The song for this chapter is It's Not Over by Chris Daughtry.
Honey gripped Happy's hand tightly beneath the table, infinitely grateful that despite what had went on in the Hollywood hotel room, he was still her best friend. Her eyes were burning holes straight into the side of Cherry's head, her lips twisted in a grimace as she watches the older girl practically making out with Half Sack at the end of the table. He didn't push her away, which hurt somewhere deep in her heart where she still had some hope, yet he didn't seem as enthused by her advances as he should be.
On her other side, Ellie was chattering about starting sixth grade next month. Honey listened to her, smiling as she notices Opie and Donna sitting with their heads close together, looking happier than they had in awhile. Maybe everyone is healing.
"So, you're Clay's daughter?" The voice came across the table like a knife, popping Honey's hopeful bubble that she had tried to hang onto all day.
"Stepdaughter, actually." She forces a smile, turning to face Cherry as she grips Happy's hand tightly. "But yeah."
"That must be so cool, being the president's stepdaughter." Cherry props her head up on her hand, staring at Honey with interest in her dark eyes.
Honey shrugs uncomfortably, poking at the condensation beading on the outside of her Sprite can. "I guess. I try not to get into the club too much." Please let it go.
"Oh, why? You don't want to be an old lady?" Cherry presses forward, her thin brows furrowed as if she couldn't fathom the princess of SAMCRO not wanting the life.
"If I ever met a Son who I loved and who was honest with me, then sure. But I don't want to date a member of the club just for the sake of becoming an old lady." Like you. She left the last bit unsaid, trying to be nice even though every instinct was screaming at her to reach across the table and rip the girl's hair out. Maybe she's a nice girl. After all, she didn't know you were with him.
Cherry hums softly then smiles, leaning into Half Sack's side. "Well, as soon as Kip gets patched in, I'll be his old lady."
"Good for you." Honey's smile became even more forced and she stood up quickly, bumping her leg on the table and getting everyone's attention. Her cheeks flush and she looks down at Donna pleadingly, feeling like she was drowning all of a sudden.
Donna stands and puts a hand to her forehead, her face scrunched in pain. "Oh, I think I feel a migraine. Honey?"
"Come inside, I'll find the tylenol!" Honey offers enthusiastically, locking her arm with Donna's as they hurry inside leaving the others to stare after them in confusion.
Inside, Donna immediately wraps her arms around Honey and holds her closely as Honey takes a shuddering breath, her face tucked against Donna's soft grey tshirt. "Have you ever just wanted to start over?" She mumbles, looking up at the older woman with tears in her eyes, though she had been successful in not letting any fall onto her cheeks.
"All the time." Donna smiles sadly before looking out the window above the sink, seeing Opie and the kids sitting together closely for the first time in ages. "But then I remember that things aren't all bad."
"I don't want to be around them." Honey swallows hard and tries to wipe her eyes gently so as not to smudge her makeup. "He makes me crazy, and I used to think it was a good thing but now...I used to have dignity. I wouldn't sleep around, I wouldn't sit around waiting for a guy to approve of my existence. I don't know how to get that back."
Donna sighs and runs her fingers through Honey's hair, her other hand rubbing Honey's back below her shirt. "I don't know what to tell you, Honey. You have to figure it out for yourself. I know it hurts, but you're stronger than you think you are."
Honey shakes her head, looking down as she pulls away and wipes the tears from her cheeks just as the back door opens. Tara steps in worriedly, frowning as she sees Honey in Donna's arms. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay..." She says hesitantly, glancing at Donna, then at Honey curiously.
"Thanks." Donna offers a small smile at the woman before patting Honey's back gently. "C'mon, fix your makeup and we'll sit in here if you want. The guys'll be going to the club soon anyway."
Honey nods and hurries upstairs to her bathroom to fix her smudged eyeliner and, after a moment of deliberation, switches her nude lipstick for a matte red. 'Be a badass, Honey.' She tried to pep talk herself as she made her way downstairs. To her surprise, instead of Tara and Donna in the kitchen she found Happy.
"You good?" He asks, though she's pretty positive he's talking about more than her freak out.
Her cheeks flush as she nods, leaning against the doorway as she has a brief flash of a memory of his warm, muscular body settling over her. "...yeah. Yeah, I'm good. Are you?" She couldn't remember the particulars but she knew she had passed out on him after a bit of touching.
He nods, standing up from the table and coming over to her. "I'm fine. Ride?" He offers, gently brushing a stray tendril of hair away from her face.
"Sure." She smiles as she slips her hand down to his, lacing their fingers together as they leave the house and walk out to the line of bikes outside.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
The clubhouse was wild already. The sun was just beginning to set but croweaters were out and about already, along with the Sons and some of their family members as well. The real party would start after the fireworks, after the families had gone home and left the Sons to their bottles and whores.
Honey had sought out Lisa and Joanna, grabbing herself a beer as she passed through the clubhouse on the way out back to the barbecue area. Lisa gave her a bright smile from her perch on the table, Joanna beside her on the bench seat reapplying her pink lipstick. "Hey." Honey plopped down beside Joanna, sighing as she takes a gulp of her beer.
"Oh, look. The princess remembers our names." Joanna teases with a playful nudge to Honey's shoulder. Honey laughs softly and shakes her head, looking out at the red and orange hued sunset.
"Yup, and I've come to annoy you both all night so deal with it." Honey grins, then smiles as Lisa pats her leg gently.
"Nah, you're gonna be one of us tonight." Lisa declares with a haughty glance at Gemma. "You're gonna be one of the girls, and Gemma can just deal with it."
"Gemma Morrow has never just dealt with anything." Honey laughs but gives the older woman a quick hug to show she appreciated the effort. "But thanks. Show me the ways of croweatering, please."
Lisa smiles and leans forward, her eyes roaming the party before rolling as she mouths, "Nevada."
Honey frowns in confusion before grimacing as Cherry plops down beside her. "Hey, guys!"
A chorus of less than enthusiastic greetings rang out from the group before Honey downs her beer in one long gulp. "Hey, Joanna?"
Joanna looks up with a smile and Honey grins, her eyes lingering on the young girl for a moment. She couldn't be any more than 19 and she had told Honey one morning that she was taking astronomy classes at UCLA. Honey supposed that meant once fall came she'd be gone.
"How do you organize a space party?" Honey says, leaning back against the table as she gazes back up at the sky, watching the reds and oranges fade to purples and pinks.
Joanna's brows furrow as she thinks it over for a moment before shrugging. "I dunno. How?"
Honey glances at Lisa and Cherry who both shrug. She smiles cheekily at them then says, "You plan-et." Joanna chuckles and shakes her head as Lisa rolls her eyes goodnaturedly. Cherry even cracks a smile as she lights a cigarette, the smoke drifting over to Honey's face immediately. "Hey, croweatering. Teach me how." Honey claps her hands, glancing at the women by her side.
"Thought you didn't wanna be an old lady." Cherry retorts, blowing smoke rings directly into the younger girl's face and making her cough slightly.
"I don't. But croweaters rarely end up as old ladies." Honey shrugs with an apologetic glance at Lisa and Joanna. They shrug it off nonchalantly. Neither of them were looking for a crow, just a good time.
"I did." Cherry raises an eyebrow challengingly, tapping her cigarette to knock the ash off.
"You got a prospect from an out of state charter. He doesn't have to sit around knowing you've fucked all his brothers. Just my dad." Honey added the last bit out of spite, remembering the shock of seeing her mother crying in the office that day.
"Hey, I'm not into that anymore." Cherry frowns as her tone grows defensive, her lips drawing into a thin line.
"But you were. How many years were you a sweetbutt? 5, 10?" Honey raises an eyebrow at Cherry. "A member doesn't want a woman who's fucked every guy they know. They see you as a piece of ass, maybe a helpful piece of ass if you're there when they need an alibi or something, but not old lady material."
Cherry bristles in anger before standing up and stomping away, tossing her cigarette to the side. Lisa chuckles as she pats Honey on the shoulder. "Nicely said, Hon."
"Sorry, guys. She just- ugh!" She groans as she lays back against the table top, looking up at the sky. "She thinks she's special because she was such a good little sweetbutt in Nevada."
"It's okay. She needed to learn anyway, she thinks just because she's with the prospect she's somehow above everyone else." Joanna shrugs as she pats Honey's thigh gently in reassurance. Honey manages a small smile and sits up slowly.
"I guess so..." She mumbles, glancing at Lisa.
Lisa grins as she hands Honey a newly lit joint. "Alright, lesson number one."
-o-o-o-o-o-
Half Sack maneuvered his way through the crowd of bodies outside the clubhouse, searching for Cherry. She had come to him complaining about something Honey said and he had told her to tell him later after he finished stocking the bar. She stormed off and he had no clue where she was now.
As he rounded the corner of the clubhouse, he caught sight of Honey's long pale legs stretched out from the building where she was leaned. She was holding a joint in one hand, her other hand clasped around her wrist as she looks up at the sky with a soft smile. Her dark hair was in loose curls and her makeup reminded him of the old pinup poster hanging in the office above the desk.
He lingers by the corner, not sure whether or not to approach her. After all, they were working on things weren't they? But at the same time, she had just told his girlfriend off.
He opens his mouth to speak but is cut off by the loud snaps of fireworks. He watches the smile deepen on Honey's ruby red lips, smiling himself as he realizes he's seeing something not everyone gets to see about her. She takes a drag from the joint before grinning as a pop of blue showers across the sky. She waits for a moment then giggles as a crackling sound fills the sky and he looks up just in time to see a shower of gold sparkles raining down.
He smiles softly and turns to go only to trip over the trash can set up behind him. Honey stands straight up, her eyes darting over to him and she sighs softly, looking down at her boots. "What're you doing?"
"I was uh...just...walking around." He shrugs and carefully avoids the trash can as he leans against the wall beside her, his shoulder brushing against his. "What're you doing back here?"
"Watching the fireworks. You can see them the best back here..." She trails off then smiles as she nudges him playfully. "C'mon, I'll show you something."
"Where are we going?" He follows her as she hurries across the lot to the ladder leading up to the roof of the office.
She pauses with one foot on the bottom rung, the other on the pavement as she looks back at him. "If I fall, will you catch me?" She frowns, her eyes staring into his imploringly as her teeth make small indents in her bottom lip.
"Of course." He murmurs, completely truthful as he stands behind her, ready to clamber up behind or catch her if she were to lose her footing on the old ladder.
She nods slowly, giving him a soft smile as she resumes her climb, lifting herself up onto the concrete roof and waving down at him. "C'mon, hurry!"
He chuckles as he follows her, plopping down beside her on the cool concrete. "What are we doing?"
She doesn't respond, she simply points up at the sky. He watches, his brows furrowing as nothing happens for a moment. As he opens his mouth to repeat himself, there is a loud boom and suddenly the sky is lit up woth a rainbow of fireworks. He smiles as he hears Honey giggle, her smaller hand finding his and lacing their fingers together between their bodies as the firework show fills the night sky.
He watches her out of the corner of his eye, loving the way her eyes lit up each time the fireworks crackled, the colorful reflection turning her eyes into small orbs of shifting color. "Honey," He says softly before he even thought it through. As her eyes turn to his, still glowing with happiness, he leans down and captures her lips in a soft, sweet kiss.
She stays unresponsive for a moment and he wonders if she'll punch him after he pulls away, then slowly her lips part against his and she returns the kiss, her other hand coming up to rest on his cheek, her fingertips brushing over the stubble on his jaw. He slips one arm around her waist, holding her close as their tongues brush against each other, rediscovering the familiar feeling. Her lips felt like velvet beneath his, warm and soft just as they always were. When he felt his lhngs beginning to ache with lack of air, he pulls away reluctantly and presses his lips gently against her forehead, whispering, "I missed that."
There's a moment of silence before she replies. "Me too." She murmurs, laying her head on his chest gently and closing her eyes as she listens to her heart thumping in her ears like a drum.
The fireworks show reached it's crescendo above their heads, filling the sky with vibrant colors as he held the girl he'd stupidly let go, letting himself believe that everything would be fine because, in that moment, it felt like he had never lost her.
-o-o-o-o-o-
The next morning, Honey woke up with her face pressed against a pillow that smelled of Axe and cigarette smoke, wearing her panties and one of Half Sack's tshirts. She lays there a moment, letting a small smile bloom on her face as she savors the moment before slowly getting up and noticing the folded pile of clothes on the nightstand. Gently grabbing the note laid on top, she reads it as she walks to the bathroom.
Hope these are okay, it's all I could find in my laundry. See you later :)
Honey smiles softly, tucking the note under the pile of clothes on the counter to save before undressing and climbing into the shower. The warm shower soothed some of her sore muscles and she let the steam fill the small shower as she cleared her thoughts, a soft, content smile on her lips.
Last night, she and Kip had talked for hours on top of the office, long after the fireworks ended and the sounds of the raucous party below began. She wasn't sure when she had started to doze off, but he had carefully guided her down the ladder and into his dorm for the night. She had pulled him down beside her and wrapped herself around him just as she always did, before he could protest.
She reaches down and turns the water off before stepping out and drying off, grabbing the thin, black cami dress that she had left in his dorm one of the last evenings she had stayed here. Her fingers button it up surely as she looks into the mirror above the bathroom sink, a soft smile playing at the corners of her lips as she lets herself enjoy the moment, the soft, lingering smell of Kip's cologne on the cotton of her dress. She slips on the panties he had found her, a soft lavender pair that hugged her ass. One of his old favorites.
As she turns to walk out, she slips her feet into her shoes and grabs her phone, humming happily as she opens the dorm door only to be met by Cherry, her hand outstretched to grasp the doorknob.
"What are you doing in here?" Cherry asks, her eyebrows furrowing as she throws the younger girl a suspicious glare.
"I was using Half Sack's shower." Honey brushes past Cherry and walks into the bar, sighing softly as she begins to gather up some of the bottles littering the bar. Cherry trails behind her, crossing her arms over her chest as she watches Honey move, clearly dismissing her.
"Why would he let you use his shower?" She presses on, her scowl deepening as Honey shrugs nonchalantly.
"Because I asked nicely like a good girl?" Honey rolls her eyes as she turns to the sink to empty the bottles, lining them up on the counter.
Cherry scoffs, grabbing Honey's arm and turning her to face her, shocking Honey with the sudden show of strength. "Look, you little bitch, he's mine. I don't know what game you're playing, but he is mine and I won't let you take him from me. Besides, he wouldn't go for a fat, ugly, kid like you anyway."
Honey could feel her control slipping. The dull discomfort of Cherry's nails digging into her forearm drew her attention down to the woman's arm and she mindlessly murmurs, "That's not what he said when he was on top of me last night."
"What?" Cherry's eyes widen before narrowing in disbelief. "You're lying. You're such a manipulative bitch, you think just because your daddy is president that you can just do whatever the fuck you want. Guess what, Princess? The world don't work like that."
Honey jerks her arm away from Cherry's grasp, leaving small scratches from her nails. "Leave me alone, Cherry. You don't want to start this."
Cherry grabs a fistful of Honey's dark, wavy hair as she turns back to the sink. Honey lets out a startled grunt then shoves her elbow back into Cherry's stomach, knocking her against the bar and winding her long enough to land a solid uppercut to her cheek. There's a moment of silence, both girls evaluating the other before they collapse to the floor in a flurry of well aimed kicks and punches. Both girls knew their fair share of street fighting and it was clear they were evenly matched. Honey was feeling her control slipping further as she gained the upper hand, straddling Cherry as she punches her repeatedly, alternating hands until she felt the sharp sting of her knuckles splitting and she could feel the slippery warmth of her blood running down her hands. Cherry was trying to cover her face with her arms, shrieking and chanting something that Honey could barely make out. "He was mine. He was mine. He was mine..."
When warm, muscular arms wrapped around her waist, hauling her away from the bloody mess of Cherry's face, Honey realizes it was her who was chanting in between sobs. "He was mine." She whispers once more, brokenly as she slumps in the person's arms, watching a bedraggled Chibs crouch by Cherry and inspect her face.
"Go calm her down, prospect." He says softly, looking up at Honey with a questioning glance as Half Sack pulls her back into his dorm, holding her arms tightly.
Once they're in the dorm, he runs his fingers through his hair in aggravation. "Why the hell- how did- what happened- why would you-" He cuts himself off as he realizes he's backed her up against the door, his chest heaving against hers.
Honey leans up, pressing her lips against his as she murmurs, "Don't worry about it." He sighs but his hands trail down her rounded hips to cup her ass, lifting her up to wrap her legs around his hips. Her dress rides up on her thighs as she rests her hands on his cheeks, grinding her hips against his teasingly as they kiss.
His fingers slip between her thighs to pull the thin material of her panties aside, his fingertips touching her center, surprised to find her already moist. "Fuck, Honey..." He groans softly as he feels her small hands undoing his belt and jeans easily, his cock straining against the denim.
She lets out a quiet, seductive giggle as she pulls away from the kiss, pressing her lips against the pounding vein in his neck as she murmurs, "C'mon...fuck me, Kip."
He bites his lip and guides himself into her, groaning in pleasure as he sinks into her wet heat easily, his fingers pressing into the soft, fleshy cheeks of her ass as her hips raise to meet his, her soft moan matching his.
Without giving her any time to adjust, he thrusts into her hard, the old oak door creaking behind her back from the force of him pounding into her, her nails raking across his back stinging even through his work shirt as she pants and moans against his neck.
As they rock into each other harder, losing their rhythm as breathless moans and sounds of flesh slapping together fill the room, Honey lifts her head to look into his eyes and freezes. On Kip's cheeks were small, finger shaped traces of blood. From her hands, a mixture of Cherry's blood and her own.
Cherry, the woman who had no idea about any of their history or the pain she had caused by coming here. The woman who only knew that a younger girl was sneaking out of her boyfriend's room early in the morning with damp hair and a silly grin on her swollen lips. The woman who was getting her face doctored a few rooms over while her boyfriend was balls deep in another girl.
The guilt and shame hits her full force as she shudders through her orgasm, falling back against the door and swallowing hard past the lump in her throat as Kip groans and cums inside of her for the first time. He slowly pulls out, smiling as he runs his fingers through her sweat-dampened hair and kisses her forehead gently.
"Please let us start over...I love you, Honey." He whispers hoarsely, gently setting her down, only to frown as she sways on her feet. "Are you okay?"
Honey dodges his hand as he reaches out to touch her arm, her voice coming out in a strangled sob. "I need to go."
She hurriedly fixes her clothes, ignoring the wetness soaking her panties as she flees the room, leaving Half Sack standing frozen with his pants hanging around his knees.
So...that happened. Don't worry, there's a big character change coming for Honey soon, as well as some revelations. As always, thank you for reading and reviewing and I hope you continue to do so. I'm going to try to update more often once my college application craze is over.