Come As You Are Ch. 15

Previously on "Come As You Are" - Four lifelong friends reunite for their ten-year high school reunion -- professional chef Brenda Lattimore, 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 they all share a secret lover in one of their classmates, the quiet social outcast Garrett West.

Upon arrival at their high school reunion, Michelle, Sadie, Brenda, and Colette (with Vienna on her arm) tease him about the revelations of the night before. While Sadie flirts with Garrett, Anthony "Gio" Giovanni arrives with the quiet Evelyn Ballion on his arm. Evelyn calmly reveals that she and Gio had sex the night before, which serves as her quasi-initiation into the growing circle of friends.

As Sadie stands at the bar to get a drink, however, a familiar voice calls out to her, and she finds herself next to Danny Eastman, former classmate, Garrett's high school bully, and Brenda's ex-boyfriend...

X X X X X

Come As You Are

Volume V - The Reunion

Chapter Two - "When the Levee Breaks"

X X X X X

"Hey, Sadie."

Curiosity caused Sadie to turn her head and look directly at Danny Eastman. The star athlete was looking back at her with a wide smile. Her eyes took in his entire body. Danny was more muscular than he was in high school. His sandy blonde hair was cut close in a loose buzzcut. She recognized the style of the tailored suit he was wearing -- high-end, but not ridiculously expensive. The same went for his shoes.

And he was still dazzlingly handsome. Even she would admit that.

Sadie raised her eyes back to Danny's face as the basketball player continued to grin at her. "You look nice. That's a killer dress."

"Thanks."

Sadie's response held no politeness or agreement. It was said in the flattest tone of voice possible to meet the bare minimum of social acknowledgment. She faced the bartender, waiting patiently for her vodka tonic. She could sense Danny studying her, trying to figure out what to say next. He finally spoke up after the bartender handed Sadie her drink. "Having fun tonight?"

"Stop Danny. Just stop."

After she put five dollars into the tip jar, receiving a grateful nod from the bartender, Sadie turned so she could look Danny right in the eye. "The last time I saw you," she hissed, "you and Josh Smith were chasing me down a dark alleyway. Between that, how you treated Anne Jackson on prom night, and more importantly what you did to Brenda, don't worry about being polite to me just because we went to high school together. I have absolutely nothing to say to you."

Drink in hand, Sadie spun on her heel. Danny was already out of her mind as she headed back towards her table...

"Jesus Christ, Sadie, I'm trying to say I'm sorry."

After a brief moment of deliberation, Sadie turned around to see Danny wearing a look of regret on his face. "Knock off the puppy dog eyes," she told him. "I remember that trick from high school."

"Damn, and this is the look I usually give the refs when I'm in foul trouble." Danny stepped towards her. The forlorn expression was still evident, but as Sadie got a closer look it appeared to be somewhat genuine. "I treated you like garbage in high school, even while I was dating Brenda, and you didn't deserve it."

Sadie took a slow drink of her vodka tonic. Her eyes studied Danny over the rim of the glass. The look he was giving her came off as sincere. His apologetic words had flowed from his mouth like water, but they sounded rehearsed as opposed to practiced. Danny didn't say anything as Sadie watched him. He shifted slightly on his feet, waiting for her response. "Did someone put you up to this," she eventually asked, "or are you doing this because you want to do this?"

"A bit of both," Danny answered, slowly nodding his head as he determined the proper answer. "I shot hoops with Tyler this afternoon and talked to him about what's changed around here and what hasn't." His eyes drifted towards the back wall of the gym, where four state championship banners still sat high in the rafters. "Ten years comes with a rush of perspective. There were some people happy to see me when I walked through those doors, but there were also a ton of dirty looks. I was an utter dickhead, and now's as good a time as any to eat a whole lot of crow."

"Are you still an asshole?"

"Absolutely on the court. You have to be if you play point guard. But off the court? Not since my rookie year. Reality humbled me quick."

"And what are you going to do if someone doesn't accept your apology?"

"Accept that they don't accept," Danny immediately replied. "Just because I apologize to someone doesn't mean they have to accept it or forgive me. If they tell me to go pound sand I'll accept it and move on. It's happened before."

Sadie blew out a deep sigh. "I don't forgive you, however, I accept your apology. Odds are I'll forgive you someday, just not right now. Hell, maybe later tonight it'll happen. But thank you for apologizing." She cocked her head to one side and couldn't help giving Danny one of her trademark smiles. "If it means anything, I can tell you're being sincere."

"Good. I didn't want to come off as an asshole while trying to apologize for being an asshole." Danny's self-deprecating laugh was joined by a small one from Sadie. "So, look, I need a favor." He motioned with his free hand over Sadie's shoulder. She turned to see that Danny was pointing to her table, which at the moment was still occupied by Colette, Vienna, and Brenda. "I need to apologize to Vienna too," Danny told Sadie, "but Brenda's the big one. She and Anne Jackson. But considering how I treated Brenda..."

"You need me to be your in." Sadie risked a glance around to see where Garrett was. At the moment he and Evelyn were still chatting with Linda Layton in the far corner of the gym. "Alright," she told Danny, "come on. But I can't make any promises."

Danny took a deep pull from his bottle of Budweiser as they walked. "So, a couple of the guys on the team wanted me to tell you they like your show and wanted to know if you'd give them a shout-out next time."

"Sure!" Sadie answered brightly at the mention of her show. "Always willing to call out to my fans. You play for Salt Lake City, right? Whole team shout-out OK?"

"That works. The guys'll get a kick out of it. They also wanted to know when you're going to stream some sports games."

"I would, but Electronic Arts sucks ass. Their sports games are just last year's model with a new coat of paint and more microtransactions."

"How about something like FBL Two-On-Two or Double Dribble then? They're older games but they still break them out in the locker room from time to time."

"That's a really good idea. I'm stealing it... yep. It's stolen."

"As long as I get a personalized shout-out then."

She wanted to narrow her eyes at him, but his attempt to be friendly seemed desperately earnest. "Depends on how the rest of the evening goes. Fair enough?"

It was Colette who noticed them first. She glanced up as Vienna and Brenda shared a laugh over something Brenda had said to see Sadie leading Danny towards the table. Colette immediately motioned with her chin, causing Vienna to look up and Brenda to turn in her seat. Sadie could see Brenda's eyes widen and Vienna's eyes narrow as both women watched them approach.

Sadie and Danny stopped at the edge of the table. Before Sadie could make the re-introduction, however...

"What the FUCK do you want Danny?"

Vienna's hands pressed against the edge of the table. Her forearms tensed as if she were about to explode from her seat. Both Colette and Brenda were taken aback by the pure vitriol in Vienna's words. Even Sadie blinked in surprise at the raw hatred coming from the dyed blonde. "Sorry," Vienna spat. "I'm being rude. Hello Danny. It's nice to see you. What the FUCK do you want?"

Danny didn't flinch at Vienna's reaction to his presence. "Hey Vienna," he sighed, nodding in her direction. "Colette," he added before turning to look directly at Brenda. "Brenda," he said quietly.

"Hello Danny," Brenda heard herself respond.

Danny smiled at Brenda before telling Vienna, "So um... look, I wanted to talk to you..."

"We talked. Now go away." Vienna jabbed a finger in the direction of the table where several members of the basketball team were sitting.

Danny put his hands up in a defensive manner. "Fair enough..."

Sadie reached up to put a hand on his shoulder. "Danny asked me to bring him over here because he wants to apologize for the way he acted in high school," she explained. "He already apologized to me and he seemed sincere about it. Just hear him out, OK?"

"No," Vienna spat. "I'll save you the time and energy Danny. I don't accept your apology, and I don't forgive you for how you treated me in high school. For how you treated my best friend in high school..."

"I'm not apologizing for how I treated Gio," Danny interrupted. Sadie could see his body tense up for a brief moment before he blew out a deep breath. "I'm apologizing for how I treated you."

"As I said, don't waste the time or the energy."

"Fine." Danny looked away from Vienna to speak to Colette. "Colette, I can't recall anything specific, but if I ever acted like an asshole towards you, I'm sorry."

"Thank you, Danny. I accept your apology." A strangled noise of disbelief escaped Vienna at Colette's words. Colette turned to face her and shook her head, which drew a shake of the head from Vienna as well. "You don't have to accept Danny's apology Vienna," Colette said. "I'm choosing to do so."

"No," Vienna proclaimed, "this is bullshit, and..."

"Problem?"

The three women seated at the table along with Sadie and Danny all turned to look at Gio. Along with Michelle, the young Italian man was looking directly at Danny. "Everything OK?" he asked Vienna, not taking his eyes off of Danny.

"Just fucking peachy," Vienna shot back. "Danny here is embarking on the Great Emerald Pines Apology Tour."

Danny met Gio's eyes with a downturned grin and a tense posture. "Hey, Gio... do you still go by Gio?"

"Yeah," Gio answered.

"Michelle."

"Danny," Michelle answered curtly. "Apology tour?"

Danny leaned forward, his shoulders pushing together as he put his hands on the back of what had been Evelyn's chair. "Michelle, I'm sorry for all the things I said about you in high school, especially calling you a flat-chested psychopath behind your back."

"Flat-chested psychopath? Why the hell do people keep calling me a psychopath?!?"

"And Gio, dude," Danny said, borrowing one of Gio's favorite words, "I was just a balls-out dick to you. I was jealous. Everyone respected me but everyone LIKED you. And you and Michelle, both of you were demons on the slopes and made kicking ass look so damn easy. I shouldn't have been a dick to you, to both of you, because of it. I'm sorry, and I apologize."

The two former co-captains of the ski team were quiet for a few seconds as they silently deliberated their responses. "I don't know," Michelle eventually answered. "I acknowledge your apology Danny, but to be honest I care more about how you treated my friends than how you treated me."

Gio shrugged and took a step forward. "Hell, I'm Catholic. We're all about forgiveness, right?" He extended his hand towards Danny. "We're cool, dude." Danny, relief evident on his face, reached out and shook Gio's hand. "But like Michelle said," Gio said, "it's more about my friends than you and me..."

"Seriously? SERIOUSLY?!?" Vienna's voice echoed across the gym, causing a few people to turn and stare as she shot up from her chair. "You're going to forgive him? After everything he did to our best friend?"

"Yeah," Gio answered. "Danny wants to make amends. And it's been ten years..."

"You know, I'm not surprised. After all, any time you even looked like you were going to stand up for Garrett, Danny backed down. Me? I'm the one who had to get in Danny's face for four goddamn years!" Vienna pointed at Gio, stabbing her finger in his direction. "I'm the one who always stood up for Garrett, and you were always 'don't fight back' and 'it's not worth it.' But hey, apparently you're the cool easy going guy and I'm just the raging BITCH, right?"

"Vienna..."

"No Gio. Don't you 'Vienna' me. Fuck it. I'm going for some fresh air. Alone." Vienna spun away from the table, brushing away Colette's offered hand of concern, and stalked towards the main doors of the gymnasium. For the first time that Sadie could remember, Gio's entire posture lacked confidence and warmth. A deep frown crossed his face. His eyes filled with anguish as he watched his best friend shove the doors open and disappear into the hallway beyond.

"I shouldn't be surprised," Danny said. "I knew she wouldn't want to see me. Is she going to be OK?"

"Yeah," Gio sighed. "She's just super protective."

"Well, you guys were always close. I hope I didn't fuck things up for you two."

Gio waved a hand. "It's cool dude. And you and I are still cool too."

"Thanks." After taking a deep breath Danny turned to look at Brenda. She had sat quietly by, watching the proceedings without saying anything. As Danny turned to her, her ex-boyfriend let out a sigh. It brought about a familiar feeling in her, a feeling compounded as he tried to give her a reassuring smile that at best came out as a nervous grin. "Can we talk in private?" He pointed towards the folded-up bleachers on the far side of the gym. "Right over there?"

Brenda slowly nodded. She got up from her chair and walked over to where Danny was standing. Without another word she passed him, heading towards the bleachers. Danny quickly fell in behind her, the pair beginning to make their way across the gym before coming to an immediate halt as their path immediately intersected with that of Evelyn and Garrett's.

Sadie took an involuntary breath as time slowed down. Evelyn showed no reaction, but if Garrett was a cat his hackles would be on full display. He was locked on to Danny, who stared back with eyes ablaze. Standing between the two young men, Brenda was glancing back and forth with tension both physical and emotional. Sadie half-expected a voice to call out "ROUND ONE, FIGHT" while Danny and Garrett stood motionless, waiting for some sort of signal to finally react.

To her surprise, it was Garrett who went first. "Hey, Danny," he said quietly.

Danny's face immediately took on an expression that mixed annoyance and aggravation. He stared at Garrett, eyes drilling into him until Garrett finally looked away. Then, and only then, did he turn to Evelyn. "Evelyn," he said politely. "You look nice this evening."

"Daniel."

The one-word answer, delivered calmly and clearly, told Danny everything he needed to know about Evelyn's feelings towards him. "OK then. Come on, Brenda."

Danny resumed heading for the bleachers. Brenda offered Garrett an apologetic shrug before following behind him while Garrett and Evelyn made their way back to the table. Upon sitting, Garrett grabbed Sadie's vodka tonic and downed the drink in a single gulp. "So yeah," he said after wiping his mouth, "that just fucking happened."

"Danny's going around making apologies." Michelle ran a hand through her hair, unconsciously reminding Sadie of Garrett's nervous tic. "He came over and apologized to all of us but apparently, you're not on the list."

"I brought him over," Sadie admitted. "I tried to blow him off at the bar, but... he seemed sincere. I thought he deserved a shot."

Michelle shook her head. "Maybe he's trying to be a better person, but I caught this underlying sense that we should be thankful he's apologizing to the little people."

"It has been ten years. We've all grown up, right?" Colette turned to look towards the gym doors. "Well, we're trying to grow up. Should someone go after her?" she asked worriedly.

"Go after who?" inquired Garrett.

Colette sighed deeply. "Vienna. I accepted Danny's apology and she didn't take it too well."

"Not surprised. Come on," Garrett told Gio as he got up from his chair.

"You're on your own for this one, dude. I accepted Danny's apology too and she didn't take it too well. If I go after her there's just going to be more shouting and yelling."

"So I'm flying solo. Got it." Garrett squeezed Gio's shoulder as he walked past. "Do me a favor and just keep an eye on Danny for me?"

Gio motioned around the entirety of the table. "We got it. Go calm our girl down."

X X X X X

Vienna managed to make it to the second floor of the high school and midway down the central hallway before turning and slamming the bottom of her fist against the door of a nearby locker.

"GOD DAMN IT!" Her angry words echoed down the hallway, reverberating off metal and brick, as she punched the locker a second time. "GOD DAMN IT!" Her breath heavy, fighting back tears of frustration, Vienna managed a few more steps before spinning around and hitting another locker on the opposite side of the hall. "MOTHERFUCKER, MOTHERFUCKER, MOTHERFUCKER!"

"So your dad, your stepdad, and your stepmom?"

Vienna turned, murder in her eyes for a brief moment until she recognized the slender form of Garrett walking down the hallway towards her. "Heard you slipped out of the gym," he called out as he approached, "and now you're punching lockers and screaming profanity. Something wrong?"

"You fucking think?" Vienna spun away and managed a few more steps before coming to a stop. She attempted to wipe away the tears of frustration that were sitting at the corner of her eyes. "How was your little trip with Evelyn?" she sniffed angrily.

"Fine," Garrett answered as he approached. "Saw a few people, did the whole 'so what are you up to' thing, heard a bunch of them tell Evelyn she hasn't changed a bit. The usual for a reunion, I guess."

"Are you going to end up fucking her too?"

"I wasn't planning to."

"You didn't plan on nailing Brenda. Or Sadie. Or Michelle or Colette." Vienna rubbed at her nose, feeling a little bit of wetness come away on the back of her hand. "What's to stop Evelyn from saying something flirty or alluring and next thing you know, whoops, Garrett's naked?"

"Mainly because she's with Gio, at least for the time being." Garrett's voice was directly behind her now. "Vienna, what's wrong?"

"I'm pissed off," she snarled. "I'm angry. I'm... ARGH!" Vienna lunged forward again. The impact of her fist crashing against a locker echoed in both directions, causing Garrett to flinch at the sound.

"Talk to me Goose..."

"No!" Vienna whipped around with such vitriol that it caught Garrett off guard, forcing him to take a step backward. "Movie quotes and references are Colette's thing. Philip fucking Marlowe, right? You want to talk to me, you talk to me as YOU. Talk to me as Garrett West."

Garrett's response was a firm nod and a roll of his shoulders. "OK," he said quietly. "What's wrong? Talk to me, Vienna Calling."

Vienna barked out a laugh that sounded harsher than she intended. "You haven't called me that since graduation night. Standing on Gio's porch, remember?"

"It was the last time I saw you worked up like you are now. But that was... sad upset. This," he said, motioning with his hands, "is angry upset." She nodded, swallowing a comment in the process. Garrett stepped over to the side of the hallway. He put his back against the brick wall and slid down into a sitting position, his legs straight out before him. Reaching out, he patted the tile floor next to him.

Vienna's response was to use one foot to kick his legs open. Garrett spread his knees, giving his best friend space to turn around and sit down in front of him. She scooted back. Once she felt Garrett's body Vienna leaned against him, her legs inside of his. She closed her eyes, momentarily enjoying the comfortable and reassuring feeling of Garrett's body. His arms slipped around her waist. Her hands rested on top of his. Her head fell back against his shoulder while his chin did the same against hers. The pair of friends sat quietly, platonically enjoying each other's physical and emotional closeness for a few moments in the empty hallway.