Thank you for the reviews for chapter 1! I'm pretty excited about this story, partially bc it's so different for me, so I hope you guys enjoy it. :)


you say no, no, no, the fighting has left you tired
you say no, no, no, but the fighting goes on
put on your mask, wearing your cape
put on your mask, my Rosealia
put on your mask, wearing your cape
put on your mask, my Rosealia
Better Than Ezra, "Rosealia"

"TJ, get off it! Opie's my friend. You know that!" she said for maybe the tenth time in ten minutes. They were sitting in his snazzy red BMW in the school parking lot, and they'd been arguing about it nearly half an hour. The place was almost empty by now.

"Yeah, you say that, but then I catch you cozied up with him—"

"We weren't cozied! We were sitting in a booth in the cafeteria. He's a big guy and he takes up room."

Opie was skinny, but he was tall as a tree, and all arms and legs. She had a feeling he'd fill out soon and end up huge, like his six-foot-five dad, Piney.

"Olivia," TJ said, his voice going cold, "what have I told you about interrupting me?"

She opened her mouth. Closed it again and let out a soft sigh. "I'm sorry, TJ. It was an accident."

"I'd hope so," he said. He paused. "You know there are a hundred girls at this school who would kill to go out me."

It was something he never failed to remind her of. Her smile turned rigid. "I know," she said. "I'm really lucky."

"You're so sweet, Olivia. And you know I think you're very pretty."

She lifted a brow. There was danger here, but she couldn't sense it just yet. "Thank you, TJ. That's nice of you to say."

He sighed a little and and his eyes raked her body. "I just don't understand why you would choose to dress like that."

She looked down. It was shop day—both auto and metal—and she always wore older clothes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Today she had on the Pearl Jam t-shirt with a pair of old, worn-in jeans that had a rip at the knee and Doc Martens eight-eyes with a flower pattern; they'd been a gift from her dad for her recent birthday and she loved them. She'd fixed her makeup after shop, so she knew that looked decent, and her long red-gold hair was smoothed back in a bun.

"Um. Well, I mean, I'm not dressed up or anything, but—"

"I just mean," he said, "it seems like if you're so proud to be my girlfriend you'd dress like it. Look good for me."

Apparently he had no problem interrupting her. Some days she wondered why she put up with this shit…but then she'd remember the look on her father's face when she told him she was going out with TJ Flanary, Teddy Flanary's son and one of SanWa County's richest and most prominent heirs apparent, and she knew she had to stick it out. He could be really sweet, sometimes. Just every once in a while he got these moods—

She cut the thought off. It was her fault. She'd forgotten their lunch date, and then he'd caught her sitting so close to Opie. It always upset him to see them together; she'd told him they dated last year, and ever since then he'd made his displeasure at Opie's strong presence in her life plain.

"You're right. I have shop on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I just wasn't thinking. From now on I'll bring clothes to change into after."

His lips pursed. What now?

"I thought you were going to drop at least one of those."

Her brows drew together. "TJ, I like you. I do. But you don't get to have say over my class schedule, okay? I love shop, and I'm not dropping either one. Auto is an easy A for me, and metal is where I do my work."

His mouth curved, and there was a nasty edge to it. She could tell she'd won, but there would be a cost. "Of course. I'm sorry. I forgot about your little junk projects."

There it was. She was so used to that attitude from nearly everyone (including, despite his support in nearly every other area of her life, her dad) that she let it roll off her. He thought he'd scored a hit, and that would exorcise his bad mood so that they could enjoy their afternoon.

"Gimme a ride home and I'll put on something cute, then we can go to Lefties."

His face hit up. She hated Lefties, the after-school hangout of the prep kids from both SanWa South and North, but he loved it. And he loved showing her off there.

She preferred to spend her afternoons at TM, but of course that was impossible with TJ. Not only did he hate everything SAMCRO, but they would chew him up and spit him out if he so much as stepped a loafer-clad toe on the property. She loved it there: the bikes, the shop, the guys. Even the crow eaters, who she found fascinating. Not that she'd ever want to be a crow eater, just—the whole thing was so cutthroat, these women vying over the men behind the scenes, all trying to grab the coveted crown of old lady.

The fact that everyone just assumed Olivia and Opie would end up together, and Opie would be the VP to Jax' club President one day, didn't hurt Olivia's status around the place either. It might, one day, when Opie was old enough to attract the eaters' attention, but for now she was just the cute kid in the shop, and they loved playing with her hair and painting her nails—especially since her mom died and they'd all sort of adopted her.

"Olivia!"

TJ's sharp voice penetrated her thoughts and she sat up straighter. "I'm sorry. I was trying to decide what I should wear. What were you saying?"

He was slightly mollified that she was taking his "suggestion" so seriously, so his answer wasn't as harsh as it might have been. "I just said how glad I am you quit your job at that disgusting garage. It was vulgar, you working there with all those men."

"Jax's mom was usually there, TJ," she said before she caught herself.

He made a face. "Gemma Morrow is a biker whore, Olivia. Is that really the type of woman you want looking out for you?"

TJ hated Gemma. Hated with the type of passion most people reserved for the DMV and taxes. Olivia had a sneaking suspicion it had to do with his father: maybe Teddy had had a thing for Gemma back in high school, but Gemma only had eyes for John Teller. The Flanarys could hold a grudge like nobody's business.

"Of course not. That's why I quit," she said, reciting the words by rote.

He patted her thigh, a bit more intimately than she might have liked. "That's right," he said. "And it was the right thing to do, wasn't it?"

"Yep," she said. "I have so much more free time now. It's great."

"Exactly! Time to spend with me!"

"Which is just what I want," she said with one of those soft, sweet smiles that had charmed better men that TJ Flanary—who was, after all, barely more than a pouty boy. She leaned closer and raise her mouth for his kiss, and he was eager to oblige.

He kissed hard, like he was out to punish her mouth, and he always used his teeth. They scraped over her bottom lip, but she hid the wince. The first time he'd kissed her like this she'd flinched, and she'd learned there were few surer ways to ignite his temper.

He believed he was a lothario, and woe to anyone who made him feel otherwise. So she kissed him back, but as he tried to grope her chest she pulled away.

"TJ," she said with a shy grin, "come on. Anybody could see."

"There's nobody around," he said and pulled her to him again.

She let him fumble at her t-shirt and her mind wandered. It was a balancing act to keep TJ in check. One wrong step and he'd fly off the handle. She'd largely learned how to manage him, but every once in a while she let her vigilance slip and they ended up in a fight like today's. It had been minor, really, and she was glad she'd thought to suggest Lefties.

His hand slid under her shirt and she grabbed it. "Whoa there, buckaroo," she said. "No second base in the school parking lot. Come on; we need to get to Lefties before all the good tables are taken."

He snorted. "As if I can't get a table!" But he settled into his seat and put the car in gear.

As they pulled out she caught sight of a figure leaning against a burly black motorcycle. He was lighting a cigarette—a big mistake on school property, she would've told him—and as they went by he offered her a wry half-smile and a sarcastic salute.

It was the new guy. Juice Ortiz. Fuck, she thought, her cheeks burning. From his spot he probably saw everything, maybe even heard their raised voices as they'd fought. Luckily TJ hadn't seen him, or she'd have to field even more questions about who he was, how she knew him, why he dared to wave and smile at TJ Flanary's girlfriend like she was just anybody. The "he's new and doesn't know any better" defense might work, but she was glad she wouldn't have to use it. She'd had enough of handling TJ for one day.

If she could navigate the minefield that could be Lefties—you talked too much; you didn't talk enough; you laughed too hard; you didn't laugh hard enough—she'd be home free.

He patted her knee and she cast him a distracted smile. "Sorry I was such a jerk," he said.

"You weren't. I shouldn't have sat with Opie like that. And I should've looked harder for you before I gave up."

"That's true," he said, "but still. I might've overreacted just a little. I know you try." He smiled. "We could skip Lefties today if you want. There's that movie you were talking about the other day? We could go see it instead, and get something to eat after."

She hesitated. Her mind frantically scanned the last few minutes' conversation, but she couldn't see where she might have fucked up. Maybe his offer was genuine.

"I know how much you love it, though," she said. "And it's dollar strawberry shake day." Strawberry was his favorite, and while he could afford to buy literally every strawberry milkshake in the state of California, he also had a frugal streak and loved to feel like he was getting a deal.

"True," he said. "But that's how much I care about you, babe. I want you to be happy. Come on: let's drop by your place so you can change and let your dad know what's up, and then we'll hit the theater. It'll be fun."

And she bought it, idiot that she was. She smiled and laced her fingers through his and said sure, a movie sounded great. Lefties would be there tomorrow, and sometimes it was better to make your adoring public wait, after all.

It was probably that last comment that saved her the worst of it.

Following the movie and dinner and a walk in the park he'd gotten quiet and still and she knew trouble was coming. He spent the next hour in a diatribe about her selfishness, and how he cared so much more about her happiness than she did about his, and all he wanted was to show off his pretty girlfriend and was that so awful? She never wanted to hang out with his friends and she didn't even bother to dress well for him and was she so selfish she couldn't let him have some fun for once? It was strawberry Thursday and they'd skipped it to do what she wanted! He didn't see her making any sacrifices for him—like dropping either auto or metal shop, not both, he wasn't an asshole—and instead just pranced around doing whatever she wanted with whoever she wanted.

She weathered it in silence, apologizing all the way, and when he'd finally worn himself out he drove her home, walked her to her door, and gave her a soft, loving kiss. He told her he was sorry for yelling, that he hated to yell at her, but she knew how much he loved strawberry Thursdays at Lefties, and maybe if she'd been more thoughtful he wouldn't have had to bring her home to change and they would've been able to go there and the movie.

"And wouldn't that have been better, sweetie?" he said.

She nodded and apologized again. Another one of those gentle kisses and she went inside. Mumbled something at her father and fled to her room where she threw herself on the bed and cried herself to sleep, her homework forgotten and her carefully applied makeup melting off her face and onto the pillow.


Juice stubbed out his cigarette half-smoked and watched the red BMW pull out of the parking lot. He'd recognized Olivia Gable inside, and the guy with her must be the boyfriend. Jesus what a fuckin' douche.

It seemed like they were fighting about something, because when he'd first noticed them the guy had been waving his arms around half-crazy, and while at first she'd responded, eventually she'd just lapsed into this sort of vacant, Barbie-like smile. Finally he kissed her and tried to grab her tits, and after that things seemed to calm down.

The look on her face before she'd actually noticed him bothered him. She'd looked…he didn't have a word for it, but he didn't think it was the face most girls made when they'd just been making out with their boyfriend in his red Beamer. But then her eyes had locked with Juice's and her expression had gone smooth and neutral except for the flare of color across her too-pale cheeks.

"Hey, man, that your bike?" a familiar voice said from behind him.

Juice straightened and saw Jax Teller and Opie Winston headed his way. He wondered where Tara was.

"Yeah," he said. "Back home this guy in my old neighborhood kept it in our hall, and one day he told me if I painted his apartment I could have it. So I did. Been fixin' it up ever since."

Opie let out a low whistle. "Nice." He smacked Jax on the arm. "Ollie'd like to get a load of this."

"She'd like the custom work," Jax said. "Hey, you should come by my mom and stepdad's shop sometime. Teller-Morrow. We work there after school most days."

"Sounds cool. Olivia work there too?"

Jax and Opie shared a quick glance. "Nah," Opie said. "She did, up until a couple weeks ago. I guess her boyfriend didn't like it."

Juice made a face. "He a blond guy in a pink shirt who drives a red BMW?"

"That's him," Jax said with a glower. "Why?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "Just saw 'em together. Seemed like they were fighting, maybe." He paused. "Guess it's none of my business, but she looked kinda…I don't know. Weird. Not super happy."

Another look passed between the boys. Jax grimaced. Opie's mouth twisted. Jax' brow quirked.

Finally Opie said, "Guy's an asshole. Also the richest little prick in the county, so nobody can say anything to him—not even us. But he can't really say anything to us, either, so we just all ignore each other."

Juice wondered what that meant. Who were Jax and Opie that the richest kid in town couldn't fuck with them? Why did their names command so much respect? He had a feeling, from what Opie had just said, it didn't have anything to do with money.

"That why she's goin' out with him?" he said, his forehead wrinkling. "Because he's rich?"

"Nah," Jax said. "I mean, probably not. Not really Ollie's style."

"Tara says she's experimenting," Opie said with a snort.

"Hm," Juice said, a brief, skeptical noise. Finally he hitched a shoulder. "Well, like I said, not really my business. I should get home. Still have shit to unpack."

"Cool, man," Jax said. "Tomorrow come with us to the shop. You need some extra cash, we can find somethin' for you to do."

"Don't listen to him. He's just tryin' to pawn his hours off on somebody else."

Juice grinned. "Extra cash never hurt nobody. If you got work for me, I'm down."

"Awesome. Oh, and tomorrow you should park by us." He pointed across the lot. Two bikes stood side by side, and Juice's mouth quirked in appreciation. "Sometimes people act like dickheads about motorcycles, try to knock 'em over and shit. But nobody'll mess with yours if it's with ours."

"Hey, Teller!" a voice called from the school building.

Jax' attention was immediately on the speaker, and his face broke out in a grin. Juice followed his eyes and saw Tara jogging their way, a matching smile stretching her lips. She leapt at Jax and he caught her. They kissed for what seemed like forever while Opie and Juice shared amused looks.

Finally they broke apart and Tara dropped her feet to the ground. "Hey, Ope," she said. "Juice. Good to see you again. Oh, this your bike?"

"Yup," he said.

"I invited him to TM tomorrow, babe. He said he might wanna work a bit."

She snorted. "Your mom's gonna be pissed to lose her free labor."

"True, but Gemma's always lookin' to adopt someone new," Opie said. "I think they'll kinda cancel each other out."

Juice remembered what Opie had said about Jax' mom earlier—that she scared the shit out of him—and he wondered if they were talking abut the same person. Maybe Jax had two moms. And a stepdad. Weirder shit had happened, and this was California.

Jax must've caught something in Juice's expression, because he clapped him on the back. "Don't worry about Gemma, bro. She'll love you. Just don't call her ma'am. Ever."

"Or Mrs. Morrow," said Opie.

"Just Gemma," Tara said.

"Er, right. I'll keep that in mind."

Jax threw his arm around Tara. "C'mon, baby," he said. "Let's head downtown and I'll steal you somethin' real pretty."

"Such a romantic, Teller."

"Only the best for my girl," he said with a laugh.

"Later, man," Opie said. "If you get here before us tomorrow just park over there. Don't matter where."

"Sure," he said. "Thanks." He wanted to say something else about Olivia, about the sense of unease he had about her boyfriend, but he knew it wasn't his place. Instead he just shook his head and buckled on his helmet. "Later," he said as he mounted.

Jax tossed Tara over his shoulder and she whooped. They both waved as they walked away, and Juice watched them go for a minute before he cranked the bike and rolled out the lot.

He envied them. They seemed really happy, and Opie looked content to be the third wheel. He wondered why Olivia was with the pink-polo wearing asshole instead of Opie. Seemed like they'd make the perfect little foursome.

Not his business. He was just glad they'd accepted him into their group so readily. He wondered why, but he thought it was probably better not to question his good fortune. Back home his bike had been just another thing people had given him shit about, but here it looked like it was a way in with Jax and Opie.

And, from everything Juice had seen so far, that had to be a good thing.


When Olivia got to the kitchen the next morning her dad was already there. He had poured her a glass of juice and set the cereal box on the table. He worked second shift at the lumber mill, but he always tried to be up to have breakfast with her. Last night had been his day off, so he looked better rested than most mornings.

She kissed his cheek as she went by, and he twisted in his chair to look at her. "You look nice this morning, pumpkin," he said.

She wore a black flower-print baby doll dress and black combat boots. Her hair hung down her back, and she'd pulled it off her face with a maroon velvet headband. She'd taken extra care with her makeup, lining her bright eyes in careful black and covering most of her freckles with foundation.

"Thanks, Daddy," she said. "You sleep well last night?"

"For once, yep." He studied her across the table. They had the same red hair, but his eyes were blue; she'd gotten the green from her mother. Otherwise she looked like a feminine version of him, and no one could ever mistake them for anything but father and daughter.

"You okay, sweetheart?" he said. "You didn't have much to say when you got in last night."

"Oh." She poured milk over her cereal and played with the spoon. "TJ and I had a little fight, that's all. No big deal."

"Hhhmm. I hope it all works out okay."

"I'm sure it will," she said with a shrug. There was a familiar honk from outside. "There he is now."

"You haven't eaten your breakfast," he said with a frown.

"Not hungry," she said and poured the cereal down the sink. She ran the water and flipped on the disposal.

"Wait, Ollie, before you go—"

She paused at the door and turned back, her expression distracted. If TJ had to honk twice it would not bode well for the rest of her day. Her father pulled off his reading glasses and smiled at her.

"I know how hard you've been working at school, pumpkin, and I'm really proud of you."

"Thanks, Dad, but—"

"I know. You're going to be late. I just wanted to tell you I've made a decision about the Cougar."

Her eyes went wide. She'd been begging her father to let her drive her grandpa's 1969 black Mercury Cougar since the day she got her learner's permit two years ago.

"You make honor roll again this semester, and it's yours. I'll even pay the insurance."

Her mouth fell open. "Daddy, are you serious?"

"Absolutely."

"Oh my God!" She flew at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you so much! I know I can do it. I did great on all of my midterms, and—"

"I know, pumpkin. That's part of what helped me decide."

Outside TJ honked again and Olivia bit her lip. "I've gotta go. Thank you. I love you. Thank you!"

He laughed. "Get going. You're welcome and I'll see you tonight."

She hugged him one more time and ran for the door. Snagged her backpack from where she'd hung it on the newel post and hurried out to the car.

TJ's scowl transformed into a smile when he saw her. "You look nice," he said.

She smoothed her skirt as she got into the car. "Thanks. You told me once you like this dress."

His grin widened. "I do! You have very nice legs." He squeezed her thigh and she resisted the urge to move his hand lower.

"I'm so sorry I made you wait," she said. "My dad needed to talk to me about something."

"Oh?" he said. "Nothing bad, I hope."

"No, actually. He said if I make honor roll this semester he'll give me the Cougar!"

His brows drew together and her excitement faltered. Oh shit. TJ hated the Cougar. He thought it looked low-class, and was too much loud, brutish muscle car for a girl.

"I suppose you can trade it in," he said in that neutral tone that always meant trouble.

"I probably wouldn't be driving it much anyway. I mean, I have you…right?"

That seemed to restore his even keel. "Exactly. I can take you back and forth from school, and I always drive when we got out—so where else would you need to go?"

"Nowhere, really," she said.

"That's right." He turned into the school parking lot and into his usual spot. He stopped her as she reached for the door handle. "You haven't forgotten about the game tonight, right?"

"Of course not. I'm always at your games."

TJ was quarterback of the football team in addition to Homecoming King. It was just another thing for Opie and Jax to tease her about.

He flashed his white, even teeth and kissed her. "Katie will pick you up at five, so make sure you're ready."

"Katie?" she said. "Katie Adams?"

"What other Katie is there?"

She could think of three off the top of her head, but she knew he meant Katies who mattered in high school hierarchy. "Um. I was going to go with Tara."

His jaw tightened and his bright blue eyes narrowed just a little. "Katie is my friend, Olivia. I just assumed you would want to go to the game with our group, and not…Tara Knowles." He said it like one might say pond scum—and when he said our group, he meant his group, of course, because Olivia had never hung out with Katie Adams in her life.

She touched his arm, a brief brush of her fingers. "I'd love to go with Katie. It was sweet of you to arrange that." She kissed him on the cheek and he seemed mollified. "I'll tell Tara I have other plans."

"Thank you, Olivia." He turned to look at her, and his head tilted. "You almost got your freckles covered up. Getting there!"

TJ thought redheads should have flawless, porcelain skin, and while Olivia was lucky enough to suffer from very few breakouts, her freckles bothered him. She'd always liked playing around with makeup, so she didn't really mind it that much.

"I love it when you wear your hair down like that."

"I know you do," she said. "I wanted to look nice, like we talked about yesterday. Especially since it's game day."

"I can tell. Practically perfect." He kissed her and hopped out of the car. She knew to sit still and wait, and sure enough a few seconds later her door opened. She climbed out with a smile, and he grabbed her hand, squeezing hard enough to make her flinch.

She saw Opie, Jax, and Juice by their bikes on the other side of the lot. Tara's Cutlass had just pulled up nearby, and she hopped out and waved. TJ's attention was elsewhere, so Olivia nodded in their direction.

"Oh, there are Katie and John," TJ said. John Patric was on the football team, too, and he and Katie had been one of SanWa South's power couples since freshman year. "Come on," he said and tugged her hand.

She followed after him with one more glance back at her friends. They watched her go with puzzled expressions she could read even from this distance. She shrugged a shoulder in a sort of helpless I'm sorry gesture before she smiled up at TJ and fell into step beside him. He draped a possessive arm over her shoulders, and she summoned a smile for his friends as he re-introduced them.

Katie Adams wore fashionable Guess? jeans and a loose-fitting color block sweater that probably cost what Olivia's dad made in a week. The pert blonde eyed Olivia up and down and offered a saccharine-sweet smile that didn't touch her cornflower blue eyes.

"You look so cute today, Olivia. I think that combat boots and dresses look is just so brave. Don't you, Becky?" she said to her best friend, Rebecca Alan.

Rebecca giggled. "Very Courtney Love," she said with an avid nod.

She refused to let these nasty little bitches with their expensive cars, flashy clothes, and plastic noses drag her down. "Yeah, without all the needle tracks," Olivia said with a wry smile.

John hooted out a laugh. "That's funny! Needle tracks! Good one, Olivia!"

It really wasn't that funny, but she smiled anyway. Then she caught sight of TJ's expression: lips a tight, whitened line, eyes squinted; and she knew she'd hear about it later. He wanted to show her off, but he didn't want her to take the spotlight from him—and he sure as hell didn't want another guy paying her any attention.

"You comin' to the game tonight, Olivia?" John said, making things worse in his easy-going, affable way.

She opened her mouth, but TJ cut her off before she could speak. "She was, but unfortunately she has other plans. A family thing."

Her jaw snapped shut. What…? He'd blind-sided her with that one, and she had no idea what her next move should be.

Katie laughed and laced her arm through Olivia's. "Don't be silly, TJ! I'm sure Olivia's smart enough to figure out how to get out of it. Don't worry, Olivia. Becky and I will pick you up at five and we'll have so much fun."

TJ looked exasperated, but Olivia knew he'd never argue with Katie. "I'll call my dad during lunch," Olivia said. "I'll tell him I have to stay late for something and I can't go to the—family thing—tonight."

"See?" Katie said to TJ. "I could tell she was smart, because the smartest girls never feel the need to put as much as attention into the way they look. It's only airheads like Becky and me who need to be pretty to attract a really great guy like TJ."

"Don't worry, Katie," Olivia said in a voice like honey, "with the advances they're making these days in plastic surgery, you'll be able to keep your looks for a long, long time."

John guffawed. Becky giggled nervously, her dark eyes darting from Katie to Olivia and back again. Katie looked like she'd swallowed a lemon, but the dig had been so carefully wrapped in the compliment there wasn't really anything she could say.

Olivia glanced over at TJ, and the thunderous look on his face told her she'd pay for it later. At the moment, though, she didn't give a fuck. It was worth it to knock Katie Adams down a peg or two.


This chapter was really hard for me to write.

I'm cruising along pretty well, but I have a feeling bumpy times are ahead, writing-wise, so any reviews you guys wanted to toss my way...well, I think you know the drill by now. :)