CHAPTER 8

Veronica tried to phone him all day. Wallace had cancelled their plans early this morning, and she wanted to know if Logan's offer would still be open. He never answered her messages. She was starting to get a little worried. Even when they were fighting they still left messages. Usually it would be a curt 'I'm fine', but it was enough to reassure each other that everything was safe. They had gotten into the habit after Logan's father had been arrested. He had been in a panic until he had known she was safe. And Veronica had been shaken to hear that he had almost jumped off the bridge. They had sworn to not worry each other like that again. But now she was worried.

At 7:00 that night she even went by his house, but there was no answer. Driving home in frustration, she nearly jumped when her cell rang. She hurriedly answered it. "Hello?" she asked, her voice betraying her anxiety.

"Veronica?" Weevil said, noticing her tone. "What's wrong?" he asked in a commanding tone. She felt a mixture of relief and disappointment at hearing his voice. It wasn't Logan phoning to say that he was fine, but Weevil would be able to help her. Weevil was always able to take care of a situation that way. She always felt safe with him.

"Eli. I don't know where Logan is" she said slowly, trying to keep calm. It would be easy for her to break down with Weevil there to help. But she couldn't break down now, she had to find Logan. "He always phones me to leave messages, but there hasn't been one since morning. I am so worried, and he knows how I would feel so he would call me if he cou..." she rambled, her voice getting higher and higher as she spoke.

"Slow down babe" Eli interrupted. "Logan is fine. He is fine and you will see him tomorrow". He said it slowly and confidently. Veronica took a deep breath and took comfort in Weevil's words.

"But why hasn't he phoned? And where is he? I have been looking for him everywhere" she ended on a sob. Weevil's heart squeezed painfully as he listened. Echolls would pay for hurting her like this. He promised that to himself. Then he heard a car horn blare from the phone and icy fear chilled Weevil's spine.

"Veronica, are you driving now?" he asked urgently.

"Yes" she answered weakly between sobs. Weevil swore under his breath and stood quickly from his grandmother's steps. He had just finished a paper for English and had wanted to talk to her about it. She had helped him a lot together introduction that morning when he had called. He had gone outside for privacy when he called her.

"Veronica, listen to me. You need to pull over right now, okay?" he ordered her, fear making sweat break out on his forehead as he jogged to where his bike was parked. He heard her mumble something and hoped that meant yes. "Are you doing it?" Silence. "VERONICA!" he yelled into the phone.

"I pulled over Eli. I pulled over just like you said". Eli closed his eyes in relief and straddled his bike.

"Where are you babe?" he asked softly. Veronica's breath hitched on another sob when she heard him. He was going to come get her. He would make everything all right again.

"I am at a gas station on the way into town from Logan's" she answered. "Do you know where that is?" she asked uncertainly. She didn't think she was up to giving directions.

"You just wait there for me babe. I'm on my way" he said turning off his cell and speeding off into the night.

Veronica was still crying softly in the driver's seat of her car as he pulled up. Getting off his bike and walking to her door, Weevil knocked on her window. She didn't jump. She had heard his bike and had known it would be him. He had gotten there quickly and she suspected that he had sped the whole way. She unlocked her door and stepped out. He took her into his arms gently and held her until she stopped crying.

"I 'm so embarrassed" she mumbled into his collar as he continued to hold her. "I started to panic, and I couldn't stop" she explained in as subdued voice. Weevil tightened his hold on her for a moment before he let her go.

"It's okay Veronica" he said with a small smile. Veronica couldn't help noticing how he had switched back to using her name. She missed the small endearment he had used to calm her. She missed the feeling of his arms around her as well. She shivered in the cool night air and hugged herself. Weevil noticed and shrugged out of his leather jacket. As he settled the jacket on her shoulders she snuggled into the warmth and breathed in his scent. "So, you're not worried anymore?" he asked doubtingly.

"Still worried, not so much panicked anymore" she joked lightly. He chuckled quietly and leaned against the side of her car. He looked at her until she felt like continuing. "We always phone each other" she started, then took a breath. "Ever since we both nearly died on the same night, we have made sure that the other person knew that we were safe. Even when we were mad about something. But he hasn't phoned, and we weren't even fighting" she said confusedly. She leaned next to him on the car.

"He probably lost track of time or something" Weevil said as he put a comforting arm around her shoulders. She relaxed her neck until her head was settled in the crook between his neck and shoulder. She sighed and closed her eyes, shaking her head silently. "There isn't anything that you can do until tomorrow Veronica. He will be at school and probably ready with a thousand apologies" Weevil said reassuringly. Inside though, he was fuming. It didn't matter how much that prick apologized, he was still getting a few bones broken.

Logan was drunk. Or nearly there at least. That was why he was being driven home by Duncan at 7:45 at night. His head rested on the passenger-side window of his X-Terra as the world blurred past. After crying everything out, all Logan had wanted to do was numb himself. He wouldn't be able to face Veronica any other way. He had searched the house for alcohol for an hour, but there wasn't any. Veronica had been systematically sobering him up for month now. Apparently she had succeeded. He didn't even have any goddamned wine! After that he had taken his search to the road, going first to Duncan's house. Duncan had taken one look at him and tried to talk him out of it. Tried to talk him out of something before he even knew what it was. Logan laughed drunkenly at that now.

"What's so funny?" Duncan asked from the driver's seat. Logan was suddenly so tired of Duncan's good little boy routine. He was tired of the disappointed looks and all of the little comments. If he wanted to get drunk, he fucking would!

"You think you're so smart, don't you Kane?" Logan smirked nastily. "If you're so smart then why did I get Veronica and you got nothing?" he spat out. Duncan's hands tightened on the steering wheel as he envisioned strangling Logan.

"The problem seems to be Veronica's taste, not my intelligence" Duncan replied silkily. Logan laughed harshly at that.

"God, Doughnut" Logan said, using lily's old nickname for her brother. "You don't know how right you are". His words slurred as he started crying again. The fight was out of him again. The image of Veronica in Weevil's arms was running through his head. He thought he was going to puke.

"Jesus Logan. What the hell happened to you?" Duncan asked in disgust. After trying to talk Logan out of a binge, he had decided to go with him to make sure he didn't drive drunk. The more Logan got drunk, the more he said he wanted to go see Veronica. The only way Duncan could get him out of the bar was to say that was where they were going. Logan was too out of it to notice as they drove, but they were heading back to his house. Duncan wanted Logan to sleep it off before he started bugging Veronica. Now though, he started to look for somewhere to pull over. Logan was looking a little green in the face, and Duncan didn't want puke all over him. He noticed a gas station up ahead and started pulling in.