Chapter 4
Jax parked the Cutlass effortlessly into one of the spots in TM, Opie parking his truck next to the old classic.
Katie and Tara spilled out of the Cutlass, happily chatting while he got off the car and walked to where Opie parked.
Opie hopped off the truck and watched with much amusement the two cousins talk a mile a minute.
"I haven't seen Tara this excited in a long time, brother."
Jax gave his old friend a small smile. "Yea," he quietly said as he watched his girlfriend of nearly three years. Knowing Jax as long as he did, Opie saw the concern in his best friends' eyes.
"What's bugging you, bro?" Opie asked quietly enough so Tara couldn't hear the question.
Jax continued looking at his girlfriend as she stood with Katie, probably explaining the core rules of a Samcro party. "This shit don't feel right, Op. Katie here, is not a good thing."
Opie looked at the two girls. "You think so?"
"Yea," Jax bit his lower lip.
"Jax! Come on, baby. The fight is about to start!" Tara waved him over.
"Come on, bro." Opie slapped his back as he walked towards Tara and Katie.
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Tara played with the ends of Jax's hair as he yelled out of pure excitement. Tig and Happy were beating the crap out of each other in the ring as Tara sat on Jax's lap in a nearby picnic table. One of his arms were tightly wrapped on her waist as the other hand held to a long boy. Next to them Katie and Opie were quietly talking to one another, ignoring their surroundings as they both drank from their respective beer bottles. What they were talking about was beyond Tara who couldn't hear with all the yelling and cheers going on but she did note the gleam in her cousin's eyes.
"Baby," she whispered in Jax's ear, trying to get his attention.
"Yea," he briefly looked at her before returning his eyes to the ring where Bobby was breaking up the fight.
"What do you think of Katie?" she whispered, looking as Opie laughed at one of Katie's crude jokes.
Jax took a swing of his beer before replying. "She is aight."
Jax's curt answer was all the confirmation Tara needed. She had suspected that her boyfriend didn't like her cousin given his quiet demeanor the whole night. Tara sighed as she turned to look at the ring. It was neither the time nor place to get into a fight with Jax about Katie and his lack of interest in her cousin's visit.
A visitor from the Tacoma charter, Kozik and Tig were about to go at it. From what Tara could tell, both men despised one another and it was quite obvious that the fight would be bloody.
Tara bit her lip as thoughts of what her cousin asked her earlier tonight start plaguing her thoughts. She hated Charming. She hated the small town mindset and the claustrophobic feelings she got every time she went around town and everyone knew her business. Her relationship with her father was shit. Katie was right. The only thing she had here was Jax. Her reckless boyfriend who showed her what it meant to be loved right when she thought she would never know the meaning of unconditional love.
She rubbed her eyes with her right hand. Jax was all she had in Charming. She wasn't stupid. She knew that her boyfriend was part of some fuck up shit with SAMCRO. She hear the rumors of guns and extortion. Whenever she asked Jax about how SAMCRO earned their money he would deflect her questions. Fuck, they often got into fights because of it. As present as she often was in the clubhouse, Tara hated to admit that she was in the dark about SAMCRO's illegal ways. What would happen if she were to lose him to the MC or any of its enemies?
"Baby."
"Yeah?"
"I love you," Tara whispered in his ear. "I love you so much."
Jax looked at her. "I love you too, babe." He leaned in and kissed her lips gently. Tara leaned in and deepen the kiss, her tongue stroking his.
So lost they were in each other that they missed the initial markers of a storm brewing.
"Opie!"
Tara broke apart from Jax when she saw Donna marching towards them a look of pure anger etched on her small and swollen face.
Jax, Opie and Tara all stood as the small brunette fumed in front of them. "Where the hell have you been? Who the hell is this, Harry?" She pointed at Katie.
"Donna, this is my cousin Katie. She is visiting from New York," Tara said hoping to defuse the situation.
"Harry? Your name is Harry?" Katie snorted as she tried to contain her giggles.
"Yes, his name is Harry and I am his pregnant Old Lady."
"Whoopie!" Katie took a sip of her beer.
"Where were you, Opie?" Donna placed her hands on her hips.
"I went with Jax to pick up Tara and her cousin in a bar, then we came here to chill for a bit. Katie and I were just talking about old tv shows and music."
This answer seemed to anger her even more. "So, instead of being home with your pregnant girl, you are galavanting throughout Charming with Tara and Pippi Longstocking."
"Fuck," muttered Jax.
Katie stood from the picnic table. "Who are you calling Pippi Longstocking, Strawberry Shortcake?"
"Obviously you," Donna turned to look at Katie. "I don't know how sluts in New York do it, but unavailable men are respected here in Charming. Go find some other dick to suck tonight."
"And obviously you don't have much control of your dick if he was looking to stick it to this slut from New York. I am guessing by your bitchy attitude, you are horrible in bed and don't put out often. Probably got knocked up on purpose to entrap Opie here."
Tara's mouth flew open as did everyone else's who was close enough to hear the confrontation. Tara saw Donna's fist balled up and she immediately went to stand in front of the small and very pregnant brunette. "Donna! Donna! You are pregnant for Christ sakes, chill out."
"Opie, take your girl home, before shit gets out of control here," Jax slapped Opie's back. "Come on guys, go home."
Katie rolled her eyes and sat right back down and turned to look at the ring.
"Come on, Donna," Opie placed his hand in her arm. "Let's go home."
Donna shrugged his hand from her arm. She glared at Katie before a sinister smile spread across her face.
"Well Katie, I hope you enjoy your stay in Charming," Donna said as she stepped around Tara and stood in front of the redhead. "And I do hope that after tonight you stay dry."
Katie turned and looked up at Donna. "And what exactly do you mean by that?"
Donna smiled and grabbed the nearest beer bottle and poured its contents on top of Katie's head.
Katie jumped up fast ready to pound Donna if it weren't for Jax jumping in front of the two girls and grabbing Katie's hand before it touched Donna.
"You stupid cunt!" yelled Katie as she wiped beer from her face.
"Now, that will show you to stay away from my man," yelled Donna who was being dragged to the trunk by Opie. "I don't fucking care if you were talking about The Rolling Stones..."
"Katie!" Tara rushed to her cousin's side.
"Don't! Just don't Tara!" Katie turned and stormed inside the clubhouse.
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"Can't fucking believe this..." muttered Tara as she banged on the bathroom door. "Come on Katie, open up."
They had been in the clubhouse for less than an hour and already shit had gone sour.
"Katie!" Tara banged, the buzz she had earlier slowly disappearing.
Katie swung the door open, a look of pure fury on her face. Tara walked into the bathroom and slammed the door shut, locking it.
Katie's eyes were closed as she tried to control her anger. "This is utter fucking bullshit, Tara."
"Katie, let me explain. Donna and Opie..."
Katie turned away from the sink to face her cousin, "Shut up about Donna and Opie. Yes, you do have a lot to explain. Please answer me this, Tara-this is why you are staying in Charming? This is why you are letting your life slip away? So you could hang out in an old building with bikers and these women have zero self respect for themselves." Katie opened the tap water to dip her head in the running water. After a few minutes she rose her head from the sink. Tara gave her an old towel she got in one of the bedrooms and gave it to her cousin.
"Could you believe that when I was walking here, I saw this girl, no older than twenty blowing some guy. How many guys have had their junk in her mouth? How many guys will have used and abused her by the time she turns twenty-five? She will be some nameless girl who one day will have a crank addiction and whose kid will resent her for the rest of her life."
Katie sighed before continuing. "That nameless girl could easily be you, Tara. I know you love him but you are worth more than that. You deserve more than popping some kids to some biker that will be in and out of jail for the rest of his life. You were given a gift, Tara. You have a brain. I just hope you use it before its too late."
Katie threw the towel in the sink and walked out of the bathroom, leaving Tara alone in the bathroom.
