Edited 2019

AN: Fair warning this is a more of a filler chapter than anything, but I needed to get a few things dealt with. This chapter is the result. As always thank you for reading and on with the chapter.

Disclaimer: No infringement intended, but heck who am I kidding this is fan fiction.

Chapter 27

When Gran pulled up to the front doors of the school, I hopped up from the ground and walked to the car. Opening the backdoor I slid my cello in before closing it again. "Hi Gran, did you have a good day?" I asked plopping into the seat and closing the door.

She smiled at me as I put my seat belt on. "I had a lovely day. Spent some time out gardening and then I went to lunch Mrs. Belfleur. Next week at church we'll be starting a coat drive for needy families so we talked that. But enough about my day," Gran glanced at me, giving me a knowing smile. "What chair did you get child?" I beamed at her, unable to contain my excitement.

"You are not going to believe it, Gran! I got first chair!" I squeaked, unable to hold back. "Godric is my stand partner and Mrs. Fortenberry handed out music for the Homecoming rally next Friday before the game. Normally, the marching band plays, so it is a big deal for us," I gushed as Gran pulled out of the lot. Her right hand left the steering wheel and patted my leg.

"Oh, Sookie! I knew that you could do it." I swelled with pride. It always felt so good when Gran gave a compliment to me. She's not one to blow smoke so I knew she meant what she said. "Speaking of homecoming, have you decided on who you are going to the dance with? It's not polite to keep those boys waiting." She scolded me, not even taking her eyes off the road.

"I think so. I think I am going to go with John." I looked over to Gran to see her reaction but nothing. So I continued. "I like Godric, but he said that he would be ok if I went to the dance with someone else. And he would wait to take me to a different dance. Maybe the sweetheart or prom." I furrowed my brows thinking. "Are the boys coming over for dinner after practice?" I asked hopefully.

"Yes, I believe so. I planned on it anyway." Gran turned her blinker on, signaling that we were turning on to Main Street which intersected with Hummingbird Lane eventually. "If you are going to go with John then you need to tell Godric you won't be going with him. His mother gave me their home number the other night in case we had an emergency." She stopped at a crosswalk to let the youngest Nelson boy cross the road on his bicycle. Gran turned her head towards me, eyeing me carefully. "So you will call him when we get home." She said in a tone that meant business.

"Okay… but what do I say?" An exasperated sigh left my lips. "Hi Godric, I am so excited that we are stand partners. Oh, and by the way, I am not going to go to homecoming with you." My stomach turned at the thought. "I sound like I have no heart if I say it that way," I whined looking out the window.

"Sookie Stackhouse you will not tell him like that! I raised you better." Gran waggled her finger at me. "Tell him that you will be unable to attend this dance with him but are looking forward to going with him to another." Finally, we came to the left turn of our street. I gave that a thought.

"Are you sure that I won't sound too formal like that?" I asked, hesitating. Gran chuckled.

"You will be fine. Godric is a nice young man and he dissevers to find out sooner rather than later. He will understand. " Our conversation died down after that and I watched the landscape of the last five-minute stretch home out the window. When we arrived I gathered my things and headed to my room. Setting everything down, I took a deep breath and went to use the phone. In the kitchen, Gran still had her old phone, the cord so long she could make a loop of the house and still have length to spare. All the numbers Gran uses regularly were written down on the top of the pad by the phone. I scanned the list for his number and carefully dialed. The answering machine sounded, so I left a message for Godric to call me as soon as he could before hanging up. Then I realized I had forgotten to give him the number for the house to call back so I redialed the number. This time, his mother answered the phone.

"Hello Hyde residence."

"Um, Hi Mrs. Hyde. This is Sookie Stackhouse. I'm calling because I wanted to talk to Godric. I left a message but forgot to leave my number. Is he available to talk?"

"Hello, Sookie I hear congratulations are in order. I was surprised when Godric told me you got first chair over him, but I suppose that you just outdid him. We just got home and when he is able to talk I will have him call you back. Your Grandmother gave me your number. Goodbye Sookie." Her voice had lost all of its usual charm. She sounded cold and tense. Then I realized she had hung up on me. I sat there looking at the phone for a while. I about jumped out of my skin when it rang.

"Hello, Stackhouse residence," I answered after I calmed down.

"Hi, Sookie. It's Godric." My heart fluttered, nerves collecting in my belly. "My mother said that you called. What did you want to talk to me about?" Godric's voice was kind, nothing like his mother's had been. I relaxed slightly, but still nervous. I gulped.

"Ah…okay. Here goes. Iwon'tbegoingwithyoutohomecoming,butIlookforward togoingwithyoutoadanceinthefuture." I blurted out so fast that all of my words ran together. Instant guilt washed over me. I braced myself, wincing even though no one was with me.

The voice on the other side of the line just laughed. "Could you try that again Sookie. I did not understand a single word you said." I sighed.

"I can't go to homecoming with you." I waited, but there was only silence. "But I will go with you to another dance of your choosing." I took a big breath when I was finished.

"Oh, so are you going with Eric?" He asked, sounding hurt. I felt so bad that I had upset him. And I'd just be digging the wound even deeper.

"No…John asked me and I decided that I would go with him. You are not mad at me are you?" I almost pleaded. Lord, I sounded pathetic.

"I am not. I more disappointed than anything." I could almost see the frown on his face. "But hey," Godric's voice lightened a note. "I still get to take you to a different dance right? So, I am claiming it now." I couldn't help my giggle. "I want to take you to the sweetheart dance in February." A wide grin spread over my face, rivaling the Cheshire cat.

"I would love to go with you." I let out a silent sigh of relief, before noticing that Godric was talking to me again.

"Sookie was there anything else you wanted to talk about? Not that I am trying to get rid of you. I just need to work on my homework before I practice."

"No, no, no! It is ok, you can let me go. I need to practice too. I will see you tomorrow. Bye Godric." My voice was chipper again, the smile evident in it.

"Jusque là Sookie. Have a good practice ma petite." We hung up after that. I kind of love it when the guys talk to me in a different language. I know that I don't understand them but it is hot. I went up to my room to practice. I played for at least an hour before I stopped. I took a break, going to get a drink. Entering the kitchen, I noticed Gran was chopping away at an obscenely large onion. She looked up and smiled at me, eyes only slightly teary from the onion's gasses.

"Your practicing sounded nice dear. Did you call Godric?"

"Yes, I did Gran. I will be going to the sweetheart dance with him." I said over my shoulder, retrieving a glass out of the cabinet, filling it with water. I took a long drink, loving the feeling of the cool liquid sliding down my throat. "That's nice dear. Could you help me make dinner? I am making chili and cornbread. I was thinking about frying up some apple fritters for dessert too. Maybe throw on some ice cream as well."

I smiled at her, nodding my head eagerly. Apple fritters were one of my favorite things to make. They just filled the house with warmth and spice. "Sure, thing Gran."

We got to work, and by the time the boys got home, we had a gargantuan pot of chili simmering on the stove and a slab of cornbread cooling on the counter. We had all the ingredients for the fritters measured out. Gran liked to mix the batter right before she fried them, so they were perfectly puffy and crisp. As predicted, the boys had come over after practice. They took turns cleaning up, flowing in and out of the bathroom. When John finished, I asked him if I could talk to him. The two of us went to sit out on the porch swing. He put his arm around my shoulder. I leaned back into the comfort of his arm. I turned my head towards him, smiling at him, taking in his pansy colored eyes.

"I would love to go with you to the dance." A full-fledged grin broke out over his face.

"Really? That is great Sookie." He just about exploded with happiness. "Have you gone to get your dress yet?"

"Yes really!" I giggled, lightly pushing his arm in a playful manner. "And no, I have not gone yet I need to ask Gran if I can go with Amelia tomorrow. Her dad scheduled a bunch of us consultations with Sophie Anne." I smiled back at him.

"I am sure whatever you get will look amazing on you." I couldn't help but blush at his compliment. "Do you want me to get a matching vest and tie?" I just shrugged.

"You don't have too, it's up to you. But if you would like to that would be nice." He laughed and nodded.

"Alright just tell me what color you get. Now that we have that dealt with let's go get some of the chili I can smell. I am starving." He stood up offering me his hand. I took it and we walked to the kitchen. Dinner was nice, everyone congratulated me for getting first chair. The boys talked about the upcoming game. This one would be harder because the team they would play were pretty good. I helped Gran to make the fritters that everyone enjoyed. As the guys were leaving John pulled me aside. "I am so glad that you are going with me Sookie. I have liked you for a long time, but I was afraid to ask you because I didn't know if you liked me." He looked down at the last part. Being shy was a rare thing for John, so I felt flattered. I wrapped my arms around him giving him a proper hug.

"I like you too John, you are a great friend and a wonderful guy. Any girl would be lucky to go with you." He leaned down and pecked me on the cheek.

"I will see you Sookie. Have a good night." He walked off to his car smiling like a fool. I went back inside to talk to Gran about the dress situation. I found her at the kitchen sink, scrubbing away at the dirty dishes. Gran insisted the idea of a dishwasher was nonsense and stubbornly refused to invest in one.

"Gran, Amelia asked me to go dress shopping with her tomorrow. Can I go?"

"Sure dear. But as long as I can come too." She grinned at me, a real look of excitement on her face. I laughed.

"Of course Gran, I want you there. It is actually turning into this big thing. Her dad got us a consultation with the Sophie Anne." I put an emphasis on how big this was. Gran just chuckled as I nearly danced out of the kitchen up to my room to do my homework. I finished everything that was due the next day, putting all of my books back into my bag. I got cleaned up and went to bed. That night I dreamed about getting my dress. For some reason, Sophie Anne thought I would look just beautiful in this white monstrosity. It looked like she had taken Falkor the luck dragon from The NeverEnding Story, skinned him and turned him into a dress. I woke up sweating. It took me a few minutes to calm down and get back to sleep.