Dana placed her sunglasses on the bridge of her nose and took in a deep breath. She spotted Tara miles ago, following her around town as she ran her errands. It was busy day- stocking her new house with food and furniture. It was also a crappy day- it was hot as hell outside and it wasn't getting any better.
This time, Tara wasn't worried about blending in. She clearly wanted to be seen- she was leaning against Dana's truck, fidgeting nervously. Dana walked over to her truck and placed her grocery bags in the trunk, slamming the door firmly. "Hey, Dana," Tara said, fidgeting once again.
Dana stared at Tara, no sound coming from her. Tara withered in her stare, looking for a response but received none. "How are things? I was gonna stop by the house but Jax told me you moved, but he didn't say where," she said. She fidgeted and waited for another response, the one which she would not receive.
"First of all, stop squirming. You make me want to stomp on you like you're a cockroach. Second, spit it out. I know you've been tailing me all day. What the fuck do you want? And if you show up at my place, I have a gun. And the law says I can use it against trespassers," Dana said, pushing her off of her truck and opening the driver door. She threw her bag on to the passenger's side and turned, facing Tara.
"I just wanted to make sure that we were okay. Charming isn't as big as everyone makes it seems. I figured we would run into each other once in a while, so I rather we get this out of the way now," Tara said. The other girl laughed, not believing her ears. "Get this out of the way? I don't think you quite understand the amount of hate and anger that I have towards you, Tara. The only way that I will ever stop hating you is if you let me put a bullet between your eyes and chop you into little pieces."
"You need to get over what happened, Dana. We can move past this. We've all grown so much and it's time to put that behind us. We all made mistakes," Tara said, a pleading tone in her words. Dana laughed. "The only mistake you made was screwing with my life and then trying to come back into Jax's after you left. Yeah, we're all grown up now, but that doesn't change what you did and what I will do to you if you ever come near me again!"
Dana slid into the driver's seat and turned her truck on. She shifted into reverse and peeled out of the parking spot, exiting the lot before Tara had a chance to get another word in. She stared after the black Escalade that Dana drove almost religiously and cursed.
She knew that things would get ugly between the two of them. As a matter of fact- Charming wasn't big enough for the four of them, Tara thought. Gemma, the over bearing mother. Wendy, the one that's kept around because of Abel. Dana, she wasn't gonna go anywhere without a fight or an arrest warrant. And then there was her. She had made her bed and no matter how hard she tried, she was gonna lay in it. She had to pay for what she had done to all of them. Tara walked over to her car, her head hanging low.
It was just one of those days.
----
Gemma lit her cigarette and inhaled deeply. She stared at Jax across the kitchen table and nodded her head. "I hope you're not the one lighting the fire between Tara and Dana," he said, eating a spoonful of the scrambled eggs she had made him for breakfast.
"What would make you think that?" She asked, a smile playing on her face. Jax slammed his fork down and inhaled deeply. "I know you hate Tara, mom. But there is no need to plant your little seeds of hate in Dana so that you can get rid of her," he replied, taking a sip of his orange juice. "I did no such thing, Jackson. You should know better. Tara and Dana have their own history to work through. Whatever problems I have with Tara, I will deal with on my own time," Gemma replied, trying to reassure what he probably knew was a lie already.
"Those two, will rip Charming apart if necessary. There's a lot of bad blood, mom. Try to stay out of it," Jax said, standing up from the table and exiting the room. Gemma stared after him, shaking her head. Things were about to get crazy in Charming. Crazier than how it usually is and the blame would partly lie on her shoulders. But she had to get rid of them. She was only willing to share Jax and the club with one other woman. She wouldn't let Tara in. She couldn't.
It was one of those days. Any regular, old day during which Gemma plotted against them all.
It was just one of those days.
---
Dana flicked her cigarette onto the grass and walked into the house. She began placing all the food and crap she bought at the grocery store into their rightful places. She glanced at the busted air conditioner and groaned. It was gonna be a long day. The repair man said he wouldn't be able to come by the house until after 3. It was 11 and she felt like she was melting. She wouldn't make it without first having a mental breakdown. She was sticky and sweaty and just plain gross. She hated the feeling. She ripped her shirt off and threw it onto the kitchen table. Dana opened the kitchen window and stood in front of it, relishing the soft breeze that was coming in.
He watched her, as she picked her hair up and placed it into a sloppy bun on the top of her head. Dana rubbed the back of her neck and sighed. He watched as the sweat ran down her back and into the crevices he once knew. The crevices he was once a part of. The crevices that used to be his. "I know you're all against being a girl and what not, but you could always try to put on a pair of shorts or a skirt," he said.
Dana jumped, flipping around and glaring at him. "Fuck you, Jax," she said, feeling slightly naked in front of him. He laughed, pushing a strand of hair behind his ear and walking over to the table, where he took a seat. "Came by to check out the new place?" She asked, walking over to the fridge and grabbing him a beer, throwing it to him. Jax produced a bottle opener from his pocket and removed the top, downing half of it in one sip. "Actually, I came to smooth things over between you and Tara. I hear you're being a real bitch to her for no reason," he responded.
Dana laughed, not believing her ears. "Way to be blunt about it, Jax," she said, leaning against the counter. He shrugged, taking another gulp of the beer. "You and me have always been up front about things. No need to bullshit each other." She watched him and nodded. He was right. They both knew what the other was usually thinking without even asking. They both knew each other- their wants, needs, fears, worries. Or at least they used to. "Well, go on with it. Tell me how you came to save the damsel in distress from the ass whooping I've been itching to give her."
Jax cocked his head to the side and sighed. "Come on, Dana. Whatever schoolyard issues you and Tara had back in the day, cannot be that serious that you need to kick her ass 5 years later," he said. Dana scoffed, shaking her head. "I want you to go back and tell that doctor bitch that she knows what she did to me, to you and this family. I've made up my mind, Jax. I'm gonna get the bitch. It's just a matter of how and when, but I can tell you one thing- the bitch better be looking over her god damn shoulders every time she turns around because I will be coming for her. A year. An hour. A decade. I don't give a fuck, but I'm gunning for her."
He shook his head and stood up from his chair. "Fine. I tried to get some sense into your head. I tried to get my mom to stop with her bullshit also. I god damned tried. So don't go blaming me when you force my hand into shutting you down. I'm not gonna let you hurt her. I would've expected you to put your problems aside if not for me then for Abel or for the club. But I guess not," he said, walking away.
Dana shook her head and watched him walk away. She wanted to chase him, stop him, drag him up stairs and change his mind. Like old times. But things had changed. Tara was back and so was her pain. She was a constant reminder of what she had lost. Her man. Her future. Her happy family. What she had always wanted. Everything. As she thought about how much her life had changed in mere years, tears sprung to her eyes. "God dammit," she whispered. Jax could always make her cry. Usually she skipped the sadness part and went right into a rage, but Jax always made her stop at the sadness. A sob escaped her mouth as she realized that he was really in love with her- Tara.
She ran her fingers of the tattoo that rested on her right wrist- the SamCro crow with a heart on it. She thought she would earn her old lady tat with Jax, but he gave it to that bitch. That bitch. The bitch that has his heart. His son. His house. His family. That bitch. Dana glanced over to her other wrist. Lilah. She smiled, tears still streaming down her face. Lilah was the only good thing that came out of all of this drama. So many ups and downs, but she was constant. Her baby girl. Dana took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
It was just one of those days.