CHAPTER 3
THE RUMORS

SATURDAY nights used to be filled with alcohol and large crowds of people. Veronica's knees no longer hurt from jumping around to the beat of an Aerosmith song in someone's garage. She didn't reek from marijuana. She was no longer waking up on Sunday mornings with the biggest hangover. But that would change tonight, because she was going back to the scene of her nightmares.

The phone in her kitchen rang loudly, and Veronica stood from the couch where she had been watching a horror movie. Striding over to the phone, she picked up the device and said, "Moreda residence."

"Hey, Ronnie," Edward's voice sounded cranky in the speaker. "I'm not gonna be home until late tonight. Still at Merrill's and looking at his ..." Her father paused. "Contaminated pumpkins, I guess. They're all rotting and it's an ugly scene. Can you hand out candy for trick-or-treaters?"

Veronica raised a brow, almost forgetting today was, in fact, Halloween. "A contaminated pumpkin case is really what's keeping you from coming home?"

Edward sighed. "I know, don't remind me."

"Well," she bit the edge of her lip, "I'm going out tonight anyways, so I can't hand out anything. I'll see you later as well. Don't wait up for me."

"Uh –" Edward seemed to choke on his spit. "You're what –"

Veronica hung up the phone quickly before turning to the clock in her kitchen. It was eight; Billy Hargrove would be there soon. He promised he'd pick her up from her house, but Veronica was a bit apprehensive about getting in a car with him. She couldn't ignore the rumor that he killed someone, and if this was her last night alive, she'd hate for it to be on fucking Halloween.

Fifteen minutes later, she saw a pair of headlights reflect across her window. Veronica pushed away the curtains in her living room and saw the infamous black Camaro just outside her house. He blew the horn loudly, causing Veronica to groan slightly.

She grabbed her keys and moved outside. As she locked the door, Billy slammed on his horn again, causing Veronica to turn her head slightly and scowl at his car. Hooking her keys on her belt, she sauntered towards the black Camaro, wondering if getting inside was indeed a good idea. It wasn't.

Billy rolled down the window on the passenger side. "Get in," he ordered, and when she didn't move, he rolled his eyes. "What do you think I'm going to do? Kidnap you?"

"Wouldn't put it past you," Veronica muttered, opening the car door and sliding herself inside. The seat was pulled back, insinuating to Veronica that maybe he had a girl or two in this seat. She almost threw up inside her mouth.

He grabbed the red pack of Marlboros from his jacket and threw them into her lap. Veronica smiled and put the pack in her own jacket. Billy lit himself a cigarette and held his arm outside the car, saying, "You're a cheap bitch, you know that?" Veronica didn't reply, knowing it would only give him the satisfaction he wanted.

Billy pulled out of her driveway and was instructed by Veronica to where Tina's house was located. After blasting the sound of the Scorpions at full volume, she grew tired of seeing Billy hit his wheel in a demeaning manner. She hesitantly turned down the volume. "So you say you don't kidnap, but are the rumors still true?" She asked with a raised brow. "You kill someone?"

She watched his jaw clench and teeth grit. "You listened to that kind of shit?"

"I was only asking a –"

Without caring about the sudden turn in the road, Billy leaned in close to her face. Veins popped in his forehead. "They aren't fucking true, understand?" He seethed. "They aren't fucking true."

"Chill the fuck out, buddy!" Veronica spat back.

"DON'T YOU TELL ME TO –"

Her eyes moved back to the road. She saw headlights going straight for them. They were on the other side of the road. She shrieked, "WATCH OUT!" Veronica lunged over to the wheel as Billy's hands suddenly retracted from it. She swerved the car in the other lane as Billy's foot slowly left the gas peddal.

With a swift motion, Veronica grasped his hands and threw them on the wheel. "God," she fumed with heated eyes. "Fuck me gently with a chainsaw, why don't ya?"

Billy didn't speak for the rest of the car ride. He only stared at the road with anger in his eyes. Tough luck, Veronica thought to herself. As they drove closer to the biggest house at the end of Oak Avenue, all lit up with Halloween lights, Veronica pointed over. "Park the car," she ordered, and after giving her a glare, Billy did as such.

Veronica was the first to get out of the car, and she closed her door with a slam. She looked over her shoulder, seeing Billy just jumping out. She scoffed in his direction, "Hurry up, new kid."

•••

"This town smells like cow shit," Billy complained once they arrived at the door. He had handed the orange invite to the random teenager at the door, who then opened the door for them. It was then that Veronica was welcomed again by the sight of a high school party, and boy, did she already wish to leave. She suddenly had a bad taste in her mouth.

Billy roughly grasped her shoulder, dragging her around the party to talk with random people. Veronica usually stood in the back of him with an uncomfortable look on his face. She wondered why he even asked her to come anyways when he didn't want to do anything. He was wasting her time, but what was she really going to do tonight? Probably sit at home and give out candy to kids. Besides, the desire for excitement tonight still lingered in her veins, and because she hadn't done it in a while, she at least expected a make-out from one of the boys in her vicinity.

And finally, when he was being challenged by Tommy Hellos to drink from the keg, Billy squeezed Veronica's shoulder and pulled her forward suddenly. The blue-haired girl felt whiplash and almost dropped the lit cigarette in her hand. She stared at Billy wide-eyed before yanking herself away from his grip. "This is my date," Billy introduced, an undertone of anger in his voice, "Veronica –"

"Moreda," Tommy finished, taking a large chug of the beer in his hands. His girlfriend, Carol, appeared beside him with a smirk. "We all know Veronica Moreda."

"Haven't see you at one of these parties for a while, Ronnie." Carol commented with a snarky expression. "Not since your baby brother ... well, you know."

Veronica took a drag from her cigarette. "Thanks for the reminder, Carol. It's not like I didn't know my younger brother died two years ago today."

"I wasn't trying to be mean," she said. "I was just ... saying."

"Yeah," Veronica nodded while mocking Carol's voice, "how about you just ... not say anything."

The three went silent, but Carol continued to stare daggers at Veronica, who puckered her lips and sent smoke in her direction. She turned to Billy, giving him a glare before muttering, "I'm going to get a beer."

It took some time for Veronica to move past the bustling crowd of drunk teenagers, but she did eventually reach the cooler. She stuck her hand inside the container of ice and pulled out a Schlitz, which had always been – by far – the worst beer she ever tasted, but Veronica wasn't looking to remember tonight. If she had to be here with Billy Hargrove as his sad excuse of a date, she at least didn't want to be sober for it.

As she cracked open the can and took a big sip, she heard someone shout behind her, "Fancy seeing you here!"

Veronica snapped her head around to see Steve Harrington and Nancy Wheeler, wearing some kind of retro costumes. She sent them a fake smile, clearly unhappy to be amongst the teenagers pushing her into a corner. "Hey, Steve," she greeted, blowing out a puff of smoke in the process.

Steve flipped his sunglasses up for a moment, wrapping his arm around Nancy. "Nice costume."

"Thanks," she replied sarcastically. "I call this, 'Not trying.'"

"I see you took my advice," he grinned. "It's good to see the old Ronnie Moreda back in her element."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "Don't get your hopes up. I'm only here so the new kid could use my invite."

Nancy wrinkled her nose. "New kid?"

Before she could answer, shouting began to fill the outside air. "BILLY! BILLY! BILLY!" Veronica turned with an annoyed expression to see Billy walking through the crowd, his superiority complex still fully intact. Spit dripped from his chin, and Veronica noticed he had somehow just lost his shirt within the fifteen minutes she was away from him, leaving him only in jeans and a leather jacket. She rocked her head back and finished off the can of beer in one gulp. She then bent down to grab another, holding her cigarette in the air.

"Slow down, tiger." Steve chuckled, but Veronica pushed his hand back.

She almost felt the need to yell at him that she knew what she was doing; that this was her goal for tonight, but she couldn't with Tommy and Billy stalking towards the three. Billy's lit cigarette hung from his mouth and burned a fiery red at the tip. He looked at Veronica with rage in his eyes, or was that look directed at Steve? He was suddenly in front of them, staring at the three with a mix of hostility and interest.

Tommy was behind the new kid then. "We got ourselves a new keg king, Harrington."

"Yeah, that's right," an irrelevant boy beside them exclaimed. "Eat it, Harrington."

Nancy became increasingly uncomfortable, and decided to walk away as Steve removed his sunglasses. Veronica rested her arm holding a beer under the other that she used to smoke her cigarette. She raised a brow at the new nickname for Billy. "So, that's your big accomplishment?" She laughed lowly. "What should we call you now? Keg king?"

Billy's lip twitched. Veronica saw his eyes blink several times, but he made no moves. "Stay here, Moreda." He ordered before walking away with his new friends.

She rolled her eyes at Billy before sucking down another beer. Steve was staring at Veronica in confusion. Looking back at him and tossing her empty can in the trash, she shrugged. "You're here with Billy Hargrove?" He asked in disbelief.

Veronica set her lips on her cigarette and coughed up a heap of smoke. "Unfortunately."

•••

A/N: Thank you for all the support and comments so far!!!!

( made by JustSav )