THE UNUSUAL SUSPECTS

Veronica arrived home and threw her keys into the bowl in front of the entrance for the house keys. She sat on the couch and placed her notes of both Dick and Consuelo and the article of Lynne from the Neptune Register in front of on the coffee table. Different scenarios played in her head, one with Dick taking the picture and one with Consuelo taking the picture as she about who was the photographer.

Why do I have a censored naked picture of Lynne Echolls and notes on Dick and the Echolls' maid in front of me you ask? For that we're going to have go back...

One Week Earlier

"Here's to sophomore year! Another year filled with booze and boys, the two b's," Lilly added.

"Lilly you haven't changed a bit since summer camp, have you? Still drooling over boys." Veronica joked.

"Well, what can I say, they entertain me," Lilly winked at Veronica

"Lilly!" Veronica laughed.

"What, all I said what they entertain me" Lilly laughed.

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever. heh. I think the bell just rang and I'm going to be late for my first day at..." Veronica looked over her schedule, "Biology. I'll see you at lunch"

Veronica waved bye to Lilly and walked towards the Science Wing. She pulled out her room assignments and began searching for room 314. Veronica reached the room and looked up at the box above the room which had the numbers '314'.

"314. This is it." Veronica said to herself out loud

Veronica walked into the room and chose a desk which were actually long, black tables who were able to fit two students per table. She placed her book bag on the floor next to her seat and looked around to see if any familiar faces were in the same class as her. Just as she was looking around, Duncan Kane walked in. Duncan did the same procedure as Veronica, looked around for any familiar faces and when he didn't see anyone he recognized, he chose a seat at random, the one next to Veronica.

"Hey" Duncan said to Veronica to be friendly

"Hi" Veronica said back to be courteous as well

The biology teacher walked in with a suitcase a manila folder which enclosed inside was the attendance roster. She placed the folder on her desk and opened the folder, "Okay, be quiet for a couple minutes while I take role,". The biology teacher began, "Gloria Aldorin?" Here. "Brian Bennett?" Here. "Corey Dennis?" Here. "Ashley James?" Here. "Duncan Kane?"

Veronica's eyes opened as she thought to herself, Lilly has a brother?

"Here," Duncan raised his hand.

...and he's sitting next to me, Veronica continued saying to herself.

"Veronica Mars?" the gym teacher continued.

"Uh, here," Veronica raised her hand.

The biology teacher closed the folder and walked over to the front of her desk, sitting on it, "Welcome to sophomore biology, in this class you will learn various topics such as animal behavior, plant reproduction, genetics and all other topics that concern the study of life. Before I give out the class syllabus though, I want to you pick a lab partner you will be partnering with the whole year for when we conduct lab experiments. When you have decided, put both of your names on a clean sheet of white paper and pass the papers over to me"

The class was filled with the noise of binders clasping and "Want to be my partner?". Soon, everyone was settled, everyone except for Veronica and Duncan.

As always Veronica, you're stuck being the wallflower, Veronica said to herself.

Duncan looked over to Veronica, "Seeing as you don't have a partner, and I don't have a partner, want to be partners?"

"Ok...sure," Veronica hesitated, still surprised that she was sitting next to Lilly's brother.

"Okay, now I will begin passing out the class syllabuses." the teacher reached into her suitcase and pulled out a thick of class syllabuses. "Now that that's done with let's review some topics on it."

A student crumbled up the syllabus and threw it at her.

"Excuse me?" the teacher raised an eyebrow.

"Take that and stick it up your a-" the student announced.

"You have earn yourself a time in detention, Mr-" she turned to the roster, "Mr. Weevil Navarro."

The biology teacher wrote up the teacher and made Weevil leave the room with the detention.

"Now. Back to what we were doing before I was rudely interrupted. Oh and I forgot to mention, my name is Mrs. Royce, by the way."

Two minutes later, the school bell rang. A look of disappoint appeared on Mrs. Royce's face.

"Aww, already?" Ms. Royce smiled, "Oh well. Excellent first day, students, See you tomorrow!"

"Bye, Veronica... right?" Duncan said unsure.

"Yeah, it's Veronica, nice meeting you," Veronica smiled, got up, and walked out of the room

On the other end of Neptune High, Lilly was walking to class, holding hands with Logan while he held her books.

"Check him out," Lilly winked at a guy across the hall.

Logan pinched himself, "No, this isn't a dream."

Lilly laughed, "I'm just playing around,"

"Shouldn't expect anything less from you than that," Logan laughed and kissed Lilly on the lips.

"So I was thinking, in honor of Veronica's birthday next Saturday we have this huge birthday party," Lilly suggested.

"Who's Veronica?" Logan asked.

"Oh, I met her at summer camp, she seemed like she didn't know anybody there so I decided to take her as my protégé and mold her into mini-Lilly" Lilly gave a fake maniacal laugh, "Not really, but she was in need of a friend so I decided to be hers. Her idea of fun is studying and watching endless hours of television."

"So, you mean there is actually someone else who has fun like I do?" Logan said sarcastically.

"Shut up," Lilly laughed and hit Logan's stomach, "She wanted to go shopping for her birthday, do something normal, but instead I'm planning her a surprise birthday party!"

"Yay! pull out of the streamers and birthday cake!" Logan said sarcastically again.

"You can be a jerk sometimes, you know that?" Lilly rolled her eyes, grabbed her books, and pecked Logan on the lips "Later, babe."

On her way to class, Lilly ran into Veronica and walked alongside her.

"Hiya partner!" Lilly smiled and nudged Veronica with her butt

"I never knew you had a brother named Duncan," Veronica told Lilly.

"Yeah, I do, so what?" Lilly crossed her eyebrows.

"Nothing, it's just that you never told me you had a brother at camp," Veronica explained.

"Oooh, Veronica Mars has a cruh-ushh?" Lilly began.

"I do not!" Veronica said shyly, her cheeks starting to turn a rosy color..

"Veronica and Duncan sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-" Lilly teased Veronica until Duncan showed up.

"Who are you K-I-S-S-I-N-G behind Logan's back now?" Duncan told Lilly, ""Anyway, I have soccer tryouts after school, tell mom," Duncan told Lilly,

"Not me, more like someone who wants to kiss you" Lilly nodded her head and gave Veronica a subtle elbow jab.

"Wow, Veronica you're really red, what's wrong?" Duncan looked at Veronica, now the color of a tomato.

"I have to go...I'm going to be late for..." Veronica quickly looked down at what book she was carrying, "...Math...I'm going to be late for Math! I'll see you guys later!"

Veronica used her Math book to cover her face and walked away embarrassed.

"What was wrong with her?" Duncan asked.

"Oh, I think I know what was wrong with her," Lilly nodded her head, 'Unlike Veronica, I actually am going to be late, bye brother"

"What? Uh. fine. bye," Duncan said confused.

At the end of the school day, Logan arrived home with Dick and shouted to his mom that he was home.

"Oh, honey, you're home, how was school?" Lynne asked.

"The same thing as always, they taught us that two plus two equals four and that men have penises and women have vaginas." Logan explained to her mom.

"Logan!" Lynne scolded Logan.

"Fine, scratch the last part," Logan suggested.

"That's better, I'm going to take a shower, I'll be right out. Richard make yourself at home." Lynne told Dick.

"Thanks, Msss. E" Dick smiled.

Lynne left to the bathroom and Logan and Dick walked to Logan's room.

"Consuelo!" Logan shouted from his room.
A maid stopped at the threshold of Logan's room, "Yes?"

"Bring me some co-mee-dar," Logan gestured his hand close to his mouth.

"Right away," the maid turned around and rolled her eyes.

In the bathroom, Lynne was wetting her head and rubbing shampoo on her head when some runs down to her eyes and she closes her eyes involuntarily. Just when she closes her eyes, she hears a camera click coming from the other side of the glass shower door. When Lynne finally got the shampoo out of her eyes, she was able to open them but there was nobody there. After Lynne finished taking a shower and putting on clothes, she walked over to Logan's room.

"Was anyone in the bathroom just now?" Lynne looked at Logan and Dick.

"No, mom, why?" Logan replied.

"Because I heard the sound of a camera clicking while I was in the shower, but I couldn't see who it was because I got shampoo in my eyes." Lynne explained, "By the time I got my eyes open, he or she was gone."

"Wow," Logan sat there, "Hmm.".

"Someone was trying to sneak a picture of your mom naked, dude heh" Dick laughed.

"Not funny.".Logan told Dick.

"This leak all over the press, I have to find out who took the picture." Lynne announced concerned.