(Needtobreathe ft Gavin DeGraw – Brother)
Often, no one noticed your tears, they rarely acknowledged your sadness or your pain but they always noticed your mistakes. She just hoped no one in Neptune's Sheriff Department noticed that the evidence box from Steve Botando's case file had been 'misplaced' under the vacant desk of a Deputy Jones recently let go by her father.
"I've told you before, I am not the right demographic to be bringing to a breaking and entering situation!" Wallace complained in a hushed tone as Veronica pocketed the keys that she had 'borrowed' from her dads office.
Poor Sacks… he really was a sucker for those pastries, the guy was going to end up donut belly cliché at this rate.
"You aren't going to be anywhere near the house," Veronica assured him with a shrug, tucking the keys into her black leather bag.
"No… it's called being the lookout… and according to Cliff in legal terms, that makes me an accomplice" Wallace said shaking his head.
"You trying to bail on me before we need bail?" Veronica gasped in mock betrayal.
"No, I'm just trying to remind you that Wallace Lives Matter, especially now he got a very hot girlfriend waiting for him in an hour," Wallace retorted crossing his arms over his chest.
"Wallace speaks about himself in third person now?" Veronica asked raising an eyebrow.
"Wallace- I-I think its maybe about time that Veronica took a little step back and spoke to her best friend about all the shit that's gone down in the last few days we haven't had a chance to talk about lately," Wallace corrected giving her a stern expression. The kind he gave her when she'd been living in her own head for too long. He always warned her that the conspiracy theories and threads she tugged on would knot up too tightly if she didn't unpack them often enough. Perceptive as always, Dear Wallace.
Just because I carry it well… doesn't mean it's not heavy. But where to start?
The huge life-altering news unfolding for her friend Mac, the ultrasound earlier this afternoon was the first concrete proof that they really truly had left high school far behind.
Especially as it hadn't resulted in someone calling their parents. From Mac's reaction, she'd barely even told herself. It was important that even if they were on their own now that her Cindy Mackenzie knew she wouldn't be alone in this. Veronica just hoped Logan knew what he was doing.
They didn't have the luxury of juvenile mistakes anymore, Hells, if she was caught her going to Botando's house tonight, she'd no longer be tried as a minor. Even though she knew her father would always be there, and that Mac's parents were supportive and loved their daughter, childhood was over. It was time to look towards their future because the chances they might not be around to fully enjoy them rang true in a way she hadn't appreciated before. Nothing was certain, and life was unpredictable.
Weevil's funeral was in two days.
Mindy Odell was still out roaming free and so far her father's deputies hadn't uncovered anything incriminating. There was still no direct evidence linking the Dean's wife directly to his murder, and the blood on Professor Landry's clothing found with Weevil's body, proved a positive match for Cyrus Odell. Hank Landry was still in custody but he would have to be released once the 96 hour holding period was up.
Red tape was holding up the interviews with the bistro CCTV for his alibi during the time that Weevil was killed, her dad was sure that there would be progress soon and once again Veronica found herself frustrated with how slowly the wheels of justice turned without a nudge in the right direction.
"You're doing it again, I can still see those cogs turning," Wallace huffed at her. He'd long since given her the this isn't Kickass lecture after she'd almost gotten her head shaved.
"I promised Mac we would call by her Motel room with Hackers and Revenge of the Nerds," Veronica answered leading the way out of the Sheriff's department towards her car.
"Anything but Ghost's in the Shell… between her and Piz I've seen that cartoon like a hundred times," Wallace shuddered.
"Wanna drive?" she smirked tossing him the keys. Wallace had a slight love affair with her new car, the Saturn her father had bought her for an apology for ditching their father/daughter trip to New York and almost getting himself killed in Mexico.
"If this is some cunning way to make me the getaway driver…" he said narrowing his brown eyes but she just gave him that wide blue-eyed 'who me?' innocent look before breaking into an impish grin as he opened the driver's side door.
Veronica climbed in and hit the radio Don't Give Up On Me, Andy Grammer filling the silence between them as they drove through the streets of Neptune, the night lights reflected off wet black shining pavements. Inhaling deeply she soaked in the quiet night air, glad to be still for a moment. Driving in a nightmare she felt like she couldn't escape from, and no amount of sleuthing was ever going to make it right.
Skin and bones, she was only human but somewhere along the way, V for Vendetta became synonymous with Veronica. She still couldn't imagine a world with Weevil gone. This wasn't about her saving the world, this was about rectifying it and not letting people like her friend go unnoticed.
Part of the reason she didn't ever let go, was she didn't feel that strong but she couldn't keep running her heart in circles. She wouldn't keep repeating the same old problems. Whatever the path ahead of her, Logan would be in all every future she'd choose. She wouldn't fall into the trap of thinking too much and feeling too little. She wanted to truly live. No machine mind, or machine heart.
No more hiding.
"It's not your fault," Wallace said quietly.
"Maybe it's best we just skip the cryfest until after I've raided Botandos underwear draw for murderous secrets?" Veronica answered with a lump in her throat.
"Do you think Logan will have much luck finding Dick?" Wallace asked changing the topic.
"I have faith in the bromance," Veronica sighed. No matter what insanity spiral Dick Casablancas was whirling down, Logan was determined to defend him, whether she liked it or not. They were like brothers. No matter how poorly Dick had reacted to Mac and the baby, Veronica had never lost a sibling, though for a brief while there had been the suspicion that she had with the death of Lily Kane.
That kind of grief was cruel mistress, it twisted a person out of who they were before, sometimes we were stronger, sometimes it broke us completely but no one got to stay the same. As much as Veronica hated Cassidy Casablancas- Dick was still mourning his little brother. His father was back in play, and for a professional snoop, she was ashamed to say that she didn't actually know that much about Dick's current relationship with his father, and no matter how absent he had been. Blood calls to Blood.
Casablancas men were in the No Go Zone in her memories for an obvious reason. Unpacking that Pandora's box could take a lifetime, and she just wasn't there yet.
I won't make him choose between us. If that's my small part in making us happy, then I'm going to trust him and that's a really big step for me. I won't spend the rest of my days regretting letting the love of my life slip away. I'm ready to fight for this.
We're meant to be. We should be too young to know about forever.
"We think that they're ugly but they know that they're beautiful," Wallace quoted with a sly grin pulling into the Botando driveway.
"You have got to stop watching Grey's Anatomy with my dad…" Veronica groaned.
"Why not? It's got great advice! 'Find a grown-up who want's what you want… and date.' It's better than relying on a fortune cookie," he said turning off the engine.
"Find what you were looking for?" a familiar voice asked and Veronica turned to see Vinnie Van Lowe standing beside her car window.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Well I tried calling…" he smirked.
