Chapter X
Fitting In and Going Out
Sara had never had a problem with school. Okay, so she was smart. So smart that when she took her placement test for her new school, the principal asked to see her personally. She was leery of authority figures, it came with the territory, really, it did. This specific authority figure didn't seem too bad though. Gina Torres was an imposing figure. She was dressed in no-nonsense suit and carried herself with more power then her compact frame could have possibly possessed. Her hardened face told Sara that she'd dealt with trouble before and could handle herself. Her dark gaze went strait through her. The woman sat down behind her desk. She got strait to the point. "Sara, you've actually tested out of our Senior Honors classes." She blinked, "That's good, right?" The woman's carefully shaped eyebrows quirked, "Sara, it's amazing. A sophomore has never done so well. To be frank, I don't think I've ever seen a senior do this well." Sara squirmed in her seat, the praise didn't sit well with her. "So?" Ms. Torres smiled, "Well, I've spoken to your guidance councilor and we've decided to place you in our very prestigious AP program. You'll be taking college level classes here in high school. It's one of the newest programs here in San Fransisco, very cutting edge.
Sara was on her bed, sitting with her long legs crossed, staring down at the AP Calculus book. She pushed her mouse-brown hair back behind her ears and frowned at the page. She'd never been in such a challenging class. For the first time...ever she was going to have to apply herself and study. It was...nice. A knock at the door made her look up. There, leaning in the door was Ethan. She felt the blood rush to her face. "Oh...hi...Ethan." He grinned, "Hey there, Sara." She felt a giggle bubble up in her throat. "So what are you doing?" She smiled, "Studying." He came closer. She could smell his aftershave. "Wow. Calculus. I thought you're like in tenth grade, you must be like a genius." Forget her cheeks, Sara felt a whole-body blush coming over her. "I just did good on that placement test." Ethan grinned, "I wish you could have taken my SATs for me, I wouldn't have even needed to go to college." Sara felt herself grinning again. Ethan was in college...and he was talking to her. Sara Sidle, sixteen year old plain and simple Sara. "Well, I gotta go, but hey, this weekend a few of my friends and I are getting together out at the Bay side lodge, you should come with me...I'll show you around, introduce you to a few people." She found herself nodding and he walked out. "See you around, Sara." As soon as he was gone, she felt herself collapse against the bed. "Wow."
Catherine grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Wait. College...College, this guy was in college? How old was he?" Sara winced, "Twenty-three." Catherine's mouth fell open for a minute. "You were sixteen!" "Save your outrage, Cath, the story gets worse before it gets better...oh and you know this is...ah really personal...I was wondering..." Catherine squeezed her wrist. "This is just between us." Sara nodded, and took a deep breathe. She didn't want to go on, but she was too far in to turn back now. She could feel the white hot burn of shame in her stomach and the different burn of Catherine's intense blue eyes on her. If she met the other woman's eyes she knew the look she'd see. It would be Catherine's intense face, the one she wore when she was interrogating a suspect or figuring out a complex piece of evidence. The scrutiny made Sara want to disappear, but physics wouldn't allow her to.
She looked at herself in the mirror. She was too tall, too gangly, too thin...too plain. Her brown hair wasn't remarkable and her mud-brown eyes were ugly. She smiled, then frowned immediately. The gap between her teeth made her look like a cartoon character. She was going to embarrasses Ethan, she just knew it. She looked over the clothes she was wearing. Anna had given her money to go shopping because her clothes were "reprehensible and utterly un-presentable" Sara's tastes were, however, very simple. She was wearing a simple pair of stone washed jeans and a blue crop top. She grinned, the stomach baring shirt revealed something she'd gotten while on her two month "street vacation" Her naval was pierced. She hoped Ethan liked it. With one last look in the mirror, she left her room.
Ethan was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. He let out a whistle. "Wow, you clean up nice, Sara." She grinned, "You're not so bad yourself." He threw his arm around her waist, "Well come on then, we've got a party to get to."
The party was full of people. Grunge music poured out of over sized speakers and the beer never stopped flowing. Sara was leery of alcohol but every time her cup got low, Ethan refilled it. Ethan was drinking more then her, though. His Frat brothers cheered him on to chug beer after beer. Sara felt out of place and very young...if this was college, well she wasn't sure if it was for her or not. She was happy, however, to be there with Ethan. He was so great. He kept his arm around her the whole time...he'd even called her 'sweetheart' a couple of times. Allot of the college girls were giving her dirty looks since Ethan was with her and all but ignoring them. It made Sara smile. Ethan was there with her. Around two am the party started to wind down, people had either paired off and moseyed along, or had found a convenient flat surface to pass out on. Sara was unstable on her feet, but Ethan's arm around her kept her from falling. He leaned in close, "Hey, let's get out of here." His hot breathe tickled her ear and she let out a giggle. "'Kay." They stumbled back to his Trans Am. Ethan fumbled with his keys for a minute then they slid into the low slung car. Somewhere between the party and home, his arm went across her shoulder. They were sitting at a red light when he made THE move. He leaned in and planted what was, in retrospect, a very sloppy kiss. He grinned at her. "I've been wanting to do that all night. All the guys were jealous of me. I had the hottest girl at the party. Sara smiled, "Really?" He chuckled, "Yeah. I mean you're not like the other girls. You're smart, funny, and you've got that great smile." He leaned in for another kiss and Sara knew she was in love.
Author's Note: Now, before the foul reviews start flowing in, lemme explain. Sara may seem OOC here...but everyone think about this for a minute. This isn't Super CSI Sara Sidle. This is 16 year old confused and lost Sara Sidle. A few "caring" words from a cute older guy and yes, she 'falls in love'. So is she in character? Possibly. As to Catherine. Hey give me a button, she's not a bitch! Also, a note on Foster families and the Foster care system. No, this representation of it is not kind, but neither is it standard. Most Foster parents are kind, well meaning people who make a difference in their worlds by taking in children who do not have a loving home of their own. While I feel that the current system is flawed, it is by no means completely ineffective and I salute all foster parents and social workers...Now that I've disclaimed myself and hopefully unruffled some feathers...now we get down to the reason this fic is rated M... Please prepare yourself for some strong content in the next chapter... really really strong adult content.