In the meantime of dealing with the Opie situation, Jax went to Charming PD and picked up JT and brought her to Gemma's, barely saying a word to her. She didn't say much to Gemma either, just went into her bedroom and tried to get some sleep before school the next day, but was only able to toss and turn in bed, Stahl's threats replaying over and over again in her head and now she wondered if her father was angry with her because of her arrest.
The next morning, JT got up from finally falling asleep and got dressed, grabbing her bag and heading into the kitchen. Gemma was wide awake and making breakfast when JT entered the kitchen.
"Morning" Gemma greeted, pouring some juice in a cup
"Morning. You do all this?" JT asked, referring to all the food on the table
"Of course. You need energy for your first day back at school"
"I know I'm going to sound like an asshole by saying this but, do you do anything in moderation?"
"When it comes to my family, no. Now sit down and eat something"
JT sat and took a bit of everything to make her grandmother happy
"You think dad's mad at me?" she asked
"For what?"
"Because of last night. He barely said two words to me when he came to pick me up"
"Oh, sweetheart your father isn't mad at you he's got a lot on his plate right now. And let's not forget how clueless that man can be"
"You got that right"
A knock on the door diverted both their attentions. Gemma went to open the door, revealing Ray on the other side. Gemma ushered him in and made him a plate, which he happily accepted
"What are you doing here?" JT questioned
"Well, since it's your first day back at school I figured, if you weren't too cool for it, we could walk to school together" he answered
"Since when am I too cool to walk to school with my best friend? Besides, my car is technically out of commission until either ATF disappears or I turn 16"
"Good so we'll be walking then"
"Speaking of which, you live on the other side of town. What are you doing walking all the way over here just to walk with me to school?"
"Oh, uh, why not, you know. I need someone to go with, going alone really sucks"
"What about the others?"
"Didn't anyone tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"After Lena kicked you out, moms split up. Lena left with Arabella, Nick moved in with his dad and the rest of us stayed. But Jayme's been hanging with a rough crowd and I'm not really about it."
"Goddamn. What about Jude?"
"He's been upset up he'll be ok. He just doesn't understand what happened"
JT frowned and stopped picking at her food
"You two should get going" Gemma suddenly interrupted
JT grabbed her bag and the two teens set out and began their walk toward the school together.
As the day went on, JT's teachers had been giving her a pitiful look all day as they handed her the work she needed to catch up in her classes and she was beginning to remember why she hated small towns. News traveled fast and everyone knew everyone's business. By the time lunch came around, JT was ready to ditch school and head either back to Gemma's or to the shop. But with ATF on her back, she didn't want to give them a reason to take her away from Jax.
"I'm so ready to get the hell out of here" she declared with a sigh as she plopped down at the lunch table
"It can't be that bad," said Sam
"If you saw the way the teachers were looking at her, it is that bad" Ray replied
"Let me guess the 'I know all of your business and I'm judging you for it' look?" asked Drew
"Mixed with pity" agreed JT
"Oooh," Lucky said with a wince
"And if it's not the teachers it's the gossipy girls" JT seethed "Jayme isn't helping by talking with them"
"I told you she was running with a bad crowd" Ray reminded her
"Yeah, but I didn't think it was the gossiping, party girls that get drunk and high in the bathrooms"
Ray cocked an eyebrow at her and she raised her hands defensively "Just saying"
"Look Jayme may be in with that crowd and all now but that's not her. She wouldn't start doing that shit, not after all she went through"
"I'm not saying she-"
"No, but you're implying it and I don't want to hear it"
Huffing, JT got up from the table and left the cafeteria, going to the payphone in the hallway and dialing a number from a slip of paper in her bag
"Hello?" she asked
"Hello?" the voice replied
"V, hey, it's me"
"Hey, how are you? Are you ok?"
"I'm fine, I'm at school. Are you ok? I don't think I can ask you where you are"
"I can't tell you yet, I'm still on the move. But I met some guys that are going to help me out"
"What guys? V you have to be careful ATF already pulled me in for questioning about you"
"Russians, it's nothing to worry about. ATF? What did you say?"
"Nothing, obviously. I'm not stupid"
"I know. I know. I did this so that I could take care of you. No more hopping around homes and getting hurt. I don't need to get caught"
"No, you don't. And I don't need you to take care of me. I got my dad now and his family"
"What so now you don't need me anymore?"
"What? V, no that's not-"
"No, I get it. You got this nice new family so to hell with me and all I done for you"
"Vince-"
The line went dead as he hung up and JT grew frustrated pounding her fist against the wall a few times before grabbing her bag and taking off for the hospital, wanting to see Abel.
When she got to the hospital she went right up to Abel's room and right away she spotted Wendy holding Abel with Tara nearby.
"What the hell" JT demanded, bursting into the room
"JT what are you doing here?" Wendy asked, "I was just-"
"Save it. I'm telling Gemma that you're here because I know you're not supposed to be"
"She just wanted to see him before she went into her sober living house," Tara told the teen
"So? She almost killed him. She doesn't deserve to see him, especially without dad or Gemma knowing" JT snapped
"Dad? Jax is your father?" Wendy stuttered
"Surprise"
"Ok, ok. I'll call Jax and wait for him to say I can see Abel"
JT nodded and followed Wendy out of the room.
A little while later, Jax showed up at the hospital, surprised to see his ex-wife and daughter sitting in the waiting room together
"JT what are you doing here? You're supposed to be in school"
"I left"
"Why?"
"I can't deal with that place. Those people. I don't want to go back"
"We'll talk about this after. Wendy called about seeing the baby"
"I know"
He greeted Wendy and led her toward Abel's room
"Shit. Jax, I already saw him. JT saw me with him and had me call you"
Jax chuckled "It's alright. Do you want to see him again?"
"I really do"
The three of them went back into the nursery and while Wendy held Abel JT made faces at him and Jax looked on with a smile on his face. From the other side of the wall, Tara watched with jealousy and Gemma watched her a plan formulating to get rid of the doctor.
"You got someplace to stay?" Jax asked Wendy
"Ramada" she answered, "Gotta stay away from all my old friends, you know?"
"Yeah. We changed the locks at the house"
"Oh, yeah, I know. The back door was open and I left my bags in there"
"Well we're not in there yet, so if you want to stay there until you check in..."
"What about Gemma? And I'm pretty sure your kid doesn't like me very much"
Jax looked at JT who shrugged "Yeah, good point. Ramada's probably safer"
"Mm-hmm"
Jax bent down in front of the chair and hugged JT's legs with one arm and hung the other over the arm of the chair next to Abel, smiling at Wendy and the baby.
JT didn't get to talk to Jax for the rest of the day, spending time with Gemma running errands and getting things ready for when Abel came home. They went back to the house to find Wendy in the kitchen,
"Jax said it was ok if I stayed here," she told them
"I know" JT replied
"Yeah. It is" Gemma said
"Ok"
JT sat down in a chair while Gemma pawed through the bags of groceries
"Sit down," she told Wendy
Wendy was hesitant to move at first but eventually sat in the chair across from JT
"How much time you got?" Gemma asked
"64 days" Wendy answered, "I'm not gonna make any promises this time. I guess we'll just see what happens"
"You know Abel comes home tomorrow" JT mentioned
"I know. He's a lucky kid" Wendy nodded, "He's got crazy-fierce grandma looking after him"
"Yeah, and his psycho protective big sister" Gemma agreed
JT smirked
"I'm not seeking custody, Gemma. I just went by there because I wanted to see him and just say sorry for what I did"
"Amends," said JT
"Yeah"
Gemma sighed "Well, I guess I...guess I owe you some. Shit I did to you. All a reaction to him almost dying"
"I know"
"We all pulled through"
"I guess we did"
Gemma sighed again and pulled a chair out, sitting next to Wendy
"Do you still love Jax?" She asked
"Sure I-I guess" Wendy replied
"No. It's not a guess. He's still your husband, father of your child. Do you love him?"
"Yeah"
JT suddenly got a lot more interested in the conversation, wondering what Gemma was playing at
"Do you want this family back together?"
"I-I don't know if I'm ready for that"
"When you're ready...you want this family back?"
"It's the only thing I want" Wendy admitted
"Abel needs his mom. Jax needs his wife. You stay clean, pull your shit together, I will do whatever I can to help make that happen" Gemma then grabbed Wendy's face and kissed her on the lips "You get some sleep. Come on, baby. Let's go home"
JT got up and followed Gemma out the door and into the car
"What was that?" she asked her grandmother
"What was what?"
"That with Wendy in there. You forgive her for what she did to Abel? Want her to get back with Jax?"
"No baby, I'm protecting Jax and you and your brother"
"How? By giving Wendy false hope that shit's going to go back to the way it was?"
"Don't you worry about it. I'll be taking care of her"
"And Tara?"
"Tara?"
"I know this has something to do with her rubbing up on Jax"
"It's nothing you need to worry about. Now, what are we doing with you and school?"
"I really don't want to go back there. I got no backup and all these bastards do is talk about the shit that happened to me"
"What about Ray?"
"We got into it. I don't think he's got my back anymore"
"Jude listen to me, you and Ray aren't going to fall out over one fight. You telling me that if something happened to him you wouldn't help him out?"
JT shifted in her seat "No. I'd still have his back"
"And he's got yours even if you two are having petty little fights. And what about that goth kid and his brother? They're indebted to you"
"Our fight wasn't exactly petty. And Sam and Drew don't owe me anything"
"You saved that kid's ass. He owes you. What was the fight about?"
"Jayme's been hanging out with these girls that drink and do drugs in the bathrooms and shit and I may or may not have insinuated that she was using too and he got pissed"
"He'll get over it. He probably got mad because he knows it's true"
"Yeah well I was getting it from all sides today and I didn't want to deal with it"
"From all sides?"
"Yeah. Not just Ray"
"Who are we talking about?"
"Can't tell you"
"Well, what did this person say?"
"Can't tell you"
Gemma gave her a look as she pulled the car into the driveway
"What's your take on this? What should I do?" JT asked
"Go back. Show them you aren't intimidated by what they say. You're a Teller. Tellers don't run away from their problems"
"Jax did"
"Your father is an idiot. And he's owning up to his shit"
"So what I'm hearing is that I need to go back and own the shit they're saying about me"
Gemma nodded "Just like a queen baby"
JT sighed and leaned against the doorframe "Then I guess I should do my homework"
She launched herself off of the doorframe and went to her room, pulling out her work while Gemma watched over her, wondering what secrets her granddaughter was keeping.
A/N: This story LIVESSS! JT is back and so is my inspiration for the story so let me know what you guys think!