First of all, I apologize and appreciate your patience with my tardy updates. This chapter was a bit of a roadblock & I have high hopes I'll be able to post new updates more often. And, as you all know, RL sometimes gets in the way ;) All the best for the New Year & as always, THANK YOU for reading.

Chapter 9 – Constant Craving

For the next couple of weeks Nelly stayed with Linda, but worked most afternoons after school and spent her weekends with Donna. This gave her a convenient and truthful excuse for Tara and the boys, because she did not want to lie to them and invent some stories. Nel felt bad enough seeing the flash of disappointment cross Harry's eyes every time she refused their offer to hang out. Despite all Nelly's efforts to disappear right after school, Tara consistently sought her out in the hallways, and by extension Nel would see the boys quite often, especially at lunch when Cliff would run off to one club or another. As the time passed, she was glad to see Harry become more comfortable around her - he talked more, even if not directly to her, and making eye contact wasn't a problem when their eyes met. Short of being rude, it was impossible to avoid her new gang. And that was the last thing Nelly wanted to do. Along with Cliff, they were the only friends she made in the new school, and most surprisingly of all, she actually enjoyed their company.

In the short time Nel knew her friends, it became clear Tara and the boys didn't belong to any of the usual high-school cliques. In some ways they seemed to be outcasts, like Nel and Cliff, but on their own terms. For whatever reasons, maybe the same ones that kept Nel away, their social circle was small and tight. Jax and Harry didn't follow anyone's lead, and unlike most boys from their school, who ran to the arcade as soon as the bell rang, the two of them headed either to football practice or Teller-Morrow garage to learn the trade, and seemed to stay out of trouble. Still, their reputation, based on little more than their relationship to the M.C., preceded them and outrageous, stupid rumours about them kept circulating.

Sure, girls drew to Jax like flies to honey, but Tara's presence was always a very effective deterrent. It was obvious he had a natural charisma, that he commanded the room as soon as he entered it and people would listened. But he didn't seem comfortable with being centre of attention, and shied away from contributing in class. Harry, on the other hand, was his stoic, thoughtful partner, but stood out in other ways. As Nelly navigated the school hallways between classes, she found it hard not to notice Harry's head sticking above everyone else's, often a beaming smile transforming his face as he talked with Jax. He towered over everyone, quietly confident, his face handsome with a narrow nose and masculine angles to his jaw. Most impressive of all was, that for all his size and power, Nel had never seen Harry use it to intimidate and bully. On contrary, she had glimpsed him standing up to bullies, a pack calling themselves the Red Necks, who terrorized anyone smaller and weaker. It was clear to Nelly that Harry and Jax had this thing about being the protectors of the weak, the champions of the bullied, the moral compass of the school. Jax and Harry were to their high school what the M.C. was to Charming back in the good old days. The way they did it was so understated that someone had to really pay attention to notice. And Nelly never failed to notice.

One afternoon, Nelly was late getting changed after gym, it seems everyone was gone already, off to the next class. The entrances to the gym change rooms were in a little nook, behind a tight corner, and a perfect spot for any illicit activity. As she was about to leave, Nel noticed a couple of the Red Necks, Brett and Alex, ganging up on Cliff. They were roughing him up pretty good, and although Nelly was scared, she couldn't let them continue. She stepped out and said the first thing that popped into her head. "Hey, Cliff. Everything ok?"

Poor Cliff was crying and his nose was already bloody, but all he said was, "Yeah, Nelly."

Nelly has had enough, she felt her blood boil. "Leave him alone or I'll call Mr. Atkins." He was a big, muscled gym teacher and never afraid to lay hands on school troublemakers.

"Mind you own business, red."

"You are hurting him. Just let him be, ok?" Nelly decided to plead instead, knowing she was cute enough to get away with it, but misjudged the situation.

The bigger one of the two, Brett, left Cliff and stalked towards her, crowding Nel with his height, pressing her against the wall. "Or what? You're gonna let me have it?" There was a nasty, dangerous glint in his eye, and Nelly was sure he was going to hurt her.

That was when she heard a familiar, low voice behind him. "No, I'm gonna let you have it."

Brett turned to the voice and Nelly saw Harry standing behind him, his shoulders wide, big hands balled into fists, strong arms flexed and ready for action. Now that his usual beaming smile was off his face and his eyebrows knotted grimly, he looked pretty dangerous himself. The bullies noticed it too. "Hey, no harm, no foul. We're just talking."

"Cliff's nose is bleeding and Nelly looks scared. I don't think they like talking to you." Harry's tone was serious. "Now leave them alone."

The bullies looked at each other. It was two against one. They turned away from their weaker victims and onto Harry. At that moment, Jax came from around the corner, "Hey Harry, what's happening?"

"These two shitheads have been roughing up Cliff and Nelly."

The young Teller looked at the two bullies with a level eye. "Leave them alone for good or next time you'll have to deal with Harry and me. And trust me, we won't be easy pickings."

Brett and Alex exchanged a dark look and turned to go. Brett spat "Fag!" at Cliff and kicked a pile of his notebooks, sending pages flying. On the way out, Alex got in Jax's face and whispered, "This ain't over, Teller." Jax didn't back down, but said nothing, and the two Red Necks left.

Nelly breathed a sigh of relief, letting go of a breath she's been holding anxiously. Then they all stooped down to help Cliff pick up his stuff. As Jax handed over books to the dark-haired boy, he asked, "You're ok, Cliffy?"

"Yeah, Jax, thanks. You know how these assholes are."

"They bother you again, you let me know."

Cliff just nodded and, with last wistful glance at Jax, hurried away.

Jax turned on the girl, shaking his head. "Nelly, what the hell were you thinking?"

"What was I supposed to do? Hide while they beat Cliff to a pulp?" Nelly resented Jax acting bossy, the adrenaline still surging through her. Then Nel caught on that he was impressed and she relaxed with a sigh. "Jerk," She grumbled, as they smirked at each other.

She looked at Harry, expecting his easy smile, but his eyes were still serious and concerned.

"Stay away from them, Nelly, they're bad news."

"Lucky you and Jax showed up." Nelly said sincerely.

"Lucky." Harry nodded grimly, then added blushing. "I don't want you to get hurt."

Nelly registered what he said, and blushed too. Did he really mean it? Her heart raced and she didn't know what to say, so many replies rolling through her head, none fitting, so she relied on the obvious, "Thanks, guys. I'm late for my math class, I better go." And with a grateful smile at Harry, she left.

As far as Nelly could remember, this was the first time a man stood up for her, defended her from another. She couldn't wrap her head around it, the contradiction between the way Harry behaved and what she's been always told to believe, but from that day, every time she saw Harry in the hallways, he would give her a big, warm smile and her heart would skip a beat. His whole face, whole body, transformed when he smiled, his eyes sparkled. To Nelly, that smile was like a beam of moonlight in the dark of night, and she held on to it when she returned home to her father.