The Life & Times of Sara Sidle
- Thread starter quoth_the_raven
- Start date
saraXsullivan
CSI Level Two
*sings* We want a new chapter! We want a new chapter!
plz write more soon!
plz write more soon!
quoth_the_raven
Corpse
Re: *sings* We want a new chapter! We want a new chapter!
Sorry guys, for taking so long! I've had really bad writer's block! I hope you guys like this chapter, the first chapter into Sara's college years
College Dormroom- 4:30 pm- January 12, 1990
The room was lit by the evening sun shining through the white blinds on the the single window of the room. There were two twin beds in the room- one near the window and another closer to the door and the tiny bathroom in the small room. The floor was littered with empty chip bags and soda cans the inhabitants of this room had gotten over the months, serving as their lunches or dinners, sometimes even both.
At the moment, the only person in the room was a tall brunette, sitting indian-style on the twin bed near the door of the room. On the bed in front of her was a book she needed for an assignment. She always had her head buried in books, she wasn't like her roommate, living the life of a party. She didn't enjoy parties that much. She'd rather sit in the quietness of her dormroom with a good book reading on a weekend instead of dancing until she dropped, pouring gallons of alcohol down her throat until she finally collapsed and was carried back to her room.
The brunette looked up at the window in the room, squinting at the light coming in. She moved a strand of hair away from her face and got up from her bed, walking over to the window. Walking over to the messier side of the room, aka her roommate's side of the room, and almost tripping over something lying on the floor, she climbed on their bed in order to get a better look out of the window. She squinted a bit, trying to be able to get a better glimpse of everything. The campus was humungus, and truly gorgeous, but sometimes she wished it wasn't so big so that everyone could get around better without getting lost or distracted by the beautiful scenery.
After looking out the window for a long moment, she sighed and walked back over to her bed, jumping on it, landing on her knees, and smiled as she looked at the wall above her bed where she had various snapshots and other things taped. They brought back a lot of memories, some painful and some cheerful.
She looked at one photo in particular- it was taken on a sunny day. In the picture, standing tall in blue sneakers and jeans and a red t-shirt was her childhood friend Josh. He held both hands up in a thumbs-up sign and had a wide smile on her face. His eyes were covered with black sunglasses, and she smiled, remembering how excited he had been about getting those sunglasses.
Absentmindidly looking down at her wrist, she spotted the beaded bracelet he had given her so many years ago. She smiled, running her fingers over the beads and the deep but smooth carvings on each individual bead. She looked back up at the photos, smiling as she spotted another one.
Her foster parents. Ted was standing with an arm wrapped around Nancy and his familar chocolate cooki-dough ice cream pint in his hand. Nancy was leaning against Ted with a smile on her face and making a peace-sign with her other hand.
Sara turned and saw a lined piece of paper she had taped up as well. She smiled, pulling it off the wall for a moment and unfolding it. She giggled a little as she read what it said.
"Anyone gives you trouble and I kick their asses. I don't care if you're in Boston, I'll find some way to get over there! Anyways...have a great time. I know you'll become a great forensic scientist. I remember that Christmas I gave you that crime-scene kit. Your face lit up the second you saw that. You were always excited about learning something knew, and the life of a forensic scientist is for you. You have to see every case as a puzzle that's missing pieces. You get to put them together!
Maybe some day I'll see you in court. CSI Sidle, damn, that has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Can't you just see it- the judge sitting at his stand, me sitting at the counsel table with my client and you sitting at the lectern presenting the forensic evidence...that'd be awesome.
Sara, you were always like a little sister to me. I guess you know that though, don't you? I apologize for everything that ever happened to you in the past that caused you heartache. You deserved better and you do now. You're finally pursuing your dream and going to Harvard (even though you used the two thousand dollars Ted and Nancy gave you for plane and ticket fair...I told you that you should've gone with that electric guitar, damn, it was beautiful...).
Anyways, I'm proud of you. Damn, I sound like a mother now, don't I? Oh well, I don't care, I'm so proud of you, Sara. You're a strong person and I know you'll do great in life. Thank you for being my friend all those years and for putting up with George and Frankie (Frankie is standing over my shoulder as I write this, go figure...), I'm surprised you didn't rip your hair out having to listen to them all the time!
So...what am I going to do now? I'm off to college to get a degree and then I'm off to law school. Sure, this is going to take a few years, but if George did it, I can do it (and don't tell him I told you that because he'll smack me if he finds out I did...).
Looking forward to seeing you in court!
Love,
'Joshie' Deckard
Sara willed the tears away from her eyes. She would not let them fall. Not this time. She had cried every time she read that letter from Josh. He was a great friend, it had been so hard for her to leave him, they had both cried when they had that final embrace before she boarded her plane.
Sara smiled a little, wiping the tears away from her eyes, taping the letter back up on the wall. She smiled at the picture of Josh one more time before looking back down at the bracelet on her wrist. She remembered him telling her that he was always with her, and it was true.
Sara laid down on her bed, closing her text book and closing her eyes for a moment. She had no idea how she made it this far in life without cracking. Being able to deal with her mother and father's heated arguments for so many years without telling anyone about it. Being able to deal with her mother brutally stabbing her father to death without snapping. Being able to deal with going into foster care without ripping her hair out. And being able to deal with her own rape without finally losing it.
And here she was now, a way stronger person that she had been before, in her dormroom at Harvard, contemplating on whether or not she should hit the vending machine in the hallway and grab a candy bar or something to serve as dinner before going back to studying for the exam she had the next day. She rolled over on her side, burying her face in her pillow. She sighed deeply, wishing she could just sleep for the rest of the night, but she knew she had to study for the exam.
Sitting up with a sigh, Sara opened her mouth wide with a yawn and rose her arms up high above her head, stretching. She stood up, slipping her shoes on, about to go outside of the dormroom when the door flew open and in walked her roommate.
Her roommate, a black-haired girl slightly shorter than Sara. She was a true partier, coming into the dormroom late at night, drunk, only to collapse on her bed seconds after walking through the door. She had shiny blue eyes that stood out more than anything on her face. She had fairly short legs, though they were firm and strong. She was a tiny girl, with not much meat on her bones, though a more considerable amount than Sara, that was for sure.
At the moment, her roommate was standing in the doorway in front of Sara holding a beer bottle in her hand. "What is this?" Sara asked, pointing to the beer bottle. "You're 18," she told her.
"Yeah," she said with a smile. "Some seniors brought some on campus...but don't let anyone catch you with it, here," she said, pulling another bottle out of seemingly nowhere and handing it to Sara.
"I'm not drinking!" Sara told her, handing the bottle back to her. "And you shouldn't be either, you know that we have that exam tomorrow."
"Lighten up, Sara!" the girl said with a laugh. "Gosh! All you ever talk about is exams! Haven't you ever gone to a college party before?"
Sara looked down at the floor for a moment. "Well...no," she said. "But I don't like parties."
"Oh, come on!" the girl said. "They're fun!"
"I don't want to go, Cassie!" Sara told her.
"Oh, for god's sake, you're going out tonight!" Cassie said, grabbing the brunette by her arm and pulling her out of the dormroom by her arm, slamming the door behind her and locking it.
"What if someone comes by...?" Sara asked.
"That's what messages are for," Cassie said, pointing to the small package of sticky notes attached to the door with a pen next to them. "Alright, let's go!" Cassie said, running down the hall, dragging Sara along with her.
"Cassie! Let go of me!" Sara yelled.
Cassie heard her but didn't let go of her arm. She was having too much fun. She had wanted for so long to get Sara away from the campus for just one night and tonight was the night. "You're going to have fun whether you want to or not!" Cassie said with a giggle as they rounded a corner.
So much for studying.
Sorry guys, for taking so long! I've had really bad writer's block! I hope you guys like this chapter, the first chapter into Sara's college years
College Dormroom- 4:30 pm- January 12, 1990
The room was lit by the evening sun shining through the white blinds on the the single window of the room. There were two twin beds in the room- one near the window and another closer to the door and the tiny bathroom in the small room. The floor was littered with empty chip bags and soda cans the inhabitants of this room had gotten over the months, serving as their lunches or dinners, sometimes even both.
At the moment, the only person in the room was a tall brunette, sitting indian-style on the twin bed near the door of the room. On the bed in front of her was a book she needed for an assignment. She always had her head buried in books, she wasn't like her roommate, living the life of a party. She didn't enjoy parties that much. She'd rather sit in the quietness of her dormroom with a good book reading on a weekend instead of dancing until she dropped, pouring gallons of alcohol down her throat until she finally collapsed and was carried back to her room.
The brunette looked up at the window in the room, squinting at the light coming in. She moved a strand of hair away from her face and got up from her bed, walking over to the window. Walking over to the messier side of the room, aka her roommate's side of the room, and almost tripping over something lying on the floor, she climbed on their bed in order to get a better look out of the window. She squinted a bit, trying to be able to get a better glimpse of everything. The campus was humungus, and truly gorgeous, but sometimes she wished it wasn't so big so that everyone could get around better without getting lost or distracted by the beautiful scenery.
After looking out the window for a long moment, she sighed and walked back over to her bed, jumping on it, landing on her knees, and smiled as she looked at the wall above her bed where she had various snapshots and other things taped. They brought back a lot of memories, some painful and some cheerful.
She looked at one photo in particular- it was taken on a sunny day. In the picture, standing tall in blue sneakers and jeans and a red t-shirt was her childhood friend Josh. He held both hands up in a thumbs-up sign and had a wide smile on her face. His eyes were covered with black sunglasses, and she smiled, remembering how excited he had been about getting those sunglasses.
Absentmindidly looking down at her wrist, she spotted the beaded bracelet he had given her so many years ago. She smiled, running her fingers over the beads and the deep but smooth carvings on each individual bead. She looked back up at the photos, smiling as she spotted another one.
Her foster parents. Ted was standing with an arm wrapped around Nancy and his familar chocolate cooki-dough ice cream pint in his hand. Nancy was leaning against Ted with a smile on her face and making a peace-sign with her other hand.
Sara turned and saw a lined piece of paper she had taped up as well. She smiled, pulling it off the wall for a moment and unfolding it. She giggled a little as she read what it said.
"Anyone gives you trouble and I kick their asses. I don't care if you're in Boston, I'll find some way to get over there! Anyways...have a great time. I know you'll become a great forensic scientist. I remember that Christmas I gave you that crime-scene kit. Your face lit up the second you saw that. You were always excited about learning something knew, and the life of a forensic scientist is for you. You have to see every case as a puzzle that's missing pieces. You get to put them together!
Maybe some day I'll see you in court. CSI Sidle, damn, that has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Can't you just see it- the judge sitting at his stand, me sitting at the counsel table with my client and you sitting at the lectern presenting the forensic evidence...that'd be awesome.
Sara, you were always like a little sister to me. I guess you know that though, don't you? I apologize for everything that ever happened to you in the past that caused you heartache. You deserved better and you do now. You're finally pursuing your dream and going to Harvard (even though you used the two thousand dollars Ted and Nancy gave you for plane and ticket fair...I told you that you should've gone with that electric guitar, damn, it was beautiful...).
Anyways, I'm proud of you. Damn, I sound like a mother now, don't I? Oh well, I don't care, I'm so proud of you, Sara. You're a strong person and I know you'll do great in life. Thank you for being my friend all those years and for putting up with George and Frankie (Frankie is standing over my shoulder as I write this, go figure...), I'm surprised you didn't rip your hair out having to listen to them all the time!
So...what am I going to do now? I'm off to college to get a degree and then I'm off to law school. Sure, this is going to take a few years, but if George did it, I can do it (and don't tell him I told you that because he'll smack me if he finds out I did...).
Looking forward to seeing you in court!
Love,
'Joshie' Deckard
Sara willed the tears away from her eyes. She would not let them fall. Not this time. She had cried every time she read that letter from Josh. He was a great friend, it had been so hard for her to leave him, they had both cried when they had that final embrace before she boarded her plane.
Sara smiled a little, wiping the tears away from her eyes, taping the letter back up on the wall. She smiled at the picture of Josh one more time before looking back down at the bracelet on her wrist. She remembered him telling her that he was always with her, and it was true.
Sara laid down on her bed, closing her text book and closing her eyes for a moment. She had no idea how she made it this far in life without cracking. Being able to deal with her mother and father's heated arguments for so many years without telling anyone about it. Being able to deal with her mother brutally stabbing her father to death without snapping. Being able to deal with going into foster care without ripping her hair out. And being able to deal with her own rape without finally losing it.
And here she was now, a way stronger person that she had been before, in her dormroom at Harvard, contemplating on whether or not she should hit the vending machine in the hallway and grab a candy bar or something to serve as dinner before going back to studying for the exam she had the next day. She rolled over on her side, burying her face in her pillow. She sighed deeply, wishing she could just sleep for the rest of the night, but she knew she had to study for the exam.
Sitting up with a sigh, Sara opened her mouth wide with a yawn and rose her arms up high above her head, stretching. She stood up, slipping her shoes on, about to go outside of the dormroom when the door flew open and in walked her roommate.
Her roommate, a black-haired girl slightly shorter than Sara. She was a true partier, coming into the dormroom late at night, drunk, only to collapse on her bed seconds after walking through the door. She had shiny blue eyes that stood out more than anything on her face. She had fairly short legs, though they were firm and strong. She was a tiny girl, with not much meat on her bones, though a more considerable amount than Sara, that was for sure.
At the moment, her roommate was standing in the doorway in front of Sara holding a beer bottle in her hand. "What is this?" Sara asked, pointing to the beer bottle. "You're 18," she told her.
"Yeah," she said with a smile. "Some seniors brought some on campus...but don't let anyone catch you with it, here," she said, pulling another bottle out of seemingly nowhere and handing it to Sara.
"I'm not drinking!" Sara told her, handing the bottle back to her. "And you shouldn't be either, you know that we have that exam tomorrow."
"Lighten up, Sara!" the girl said with a laugh. "Gosh! All you ever talk about is exams! Haven't you ever gone to a college party before?"
Sara looked down at the floor for a moment. "Well...no," she said. "But I don't like parties."
"Oh, come on!" the girl said. "They're fun!"
"I don't want to go, Cassie!" Sara told her.
"Oh, for god's sake, you're going out tonight!" Cassie said, grabbing the brunette by her arm and pulling her out of the dormroom by her arm, slamming the door behind her and locking it.
"What if someone comes by...?" Sara asked.
"That's what messages are for," Cassie said, pointing to the small package of sticky notes attached to the door with a pen next to them. "Alright, let's go!" Cassie said, running down the hall, dragging Sara along with her.
"Cassie! Let go of me!" Sara yelled.
Cassie heard her but didn't let go of her arm. She was having too much fun. She had wanted for so long to get Sara away from the campus for just one night and tonight was the night. "You're going to have fun whether you want to or not!" Cassie said with a giggle as they rounded a corner.
So much for studying.
G
Guest
Guest
Utt ohh, is Sara gonna get busted? ohhh, need to know, need to know!
I loved the letter! It was so cute! .. I cant wait for more.. hopefully you keep her life super great from now on!
I loved the letter! It was so cute! .. I cant wait for more.. hopefully you keep her life super great from now on!
saraXsullivan
CSI Level Two
write more soon! luv it
G
Guest
Guest
haha probably, hopefully the cops dont come and bust the party- at least not this one!
saraXsullivan
CSI Level Two
update soon
saraXsullivan
CSI Level Two
*waits impatiently for an update* *hums a random song* hmm hm hm Hope you update soon lol im going out of my mind waiting for you to update :lol: How about if I say please? or with a cherry on top :lol:
How about if I say please? or with a cherry on top :lol:quoth_the_raven
Corpse
I'm so sorry for not updating guys, I've had horrible writer's block for this story, but you guys are great! *huggles* Here's a new chapter:
College Dormroom Hallway- 4:57 pm- January 12, 1990
Sara groaned as Cassie led her down the hallways of her dorm building. Passing door after door, she looked around, her vision blurred as she was jerked around another corner. "Cassie, where exactly are we going?" Sara asked. It certainly would help if she actually knew where they were going.
"Somewhere," Cassie said. "You're going to have fun tonight. You've got to get out of this place, it's turning you into some isolated--"
"Whoa, hang on a second, I am just dedicated to my schoolwork and want--"
"This is what I'm talking about!" Cassie yelled, jerking them both to a stop. Turning to Sara and putting both hands on her shoulders, she looked into her eyes. "Sara...have you ever been to a party since you've come to college?"
Sara blinked. This made her think for a minute. No, actually, she hadn't been to a party since she had come to college, actually, the last party she went to was the Christmas dinner with Josh. Sara, still did not really want to answer the question. "Um..." Finally, she sighed, lowering her head and staring at the floor. "No..."
"Alright, then!" Cassie said, patting her on the shoulders. "Tonight you are!" she said, grabbing Sara's hand and leading her out of the building. Sara groaned again. She did not want to go to a party, mainly because she did not like to interact with the other students unless she was in one of her classes. The thought of interacting with them actually scared her a little bit- what would she say? What if they too resented her like the other kids had when she was in elementary and middle school? And on top of that, Sara wasn't even really sure how to interact with them.
Cassie ran outside with Sara, looking around, stepping on her tip-toes to give her a boost. She smiled, looking over at Sara. "Guess what Sara?" she asked.
Sara held her breath. The seniors' car broke down? she thought hopefully.
"The seniors just came back and they're inviting us to their party!" she said with a big cheeky grin. Sara couldn't help but feel like she had just been punched in the gut. Her smile slowly faded as Cassie finished that sentence and found herself being pulled along by her arm again and into the parking lot.
"W-Wait, Cassie!" Sara pleaded. "I really don't want to go! You just go, you'll have a good time! I just want to stay in tonight and get some rest!" she said as they came closer to the car.
"Not tonight, Sara! You need to lift your head out of those books every once and a while!" she told her. She pulled her around a tree and a few bushes and they found their chaufeurs. One of them was a tall boy, wearing black sunglasses and standing on top of the seats of the rusty old convertible. Pulling a pack of cigarettes from the back of his black jeans, he turned and looked over at Cassie and Sara, smiling at them as he slid a cigarette in his mouth.
"Hey ladies!" he said with a smile. He seemed quite flirtatious right off the bat, which was saying a lot. You should never judge a book by its cover, but right away he seemed like quite the charmer. "Dude, where's the lighter?" he asked, looking back down at one of the other guys in the car. In seconds he had a lit cigarette in his mouth and climbed over the seats, jumping onto the pavement and taking a drag from his cigarette. "So you two are going to join us?" he asked with a smile, holding the cigarette between his fingers and looking at both Cassie and Sara.
"We were thinking about it," Cassie said with a smile.
"No...she was thinking about it.." Sara muttered under her breath.
Cassie heard this, and cleared her throat, getting a death grip on Sara's right arm. "So, you guys got room for us?" she asked with a smile.
The guy smiled, revealing his pearly white teeth. "Of course we've got room," he said. "Jump on in," he told them both, motioning toward the car. He jumped in himself, getting in the front seat next to the driver. The driver of the car was a guy with dark red hair, also wearing dark sunglasses. Looking over at Sara and Cassie, he smiled, his jaw moving up and down as he chewed the gum in his mouth.
"Come on in!" he told them, one arm resting over the back of his seat.
Cassie pulled them over to the car and Sara just smiled nervously as she was forcefully pushed into the back of the seat. Cassie got in after her and closed the door, throwing her arms over the back of the passenger's seat. She started talking with the two guys, and Sara just watched the three interact. Cassie barely knew these guys and here she was chatting away with them like they were old friends. Sara did not trust people that easily, especially older guys, not after her experience...how was she able to tell by just looking at them that they were trustworthy? How did she know that they weren't going to do what Matthew did to her? Take advantage of her and use her as some tool for their amusement?
Cassie nudged Sara, bringing her out of her thoughts. "This is my friend Sara," she said with a smile. Sara looked over at the two older guys, shooting them a weak smile. It seemed the three of them had already met and it was her turn to introduce herself, though at the moment she didn't feel like an introduction.
"Hi.." Sara said quietly.
"Hey," the guy from before with the cigarette in his mouth said. "My name's Jeff," he told her. "And this guy here," he said, pointing to the driver. "Is Todd, but," he said, leaning over the seat and getting closer to the pair. "Bare with him because he's a little slow," he whispered.
"Shut up!" Todd yelled, whacking him in the back of the head. Jeff laughed, getting back into his seat. "Alright, buckle up everyone, so we don't get a ticket," he said, starting the car.
Jeff laughed again. "Ticket? Are you serious?" he said. Todd whacked him in the back of the head again as Jeff just laughed. Sara grabbed her seatbelt and buckled herself in, wondering for a moment if she was actually the only person in the vehicle who was going to be buckled in properly.
Jeff, turning to look at Cassie and Sara, moved a strand of his rather-long brown hair away from his face and held his torn pack of cigarettes up to them. "Smoke?" he asked.
"Thanks," Cassie said, taking a cigarette from the pack. Sara just shook her head quickly. "Got a light?" Cassie asked. Jeff nodded, taking a lighter from off the dashboard and tossing it to her.
Fire hazard. Being tossed around in the air like a toy. Fun, Sara thought to herself. She watched as Cassie put a hand in front of her face, covering the cigarette as she flicked the lighter with her finger. After a few moments, the cigarette was lit and she took a long drag, letting the smoke out of her mouth and holding it between her fingers like she was a pro at this, as if she had been doing it her whole life. And, Sara guessed, she probably had, too.
Sara watched as they drove around for a few minutes. She wondered where they were going, they had certainly travelled far away from the campus by now, and she wasn't feeling particularly comfortable being with two complete strangers and her roommate who had forced her to go wherever it was they were going. Finally, the car came to a stop in front of a house. There were some other cars parked around the building, Sara observed, which meant more people inside. Whoopee.
"Sara, come on!" Cassie said, throwing her door open.
"I'll just stay in the car.." Sara said quietly, looking down at the floor and finding the label on the empty beer bottle lying next to her seemingly fascinating.
Cassie rolled her eyes and slammed her door behind her as she walked around the car. Sara, still looking at the floor, thought for a moment that she was home-free. That she was actually going to be able to stay in the car. That thought was thrown out of her mind as Cassie threw her door open, unbuckled her, and pulled her out of the car by the loose ends of her shirt.
"Hey!" Sara said, balancing herself as she was jerked out of the car. Cassie slammed the door behind her and grabbed her hand, leading her inside the building. They walked through the doorway and the door was closed behind them as they entered. There was music playing, much too loudly for Sara's liking, and the house was swarmed with people. Sara could barely see anything- there was so much cigarette smoke, which also made it hard to breathe.
"Sit here," Cassie told Sara, leading her to a couch. Sara sat down on the couch obediently, folding her hands over one another and crossing her legs. Even at a college party she was still showing her manners. She watched as Cassie disappeared behind a corner and came back with two bottles of beer in her hand. Throwing one to Sara, she blinked as she caught it and Cassie ran and sat down next to her.
"I don't drink.." Sara said, slowly running her fingers over the bottle.
"Oh for god's sake, Sara!" Cassie said. "Loosen up and have a little fun. You can't tell me you've never had a beer before?"
Sara was hesitant. Her mouth opened in mid-sentence, but somehow she did not feel like telling her roommate that the first time she had alcohol was when she was 12, and her father had forced the bottles down her throat.
"That's what I thought," Cassie said. "Now come on! Let's drink!" she said, throwing the cap off of her bottle. Sara stared at her and watched as she gulped down half of the beer in seconds. Cassie looked at her. "What? Can you not get the cap off?" she asked. She snatched the bottle from her hands and took the cap off with ease, handing the bottle back to her. "Go ahead," she told her.
Sara looked up at Cassie and then down at the bottle. This single bottle brought back so many memories...memories of her parents, memories of her childhood. She just stared at it for a moment, as though she could see ever moment of her past through the clear liquid in the bottle. Cassie finally had left her alone with her thoughts and gotten up and walked around the house to do something else, and Sara sighed in relief, setting the bottle down on the end table next to her.
"Hey," came Jeff's voice as he plopped down on the couch next to Sara. "Having fun?" he asked, throwing his pack of cigarettes down on the table in front of them and holding his beer in his hand, resting it against his knee.
Sara shot him a small smile. "...Yeah," she said, but to even her this sounded lame and unconvincing. Sara tried to move further away from Jeff on the couch, she didn't feel any more comfortable than she did in the car.
"That's good," Jeff said. "Hey, I've got to do something, I'll see you around," he said with a smile and got off of the couch, walking off with the beer bottle still in his hand. Sara let out a long sigh, lowering her head and wrapping her arms around herself. It was going to be a long night. A long night of insecurities and discomfort.
Here's a new chapter:College Dormroom Hallway- 4:57 pm- January 12, 1990
Sara groaned as Cassie led her down the hallways of her dorm building. Passing door after door, she looked around, her vision blurred as she was jerked around another corner. "Cassie, where exactly are we going?" Sara asked. It certainly would help if she actually knew where they were going.
"Somewhere," Cassie said. "You're going to have fun tonight. You've got to get out of this place, it's turning you into some isolated--"
"Whoa, hang on a second, I am just dedicated to my schoolwork and want--"
"This is what I'm talking about!" Cassie yelled, jerking them both to a stop. Turning to Sara and putting both hands on her shoulders, she looked into her eyes. "Sara...have you ever been to a party since you've come to college?"
Sara blinked. This made her think for a minute. No, actually, she hadn't been to a party since she had come to college, actually, the last party she went to was the Christmas dinner with Josh. Sara, still did not really want to answer the question. "Um..." Finally, she sighed, lowering her head and staring at the floor. "No..."
"Alright, then!" Cassie said, patting her on the shoulders. "Tonight you are!" she said, grabbing Sara's hand and leading her out of the building. Sara groaned again. She did not want to go to a party, mainly because she did not like to interact with the other students unless she was in one of her classes. The thought of interacting with them actually scared her a little bit- what would she say? What if they too resented her like the other kids had when she was in elementary and middle school? And on top of that, Sara wasn't even really sure how to interact with them.
Cassie ran outside with Sara, looking around, stepping on her tip-toes to give her a boost. She smiled, looking over at Sara. "Guess what Sara?" she asked.
Sara held her breath. The seniors' car broke down? she thought hopefully.
"The seniors just came back and they're inviting us to their party!" she said with a big cheeky grin. Sara couldn't help but feel like she had just been punched in the gut. Her smile slowly faded as Cassie finished that sentence and found herself being pulled along by her arm again and into the parking lot.
"W-Wait, Cassie!" Sara pleaded. "I really don't want to go! You just go, you'll have a good time! I just want to stay in tonight and get some rest!" she said as they came closer to the car.
"Not tonight, Sara! You need to lift your head out of those books every once and a while!" she told her. She pulled her around a tree and a few bushes and they found their chaufeurs. One of them was a tall boy, wearing black sunglasses and standing on top of the seats of the rusty old convertible. Pulling a pack of cigarettes from the back of his black jeans, he turned and looked over at Cassie and Sara, smiling at them as he slid a cigarette in his mouth.
"Hey ladies!" he said with a smile. He seemed quite flirtatious right off the bat, which was saying a lot. You should never judge a book by its cover, but right away he seemed like quite the charmer. "Dude, where's the lighter?" he asked, looking back down at one of the other guys in the car. In seconds he had a lit cigarette in his mouth and climbed over the seats, jumping onto the pavement and taking a drag from his cigarette. "So you two are going to join us?" he asked with a smile, holding the cigarette between his fingers and looking at both Cassie and Sara.
"We were thinking about it," Cassie said with a smile.
"No...she was thinking about it.." Sara muttered under her breath.
Cassie heard this, and cleared her throat, getting a death grip on Sara's right arm. "So, you guys got room for us?" she asked with a smile.
The guy smiled, revealing his pearly white teeth. "Of course we've got room," he said. "Jump on in," he told them both, motioning toward the car. He jumped in himself, getting in the front seat next to the driver. The driver of the car was a guy with dark red hair, also wearing dark sunglasses. Looking over at Sara and Cassie, he smiled, his jaw moving up and down as he chewed the gum in his mouth.
"Come on in!" he told them, one arm resting over the back of his seat.
Cassie pulled them over to the car and Sara just smiled nervously as she was forcefully pushed into the back of the seat. Cassie got in after her and closed the door, throwing her arms over the back of the passenger's seat. She started talking with the two guys, and Sara just watched the three interact. Cassie barely knew these guys and here she was chatting away with them like they were old friends. Sara did not trust people that easily, especially older guys, not after her experience...how was she able to tell by just looking at them that they were trustworthy? How did she know that they weren't going to do what Matthew did to her? Take advantage of her and use her as some tool for their amusement?
Cassie nudged Sara, bringing her out of her thoughts. "This is my friend Sara," she said with a smile. Sara looked over at the two older guys, shooting them a weak smile. It seemed the three of them had already met and it was her turn to introduce herself, though at the moment she didn't feel like an introduction.
"Hi.." Sara said quietly.
"Hey," the guy from before with the cigarette in his mouth said. "My name's Jeff," he told her. "And this guy here," he said, pointing to the driver. "Is Todd, but," he said, leaning over the seat and getting closer to the pair. "Bare with him because he's a little slow," he whispered.
"Shut up!" Todd yelled, whacking him in the back of the head. Jeff laughed, getting back into his seat. "Alright, buckle up everyone, so we don't get a ticket," he said, starting the car.
Jeff laughed again. "Ticket? Are you serious?" he said. Todd whacked him in the back of the head again as Jeff just laughed. Sara grabbed her seatbelt and buckled herself in, wondering for a moment if she was actually the only person in the vehicle who was going to be buckled in properly.
Jeff, turning to look at Cassie and Sara, moved a strand of his rather-long brown hair away from his face and held his torn pack of cigarettes up to them. "Smoke?" he asked.
"Thanks," Cassie said, taking a cigarette from the pack. Sara just shook her head quickly. "Got a light?" Cassie asked. Jeff nodded, taking a lighter from off the dashboard and tossing it to her.
Fire hazard. Being tossed around in the air like a toy. Fun, Sara thought to herself. She watched as Cassie put a hand in front of her face, covering the cigarette as she flicked the lighter with her finger. After a few moments, the cigarette was lit and she took a long drag, letting the smoke out of her mouth and holding it between her fingers like she was a pro at this, as if she had been doing it her whole life. And, Sara guessed, she probably had, too.
Sara watched as they drove around for a few minutes. She wondered where they were going, they had certainly travelled far away from the campus by now, and she wasn't feeling particularly comfortable being with two complete strangers and her roommate who had forced her to go wherever it was they were going. Finally, the car came to a stop in front of a house. There were some other cars parked around the building, Sara observed, which meant more people inside. Whoopee.
"Sara, come on!" Cassie said, throwing her door open.
"I'll just stay in the car.." Sara said quietly, looking down at the floor and finding the label on the empty beer bottle lying next to her seemingly fascinating.
Cassie rolled her eyes and slammed her door behind her as she walked around the car. Sara, still looking at the floor, thought for a moment that she was home-free. That she was actually going to be able to stay in the car. That thought was thrown out of her mind as Cassie threw her door open, unbuckled her, and pulled her out of the car by the loose ends of her shirt.
"Hey!" Sara said, balancing herself as she was jerked out of the car. Cassie slammed the door behind her and grabbed her hand, leading her inside the building. They walked through the doorway and the door was closed behind them as they entered. There was music playing, much too loudly for Sara's liking, and the house was swarmed with people. Sara could barely see anything- there was so much cigarette smoke, which also made it hard to breathe.
"Sit here," Cassie told Sara, leading her to a couch. Sara sat down on the couch obediently, folding her hands over one another and crossing her legs. Even at a college party she was still showing her manners. She watched as Cassie disappeared behind a corner and came back with two bottles of beer in her hand. Throwing one to Sara, she blinked as she caught it and Cassie ran and sat down next to her.
"I don't drink.." Sara said, slowly running her fingers over the bottle.
"Oh for god's sake, Sara!" Cassie said. "Loosen up and have a little fun. You can't tell me you've never had a beer before?"
Sara was hesitant. Her mouth opened in mid-sentence, but somehow she did not feel like telling her roommate that the first time she had alcohol was when she was 12, and her father had forced the bottles down her throat.
"That's what I thought," Cassie said. "Now come on! Let's drink!" she said, throwing the cap off of her bottle. Sara stared at her and watched as she gulped down half of the beer in seconds. Cassie looked at her. "What? Can you not get the cap off?" she asked. She snatched the bottle from her hands and took the cap off with ease, handing the bottle back to her. "Go ahead," she told her.
Sara looked up at Cassie and then down at the bottle. This single bottle brought back so many memories...memories of her parents, memories of her childhood. She just stared at it for a moment, as though she could see ever moment of her past through the clear liquid in the bottle. Cassie finally had left her alone with her thoughts and gotten up and walked around the house to do something else, and Sara sighed in relief, setting the bottle down on the end table next to her.
"Hey," came Jeff's voice as he plopped down on the couch next to Sara. "Having fun?" he asked, throwing his pack of cigarettes down on the table in front of them and holding his beer in his hand, resting it against his knee.
Sara shot him a small smile. "...Yeah," she said, but to even her this sounded lame and unconvincing. Sara tried to move further away from Jeff on the couch, she didn't feel any more comfortable than she did in the car.
"That's good," Jeff said. "Hey, I've got to do something, I'll see you around," he said with a smile and got off of the couch, walking off with the beer bottle still in his hand. Sara let out a long sigh, lowering her head and wrapping her arms around herself. It was going to be a long night. A long night of insecurities and discomfort.