bruises // heathers

seventeen // let's be normal

By the time that the three had returned home, Elle had relaxed and come out of the trance she seemed to be stuck in a lot. She went to her room for a little while but soon found herself bored. She left the bedroom and peaked her head into the living room where her father was reading to her mother softly. They were curled together and it was really pretty. Elle scurried back to her room and grabbed a camera that she took from a drawer. It was a Polaroid camera. She tiptoed back into the living room and took a picture of her parents cuddled together and reading.

"Giselle," JD said, knowing she was hiding behind the doorway and sneaking pictures again. Elle shook the Polaroid furiously and the picture soon took shape. She grinned in joy as JD tapped on her shoulder, he had snuck behind her. "Are you taking pictures of us again?" He asked, pretending to frown.

"Maybe," Elle said, scuffing her shoe against the wooden floor and looking down at her feet.

"Well, let us see it." Veronica told Elle, who reluctantly handed over her Polaroid photograph.

"You're getting really good at this." JD complimented his daughter's photography skills. She had an eye for pretty things and knew what looked natural. That's why she snuck so many of her parents, they were beautiful and when they were together they looked candid.

"You have a natural talent," Veronica added.

"Thank you," Elle blushed. "I have a question."

"What's up?" JD asked.

"Can I change my last name to Dean?" Elle asked, her line of sight shifting from her feet to her parents. "Once you two get married, I'll still be Giselle Sawyer and I don't wanna be Giselle Sawyer. I wanna be Giselle Dean."

"Well, the second we change my last name, we'll change yours too." Veronica reassured her daughter, who beamed at the opportunity of having the same last name as both of her parents.

"When are you gonna change yours?" Elle asked, she wanted to know how long of a wait it was going to be before they were a real family.

"We aren't having a ceremony or anything, so we could do it literally whenever." Veronica answered.

"Like today?" Elle wondered.

"Yeah, but we'd have to go to the courthouse and get officially married before I change our names. It's free that way." Veronica explained.

"Well why don't we go get married?" JD asked.

"We've been engaged for like a month, we can't get married yet, Jason." Veronica scoffed.

"Why not?" JD asked, ignoring that she called him by his first name when he doesn't like being called by it.

"Because most engagements last for a year." Veronica tensed up, she didn't want to admit that the idea of marrying Jason scared her a little bit.

"We aren't like most people." JD replied. "Here," He said, walking to the counter and picking up his wallet. "Take the money, get some dresses and come back here in a couple hours. Then we'll go to the courthouse after you get home." Veronica looked at Elle, who was urging her to take the wallet filled with money. Veronica sighed in defeat before accepting the money from her fiancé. JD kissed her on the cheek as her and Elle prepared to leave. Veronica had the money in her purse and grabbed her jacket before her and Elle exited the door with JD following behind them.

Elle got into the backseat and Veronica stood with JD for a moment. "I'll trust you aren't going to run off on me." He told her.

"I won't," Veronica said but she didn't sound very sure. It was as if she was just deciding that.

"Veronica, I'll go with you if you even think about leaving." JD warned Veronica.

"I won't leave. I couldn't do that to Giselle." Veronica assured JD. He frowned in annoyance.

"Don't you want to stay with me?" JD asked.

"I do." Veronica sighed, running her hand through her hair. "I was making a point by mentioning Elle."

"You better not be lying to me, Veronica." JD told her with a serious look on his face.

"JD, I'm not lying to you." Veronica said, kissing him quickly before getting in the car. Elle knocked on the window and waved to her father who smiled at her, hoping it wouldn't be the last time he saw her. He stepped back and Veronica pulled the car away. He watched them drive away for a moment before sighing.

"You better not be lying to me, Veronica." He mumbled again before going back inside, rubbing his jaw a bit. As he walked back inside quickly bumping into Kristen.

"Hey sexy," Kristen breathed, pressing herself against JD.

"Kristen, you know that I have a family now." JD clenched his jaw and pushed Kristen off him.

"But you said I was good." Kristen replied.

"Not nearly as good as my Veronica." JD laughed at his own joke. "It's over Kristen, hell, it didn't even start."

"Fuck you!" Kristen yelled.

"We slept together like four times. It's time to move on." JD insisted. "All you were was sex. Just a way to fix my issues until I could reunite with my family."

"Why can't you be with me and not them?" Kristen screamed.

"Because I don't love you." JD said, a blank expression on his face. He was being serious. "I love Veronica and I love Giselle. That's my family and I suggest you begin to leave me the fuck alone before you regret it."

"How would I regret it?" Kristen asked, and it took all of JD's strength to not kill the bitch right there. She was just another Heather. Just another stupid bimbo who wanted a guy who can give it to them.

"Why don't you kill her? Her and I would be great friends! We both hate Veronica!" Piped Heather Chandler, materializing before JD in Kristen's place. Jason shook his head and went back into his apartment. "Come on, I'm so bored of Ram and Kurt. Gimme a friend, Jesse James!" She stood now in front of him again, only blocking his way to going further inside the apartment.

"Fuck off Heather." JD said angrily. The teenage girl never showed up often to him. She was materializing more and more lately as his family came back together. They were haunted by Heather.