A/N : Hi! I wanted this chap. to be a bit longer. But I've been busy writing a speech to enter for this speech contest at school. However, I also wanted to post this fanfic today. In this chapter, you can notice a big change in Veronica in the dialogue. Anyways, I loved my reviews. Thank youuuuuu ohso much!. : Oh yeah. Italicized sentences are veronica's thoughts. Italicized words are just there for emphasis.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

One year later

10:05 am Thursday, September 25- Neptune High school

Every high school has a psychotic jackass. Well, Neptune High's very own is Logan Echolls. YesThe Logan Echolls. Son of 2 award winning movie start actors. To others who don't know him as well as Veronica does or haven't been his victim to taunt in the past year, he's a god. A hottie. Girls would go wild over him and guys well…want to be him. His 09er friends obey him, because he's their leader. If he tells his buddies to shun and taunt someone from the 09ers or anyone else for that matter, they would do it. Unforgettably, Veronica is that someone.

Veronica walked across the hall from her locker towards the Journalism class. This morning, Miss James, unexpectedly called her up from homeroom and told her she needed to be more 'social' and that she should join Journalism. Veronica was anything BUT social…well nowadays.

Her goal for the rest of her high school years is to avoid the most cocky, ignorant guy in Neptune High, the leader of the 09er gang- Logan Echolls. But that seems to be impossible, because wherever she is, he's there to pull a prank on her or express a rude comment about her Le Baron.

When she strode into class and gave Miss Dent, the journalism teacher, her schedule, she was assigned a seat next to Logan Echolls.

Oh great, it's bad enough to be in the same room as him, but to sit right next to him?

Of course, to the other side of him sat Duncan Kane. She wasn't surprised to find them in journalism. They tend to join clubs like journalism, or be a part of the student body considering they come from very rich and famous families. But of course wouldn't Miss Dent know the war going on between her and Logan and that they should stay clear of each of other if she didn't want chaos in her class?

She glanced at Logan, seeing that he was smirking at her. As she moved back her chair so she can sit, she turned her chair a little away from him.

"So, Veronica, joined Journalism to stalk Duncan?" Logan said. "Wow, didn't think you would go through all that trouble just to be near him."

"No actually, I joined journalism to be near you," Veronica replied with a wide artificial grin on her face. "And it seems to work out just fine, I mean I get to sit right next to you almost everyday for the rest of the year. It's just a dream come true." As she said that, she made herself look like a wild crazed fan.

"Hmm.. If that's the case, why don't you move a bit closer but not to close, I don't want to be infected with whatever you have." He leaned back against his chair, amused with his little conversation with Veronica.

"That won't happen if you keep your hands to yourself," Veronica replied bluntly.

"Yes, because I'm sure you'll spread STDs and as the school's slut, you're a pro at seducing people." Logan said a little louder enough for the people around him to hear.

Memories of Shelly Pomroy's big party rushed through her. He wasn't the one who was raped and got infected with chlamydiaVeronica thought. She went to the party to show nothing has changed and what they said to her, didn't hurt. But she was wrong. People at the party were feeding her drinks and writing SLUT on her car. And then someone raped her. No, she wouldn't, actually couldn't forget that morning when she woke up alone without her underwear.

While recalling those moments, she turned pale and had an intention to puke, until Logan spoke up.

"Veronica.."

Her eyes met his.

"Veronica…You okay?" Logan said with actually concern in his voice. His eyes softened and he could tell that there was something else other than his last comment that bothered Veronica.

"Why do you care?" She snapped at him. Her eyes flared up and Logan could tell she looked pissed off.

"You're right, I don't," Logan replied. "But if someone sitting right next to me looked like she was about to barf on me. I'd be worried."

"Aww, thanks for your concern," Veronica said sarcastically.

"Just-"

"Excuse me," Miss Dent motioned with her index finger to come towards her desk. "Veronica Mars and Logan Echolls."

Veronica and Logan, surprised by their sudden interruption, walked to the teacher's desk.

"I have an assignment for both of you on the Cho's Surfer Competition tomorrow after school," Miss Dent said. "Veronica, I want you to take pictures of the surfers who are going to be in the competition and Logan I want you interview them. Ask them some questions about the effort they put and what accomplishments they did in their past that got them there today."

"And please no wise, snobby comments Logan," Miss Dent added.

"Me? Wise, snobby comments? Miss Dent you know me better that." Logan said innocently.

"Logan."

"But it makes my job so much more fun."

"Logan –"

Veronica interrupted her, " Miss Dent I will make sure Logan doesn't piss off any of the surfers."

"Thank you Veronica, " Miss Dent smiled sweetly and got back to her work.

"Yeah, thank you Veronica," Logan said sarcastically opening up his arms and then letting it drop. " But I can control what I say."

"Really..? I mean you seem to get into a lot of trouble with that big mouth of yours."

"Ouch, touché."

Veronica smiled as she walked back to her seat. Logan, eyeing her every move with a smirk. He sighed and walked towards a computer near her to type his interview questions.

"Well, its seems like we have something in common…Surprise, surprise." Logan said softly.

"What do you mean?" Veronica turned her head to look at him as she's preparing her camera for the competition tomorrow so she can leave right after school and avoid Logan.

"You also just described yourself 'you seem to get into a lot of trouble with that big mouth of yours'," Logan mocked Veronica.

" I so do not have a big mouth, let alone as big as yours." Veronica said bitterly.

"In denial? Stubborn?" Logan chuckled. Veronica eyes turned into slits and turned back to her camera.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

3:30 pm Thursday, September 25- PI office

When school ended that day, she drove back to her dad's PI office where she worked after school, while he was out chasing a bail jumper who possibly escaped to Mexico. She also planned to "borrow" the file in her dad's safe on Lily's case.

After a few flights of stairs, she reached the office and turned the key in the door knob. Once she got inside and threw her messenger bag on the sofa and she looked up to see the most frightening words.

Veronica felt hot tears pouring out of her eyes. Her legs felt weak and she grabbed on to the nearest chair. No. Noo! This must be a joke. No one knows about the case. But it wasn't. She knew it was serious and who ever wrote this would do anything to hide his horrible secret. On the wall, written in dripping dark red paint, that resembled blood, read "Stop your search, or the day you find out, is the day you die"

She breathed heavily and tears continued to pour.

She turned her head to her dad's office. The door was slightly ajar. -Slowly, she walked and lifted her left arm to open the door wider and took a peek inside. Her eyes widened and pushed the door wide open. Veronica rushed and fell onto her knees in front of her dad's safe. The safe was open and files were scattered everywhere. It looked like someone was looking through them, but didn't bother to put it back. Her first instinct was to check Lily's file. She searched, and searched, and searched. Kane, c'mon,…Lily Kane.. It has to be here somewhere. It just has to!

"It's gone…" She said softly, not believing that this could be possible.

The file. Evidence that Abel Koontz couldn't have possibly killed Lily, is gone This can't be true. As much as Veronica didn't want to believe it, it was true. The file was truly gone. And someone got it. Most likely Lily's murderer. No one else would have a reason to threaten to kill her and steal Lily's file.

Leaning her back against her father's desk, she tried to think of what she can do. She would have called the sheriff and report a break in. But unfortunately the sheriff was Don Lamb. The same sheriff who laughed at her and told her to "go see the wizard" when she reported that someone raped her. The same sheriff who made a joke out of it by asking her if he should line up all the sons of the richest families in Neptune as suspects. The same sheriff who took her dad's place at the office. No, she wouldn't go to him for anything. Not even if her life is at stake.

She stood up, wiped her tears and took out her camera from her messenger bag. There's only one thing I could do with the message. She took a picture of the message, hoping she could use it as some sort of clue or evidence. Then she went to the sink, and took a bucket filled with sponges and soap.

"Whattup Superfly!" Wallace hollered from outside the office. "You in here?" He casually walked into the office and stopped dead in his tracks once he saw the words.

"V,… what is this?" Wallace said with concern in his voice.

"It's a threatening message, you do it when you want to ward someone off a case." Her voice tight, as she said it. She didn't want to make it a big deal and worry Wallace even though she knew that answer wouldn't satisfy him.

"I meant why does it seem to be addressed to you. Veronica, this is serious. Whatever case your on, it's life threatening."

"Don't you think I know that?!"

"No V, I don't think you do. You go solve cases and without realizing that you can get yourself killed. I know you're trying to be brave and become Nancy Drew to help people, but really don't you even care about yourself? And how your life can be gone in a flash?"

"I realized that….Wallace, this case is personal, and I really need to solve it, even if it means risking my life." She flinched at the thought of her possibly dying in order to get justice for Lily. With that last reply she added, "Now, can you help me scrub the paint off?"

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why would you want to scrub it off? Shouldn't you show it to your dad?"

"I can't show it to him, because he doesn't know about the case I'm working on. And it would obviously raise suspicions if he sees this-," pointing at the wall, " besides I wouldn't want him to worry."

Not wanting to push her any further, Wallace picked up a soaked sponge and started scrubbing the paint off. Veronica, glad that Wallace didn't ask anything else about Lily's case, took another sponge and did the same thing.

Once, the wall looked almost back to normal, Veronica decided to buy a bucket of paint from the warehouse store on her way home from Dog Beach, the day before her dad comes back.

"You okay V?"

"No, not really, but you can leave Wallace, " Veronica replied, "I'm just going to head home after I clean up all the supplies."

"Okay," Wallace was unsure. " I'll catchya later V."

"Bye"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A/N – I'm a major fan of LoVe. So I promise there will be more in the next chapter.