Chapter 2:
"The moon comes up and the sun goes down
We find a little spot on the edge of town
Twist off, sip a little, pass it around
Dance in the dust, turn the radio up
And that fireball whiskey whispers
Temptation in my ear
It's a feelin' alright Saturday night
And that's how we do it 'round here
Yeah that's how we do it 'round here"
-Florida Georgia Line "Round Here"
Pulling into the Teller-Morrow parking lot, Stella saw how little had changed. A warm ball of familiarity settled in the pit of her stomach. This place was truly her home. She remembered breaking her arm after falling off of the ladder when she had tried to follow Jax and Ope onto the roof when she was 10. She remembered breaking the window of Gemma's office at the garage when her dad showed her how to throw a baseball properly—Clay was really bad at it and didn't help her efforts a bit. She remembered getting her first kiss from Randy Walker near the gate of the lot before Jax punched him and broke his nose.
Settling her sunglasses on her nose, Stella stepped out of the SUV onto the concrete. She heard the familiar clanging of metal-on-metal drifting out of the open garage doors. She followed behind Gemma, not wanting to giver herself away. Clay had been waiting—his baby girl was finally coming home. He made his way out of the garage and planted his feet as he reached the sunlight. "Looks like I'm gonna need to get a baseball bat out to beat of the boys," he smiled, waiting for his girls to reach him.
Stella wrapped her arms tightly around Clay's waist, "I missed you, daddy."
They had drawn the attention of the few MC members that were in the garage working. Jax, Bobby and Tig made their way to the pair. Jax reached them first. "Who the fuck are you and what the fuck did you do to my tom boy baby sister?" He smiled and hugged her tightly. Pulling back, "Seriously though, I thought we were gonna go right back to being buds. I can't hang out with you all girly and shit. I could lose my street cred."
Stella smirked at Jax. "I missed you too, Jackson." She knew he was joking. They would never be a bickering pair of siblings that fought for the sake of fighting. They were more comrades than anything.
Bobby cut their reunion short by pulling her into a bear hug and lifting her off of her feet. As he set her back down, he spoke to her, "If I hadn't known you were coming home with Gemma today, I would never have known it was you. I got some banana nut bread muffins hidden in the kitchen cupboard for you."
Stella smiled brightly at Bobby. "How have I lived without your baking, Bobby?"
Chibs smacked Bobby on the shoulder, "You said there weren't any left." Bobby shrugged and Chibs hugged Stella to his side, "We missed you something mad, cupcake." He kissed her temple.
Stella looked at Clay. "Where's everybody at? This place is a ghost town."
"Went on a run to Tacoma for a few days, they should be back tonight. Speaking of tonight, your mom's got a party planned for you—something about the first of us to get a college education. Guess that means you're not a hoodlum anymore," he smirked at her.
"Once a badass, always a badass. I'm just a smart hoodlum…in killer heels," She smiled.
Turning to Gemma, Stella gave her a tired face, "I'm jet-lagged and exhausted. Any chance I can crash in a dorm until the party?"
Gemma pulled her towards the door. "You can crash in your dad's and my room for a few hours. But you better not be late to your own party. Have your pretty ass downstairs by 8 o'clock sharp, Stella Girl." Gemma kissed her forehead and left her to rest. She had a long night ahead of her.
Stella slept like a brick until the alarm on her phone squealed at 7:30. She sat up slowly, taking in the room around her. The smell of leather and vanilla hung in the air around her. The last time she sat on this bed, she was preparing to tell her mother that she wanted to go to school in New York. The epic battle of the wills that ensued rattled the walls of this room before mother and daughter cried in each other's arms. Gemma conceded—her baby was growing up and she needed to give some slack to the leash. Now, Stella couldn't imagine wanting to leave this place. New York had been an adventure of monstrous proportions, but she was glad to be back in this little hole of a town.
Standing in front of the mirror of the dresser, Stella conceded that she didn't need to change—she was fierce as shit in her outfit from the day. She ran the flat iron back through her hair to straighten the bits that kinked while she slept. She re-applied her mascara and added some dark eye shadow to create a smoky look. She rolled on her usual vanilla lip balm. Stella was ready to make her grand appearance.
Walking into the bar, she felt at peace. The chaos around the room was a normality of her lifestyle there. The leather clad men that chain-smoked and drank themselves into stupors at night, were her saviors—her heroes in the daylight. Gemma, of course, was the Queen and Stella hoped to one day be exactly like her—badass and lethal, wrapped in a pretty package. These were her people—this was her home.
The clubhouse was booming. Swarms of kuttes and skin slid together in conversation, lust and companionship. Stella made her way to the bar, slinking between bodies. She ordered a beer form the new prospect, Ben—that was what she heard anyway. She could have been wrong. No doubt, He knew who she was though, and was eager to give her what she asked.
Stella sat at the bar sipping her beer when she heard a herd of bikes roar into the lot. She figured they were back from their run. Some of her favorite people would be in the lot, so she made her way outside, beer in hand.
Tig smacked her ass thinking she was fresh meat. "Hey, bab…" He stopped mid-sentence when he saw her chocolate brown eyes. "Stel! What the fuck, kid?" Ope, Hap, and Juice looked their way.
"Nice to see you too, Tigger. Although I'd prefer you not perv on me again," she smirked at the wild looking man.
Tig just shook his head as Opie picked her up in hug and twirled her for good measure. After he set her down, he got a good look at her, "When the hell did you grow tits? Last time I saw you, you looked like a feminine looking dude!"
Stella smacked a hand to his chest. "Way to make a girl feel good, Ope! I think my tits look great, personally."
"I agree," Tig said as he tilted his head to the side momentarily.
Stella turned to Hap. "Scary ass Happy won't even speak to me. I thought we were tighter than that, Killer!" She joked.
Happy smirked and hugged the young woman. "You weren't supposed to grow up. Last time you left at 20, you still looked like the kid that tried to hi-jack my bike before you even had a license."
Pulling out of the embrace, Stella smiled at Happy. "It's gonna feel so good getting back on my bike. I've missed it. You still gonna help me customize her?" She was looking at Hap.
"Anything for you, Stella baby." She loved it when he called her that.
"So how about my boys show me how you have a good time around here?" She smirked at the circle of men.
Tig looped an arm around her neck and led her to the boxing ring. "Let me show you how we roll."
AN: Who do you think she is gonna go for? She's got big plans for the club and Charming.