he is being abused. It is also revealed she was friends with Lianne Mars when they attended Neptune High as teenagers and were suspended together for spreading a "false and malicious rumor." Mrs. Hauser maintained that Lianne told her a rumor, knowing it was false, and Deborah passing it on unknowingly; however, Veronica found out the real story. Lianne's friend had an affair with a teacher at the school and became pregnant, and not knowing how to help, she confided in Deborah, who passed the gossip around. This baby would end up being Trina Echolls. Mrs. Hauser makes another appearance during the Winter Carnival at school, where she steals money from the cashbox and tries to blame Veronica and Jackie. However, she is caught and deservedly fired. Rebecca James Paula Marshall portrays Rebecca James, the school guidance counselor and briefly dated Keith Mars. Paula had previously worked with series creator Rob Thomas on his earlier series, Cupid. Veronica disapproves of their relationship and digs up information on her to change Keith's mind – information being Ms. James was arrested for passing bad checks when she was 21. Ms. James and Veronica's relationship is strained because of this, although she does try to help Veronica discover the meaning of her haunting dreams in the second season. Meg Manning Alona Tal recurs as Meg Manning, an "09er" cheerleader and the daughter of mentally abusive fundamentalist Christian parents. She initially appears when Veronica is the victim of a nasty prank, lends her clothes, and sticks up for her when other 09ers start insulting her. When an online purity test posts all the participants' results, Meg's is faked to be unusually low, and she instantly gets a reputation as a slut. Veronica finds the person responsible for making this up about Meg (in "Like a Virgin"). When Meg asks Veronica to help find her secret admirer, she is keen to help, until she finds out that her secret admirer is Duncan Kane, Veronica's ex-boyfriend. Eventually, Veronica accepts Meg and Duncan's relationship. ("Ruskie Business") After finding out that he is not Veronica's half-brother, Duncan breaks up with Meg, who blames Veronica. Afterward, Meg's attitude towards Veronica is openly hostile. On the way back from a field trip to a baseball ground, while Veronica talked to Weevil during a rest stop, Meg deliberately implied that Veronica had returned to the bus, causing it to leave without