I hope you like this chapter!

Living with Heather Chandler - or rather, the ghost of her - would probably be on the list of the worst things that could possibly happen to someone.

I was extremely unlucky.

Of course, this wasn't a sudden epiphany. Too much shit had already happened in the past: my mother's death, moving around every five or so months, Bud Dean's bigotry, Laura Cary: the Demon of Ellison Middle School, the pain of leaving my friends behind, the constant reminder that I was just that weird kid who no one bothered to look at or even talk to...

'Just shut up already, fuckface. You've brooded enough today.'

"It's the morning, though," I mumbled, opening my eyes ever so slightly to catch a glimpse at the clock. 8:16 A.M.

Chandler sighs exasperatingly. 'You get my point.'

I rolled my eyes. Nicholas stirs beside me.

He slowly rose, his blinking a flutter as he struggled to stay up. "Shit, Jason...how long did we stay up last night?"

His hickory brown eyes glistened with worry once he discerned my expression. "...Jason, are you okay?"

Shit. Should I tell the truth? I glanced away from his face, searching around the room for an answer. I spot Heather Chandler standing a few feet away. No, Nicholas would think I'm crazy. I can't tell him.

I can't tell anyone.

Nicholas frowned, more and more distress accumulating in his gaze. He brushes one of my curls away from my face. "Jason?"

I stared at him, unsure what to say or do. "...I'm, uh, fine," I said, trying to recompose my demeanor. "Yeah. I'm okay. Great, even."

I cracked a nervous smile and a sheepish laugh.

He only frowned in response, his brows knitting as he relentlessly stares at me. "Really?" he queries, his voice flat.

"Really," I repeated, diverting my attention to the window. Hey, it's sunny today. That's good.

I glanced at Nicholas. He's still looking at me.

...He has really nice eyes.

"I'm just tired," I mumbled after awhile, my voice weak as thawed ice.

Nicholas raised an eyebrow, but doesn't say anything. He inched closer to me.

From here, he had the scent of old books and jasmine flowers.

I heard Chandler stifle her laughter. What was so funny?

Silence hangs over the room for a few moments. I eventually meet Nicholas' hickory gaze, a light rose red dusting my cheeks. He seemed to copy this.

Before I can even comprehend the situation, Nicholas leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine.

I leaned back at first, utter shock wreathing my expression. Should I pull away? What if someone bursts into the room uninvited?

For some bizarre reason, I was able to dismiss these thoughts and lean back in. He seems delighted by this as a crooked grin appears on his face.

We sat there, my hands drifting up his back and into his hair. His hair was exceptionally soft...The aroma was something similar to wisterias.

He crawled on top of me, astriding my hips.

However, as he's nipping at my neck and starting to unbutton my flannel, a voice echoes across the room.

'Man, I bet Veronica would love to know what's happening right now!'

I froze, my hazel gaze flickering open. I winced at the sudden change of light. She had been completely erased from my train of thought. I look down at Nicholas - his face was undoubtedly flushed, but he remained relatively unperturbed.

God, I can't do this. I have a girlfriend - what the fuck was I thinking?

"Nicholas," I said feebly, hoping he'd listen to me.

He halted, lifting his head away from my neck. He placed a hand on my now bare chest, his body heat severely heated compared to mine. "Hmm?"

I can't help but smile loosely at him. I tried to hide it - I can't smile, not now. "We...we can't. I love Veronica, remember?"

Nicholas just hovered there, as if he wasn't sure what to do next. He slowly got off of me, guilt plaguing his face. "I'm sorry, Jason, I..."

'Aw, you're gonna make him cry,' Chandler taunts. I sigh. "No, I should be sorry. I should've been thinking straight..."

I sat up and buttoned my flannel again. "Look, we should just pretend that never happened."

He stood up and looked away from me, staring out the window. "It was just a dream, right?"

I ran a hand through my hair and stared blankly at the floor. "...Right."

...I was glad Veronica wasn't there.

o00o

Nicholas walked with me to the bus stop that night. I had already said my goodbyes to his family, which earned me a couple suffocating hugs and sappy farewells.

He took a hefty sigh as he looks out into the street before us. "Guess this is it."

I nodded, ducking my head and looking at the ground. "Yeah..."

Silence hung over us like a heavy veil of storm clouds.

I looked off to the side, watching as people strolled down the sidewalk, their faces barely lit by the streetlamps. I wanted to look to my right, but I couldn't bring myself to look at Nicholas.

It felt like we were standing there for hours.

'Aw, poor Jason. It's only been twenty minutes.'

I promptly ignored Heather Chandler's voice and continued to brood. God, how I missed silence.

The bus eventually lumbered toward us, spewing hazy smoke into the air like some sort of a mythical creature. I took a shaky breath, realizing that this was the last time I'd see Nicholas for months. Maybe even a year. I glanced over at him.

He stood there, his face crestfallen and distant. He jammed his hands into his jacket's pockets and glimpsed up at me. He must've heard the bus too.

"Have a great summer, Jason," Nicholas murmured, his eyes meeting mine.

I nodded lightly, swallowing the lump in my throat. "You too, Nicholas. It...uh, was nice seeing you again."

"Yeah," he agreed, seemingly unmoved by my words. Was that the word? I didn't know...maybe he was just feeling guilty. Hopefully.

What if he didn't care? No, he still cared. No one would change their opinions of someone so quickly...

Right?

I composed myself and turned as the bus finally reached us.

The conversation stops there and I get onto the bus.

Nicholas started to saunter down the sidewalk, his feet shuffling against one another as he walked. I took my seat and looked out the window, watching as he faded into the distance as the bus started to move along.

I took out my journal and started to write in an entry, trying to block out a single thought:

...Why didn't I say anything else?

o00o

Before I knew it, I was back in Sherwood, Ohio. It was around 10 A.M - I could tell from the carolina blue sky mixed with faint colors of dawn.

I looked around the bus, noting how few people remained. A mother and her child were huddled a few rows back, the child staring out at the rolling landscape. He was in awe. Across from me was a Remington University student - judging from his varsity jacket. He was hungover, I could tell from just taking a glance at him.

I hastily looked away when he glared at me. I wasn't in the mood for getting into any fights.

All I really wanted was to see Veronica again. More than a week had already past since Ram and Kurt's funeral, and I hadn't seen her since.

Once I managed to fully wake up and step off the bus, I looked around at the bus stop. My dad had promised me that he'd pick me up.

He wasn't there. No one was there. Of course.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. 'I can't believe you trusted him,' Chandler mumbled, following me as I started to walk down the street.

I crept into my house a few minutes later, watching as light filled the room. The only source of sound was upstairs - I could faintly hear 'Love Bites' by Def Leppard playing.

...What an unfortunate song.

I gripped my suitcase's handle a little tighter and took a deep breath. That thing with Nicholas never happened.

The staircase creaked as I crossed each step, the shrill noise echoing throughout the house. That thing was Nicholas never happened. That thing was Nicholas never happened...

As I sauntered to my room and reached for the doorknob, the door opened.

Veronica stood there, garbed in a pale blue shirtwaist dress and gray flats. An opal necklace appeared to substitute her red brooch. A slight smile graced her features and she dragged me inside the room.

Heather Chandler scoffed and walked past us, simmering with annoyance. 'We get it, dumbass. You're obsessed with her.'

"I'm not obsessed," I insisted, my tone curt.

Veronica furrowed her brows and glanced at me. "What was that?"

I shot daggers at Chandler before looking back at the brunette with a smile. "Nothing."

She simply shook her head and sighs.

"I'm glad you're back," Veronica admits after a few seconds, setting down the glass she was holding - I assumed she had previously been watering the houseplants. "I missed you." She stifles her laughter. "So did Poe."

I glanced at my desk, looking into the hamster cage. Thanks, Poe.

Veronica turns toward me. "So, you know how boring everyone in Sherwood is?"

I nodded and practically threw my suitcase onto the floor. "Of course."

She huffed. "I asked Jacqueline Carr and Heather Duke if they wanted to get slushies the other day, and they called me a dweeb! Jacqueline's on a stupid diet or something. And you know what I said? I said, 'Jackie, you can take your fancy diet and shove it up your ass'."

We shared a laugh.

"Anyway," Veronica drawls, plopping onto my bed. "Guess what tonight is?"

I sat next to her, searching through my mind for an answer. "Uh...strip croquet?"

She snorts and shakes her head. "I'll think about it. The correct answer was Alexander Newell's party."

I blinked. It was just another party, another waste of time. "And?"

She smirks. "And you're invited - thanks to me."

"You have to be fucking kidding me."

Thanks for reading!

Looks like there's some drama between Nicholas and JD. I wonder what Veronica will do if she finds out...

...And Veronica invited JD to a party! Will it be complete chaos or will he actually have some sort of fun?

Also, Anna the Oreo Artist drew a bunch of fanart for this story! It's on Wattpad (It's called 'Art stuff...or is it?' by The_Oreo_Artist). She's an incredible artist, and I literally freaked out so much when I saw her drawings.

And, if you're wondering, I'm totally down with people drawing fanart for this fanfic. If you'd like, I could feature it on the Tumblr ask blog (with credit, of course). Warning: I'll probably freak out and thank you a thousand times. Oops?

Responses to Reviews

DisneyDreamer123: I'm glad you like both of them (personally, I drift between the two. Most of the time I adore JD, but sometimes Veronica manages to steal the spotlight). Also, sorry that I was sort of vague about Ram and Kurt earlier - I wasn't sure how to respond to that review in particular without spoiling my plans. Also, I am mainly going off the movie, but there's been and will be a few times where I'll break away and do my own thing or go off of the musical.

Anna The Oreo Artist: Heather McNamara might have done a few bad things, but I still feel bad for her. I thought it should be mentioned that her relationship with Ram was toxic, (irredeemable, really). Anyway, I'm excited to write more about Heather Chandler! I thought bringing in her ghost would make things interesting :)

I hope you have a fantastic day.