"Happy Birthday!" Misty bounced up and down on me to wake me up. I was thankful Dad's dorm didn't have any windows. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and looked up at Misty. I hadn't even felt her get out of bed and she was already showered and dressed.
"What time is it?" I tried to roll over to my stomach but she caught my shoulder and pulled me down to my back. It was great that she was feeling better, but I just wanted to sleep.
"Ten in tha moanin!" She said with her best Scottish accent. I laughed and looked up at her silly face before shoving her off of me and consequently into the floor. A few seconds after the thud of her butt hitting the carpet, we both burst into laughter.
"I'm getting in the shower, crazy." I pulled my drawer open and pulled out underwear and the black and silver dress I'd been saving for my birthday. It was short and the back was low, unlike the paint pants and hoodie I normally wore around here. Misty picked up my black heels out of the closet and waved them at me as I hurried into the bathroom.
"Victory! You're dad is calling you!" Misty called into the bathroom. I cut the water off and wrapped myself in a fluffy towel. My blonde hair was all over the place as I cracked the door open and took my phone from her.
"Hey!" I said happily as I brushed some of the hairs out of my face. I was growing more and more excited about my party later.
"Happy Birthday, baby girl. Are you at the clubhouse?" I could hear Dad's smile over the phone.
"Yeah, Abel went out to meet Tacoma." I started searching through the medicine cabinet for my makeup.
"Hey baby! I can't believe you're already eighteen!" My mom sounded like she was about to cry. I laughed and shook my head.
"Mom, I'm still you're little girl. When are you two getting here?" I wasn't too proud to admit I missed my mom and dad.
"We just got home, baby. We're going to get some sleep and then pick up your present. Do you have plans before tonight?" I knew she wanted to make sure I wasn't lonely or bored.
"Yeah and we need to talk about something later. Nothing major, just some stuff with Misty and her mom. What'd you get me?" I tried one last time. I heard both her and Dad laughing in the background.
"Nice try, Vic. No working today!" I promised them I wouldn't work and then ended the call. As soon as the call ended, I realized Mom must know I'm not at school. She seemed to take it better than I thought she would.
I finished getting ready and ran the towel over my hair a few times before stepping out into the dorm room. Misty looked up from the motorcycle magazine she'd found somewhere and smiled.
"You look amazing! Abel and Jax are going to flip their shit." Misty giggled as I did a turn and hitched my shoulder. I wasn't dressing for them or for anyone else but myself. It was my eighteenth birthday and I wanted to feel like a woman.
"Happy Birthday, love." Chibs gave me a tight hug as soon as I walked out into the bar. I gave him a kiss on the cheek and squeezed him back. I turned back to Misty and smiled.
"Did you know if it wasn't for this one right here Mom and I might not have made it? We were too far from a hospital so Chibs delivered me." He shrugged humbly as Misty's eyes widened.
"Yeah, watching this lass's big head coming out ruined sex for me for a week." Chibs said with a laugh. Misty and I both blushed and I smacked his arm.
"I was there but I didn't have to see that shit. Neither did Opie." Happy said with a laugh as he pulled me in for a hug. My arms were pinned to my side and he leaned back to pull me off my feet a couple inches.
"Hap, can't breathe." I over exaggerated my choking and he rolled his eyes as he put me down. He scowled at me and shook his head.
"You ain't supposed to grow up, Vic." He gave me a rare kiss on the forehead and wished me happy birthday. I hugged him again before Abel attacked me.
"Victory Rose Teller! Happy fucking birthday!" He tried to pull me into a headlock but I brought my knee up to his thigh sharply. He grimaced and settled with hugging me instead.
"Abel, you're gonna mess my hair up, you ass." I scowled at him as he stopped ruffling my hair. He stepped back and looked at me as his head started shaking slowly.
"You need to fucking change, Vic." He glanced over at Misty and nodded his head towards me. I had a feeling something was going on and everyone knew but me. Misty nodded and smiled over at me.
"Save the sexy dress for the party, Vic. It might get uncomfortable?" Her voice went up at the end like she wasn't sure what reason to give. Abel narrowed his eyes at her quickly before smiling and nodding at me. I looked back at Happy who just shrugged with his normal straight face. I threw my hands up in the air and stormed back to the dorm.
"Are you all happy?" I asked loudly as I walked back in a pair of ripped jeans and a black tank top. The clubhouse was eerily quiet and empty. I twisted my mouth and checked the chapel doors before heading outside. I froze and shook my head as I saw the whole charter, their old ladies, and most of the Tacoma charter standing in the parking lot. Mom and Dad shared a laugh as I covered my mouth and hid my overly excited smile.
"Shit." I yelped as the world went black. I heard Happy's gruff laugh and knew he would be the one to blindfold me, of course. I felt my Mom's hand take mine and lead me away from the clubhouse. The Teller in me hated being blindfolded, but I tried to be a good sport. After all, I was probably never going to be safer than when almost two charters and my family surrounded me.
"I wanted to make you wait until you got off of suspension, but Jax talked me out of it." My mom laughed and kissed me on the cheek as we came to a halt. I took a deep breath to calm my skipping heart.
"Happy birthday, Victory." It was my dad's voice and the blindfold was taken away. My eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets at the sight of the present in front of me. I shook my head in disbelief. The car that I had wanted ever since I was eight was sitting right in front of me and my father was holding the keys out to me.
I'd refused to get any other type of car or motorcycle for the past three years. Now, sitting in front of me was my 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback. It was flat black with two glossy black racing stripes running front to back. I walked around it twice before I noticed the small reaper on the back right quarter panel. I looked over at Happy who smirked and shrugged his shoulders, confirming it was his doing.
"Thank you so much! Oh my god!" I took the keys from my Dad and hugged him tightly. He squeezed me around the middle and kissed my cheek with a smile. His blue eyes were bright as he pushed me out to arm's length.
"I love you, Victory. You're the best daughter I could have ever imagined. No matter how old you are, I'm always going to be here for you. Eighteen or not, you're still my little girl." I bit my lip to keep from crying as I nodded and remembered all of the times he's been there for me over the years. I turned to my mom and smiled.
"Happy birthday, baby. Go have fun and be careful." She kissed me on the cheek and pressed the keys into my hand. I laughed and nodded.
"Misty, you wanna ride?" I didn't even finish speaking before she nodded and hopped in the passenger's seat. The engine roared to life loudly and I ran my hands over the soft leather of the steering wheel. I glanced over at Misty and grinned. She'd always been given strict rules not to let me drive her car, so she'd never gotten the pleasure of riding with me.
The car felt like an extension of me as I peeled out of the parking lot and spun the tires in second gear. Misty was gripping the edge of her seat and shaking her head. I laughed and slowed down a little until we made it out of town. I chose the curviest road in the area and stretched the car's legs.
An hour later, I pulled back into Teller Morrow and parked the car next to Lyla's suv. Misty got out of the car before I even cut the engine. I laughed and let the engine idle for a minute before turning it off and getting out of the car. The lot was still full of bikes, but most everyone was inside now. Misty was in Kenny's arms as I walked over to the picnic tables.
"Who the hell taught you how to drive?" Misty said as she scowled at me. Kenny and I shared a laugh.
"Dad. Mom said she didn't have the patience because I wouldn't slow down." I shrugged and acknowledged Brent with a nod as he walked over out of the clubhouse. He smiled and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, offering me one before taking his own. I bummed his lighter and inhaled deeply, savoring the unfiltered taste of tobacco and nicotine.
"Awesome car, Victory. Happy birthday." He gave me a bright smile and looked over at the Mustang.
"Thanks. I've wanted one forever." I laughed as Tig waved his finger between Brent and I before walking up from behind the prospect and giving me a hug.
"The bike, my ass. Happy birthday, brat." He planted a kiss in my hair and finished hugging me. I glanced around and twisted my mouth, a little perplexed.
"Where's Venus, Tig?" He sighed and shook his head. Venus and Tig had been together since I was little and she was always at family dinners. She'd even given me a sex talk around the age of thirteen. Of course, Mom and Gramma already gave me their own versions, but Venus definitely won the award for funniest.
"She's not feeling that great, sweetheart. She sent a gift though and sends her love though." His eyes dimmed a little and I could tell there was more to it. I just gave him a half smile and nodded, knowing full well that he wouldn't say any more about it.
"Victory, you got a minute?" Abel called from over in the garage. I nodded and headed over as Tig started questioning Misty and Kenny on when she was getting his crow. It was a sensitive subject for Kenny, since Misty had refused it a few months ago. She explained that she wasn't old enough to be an old lady and Kenny understood, but he was still touchy on the subject.
"What's up, bro? Mom and Dad refuse to let me work today." I informed him as he put an arm around my shoulder. He nodded and opened the side door, pushing me into the garage.
"I couldn't show you this outside because I know Mom is going to flip her shit. Dad suggested I show you in here so she doesn't kill me at your party." Abel laughed and his eyes shone with excitement. I sucked my bottom lip in and nodded as he walked me past the Cadillac in the first bay. There was a large white sheet covering what was obviously a motorcycle.
"Abel, what did you do?" I stared at him as he shrugged and gave me a smile. He pulled the sheet off and motioned towards the Triumph Bonneville. It had obviously seen better days, but that made it that much better.
"I know it doesn't look as great as the Mustang, but we can work on it together. Happy said you'd probably want to paint it anyway. You like it?" My shock wore off a little and I felt tears running down my cheeks. Yes, I love the car my parents got me, but for Abel to give me a bike that we could work on together, it meant the world to me.
"I love it, Abel. You're the best brother ever. Mom's going to kill you though." I laughed and thought about the time she'd caught him teaching me how to ride his motorcycle. I sat down on the cracked leather seat and reached out for the handlebars to test the fit.
"Well, maybe we should wait to tell her it's yours. We can fix it up and then she'll be so in awe of it, she won't kill me." I pursed my lips and raised my brow at him. She hates the idea of me being on a motorcycle if its brand new or restored. Regardless of my brother's pending doom though, I agreed to keep it a secret until it was done.
"Let's get back out there before she wanders in here though." Abel put the sheet back over my bike and led the way out to the lot. I stopped behind him and flipped the light out before closing the door.
I spent the rest of the day hanging out at the clubhouse and catching up with some of the old ladies from Tacoma. They shared tips about dating and reminded me to introduce them to Mom first.
"Mackenzie can prepare Jax and calm him down before your man meets him. She's your only hope if you don't want the boy shot on sight." Lyla said with a laugh as she sat down on the couch next to me.
"Did Ellie introduce you to Nick first?" I glanced over at Ellie who laughed and rubbed her hand over her stomach. Her old man, Nick, was now the SAA in Tacoma and they were expecting their first child in October.
"Hell no! Ellie just showed up with Nick at dinner one day and Opie didn't say a word the whole time. He just glared at the two of them. If it wasn't for getting called out on a run, Nick may have ended up in the ring with Ope that night." She laughed and Ellie nodded in agreement.
"Dad has a lot better temper than Jax too." Ellie pointed out. Everyone nodded and I sighed, pushing my hair behind my ear.
"I'm fucked. Even if Dad doesn't kill him or scare him off, there's still Happy." I pouted as everyone laughed and nodded. As if on cue, Happy walked over and handed me a beer.
"Hap, she's eighteen not twenty one." Mom said with a laugh. Happy shrugged and handed me the other beer in his hand as well. I smirked and sipped on the beer. Mom knew that I'd had alcohol before, but she didn't like it.
"You realize I'm sitting right here." Jarry said with a laugh. I nodded and handed her the second beer before tipping mine to her and turning it up. She rolled her eyes and took a drink.
"See, Mackenzie, even the sheriff ain't stopping her." Happy smirked and headed back towards the bar. I finished the beer off and left the circle of old ladies once they started talking about how great sex was after long runs.
"I know you said you didn't want a cake, but I don't listen." Juice said as he slid a small pink box down the bar to me. I rolled my eyes with a grin and opened the top.
"You're the best, Juicy." I kissed him on the cheek and grabbed a fork from behind the bar. He'd gotten me a red velvet cupcake from my favorite bakery in Oakland. It was funny to imagine him riding down road with a tiny pink box strapped to his bitch seat. Happy reappeared briefly and gave me another beer.
"You're a horrible babysitter, Hap." Dad laughed as Happy shot him a glare and the bird. He didn't care if I drank, but he had to give Hap a hard time. Opie laughed and shook his head from next to Juice.
"She's eighteen, brother. I don't think she needs a babysitter anymore." I smiled and nodded at Opie's comment. Happy glared at him and shook his head.
"Bullshit." He growled before throwing a shot of Jack Daniel's back and pouring himself another. Dad laughed and took a beer from the crow eater behind the bar as Happy took a seat next to him.