Owen has been gone for a month, and I haven't heard from him since he left. I know that he went in hope of clearing his mind, waiting for the pieces to come back together, but wasn't I one of those pieces? Between Cali and Tulsa...I was the only constant.
A few people at Buck's quit lately, so Dallas has been busy picking up extra shifts. Between his work schedule and my school, I hardly see him. There's still the rest of the gang... but they're usually so busy with their own lives that I don't bother burdening them with mine. I was tired of the same old thing day by day. Wake up. Go to school. Come home. Do homework. Go to bed. That was the gist of it anyway, toss in eating and bathing and that's about as detailed as it got. Audrey ventured into Cali with Owen and only God knows where Scarlett's been, and only God cares. I was alone in my house most of the time, which was exactly how I felt.....completely alone.
I woke up one morning, not giving much thought to it, because I knew the more I thought about it, the more likely I wouldn't go. I had hardly warned myself when I started packing a bag with a week's worth of necessities.
I found Dal behind the bar at Buck's, his usual post.
"I'm going to California." I said.
"Why?" he looked confused.
"I haven't heard from Owen in a month. I'm so bored here Dal...you're working, everyone's busy with school and stuff. I'll only be there a week at the most. I promise." I maintained a very serious look on my face.
"Alright babe. Do what you gotta. Call me when you get there alright?" He planted a soft kiss on my lips before I turned and left.
You'd think after feeling so alone, I'd want to find a raging party at the mansion in Cali. But I was overjoyed to find it completely empty. It didn't appear that Owen had been there much, not that he ever was when we lived there. I immediately went into my mom's room. I had been meaning to get some of her things for a while now, just some keepsakes. I went through her jewelry box, collecting my favorite pieces, until I heard something behind me. I spun around and found my father, half drunk, staring at me in bewilderment.
"When did you get into town?" He said in his usual cynical tone.
"Since when did you give a shit?" I spat. He noticed the collection of jewelry I cradled in my palm.
"What are you doing with those?" His voice raised.
"They were mom's. I want them." I explained calmly.
"I didn't say you could take those." A stern look played across his face.
"Funny...I don't remember asking." I tucked the jewelry in my jeans pocket and turned to leave when he forcefully grabbed my arm.
"I didn't say you could take those." He looked into my eyes, shouting.
"Don't fucking touch me." I screamed and tried to pull away, until I felt the sting of his palm colliding with my cheek. I reached into my back pocket and flipped out my switchblade, holding it firmly in his direction.
"I said don't fucking touch me!" My voice raising even louder. I felt like I could have cut him to pieces then and there, but what good would that do me? So I left, and headed to the only place I knew I could go: the clubhouse.
I pulled up on the compound in the black mustang that I took from our collection of cars in the garage. There weren't many cycles there so I figured the guys were out on business somewhere. Even Gemma was gone. I found the bedroom and collapsed on the bed. It didn't take long before I drifted off into the most peaceful sleep that I'd had in a long time.
It had only felt like minutes when my eyes blinked open and found that playful smirk that I knew all too well.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I said softly.
"I should ask you the same thing." he answered.
"I came to see Owen." I said.
"Sure you did." He winked at me, and I playfully hit him.
I sighed and tugged on his shirt, "Don't you wear anything other than plaid?" I commented, remembering that the little Jax did have in his closet was mostly plaid, and I really never understood why.
"If you don't like it I'll just take it off then." The second smirk really made me get up, because I knew what typically followed if there was a third one. I squinted and stretched as my eyes adjusted to the lighting in the clubhouse. I immediately found Owen, who was very surprised to see me, and threw my arms around him, squeezing him tightly.
"I missed you." I said. "Why haven't you called?"
"Oh you know Rhy...busy with club stuff." I noticed he was wearing his old cut.
I cocked my head to the side, "When did you get your patch back?" I asked sternly, glancing over at Gemma who just shrugged. I knew she was part of it. She would do anything to get Owen and me back in her life, and she finally found a start.
"Are you just gonna stand over there all night or are you gonna get your wee ass over here and give me a hug?" That Irish accent rung loudly through the air and I couldn't help but smile. I turned, shaking my head.
"Hey Chibbs!" He instantly had me in a hug, and I kissed his cheek just before he released me.
"Where's my kiss?" I heard beside me.
"Oh Tiggy." I said, playfully punching him on the cheek. He caught my hand and kissed the top of it.
"It's good to see you Rhyan." He said.
The doors slammed behind me and I turned to see some girl standing there in low cut shorts that nearly revealed her ass cheeks, a very tight lace tank top, and a pair of combat boots, with makeup so dark on her face you could barely see her eyes in the shadows of the clubhouse. Her hair hung sloppy over her shoulders. The first name that flashed through my mind was Lillah's, but as I looked closer, I noticed that it was Audrey.
"Audrey?" I almost didn't believe it, the name didn't fit the Audrey that I knew.
"Hey Rhyan." She said, before planting a hug on me. I was too shocked to hug her back, but I didn't hug strangers anyway, and there was no way that I was acquainted with this Audrey that stood before me.
The Sons threw one of their usual parties that night, but I decided to hide back in the bedroom not wanting to be mistaken for one of the trashy whores that usually show up. It didn't take long for that lonely feeling to overtake me again. I had called Dallas about five times since I arrived here, but he never answered, I guess he was busy with work. I decided to surf through my laptop when I heard a knock at the door.
"Come in." I said, with a pretty accurate idea of who it might be.
"Where's your plaid?" I asked, noticing his change into the navy blue hoodie.
"Thought I'd change it up." He said, before sitting on the bed next to me. "What happened there?" My hand met the rising hot spot on my cheek. I had forgotten all about the encounter with my dad earlier.
"Just a run in with my dad." I said.
It heated him up instantly, "your dad hit you?" his voice rising.
"Don't even think about it." My eyes met his, in all seriousness. Though I wasn't at all opposed to the Sons meeting up with my dad in a dark alley somewhere.
"So...." I was trying to keep him busy with conversation. "Audrey seems to fit in well." I said as negative as possible.
"I sense some tension there." Jax looked intrigued.
"I don't like her hanging out here. This isn't who she is." I said, covering up the deep reason.
"She's not going to take your place Rhyan." He said, knowing exactly what I was thinking.
"Sure looks like shes trying." I glanced over at him.
"You know she can't do that, no matter how hard she tries." I expected him to smirk again, but he was very serious. "So what's the real reason you came up here?"
"I just felt too alone there. No one's at the house, my friend's are all busy.." I made sure to purposely leave out Dal.
"What about your boyfriend?"
I rolled my eyes. "He's busy with work I guess......I just hate being all alone, ya know? None of my friends back in Tulsa understand what goes on here, what's going on with Owen...I just feel like I can't talk to anyone." Before I knew it I tossed the laptop aside and rolled over to face him. "I'm so sick of the same old shit ya know? When does life get interesting? When does it get easier?" I confessed.
"It doesn't." He replied. Which wasn't exactly the answer I was looking for. "You take what you get, and you suck it."
I laughed.
"There it is..." he said. I looked up at him puzzled, unaware of what he was referring to. "If there was one thing I've missed about you...it was your laugh." He smiled down at me. I knew what I was doing, it didn't just happen, but he was there when no one else was, and in that moment I needed him.
My fingers played with his hair, pulling his lips to mine. He was in no rush, and neither was I. It was slow and passionate. I eventually found our bare skin touching. His hands moved slowly and softly over my skin, as I gently moaned into him. It was so natural, like we had never stopped, so easy to give into the the old feelings, the routine ways.
The next morning I rolled over to find a note, explaining that the club had to leave early on business and that he wasn't trying to skip out. I had slept later than expected and by the time I took a shower and ate breakfast, the club was already back. I was fed up with Audrey. I had no idea what type of game she was playing, what sort of act she thought she was the star of, but we both knew that this badass role was way above her acting skills, and I was sick of it. She wasn't fooling anyone. The club gathered around to drink and chat when I noticed her flaunting herself at Jax in the corner, and that snapped something inside of me.
"You're not fooling anybody." I was unaware that I had actually shouted across the room, and everyone grew still, glaring at me.
"What the fuck are you talking about?" She looked confused, but I saw through that act too.
"What the hell happened to Audrey? Cause I don't like this trashy skank." I gestured to her appearance.
"Excuse me?" Her stilettos clacked against the hard wood floor as she made her way closer to me.
"Lay off." I nodded in Jax's direction.
Audrey smiled a devilish smile. "Why? It's not like hes claimed." she licked her lips in a vulgar gesture before turning back to him.
Without thinking I shoved her halfway across the room shouting, "He's mine!" the words dawned on me as they escaped my mouth. I hadn't realized what I was saying until I had said it.
Her eyes narrowed. "Does Dallas know that?'
I could feel heat rising in my cheeks, spilling out hot tears down my face. I wanted to hit her so badly, just like I did Lillah....but instead, I turned and walked out of the clubhouse.
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