Pate, inside jokes, and a familiar face...

Heather breakes her smirky glare at Duke to face something far more cringworthy.

Veronicas suburbian mom had come out with a tray of finger food.(The Sawyer's eat pate. Sometimes Mrs. Sawyer will buy normal food - but only if it's pate-able.)

The luxerious rich-people porch was painted a modern light gray, with perfectly styled hedge bushes along the sides.

Sitting at a small outdoor coffee table sat Mr Sawyer. His feet were crossed and he was lying back comfortably in his chair.

He wore a button up long sleeve shirt with a knitted white vest... Something heather liked to make fun of.

In his hand he held a book.... Something he was very invested in... Apparently.

Veronica's mom gently placed the large glass tray onto the table.

She wore her relaxed facial expression that meant all was well...

"Heather, your mother's here."

She said pleasantly.

While you would wonder Wich heather she meant, the three girls weren't cunfused at all.

Heather chandlers dad was at work, and her mom was probably with her 'book club'.

Heather Duke's parents- well no one really knew much about her parents. Veronica had never met the people who brought this gorgeous face into the world. But from the sound of it, they were rich as well. So that left-

"Come all who want a ride!"

Shouted heather McNamara as she places her croquet mallet on the edge of the fountain.

The Heathers, of name, had departed each smiling perfectly at the Sawyers...great influences on Veronica...

And the Veronica was heading for the house. But Veronica's dad shouted from over the book sternly... But In a joking way.

Veronica's parents had been soft on her since she started junior high. Letting Veronica go off with whoever she thought was nice... She loved her parents for giving her freedom, but it had also left a part in her life where she wished her mom had stopped her from going out with certain guys that were worse than Kurt and Ram. Like Betty's brother's friend.

But her parents were always these easy going old people. Even though her mom was barly 50, she look alot like Veronica.

"Hey take a break Veronica, sit down."

She considered this for a moment... Well might as well.

She plopped down onto a patio chair and leaned back comfortably. Her fingers found their way to a cracker Wich she popped in her mouth.

"So what's the first week of spring vacation withdrawal like?"

He said, not looking up from his book

"Oh... It's ok I guess."

She said hiding all horrific troubles of hisghschool behind her brown eyes.

Veronica's mom smiles smugly as she placed some pate on a cracker for Veronica.

"Hey kid, isn't the prom coming up?"

She handed the perfectly spreaded cracker to Veronica who stared at it uncertainly. Blushing at the thought of JD waltzing in his massive trenchcoat....

"I guess."

She answered smiling slightly, the classic Sawyer family grin creeping up her lips.

"Any contestants worth mentioning?"

Veronica avoided eye contact on this one, she wanted to tell her mother, but all she could do was suppress her grin and feel her hot cheeks.

"Maybe"

Once again she thought of JD's trademark smirk hitting her from accross the whole cafeteria...

"There's kind of a dark horse in the running."

Veronica's dad chuckled from his side of the table, still not looking up from his book.

"God damn, will someone tell me why I read these spy novels?"

He said, setting up their usual joke.

Veronica smiled cheekily before giving her dad a sneaky glance as she spread more dip on a new cracker.

"Cause you're an idiot dad-"

Veronica's dad's eyes lit up and he looked up at Veronica in a classic look of mock suprise-.

"Oh yeah! Thats it."

Veronica's mom took a bite of a cracker before chuckling sweetly and surveying her perfect little girl and her perfect little family in her perfect little mansion in her perfect neighborhood in her perfect little mental world where nothing bad happens.

"You too-"

Veronica shoved the rest of her pathetic cracker in her mouth before lazily pulling herself out of the chair.

"Great pate, but I gotta motor if I wanna be ready for that party tonight."

Veronica's mom smiled lovingly. To her, a late party meant soda and pizza. Movies and gossip. Tea and cookies. Not rape drugs and alcohol.

~

The red convertible pulled loudly into the snappy snack shack parking lot, a sad rip off of 7-11 that somehow managed to get locations in all 50 states.

Veronica crawled out of the door bickering loudly about something insane I'm sure. She tried walking but was forced to waddle like a penguin with her tube dress that went a little past her knees.

As she pulled open the door a loud honk issued from Heather's car as her shrill familiar voice filled the nearly empty parking lot.

"CORN NUTS!"

She then leaned back looking in the review mirror, fixing her extra curled hair... Now down as a fluffy mass barely dipping Bellow her shoulders. She had no power at remmington.. she didn't need a scrunchie.

Veronica surveyed the cornut stand before leaning out the door.

"BQ or plain!"

She hollered at the car.

Even from a distance she could see Heather's face contorted in annoyance.

"BQ!"

She said as if this would have been obvious, how DARE Veronica ask her highness what she wants.

Veronica rolled her eyes as she waddled through the store. Near the back where the slushy machines were.

She moved along past kissing couples, grumbling grumpily.

She stood in front of the corn nut display.. scanning for the red tinted packaging.. hinting BQ... The soft hum of the slushy machine was oddly calming.

There they are.

She had located Heather's precious BQ cornuts.

She was about to turn around.. when a sly voice said in her ear.

"Are you gonna pull a super chug with that?"

Her heart skipped a beat.

It was JD.