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“You’re not getting out of this that easily, Veronica Mars,” Mac cried out before grabbing Veronica’s arm and pulling her inside the already stuffed elevator car. She didn’t need to add the subtext: this is what you get for making me go to prom with Butters.
“Fine,” Veronica sighed, blowing away a stray piece of her bangs hanging in her face.
Wallace leaned in so he could whisper, “You can’t tell me that a tiny part of you doesn’t want to crash the ‘09ers after-prom party and cause a little mayhem.”
Veronica twisted her head looking around the elevator. It was filled with teenagers from every clique at Neptune High in their own version of formalwear - including Dick Casablancas with a plastic pig filled with beer, Angie Dahl in a custom-designed Vera Wang evening gown, Kylie Marker in a Victor/Victoria inspired femme tux, and Corny in a tuxedo t-shirt and velvet top-hat. Veronica had opted for a strapless, little black dress accented with a wide black leather belt at her waist.
“Somehow I don’t think we’re the only ones who had that idea,” Veronica whispered back. She didn’t have the heart to tell Wallace that the host of the party, Logan Echolls, had personally invited her and any of her friends who wanted to come. When she had asked why, he cited “for old times’ sake.”
The door was just starting to close when a nasal voice commanded, “Hold it!” One satin gloved hand grabbed the side of the door, and was followed by its owner Madison Sinclair who squeezed in between Veronica and Mac. She wore a pale pink, Disney princess gown, complete with a diamond tiara and a pretentious fur stole tied together with a long ribbon; a ribbon whose end found itself in Veronica’s mouth when Madison flipped it over her shoulder.
Veronica spit it out before saying saccharinely , “I’m surprised you went with the fur. I heard you really like wool.” Madison looked over at her like she was speaking an alien language so Veronica tacked on, “you know, like from a Lamb.”
Madison’s eyes went wide for a second before she recovered and sneered, “Whatever.”
No one said another word until they were halfway up to the Penthouse floor. Dick proffered a plastic tube to his ex-girlfriend, “Wanna suck off my Party Pig?” Madison made a gagging noise so Dick extended the offer to everyone else in the elevator - receiving head shakes from everyone but Corny.
Just at that moment the elevator bell rang and the doors opened up. “Thank GOD!” Mac and Madison cried out in unison, making a beeline for the party suite.
Veronica hung back hoping that her friends wouldn’t notice if she rode the elevator back down and made her escape, but Wallace knew her too well. “Come on, Mars,” he gently pushed her out. “Just give it an hour. If you aren’t having a good time, I’ll tell Mac that you left early because of a spastic colon or something.”
“Gee, thanks,” Veronica replied sardonically as the elevator closed behind her.
“Anytime,” Wallace gave her a wink before following his girlfriend Jackie into the crowd.
Veronica took a few steps away from the elevator and started to scan the hallway. Towards the back she spotted her ex, Duncan Kane, cuddling with Meg Manning. She was one of the few ‘09ers who didn’t turn on Veronica when her father, the former sheriff of Balboa County, collaborated with the SEC on the arrest of Richard Casablancas Sr. for real estate fraud. It was that kindness that made it difficult for Veronica to completely ignore her now that she was dating Duncan, but it didn’t decrease the awkwardness of the situation.
Before she could melt away into the crowd, Meg noticed and waved her over. This of course caught the attention of Duncan who gave Veronica an annoyed look that read “You’re not welcomed.” Veronica gave Meg a polite smile and called out, “later.” As soon as Meg had turned away, Veronica gave Duncan the finger and then walked towards the suite’s entrance.
“There’s only one thing I ask of you tonight, make senior memories.”
She turned around at the sound of Logan’s voice just in time to see him, decked out in a white tuxedo jacket, clink a bottle of Champagne with Dick’s party pig. Veronica rolled her eyes at the bro-toast. She moved to slip past the two, but Dick walked away yelling some lewd comment at Danielle Embers, putting Veronica right in the center of Logan’s line of sight.
“You made it!” Logan called out, closing the distance between them.
Veronica gave a polite smile before sarcastically adding, “Well, you know me, needed to cross ‘go to an ‘09er party’ off my senior year bucket list.”
“Yeah, that sounds just like you,” he laughed at her joke. After a pause he added, “Wasn’t sure if you would, you know, given the rollercoaster we’ve been through the last few years.”
Lilly had been the initial glue bonding them as friends. Their friendship tenuously held together for a few months after Lilly was shipped off to an East Coast boarding school (her punishment for getting caught in flagrante delicto in her parents bed with the leader of the local high school motorcycle gang.) It was the arrest of Mr.Casablancas that broke the two friends apart when it forced them to pick sides. Veronica, of course, stood by her dad while Logan stayed loyal to the ‘09ers who resented someone coming after their own. Like many good friends who find themselves at odds, they were able to use their insider knowledge to hit each other where it really stung; however, things between them had begun to defrost at the start of their senior year as the Casablancas scandal began to fade away.
“Bygones,” Veronica shrugged, deciding that she could play nice for the night. They stood there for a moment in awkward silence.
“So does Bogie know you’ve been going through his closet?” Veronica finally asked, tugging at the hem of his jacket.
“Like my mom always says, Casablanca is a classic for a reason,” he grinned.
At that moment Dick let out a loud “Sooie.”
“I don’t think she meant him though,” Logan added with a chuckle. “Speaking of the classics, you’re certainly giving Ilsa a run for her money.”
Veronica blushed, unsure of what to say to that.
“Logan, sorry to interrupt man,” Luke Haldeman broke in, “but, uh, Susan Knight locked herself in the bathroom again.” Luke glanced over at Veronica and gave her a “Hey, what’s up, Ronnie?” before turning back to Logan.
The host grimaced and then apologized, “I gotta take care of this, but don’t leave. I’ll catch up with you.” Before she had the chance to reply, he was pulled away by Luke. “Someone find Carrie,” was the last thing she heard him say.
Veronica spent the next forty-five minutes wandering around the party trying to find her friends. She was surprised by how many ‘09ers stopped her and started chatting like the last two and a half years of social exile hadn’t happened. Veronica made sure to plaster a fake smile on her face and nod along until she could find a way to excuse herself.
She finally found an annoyed Mac slow dancing junior-high style with Butters. Veronica had to bite down on her lip hard in order to keep herself from laughing. Before the hacker could notice her, she turned around and headed the other way where she ran into Wallace and Jackie making out.
“I thought I told you two to get a room?” Veronica jokingly shouted over the music.
“Already done and got one,” Wallace broke away from Jackie’s kiss and pulled a hotel card key from his pocket. He moved his arm to Jackie’s back and started to steer them toward his friend.
“I’m leaving it up to you, Mars, to represent the lower-middle class,” he clapped her bare shoulder.
“What happened to we have to stay an hour?” Veronica gasped.
“Sorry girlfriend, but tonight the boy is mine,” Jackie giggled, slipping her hand around Wallace’s waist and pulling him away.
“If my mom calls, you’ll think of something to tell her,” Wallace added, passing her on the way to the exit.
“Yeah, like maybe you have a spastic colon!” she yelled out after him. Wallace continued on like he hadn’t heard her, but several others turned to look at her. “It’s a genetic condition,” she said unapologetically.
Left alone, Veronica contemplated leaving, but she realized that there was a very real possibility that Mac may find a way to put her on the No Fly list if she abandoned her at the party. A waiter passed by with some unopened bottles of champagne so Veronica reached up and grabbed one off his tray before making her way to an empty half wall.
As she reached it, Logan reappeared from the direction of the DJ table with his own bottle of champagne in his hands. He had managed to lose his jacket and his shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows; his loosened bow tie hung rakishly from his neck.
“Alone again?” he asked, holding up his bottle for a toast. His voice had a tinge of playfulness to it that Veronica guessed came from being three sheets to the wind.
“Naturally,” she replied, extending her bottle to clink with his. He pulled his bottle back and placed his other hand over hers on the bottle, stopping her in her tracks.
“It’s bad luck to toast with an unopened bottle,” he semi-slurred.
Veronica looked down at his hand still lingering on hers and then back at Logan. “I thought it was bad luck to toast with an empty glass,” she replied.
He shrugged. “You’re not going to get anything out of either one. Same thing.”
He set his bottle down before taking hers, finally removing his hand from hers. It left a cold spot that sent a small shiver down Veronica’s spine.
“Are you having a good time?” he asked, unwrapping the foil top.
Veronica quirked her head to the side. “So far,” she answered vaguely. She smoothed down the back of her dress and then hopped up to sit on the wall.
"Good,” Logan replied. He popped the cork and a fountain of spray poured forth, catching the hem of some girl dancing a couple feet away. The girl cried out in protest but he just ignored her and handed the bottle back to Veronica. “Now we can toast. To old friends,” he added, holding out his bottle again.
“To old friends,” Veronica echoed, tapping hers to his.
As she brought her bottle up to her lips, the first chords of Mike Doughty’s “I Hear the Bells,” came over the speakers. She noticed Logan eyeing her. Veronica took a sip and then sat the bottle beside her. “I love this song,” she quietly said, wistfully staring into the crowd.
“I know,” Logan answered a little too quickly, the corners of his lips curled into a relieved smile. Veronica turned her head towards him and looked at him quizzically so he added. “You and Lilly used to listen to it ad nauseum in the car.”
“Mmhmm,” she agreed before adding, “if we let you and Duncan have your way , we’d be stuck with Linkin Park 24/7. Believe me, your ears thank you.”
“Is that so?” Logan asked before taking a swig from his bottle. Without asking permission, he swung a leg over the wall so he was straddling it. “I guess I should thank you. That’s one less regret I have to carry with me.”
“Stop the presses,” Veronica faked the sound of a machine screeching to a halt, “Logan Echolls has regrets?”
“Contrary to popular belief, I’m not perfect,” Logan answered, receiving a small snort from Veronica. “Don’t tell me you don’t have any?”
“Nope. Not a one,” she replied confidently and then took another sip. Veronica’s face suddenly went serious and she brought the bottle back down. “Look, if you invited me here to convince me I was wrong to stand by- ” she started, scooting forward off the wall.
“No, that’s water under the bridge,” he reached out his arm to stop her.
She paused and eyed him suspiciously.
Logan ran his hand nervously through his hair. “You’re not even a little bit curious what my biggest regret is?” he shifted the focus back to him.
“Ok, I’ll bite. What is it?” Veronica replied after a beat, moving back to her original perch.
Logan waved his finger in a tsking motion. “I’m not that easy, Mars. Do that detecting thing you do.”
“Fine,” she drawled out. “Given the sexual innuendo you just dropped, it must be about a girl,” Veronica guessed, “Lilly's the obvious choice, of course, but since you say it’s not easy...”
“Technically I said I’m not that easy,” Logan gave a sloppy nod and inched forward towards her.
“Most likely blonde,” she said ignoring his comment.
He gave another nod and moved another inch forward.
“Is it Caitlin Ford and the STD she gave you?”
He raised one eyebrow as if to say “Yeah, right.”
“So it’s not the patron skank of Neptune High. My next guess would be that sweet, little Freshman you dated earlier this year? Hannah something? I heard you broke her heart so badly that she had to transfer schools.”
He shook his head this time. “Do I look like the Donut? It’s going to take more than the next Meg Manning to leave me tortured.” He edged forward one more time so that his face was just inches from hers. He looked her straight on. “I’ll give you a hint. She smells like marshmallows and Promises.”
“Promises? I wear...” she trailed off, the intensity of Logan’s eyes sinking in.
“I know,” Logan answered again, this time very sober. He waited a moment for her to respond, but all she could do was breathe deeply.
“Look, we only have a few more weeks until graduation and knowing you, you’ll be on the first bus out of town so I have to take this chance now,” he explained. “The first girl I ever noticed in Neptune was you. Not Lilly, not Madison, not Caitlin. You. So my biggest regret is not asking you out.”
Veronica’s mouth dropped open at the revelation, but Logan continued on like he didn’t notice. “Believe me, I wanted to ask you, but when you’re new in town and your potential, new best friend tells you he has a crush on the same girl, you opt not to say anything.”
A pained smile emerged on Veronica’s face. She knew what it was like to ignore personal desires just to please the Kanes.
“Had I known it was going to take him two years to grow a set of balls and actually do something about it, I probably would’ve taken the chance then,” Logan added, throwing a disgusted look towards the center of the room where Duncan and Meg were dancing.
“What about Lilly?”
“What can I say about Queen Lil? She’ll always be special to me, but I don’t think we were made to be anything more than friends. Honestly, the only reason I first asked her out was to keep me from asking you instead.”
“Logan...” she began, but she didn’t know what to say next.
“I’m sorry for making your life suck the past couple of years; it was either that or pretend you didn’t exist, and I couldn’t do that,” he apologized before placing his fingertips along her cheek. “I know the timing sucks, but…”
As he leaned forward, his eyes went to her lips. Torn between shock, fear, and giddy excitement, Veronica closed hers in order to prevent herself from bolting.
“Hey Logan,” Duncan shouted out.
Veronica jerked back, immediately darting a glance at her ex. To most people he would appear completely innocent, but the glint in his eyes told her that he had seen what was about to happen and he wasn’t going to let it. Veronica looked back at Logan. He wore the smile of a happy host, but his balled up hand, just seconds ago resting lightly on her face, indicated that he saw the same thing.
Knowing he had their attention, Duncan placed his hand low on Meg’s back and steered her their direction. “Great party, Man,” Duncan grunted, extending his hand to initiate his and Logan’s old secret handshake.
“Thanks,” Logan played along, “hope you guys are having a good time.”
“The best!” Meg answered before turning to Veronica and gushing, “You look so good tonight, Veronica. I can’t tell you how many guys I’ve seen do double takes when you walked by.”
“Aw, thanks, Meg. You look great, too,” Veronica said. She looked back and forth between the two boys and could tell that the only way to avoid them coming to fisticuffs was for her to leave first. “Unfortunately it’s time for this princess to turn back into a pumpkin,” she apologized, hopping off the wall.
“No. It’s still early,” Meg cried.
Veronica turned so she could face them, “You know my dad. Once a sheriff, always a sheriff; he likes an early curfew, even on prom night.” It was a flimsy excuse considering everyone knew that she regularly assisted her dad with late-night stakeouts; Meg was the only one who bought it. She gave a wave and headed off to find Mac.
“Veronica, wait,” Logan called after her.
She looked over her shoulder and sent Logan a regretful smile, “I gotta go.”
“This is crazy,” Veronica muttered out loud to herself as she paced back and forth in the elevator traveling up to the penthouse floor of the Neptune Grand.
“Miss, is everything ok in there?” a deep voice came from the elevator’s speakers.
Veronica glanced up at the security camera in the front-right corner of the elevator and replied, “I’m fine.” To prevent further concern to the security guard monitoring the camera feed, she stationed herself against the back wall of the car and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
It hadn’t even been nine hours since she had practically ran away from the Neptune Grand. When she arrived home she had gone straight to the bathroom so she could wash off her makeup. Despite scrubbing her face three times, her cheeks continued to tingle where Logan’s fingertips had brushed her skin. She unceremoniously left her dress in a pile on the floor, changed into her softest flannel pajamas, and then crawled into bed.
It didn’t matter if her eyes were open or closed, all she could think about was Logan’s confession. Her brain kept combing through old memories trying to find evidence of his feelings. Suddenly a filter pulled into focus stolen glances and innocent touches that may have lasted a wee bit longer than necessary, and not just from Logan - but from her too. The constant battling they waged for over two years suddenly seemed less like a feud between the Montagues and the Capulets and more like the bantering foreplay of Beatrice and Benedick.
Around five thirty she finally fell into a fitful sleep where she dreamed about Logan leaning in to kiss her. This time there was no dreaded ex to ruin the moment. At first his lips were tender and tentative, but after a few moments he ran his tongue across her lips to entice her to open up. She didn’t need to be asked twice. As their kiss increased in passion, the remaining partygoers disappeared from the room one by one. Finally, Veronica locked her hands around the back of his neck and pulled him close by circling his waist with her legs. In a spinning motion, he lifted her off the wall and then carried her off to his bedroom.
Before she could find out what would happen behind closed doors, Veronica woke up in a cold sweat and short of breath. Only one thought ran through her brain: she needed to see Logan now.
When the elevator bell rang, indicating she had arrived at her destination, she practically ran out of there. Housekeeping had made one sweep of the hallway, but a few empty bottles and stray streamers still littered about. She walked directly to his suite and took a deep breath. Upon exhaling, she raised her hand to the door and knocked three times. She could hear someone stumbling around behind it; for one second she considered escaping by the emergency stairwell, but she held her ground. Finally the door began to open and Veronica launched into the speech she had written in her head on her drive over to the Neptune Grand.
“Logan, I know it’s early and you’re probably hung-over, but last night I got home and I couldn’t stop thin…” her words trailed off as it registered who was standing in front of her, wearing nothing but Logan’s tuxedo shirt.
“Veronica?!” Lilly laughed before swallowing her friend in a hug. “I thought you were going to be room service, but I’m so glad it’s you. I was going to call you later today.”
“Lilly?! What are you doing here?” she cried out in shock.
“I finished finals and decided to take an early flight back home. I didn’t realize it was prom night until the taxi dropped me off at the house and I saw the Donut and his snooze-a-date getting in a limo. He called from the after party and insisted that I come over because everyone else was already here, including you. Where’d you go anyways?” Lilly pouted.
“Wasn’t feeling well so I went home,” Veronica managed to get out.
“That’s too bad,” Lilly sighed, “you missed an epic game of Truth or Dare. It ended with Logan itching a scratch that I haven’t been able to quite satisfy since I started at Vassar. Don’t get me wrong, I’m totally taking advantage of the opportunity to bat for the other team, but sometimes you just want a chance to play at your old position, if you know what I mean.”
“Yeah, totally,” she faked enthusiasm for her friend. There was a brief, awkward pause while Veronica tried to come up with something else to say. Thankfully Lilly didn’t seem to notice.
“Obviously you didn’t come here to see me. Do you need me to get Logan? I think he’s in the shower.”
“No, that’s not necessary,” Veronica, finally regaining control, played it cool. “You know, when I got home I couldn’t stop thinking that I left my…” Veronica paused. Her eyes darted around the entryway of the suite, finally landing on Madison’s fur on the floor by Lilly’s feet. She leaned down and picked it up like she won a prize,“This!”
A puzzled look came over Lilly’s face. “That’s hideous, V. I can totally picture Madison Sinclair trying to make it work, but not you. You have better taste than that.”
Veronica shrugged, “Would you believe I lost a bet?”
“In that case, you need to quit gambling. You also need to burn that thing stat.”
“As soon as I get home,” she nodded in agreement.
“Well, room service should get here at any moment. Do you want to stay and catch up over breakfast?” Lilly asked.
“I can’t. It’s Daddy-Daughter Pancake Sunday. Dad’s probably waiting for me at the diner now,” she easily lied.
“Don’t want to keep the Sheriff waiting then. Tell him hi from me.” Lilly embraced her in another hug which Veronica tried her best to reciprocate, but her nose catching Logan’s distinctive scent wafting from his shirt made it difficult to focus.
“I will,” Veronica finally promised when Lilly let go. Before her friend could stop her, she turned and headed down the hall, calling out, “We’ll talk later.”
Veronica held herself together the best she could as she walked back, but the second she heard the suite’s door click shut, her eyes started to well up in tears. When she got to the elevator, she urgently hit the down button five times and then stuffed Madison’s stole in the pot of the decorative topiary right beside it. A minute later the elevator arrived.
To avoid attracting the attention of the security camera monitor again, she once more leaned against the back wall and waited for the doors to close. Suddenly the door to Logan’s suite swung open and Logan, wearing only a towel around his waist, sprung out into the hall. His eyes met hers just in time to see a tear stream down her right cheek. Veronica hastily wiped it away and then leaned forward so she could hit the close button. The doors immediately began to slide shut. Her last image of him was his shoulders sagging when he realized that he was too late.