Been a while since my last update. I've been really busy with the new school year and stuff. But I've finally decided to write another chapter. I'll try to make this one a little more fun. I know the first few chapters were really depressing and there was just so much stuff happening. So now things will calm down, but they won't stay like that forever. ; )

Some stuff is out of order with the episodes and within them but it's nothing dramatic.

Filling the Void – Ch. 6: Times, They Are A Changing

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After a few days of avoiding just about everyone, especially Logan, Friday arrived. I didn't have to work so Wallace and I played with Backup and then had a South Park marathon at his house. I laughed for the first time in days, and I went to bed feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

However this feeling didn't last, for the sounds of yelling and video game sound effects woke me up at eleven. I groaned and pulled the pillow around my head to try and block out the annoying sounds coming from the main area of the suite. It didn't work. Sighing, I got up and walked over to the door where I peeked through to get a look at what was occurring out there. Duncan, Logan, Dick, Beaver, and Casey were lounging around, and currently Beaver was kicking Casey's ass in some racing game. Boys will be boys. I thought

I quietly shut my door before any of them could notice I was up and then showered and threw on my bathing suit, and then put on some jean shorts and a tank top. Beach here I come! I wished, already picturing Backup and I swimming and having a lazy Saturday before I had to work at five. All I had to do was slip out the door and rush to the exit before any of the morons spotted me.

After grabbing my messenger bag and sunglasses I stood by the door and took a deep breath. I then quietly opened it and started to rush to the door when Dick's voice stopped me. "Ronnie! You know, generally, hookers don't stay for the late night cuddling, you charge extra for that?"

"Aww… is Dick mad that he still can't get Logan to stay for the night? Don't worry Dick, just keep trying. I'm sure Logan will give in eventually."

Dick scoffed at this. "Dude! I'm so not gay!"

"You just keep telling yourself that, Dick." And I was pleased to hear the snickers of the other guys and the 'huff' Dick made.

I was walking towards the door once again when another voice interrupted me. However this voice was kinder, "Ronnie, why don't you come over here and play with us? You hang out with that mutt way too much. You need some people friends." I turned with raised eyebrows and saw Logan's cocky smirk.

"Are you sure? Because I don't want to ruin any of your massive egos by beating you."

"Like you could beat me."

"Wanna bet?" I challenged, a smirk of my own appearing on my face.

"You're on." Logan pushed Beaver and Casey out of the way and held up the controller for me. I skipped over and sat down, my day at the beach forgotten. Logan started the game over and then we played best two out of three. He won the first, but I won the next two. At the end of the last game I jumped up in victory. All of the guys laughed at Logan for getting beat by a girl.

"Aww… are you gonna cry now?"

"No." He answered quickly, he was obviously pissed off.

"Poor little Logan's mad about losing to a girl."

"Psh… I am not."

"Are too!"

Then to my surprise Logan lunched forward to me and pulled me onto his shoulder. I would've started kicking him but he held my legs tight with one hand. Therefore I used my hands to pound against his back, but he barely even registered it. "Put me down!" I shrieked.

"Nope. Not until you say 'Logan Echolls is the sexiest man alive'."

"I am so not saying that!"

"Fine. Looks like you'll be up there for the rest of time."

"I don't care." But I did once he started tickling my sides with his free hand. I was afraid of falling off and getting severely hurt so I gave in. "Okay, Okay!" He stopped tickling me and I sighed. "Logan Echolls is the sexiest man alive." I said in a whisper.

"Louder! Everyone must hear it!"

"Logan Echolls is the sexiest man alive." This time I said it so everyone in the room could hear it. The guys all started wolf-whistling and catcalling. Logan put me down and I slapped him playfully in the arm. "Jerk."

"Now look who's upset. But you know, Ronnie, you can have me anytime you want."

"Like I'd want you."

"Well you did just admit that I was the sexiest man alive."

"And I recorded it!" Dick exclaimed before pressing a button on his cellphone. Then Veronica's voice could be heard throughout the room saying "Logan Echolls is the sexiest man alive."

"Dick I'm going to KILL you!" I screamed before trying to jump at him, but Logan held me back.

"I think I'll just have to do what you did last year with that purity test video."

I snorted and Logan let out a chuckle. "Dick," Logan started, "Do you seriously think you have the brains to pull that off?"

"Uh, yeah."

"How would you go about doing it then?"

"Well I'd, uh, first I'd… umm…"

The whole room began laughing at Dick's inability to tell how he'd do it when he had stated that he was perfectly capable of performing the task.

"Well I'd be glad to help you with it Dick." Logan said, but he wasn't prepared for my elbow jutting him in the gut. He doubled over in pain but I ignored it.

"Logan, you had better not put that on the announcements, or I swear to God-"

"What? What are you going to do to me?"

"Do you really even want to know? You know that I am perfectly able to get revenge. And you know that I'm quite good at it."

Logan groaned and fell back against the couch. "That goes as a reminder for all of you. Don't mess with me."

"Amen." Casey said.

"Now. Who'd like to take me on in SSX?"

"Ooh!" Cassidy exclaimed before grabbing the abandoned controller.

For the next few hours before I left for work I played video games and had pizza with the guys, and surprisingly it was a lot of fun. I kicked all of their asses, except for Cassidy, to whom I was tied. But after the stuff with Dick there were no more rude comments, only teasing innuendos that I had received before Lilly died. Although now I returned some of my own. But those few hours made me feel like I belonged again, and it showed me that the 09er guys aren't all that horrible. But eventually I had to go work so I bid my farewell and left the suite.

……………

My next week was a little crazy. First I decided to investigate the bus crash, then I decided not to when I realized all the memories it would bring up. But then when Jessie asked me to prove that her father's death wasn't a suicide I was back to square one. I eventually figured out that the 'suicide' note was actually a note saying he was leaving his wife. When Jessie told me how Lamb completely ignored her and refused to believe that it wasn't suicide I really wished my dad was still alive. Maybe I would have been able to convince him to run for sheriff.

Also very unnerving was how all of the 09ers were treating me. Gone were the rude comments and stupid pranks, replaced with nice greetings from the guys and civil understandings from the girls.

I had just finished gym and taken my shower and was heading back to my locker, only to find it open and without my clothes, quite like last year. Great. I'm assuming this is the work of Madison Sinclair. Although unlike last time, the rest of the girls were sympathetic and had no clue when it had happened. "Meg?" I called out.

After a few moments Meg came walking over and was in the process of saying 'What's up?' when she saw that my clothes had been stolen once again.

"I'm assuming that Madison did it." I told her.

"Yeah. You're probably right. Umm… do you want to borrow my uniform again?"

"It's better than a towel."

After changing we were walking into the quad, and the wolf-whistles followed me just like last year. "You know," Meg started hopefully, "I remember asking you last year if you wanted to eat lunch with us, and that invitation is still open."

I looked over to the 09er table and saw my brother, Logan, Dick, and some others and decided that it might be kind of fun. "You know what, I think I'll just have to take you up on that offer."

Meg's face broke out into a large grin and she grabbed my arm and practically skipped – yes skipped – over to the table. "Hi everybody," she said before sitting down on Duncan's lap and pulling me next to them, "Veronica is going to join us for lunch today."

"Ronnie, you are looking fine in that uniform. Are you gonna make my day and tell me that you joined cheerleading?" Dick asked me suggestively while leering at me over the table.

"Sorry to disappoint, but I just seemed to have misplaced my clothes after gym. But, wait, I thought Logan joining cheerleading would be your fantasy?" However instead of my usual venom I made my voice light and teasing when I said this.

"Yes Dick. I am hurt that you now find Veronica more gorgeous than me. I think I'll go sulk now." Logan said feigning mock hurt.

Everyone chuckled and then Dick broke up the laughter, "Very funny guys. But come on Logan, you gotta admit, Ronnie's looking hot."

Logan looked over to me right in my eyes with his trademark smirk in place, "Yeah, you're right Dick, Ronnie is very hot." For a second I thought I saw something in his eyes, but then he turned his head and started talking to Luke about something else.

At that point no one was talking to me and I suddenly remembered Wallace. I looked to our usual table and found him there, along with some other girl. He looked up and we grinned at each other. With that settled, I turned my attention back to the table I was occupying and listened to their insignificant conversations.

……………

Later I went to see Wallace while he was working at Sac-N-Pac. I'm now wearing some jeans and a t-shirt, there's no way I'd go around town wearing Meg's cheerleading uniform. When I get to the counter I see he's reading the newspaper. "I need a job where I get paid to read the personals and drink slushies." I greeted him.

He looks up at me and then shows me the article he's reading, "Did you see this? It's about Cervando."

I read a little bit into the article. It talked about how Cervando was 'a biker with a brain' and 'defied stereotypes'. Then I read a quote from Cathy Westcott saying 'Cervando wept the first time he saw 'Stand and Deliver'.' I snorted at this.

"If I die unexpectedly, do me a favor." I then put my hand over Wallace's. "Go on Oprah and tell the world I loved kittens." Wallace sniggered at this.

"Hey, so who was that girl you were sitting with today?"

I saw Wallace smile broadly, "That was Jackie Cook, the new girl. I'm helping her find out who hit her car."

"Is that all you're going to help her with?" I teased and saw his cheeks turn a little red.

"Well I figure I'll work some of my charm on her in the process. Now leave, I'm sure you have something better to do."

"Than embarrass you? What could be more important than that?" But I gave a quick wave and left my BFF to his job and went back to my 'home' at the Neptune Grand.

……………

When I got to the door of the suite I was about to put my keycard in when I heard a noise. I jumped and turned towards the sound and was quite relieved to find Meg sitting on the floor. Wait, why is Meg sitting on the floor? And crying? "Meg, are you okay?"

"Veronica, I need your help." She looked up at me with teary eyes as she pleaded.

I came over and kneeled beside her, "What's wrong Meg? What do you need my help with?"

She leaned over and whispered in my ear, "I think I'm pregnant."

I immediately hugged her and whispered, "It'll be okay. You'll get through this." Then I pulled her up and started walking her over to the elevator. "We should go to a drug store and get some tests to see if it's true, okay?" She nodded and so I pressed the button and waited for it to arrive.

……………

Meg and I were sitting in my bathroom waiting for the timer to 'ding' so we could see whether she was pregnant or not. I had managed to distract Duncan and get Meg into my room without him seeing how upset she was. DING.

The timer went off. "Are you ready?"

She looked at me with red, puffy eyes and shook her head no. "Do you want me to look?" Her head shook yes.

I went over to the counter and looked at the device which could possibly change Duncan and Meg's lives forever.

……………