The song for this chapter is Hey Jealousy by Gin Blossoms. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed and favorited and I hope you continue to do so.
The next day, Half Sack woke up early and laid in bed for a few minutes, counting the various aches and pains in his battered body.
Black eye? Check. Busted lip? Check. Bruised ribs? Check. Pounding headache, guilt, and fear? Check, check, and check.
Heaving a heavy sigh, he forces himself out of bed and into the shower, glad that Cherry hadn't came to the dorm looking for him. She would have brought up questions he couldn't answer, first and foremost being why did Happy beat the shit out of you?
Because I fucked up.
He lays his head against the cool tile, letting the hot water spray onto his back as he tries to piece together his thoughts. When the water turned lukewarm, he stood back and washed off then stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist, tying the ends in a knot at his hip.
He threw on an old pair of jeans and a thin grey tshirt, carrying his cut out towards the bar as he prays Happy had relaxed yesterday. Everyone on the lot had heard Gemma ranting to Clay about their daughter dragging Happy to Hollywood to see the stars on the walk of fame, so perhaps he'd be in a better mood today.
He was unprepared to see Honey leaning over the bar in a pair of sinfully short denim cutoffs. As he stood frozen in the doorway, his cut halfway on, he could see the fading bruises on her long legs, disappearing beneath the faded denim of her shorts. That sent another resounding jolt of guilt straight to his stomach.
She was humming quietly as she stood up, turning around with a sheet of paper and a gel pen in her hand. Her eyes land on him and she offers a soft smile, as if she didn't know what reaction she was going to get from him. He manages to smile back as he slips his cut all the way on. "Good morning, Honey."
"Morning." She holds the sheet of paper close, a soft blush on her cheeks as she curses herself for wearing the tiny black bralette top and shorts. 'Fuck the heat, I should've worn sweatpants and a hoodie.' "Mom gave me a list of things to do, you're supposed to help me."
"Alright." He tried to relax as he sat down at the bar, wincing slightly as the pain from his ribs takes his breath away.
She was quiet momentarily then he felt her heat beside of him at his elbow. "What happened to you?" Her voice had gone soft and he let his eyes move to rest on hers as her fingertips gently brushed over his cheekbones.
"Just a little boxing." Her eyes darken for a moment before she turns away, nodding slowly.
"If you say so. Uhm, I'm supposed to go grocery shopping for the barbeque. Do you want to come?" Again, she leaned over the bar to grab her keys and inadvertently gave him a peek of the soft, round bottoms of her ass cheeks.
"Uh...sure. Are you driving?" He had heard the other guys talk about Honey's driving and he wasn't sure he was ready to experience it himself, especially with a couple cracked ribs.
She nods and smiles at him as she smoothes her dark hair away from her neck. "Trust me, I'm not as bad as the guys think. I just like getting a reaction."
'You're getting one right now.' He shakes his head slightly and blushes as he stands up. "Alright, let's go."
They walk out to her car, her twirling her keys around her middle finger and him trying not to watch her hips swaying. He trained his eyes on the back of her knee where he saw a miniscule dot of blue, barely visible unless you were staring.
"What's that?" He asks before he realizes he's spoken. She glances over her shoulder at him and raises an eyebrow, opening her car door.
"What's what?" She jumps slightly as his hand trails down her leg, his fingertips brushing against the sensitive skin behind her knee. With a soft blush, she turns to face him and cages herself in between him and the car. "I uhm...blue. Blue tattoo ink."
He chuckles softly and lets himself enjoy being close to her for a moment, his chest nearly touching hers as he watches her chest rise and fall with her soft breaths. "You have a random dot of blue tattoo ink behind your knee?"
"Yeah, Devon has a matching one." She shrugs, unconsciously leaning into him and sniffing quietly, smiling when she smells the familiar mixture of Axe and motor oil. "I forget about it, to be honest, but we did them ourselves during spring break last year."
"That's cool." He runs his fingers through the silky strands of her hair before slowly and reluctantly pulling away and walking around to get in the passenger side. After a moment to recollect herself, Honey gets in and slowly pulls off of the lot, all too aware of the man sitting beside of her.
"So...how's life?" She murmurs, tapping her fingers in a soft rhythm on the steering wheel as she drives to the grocery store.
He shrugs, glancing out the window then over at her. "Good, I guess. How was Hollywood?"
"It was really fun. I took pictures with a lot of the stars, see?" She handed him her phone and he smiles seeing the lock screen photo was still of his hand intertwined with hers. He types in her passcode and scrolls through the album of pictures marked Hollywood.
"Wow, did you look at all the stars?" His eyes roam the pictures of Honey, enjoying her carefree smile. It amazed him how alive she looked when she wasn't stressed; he had nearly forgotten how sweet her smile was.
"A lot of them, mostly the musicians though." Honey turns into the parking lot of the grocery store and parks, letting out a breath that sounds more like a sigh. "Alright, let's go."
-o-o-o-o-o-
"Oh, come on, how have you never seen Dirty Dancing?" Honey glances back at Half Sack as she pushes their overflowing cart of groceries through the aisle, turning and leaning her back against the cart as she pauses in front of the shelf of barbeque sauces.
"I dunno, I just never had the urge to watch it." He shrugs, his hands moving to rest on her hips before he stops himself and rests one against the shelf.
She scoffs and starts grabbing bottles of the sauce her mother had on the list. "It's the best movie ever."
"Isn't it just a dance teacher screwing his students?" He frowns, then moves back as she lobs a bottle of sauce at his chest. Rolling his eyes, he tosses it into the cart and crosses his arms.
"No! It's about love, and growing up." She smiles softly as she turns back to him, gently resting her hands on his arms and leaning into him slightly. "Y'know, I think I'd consider you my Johnny."
He didn't know what to say, so he just looks down at her. She blinks once, then twice as if to clear her mind before turning back to the cart and clearing her throat quietly, hoping to hide the blush on her cheeks.
They both pretended not to notice him slipping a DVD of Dirty Dancing into the cart as they neared the checkout line.
-o-o-o-o-o-
As Honey pulled into her usual parking spot, she felt her good mood deflate. Cherry was waiting by the picnic tables, her arms crossed and a frown on her thin lips.
She had had a fun time with Half Sack and for a moment, things felt normal. It was easy to ignore the problem when it wasn't glaring at them from 6 feet away. Then the problem came back full force, tiny shorts and all, as soon as the car stopped.
"Kip, we need to talk." Even her voice grated on Honey's nerves, the strange, high pitched yet drowsy tone only irritating her further as she gets out of the car and leaves the two to their lovers' spat.
"I'm working, Cherry." Half Sack cast a worried glance at Honey but she was hidden behind the trunk, gathering bags of groceries to carry inside.
Cherry scoffs, rolling her dark eyes and looking up at him, nearly having to crane her neck whereas Honey was nearly 5'10" and could look him straight in the eye. "You're working, huh? You've been 'working' all week, we need to talk and you're avoiding me!"
"I'm busy, what do you want me to do?" He asks, running a hand through his messy hair in frustration. "You complain about me not getting patched in yet, but when I try to do shit with the club you won't get off my back!"
Honey peered around the edge of the trunk, wondering if they even remembered she was there. 'Wow, I didn't know they fought like this...' The ache in her chest was dull but the sight of Cherry so close to her, so close to her Prospect, was making Honey queasy. 'He isn't mine, and I'm not his. Cherry is his. He's hers.' She takes a deep breath as if to trap the thought in her mind before jumping slightly as Cherry storms past her, her boots thudding on the hot pavement and making Honey glad that she had worn her white Chucks rather than her own boots.
Half Sack was leaning against the drivers door, his head down and his hands stuffed in his pockets. He didn't look up as she walked over, resting her hand gently on his shoulder and saying sarcastically, "She seemed nice."
"Oh yeah. A joy." He mutters, sighing as he looks over at Honey tiredly. "C'mon, lets get the stuff inside."
She nods, then without thinking it through, she wraps her arms around his shoulders an hugs him. "I'm sorry."
He hugs her back, his hands pressing against her lower back and holding her against him as he tucks his face against her neck. "Why are you sorry?"
"For a lot of things." She looks up at him, her shoulders slumped and her lower lip quivering as much as she tried to stay calm. "Are you really happy with her?"
'Am I happy with Cherry?' He thinks for a moment before sighing softly and brushing his fingertips along Honey's exposed, tan belly. "It's not worth the drama she would cause if I told her to leave." He answers truthfully, his finger running along the silky skin just above her waistband.
She shivers slightly then blushes, biting her bottom lip gently. "Then maybe you could make her want to leave."
Before he could ask what she meant, she had grabbed a handful of bags and hurried into the clubhouse. He follows a moment later with an armload of alcohol to stock the bar.
They work in relative silence, the radio playing softly on the bar as Honey puts everything away in the kitchen and Half Sack stocks the bar, pausing to peer in at Honey after a moment. "Hey, Honey?"
"Mhm?" She looks over her shoulder at him, eyebrow raised curiously.
"What's your favorite color?" He asks out of the blue, hands full of beer bottles. She chuckles softly and bites her lip as she walks over to help him put the beer in the fridge.
"Random. I don't know, probably lavender. Or olive green." As soon as the word lavender left her lips, he was reminded of the panties Cherry had found in the laundry. He had them hidden in his dorm beneath a pile of his own dirty clothes, wondering if he should return them or not.
"You look pretty in olive green." He remembered the day they met she wore a green tshirt. She blushes and smiles as she shuts the fridge and stands by the bar.
"Thanks." They stand there a moment before she sighs. "We should finish cleaning up and stuff."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
That night as Honey drove home, she reached between the seats to find the prescription bottle of Xanax she had gotten a few days ago. She had managed to make it all day near Half Sack without wanting to curl up and cry, but now it was dark and she was alone and the pain was creeping up slowly. She swallowed one of the pills dry, sitting in the driveway and watching the shadows in the window of her house. Gemma was probably waiting to lecture her; this morning Honey had only come home long enough to shower and get the list of errands before escaping to the clubhouse, so no doubt Gemma had a few choice words for her.
Finally, when the CD playing ended and restarted at the first track, she got out of the car and trudged towards the house, trying to walk in as quietly as possible, hoping to sneak up to her room before her mother noticed her.
Gemma caught her at the base of the stairs, calling her into the dining room with a stern glare. Honey loped after her, her hands stuffed into the pockets on the hips of her shorts and her head down to let her hair cover her face. They sat at the dining room table, her mother at the head of the table and Honey by her side slumped into the seat like a worn out rag doll.
My hair needs to be cut soon. She thought, paying little attention to her mother as she began talking about responsibility. Maybe I'll get it cut shorter, like in a bob or something...
"Did you at least finish the list of errands?" Gemma snapped irritably as she watched Honey gently pawing at a strand of hair as if she were a kitten with a strand of yarn. Honey made a soft humming sound that resembled an 'mhm' while still playing with the strand of hair dangling in front of her eyes. Gemma sighs and rests her elbows on the table, leaning forward with her hands clasped. "You're on something again." It wasn't a question. Gemma recognized the glazed over look in her daughter's cloudy green eyes.
Honey nods, abandoning the hair in favor of running her nails along her wrist, a nervous habit that sent small pinpricks of discomfort through her as small red marks appeared. "Yup."
"Don't kill yourself." Gemma shakes her head, disgusted that her daughter had fallen back into her old ways, especially now of all times. She didn't have the time nor the energy to try and keep both her kids close.
"No promises." Honey shoots back, standing and walking up to her bedroom as she thinks, she couldn't care less about me.
-o-o-o-o-o-
The next morning Honey woke up at 6 sharp, feeling something akin to excitement in her stomach. The fourth of July had been one of her favorite holidays since she was a child and it was always fun to see all of her family together. She could act normal for one day. Her life could continue on it's path to complete ruin tomorrow but today, she was determined to enjoy herself.
She could hear Gemma downstairs already, so she knew she had better get ready quickly unless she wanted to get in more trouble. After a quick shower, she gets dressed in a white cropped tank top and a pair of light wash, high waisted denim shorts, already knowing it would be just as hot outside as it was yesterday.
After getting ready, she nearly skips into the kitchen with her keys twirling around her pointer finger. "Morning!"
Gemma looks up from her morning cup of coffee to stare at her daughter, confused about her sudden cheerfulness. "Morning. Where are you going?" Her eyes drift down to the silver key ring spinning around Honey's slim finger.
"Opie's house to see if Donna will bring the kids to the barbeque." Honey smiles as she grabs a bottle of apple juice from the fridge and leans against the counter drinking it. "I think it'd be nice for them to come, if they want."
Gemma nods approvingly, pursing her lips as she murmurs, "Good luck. Donna's having a real hard time letting the club in."
"I know. I don't blame her though. Opie never told her exactly what happened that night, all she knows is some club shit went wrong and her man took the fall for it." Honey shrugs and steps towards the door, running her fingers through her hair. "I'll be back in maybe an hour."
Gemma nods, pursing her lips as she mulls over what Honey said about Donna. Donna needs to accept the club, Honey. The club didn't cause Opie to get locked up. The club didn't cause you to be in whatever funk you stay in.
She didn't say any of it though. She only watched Honey walk out and listened for the sound of her car pulling out of the driveway.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Honey pulled up in front of Opie's house, seeing both of their cars home and figuring that was a good sign. She heard no fighting as she walked up the sidewalk and knocked on the door, only waiting a second before Ellie opened the door with a grin. "Honey!"
"Ellie!" Honey giggles and hugs the younger girl, running her fingers through her golden brown hair. "What are you up to?"
"Nothing. Kenny ate the last popsicle." She adds petulently, making Honey smile.
"We'll have to get him back later at the barbeque." Honey steps inside and glances around, seeing no sign of the two adults. "Where's your parents?"
"They're outside talking. Mom says we can't go to the barbeque." Ellie's eyes shift down to her bare feet and Honey sighs quietly before crouching beside her and smiling.
"Well that's why I'm here. I'll get them to let you guys come, I promise. Now go annoy your brother for me, I haven't seen him lately to do it myself." Honey grins as the girl runs off down the hallway looking much happier than she had before.
She walks towards the back door, humming quietly as she steps outside and crosses her arms, calling out, "Can the bearded giant and his mate please step forward?"
Opie shakes his head, his lips quirking in amusement as he walks over to the patio, wrapping his hands around Honey's waist and swinging her around, making her giggle before he sets her down in the yard. Donna smiles softly, arms crossed defensively over her chest as she watches them. "Hey, Honey,"
"Hey, Donna." Honey smiles at the older woman before looking up at Opie. "Your kids are probably fighting right now but it's okay, I told Ellie to annoy Kenny since I've been slacking."
Opie rolls his eyes but chuckles and steps back. "Okay. Did you just come by to start world war three between my kids or did you have a purprose?"
"Oh, you know you love it when I spread my sunshine." Honey looks up at him impishly before turning to Donna. "I would very much like you two to come to the barbeque with the kids."
Donna shakes her head immediately, "No, we're not going to-"
"Hear me out, please?" Honey pleads, wringing her hands together slightly. Donna sighs but nods reluctantly. "You blame the club for what happened to Opie, I understand that. However, this barbeque is not technically club affiliated. It's a family barbeque and even if you don't agree, Jax will always be a part of Opie's family. You know that as well as I do, when I was growing up I thought I had two brothers."
Donna looks down at the grass in front of her, her bottom lip trapped between her teeth. "We don't need any of Gemma's handouts."
"It isn't a handout. Again, it's the guys, me and Gemma," She takes a deep breath and looks down. "And the prospect's old lady."
Donna frowns immediately, remembering the day at the festival when Honey had been so in love with the Prospect. "He has an old lady?"
"Yup, a sweetbutt from Nevada." Honey scoffs, shaking her head. "I heard them arguing the other day, she seems like a bitch honestly."
"You're really selling her on the idea of bringing our kids to the barbeque, Honey." Opie teases, ruffling Honey's hair and laughing when she ducks out of reach.
"Well if I lie and shit goes down, she'll blame me. This way she knows what she's walking into." Honey shrugs and turns back to Donna. "Please consider it? Ellie seemed like she really wanted to go and I swear I won't leave her side if you want." Staring into Donna's eyes, she pleads silently. Please don't leave me alone to watch the Cherry tart make friends with my family.
Donna sighs softly and murmurs, "I'll think about it. It starts at noon, right?"
Honey nods, grinning as she throws her arms around Donna and hugs her tight. "Whenever you want to show up, I'll be there." She whispers quietly, "Thank you."
Donna nods, whispering, "I'm sorry about...you know."
"Me too." Honey shrugs as she pulls away, smiling sadly. "I'll see you two later, I gotta get home before mom loses her mind."
Opie hugs her once more, whispering a thank you into her hair and making her smile as she walks back through the house, stopping by the kids room where she could hear them wrestling and arguing. She slips inside and laughs seeing Ellie pulling Kenny's hair. "Good job, El. Guess what?"
"We get to go?" Kenny asks, his voice muffled by Ellie's arms.
"I think so." Honey smiles as she gently pushes Ellie away from Kenny and sits down between them. "Don't mention anything to her though."
Ellie nods and hugs her while Kenny grins and lays his head on her shoulder. "Thanks, Aunt Honey." He mumbles, yawning softly then reaching over to poke his sisters arm.
"You're welcome. Now I have to go help my mom cook, but I'll see you two later, okay?" She waits for them both to nod then hugs them both, smiling when they hug her back.
When they finally let go, she stands up and walks towards the front door, hearing the kids already talking happily.
-o-o-o-o-o-
"Stop it." Half Sack groans as he pushes Cherry away as gently as he could manage. She scoffs and climbs off of him, the sheet falling away from her naked body as she kneels beside him.
"What is your problem?" She demands, watching as he sits up wordlessly and reaches for his jeans.
"I don't have a problem." He shrugs as he pulls his jeans up, standing up and grabbing a shirt from the pile of laundry that Cherry had made no effort at all to put away.
She rolls her eyes, reaching into the floor to grab her shorts and tank top she had shed before bed. "Whatever. You've been pissy with me since yesterday, for no reason."
"You get mad no matter what I do, don't you?" He laughs humorlessly, shaking his head. "I'm a prospect, that isn't good enough but you get pissed when I have to work. You say the apartment is shitty but you don't work to get anything better, you don't clean your own shit. You get pissed and cause a scene, in front of the club members, and then get mad at me when I don't want to fuck you before a family party?"
They both looked shocked when he stopped his rant. He swallows hard before turning to walk into the living room, not wanting to stay in that room any longer than he needed to. Cherry's soft footsteps followed him but he didn't look back as he stepped outside. "Kip, wait."
"Get ready for the barbeque. I'll be downstairs." He mutters, his back tensed as he walks down to his bike and grabs his phone.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Honey was helping her mother and Luann season steaks when she felt her phone vibrate against her thigh. She checked the screen and frowned seeing the unread text.
Kip: hey
She replied before she even thought about it, her fingers flying over the buttons on her phone.
Elizabeth: hey...you okay?
She stepped into the living room away from her mom's prying eyes.
Kip: i guess. Fight this morning.
She ignored the little voice telling her he deserved for Cherry to be a bitch to him.
Elizabeth: sorry...I could poison her if you want
She couldn't hold back her laughter at his reply.
Kip: nah, you're too pretty to go to jail. Plus i think she's venomous enough she's probably immune to poison.
Honey: good point...ill see you today?
Kip: yeah
Honey grins as she walks back into the kitchen and continues helping the women cook. Not too long after, people began showing up beginning with Jax and Tara.
Tara stood awkwardly in the doorway as Jax greets his mom and sister, then steals a couple grapes from Honey's snack bowl. "Hey, asshole. My grapes." Honey pouts before smiling over at Tara. "Hey Tara. Want to help me with the coolers?"
Tara nods eagerly, giving her a grateful smile as they walk out to the spacious back yard. "Thanks. Your mom was giving me glares that could kill a priest."
"I know the feeling, she's given me that look since I was born." Honey laughs and sits down in one of the patio chairs, relaxing. "So, how are you and Jax?"
Tara looks away, frowning as she plays with a loose thread on her jeans. "We're only friends, Honey."
"I didn't say you weren't, I just wanted to know if you two were being friendly with each other or you just came to see me and my stunning personality." Honey shrugs, then smiles when Tara laughs.
"Maybe I just came for the food." Tara offers jokingly, leaning back in her chair.
Honey laughs and shakes her head, looking over at the older woman seriously. "Nah, that's Jax's job."
They burst into giggles, even though it wasn't anything hilarious. It felt good for both of them to just relax for a moment and forget the stresses that came with the club life.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Half Sack and Cherry were one of the last to show and he knew he looked agitated when they walked out to the backyard where everyone had already gathered. Most of the guys were crowded at the long table, except Happy, Jax, and Opie who had started a casual game of football with Honey. She was sprinting across the yard with the ball clutched to her chest, using her size to her advantage to outrun the guys.
"Who is she?" Cherry asks from his side, her hand clutching his.
"Honey. Clay's stepdaughter." He steps away from her and gestures to the table. "I'm gonna go get a drink."
"Okay." She watches him go then sighs as she walks over to an empty seat at the end of the table.
Half Sack grabs a coke from the cooler at the same time a smaller, red nailed hand reaches for a Sprite. He looks up and smiles seeing Honey's face nearly glowing in front of him. "Having fun?"
"Hell yeah. I just won at football." She looks over at Happy as she sips her Sprite, leaning against the table set up to hold the food. "Are you okay with that?" She nods towards Cherry, looking up at him in concern.
He nods, running a hand through his hair as he looks down into Honey's eyes. "I think so. At least for today, she'll be good."
Honey nods and pats his hand gently before returning to her seat between Happy and Opie as he returns to his beside Cherry.