AN: So this is the second part of Beauty Behind the Lens. This one is from Eric's perspective. It was again inspired by a song focused on bullying, Caught in the Crowd by Kate Miller-Heidke.


Part 2 Blundered Apologies

I really was not sure why, I agreed to help Pam with hosting our ten year high school reunion. It was more work than I thought it would be when I agreed. We had been manning the table leading into the ballroom for an hour. "Remind me again why I agreed to do this?" I asked her.

"Because you are my friend and I was our class' president. Besides you are having just as much fun as I am making fun of our classmates." It was true several of our graduating class had put on weight or looked a little worse for wear. I looked up when I saw a breath taking site before me. This woman was dressed in hot little sun dress that hugged her curves and bright red fuck me heels. I was sure that I did not recognize her or her … whatever the guy behind her was.

"Hello you two. Which one of you is our 2006 graduate?" Pam asked smiling at the two of them.

"I am." The goddess answered.

"Really, because I think I would remember someone as lovely as you in our class." I joked. "What is your name?" The guy seemed a bit protective and put his arm around the stunning beauty, pulling her to him.

"Yes I just look a bit different and it is Sookie Stackhouse." She answered.

"I am sorry I just don't remember you but your last name is familiar." Oh shit. It can't be her. "You're not Jason's sister are you?" I asked. She nodded well fuck. There was no way she would want to talk to me and by the looks of it she had no reason to.

"You really do look different." Pam interjected. That was the biggest understatement of the year. "Um here is your name tag and one for your …"

"This is my boyfriend Preston Pardloe." No way, not only was this the girl, that we both used to torment, the hottest thing I had ever seen but she was dating an editor for Sports Illustrated.

"Well, have fun this weekend here is the itinerary. Today we have the welcome lunch and dinner. Tomorrow there is a picnic and tomorrow night we are having a dance. Sunday is supposed to be family day but for everyone else it is just another day to catch up." Pam passed her an itinerary. They then left to go into the ballroom.

"Do you think she remembers us?" Pam asked.

"I have no doubt that she does. We were horrible to her. I am amazed she even came." There was no doubt in my mind that she did. I just hope that I would get the chance to talk to her and apologize for everything we did. I had not really thought about her in years and I could not get my mind around just how much she had changed.

"I can say one thing I know I won't be forgetting her." We were both in agreement. We stayed out there checking people in for the next thirty minutes and then went in to make some announcements. I let Pam do all the talking I was trying to find where Sookie had gone to. Pam welcomed everyone to the reunion and encouraged people to mingle and find old friends. She also said that there would be an award ceremony of sorts the next night. I had forgotten about the survey and voting. Everyone was to vote on things like who was the most changed and so on. The survey was so we could find out more about everyone and what we all had been up to. They would be collected at dinner tonight. I could not see Sookie in the mass of people while we were up front. I weaved through the room greeting people as I went trying to find her. I finally did at the end of lunch when she and her boyfriend were leaving the room. I just had to follow them. They were getting on the elevator so I shouted for them to hold the door.

"Hey thanks for holding that." I said panting stepping in.

"No problem." Preston said draping his arm around her possessively again.

"Sookie, do you think we could talk? I know that you probably don't want to hear what I have to say but I would really like to apologize and maybe get to know you some." I hoped she would take me up on it.

She looked up at her boyfriend and then back at me. "Um I guess that would be ok but only if Preston is with me."

"That is totally fine could we meet for drinks at the bar before dinner?" I was somewhat relieved that she agreed.

"Ah sure how about 5:45, this is us." She said when the door opened. I was shocked but happy to see that they were on the same floor as me.

"Me too." I smiled like an idiot watching them go the other way down the hall. They disappeared into a room and shut the door. I went to my own suite and sat down on the bed.

I really had no idea what I could say to her about all the shit everyone put her through. I remember that she had had a crush on me and I just ignored it. I never tried to be mean during high school but I never stopped any of my friends when they would pick on her. That is one of the things that I wish I could go back and change about high school. She had changed so drastically since we had graduated, I was positive that she would be the one that everyone voted most changed.

I was dying to know, what she had been up to since high school and well anything that she would tell me. Pam came up to my room around three to ask me to help her go over the slide show she had put together of random year book pictures. She had roped one of the Pelt sisters into taking pictures of everyone today when they came in so she could match them up with their old photos. As we were going through them, I noticed that Sookie's name was on listed as photographer next to most of the candid shots from the old year books. I never knew that she was there for so many events, let alone behind the camera taking the pictures. "Did you know that she was on the year book staff?" I asked out of nowhere.

"Who do you mean?" Pam asked looking up from her laptop.

"Sookie, she is listed as photographer for like every picture of our senior year." I pointed out.

"No, but then I don't think that I ever tried to know her then." Pam answered honestly.

"I don't think anyone did. I think we were all too busy making her life a living hell." I realized that all I knew about her from then was what I had just figured out. "She is going to be meeting me before dinner to talk."

"Oh are you going to apologize? Could I come with? I really feel like I need to as well." Pam questioned.

"Yes I want to try. I don't know if she will listen to more than one of us." I did not want to lose my chance to talk to her and I did not think that she would be receptive to more than just me.

"Oh well, tell me how it goes then. I am done so I'll just be going." She said picking up her laptop. I looked at the clock and saw that I had twenty minutes till we had agreed to meet. I got up and changed clothes wondering what Sookie would be wearing tonight. I went to the bathroom and brushed my hair and then teeth. I wanted to look good for her, even if I did not stand a chance in hell. I rode the elevator down to the bar ten minutes later. I took a seat at the bar and ordered a whisky sour. I did not have to wait long because Sookie came into the room in a flowing ice blue dress. It just skimmed over her body in an enticing way. She was closely followed by her boyfriend. I pondered just how serious they were about each other. I mean if there was even just the slimmest chance that I could get with her, then I would jump on it.

"Hello Eric." She greeted me with a cautious smile.

"Sookie, Preston." I acknowledged them both. He whispered in her ear and she nodded her head.

He kissed her and then said, "I will be just down there when you're done." He pointed to the other end of the bar. I was mildly relieved and then worried all over again when he left.

"You look beautiful tonight Sookie. Um… I want … no I need to apologize for the way I treated you in high school. I was a jerk. I am sorry that I never stood up for you and I am sorry that I never stopped them or apologized before now. I wish I could take back everything that happened then." I said as quickly as I possibly could afraid that she would leave before I finished.

"Thank you for your apology, but can I ask why now? You could have tried before now to find me and apologize if it was really bugging you that much." She put me on the spot there. I could not say that I was sorry because I wish I would have known how hot she would become, that just sounded stupid.

"Um … I ah…" I did not know what to say without sounding like a pig.

"That's what I thought. I would say it was nice seeing you again but really it's not." She said walking away. I totally blew it. I sat there stunned for a while. Pam found me still sitting there when it was time to go to dinner.

"How did it go?" She asked earnestly.

"I apologized and she accepted. Then she asked why now and I froze. She walked away looking disgusted with me." I took a drink.

"You will have to try again you have the rest of the weekend and I changed the seating for tonight so she is at our table." Pam said proudly.

"Are you fucking nuts? Do you think that she could really stand to eat with people who tormented her for years? You know most of them aren't any better than they used to be." I asked in disbelief.

"No I am not it is only me, you, Norris and the Comptons at our table along with her friends Lafayette and Jessica. The Pelts and Arlene are at a table on the other side of the room. I mixed everyone up, so it would not look so odd." She huffed.

"If this blows up I am blaming you." I said finishing my drink and standing up.

"Just trust me it won't. Compton is going to make us look awesome and the worst that could happen is that they leave early or don't talk to us." She rationalized. I let her lead me to our table. Sookie and Preston were already sitting down talking with her friends. It seemed that Compton and his wife were there as well looking extremely put out. Calvin was talking with the pregnant redhead at our table. Pam and I sat down next to Compton and his wife. Bill had let himself go he was fat around the middle and his hair was receding. He wife Lorena looked like she had had way to much work done. Her face had that frozen startled look of women who had bad face lifts. I will never understand why he married her. She was a good ten years older than us, it was kind of creepy in a way, how much she acted like his mother rather than his wife. Dinner was not that bad, although I never really got to talk to Sookie again. I did find out a lot more about her then I ever knew in the past. Once dinner was finished we all watched the slide show that Pam had put together. Pam had put it to music from our senior year as well. I should say everyone but me. I was looking at Sookie watching all the emotions cross her face. The most prominent ones were sadness and longing. I noticed that Preston said something to her that I missed but I did catch her reply.

"I wasn't I was behind the camera." I could only guess that he had asked why she was not in any of the photographs. I felt even worse when our senior and current pictures went up. I think we should have thought about what these pictures may do to some people. Sookie got up and excused herself. I could see the tears that were welling up in her eyes. I wanted to get up and follow her but I was sure she would be more upset with me there. Preston followed her out. That was the last time I saw either of them.


Caught in the Crowd by Kate Miller-Heidke

There was a guy at my school when I was in high school
We'd ride side by side in the morning on our bicycles
Never even spoken or faced each other
But on the last hill we'd race each other

When we reached the racks, we'd each go our own way
I wasn't in his classes, I didn't know his name
When we finally got to speak, he just stared at his feet
And mumbled a sentence that ended with James

I was young and caught in the crowd
I didn't know then what I know now
I was dumb and I was proud and I'm sorry

If I could go back, do it again
I'd be someone you could call friend
Please, please believe that I'm sorry

Well, he was quite a big guy, kinda shy and quiet
When the kids called him weird, he didn't try to deny it
Every lunchtime he'd spend walking by himself
'Round the boundary of the grounds 'til he heard the bell

Well, one day I found him, joined him on his walk
We were silent for a while until we started to talk
I told him my family were fighting in court
He said his step-dad and him always fought

We talked about music, he was into punk
Told me all the bands that I liked were junk
I said I'd never heard the songs the Sex Pistols sang
I laughed back at him and then the bell rang

I was young and caught in the crowd
I didn't know then what I know now
I was dumb and I was proud and I'm sorry

If I could go back, do it again
I'd be someone you could call friend
Please, please believe that I'm sorry

It was after school in the afternoon
The corridors were crowded as we came out of the rooms
Three guys I knew pushed him into the cement
Threw away his bag and said he had no friends

He yelled that he did and he looked around
Tried getting up but they pushed him on down
That's when he saw me, called out my name
And I turned my back and just walked away
Yeah, I turned my back and just walked away

I was young and caught in the crowd
I didn't know then what I know now
I was dumb and I was proud and I'm sorry

If I could go back, do it again
I'd be someone you could call friend
Please, please believe that I'm sorry
Please, please believe that I'm sorry