A/N: Children say the darnedest things, don't they?
EXTRASODE: "The Vow." [The backstory of Sarah Hale and Tara Knowles' friendship]
- Veritable Old LADY Crow
"What the heck is wrong with your brother?" Tara asked as they walked through her bedroom door.
Sarah Hale kicked the ballet slippers on her feet off at the foot of her bed. Walking towards the walk-in closet on the other end of the room, she came to a stop in front of a large vanity mirror.
Pulling the bouncy, honey blonde curls on her head to one side, she looked up at her best friend, smirking at the puzzled expression on Tara's face as she stood behind her, waiting.
"Which brother?" Tara could tell by the mischievous glint in her gray eyes that she already knew which brother.
"David," Tara answered. "Every time I say hi to him he turns red as a friggin tomato and runs in the other direction. He doesn't still think girls have cooties, does he?"
Sarah giggled, shrugging her shoulders. "Davey's just being Davey."
"Is he like that with other girls?" Tara wondered out loud.
Sarah continued to pull at her elbow-length hair, flipping it back and forth between either side of her face to see which way she wanted to pin it. "What other girls? You're the only girl that's ever around besides me...and he knows I don't have cooties."
"You should pin it on the left side," Tara suggested, walking closer to stand behind her in the mirror. "That way you can see your dimple when you smile."
"Good idea." Sarah nodded, smiling at her friend through the mirror as she did what she advised. "Boys loves girls with dimples."
Tara rolled her eyes. "Who cares what they like? It's about what you like 'Rah. Boys don't even know what the heck they like. Opie swears he likes the Wizard of Oz when you know he's just saying it cuz you like it. I think that's so silly. Why do you have to pretend to like something or do stuff just because you like someone? I don't care how much I like a guy, I'm not pretending him making arm farts is funny just so he'll like me back. That's gross! And Jax didn't even wash his hands. Yuck!"
Sarah turned away from the mirror to face her, one eyebrow raised as she placed a hand on her hip. "So you were lying before...you do like Jax!"
Tara shook her head. "Stephanie Eglee does," she told her. "That's why she was laughing so hard...and then she held hands with him after."
"Stephanie didn't kiss him though," Sarah challenged.
Tara shrugged. Turning around, she walked over to Sarah's bed, plopping down on it. "Jax kisses girls all the time just like you said. It's like he's having a contest with Opie to see who can kiss the most!"
Sarah moved to sit down next to her, folding her legs underneath her. "So you don't like him...not even a little bit?"
Tara's green eyes narrowed. "Why do you keep asking me that? Is this about the kiss?"
"You admitted you liked it," Sarah accused.
Tara's cheeks turned red as she moved to tuck her hair behind her ear. "It's not like I have anything to compare it with. I mean...it was...I don't know what it was. And I only said that so you'd quit asking me how it was! Why do you care so much anyway. It's not like you haven't kissed him. I'm not accusing you of liking him!"
"I'm in love with him."
Tara burst into a fit of giggles, poorly muffled by the hand she slapped over her mouth. "Do you even know what love is?"
A small, almost ethereal smile spread across Sarah's face. "...It's when you can't stop thinking about someone...when they always make you smile and stuff."
The brunette's green eyes widened. "Umm...okay."
"Is that how you feel about Jax?"
Tara groaned. "Saraaahh!"
"I'm being serious, Lady Tee," Sarah persisted. "Best friends have to talk about this stuff. And I'm being honest with you."
"Fine..." Tara's eyes flitted up towards the frilly, powder pink curtains of Sarah's canopy bed as she thought.
"No," she said after a moment. ".....I mean we smile at each other and stuff but I don't think about him unless he's there. I don't think about anybody really..." A wide, faraway smile spread across her face. "...it's way more fun to imagine things that could never really happen...like talking animals...like Babe...or that I can move stuff with my mind like Matilda...make a grandfather clock fall on my daddy's fat head!"
Sarah's laughter sobered up a lot faster than Tara's. "I think about him all the time...and when my mom took us to Funtown...we held hands on all the rides."
"So what...he's your trueee love?" Tara teased, still giggling.
Instead of laughing, Sarah's expression grew serious. "He might be," she said, with a barely perceptible shrug of her shoulders. "...but you can only have one...he can't be yours and mine..."
Tara wrinkled her nose. "I don't know what type of kiss you thought it was but Jackson is not my love anything. I just like hanging out with a boy who can beat your stupid brother Jacob up. He's even letting me learn to fight with him..I can't wait to test out my moves on Ricky next time he says girls talk too much!"
Sarah rolled her eyes, shaking her head at the suddenly animated brunette sitting on the bed in front of her. "You're not supposed to fight with boys Tara. You're supposed to get them to like you so they'll do stuff for you."
Tara pursed her lips. "Like what?"
"...Like buy you candy...and walk you home...and they fight for you so you don't have to."
"And what do we have to do?" Tara's eyebrow rose.
"Nothing really." Sarah smirked. "We wear nice dresses and do our hair pretty and behave like ladies are supposed to."
"That sounds...sooo boring!" Tara scowled. "God gave girls hands just like boys. And ours are smaller which means we can hit even faster...and...and you know I hate it when people have to buy me stuff..."
"I know, Tee," Sarah said. Pulling her legs from underneath her, she slid closer to her on the bed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "..it's okay though. Things with your dad...it'll get better and if not...my mom doesn't care how many sleepovers I have as long as we stay out of her club meetings and stuff."
Tara tried for a smile, managing a small one. "I think my mom picked the wrong guy to look pretty for."
"Well we won't," Sarah said. "...and I didn't..." Sarah stood up from the bed, looking towards the large bay window on the other side of her bedroom. "...at least I don't think I did."
"Wow." Tara said, getting up to stand with her. "You really like him a lot, huh?" Sarah turned, nodding at her. "Well...if you want I can ask him if he likes—" Tara stopped mid-sentence when the honey-blonde quickly shook her head.
"I can handle, Jax," Sarah said, her voice bursting with confidence. "That's not what I need you to do, Tee."
"Okay." Tara replied. "What do you need then?"
"A promise."
Tara's eyes narrowed in confusion, her eyebrows scrunching together. "Like a pinky promise?"
Sarah rolled her eyes, sighing. "We're too old for that, Tee. You have to make a vow. Like a sacred one or whatever. You have to hold your hand up."
Tara raised her left hand the way she'd seen her father do the last time she'd watched him court. "Like this?"
Sarah pursed her lips. "I think it's the other one," she corrected, smiling affirmatively when Tara switched to raising her right hand. "Okay...that's how it looked in the movie."
"You been sneaking your moms tapes again?"
"Focus, Tee!"
"Alright. Fine," Tara stood up straight, determination on her face. "What's my sacred promise?"
"You said you're not in love with Jax right?"
"Duh."
"That's means you accept him as my true love."
"You sure you don't want it to be Opie?" Tara teased, laughing when Sarah narrowed her eyes. "...okay...okay...fine. Jax is your prince. Is that the vow?"
Sarah shook her head. "You have to swear he's mine forever."
Tara looked confused again. "Shouldn't he be the one doing that? I thought the guy was supposed to...like remember in—"
"Tara!"
When Sarah called her 'Tara' instead of Lady Tee, she meant business.
"Okay. Sheesh. What do I say?"
Sarah chewed her bottom lip, uncertainty crossing her face. "I'm not sure."
She really wasn't.
Lucky for her, Tara—ever the know-it-all—always had an idea.
"How about this." Tara cleared her throat. "I, Tara Grace Lady Tee Knowles swear to never ever hold hands with Jackson Teller at funtown!"
"Or kiss him again," Sarah added, smiling at her.
"He kissed me, you know," Tara pointed out—probably for the millionth time, if one went by the way Sarah rolled her eyes.
"Tara!" Sarah glared.
"Or kiss him," Tara continued, smirking. "...or let him walk me home...or eat his candy...unlesss...I steal it out of his basket when he's not looking..." Sarah gasped.
"...or let him fight for me!" Tara continued, oblivious to the shocked look on Sarah's face as she went off on a sudden rant. "...as a matter of fact the next time Porky says something about my mom it's my sacred vow to punch him in his pie hole myself! Jax says I hit hard anyway...and not just for a girl. Even Opie—"
"—I knew it was you!" Sarah shrieked, cutting her off. "You took all his reeses buttercups! He blamed me! That's how my princess costume got ruined. He pulled the bow off!"
Tara giggled. "The bow was bigger than your butt...he kinda did you a favor 'Rah."
"Eating all that chocolate didn't do you any favors," Sarah taunted. "Be careful Tee, or we'll be calling you Porky, too!"
Guilt replaced the haughty expression on Sarah's face when she saw Tara frown. "I'm just joking, Tee...and don't worry I won't let you get fat...and even if you do...you'd be the prettiest fat girl around...right after my mother...the biggest cow of all!"
Both girls giggled.
"Saraaahh," Tara complained afterwhile. "My arm's getting tired. Are we done?"
Sarah stared at her, a finger on her mouth as she considered the question. "One more thing."
"Thank God," Tara gushed. "What?"
"...you will never love him," Sarah answered.
Tara cocked an eyebrow. "That's...a little dark..."
"Say it."
Tara shrugged. "...and I will never love him."
Sarah shook her head. "You have to say his name..."
Tara sighed, rolling her eyes towards the ceiling. "I will never love Jackson Teller."
Sarah beamed at her best friend. "Okay. Good."
"That's it?" Tara wondered. "We don't have to do like a spit on our hand and shake thing?"
Sarah twisted her face up like she swallowed a lemon. "Gross...I swear you're such a boy sometimes."
Tara giggled. "I was gonna wash my hands after. What boy would do that?"
Sarah joined in with her. "I guess you're right."
"I'm always right," Tara joked. "Can we go spy on Gloria now?"
"Why do you care what my mom's stupid book club is talking about?"
"They're reading something good this month. It has romantic scenes in it and stuff too..."
Sarah's interest was peaked the second she heard the word 'romantic'.
"Let's go!" Sarah grabbed Tara's hand and they both tiptoed out into the hallway, sliding down to the floor when they reached the banister of the staircase. "...If we get caught...this was your idea, Tee."
"All the ideas that get us in trouble are mine...even when they're not," Tara accused, sticking her tongue out.
Hand in hand they sat there against the wall, listening.
"Sir Broderick sounds soooo steamy...you guys remember the chapter when they we're in his fathers study and..."
Psstt.
Sarah turned away from the stairs, to look at the brunette on the floor behind her. "What?"
"I'll never love Jax...but I'll always love you, Rah."
The widest smile spread across Sarah's face, her gray eyes twinkling as she wrapped Tara up in a tight hug. "I love you too, Tee."
"Best friends forever, right?"
Sarah shook her head. "Sisters."
