Summer walked into the clubhouse trying to push her feelings for Opie to the far depths of her mind. "The party has finally arrived," she cried out as she walked behind the bar and grabbed herself a beer. "No shit," Juice and a few others called out as Juice ran over to her and swung her around in his arms, "Thought you weren't coming until tomorrow." She gave him a big kiss on the cheek and smiled her sweet "baby girl" smile. "Surprise!" She exclaimed happily. "It's a bloody great surprise!" Juice stated, "How long are you here for?" "I go back to school on Monday," she replied. "Sit down, have a drink," he stated patting the bar stool beside him. She sat down and they fell into their usual playful banter.
Summer and Juice had been close since he started prospecting six years ago. In the very beginning when she was 19 and he was 26, they quickly fell into a relationship based solely on the physical. It had ended quickly because they realized how much they needed each other's friendship. She hadn't admitted it to Juice, but she jumped into a relationship with him so she could take her mind off Opie, but in the end she had ended up back in Opie's bed.
In the end, it was a mutual decision between her and Juice to stay friends and it was the best decision they had made. She could say that Opie and Jax were her best friends, but when it came down to it, she had bonded with a few of the guys and those relationships were unbreakable.
Summer pushed her empty beer bottle to the side and looked up at Juice a little while later. "Juicy, do you know where my dad is?" She asked. "Clay was in the chapel the last time I saw him," Juice replied, "I think he was talking with Jax and Chibs, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you interrupted." Summer flashes her smile at him before she walked around the bar and grabbed a beer and a shot of Jack.
Chibs was one of those guys that she had a special bond with. He was 20 years older than she was, but he had been around to see her grow up and they had grown close over the years. Some would say that Chibs was like a father to her and they would be right. He was more of a father to her than Otto ever had been. But the last time they saw each other something was different. There was an exchange that was supposed to be innocent and she saw him in a different light after that.
She didn't know what it was all about, but she wasn't sure she if she wanted to explore it. Summer threw back the Jack and then took a long sip of her beer before she slowly made her way across the clubhouse to the chapel. She knocked on the door and waited.
"This better be..." Jax growled as he threw open the door, "...important. This is so much more important than club business!" He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the cheek. "How are you baby girl!" Jax exclaimed, "It's so bloody good to see you. A breath of fresh air compared to the bullshit we are dealing with right now." He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the chapel.
"Hey baby girl," Clay said getting up from his seat, "Boy am I happy to see you sweetheart." He smiled and she beamed back at him. "I'm happy to see you guys too Daddy," Summer replied. JT died just a couple years after her dad ended up in prison and it didn't take long for Clay to fill JT's position. She just grew accustomed to calling Clay dad. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. She was very much a family girl and even though she saw her family and the club every two weeks or so, she still missed them more than she could handle.
After she pulled away from Clay she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and got lost in those beautiful Irish brown eyes. "Hi love," he said quietly as he pulled her into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his waist, laid her head against his chest and closed her eyes. He made her nervous. In the 13 years that she had known him, not once did he ever make her nervous. What was going on, she wondered to herself. "Hey Chibs," she breathed, "I missed you." She pressed her head against his chest even harder and she could feel her face get hot. The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them and she said them in front of her dad and her brother. Fantastic! "Miss you too," Chibs replied, "Like always. You're my family." Thank you for saving my ass, she cried out inside.
They pulled away from each and she noticed that he was a little reluctant to let her go. Summer shoved her hands in her pockets and smiled up at Chibs and then smiled at Jax and Clay who looked like they were interrupting something.
"What's going on here?" Clay asked, pointing at the two of them. Summer's eyes almost bugged out of her head. "Nothing Clay," Chibs replied. "That's not what we saw," Jax stated, moving over to Summer and putting a protective arm around her. "Jax, it's ok," Summer explained shrugging his arm off her shoulder, "you didn't see anything because there was nothing to see."
"That better be the truth," Clay stated, pointing his finger at both of them, "You may be my brother and a permanent part of this club, but that doesn't mean I won't kick your ass if you lay a hand on my little girl." Summer could feel the rage coming to the surface and she had to take a couple deep breaths to keep herself calm. The rage was a trait that she had inherited from both her mother and her father. "Clay, stop it!" Summer cried, her fists clenched at her side, "I can assure you that nothing is happening here." Summer quickly glanced in Chibs' direction before she took off out of the chapel.
Summer pushed the door to the clubhouse open and doubled over, hands on her knees, struggling for breath. Why was this getting to her so much? It was not like her to let this shit get to her. After a couple minutes of trying to regain control of her breathing she stood up, pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one. She took a long drag and then sat down on the picnic table. It was killing her that everything in her life wasn't going at all how she planned.
Summer didn't move when the door to the clubhouse opened. She was too frustrated to be bothered right now. "You ok love?" Chibs asked in a gentle tone as he sat down beside her and took the cigarette from her mouth, "I thought you quit?" "Not today," Summer mumbled, "and no, I'm not ok. I'm angry, I'm frustrated and confused." "It'll be ok Summer," Chibs replied, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, "I'm here if you need anything or if you just need to rant."
She smiled a small smile at Chibs before she let loose. "What the hell is wrong with them? With Clay and Jax?" she grumbled, "What the hell do they think is going on? You mean to tell me that they think you and I are together?" "I'm sure you have noticed it too love," Chibs replied quietly. "Noticed what?" She snapped, turning her head to look at him. He reached up and grabbed her hand. "That things between us aren't quite how they used to be," Chibs stated, pointing at himself and then at her, "That quite possibly you have graduated from married bikers to guys like me."
There was that nervous feeling again and her stomach was doing these weird little flippy movements inside her body. She could feel herself blush and based on the fact that Chibs was almost smiling, she knew she had been caught.
In that moment of fear and uncertainty, she grabbed her bag and looked at him. "I have no idea what you are talking about Chibs." She mumbled. She glanced up at him one last time before she hopped off the table and walked towards the gate of Teller Morrow to call a cab. She couldn't think about Chibs anymore, at least not right now. Her heart was being torn in two different directions and she had absolutely no idea how to deal with it.
She did what she best knew how to do, and that was to avoid confrontation. She would deal with it later, always later.