Chapter 9: An Irksome Development
*****Monday******
Jazmin woke up Monday morning unwilling to face the day. The thought of going to campus and running into David terrified her. She wasn't strong enough yet. How could she pretend everything was okay if she was confronted with him? However, she knew that she couldn't spend another day locked in her room because her friends would grow suspicious and concerned. After forcing herself to take a shower and dress, she grabbed her camera. She'd go to the beach and take pictures. Losing herself in her art always centered her. Although she didn't have the excitement she normally had when planning a day of photography, the change of scenery had to do her some good. Regardless of how she felt, she had to get out of the house before her friends started asking too many questions. Questions she didn't want to answer. If she could avoid everyone for a few days, she wouldn't have to lie. Deception wasn't part of nature. It was hard enough keeping this from Jason and Eli. Doing so drained whatever energy she had left after her sleepless nights.
She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror on the way to the bathroom. Her appearance made her pause. There were shadows under her eyes. Her light skin was even paler than normal. She grimaced. She was going to have to break out the cosmetics today. Another lie—she was full of them. Self-loathing forced her to turn away. She couldn't look at herself anymore.
******Hearst******
Duncan was having a solitary cup of coffee in the school cafeteria when Madison Sinclair spotted him. Madison, armed with the information Mac let slip, decided she could not pass up an opportunity to console the heartbroken Kane. After all, that was how she'd managed to get Logan once upon a time.
"Hey, Duncan," Madison said when she made it to his table. "Do you mind if I join you?"
Duncan knew Madison was trouble, but he was feeling lonely and decided company—even if it was Madison—was preferable to his own.
Shortly after, Mac and Parker came into the cafeteria to get breakfast.
"We really need to make some time to buy groceries," Parker remarked. "It'd be much cheaper!"
They made their purchases and were carrying their trays looking for a table. Parker spotted Duncan sitting with another girl. Duncan happened to glance up and see Parker almost at the same time. Their eyes locked for a moment. Duncan decided not to let her see how much she'd hurt him and carelessly looked away. He was tired of feeling like a loser in love, so he gave Madison a warm smile. She, of course, took his sudden warmth for encouragement and moved even closer to him.
"Looks like you guys were wrong about Duncan. He's obviously not suffering from a broken heart," Parker remarked sourly, gesturing to his table.
Mac looked and saw what Parker was referring to. She winced. "That's my fault," she confessed.
Parker gave her a questioning look. "How so?" she asked.
"Yesterday, I was at Madison's tutoring her and let it slip that Duncan was recently single," Mac replied.
"Why would you do that?" Parker wondered with a frown.
"Dick and I went out drinking Friday night with Duncan after he and Logan almost came to blows. She asked me why I was hungover and without thinking I told her," Mac confessed. "I should've known better!"
"Why did Duncan and Logan get into it?" Parker asked.
"Duncan was mad at Veronica for not giving him a heads up about Piz's upcoming arrival. This was the second time Veronica knew in advance that a break-up was coming and didn't tell Duncan. The same thing happened with Jazmin. He was hurt and pretty pissed. He said something cruel to Veronica, and Logan didn't appreciate it. We dragged him out of the house before a fight could break out. Dick's solution, naturally, was to get him trashed," Mac shared.
Parker sighed unhappily. "I'm sorry I've caused such a mess! I didn't mean to," Parker said, feeling guilty.
"Relationships are never easy. It's not your fault," Mac said.
"I'm going to take my coffee and bagel outside," Parker decided.
"Okay, I'm going to go ruin Madison's alone time with Duncan," Mac decided, flashing Parker a smile.
"He should date someone else. I don't expect him to be alone, especially while I'm with Piz," Parker said.
"I care about Duncan too much to let Madison get her claws in him!" Mac declared. Then she headed to the table Duncan and Madison were at.
Parker watched her with a frown. She didn't like seeing Duncan with another woman, but why should it matter? Feeling confused and guilty, she left the cafeteria.
"Hey, Duncan. Madison," Mac said with a bright smile. She didn't wait for an invitation but sat in the open chair.
"Good morning, Mac," Duncan said, smiling.
Madison gave her a sour look. "Yes, good morning," Madison said with false sweetness.
"So what are you two up to?" Mac asked brightly. She was enjoying being able to throw a wrench in Madison's plans.
"I was just telling Duncan about my sister's birthday party this weekend," Madison said.
"Don't you mean our sister?" Mac reminded her with her own false sweetness.
"Of course, our sister," Madison agreed easily. Then she turned to Duncan. "Would you like to come as my date? We're dressing up as The Wizard of Oz. Lauren's going to be Dorothy, and I'm Glenda the Good Witch. Mac's going to be the Wicked Witch."
Duncan laughed. "You agreed to that?" he asked Mac.
"It'll be fun. Just imagine how freaked out Dick will be when he sees me!" Mac exclaimed, grinning at the thought.
"What is Dick going as?" Duncan asked.
"The Lion. Veronica will be the Scarecrow and Logan the Tin Man," Mac shared. Then she thought of a way to derail Madison's plans. "You should come, Duncan. Bring Lily. She'll love it! She can dress as Dorothy, too. Lauren won't mind. In fact, she'd probably be very excited about it."
Duncan grinned at the thought while Madison shot Mac a glare.
"She would love it," Duncan said. "Would you mind if Lily came?" he asked Madison.
Madison put on a bright smile. "Of course not! I'd love to finally meet her. The more the merrier," Madison said graciously.
"I can dress as Toto! Lily will get a kick out of that!" Duncan said with enthusiasm. There was nothing that made him happier than making his daughter happy.
Madison decided to take what she could get and ignore Mac's too satisfied smile. She had an opportunity with Duncan. A real one. She wasn't going to blow this. She smiled back at Mac, a challenge in her smile.
*****The Next Day*****
Tuesday morning, Daisy, Jason, and Veronica were leaving their profiling class.
"So what's up with your sister?" Veronica asked Jason.
"What do you mean?" Jason asked.
"I've been calling her since our party that was almost two weeks ago, and she hasn't called me back," Veronica shared.
"Well, she wasn't feeling well this weekend. I know that Eli was worried about her, but I checked on her Sunday evening. She'll be okay," Jason said.
"Why is she avoiding me? Is she mad at me? Logan said she was upset with me over a comment I said at the party," Veronica said with a frown.
"If she's mad, she didn't share it with me. Normally, if she's too upset, she would, so I wouldn't worry too much. It's easy to get caught up in school and other things," Jason said, giving Daisy a lingering look.
Daisy smiled with smug satisfaction. Then she turned to Veronica. "Let me guess. She was trashing me and got mad at you for defending me, right?" Daisy inquired.
Veronica blanched but nodded and said, "I told her that Jason had been the one upsetting you and not the other way around. She had a hard time believing that because Jason has never hurt her. Then Logan made a comment about guys treating the women they were sleeping with or wanting to sleep with differently than their sisters or mothers."
"Yes, 'cause Saint Jason never does anything wrong!" Daisy said sarcastically.
"That is a fact!" Jason said with a wide grin.
Daisy elbowed him in the side. "Not!" she exclaimed with an eye roll causing Veronica to snicker.
"I told her and Logan that they were both blind if they couldn't see that there was more between you guys than just sex," Veronica said.
Daisy grinned and threw and arm over her shoulder. "You're such a loyal Barbie! You should definitely get the Friend of the Year award!" she said with a cheeky grin.
"Well, I am Jazmin's friend, too, and I wish you both would be friends. I don't like to be in the middle of friends. Parker and Duncan's parting of ways is enough for me!" Veronica complained.
"I've been saying the same thing," Jason agreed. "I think Jazmin's coming around, though. She had not one rude comment to say when I dropped by to check on her Sunday before our date."
"Now that is an amazing feat!" Daisy said, smiling.
Jason put his arm back around her shoulders. He kissed her cheek and said, "My sister loves me. She just wants me to be happy, and you make me happy."
Daisy felt her insides melt at his words. If he wasn't careful, she may actually fall in love with him. The thought made her both nervous and excited. She had never been in love. Not really. Not the way her friends were.
Veronica couldn't help but smile at the picture they made.
******Java Hut******
Weevil had called Logan and set up a lunch meeting at the Hut with him and Jason. Logan hoped they had tracked down Leanne.
"So, do you guys have some news for me?" Logan asked after greeting them.
"Yep. We've tracked her down," Weevil said.
"What's this 'we'? Don't you mean I tracked her down?" Jason boasted.
"Like it was any work. She had a cell phone in her name. It was the easiest locate yet!" Weevil said mockingly.
"You found Leanne? Already?" Logan asked, impressed.
"Yes, we did," Weevil said.
"So where is she?" Logan asked impatiently.
"She's in Oregon. In the Portland area," Weevil said.
"A town called Happy Valley," Jason added.
"That's great! I'm glad you found her so quickly!" Logan said.
"I'm sort of surprised that Veronica didn't long before now," Jason remarked.
Logan gave Weevil a questioning glance. Weevil's head slightly shook. No, he hadn't shared any of Veronica's family history with Jason.
"Her mother taking off really hurt her," Logan said. "She has this motto. 'The hero is the one that stays.' I mentioned to her about looking up her mom, and she got really upset, insisting that if her mom cared about her, she would've come home already."
"Are you sure this is a good idea? She's fragile right now," Weevil said with concern.
"I think I know what's best for the mother of my child, thanks," Logan said dryly.
Weevil held up his hand in surrender. "No offense! I was just saying. V's not someone I want to piss off on a good day," Weevil said.
"Believe me, if I didn't think this was the best thing for her, I wouldn't be having you do this," Logan said. "Veronica is pregnant with her first child. Of course, she wants her mother with her, especially during the delivery."
"So what's the plan?" Jason asked.
"Well, I don't want to tell Veronica anything until I assess the condition of her mother. Is she sober? Did she remarry? What's she been up to? I need to know before we tell Veronica anything," Logan said. "Also, check and see what her contact with Jake Kane has been."
"Okay. We can check it," Weevil said. He didn't bother asking why. Lilly had once let it slip that her dad was a bit too fond of the Sheriff's wife.
"I can't leave town right now. Too many balls in the air. I'm taking six classes this semester, working, the paper, and Daisy," Jason said. The new editor had let him resume his sports articles.
"It's fine. I can go this weekend. I can be back by Monday sometime," Weevil said.
"Great. Please, don't tell Jazmin anything," Logan said. "Women are genetically programmed to share everything with their girlfriends, especially if it concerns them."
Jason laughed. "I've noticed. Jazzie tells me a lot less since she finally got some girlfriends," he said.
"I'm not a gossip. Don't worry," Weevil said. "I'll call you when I get back Monday and let you know what I find out."
Logan smiled with satisfaction. Giving Veronica back her mother would help her heal. The wound his mother left him would never fully heal and there was nothing he could do about it because she was gone. However, Veronica had the chance to resolve the issues between her and her mom, and Logan would make sure she took it.
******That Evening******
Eli dropped by to see Jazmin after he was done for the day. He was disturbed to find her in bed again.
"Babe, are you not feeling better?" he asked in concern. He sat down on her bed.
Jazmin mentally groaned. She knew she had to get it together or things would become so much worse. She forced a smile. "I'm okay. Just drained. I've been taking a lot of photos the past two days. I went to the beach," she said.
Eli was relieved to hear that. "I'd love to see what you took," he said.
"Why don't you take me to dinner, and I'll show you? I'll bring my camera," she suggested, knowing he needed to see her leave the house.
Eli smiled. "That sounds perfect. I'll meet you downstairs," he said.
Jazmin went into the bathroom to freshen up. She automatically tensed when she looked at her reflection in the mirror. The girl she saw staring back at her seemed like a stranger. The joy and anticipation a dinner with Eli normally brought her wasn't there. She seemed hollow somehow, or maybe it was just her imagination. She practiced smiling in the mirror, knowing that this dinner was important. Eli was so important to her, and she didn't want to upset him. However, she hated deceiving him. Knowing it was the best thing made her determined to see it through.
A half an hour later, they were having dinner at Chuy's. Jazmin had worked up some enthusiasm for the photos on her camera and showed them to Eli.
"So when are you going to have a show?" he asked.
"What do you mean?"
"You know. One of those art shows that artist have where you show off your work," Eli said.
A real smile broke out on her face. He always knew how to make her feel good even when she didn't think it was possible. "I've got a long way to go before I'm ready for that!" she replied.
"Why? Your stuff is sensational!" Eli insisted.
"I think you may be a tad biased," she said, smiling. "The school does have a spring art show, though. You can submit paintings, crafts, or photos. Anything really."
"Well, you definitely should do that!" he encouraged.
"If I find the perfect picture, I might. It's too soon to think about now," she said with a shrug. Just thinking about tomorrow was hard enough right now.
"So I was wondering if you'd be interested in taking a short trip with me this weekend," Eli wondered. "I have to go to Portland for a case. Just some leg work. Nothing dangerous or hard. But Jason's too busy, so it's up to me. What do you think?"
A week ago, the idea of going on a weekend trip with him would've made her delirious with joy and excitement. She cursed David and wished him a painful death for the thousandth time for poisoning even her relationship with Eli. However, she knew that she could not fake it for an extended time with him. Nor was she ready to be intimate with him. The thought of sex with anyone, even the man she loved, terrified her. She put her hand on her stomach that suddenly felt queasy. "That's so sweet of you!" she gushed as expected. "I'd love sometime to go with you on a trip, but this weekend won't work. I didn't do any work all weekend because I wasn't feeling well. I have one project and one essay that I need to get done by Monday. I'm sorry."
Eli looked disappointed. He had figured that he could just slip out for an hour or so to track down Leanne Mars. Spending an entire weekend at a nice hotel with maybe a hot tub would've been pretty amazing. "What if I find a hotel with a hot tub? If you're relaxed, you can do better work! You can bring your laptop and work while I take care of some work I have to do," he offered, wanting to convince her.
She smiled. "That does sound amazing," she said. Her mind raced as she thought of how she could get out of it without hurting his feelings or making him suspicious. "Why don't we plan a trip at the end of the semester before I go home to Chicago? Wouldn't that be great? No distractions. We could take our time."
He did like that idea. "I don't want to think about you going away for Christmas break," he said. "But a trip with just us before you go would be nice. You are staying in town for Thanksgiving, right? My grandmother is already asking me if you're going to be joining us."
She nodded. "Yes, I don't think Jason wants to go home. And I only wanted to go home to see him," she said.
"Good. I'll tell Grandma that you and Jason will be joining us then. She will be very happy," Eli said happily.
Jazmin couldn't really think about the holidays. She just had to get through the next few weeks. A sense of helplessness came over her. How was she going to keep this charade up?
******Wednesday******
For once, Logan and Veronica were in their mythology class before Mac and Dick.
"Hey, guys," Veronica said, greeting them when they arrived. "We actually beat you guys to class. Dick seems to rarely be at the house these days."
"Dad's still gone, so we're still enjoying our time alone at the house," Dick said with a grin.
"Today, we had breakfast with the moms and planned Lauren's party this weekend. We're going to go after school today to pick up costumes. Are you guys on board with The Wizard of Oz theme?" Mac asked them.
"Very cool!" Veronica said.
"It totally sucks! I have the hottest fiancé in town, and you want her to dress as a scarecrow? What a waste!" Logan exclaimed in disgust.
"Yeah, right?" Dick agreed. "Unless you can make it a sexy scarecrow. Can you do that? Is that even possible?" He frowned, contemplating it.
"No, you goof, it's not!" Veronica said with an eye roll. "It'll be fun!"
"You're not the one selected to be the Tin Man!" Logan complained.
"We won't make you wear actual tin. I'll find something that is metallic looking, okay?" Mac said.
"Oh, are you going to pick up the costumes?" Veronica asked eagerly.
"Marilyn insists on picking up the bill for the since it was Lauren's idea. Just write down the sizes you want me to get, and I'll get them. Of course, you're welcome to come, but I didn't figure you'd want to," Mac said.
"Madison's going to be going with you, right?" Veronica inquired.
"Yep," Mac replied.
"Nope, I sure don't! Thanks!" Veronica agreed.
"You better tell her, babe," Dick told Mac.
Veronica caught Mac's wary look. "Tell me what?" Veronica asked.
"Well, this is sort of my fault, and I'm really sorry," Mac hedged.
Veronica looked alarmed and gave Logan a questioning look.
He shrugged. "Don't look at me. No one ever tells me the good gossip first!" he said.
Looking guilty and uncomfortable, Mac began, "Um, see..uh, last Saturday after Dick and I went out with Duncan...you know after the argument at the house…I..uh…went to Madison's to tutor her and well, I sort of.."
Dick grew impatient with her rambling explanation and blurted out, "Madison asked Duncan to be her date to the party, and he said yes!"
Mac glared at Dick. "Sorry, babe, but you were killing me!" Dick defended.
"What? No way!" Veronica insisted, dismayed.
"I let it slip that I was hungover because we had been out with a newly dumped Duncan the night before. Then Monday when Parker and I were getting breakfast in the school cafeteria, we spotted Madison sitting with Duncan. I joined them and she was asking him to be her date," Mac revealed.
"No, no, no! This cannot be happening!" Veronica groaned, slapping her hand on her desk. Students around her looked at her in surprise, but she was oblivious. "What is he thinking?"
Logan knew better than to say anything at all when it came to Madison, so he wisely remained silent. However, Dick had not yet learned such wisdom. "He's thinking he's dumped once again and a hot chick—even if she is Madison—is better than no chick. At least she wants to be with him, unlike stupid Parker who'd rather be with that loser Piz!" Dick said, loyally.
"He's not a loser!" Mac and Veronica said automatically.
"Not the issue," Logan threw in. He never liked to hear Veronica defend any of her exes even though Piz was not really a bad guy.
"Parker's not stupid," Mac added. "She just has a big heart and doesn't give up easily on the man she loves. Just like us." She gave a pointed look to both men.
"Anyway, why would Duncan let Madison get her claws into him?" Veronica wondered.
"Well, I did manage to suggest that he bring Lily, so it won't be much of a date," Mac said with a satisfied smile.
Veronica perked up at the thought. "That's good at least," she said.
"She's coming with us today. Lauren thought that a mini-me of Dorothy would be fun, so she asked me if I could get Duncan to agree to bring her to pick out the costume," Mac said.
"Oh, she'll love that!" Veronica gushed. "Damn it! It's not fair! Now I want to go, but I don't want to spend that much time with Madison, especially since I know she won't fail to both gloat and remind me about her one fleeting encounter with a similarly broken-up Logan."
"What encounter? Remember?" Logan reminded her of their agreement. By mutual agreement, that horrible incident is gone forever from their couple memory.
Dick opened his mouth to remind them when he caught Mac's head shake. He shut his mouth. Mac always knew what to do, and Dick had grown to trust her instincts. Besides, he didn't want Veronica ranting more than normal.
"Why don't we look on the bright side?" Logan suggested, changing the subject somewhat.
They all looked at him curiously. "What bright side?" Veronica wondered.
"Maybe seeing Duncan with another woman will make Parker jealous," Logan said. He looked and Mac. "Was Parker happy to see Duncan with another woman?"
Mac shook her head. "No, she definitely was not," Mac remarked.
"If Parker is truly happy with Piz, she won't really care who Duncan is with. In fact, she would be happy he moved on," Logan pointed out. "I never cared at all who my exes dated—except for Veronica."
"True. It never bothered me when Madison started shagging other guys. Just that I wasn't getting any," Dick shared with a smirk.
"Oui! Ick! T.M.I. Dick! Gross!" Veronica complained with a grimace.
Logan chuckled and reached over to pat her hand. "Don't worry, sugarpuss. Just be grateful he's with Mac now!" Logan said with a grin.
"Believe me, I am!" Veronica exclaimed. "I'm not sure Madison spending anytime with Duncan or Lily, especially Lily, is a good idea. Duncan's hurting and vulnerable right now."
"He's a big boy. He'll be fine. Besides, he has known Madison his entire life and has never fallen for her or any of her tricks," Logan pointed out.
Veronica was somewhat mollified by that thought as their class began.
******At the Beach House******
Later that night when they were preparing for bed, Veronica couldn't quit obsessing over Duncan willingly spending time with Madison. She had been keeping a running commentary on her various thoughts and opinions about the irksome subject.
"I just don't understand what he's thinking! Why would he stoop so low? Do you think he's doing it to punish me? He's mad at me and is trying to get back at me?" Veronica wondered aloud to Logan.
Logan was quite sick of the subject and had been pretending to care for the past ten minutes. He made a mental note to track down Duncan as soon as possible and beat the crap out of him for causing such upheaval in Logan's domestic bliss.
Since he was preoccupied with that mental picture, he failed to give his other half the required response. She paused in the application of her facial cream to look at him expectantly. "Logan?" she prodded.
Logan mentally reviewed the last comment he half-listened to. Then he said, "Well, love of my life, mother of my child, remember my world and every thought and action revolves around you. Duncan's, I'm happy to say, does not! So you need to chill about it!" He stalked her like a cheetah sensing his prey—he knew just what to do to end his torment.
Veronica put away her lotion. Through her vanity mirror, she caught the determined gleam in his eyes. She frowned in annoyance. "Oh, I'm sorry! Am I boring you with my concerns?" she asked sarcastically, finding his dismissive tone annoying.
"Yes!" he exclaimed with a grin. He met her gaze in the mirror as he came up behind her. He placed a kiss on the nape of his neck, one of his favorite places in the world. "But I have figured out how to end my suffering!" He gave her a wicked grin.
"Your suffering?" she said in outrage as she turned around to face him. But as she opened her mouth to offer her protest, he caught her lips in a hungry kiss.
Like always, she was powerless against his onslaught. He kissed her relentlessly. Finally, their necessity for air had him moving his lips from her mouth down her neck, nibbling and sucking, causing her to groan in pleasure. "You can't just kiss me like this when I want to talk! It's not fair!" she complained, not pulling away.
"Sure, I can," he replied, smiling in satisfaction against her neck. "I can do whatever I want to this body, remember? You told me that once!"
Her eyes flashed with fire as she pulled away. "Totally not fair to use my sex words against me!" she exclaimed in outrage.
Logan grinned. "I think I'm going to beat Duncan up for you just so I can quit hearing about this subject," he declared as he grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. He wasted no time in removing her night shirt.
Veronica finally smiled. "No need for those extremes. I'll handle Duncan," she told him confidently.
"I'm sure you will, and now I can handle you," he said smugly as he enfolded both her sensitive breasts into his hands and squeezed. He flipped her nipples with his thumbs causing her to moan. "I totally am in love with this pregnancy thing! Your breasts are already fuller and so sensitive. Just watching you respond to my touch makes me want to explode in my pants."
"It almost just takes a touch to get me to melt," she gasped out as he twisted one nipple.
"But this makes you come apart," Logan said eagerly as he put his mouth to one breast and sucked hard while twisting and pulling on the other nipple. And just like that she exploded, her knees started to give out.
He caught her and grinned down at her pleasure. "That is the hottest thing I've ever seen in my life!" He effortlessly swept her up in his arms and walked the few steps to their bed. After laying her boneless body down, he removed her panties and took off his own clothes, leaving on his boxers.
"You are too talented!" she observed, closing her eyes in contentment. What were they talking about?
"How about we try to set a new record?" Logan suggested with an arrogant half smile.
"For what?" her clouded mind replied.
"How many times I can get you to scream my name," he replied as he roughly inserted two fingers into her wet core. She gasped his name. "That's one!"
When he put his mouth to her, she screamed. "That's two!" he said against her folds. Then he became caught up in her and forgot all about the count.
******Chapter End******
Now that was fun! Hope you thought so, too! Remember, I love your reviews like a preacher loves his bible! Yes, Jazmin's dilemma will continue to be unsolved while life goes on around her. I hope you'll find it interesting and not annoying!