laughed.

"Hey… what you say we get out of here?" Logan suggested softly, pulling out his car keys. "We could swing by your place… get Backup out for a run on the beach?" his brown eyes meandered over the petite blond in his arms. For such a fragile little thing, she had a bite like a cobra but she yielded gratefully and rewarded him with a weak smile and nodded her assent.

"He could do with the air" she agreed.