Chapter 6: Tell Me No Lies
“Say it, don’t spray it, Veronica.”
“Wow, that’s a clever line, Logan. It’s sweeping
the middle schools as we speak.” Veronica wipes the
cranberry juice from her face and then looks down at what Logan
just handed her. “Is this your shirt?” Well,
that’s just...awkward. Of course, it would be more awkward
if he were still wearing it, I suppose.
“Yeah. Don’t get all squeamish. I gave it to you sleeve
first. That’s clean. By the way, are you always this messy a
drunk?”
“I’m not drunk!” Veronica clutches the shirt in
one hand and slaps at Logan with the other.
“Oh, you spit your drinks on the furniture when you’re
sober? Nice manners, Mars.”
“You made me laugh!”
“And so my charm and wit are to be blamed for your poor
etiquette?” Veronica laughs again.
“Fine. You caught me. I was raised in a barn and in my
country, spitting is a compliment to the liquor, much like
belching after a good meal.” Veronica leans forward to wipe
the juice off the table and then looks over at Logan, who is
still laughing quietly to himself. “This cranberry juice is
going to ruin your shirt.”
“Oh, and the blood was going to give it a certain panache?
Just use it.”
Veronica nods as Logan does have a point. She cleans the table
and looks past Logan to the trashcan. “So, back into the
trash, then?”
“Yeah.”
Veronica leans toward the can and chucks the shirt, losing her
balance in the process. Only Logan’s hand on her arm keeps
her from falling across his lap. “Whoa there, Air Mars.
Thought you weren’t drunk?”
“I’m not. I slipped. Honestly, Logan. I’ve had,
what, two shots?” Veronica looks for somewhere to put her
hands down and push herself back up to a sitting position. She
finally settles on Logan’s knee as the place least likely to
draw a lewd comment.
Logan glances downward at her hands pointedly as he helps her sit
back up and Veronica rolls her eyes. Great. Just great. Logan
thinks I’m groping him. Also? I think I flashed him when I
leaned over. This night is getting better all the time.
“So! My turn?” Veronica makes a point of straightening
her dress and trying to move as far past the awkward moment as
quickly as possible.
Logan kicks back on the couch with his sandwich and puts his feet
up on the coffee table. “Yep.” He takes a bite and
waits.
Veronica smiles. “So, remember when Dick’s car
mysteriously overheated in the school parking lot a few months
ago?”
“Yeahhh...” Logan sits up a little, chewing.
“I drained all the coolant from his radiator while he was in
history class.”
Logan chokes a little. “He told me his Dad’s mechanic
fucked up the car.”
“And therein lies your quandary, Logan. Who is telling the
truth? Dick, that pillar of 09er society? Or me, Veronica Mars,
she of the oh-so-questionable reputation? Your call.”
Veronica grins as she finishes her sandwich and studies Logan.
Logan nods at her, thinking. “I remember that day. He was
ranting about it the whole time he waited for a tow. Seemed
really fired up.” He stares at her, eyes intense.
“Would he have known you did it?”
“Ah ah. No clues, Logan. That would be cheating.”
Logan stands up and Veronica looks at him, confused. Stepping
past her, he heads over to the mini-bar and bends over to dig
around in the cabinet. He returns with a handful of bottles of
both vodka and whiskey and sets them down on the table to join
the growing collection of empties. Veronica lifts her eyebrows
and looks at him, but he doesn’t meet her look. Finally, he
drops back to the couch and turns his attention back to the
question at hand and to Veronica.
Just when Veronica feels she cannot contain herself much longer
under Logan’s scrutiny, he reaches over and picks up her
next shot of vodka and holds it out to her.
“Truth.” Without thinking, she takes it from him.
“You think Dick was lying and I’m the one
telling the truth?” Veronica tries to hide her surprise.
“Don’t get too flattered, Veronica. Dick lies all the
time. Besides, I figure you know all about things like car
maintenance and vandalism with the company you keep.” He
winks at her. “Now, come on, bottoms up.”
“Ironically, it was a comment very similar to that one which
led to Dick’s little ‘accident.’” Veronica
holds up the glass in a short toast and drinks it, flinching as
it burns her throat on the way down.
“Huh?”
“That Dick? He’s a real charmer. The things he says
about me, the scamp.” Veronica flips her hand in a mocking
gesture as Logan shakes his head. “Maybe I’ll tell you
the story sometime. How many shots is that, anyway?”
“A few.”
“A lot.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’ve got some tolerance.”
“It’s genetic. Along with a few other choice
characteristics. Maybe I’ll tell you those
stories sometime.” His voice slips from playful to bitter
without warning and Veronica kicks herself.
Logan leans back on the couch, taking the last few bites of his
sandwich, leaving the fries to grow cold on the plate. His eyes
are trained on the ceiling for an eternity about a minute long.
Head against the cushion, he turns and looks at Veronica. She
feels the air change. Something in his eyes worries Veronica once
again. She can almost see the sadness pushing back in,
threatening to swamp his ongoing attempts at distraction.
“You’re feeling it, aren’t you?”
Logan holds up two fingers an inch apart. “Just a bit.”
Veronica glances away, and down and anywhere but into his eyes.
It’s not the alcohol they are talking about and they both
know it.
Time for extra strength distraction. Regular dose won’t
do it.
She brings her eyes back to him, forced mirth there. “Well,
you do kinda suck at this game, Logan. I’ve been giving you
easy ones and you’re still blowing it.” She smirks at
him, knowing he can’t resist the bait.
Logan sits up a little, a flood of gratitude telegraphing to her
through his eyes. Veronica gives an inner sigh of relief. Logan
will have to meet his grief again sooner or later, but not this
minute. Not while it is so raw. He’s not ready. It would
pull him right under. He matches her smirk with a wicked one of
his own.
“I’m blowing it, am I, Mars? Pot calling the
kettle.” She rolls her eyes and knows he is at least
grateful for the easy shot she just gave him. “Let’s
make this a bit more interesting with something I like to call -
the lightning round.”
“Oh no. No way, Echolls.”
“Be a man, Mars.” He shrugs when she pins him with a
look. “Okay, be a tiny blonde pain in my ass. Either way.
Don’t wuss out.”
“I’m not one of your cronies, Logan. I don’t
respond to having my ‘manhood’ questioned.”
Veronica’s air quotes on ‘manhood’ force a short
laugh out of Logan.
“Come on. Don’t make me drink alone. It’s so very
E! True Hollywood Story.”
Shaking her head, Veronica purses her lips in an almost smile.
“Fine. I’ll just be able to kick your ass twice as
fast. And I want a mention in your sordid background tale.”
“You got it.” Logan slaps his hands together and rubs
them back and forth in anticipation. “Okay, so here’s
how it will go. Same rules, but with one twist. You get one
minute to decide. And there will be....seven questions. Shots
come after.” He nods at the table. “Yes, you can still
take half shots. Aaaaand I do believe it is my turn. Ready?”
Veronica nods, turning to face him on the couch. “As
I’ll ever be for such a bad idea.”
“Buck up, Mars. It’ll all be over soon. Try this one:
I’m afraid of heights.”
“Bullshit. Duncan told me you’ve always wanted to
skydive.”
“Oooh, thanks for playing, but no. I do want to, but
the reason I haven’t skydived yet is because I am
afraid of heights.”
“Damn. Okay...my favorite color is pink.”
“Bullshit.”
“Sorry. Girly, but true.”
“Damn. And that’s your last freebie, Mars. Make
‘em more interesting than that.
Shock me.” Logan leans forward, steepling his fingers under
his chin. “Okay. When I was 9 months old, I starred in a
baby food commercial.”
“Bullshit, it was for baby lotion.” Veronica grins,
knowing she got one. “And you call that shocking?”
“Fuck. Lilly.” Logan rolls his eyes. “And there
was nudity, at least.”
“Yep, Lilly. She even showed me the clip. Nice butt, Logan.
For an infant.” Veronica interrupts his retort with a raised
hand. “My turn. Shhh. Oh, speaking of nice butts...when we
were in seventh grade, Lilly and I snuck into the boys’
locker room after P.E. and peeked while everyone was
showering.”
Logan’s mouth drops open. “Into which boys’
locker room? What period?”
Veronica bites her lip. “Third.” Logan pauses, thinking
for a minute, before finally remembering which period he had gym
class with a start.
“You little...” Logan shakes his head. “Well,
clearly you were there or you wouldn’t be speaking of
my ass being so fine. True.”
“Yes, yes. And you wish. I was talking about Duncan.”
“Nice try. DK wasn’t in my gym class.” Logan winks
at Veronica and moves onto the next question. “First kiss. I
was 10. The lucky girl was Emmy award-winning actress Anna
Bellamy’s daughter Sarah.”
“Bullshit! Logan, you should really stop using things that
Lilly knew about. She told me, well, not everything, but lots of
things. She said you tried to kiss Sarah Bellamy, but she
ran off. Scarred you for life...or at least a few months.”
“Fuck. Lilly had a big mouth.”
“That she did.” Veronica’s grin starts to slowly
fade, and she looks away so Logan doesn’t see the flash of
pain in her eyes, the memories burning bright.
Composed again, Veronica glances back to Logan, who is watching
her closely. “My turn. Okay.” Veronica turns to Logan,
eyes gleaming wickedly with a particularly juice memory of Lilly.
“When Lilly and I kissed in the limo?” Logan nods.
“That was not our first kiss.”
“Bullshit! You were...you wouldn’t have...”
Logan’s eyes narrow.
“But I did. And you know she would have.”
Veronica pauses as Logan slumps back on the couch, eyes glassing
over. “Logan. Logan! Hit pause on Two Naughty Schoolgirls
and keep playing. It’s your turn.” Veronica shoves him
in the arm.
“Veronica, I’ll forfeit my turn - the last turn - if
you’ll just give up a few details.” Logan sits back,
eyes dancing with challenge and enough interest that Veronica
feels a blush starting.
Feigning nonchalance, but really trying to forget how embarrassed
and awkward she felt that night in the Kanes’ house,
Veronica explains. “She taught me to kiss one night when I
was staying over. I was too shy to kiss a boy, so she...well,
Lilly was a take charge girl. She taught me. Hands on. Um...lips
on. That’s all there is to it.”
Logan chokes. “That’s ALL?”
“I wouldn’t have mentioned it if I’d known you
would go catatonic. I think we are up to four shots for you and
two half-shots for me in this insane endeavor, Logan”
“But...”
“And you can still have your turn. Word to the wise. Try to
not to trick with me a secret Lilly would have told me. I like a
challenge. Surprise me.”
Logan pauses, staring at the floor for a few moments. He cuts his
eyes at Veronica once, and he seems to be reaching a decision.
“The only reason I didn’t ask you out when I moved here
was Duncan.” Logan’s tone of voice and face give no
hint of the truthfulness of his statement.
Okay. Really didn’t see that one coming. I did ask him to
surprise me, so I blame myself. Veronica covers her shock
quickly. “I always thought you two would make a cute couple.
Logan, we were 12. Where would you have asked me out
to?”
“I had a driver, Veronica. And I’ve always been very
advanced for my years.” He holds up a finger. “And
I’ve also always been full of shit. So, which is it?”
Veronica’s head starts to hurt from spinning and she thinks
it can’t be the effect of two...or maybe three shots.
It’s the effect of Logan. Veronica thinks of Lilly and the
million reasons he would never have picked her over her best
friend.
“No way. Definitely bullshit.”
Logan doesn’t exactly meet her eyes, but he smirks as he
turns his attention to the shot glasses. “And now, Veronica,
we drink. Four for me. Three for you.”
Three? But that means...