The Hardest Part

Chapter Nine

Sookie's POV

"Come on, Sook! You can't really believe I'd do something like this on purpose!"

My eyes shot open and I bolted upright on the sofa. I'd somehow managed to fall asleep in the middle of the afternoon, but I knew I wouldn't be able to rest any longer.

Things like this happened to me every couple months. No matter how hard I tried to block everything out regarding my... my brother, certain moments managed to creep through, taking my breath away and leaving me shaking.

I hurried towards the kitchen, trying desperately to keep my mind occupied on some other insignificant task, but it was no use. The memory started seeping through like blood on a bandage.

Taking a deep breath, I leaned against the counter and gave up. There was no use fighting, and I was suddenly back in the prison visitor's room, avoiding eye contact with my brother.

"Sook. Sookie, please look at me. I swear on my life that I didn't do this purposefully."

I kept my gaze down on the floor, stained with gum and dirt. Thinking of a family member being locked away in such a place made me feel sick; the people were strangers, but they were all tough and belonged there. But my brother... I just didn't know what to think.

All the evidence was against him.

"What was the point in you coming here if you're just gonna ignore me?"

I looked up at him then, noticing how tired he looked. His hair was greasy, his eyes were red raw, the light in them gone. We used to get on so well, keeping each other company after Gran's death, but now... now he seemed to be one of the strangers too.

No matter what he said, I couldn't shift one word from my mind.

Murderer.

"Sook," he continued, now that he had my attention, "I swear to you it was an accident. I know it looks bad with me hating Lafayette and all, but I swear I did not run him down intentionally. He was in the middle of the freaking road!"

I stared at him wordlessly. I wondered if he'd rehearsed that speech.

It was a well known fact that Jason had despised the former cook at Merlotte's, Lafayette. There'd been several confrontations between the pair, sometimes ending in violence, and it was all because Jason was a little homophobic. That, together with his aggression, lead to his downfall.

And now, everybody in Bon Temps believed that my brother was responsible for murdering Lafayette Reynolds, resulting in his arrest and charge for murder.

"I'm sorry, J-Jason," I whispered, picking up my bag. "But I just... I don't believe you."

I stood up, gathering a little attention, but I ignored everybody else there. "Gran would be horrified," I murmured, turning around and heading towards the door.

"No, Sook, wait! Please, I didn't do it! Sookie!"

That was the last I heard of him.

I stared outside with tears prickling at my eyes. I'd been weak to let it happen, but I'd had no control. Shaking, I sipped at my coffee, but it didn't have the usual comforting taste. The images were engrained in my head once again and would be there for the forseeable future.

I hadn't been to visit him since that had happened, not even for the trial, and that had been years ago. Everybody in Bon Temps had looked at me in disgust, some still did, even though I was completely innocent. I'd even liked Lafayette, but that didn't stop the abuse and dirty looks.

Perhaps that's why I turned into the tough person I've grown to both rely upon and despise at the same time. I didn't know if I could change; it was a defence mechanism, something I could rely upon.

Wiping away at my nose, I headed towards the TV in a desperate attempt to clear my mind before tonight.


As I drove to work, I gradually realised that I was still shaken up. My hands were jittery on the steering wheel and I began to wonder if I was competent enough to be on task for the evening.

Pulling up at Northman's, though, I told myself to stop being so stupid. Working would be better than sulking around at home.

And besides, I'd get to see Eric, somebody who'd shared half of my thoughts during the day.

Admittedly, I hadn't really focused on him too much, but I kept suddenly remembering the interesting conversations we'd been having. There was definitely something odd going on.

Deep in my thoughts, I headed into the back of the bar and put all my belongings away. The room was empty and I had a few minutes to spare, so I sat down on the nearest seat and closed my eyes for a while. I tried to imagine my thoughts clearing like clouds on a sunny day, but that was pretty darn difficult. And-

"Is there something wrong, Sookie?"

Eric caught me by surprise (once again, I might add) and I turned to see him leaning casually against the doorway. He looked beautiful as ever, with a dark blue shirt and black pants, and I noticed that he was wearing braces to hold them up instead of a belt.

My goodness, I'd give anything to-

No. Ssh. He needed an answer. I cleared my throat to focus. "What makes you think that?" Perhaps what had happened earlier was really taking its toll on me. I really didn't want to talk about it, though, even if that wasn't particularly wise. Maybe it'd help to share for once.

"I'm merely concerned," he replied, suddenly moving out the way for somebody else to make their way through.

Ugh, it just had to be Debbie, didn't it?

Her face was a picture, however, and I couldn't help smiling briefly. She caught that, and grimaced at me. "Nice and cosy in here between you two," she observed. "Having fun, are we?" She said the words so bitterly that her teeth ground together, almost like a dog growling. A smirk crept onto my face at the image again, and of course that made her even more angry.

I really had to control myself.

"I was talking to my boss, Debbie," I answered eventually. "That's allowed, I think."

She turned to face me. "Whatever. Oh, I'm sorry to hear about your car, Sookie. It's such a shame."

I let out a long, calming breath. There hadn't been any proof that it was her, but the way she sneered and grinned told me that it was. Eric seemed to detect this, too, so he intervened. "Yes, it was a pathetic act by whoever's responsible, and I'm determined to find out exactly who is. Anyway, Miss Pelt, would you mind if I could please finish my conversation with Miss Stackhouse? In private?" he added for good measure.

I hated being so smug, but the immature part of me was relishing the way she reacted. "No problem. I'll actually do some work, considering that's what I'm paid for."

We were alone again after she scurried off and I shook my head in disbelief. Following that, I walked over to a long mirror to check that I looked decent, but was surprised to see Eric's head pop up in the reflection behind me. Really quite close behind me.

Act natural.

"I really do appreciate your concern all the time," I said suddenly, meeting his eyes. "Like I said, I just don't know if I deserve it."

"Sookie, do you want to go for a drink tomorrow night?"

I couldn't hide my surprise at his abrupt change of topic; he probably saw my shocked expression staring back at him and I saw him grin. He had just...

He'd asked me out. For a drink.

Of course, it might have just been something completely professional. Yes, it probably was.

He noticed my hesitation. "It wouldn't be anything serious, I just wanted to talk to you about a few things."

Now that sounded intriguing.

Would it be a mistake to say yes? Every part of me was screaming to say it, but then my rational thoughts were pointing out that getting in too deep could result in being hurt. I could even end up damaging Eric.

But... it was just a drink. A drink that wouldn't do any harm.

Something randomly occurred to me. "What about the bar?"

"I'm the boss, so I'd be giving myself a well deserved evening off. And besides, Pam would be more than capable of taking over in our absence. That is, if you agree to go."

I swallowed and glanced at the floor. There was no use going over and over it; one word was yelling at me.

Turning away from the mirror, I smiled up at him. "Sounds great. I'd love to. What time were you thinking?"

He actually smiled back, looking gloriously youthful and bright. We were standing quite close together and the faint smell of his aftershave was surrounding me. It was making me feel a little dizzy.

"Is eight alright for you?"

I nodded and his smile grew.

"Okay, that's great. I'll pick you up then."

And with that, he was gone.

I was confused, excited, nervous and intrigued, all at the same time. I might also have let out a little squeaky noise to convey those emotions.

Taking one last check and straightening my pony tail, I headed out to the bar. I had a shift to somehow get over with, after all.


Eric was by the side of the bar most of the night, watching everybody working. It was a little intimidating, but I kept up what I did best, and served and smiled like there was no tomorrow. That, of course, would be an inconvenience because I'd never get to have my drink with him, but never mind that.

Debbie was on fine bitch form, rating a possible eight out of ten, and at the same time showing off to Eric with every opportunity that came her way. I honestly wouldn't have been surprised if she'd hitched up her skirt directly in front of him.

Everytime I caught eyes with my boss, he actually smiled properly at me, something that made my chest feel a little light. He was a very confusing individual, mostly giving off mixed signals, but I was probably the same. I had no idea what was happening between us.

But that was what made it thrilling. It was a nice departure from thoughts about...

Just as I saw the possibility of my brother popping back into my mind, I busied myself even further, wiping away at tables and doing anything to keep my mind occupied.

It was exhausting, but it had to be done.


The evening flew by, and I even managed to gain a decent amount in tips because of the happiness that I was exuding. Once again I found myself wiping the tables down with a smile and I didn't care what people thought for once.

I headed behind the bar to clean the other surfaces and the man responsible for my good mood joined my side.

"Good work tonight."

"Thank you, boss," I smiled, pleased with the compliment.

"Some customers have been commenting on how cheery you looked. They suspected that sex was the reason why."

I had a little coughing fit from surprise. My cheeks flooded with heat and I immediately felt embarrassed for reacting such an immature way. Stupid Sookie. "I don't quite know what to say to that!" I spluttered.

He laughed, a deep throaty sound. Ugh.

We were silent for a while and, after glancing around, he gave me the thumbs up. "All finished."

"Good," I replied. "It's been a long day."

I gathered my coat and bag from the other room, lingering by his side. We stopped by the side of the bar.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then, Miss Stackhouse," he said with a grin. It was wonderful that he was looking happier around me, and I smiled back brightly.

"Excuse me, I couldn't help hearing..."

I rolled my eyes at the familiar voice and watched as Debbie popped her head beside Eric. She looked up at him, frowning. "Did you say you'd be seeing her tomorrow?"

He nodded. "Yes. Is that a problem?"

"Um," she gave a brief laugh, "I thought she worked alternate nights."

"Sookie does. But I'm taking her out for a drink."

I tried not to look too pleased. I failed.

She met my eyes, narrowing her own to terrifying slits. She really could be quite threatening and I tried to straighten up. "I don't believe this. You're completely fucking everything up! What are you, some kind of devil in disguise? Don't think I haven't heard about your brother! You're probably trouble like him!"

My jaw tightened and I closed my eyes to keep calm. How dare she bring him up...

"Don't you even think about mentioning my brother," I said quietly. "That's none of your fucking business."

"Ladies, can we-"

Eric's attempt to intervene went unnoticed. "I'll do whatever I like, it's a free fucking world! Well, not for your brother anymore, but hey, he deserves it."

I couldn't help it. All my anxiety and anger from the past twelve hours boiled over and I stepped closer to her. I felt Eric's presence close behind. "Why can't you keep a hold of your jealousy, Debbie? It's quite pathetic seeing how you act around here. Get over yourself."

"Jealousy?" She snorted loudly. "You're the one who should get over yourself."

"I'll remember that when I'm having a good time tomorrow night."

I turned around and tried to convey to Eric through my eyes that I was sorry for this happening, that I was being provoked. I didn't have time to see his response, though, because everything suddenly went very wrong very quickly.

I usually prided myself with being quite strong, but Debbie's explosive reaction took me completely by surprise. I felt long nails digging into my side as she pushed me with all the force that she could manage, and I – completely taken aback – lost my balance.

I tried to protect myself desperately, but it was too late.

My head collided with something cold and hard, and a throbbing quickly followed, taking my breath away. I felt pressure on my side as I landed on the floor, and the uncomfortable pain flooded there too.

Everybody seemed so tall... but everything was blurry at the same time, too. I felt my body drooping. Nothing responded. I tried to blink and see clearer, but it seemed easier to close my eyes.

I distantly heard somebody call my name, panic laced in their voice, but my surroundings quickly melted into darkness.