Chapter 10 – Know Where You Go
Beautiful and warm fall, Nelly's favourite season of the year, was in full swing. As she walked to school on a glorious early October morning, she watched cool breeze stir falling leaves, sunlight bouncing off their many shades of green, red and orange. She finally felt settled in the new school, although she still missed Donna terribly. Spending most weekends with the Parkers in small ways made up for long weekdays in between. And of course now she had Cliff and Tara and, by extension, the guys. She smiled as she thought of them. Unexpectedly, Nel felt like she belonged, like she was meant to be here.
Tara caught up to Nelly as she was crossing the school parking lot.
"Nel, I wanted to ask you a favour." She smiled her most disarming smile, reserved for failing grades and trouble with the principal.
"What is it, Tara?" Nel suspected a trap.
"Can you please come with us to the fair on Saturday?" Tara pleaded, "Three is company and Jax insists on bringing Harry along wherever we go. I mean don't get me wrong, Harry is a real sweet guy, but man, it's becoming such a drag. We never have any time on our own."
"You know I spend my weekends with Donna." Nel frowned, foreseeing complications to come. "Don't you have other friends you could ask?"
"You're the only girl I know who doesn't have hots for Jax. I wouldn't trust anyone else." Tara laughed, but her eyes were hard. Tara kept all of them at arm's length. All, except for Nelly.
"Well, you've got a point there," Nelly agreed, as she thought about cancelling on Donna and getting out of aunt Linda's house without an interrogation. On the other hand, she wanted to go and resigned herself to it. "All right, but only this once, and only because you've asked me."
As soon as she agreed, Tara enveloped her in a big hug. "I owe you big time, Nelly. Thanks."
"Yeah, yeah..." Nel mumbled with a smile as she watched her dark-haired friend rush into the building. The truth was that because of Tara and Jax, Nelly was thrown in with Harry so often, she hardly gave it another thought. The two of them were left to their own devices, mostly just sitting quietly together or catching up on homework, while the couple next to them made out, flirted and argued, often in very quick succession. Nel refused to think of it - this favour for Tara - as a double date, because it was not a date. This won't be any different than hanging out together at lunch, thought Nelly as she followed Tara into the building.
On Saturday, Nelly was feeling a bit nervous as she waited to be picked up. She was wearing her usual bohemian clothes and just a touch of make up, brushed out her curls and let them fall freely on her shoulders. She was taking the last look in the mirror, pulling down the peasant blouse over her jeans and adjusting the strap of a hobo bag over her shoulder, when aunt Linda stepped into Nel's room, a glass of whiskey in her hand.
"You're going out with your friends?"
"Tara asked me to come along to the fair with her, Jax and Harry."
"Teller and Winston?" Linda's forehead creased, her eyes narrowed.
"Yes, they're Tara's friends."
"You remember what I told you about the MC, Nelly." She took a sip of liquor, and continued with bitterness in her voice. "Don't let it suck you in. Look at how your mom and I ended up, mixed up with the wrong kind of men. Because we thought bad boys were so romantic. Your mum wouldn't want that for you, baby, and neither do I."
"I know, auntie. It's just friends hanging out," Nel put her hand on the older woman's arm and rubbed it affectionately. She tried to reason with her, "but these boys are nice, they're not like Simon."
"They're young, Nelly, and life has a way of changing people. I've known their fathers for years, and they both have hot tempers. Sooner or later the boys will follow. They'll become Sons, for better or worse. It'll happen, Nel."
Linda's brooding musings unsettled Nelly, but she said nothing. Whatever Linda's concerns and motivations were, Nel judged them against her own experience and couldn't help but ignore her aunt's misgivings. Linda set the glass down on the dresser and drew the girl into a hug. She whispered with tears in her voice, "I'm just trying to look out for you, honey. It's bad enough that I'm their bitch. You, they can't have."
When Jax's Mustang drove up to the curb, Tara was already in the front next to Jax, with Harry folded up into the back seat behind him. Nelly climbed in and settled next to Harry, putting her bag between them.
"How are you doing back there, Nelly?" Jax asked, looking into his rear-view mirror. "Enough space for you and the Sasquatch?"
Harry's knee shoved Jax's seat ever so slightly, as Nelly replied honestly, "Fine." Sitting next to Harry made her feel small, girly, fragile. She found the sensation curious and unexpectedly attractive.
"We could have taken my truck." Harry grumbled, referring to his big, beige pick up. Like Harry, it was understated and dependable.
"Yeah, we could've, but instead we're travelling in style."
"Uncomfortable style," said Harry simply, made Nel smile. She glanced at him and he smiled back. She couldn't agree more.
"You know, Jax, Harry is right. This Mustang of yours is a sardine can," Tara echoed her thoughts, "My old man's Impala has way more leg room."
"Why won't you all just lay off my ride? It's getting us where we need to go." Jax teased back. "I bet your Impala can't do this." He turned on the stereo and RHCP Give It Away boomed all around them. Nelly would have preferred Aerosmith or Creedence Clearwater, but she could get behind this. Soon, all of them were bobbing to the music and any further conversation became impossible.