[indent][sup][sub][h2][b][color=black]E R I C A   D O U G L A S[/color]
[color=9A96FF] E R I C A   D O U G L A S[/color][/b][/h2][/sub][/sup][/indent][INDENT][sup][sub][h3][b][color=black]B O R D E A U X   E S T A T E[/color]
[color=lightgray] B O R D E A U X   E S T A T E[/color][/b][/h3][/sub][/sup][/INDENT][sup]_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sup][INDENT][INDENT][COLOR=SILVER][SUP][I]October 18[sup]th[/sup], 1985[/I][/SUP]  
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By midnight, Erica was slouched in a beach chair in the Bordeaux's open garage, laughing at a joke she couldn't quite remember and reaching for a drink only to realize it was empty.  Passing her spliff to the next person she excused herself, staggering out of the circle of seats they'd created.  The cooler was by the door to the house, which Erica leaned on for a moment, waiting for the pins and needles in her feet to stop and trying to measure how much time had passed since she'd first sat down.  Deciding it wasn't really all that important, she kicked open to cooler only to reveal a couple of wine-coolers floating in ice-cold water.

[color=9A96FF]"Seriously?"[/color] She said, quickly looking over the room to see Trevor, looking glassy-eyed and cradling the dredges of a fifth of whiskey. 

[color=9A96FF]"Puke in my car on the way home Trevor, and you're a dead man. You know that?"[/color]  Whether too drunk, stoned, or apathetic, Trevor just rolled his eyes as Erica left for the main house.  

There were reasons Erica had stayed in the garage with her own friends; and she was quickly surrounded by them.  The kitchen the obvious haven for most of the booze in the house, and so was predictably crammed with teenagers shoulder to shoulder. Despite living in Crestwood Hollow her entire life, there were few Erica recognized.  Fewer still she cared to see, even less so high.  A few classmates made eye contact but looked away nearly as quickly. When a gap along the counter finally opened, Erica all but bolted for it, reaching for the first not-empty bottle she could find so she could get back to her friends when a tap on her arm made her turn.

[color=lightgray] "Erica? I didn't think you were coming!"[/color]

[color=9A96FF]"Oh hey Vanessa"[/color] Erica recognized the voice, not having the chance to see Vanessa's face before being pulled in for a very unexpected hug. For a moment she wondered if maybe there had been something more in what she had been smoking and maybe she was really still sitting the garage on the chair. 

[color=lightgray] "I wasn't expecting to see you, what's happening?"[/color] Pulling away, it was clear to see Vanessa was clearly a few drinks deep herself; and reached for Erica's wrist for balance. Mild paranoia was slowly edging into the pleasant coolness out of Erica's high. The last conversation she'd had with this girl had involved much less cheer and hugging and much more cursing and insults.

[color=9A96FF]"Yeah, wasn't sure I'd make it, sorry I don't have a gift for you."[/color]

Vanessa brushed the worry away. [color=lightgray] "Bum me a cigarette and we'll call it even."[/color] Erica wasn't so much surprised that Vanessa smoked as she was at Vanessa asking [i]her[/i] for one as though she hadn't refereed to Erica as 'an spazzing idiot with no sense of responsibility' barely a month before.

[color=9A96FF]"Oh, yeah, aces."[/color] She freed her wrist from Vanessa's grasp and dug out the pack in her jean's pocket.

[color=lightgray] "Thanks"[/color] She said, pulling two out of the package only to tuck them behind her ear. [color=lightgray] "Look, I heard you're going to be doing photos for the school paper this year."[/color]

Erica shrugged and contemplated her options as she stared at the bottle in her hands; she wasn't a fan of the run-around they were doing. If Vanessa was going to kick her out of the house for their shared final grade from the year before, she'd just as soon leave herself.

[color=lightgray] "I think that it's just super rad, and you'll do fantabulous- seriously I have a camera and you should-"[/color]

Like the answer to Erica's frazzled, desperate prayers, a hand appeared on Vanessa's left elbow and began to tug enough to nearly make the girl lose her drink. [color=lightgray] "Find me later!"[/color] Was all she managed to say before leaving Erica once again alone with strangers in the kitchen. She stood in semi-stunned silence for a moment before swiping a bag of pretzels along with her rum and returning to the garage.
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