Chapter 1- Crimson and Clover
"I can't believe you're graduating today." Tara smiled as she greeted her son, and gave him a hug.
"Neither can i, actually." He laughed.
After his older brother, Abel, dropped out of high school during his junior year, Thomas and his family we're both skeptical he might do the same.
"Well you did it, son. Make us proud," Jax grinned.
Mabrey, the daughter born to Jax and Tara two years after Thomas was born, walked into the kitchen just then.
"Mom, do you think this dress is cute for the graduation later?" Mabry asked her mom.
"I think it's maybe a little too risqué," Jax joked with her.
Tara glared at Jax and laughed.
"You look nice, honey." Tara assured her.
Mabrey was wearing a soft black dress that showed off her petite figure and came down to a couple inches above her knees.
"Thanks mom," She smiled.
Mabrey left to go back to her bedroom to finish getting ready. She was going to be at a graduation ceremony full of the siblings and families of the graduates, probably including multiple teenage boys. She wanted to look outstanding. As she walked to her room, Thomas followed close behind but went into his own room. He sat down on his bed and contemplated how his life was heading. It seemed as if everything was going perfectly so far, he graduated from high school with decent grades, he was accepted into the University of San Diego, and he was going to follow in his mother's footsteps and study to become a doctor. Not a surgeon, of course, he didn't have the steady hands for that. He wanted to be a pediatrician. Something about it just interested him. Helping kids, possibly saving one of their lives. He knew that he was headed in the right direction in life. His father didn't pressure him to become a club member, but he knew he didn't want that life. Sometimes it seemed attractive to him, all the women and the booze. He wanted to do something more with his life though.
"Y'know, two more years and we'll have this house all to ourselves," Jax shared his sudden realization with Tara.
"Just you and me," Tara smiled. "Let's not rush it though, Mabrey still has two years of high school. We'll missing having a kid around someday."
"Yeah," Jax agreed. "We're getting older," He laughed.
Tara sighed. Where did the time go? They could both still remember the moment they met. When the bad biker boy turned shy for once as he tried to get his crush's attention- the smart, perfect Tara Knowles.
"Hey, um. Tara, right?" Jax tried to get her attention as she was pulling out books from her locker, in a tone of voice that she and probably no one else had ever heard come out of him before.
Tara moved her locker door so she could see the person who had said this. When she realized who it was her eyes went big and she got nervous.
"Jax, yeah. What is it?" She returned the shy voice.
"I, um.. I wanted to ask you if you'd wanna go out with me tonight?" Jax asked with an unsure voice.
"Wow, yeah. Sure. I'd love to," She answered.
Was she imagining this? Did Jackson Teller really just ask her out on a date? Thee Jackson Teller? How did he even know who she was? She was just the quiet, intelligent girl who studied all the time and always got good grades.
"Great," Jax smiled the sweetest, most charming smile she had ever seen.
After school he came by her locker again.
"Need a lift?" Jax asked her with a twinkle in his eyes.
Tara couldn't help but smile at him.
"That'd be lovely," She accepted his offer.
They walked away from her locker together, and Jax grabbed her hand. She gripped his hand in return. She felt so giddy, a feeling she'd never felt before in her life. She couldn't believe this was even happening. Pretty much every girl in their school would've said "yes" to a date with him, and yet he chose her. Tara Knowles. The studious, invisible, generally unknown Tara Knowles. Not that she didn't have any friends, she just rarely went to parties or to events with big groups of people. She was someone who preferred to stay at home and study or watch TV than to go out and party.
"Alright, jump on behind me and hold tight," Jax told Tara as he helped her up on his motorcycle.
This was Tara's first time riding a motorcycle and she loved it. She loved having a reason to hold on so tight to Jax, and she loved the wind on her face. She felt so free, so alive. In this moment she felt like nothing else mattered. They rode on the highway for awhile and then down the side streets. Jax took her to clubhouse.
"Wanna come in and meet everyone?" Jax offered with enthusiasm.
"Sure," Tara didn't really want to, but she wasn't going to turn down a chance to be with Jackson Teller.
Jax lead her across the parking lot and into the clubhouse. A couple of bleach-blonde women standing outside smoking greeted her as they walked in.
"Hey guys, this is my friend Tara," Jax shouted to everyone in the clubhouse once they arrived inside.
"Hey," Tara smiled and waved.
"Ahh, Jackie Boy, you got yourself a girlfriend aye?" Chibs, a member of the club who had a heavy Scottish accent and a scar on his face shaped like a permanent smile, remarked.
"Not just yet, we'll see about that," Jax replied and smiled at Tara.
Everyone who was inside the clubhouse smiled at Tara. They all seemed so nice and welcoming. Jax guided her over to a stool at the bar and they sat down next to each other. The skimpily-dressed woman behind the bar slipped them both a beer and winked.
"Is it always like this in here?" Tara asked, laughing.
"Yep," Jax answered. "Always a party in the Sons of Anarchy clubhouse." He smiled.
They drank their beers and the bartender was over soon enough to give them both a refill.
"We should go dance!" Tara suggested enthusiastically as she made note of the loud music playing.
She was being a lot more outgoing than usual because the alcohol was having an effect on her after her second beer. All she wanted to do was laugh and dance. Jax, on the other hand, was barely phased by the two beers. He naturally liked to party and have fun though, so Tara's drunk personality was fun for him.
"Anything for you, darling," Jax took her by the hand and they went out to the clear space in the middle of the clubhouse.
The song "Crimson and Clover" by Tommy James and the Shondells was playing as they danced together. Everyone was watching them and they clapped and cheered them on.
"Quite the party girl," Tig said quietly to Bobby with a smirk.
Little did they know, she rarely ever partied. The alcohol and the atmosphere of the clubhouse were really having an effect on her, in a good way. She felt so free and alive, just like when she was on Jax's motorcycle. When the song ended she hugged Jax.
"Thank you so much for asking me to come hang out with you tonight," Tara said in what apparently was her 'drunk voice.'
"No, thank you for coming,"Jax said. "I was afraid you might turn me down."
Tara gave Jax a surprised look.
"Oh, please," She said. "Who would turn down Jackson Teller?"
They both laughed. It was soon reaching midnight and they had school the next day, so Jax gave her a ride home. Her house was pretty close to the clubhouse and Jax had only drank a couple beers, so he thought it would be fine to give her a quick ride home on his motorcycle.
"Alright, here we are," Jax stood up off his motorcycle and helped Tara off.
"Thanks Jax," Tara said. "Tonight was wonderful."
Jax walked her to up her porch and kissed her. Just then a man came to the door and opened it up.
"Tara, is that you? Where the hell have you been?!" The clearly drunk man screamed at her.
Tara looked nervously at Jax.
"Um, that's.. he's my dad," Tara informed Jax as she looked at the ground.
Jax worriedly looked back and forth between Tara and her unstable father.
"Tara you better get that boy the hell out of my yard right now!" Her dad yelled.
"Jax, I'm so sorry.. I'll see you tomorrow at school. I'm sorry," Tara said as she quickly walked inside the house.
Jax walked back to motorcycle that was parked on the street in front of their house, and he could clearly hear loud yelling coming from inside the house. He couldn't sleep that night because he was so worried about her. He thought about how maybe he shouldn't have left her. He thought about how he should've let her sleep over at his house. Sure his mom wouldn't have liked that very much, but maybe she would allow it if she knew about her situation at home. There was nothing he could do now though.
"Presenting the class of 2002!" The principal of Charming High School announced.
The audience cheered, with the loudest cheering coming obviously from the Teller family section. Gemma was cheering so loud it seemed as if she wanted all the attention to be on her rather than the graduating class.
"Congratulations!" Thomas's family all exclaimed to him as he walked out to them.
"I'm so proud of you," Gemma told him as she squeezed him with a hug.
"Attaboy!" Clay patted his shoulder as Gemma finished up with her hug.
"Hey, I have a surprise party waiting at the clubhouse," Clay said to Jax and Tara in his deep, raspy voice.
"Sounds fun," Tara approved as she nodded toward Jax.
They all partied at the clubhouse until late into the night. They were all occupied with their own things; Gemma and Clay we're chatting with all the club members, Mabrey was flipping her long, shiny blonde hair as she talked to a couple of the boys from Thomas's class who had come to the party, Thomas was smoking cigars with all of his fellow graduates who attended the party, Abel, who was a prospect for the Sons of Anarchy, was flirting with some crow-eaters, and Jax and Tara were drinking at the bar. The song "Crimson and Clover" started playing in the clubhouse.
"Oh my god," Tara said, becoming very nostalgic.
"Let's go dance," Jax said with a huge smile as he helped Tara off her barstool.