ELEVEN: BAD TIMING

VERONICA COULDN'T REMEMBER THE LAST TIME SHE WAS THIS TERRIFIED. Even with her best friend by her side, she didn't feel safe. Not in the slightest.

Heather stopped just outside the gates of the facility, turning off the car and staying silent. Finally, she asked, "What now?"

"Now, we wait. I guess?" Veronica sighed, although, something about those words coming out of her mouth didn't feel right. She felt like she would be doing more, but she didn't need Heather by her side to do it. Drawing in a deep breath, she said, "Actually? You wait. That's not me asking, that's an order and I'm sorry but this is something I need to do for Nancy, okay? I'm going to try and get in there and I bet they'll treat me with a lot more humanity than you and yes, that's a race thing and you know it, so I need to make sure you stay here and stay safe."

Heather's eyes were wide, opening and closing her mouth at a loss for words. After what felt like a million years of silence, the girl spoke, "Oh, okay. Um, you still have that switchblade?"

"Always," Veronica nodded, unlocking her door, "You leave this car and I won't hesitate to use it on you." Of course, Veronica would never actually hurt her best friend, but the message came through clear.

"I'll be here waiting if you need a quick way out, same for Jonathan and Nancy since they took the car it looks like. Shit, this is all fucked," Heather sighed, "I'm gonna let you do this and if you survive, don't say I never did anything for you."

With a laugh, the brunette stepped out of the car, pulling her coat tighter over her wide body at the sudden hit of cool air. "I love you, Heather."

"I love you, too, Veronica," the girl in the driver's seat spoke softly, worry prominent in her dark eyes, "Be safe. Don't get killed, you haven't kissed Nancy yet."

With a warm smile, Veronica closed the car door. The entrance had a guard and the fence had barbed wire, but things like that had never stopped the girl before. She walked up to the guard with a smile on her face.

"What are you doin' over this way, missy?" the guard spoke in a slightly harsh tone, a confused look on his face. "Town's over that way, down the road."

"Oh!" Veronica made her voice slightly higher, adding a small giggle onto the end of her words, "I know that! My mama works just inside that building and she needed me to bring her lunch 'cause she left it at home today! Ya didn't hear it from me, but she's quite the scatterbrain. I love 'er anyway!"

The guard was clearly not convinced, "I'm afraid I can't let anyone into that building without a pass, ma'am. Why don't ya just leave your mother's lunch here and I'll have someone come get it for her, how does that sound?"

"Well, I can't be sure it gets to her in time if ya do it that way!"

"Who even is your mom, we only have two or three women workin' here and I don't reckon any of them have a daughter your age."

Veronica was getting tired of this, "Well, you see, my mom actually works at a diner just south of here so..." She reached in and pulled out her switchblade, flicking it open and pressing it against the closest part of the guard. Due to her height advantage, she was actually able to press the tip of her blade against his neck. "...but my dad was a policeman and he taught me the best little tricks, ya know."

The guard reached for a phone or something, but Veronica just pressed the switchblade closer into his throat, "Go ahead, I dare you."

The guard grabbed her wrist and wrenched the blade out of it, much to her surprise, holding onto her wrist and yanking her against the small booth. She gasped at the contact, but he didn't let her go as he called presumably more guards.

"I know what goes on inside those walls," she snarled through tight-teeth, all southern sweetness gone from her voice, "I know all about the girl, about the girl you killed, about where the boy went. I saw the creatures you harbor in that terrifying place. I bet you don't even know what goes on inside those walls, but I, I do. I know everything." It probably wasn't smart to reveal everything, but she knew that was what was going to get her inside those walls. They could let a random stranger with a knife go, but not a random stranger that knew everything.

In what feels like seconds, there's another guard wrenching her hands behind her back, forcing her up onto her feet. As soon as they had a hold on her, she stopped resisting. As they marched her towards the building, she held a triumphant smile on her face. They did exactly what she wanted them to. They brought her inside the building, throwing in some room with a metal table, locking the door and leaving her to her own devices. She turned and noticed a camera in the corner of the room. With a smile on her face, she stuck her tongue out.

A man entered the room, another guard. She stood up, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow without a word. The man reached out to grab her arm, but she jumped back. "Put your hands on me, I cut them off."

The guard sighed, "If you try to run there are hundreds of guards ready to stop you. Doctor Owens would like to meet you."

"Who the fuck is Doctor Owens?"

Veronica found that out shortly. She stepped out into the hall with the guard behind her and another guard by her side. There was a man with gray hair and two teenagers following him.

"Nancy!" Veronica called out before a guard yanked her back when she tried to run to the girl. She yanked her arm out of his grip and ran anyway, grabbing the shoulder of the brunette. She pulled her into a hug right away, ignoring everyone. "I lost my fucking switchblade for this."

"What are you doing here?" Nancy asked in wonder, "I-I told you to wait. You're alone right?"

Veronica was confused for a minute since she knew Nancy was aware that Heather was with her, but she realized the silent question the girl was asking. Is Heather okay? Veronica nodded, "It's just me, I couldn't have lived with myself if anything happened to you so, so I followed you in. Sorry, I've never been one for following orders."

"So you two are friends," the older man who the brunette figured was Doctor Owens, "Makes sense. As this young lady here claims to know everything just as you do. Would you like a minute, or shall I continue with the tour?"

"Give us a minute, Jonathan, wait here," Nancy instructed, pulling Veronica back into the interrogation room she figured Jonathan and she had been in previously. "Don't say anything stupid, there are cameras. Why are you here? It's dangerous, I felt bad enough dragging Jonathan into this."

"Well, Jonathan's a pussy bitch so that makes sense. Nance, if you knew me at all you would know that I don't sit still, ever. I'm here because... because I care about you and I needed to know if you were safe and if anything happened to you and I was just waiting outside like some fool, I would never be able to forgive myself."

Nancy was searching the brunette's eyes, most likely looking for anything but the truth, but that was all Veronica had to offer. The truth. Well, most of it. "Why?"

They were in the middle of a government facility, the same facility run by the people that killed Nancy's best friend, the same people that covered up Will's disappearance, and the girl in front of her had just broken up with her boyfriend. This was quite possibly the worst place to do what Veronica was about to do. That wasn't going to stop her.

"Because I love you. Like, the way that girls probably should love boys, but I don't, I love you. I have since freshman year. That's why I kind of stopped talking to you last year because every time I saw you with Steve it broke my fucking heart—"

Nancy kissed her. It was heaven. There was a camera in the room and they were likely being watched at this very moment, but Veronica didn't care because Nancy Wheeler was kissing her. Like something out of a fucking movie. Veronica kissed back, her hands tangling in Nancy's short, curly hair (it is the bisexual haircut!) as Nancy cupped her face. If this was what happened when the brunette rambled, she would definitely do so often. Nancy tasted like honey and smelled like an autumn breeze if that was even possible, but it was everything to Veronica. This was something out of a freshman year fantasy except it was actually happening. When they pulled apart, Nancy rested her head on Veronica's shoulder, being four inches shorter than her.

"That was very romantic, but possibly the worst place someone has ever confessed their love for anyone," Nancy sighed, laughing slightly and sounding out of breath. "I came here to get evidence for my dead best friend's parents, not this."

"Way to kill the mood," Veronica laughed. "I think it's been longer than a minute, don't wanna keep Doctor Owens waiting. Also, I'm totally okay with dying in here because I just checked off the one and the only thing on my bucket list."

Nancy laughed, "I'm honored," then kissed her again. "They can wait for a little bit, I think my priorities are a bit skewed right now."

"And I am totally okay with that."

( note! )

twentygayteen is thriving and it's all because of me sorry I don't make the rules! Also, sorry not much boys or Heather in this chapter but it's about damn time Veronica got her own chapter!