Don't blame me

To get rid of Veronica

A few weeks had passed, but for Saige, it felt like an eternity. Every time she saw Veronica, it was like a knife twisting deeper into her gut. She couldn't shake the image of Veronica flirting with JD, laughing at his jokes, leaning in too close. It had been happening more and more—Veronica finding reasons to linger by JD's locker, smiling that flirty smile that made Saige's blood boil.

JD, of course, played it off as if it was all part of his plan. He told Saige not to worry, that Veronica meant nothing, but Saige wasn't convinced. She knew JD well enough by now to understand that he enjoyed the attention, even if he claimed to only love her. And that made everything worse. She had thought they were in this together, bound by their shared darkness. But Veronica was slowly creeping into their world, and Saige couldn't stand it anymore.

That night, she made her way over to JD's house, her mind racing with a decision she knew she couldn't take back. The cool night air did nothing to calm her nerves as she knocked on his window, the way she always did when she didn't want to risk waking his dad.

JD opened the window with a grin, as if he could already sense the tension radiating off her. "Hey, you," he said, stepping aside to let her in. "What's got you all wound up tonight?"

Saige climbed through the window and stood in the middle of his room, her heart pounding. She didn't even know how to start, but the words were bubbling up inside her, demanding to be let out. She looked at him—his familiar smirk, the way he leaned against the wall like he owned the world—and suddenly, it was too much.

"I want her gone," Saige blurted out, her voice sharp and cold.

JD raised an eyebrow, still grinning like this was all a game. "Who, Veronica? What's she done now, smiled at me one too many times?"

Saige clenched her fists, her jaw tight. "You don't get it, JD. She's always around you, always trying to get your attention. I see it every day. And I can't take it anymore. She's in the way, JD. In the way of us."

JD's smile faded, his eyes narrowing as he took a step closer to her. "You're serious," he said slowly, studying her face. "You really want her gone?"

Saige swallowed hard, feeling the weight of what she was saying settle over her. "Yes. I want her out of our lives. Permanently."

For a long moment, JD said nothing. He just stared at her, the smirk gone, replaced by something far darker. His eyes gleamed with that familiar intensity, the one that had always made her feel both exhilarated and terrified.

Then, without warning, he laughed—a low, twisted chuckle that sent a chill down Saige's spine. "Oh, Saige," he said, shaking his head. "I knew you had it in you. I always knew. But I didn't think you'd come around to this so soon."

Saige frowned, her stomach churning. "This isn't a joke, JD. I'm serious."

JD stepped even closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I know you are. And that's what makes it so perfect." He cupped her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing her cheeks. "You really want her gone? Then we'll make it happen. Just like we did with Heather, with Ram and Kurt. No one will suspect a thing."

Saige felt her breath hitch, the weight of his words sinking in. She had been the one to say it—to want it—but now, hearing JD turn it into a plan made her heart race with something between fear and excitement.

"I don't want her around anymore," Saige whispered, her voice barely audible.

JD grinned, pressing his forehead against hers. "Then consider it done. By the time we're finished, Veronica Sawyer will be nothing but a memory."

Saige closed her eyes, her mind spinning with what she had just set in motion. There was no turning back now, no stopping the storm she had unleashed. And as JD's arms wrapped around her, pulling her close, she couldn't help but feel a strange sense of relief.