Back again with a long update with lots of juicy Ace and Alex backstory enjoy! Reviews always welcome x
Ace was eighteen when he first felt real jealousy.
Him and the guys had been drag racing down by the river. The roads were mostly used by long haul truckers making them long, straight and empty. Perfect for breaking speed limits and playing games of chicken with the few trucks that did venture down this path.
"You're a pussy desjardins" Ace roared over the screech of his engine. The pick up beside him was beginning to lag behind as it failed to keep up with his own suped up engine. He felt a kick to the back of his seat.
"Hey don't drag my good name as well!"
The voice came from a fifteen year old Alex. She was lay across the back seat. The wind flicking through her hair as she soaked up the early July sun.
"You ain't got a good name" Ace quipped back. He smirked as he felt her sit up to rest her chin on the back of his seat.
"It's a hell of a lot cleaner than yours, John"
His head turned to catch her eyes, he paid little attention to the stretch of road ahead and instead focused on the bright green irises in front of him.
"You're dead Lex, you know that right?"
She only laughed. Kneeling in her seat to feel the rush of air whipping around her as they topped sixty on the clear stretch. She climbed into the passenger seat clumsily, all legs and limbs making Ace grin at her awkwardness.
"How much beer is left?" He asked when she was finally settled.
"None." She responded flatly without taking a glance behind her.
He gave her a shocked look, which only made her laugh again.
"You damn alcy we only bought six and you had five of them"
"Don't call me that" he responded gruffly through gritted teeth.
Alex caught herself. If there was anything he hated more it was being compared to his father.
"Let's head back to town, we can grab some more."
Ace pressed the break gently, slowing to meet Vince's truck before heading for the turn back to town. The truck followed heading to the tiny store a block or so off the main strip.
"What time is it?" Alex asked lazily, once again lounging in the back seat. She wore Ace's sunglasses as she dozed, her legs hanging over the car door.
"A little after three" Ace responded reading the dashboard clock from the corner of his eye.
Alex shot awake. Her eyes took a second to adjust as she tore off Ace's glasses quickly handing them back to him.
"Gotta go" she muttered, jumping over the back seat without opening the door.
"Where the fuck you going?" Ace asked mildly irritated.
"I'll explain later" she called back hightailing down the sidewalk and taking a sharp turn down the end of the block.
"The fuck was that?" He asked again craning his neck to Eyeball and Vince who lay in the back of the pickup.
Vince rolled his eyes, taking a smoke from Eyeballs open packet.
"She's been like this all week" he started laughing the Winston between his lips "there's this guy who she's been hanging out with, spends all her time with him now."
The pang in Ace's chest nearly winded him and he felt a white hot burn across his skin. He kept his calm poker face only allowing his jaw to tighten and relax as he held his tongue.
"Some guy huh? Who is he?"
Vince shrugged, his disinterest apparent.
"He's in the grade below us I think, she calls him Jax or something, last name Evans. Started hanging out with him a couple weeks ago, kept it pretty quiet so reckon somethings going on."
Ace tasted a sour note across his tongue as he spoke.
"You're not interested in some guy whose fucking your sister?"
Vince choked on his cigarette as Eyeball only laughed mockingly "Jesus Ace I don't need that in my mind" He shook his head as if erasing the thought.
Ace took a moment. Trying to calm his obvious interest.
"Look" Vince started again "if she was like any other girl round here maybe I'd care, but she's big enough and bad enough to look after herself. Why should I give a shit?"
And with that the conversation was left.
Over the next week or so Ace learnt as much as he could about Jax.
He was sixteen and in the grade below Ace as Vince had told him. A kid with a bad attitude and a growing reputation. He heard about his supposed string of girls with broken hearts, the fights he started round school, his brushes with the law and his arrogant persona. Ace hated the kid.
For weeks he had only seem glimpses of Alex. She seemed happy, which Ace tried to take some solace from but he only felt bitter and resentful.
The first time he came face to face with Jax was by chance. He had entered the diner with Eyeball and spotted Lex in a booth, one leg pulled to her chest while the other was draped across a strange boys lap.
The boy's dark hair was swept back in a similar way to Ace's but his brown eyes were deeper set against his high cheekbones. He wore a black T-shirt with an accompanying denim shirt unbuttoned over the top. He had a gentle smile that fell into a smirk as he leaned towards Alex to brush a stray hair from her face.
Ace felt sick to his stomach. He glared through his peripheral watching them flirt and joke feeling more nauseous as the seconds went by. It had been a long time since he had thought of Alex as anything but a friend. In this time he had gone through girls like pocket change and Lex has never whispered a syllable. So why when the tables were turned was he stick with this gnawing feeling in his chest?
"Vince you're pretty calm for a guy whose sister is getting felt up at the next table" Eyeball was the first to comment, sniggering childishly.
Vince rolled his eyes and Ace bit his tongue. Desperately trying to ignore the way this guy ran his hands across her soft skin.
"They're going steady now, or so I've heard. Barely seen her in weeks" Vince repeated half heartedly thumbing through the menu.
"Neither have I" Ace uttered more to himself than the others "We should go introduce ourselves boys, we are friends of Alex after all" his tone was light, almost mocking but he doubted any of the boys noticed.
Ace fixed his hair and popped his collar before sauntering over to their booth, his signature smirk set on his face. Eyeball and Vince ignored this staying in their seats.
"Well what the fuck do we have here" he sneered. Alex's head spun to look at him a slight air of annoyance in her eyes.
"Hi… Ace"
"Lex" he drawled her name but his eyes didn't leave the boy beside her. He shifted in his seat uncomfortable under Ace's cold stare.
Now certain that this wasn't just a passing chat she offered the seat across from them.
"Jax this is Ace. Ace, Jax" She motioned to each in turn. Both looked at each other with cold eyes, Jax held out his hand but Ace didn't take it. Instead he pulled out a smoke, lit it and reclined further back into his seat. He clasped the filter with his teeth as he spoke.
"So this your boyfriend then Lex, didn't even think to let me meet them."
She held her ground, her irritation showing apparent across her face.
"Maybe cause I thought you'd act like this."
"What?" Ace sneered "Not scared are you Jay?"
Alex felt his arm tense under her touch.
"Jax" he reminded him "I've heard a lot about you"
Ace lips turned into a cruel expression "So has everyone kid, so you better watch your step" he leant in as he spoke his voice a mocking growl. Alex was growing more frustrated by the minute. She went to say something but Jax threw his arm in front of her.
"You seem pretty mad about something man. I don't even know you." His voice was mildly taunting. Jax may have been younger but he had a nerve that looked past Ace's history of kicking the ass of anyone who spoke back to him.
"You don't wanna see what I'm like when I'm mad" Ace spat, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
The two were like lions pushing each other to see who would snap first.
"Why you so upset Ace?" Jax lit a cigarette holding it between his thumb and forefinger, he let the end tilt dangerously close to his palm. "If I didn't know any better I'd think you were jealous."
Alex could feel the rage radiating from the blonde boy's skin. She leapt into action grabbing Ace's arm and dragging him to the door. He resisted initially but melted into her grip when she pulled a second time. His eyes were still glaring at the younger boy.
Jax's low chuckle followed them until the diner door shut behind them.
"So that's the asshole you're dating?" Ace roared a mocking laugh directly in Alex's face. Her cheeks began to flush with a mix of both anger and humiliation.
"You don't even know him!" She spat "You thought you would come over just to ruin my day? What's your problem?!"
"He's a scumbag Alex" he muttered "I heard he goes through girls like I do"
"I thought you would know better than anyone not to judge someone on their reputation"
He gritted his teeth. He leaned in closer, his voice was soft but cruel.
"He'll screw you over, like every other girl, just watch."
Alex fought her urge to slap the smirk off his face. Instead she turned to walk away.
"You hate him cause he's just like you"
His tongue tasted metallic and he noticed he had broken the skin of his cheek with his gritted teeth. He spat leaving a splatter of red on the pavement. His eyes followed Alex through the diner window as she returned to her table.
His stomach turned when he watched him wrap his arm around her. He pulled her close, pushing a strand of hair away from her face. Their lips met. Ace couldn't bare to watch anymore, but he knew Jax was watching him.
The next few weeks was the longest time the two had ever spent apart. Both as stubborn as each other they refused to break their icy silence. Ace coped as he was always did, drinking too much and working his way through a string of nameless girls that were foolish enough to fall for his charm.
He heard rumours about Alex and Jax although he tried not to listen. They were mostly crude stories that he doubted were true, he was told himself the Lex he knew wasn't like that.
He was fixing up his engine down by the bridge when he heard the news from two boys fishing over head.
"I'm telling you it's true! She busted his nose in the middle of the parking lot in front of everyone. Took five guys to drag her off him!"
"Guess he had it coming, as if he kissed another girl right outside school and didn't expect her to find out."
"What did she expect? Jax is a player"
Ace's arms tensed up, his ears pricking at the mention of that name.
"He was lucky she was alone, her brother is a Cobra and she hangs out with that Ace guy. He's even scarier than Jax"
"So what happened after?"
"No idea, Alex took off after she broke his nose while everyone was looking at his busted face. Guess we'll have to see if she shows up to school. Can't feel good getting your heartbroken like that."
Ace had barely shut the door before he began to drive away. He fought his instinct to find Jax, give him something way worse than a busted nose and a black eye. Instead he sped down the dirt road ahead of him. His knuckles tensed around the wheel so tight he worried it would snap all together but he doubted even that would calm his rage.
He drove without focusing on his surroundings, allowing his instincts to direct him to where he knew he'd find her. It was close to dusk by the time he reached the junkyard, the shadows were getting longer and the temperature had begun to drop.
It didn't seem like Alex had noticed or at least it didn't look like she cared. She lay across the dented hood of an old battered car that had been left to rust. Her knees pointed up and her back soaking in the cold metal beneath her as she alternated between sips of vodka and drags of her cigarette.
She didn't know how much time has passed, but the alcohol was making her head swim and her vision cloud. This didn't slow her down. The low thrum of an engine came into ear shot but she was too apathetic to lean up and see who it was.
She grabbed another cigarette from the packet, sparking the end with the dwindling embers of her previous one. The noise of the engine got louder as she heard the crunch of gravel under tires coming to a stop a few feet away from her. She screwed her eyes shut, taking a long drag of bitter smoke from her cigarette. The thud of a car door and the shuffle of steps didn't phase her. His cheap cologne gave him away immediately.
"Go away" she mumbled. She reached for the bottle with a clumsy grip but he snatched it before she could.
"Fuck you" she spat but he didn't respond, instead he climbed onto the hood next to her, taking eager sips of the half empty bottle. They sat in silence listening to Alex's shuddering breath.
"Just say it" she slurred after a few minutes, her eyes opening to finally look at him. Ace's expression remained stone like, which only infuriated her more. She sat up abruptly clasping her head as the world began to spin again.
"Just say how you're always right and you knew this would happen and I'm a fucking idiot for ever having any feelings like this!" Her voice got louder as she went on, she felt a tightening in her chest and fought to swallow back the tears building behind her eyes. Ace still stayed silent, his icy blue eyes cutting right through her. She wanted to hit him, hurt him like he had hurt her that day at the diner. She was mad that he never came to see her after that day, she was mad at herself that she didn't go see him. And now he sat inches away without a word.
"For fucks sake Ace say something anyth-" she was cut off before she could finish. Strong arms wrapped around her in the tightest of bear hugs. Her breath caught in her chest and she tried desperately to keep her body ridgid against his comforting embrace. But she couldn't. He placed a hand in her hair and her face nestled deeper into his chest, within seconds she felt the tell tale hot trails of tears running down her cheeks. She tried desperately to wipe them away before he saw them, but she knew his shirt was already starting to soak up the tiny drops.
She hated feeling weak and vulnerable in front of Ace, she expected him to mock her for this outlandish display of emotion. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment and she pushed at his chest to create some space between them. His arms only gripped tighter around her and eventually she relaxed into his embrace.
They eventually let go when her quiet sobs had finished and she quickly wiped the remaining tears from her face.
"Don't cry over him. He's a piece of shit Alex and he's gonna hurt a lot more than you do when I see him." Ace's nostrils flared at the thought but his voice remained steady and calm.
"How do you stay so calm all the time?" her voice was raspy and hoarse. Pictures of Jax, face first on the pavement flashed before his eyes when he looked at her bloodshot eyes and tear stained cheeks.
He wanted to say how he really felt. That his dad spent so many years beating his ass as soon as a tear would swell in his eye that he didn't think he was capable of crying anymore. He couldn't remember how it felt to be sad or heartbroken, the tragedy in his life had lead to nothing but feelings of disappointment and bitterness. He'd repressed any real emotions for so long that now he doubted he could ever feel them again. Alex's eyes were still on him and he scrambled to find his words.
"You're a Cobra Lex, Cobras don't have feelings" he stated flatly but she only scoffed in return.
"Am I?" her laugh was half assed and resentful as she lit another cigarette "I'm Vince's kid sister, I just hang around you guys. I don't even have the tattoo" she said motioning to her arm.
"Well let's change that" He took the filter from her lips and placed it between his own. He walked towards his car the bottle of vodka swinging between his fingers. He returned, switch blade in hand and Alex felt a twinge of fear.
"Do you trust me?" Her eyes darted to the blade as it glinted slightly, the sight of it quickly sobered her up. He took the vodka and poured it over the cold metal in an attempt to sterilise it before taking her hand and seating her on the bonnet. He held the smoke with his teeth and began to roll up her sleeve but she jumped away.
"Wait, if my Dad sees it he'll kill me, for real this time!"
He leant back slightly, taking another long drag of his cigarette.
"Your choice Lex, do you want it or not?"
She thought for a second, scanning her eyes over her limbs for any available spot. She lifted the hem of her shirt slightly.
"My hip" she tapped the strip of denim covering the spot "that way I'll know it's there but I don't have to risk my Vince or my Dad beating my ass."
"Victim's choice" he smirked. She leant back against the car bonnet and fought to stop the goosebumps appearing across her skin as Ace began to pull down the waist band of her shorts.
"You're gonna want another swig of this. It ain't pretty."
She gulped eagerly her body trembling slightly as Ace levelled his hand.
"Fuck!" She yelped as the first incision pierced her skin, she stayed perfectly still not wanting to ruin the lines appearing across her skin. A hot numbness spread across the thin skin and she groaned with each cut.
"Shut up" he groaned back at her complaints "You wanted this" his voice was kinder than the words he spoke. He passed her the cigarette from between his lips in hopes it would distract her.
"There" he muttered when it was finally done. Alex looked down at the white grooves across her skin that had slowly filled with crimson spots.
"No turning back now Lex, that's forever." He said a playful grin across his lips. The pain was beginning to dull and the permanence of the action was starting to set in. She expected to feel some sense of regret but instead all she felt was a warm glow throughout her chest. She felt Ace's eyes on her watching the wide smile spread across her face.
"I love it."
For the first time ever Alex felt like she belonged somewhere. Forever.
