(Grace Carter - Silence)
"Stress is definitely not your vibe," Parker commented absently as Logan looked around the Beta Kappa Delta sorority house in full party mode. Since the administration had effectively banned her from sharing space with Mac until that mandatory counselling session or whatever, she was playing the Batman to Logan's Tony Stark. Jack Back – Sometimes reverberating over the din of conversation. Checking out a college campus scene while sober was an eye-opening experience. Especially on this hunting trip because the Dick Casablancas-formerly known as Roommate no longer shared their off-campus housing, and the Neptune Grand wasn't obliged to keep a forwarding address of its clientele, now Logan had no idea where his best friend had gone.
Parker had mentioned confronting Dick hours earlier, but she since changed her stance on digging a shallow grave for his friend, and was more amenable to the idea of helping him with an intervention. If they could find him. She had volunteered to help Logan 'canvas' his friends known haunts while Veronica went to check out a lead on the Odell case, and not get Wallace a criminal record.
Veronica had tried tracking down a forwarding address while they ate dinner together at his penthouse before she left to meet Wallace but she'd had no luck. She had said usually she'd have turned to Mac to do some cyber sleuthing if a trail got this cold since most of the world was paperless, but certain bills like car-insurance tended to be updated and were easy to check if you knew how to hack the right system. Which given their relationship went nuclear yesterday, wasn't currently an option.
"This is getting us nowhere," Logan sighed. If Dick had been here or at one of the other fifteen parties just like it on Greek Row, then he'd be found at the heart of the party declaring its varying degrees of Lit. Sometimes the only thing Dick didn't drink, was the water in the pool.
How the fuck hadn't he seen the signs sooner? Bone tired didn't even come close to how Logan was feeling right now. This was all because of a detail he'd missed. Life was a sick game of appreciation played in reverse.
Dick was often the only thing that had made his life tolerable, and yet he'd gotten a healthy dose of reality this afternoon that there were things about his friend he barely knew. Their friendship might have seemed superficial and surface, but nothing about the trials it had weathered had been artificial or light. Checking his phone, Logan shook his head when the text from Chip Miller confirmed that none of Dick's usual fraternity drinking buddies had seen him.
"Well we haven't been able to find him the regular way, so just you point this Maddie chick out and leave the rest to me," Parker told him. "I'm going to be all over that girl…"
"Alright! Now it's a party," smiled a random drunken frat boy leaning on the beer pong table as Parker walked by. His pistachio-colored gaze leering in the statuesque blonde's direction as the asshole surveyed the 'fresh meat' he'd assumed was on offer by virtue of Parker merely existing..
Sometimes his own gender turned his guts. Logan thought. He didn't seem like any of Wallace's teammates crowd and given that the entire reason Madison Sinclair was even at a house party held by Hearst Greek Sisters showing their hospitality by hosting the rival football team and the locals and visitors didn't party together before a game, these guys were probably from the wrestling or baseball teams.
She might look like a doe-eyed dreamy American girl, but Parker's recent experiences made Logan feel protective when she bristled slightly at the unwelcome gleam in fratboys eyes, so consciously Logan stepped closer, giving the impression that they'd come together.
Did men even see the girls under the delicate curves they coveted so much?
Had his father ever truly seen Lily?
"No man, the real party is in here," a taller frat boy corrected, grabbing his crotch. Logan was tempted to quip some smartass retort about what kind of self-respecting girl would share a bed with a Neanderthal like that, but then he reminded himself of their intended target. Ball Bunnies were a breed unto themselves, and more than a few of these girls probably shared Madison's more mercenary tendencies. Sickening to realise how transaction so many relationships in his world really were.
It was hard not to get distracted by all the activity at the party, he envied Veronica's ability to stay focus on her target, he couldn't keep himself from worrying and wishing he was with her and Wallace, but he had to find Dick before the baby and Mac drama escalated too far and their argument went beyond the point of no return.
"Really Ander? Next you'll be asking if she's interested in joining the Annual Adopt-the-Beach Kissing Auction and inviting her to give you an audition" a willowy redhead scolded replacing his bottled beer with a glass of water and standing with a hand on one hip.
"You look mean," the original frat boy slurred reaching for his beer pong cup.
"I am, move," she frowned then her expression transformed as she turned a thousand-watt smile in Parker's direction holding out an expensive manicure. "Hi! Sorry for the knuckledraggers here, what can I say? Told from birth they are raised to rule, bred to lead and weaned on a diet of entitlement and never expected to have more than balls for brains. Is it any wonder Greek life has such an image problem around here?"
Logan studied her painted face and how the red hair curled around her shoulders, noting the socialite armor and feeling grateful that even though his girlfriend Veronica was devastating beauty, she was more at home climbing through garbage and some breaking and entering than devoting her life to being an ornamental trophy wife.
"Tiffany, you ever get tired of being such a balls to the wall bitch?" the taller one Logan assumed was Ander growled as she tossed the beer into the trash can beside them.
"Not since you two had your battle at the pink fortress," the shorter frat commented.
"Ever think of upgrading that tic tac dick?" Tiffany retorted rolling her eyes haughtily.
"Still bitter you were never more than a tinder hook up?" Ander deadpanned, sliding the water away from him and lifting two of the beer pong cups and striding off, much to the protests of some players.
"If you want someone to climb you like a mountain then buy a goat," Tiffany retorted before he stormed off muttering something that sounded like cockwallet under his breath.
This felt more like walking onto the set of Gossip Girl than the clandestine military op, Logan had pictured when they'd heard rumors of Madison's cheer-squad partying at the sorority house.
At least there'd be a pillow fight scene for zero reasons, life really was sexier in the movies. Instead, I'm following the beer trail across campus like a lost puppy looking for Dick.
Veronica always made this stuff look so easy, his lips lifted in a slight smile at the memory of finding several numbers from old cases scribbled on the inside of t-shirts he'd noticed during their summer he'd spent undressing her.
Foreplay with Veronica was best when you gave her a puzzle…
Tiffany raked her green eyes over Logan appreciatively, then turned her attention back to Parker before wincing when two drunk football players cheered loudly as they won their beer pong game and chest bumped shirtless.
"There's never a sorority house massacre when you need one," Tiffany smiled crossing her arms. "Are you with Pi Lambda Pi?"
"Ummm no.. but we are looking for one of their sisters," Parker said returning her smile.
"But not for a killer sleepover," Logan assured her feeling awkward with his hands shoved in his pockets, with Veronica, he only usually had to stand there and look intimidating.
"You should just brand that and put it on a t-shirt, with the Echolls name sales would be a slaughter," Madison said with a cool laughing tone in her voice. Logan didn't need to turn to know she was behind him, he could tell from the hands currently snaking around his waist. "Hello lover, what brings you here?" she grinned brazenly as he and Parker turned to look over their shoulder.
Lucifer herself.
Logan tried visibly not to grit his teeth, memories of that drunken night in Aspen at the New Year's Eve party during winter break moved unwelcomingly to the surface, and instantly he wanted to go run himself a hot shower to scald the feel of her hands from his skin.
He'd not been with Veronica when they'd slept together, but you knew the truth by how it felt… and he knew sleeping with this viper would always be his biggest sin.
And they say the rich don't suffer… the only reason she had ever given Dick the time of day had been his exalted status as an 09er and hers as an aspiring soulless socialite. The girl might look like a sculpted work of art, but she was not to be trusted.
"Just looking for a pink plastic trinket," Logan quipped, hoping the contempt wasn't clear on his face. Years of living with an abusive murderous parent had gifted him with a Chandler Bing level humor to deflect from unease and the ability to compartmentalize. If they were lucky she wouldn't behave like a petulant toddler and just give them the information that he'd been texting her for most of tonight.
He needed her to hand over that code for the app, even if he had to pry it from her hands.
Parker was giving Madison a thousand-yard stare and standing closer to him, much the way that he'd done for her earlier. This was not going to end with a hot sex session in a bathroom in a crowded house party but now he was glad that Veronica had suggested Parker tag along. Madison's eyes shot straight to her hairline, finally shifting her gaze to the taller blonde before blue eyes narrowed in a look that was 100% predator.
"Right, I'll leave you to it" Tiffany said politely, reading the tension between them.
"She smiled at me," a drunk jock boasted.
"Yeah, like she wanted to set you on fire," his friend said punching him on the arm but spilled the other man's drink. A fight erupted after much expletive-ridden dialogue and Tiffany sighed before shouting out to the two frat guys who had been handing out beer coasters at the door.
"I see you finally decided to ditch the skanky trailer trash with the not-so-sparkling personality," Madison grinned offering a talon adorned hand to Parker. From her expression, he could tell his companion was mentally giving her the finger.
Go Team Larker.
"I see you are finally out letting your hair down and not your pants," Logan retorted with a smile but he knew it was useless, the girl had an ego like Teflon, where there should have been a heart, was a vat of prescribed pharmaceuticals and fashion price lists. Glassy ice-blue eyes raked over Parker and he knew she was doing what she'd made habit of in high school. Mentally costing up someone's appearance to see how much effort she had to make in keeping a civil conversation, her acting like a monstrous bitch was something she'd declared a poor people problem.
Madison was the typical wealthy vapid cheerleader sob story right down to the binge/purge eating disorder, angry weaponized sex, and high drama. She only ever showed his former roommate affection to keep him on a leash or manipulate him, Dick had only ever been her Black Amex to fund her social life between the next parental shopping spree and her allowance.
She really was horrid, her only morals were that vanity should be considered a virtue and Logan could see now how poisonous being around her had been. How poisonous it had always been during the times he'd drink or smoke himself into oblivion.
But sometimes a person had to hit the bottom to see they had a problem, and Madison Sinclair was the human embodiment of every blackest pit of hell he'd ever imagined awaited him.
Subconsciously he knew on some level he'd ignored all the red flags of his former clique and the early signs of her drug addictions, possessive streak and overall malice she'd cultivated instead of a personality that had eventually ended her relationship with Dick. He hadn't noticed because around that time, he'd been taking every chemical going to try and fill the hole that Lily had left. He hated having to be here, but he owed it to Dick to be there for him and show up as his friend. Even if that meant dealing with a putrid harpy like Madison.
When Logan had finally got back together with Veronica, he was forced to really look at his life and the choices he was making, the realization that staying on that path without her would probably have killed him eventually was a sobering thought. He'd finally started cleaning up his life, she was his future, whenever he thought about a family… his kids all looked like her. Blonde, sassy, petite.
He wanted to be with her now and always.
"Logan, I'm just here to have fun… we used to have a lot of fun…" Madison tutted with mocking cool. "Or did you forget?"
