DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Sons Of Anarchy television show, therefore any familiar concepts, names or characters belong to Kurt Stutter. Any other familiar concepts (ex. Harley Davidson Motorcycles) belong to their rightful owner. Any concepts, names or characters that are unfamiliar belong to me, AdorableWords, as the rightful owner. This story is protected under copyright rules and regulations. Any stolen act will be reported to Fanfiction Net and the police. ©AdorableWords 2016
Please note that the first couple of chapters will be about the teenage years of SOA (most of which I will try my best to make interesting), then for the most part it will be the five years when Opie was in jail and a little afterwards during season one!
And thank you to the group of you who reviewed this story, followed this story, favorited this story, followed and favorited me as an author! I love each and every one of you guys (even those who just read for the fun of it)! Seriously each review made me type up this chapter even faster so thanks a bunch people! Now, carry on reading
Chapter 2.0 || Consume Me Whole
Sometimes love and loss hold hands together. ~ Michael Faudet
It was announced as Rhabdomyolysis Disorder once it had been discovered, or so her Physical Therapy doctor calls it. It is a disorder in which during and after the athlete pushes their muscles past extreme measures, the muscle tissue breaks down and loses its muscle memory. With this being stated, this disorder can also cause Kidney failure. The dead tissue from the muscle's fibre collects into the bloodstream and builds up in the Kidneys, causing waste production to build up as well. Therefore, without muscle memory or working Kidneys, the youngest Knowles will not be able to swim correctly at all.
Arabella felt it build up initially after her first swim practise during freshman year, bit by bit eating up both of her quadriceps before sinking her right to the bottom of the pool in the midst of the team's beginner race. Simply grasping a spot on the team meant the world to the fifteen year old at the time, following in her mother's footsteps enforced her heart to explode in euphoria while her mental goals clicked up two notches. Apparently upping her game meant increasing her chances of injury, except the injury was a near death experience. Although people underestimate the possible damages during swimming, this disorder had been so rare among Charming that doctors could only find one case all the way over in Nevada. Arabella didn't fancy the formal and horrendous appellation of this disorder. In fact, she disliked it so much that she had brought it upon herself to label it as 'Sag Your Ass Now Instead of Later' Disorder. To understand precisely how much suffering Arabella Sophia Knowles does go through would be unbearable to both the heart and the mind.
"I don't see you working as hard as you should be sophomores! Work your cute little asses! You wanna get gold at the finals? You might as well quit now because I don't see you pushing yourselves as hard as you can go!" That ear-piercing and obnoxious voice belonged to Charming's swim team coach, Mrs. Rodrigues. Bella does, for once in her life, adore this teacher over all because of her determination and encouragement towards each teammate reaching a personal goal. Not to mention her Hispanic accent made Arabella giggle every time Mrs. Rodrigues rolled her R's purposely. It was something the teenager rarely heard and she clandestinely desired to be able to do such a thing. Considering Arabella does not intentionally push her body overboard, Mrs. Rodrigues threatens to expel her off the team if the disorder becomes more frequent, but that does not stop the girl from trying to do her best. The adolescent teen thrusted her head under the water and swung her arms as fast as she could to stroke her body to the opposite side of the pool. Deliberately, Bella's lungs burned and ached stubbornly for air, bracing every muscle to not fail in that exact instant or she might not be able to swim to the surface. Arabella had taught herself oxygen was a gift, if she desired it with the most need then it must be earned fair and square. In addition to this goal, Mrs. Rodrigues inspires students to precisely take an average of five to six, and sometimes four, breaths per race.
"Pick up the pace Janet! You're slower by twenty seconds past your usual time! What, did your cheerios taste like feces? Oh I'm sorry pumpkin, let's just go cry about it!" Arabella's couch screamed luridly to a close friend and teammate, but the words exerted croppy and misplaced due to water filling and releasing from her ears. Her heart pounded against her chest powerfully as her feet smashed hard against the pearl white tile walls of the swimming pool. 'Come on Bella, you can do this. Just a little further..' She muttered in her mind as her body rebounded off the wall and sped off faster than a bullet from a gun to the beginning section of the pool. 'Don't fail on me now body. If we can go through period cramps then we sure as hell can go through a couple more seconds of swimming. You know Mom would be proud.' Arabella swung her head up, took in a large gulp of air prior to forcing her head underwater once again. Her thoughts blurred out like white noise as her body pushed herself to move at high speeds, knowing she could go even faster but did not want to test the theory.
"Look Janet! You should be more like Little Knowles here! Look at her go-!" And just as simple and quick as that, her muscles stopped working. Arabella's eyes widened instantly behind the air-locked goggles as her entire body began to descend to the bottom of the pool like the Titanic. Chlorine filled water consumed Arabella's frame whole, swallowing her in one solid motion. Her upper body thrashed around in the water, unable to swim herself to the surface. Simultaneously, muffled screams and faint shouts drifted like echoes throughout Bella's ringing and jam-packed eardrums. Panic rose in her mind, screaming at her aching and exceedingly strained thighs to function properly. The recollection of acquainted drowning flashed by in a millisecond as arms wrapped around her body, clutching her tightly in their grip before they both pierced the surface of the water. Arabella's body was flung onto the rough surrounding area of the pool as a loud gasp left her mouth, taking in various amounts of air. Her sore shoulder blades arched off the now soaking ground while multiple coughs packed with chlorine exerted from Arabella's weak and trembling lungs. She was frightened the past would repeat itself but it was bound to happen sooner or later. Sadly it came sooner, just as her doctor predicted. And the worst part overall was Bella's reach was only a few meters away from the finish line.
Mrs. Rodrigues looked at the panting girl with pain-filled eyes from her stance in the pool before shaking her head and letting out a much needed sigh. The couch placed a warm hand on the girl's cold shoulder, "Jesus Knowles.. When I said push yourselves, I don't mean to the extreme kid." Arabella ignored her words prior to swiftly sitting up. With the shaking mild power of her arms holding her body up, Arabella's darkened eyes narrowed at the sight of her lightly tanned legs turning a bright shade of red. They were obviously beyond irritated but Bella could not stop herself when the anger and hatred poured out like water from a glass.
"Goddammit!" She yelled in pure rage as her hands became fists and slammed into the ground like an unhappy child. She was furious with this disorder and her body, betrayal was not something the teenager took lightly. Enraged, Arabella grabbed at her face and ripped off her goggles before chucking it over-head a good foot away, smashing completely into a wall. 'Damn things… I needed a new pair anyway.' Despite her inner argument with her head, four pairs of feet ran towards Bella's lounging figure. Four people she did not want to talk to at the moment. Familiar hands wrapped around her wet figure, pulling the girl into a tight hug before drawing back.
"Oh my God Arabella, are you alright?!" The sound of her sister's voice made Arabella look up into her green eyes with regret, sorrow and most of all, fright. "Yeah, I'm fine Tara." Typically, the answer from her younger sister did not settle appropriately inside of Tara's stomach. Tara's womanly body stood up suddenly and starred down at Arabella with a hardened scowl. As soon as Tara raised her voice, everyone in the nearby area knew a fight had begun.
"You're fine? You're fine?! You almost fucking drowned again and you're telling me that you're fucking fine?! Are you crazy Arabella?!" The younger Knowles watched at her sister with a shocked and angered facial expression, wanting to shout right back at her at the same level. Oh, if only she could only stand up.
"What the hell are you yelling at me for?! This is not my fault!"
"Of course this is all your fault! If you would only let Doctor Shelby perform the surgery, then you wouldn't have to deal with this shit! Nor would I have to worry about you dying every single damn time you go swimming!" Arabella let out a huff similar to a laugh in utter disbelief prior to pointing a strict finger at Tara.
"If only?! Don't you think I would accept the surgery if I could Tara?! Dad doesn't pay for anything unless he absolutely needs too, you know that better than I do! And frankly, Kidney surgery costs far more than any of us could ever pay for!" Tara's face became as white as a sheet whilst her eyes filled with melancholy at the truth. Everyone secretly hates the truth, and that is the truth.
"Jesus Bella, you know we could pay it all off! I can work double shifts at the bar, you can work double shifts at the diner when you fully recover and Dad loves you enough to help with ever bit he could spare!" Arabella, bit by bit, dropped her angered look before shaking her head gradually.
"You mean Teller-Morrow Auto Repairs would pay it off. Better yet, SAMCRO would pitch in to help. Isn't that right Tara? You and Jackson are high school sweet hearts, the IT couple that have been dating for three years now. Why wouldn't you ask him for just a little bit of money, hm?" Arabella's words stung her sister's heart, shattering it into tiny glass pieces left to be picked up off the floor. One of the three figures behind Tara, Jackson Teller, stiffened up like a board as his gaze locked on the back of Tara's head in distress. Arabella continued on with her wild speech,
"You're the one who even told me not to take money unless you've earned it from hard work! Even if I did go in for that surgery, I won't be able to swim. Doctors will tell me not to do it but I won't listen and eventually will come back here, you and I both know that. So what will all of that money be for then? A tune-up on my Kidneys? Yeah, I don't think so. Don't act like that's not the truth Tara." Arabella continued, shocking Tara right to the center of her spine. Donna and Harry both stood alongside Jax with shocked faces. Donna gasped silently as Harry's firm face kept his steady yet worried eyes dead-set on the youngest Knowles. In a sudden spirt of odium, the oldest Knowles gritted her jaw tightly before lashing out.
"Don't you dare bring Jax or the club into this Arabella.." Tara spoke with a deadly gaze on her sister before on-going her power-driven speech. "How about you get up off your lazy ass and apologise to Jax for your disrespectful behavior. Oh wait, that's right, you can't stand up because you are a cripple. You need my help to stand up straight." Tara's sharp and heavily dosed words stabbed Arabella right back. Now there are two shattered hearts on the floor. Suddenly Bella, the Cripple from the Knowles family, felt self-conscious laying on the floor with droplets of chlorine water fell from her ears and red one-piece bathing suit.
Tara could not look her sister in the face after her recent comeback, fearing she might start to cry after glancing over Bella's hurt expression. The Knowles sisters rarely fought. They were more comparable to best friends rather than foes, but this moment defined their relationship significantly, creating boundary lines between each other's trust all of the sudden. "Go get changed. I'll be back with some Advil. Then we are going straight home." With those expressive words being stated, Tara stormed out from the pool with Jackson hot on her heels. Just before reaching the change room doors, Tara stopped and glanced over her shoulder towards her wretched sister. "I'm disappointed in you.. Mom would be disappointed in you." Arabella didn't expect that phrase to be uttered. A lonely tear streamed down her cheek as her vision became blurred. She could physically feel a whole dig deep in her heart and the pain was more than happy to occupy the forbidden space. 'Why is it so hard to pursue what I love to do? All I wanted was to make Mom proud from the grave. Now I've given her kink in the neck, a stain on the family name. She can look back on the family photos and pick out who is the good child and who is runt.'
"Why the hell would you say that to her? You know Jax is a sensitive topic to Tara-" An annoyed voice sprung out to the cripple's shattered frame, but Bella's gaze did not move from the change room door. The red and blue paint started to chip from the corners and bubble up at the bottom of the door from the water. How could this cripple have not noticed this detail before? She would not be able to look at Donna anyways, the tears now blinded her view. Luckily a deep voice cut Donna's speech off the instant it started to sound irrelevant to the whole depressing situation.
"Oh shut up Donna. You don't know half the shit the goes on in Tara's life, let alone Arabella's." Harry's deep voice made Donna scruff with fury before stalking off after Tara and Jackson. Now Arabella was left alone with Harry, the one guy she despised yet secretly desired, the devilish biker boy who bumped shoulders with her a little over a week ago and gave her a new aching sensation inside. Although Arabella wanted nothing more than to hide away from this embarrassing moment, she would not be able to crawl even if she tried her hardest. Silent but noticeable footsteps walked towards her before bended knees through long black jeans came into her field of view. Arabella did not try to stop herself as her fuzzy gaze locked on the face of Harry Winston who crouched down only an inch away. Mixed emotions sprung from his facial features but overall, Harry felt sympathy for the attractive younger Knowles. He could never live with himself if some doctor told him to stop rising a Harley because of a disorder. During the session of the memorable stare shared between both teenagers, Opie's hand slowly but surely reached out before gently placing itself on her smooth cheek. Of course at the little contact, Arabella's pretty little drunkin' sin came flashing by in a short second but the suffering pain stood out on top. Softly Opie's thumb ran itself over the wet tears dripping from her eyes, wordlessly telling her she was alright. Despite the eloquent moment, Opie let a small smile show.
"Hey Bells," Opie spoke lightly as a soft laugh left the hurting girl, immediately brightening her terrible evening and electrifying his tedious life. 'He still doesn't understand his limits I see.' Arabella leaned her cheek into his rough however comforting palm before cupping his large hand with one of her own hands, showing a closed mouth smile as a thank you.
"Hey Harry," she paused for a good moment, glancing back into his curious and compassionate eyes, prior to continuing. "I-..I'm sorry for what I said about yours and Jackson's gang-" Opie laughed out loud with a loving caress on her cheek which had stopped the cripple from speaking. Had she said something idiotically?
"It's not a gang, it's a club Darling. And technically, Jax and I aren't exactly in the club yet. Ever heard of the word 'Prospect'?" His observant and caring gaze stunned Bella like no one had before. She was too caught up in his hypnotizing eyes, sinful smirk and an aching feeling swell up tightly in her navel that his vocabulary choice confused her. A prospect? She knew the meaning although it was hard to make the connection between a prospect and the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club.
"A prospect? Like someone who has the possibility of success?" She asked him before gnawing on her lower lip. Harry's hum of agreement made Arabella nod her head slightly, not even noticing the wondering eyes slowly working its way from her face to her slightly uncovered and well-developed chest before snapping back up to her Lolita-like face. Harry wanted to protect this girl with his life, even if he barely knew her. As strange as it was to both him and her, Harry could not compete with his one-track mind and thumping heart. Something about her made him go downright insane inside. Completely and utterly begging for her sight in the place between sleep and awake. Harry could not tell the difference between the feeling of protection, the need to be touched or if it was the so-called pull towards the unfamiliar title 'love'. Could love even be stapled to the chests of a bad boy biker and a goody two shoes girl?
"Let me guess," Arabella paused her words as she wiped away the remaining tears from her damp cheeks prior to finishing her statement. "Being a part of Sons of Anarchy means you have to show loyalty and success first, you can't just join. A prospect will have to prove to the club that they are worthy of wearing the leather vest and whatever else you guys will do as group. Was I close?" Harry could not have smiled bigger then he had at her comment. Her intelligence only made Harry .
"You're too smart for your own good Knowles." Arabella took his words as conformation to her guess, blushing as bright as a wild rose while her fingers grasped a small strand of dripping wet dark brown hair behind her right ear. All of the sudden broad arms wrapped around her tiny yet athletic frame, one under her quivering knees and the other around her soaking back. Arabella's eyes slightly widened as a soft gasp left her during the moment Harry Winston had stood up with her cradled in his gentle hold. As a strong clamping feeling clenched on her thighs uncomfortably during the swift pick up, Arabella could not hold her drunkin' sin back as her baby blue eyes connected with his appealing hazel green eyes (which did, in fact, drown away the pain). With their noses so close physically yet so far imaginatively, his warm forearms made her body sink into his embrace for healing, and Harry did not mind it one bit. Arabella could not force a writer to compose a literal piece of art describing their moment shared together, for it was too rich and beautiful to imagine for a piece of flimsy paper or toxic ink. Her eyes bounced from eye to the next on Harry's facial appearance as a way of silently ask why he had picked her up. With a soft sigh excreting from Harry's lips, he replied generously to her question.
"Come on Darling, something tells me you don't want to sit on this cold floor anymore." And with that being said, Harry turned the pair around before walking with a steady beat towards the change rooms. Arabella listened to her heart jumble to beat correctly as her face flushed in slight embarrassment. Why did a disorder have to consume her body? She would rather have a slow and painful death then show any attractive man that she was too physically weak and unable to pick her own body off the floor. A sudden spirt of confusion rose in her mind as Bella glanced around the quiet building.
"You know, you're not allowed in the girl's change rooms. School rules still apply even after school rebel." Arabella goofed around with Harry lightly with a smile threating to crawl onto her lips as he admired the girl from above her with a risky smirk and raised eyebrow.
"And who's gonna stop me goody two shoes?" He asked, copying her play-on word at the end of her sentence. To Bella's awareness, she had quickly noticed how quiet it had been in the echoing building. Her eyes glanced around the whole room to find every girl on the swim team gone, along with her favorite coach. 'Since when did everyone just up and leave?' Her mind questioned and Harry laughed at her sudden realisation look painted on her face. Now she was just drenched with embarrassment, lightly plunging her face right into his muscular chest as a small smile was put on her lips. Harry could not stop himself from chuckling as he stopped his walk at the front of the change room door. His free hand under Arabella's legs grasped the door handle before pulling the door open, stopping as Bella's soft voice pierced the air.
"Hey Harry?" her voice paused his movements, leaving the door ajar as his gaze came back to hers. He noticed how thoughtful and caring her expression had become and smiled back at her with the same amount of respect, humming a reply to her words. In a steady yet slightly nervous voice, Arabella replied with a sentence that stunned Harry.
"Thanks for helping me with this stupid thing. I could not have been reasonably okay without your comfort… So thank you, Opie." She ended with the preferable name for Harry. He was quick to smile brightly before bringing her body even closer to his and placing a slow and much needed kiss upon her forehead. The kissed shared a deeper meaning then what was shown on the surface, the meaning being how Harry had finally found a place for Arabella inside of him. For that place was now his pretty big sober heart.
"I would do anything for you, Arabella."
SOASOASOA
So how was this chapter? Was it bad? Was it great? Was it mundane and expecting? Let me know in a review please and thank you! And please don't shoot me for taking forever to type this up! I have been super busy with school and planning a trip for Vegas soon! So if you don't see the next chapter up for a couple of weeks then the vacation is the reason why.
Thanks a bunch, love Kelsey