DISCLAIMER: Characters of Veronica Mars, the canon events of their storylines, and recognizable dialogue belong to Rob Thomas.

A/N:

This chapter contains bits of #2.10 "One Angry Veronica."

Chapter 14

As Christmas approached, Dad got an unexpected paying client – the Balboa County Sheriff's Department. The videotapes of Lilly with Aaron Echolls went missing from the evidence room. They brought Dad in to investigate. He had just figured out how it happened when the guilty party decided to return the tapes. Leo had intended to sell them for quick cash to pay the tuition at a private school for his ten-year-old sister Tina, who has Down Syndrome. Dad went easy on Leo in the report, skirting around what actually happened. Leo was still fired for failure to secure the evidence properly, but Lamb would never know that Leo had actually been the one to steal them.

Dad was disappointed in Leo but was glad that the case against Aaron would not be weakened.

[

[

Meanwhile, the fake breakup was still on. We exchanged our Christmas gifts through Mac, dropping off and picking up our packages at her house.

He got me a leather coat, promising long rides together when all this was over. When I thanked him, I joked that he just wanted a back warmer now that the temperatures were cooler. But I would not complain one bit if he asked me to wrap my arms and legs around him for long periods of time.

I got him some tools to add to his growing collection. It was my way of affirming him and encouraging his plans to open his own shop as soon as he had the capital to do so. I was so proud of what he had already accomplished with Neptune Trading Post. I had no doubt that he would achieve anything he set his mind to.

[

[

Just as Christmas break was starting, Duncan headed up to Seattle to see Meg, who was now seven months pregnant. His vacation would certainly be much more enjoyable than mine.

On the last day of school, I had gotten notice in the mail that I was selected to serve as a juror in Balboa County. If asked under oath, I will gladly testify that civic duty is not festive. At. All.

I did, however, learn a lot as jury foreman. And I got to know a women's studies professor at Hearst College who seemed to think I would fit right in at that school. When I told her that I had planned to leave Neptune as soon as graduation was over, not to mention that their tuition was more than I could afford, she did not seem deterred. In fact, she started mentioning scholarships and grants. Even gave me her business card and said to stay in touch.

During the trial, it didn't take long for people who knew me to find out which trial I had been assigned to. Dad managed to feed me some useful news articles. And I had a visitor one evening while working at The Hut.

Thumper grabbed my arm and explained in a threatening tone that I had better vote "the right way." By which he meant that the 09ers on trial should be convicted – purely because of their zip code and their parents' tax bracket.

He made it clear that he was not only willing but capable of taking out someone who stood in his way. Maybe I was reading too much between the lines, but he seemed to be admitting to killing Felix. Then, he grinned maniacally and said, "Don't even think about telling him. Weevil will never believe you now."

It wasn't until after he left that I realized how tight his grip had been. I knew I would have a wicked bruise where his hand had wrapped around my upper arm.

[

[

The first day back from break, I was in the school library between two sets of shelves – genuinely doing some research for an assignment. But I was neither surprised nor displeased when Eli found me there alone. We hadn't gotten to see each other much at all during break. There had been plenty of phone calls, but I was glad to be back at school where I could see him every day.

Like all our public interactions these days, it was intended to look like harassment from a distance, but if we kept our voices low, we could have an actual conversation.

Everything was fine until I reached up to the top shelf to get the book I needed. The shirt I was wearing had loose sleeves. When I raised my arm, the sleeve slid to my shoulder, exposing my upper arm and revealing a hand-shaped bruise. It had stopped hurting the day before, and I had nearly forgotten it was there.

"Dime. Ahora," he growled.

I turned to look at him, confused by his words … until I saw the look in his eyes and where his eyes were focused. "It's nothing."

"That's not nothing, V."

He continued to press me for information, backing me up against the wall at the end of the row. He had me cornered, and he was getting angry. I tried to walk around him as I explained again that it was no big deal. He grabbed me and held me against the bookshelves. His voice was raised, and almost everyone in the library was watching us.

"I'll decide what's important and what isn't. And you will answer me. Right. Fucking. Now." He barked the words at me as he held me in place.

He was holding my arms tightly. So tightly in fact that I yelped in pain and began to cry – because his grip on my bicep was in the same place as the bruise.

Regret flashed through his eyes as he loosened his hold. "V, please tell me who did this."

I shook my head as a tear slid down my face.

The librarian and another teacher came over to break things up and escort us to the office. When Principal Clemmons didn't get anywhere with his line of questioning, he asked Miss James to give it a try.

"One of you needs to tell me what happened in the library. And why." She looked back and forth between us. Then, her eyes settled on mine. "Some other students said he grabbed your arms and shoved you against the shelves, making you cry. They said you screamed."

I began hesitantly with a sideways glance at my supposed ex, "I cried and let out a scream because he grabbed me here." I showed her my arm.

"Veronica, are you okay?" She glared at Eli.

"He didn't do this. But he grabbed me right there. It hurt because of the bruise … not so much because of how he grabbed me."

"Okay … then who gave you the bruise?"

I shook my head in non-answer.

"Different question: why did Eli grab you and yell at you?"

"He wanted to know who did this to my arm."

She waited for Eli to confirm this, which he did with a nod. "Now, I'm really confused."

After a few minutes of evasive answers, I decided there was a way to give her information that would satisfy her, not get him into trouble, and not wreck our carefully built charade. "You know that we started dating at the end of last year. But things got … complicated and we're not together anymore. Doesn't mean we don't care about one another. Just that the only way we can talk in public is for him to harass me."

Miss James was understandably confused. "I don't follow, Veronica."

"His life and my life are very different, but I can't ask him to change that. And it's safer for him and for me if we're not together. That's why I won't tell him who did this. I don't want him to get into trouble. I'm not protecting that other person. I'm protecting him."

He finally spoke up. "And I want to know who did it so that I can protect her."

"Veronica, are you in any danger from the person who hurt you?"

"No."

"That ain't even close to being true," he said.

Miss James gave each of us a long look and then wrote out a pass. She handed it to him and said, "Go on back to class, Eli. This incident will go in your file as a counseling session. I'll handle it with Mr. Clemmons. Just do me a favor? Next time you need to ask her a question, either keep your voice down or do it outside of school."

He looked at me as he got up to take the slip of paper from her hand. I knew he'd be checking in with me later.

"And, Eli … I think you owe her an apology."

He stood beside my chair with his back to Miss James. He stroked my cheek with his knuckles. "I'm sorry I caused you pain. You know I'd never mean to do that."

With tears in my eyes, I said, "I know."

After he left, Miss James held up a finger indicating that I should 'wait a minute' while she dialed the phone. "Mr. Clemmons, I sent Eli Navarro back to class. It was a personal matter, a disagreement. I've still got Veronica here." She paused as he spoke. "It's settled now. I don't think there'll be any further problems and I don't feel that any disciplinary action is necessary." After she hung up the phone, she asked, "Does your dad know?"

"Yes."

"All of it? The dating? The breakup?"

"Yes."

"The bruise on your arm?"

"No."

"Would you like to talk about it? You should really tell someone who did it, in case something happens in the future."

"I can't. Not right now. But if it makes you feel better, I'll promise to come back and tell you in a few weeks."

"Why in a few weeks?"

"Because it should be resolved by then. But I swear … I'll be fine."

"If you need help, will you tell someone? Your dad? Me? Another adult?"

Sensing that she wouldn't let me leave until I agreed, I said, "Yeah. Okay."

[

It didn't take long for the entire student body to know what had occurred in the library. I was getting strange looks from everyone I passed in the hallway.

At lunch, I could feel Eli staring at me without even looking in his direction.

Later in the day, I got a text from him: Need to talk.

Now? Phone?

Yes.

I speed dialed the only phone number I ever contacted on this burner phone.

Without greeting or preamble, he dove into the conversation. "I meant what I said. I know that meeting with Miss James was mostly for show, but I meant it. I never want to hurt you."

"I knew you meant it."

"I was so upset … I wasn't thinking about where my hand was when I grabbed you."

"I know. It's fine. Really."

"But it's not. Mia, I need to know."

"For this whole farce to work, you can't go around acting like my protective boyfriend. And if I tell you, we both know what you'll do."

He groaned, knowing I was right, but not liking it one bit. "Did you mean what you said?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Our lives being different and all that."

"There's an element of truth in there." I paused before continuing, "There are parts of your life that I don't like. But I love you. Does that answer your question?"

"Enough for now."

A/N:

Thanks for reading! Until next time …

~Jen

17 July 2018