A/N: Hadn't done anything on this in over a week, so it was time. Sorry! :P One more chapter after this before Eric goes off to university. Things should really start picking up in Chapter 13. :D Thank you so much to ilovemysteries for being so awesome.

Chapter 10

September 1992

Eric was at Sookie and Jason's old house. It was after practice on the Thursday before the Homecoming game. He was beat, but he had dropped Jason and Hoyt off at home, and come here by himself. He didn't really know why.

He hadn't been here since Mrs. Stackhouse had found out about the party weeks after the event, and made them all come and clean up. All except Sookie, of course, although she had offered anyway. Of course. Mrs. Stackhouse didn't let her, though. She had even insisted that Hadley come from Monroe to help, and drove her straight back home again after, so Sookie wouldn't have to see her. Hadley had taken off again shortly after and hadn't been back, as far as he had heard.

Eric jumped up and grabbed the branch of the sycamore that Sookie's mother had pulled her off of, shortly after he'd moved to Bon Temps. He pulled himself up and sat on it, leaning against the trunk. He felt it with his hand before he saw it - SS + EN, in a heart. Carved into the branch he was sitting on. Still perfectly legible 6 years later. He traced the letters with his finger. Fuck.

He knew Sookie hadn't been in the tree since that day. Her arm had still been broken when her parents were killed, and she just didn't come back here much after that. Not much cause to and too many bad memories. And even more now, thanks to him. He wondered if she had been tracing the letters that day like he was now.

Sookie was in high school now. He saw her sometimes, scuttling through the halls, always with books clasped in front of her chest, a backpack with the straps let out so it covered her ass on her back, and her head down. She even said hi if he said it first. He saw her at Jason's, too, of course, and she was always pleasant. But distant. So distant. She wasn't quite so broken now, but she seemed to hold everyone at arm's length.

He jumped down out of the tree and got the key from under the mat and went into the shed. He sat on the couch and put his head in his hands. He was still fucked up about it a year later. Not as much as Sookie, though. He still had a life, at least.

Fuck it. He locked the shed, got into his car, and drove to the Stackhouse place.

Sookie was sitting on the porch swing, reading and sipping a glass of sweet tea. When she saw who was coming she went inside, yelled up to Jason, and went into her room and closed the door. Gran was at Aunt Linda's. Linda wasn't doing well, and Gran had been trying to get her to move in with them for months. Linda wouldn't leave the house, scared that Hadley would come back to find the place locked and empty. Gran had been staying there most of the time lately. Sookie had begged Gran to let her drop out of school and take care of Linda full time, but Adele wouldn't hear of it.

Jason came down and met Eric at the door.

"Hey, man. What's up? Come on in."

"Actually, I'm kind of here to see Sookie."

Jason sighed. "Go on and try, but I don't think you're gonna get anywheres. She hid in her room as soon as she saw you comin'."

"Shit."

"Yeah. C'mon upstairs when you're done."

Eric knocked on Sookie's bedroom door. She opened it, looking almost suspicious. She didn't invite him in.

"Hey, Eric. What's up?"

"Uh. I was wondering if you would go to the dance with me tomorrow night after the game."

She looked at him for a long time. "I'm sorry, but I don't think so," and started closing the door.

"Sookie, please. Why not?"

She sighed. "People will think you're either doing it to be funny or doing it to be nice. I'd rather not be the butt of a bunch of jokes or the poor retarded kid going to the Homecoming dance with the handsome popular co-captain. I don't really want to be the star of a heartwarming news story."

"You know it wouldn't be anything like that."

"I know it would. And I thought you were going with Holly Cleary, anyhow."

He looked confused. "Where did you hear that?"

Sookie rolled her eyes. "From Holly. And Danielle."

He shrugged. "Nope. I sure as hell didn't ask her. And if she asked me, I didn't hear about it."

"Well, I'm sure she'd say yes if you asked."

"Dammit, Sookie, I don't want to go with her. I want to go with you."

"What if people laugh at you?"

"I don't give a fuck."

"What if people laugh at me?"

"I'll kick their asses. I'm ready for this."

"I'm sorry, Eric, but I'm not. Nothing has changed. I can still hear your thoughts." She put her hand on his wrist. "You really want me to say yes. I'm flattered. I really am. But, I'm sorry. It would hurt me way too much to have you and lose you. I'm done."

"You're swearing off relationships at 14? Forever?"

She shrugged. "Yeah. I mean, it's impossible."

"I've applied to Uppsala University. In Sweden. I'm sure I'll get in. My grades are very good and Far knows some people." He shrugged. "I'm going to go."

"Oh. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too. I already do. But I will be in Sweden. Speaking Swedish."

"Please don't tell me you're doing this for me. I'm a 14 year old crazy girl, Eric. Don't base your whole future on that. And even if I don't understand your thoughts after you go away for a few years, they'll just be in English again a few years after you come back. It's hopeless, Eric. I'm broken."

"No, it isn't just because of you. It's one of the best Universities in the world, and my father and grandparents have all been pushing me to go to school there anyway. And, Sookie, don't talk like that. You're not crazy. You're not broken."

"Yes, I am. Can you guarantee me that you will never ever think anything that will hurt me? Not even say, but think?"

He sighed. "No, of course not."

"And should I just be hurt all the time? Or mad? Should I blame you every time you think something that will hurt me, or piss me off, knowing that I can't help but hear it when we're touching? And you can't really help but think it? Do you think any relationship could survive that? It is hopeless, Eric. It wouldn't be fair to either one of us. I've spent the last year coming to terms with it. It's fine. I'll find… something… worthwhile to do with my life. But it's going to be alone. There's no help for it."

"Then we can just go as friends."

She sighed. "Would it be worth it? All of the shit you'd get for it, just to go as a friend?"

"Yes, of course it would be. Our friendship is so much more important to me than those assholes' opinions. I miss it. I miss you."

She finally smiled at him. "Thank you. But I… I don't know that I'm up to hearing what everyone thinks. Or all the shit I'll get from the jealous girls after. What they think is always so much worse than what they say. And I have nothing to wear, and no money or time to get anything."

"Please, Sookie? You could wear a paper bag, for all I care."

"How about we just be friends again and not go to the dance." She sighed. "I miss you, too."

"Are you sure? I really would love it if you would go with me." He took her hand and showed her.

She half smiled at him. "How about if I cheer for you at the game and give you a congratulatory hug afterwards before the dance."

"What if we lose?"

"Then a better luck next time hug?"

"I guess if that's the best deal I'm going to get."

She hugged him then, and she clung to him a little, although he noticed that she made sure not to touch his bare skin anywhere.

"Will you drive with us to school now instead of taking the bus? You'll have to bus home, at least until after football…"

"Yeah, Eric. That would be great. But you get to break it to Jason."

"Sounds good." He kissed her cheek quickly, while reciting his numbers in Swedish, and then went up to Jason's room.

"Hey, how'd it go?"

"Not too bad, actually. She's going to start driving to school with us."

"Aw, shit." But Jason didn't really mind.

Sookie drove to school with the guys the next morning, and it was such an improvement over the bus. And the boys looked so handsome in their shirts and ties for game day. Even the rest of the school day wasn't terrible. She got dressed for the game in Jason's old jersey and jeans, and put her hair up in pigtails with orange and black scrunchies. Gran came, and she even convinced Linda to come, and Sookie sat with them in the bleachers. Jason was crowned Homecoming King and DeeAnne was Homecoming Queen. Sookie was surprised it wasn't Eric, but the boys liked Jason better because he wasn't so uppity (read smart) and a lot of the girls did because he had slept with so many of them, although he was also disliked by a bunch for the same reason. He'd broken a lot of hearts in Bon Temps.

The Tigers won the game and, true to her word, Sookie hugged Eric in congratulations on the field after the game. She looked really cute, and Eric wanted to kiss her, but he respected her wishes and didn't.

Sookie went back home and was making up her bed on the couch when Eric came to the door. Linda was going to be spending the night in Sookie's bed.

"Hey, Eric. How come you aren't at the dance?" He was wearing his shirt and tie from earlier that morning with his jeans. He'd added a navy suit jacket. His hair was loose, and Sookie had never seen him look so handsome.

"Not really into it. The girl I wanted to dance with wasn't there. Can you come outside for a minute?"

"Sure, I guess so."

Eric had his CD player on the porch. He ran his hand through his hair and said, "This is probably corny as hell, but will you dance with me?"

He hit the play button and November Rain by Guns N Roses started to play. She bit her lip, but nodded. She put her hands on his shoulders and her head against his chest. He was so much taller than her - 6'2" and still growing - a fact that burned Jason who hadn't grown a bit since before he'd turned 16. Eric held her close to him and they danced.

Eric tried to will her to look up at him, but her head stayed against his chest for the whole song. It was probably for the best. If she had looked up, he would have kissed her, and she'd made it clear that she didn't want anything more than his friendship. He did kiss the top of her head when the song ended, but she stepped back out of his arms before she looked up at him. She had to clear her throat before she could thank him. She kissed his cheek, he grabbed his stereo and waved at Mrs. Stackhouse and Mrs. Delahoussaye, who were unapologetically watching them raptly through the window. Definitely a good thing she hadn't looked up. He climbed into his car and drove home.

The only thing Sookie was sure about that night was that she was more confused than ever.