"Can't handle the heat, Amberkins? Nice panties."
Amber inhaled at Rick's jeers as she pulled the barely-there pep squad uniform a little lower down her hips. Thank God for true friends, even if they were a size too small.
She wouldn't be surprised if Rick had been behind her disappearing clothes act in the ladies' dressing room today. After all, he had more to lose from his break-up with Macy than Macy had. It was his desperation that had made their relationship last as long as it did in the first place. She couldn't blame him for being upset.
"Too shy to talk now?" Rick walked closer, jamming a strong arm against the locker next to hers. "You sure weren't shy with Macy's privacy."
Her saintly patience had limits too. Amber whirled around. "What do you want me to say, Rick? That I should've told you that your girlfriend is in love with your friend? She said every word in that diary. I had nothing to do with the contents."
"But you didn't have to freakin' broadcast it!"
"And if I hadn't, would you ever know what you know now?"
"At least I'd still have a girlfriend!"
She couldn't argue with that one.
Amber sighed. Who knew she could feel bad for the school's number one idiot?
"Look, Rick, I'm sorry that you became collateral damage; but it's not my fault. You have to realize that."
The taller blond huffed an angry sigh. His voice sounded unsettlingly close to cracking. "Then whose was it?"
Nobody, she wanted to say. Where do these class wars begin anyway?
"Hey Rick, you'll be late for the game." They both turned at the familiar voice. Amber stepped back involuntarily at his presence. Logan Echolls was too unpredictable of a creature to keep within two feet.
"See you at the car," Rick huffed and walked away at last, apparently easily subdued by the king of the crowd.
Ready to continue her day squeezed in a flimsy excuse of a dress, Amber turned to retrieve her books when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
She looked up.
"Hey, sorry about Rick. He just - " Logan paused and pulled back his hand awkwardly, "He just hasn't been himself since the break-up."
Amber nodded tentatively.
"Anyway, I'll try to cheer him up so he'll stop picking on you." He spoke with a shrug. "See ya around."
For a moment, Amber stood glued to her spot, choosing to ignore all the passing appraisals of her current state of dress. Her eyes followed the back of her childhood-friend-turned-enemy as he moved away.
"Logan," she blurted almost reflexively. He turned. "Why the truce?"
His nearly-there smile indicated how much he truly knew what she meant. "Maybe there's still some good left in me."
"You think?" She crossed her arms in mock contempt, but her playful tone betrayed her.
"Alright, I'll admit it," he declared with upraised arms. "I saw what you could do and got so scared that I peed my pants in terror?"
She laughed; he laughed. Then he walked away.
Veronica scrolls down the screen and up again, down again and up again. The best thing about a forgiving audience is the courage they lend to publishing one's works. Each new chapter of "Echolls Unchained" is accompanied by three of "Secret Chamber" caliber; and readers commend M2r5hM2ll0w's story almost double the amount they complain. For a girl trapped in the ruins of her former social life, the affirmation is more refreshing than she'd like to admit.
A notification pops up on screen.
Well, speaking of "Secret Chamber."
"This update is amazing. I really like this Logan. You write so very well." - LLEcholls4Ever
'This Logan'? How many Logans does Chelsea think there are?
A string of messages follow quickly. Apparently, the entire universe is online from 9 p.m. onwards.
"Amber and Logan gives me the FEEEEELS!" - soinlove
"Poor Rick. I'm so glad Amber is making amends with the people around her. She deserves some friends." - SwanLakeFan21
"If only Logan can be this nice to her all the time. I loooooove this story. keep it up" - rainbow95
Veronica blinks her eyes quickly for two seconds.
Yeah, if only.
"I don't know the real reason Logan is reaching out to Amber, but they fit together so well. If they can remove the animosity between them, there can be a beautiful friendship in store for the two of them. The fact that they used to be childhood friends speaks volumes of how deep the ties must run. Lovely work!" - PerfectPrincess
Preach it, girl.
Veronica sighs as she rests her eyes for a moment. The fanfiction world is making her reach her melodrama quota for the year way too fast. But, she'll admit, melodrama seldom feels this good.
She clicks on the latest notification.
"Surprised that Logan isn't being a jerk for once. Nice to see them get along." - V3nd3tta
Veronica smiles. She summons up a new window to type a private thank you message when her cellphone starts to ring.
"Hello?"
A sobbing female voice mumbles unintelligibly over the line.
"Hello? Hello?"
"Veronica, they're at it again!"
Chelsea - the bullies.
"Who? How? Online?" The questions fly out like a well-rehearsed interrogation. "Is it Madison again?"
"No, no," Chelsea whimpers, still sobbing more than speaking. "But they're just as mean."
A quick thought has Veronica clicking her way through to Chelsea's profile page. The last story update was from last week, but fresh comments abound. And, beyond a doubt, the bullies are back in town.
"Look, Chelsea, I'll handle this, okay? We've done it before; we'll do it again."
Logan holds her close while she cries. Cherry had told him that she really didn't want to go through with the operation, but she had to.
"I will give you all my organs if I have to" he said affectionately.
"No Logan. You have to keep living for me." She replied before he kissed her again.
"But life is meaningless without you." "Then we must fight for it together."
He lowers her down on the hospital bed his body covering her own. He kissed her jaw and moves lower and lower down her body while his hands wandered up and down her thighs. She moaned as he slowly slipped her hospital gown off.
Veronica shudders. It's much harder to condemn Chelsea's online creations now that she herself writes; but certainly, she doesn't come across as that obsessive, does she?
The latest "Secret Chamber" chapter may be laden with soap opera medical clichés and a grammarian's heart attack, but nothing drew personal attention more than Chelsea's previous chapters did. Why the sudden change of events?
Veronica scrolls down the comments page.
"I love this story. You right like a angel." - Y0ngatH8rt
"Your story moves me all the time!" - missapond
Maybe she needs to rethink the compliments she receives.
"Dats so stupd. Ur so dumn that even ur caracters so bad." - kawaiino
Veronica perks up. She never did identify 'kawaiino' last time, but Chelsea never followed up. The next comment, while much better phrased, has Veronica almost gnashing her teeth.
"Someone needs to teach this girl a lesson. Stupid Cherry will never land a boy like Logan. He loves me, not you! Be dalusional all you want its never gonna happen!" - PiratePrincess
PiratePrincess? She speed-dials Wallace's number.
"I don't know why I do this for you, girl!" Wallace's eyes dart around while his hands slip a file into her backpack.
"Cuz you love them snickerdoodles." She winks and smiles as she pulls out the new information at hand.
"Someone could see you!" Wallace practically hisses.
"Relax, you got me a photocopy, not the real thing." They make they way slowly down the hallway. "The school office never starts looking for stuff that's not missing."
"And would I wanna know why you know that?"
"Probably not," she replies matter-of-factly while she flips through the list. She stops walking abruptly.
"Yeah?"
"Look here," she twists around to point out her latest clue to Wallace. "Every year, Neptune High awards a Pirate Prince and Princess award for being the guy and girl who've accumulated the most Pirate Points during the school year. They don't announce it publicly ever since the district office got upset about unfair treatment five years ago, but the winners still get their congratulatory letter and corresponding $500 gift certificate in their mailbox."
"And you know this because you're the Sheriff's daughter?"
"I know this because I was best friends with Lilly Kane, reigning Pirate Princess for every year she was in high school."
"And that knowledge helps because?"
"Cuz ever since Lilly died, the new Pirate Princess has been." Veronica circles the name on the file with her fingertip. "The Lilly-wanna-be Caitlin Ford."
The two glance up simultaneously as Caitlin, with theatrical timing, struts across their line of vision two yards away. Wallace makes an open perusal of her long, exposed legs.
"She's our girl?"
"If my instincts are to be trusted, one hundred percent."
"But who would use a username that so blatantly points back to her?"
Veronica shrugs as she folds up the lists. "Only the biggest ditz in Neptune High."
She looks up one last time at Caitlin while she coils herself on Logan's arm.
Why doesn't Logan ever have good girlfriend taste?
No matter the stakes at school or work, any person intent on surviving life needs a moment to unwind at the end of the day. For Veronica, that moment has quickly become a reflexive visit to the land of fanfiction.
V3nd3tta: Hey, I really like that new update
M2r5hM2ll0w: I know. Saw your comment. Was gonna thank you.
V3nd3tta: No need. Just want you to know you're doin' great
M2r5hM2ll0w: Thanks :)
Where else should she expect to find such reliable company? She takes a minute to stretch out her limbs.
V3nd3tta: So just so you know, Amber is a very memorable character
M2r5hM2ll0w: Making conversation, now?
It took a few seconds to get a reply.
V3nd3tta: You got me. Wanted to keep talking.
M2r5hM2ll0w: But why? Why do you want to talk to me?
V3nd3tta: What can I say? I'm a fan.
Veronica almost giggles.
M2r5hM2ll0w: A fan of fanfiction?
V3nd3tta: Does that make me pathetic?
M2r5hM2ll0w: Depends
V3nd3tta: On what?
M2r5hM2ll0w: I dunno
V3nd3tta: Ah, so you were basically trying to give a safe, ambiguous answer
M2r5hM2ll0w: Maybe :)
V3nd3tta: :)
Her lips curl dangerously close to a real smile.
V3nd3tta: You saw the latest comments on 'unchained'?
M2r5hM2ll0w: No, just logged on. why?
V3nd3tta: Check them out.
She navigates to her story's comments page.
"THEY SO BELONG TOGETHER! Can't wait to see this happen." - RosemaryAnne
"Why didn't she go after him?! I love this story so much" - Beatlesluv
"Lamber forever! I ship them so hard. This is fantastic!" - athena17
Chelsea's taught her the brand new etymology of 'ship.' But 'Lamber'?
M2r5hM2ll0w: What's Lamber?
V3nd3tta: Hahaha.
M2r5hM2ll0w: What?
V3nd3tta: Logan + Amber
M2r5hM2ll0w: They made it a word?
V3nd3tta: Don't need a degree for that nowadays
Apparently so.
V3nd3tta: So do you?
M2r5hM2ll0w: Do I what?
V3nd3tta: 'Ship Lamber'
M2r5hM2ll0w: Why would I?
V3nd3tta: True, the author doesn't have to ship.
M2r5hM2ll0w: Exactly :)
And it feels good to be in control.
A/N: Surprise fast update! This chapter came so easily that it just basically wrote itself. It's exhausting to keep up with the details of stories within story. So if I messed up any facts, please forgive me. Thank you so much for every kind word in each review and for following and supporting this story. It's a whimsical ride indeed. Let me know your thoughts! :)
