Chapter 26:

You were red
and you liked me because I was blue

But you touched me
and suddenly, I was a lilac sky

Then you decided purple
just wasn't for you

―Colors by Halsey

Marceline sat on the floor of her living room, her back to the door with a trail of dried tears staining either cheek. She didn't know what to do with herself, if she should simply curl into a ball and cry until there was nothing left or if she should figure out why bad things always seemed to find their way to her.

Things were going so well. With the Sons home in Charming where they belonged, Kip stayed true to his promise of keeping Marceline locked in his house for as long as he could. That first afternoon he brought her to his place- after they went to see Juice in the hospital- she practically threw herself at the man and they had sex right there on his living room floor because she couldn't wait long enough for them to move to his bedroom. She noticed the extra tenderness Kip was displaying with their lovemaking that day, how he was purposeful, yet leisurely with his thrusts and how he prolonged their moment of passion by stopping to adoringly kiss her before repeating the process over again.

For the next two days, Kip continued with being over-affectionate to Marceline and she loved the attention she was getting from him. They even managed to get a start on talking about Rosemary with minor bumps. It probably had something to do with Kip reminding his girlfriend to take her Liberum every morning.

That next morning, the fairytale ended.

Marceline had just come home from another apprentice session at Freddy's parlor and Jasmine tagged along with her to get her first tattoo. Her favorite movie was The Lion King and she had Rafiki's drawing of Simba with 'Remember who you are' inked on her right shoulder. Jasmine had a ride waiting for her and when Marci got home, she was happy to see that Kip was calling her, probably to tell her that she'd better get back to his house. That happiness was short-lived because Kip had just out and said that he was breaking up with her.

He didn't give her an explanation, didn't say why he thought they weren't working anymore or if there was a problem with their relationship.

He told her that they were done and not to call him anymore, then hung up.

And that's how Marceline found herself silently crying with a concerned Diesel whimpering beside her. If the dog didn't nudge her in the arm with his wet nose, she probably wouldn't have come out of her trance. She wiped her eyes and no more tears fell, but they filled her eyes to wait for their moment to fall. She grabbed her keys and gun before briskly walking outside to her car. When she reached Teller-Morrow Automotive and parked, she didn't immediately get out of her car. She was afraid of what would happen if she walked into the clubhouse. She didn't know if Kip was in there for sure and who's to say that he'd even talk to her. She was scared to think about how cold-hearted and uncaring he would treat her when she had her heart in her hand.

After a few prolonged minutes of deep breaths and sniffles, Marceline managed to muster up some courage and leave the safety of her car. She didn't hesitate and walked right to the clubhouse. Inside the bar, almost all the Sons were present save for Clay and Quinn; both Prospects were working in the garage. Juice had a habit of watching the security cameras whenever he was in the bar, so he was the first to spot Marceline and he went back to the dorms to knock on Kip's door.

"She's here, man!" He said through the door and it opened just a second later to reveal Kip tugging on his kutte. Before Juice could say anything, he got a whiff of his friend and recognized the scent all too well. He managed to look into Kip's room and he saw the bare back of a brunette sitting on the edge of the bed before Kip closed the door. The younger member almost seemed ashamed, but his expression made it seem like he didn't care. "You sure about this?"

Kip nodded as he started walking down the hall. "It's the only way."

Juice let out a quiet sigh as Kip went into the bar, but he knew there was nothing he could do to change what was about to happen. He couldn't watch it though, so he walked to his room and shut the door to escape to his computer. Kip just sat down at the bar with a beer in his hand when the clubhouse door opened and Marceline quietly came in. He sent a glance over his shoulder to one of the armchairs where Chibs was lounging with the other Sons.

Kozik, Tig and Happy were sharing a couch across from the Scotsman while Jax was leaning on a beam and Opie was playing pool by himself. The trio of men had one of Marceline's sketchbooks and was looking at the drawings Chibs said his daughter made for them to get as tattoos, being careful not to tear any of the pages. Chibs met Kip's eyes and nodded.

Kip took a long pull from his bottle and saw Marceline stop next to him. He didn't turn to acknowledge her and tried to make his heart turn into something harder than a stone in an attempt to make things easier for him. He knew Marceline was going to show up at the clubhouse or be waiting for him to come home, so he could explain himself. He felt like she'd stay at his house, so he planned on crashing at the clubhouse tonight in an attempt to avoid her.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Marceline struggling not to start fiddling with her fingers and he had to grip his beer a little tighter to keep himself from reaching over and taking her hands in his.

"Can we talk?" She quietly asked. "Please."

"About?"

Marceline blinked at Kip's unemotional response. Her heart was already in a million more pieces because he hasn't looked at her since she walked in, but now, she was afraid that he was sincere when he said he didn't want her to talk to him. "You just dumped me this morning. That's nothing to talk about?" She rhetorically asked and to her dismay, Kip's response was a nonchalant shrug. "The least you could do it tell me why you broke up with me." She requested, but hung her head. "Tell me what I did wrong…"

Kip shrugged again before answering. "I got what I wanted from you, it was time to move on."

Marceline's brows pulled together in confusion at that, not understanding what he meant. Kip was about to take another swig of his beer, but she pulled it from his hand to set it on the bar and that made him finally look at her. She was stunned to see that his once comforting and loving ocean-blue eyes no longer held any affection as they stared at her. She didn't see happiness or serenity in his eyes and it made her nervous.

"What did you want from me?" She dared to ask and took in a breath to prepare herself for his answer.

"Cute girl walks into a clubhouse full of virile bikers and she still has her V-Card." Kip started his rehearsed excuse and he thought it sounded authentic enough to believe. He kept his eyes on Marceline's the entire time he spoke, watching the ready-to-fall tears glisten, but he knew that the other Sons were probably watching from just a few feet away. He casually folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the bar before continuing. "The relationship was just another step I had to take to get what I wanted, so I played along. I had my fill and it was time to cut you loose, so I did."

"So, everything…you lied to me about everything." Marci summarized while managing to keep the lump in her throat from bursting. She didn't even want to think about if he was sincere when he said he loved her. "You stole my virginity."

"You jumped on my lap and asked me to take it." He reminded her and he watched her reaction change. The tears seemed to retreat back to where they came and a sharpness replaced them that could cut through the hardest of metals. Kip wasn't an expert on women and their emotions, but he knew by her expression that he should've stopped talking and tried to run while he could still feel his legs. But, he didn't. He decided to prod the bull further. He scoffed and shook his head. "It wasn't a big deal. You were gonna lose it one day."

"It wasn't a big deal?!" Marceline repeated, but all the subtlety she previously had was gone as she snapped at the man before her. The older men eavesdropping just a few feet away snickered, knowing that Half-Sack was about to get his head chewed off. "I held out for nineteen years waiting for someone I loved and trusted to give that to! That day meant somethin' to me!"

"Jesus, Marceline. Grow up." Kip patronizingly told her.

Every Son in the room winced at the sound of Marceline's hand going across Kip's cheek, but they knew what was going on and they knew not to interfere. That didn't stop them from laughing. Chibs was the only one who remained serious, monitoring the interaction between his daughter and Kip. He was the first of the Sons to be informed of what was going to happen between the couple, but he had to make sure Kip didn't go too far or he'd have to step in.

"Was that grown up enough for you?" Marci hissed at Kip, whose head was still turned to the side due to the impact of her hand. He knew he was being an ass, so he wasn't angry at all by being hit because he deserved it. Still, Marci had a right hand like nobody's business.

"There you are." A woman's voice came from behind Kip and arms slid over his shoulders as a kiss was placed on his cheek.

Marceline wanted to spit fire at the sight of Cherry hanging off of Kip so comfortably. She didn't like to use the word 'hate' so freely, but she was pretty sure that she fucking hated Cherry.

Cherry came around to Kip's front and easily perched herself on his lap. To add insult to injury, the whore was wearing one of his shirts with a pair of spandex shorts. Marceline wouldn't have noticed it if it was just a random shirt he wore any day of the week, but the particular shirt Cherry had on was the navy baseball shirt Kip wore when he got his implant, the day she saw him after dreading that he was dead because the Sons made her think they weren't going to patch him in.

"Didn't we have a conversation about boundaries?" Marci snarked at the sweetbutt, but unlike in past encounters, Cherry didn't seem nervous or overly-cautious around Marceline.

"We did, but that was before he was still putting up with you. He's my man now and I can do whatever I want with him." She shot back at the ginger. "You look pathetic right now, kid. Why don't you run off and go do your homework or something?"

Marceline was at the final straw. Her fists were balled tight enough to leave crescent marks in her palms from her fingernails and she was gritting her teeth so hard, she was surprised that shreds of her teeth weren't filling her mouth. She looked to Kip to see if he'd tell Cherry that she was overstepping some serious boundaries like he did when he was at St. Thomas or if he'd step up to defend her, but he was just watching her to see what her next move was.

Marceline let out a little laugh to herself. She felt like the situation she was in was enough to make her hysterical.

She's gone most of her life without depending on some stupid man for anything. She provided for herself for years and any of the men she allowed into her life were optional. She didn't need Gage or Zane to take care of her, but she liked the change of pace and rolled with it for a while because she felt like she deserved a goddamn break for once in her life. She may have invested time and deep emotions into Kip, but she did not need him.

And she was going to prove it.

"You know, Rita," Marci calmly spoke as if she were asking for the time, making the brunette arch an eyebrow. "Bad shit always happens to greedy whores."

The most Cherry got to do was roll her eyes, then Marceline had a fistful of her hair and slammed her face into the bar as hard as she could. Cherry was pulled off of Kip's lap and he stood, watching as Cherry let out a scream, but he was more focused on the blazing hell burning in Marceline's eyes as she kept the sweetbutt's head pressed against the wooden surface.

"I gave you the fuckin' chance to drop me if ya' weren't finished with these fuckin' Crow Eaters!" She all but screamed at Kip, only fury and hatred in her tone. Gone was the good girl that never wanted to start trouble and just wanted to be with her Dad and draw pictures. Now replacing Marci was something that had to be Satan's fearsome wife who was the true ruler of Hell. "This is what ya' want?! This is the kinda whore ya' wanna waste yer time on instead of bein' with someone who loves ya'?! Fine, have at it! Fuck her 'till yer other nut pops off, see if I give a shite!"

She grabbed his forgotten beer from the bar and broke it on the edge, making Cherry yelp in fear of being stabbed. With the jagged end of the broken bottle, Marci sliced one side of Cherry's shorts and they fluttered to the hardwood floor. The brunette's hot-pink thong was bared for all to see and most of the men in the room shamelessly took a look to see if they liked what was being offered. Then, Marci flipped the bottle in her hand and staked it through Cherry's hair, pinning her to the bar.

"I hope she gives ya' VD, asshole!" She shouted over her shoulder as she stomped out of the clubhouse and slammed the door behind her.

After a moment of utter silence to ensure the ginger was gone, the older Sons broke out in barking laughter. They weren't laughing at Marceline's violent outburst, but at Kip getting chewed out for their entertainment.

"Your kid is insane." Happy commented and Chibs smiled at him.

"Aye, just like the rest of the women in the family." He chuckled before standing and walking over to a visibly startled Kip; the younger man's uncaring front was gone. Chibs had to admit, Marceline startled him a bit too with what she just did, but he knew Kip was nervous now because there was a possibility that she could be just as aggressive with him. Chibs saw the red mark lingering on Kip's cheek and tried to bite back his laughter. "I think ya' went a wee bit overboard, lad."

"I had to, Chibs. If I went easy on her, she wouldn't have backed off and it would've made everything harder." Kip replied as he tenderly touched his cheek with his fingers, wincing at the pain he felt upon contact. "You can't sugarcoat things with her."

"She's a hardball like her Da. Sorry 'bout that." Chibs agreed, nodding as he set his hand on Kip's shoulder. Marceline may have inherited her mother's femininity and looks, but she had his eyes and personality. Without warning, Chibs balled his fist and slugged Kip in the gut hard enough to make the younger Son drop to one knee, coughing. "That's for breakin' my little girl's heart, even if it was for her own good."

Chibs smiled down at Kip and pat him on the back, telling him to walk it off.

Meanwhile, Marceline was in her car and headed to Lodi. She had the steering wheel locked in her grip and she threatened her tears with a painful death if they slipped out to keep them in check. When she came to a red light, she reached for her phone on the dashboard, dailed a number and was listening to the line ring as she searched the glovebox for a pack of cigarettes.

"What up, girlfriend?" Jasmine's cheery voice buzzed in Marceline's ear.

"Jaz, I wanna cash in that pizza party sleepover." She told her friend with a cigarette between her lips and a lighter on her lap as she pulled off with the change of light.

"Awesome sauce! Pack a bag and get your cute ass over here, girl." Jaz squealed with joy. "Dad, I'm having company! Get all your homies outta the house!"

Marceline managed to laugh a little at her best friend, but ended the call and scrolled through her contacts list until she found Phil's number. She asked him to tell Chibs that she was going to be staying at Jasmine's house until Sunday. Phil agreed to pass the message along, but asked Marci if she was okay because it sounded like something was wrong. She sighed, remembering that she just flipped in the clubhouse with the Sons watching. She didn't want to talk to her Dad about her problems at the moment because she needed to calm down and reevaluate her life. She wasn't going to spill her guts to Phill either, no matter how good of a friend he's been to her.

Marceline told Phil that she was just tired and there was a pause on Phil's end that made her believe that he knew she wasn't telling him something, but Phill didn't comment on it. He reminded her to check-in and to call him if she needed anything. She thanked him and continued the drive to Lodi. She parked her car in the driveway of Jasmine's pale-turquoise ranch-style home and grabbed her pre-packed bag- that she made just in case she had to up and run- from the backseat. She noticed the orange and black motorcycles she parked next to and figured that Jaz couldn't get all of the Grim Bastards out like she wanted.

She climbed the two stairs and stood on the small brick porch as she knocked on the red door. She could hear a few male voices murmuring on the other side, then the curtain was barely pulled to the side for someone to peek at her. A man's voice yelled for Jasmine and a moment later, the door opened to reveal her smiling best friend.

"What up, bitch?" Jas greeted and Marci laughed with her friend, but her laughs turned into sobs and then, she was crying on the doorstep, surprising Jasmine. "Geeze, Marci. I was joking. When'd you get so sensitive?"

"Kip broke up with me." Marceline blubbered and Jasmine's jaw dropped.

Jasmine grabbed Marceline's hand and pulled her inside her house, shutting the door behind her. Bowler was in the living room watching a football game and Lander was in the kitchen. Jaz pulled her friend through the house and to her room, sitting her on the bed with a hand on her shoulder.

"He did what?" She questioned Marci.

Marceline wiped her eyes and took in a few deep breaths to try and calm down. She didn't know why she suddenly broke down like she did, though it was probably due to Jasmine being back in her life. She had a girlfriend to go to with her troubles and Jaz would understand what she was going through. While she was comfortable enough to talk to Gemma or Donna about her problems, she felt like they would've told her to try and get Kip back and that sounded like a horrible idea. She wasn't desperate.

"He dumped me this morning and I went to the clubhouse to get him to tell me why he called things off, but he's already moved on. He hooked up with Rita, the cherry-flavored whore." She rolled her eyes, disgusted by the mere thought of Cherry. "She came out of his dorm with his shirt on and I slammed her head into the bar."

"That's my girl." Jasmine praised and that got Marceline to smile again. She pulled the ginger in for a tender hug. "I'm sorry, Marci."

Marceline nodded and held onto Jasmine for a minute, then they detached. Looking at her friend, she noticed that Jasmine had a look in her eyes that was silently asking if she wanted to talk more about it. Marci did want to get her feelings off her chest, but she felt like she dumped enough of Jaz for one day, so she asked, "How are things with you and Juice?"

"He hasn't been acting any differently. You think he's plotting to cut me off too?"

"And risk getting his dick shot off?" Marci ribbed with a smirk. "I doubt it. You've got him whipped."

"You sure you're okay? 'Cause I'll go up to Charming and beat that boy every shade between black and blue, then stick a plunger up his ass. It's gonna hurt like a motherfucker. He'll be shitting out splinters for the rest of his life." Jasmine offered and she seemed serious about her threat. Marci was reminded of their trip to Fun Town when she offered to kick Damien's nuts up into his throat and how she seriously would've hurt the guy is Jasmine wanted.

Marceline sighed and plopped back onto Jasmine's bed. "I just want to be away from him and get my head together. I didn't have him before I came here, so I can live without him."

Jasmine nodded, understanding that Marci didn't want to talk about the breakup anymore. She noticed there were still tears in her friend's eyes, but she wasn't going to push the subject. "Well, I'm all yours for the weekend. We can hang out with the Grim Bastards. They're kinda, sorta, not really cool."

"Jasmine, you and your friend come get something to eat!" One of the men, Marci was unsure which one it was, yelled from the living room and Jasmine let out a sickly groan.

"We've been eating Hamburger Helper for two days, Lander!" She yelled back.

T.O.'s been spending a lot of time at the Grim Bastards' clubhouse, so he put Lander and Bowler on babysitting duty. The men knew that Jaz wasn't going to be attached to the stove and cooking for them, so Bowler usually ordered dinner for everyone, but the only thing Lander knew how to cook was Hamburger Helper. It tasted great, but he'd always make way more than three people could eat and that's how they ended up with so many leftovers.

"I slaved and sweated over this stove for a half-hour just for you to tell me that you're not hungry? That's the thanks I get for being nice?" Lander ranted like an overworked housewife and Jas rolled her eyes, facepalming. "What am I supposed to do with this whole pan of food, girl?!"

"You can take it to Hell with you and see if someone down there cares!" Jaz barked back at the man.

Marceline was quietly giggling at the familial exchange between the two, but said she wouldn't mind eating since she didn't have a big breakfast. They went into the kitchen and Jaz introduced her to Bowler as they passed, then to Lander, who was wearing a green apron, when they got into the kitchen. Turns out, he was the one who was there to take Jasmine home after they spent the day with Evan and Cameron.

Jasmine and Lander were back to bickering over the two-day-old food while Marci was eating. She was glad she had something to distract her mind from overthinking and overanalyzing the events that unfolded earlier because it would've taken a toll on her or she would've been a grouch for the rest of the day.

If Kip wanted to act like he didn't care about her anymore, Marceline had no other choice but to accept it. She refused to mope around and be depressed over him because he clearly wasn't heartbroken over her. If he could move on to new things so quickly, what was stopping her from doing the same?

She didn't need Kip or any other man to take care of her. She lost sight of that when she got into a relationship with him, but it was coming back full force. All she had to worry about was herself and her Dad.