"But after a while, you learn to ignore the names people call you and you just trust who you are."
—Shrek (2001)
☁☁☁☁
The party was in full swing by the time they got there. It was crowded to the brim, and everywhere she looked, she found another person blocking her view. She latched onto whoever was nearest, which happened to be Elliot, and refused to let go once they'd gotten past the entrance and moved into the living room, where there was some space to breathe.
"Some party," Erin commented. She raised her perfectly plucked brows as she assessed the room. "See anyone you recognize?"
"We don't know anyone from here," Hunter said. Just as he spoke, someone tottered in their direction, moving too clumsily to be sober.
Sachi recognized the blonde kid when he was a mere foot away, and he obviously recognized them too, because he threw an arm over Erin's shoulder the second he was close enough to. "Hey, girls." He smirked. "Glad you could make it."
Hunter's eyes narrowed as the blonde boy leaned closer to Erin, and she noticed his hands clench into fists by his side. Elliot didn't look all that pleased to see this guy either, because he moved to stand by Hunter's side, and the two each took turns in glaring at the kid.
"We still haven't gotten a name," Erin said, sliding his arm off her. "We really don't know who the hell you are."
He gave a mock bow. "Call me Leo." He straightened, though he almost stumbled as he did so. "Or sex-god. Whatever you prefer, beautiful."
"She's not interested, Leo." Sachi stepped up before one of the boys could, because if they did, she was almost certain fists would start flying. "Trust me."
That only piqued his interest more, and he turned to Erin, shooting her a flirty smile. "Why not? Got a man back home? I'm sure I could take him, baby." He slid his sleeve up to showcase his biceps. "I work out."
"I'm sure you do," Erin said with no small amount of amusement. It looked like it was becoming difficult to keep the grin off her face. "Unfortunately, she's right. You're not my type. No guy is."
It took a moment for the realization to set in, but when it did, Leo was stepping back and putting a fair amount of distance between him and Erin. "You're gay?" he said in disbelief, gaping.
Before Erin could respond, Hunter put his hand on Leo's shoulder. "Yes, she is," he growled. "Now go find someone else to bother. Thanks."
Leo was quick to follow through, but even as he scurried off, he kept stealing looks at Erin with wide eyes, like he was still processing his newfound information. It wasn't new news, at least not to her. Erin had come out freshman year, and everyone in Hawthorne High was aware of her sexuality. Besides a few nasty remarks, Erin had held herself up pretty well, and Sachi would be lying if she said she didn't admire her for it.
"I need a fucking drink," Hunter muttered before disappearing into the crowd.
"I could use a drink too," Erin admitted, moving closer to Sachi as two beefy guys pushed past her. "I think I'll need something strong to get me through this mess." Something caught her attention on the dance floor, and her attention was lost as she focused on some point beyond her vision.
"What?" Sachi waved a hand in front of her glassy eyes. "Erin, what?"
"Look at the girl by the window," Erin ordered. She directed her gaze, and Sachi noticed said girl immediately. She was definitely gorgeous, in the same way Erin was. It wasn't completely obvious, but there was an allure to the dark ripped jeans and crop top combination, not to mention the purple dip-dye that came from her black waves.
"She's a ten," Sachi murmured in response to the unspoken question. "Almost tips the scale, if I do say so myself. You should try it. It can't hurt."
Erin considered it for a moment before taking a few harsh breaths and nodding her head. "I'm gonna do it," she said, more to convince herself. "I just need to whip me up something strong so I don't worry too much about what I'm gonna say. I'm definitely going to embarrass myself." She groaned as she thought of the possible situations, and Sachi pressed a hand to her shoulder.
"Relax," Sachi murmured, a hint of a smile pulling at her lips. "Get the drink, and just go for it. Bring out some of that Ambros charm." She poked a finger at her stomach. "Good luck."
"Okay. Good luck. Right." Erin turned to leave, but stopped before disappearing completely to lift her hand in a mock salute. "Wish me luck."
"I already did!"
By then, she was gone, and Sachi was by herself. Well, not completely by herself. She stepped around the groups dancing and talking to get to Elliot on the far wall. He had his phone out in an attempt to distract himself from the scene, and he didn't even notice her approach until she took his cell out of his hands.
"Hey," he scolded. "You can't just take that."
"El, we're at a party. And you're on your phone? What the hell."
Elliot rolled his eyes. "Parties aren't my thing," he said. "I only go to them when I have to."
"Well, you're here now!" She waved her hands to try and make the situation more exciting, but from the look on his face, she failed. "Come on—don't leave me by my lonesome. Hang out with me." She held out a hand for him to take, and after a flicker of hesitation, he put his hand in hers and let her lead him out to the dance floor.
☁☁☁☁
"Seriously?" Chloe, one of the people Sachi had gone up to and introduced herself to, asked. "You two aren't dating?"
After dancing, Sachi and Elliot had gone exploring and ended up in a den upstairs with another group of acquainted friends. They joined effortlessly, and they were now curled up on the couches as they talked about meaningless topics: one of which included Sachi's relationship status.
"Um, no." Elliot's cheeks reddened, and his lips pulled into a frown at the question. "We're not dating. Just friends."
"That's what they all say," Chloe murmured, before taking another shot. When she noticed Sachi watching, she held the bottle out to her. "Want some? It burns at first, but it'll get better."
"No thanks," Sachi said swiftly. She'd already grabbed a Heineken on the way up, and she still had that same bottle clutched between her hands now. As if to prove herself, she lifted it to her lips and let more burn down her throat.
"All right." Chloe set the bottle aside as she snuggled more into the boy on her right whose name was already forgotten.
Sachi glanced down at her phone where her recent text messages were pulled up. A new one from Erin came in at that exact moment, and she scrolled down to read the full message.
Erin Ambros (11:32): omg sach im dying. her name is clare and she's so sweet and funny but im getting so nervous what do I do???
Me (11:32): grab another drink?
Erin Ambros (11:34): SACH
Erin Ambros (11:34): this is serious tell me what to do
Me (11:35): just be urself but funnier. she'll love u don't worry
Erin Ambros (11:37): that wasn't helpful!!
Me (11:37): sry maybe I'll drop by l8r to put u out of ur misery
Her phone vibrated again, but she ignored it, tucking her cell into her shorts. By now, Chloe had migrated onto the boy's lap, and he was licking at her ear lobe. In fact, it seemed almost everyone had stopped speaking to one another and started making out instead. Sachi wouldn't have minded except for the pitiful fact that she had no one to make out with.
"Erin's having girl trouble," she said to Elliot, who was looking more uncomfortable by the minute. "Wanna go check on her?"
"Sure," he replied immediately, relieved for an excuse to escape.
She stood up first since she was practically sitting on top of him, and he followed suit. Sachi lifted her feet to step over the duos spread out over the floor space to get to Chloe, who was now in a full make-out session.
"Hey." She tapped her shoulder. "Elliot and I are going downstairs for a bit. See you around?"
Chloe paused long enough to say, "Yeah. Sounds good," before she was diving headfirst back into the guy's face. They almost resembled animals with their ferocity and eagerness to crash their faces against each other, and Sachi saw Elliot's lips pull back out of the corner of her eye.
Trying not to laugh, she led the way out of the room. She'd barely taken two steps when someone came barreling out of the crowd and slammed into her chest. The impact caught her completely off guard and sent her flying backwards; she would've fallen if Elliot hadn't thrown a hand out to catch her at the last minute.
Besides the dizziness that accompanied her near fall, she felt something sticky against her front. Pressing a hand to her shirt, she found that it was nearly soaked with some unknown drink. She had a feeling this would happen; she could never get away with wearing a white shirt.
The culprit straightened after nearly toppling over, and he noticed the stain on Sachi's shirt. "Shit." His mouth was twisted in disgust, and there wasn't an apologetic look in his eyes. "Sorry." He hardly sounded sorry, and as he stumbled off a second later, Sachi could hardly bring herself to care.
"Gross," she muttered, pulling at her hem.
"What an asshole." Elliot pressed a hand to the small of her back and directed her down the hall, as if to protect her from any more spills. "I think there's a bathroom on this floor."
"This wasn't even my shirt. It was Erin's."
"Erin will understand." He stopped at a door against the back wall, and he pushed it open slowly, making sure he wasn't interrupting anything. "All clear." He motioned for her to go in, and she gave him a grateful smile before closing the door behind her.
As soon as the lock clicked shut, she got to work with tearing her shirt off. Her stomach and chest was a sticky mess, and she grabbed one of the handtowels to rub as much of the residue that she could off. After furious cleaning, she still felt gross, but it was better than nothing.
She stared at the shirt from where she left it beside the sink—and almost groaned. She wasn't in the mood to head back out with a stained shirt that would make her feel worse.
Just as she was about to pull it back on, a knock sounded at the door, and Sachi froze.
"Sachi?" She relaxed. It was just Elliot.
"Yeah?"
"Um ... do you need a shirt?"
Her eyes flicked to the tank in her hands. "Sort of. Erin's is a mess."
"Do you want my sweatshirt?" His voice was hesitant. Soft. "I know it's not the same, but at least you won't feel gross for the rest of the night."
Sachi tried to recall what Elliot was wearing underneath his hoodie. Knowing him, it was probably just a thin shirt with a graphic covering most of it. While she felt bad for taking his sweatshirt, she wasn't sure what else she could do. And this was a good thing, anyway. Elliot was going out of his way to help her.
"Are you sure?" she asked to be sure. "I can wear Erin's."
"Yeah, it's fine." Elliot fumbled with the knob before realizing it was locked and said, "Can you unlock the door?"
"Oh. Right." Sachi set Erin's tank aside and unlocked the door. Elliot's arm weaved through the crack a second later, his sweatshirt bunched up in his hand. She took it from him tentatively and tugged it on over her head. She heard the door close while she was fitting her head through the hole.
Once she was finished, she could say that she didn't look awful. Sure, Elliot's navy sweatshirt clashed with her purple shorts, but she couldn't afford to be picky in a situation like this.
Sachi hid the shirt in the pocket so she wouldn't have to carry it around all night. She'd just have to remember to grab it before leaving.
When she exited the bathroom, Elliot was leaning against the wall, waiting. He straightened upon noticing her, and a small smile flitted across his face. "My sweatshirt looks good on you," he murmured. And Sachi felt her cheeks burn.
"Yeah," she agreed, unsure of what else to say. She pulled anxiously on the strings.
"Where's the shirt?"
"Here." She indicated the sweatshirt pocket with a thumb. "Remind me to grab it before we leave."
"Got it. Want to go find Erin now?"
"Sounds like a plan." Sachi held out her elbow, waiting for him to loop their arms together. There was a flicker of hesitation before he did, and they walked back down the hall.
☁☁☁☁
The lower floor was even more crowded than it was when they arrived. It was impossible to find Erin among the mass, and she and Elliot had decided to split up in the hopes of finding her quicker. She took off in the opposite direction and somehow ended up in the kitchen.
As soon as she'd entered, she was ready to leave, but a certain brown-haired boy caught her attention. Hunter was seated at the bar, a shot glass filled in front of him. His eyes were red, though she didn't know why, and his hair was a disheveled mess. He looked like a mess in general.
Sachi neared as he was tilting his head back to down his shot. He sputtered as she slid into the seat next to him, struggling to cope with the flavor.
"How many of those have you had?" she asked, snatching the glass away when he went to refill it.
"Not many." He blinked. "Okay. I lied. Maybe very many. I don't know anymore."
"Huh." Sachi braced her forearms on the bar, leaning forward. "If you complain about this hangover tomorrow, I'll kill you."
"No, you won't." Hunter pressed his fingers to his temple and started rubbing in a circular motion. "Where's Elliot? And Erin?"
"Elliot is looking for Erin right now." She turned in her seat quickly to make sure neither was in the general vicinity before turning back to Hunter. "What have you been doing anyway? Just drinking?"
Hunter gestured at the marks on his neck. Some resembled claw lines, but others were indents made only by teeth. "Nice." She chuckled. "Who did that?"
"Her name was Amanda. Pretty. Blonde."
"We all know blonde is your type."
Hunter smirked. "I can't help myself."
Sachi caught a glimpse of Elliot in the far corner of the room, and a sudden thought came to her. Hunter with a little alcohol in his system was much more compliant than a sober Hunter. He was also more honest with his feelings; considering the state he was in, it couldn't be too hard to get him to open up about Elliot.
Sachi smirked herself. "So, Hunter..."
His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized her. "Yes?"
"What's the deal with you and Elliot?" She ran her finger along the glass rim. "You said you'd forgive them, but you still come off so cold with El."
"Do I?" He arched an eyebrow. "I don't even realize. I dunno. Ask me tomorrow."
No, because that would defeat the purpose.
"Are you extra pissed at him?"
"Maybe." A glassy look crossed his features. "The difference between him and Erin is that Erin is making an effort. He's acting like he doesn't care."
"Don't you do the same exact thing?"
He glared at her. "Well, yeah, but I always do that. Elliot never does. He has only started recently."
Sachi nudged him with her shoulder, giving him a playful grin. "Maybe if you made the effort, Elliot would too. You gotta meet him halfway."
"Whatever." Hunter waved her off. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. Are we leaving soon?"
"If you want." She tried to keep the disappointment out of her words, but it still lingered. Maybe she couldn't force it. Elliot and Hunter had had a strong connection before; maybe she just had to trust that they would come back to each other eventually.
Elliot was approaching them anyway, so she clamped her mouth shut and smiled as he neared. "Hey," she said. "Did you find her?"
"Yeah." He didn't sound too pleased about it. "But she refuses to leave. I couldn't convince her."
"Is she drunk?"
"Off her ass," Elliot said. "I don't know what she drank, but it's definitely affecting her."
"Damn." Sachi slid off the seat, dragging Hunter along. She followed Elliot out of the mob and to the front door, where she saw Erin before the blonde girl noticed them. Erin had one shoulder propped against the wall, and the pose was so unlike her that she needed a double take.
Erin was busy twirling a blonde strand around her finger as she grinned at Clare, and her eyes had a glassy look to them that Sachi didn't like too much. Before Elliot could intervene again, she moved forward, standing at her shoulder.
"Hey, Erin." She gave Clare a polite smile and took the moment to appraise the gorgeous girl. She could see why Erin was so fazed; there was something intoxicating about her style. She looked at Erin. "Are you ready to go?"
Erin glanced sideways at her, and it took her a moment to realize who was speaking to her. "Hey, Sachi!" she said cheerfully, slinging an arm over her shoulder. Sachi was almost brought down by the sudden weight. "How are you?"
Her breath reeked of beer and alcohol and everything in between, and Sachi tilted her head away. "I'm fine. Are you ready to leave? I think we should head back soon."
"Why? This is such a great party!"
"Agreed," Clare murmured, lifting a red cup to her lips. The rim was already smudged with her lipstick.
"I know, but it's getting late. C'mon. Elliot and Hunter are ready to go."
"They're fun-killers." Erin pouted. "I'm not ready to go yet." She fluttered her lashes in Clare's direction, and Sachi had to resist the urge to chuckle. If sober Erin knew what drunk Erin was doing, she'd have an aneurysm.
"Erin..."
"Sachi." Erin planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek. "Let me stay a little longer."
"You and Clare can exchange numbers," Sachi suggested instead. "Then you can text her tomorrow." She shot a pleading look in the other girl's direction, and was surprised to find a phone already extended.
"Put her number in there," Clare ordered. "I'd love to get to know her better. She seems super fun."
"Thanks." Sachi took the phone and punched in Erin's number that she still knew by heart. When she finished, she handed the cell back. "Text her tomorrow. I'll make sure she answers."
"Looking forward to it." Clare smirked, and leaned forward to press her lips against the corner of Erin's lips. "Talk to you tomorrow, Erin."
Erin was blushing all over at the small gesture. Her cheeks were painted bright red, and her eyes were wide, lips agape. "Um ... yeah. Of course."
"Bye." Clare waved her fingers in the air with a flourish before vanishing into the crowd.
Erin lifted a hand against her cheek. "I don't think I can ever wash my face again."
"First of all," Sachi began, waving to catch Elliot's attention, "that's sort of gross. Second, she has your number, Erin. So she's definitely interested." She saw the boys heading to the door, and she nudged Erin outside.
Once all four of them were out, they made their way past the partygoers and back up the path that led back to the house. Elliot lingered near Hunter just in case he toppled over any minute. Erin was terrible at avoiding the rocks and holes in the street in her state, so Sachi had to keep an arm around her stomach at all times. That was how they came home that day. Each one supported the other in some indirect way.
☁☁☁☁
a/n: hey guys! hope you enjoyed this chapter! let me know what you thought below! and yes, not everyone in the gang is straight. erin and hunter both identify as lgbt+. my sweet children <333