I'm officially off hiatus! Look forward to more chapters! C:

I spent the start of the summer in Indiana. It was a considerably nice change of pace - without Veronica, or the rest of Sherwood, Ohio, it felt like I was still that edgy kid in the corner of the classroom that no one knew. Not Jason Dean, the boyfriend of the incredibly popular, rich, and attractive Veronica Sawyer. The king and queen of Westerburg.

No, that sounds stupid. Let's just say that I didn't feel like the mess I am today. That sounds better.

As soon as I got the chance to leave Sherwood, I did. I said my goodbyes to Veronica and McNamara, asked for each of them to make sure my houseplants wouldn't die, grabbed my bags and took a bus out of the town.

The bus ride was okay. I tried to ignore the blistering heat the bus's shitty air conditioning couldn't subdue, and instead focused on what I'd say to Nicholas when I got there. 'Hey, Nicholas, sorry I haven't talked to you since freshman year. Mind if we can totally be best friends again, even though I'm in Ohio and you're in California?' Yeah, no.

I decided to settle for something more subtle. I could throw a Baudelaire or T. S. Eliot quote his way. That was an easier delivery - and a bit more clever.

Apparently, it took the whole bus ride for me to figure out a meager response to 'Hello, Jason!'

I felt like there was a voice in the back of my head yelling 'Great job, Jesse James! You can actually speak!'

I figured it was just me. Who else could it be?

Regardless, it eased any tension that lingered between us. He laughed and commented that i was still the socially awkward kid whose only words were quoted from 'The Catcher in the Rye' and or '1984'.

He...wasn't wrong.

I ignored my damaged pride - then again, I didn't have any in the first place - and laughed as well.

We made or way to his family's apartment, dropped off my things in the guest room that Nicholas and I would share, and headed to the park.

The park was cooler than the densely packed, simmering hot streets we walked on.

Nicholas snapped some photos with his Polaroid camera while I collected flowers and saved them in my journal. Veronica wanted something from the city, even if it was just a couple dried wildflowers.

We sauntered along the river for a while, listening to the languid gray blue water creep past. The occasional individual would pass by, a cup of iced tea or another drink in hand. Nicholas looked out to the skyscrapers that towered over the city like coast redwoods, his eyes attentive to each slight change in scenery.

He glanced at me. "So, tell me about Sherwood."

I paused and calculated a response. "Well, it's a pretty small town. The only modern shit they have is a Snappy Snack Shack, a public library, and a drive-in theater."

Nicholas nodded and stopped at a bench, sitting down. His face was written with apathy, and I was getting concerned. Shit, was he getting bored? Maybe he thought I changed too much from senior year. I coughed and stared at my shoes, waiting for the moment he'd start talking instead of me. 'Nice going,' the voice in my head scoffed.

He knitted his brows. "Aren't you going to continue, Jason?"

I lifted my head and froze. "Oh, uh...yeah. Sherwood's basically just a cover-up for extensive golf courts and country clubs."

He laughed.

I grinned and put my hands in my pockets, shifting my weight a bit. "The people aren't interesting, either. The only person worth talking to is Veronica."

"I can tell. Our past five phone calls have been centered around her."

Well, technically, he wasn't wrong. I glanced away and nodded slowly.

Nicholas sighed and tried to give a smile. "Well, at least you care about her. You must really like her, huh?"

"I do," I answered almost immediately.

He stood up and started walking again. I joined him.

We walked in silence for a while, listening to each other's footsteps and the distant traffic.

Bitter silence.

Eventually, as we neared the familiar brick apartment building, Nicholas finally spoke. His words were eloquent and curt - a tone that brought me back to a time when I still had some sort of confidence.

"I'm glad you finally moved on."

o00o

A couple days rolled by, and everything seemed to be okay. Indianapolis was proving to tolerable - a rarity these days - and I spent nearly every second with Nicholas.

However, on one odd Thursday evening, I knew something was off.

As the sun sluggishly disappeared beyond the horizon, I sat on the guest room's bed. I was writing in my journal, detailing the past events of the day.

I guess Veronica had left an impression on me.

JUNE 8TH, 1989.

"The past was dead, the future was unimaginable." - '1984', George Orwell, page 28.

Side note: I'm running out of quotes from that book. Hopefully future Jason will read this and find something else to read. I haven't gotten around to reading 'Misery' by Stephen King yet...maybe that'd be a good choice? Maybe it's in Sherwood's library.

I'm getting off track.

Nothing extraordinarily exciting happened. I mean, fuck - compared to the other entries on here?...Citing May 28th, 1989, of course. I'm getting carried away. Whatever. All Nicholas and I really did was go to Camelot Music and Blockbuster to rent out 'The Exorcist' and 'A Nightmare on Elm Street'.

I'm planning to get Veronica and I tickets for a concert. Her birthday is getting pretty close - August 25th. Is a concert too cheesy, though? I've never had a girlfriend, anyway. How the fuck should I know these things?

Also, here's a random thought. I've only seen like three or four Snappy Snack Shacks. Is it just a thing in Ohio and Virginia? There's 7-11s everywhere else...Apparently Nicholas says Snappy Snack Shacks aren't a thing in California, either. Weird.

Well, that's really it.

- J.D.

I closed the notebook and set it on a dresser. Everything felt like it went according to my routine. But, still...I felt like there was something missing.

I suppressed that thought and went into the living room. We watched 'The Exorcist'.

For hours, I ignored that constant, pulsating voice in my head that seemed to scream, 'Aren't you forgetting something, trench coat kid?'

Doubt clouded my judgement. Was I? Probably not. But there was that nagging reminder...

It took until we were halfway through watching 'Ghostbusters' to realize it.

I haven't talked to Veronica in three days.

She'd freak. I knew that. Fuck, she was probably already freaking out. Maybe she lashed out. Maybe she tried to kill someone else...McNamara and Veronica had an argument after Ram and Kurt's funeral...

'Aww, is pretty boy worried about his precious girlfriend? Then again, I thought you said she could do nothing wrong!'

"I have to go," I said, hastily getting up from the couch.

Nicholas' sister, Joan, furrowed her brows and tilted her head slightly. "...To where?"

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I need to call someone. Where's the phone?"

It was Nicholas' uncle to speak up this time. "What's the big deal?"

I tensed at that moment. "I, uh...I need to call my girlfriend." 'Way to sound pathetic.'

As I messed with the buttons on my flannel, trying to calm any anxiety I had, the uncle spoke up again. He was confused. "...The phone's in the kitchen. Is something wrong?"

I walked into the kitchen, darting towards the phone.

"Just a little bit, yeah." I dialed Veronica's phone number.

It rang.

Veronica picked up. Her voice was diluted to a dull, apathetic tone. She didn't seem too thrilled. "Hello?"

I took a deep breath. "Hey, I didn't -"

"Jason? That's you, right?"

"...Uh, yeah. It is."'

Her voice flared into an orotund, panicked tone. "Thank god! Shit, did you have any fucking clue how worried I was? You said you'd call every other night, at the most!"

I fiddled nervously with the phone cord. God, she was going to kill me. I knew that. "I'm sorry, Veronica...I forgot."

"Y...you forgot?"

Hesitance.

"Yeah, I did. I'm sorry."

Her tone was betrayed, like I had been cheating on her for five years. "How could you forget, Jace? I...I've been sitting here for hours..."

"I'm sorry," I repeated, taking a shaky breath as I noticed that Nicholas' family was staring at me. "I've just been so busy, and -"

Veronica's tone was getting angrier and louder. "You couldn't find the time to call me?"

I flinched. She told me that she couldn't talk to me yesterday night - she was at a party or something with Heather Duke and a bunch of other students. She said that those college parties that she and Heather Chandler attended would have to wait for September or August.

"I thought you were busy," I tried to explain, my words blending together as I spoke. Even though it was partly true, it was a stupid excuse. "You know, with the party at Jacqueline Carr's house?"

She paused for at least ten seconds. The longest seconds of my life, I'd say. "...You have a point, Jace. I'll give you that."

Veronica sighed. "God, I sound like a fucking psycho. Sorry."

I furrowed my brows. Technically, it was my fault. And she sounded normal... What was she talking about? "You don't, Veronica...? It's my fault. I should've called you earlier in the day."

It was Veronica's turn to be confused. "I would've been busy earlier in the day, but..." Her voice was conflicted, as she was probably unsure what to say. "You're forgiven, I guess."

"I'll call you tomorrow."

Silence wavered between us. "Alright, Jace. Anything later than 10 A.M. is fine with me," she says listlessly.

I nodded. "I'll call then."

"Later, Jace."

"Bye, Veronica." With that, I hung up.

Nicholas stood up and slowly walked towards me. "...Is everything alright, Jason?"

"Mhm." I stumbled to the guest room. "Veronica just wanted to talk, that's all. Everything's fine." I added, hastily, "See you tomorrow."

Nicholas hesitated to respond. "Goodnight," he managed to say, turning and sauntering back into the living room.

I closed the door behind me, leaned against it and slumped to the floor. I stared at the wall across from me, as if I was searching for a pattern in the wall.

And, at that moment, I felt like a pair of blue eyes were staring at me. I blinked, but nothing was there.

...Odd.

Thanks for reading!

JD's been acting a bit strange lately...What do you think's going on?

Responses to Reviews:

There's a bunch of reviews this time for most of the chapters, so I'll compile them here and sort them by chapter. Thanks for these, by the way.

Trash (Chapter 7): Hmm, can't say. But I do have plans for McNamara and JD...

Trash (Chapter 9): I definitely agree. A lot of these chapters - Veronica and JD, specifically - need to chill.

Trash (Chapter 10): That's partly why I included that line, actually.

Trash (Chapter 11): Honestly, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not...but thank you! Veronica's really fun to write, and I'm glad you think she's an interesting character.

Trash (Chapter 12): Jesus, i don't want to even imagine. They'd either be six feet under or beaten to a pulp.

Trash (Chapter 13): To be honest, I don't think Veronica's still friendly with Martha or Betty Finn. Now that you mention it, it actually sounds plausible...similar to 'thanks for being my friend. Here's a reward' kinda thing.

Trash (Chapter 14): JD is literally pure in this. He keeps bringing himself down, though :(