A/N : Thanx again for the fantabulous reviews - apologies for the lack of update, I've had trouble with uploading!
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 6 - Goody Two Shoes

Though Lilly Kane had found she'd lost favour with her parents, her brother, possibly even her best friend, and definitely her boyfriend, most of her fellow students at Neptune High had much nicer feelings towards her. When they finally stopped whispering and actually started talking to her, Lilly found most of the girls just thought she rocked for sleeping with the gorgeous movie star that was Aaron Echolls. They had sympathy for her 'near death' experience, and admiration for the bravery they seemed to think she'd shown.

The guys were equally happy to crowd around the girl who was quickly becoming known as the easiest girl in Neptune, having been with Logan, his father, and if rumours were to be believed the Echolls' cleaning lady's grandson, head biker Eli 'Weevil' Navarro! Surely if she was willing to sleep with old guys and Mexicans, everybody on the football and basketball teams stood a way better than average chance with her.

Veronica was appalled by the reaction of the student body at large. It was as if they'd all deliberately found a way to spin this so that Lilly could still be queen of them all. One would think that those who attended Neptune High, especially the ever competitive and self-important 09er girls, would be happy to find a way to dethrone Lilly Kane, but no, they seemed to love another reason to worship at her feet. What bothered Veronica more than that, was that her supposed best friend seemed perfectly content to just let it happen.

Lilly was laughing at something one of the guys had whispered in her ear, amongst the crowd that would share her lunch table. Miss Mars vowed to herself there and then that she would not be following the masses. Though it would be easier of course, to go with the flow, stay friends with the girl who'd been like a sister to her since the first day they'd met, but she couldn't condone what she'd done, what she was still doing. Cheating on Logan was bad enough, but with his own father, that was despicable. The fact that she made light of events that might've led to her serious injury, or worse, her death made Veronica so angry, especially given that she had risked herself too, and barely got a thank you for her trouble.

"Hey, Veronica! Over here!" Lilly called as her friend approached with a lunch tray in her hands.

"No thanks" she said coolly, as she continued walking right past the group of whispering onlookers, the new Lilly Kane Fan Club.

In moments they were back to chattering and giggling together, and Lilly it seemed couldn't even be bothered to come over and find out what was wrong, as five minutes past and still Veronica sat alone, mostly with her head down as she picked at her food.

"Please tell me you're not making a stand on my account?" a voice asked as a shadow fell over her, and Veronica glanced up to see Logan there, his back pack falling off one shoulder, and a pizza box balanced on his hand.

"Not entirely" she assured him, as she scooted up on the bench, silently offering him a seat.

"Well, for any part of it that's for me, I appreciate it" he told her with a genuine look of gratitude, "But I do need one more favour..."

"Shoot" she urged him as he opened up the pizza box and pushed it over, making her tray move away from her, and almost out of reach.

"Please God, help me eat this pizza, and do not touch that poison this school calls food" he practically begged of her, making her laugh along with him.

She took him up on his offer and they sat in comfortable enough silence, sharing the meal. Laughter across the way caught the attention of the both of them, as Lilly's little tribe of followers stood up from the table with her and headed into the building.

"She's in her element" Veronica thought out loud as she watched, "Centre of attention, it's all she ever wants"

"Yeah, that's always been true" Logan sighed, "You think she'd like it so much when the centre is of a circle, and the attention is from a firing squad?" he said, throwing a piece of crust he didn't want back into the box, and glaring at the girl who had betrayed him.

"Logan" Veronica shook her head, letting him know with just her eyes and the tone of her voice that his little joke wasn't appreciated. Lilly had come pretty close to possible death, she had too, it was not something to be used for humours sake.

"I'm sorry" he muttered, reaching for the last piece of pizza just as Veronica did the same. His hand landed on top of hers and they both pulled back fast as if they'd scalded each other somehow.

"Last piece is for the lady" he told her chivalrously, sliding the box further her way.

"Really, it's okay, you can have it" she insisted, pushing it back.

"Geez, Veronica" he laughed, "Some friendship this is going to be if we're going to end up in a fight every time I try to do something uncharacteristically nice"

Veronica couldn't help but look strangely at him then. It still seemed weird, that they were or would be such great friends. Logan Echolls was a film stars son, her best friends ex, her ex's best friend, he wasn't a good friend of hers, not until now it seemed.

"Thank you, Logan" she said eventually, smiling as she took the last piece of pizza and took a bite. She felt a little self-conscious as he appeared to be watching her eat. eventually it got the better of her and she asked him if there was a problem.

"Since when do you eat pizza backwards?" he asked, looking amused by the fact she did such a thing, as he moved to sit on the edge of the table, possibly to get a better view of her.

Glancing at the slice of pizza in her hand, Veronica very deliberately turned it around.

"Better?" she checked as she continued eating in the 'normal' direction.

As a rule she always ate the crust first, and saved the topping-covered portion for later. It meant she saved the best part for last, and that made much more sense to Veronica.

"No" Logan shook his head, "I asked when you started eating backwards, I didn't ask you not to" he pointed out as he sat on the edge of the table watching her still, looking entirely amused, "Who knows, you could start a new trend, Miss Mars" he suggested with a smile.

"Yeah, cos everybody's just itching to be like me" she rolled her eyes, glancing around at all the people who were simultaneously ignoring her and talking bout her.

"If you're really worried about what people think, Veronica" Logan said more quietly, looking down at his own shuffling feet as his hands went into his pockets, "I'm not the guy to be seen with right now" he pointed out, as if she didn't already know that.

"Hey" she said, getting his attention, wondering at how he could bounce between happy-go-lucky and lost-and-lonely so fast, "You think I'm not used to people talking about me, saying things I don't like?" she said, giving him a look.

"What could they find to say?" Logan wondered, "You're like the epitome of Goody Two Shoes. Don't drink, don't smoke, what do you do?" he quoted from the old Adam and the Ants song, much to Veronica's amusement.

"That's what people say" she explained, "That's what I have to deal with, being seen as Little Miss Sweet and Perfect" she rolled her eyes, "It's almost as bad as them telling lies in the other direction... like they probably are today" she sighed as she glanced around at the gossiping masses of Neptune High, only to find that they weren't looking so much at herself and Logan anymore, and more so at something of interest by the flagpole it seemed.

"Hey, you ever want to go bad, Veronica" Logan told her, "Tell me first, cos I know a thing or two about it"

"Uh-huh" she nodded absently, not really paying attention as she strained to see what was happening across the way, why so many students should be so easily entertained all of a sudden, and not by people like herself who had been centre of everything just a few hours ago.

Veronica was up on her feet and going to investigate in a second, Logan duly following with a frown on his face, since up to now he hadn't even noticed the shift in the Neptune High populace interest.

"What's going on?" he asked Dick as they reached the back of the crowd that surrounded the school flagpole.

"Dude, it's so cool!" his friend laughed, "The PCHers taped this guy to the flagpole, buck-naked, man!" he chuckled, finding the whole thing hilarious.

Logan was similarly amused at first, until he saw Veronica's face. The blonde was horrified by the sight of a stranger, presumably a new student, completely devoid of clothing and bound tightly with duct-tape to the pole upon which the school flag flew. It sickened her that there were people in this school who would be so cruel, and probably for no good reason, after all the masses had quite decided Lilly was still wonderful and Veronica was some kind of freak for not still being her friend, without actually knowing all the facts or any of them really.

All around, her fellow Pirates laughed and cheered, taking photographs and poking fun at the poor naked boy who looked like he was fighting tears if truth be told. She wouldn't be a part of this, she didn't find it amusing at all, but if she stood by and did nothing that made her just as bad as them, at least she knew her Dad would say so. A person committing a felony was by definition a criminal, but the person that stood and watched it happen without saying a word, often they infuriated him more.

"No" Veronica said outloud, though she meant to only think it. She wouldn't be the one to let this happen, she'd be the one to stand up for herself, and others who couldn't do the same.

"Veronica, what are you doing?" Logan asked her, putting a hand on her shoulder as she attempted to push through the thick crowd of people that didn't want to let her past it seemed.

"What needs to be done" she said, turning angry eyes on the boy who was supposed to be her latest greatest friend. Right now she was as ashamed of him as she was of everybody else that was standing around either laughing or ignoring the situation, "You asked me what I do, Logan" she reminded him of the words he spoken in jest just moments ago, "I do the right thing" she said with a look as she tried again to push through the crowds. This time she had a little help as Logan shoved a few boys out of her way, with a call of 'make way for the lady', which made Veronica smile in spite of the seriousness of the situation.

At the front of the crowd she looked up at the highly embarrassed transfer student and tried to think how she was going to help now she'd made it this far.

"Here" Logan said and she turned to see him holding out a penknife to her, the blade already showing.

"Thanks" she smiled as she took it from him, stepping up to cut the new boy down, much to the amusement and infuriation of some students.

Logan glared at a few that were once his friends, and several backed down as he did so. They'd heard about what his father was capable of, perhaps it was best not to anger the son.

"Come on" Veronica said to the boy she'd just rescued as she helped him down, removing her jacket and offering it to him.

The crowd remained even then and both the blonde and the young man wearing nothing but duct-tape and a girls jacket felt overly self-conscious of the multiple pairs of eyes upon them.

"Hey, show's over" Logan yelled and, much to the relief of the both of them, the audience started to disperse. Veronica shot her friend a smile, already forgiving him for laughing at this other young man's misfortune, after all he had helped when it had mattered.

"Man, I owe you two" the boy said suddenly and Veronica smiled.

"It's fine" she assured him, "I'm Veronica by the way, and this is Logan"

"Wallace" he replied, giving his own name, "I been hearin' all kinds about you two today. Gotta say, you were the last people I expected to come to my rescue. Thanks"

"Yeah, well, don't thank me" Logan told him, re-pocketing his knife a soon as Veronica handed it back to him, "Thank Miss Goody Two Shoes" he smirked at the blonde, who rolled her eyes.

That joke was gonna get real old, real fast, but it was cool for now.

To Be Continued...

A/N2 : I know Wallace joined Neptune High a year after Lilly died, it wasn't a mistake on my part, I have deliberately had him start in the Sophomore year, rather than the Junior year that was shown in Season 1