Spoilers through 1.19 now, through 1.22 eventually.
A/N: Thanks for all the incredible feedback. Thanks to my muses, lex and forcedmovement. Italics are VMVO and feedback is muchly appreciated.
Veronica slipped into her Journalism class with a sigh, making it just as the bell rang. She settled into the seat at the table where Logan was sitting, and he flashed her a smile as their substitute stood up and began talking about the current edition of the Navigator, which would have Veronica's most recent story as the cover article.
After all, it isn't every day that one cracks a dog-napping ring that involves ones classmates.
She flushed as the teacher held up the front page to talk about it and Logan nudged her arm with a smile that indicated he was proud of her for solving the case.
If only I was having more luck with Lilly's murder investigation.
She sighed.
Well, Veronica, that's what you get for dumping your best source of information.
Of course, she had dated Leo for more than just his connections, but having someone on the inside had been nice, a way to get her hands on information that she'd never have gotten otherwise. Though she'd opened her note pad on the table and put her pencil out, her hands had settled in her lap as she lost herself in her thoughts. It took Logan gently tugging on one of her hands and lacing their fingers together to get her attention.
The morning had been rough so far, and it wasn't even lunch time yet. She could feel the stares as the substitute continued talking, and it felt like the days after Lilly's murder all over again. Finally, their teacher stopped talking, and the class broke into groups to work on their respective assignments. Since Duncan was "out of town visiting relatives", Veronica was currently editor of the paper.
She started spreading the paper out on their table, working on the best layout with the stories she'd gotten so far.
"So how's your morning been?" Logan asked, his back to the table as he leaned against it. She shuffled a couple of the stories around.
"The usual." Veronica answered, biting her lip in concentration.
After all, I've been whispered about and stared at for over a year now.
"You call all this..." Logan gestured to the stares they were still receiving with a wave of his hand. "...usual?" He sounded disbelieving. She gave him a sad smile.
"I'm sorry, Logan. " She began. "But have you forgotten who you're talking to?" He flushed guiltily, knowing that he was one of the main reasons for all the unwanted attention she'd gotten over the last year and a half.
"Veronica, I..." He started to say.
I so don't want to have this conversation today, and I don't want to have it here.
She put a hand on his arm to cut him off.
"Not now." She told him. "We'll talk about it later." Veronica told him softly, changing out the picture of Mandy's dog Chester for one that had developed a little better. Logan eyed the paper's cover, smirking at the title.
"Little Dog Lost?" He teased. "How cute."
"Shut up." She told him, grinning.
"By the way, " Logan replied. "I heard about us last period, so you won." He fished a ten out of his pocket.
"Well, " She said with a false face of severity. "I heard we were making out in your car this morning." Veronica curled the fingers of his hand around the ten resting on his palm. "So technically, you won."
"Actually..." Logan leaned in next to her. "I started the rumor about us making out in my car this morning, in hopes that it may happen soon." Veronica gasped playfully.
"You cheated." She breathed heavily, as if upset. "How about you just buy me lunch?"
"Your table or mine?" He flirted, and both of them paused.
"Mine." Veronica said, her tone uncomfortable.
"Yours." He hurriedly agreed.
The bell excusing Veronica for lunch finally rang and she escaped the hell that History class had become since the firing of Mr. Rooks.
It's really such a bummer that he's some of the worst kind of scum. He had such a way of making history more...present-like.
She shook her head as she walked towards the courtyard, glancing around for Wallace. She spotted him seated with the basketball team, slapping hands with a couple of the guys as they laughed. She caught his eye and waved, and he made a gesture that said she could join them. Veronica declined with a smile and a shake of her head, and walked towards their usual table. She sat down and pulled out a bottle of water, almost hoping that Logan would order Chinese for lunch.
She began glancing through her English Lit notes, while she was waiting for him. She was startled by a female voice saying her name.
"Veronica?" Meg was standing on the other side of her table, looking concerned.
"What's up?" Veronica greeted, closing her notebook.
"Have you head anything about Duncan yet?" She asked, and Veronica gave her a small smile.
"No, but my dad's on it." She reassured Meg, who gave her a sad smile in return. "Don't worry. My dad's the best." Meg sat down, folded her arms on the table and then rested her chin on them. "He'll find Duncan, Meg."
"Yeah." Meg finally said. She perked up just the tiniest bit as she went on. "What's this I hear about you and Logan?" She asked Veronica, who cringed and blushed at the same time.
"Well, now that depends on who you ask." Veronica replied.
"And if I'm asking you?" Weevil's voice was unmistakable. Veronica turned around to see him standing there. Meg bit her lip.
"I should go." Meg said awkwardly, rising and rushing off before Veronica could stop her.
"I want to know, Veronica." Weevil demanded, straddling the bench of the lunch table so that he sat facing her. His face was a mask, and she could tell that he was upset. "You and Echolls. What's the deal?" She sighed.
"We're...dating." Veronica finally answered, trying the word out for size.
"Didn't you learn anything from Lilly, girl?" Weevil asked. Veronica's jaw dropped.
"What are you talking about?" She replied, angry at him for bringing up Lilly.
"There must have been some reason that she kept breaking things off with him, and going around behind his back with other guys." Weevil was insistent, but inwardly, Veronica was touched. Weevil was worried about her.
"I don't think Logan had anything to do with it." She told him softly. "Lilly liked drama...and there's nothing more dramatic than a break up with you're boyfriend."
"Yeah, well she went back to him and you see where she ended up." Weevil was angry. Veronica recoiled as if she'd been slapped.
"You don't know what you're talking about." She hissed, her eyes flashing.
"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?" Weevil replied, running a hand over his jaw.
"Logan would never have hurt Lilly." Veronica insisted.
"Maybe not." Weevil allowed. "But she wouldn't be dead if she'd still been with me."
"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?" Logan's voice was quiet, and Veronica couldn't quite tell what he was thinking.
"Logan..." She said, but trailed off when she saw his expression tighten.
"You don't know anything about me or Lilly." Logan told Weevil flatly, causing the Mexican teen to rise from his seat.
"Is that right?" Weevil asked, shifting so that he was standing pretty close to Logan.
"Yeah, it is." Logan answered, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Look, boys." Veronica began, her tone falsely cheerful.
"Stay out of this, Veronica." Logan insisted.
"She's in this, whether you like it or not, white boy." Weevil shot back. "I'm not about to let her become Lilly."
"That's funny." Logan's tone was biting. "I could say the same thing to you." Their stares intensified, and panicked, Veronica stepped in between them.
"Now, now, children. To your corners." She said, her voice laced with sarcasm. Weevil took another step towards Logan.
"I mean it, Weevil." Veronica put a hand on his arm. "I didn't just get you out of jail to have you get suspended, or worse, thrown right back in." Logan scowled at her concern for Weevil.
"Fine." Weevil crossed his arms over his chest. "But I'll be watching." Logan and Veronica were silent as they watched him walk away.
"This day just keeps getting better and better." Veronica sighed as they sat down together, Logan opening the bag he'd been holding during his fight with Weevil.
"Well, maybe this'll brighten your day." He said, setting the contents in front of her.
"Ooh, Chinese." She smiled as he handed her a set of chopsticks. Veronica took a bite and sighed.
Mmm, food bliss...now ruined by the sight of Dick Casablancas walking this way.
"Dude, what the hell are you doing?" Dick practically demanded of Logan, as they stared up at him.
"I'm eating, Dick. What's it look like?" Logan snarked.
"Please, tell me this is like, some new reality show called 'My Skank'." He said, earning a glare from Logan, and a look of hurt disbelief from Veronica. Logan stood up, and stared at his friend.
"Good-bye, Dick." Logan said, his voice flat.
"What?" Dick was clearly shocked.
"Back away from this table." Logan replied. "and go away. If you have a problem with Veronica, then you need to leave me alone." Dick stared at him in shock. "Actually, you have a problem with Veronica, you're pretty much dead to me, so..evaporate or something. I dunno." He finished up, fed up with his friend's reaction.
"Dude, you don't even like her." Dick pointed out.
"You don't know what you're talking about , Dick." Logan's tone was very pointed. "In fact..." He said, climbing up onto the lunch table.
"Logan!" Veronica cried out, shocked.
"Can I have everyone's attention?" Logan shouted. "Excuse me!" He called out a second time. Most of the courtyard was staring in his direction. "It's come to my attention that some of you don't like my girlfriend." He gestured towards Veronica with his chopsticks, and she flushed to the roots of her hair. "If you've got a problem with Veronica, then you've pretty much ceased to exist." He finished, hopping down gracefully, and landing beside a mortified Veronica.
"Did you really have to do that?" She asked, looking up at him. He kissed her on the forehead.
"I should've done it this morning." He told her as they sat back down. The normal drone of lunchtime had resumed, and there were considerably less people staring at their table. "Now eat your lunch before it gets cold."