At lunch, I sat with Meg and Mark and watched as they flirted with one another. I looked to the side of my tray and saw the stuffed puppy that was left on my desk. It just looked like Grace. Same dark and gray fur, bright multicolored eyes…I can't believe anyone would do this for me, especially Jax. I looked over to wear he and Opie usually sat, but they weren't there. Now, I realize that I hadn't seen Jax since first period. I see Opie's girlfriend, Donna, walking into the bathrooms across from the cafeteria. "I will be right back." I say, knowing Meg and Mark didn't hear me. I follow Donna into the bathroom and wait for her to walk out of a stall. After a moment, she does. "Hey, Donna…"
"Riley…?" She replies, hesitantly.
"Um, have you seen Jax lately?"
"Why?" She asks, glaring at me through my reflection in the mirror as she washes her hands.
"Um, I was just wondering. He was in English this morning but I haven't seen him since."
"Oh come on!" She laughs as she turns to face me.
"What?"
"Jax talks to Opie, Opie talks to me."
"Okay…?"
"Are you two together?" she asks point blank.
"I—I—I'm sorry."
"Opie always tells me everything…but I know that whenever I come around and they are talking about you, they change the subject and tell me they weren't talking about you. What is the secret?"
"I don't know?" She just stares at me. "What?! I don't know! That's why I am looking for Jax!" I shout as two girls walk in. Those two are always flirting. Donna and I remain quiet until they leave. "Donna, Jax has…I just want to know what his game his."
"When I see him or Opie, I will relay the message that you are confused. I will either find the answer or get Jax to tell you."
"Thank you." I sigh. Donna throws her paper towels into the trash and starts to open the door. She closes it back and looks back at me.
"I guess he is smart after all."
"What?"
"Jax. He could have any girl he wants…"She looks at the closed door. "…obviously. And he chose you. I don't think he could have found a better person for him."
"You think so?"
"I do. Well, later." She opens the door and we hear those two girls talk.
"Can you believe she actually thinks Jax would like her?" one girl laughs.
"She would just be lucky to be on his sex radar." The other laughs.
"Shut up, you bitchy cows." Donna says as the door closes back. I just hang back for a minute when the door opens again. Expecting it to be those two again, I was relieved to see it was Meg.
"You disappeared. I didn't know if you got sick or what. I brought your bag, though, just in case." I take my bag from her as the bell rings.
"Thanks." We head to class.
After school let out, Meg and I start toward her car. I hear a motorcycle pull up beside me. Who else but Jax would be driving it. "Get on." He says holding out his helmet.
"Riley, you have to go straight home, remember?" Meg reminds me. I look back and forth between them.
"I'm sorry, Meg. I will call you later." I say as I place the straps to my bag on both shoulders, take his helmet, put it on, and climb on with him.
"Riley!" she yells after me. Jax takes off toward Teller-Morrow. When we arrive, I see the garage was closed and all the bikes were gone. We get off the bike and walk inside the club house. He grabs my hand and leads me down the hallway.
"Follow me."
"Jax, where are we going?"
"My room." He replies as he squeezes my hand. "Don't worry. It's just to be alone to talk, darlin'." He smiles. We arrive to what I guess happens to be his room and he shuts the door behind us.
"So, you live here? I thought your mom and stepdad had a house."
"They do. But we all have rooms here too. But mom and Clay rarely stay here." He answers, sitting on the bed.
"Thank you for the stuffed dog."
"You don't have to thank me." He says, as a puppy starts to bark nearby.
"Where did you go after English?"
"Noticed I was gone?" he smiles.
"I did." Not admitting that it was only at lunch that I did notice. Now the other door in his room began to be scratched. "Is there a puppy in there?" I say, walking to the door. He doesn't answer. I open the door and out runs a little blue Weimaraner puppy with the biggest blue-gray-silver eyes. The puppy runs up to me as I kneel down and jumps at me playfully. "Aren't you a cutie? What is your name, sweetie?" I ask, in a soft, gentle voice.
"She doesn't have a name yet. I thought maybe you could name her."
"Whose puppy is she?"
"Mine…and yours." I turn to look at him. "Well, you said you wanted to take Grace home but couldn't. Well, this way, you do have a puppy and your mom can't get rid of her." I pick up the little puppy, and walk to Jax and gave him a hug.
"Thank you."
"She's why I wasn't at school the rest of the day. I asked Opie to help me find a puppy and we took off." I turn around to walk the puppy back to her bed when Jax wraps his arms around my waist, his hands caress my stomach under my shirt. "So, what do you want to name her?"
"Nola."
"Nola?"
"I don't know. She looks like a Nola." I say. I am not sure where that came from.
"Okay, so Nola it is." He says, rubbing the top of her head. I walk to the door and lay Nola on her bed that happens to be in his bathroom.
"I talked to Donna." I say, breaking the silence.
"About me?" He says, walking closer to me. I nod my head. "About us?" he asks. I nod again. "What do you want to know?" I take a deep breath.
"Are you sure you want there to be an 'us'?" He smiles and kisses me with all he has. I return the kiss.
"Jackie Boy!" A man with an accent yells before opening the door causing me to jump back. The older man who was at the diner with Opie and Jax looks at me. "Oh sorry. I wasn't expecting to walk in on anything. Your mother is looking for ya."
"Jesus Christ." Jax mutters under his voice. "Tell her I will be right there, Chibs."
"You got it man." The man Jax called Chibs nods toward me and smiles.
"I got to go anyway." I say, picking up my bag by his door.
"If you want to wait, I can drive you to the end of the blo—" he begins to say just as his door swings open.
"Who is this?" the woman that I know to be Jax's mother, Gemma, asks.
"I'm Riley." I say, nervously.
"Hmm." She gives me a stink eye.
"She's my girlfriend, ma." Jax says as he wraps an arm around my waist.
"Your parents… Meredith and Gene Hart?"
"Yes."
"No wonder."
"Excuse me?"
"Ma, leave her alone. Okay? I will be back. I am going to take her home." He says, just as Nola barks.
"What is that?" she asks.
"That's our dog, Nola." Jax says.
"'Our'?"
"Yeah, I said 'our'. Come on, babe." He grabs my hand and pulls me behind him.
"You know, Riley…if you really think you are going to be hanging around here like a lost little puppy, you should really learn to dress appropriately." She almost growls. I lean against Jax.
"Did I do something to her?" I whisper.
"Nah, darlin'. Just ignore her. She's just bitchy." He replies as we head to his bike.