A/N: I don't own the Sons, though like many, I wish I did.
…
The first day of Senior year and I was already about to be late. I was running across the parking lot to Charming High School, towards Mrs. Palmer's chemistry class when I was nearly run over. Two black and chrome motorcycles flew past me, stopping my heart momentarily. How I had managed to miss the thunderous sounds coming from the machines, I have no idea. Opie Winston and Jax Teller pulled into a nearby parking space, and unlike me seemed to have no worries about arriving to class on time.
In a small town like Charming, everyone knew everyone. I was the same age and Jax and Opie and had grown up with them, though I was never really friends with them. Actually, I wasn't too social with anyone. Having a dead mom and a drunken daddy doesn't do much to help you develop the ability to trust others. My friends were poets and authors who wrote about places I couldn't even imagine.
After four years at this school I was able to find my class quickly and took a seat in the middle of front of the class. Nobody bothered you if you sat in the front. Mrs. Palmer soon afterwards began her annual lectures on the rules and regulations of class and what her expectations were for all of us. Her 30 minute long monotone lecture was almost done when she was interrupted by the door opening.
"Sorry Ma'am." Jax said as he and Opie maneuvered their way through the room.
"Mr. Teller, are your shoes on the wrong feet?" Jax gave a short chuckle,
"What?" He laughed, looking at her as if she had 5 heads.
"Well I was wondering if there was any particular reason you were walking in the opposite direction from my class room moments ago." She pointed towards a window which she must have seen him through. "It would serve you well to not be late to my classroom again." It was clear she wasn't going to put up with his infamous behavior like other teachers, and town members for that matter, did. "Mr. Teller you can take the empty seat in front of Miss Knowles where I can clearly see your cheerful face. Mr. Winston why don't you take a seat over towards the left? Yes, there." Mrs. Palmer then turned to face the class.
"As I was saying prior to our little interruption, get acquainted with these seats because they will be yours for the remainder of the year. The first row will be lab partners with the classmate seated behind them. The next two rows will follow and so forth. Move with your partner to the lab benches on the periphery of the room and to the activity laid out on the tables quietly, I have a headache so try to keep it to a dull roar."
Jax turned around and flashed me a megawatt smile, "Hey, Tara" He said with a knowing head nod towards me. I responded with a quick but polite smile,
"Hi." I could feel a heat rising on my neck. Jax certainly had a dangerous reputation, but he still had a good smile.
"She seems like she's gonna be a bitch this year, huh?"
"I guess." You have to work with this guy for the whole year, get over it and say more than one syllable, "You know, I had her for-" I started to say when David Hale walked over to us.
"Hey, Tara, how's it going?" He asked with a cheerful grin. David was the exact opposite of Jax. Where David was dark and clean shaven Jax was blonde and scruffy. Jax had a natural swagger that accompanied his rebellious lifestyle; David was more literal, and a hardcore rule follower. He was a bit self righteous but all in all a good person.
"I'm okay David," I responded in a polite tone, "how are you?"
"Oh I'm fine, fine…" He trailed off, eyes on Jax.
"You alright over there, Davey?" Jax asked in a sarcastically concerned voice,
"Yeah! I was actually wondering how you were doing, I heard Step-Daddy is spending some time in the San Joaquin County Corrections Facility." David smirked, enjoying the flickers of rage passing through Jack's eyes, "Next time you visit him, say hi for my Dad and I." Knowing where this was probably headed I stood up between the two boys,
"J-Jax, why don't we get started on that activity?" He stood up and followed me to a table sending a warning glare and bumping David's shoulder as he did so.
The assignment Mrs. Palmer had given us was pretty simple, general vocabulary terms and some questions that went along with the first chapter. While I looked over the pages, Jax sat there wringing his hands and looking quite solemn. I didn't want to disturb him but I figured somebody probably should.
"Uhm, do you want to do the vocab part and I'll do the reading questions?" I asked quietly.
He looked up quickly as if I had caught him in a daydream "Yeah, sure" He paused for a minute before looking back up at me "You don't talk much do you?"
"That's… direct." He looked at me, waiting for an answer. "Well, it's not like I'm mute. I talk; I just don't feel the need to…" I looked for the right word
"Talk?" Jax asked with a laugh.
It took a second but I gave in to a little chuckle. "I guess." He ducked down and began looking up definitions in his book. After about twenty minutes of comfortable silence Opie walked over.
"Hey, man, listen, I'm ready to get out of here. Grady's drivin' me crazy over there." I looked to where Opie had been sitting and saw Grady Elfmen scribbling furiously at his paper, apparently failing to notice Opie had left.
"Yeah, I finished this so I'm cool." He grabbed his jacket and turned towards me passing me his definitions, "You coming?" Stunned I looked up him warily,
"Me?"
"Yeah, you! Who else you see me talking to?"
"I can't, I have a couple of things I have to do." Surprisingly, he looked a little disappointed but not enough to take away from his natural air of confidence. "Rain check?" I added for his benefit, knowing full well if he ever asked me again I would decline that offer as well. I just didn't have it in me to skip.
"Sure thing, darlin'" He said with a wink before heading out with Opie.
I watched the window for a while as Jax climbed on his bike then jetted out of the parking lot and after a second pulled out my battered copy of Hamlet, knowing this story could only end badly.