Ahoy Mateys!
(What's Love Got to do with it? - Tina Turner)
"It goes without saying, but thanks. I owe you," Wallace grinned as he swapped the notes Veronica gave him into his backpack. Every year the Neptune Athletes were drafted by the Pirate Cheerleaders into creating healthier options to the usual store bought sugar confections, his mandatory participation meant he needed her notes for their upcoming midterms.
"I'll remember that next time I need a favour," she taunted playfully sipping on the end of her straw.
"Just as long as it isn't any more chocolate covered fundraising," Wallace shuddered glancing over at Natalie Schultz setting up The Sweet Spot with her sister Faith arranging the chocolate covered strawberries designed like ladybugs.
"It could be worse. You could have ended up the short straw for the Lonely Hearts Date Auction," Veronica reminded him with a broad smile.
"You mean you wouldn't save me?" he asked with high eyebrows.
"You would need saving?" Veronica asked innocently, playing avoiding eye contact and focusing attention on a strand of blond hair between her finger and thumb.
"It's Valentine's Day, what else would you be doing?" he chuckled. The question was rhetorical. Their anti-valentines plans were set, her place, a couch, a coffee table full of discount snacks he liberated from the Sak n Pak and whichever cable horror movie was on.
"Welcome to Extortion Day," she muttered looking along the make-shift stalls filled with student entrepreneurial hand-made crafts. Some held bouquets of flowers, stuffed bears and varying kinds of cards, old style custom offers to make CDs claiming to be more personal that a Spotify playlist and a free period 'beauty salon' declaring a Blow Out the best kind of last minute present. Especially with the Valentine's Day Dance tonight.
Make-up, paws and claws all done for some lucky lady and her fraudulent prince…
Veronica glanced over at the pink and red squad of cheerleaders hanging balloons and stringing up the paper heart shaped card holders to the front of lockers, rolling her eyes when she noticed the heart shaped braids in Madison's hair.
Growing up in the shadows of wealth had a way of making a person cynical over these expensive gimmicks. Greedy socialite 09ers demanded them in abundance complete with hand delivered bouquets which used up almost a year's worth of Pirate Points to be allowed into Neptune High. It all reinforced the status and the class difference. Those who demanded the glitter and to be crowned Queen of Hearts tonight, and those like Mac, who hustled their skills and provided some of the student entertainment today.
The Lonely Hearts 'Compatibility Test'- for a more bespoke Senior Speed Dating Experience.
Maybe once she had bought into all of this, but that girl was as gone as Duncan Kane…
"Hi Wallace," Jane smiled coyly walking by with deliberate slowness.
"Okay Romeo, you might need a little saving," Veronica chuckled as he buried his head inside the cool metal of his locker.
"Get your hand off me!" Weevil growled, trying to shrug the school security officer from his shoulder.
"Looks like I'm not the only one," Wallace said following her gaze in the direction of the commotion.
It was a familiar sight.
Eli Navarro being escorted to the Principals office with Clemmons and Mr Daniels. It was less common now that Principal Moorehead was gone, but it still occurred often enough that the routine was practically dance steps.
The Criminal Element does something suspiciously illegal, Neptune's Bad Boy gets pointed to as the fall guy… Veronica finds the truth, taking the law into her own hands if necessary.
The struggle toward graduation lives to fight another day.
"Rounding up the usual suspects," she murmured.
Weevil cut a look in Veronica's direction and her feet already started moving towards Clemmons office.
"I'll just deal with the glitter volcanoes and over-the-top declarations myself then huh?" Wallace called after her.
"Just don't get Jock Blocked and you'll be fine," she shrugged.
Weevil's angry voice was growling through the door by the time she got there. "I've already told you…"
"So it just so happens to be a coincidence you were the last person seen lingering around the Navigator office before the blackmail letter was found?" Mr Daniels demanded.
"This is bullshit. Echolls found it!" he spat back. "Why isn't he in here too? What makes you think it wasn't him?"
"These are some serious allegations," Principal Clemmons said sternly. "The last thing this school needs is another scandal regarding our athletes, particularly this close to finalizing scholarships. I'd hate to think that the final solution here would be further such drastic measures like the mass suspension of our athletes."
Veronica knew that tone, it was a similar one she'd heard when a conclave of parents rigged the drug tests so that their children could gain the spots opened up.
"The note clearly states this 'Kiss List' is with the Candy Man, are you claiming this isn't you?" Mr Daniels demanded.
"No, I'm the Muffin man, but I'll be sure to give him a call, maybe the two of us could bake you a raspberry ruffle." Weevil snapped. "Look, if you've no proof, send me back to class. Provide me with that education, you know I've got mid-terms too. Maybe talk to Echolls… Until then. I'm done talking."
There was a murmuring of reprimanding voices and finally he was dismissed with a detention notice.
"You got me a case for Valentine's Day? I miss the days when you were just scamming donations to guess the amount of candy in the jar. Now you're sending love letters…" Veronica quipped leaning against the reception desk.
"You know I was thinking of buying you cards for a cause but now I might just put you on Tinder," Weevil retorted, his dark eyes roving over her face.
Maybelline lashes and puppy dog eyes…
The playful banter was comfortable as the fury radiating from him subsided. Whatever was going on, she would get to the bottom of it.
You can't save them all… her father's voice warned. Weevil came with a reputation. A bad one, and he was no stranger to trouble but she knew he wouldn't get involved with something that could ruin his chances at graduation. It was his one singular focus.
She might not always find the evidence needed to clear her friend, but she could hope.
"Just be glad I'm such a bleeding heart," Veronica replied falling in step beside him.
"Kept thinking I might actually get through this year…" Weevil sighed as if his anger were deflating. She stiffened at the tone in his voice, between the drug test scandal and the preferential treatment 09er parents demanded from the school board, she knew the faculty was tense and looking for an easy scapegoat.
Before he could take more than a couple of steps she reached out and touched his shoulder.
"You will," she promised. He looked over her shoulder and Veronica almost felt the tension in the room corridor spike. It knotted in her stomach and she knew who it would be without even turning around. Even after Lilys death, there was always a certain gleam in Weevil's eyes when he caught sight of his rival. Stepping closer into her breathing space. His hand was resting on her upper arm in a casual way, but it was full of provocation.
Logan.
It was an innocent gesture, but especially since their break up this summer, and after he found out how she survived the bus crash, her closeness with Weevil was a sore spot of her ex-boyfriends.
Eli Navarro was his nemesis, his rival.
"I'll see you after class," Weevil said but they both knew he meant after she broke into Clemmons office and made a copy of that note Mr Daniels had been talking about.
Veronica exhaled slowly, gripping onto her backpack and turning to face her ex. The bell rang out around them before Weevil sauntered off gracefully like a large jungle cat.
A smug jungle cat.
Her heart squeezed at the momentary flash of pain before Logan's poker face snapped into place.
Of all Cupids arrows… she sometimes wished she could unprick herself with that one.