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humorisstoredinthetits · 3 days

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The Heathers + Veronica Backstories (Pt. 2, Senior Year)

TW: Pretty much everything that was in one of the previous segments

Veronica handed Fleming the note

She didn't even have time to consider the consequences or even debate the morality of what she was doing, she just knew that she could get something from this, something that could save her from the hell that was high school

Fleming quickly looked over the note, before sighing and telling them to hurry up and get where they're going

Chandler grabbed the note, and upon realizing that this was an excellent forgery, she demanded to know who she was

Veronica stuttered out her name before adding that she wanted a boon

Chandler debated internally before decided that this nobody had done something for them, so it was only fair that she get something in return, and asked what it was that she wanted

Veronica, surprised they actually agreed, quickly stated that she wanted to sit with them at lunch so people think that they tolerated her

Chandler wanted to laugh, but also realized that this girl had a skill, one they could use to their advantage

Permission slips, absence notes, even prescriptions, all of that could be useful

She glanced at Duke and Mac, who both had the same idea and they nodded

They would make her beautiful

They quickly invited her over to Chandler's place, telling her that if she was to join their clique she would need some better clothes than.... that

Chandler made a disgusted face while gesturing to Veronica's outfit

Not one to look at a gift horse in the mouth, Veronica readily agreed, before exchanging numbers with the Heathers

She headed to class, unable to concentrate

She was joining THE HEATHERS

She would finally float above it all, no one bullying, no more harassment

But she also considered a few things for the first time

They were probably gonna make her stop hanging out with Martha and Betty because they were losers, and the pit in her gut only became deeper

But, she also reasoned, she could use this to her advantage

Maybe, as part of their clique, she could convince the Heathers to stay away from them, and maybe they would finally have some peace

But she also realized that her friends might see this as a betrayal or abandonment, leaving them for the popular girls

And Veronica was still unsure if this was a trick

I mean, she understands that her skills could be useful, hell that's what she was banking on, but she didn't think that they were enough to get her into the Heathers

And god knows what they would make her do with her forging

She realized that she had no idea what she was getting into, but it was too late to back out now

On the other side of the school, the Heathers were not paying attention in class, as usual, and were texting each other in their Group Chat, titled The Gaybians TM

H. McNamara: She's cute

H. Duke: If she took off those godforsaken clothes maybe

H. Chandler: Ikr, especially that scarf

H. Chandler: But don't worry, we're gonna fix that this afternoon

H. Duke: I gotta ask, I know she can forge notes and I get how useful that is, but why invite her to the group? She can do that for us without being in the group, clearly she's desperate, we could get her to what we wanted without her being in the group

H. Chandler: She's got spunk, what can I say

H. McNamara: Just admit you think she's hot Chan-Chan

H. Chandler: No....

H. Chandler: Yes....

H. Chandler: It's not my fault that she happens to be both stupidly attractive even in the ugliest of clothes and has talents that we can use to our advantage

H. Duke: It's alright I think she's good-looking too

H. Duke: But is it a good idea to invite her just because you want her to join the polycule? We know literally nothing about her, and the chances of her 1 being into women, 2 being into us, 3 being open to poly and 4 not hating out guts are slim to none

H. Chandler: I mean theres no harm in trying right, and its not just because she's hot, by keeping her in the group we've bound her to us, meaning that she won't try anything against us because if she does we can just kick her out and she'll be a loser nobody again

H. Duke: I guess you're right, just don't get your hopes up about the dating thing

H. McNamara: Dukie brought up a good point, what if she hates us? She's a nobody and at one point or another we probably did something do her

H. Chandler: I've been thinking about that, she said that she wanted to sit with us so people would leave her alone so I guess she must be a loser, and a pretty desperate one at that to gamble on us agreeing to whatever it is she wanted

H. McNamara: Oh wait I think I remember her now

H. McNamara: She usually hangs out with Betty Finn and Martha Dumptruck

H. Duke: ...

H. McNamara: Oh yeah......

H. Duke: She definitely hates our guts

H. Chandler: Probably, but there's not much we can do about that

H. Chandler: All we can do is keep going, all we have is one more year before we can leave all this shit behind

H. Chandler: No more Westerberg

H. Chandler: No more shitty parents

H. Chandler: No more Kurt or Ram or any of the other idiots

H. Chandler: No more David

Message deleted by H. Chandler

H. McNamara: Chan?

H. Duke: Heather.

H. Chandler: Don't. Just Don't. Please.

H. Duke: We're gonna have to talk about it eventually, we can't just avoid having this discussion forever

H. Chandler: Just stop Duke

H. McNamara: What are you two talking about?

H. Chandler: Don't worry about it Mac, its nothing

H. Chandler has gone offline

Chandler closed the messaging app with a feeling of dread encompassing her

Her and Duke had an agreement, they weren't gonna tell Mac about what she had to do with David, but ever since she started therapy she's been pushing her into opening up or even attending therapy herself, reminding her that she wouldn't judge her, hell Mac would probably be so enraged that she would kill David herself

But she doesn't want to talk about it, she doesn't even wanna think about it

She just wants to forget about it, knowing that she only has another year left of dealing with David and then she never has to see him again

Speaking of the douchebag, she just got a text from David, reminding her that he was throwing a homecoming party soon and he couldn't wait to see her again ;)

God he was fucking disgusting, he acted all innocent over text but in person he was just a monster

But speaking of the party, it was presumably Veronica's first time at one of these, and she needed to make sure she was prepared

She made a mental note to talk to her about that before opening up the messenger app to calm Mac, who had been freaking out ever since she abruptly left the chat

Later that night Duke was instructed to pick up Veronica on her way to Chandler's

She protested this, saying that she didn't want this loser to stink up her precious baby (her jeep) but Chandler just facepalmed and told Duke to just pick up the freakin' nerd

In reality Duke wasn't that worried about that, she still was but her main concern was the whole Martha situation

She tried to forget about how she dumped her out like she was trash, ashamed of how she treated her closest friend

But now she was gonna be stuck with Martha's new best friend for seemingly the near future, and she wasn't ready to have Veronica confront her over it

After taking many detours and finding excuses to take longer, like stopping at 7/11 to pick up some corn nuts for Chandler, she eventually made her way to Veronica's

Living in a mansion she always forgot just how small other people's houses could be, and Veronica's was no exception

But seeing the moderately-sized home brought back memories of the nights she spent at Martha's, nights she would rather forget

She saw Veronica standing awkwardly outside of her home, and it looked like she attempted to dress up nice

Keyword there being looked like, it was still fugly as hell, but at the very least she had ditched the scarf, so baby steps

She shuffled towards the jeep, waving bye to her parents before stepping in to the passenger's seat

To say the ride to Chandler's was uncomfortable was an understatement, the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife

Veronica was clearly trying to work up the courage to say something, and Duke was debating on wishing she would just get it over with or wishing she would just stay silent

After the longest car ride of her life they arrived, with Veronica failing to say something

She looked like she was going to as they stepped out, but Duke basically bolted to the door before a confrontation could be had

Veronica was clearly in awe of how ginormous the Chandler Mansion was, and Duke had to remind her several times to stop staring and start walking

Eventually after what seemed like ages they arrived at Chandler's bedroom

As they opened the door Duke breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Veronica wouldn't try anything while the other two were around

Veronica, clearly nervous, made her way into the room, before just kind of standing there, all eyes on her

Things didn't stay that way for long, as Chandler quickly got to work, pulling blazer after skirt after other various articles of clothing out of her closet, barking orders to Mac and Duke as they rushed around

Eventually they were able to get an idea of what size she wears and what her color would be, settling on a nice blue, before deciding to make their way to the mall to pick her up some outfits

While picking up the clothes scattered around the room, they hear a loud crash coming from somewhere downstairs, and you could see Chandler's eyes widen in fear before ordering everyone to get out and to make it fast

Veronica didn't know what was going on, but she followed the others as they made their way to the front door

As the approached Chandler's Porsche they quickly realized that Chandler wasn't with them

Veronica questioned this but the other Heathers remained silent as Duke headed to her jeep, grabbing a first aid kit

Chandler emerged minutes later with a large gash across her face, blood oozing out of it, along with several smaller cuts on her left hand

Veronica was concerned, but all of her questions were met with a 'Shut it Sawyer' and a dirty look from the other two

What really concerned her was how unaffected they all seemed to be like this, cluing Veronica in to the fact that this wasn't the first time this had happened

Looking around, she saw a blood red Lamborghini in the driveway that definitely wasn't there when she arrived, and she quickly put two and two together and realized that one of Chandler's parents came home and must've either been drunk or was in the process of getting drunk, and they had to have thrown a bottle at Chandler, who tried to block it with her hand, with a piece ricocheting off and hitting her cheek

That, combined with the fact that the others seemed prepared and knew how to deal with this meant that this was a common occurrence, happening enough that they were prepared for it

Even more concerned, Veronica countered the deflections by saying that they could talk to CPS or the police or a teacher, to which Duke told her that they don't listen or even care, and in a smaller, softer voice said that nobody did

Veronica had no idea how to respond to that, and chose to just stare at the scene as she grappled with the revelations that she just witnessed

And thus the first crack the teflon facade appeared

As they wordlessly made their way into Duke's jeep, Chandler being unable to drive due to the cuts on her hand, Veronica made a mental note to talk to Martha about Duke's childhood

Speaking of Martha, she never actually told her friends about the fact that she joined the Heathers, and anxiety built up in her stomach at the thought of having to tell them the truth

They were bound to hate her, of course, she pulled an Anakin Skywalker and betrayed them to join the Dark Side, and the Heathers would probably make her abandon them just like Duke did to Martha all those years ago

She quickly resolved to not abandon her friends no matter the consequence

Even after what she saw today these are the Heathers she's talking about, the stone-cold bitches who could toss her aside with no warning over some small flaw, they don't care about her and they aren't her friends

They're basically coworkers, their job being to be popular and shit, and why would anyone in their right mind choose their coworkers over their friends?

She was jolted out of that train of thought by the jeep coming to a stop as they arrived at the mall

As they exited the car Chandler told Veronica to just follow their lead and to try and not stand out so much

She didn't really understand but decided to just try her best

They had only walked about ten steps before they stopped and started criticizing Veronica's walking, telling her to stand up straight and to walk with purpose

She asked just what the hell walking with purpose meant, and they looked at her like she grew a second head

Eventually she was able to get it down, and they made their way into the mall

The mall wasn't a place Veronica frequented very often, Martha and Betty preferring to stay home and watch movies, so this was an exciting opportunity

**Line break**

As they walked the floors, she was amazed at how other people treated them

She knew that the Heathers commanded respect at Westerberg, but even here at the mall total strangers would see them coming and get out of their way, shopkeepers didn't pester them, trying to sell them products, and they didn't have to do anything besides just 'walk with purpose', whatever that meant

They headed towards the side of the mall with the higher-end stores and Veronica felt out of place as they browsed the aisles

She tried to tell them that she couldn't afford this, but they just laughed before telling her that she thought they were gonna make her pay for it? Of course not, they knew that she didn't have that kinda money, they'll cover it don't worry

It wasn't intended to be mean-spirited, but it made her feel even more inadequate and out of place

After much deliberation and arguing, which Veronica got no say in, they finally picked out an outfit, a nice blue blazer and grey skirt with some blue high socks to go along with it

They then proceeded to grab four more of the same outfit

She questioned it before they asked her how she hadn't noticed they wear the same outfit every day

In her defense Veronica tries to stay as far away from the Heathers as possible and as such didn't really look at them, but they went on to explain their outfits kept them recognizable no matter where they went, and that consistency was key to building and maintaining an image

While she considers that apparently popularity had some kind of psychological backing to it, Chandler pulls her to a different section of the store away from the other Heathers

This section had party dresses, and as Chandler grabbed several and headed towards the dressing rooms she explained what was happening

In two weeks from Friday they would be going to Remington University to attend their homecoming party, and as her first major outing as a Heather she would need to look her best

Chandler took a quick look around before pulling her into an even more secluded area of the store

Veronica was sure she was about to tell her to not fuck this up, but instead she took on a much more sincere tone and told her that the guys at this party were creeps who did not care that she was underage and would do anything to get into her pants, legal or not

She told her to stick with a Heather at all times and to never, under any circumstances, go anywhere with anyone who was not one of them

She also knew that this was probably gonna be her first time drinking, and told her to not drink too much, a few shots or cups of beer at most, and to always watch her drink

And, if she drinks something and feels off, get one of them immediately and they will take her home

She ended by looking at her directly in the eyes before asking her if she understood what she was trying to tell her

Veronica, still blindsided by this abrupt change in character, nodded, before Chandler turned back to finding her a dress

She wanted to ask more questions, like why were they going if there were gonna be all these creepy guys there, or why did they put up with this shit and not call the police, but something told her that Chandler was not too receptive to questions and she kept her mouth shut

After many, many dresses Chandler found one that she deemed suitable and they paid and headed out

As they made their way out Veronica's stomach grumbled, being too nervous to eat, and so she asked if they could grab something to eat before heading out

The Heathers shrugged before heading to the food court

She grabbed her purse to grab some cash before Mac saw and gave her some money, way more than she needed, telling her that as long as she was a Heather she didn't need to worry about paying for things

She saw Chandler head to Subway, Duke to Panda Express, and Mac to McDonalds?

You know what, a Heather at McDonalds was not the weirdest thing she's seen today, even if she seemed to be grabbing three Happy Meals, and looking around she saw a pizza place called Smokey's

She looked over the menu before seeing a challenge, if she was able to eat the big slice in under the time of the previous record holder, which was currently 9min 25sec, she would get free pizza next time she came

She decided why the hell not and ordered it, and when it was done she brought it to the table where the other Heathers were already eating

As she sat down she saw a look of horror pass over their faces, before Duke questioned if she really was gonna eat all of that

When Veronica responded that she was gonna try, Duke looked like she was gonna pass out

Veronica started chowing down, much to the dismay of the Heathers

She finished it in 4min 12sec, beating the previous record by over half and getting her coupon for free pizza

They left the mall, and they dropped her off at her house

She headed inside only to see her parents waiting there

Rightttttttt, she may have forgotten to explain what was going on, and they were probably concerned why their daughter got into a stranger's car and came back with 2 giant sacs of clothes

She explained in the most concise way she could that she was part of the popular clique now and they took her out to the mall to get her 'fashionable' clothes

She tried to make a joke out of that but her parents were not laughing

They then hit her with the 'we're not mad we're just disappointed', reminding her of all the crap these girls put her and her friends thought and how this could all be a trap

She tells them that she knows, but she's willing to take that risk, telling them of her plan to try and get them to back off of Betty and Martha

Her father agrees that it's a good idea at least, but her mother is still unsure, and tells her to just be careful and that you can never know what these popular people really want

She then headed up to her room, the sinking feeling of disappointing her parents weighing her down and making every step feel heavier as she treaded up the stairs, only to remember that she had to tell Betty and Martha too

She opened up her messenger app and with a heavy heart began to type

The Princess Brides

V. Sawyer: Guys, I got something to tell you

B. Finn: We know that you're bi Veronica, you don't have to tell us again

M. Dunnstock: What is is?

V. Sawyer: So I may have accidentally totally unintentionally joined the Heathers

B. Finn: WHAT

M. Dunnstock: ....

M. Dunnstock has gone offline

V. Sawyer: Look it was a spur of the moment thing, I wandered into their bathroom and Fleming was about to give them detention but I realized I could get them out of it by forging a note and could probably get something out of it so I did and when I told them I wanted to sit with them once to people would tolerate me they invited me to their group and took me to the mall and bought me clothes and jesus fucking christ this sounds even worse typed out

B. Finn: yep.

V. Sawyer: But don't worry I have a plan

V. Sawyer: I'm gonna get to be their friend and once we're good friends I'll ask for a favor and as their friend they'd be happy to help me out, and I would ask if they could leave you two alone and then you wouldn't be bullied anymore

B. Finn: Veronica that is the most half-baked plan I have ever seen

B. Finn: You didn't think this through, did you

V. Sawyer: Like I said it was spur of the moment, if I didn't take the chance I never would have gotten this opportunity again

B. Finn: So let me get this straight, you are risking eternal humiliation from the Heathers for the chance, THE CHANCE, that they leave us alone

B. Finn: I understand that you had good intentions, but this can and probably will end up backfiring badly on you and on us. The Heathers know that we mean something to you, and will probably threaten to harass us again if you don't do something they want, or maybe they'll use us to get to you, the possibilities for the fucked things they could do are endless

V. Sawyer: I know it's a long shot, and maybe I'm being a little optimistic, but from what I've seen today I don't think they're all bad, there's still some good in there, even if it is buried deep down

B. Finn: Veronica they're The Heathers, I wouldn't be surprised if they had devil horns hiding under their hair

V. Sawyer: Betty be realistic here, they aren't demons, they're just bitchy teenage girls

B. Finn: I am being realistic here, those girls are bad news. I don't know what you saw today, but there is quite possibility nothing that could convince me that there is a shred of humanity between them

V. Sawyer: You know just as well as I do that the Heathers were just as much of losers as we were at one point. If they changed back then, they can change again

B. Finn: Popularity changes people Veronica. It seems like it's already changing you.

B. Finn has gone offline

Well that went about as well as she expected

It only strengthened her resolve, however

She would show Betty and Martha that the Heathers were people, maybe not the best or most morally righteous people, but still regular, actual people

She saw things today, signs of humanity in them, actual factual proof that The Heathers cared about something other than themselves or popularity

They still weren't nice or even good people, but there were shreds of kindness and humanity there

It sounds ridiculous, but up until today she never even considered that the Heathers were people

Before they were like goddesses, ethereal beings who were simply above it all, simply untouchable people who simply didn't have the problems the rest of them faced

Popularity meant that they were separate from everyone else, that they were wholly irredeemable monsters who were destined to die young, their own hubris causing their downfall, at least thats what her parents told her

But now she saw at least part of the truth

The Heathers were like puzzles, and she couldn't wait to put all the pieces together

Sure maybe it wasn't the most healthy thing in the world to think of your new friends as puzzles, earning more pieces as she progressed in their friendship until she eventually got the whole picture, but the Heathers were just so intriguing

She spent hours laying in bed, just wondering what made them into who they were today, almost forgetting to sleep

The next two weeks passed by in a routine

She would wake up early to get her makeup done, before getting dressed and eating a quick breakfast, before being picked up by Duke and heading to school

Once they arrived they would enter school together, before heading to class

While Veronica didn't need the help with her work, she did appreciate being able to help out the Heathers with theirs

She felt like she was contributing to the group in a way that didn't relate to popularity in any way

And it stopped them from pressing the nerds into serving their needs, so it was a win-win situation

At lunch, the four of them would sit at the Heathers' table where Veronica would just listen

She didn't have much to contribute, not being well versed in these matters, so she just listened, occasionally suggesting some ideas that were less cruel, but they were often shut down

But either way, the way they functioned as a machine of sorts, taking in information on gossip and outputting responses with seemingly no effort, was so fascinating

After school there was always something, wether that be a sleepover, a trip to the mall, going out to eat at a fancy restaurant, or whatever else

She also found the intra-Heather interactions to be interesting

She expected the strict hierarchy with Chandler commanding the other two to continue into private, but when they were alone it melted away

They also seemed to be weirdly close, with Heather McNamara in particular being really touchy with the other two

If she didn't know any better she would say they were gay, but they're the Heathers, there's no way

If Westerberg even got a hint that they were homosexual, their popularity would disintegrate

But things weren't all sunshine and rainbows

Neither Betty nor Martha would speak to her, still clearly upset

She made an effort everyday to talk to them, but with all of the after-school activities she was always too tired to do so or simply forgot

She was also still grappling with the immorality of her actions, sure she was finally free from the bullying, which was the most beautiful feeling in the universe, but in doing so she facilitates the bullying of others

She knows its wrong, but she can't bring herself to upset the balance that had been created, unwilling to go back to being a nobody and facing the bullying once again

All that changes on the Friday of the Remington Party

At lunch, Chandler asked (demanded) her to write a note in Ram's handwriting

It was a love note, inviting the mystery recipient to the Remington Party to reconnect

Having a bad feeling about this, she asked who this was for, only for the Heathers to look at each other and try to change the subject

This only confirmed Veronica's fears, and she tore up the note right in their faces, declaring that she didn't care what they said or did, she would not be humiliating Martha

As she stormed off Mac took at look at her girlfriends

Chandler was red in the face, the color matching her blazer, spewing curses, muttering that they're running out of time

Duke looked... happy?

No, she was relieved, probably because with Veronica presumably gone she wouldn't have to confront her past actions towards Martha

She felt relieved as well, but for a completely different reason

She knew what they were doing was gonna piss Veronica off, but they needed a good idea for a prank to pull at the party as David had asked, and they were uncharacteristically out of ideas, forcing them to go with a shelved idea from before Veronica joined the group

But at the same time, she didn't want Veronica to step aside and let them do it, she seemed like she had a good head on her shoulders and didn't want her to give that up for popularity

She'd come to admire her strong moral code, something Mac wished she could do but knowing she didn't have the resolve to do

She quickly pulled them into their bathroom before Veronica's outburst could be noticed, pulling them into a tight hug

After a minute they both calmed down, and they discussed what to do next

David had told Chandler that he wanted them to bring a nerd to humiliate at the party, and with it being tonight they were running out of time to come up with something

They were out of time to find someone else with a crush on a popular student, so they decided to just throw a shot in the dark and have Mac write a note and drop it in some nerd's locker when no one was looking

The reason they didn't do this before was because they wouldn't be sure if the nerd would take their bait, but they knew Martha was gullible enough and they knew of her crush, but now they were just gonna have to take the risk

But now, the question of what to do with Veronica was up in the air

They could always kick her out, but Mac argued that they knew this was gonna piss her off and they still did it anyway, so it was their fault she stormed off, a point which neither Duke nor Chandler could contest

Duke tried to say that it would simplify things to just kick her out, but Chandler just told her that she was trying to get out of having to talk about Martha

Duke looked like she was punched in the gut, but quickly recovered and told Chandler that 'I'm trying to get out of it? Just like how you're trying to get out of talking about David?'

Chandler saw blood and told Duke to shut up, Mac looking on in confusion, but knowing that she wasn't going to get an answer out of Chandler she stayed silent

Mac, trying to diffuse the tension, suggested that they just go find Veronica and apologize, to which the other two begrudgingly agreed

Only issue with that, they couldn't find her anywhere

Flashing back, Veronica stormed out of the cafeteria, momentarily thankful for it's chaos, as it allowed her outburst to go unnoticed

She wandered aimlessly through the halls, knowing at her social life was pretty much over

And it was gonna be even worse than normal, because Betty and Martha probably still hated her and would want nothing to do with her

And quite frankly, she couldn't blame them for it

She brushed off their valid concerns and dove headfirst into this life of popularity, and look how that ended

She was so deep in thought that she didn't even notice the guy in front of her until she ran into him

**Line break**

As she fell to the ground she got a look at the guy

He had black hair, a trenchcoat and devilishly good looks

Blushing, she spewed out several sorrys while helping him pick up his things

He told her that he saw her little freakout in the caf, and that he's proud that she stood up to the swatchdogs and diet-coke-heads, because clearly, unlike most people here, she was doing a good job of keeping her soul clean

Impressed with his Baudelaire quotations, she asked for his name because she's never seen him around before, to which he replied that he didn't throw it

She then goes "damnnnnn that was smooth" to which he says thanks, before saying that he was actually on his way out, because right after she left some morons in letterman jackets started harassing him so he kinda kicked their asses and got suspended, so if she wanted to join him she was more than welcome to come along

When asked how they were getting out, like if he had a car, he said he had a bike, and that was all Veronica needed to agree to leave with him

The drive was magnificent

The feeling of the wind blowing against her, the speed, it was just amazing

Her thoughts and stresses were blown away by the wind and the guy sped through stop signs and traffic lights, and eventually they arrived at 7/11

Heading inside the guy went straight to the slushy machine, and as Veronica checked her phone she was overwhelmed with hundreds of notifications, from Chandler angrily telling her to get back here and explain herself, to Mac telling her that they aren't mad and just wanna talk, to her parents wondering why they got a call from the school saying that she didn't show up to class

She decided to just put her phone on silent and headed over to the counter

They paid for their semi-frozen treats before heading outside and sitting on the curb, where they began talking

Veronica learned his name was JD, short for Jason Dean, and he moved around the country a lot, never staying in one place for too long, and that Sherwood Ohio was just another stop

Veronica for her part told him about the Heathers and their color-coded reign of terror across the school, and how she found herself a part of the group

JD looked like he was going to say something but before he was able Veronica launched into a rant about how she didn't fucking understand those girls, they could be so kind and sweet sometimes but on the drop of a hat they could turn into the cold, uncaring bitches the world sees them as, and she just doesn't fucking get it

He told her that he's dealt with people like the Heathers at every high school that he's been too, and that they're always bad news

And while did he say that they might not be bad people, morality being subjective and all, and that just like everyone else they had reasons for doing what they do, at the end of the day actions speak louder than words, and he can imagine they've done some pretty cruel things

Thinking back to only a few short hours ago with their prank on Martha, Veronica found herself agreeing with JD

As their conversations turned to some lighter topics, they see what appears to be a bright red blob speeding through the streets before pulling in way too quickly into the 7/11, almost wrecking

As it came to a screeching halt the Heathers popped out, already dressed for the party, relief clearly written across their faces

Veronica asked how they found her, and Mac sheepishly admitted that they put tracking software into her phone

When she exasperatedly asked why the hell they would do that, Duke responded "in case something like this happened"

Veronica asked them if they understood how creepy and violating this was, the jab not seeming to phase them in any way

Chandler told her that her running away proved why the tracking was necessary, they had no idea where she went, for all they knew she could've gotten kidnapped

She also reminded her that she left school during school hours, which was incredibly unlike her, and they found her at 7/11 with some stranger (she gestures to JD), what were they supposed to think happened?

She then quickly pushed that aside and told Veronica that they needed to start getting ready for the party, and to hurry up and say goodbye to Jessie James

Veronica rightfully told her no, and that after the shit they did earlier there was no way in hell that she was going to do anything with them

Clearly frustrated, Chandler told her that they would explain everything after the party, literally no question off limits, but they had to leave now to be fashionably late, otherwise they would be unfashionably late and that it would reflect poorly on them if they were

Veronica asked why they couldn't just explain it to her now, but they told her it was a long story that they didn't have time for

She was torn, on one hand she should tell them to go to hell and stay here drinking her slushie, especially after the malicious and downright creepy things they've done

But, from the way it sounded it didn't look like she was getting kicked from the group, and they sounded sincere in everything they've said

Plus they were technically right in that she dipped from school with a complete stranger who she's known for less than 3 hours, so they might've had a point there

She sighed before agreeing to go with them, only after reiterating that she would be getting an explanation for everything once the party was over, which the Heathers agreed to

JD looked concerned, but Veronica told him that it would be fine, probably, and that they would talk tomorrow

The car ride to Veronica's was silent as Chandler sped through the town, ignoring all road safety laws as she did so

They skidded to a halt in front of Veronica's house, with Chandler telling her to make it snappy

She ran into her house, ignoring all protests from her parents as she made her way to her room, putting on the dress that Chandler bought for her a few weeks ago

As she began applying her makeup her parents came into her room, telling her that they were worried about her, and that ever since she joined the Heathers she's not been acting like herself

Guilt pooled in her chest as she started to explain, but as she did so they heard the sound of a car horn and someone yelling "VERONICAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH", which she knew to be Chandler's preferred way to tell someone to hurry the fuck up

Deciding that she probably shouldn't piss her off anymore than she already has, she made her way to the car, makeup only half done

Chandler barked for Mac, who was sitting in the back with Veronica, to do her makeup as she drove

Apparently this wasn't Mac's first time doing this, as she was able to skillfully finish the rest of her makeup despite Chandler's erratic driving

They arrived at Remington University and pulled into a fraternity house parking lot

The party was clearly already raging inside, with various drunk students making their way around, bottles or red solo cups in hand

They exited the car, and before they opened the door Chandler turned to Veronica, and with the same intense look she gave her at the mall all those weeks ago, she asked her if she remembered what she told her about the party

Veronica nodded and Chandler opened the door

Quickly the stench of weed and vomit became evident, and it took all Veronica had to not vomit right then and there

They moved further into the house, passing by various groups who cheered as they walked by

**Line break**

But Veronica noticed that most eyes were on her, and remembering what she was taught gave them all a slightly flirty smile

They made their way to a table filled with various cups and shot glasses, and Duke looked over the selection before handing her a cup and 2 shot glasses, telling her that this would be about as much as she could tolerate and to not drink anything besides it

As Veronica drank the alcohol, which was fucking gross, a rather burly guy approached them

He was wearing a varsity jacket, not unlike what Kurt and Ram usually wore, and like the two jocks he gave off an aura of creepiness

He was also clearly intoxicated, noted by how slurred his speech was when he spoke to them, telling them all how hot they looked, before turning his attention to Veronica

He looked her up and down, most of his attention on her breasts, before asking if she was the Veronica that he's heard so much about

Before Veronica could reply he suggested that they go back to his room to 'get to know each other better'

She internally panicked before Chandler intervened, whispering something in David's ear which made him giggle, before she led him away

Duke had a pained look on her face as the two walked away, and Mac was already on her fourth shot

She tried asking Duke what was going on, but she ignored her, grabbing a cup and downing it before heading to a different part of the house

The three of them moved in a pack, Veronica trying to get an answer out of Duke whenever they had a moment away from it all, but her lips remained sealed

Eventually Chandler emerged, her hair frazzled, makeup smudged, dress wrinkled, and hanging off of David, who had the biggest grin on his face, kissing Chandler before walking away from her

Suddenly all the warnings that Chandler told her made a lot more sense, and her blood grew cold and she knew she had to get the hell out before it happened to her

She quickly told Duke that she was going home, but Duke was so drunk that she gave a response that was no more than a noncommittal grunt

Remington was located on the far reaches of Sherwood, and as she walked the streets she realized just how far away she was from home and how stupid of an idea it was to leave without the Heathers, especially this late at night

As she walked down a shadier street, she looked around just in case there was something hiding in the night, only for her eyes to lock on to a familiar motorcycle outside a house, with a SOLD! sign still in the yard

Not believing her luck, she dialed JD's number (they exchanged it earlier) and he answered groggily, asking her why the hell she was calling at 1 in the morning

She explained that things hadn't gone well at the party, and that she kinda dipped and was walking home when she saw his motorcycle and figured that it was his house

She then went on to say that she was worried about walking the rest of the way home and asked if she could stay the night

JD took a moment to answer before telling her to come around the back

Walking around, she saw an open window on the second floor, to which JD's voice came thought, telling her to climb the nearby tree, a limb of which came extremely close to the window

She took off her heels before throwing them through the window and climbing the tree, and with some difficulty she was able to get in

Once she entered she saw a rather bare-bones room, with only a bed, desk and dresser as decorations

JD was standing there rather awkwardly as they both just looked at each other

He broke the silence by saying to be quiet so she didn't wake up his dad, and that he was gonna go get some blankets, and to make herself comfortable

Eventually he came up with some blankets, throwing one on the bed and grabbing a pillow, making himself a makeshift bed on the floor

Veronica protested, but JD told her that it was fine

Exhausted and a little tipsy, Veronica fell asleep rather quickly

She woke up the next day with the sun blaring into her eyes

She turned to her side as she remembered the events of last night, and as she pondered how the Heathers were going to react she noticed something she didn't last night

JD was shirtless the entire time, and he had scars going under each of his pectorals in a semi-circle shape

Not wanting to stare, she quickly turned away, only for the noise to wake him up

As he awoke he made note of the situation, quickly realizing that he was shirtless, to which he quickly scrambled to cover it up before realizing that it was pointless and that she already saw

They both stood in silence, and before Veronica could say that he didn't have to talk about it if he didn't want JD told her that they were his top surgery scars

It took her a embarrassingly long time for her to get the implications of that statement, responding with a 'ohhhhhh you're trans'

Not really knowing how to respond she stayed silent, and worrying that he might've ruined their budding friendship he asked if that was gonna be a problem

Veronica shot up, surprised, before saying of course not, and that she would be a hypocrite if it was, considering that she's bi

He replied with a niceeeee before they fistbumped and had a laugh

They quickly sat down and talked, JD further breaking the tension by asking her to guess what his deadname was

Veronica asked him like isn't that personal information and that he didn't have to give it out if he didn't want to, to which JD said normally yeah he wouldn't but in this circumstance he's gonna because it'll be really funny

She replied with Veronica? to which he said no, and after going through a couple of other names she landed on Heather, to which he said 'ding ding ding'

Veronica laughed and said no fucking way, and he said that it was a fucking weird coincidence but it's true

They talked a bit more about lgbt stuff and how they were treated at Westerberg, before the conversation eventually turned to what exactly happened last night

Veronica told him that all the guys there were creepy as hell and she realized that some bad shit was happening and she didn't feel safe and so just got the hell outta dodge

JD asked why she even went, to which she said that she didn't even know, she guesses that she just wanted answers like the Heathers promised her

Speaking of the Heathers they were probably pissed at her and she went to grab her phone, only to not find it

She quickly panicked and looked around, and once JD realized what was going on he helped her look to no avail, with Veronica realizing that she must've dropped her phone while walking here

He quickly got dressed before making the 'shhhh' gesture as they tiptoed their way through the house, seeing what Veronica presumed to be his dad passed out at the kitchen table, empty beer bottles surrounding him

They made their way outside and began searching the streets for a phone

They didn't get far before they heard a car engine coming towards them rapidly, which screeched to a halt once it came closer

Out popped out who else but the Heathers, each of whom had a different reaction to seeing her

Chandler yelled "VERONICA BARRETT SAWYER I SWEAR TO GOD I AM GOING TO IMPLANT A TRACKER IN YOU IF YOU PULL ANOTHER STUNT LIKE THIS AGAIN"

Duke dropped to her knees, relief evident

Mac ran towards her at mach speed, crying and pulling her into a tight hug, telling her in between sobs how worried they were that something happened

When she questioned how they found her, Duke explained that once they realized she wasn't at the party they freaked out, even more when they found her phone sitting on one of the tables

Duke pulled said phone out of her pocket and handed it to her

**Line break**

So they went everywhere, to the 7/11, to her home, having a rather awkward talk with her parents who almost called the police, even going to Martha and Betty's house to ask them if they've seen her

When all those leads turned up empty they figured that she went to Jessie James' house, but they didn't know where that was because he just moved here, so they went onto a realtor site to see every recently sold house, visiting each to see if they could find his motorcycle

Veronica then realized that she underestimated how intelligent the Heathers could be when they put their minds to things

They asked her to come with them, they'll get something to eat and talk about what happened

JD, who up until this point was just standing off to the side listening, stepped between the Heathers and Veronica, saying sarcastically yeah she should go with them, because it worked out sooo well the last time

Chandler told him to stay out of this, to which JD countered with that last night she called him at 1am to tell him that she was at his house and needed a place to stay for the night because she left the party because guys were being creepy and that unspecified bad shit was happening

They were the ones who brought her there, so why should he trust them bringing her somewhere else

Veronica then intervened, telling JD that she understood why he was concerned but it was fine and she was going to go with them

He looked dumbfounded but she explained that they went through all this effort to find her, and they did warn her about the party beforehand, she just didn't really listen or take it all that seriously

He begrudgingly let her go, whispering that if there were any issues to call him and he would come pick her up and bring her home, to which Veronica thanked him for his help before getting into the car

Despite what she told JD Veronica was still not thrilled with how the Heathers had acted and once she got her explanations she fully intended on parting ways with them

As much as she still believed that people had the ability to change and that the Heathers weren't the cartoonish villains she had once thought of them as, their world was a dangerous one that she no longer wished to be apart of

During the drive she looked through her notifications, sending messages to her parents, Betty and Martha, letting them know that she was ok and that she would explain everything later

They made their way to a house that Veronica had never been too before

She deduced that it was Mac's after she pulled some keys from her pocket and opened up the house

They made their way into the kitchen, admiring the sheer luxury the house radiated

Mac pulled out some equipment before asking Veronica if she liked anything on or in her pancakes

When she replied chocolate chips she grinned and said of course she did

She watched in amazement as Mac worked, gliding through all the steps with angelic grace, pouring a liberal amount of chocolate chips into the batter

Once the cakes were done she plated them before grabbing sprinkles, butter, syrup, whipped cream and 2 bowls of chocolate chips and placing them all onto the table

They quickly dug in, and oh my god it tasted fucking amazing

It made Veronica momentarily reconsider her decision to leave the Heathers if it meant she could have more of these

She watched Chandler apply a small amount of butter and some syrup, Mac cover them in whipped cream and sprinkles, and Duke slathered hers in butter and syrup before dumping one of the bowls of chocolate chips onto them

Once they finished eating and cleaning their mess, they headed up two flights of stairs to what she assumed to be Mac's bedroom

Veronica only had one word to describe her room; YELLOW

The walls, the ceiling, the bedsheets, everything had a yellow tint to it

Mac took a seat on the bed, the various Pokemon and My Little Pony plushes shifting as the bed adjusted itself to accommodate for her weight, with the other two Heathers siting on either side of her

Veronica grabbed the obviously yellow desk chair before turning it to face the Heathers and sitting down

For a long moment no one said a word, before Chandler sighed and said that she (Mac then elbowed her), she meant they would like to apologize for everything

Not satisfied with the nonspecific 'everything' Veronica asked her to be specific for what they were apologizing for, to which Chandler looked momentarily agitated before calming herself and began listing whatever she could think of

Trying to force her to trick Martha with the note, putting the tracking app on her phone without her knowledge or consent, making her go to the Remington Party.... she trailed off

Mac interjected, adding in bullying her and her friends for years, before nudging Duke, who took a deep breath and exhaled deeply before saying abandoning Martha back in 8th grade

They then looked to Veronica expectantly, who nodded, indicating that they got at least most of it

Veronica told them quite simply that they had offered her an explanation for everything, and that she would quite like to hear it

Chandler asked where she wanted her to start, and when told the beginning, she began to weave the tale of their lives

She told Veronica about her parents, the divorce, her mom's abuse, the years spent trying to protect Mac from the bullies before coming to the realization that the best way to protect her from the bullies was to essentially become one themselves

When she got to their first Remington Party she hesitated, but Duke looked over and told her that it was time to tell the truth

She told Veronica that what she was about to tell her was a secret she planned on taking to the grave

The only reason Duke knows is because after it happened she broke down in front of her and told her everything, before making her swear to secrecy

She told her that in exchange for popularity, she's been having sex with David every party for the last 4 years

David originally wouldn't even let them go to the party, but she knew that those parties held the ticket to improving their status, so she offered him the only thing she had that he would want

Veronica interjected, stating that he was at least 4 years older than her, that meant that...

Chandler cut her off before nodding, tears falling down her cheeks

Veronica felt nothing but pure hatred in her heart for David

Chandler couldn't have been older than 13 or 14 when she went to that first party, and he still had sex with her

He was a goddamn pedophile, and Veronica questioned why she didn't call the police

She said that David's father was on the force and that he would protect him from any consequences, and even if that wasn't on the case she couldn't, without him their ticket to the Remington Parties was gone, and the news that the Heathers had been uninvited to them would make them the laughingstock of the school

She glanced over to Mac, who up until this point had remained silent, but with rage that somehow eclipsed her own started screaming at the top of her lungs, telling Chandler that she was so fucking stupid, that she could've found another way or just not done it, and that popularity was not the end all be all

Chandler in complete contrast looked at the floor before saying in a soft voice that she told her that she told her many years ago that she would do anything to keep her safe, and she meant anything

Mac did not look satisfied by that answer at all, but she stayed quiet as Chandler continued her story, unknowingly to Veronica omitting the part where they started dating, before eventually reaching the events of yesterday

She explained that David told them to bring a nerd to the party to humiliate, and as she explained before they couldn't just say no to him

**Line break**

They had to find someone who was gullible enough to believe whatever reason they came up with, and someone who would have good enough reason to drop all their Friday night plans to drive across town to a university

Martha, with her crush on Ram, fit both of those criteria, so they came up with a plan

They figured that Veronica wouldn't agree, so they decided to make the letter's contents vague enough that she wouldn't be able to immediately know that it was for her, and to keep her away from it when Martha was humiliated at the party

Veronica once again interjected, telling them that none of what they just told her was an excuse for what they tried to do to her

They agreed, telling her that they weren't trying to defend it, just explaining why she specifically was chosen

As the story finished Duke kicked Chandler lightly with her food, asking her if there was anything she forgot about, and when Chandler said nope Duke took matters into her own hands, going over to Chandler before pulling her into a deep kiss, before doing the same with Mac, breaking the latter out of her angry stewing

She then told Veronica that they were dating, all three of them

Veronica was surprisingly unsurprised, saying that in hindsight that it was extremely obvious, especially with the color-coded outfits and how touchy they were when they were alone

Mac then started, giving a heavily abridged version of her life, mostly because Chandler had already covered most of it

It was then Duke's turn to speak up, to which she did with great reluctance

Veronica once again lost her cool when Duke started telling her about her parents and the abuse she suffered at their hands

Duke looked surprised, thinking that Martha would've already told her

Veronica then realized that she forgot to ask Martha about Duke's childhood in the midst of their falling out over her joining the Heathers

She asked why she never told anyone, to which Duke replied that Martha did, its just that no one cared enough to do anything about it

She had no reply to that, and as Duke finished her story she pondered over all that she had just learned

She always kinda assumed they had shitty home lives, but not that shitty, like seriously their parents needed to be arrested and like publicly whipped or some shit, same with David

And she could see that they had noble intentions, plus she thought that it was kinda sweet that Chandler did everything she did and put up with all the bullshit just so Mac wouldn't have to

But at the same time, they weren't saints either, becoming the very people they had tried to avoid, and just because they've had some hard lives didn't excuse them from shit

Even when considering that her own anti-Heather bias from her years of bullying might be clouding her judgement, she still found some of their actions to be disgusting

And she told them just that, that while she could sympathize with their quite frankly horrible childhoods and all the shit they've had to put up with, it didn't make up for anything that they've done or excuse what they've done in the name of popularity

She then went on a well-deserved tirade, asking them how they could justify all the things they've done when they themselves were victims of bullying for all these years

Chandler looked at her straight in the eyes and asked her if she could actually say that she wouldn't have done the same thing if she was in their situation, to which Veronica wanted to answer with a 'of course I wouldn't have', but she knew deep down that she would've done it 10 times over, hell she joined the Heathers with the intention to try and protect Betty and Martha, just like how Chandler wanted to become popular to protect Mac

She then told her sadly that it was an eat or be eaten world, and sometimes you gotta do whatever you gotta do to not get eaten

That didn't mean that she didn't feel bad for it, but she didn't regret doing it because it helped protect the people she cared about

And maybe that makes her a bad person, but she doesn't care as long as they're safe

Things weren't black and white, everyone was a shade of gray, a fact which she felt like Veronica never really accepted

Veronica wanted to protest but she found herself unable to disagree with the point she was making

She did ask why they chose Martha specifically for the prank, and she told them that David only told them an hour before lunch and they had little time to make a plan and put it into action, and if they would've had more time they would've picked someone else

The answer did not satisfy Veronica but she knew it was the truth

She then turned to Duke, asking the question that the green-clad girl knew was coming but wished it never would

Veronica questioned her abandonment of Martha in 8th grade, and with a bit of encouragement from Mac she explained about how as she became tired of her parents abuse she pushed herself into study, hoping that it would make her grades get to a point where they would be proud of her

As she delved into study she saw everything, and everyone, as a distraction as she became more desperate to improve her grades by any means necessary

That included Martha, but she just couldn't bring herself to dump her, she wasn't brave enough to handle the situation that maturely, so she settled on just ignoring her until she eventually went away

She said that she wasn't proud of it and she wanted to apologize, but by the time she came to that conclusion she had joined the Heathers and she could no longer be associating with losers under fear of loss of popularity

Veronica again wasn't satisfied with this explanation, but she had no reason to doubt what she was saying was the truth

Mac then spoke up, saying that they wanted to make it up to her, and they were prepared to offer the following things in an attempt to earn her forgiveness

Chandler sent her over 100 screenshots of text messages of their flirting, leaving no doubt that the Heathers were dating each other, and that she was free to spread this at any time, ruining their social standing in the process

They would ensure that nobody touched a hair on her, Betty, or Martha's heads, and they could even extend that to the weird trenchcoat guy if she wanted

They would also give her and her friends some money, more than enough to get them into any college of their choosing

And, she would be allowed back into the Heathers at any time, all she had to do was ask

She pondered it, then asked if they didn't regret what they did, like they claimed, why are they offering her things to compensate for it

They repeated that they didn't regret it, but they felt bad about ti because if hurt someone they considered a friend

Veronica was quick to point out that basically meant they were sorry that their were consequences to their actions, a statement to which the Heathers had no retort

Despite her agitated appearance, Veronica was quite touched that they considered her a friend

She considered what she was being offered

She was reconsidering her initial intent to leave the Heathers, so being able to rejoin was nice

They were giving her what she originally wanted when joining their clique, and she couldn't complain with that

She also knew that as much as her parents tried to save up for her college it wouldn't be enough, so the extra money could help her pay for her dream school, making Harvard, Duke or Brown actual possibilities instead of dreams

And she also knew Betty and Martha's folks were not well off either, and they would really appreciate the help

But what intrigued her the most was their first thing

**Line break**

She checked her phone to see the screenshots sent, and from a quick scan she could see that they were filled to the brim with flirting, which made her feel a certain kind of way that she decided to ignore for now

These essentially made her the most powerful person in Westerberg, giving her the power to ruin their reputation or even blackmail them

Knowing that they gave her the ability to destroy what they had done everything for, Veronica finally understood that the Heathers were being genuine about their guilt over what they had done, and that everything they told her came from a place of honesty

She made her decision, looking at them and telling them the following;

She would forgive them and rejoin their group, under a few conditions

The bullying would have to slow down, she understands that it can't stop completely otherwise people would think they were weak, but they can only do the bare minimum needed

They would have to match the amount given to her, Betty and Martha as a donation to an anti-bullying charity of her choosing

And, they would have to go to Betty and Martha, today, and give them an apology for everything (she looked at Duke when saying the last part)

The Heathers huddled, before returning to their original positions and telling her that they agreed to her terms

Veronica raised an eyebrow at that, not actually believing that they would agree, questioning where they were going to get the money from

Chandler scoffed and told her they were stealing it from their parents, and that a hundred thousand here and there wouldn't go noticed

It was at that point Veronica understood just how rich they were

She told them to get in the car, and that she was going to text Betty and Martha and tell them to meet up at the park where the Heathers were going to apologize to them

They looked uncomfortable with this but nevertheless got in the car and started making their way

The Princess Brides

V. Sawyer: I know this is sudden, but I need you to come to Westerberg Park, I'm gonna be there in around 15 minutes

M. Dunnstock: Why, so your fRiEnDs the Heathers can bully us again?

V. Sawyer: No, they're coming to apologize to you.

B. Finn: Yeah right

B. Finn: Who is this texting, cause it certainly ain't Veronica

M. Dunnstock: I bet its Duke

V. Sawyer sent a photo

V. Sawyer: It's me

V. Sawyer: And seriously they want to apologize

V. Sawyer: Well, maybe not want to, but they are going to

B. Finn: Pray tell, how did you convince them to do that, the Heathers we know would never be caught dead apologizing

V. Sawyer: We made an agreement, I'm not going to give any details because that's for them to tell you, but I will be there to make sure they don't omit anything

V. Sawyer: Just come to the park, please, I promise it'll be worth your while

V. Sawyer: And just to be clear, you don't have to forgive them for anything, but I will ask that you listen to what they have to say

M. Dunnstock: Fine, but we want an explanation out of you too

M. Dunnstock: You join the Heathers out of the blue, ignore us for two weeks, and then we get woken up at 3am to the Heathers looking like they've seen a ghost asking if we've seen you, only for them to get even more panicked when we said no and then they wouldn't answer any of our questions

V. Sawyer: That's fair, I promise I'll clear everything up between us

B. Finn: You better

At least she got them to come, Veronica thought as Chandler drove uncharacteristically slow to the park

They eventually arrived, and while stepping out of the car she looked around and saw her friends sitting under a covered pavilion

JD was also there, and when the two groups saw each other there was silent moment before the Heathers and Veronica made their way over to the table, sitting down

Veronica asked JD how he got here, to which he said after the Heathers kidnapped her he remembered they said that they went to their houses looking for her, so he went online and found Betty and Martha's social media accounts to let them know what was going on, and around 20 minutes ago they let him know this little meeting was happening and he figured he'd tag along because he also wants to know just what the hell is going on

Veronica decided that that was fair

Both groups sat in silence, before Veronica let out an awkward cough and asked the Heathers if there was anything they'd like to say to Betty and Martha and she guesses JD

Betty responds in a sarcastic tone "yeah, what do you have to tell us"

Chandler grew enraged but remembering her promise she quickly cools down, taking a deep breath and saying that on behalf of her group she would like to apologize for all of the harm that they have caused them over the past couple years

She remains silent after this, and Veronica has to intervene again, asking her what specifically she is apologizing for, and that goddamn it Heather they just went over this

Betty then interrupts them, telling Veronica to stay out of it, and if they Heathers truly wanted to apologize like they said then they should be able to do this themselves

Parroting what she told Veronica earlier, Mac chimes in, telling them that they feel bad about what they've done to them over these past few years

It's Martha who interjects here, telling her in a sarcastic tone that she's doing a great job at showing it

Veronica is getting frustrated and is thinking about banging her head on the table

Duke tells them that they want to be civil about this, but Martha laughs, saying that that's rich coming from her

Veins bulge on Duke's face and Mac has to cover Duke's mouth before she says something that would ruin this whole situation

Veronica is finally fed up, slamming her fists on the table, drawing the attention of everyone before saying that they all need to chill the fuck out

She turns to the Heathers, telling them that she knows this is hard and that admitting you fucked up isn't exactly the most fun thing in the world, but they were going to have to try and be sincere about this, not trying to deflect responsibility being being vague

And turning to her friends, she reminds them that while they have every right to be pissed at the Heathers, they came here to apologize and that they promised to at least listen to what they had to say, and that it can't happen if they make comments after every little thing the Heathers say

Both groups stay silent after Veronica's outburst, and she thinks she's ruined it before Martha speaks up in a much softer tone than she had been using, asking them what changed, why now after all of these years do they decide to apologize

The Heathers take a moment to think on their answer, before Mac speaks up, deciding to tell them the story of the past 24 hours, starting with their plan to trick Martha

She explained how the guy who threw the party demanded they bring a nerd to the party to prank, and that with such limited time and knowing the difficulty of luring someone on such short notice, they settled on Martha, who with her crush on Ram would be an easy target

Martha looked like she wanted to say something, but remembering Veronica's words remained silent

They knew they couldn't tell Veronica about who the note she was forging was for because she would refuse, but she found out anyway and stormed away, before they realized that they fucked up and went to find her, before realizing that she wasn't at school, and so they used the tracker app they installed on her phone to find her at 7/11 with him (she gestures over to JD)

Betty questions tracker app?, to which Veronica tells her that yeah it was really fucked up, to which Chandler then reiterates that she left school with some random guy without telling anyone who she was going with or where she was going, all she did was prove why the app was necessary, imagine if they didn't have it and couldn't find her

Betty then says she guesses that its reasonable given how Veronica acted but that they probably should have told her or asked her permission, to which Chandler agrees that yeah they probably should have

Mac then continues, saying that they then convinced her to go to the party, promising her an explanation when everything was over, only to go to the party and have her disappear, and that's when they freaked out and looked literally anywhere they could think of for her

They then explain the process of finding her at JD's house, before they took her to her place and they had a big talk, leading them to where they are now

Silence once again falls over the group as they consider what was just said

Martha decides to ask why Veronica left the party, to which she explains that there were creepy guys and she just felt really uncomfortable

JD speaks up for the first time, questioning the Heathers on why they would even bring her there to begin with, since they obviously weren't blind to the fact that there were creepy guys there

Chandler explains that the Remington Parties were like the Met Gala of popularity, being invited and going meant that you were at the top of the pyramid

Martha said that she didn't understand, to which Duke had to explain that popularity didn't come from thin air, and that someone already popular has to vouch for you and build you up, and going to these parties is not only a sign of status, but it was also where they met people who were already popular

Popular people in college had younger siblings at Westerberg, and so they go to these parties and connect with the right people who tell their siblings and their friends about how cool they were, and they tell their friends and so on and so forth, giving them status before they even started their first day of freshman year

She then asked why did they keep having to go once they became popular, to which Duke said that popularity was like a car, once you got it you had to keep up it's maintenance, and just because you are popular now doesn't guarantee you will be tomorrow

Betty commented that she didn't think popularity was so complicated, to which Chandler replied in a dark tone that it gets worse

Veronica then interjects, reminding her that she doesn't have to talk about it if she doesn't want to, but Chandler tells her that for them to understand they need to know the whole story

She then poses a question, how do they think they got invited in the first place

She sees Betty and Martha have a questioning look, but JD's stare grows cold and she knows that he's figured it out

She then says that you need to have something to bring to the table, you don't just get invited for nothing, and shakily she says that as a woman she had one thing that she knew all men wanted

Betty and Martha visibly recoil at her statement, understanding the implication

Martha shakily asks that this had to have happened before freshman year, did that mean?

Chandler's sad glance is all she gets in reply, but it's enough

JD then reaches his hand across the table before grabbing Chandler's shoulder, looking her in the eye and telling her that this is so completely fucked, and that if she wants her problem dealt with he could help

She says that she's tried but nothing will help, his dad is a police officer and will protect him, to which JD replies not from murder

**Line break**

Everyone visibly reacts in shock, Mac almost falling off the bench

Veronica asks him how he could just say that so nonchalantly, to which JD replies that this wasn't his first time dealing with creeps

Everyone goes dead silent, before Betty coughs and says that she's glad that she's not on his bad side

Chandler says that she'll keep that in mind, but for right now she needs him, he's the one who invites them to the parties in exchange for her having sex with him, without him no one would invite some high schoolers to their college party

JD then says that they never really answered his question, asking why they brought Veronica

Mac says that her just being part of the Heathers wasn't enough to solidify her status, going to the party would put her on the same level as them

He then asks Veronica if she left because someone tried to do something to her, to which she says thankfully not, but that the guy Chandler is taking about tried to, but she stopped him

Martha then asks if they warned her about this kinda stuff happening, to which Chandler replied that of course she did, but by Veronica's own admission she didn't really take it super seriously until she actually got to the party and saw it firsthand

Martha takes a glance over at Veronica, who nods, confirming Chandler's statement

Betty then says that while she still doesn't like them, she feels really fucking bad for them, no one should have to go through that kinda shit

Martha then speaks up, saying that it's even worse than that

She looks at Duke for permission, and she nods

She then tells her that Duke at least was abused for years, telling stories of Duke coming to school in tears over some of the inhumane shit her parents put her through, or covered in bruises, or even starved, and how Martha would try and help to the best of her ability

Some of the stuff she mentioned were things Mac and Chandler didn't even know about, and they were positively horrified, Mac pulling Duke into a hug and not letting her get out of it

Betty then asks, gesturing to the other Heathers, if they went through something similar, to which they both nodded

Everyone can literally see the anger radiating off of JD and while attempting of calm himself down he says through gritted teeth that he fucking hates child abusers and if he had his way no one would ever find their bodies

No one really knows how to respond to that, except for Martha who says that while maybe she wouldn't go that far she thinks that their parents should all go to jail

Chandler tells her bitterly that their parents were rich and could just pay their way out of any problems

JD comments that this country is so fucked, to which the Heathers can only nod in agreement

Martha then speaks up once again, saying that her initial question wasn't really answered

She understands them a bit better now, but she still doesn't know what changed

Chandler replies that they saw how much their actions hurt someone close to them

Before it was just the three of them, and outside of their parents and David nothing ever really could hurt them, they were invincible, a three-man team of steel

But Veronica wasn't like that, she had a soul, a heart, something the Heathers long abandoned

And while something like pranking Martha didn't really hurt them, it hurt Veronica a lot, something that they knew would happen but didn't really understand what that meant

And after she ran away twice, the second time leaving them with no idea where she was, they finally understood what they were doing to her

The fact that she would literally run away from them, going with anyone else, even a literal stranger over them, made them realize that they weren't treating Veronica with the respect that she deserved and that it needed to change

They then proceeded to tell them about the changes they planned on making, courtesy of Veronica, and what they gave her to earn her forgiveness

Upon mention of the screenshots revealing their relationship, Betty sighed before fishing out a 20 dollar bill and handing it to Martha, explaining they've had a running bet on which of them were dating

When Duke exasperatedly asks how they could've known, Betty responds 'color coded outfits, no straight people do that'

The eventually reach the final item, the money being given

Mac grabs her purse before pulling out two thick envelopes, and when Betty and Martha open them, revealing the cash, Chandler explains that this would be more than enough to pay for tuition for any college, or if they decide against that path, a down payment on a decently sized house, or anything they want to use the money on

Betty and Martha look at each other and then Veronica, who just gives them a smile

Betty jokingly says that they're trying to bribe them, to which Chandler replies that yeah they kinda are, but that and everything else are supposed to show how deeply sorry they are for their actions and that they are trying to make up for it all

Betty then takes a deep breath before reiterating that she doesn't like them, and doesn't think that she could ever forgive them for the literal years of torment they put her and her friends through, but that this is a step in the right direction and while they won't ever be friends, she'd like to not be enemies

This gets a positive reaction from the three Heathers, ranging from a small smile from Duke to a huge smile accompanied by a happy noise from Mac

Martha remains silent, saying that before anything else she wants the truth out of Duke

She knew this was coming and so had some time to come to terms with it, but she still found it hard to speak as she began her story

She explains the day she broke and just couldn't take it anymore, her shutting out of the rest of the world, her inability to just tell Martha the truth and her decision to just ignore her, hoping that the situation would solve itself, and how it was the hardest and worst thing she's ever done and how she regretted it the minute it happened, and how she could never work up the strength to ask for her forgiveness because she knew that she didn't deserve it, and-

She starts violently sobbing, tears splashing against the rotting wood of the park table

Martha stands up, drawing all eyes to her, and she moves across the way to where Duke is sitting, before pulling her into a hug

Duke was initially shocked and frozen, before starting to sob even louder and harder, leaning into the hug

Duke apologized profusely as she sobbed into Martha's shoulder, who only shushed her and patted her back as she cried

Duke eventually calmed down and Martha returned to her seat, before telling the group that she can see that they truly do feel guilty over their actions, and while she can't forgive them just yet, she hopes to eventually reach that point one day

Chandler mutters that its more than they deserve, and Betty responds saying maybe it is, but it's their forgiveness and they can give as much or as little as they feel appropriate

Mac tells them that they don't need to feel sorry for them just because their lives had been rough, to which Betty tells them that it's not because of that, that just explained why they did what they did

Its the fact that they made reconciliation attempts without even being prompted by Veronica and that they realized on their own that they needed to change that showed them that they truly understood the gravity of their actions against them and how they needed to change

Betty and Martha both get up, before telling Veronica that she might want to come with them, because her parents have been freaking out all night and are about to call the police, so she might wanna come home and deal with that

**Line break**

Veronica gets a 'oh shit' look before telling everyone that yeah she should probably go do that and bye, before getting in Betty's car and driving away

The Heathers make their exit, but before they can do so JD stops them, telling them that he was serious, if they needed help with their parents he could make it look like an accident

Mac tells him that it's fine, her mom was the abusive one and she doesn't even know where she is

JD tells her that he could find her and make her life a living hell, and Mac looks interested

Chandler and Duke tell him thanks but no thanks, they hate them and are planning on never talking to them again once they move out, but murder is a little too extreme

He tells them to suit themselves, but his offer is always on the table if they change their minds

And, if they need to talk to someone about these things, he knows all too well what its like to have shitty parents

As he gets on his motorcycle and drives away, the Heathers become really glad that they made up with Veronica's friends, otherwise they'd probably end up drinking drain cleaner or some shit

Veronica eventually arrives home, telling her friends bye and she heads to the front door, knowing the shitstorm that is going to occur as soon as she knocks

She momentarily debates seeing if the Heathers would be willing to let her stay forever, but she knows she's gotta face her parents eventually, so she knocks on the door

And a shitstorm it was

From the moment her parents answer and see her standing there they're fussing over her, making sure she's okay and hasn't been drugged or attacked or anything like that

Once her parents are 100% sure that she is mentally and physically alright the yelling starts, asking her what she was thinking leaving school, do they have any idea how worried they were when they got the call from the school telling them that she didn't show up for class, they almost called the police, why did those color-coded girls show up at their house at 3am asking where she was, they thought she was with them, and on and on it goes, Veronica answering to the best of her ability without revealing any sensitive information

When she has to reveal that she spent the last night at a friend's house, a guy they've never heard of named JD, they almost pass out before Veronica has to loudly and quickly tell them that they didn't have sex, they DID NOT have sex

When it's all said and done Veronica is grounded for two weeks, which she thinks is fair considering how much stress she put them thought

She is also able to keep her phone, explaining that if she didn't have a way to message the Heathers they might think something happened and they might show up at 3am again

The Heathers seem to be growing on her parents however, her dad telling her that he's glad she's found some friends who care enough to come looking for her at ungodly hours

Things become a lot better from this point on

The Heathers make an effort to be a lot nicer to her

They often shower her with expensive gifts of jewelry or new clothes, either trying to brush it off by saying she needed a new wardrobe (Chandler, Duke) or by telling her that its another apology for how they treated her and her friends (Mac)

Whenever they have their daily gossip check in, Veronica is included and allowed to contribute her ideas, which are taken seriously and considered

But, she's also noticed a different sort of change in them

Stares linger a little too long to be friendly, Mac's hugs (which happen at more frequent intervals) last a little too long to be friendly, and at their weekly sleepovers (which she had started to be invited to) they start to make comments about how she can join them in bed if she wanted

She initially brushed this all off as either her reading too much into things or a joke, but the frequency at which they occur is making her think otherwise

She decides that she is not thinking about this, and pushes it to the back of her mind

It makes a resurgence when she's trying to sleep or when they're changing at gym class, but for the most part she puts those thoughts into a box labeled 'do not touch' and put it in a part of her mind where she'll just forget about it

As for her friends, they Heathers kept their word, and from the Monday after the incident onwards not a single person has done anything to Martha or Betty or even JD

Not a single comment or thing thrown or locker defaced, everyone seems to have agreed that they were off-limits

She also found more time to spend with them, and does so without fear of retaliation, the Heathers making it explicitly clear that she could spend time with her friends whenever she pleased and they would not stop her or make comments or even get offended if she chose plans with them over them

She also found a good friend in JD

He's someone she finds she can talk to about the hard things that the others wouldn't get or she doesn't want them knowing about

They'll often go to 7/11, get slushies, and just talk

His tactics of freezing your brain seem to work wonders on... those thoughts she would rather not talk about

He also had become good friends with Betty and Martha after everything, hanging out with them when Veronica was busy with her Heather duties

Over a month passed before something had to happen to break the fragile tranquility established

Veronica had been making her way up the stairs at Mac's house after stopping to talk to her Dad, who she found to be a very caring man and who she can see Mac got her gentle nature from, when she opened the door without knocking

There she saw the Heathers.... doing things that made her cheeks burn and heart beat fast

The 'do not touch' box in her mind was touched, hell it caused a nuclear meltdown in Veronica's mind

There was a moment where all four of them stopped and looked at each other, before Veronica came back to reality, slamming the door shut and running out of the house, ignoring the shouts of 'Veronica!' behind her

She got in her recently acquired car and drove to 7/11, heading straight for the slushie counter, only to see JD standing there, giving her a questioning look

After his usual 'greetings and salutations' he jokes that freezing your brain is usually his thing, only for Veronica to not acknowledge him and down her cherry delight

Feeling the brain-freeze take her over she sighs in relief, which only made JD even more concerned

They paid for their treats and headed to their usual spot before JD told her to tell him what's going on

Veronica takes another large sip of her drink before stuttering out what she saw the Heathers doing

JD, being aroace, was mostly repulsed, but eventually he realized Veronica's dilemma, asking her outright if she had a crush on the Heathers

Veronica stood up faster than the speed of light before yelling NO

JD just gave her a look and she sat down, admitting that yeah she did, she guesses

Having found himself the group therapist, with Chandler and Duke coming to him to talk about their shitty parents, he was well versed in these matters

Love in the sense Veronica was talking about was foreign to him, but he knew enough to be able to figure it out

First he wanted to make sure that this was love not lust, a question which he posed to Veronica

She looked confused by it, but JD explained that he wanted to make sure she wasn't confusing a crush for being attracted to them, because from what he understood the Heathers were very conventionally attractive people and she could just think they were hot, but it could also be both, and her first step should be to figure out exactly what she was feeling

**Line break**

Veronica took a minute to seriously consider what he was saying, and considered the idea of a romantic relationship with the Heathers as well as a sexual one, and while the latter was definitely extremely appealing, she also desired the former, and she told JD that it was definitely a crush

With that settled, he got straight to the point

The Heathers totally had a crush on her too

Veronica laughed before one look at him told her that he was being serious

He told her that it was so fucking obvious and that they needed to just fuck already

Veronica told him to be serious and he told her that he was, the Heathers clearly had a crush on her, even Betty and Martha saw it

Veronica then thought about it, and all of the things she dismissed as 'thinking too much into it' suddenly made wayyyyy more sense, and she said 'ohhhhhhh my god the Heathers are into me'

JD responded that it took her long enough, you useless lesbian

He then told her that the Heathers likely also been flirting with her for weeks now and that she didn't pick up on it

Veronica then said thats probably what they meant the many times they asked her to sleep with them at sleepovers

JD was about to start banging his head against the pavement, telling her that she was so fucking oblivious

She then started freaking out, asking him what was she supposed to do about it

He told her, simply, to ask them out

She started blubbering about how she couldn't do that, they were so pretty and hot and blah blah blah

JD covered her mouth, told her to shut up and listen

He told her that those girls partially gave up the thing they worked years for and suffered for, gave her the power to ruin their lives, changed their attitudes and even more all because she was upset with them

They were whipped, and they would probably react like little happy puppies if she asked them out, at least McNamara would

She still looked unsure, and JD told her that while he couldn't force her to say anything he would strongly recommend doing so ASAP

She told him that she would think about it, but she was also worried how Betty and Martha would react

She would literally be dating all three of their major bullies, even if they were on better terms now there was still history between them

JD simply asked if it would make her happy to be with them, to which she said yes, and he replied that it would be the only thing that mattered to them when they told her

She asked how he could be so sure of all of these things, to which he told her that he paid attention to his surroundings and that people say more through their actions than their words

As they finished their slushies, who should come up but the Heathers, having found Veronica through the tracking app that Veronica consented to keeping after realizing that it wasn't there for any creepy reasons, only for knowing where she was if something happened or she ran away, which was becoming a concerning pattern for her

They apologized profusely, explaining that they didn't know she was coming so early so they thought they had some time

They were blushing hard as they explained themselves, as was Veronica when she told them that it was ok and that she should've probably knocked before going in

JD felt his brain cells deteriorating at how they kept dancing around their obvious crushes, and he was tired of it

He sat up before looking them in the eyes and told them to just get a room already

The four of them blushed even harder which only fueled his resolve

He told them that they had a crush on Veronica and that she had a crush back on them, now go ahead and date already

Various sounds of protest were made by all of them, but JD ignored that as he got on his motorcycle and started to speed away, not before telling Veronica to call him once her and her girlfriends got things figured out

Once JD left they just stood there awkwardly, before Duke said fuck it, went over, and smashed her lips onto Veronica's

Veronica reacted in shock before realizing that this felt really good and started to reciprocate

They made out for a few more seconds before Chandler pulled them apart, saying 'Goddamnit Duke Mac was supposed to get the first kiss, you are in so much trouble'

While they argued Mac took her chance, pulling Veronica into their own kiss

Duke's was rougher, filled with passion, a battle for dominance with every kiss, but with Mac had much softer lips, each one feeling like it's own unique expression of 'I love you'

Not wanting to get kissed for all 3 of her first kisses, she took the initiative, going over to where Chandler and Duke were arguing, before grabbing Chandler and pulling her into a kiss

It was much gentler than she expected, each movement seemingly perfectly crafted to feel as good as possible

Once that was done the four of them just looked at each other, before coming to some wordless understanding, getting in the car and heading back to Mac's place

They left Veronica's car, which she didn't realize until many hours later

Life continued as Veronica started a new life with her girlfriends

As JD had predicted, Betty and Martha were happy for her, excited that she found people that she loved and that loved her back

But they also told her that if the Heathers ever hurt her that they would be joining JD in killing them, which didn't scare her at all

Her parents were another story, she had to explain that not only did she like girls, she was dating three of them, and those three were the Heathers, who up until a few months ago were her bullies

The Heathers waited outside her house while she explained the situation, ready to take her to Mac's if things went south

It went about as well as you expected, which is to say not well at all

They weren't upset about her being bi, or even that she was dating three women, the issue lay in the three women she had chosen

Her parents questioned that of all the women in the world she had to pick those three, reminding her of all the awful things that they had done to her and her friends over the years

She retorted that they've changed, to which her parents questioned the legitimacy of it, wondering if this was just another prank, one giant one to end their time at high school with a bang, telling her that she didn't think this through and rushed into it too quickly without thinking that it might be a trick

Eventually Veronica got fed up and sent Duke the signal (a pineapple emoji) that things didn't go well and they needed to leave

Chandler slammed the car door shut as she exited the car, heading to the front door, narrowing missing it hitting her as it swung open to reveal a pissed off Veronica

Chandler pulled her into a tight hug before looking at her parents, telling them that they don't have to like them, but that they WILL respect Veronica's choice to be with them, because that's what she chose

And they don't have to believe that their feelings are genuine, because she knows they are, and that's all that matters

With that she turned around, still holding Veronica tight before depositing her in the backseat with Mac, who similarly pulled her into a hug as Chandler got into the driver's seat and sped off to Mac's

They had prepared for this given that it was the most probable outcome by a long shot

They set up a pillow fort on Mac's spacious bed, various snacks and drinks spread about

They climb in, Veronica staying in the middle as her gfs cuddle around her

Mac, who was holding the remote, asked her what she wanted to watch

She responded 'nothing with parents' to which Mac muttered 'no Disney then' before shutting off Disney+

**Line break**

She couldn't really decide, so the Heathers, who had been doing their best to learn Veronica's interests, decided to put on an anime, landing on something that looked colorful and light-hearted called Bocchi the Rock!

After a few episodes Veronica perked up and started to feel a little better

They watched some more episodes before deciding to call it an early night

Veronica found sleeping with her gfs to be one of the most relaxing things, the feeling of their bodies, the sound of their breathing and heartbeats, the knowledge that they were right there, all of it worked to soothe her and help her sleep

When she woke up the next day and checked her phone, she saw several messages from her parents, begging her to come home and that they just wanted to talk

She told her gfs who viewed it with some suspicion but they decided to go anyway, reasoning that Veronica was a minor so her parents could technically just call the police and have them forcibly take her home, and it would be better to just do it willingly

They did decide to dress their best, telling Veronica that they weren't going to let her talk to her parents alone, and that they had to dress to impress

Deciding the Heather's logic was sound, they made their way to Veronica's

When they answered the door, Veronica's parents had tears in their eyes, exclaiming that they were so worried

Thats when they notice the Heathers standing behind her, dressed like they're going to church or some fancy dinner

Veronica told them that if they wanted to talk, they had to be invited too

Her parents looked nervous about it but acquiesced, asking them if they would like something to drink

In the most polite tone and manner they could they told them that it wouldn't be necessary, but thanked them anyway

They sat down on the couch, Chandler sitting on one side and Mac and Duke sitting on the other

The couch wasn't big enough for the four of them so they had to squeeze, Mac even having to sit half on Duke's leg to fit, but they managed to get it to work

Veronica started, explaining that she was dating them, all three of them, and that they were also dating each other, the three of them having dated each other for much longer than they've dated her, but that didn't mean that she was loved the least or not wanted

She then went on to say that she loved them more than she's ever loved anything before, they care so much even if some of them try and act like they don't sometimes (she looks at Chandler), they've been there for her and the few short months she's known them personally have been some of the greatest of her entire life

Her mom interjects, brining up that they were friends for only a few weeks at most when they started dating, don't they think they were rushing into things

Chandler replied cordially, explaining that the feelings were already there at that point, and waiting would do nothing but make them miserable because they knew what they wanted but couldn't have it, so there was no real point in waiting

Her mother also questioned the dynamic, considering that up until a few months ago they were her bullies, but suddenly they turn around and want to be her girlfriends, well they can't blame her for being a little bit suspicious of the whole thing

Duke then tells her that her suspicious are reasonable and come from a place of care, but they are just that, suspicions, that they wish to prove incorrect

Her dad then steps in, saying that he trusts his daughter's judgement, and that she's never given them a reason to doubt that

Her mom pulls up the incident a few months ago, but her dad says the only bad decision she made was to go to the party, she left school to avoid a potentially dangerous situation (he looks over to the Heathers, seemingly expecting a reaction, but they keep the same smile on their face), same thing with leaving the party, and she chose to stay at a friend's house instead of walking home, and most importantly she didn't have sex with him, that seems like good judgement to him

He says that if Veronica believes that the Heathers have changed then he believes that as well

Veronica then asks her dad what's changed, yesterday he was all against it

He tells her that he realized that she's growing up, and he needs to have faith in her and her decisions

She's always been a good kid, and now its time for him to see the adult that she's become

And if it turns out bad, then she learned a lesson and can do better next time

And if it turns out good, then she's found people who truly love her

Veronica tears up, untangling herself from the Heathers, goes over and hugs her dad, thanking him for having faith in her

He hugs her back, telling her how proud of her he was

And while he tells her that he doesn't trust her girlfriends just yet, he would like to give them the chance to prove themselves

Her mother, the last holdout, realizes that she's basically backed into a corner and gives in, but tells Veronica to just be careful, she doesn't wanna see her get hurt

With all the obstacles gone, life goes on

Mac tells her dad about Veronica joining them, to which he just laughs, telling her that it was about time

He still gives Veronica the whole 'if you hurt my daughter i'll end your bloodline' speech, but it seems like it was more of a formality than anything else

They go on their first group date, they establish a schedule for individual dates, and so on and so forth (can you tell I'm tired of writing this already)

Everything is happy and wonderful and of course something comes along to ruin it, this isn't My Little Pony (much to Mac's dismay)

One day when Chandler is getting ready for school her mother drunkenly barges in, bottle in hand, telling her that she's finally found a use for her wasteful self, just laying around her house and mooching off of her money

She says that some man contacted her and gave her a pretty penny for her hand in marriage

Her blood runs cold

She already has an idea of who it is, but just to be sure she asks her mother, who confirms that it was some guy named David, she figured that she finally found herself a boyfriend who was stupid enough to date her dumbass, at least he's rich

Chandler yells that she won't marry him, only for her mom to launch her bottle at her, which narrowly misses her

She says 'like hell your not' and said that either she marries him or she gets out and she cuts her off from all of the money

Chandler, knowing that this isn't a battle she can't win, at least not know, gives in

When she arrives to school at a normal speed, her girlfriends are worried, even more so when she steps out, tears in her eyes

They pull her into a hug, Chandler a sobbing mess, bordering on hysteria

In between sobs Chandler manages to get out the information her mother told her

Her girlfriends are pissed, but none of them really know what to do, so they decide to just head to school

They are extremely downtrodden, but they are able to keep it hidden from the school population

At least, most of it

JD approaches them, a sight which once caused controversy but now drew no attention, asking them what's up

No one says anything for a long minute, before Duke squeaks out that Chandler just got engaged. to David.

The rather jovial, nonchalant attitude JD had dropped, and his eyes took on a murderous tint

Mac, Duke and Veronica take turns explaining what they knew, while Chandler just sat in silence, staring at the table

He then says that there's a rather simple solution, murder of course

Veronica tells him to stop joking, this is serious, but the look in JD's eyes shows that he's not joking

He tells them to meet him in the park after school

The four of them look at each other, and nod

**Line break**

They meet him, and he explains his plan

Veronica will forge a new will for Chandler's mother, which will leave the Chandler fortune to Chandler

Then there will be a freak accident when they go to Big Bud Dean, hoping to buy a private airplane off of him that he was planning to demolish, only for him to forget to remove the explosives and accidentally set one off with a cigarette

Chandler questions where he's gonna get a private jet, only for him to say that the plane part is completely real, and that his father mentioned to him that several rich people have come to him, asking him to sell it to them instead of demolishing it and selling it for scrap

All she has to do is play along with the marriage thing until she can convince them to have the wedding in a faraway place and that she really wants a private jet to bring them there, and just "get sick" the day they are supposed to tour it, the rest of them coming over to keep her company while her mother and fiancee are away

None of them can really see an issue with this plan, only that Chandler wishes she could kill them with her own bare hands

JD laments that it is an issue with the plan, but if the corpses were mutilated it would be obvious that it was a murder

This entire time, Duke had a devilish smile on her face, and when questioned she tells them that she knows two other shitty abusive parents that would be interested in getting a private jet on a discount

Mac asks JD, well, wouldn't it also kill your dad?

He tells her that originally that was his plan to kill just his dad, but he modified it a bit when he heard what was going on with Chandler

So the plan is set into place

Veronica forges new wills for Chandler's mother and Duke's parents and she is able to get them submitted without any serious issues, so when they die all of their fortune will go to their children named Heather

Chandler plays along with the marriage, her mother not really caring about the change in demeanor overnight

David is more than enthusiastic that he "bagged this hot piece of ass" and is fully convinced Chandler is head over heals to marry him

While they get the wedding details planned Chandler is able to convince them to have it in California, but also that she doesn't want to fly like a commoner on some airline

A few days later she brings up an ad she found for a private jet for really cheap, sure it would take some maintenance work but it would be less expensive overall then buying one new

Already over how expensive this turned out to be, her mother agrees to go take a look, David agreeing to go with

This become even better, as somehow her father hears the news and comes to Sherwood to help celebrate, and as the owner of a private jet himself he'd like to go and take a look with them

Chandler cannot believe her luck, and Veronica quickly forges another will

At the same time, Duke plants a flyer for the jet outside her home, advertising a showing for the same time and day Chandler's family is supposed to be there to take a look at it

Within a few days her parents inform Duke that they will be going out on that day at that time for 'business'

The night before the accident, JD goes to the jet, still covered in explosives that his father was too lazy to remove, even when rich clients were coming to check it out

He's already been here before, so his fingerprints if discovered wouldn't be too out of the ordinary

He knows his father likes to smoke, but also that he would put it out before heading into the jet, so he sets a trash can right outside, a little too close to the jet to be considered normal but not close enough to arouse suspicion

Being around guests JD know he won't just throw it on the ground and will throw it in the bin, which has a screen over it, covered by some very flammable trash leading to one of the nearby explosives

If all goes well Big Bud will throw his cig into the trash, which will set it on fire, the fire will move up the trash until it reaches the explosive, at which point he'll be inside the jet with his guests as the plane explodes, killing all of them

The day arrives and Chandler feigns illness, which is thankfully believed, and she texts her friends to come over as she's not feeling well

Once they arrive the feeling of nervousness is palpable, just waiting for the police to arrive

This could all go poorly, they know, but JD is confident that this won't be traced back to them, as theoretically none of them are involved in anyway

Eventually there's a knock on the door, and when Veronica goes to open it she sees two police officers standing there, asking to speak to Heather Chandler

She lets them know that she isn't feeling well but are welcome to come in

Everyone's heart is beating loud and fast, and upon seeing JD and Duke they mutter that it's an odd coincidence, which only makes their nerves worse

Thankfully they tell them that there was an accident, and that their parents, Chandler's fiancee and JD's dad are dead

Having practiced, Duke and Chandler burst into tears, and JD becomes stoically silent and stares at the floor

The cops offer some reconciliatory gestures, before letting them know that foul play was not suspected, but that they had people looking into it

Veronica and Mac, playing the role of concerned friends speaking up for their grieving friends, ask what they meant by foul play

The cops explain that the jet just randomly exploded, and they have a team trying to figure out why

Thats why JD pretends to slowly come to a realization, saying that something must've set off the explosion, and he knows his dad is, sorry was, a heavy smoker

The cops make a note of that, saying that they'll let their team know that it could be that, before making their way out

They hold their breaths until the cops leave, before they all let out a sigh of relief

A few days pass, lawyers come over to handle will proceedings, and the contents of the Chandler and Duke fortunes are placed in the hands of Chandler and Duke, respectively

They started to make plans for a funeral, and family from all over the world comes over

They are all shocked to hear that the fortune went to the girls and for the most part are outraged, especially Duke's siblings and Chandler's half-brother, who demand that they share the money

They both refuse, saying that mom and dad left us the money for a reason, and that they won't be giving anyone a red cent

Realizing that they aren't getting any of the money, most of the family leaves, with only a few members staying for the funeral for appearance's sake

Eventually the cops return and question the girls and JD, but they had prepared for this, and gave answers that painted them as having a stroke of luck to escape a horrible fate (Chandler) or an unknowing girl who never even got to say goodbye to their parents (Duke) or a bitter son who knew his dad's habit was gonna kill him one day, but not in this way (JD)

The cops were suspicious of the wills being changed so close to their deaths, especially Chandler's dad, but with no evidence tying anyone to the deaths they were ruled tragic accidents and the police visits became fewer and fewer, until they stopped entirely

And just like that, they were free

High school passed in a blink of an eye, and before they knew it they were graduating

They elected not to go to the ceremony, saying that high school wasn't a time to celebrate

It brought out the worst in them, made them into detestable people that they hope to never be again

They all decide to move into Chandler's old mansion, selling all of her mom's things and burning all of David's

They turn it into a paradise, a place safe from the outside where they can be themselves

**Line break**

They decide to sell the Duke mansion to Betty, JD and Martha for $1, which at first they refuse to accept, but after some persuasion and showcases of aspects of the house, like the huge pool, they agree and move in

And from this day forward, they would be happy, no high school, no Remington parties, no popularity, no Heathers, just Chandler, Duke, Mac, and Veronica, together forever

Can you tell I was done with this towards the end? I know it could’ve been better, but I was ready to move on to something new

Thank you to everyone who read this, and an extra thank you to everyone who likes, comments, or reblogs my writing, its y’all who really give me the motivation to keep writing, it lets me know that there are people out there who enjoy what I do and I am so thankful that you took the time out of your day to read something that I worked on

Also sorry for not posting anything in a month lol this was kicking my ass

#heathers #heathers the musical #heather chandler #heather duke #heather mcnamara #veronica sawyer #poly!heathers+veronica #poly!heathersxveronica #heathers headcannons #heathers au

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