Come As You Are Ch. 04

Author's Notes - Hello! The below story is Chapter 4 of the rewrite of "Come As You Are," a 19-chapter story I posted in Novels & Novellas back in 2019.

If you're reading this story for the first time, welcome! It's a tale I've put a lot of time and effort into, as well as a good bit of myself, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

If you're reading this story for the second time, thank you! The players and situations are the same, but rewritten and reordered in a way that I feel is "closer" to the characters than the original was. I've also taken into account the biggest complaints about the first edition and hopefully corrected them to your satisfaction.

So, with all appropriately further adieu...

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Previously on "Come As You Are" -- Four lifelong friends reunite in the small ski resort town of Emerald Pines, Colorado, for their ten-year high school reunion -- professional chef Brenda Lattimore, celebrity video game streamer Sadie Bedford, ski instructor Michelle Min, and local business owner Colette Hansen. Over drinks and dinner the night before the reunion, the girls discover that unbeknownst to them, Brenda had slept with one of their classmates, the quiet social outcast Garrett West.

The four girls attend their senior prom, where Sadie has a run-in with her high school tormentor Amy Yates. At the afterprom, Sadie discovers Amy and Danny Eastman, Brenda's ex-boyfriend, having sex. Also stumbling upon them is Anne, Danny's prom date, and the "other woman" he cheated on Brenda with.

After watching Anne being berated by Danny and Amy, Sadie becomes sympathetic to her, especially after she tells her how Danny strung her along for several months by lying to her about Brenda. With Garrett and his friend Vienna's assistance, they respond by embarrassing Danny and Amy in front of the entire school.

After managing to drag Garrett onto the dance floor, Sadie shares a hot and intense dance with him before watching him and Brenda share an even hotter and more intense dance...

X X X X X

Come As You Are

Volume II - Sadie's Story

Chapter Two - "It's In The Way That You Use It"

X X X X X

"Thanks for hosting the after-prom Kim."

Kim waved a manicured hand at Colette. "You're welcome," she responded in her bubbly voice.

"You don't mind me asking," Garrett said, "how come you didn't have a date?"

"My boyfriend's... away on a thing. Besides, I got to walk around and play hostess all evening without neglecting anyone. Completely win-win!"

"Completely," Sadie joked. She leaned back in her chair and glanced around the ballroom. "Looks like everyone's breaking away. Your Dad's OK with a whole bunch of drunk and horny teenagers using his place like a jungle gym?"

"He's cool. The cleaning crew comes in tomorrow afternoon and then I close the place up for the summer after graduation." Her look around the ballroom came with a wistful sigh. "Last time I'm going to see this place before jetting down to Rio for a couple of months, then coming back and going right off to college. Might as well make sure people get some use out of it!"

Vienna's mix CD had come to an end several minutes ago. There was just a handful of remaining students left in the ballroom, including the eight who sat together in the circle of chairs. Colette was lying face-up on Brenda's lap. Michelle and Gio sat side-by-side while Anne sat by herself near the edge of the circle. Vienna had her head on Garrett's shoulder while Sadie had turned her chair to lay her legs across the knees of both of them.

Kim filled the final chair, a bourbon in her hand and a satisfied grin on her face. "What's everyone's plan for the rest of the evening? Just hanging out and hanging around?"

"That's my plan," Vienna said in a slow, quiet voice. "I'm swimming very nicely right now, so I'm just going to park my butt on a comfortable couch and watch the world go by until I fall asleep."

"Guess I'm staying too then." Garrett tilted his head against Vienna's. "You're my ride."

"Dude, ride home with me." Gio did some quick math in his head before continuing. "Even if we pack everyone in..."

"I want to make sure Vienna gets home safe tomorrow morning, plus we have to break down her equipment and load it in her car."

"Alright. Anyone else need a ride then? Right now it's just Michelle and me so there's plenty of room. Unless you're thinking about staying?"

"Oh no. I'm woman enough to admit I'm done," Michelle said. She was sitting upright in her chair, but only just. "I'm fucking beat and dehydrated. Trying to keep up with you on the dance floor wore me out. I feel like I just did back-to-back biathlons."

"Same here," Brenda said. "I drank too much, danced too much, and now a bed is calling me. Any bed."

"You mind if I crash in your room tonight Brenda," Michelle asked. "The sooner I kick these shoes off and get a warm shower the better."

"No problem. I'm ready to go whenever you guys are."

"I'm gonna stay." That statement came from Colette. She grabbed the back of the chair and pulled herself up from Brenda's lap with her friend's assistance. "Think I'm gonna wander around for a bit, poke my nose in, see what kind of trouble I can get into."

Brenda slid an arm around her friend's shoulder. "Yeah, that's how I know you're drunk. Rule-bender and habitual line-stepper Colette Hansen looking to get into trouble." She pecked Colette on the cheek. "Just don't do anything stupid, OK?"

"Sadie," Gio inquired, "you going or staying?"

"Staying," she immediately answered. "I'll catch a ride with someone tomorrow morning." Sadie nodded towards Colette. "I'm in the same frame of mind as my girl here to go looking for trouble."

Gio nodded. "Well Anne, that leaves you. Do you need a ride?"

"I... I don't know." Anne looked at the gathered group. "I... I don't want to go home right now. But I also don't have anyone to hang out with."

Colette slid her chair over to Anne. Everyone but Kim winced at the sound of the wooden chair scraping across the parquet floor. "Why don't you and I get into trouble? Maybe Sadie will come along if we ask nicely enough."

"Uh... I don't know. I mean, thanks Colette," Anne said, "but I'm... no offense Kim, but I kind of don't want to stay. I had fun later, but I didn't have fun earlier."

Kim nodded. "No offense taken! I get it. Totally with the negative waves."

Anne slumped in her chair. "I guess take me home? My folks should be passed out by now..."

"You're staying at my house tonight."

Every pair of eyes in the circle turned towards the speaker. Brenda looked over at Michelle, who rolled her eyes before nodding her consent. "Look, you and I both have a lot of unresolved tension between us over Danny. My parents will be asleep, I've got a gallon of vanilla Haagen-Dazs in the freezer and an extra pair of sweatpants. We'll sit in the kitchen and dish for a few hours, and if you want to crash you can crash on the couch. How's that sound?"

"It's not a trick, is it?" Anne warily eyed Brenda. "We're not going to get to your house and Michelle's going to beat me up?"

"Why would you think I was going to beat you up?!?" Silence was the immediate response to Michelle's question as everyone looked at her. The athlete threw her hands up in the air. "No, Anne. I promise in front of everyone I'm not going to beat you up. If Brenda's cool with you, I'm lukewarm with you."

Kim got up from her chair. "Time to make the rounds. See some of you guys in the morning!" She walked around the circle, giving everyone a peck on the cheek and wishing them goodnight. She then wandered away, bourbon in hand, and proceeded to repeat the process for every one of her classmates she crossed paths with. Over the next few moments, the remaining students in the circle rose to their feet, gathered their belongings, and gave various goodnight hugs and kisses to friends both old and new.

At one point Sadie slipped over to Brenda. "You're a freaking angel," she told her best friend after giving her a firm hug. "Inviting Anne to spend the night? Seriously, you and Michelle aren't going to dump her body in the woods or something are you? Because me and Colette are going to be up here and can't give you an alibi."

Brenda laughed. "I'm being nice. From what I got from talking to Anne, we were both lied to for months on end. I don't want to graduate and spend my life hating Anne because of something that was primarily Danny's fault. Primarily," Brenda said when she saw Sadie's reaction. "Anne was at fault too, but a gallon of ice cream goes a long way towards the forgiveness of sins. Plus, dropping her off with her parents, next door to Danny's house, just seems like a dick move."

Sadie nodded. "Just don't go too hard on her. And make sure Michelle doesn't ride her too hard either. I know I'm not one to talk about tough upbringings but if Anne ever decided to play misery poker she'd clean up." Sadie looked over her shoulder and then back at Brenda. "You sure you don't want to take Garrett back with you? I saw the way you two were up on each other earlier."

"Girl's night," Brenda immediately responded. "And weren't YOU up on him before I was?"

"Spur of the moment, heat of the song. Now go, work out your issues with Anne over ice cream. Don't forget the sprinkles!"

Brenda kissed Sadie good night on the cheek and headed over to where Gio was handing Michelle and Anne their coats. He threw a wave towards Sadie before heading out. Sadie watched, hands on her hips, as two of her best friends and... not a new friend, maybe a no longer enemy?

She watched as the quartet headed towards the main entrance to the ballroom. "This evening took a turn somewhere," she said to herself. After they made their exit Sadie turned to the rest of the friends. "Alright Colette," she called out, "let's go find..."

Her words faded away as she realized that the circle of chairs was now empty. "Colette," she called out as she turned around again to study the ballroom. "Colette?" A few of her classmates remained sitting at the nearby tables, either chatting, passing out, or in the case of Angela Sawyer and Rosemary McBrenan co-hosting a drinking game with half a dozen players. After a moment she caught sight of Garrett on the far side of the ballroom, crouching down by the DJ table. "Hey," she called out while walking over to him, "where the hell did Colette go?"

"Huh?" Garrett looked over his shoulder at Sadie. She pointed to the empty circle of chairs behind her. "Guess they all left without saying goodbye," he remarked

"Damn it. Did you see which way Colette went?"

"No, and I bet you could say the same for Vienna." Garrett shrugged. "Maybe they wandered off together? Eh, they'll be fine. Lord knows there's plenty of drunk, high, or stoned people wandering around this place anyway."

"Yeah, but I was going to hang out with Colette too. You know, get into trouble together," she said as Garrett got back down on his knees. "I think Vienna just platonically beaver dammed me."

"Beaver dammed?"

"The female equivalent of cockblocking. What are you doing?"

"Shutting everything down and disconnecting the cables," he explained while reaching underneath the table. "In case someone decides they want to play DJ, they can't damage the equipment." Sadie watched as Garrett carefully pulled several cables and plugs from their outlets before turning off a pair of power strips hidden between the crates of CDs. "So what are you going to do then?" he asked while wrapping the cables together.

"No clue," she sighed. "Walk around, see if there's a drinking game or fun discussion going on. Maybe I'll stumble across Colette and Vienna, make sure they don't do anything TOO stupid. What about you?"

"I was going to hang with Vienna, but that plan's out the window." Garrett scratched the back of his head. "You want to hang out? Maybe you and I could get into trouble."

Sadie nodded eagerly. "I always suspected you were a closet bad boy," she teased, drawing a laugh from Garrett. "What did you have in mind?"

"We could just wander around, see what happens... actually, there's a game room in the basement. You up for heading down there and trying out the pool table?"

Sadie tilted her head slightly. "We're not allowed in the basement," she pointed out. "It's all roped off, remember?"

"Didn't you just say I was a bad boy? Vienna got permission for me and her to go down there. We had to change after setting everything up and Kim just told us to throw our bags in one of the guest bedrooms." He shrugged. "I'm willing to read her offer as permission to step over the black rope until the night's over."

"Alright then." Sadie extended a hand to help Garrett climb down from the DJ platform. "I'm down for a game of pool. What I said earlier still stands though. I never play just to tie. I always play to win."

"So noted."

X X X X X

"Wow," Sadie said in awe. "Even the game room's got a bar."

"Rack or break?"

"You rack. I'll see if there's anything to drink." She headed for the small wet bar while Garrett walked towards the cabinet hanging on the wall. Three barstools sat on one side, facing a mirror and two shelves with various bottles of alcohol. Sadie could hear the quiet motor of the mini-fridge as she scanned the selection. "Think Kim's dad would mind if we raided the downstairs bar?"

"Part of me says 'yes,' part of me says 'no,' and part of me says 'fuck it.'"

"Fucking it is!" Sadie scanned the shelves, hands on her hips. "How does Scotch sound?"

"Whatever works for you. Hey, check this out." Sadie turned to see Garrett holding up a small sphere made from clear material. "I've never seen a glass pool ball before."

"Neither have I... ooooh, Kim's dad has the good stuff down here. Check THIS out." Sadie held up a bottle filled with liquid holding a deep reddish hue. "Balvenie. My uncle loves this Scotch." She turned the bottle in her hand. "Holy shit. It's got a certificate of authenticity on the front. Only a hundred bottles of this scotch were ever made."

"Better put that back then."

"Like hell I am." Sadie put the bottle on the bartop before ducking down to look under the counter. "This stuff is over fifty years old. It's older than my mom." She came back up with two tulip-shaped glasses. Upon seeing the worried look on Garrett's face, Sadie flashed him a tempting smile. "Come on. When else are we going to get the chance to drink fifty-year-old Scotch? You wanted to get in trouble, here's your chance." She nodded to the pool table. "Finish racking and get your ass over here."

While Garrett did as Sadie asked, she took in the large game room. A large pool table sat in the middle of the room, covered with light brown felt. One corner of the room was set up for darts, while the opposite corner had two pinball machines and several stand-up arcade games currently displaying their demo screens. Two of the machines appeared to be MAME machines holding a variety of games, but there were a few vintage stand-ups as well - Pac-Man, Street Fighter II, Pong, Gauntlet, FBL Two-On-Two,' and even sit-down versions of Star Wars and The Fast and the Furious.

Sadie set out the glasses as well as two shots of water while Garrett racked the pool balls in a wooden triangle. As Sadie studied the bottle, she glanced up at one point to see Garrett bending over, trying to get the rack in the exact spot on the pool table. She had to suppress a playful wolf whistle as she looked at his butt. The sparks from their dirty dancing earlier had cooled down, but there wasn't anything wrong with admiring the view, was there?

Garrett slid onto a barstool and watched while Sadie poured a little bit of the red liquid into each of the tulip-shaped glasses. "You don't do shots when it's stuff this high quality," she explained. "You swirl, you sniff, you sip, you taste, you add a few drops of water, and you sip some more. If we're going to be underage teen drinkers, we're going to be classy underage teen drinkers." She handed one of the glasses over to Garrett before saluting him with hers. "It's your turn to make a toast."

He returned Sadie's salute. "Bottoms up, skirts down, here's to a smile, never a frown."

Together the two young adults swirled their glasses before each taking a small sip. Sadie tasted a hint of oak and sherry before the strong alcohol exploded in her mouth, leaving a trail of fire down her throat. "Holy SHIT," she breathed. Her eyes were wide as the Scotch slammed into her stomach. "That's good."

Garrett coughed raspily as he put the Scotch back on the counter. "I'll take your word for it," he said with a shake of his head. "I... think I liked it? I don't know, but..."

"Try it with some water." Sadie carefully added a bit of water to each glass. "It'll help dilute the taste a little bit. Makes the second sip easier to handle."

"Where did you learn about drinking Scotch?"

"My uncle." Sadie swirled her glass. "He and his buddies at the VFW helped my Mom raise me and once in a while they'd let me have a drink. Never more than a sip at a time but enough to learn my way around it for when I got older. I also shot pool with them a bunch. You shoot against ex-military guys for a couple of years, you get good."

Upon taking a sip, Garrett gently swished the alcohol around in his mouth before swallowing. "Yeah, the water made it a little better. Still strong though."

"Get used to it. We're finishing the bottle." Sadie brought both the bottle and her glass over to a tall round table near the pool table. After setting them down she selected a cue from the cabinet. Garrett watched quietly while Sadie leaned over to line up her shot.

THWACK!

"I'm stripes," she declared as the 15 ball sank in the corner pocket. An impressed look on Garrett's face slowly gave way to silent amazement as Sadie proceeded to sink several more balls in rapid succession. He always kept opposite of her, leaning on his stick, as she moved around the table to line up her shots. "Damn," she cursed as the 9 ball banked off the rail and just missed a side pocket. "You're up."

"I'm almost glad we didn't bet money," Garrett said as he studied the table. "For a moment I might think you were trying to hustle me." Sadie smirked as Garrett lined up his shot and easily sank the 2 ball. The smirk slowly faded as Garrett almost matched Sadie, sinking only one less ball before failing to pocket the 6.

"Oh, you ARE good," she said as she walked around the table, looking for an angle on the 9 ball. "Gio said you knew how to play."

"You've shot against retired military, I've shot against his family. The Giovannis come from a long line of Chicago pool hall hustlers. I picked up a trick or two along the way."

"I can tell. You're almost impressing me here." A minute later, it was Sadie who stood up triumphantly. "Winner racks, loser breaks," she proclaimed proudly.

"You've got my attention now." After taking another sip of Scotch he unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled up his sleeves. Sadie's. The third slug of high-end Scotch felt much better going down, adding to the pleasant warmth she was feeling in her stomach and cheeks. While Garrett lined up his shot, Sadie blinked at the sight of his exposed forearms. The slight flutter in her chest told Sadie that she needed to slow down on the booze. Just looking. That's all.

Several games and a refill of Scotch later, Sadie gave a respectful nod to Garrett. "OK, you're not so bad," she admitted. "We're, what, three apiece? Another Scotch and game to break the tie?"

"I'll rack, you pour. So," Garrett asked while Sadie poured them both a third drink, "have fun tonight?"

"Hell yeah. The prom itself was fun but this party's been fucking fun. I got to dance, I got to drink, and I got to embarrass my best friend's ex-boyfriend while also decking our class' resident bitch. This night's going in the record books."