67Author's Note: Happy Veronica Mars Movie Kickstarter Project Anniversary! March 13th, 2013. I can't believe it has been four years since we heard about the Kickstarter. The emotions and the euphoria when we learned that Veronica Mars was back, I remember I cried for days. Those who didn't know about the Kickstarter and the movie were missing out! I hope you're enjoying this chapter. Veronica Mars forever!
Veronica: Neptune, Balboa County 2016
The next day, Veronica woke up feeling better. She was refreshed after last night. She'd had dinner with Mac, ordered lots of desserts, and texted Logan asking him whether he wanted to have a drink… She blamed it on the desserts; too much sugar could make her do crazy things.
Mac was right though. It was only a drink, catching up with an old friend, just like she was catching up with Mac and Wallace.
Wallace didn't go to dinner with them last night, but she would have lunch with him today. Probably would be best not to mention Logan to him. He could blab to Piz, and considering the sensitivity of the situation, Logan shouldn't even be on the conversation radar. Although she should be able to talk about whatever the hell topic she wanted, but she'd rather keep her friends close at this point.
Logan had texted back last night, saying that he would love to have a drink with her.
Veronica didn't know what to say to Logan… Hopefully, alcohol would help the conversation.
Veronica bit her lip as she read the texts again.
She shouldn't feel giddy about having a drink with an ex-boyfriend, right? She had a boyfriend, whom she was living with, who happened to proposed to her a few days ago, and she loved him.
So why was the prospect of having drinks with Logan more exciting than being proposed to by Piz?
She pondered the question while taking a shower. She scrubbed her body harder than necessary while enjoying the hot water. She was glad that this house had hot water. One good thing happening from no longer being poor, she could give her dad a better housing.
Freshly showered, she entered her bedroom. The bedroom wasn't used before, it was more like a guest room, with so many boxes scattered around. Veronica sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled out a treasure chest, the size of a coffee table, from under the bed. She opened the box and began to pull out some items; her stun gun, disposable cell phones from the mid-2000s, fake IDs, wigs, and her leather bracelets. She smiled to see the old relics. Veronica thought that her life had been better ever since she gave up all of this.
Or was it?
She had a solid relationship, quality job, and a low profile existence – even though she was a famous photographer.
Or does all that bore the crap out of you, Veronica?
LVLVLVLV
Keith poured himself a coffee when Veronica showed up in the kitchen and greeted him a good morning. He offered her a cup of coffee as she kissed him on the cheek.
"Hmmm, coffee…" Veronica hummed, inhaling the coffee scent.
Keith noticed that she was wearing a dark jean jacket and horizontal striped shirt. "Sticking around for a while?" Keith asked while drinking his coffee.
"You know the magnetic pull of Neptune and my dad." She bit into her toast.
"What's your plan for today?"
Veronica chewed, "Spending my time around Neptune, taking pictures. There are so many new places that I've never been. So I think it's time for sight-seeing." Keith didn't say anything, but he looked down to his coffee. "I'm going to have a lunch with Wallace."
"That's nice."
"I'm also going to your office after lunch."
"I might not be there… have to see a client."
Veronica shook her head. "That's okay; I'm just gonna clean up there."
"Veronica…"
"And then have a drink with a… friend."
Keith frowned. "With Mac?"
"Nope." She didn't elaborate. "Anyway, we can have a dinner before that if you want to."
"Sure." Keith suddenly lost his appetite. The fact that his daughter was going to stay after all and not go back home to New York, worried him. "Where do you wanna go?"
"Can we eat at Luigi's? I've got a craving for good lasagna."
"I don't know whether that's a good idea…"
"Huh? Why?"
"Honey, the last time you were here eating at Luigi's, you were eating off your body weight."
"You're hilarious."
"I am."
Veronica stood up and kissed her father's head. "Well, I better get going and taking pictures of the spring breakers and their walk of shame."
"Early bird gets the worm, honey."
"You betcha!" Veronica chewed the rest of the toast and gulped her coffee. She put her camera into her messenger bag and walked out as Keith watched her, sighing.
Logan: Neptune, Balboa County 2016
Logan woke up with the sound of music coming from the living room. He groaned a bit and looked at the clock on his phone. Well, he might as well wake up now and make breakfast for his daughter. Lorrie was like him; she was an early riser because sometimes she would go surfing with him and Dick.
In the bathroom, he could hear Lorrie singing along with the music. The girl could sing like her mother, but he noticed that she was a bit pitchy at the end. Didn't matter – she was such a talented girl, Logan felt very protective of her. There were so many people, most of them from Carrie's family, who wanted to exploit Lorrie's talent. The daughter of a famous dead pop singer who was following in her footsteps was a really good headline. Logan didn't know whether he wanted to choke those who wanted to exploit his daughter or try to support Lorrie with her talent. He didn't know what he would do if Lorrie asked him if she could become a singer.
Logan learned from an early age the dark side of fame. Ever since he was a little boy, his parents, mostly Aaron, forced him to behave a certain way in public and in front of the media He got used to scandals, abuse, and even deaths. Aaron's infidelity, his mom's suicide, the bum fights he conducted, Aaron's affair with Lilly, Aaron's trial, Aaron's death, his murder trial, Cassidy's case, Mercer's rape case, his drunken behaviors, Carrie's death, and even his own daughter was dragged into the tabloids.
He remembered when Lorrie was born; they called her a child who was born out of wedlock between Carrie and Logan, and then they dragged the whole family history to the surface. Lorrie was only a day old, and her picture was already splattered across the media.
Trina, who was always trying to be in the media, for some reason, declared herself as the best aunt ever. He could count on one hand how many times Trina has visited her niece.
Lorrie had been hinting about her interest in a possible singing career. She was only seven years old, and she said she wanted to be a singer like Carrie. Of course, she didn't know the consequences of being a pop star, and Logan knew she was too young for that. He was glad at least he could parent her now, while she was very young. He always told her that school and education were important. Dick made fun of him, of course, by telling him that he'd become one of those square and boring adults.
"You're young! Don't be lame!"
Someone had to be the mature adult here and obviously wasn't going to be Dick.
Logan came out to the living room and saw Lorrie was dancing energetically. She was listening to 'Single Ladies' by Beyonce, and she was dancing and waving her left hand. She saw her dad, and a smile broke out on her face. "Morning, daddy!" She then grabbed Logan's hand and pulled him to the middle of the room. "Dance with me!"
Logan looked down at his daughter dancing around him, and he laughed. "You know I can't dance like that!"
Lorrie didn't care; she kept dancing and mouthing the lyrics. Logan then moved his body and tried to 'dance' like his daughter, but it looked ridiculous. Lorrie laughed, but she kept dancing with her dad. She giggled as she held his hand, and then tried to twirl him. Logan ducked and twirled while chuckling. He then picked her up and twirled her whole body like an airplane.
"Daddy!" Lorrie laughed very hard.
"Woh oh oh oh oh oh!" Logan sang off-key along with the song. He then hoisted her up on his waist and then danced a ballroom dance, their hands intertwined together. He tipped her down, as she picked a stem of flower from a vase nearby, and then put the flower between his lips. They were dancing around the living room for quite a while before he put her down. Lorrie held the flower, and then they curtsied at each other.
"More!" Lorrie asked to be picked up.
Logan shook his head, "I can't! You're too heavy!" But he squats and let Lorrie climbed on his back. They were off to the kitchen playing piggy back. Lorrie had her arms around his neck, while he grabbed some food from the pantry and started preparing breakfast. "What do you want, sweet pumpkin?"
"Pancakes!"
"I will make them if you set the table."
Lorrie climbed down from his back and started setting the plates and the glasses. She even put some toasts in the toaster and then grabbed a cereal box. "We ran out of milk!"
Logan groaned, remembering that Dick finished the milk yesterday. "I hope you're okay that I make pancakes with plain water, Lorrie."
"It's okay," Lorrie said as she sat and watched her dad cook.
Logan learned how to cook a few years ago after Lorrie stopped eating baby food. He discovered that kids need home cooking and not just Pizza. Recently, Jade had been teaching him how to cook properly but he was still not that good, but he could cook something easy and fast like pancakes or pasta, and Lorrie never complained about his cooking.
Logan really enjoyed eating with Lorrie in the kitchen. He loved his daughter so much and would do anything for her, and these moments just the two of them together, he would cherish forever. He didn't have a normal childhood growing up. His mother was so busy with charity and drinking, and Aaron was too much of a psycho for the family. Logan was determined that Lorrie would have a normal and happy childhood – normal as they could get.
Lorrie was chewing the pancakes happily, and Logan smiled watching her eat. He was drinking his coffee when his phone started beeping.
He checked his text message and noticed that Veronica was texting him.
His ears suddenly went red.
Veronica was texting him to let him know her plans for the day. That she would be sightseeing around Neptune, having lunch with Wallace, going to her dad's office, having dinner with her dad, and then she would have a drink with him.
Logan smiled again and then typed "Sounds like a plan. Pick you up tonight?"
Veronica: Neptune, Balboa County 2016
Veronica was sitting on a bench near the boardwalk, taking pictures of people who were coming to the beach. Some of them were spring breakers. They were obviously hungover and they were struggling to keep their eyes open.
Veronica then checked her phone after she heard a ping. Logan texted her back, and asked, "Sounds like a plan. Pick you up tonight?"
She pursed her lips. Picking her up at her house… That would look like a date. This was not a date. This was supposed to be a drink with a friend, catching up after all these years. Not to mention her dad would say something about it, and she'd rather avoid it.
She texted him back, "I don't want to go back and forth to/from my house after dinner with my dad. Just let me know where to meet ." She added a smiley face emoticon.
Veronica was wondering what he was doing this morning… Having breakfast with his kid? Maybe he had a girlfriend? She shook her head, trying to get rid of that thought. Why did she even think that? She, herself, had a boyfriend. It wasn't her business whether Logan had a girlfriend or not. Well, he has a boyfriend - Dick, Veronica thought while grinning.
Logan texted back, "Okay… Let's meet up at the 09ers. Around 10 PM? I have to ask Dick to babysit my kid first."
Veronica smiled. Wow, she never thought that Logan would have Dick babysit his child, let alone utter the word 'babysit'. She typed back, "I'll see you there, buddy."
Buddy…
Why not just say 'chum'? She thought while grimacing. This would be awkward as hell, and she hoped that she didn't make mistake by deciding to have a drink with him. It was just… a drink and they were being friendly. Nine years ago, they parted in a very bad way. Logan hit Piz because he thought that he secretly recorded them both having sex. She remembered how she yelled at him…
"You're out of my life, FOREVER."
And then Logan hit Gory Sorokin, the man responsible for the sex tape. Even with the threat looming after him, Logan smiled bloodily, and she smiled back at him. Maybe they were too damaged that revenge and justification were the things that made them.
But those things weren't theirs anymore.
Logan was a father now. He had a little daughter and judging from his characteristic, he had let go all the demons within him.
How about her?
Veronica stood up and started to walk around again, taking pictures.
LVLVLVLVLV
By lunch time, she was spent and tired. But at the same time, she was happy. Taking pictures of Neptune, no matter how much was dirty and unpleasing because it was spring break, was much better than spending hours taking pictures of naked supermodels. New York sometimes could be exhausting but she loved the city. Neptune was too bright and too fake, and yet…
Veronica was already sipping her Pina Colada in a café near the boardwalk when Wallace walked in. They hugged and ordered their food. Wallace shook his head when Veronica ordered a huge amount of food.
"You really are a bottomless pit," Wallace commented.
"A girl needs fuel to grow up."
"To where – sideways?"
Veronica kicked Wallace under the table. "I resent that." But there was no resentment whatsoever as they were joking around. "For that, you pay for your own food!"
"Awh, dang it!"
Last night Mac and Veronica had dinner together. They talked about their lives, but Mac wisely didn't talk about Logan or even Piz. Mac knew that it wasn't her business, and so she didn't pry. Veronica didn't know what Wallace would talk about during lunch because sometimes he could be a gossip.
Veronica closed her eyes as she chewed her food. "Hmmm… This… This I remember." She moaned while eating her food, which made Wallace cringe.
"Jesus, please don't do that. Everyone is looking!" Nobody was watching them, but Wallace made a face. Veronica laughed and drank her Pina Colada.
"I am enjoying life, Papa Bear. This is such a nice vacation. The sun is bright, the weather is sunny, the ocean…" She pointed at the sea outside the window. "I really miss this."
"This is Neptune. There's nothing awesome about this city. Are you alright? Why are you so happy?"
"What – I can't be happy?"
"This is you we're talking about."
"I hate you sometimes."
"But seriously, folks…" Wallace looked at his best friend. "You seem giddy."
"Listen, Wallace." She put more food into her mouth. "I just spent few hours of sight-seeing around town and taking pictures. It was…" She swallowed so she could speak better. "Amazing." Wallace waited for her to finish her talking. "It was a freeing experience, you have no idea. I usually spend hours in the studio, catering to a bunch of whiny supermodels and agents for glossy magazines, and then have meetings with those ungrateful agents for photo shoots." She shook her head. "Hey, I love my job. It's great. But you know… I need this."
"Okay." Wallace shrugged like he didn't care. "You need a break. I got ya'."
"So how's your own job? I still can't believe that you're teaching at Neptune High. That place is a cesspool."
"It's okay, it's not so bad." He looked out the window and saw a girl puking over the railing into the ocean. He made a face, and then looked at Veronica who was practically glowing eating her lunch. "I mean the kids aren't so bad if you just connect with them."
It was Veronica's turn to make a face. "Who are you? I can't believe that you actually saying that Neptune High is 'okay'." She made quotation marks with her hands. "Remember what happened our senior year?"
"That was a long time ago." Wallace drank his orange juice. "Granted, it was unpleasant. But I've moved on from that, and…" He shrugged. "I am enjoying my time teaching."
Veronica slapped her hand on the table. "Okay, let's hear it." She looked at him. "Who is she?"
"I have no idea what are you talking about!"
"Wallace Fennel." She warned him.
"Veronica Mars." Wallace widened his eyes purposely.
"Come on!"
"Fine! There is… someone."
"Aha!"
"But that's just a bonus. I mean, I really enjoy teaching, and-"
"So who is this woman? I sure hope she's not a student."
"Of course not, damn it!" Wallace exhaled exasperatedly. "Okay, I will tell you about her..." He pointed his forefinger at her. "…if you tell me whether you're gonna accept Piz's proposal or not."
Veronica threw her hands up in the air while rolling her eyes, "Aaah! You are so annoying!"
"It's a fair exchange, Mars."
Veronica stared hard at Wallace, and then she slowly drank her drink. She deliberately gulped her drink in front of him before answering, "Hmm… Delicious."
"Veronica."
"Wallace."
"Come on, girl. Look, do you love him?"
"Wallace, it's really not your business."
"It's ironic that it's coming from your mouth."
Veronica growled. Wallace could be very annoying regarding this topic. Yes, Piz and Wallace were best friends and she dated Piz. But it wasn't his business to know whether she would accept his proposal or not. "I don't know. I really don't know. Please…"
Wallace looked at her, finally nodded in understanding. "Okay, sorry that I pushed you."
"Listen, Wallace… I love Piz, okay? But I'm not sure that I am ready for marriage. And everyone keeps pushing me to make a decision, which I am not cool with it."
"Sorry about that. It's not my intention to push you." Wallace squeezed her hand. "I care about you – both. I just want to see you two be happy."
She was happy. With everything; with her job, with her life, with her relationship… until the 'P' and the 'M' words were thrown into the hat.
"Thanks, Wallace. It means a lot. But seriously, enough about the whole thing… Let me make my own decision, alright?" Wallace raised his hands, giving up on the subject. For a while, they didn't say anything, as they were eating their food. Veronica looked out the window and saw people were walking and laughing without a care in the world. "I'm having a drink with Logan Echolls tonight."
If this was a sitcom, Wallace would have a spit take or something along that line. But it wasn't, so Wallace just stared at her. It wasn't a disbelief look or anything; it was something that Veronica couldn't translate.
"Okay…"
"I ran into him yesterday in the street, with his daughter."
Of course Wallace heard about Logan's daughter. It was all over the tabloids and news media. From what he read and heard, Logan had managed to get his life together f or the sake of his daughter, but that didn't mean he was a changed person, right? There were so many 09ers with bad parents – case in point, his students in school. There were bad eggs in that school, even Wallace thought that Neptune was seriously cursed.
But Logan Echolls…
"So… you're having a drink with him." It wasn't a question. Wallace looked down at his plate, moving the food around with his fork.
"Yes. I thought I should tell you this because I trust you not to make a harsh judgment about it." Veronica looked at him. "You said that you have moved on from the past. Neptune High was hell, and yet you are a teacher there. Well, I'm trying to move on too. I thought it would be best to mend the broken friendship between me and Logan." Veronica looked down at his plate. "Logan and I were friends, Wallace. Before I met you… it was a complicated friendship and relationship, and I don't think I can explain it or try to make you understand, but I think this is my chance to move on…"
"By having a drink with him?"
"I gotta start somewhere." Veronica looked at him now. "We didn't part well, back at Hearst. And I know you are angry with him for punching Piz…" Wallace didn't answer. He looked away, staring at the ocean. "But if you can move on with Neptune High, I am sure I can move on with those bad experiences and mend our friendship."
Wallace was still staring at the ocean. She's right, he thought. "Just a drink, right?"
Veronica nodded.
Just a drink.
Logan: Neptune, Balboa County 2016
Logan didn't think it would be hard to call Dick and ask him to babysit Lorrie. Usually, he would pick up the phone and ask, and Dick would immediately answer yes. It was no brainer; Dick loves Lorrie, and he would be happy to babysit.
Not this time though, because he would find out that Logan's plans were to have a drink with Veronica – and that one was a sensitive subject.
He couldn't call Jade.
One: it was last minute. Two: he didn't know how long he would be having a drink with Veronica. Three: Weevil might know.
Ugh, Weevs… he thought. He could imagine what he would say. Probably would bat his gorgeous eyelashes and then smirk knowing that Veronica was in Neptune. Weevil would then have an upper hand for their lifelong banter because Weevil was a jackass regarding this.
So the only option was…
He dialed a number and waited.
A girl picked up and immediately said, "I'm on a break!"
"I haven't said anything!"
"Logan, this is spring break. I need my booze and sex."
"I will pretend I didn't hear that, young lady."
"Young lady? Gosh, Dick is right. You're turning into a bore."
"Heather, I need you to babysit Lorrie just for tonight. I have a d – I have to meet someone for a drink."
"Someone?" There was a rustling sound. "Sounds suspicious."
"I ran into an old friend from high school and college, and we're planning to catch up because she's leaving in a week."
"She?!" There was a sound of clattering and Heather almost yelled, "Who is she?!"
"A friend." Logan looked upwards, exasperated. "Can you do it? Just for tonight. If you can't, I might have to cancel with my friend."
"Oh gosh, don't cancel! You haven't had a date for a long time. Of course I will babysit tonight! Screw partying at a 09er mansion near the seaside. I will be at your house tonight. Just gimme details, Logan!"
"It's not a date."
"Right. And I am still a virgin."
"I don't want to hear that!"
"I'll see you tonight. I will bring my toothbrush." She squealed and then hung up before Logan could say anything. He sighed; at least the problem was solved. He didn't need to worry about Lorrie or anything. Heather was great with Lorrie, and they would have a great time while he had a drink with Veronica.
After Dick's annulment with Melinda Button, Logan kept in touch with her sister, Heather. The little girl who played video games with him every weekend was now a young adult and a really good friend of his. When Carrie died, Heather was the one who supported him during the bad times. He was so grateful for her.
Logan was sitting at the dining room table, writing his novel. He was really happy that he managed to write ten pages of the novel after lunch. Since yesterday, he totaled for 110 pages. Not bad, not bad at all. He chalked it up to finally being able to sit down and write without interruption, but deep down inside, he wondered whether running into Veronica yesterday had anything to do with it.
He glanced at the living room and saw Lorrie was being very quiet as she was looking at something on her lap. She was looking at pictures inside a box. Next to her, there was an untouched sandwich. "Lorrie, have you eaten your lunch?"
"Yes, dad."
"Lorrie…"
Lorrie huffed, "Fine, not yet."
"Eat your lunch, Lorrie. You don't want to get a tummy ache."
"I'm still looking at pictures."
"What pictures?"
"Old pictures of you and the goddess!"
Logan frowned, not understanding what she's talking about. He walked to the living room and saw Lorrie was sitting on the couch with a shoebox full of pictures. He sat next to her and looked at them. He thought everything was burned when the set fire to his house back then, but then he remembered that Veronica gave a shoebox full of pictures when they were together in college.
There were no pictures of his family because it all burned, but thanks to tabloids and news media, he didn't need to worry. The tabloids have his baby pictures and younger pictures of his parents going back to the mid-80s. If he wanted to, he could just download them from the internet. But these pictures…
He remembered that Veronica showed up one day at the Penthouse where he lived back then, carrying a shoebox of pictures. She said that a boy still needs great memories of their childhood. Logan didn't have a good childhood, but his memory with Duncan, Lilly, and Veronica was actually not bad.
Logan quietly looked at the photos of Veronica.
"Wow, where did you get these?" He asked Lorrie.
"In the cabinet where Jade put all of your old things," Lorrie answered lightly. "Daddy, you look so skinny!"
Logan chuckled to see a photo of him when he was twelve. He was such a skinny boy, wearing oversized and colorful baggy clothes, and had his hair dyed. "I look like a boy band."
"And they look like princesses!" Lorrie showed him a picture of Lilly and Veronica. He smiled to see their photos. "Isn't that the lady we met yesterday?"
"Yes, that's Veronica Mars. We used to be friends… a long time ago."
"She's so pretty," Lorrie said, looking at her photo. "I love her hair."
Logan suddenly remembering he used to brush Veronica's hair with his fingers while they were in bed together, but he immediately shook that image away from his mind because that was a long time ago. "Yes, she's pretty." He murmured quietly looking at the photos with his daughter.
Lorrie shook her head, "They didn't have computers back then? Why do you put your pictures in a shoebox?"
"We usually put them in a photo album."
"Photo… album?"
Logan chuckled and then said to her, "Wait here." Logan went to his room and took an album from under his bed. He returned to his daughter, carrying a big album. She widened her eyes looking at it. "Jade made this when she was with us. She printed the photos of you and then made a scrapbook."
"Scrapbook?"
"Yeah, like this." Logan put Lorrie on his lap and then opened the album. Lorrie was amazed to see all of the pictures of her when she was a baby and a toddler on this big album. She saw some of them, but most of them were on the computer. She then tried to magnify the photo by using her index finger and her thumb, which made him laugh.
"Why won't it get bigger?" Lorrie asked.
"No, pumpkin. This is not a tablet."
Lorrie shook her head again, probably thinking that it was weird. She looked at the album, flipped the pages, one by one, looking at the pictures of herself. "This is like a book of pictures!"
"Yes. You can put the photos here too if you want to."
"Really? How?" Lorrie asked.
Logan grabbed one of the photos of him and then opened a plastic cover on the album page. He pressed the photo on the page and then covered it again with the plastic cover. "See? The photo will stick." Lorrie thought it was cool, so she started to pick and choose some of the photos to be put on the album. Logan smiled at his daughter enthusiasm. He sticks some of the photos in the album and then left the rest to her. There were dozens of photos; it would occupy her for a while. He grabbed from the drawer and gave it to Lorrie. "You can cut them up and then stick them in the album. Maybe add some glitters and flowers. Remember when I taught you how to use this? Please be careful."
"Okay, dad." Lorrie knew how to use child scissors. She then started expertly cutting the photos, and then carefully placing them in the album. She added some glitters and even colorful paper on it. This was actually a fun activity for her.
Logan took one of the pictures and put it in his pocket. When he returned to the dining room, he pulled it out and looked at it.
It was a photo of Veronica and him, together, when they were in college. He couldn't remember who took the picture, maybe Mac? Or Wallace? Either way, it was a picture of them at the beach, standing on a lifeguard tower. He was looking at her, his hand was stroking her hair, she had pigtails and was staring at him.
Was it love in her eyes?
Logan couldn't tell.
Veronica was so hard to read, but he'd like to believe that Veronica loved him back then, when they were together and young. Even with the problems they had, he believed that they belonged together and were in love with each other.
Or maybe it was just Logan who was in love with her.
That was his weakness; falling in love with women who were hard to love.
Lilly, Veronica, Carrie…
He sighed and put the photo in his wallet, and then went back to his novel.
LVLVLVLVLVLV
That afternoon there was a knock on the front door. Logan looked at his watch and then cracked his back. As he made his way to open the main door, he saw Lorrie was still playing with the photos. When he opened the door, Heather ducked under his arm and immediately prattled on, "Oh my god! Tell me everything!"
"Good afternoon to you, Heather."
"Who is the girl you're gonna have a date with?"
Logan exhaled and went back to the kitchen as Heather followed him, "It's not a date."
Lorrie heard Heather's voice and ran to welcome her. "Heather!"
"Hi, munchkin!" They hugged each other. "I'm gonna watch you tonight and spend the night."
"Can we have a pajama party?"
"Absolutely. We're gonna have some fun while your dad –"
"—is having a drink with a friend." Logan looked pointedly at Heather. "Don't worry, Lorrie. I'll be back soon."
"Who are you going out with?" Lorrie's eyes widened. "Is it with the goddess?"
Heather's mouth was open, while Logan just grimaced.
"What -?"
"You know what, I'm gonna go to the grocery for a while. Dick drank the last carton of milk, and we ran out… stuff." Logan grabbed his keys and went to the door. "I'll be back!" And he disappeared immediately, leaving Heather and Lorrie standing in the kitchen. Lorrie frowned, not understanding her father's behavior, while Heather was still flabbergasted.
Veronica: Neptune, Balboa County 2016
After a somewhat eventful lunch with Wallace, Veronica went to the Mars Investigations. As predicted, her father wasn't at the office. Luckily she had keys. Veronica stood in her father's office and stared at the big desk in front of the window. She walked over and smoothed over the surface with her fingers before she sat at the desk. She propped her feet on the desk and put her hands behind her head.
Veronica closed her eyes.
She felt like she was home.
She didn't know why nor understood the reason she felt like she was at home, sitting in this old dingy office, hearing the sound of a train outside because the building was next to a railway, and someone was using the drilling machine somewhere. It reminded her of New York, but this was much better – because she was sitting in her father's office.
Sure, she had her own studio in New York. A really clean and sparkly studio – with stylists and supermodels who come and go every day… what more was she looking for?
She was not poor anymore. She made a name for herself as one of the best fashion and lifestyle photographers, especially in New York. Her works were splashed across magazine covers and she even made the cover of Vogue magazine as one of the most influential fashion people in New York. Who knew, Veronica Mars, an icon for fashion?
Piz's proposal seems to have yanked her from that perfect life. A wake-up call that she wasn't ready for a settled life, where everything was perfect; a perfect career, a perfect boyfriend, a perfect life in New York… Why would she throw that away?
And yet…
She was more comfortable sitting in this office than her own office back in New York. It was like… coming home.
Her thoughts were cut off when she heard her phone buzzing. She checked her messages and saw that her father wouldn't be able to have dinner with her because he was still with a client. Veronica exhaled loudly – this was the second night she couldn't spend with her father. It seems he was avoiding her as well; maybe because he didn't want to acknowledge the elephant in the room.
Veronica scrolled down her contact list on her phone and bit her lip when she saw Logan's name and photo. His profile pic was still the one taken back when they were seventeen... that was a decade ago when he was in high school. Veronica didn't know why she kept his contact after all these years. The young Logan and the older Logan looked different… and yet still the same.
She inhaled and then dialed his number.
Logan picked up the phone immediately, "Hey – hello, hey."
Veronica blinked. She just realized that she called Logan. "Uh, hey. Are you busy?"
"Um, no actually… I'm doing my last minute grocery shopping... we – uh, ran out of milk."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. My kid needs… milk." He cleared his throat. "So what's up?"
"I was wondering whether you want to have dinner instead?" Veronica shut her eyes and grimaced. There was no reply from the other end of the line, she thought he hung up. "Logan?"
"Dinner sounds fine."
"G-great! My dad bailed on me, again. So I thought we could have dinner. Do you know a place near my dad's office? I'm here right now, and I don't feel like going home first."
"I can pick you up if you want to, and then we can go to Mario's."
"Mario's?"
"It's an Italian restaurant."
"How original."
Logan chuckled, "Yeah. It's a rival for Luigi's. Pretty good food, good wine, nice ambiance…" He paused. "So… should I pick you up or…?"
"Pick me up at 6:30. I'm still cleaning up here, and I don't think I have time to go back and forth to my home and the restaurant." She smiled. "Thanks, Logan."
"No problem. See you later."
They hung up, and Veronica exhaled loudly.
Logan: Neptune, Balboa County 2016
Logan pressed his forehead to the wall at the supermarket, drawing some attention from some confused shoppers. He hit his forehead a few times and then cursed quietly. He thought he could be cool when Veronica called him, very close to the time they were going out for a drink. For a brief moment, he thought Veronica called to cancel. It wasn't the first time she canceled on a…
Logan paused. This was not a date. This was supposed to be a meet between friends. Veronica was his friend for a long time. So yeah, they dated in high school and college, and there was a time he was in love with her…
BUT THIS WAS NOT A DATE.
This was supposed to be an innocent dinner between friends. Like he always did with Dick, or with Heather, or with…
Okay, so he didn't have many female friends or single female friends. Most of the time, he would have coffee with his daughter's friends' mothers. They would talk about their kids' schedules and sleepovers. Sometimes they would bring their husbands, and they would talk about parenting stuff. But single female friends?
Back home, he immediately walked into the kitchen, put the milk in the fridge. Avoiding Heather, who wanted to talk to him, he ran to his and turned some music on before falling back on the bed and cursing into a pillow.
After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door. Logan sighed and turned off the music – he suddenly felt tired. He opened the door and saw Lorrie, already in her pajama and bears slippers. "Dad, are you okay?"
"Of course, baby girl. Are you going to bed?" Logan asked while picking her up. "It's only 6 PM."
"Not yet. We're having a pajama party and Heather is making banana splits."
"No ice cream before dinner." He carried Lorrie to the kitchen where Heather was scooping some ice cream. "Heather, come on. Order some food or something, but don't eat dessert for dinner." He deposited Lorrie on the kitchen stool. "By the way, I'm going out for dinner."
Heather frowned, "You're leaving now? I thought you're just gonna have a drink?"
"Change of plan" He muttered while setting the table. "I'm having dinner with my friend…" He glanced at Heather who looked at him suspiciously.
"Okay…" Heather didn't push, but instead she smiled at Lorrie who had her arms pillowing her head on the table. "So I guess it's just you and me, huh Lorrie? We can order squid donuts!"
"Yaaay!" Lorrie clapped her hands. "I love Takoyaki."
"Too bad daddy can't eat those. Have fun." Logan kissed Lorrie's head. "So I guess I have to change now and get ready to leave." He said to Heather and then went back to his room. He needed to mentally prepare himself to pick up Veronica.
Veronica: Neptune, Balboa County 2016
Veronica was reading Piz's texts over the year. They were downright cute and corny sometimes. But she loved and cherished it, she even saved the texts. There was one when he was asking her out, but he texted something funny first. They really hit it off, and she thought that it was sort of redemption from their previous relationship. When they were in college, their relationship didn't work – she carried too much baggage and she was really angry at the world, but at the same time, she wanted a normal relationship.
It didn't work because Neptune was poison and she wanted to get away from all of that. In New York, however, Piz and Veronica worked so well. She genuinely felt that they were given another chance to have a relationship. She was a photographer, and he was a radio personality. They went to dinners and watched Broadway shows. They had fun and normalcy.
But… marriage?
She shook her head and went to the bathroom. She didn't have time to change clothes but she had time to clean herself up a bit. After she washed her face and brushed her teeth, she looked at her hair. It was straight and it was in a ponytail. She had been having this hairstyle for almost five years now – she thought she looked professional and people would take her seriously.
Maybe tonight she could distract herself from everything and have a nice dinner with Logan.
After all, they were friends – at least trying to be friends again. A decade ago, that friendship was ruined and she felt like her soul was missing. After Lilly's death, Duncan's left, and then Logan's drama, she thought that maybe she needed to start fresh again with him. They've been friends since they were twelve, maybe it was time to fix things.
Piz wouldn't mind.
They weren't teens anymore. They were adults who should understand the friendship they had and damn it to hell if she was going to throw a friendship away just to please everyone around her.
She pulled her scrunchie out and let her hair fall to her shoulder. She fixed her hair, running her fingers through it to soften the waves. She then applied some light makeup to freshen up. As she put her lip-gloss on, her phone beeped. There was a text from Logan letting her know he was downstairs waiting and if she would like him to come up. She texted back and let him know that she would be down in a minute. She looked at her image in the mirror and exhaled loudly.
As she locked the office up and descended the stairs, she could help but notice the butterflies filling her stomach. This was her chance to mend her friendship with Logan, and there was no other reason. That thought actually scares her a bit.
Veronica emerged from the building and looked up. The sun had just started to set and it left the sky a beautiful orange color. She then saw Logan, standing in the door of his BMW, waiting for her. His hands were in his pockets and he was leaning back against the car, in his usual casual way. He was wearing a green Henley shirt and dark jeans, and for a moment she thought that he looked very handsome. She made a little gasp, but Logan didn't notice. He was smiling at her, and she remembered his smile back when they were younger. It was still the same smile. Flashbacks of him smiling at her went across her mind for a split second, and it was like watching a series of reels in a lightning speed. Veronica felt like her chest was about to burst open.
"Hey." He greeted her.
It had only been a few hours since he last heard his voice, but it felt like years.
She smiled widely and greeted back, "Hey."