Disclaimer: I don't own Veronica Mars. The show and all its characters belong to its appropriate owners.The lyrics used are the property of the fabulous group Lifehouse and I claim nothing. I was merely inspired by a particular track and honored it.

Rating: R 'cause of well, da smut.

Spoilers: Series thus far.

Pairings: WeeVer, some LoVe but believe me, WeeVer all the way.

Summary: Taking that final step will change everything.

Chapter Five: Simon

locked inside the only place where

you feel sheltered, you feel safe

you lost yourself in your search

to find something else to hide behind

the fearful always preyed upon your confidence lifehouse, simon, track seven

Monday morning is bright and clear; the sun warms her shoulders as she sits in her car, rummaging through her knapsack. She grumbles to herself as she searches for her History notebook and sighs with relief as she spies it lying beneath her tazer. Opening her door, she slides out and comes nose to chest with a green polo shirt. She sighs deeply as she looks up into a pair of angry blue eyes.

"Dick," she says with as much distaste as she can muster, which happens to be a lot. "What can I do for you?"

"Get back in your car," he snarls as he steps foward menacingly. "And never come back here."

"You know," she says looking him straight in the eye. "Considering I'm not terrified or intimated by you, Dick, I'm thinking no."

"You know what you are Mars?" Dick sneers, lips curling into an ugly expression. It doesn't do much for his looks but then again, this is Dick Casablancas. "You're trash. You're lower than trash. You're the ground trash is poured onto."

"Wow," Veronica widens her eyes innocently. "Did you kill a few brain cells thinking that zinger up?"

The sound of a motorcycle engine has her smiling as Dick glares at her furiously. Weevil pulls up alongside them, his dark eyes narrowed as he eyes Dick from head to toe. Turning his bike off, he says casually, "Morning chica. There a problem?"

"I don't have one," Veronica says smiling sweetly. "How about you, Dick?"

He makes a sound deep in his throat and spins around, storming off to the school. Veronica leans against her car and sighs deeply as Weevil studies her, gloved hands tapping against his handlebars. He arches his brows as she says, "Thanks."

He shrugs as he gets off his bike, the rest of the PCH bike club parking as well. Veronica tilts her head to the side curiously and says, "There a reason you're parking here and not where you normally park?"

"I'd rather be close by," Weevil says calmly. "If Casablancas tries anything stupid."

"You're not actually worried by that jerk?" Veronica asks disbelievingly. "C'mon Weevil, he's a complete idiot!"

"Even idiots can be dangerous, V," Weevil says darkly as he leans against the car beside her. They stand together comfortably, watching the other students mill around and seeing curious glances being tossed in their direction. The familiar yellow X-terra pulls up across from Veronica's car and Logan steps out. He pauses at the sight of them and then nods his head at Weevil. Veronica smiles slightly as he bows to her with a smirk on his face before placing his sunglasses on his eyes and moving towards the school entrance.

Veronica and Weevil watch in amusement as Logan walks past the 09-er crowd and into the school. Weevil chuckles and says, "Think he's growing up yet?"

"I really doubt it," she replies as she and Weevil begin to walk into school, the rest of the bikers following dutifully. Murmurs and whispers surround the pair, and Veronica rolls her eyes as a few girls sneer at her hatefully. She looks at Weevil who says, "Wow, you're really popular now, aren't you?"

"I liked it better when I was ignored," she mutters as she pauses at her locker. With a sigh, she rips down the paper with Aaron Echoll's face on it and tosses it to Weevil, who crumbles it up into a ball. He tosses it over his shoulder and glares at the student who protest as it hits him in the head. The student scurries off and Veronica rummages in her locker, saying, "Are you actually going to class today?"

"Might," he says and she laughs as she straightens up to see Wallace walking towards them. He pauses, uncertainly and Weevil says, "Fennel..." with a nod. The black youth's shoulders relax slightly as he says, "Hey."

"Hi," Veronica smiles warmly at her best friend who opens up his locker. Weevil stands beside him, glaring at a few students who whisper amongst themselves and says menacingly, "You got a problem? Keep walkin'!"

The students oblige, moving swiftly down the hall and Wallace cracks, "Gee, maybe I should practice my glaring." He twists his face into what Veronica assumes is a glare. "What do you think?"

"You're a moron," Weevil says promptly and Wallace makes a face at him as he walks off to his first class. Following Veronica to her class, he adds, "You actually like him?"

Veronica smiles as she glances over her shoulder at him. "Wallace? Yeah."

"So, I can't beat up him up then?"

"No."

Weevil sighs dramatically. "Fine. I'll be good."

"I doubt you were ever a good boy," she says before Esther's face flashes in her mind's eye as Weevil replies with a leer, "I'm always good, V."

Veronica stumbles briefly at the image that flashes in her head of tan skin and rough fingers. She flushes deeply and says, "See you around, Weevil..." as she rushes away, leaving a bemused Weevil behind with an expression of confusion on his face. He shrugs and turns, sauntering back to his own class as he lets a smile slip over his features at the feel of Veronica standing beside him that morning...

--

Weevil enters his house and pauses at the sight of Esther sitting in the living room. She glances up and grins at him, saying, "Got off of work early, decided to come see Grandma. You just come from school?"

"Yeah," he says as he walks over to his bedroom and throws his bag onto the bed. Esther follows and leans against the doorframe, arms crossed over her breasts as she says, "That girl, Veronica? I like her a lot Eli. She seems good for you."

"We're just friends," he says and Esther arches her brows as she says, "Yeah. I know."

He frowns and looks at her, taking in the tiny smile and says, "What?"

"Nothing," she says as she straightens up. "Nothing at all. Just, you know, I was a lot like Veronica as a kid. And I know that if I liked a boy and he liked me but we were both too afraid to take that final step..." She shrugs. "Then we'd wind up staying on that edge which doesn't make anyone happy."

"I don't date girls at my school," Weevil mutters. "It's too complicated."

"That Kane girl fucked with your head," Esther says bluntly and laughs at the look of shock and surprise on Weevil's face. She crosses the room and cups her cousin's face in her hands, saying gently, "Yeah, I noticed. You think that I don't see it? The biker gang, the juvie tendencies? You've made Angel your hero Weevil but he's a goddamn loser. You know that."

"He gave me a job," Weevil mutters sullenly even as he drops his gaze. "I owe him."

"He doesn't own you," Esther insists. "I love Angel. He's my brother and I can't not love him but you, Eli, you're so much better than he ever was. You can be anything you want and do anything you want. All you gotta do is try."

"I'll never be anything while I'm still here in Neptune," he mutters painfully as he closes his eyes. Esther shrugs and says, "So move. Live in Los Angeles or San Diego. I couldn't stop Angel from ruining his life but I'll be damned if you ruin yours. Lilly Kane wasn't good for you."

"And Veronica is?" he says but already knows the answer.

Esther smiles softly. "I think with her," she says. "You could become the man that you're meant to be."

"What if she doesn't feel that way?" He asks and Esther is reminded of how young he really is, only eighteen and isn't that the age when you're the most vulnerable? She should know, remembering being eighteen and pregnant and terrified of being alone. Her grandma had saved her from the streets and Esther kisses Weevil's brow as she says, "Then you'll know. But take that step Eli. Don't waste your life on maybes."

He nods and she smiles as she leaves his room; Weevil stares at the door and turns to his backpack, pulling it towards him. He pulls out the college applications that had been handed out in class and sits down at his desk to fill them out.

Next Chapter Six: Breathing...