astoryofstupendous-blog

[astoryofstupendous-blog]

A Haunting

Once again, from @raven-ink ‘s fantastic AU within an AU. Veronica in Hunters, takes place a week after Hunter Chandler gets a big swig of drain cleaner

              “You haven’t seen Beetlejuice yet, Ronnie?” JD tilted her head to the side like a dog after it hears a high pitched noise. She had the tape in one hand and the remains of a slushie in the other.

              Veronica shook her head. “I never had anyone to see it with. Martha was nervous it’d give her nightmares and well…” Well Veronica didn’t really have any other friends besides that until recently, and now she was down one of three, not counting her fluffy headed girlfriend as “just a friend” of course. She sat on the couch in JD’s house, trying to get actually comfortable for the first time in the past week.

              JD popped the tape in and started the film before hopping onto the couch next to Veronica, resting her head against her girlfriend’s shoulder. Veronica sighed, enjoying the contact. Just a movie, nice. Easy.

              A few minutes into the film, Veronica’s blood froze in her veins like apple juice in the stupid paper cartons they handed out in the cafeteria.

              “So they’re ghosts now, huh? Boy, I bet they just have a myriad of problems now.” The lax specter of Hunter Chandler lazily leaned against the television set, draping a pale arm across it. “Enjoying the film?”

              Ignore him. He’s probably not even real, Veronica. He’s just your traumatized, guilt ridden imagination.

              She tried to breathe easily, knowing that her girlfriend would sense the tension and ask about it. The ghost didn’t speak again, but continued to watch, smiling, a line of deep blue running down his chin and threatening to drip onto the floor.

              Scene change, new characters, pay attention to the screen.

              “Hey, Ronnie, anyone ever tell you that you look an awful lot like Winona Ryder?” Asked JD, looking up and smiling gently, eyes half closed like a contented cat. Veronica shook her head. She didn’t really see the resemblance herself. Slowly, the ghost resting against the screen stood up straight, still smiling, still drooling drain cleaner. JD didn’t react at all, she couldn’t see a thing.

              The ghost, calmly and as relaxed as one could ever be, walked behind the couch. Veronica fought the urge to scream as she felt his chin rest against the top of her head, and tried not to tremble as something wet touched her scalp.

              The movie seemed to crawl by slowly. Every scene, every joke, every line of dialogue seemed to drag itself along like a turtle struck by a car. Veronica felt sick, and by the time the titular character was on the screen, tears were threatening to form at the corners of her eyes.

              “Hey, ‘Ronnie’.” The voice wasn’t JD’s this time, it came from above her this time. She felt ice cold fingers digging into her shoulders in a painful parody of a shoulder massage. “Maybe if you say my name three times, Slushie Girl over there might be able to see me. Come on…” He paused, waiting to say the next part along with the character on screen. “Make my millennium.”

              Veronica’s eyes stung but she tried to hold it in. Her lungs shuddered but she refused to let loose the gasp of a sob in her chest. They had gotten away with it. Hunter Chandler was a monster, he deserved it. Duke wasn’t obsessively working out until he was sick anymore. Kids had been inspired. Everything was okay. Everything was okay, or it was going to be. Right? Right?

“Rooooniieeeee. Say my name. Say it. Veronicaaa… Veronicaaa.”

              “Veronica?”

              The girl in blue turned, eyes red, the spectral, awful touches vanishing into nothing. JD looked concerned, unusual for the girl who won a two on one cat fight without receiving so much as a scratch.

              “Y-yeah?”

              JD wrapped her arms around Veronica, pulling her close and breathing deeply, slowly. “I… guess this flick still kinda hits close to home, doesn’t it? It’s okay. I’m here. It’s you and me against the world, and the world ain’t getting past me.”

              Veronica buried her face in whatever part of JD she could reach at that moment, which just happened to be the nape of her neck. She hoped that Jacklyn wouldn’t mind her getting tears and likely snot in her girlfriend’s shirt. Choked whimpers came from her, probably the most piteous, uncool sound a person could possibly make, but she no longer cared. She’d played it cool for too long, suffered that… that thing, following her, taunting her, from the moment they’d started writing that damn suicide note. She needed to be held, to be comforted by someone who actually understood what she was going through.

              They sat like that for what felt like long time, JD holding onto Veronica like she was the only thing in the world worth holding. Eventually, Veronica relaxed. “Thank you…” She mumbled into JD’s shirt.

              “Hey, we can save Beetlejuice for some other time, okay?”

              “All right…”

              JD moved to get off the couch, but Veronica held her down in place, silently begging her to stick around, and JD didn’t pull away.

              “Well get through this, together then.” JD pulled away just far enough to place a gentle kiss to Veronica’s forehead.

              Veronica believed her, and found herself smiling.

“You and I against the world…”

[astoryofstupendous-blog]

The Start of Something “Beautiful”

Inspired by @raven-ink ‘s Genderbend Heather AU, or, the Sub AU where it’s that AU but Excludes Veronica from the Gender Bending.

Veronica loved Martin like a brother. They had been friends so long she wasn’t entirely sure she remembered how they met. But for the past four years he’d been increasingly bullied for both his naivety and his large size. Veronica always was in for the intercept.

But that day, she was a little too slow on the draw.

“Move it, Dumptruck!” Was the last thing she heard before her beloved friend was unceremoniously shoved into her, and Veronica was unceremoniously thrown straight through what must have been the world’s lightest bathroom door. She landed hard on the tile, the combination of the bonk to the back of her head and the slight shock of the fall leaving her in a slight daze. She turned to the wall of sinks and stared for a moment. Something was off with them… what was it? Something was up with the shape.

She narrowed her eyes at the sinks, unaware for the next six seconds that they were in fact, urinals. And the suddenly, she was.

“HOOORPH!”

The sound of someone violently ralphing into a toilet sent her into a greater panic, and she stumbled into a stall, slamming the door and locking it behind her.

Shit! God I’m a fucking idiot. Why the hell did I hide in here? The door was right there! Shit-shit-shit-shit-shit!

“Hunter, what did I tell you? Those ‘protein shakes’ are garbage. Grow up man, you aren’t getting bigger from drinking… whatever the hell that is.”

“Sorry, Hunter…”

Veronica’s hammering, galloping heart almost stopped. That was Hunters Duke and Chandler, MacNamera couldn’t be far behind. A flush from a different stall yet sounded.

“Maybe it’s food poisoning…” MacNamera’s statement was punctuated by another flush and footsteps approaching the sink.

Maybe they’ll leave, maybe they’ll leave…

The bathroom door creaked open, providing yet another witness to destroy what little reputation Veronica had left.

“I see you’re all here together… Hunter, Hunter…” Veronica knew that voice. Mr. Flemming. He was… sort of a mess. Who tried really hard to be open and understanding of the students, but in the end just sort of… made you want to crawl into a hole and die of embarrassment.

“HORPHGL!”

“And Hunter, of course.”

Veronica watched through the crack between the stall door and the wall, almost too afraid to breathe. MacNamera leaned against a counter, watching the staff member through barely phased eyes. Chandler was looking in the mirror, fussing with his hair. He had been out there the whole time, and hadn’t even seen her! Veronica’s ears, neck and cheeks burned.

Now would be a fantastic time to spontaneously combust. Or just straight up die. God, I’ll… I dunno, join a missionary or something, just, don’t let them catch me.

“And I suppose you all didn’t hear the bell, gentlemen?”

“Oh, Hunter’s not feeling well. We’re helping him.” Said Chandler, not looking away from his reflection.

Veronica suddenly had an idea. She didn’t think of the greater consequences, and in retrospect, it was a terrible plan. She quickly pulled a notebook from her jacket pocket and scribbled what she needed as fast as she could.

“Let me see your hall pass, boys.”

“Right here, Mr. Flemming!” Veronica stumbled out of the stall, holding the forged pass. “Year book committee, we’re all here.”

Chandler stumbled back into MacNamera, startled, as Duke started coughing in the stall, probably having sucked some residual puke into his lungs in surprise.

“Veronica! What are you…?” Mr. Flemming’s furrowed his brow before his eyes shot open with recognition. He smiled softly, mouthing something at her, as if they were sharing some kind of secret. “All right boys, I see you’re all here, everything looks in order. Hurry back to class.”

“Yes, sir.” Veronica nodded, saluting. As the instructor left the room, she turned, jumping a little as Hunter Duke had left the stall to investigate.

“Who on Earth are you, what are you doing here, and how did—“ Started the boy in green before Chandler cut him off with an open hand in his face.

“Shut up, Hunter. Lemmie see that pass.”

Veronica handed it over. “This is an excellent forgery, who are you?”

“Veronica Sawyer, I crave a boon.”

Chandler crossed his arms, smirking, an eyebrow cocked. “What boon?”

Veronica took a deep breath, this was it. Sink or swim, save or suck. “Let me sit at your table at lunch. Just once, no talking necessary. If people think you guys tolerate me, they’ll leave me alone.” She paused. “Er, before you answer, I also do report cards, permission slips and absence notes.”

“Well, for a greasy little nobody, you aren’t a total cow…” Chandler came closer, inspecting Veronica like a champion show dog. She stiffened as the other two joined him, examining her. MacNamera spoke up next.

“And you’ve got a symmetrical face. If I took a meat cleaver down the center of your skull, I’d have matching halves. Mom told me that’s very important.”

“I mean, you could lose a few pounds…” Mumbled Hunter Duke, almost to himself.

Hunter Chandler backed up, hands on his hips. “All right boys, lets clean her up. Duke, I know you’ve got what we need in your backpack.”

“Wha… what are you talking about?” Stammered Duke, backing away as MacNamera snickered knowingly.

“Just get the skirt and blazer combo, Hunter.”

Veronica didn’t question it. In fact, she wasn’t in the position to question anything. No way it could be that easy. No way. This, this didn’t just happen, not to girls like her… It was… insane, just bonkers. Life was certainly going to be interesting now…

In more ways than Veronica could even imagine.