Pan High Rules

A/N: okay, folks...I'm back. When I completed 'Drunk Logan' I knew that I wanted to write this fic. Unfortunately, it hasn't been as quick a process as I'd hoped. For that reason, I'm going to put myself under the gun. I'm going to start posting while I only have about ten chapters written. What this means for you, is that there will not be daily updates. I'm planning on weekly. That will give me some time to continue writing before running out of material, but will also hopefully make me write so that I don't leave you hanging! Let me know what you think! Thanks!

Setting: This fic begins where S1 canon begins. Examples: D/V were together, but broke up just before Lilly died for the same reason as in canon. V did go to Shelly's party and yup, bad things happened. The differences from my fic and canon are as follows: everything that happened actually happened a year later. I wanted them to be a year older. Therefore, Lilly died at the beginning of her Senior year and Logan, Veronica and Duncan's Junior year. Also, another major change will become obvious in the first couple of chapters. Veronica isn't quite the skeptic she is in canon, but no where near the pink frilly she was pre-Lilly either. She's changed, but that will all be explained.

Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this fanfiction belong to Rob Thomas and his creative team at The C.W./U.P.N. (Of course, we know how they squandered that right!) The story is my own creative work and my intention is to pay homage to the universe they created, not to profit from it. If I owned these characters, I would be much nicer to them and they would still be living quite happily in my television on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. As it is now, I get my JD fix on Friday nights. Not a bad way to start the weekend, Ladies!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was the first day of Senior year for Logan Echolls. It wasn't any first day of school, though. Normally, he would have been walking into a school that he had ruled for the first three years of high school and that he would continue to rule for his last year. He would have been making plans for Senior Ditch Day with all of the other privileged kids he called his friends. They were the 09ers, the ones that lived in the prestigious 90909 zip code. Was he doing that? Was he driving into his school parking lot as King of Neptune High? No.

Why, you ask? Well, that's not an easy question to answer. If you can make it through the my explanation of his journey , you'll be happy you did. Unfortunately, we'll have to go back to the beginning, where it all began. Still with me? Good. Let's get started.

Logan's girlfriend...well, ex-girlfriend, Lilly Kane had been murdered at the beginning of his Junior year. You all know the story of the socialite-daughter of software billionaire, Jake Kane. The picture of her lifeless body laying next to the family pool was spread all over the internet just weeks after her murder.

What does that have to do with Logan and his first day of school, you ask? Well, that's only slightly more complicated. The day that Lilly died was the beginning of his descent. It may sound as if he lost his social status and all of those friends of his. That isn't what happened at all. As a matter of fact, if possible he became even more popular, at least with the 09ers. The reality is that he completely lost control of his life.

You see, besides Lilly, his best friends had been Lilly's brother, Duncan Kane and Lilly's best friend, Veronica Mars. They were great together. They were the "Fab Four". Mainly, it started as another way for Lilly to make sure that no one forgot how fabulous she was. She had stated one day, that because she was so fabulous, she would never willingly hang out with anyone less than fabulous. Therefore, they were the "Fabulous Four". It just got shortened to the "Fab Four".

After Lilly died, Duncan withdrew completely. He was still there physically, but emotionally he was like a blank slate. He never joked around much or got angry or showed much of any other emotion. He just seemed to glide through his days. No one could really blame him. He had been the one to find his sister, one of his best friends, lying dead with her head bashed in. That's not an easy sight to recover from. The little pills that his mom, Celeste, fed him every morning helped keep his emotions in check, too.

Veronica's father was the Sheriff. He led the investigation to find Lilly's murderer. He started pointing fingers at Lilly's family. Her father Jake, specifically. When Veronica was given the choice of standing by her friends and her dead best friend or standing with her father, she chose her father. Logan was crushed. She had been the last one, the last person he could count on. He had decided at that moment that he would never forget what she had done that day and that he would never allow her to forget it either.

Logan did everything he could to destroy Veronica's life at Neptune High. He started prank calling her, letting the air out of her tires, spray painting vulgarities on her locker. Even worse, he turned the most powerful kids in the school against her. His wrath and all of the schemes and pranks he could think of were multiplied by the fact that all of his willing toadies carried out the same punishments against her. No matter where she went, someone would be there to taunt her. To let her know that she was no longer one of them. Most of all, to remind her of that day. The day that she chose her own fate by siding with her father.

Sheriff Mars was ousted as Sheriff and the Mars family moved away about a week after Winter Break ended. After Veronica left school, Logan found himself with a hole in his life. He'd devoted all of his time and energy to the ruination of Veronica and, once she was gone, he had no where to channel that energy. He began getting into all sorts of trouble. Whether he was orchestrating bum fights, spearing teachers' cars onto the school flag pole, mouthing off to the administration, skipping school, defacing school property, sneaking into the office to make false announcements over the intercom or just getting caught having sex on Vice Principal Clemmons' desk. It didn't matter. Whatever he could do to get a reaction, a rise out of people, he did.

For the most part, his...indiscretions or lack of judgement was ignored. At most he got a slap on the wrist...detention, maybe a day or two of suspension. The problem was that he was the golden child. He was the only son of one of the most wealthy and influential couples in Neptune, Oscar-award winning actors, Aaron and Lynn Echolls. Wealthy parents were a great source of fund and equipment contributions. To upset them was to risk losing a great deal of financial support. And, to do that was to risk losing your job.

Finally, toward the end of Logan's Junior year, Vice Principal Clemmons called Aaron and Lynn Echolls into his office. Mr. Clemmons explained to them, in the most politically correct terms, that Neptune was no longer a "positive environment" for Logan. He suggested that the Echolls' find a new, more appropriate educational path for Logan. Of course, Logan was welcome to stay through the end of the year and his files would be transferred without issue.

Truthfully, Logan was being expelled from Neptune High. Although, because of whom his parents were, the school would never actually expel him. Nothing would be placed in his permanent file and no fuss made. That's why he was allowed to finish out the school year there.

Logan was actually looking forward to being shipped off to boarding school. He would miss his mom, but would be away from his abusive father. He threw himself a "going-away" party while his parents were out of town one weekend. He couldn't think of a better end-of-the-year gift.

Unfortunately for Logan, when his parents returned he was informed that he would not be shipped off to boarding school. His father didn't feel like he would do well without constant parental supervision. Therefore, he would be attending Neptune's rival school, Pan High.

Frankly, Logan couldn't have cared less which school he went to...as long as it was far away from Neptune, California and far away from his father. He drank himself into a stupor the night he found out that he would be stuck living at home until he graduated.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

So, that's it. The journey that brought us to the first day of Logan's Senior year. Still with me? Good. Now let's get on to the good stuff.

Logan drove his Xterra into a new parking lot at a new high school. The difference in the schools was obvious immediately. At Neptune High, the divide between the have's and have-nots was great. On one hand, the lot had been filled with shiny new "back-to-school" gifts. There were SUV's, sports cars and convertibles. Mercedes-Benz and BMW's were scattered throughout the parking lot.

On the other hand, among the pretty new toys were the beater cars, the souped up motorcycles, and the economy cars that cost very little new, but that you had to fold yourself into to drive.

At Pan High, there was an odd variety of vehicles, but they seemed to blend together so well. It was not blatantly obvious who the rich kids were. Logan wondered to himself if there actually were any rich kids at the school. He knew enough about the school, the part of town it was in and the population that attended there to know that they were the "middle class". That elusive group of people absent from Neptune High. What Pan High would have considered wealthy, might have been allowed to reside in the homes on the outskirts of the 90909 zip.

Logan parked and began walking confidently toward the school. He knew that it wouldn't take long for him to make friends. Although Pan High did not cater to their own special class of affluent students, people were still drawn to the wealthy. If the popular kids weren't attracted to him for his money, they would be for his celebrity or for Logan's personality. He was quite charismatic and people were drawn to him normally. He had an air of confidence about him that others took notice of and it made them want to know him that much more. They wanted to understand what was so great about him.

So, no. Logan Echolls wasn't concerned at all about his status at his new school. He walked through the halls purposefully, seeking out the office. After he'd been checked in, he found his locker and then continued on to his first class.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

By lunchtime on his first day, Logan had already received a number of invites for different lunch tables. He was smart about it, though. He told each of them that he wasn't sure where he would be sitting because he was supposed to meet up with an old friend of his. He was laid back and charming. He knew that when he went into the cafeteria, he'd be able to sniff out the "right" crowd.

When he found the group that he would bless with his company, he could just tell them that he hadn't seen his old friend yet and so decided to take them up on their lunch offer. Any others would just assume that his "old friend" was someone sitting at his table. It was a fool proof plan.

Sure enough, once Logan had spent lunch with his new friends, he knew that he'd been right. He was sitting with what he was sure were the most popular students. He could tell mostly by the way the other students looked at them. It wasn't a look of disdain, like the students at Neptune gave the 09ers, but one of awe and reverence.

What did surprise Logan a little was the diversity in the group he sat with. They were all popular, but unlike the 09ers, they weren't popular just because of their financial status. There were the jocks, the smart kids and the Student Council members. There were even a couple of the schools thespians and newspaper staffers. It seemed that anyone who truly excelled in their "field" and got noticed were a part of the group.

That seemed to be the trait that linked them together. That...and the fact that they were all nice and genuine people. Logan didn't know that you could be popular and genuine. They were the most popular kids in the school, but they didn't look down on everyone else and they didn't behave as if they were superior.

At the end of lunch, Logan walked out with the basketball player he'd met in 2nd period, Richie and Wallace, another baller.

"So, Richie. Who's this Cami girl that everyone keeps talking about?" All Logan knew about Cami was that she had taken up about ninety percent of the lunchtime conversation.

"Oh, Logan, man. You've got to meet this girl. She's amazing! She's hot, she's funny, she's sarcastic and just a sweetheart. She's friends with everyone and everyone loves her."

"She's hot, you say? I may have to investigate this a little deeper." He flashed that classic smirk of his.

"Yeah, well, good luck. You're going to have to get in line and even then, it won't help." Wallace inserted his two cents into the conversation.

"Why not? I'm pretty successful when it comes to the opposite sex." Logan knew that these guys had no idea of the pull he had with the ladies. If this girl was as amazing as they said she was and if he wanted her, he'd have her in no time.

"Yeah, well...not this one. She hasn't dated anyone the entire time we've known her and it's not because she hasn't been asked. In fact, she's so nice to everyone that even those guys who have no self-confidence at all have asked her out. I don't know anyone who doesn't want to get with her." Wallace stated matter-of-factly.

Logan raised a questioning eyebrow toward Richie.

"Guilty as charged, my friend, guilty as charged. I can't tell you how many times I've asked her out on dates, to school dances, even just for a day at the beach. She's always turned me down. I might be offended if I didn't know that she turns everyone down and if she weren't so dang sweet about it." Ritchie just laughed. "I know that she'll never agree to go out with me, but it's actually become a little bit of a game we play now. It's a running joke to see how many times she can turn me down and have me continually crawling back to her."

"Wow, she must be smokin' hot if she's got you guys chasing after her all the time." Logan couldn't imagine a girl that would be worth that kind of effort. Of course, there was Lilly Kane. In fact, the girls were similar in their marketability. All of the guys would have died for a chance with Lilly. The difference, though, was that Lilly actually dated and was more than willing to show off her skills in the bedroom. Logan had gleaned the benefits of those skills while they were dating...and a few times when they weren't.

This girl Cami, though, apparently wasn't giving up anything to anyone. What would make her so great that these guys would still want to be with her when there was no hope of that possibility? She wouldn't even go out on a date. He wondered if maybe her parents were some sort of weird freaks who wouldn't let her leave the house except for school or something.

"Hey! Not all of us are chasing after her." Wallace strongly defended.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's just because she's your best friend, she's like a sister to you, yada, yada, yada." Richie chuckled. He had obviously heard that explanation a few times before.

"Well, it's true." Wallace, once again, defended himself.

"Well, if you're her best friend, then you tell me why she doesn't date anyone. Are her parents really strict or something?" Logan had no idea of why he was so curious and interested in this girl he hadn't even met. He figured it was just that a challenge had been presented to him. And, if there was one thing you could say about Logan Echolls, it was that he NEVER backed down from a challenge.

"We may be best friends, but she doesn't tell me every little thing. It's not like we have sleep overs and stay up late talking and doing each others nails." He looked appropriately offended. "Besides, I just figure that she's got enough on her plate, enough that she's already dealing with, without adding boyfriends into the mix."

Richie just shrugged and nodded his head in agreement.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Logan had spent his first week getting used to his new classes and learning more and more about his new friends. He made a point to sit next to different people in the group each day at lunch. That way he would know a little about all of them. Wallace and Ritchie always seemed to be close by and part of his conversations and so did a girl he'd met his second day, Mac. They had all gotten together a couple of times throughout the week and Logan had really started to become friends with them.

Throughout the week, Cami continued to be the biggest topic of conversation. It wasn't in a gossip-like manner, but just because of everyone's excitement to see her. Logan heard loads of stories about her. Apparently she was known for helping the student body with little mysteries. She had even been able to help Mac discover that she was switched at birth. Logan could even imagine what that would do to a person.

The stories were ludicrous and amazing and hilarious. He had been told by Wallace and Ritchie about the guys' desire to be with her, but he quickly learned that all of the girls wanted to be her, too. It was true, at least from what he'd heard, that she was loved by everyone. In fact, by the way everyone talked about her, he figured she was probably the most popular girl at the school and that she could do no wrong. It was an odd change for Logan. At Neptune, there would have been jealousy and backstabbing, especially among the girls. There was always some sort of drama. He saw none of that spiteful envy out of his new friends, though.

He did ask, at one point, why Cami hadn't started school yet. It was odd to him that she wouldn't be there for the first week of her Senior year. Most people at least came for the first week before they started skipping classes. The response he got was an odd one. Everyone just kind of looked at each other with blank faces, their expressions giving nothing away. Finally, Wallace spoke up.

"Oh, she just had some stuff to take care of," the girl's best friend suggested.

"Yeah, you know how it is." Mac, her other best friend added.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Again, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed.