July 25th, 1995
"Oh my god, it is so hot." Donna complains, sprawled out on the floor. Tara looks at her in amusement, opening the freezer and tossing her a popsicle. "It is the hottest it's ever been and the hottest it will ever be."
"Wait till the end of August." Tara says with amusement and Donna groans.
"Alright, that's it." She declares, standing. Tara raises an eyebrow but is too busy trying to eat her rapidly melting popsicle to truly focus. "We're calling the boys."
"I thought they were working at the garage today." Tara reminds her.
"I don't care. I'm too hot. We're going to the pool." Donna decides, picking up the phone.
"What are the boys going to do, just leave work?" Tara asks and Donna holds up a finger to hush her. Tara obliges.
"Hi, can I talk to Opie?" She asks sweetly. There's a long pause, before Tara hears Opie on the other end. "Hi honey. How's work? Yeah, it's hot here too. That's why Tara and I are going to the pool. Wanna come? Oh, work? That's a shame, tell Jax that Tara has the cutest, smallest little green bikini- Ow!" Donna defends herself from Tara's whacks.
"I'm not wearing that, it's from two summers ago." She hisses and Donna rolls her eyes.
"It's sexy. You're wearing it." She states. "Now Opie, leave work. Grab Jax. We're going to the pool." She hangs up with a smirk.
"Are they coming?" Tara questions and Donna shrugs.
"They will. Now go get your suit on. And wear the green one, it's cute."
"It's too small." Tara protests, exasperated and Donna smacks her butt as she walks by.
"Doesn't matter, it's cute. Go on." Rolling her eyes, Tara heeds Donna's orders and goes, digging the old suit out from her bottom drawers.
"I feel like I'm naked." Tara complains as she pulls on her coverup.
"That's the whole point." Donna says cheerfully, hoisting her boobs up and inspecting herself in the mirror. "You're so pale, you need a little sun."
"A little sun leads to a little sunburn." Tara says ruefully and Donna tosses tanning lotion into her bag.
"You'll be fine." She assures Tara, who shakes her head and reaches for her SPF 50. They're just putting their flip flops on when the boys pull up in Opie's truck.
"Hey." They scoot as the girls climb in. The air outside is like a oven, and the broken air-conditioning in the truck doesn't help. They scoot together, already sweating.
"Was anyone mad when you guys left work early?" Tara asks in concern.
"Nah." Jax waves a dismissive hand. "They all agreed it's too damn hot to do anything."
"That's why we're going swimming." Donna says happily, bouncing slightly. They pull up to the pool, unsurprised to see that it's already packed.
"Ow, hot, hot, hot." Tara and Donna dance across the pavement, the boys watching in amusement.
"The problem with flip flops." Opie observes in amusement. Donna and Tara stick their tongues out and pay, disappearing into the female locker room.
"So small." Tara mutters, looking at herself in the mirror before signing and letting her coverup fall back down.
"Stop, tiny butt. You look amazing." Donna chides.
"Says you. You actually have boobs." Tara grumbles and Donna glances at her chest and grins.
"They're not all they're cracked up to be, trust me. Now c'mon, I want to see if Op will get me ice cream." Donna drags her into the sunlight and they both squint, adjusting. Jax and Opie have pulled a couple chairs together and have tossed their shirts onto them, grinning and talking.
"Hi handsome." Tara says to Jax, grinning at him. He's already tanned, his ads washboard. For a second, with his easy smile and sparkling eyes, Tara is breathless at how attractive he is.
"Hi gorgeous." He dips to kiss her briefly. She kicked off her sandals and sets her towel on the chair before hesitating and pulling her coverup off.
"See?" Donna's got an arm slung around Opie's waist and a sly grin. "Told you Jax would love the suit."
"I… Do." He stammers, a little dumbfounded and Tara blushes.
"C'mon, it's hot." Opie punches Jax's shoulder as he passes. The boys cannonball in, whooping. Donna and Tara use the ladder, complaining when the boys splash them before ducking under and emerging, grinning.
They play chicken, laughing and splashing each other, have handstand contests, and attempt to dunk one another. Finally, the girls decide to tan and Jax challenges Opie to a front flip contest. The girls sit down in their chairs while the boys race to the diving boards.
"You were right." Tara admits, as her and Donna munch on concession food and soak in the sun.
"About what this time?" Donna rubs tanning lotion into her legs.
"This is fun." Tara observes the little kids playing the shallows, the adults with their toes in, the younger children whooping as they go down the slide. "This is really fun."
"Yeah, and I'm gonna get nice and tan and we got to cool off and we have snacks." Donna sighs contentedly. "Could life get any better?"
They talk about the upcoming school year- junior year seems so old. Tara, still younger than everyone else, feels weird that she's going to be a step ahead of everyone else. Donna is just excited to be an upperclassman. Neither of them touches on the fact that high school is going to be far more different this year with their boys gone. They keep it light and casual, wondering if the dances will actually be fun or if the dress code will still ban shorts.
"And just think, I'm finally in pre-calculus." Tara says happily.
"You are the only person I know that's excited to be taking classes that could be a college class." Donna rolls her eyes. "You're a weird one, Tara Grace."
"Maybe." Tara shrugs. "But I'm your best friend. C'mon, let's go cool off in the 4 foot, I'm hot." They both glance over at the diving boards, watching in amusement as Jax attempts a double front flip and lands hard on his back.
"Ouch." Donna comments and Jax pulls himself up the ladder, winching. Tara shakes her head but flashes him a thumbs up. They stand in the 4 foot, watching the boys, chatting about parents- Donna's father hadn't sent anything for her birthday, something Donna's trying to play off as cool.
"You're bothered by it." Tara insists.
"Am not." Donna cups the water and lets it flow out between her fingers. "Not at all."
"Donna." Tara chides.
"Well, I mean, at least for Christmas we got the divorce papers." Donna jokes weakly and Tara frowns at her.
"Not funny. He's your dad and he forgets to get you a present, that's a pretty sucky dad." Tara states.
"Your dad forgot to get you something." Donna comes back with and Tara doesn't bother to deny her point.
"I know. But Jax made up for it." She affectionately touches the thin gold necklace that has a tiny motorcycle charm on it. Donna smiles at her.
"Exactly. And Opie made sure my day was great, so it doesn't matter what my preachy, absent father does or doesn't do, I'm happy." She declares and Tara smiles.
"Me too. I think-"
"Hey." A male voice cuts Tara off. She and Donna both turn, glancing at the boy speaking to them. He's gangly, with freckles and a mop of dirty blond hair. His friends stand behind him, muttering lowly amongst themselves.
"Hi." Tara says politely, glancing at him, then his friends, then Donna.
"I'm Jesse." He sticks his hand out and Tara shakes it unsurely. Donna does the same, raising an eyebrow. "What are you girls up to?"
"Swimming." Donna says, as though it should be obvious. He glances them over again and Tara is painfully aware once more at how small her swimsuit is.
"Would you wanna come swim with me and my buddies?" He offers and Donna snorts.
"No, we're good, thank you." Tara says hastily, before Donna can make a sassy comment.
"Why not?" He tilts his head and moves closer. Tara, trying to back towards the wall, flashes him an uneasy smile, catching Donna's elbow and pulling her with her.
"I think we're going to get out of the water." She informs him. He and the group are still following them.
"We'll come with." He offers and Tara hoists herself up and out of the pool.
"No, really, really, we're fine." She insists.
"We just wanna hang out." He protests and Donna sticks her hand out, stopping him.
"We don't want to hang out with you. Our boyfriends are right over there. So don't try it ok?" She flashes him a dazzling smile. "Now go."
"What the hell?" Tara mutters, glancing over her shoulder as he swims back to his friends.
"Boys." Donna shakes her head. "Now c'mon, I want a popsicle."
"Donna." Tara hisses, under her breath. "Donna, the boys. Why are they sitting so close to us?"
"What boys?" Donna folds her feet underneath her, picking up a magazine from her bag. Tara jerks her thumb over her shoulder, where the group of boys have gathered, talking loudly.
"Those boys." She grumbles.
"Tara." Donna says patiently. "They are horny teenage boys. We are hot teenage girls. Do you see where this is going?"
"It's weird. I don't like it." Tara complains.
"Then tell Jax." Donna says, raising an eyebrow.
"No." Tara shifts uncomfortably. "That's weird, I don't want to be that girl that only talks to her boyfriend."
"Doesn't bother me." Donna shrugs. "Opie's the only man I want."
"I know." Tara says in amusement and a second later, jumps when Jesse sits down next to her and slings his arm around her.
"So we were thinking we'd hang out with you girls anyways." He announces loudly, seemingly unaware that Tara has gone tense.
"We really don't want that." Donna's voice has taken on a razor edge, her smile flinty.
"Why not?" He asks smoothly.
"Because they're with us." Both girls look up to see Opie, long hair raked back, arms folded over his chest. Jax is standing beside him, eyebrows raised, hands folded in front of him.
"Really?" Jesse glances between the girls and the boys.
"Yeah." Donna smiles, getting up and stretching on her tippy-toes to kiss Opie deeply.
"So I suggest you get your damn hands off my girlfriend before I wring your scrawny little neck." Jax threatens.
"Seriously?" He stands and the rest of his friends stand as well. Jax and Opie eye them calmly.
"Yes seriously." Recalling all of the fights that she's seen Jax get in with men a lot bigger than this kid, Tara moves and puts herself between them, a hand on Jax's chest, glaring at the other boys. "Now go."
"Your girl isn't even that hot." He scoffs, walking away and Tara holds Jax back, grabbing his face.
"Don't, don't. It's not worth it." She asserts. "This isn't some party Jax, this is public. Stop it."
"Tara, he insulted you!" Jax says hotly, fury in his eyes as he glares at the group of boys. "He touched you!"
"That doesn't matter." Tara strokes his cheek. "Jax, it doesn't matter at all. What's wrong?"
"I just…" He takes a deep breath and runs his fingers through her hair, holding it tightly. "I hate when other guys look at you Tara, it drives me crazy." He kisses her on the forehead.
"But why?" She asks, nonplussed.
"Because Tara, you're my girl." Jax wraps his arms around her, a hand on her back and a hand on her butt. "Because I'm in love with you. And you're mine. And if a guy wants to touch him, I'll rip his head off first."
"Are you… Jealous?" Tara asks in amusement and Jax struggles for a moment, shaking his head and blustering.
"No! No, I'm not… I'm not, I just, well, ah, I…"
"You're jealous." Tara kisses him on the nose, grinning. "You're jealous and it is adorable."
"You know I get jealous." He mummers and they sit down, Tara tangling her legs with Jax's and grinning at him.
"I know, but usually over, you know, fries, your bike, hot sauce wings, and the TV remote." She teases and he laughs, brushing her hair back.
"Yeah, all that stuff is great. I'd punch people in the face for stealing my food or trying to change the channel but it's different with you and my bike Tara." He kisses her knuckles. "Don't touch the things that mean the most to me."
"You say the sweetest things." She laughs and kisses him again.
AN: S/O to whoever suggested jealousJax! Another question, how many of you have read First Son, Cursed Son?