Hey Slushie Addict here! So this is Heather Duke's POV, and frankly it's not that different from Veronica's. And just like the previous chapter, this will end before they got to that pizza place Heather wanted to take Veronica to. With that, I don't own Heathers!

XXXXXX

"You did it again?! How many times have you done it this month?!" A woman with curly blonde hair groaned, her olive-coloured eyes brimming with disgust. She was at a cafe with her friend, who was previously telling her of her one-night stand before she was interrupted. "Heather, are you listening?!"

"Yes I'm listening, yes I did it again, and this makes it the 20th time this month." Heather responded, her hazel-coloured eyes rolling at the woman in front of her. She really didn't know what she was doing, sleeping with so many women within a month. She was already 28, yet she was still engaging in risky activities and the worst part was that she was fully aware of its consequences. She had already considered herself lucky that she wasn't a carrier of any STDs. "Anyways Heather, why do you even care? You have Heather after all, and boy is she whipped when it comes to you."

"It's not a question of who I'm dating! Heather, c'mon. Ever since your breakup with Courtney four years ago, you're sleeping around every single day!" The blonde Heather continued, shaking her head at the other Heather. "I understand if it's four months ago, but seriously! It has been years Heather! You need to move on! Besides, she cheated on you! Why are you still not over her?!"

"Oh I don't know, maybe it's because she was my everything?!" The second Heather retorted, showing blonde Heather the finger. She knew that her friend was right, but she couldn't help falling back on such unhealthy (and dangerous) methods to cope with her heartbreak. "You wouldn't know how it feels like to find out that the girl you love wholeheartedly for five fucking years is actually cheating on you for four years!"

"That still doesn't give you the right to go sleep with every single female being that moves!"

"I still haven't fucked you! Or Heather!"

"Like we'll let you sleep with us! Have you ever thought about the number of hearts you've broken after your one-night stands?!"

"Who cares?! They're called one-night stands for a reason!"

"Maybe because you just treat them as such which is why you can never date someone else!"

"Oh sure, Heather Duke is such a pathetic little poser who can't let go of her broken relationship with her first love! Yeah, thanks for the reminder Ms I-own-a-jewellery-store-which-is-why-I'm-rich-as-fuck!" The second Heather yelled at her friend, regretting it a second later. 'Shit, Heather's just trying to help me and I'm over here acting like an ungrateful bitch.'

"... You suck!" The blonde Heather eventually seethed, storming out of the cafe. The second Heather sighed, regretting the direction their conversation had taken. She wasn't sure if she should continue drinking the coffee she had paid for, she didn't even like coffee to begin with. Shrugging, she got up from her chair and made her way home. Once she reached home, she decided to surf the internet and had came across an advertisement that refused to go away no matter how many times she clicked the exit icon.

"What the fuck's with this ad... 'Candy Store Speed Dating'? What's that, a dating event for prostitutes and hustlers?" Heather scoffed, her lips lifting to form a smile. "... That's exactly the kind of event for me, since I fuck with almost every woman I meet. How to sign up for this event, let's see here..."

[Welcome to the sign-up page for the 'Candy Store Speed Dating' event. This is a LGBT+ event so if you're not comfortable with it, please feel free to exit this page. Details of the event are found above the submission form. To sign up, please fill up your particulars below and press 'submit' to submit your submission form.

Date: 30 November 2017

Starting time: 0900

Age group: 21-35 but we welcome you if you're above the targeted age group

Attire: Smart casual

Location: Sherwood Hotel]

"LGBT huh? Never thought I'll see a dating event meant for people like us..." Heather mused, the event seemed legitimate, and truth be told she was already trying to find a woman to enter a serious relationship with. Of course, her history of one-night stands didn't really help her find someone that would date her seriously. "Okay fine, let's see what I need to fill up..."

[Name:

Age:

Contact number:

Sexuality (This is important for distribution purposes):

ALL ARE COMPULSORY.]

"Distribution purposes? They're referring to how they're going to assign our seats right?" Heather confusedly filled up the submission form, submitting it a minute later. '... I hope I can meet someone that's better than Courtney... someone that would love me wholeheartedly...'

XXXXXX

"Do I really have to wear a party dress to the event?" Heather asked a saleslady who was holding up an emerald party dress. "It's just asking for smart casual!"

"Well the lady trying on clothes right now didn't want to wear a party dress, so I decided that I'll force this idea onto the next customer who steps into my store." The saleslady replied, an eager smile plastered on her face as she continued to hold up the party dress. "Besides, green suits you!"

"Uh yeah, no. I'm not wearing a fancy dress to a seedy dating event, no matter how sick I look in green." Heather refused, backing away from the saleslady. The saleslady inched forward, trying her best to narrow the distance between them. "God damn it lady, get a clue!"

"H-How about this one miss?" Behind Heather was an overweight woman wearing a worn pink sweater holding up an emerald blouse, her other hand carrying a few blue clothes. "I-I think it'll look good on you?"

"... It's definitely better than the dress." Heather admitted, taking the blouse out of the woman's hand. "Thanks."

"O-Oh, sure! I-If you want to go with smart casual, I-I suggest black jeans? Black goes really well with green!" The woman stuttered, tripping over words as she advised Heather. Heather nodded, genuinely considering the woman's advice. She had a nagging feeling that she had seen the woman before, but couldn't remember where. "U-Um, you look great in green."

"I've been told that often. Thanks again, I'll try this on." Heather made her way to a changing room, and changed out of her current t-shirt (which was green too). She buttoned up the blouse, and faced the mirror to see whether she looked good in it. She looked fine, except the chest area was a bit too tight for comfort. 'Note to self, don't wear the padded bra to the event.'

"You look fantastic miss! Blue is really your colour!" Heather heard the saleslady's praise, most likely to the customer before her. Heather sighed, changing back to her original t-shirt while glancing at the price tag.

"I-I don't know... What if I look too casual for the event? God it sucks being ugly..." The customer commented, probably with a uncomfortable look on her face. Heather was about to exit the room and tell her off, but the woman that picked out the blouse for her beat her to it.

"You look fine! I just saw someone turning down a party dress because it looked too formal for her, so don't you say that others will look down on you!"

"Martha, I really don't think-" Heather raised her eyebrows, that was a name that she certainly wouldn't forget after bullying the living hell out of a girl with that name back in elementary school. She brushed that feeling off though, there was no way that the Martha in that very store was the same Martha she knew from her elementary school days.

"Then don't think! Just let it go, and you'll do fine!"

"You really love 'Frozen' way too much Martha." The customer chuckled softly, and Heather chose that exact moment to exit the changing room. As she exited the changing room, she managed to sneak a glance at the customer and it was a moment that she didn't regret. The customer was a relatively tall woman with dark circles around her face. Her skin was flawless (at a glance) and damn, did she look good in blue. Heather was completely floored, and was left gawking at her.

"She's pretty right?" Martha asked, approaching Heather. Heather could only nod silently, at a loss for words for the customer. "See! Someone here thinks you're pretty!"

"Tell that person that she's blind!" The customer yelled back, with crashing noises coming from the changing room that she was in. "Ow! Martha Dunnstock, do you know how expensive this blouse is?!"

"Just shift the decimal point towards the left!" Martha replied, chuckling to Heather. Heather gulped, wondering to herself what was the coincidence of meeting the girl she bullied back in elementary school again. "My friend's really shy. I wonder if signing her up for a speed dating event is a good idea..."

"Um, s-she doesn't have to go there to love someone. She can just, y'know, find a friend there?" Heather rubbed the back of her neck, this was the second time in her life that she was that nervous. Martha nodded approvingly, holding up a blue skirt.

"That's what I said to her just now! I hope she finds someone great at the event... she's really faithful so she's great dating material." Heather nodded, going over to the saleslady to purchase the blouse. "Good luck for your event miss!"

"... Yeah, I'll need all the luck I can get."

XXXXXX

"Welp, no turning back now. It's a pretty decent place to hold a wedding reception here... But of course, Heather would say no if I brought this up." Heather sighed, eyeing Martha and a woman dressed in blue at the hotel's reception desk. She arrived at the hotel an hour earlier, hoping to start a conversation with one of the participants. The woman shakily made her way towards the lift lobby, and Martha turned around to face Heather. She smiled, and quickly made her way to the woman dressed in green. "O-Oh hey, so your friend is attending this speed dating event too...?"

"Yup! It's such a coincidence! What are the odds?" Martha beamed, still unaware that standing right before her was her elementary school bully. Heather laughed guiltily, unable to meet Martha's eyes. "It'll be nice if you two meet, you're a nice person!"

"You... should really hold that thought. I'm pretty terrible to be with? Like... um... I'm a former bully?" Heather vaguely explained to Martha why she shouldn't be considered as a good person, hoping that she would be remembered of the times that she was bullied by her. Apparently, Martha didn't react the way Heather wanted her to.

"That's okay! My best friend in elementary school was a bully too, but I know that she bullied me because if she didn't, other bullies wouldn't leave me alone!" Heather was shocked that Martha knew about it, but was more impressed by her unwavering trust in people. As much as she wanted to chat with Martha, Heather really had to register for the event before she lost her entry fee.

"Martha, it's really great to know that you forgive me but I have to go register for the event." Heather said, running towards the lobby in an attempt to escape Martha. 'Nope nope nope, can't apologise to her for what I've done to her! I'm such a fucking coward!'

"Forgive? Wait, Heather Duke?! Is it really you?!" Heather couldn't hear what Martha had shouted to her afterwards, with the lift doors closing on her. Heather breathed a sigh, and decided to contact blonde Heather. She punched in the numbers and brought the phone to her ear, waiting for her to pick up the call.

"What do you want?" Heather took a deep breath to steady herself, and responded as calmly as possible.

"Listen, I'm sorry for that outburst back then. You're right, I should stop having one-night stands as a way to cope with my breakup."

"... Are you okay Heather? Do you want me to come over now?" Heather rolled her eyes, just how much trust did her friend had towards her?

"No, it's fine. I'm out anyways. Listen, there's this event I'm attending... and I want to ask you what kind of questions should I ask."

"It depends on the event. What kind of an event are you attending at this hour anyways?"

"A... speed dating event." Heather could hear an audible gasp over the phone, she was positive that blonde Heather was shocked out of her wits. 'Is it really that much of a shock that I'm going to try my hand at this dating business...?'

"You're seriously moving on? Or are you going there to pick up more women? Because if it's the latter-"

"No! I'm... I don't know, but I'm definitely not here for a one-night stand!"

"That better be the case. Anyways, just don't ask creepy questions. Ask questions that you'll ask someone that you wanna be friends with." Heather nodded, waiting for her friend to continue. "... You still suck, but at least not as much as before."

"Ouch. Thanks for helping Heather." The call ended, which at least left Heather slightly less regretful for signing up for an event that was completely a different ballgame for her. "It's such a fucking mystery how lift rides always feel long when you don't want them to."

"Hello, are you here for the 'Candy Store Speed Dating' event?" A second receptionist that was dressed in grey asked Heather with a smile plastered on her face., with Heather nodding in silent regret. "Don't worry sweetie, they won't bite. Probably. Could you tell me your name?"

"If you say this to everyone, I shudder to imagine what kind of dickheads you have to entertain." Heather replied, rolling her eyes at the greeting. 'How the fuck does she manage to smile like she just won the lottery?!'

"Eh, that's what I get with a liberal arts degree." The receptionist shrugged, though she still had the smile on her face. Heather wondered how did she manage it, but chose not to voice out her thoughts. After all, she wasn't here to mingle (and possibly hook up) with a receptionist.

XXXXXX

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 'Candy Store Speed Dating' event! Today, I'm proud to say that we have a total of 200 participants attending this year's event! You will be given three minutes to interact with them so please choose your questions wisely! Oh right, and when we ring the bell, those who have an even number on your clip-on please move to your left." A well-dressed man announced, which made Heather sigh heavily. She really didn't want to talk to 100 people within a span of five hours, and to make matters worse, she was participant 192 which meant that she had to move. The person sitting across Heather was a nervous woman that was probably in her early 20s, and maybe bi-curious.

'Oh boy, this must really be that poor girl's unlucky day to meet me of all heartbreakers...' Heather's eyes roamed up and down the woman, examining the woman. She was dressed fairly conservatively, except that her one side of her yellow cardigan was clearly slipping down from her right shoulder, making her look sexy. Her blonde hair was obviously brushed, yet she had somehow made it seem that she had just woken up, which helped to frame the woman's sexy posture. '... How is it that she looks so fuckable and yet such a virgin at the same time?! She probably doesn't realise this, that's the only reasonable explanation.'

"U-Um..." The woman started, which snapped Heather out of her thoughts. "H-How do you know that you like girls?"

"... Excuse me?" Heather blinked, that certainly wasn't how she expected people to start a conversation. Not to say that she wasn't happy though, she wasn't interested in taking advantage of a woman who didn't even know if she swung the other way. "You do realise that you just signed up for a LGBT plus speed dating right?"

"I... I signed up because I'm not sure whether I'm gay." The woman admitted, her hand brushing away a part of her hair that was covering her eyes. "I... I really hope I'm not though. N-Not because I'm like homophobic or anything! Just..."

"Just?"

"... My family are all strict Christians so they aren't exactly... readily accepting of people with different sexual orientations..."

"Ah. Well, do you like the idea of dating a woman?" Heather decided that she should at least help a stranger with her sexuality, it was the most decent thing she could do as someone who slept around like how fickle a cat was. The woman nodded, which prompted Heather to ask the next question. "Then do you like the idea of sleeping with a woman?"

"... I always sleep with my best friend though?"

"I meant having sex with a woman." The woman opposite her blushed a bright red, which told everything Heather needed to know. "Okay, you're into women. That settles it."

"J-Just like that?" Heather nodded, what was the woman hoping for? There were other ways that Heather could help... but that would include actually sleeping with her and Heather was determined to stop sleeping around. "... Wow... that was easy."

"Yup, the heartbreak hurts way more though. But hey, surely there are a few gay bars from wherever you come from."

"How do you know that I'm not from around here?" On one hand, Heather wanted to tell the woman that she had fucked almost every woman in Sherwood. On the other hand, she figured that it was best to keep her sex life private. As what the kids now say, TMI.

"Well... let's just say that Sherwood is a small town so the locals are pretty acquainted with each other. I'm guessing you're from Indiana?"

"U-Um, New Jersey actually. The bus ticket is pretty expensive but I don't regret buying it. I have to go back today though, I ran out of money so I can't stay at a hotel..." Heather raised her eyebrows, her one trip to New Jersey for work purposes left a huge impression on her because it was long and painful. For the woman to come all the way to Sherwood just to see if she liked women... Heather had some respect for her.

"I can see that. Say, want to exchange contacts? If you don't mind, I can advise you with relationship advice if you need it." Heather offered, regretting it instantly not because it sounded creepy but because she was the last person anyone should approach her for relationship advice. 'This is a bad idea.'

"O-Okay! That sounds great!" The woman had an innocent smile on her face, and Heather was relieved for the woman that she had zero intentions with sleeping with her in some seedy motel. "W-Wait, do you mean now or via the event organiser?"

"I guess via the organiser." Heather replied just as the signal to switch sounded. "Well, it's a pleasure to help you with your sexuality. Hope to hear from you soon Ms 199."

"O-Okay!" Heather moved on to the next table, feeling hopeful that the next person was similar to Ms 199. Her hopes were dashed when she saw what was clearly a man dressed in women's clothing, but she reasoned that the 'man' was in fact a transgender woman. After all, this was a LGBT plus event that included people from the spectrum, which included transgender people. However, her hopes were dashed even further upon the hearing the introduction.

"Hiiiiii~ I like dressing up as a woman so that lesbos will wanna fuck with me."

'Note to self, write a complaint email to the organisers after this event.'

XXXXXX

'Gah, 73 people is too much for one person to handle. Especially the creeps. Thank god most of them were fine...' Heather thought to herself as she made her way to the next table, where she saw Martha's friend sitting at the table with a bored expression on her face. For once, Heather felt the urge to impress the woman (and it wasn't because she felt guilty for bullying Martha in elementary school). The woman wore a navy blue blouse and matched it with a grey plaid skirt, reminding Heather of her other best friend. Sucking in a breath, she strode over to the table in the most confident manner she could muster and flashed a (what she thought was friendly but probably looked creepy) smile to the woman. "How old are you? I'm 28 this year."

"O-Oh me too..." The woman's voice cracked slightly, which gave Heather the impression that she was coming off as creepy. Heather decided that she should try to be as friendly as possible, so as to make the woman feel comfortable talking to her. "U-Um, is this your first time speed dating?"

"Yeah, you?" Heather wanted to hit herself in the face upon asking that question, it was painfully obvious that the woman was also a speed dating virgin but it would be rude to voice that opinion out. The woman nodded once, which prompted the next question from Heather. "Optimistic or pessimistic? People tell me that I always think that the glass is half-empty even when it isn't anywhere near empty."

"I'm probably the same as you? Do you have any pets?" Well, at least the woman was responding positively to Heather so it was a confidence boost to know that she wasn't fucking the conversation up so far.

"No, mild allergies. I like looking at cats though. You seem like a cat lover if I'm being honest."

"Well yes, I don't own any cats though. Or any other animals for that matter." The woman smiled for the first time during their first minute together, which gave Heather some confidence to ask for her number at the end of their time together. If that was even allowed to begin with. "I guess I'm going to be a cat mom in the future.

"You do have that vibe." Heather gulped, she hoped that the woman took that as a compliment because from the way she sounded, it sounded like she was making an insult. Thankfully, the woman chuckled at that comment. "What season do you like the most?"

"Autumn, perfect season for reading! I-I mean, I like books so um..." The woman panicked, which made Heather grin and lean closer towards her unconsciously. Maybe she had a thing for distressed women, or maybe the woman's reactions were simply too adorable for her to handle. Heather hoped it was the latter, because the first option made her seem like a sadist. "U-Um, what about you?"

"I'm a winter girl, and I think it's great to curl up in my bed with a good book waiting for me on my pillow." Heather smirked like how she would when she was flirting with some one-night stand. She regretted it instantly, but the way the woman was looking at her... "I'm also pretty active at night, you have no idea how hard is it for me to wake up for this event."

"I'm not too sure about myself, considering that my sleep cycles are pretty off lately... Probably a night owl though, it's more peaceful at night." Heather had wanted to kick herself for making a sexual innuendo, and wondered if she even deserved the innocent woman in front of her. Had it been with her friends, she would have gotten herself lectured for sleeping with another woman again. "Do you like travelling?"

"I guess? I have to travel around a fair bit so it helps to enjoy it." As a photographer, Heather really had to travel around a lot. Thankfully for her, trips outside of USA were fairly rare, so she didn't have to worry much about the timezone difference. "What about you?"

"I don't know... I haven't gone anywhere outside Ohio since I was 12. B-But I would like to visit London once, it would be nice to visit the Elizabeth Tower even though Big Ben doesn't ring anymore."

"Yeah, it's pretty iconic. Say, what would your best friends say about you?" Heather asked, wondering what had prompted her to ask the woman such a question. Of course, she could predict her mentioning Martha and all the nice things she had to say about the woman. As for her own best friends... The woman broke into unrestrained laughter, which truly confused Heather. "Did I ask something inappropriate?"

"No, it's just that I only have one best friend. Martha told me two weeks ago that I'm the 'most wonderful, beautiful and bestest person anyone can ask for'. How about you?" Heather flinched, while she had indeed dug her own grave the very moment she asked the woman that question, it still stung that her best friends had almost nothing good to say about her. She deserved it though, she was a real bitch throughout the years so it was fair that even her bitchy best friend thought that she was a bitch.

"Me? Well... Best friend one says that I suck while best friend two says that I'm a sad little poser." Heather remembered what Heather McNamara, the Heather she had talked to on the phone before the event started, told her on that day at the cafe. The second comment was made by Heather Chandler, Heather's bitchy other best friend who was also dating the other Heather. She chuckled self-deprecatingly at the exact moment the bell signalled the time to change partners and for once, she was glad that the bell had saved her from asking anymore awkward questions. "It's fun while it lasted. It'll be nice if I could see you again Ms 75."

"I bet you say that to everyone." Heather softly laughed, raising an eyebrow as her response to the woman's comment. She noticed the woman staring intensely at her number, and it dawned on her that their conversation wasn't a failure to begin with.

"No, even heartbreakers like me don't hope to see everyone a second time." Heather hoped that the woman got the hint, because if she didn't, Heather would have to resort to getting her contacts via Martha and that would be an invasion of privacy. Then again, it really would be best if they had no more encounters with each other, she was a woman who sleeps around while the woman was the personification of innocence itself. 'Geez, I feel like I'm 19 all over again.'

XXXXXX

"Hey Heather!" Heather cringed, she heard Martha calling out to her from a distance and it killed her to think that she would have potentially more run-ins with Martha should she get together with the woman. "Did you meet her?"

"You mean your best friend? Yeah, I did. God, she's so adorable. I hope she got the message that I'm super into her." Heather had no choice but to turn around and face Martha, who was practically beaming at her. "Don't you dare smile at me like you just won the lottery."

"But you won the love lottery! She's super into you too! She said that you're like a mysterious treasure!"

"Which no one has ever heard of?"

"She meant that you're super sought for Heather." Martha sighed, patting Heather's shoulder in a comforting manner. "You two are meant for each other. It was fate the moment you walked into that clothing store."

"Please don't tell me that you're still watching 'The Princess Bride' at this age..."

"I'm a sucker for happy endings."

"I'll take that as a yes then." Heather was unnerved by the fact that Martha was making an effort to be friends again despite being such a prick back in elementary school, that wasn't how a bullied person should react when facing their bully again. "... I'm sorry for being such an asshole when we're kids. It was no excuse to chuck you aside just to become more popular."

"Aw that's okay! I mean, all you wanted was to protect me from those boys then. Hey! I have an idea! Let's go back and have a movie night!" Heather internally groaned at that suggestion, she really wanted to go home and cry herself a river for bullying an angel called Martha Dunnstock back when they were kids. Martha however, was not having any objections for she dragged Heather in the direction of her house. "I have Netflix! There's definitely some movies we can both enjoy!"

"How about 'Barney is a Drug Addict'?"

"Nope."

"Do you have 'Dora the Penis Explorer'?"

"No...?"

"How about '13 Reasons Why Asians Are Hookers'?"

"Heather, the titles you listed sound disturbing. Are you okay? I can help you source for counselors if you have a drug addiction." Heather sighed, she really wasn't going to get away from Martha was she? "Actually, why list all those topics?"

"I have no idea. Now let's just go back to your place and watch some shitty movies before I change my mind." Martha nodded happily, and Heather wondered if she could bail halfway through the movie. Knowing Martha, they were going to watch some sappy rom-com over a bucket of popcorn. Heather just hoped that it was caramel-flavoured.

"By the way Heather, what is the original movie of the third title you suggested?"

"My life after I broke up." Martha let out a loud gasp, not surprising Heather the least. "Okay okay, it's my life combined with '13 Reasons Why'."

"I'll bring you for a STD checkup now!" Martha exclaimed, turning on her heels and proceeding to drag Heather to the nearest hospital. "I don't want you to live your life without knowing if you have any STDs or not!"

Heather would later explain, to Martha's horror, that it was a waste of time as she had sex a week ago and whatever results yielded would be inaccurate.

XXXXXX

"Oh hey, Brooke right? I'm Heather Duke, also literally the first participant you met?" Heather decided to give Ms 199 a call, inquiring about her trip back to New Jersey. Apart from her, she had received Ms 75's contacts. Her name was Veronica Sawyer, and to Heather it sounded like the most pleasant thing ever to grace her ears. Not that she would say that to Veronica or Martha. "Yeah, did you get back to New Jersey safely?"

"Ms Duke! It's so great to hear from you! Um, I did get back safely but I'm kinda forced to crash over at a friend's place. Apparently, my parents found my porn in my laptop soooo... yeah."

"Does your friend know the reason why?" Heather wanted to go over to New Jersey and help Brooke kick the living daylights out of her parents, but she was scheduled for a photo-taking session at a high school. 'Stupid homophobic parents.'

"Yeah! Jeremy just told me that he was gay, so it's like I'm not alone y'know? But guys and girls aren't the same, so we can't really help each other fully? Oh wait, am I bothering you? It's work hours right? Oh my gosh I'm so sorry Ms Duke!"

"No, it's fine. Just have a photo-taking session at a high school, that's all. Say, what about that crush of yours? Is she a homophobe too?"

"C-Chloe? O-Oh I don't know... I mean, she only dates guys... and they're all hotties..." Heather could literally see Brooke's nervous expression even though they were kilometres apart, and if she ever hear from Brooke that this Chloe bitch broke her heart... "B-But she always makes it for our Pinkberry time! Even though I'm sure there's one time she was having sex with Jake halfway..."

"Ms Duke, we'll be ready in ten minutes. Will that be alright with you?" The principal entered the room, ignoring the phone pressed against Heather's ear. Heather gave him a thumbs up, which prompted his exit.

"You know what I think? This Chloe girl may very well have the hots for you too. Of course, you should make sure that she's at least okay with LGBT and stuff. Hell, break off the friendship if she's a total bitch towards us."

"O-Okay! I'll ask her right now! Thank you so much Ms Duke! I'll text you about it later!" Brooke ended the call, which relieved Heather as had it gone any longer, she would have almost no time to set up her camera and tripod stand. She could end the call herself... but it was a while since she had someone who wasn't named Heather (or Martha since they had exchanged contacts after Sunday night) talking to her over the phone.

"Alright, let's fucking do this."

XXXXXX

"Next up... I'm going to shoot Veronica a text. Not like the next teacher is going to come in any time soon. Let's see here..." It was easy for Heather to find Veronica's contact in her phone, there was a grand total of six contacts in it after all. "How should I do this...?"

Duke: [hey, i'm heather duke. do u remember me?]

V. Sawyer: [Yes, 192 right?]

V. Sawyer: [I'm really surprised that you wanted my number.]

Duke: [why wouldn't i?]

V. Sawyer: [No reason.]

V. Sawyer: [When will you be free? It would be nice if we met up again.]

V. Sawyer: [If you're willing of course.]

"Veronica's pretty shy... Heh, I think I could try asking her out today..." Heather blushed, typing her response as quickly as possible so that Veronica wouldn't get impatient.

Duke: [it seems like i'm going to be busy for the whole week but today should be fine...how does dinner at 7 sound?]

V. Sawyer: [Sure, I'm looking forward to it.]

Duke: [as am i veronica, but u should know that i'm not exactly a great person]

V. Sawyer: [No worries Heather, I'm pretty fucked up too.]

"Okay that wasn't the response I expected... but I guess we could bond over our not so great romantic histories..." Heather muttered, doing her best to come up with a response that didn't make her sound dismissive. "Act casual it is."

Duke: [guess we can find out who wins the award for being mega fucked later]

Heather was stuck at an awkward spot, but thankfully the next teacher had the decency to knock, providing her with a valid escape that she didn't have to feel guilty over.

Duke: [ah my next client is here, i'll text you after i'm done with my work]

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Heather immediately turned to the teacher at the door, who just so happened to be none other than her bitchy best friend Heather Chandler. "WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU TAKING PICTURES FOR A FUCKING YEARBOOK?!"

"Heather, why are you here?"

"DON'T PLAY DUMB! YOU KNOW THAT I'M A TEACHER AT A HIGH SCHOOL! HOW COULD YOU NOT KNOW WHERE I TEACH?!"

"Heather, for the love of whatever, stop yelling. I'm not deaf." Heather sighed, her friend was really making a ruckus and if she didn't handle it well, she could probably lose her month's pay. "Anyways, why are you so pissed at me? I'm here for work."

"I'M MAD BECAUSE I CAN'T GET TO PLAY WITH MEN!" Heather groaned, if Heather McNamara thought that her best friend was bad, she should have seen how her girlfriend was whenever they weren't together. There was a good reason why Heather Chandler was nicknamed 'man-eater' in college. "I CAN'T PLAY AROUND WITH WOMEN LIKE YOU DO!"

"Hey! All I do are one-night stands! You, on the other hand, lead men on even though you have no intention of going out with them! And you're dating Heather too! You're the one I'm supposed to be mad at!" Cue the property damage, which was a standard when Heather Chandler got angry. "H-Hey! That's your boss's property!"

"FUCK HIM!" Heather groaned, and decided to protect her equipment from her best friend before she incurred any unwanted debt. "GOD DAMN THE MCNAMARAS! HOW DARE THEY MAKE HEATHER CRY?!"

"Can you at least not shout? Urgh, why couldn't you just say that right from the beginning instead of making it my fault for your unwarranted anger?"

"They were like 'oh no my daughter is gay and it's all your fault' and 'god hates dykes'. Like, what the fucking fuck?!" Heather Chandler had somewhat calmed down, at least Heather didn't have to worry about ear damage due to overexposure to noise. "Mac really wanted their blessings too because she loves them and shit but no, they have to just fuck it up!"

"... So... how's Heather?"

"She's at your place, because my folks are back for a 'dyke check'." Heather could sense the hatred her best friend had towards her parents, and all she could think of was how glad she was for having people who supported her sexuality. Martha and her two best friends counted right? "Good thing we copied your key in case shit like this hits the fan."

"... Can I just take your picture first?"

XXXXXX

"Stupid Heather, she's getting angry at the wrong person..." Heather sighed as she picked up the pieces of a broken vase and tossing them into a nearby dustbin. She was about to pick up another piece of trash on the floor, but the soft creaking of the door halted her actions. 'Right, I still have to do my job. Fuck you Heather.'

"H-Hello? I-It's supposed to be my turn now..." Heather flinched at that voice, and instantly turned around only to come face to face with Veronica, AKA participant 75.

"Veronica?! What are you doing here?" Heather gasped in surprise, making a mental note to kill Heather for making a mess out of the room during her session. Now Veronica would think that she worked under such sloppy conditions. "I didn't know you work here!"

"Well considering that we didn't exactly say much to each other apart from date plans, I'm not surprised. When you said that you travelled, I didn't expect you to work as a travel photographer!" Veronica was clearly just as shocked as Heather, but unlike the latter she didn't seem bothered by it. A realisation struck her face as she watched Heather desperately trying to clean up Heather Chandler's mess. "... Hold on, you know Ms Chandler?!"

"Heather? Yeah, she's best friend two. I didn't know that you two worked at the same school." Heather commented, beckoning Veronica to stand in front of a white wall. Veronica nodded, timidly making her way to the white-washed wall and faced the camera with a nervous frown on her face. "Smile for the camera?"

"Sure." Veronica smiled, and within a few seconds Heather gave her a thumbs-up. "Are you going to clean up after Hurricane Chandler?"

'Oh, so she knows that this mess is made by Heather. Well, at least I don't have to worry that she thinks I'm a slob at work.' Heather rolled her eyes, kicking a chair towards a corner. "Oh fuck her. Are there anymore teachers after you?" Veronica shook her head, which elicited a grin from Heather. "Awesome, let me pack up and we can grab dinner. Any preferences?"

"Not Chinese, I had that yesterday. Apart from that, I don't mind."

"Great, because I have zero idea what to eat for dinner today. Are you fine with pizza for dinner? I'll drive."

"You're lucky that tomorrow's a holiday." Both women laughed, and Heather Chandler poked her head into the room with a surprised look on her face. "Oh, Ms Chandler. What can I do for you?"

I didn't know that you knew Heather. If I did, I would have hooked you two up a lot sooner." Heather glanced at them, a small smile forming on her face. "At least it's not some cheating ex or some crazy stalker. Or someone at a hookup bar... and I'm sorry for blowing my top earlier."

'Oh my god I should have left my camera running. I could have recorded her apologising! Shit, a golden opportunity wasted!' Heather Duke crossed her arms, glaring at her friend for even starting the mess in the first place. As expected, Veronica was surprised at the comment, but not at the part that Heather expected her to be surprised of.

"You ex cheated on you?" Her bitchy best friend was about to say something, but Heather managed to intervene by shrugging off Veronica's concerns and pushing Heather aside. Hard.

"Let's talk about it at dinner. Move it Heather, go fuck Heather or something." Heather Chandler scowled, allowing Heather and Veronica to pass. Heather Duke relished hearing a defeated scowl escaping her best friend's lips, and only wished that she could capture that moment on her camera. As they were making their way out of the school, Heather had noticed that Veronica didn't say much, or anything at all, which worried her greatly. "Veronica, did I say something to offend you just now?"

"What? No! I'm just impressed that Ms Chandler can make such a face, not befitting of her status as a mythic bitch you know?" Heather sported a jubilant grin on her face, relieved to hear that Veronica wasn't in anyway offended with her.

"Oh believe me, if you think I'm impressive just by making her admit defeat, you should see her when she gets fucked silly by her girlfriend. Totally whipped I tell you." Heather could hear Veronica chuckling away, which brought relief that something could happen between them. Well, provided that she didn't fuck it up by regressing back to her old ways.

'With you in my life, I think I can finally start to move on from Courtney and my heartbreaker phase.'

XXXXXX

You know what, I doubt this relationship is going to end well with the way Heather's thinking. This is why I suck at romance, and this is also why I think that Heather's encounter with Brooke (I mean come on, she's literally the girl that people pair with Chloe and it's obvious that I'm making a reference from 'Be More Chill') is the most normal and innocent thing in this story. Okay so... yeah, that's finally the end of this story, now I'm going to a 7-Eleven to cry over my shitty grades. Yay me.