Hi!

I watched the movie version of Heathers a few months back and adored it. I've watched some scenes from the musical, but have never seen it in full. So far, I hold the unpopular opinion that the movie is way better - innocent musical Veronica is no match for Ryder's snarky anti-hero... and JD is too much of a typical Troubled Cinnamon Roll in the stage version. I prefer the subversion of the 'bad boy' trope that Slater gives us. Still. The songs are fucking ace. That's undeniable. (And I really like the Heathers themselves in the musical.)

Anyway, this is my first foray into the fandom (if there is a fandom? haha) and I hope you like it. I'm unashamedly a massive JD fan (what? He's everyone's favourite pretentious emo murderer) and this little AU is a testament to that. Idea credit to korrakun on Tumblr.

19/4/2017

Dear Diary,

Obviously, today wasn't my first day of uni. Uni doesn't start in April. But it's the first day of uni that I'm writing about here, because I promised myself that when I left high school, I'd stop keeping a diary like a six-year-old. This, though? This is too good to pass up.

So I'm starting to write.

Like I was saying, it wasn't my first day at uni. But it was evidently someone's - there was a new kid in Psychology today. He sat a couple of desks in front of me, so I could only see the back of his head (Christ, was his hair messy) and his massive black trenchcoat. He looked like Marlon Brando from the back - Marlon Brando, but emo. He had this massive six-pack of energy drinks in front of him and he worked through them like crazy. Twenty minutes into the lecture and they were all gone.

"Veronica, would you at least try and concentrate?" A padded green elbow hit my side and Heather Duke turned to look at me with a frown. "You're not drooling over James Dean over there, are you?"

"His first name's not James. It's Jason." I had snuck a look at the register. I knew Heather was just making a reference, but the fact that emo boy actually did share his last name with the 'bad boy' that had inspired a generation was just too good to pass up. "And of course I'm not."

She knew straight away I was lying. I might not even have made eye contact with the guy but he had a certain... presence. And the energy drink thing, that was intriguing me. Still - "He's not hot," she told me, rather firmly. "I saw him in the corridor earlier. That trench coat, it's to hide the fact that he's skinny. And he's got weird eyebrows. He looks like a weasel." A giggle. "Heather Chandler would agree." And what Heather Chandler says? That's law.

I bumped into him again at lunch. We were both at the coffee machine. I didn't see him until I turned around, hot paper cup in my hand, on my way back to the table where the Heathers sit. Where I sit. I knew it was him because of the trenchcoat and the hair. Also, because he did kind of look like a weasel... if weasels were hot.

Really hot.

For some reason, I made myself look like a total dumbass by standing around while he got his coffee. When he turned back around to see me he raised an eyebrow. Just one. So he's hot and he's talented... "Hi, Jason," I said, very quickly. I was trying to be cool; to make it better. Unfortunately, I was too dumb to figure out that that was definitely going to make me look even more awkward. And like a stalker.

Somehow, he remained unfazed. "It's JD." He sipped his coffee (not breaking eye contact) and didn't wince, despite the fact that it had just come out of the machine and was probably burning his lip off. So not just the one talent, either. "You don't happen to have a Mountain Dew on you, darling?" His voice was strange, I thought; too smooth - as if he did not know how to speak without sarcasm. I couldn't figure out if I liked it or hated it.

"I do have a name, you know." Lip bite, tiny smile. "You want to hear it?"

"Is it Heather?"

"It's Veronica."

He kept his eyes on mine for a moment, then they flicked down to my bag. He must have seen the bottle hiding in it - he quite abruptly seized it, unscrewed the lid, and poured it into his coffee. His next move (naturally, naturally) was to down the whole thing. "I'm going to die," he told me, quite plainly, licking his lips, eyes glinting. I was almost afraid... No - afraid's not the right word. I was exhilarated.

"You oughtn't to take a girl's things without asking, you know. Bad etiquette."

He grinned. "Sorry." I moved a little closer to him. I'm not sure why. He had very sharp, dark eyes, and pale skin - almost white. If I believed in God, I'd say the guy lost his coloured pencils when it was time to make JD.

"You really like that stuff?"

"Keeps me awake." He slouched one step sideways and dropped the empty coffee cup in the bin. "But I prefer slushies."

"Funny. I do too." I tried to do a charming smile. I say 'tried' - like I'm trying to make myself sound humble or something. But no. The charming smile was perfectly executed - I haven't spent all of this time around the Heathers for nothing. "I'll take you to the local 7-11 sometime."

"I'm sure you will."

He left. I sipped my coffee, and it burnt.

V

xx