A/N: Thank you so much for the attention you've shown this story so far. I appreciate it!

Chapter 2

Good Morning

Nina walked into her classroom and sat her satchel on the desk. It was a typical Monday: she barely slept all weekend and morning traffic had her feeling irritable. Luckily, she had twenty minutes before class started. That was twenty minutes to figure out how to clear her head and down her extra-large coffee. At the beginning of the school year, she had made a goal to be fairer to her students; snapping at them because of a bad weekend or a car that cut her off on the highway wouldn't accomplish that.

"Morning, Miss A," a student said, walking in and waving towards her. She still had ten minutes, so she raised her cup of coffee in silent welcome. He sat in his normal seat towards the back of the classroom and started looking at something on his cellphone. She was thankful that he'd taken their discussion about inappropriate behavior to heart. During the first month of school, he had openly stared at her chest and even started making inappropriate comments before or after class. It was something she knew she might have to deal with as a younger woman teaching Grade 12. Still, it was frustrating.

"Miss A, can I talk to you about my paper?" A girl asked, rushing into the room right before the late bell rang. Nina closed the classroom door and looked back at her student. "I have it written but I didn't have time to proofread and edit it."

"Turn in what you have. As long as you actually have a complete paper, I'll let you proofread and edit it. Have it to me by Friday and I'll only deduct five points," Nina said. The girl was usually good about turning assignments in on time and had done well on the last exam. She smiled and hurried to her seat.

Nina was able to relax by lunch. She walked into the teacher's lounge and grabbed her salad before walking out to her normal picnic table. Her friend and colleague Stephanie was already there waiting for her. The two women were so polar opposite that their friendship caught some people off guard. It even took them a year to accept one another and start speaking outside of the school. At first, Nina thought that Stephanie's privileged upbringing had made her snobby and out of touch with the lower income students they taught. After getting to know her, it was obvious how wrong those assumptions had been. Stephanie was kind and caring, routinely going above and beyond for the most troubled teens.

"You're going to get sunburnt out here, Steph." Nina pulled her sunglasses out of her bag and pushed them on. Stephanie had fair skin and light-red hair. She had managed to get sunburnt on their last trip to the farmer's market, despite the overcast weather. "How was your weekend?"

"Okay. I had a lot of heartburn and spent most of the day yesterday in bed grading papers." Stephanie shrugged, rubbing her protruding baby bump. "What about you? Did you go out with Anthony Saturday?"

"Yeah, I did but I don't think he'll want a fourth date." Nina paused and tried to decide how to phrase her next sentence. "We ran into an ex-boyfriend of mine."

"Who?" Stephanie's eyes widened. Nina shook her head and tried to wave it off with a smile. "A recent ex?"

"No, no. Just some guy from college." Nina took a large bite of her salad to delay continuing. Stephanie tore a piece of bread off her sandwich and popped it into her mouth. "We were never really serious."

"Then why would it bother Anthony?" Stephanie asked with a frown. Nina just shrugged, choosing not to elaborate on the complexities of her history with Happy and how it had effectively ended things with Anthony. If she was honest, there wasn't much chemistry to begin with. He was kind and nice to her but she didn't feel any physical attraction towards him. "Well, it's his loss. Is this a bad time to ask if you're still going to make it to the baby shower Saturday?"

"Of course I'll be there! It's been on my calendar for months," Nina said with a smile. She and Stephanie started discussing the guest list and baby shower games as they finished their lunch. Nina's mind was finally free of the run-in with Happy and her breakup with Anthony if she could even call it that. She spent the rest of the day in her normal routine, teaching classes and grading papers in between. As much as she loved her career in teaching, she tried to limit the amount of work she took home. Sometimes that meant getting to the school early or staying late but she didn't mind. She needed that separation between work and personal time.

"Nina, why weren't you at family dinner yesterday?" Her father didn't even say hello when she answered the phone. He leaped right into criticism. "Your mother was very upset."

"I told her last week that I had a busy weekend and wouldn't make it to dinner. I'm fine though, thanks for asking." She bit back, resenting his callous attitude. He sighed and she heard motorcycles starting up in the background. "Do you need to go?"

"No," he said. "How was your date with Anthony Saturday night?"

"Not great. I think we're better off friends." She was suspicious about why he was asking about the date. He never showed any interest in her dating life before, aside from forbidding her from dating any club members or rival club members. "Why?"

"I heard you went to a Son's party. Jose saw you leaving and said you looked upset. Did Anthony hurt you?" She could hear the anger rising in his voice as she unlocked her apartment door. "Why did he take you there?"

"Dad, I don't know why. He said he had a rough week at work and wanted to unwind. I guess he may have heard about the party from Jose or Joe. He didn't hurt me. I just didn't feel like partying," she lied. She loved going to parties and letting loose. It was one of the reasons she avoided any social media. She didn't need people looking into her private life and it jeopardizing her career. Few people outside of her family even knew that her father was affiliated with a motorcycle club. It was a benefit of having a common Hispanic surname and living outside of Oakland. "I'm just getting home. I'll make sure to be there this Sunday, okay?"

"Okay, chica. Call your mother. You know she worries," Marcus said. Nina agreed to call her and dropped the phone and her satchel onto the couch. She would call her mother later or possibly the next day but at that moment, she just wanted a hot bath and a glass of wine.

Nina woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. She had a solid night of sleep and managed to wake up a few minutes before her alarm clock, something she couldn't remember doing in years. The sun was just starting to come up as she poured a cup of coffee and stepped out onto her balcony. It was part of her morning ritual when she wasn't running late; she made her coffee at home and drank a cup while checking her work email. Three sips into her coffee, she heard her cellphone ringing from her bedroom.

"Hello?" Nina's heart rate had started climbing on her way to answer the call. It was before seven in the morning, most people she knew were still sound asleep. When the screen showed 'Restricted' for the number, she got nervous. She knew most of the men in her father's club kept throw-away phones. Had something happened to him?

"Good morning," he said with a yawn in his gravelly voice. She scowled and ended the call, uninterested in playing Happy's games when her day had gotten off to such a good start. She wasn't sure how he had gotten her phone number; she had changed it months after they parted ways. Her phone rang again and she pressed the ignore button. She turned the offensive device off and returned to her cup of coffee on the balcony.

After the school day ended, Nina drove to the shopping mall and had the gentleman at the wireless store change her cellphone number. It cost her twenty-five dollars but it was worth it to avoid talking to Happy. A small part of her also took satisfaction in knowing that he would be frustrated by her action. She knew it was all a game to him. Eventually, he would get bored and leave her alone.


Nina finished styling her hair and put the last touches on her mascara and lipstick. She did her best to keep her look light and natural. Stephanie's baby shower was at her family's church, so she didn't want to overdo it. Her royal blue dress was a modest cut that stopped just above her knees. It was a stark contrast to her outfit from the previous weekend. She checked her watch and started to hurry, knowing there was a good chance of traffic between her apartment and the church.

"Nina! You look amazing," Stephanie said, pulling her into a hug. "If I ever lose this baby fat, I'm going to ask to borrow that dress."

"Please, no one will be able to tell you had a baby by the time you leave the hospital," Nina laughed. Stephanie was always slender and she only seemed to gain weight in her breasts and stomach during her pregnancy. Nina, on the other hand, had to watch everything she ate and spend at least four hours a week in the gym. She had learned to love her curves back in high school but she still envied Stephanie's ability to stay small without effort.

"Mom," Stephanie said, catching the arm of an older woman in a smart, tweed dress and blazer. "This is my friend, Nina. Nina, this is my mother, Penney."

"Nina, hello. Stephanie has told me what a good friend you are. You teach English at Stockton High School?" Penney asked, shaking Nina's hand. Nina couldn't help but notice how dainty her handshake was. Her grandmother had a stronger handshake on her deathbed. Nina assumed it had a lot to do with their different social classes.

"Yes, I do. My classroom is just down the hall from Stephanie's. Are you excited about becoming a grandmother?" Nina asked, walking further into the building. Everything was so pink and shimmery. It reminded her of her quinceanera. Penney expressed how much she and her husband were looking forward to the baby, they even had a nursery set up in their house for visits and babysitting.

"Do you have any children, Nina?" Penney asked, following her over to the guest book. Nina shook her head as she signed her name.

"No, but I have a few nieces and nephews. I'm fairly close with my extended family, so I get plenty of time with little ones," Nina explained. Penney nodded and put her hand on Nina's shoulder.

"Don't worry, you're still young." Nina forced a smile. She wasn't worried. She wasn't even sure if she wanted kids. "Oh, my sister is finally here. Please excuse me."

Nina relaxed a little when Penney walked away. Nina didn't know many people and Stephanie was closer to the doors, greeting her other friends and family as they arrived. She dropped her gift off at the table that was overflowing with presents and headed to an empty table. Soon, there were so many people filling tables that she was joined by a couple of other teachers from Stockton High and one of Stephanie's college friends.

"My feet are killing me," Stephanie said, sitting down next to Nina with a plate of cake. "I should have worn flats."

"I tried to tell you, Mama." Nina laughed as the guest of honor rolled her eyes. "Your daughter isn't going to need clothes until she's walking."

"I know! There's no way she's going to wear all of those." Stephanie looked over at the stacks of outfits that she had opened along with diapers, toys, a stroller, and other baby necessities. "Thank you so much for the diaper bag. I was so worried about carrying something with elephants or balloons on it."

"You're welcome. My cousin used one from that company until her daughter was out of pull-ups," Nina said. She remembered Stephanie seeing the leather diaper bag on one of their shopping trips in Sacramento and she had been saving up to buy it for months. "I'm going to head home if it won't break your heart. I have to catch up on laundry."

"My heart is going to shatter." Stephanie teased. "Isn't Sunday your usual laundry and cleaning day?"

"It is but I haven't been to a Sunday dinner at my parents' in a month. I promised my father I would be there tomorrow," Nina sighed. She didn't have anything against dinner with her family, she just didn't look forward to the drive to Oakland and back. "Get some rest tomorrow. If you need help organizing all things baby or anything, I should be back tomorrow night."

"Thank you for coming!" Stephanie hugged Nina's neck and gave her cheek a quick kiss. Nina said goodbye to a few people, then left for home. Once there, she changed into a pair of sweat pants and the first clean t-shirt she could find. She loaded the washing machine with towels and started sorting the rest of her clothes into light, dark and white clothes.

Nina didn't realize what shirt she was wearing until she began cleaning her bathroom mirror. She was so behind with laundry that she made it to the bottom of her dresser drawer where she kept the only memento of her relationship with Happy. It was his black t-shirt with 'Reaper Crew' printed across the chest. Her fingers ran across the screen printing, remembering the first time she wore it.


Nina rolled over to face Happy with a smile. He was sound asleep in her bed with his arm around her naked waist. It was the first time he actually slept in her bed and she knew it wasn't going to last long. He never spent the night. So, Nina savored the moment and watched him sleep peacefully.

"Why are you staring at me?" Happy asked, startling Nina. His eyes were still closed and he didn't give her any clue that he was awake until he spoke. She smiled and scooted a little closer to him. "Ready for another go already?"

"No. I'm just a little cold," Nina whispered, hoping he would take the hint and hold her a little tighter. He just grunted and rolled over. She was surprised when he handed her his shirt off the floor. "This isn't really what I had in mind."

"Can't sleep with your tits out." Happy's eyes had opened and were focused on her chest. She felt her cheeks redden. "Put it on and go to sleep or climb on and I'll warm you up."

"Are you staying the night?" She asked, pulling the shirt over her head. He grunted and pulled her to his chest. Nina took that as a yes. She rolled over to her right side and pressed her back against his chest. His hand found its way back to her hip and his breathing evened back out.

When Nina woke up, Happy was gone. She was still wearing his shirt.


Nina shook her head and pulled the shirt off. As she held it in her hands, she tried to decide on her next move. She considered the easy route of just throwing it in the garbage. She also considered burning it. Instead, she folded it up and put it back in the bottom of her dresser. There was no easy explanation as to why she kept it but getting rid of it made her feel a little hollow. She remembered that feeling all too well. If keeping a stupid t-shirt would stop her from feeling like a shell, she'd let it stay in the bottom of her drawer for a couple more years.

"You need to get a grip," Nina said to herself as she opened the washing machine and moved the wet clothes over to the dryer. "You've been over him for years. Seeing him doesn't change that."

a/n: This is my desperate request for reviews again! I hope you're still enjoying this, even without actual interaction with SOA this chapter. I hope to update soon!