Chapter Sixteen

"So let me get this straight," Dan told her incredulously as he slid out of her car. "That woman stayed up all night, slaving away in front of her stove, with a super secret recipe that she refuses to share with anyone, and now she's gonna expect us to basically be her little fundraiser elves, no questions asked, all day?"

"Yep, that pretty much sums it up."

Dan's mouth spread apart in a wide, almost evil grin, his thick, dark eyebrows lifting high into his forehead like a Bond villain. "I cannot wait to meet her. Oh my God, I think this just might be the best day of my life."

Allie stopped short, her feet stalling right on the pavement of Charming High School's parking lot, and she whipped around to face her roommate. "You know what. I've made a decision. You," she jabbed a finger at him as she spoke, "are sitting in the car for the rest of the day. Now, I'll crack a few windows open for you. I might even turn the radio on if you're really good. But you, my friend, are not taking another step."

Dan's lips curled into Grinch-like portions as he hitched a hand on his hip in defiance. "And risk pissing off Mama Gemma? Oh, Alexandra, we both know you're not gonna do that, so why even play around?"

Maybe he had a point. There was no way she would dare piss off Gemma, especially not by essentially ditching her twice in a row. That sounded like a sure fire way of ending up six feet under. Figuratively speaking, of course. Allie liked to believe Gemma wasn't actually capable of murder - but then again, one could never tell where the club, or anyone affiliated with them, was concerned.

And then again, she was affiliated with the club now too, wasn't she? What exactly that said about her, she wasn't really sure...

"Alright, alright. Maybe I went too far," Allie waved a hand at him as they approached the myriad of brightly-colored booths and tents just beyond the parking lot. "But, that being said, I would really, really appreciate it if you maybe didn't embarrass me today, okay?"

"Me? Embarrass you? You should be counting your lucky stars for the day I sashayed into your life, so don't talk to me about who's embarrassing who here."

"What's that supposed to mean, Daniel?"

Dan stopped short, whirling around to face her and almost losing the plate of cookies in his hand in the process. "You. That's what. You're nervous, aren't you? You've been all keyed up the last few days, worrying about what to wear, if that color lipstick is too much or not enough, which," he gave her a quick once-over with an appreciative eye, "is just right, but you knew that already."

Allie glanced down at her attire and threw him a nonchalant shrug. "Okay, so maybe I was a little indecisive for a day or two, but that's just because this is still kind of a work event for me, you know?"

"No," Dan lifted his eyes to the sky in annoyance. "I don't know, and that's because this isn't really a work event. That's just what you're telling yourself. Look at you - you look like you just stepped out of a Vogue ad or something."

She glanced down at her outfit again, now a little more self-conscious about what she'd ultimately decided on. Her summer midi dress was silky and loose-fitting, but still fitted enough to show her shape, and the red color, with its delicate white flower pattern, complimented her skin tone nicely. It was the little details, though, that had her second-guessing this choice. Thin spaghetti straps that dipped low in the back, a subtle sweetheart cut in the front, and a high slit that landed right in the middle of her left thigh...there was just as much skin on display as what she'd worn for the merger party over a month ago, if not more so, but that was also a wildly different atmosphere than a town fundraiser. She'd brought a leather jacket to cover up when it was time to head to Fun Town, but until then, she was rocking the spaghetti straps and thigh slit.

"What, is that bad?"

"No," Dan stared at her like she was an idiot. "You look perfect. Completely and utterly perfect. And we both know why. That's all I'm saying."

Allie huffed a little, tucking her leather jacket under her arm with more animosity than she would've liked. There was a part of her, deep down, that knew exactly what he was talking about. But she was also never, ever going to admit that.

"Oh, come on," Dan nudged her with his elbow as they headed right for the black tent with the Samcro logo on it. "All this nervous energy around the house these last few days - you really think I wasn't gonna notice? But you know what? You do you. If you wanna play this game, then I'll play as long as I can stand it."

"Shut your trap, Daniel."

Dan's mouth fell open in faux-shock and his free hand pressed into his heart like she'd just said JC Chasez was a mediocre singer, at best. That was sacrilege, at least according to her best friend and roommate. Messing with N'Sync was also a sure fire way to end up six feet under.

"Well, are you ready for this or what?" Dan shot back. "Because if you're not...well, I don't care."

Allie pushed out a heavy sigh, steeling herself for whatever this day might bring. The fundraiser didn't technically start until noon, but Gemma had given them strict instructions to be at the club's booth by 10:30 at the latest so they could get everything set up, and then there was still Fun Town to deal with later on. She hadn't been to Fun Town since high school, but that carnival could go just about as late as the town wanted, as long as there were people still out and about.

It was going to be a long, long day. That much she knew for sure.

As they approached the booth, it was clear Gemma had enlisted some of the club members to help her with the set up too. Several leather cuts moved around the booth, setting up tables, and unloading more than a few buffet-style slow cookers from a van parked off to the side.

"But where is the president though?" Dan muttered, even as he stood up a little bit on his toes to get a better look at the people in the booth. "Oh, that's right. He wouldn't deign himself to this kind of work, would he? Best to save that for the minions."

Allie shot him a wary side-eye but chose not to acknowledge him any further. Which was just as well because Gemma had already made eye contact.

"Hey!" she waved at them from the booth. "Come on! We're just gettin' started over here."

Dan gripped Allie's elbow with his free hand and murmured into her ear, "Oh my God. She is fabulous."

"Okay, okay. Just...behave."

He shot her a bitchy grin, pulling her along by the elbow so they could get to that booth a little bit faster. "Do not ruin this for me, Alexandra. So help me God."

They met Gemma at the back end of the club's booth, where Lyla and Piper were already perched in chairs, tying some bags together. Gemma didn't waste any time, wiping her hands on a towel, and practically sprinting around the pop-up tables to get to them.

"Well," she started happily, her dark eyes sparking with excitement. "I'm glad you two could make it!"

She slipped an arm around Allie's shoulder to pull her in for a quick hug before setting her sights on Dan. "And who is this?"

Allie had to bite back a grin as Dan stepped forward to take Gemma by the shoulders. Gemma didn't miss a beat, that grin on her face spreading into almost pure glee.

"I think I just might be your new best friend," Dan told her as he pulled Gemma in tight. "Don't fight it. This is real. I knew it from the moment I saw you."

Gemma, never one to turn down flattery, pulled away just long enough to take Dan by the chin. "Honey, you have no idea what you're in for."

Allie just rolled her eyes and stepped around them just in time to hear Gemma say, "You know I watched one of your movies last night."

To which Dan replied, "Ooo! Which one?"

She didn't really need to hear the rest of that conversation and figured it was better to just leave them to it than have to stand there and act interested.

"Allie!" Lyla whispered loudly from around the side of their booth, waving her over. "Over here!"

She took her cue, grateful for the rescue, and joined Lyla and Piper on the other side.

***

"Those fuckers," Gemma muttered her breath as yet another patron at the fundraiser walked past their booth with a plateful of burgers and chips. Then yet another couple walked past with plates of hot dogs and chips. And another.

"Okay, wait," Dan offered, tilting his head to the side in thought. "So...we don't want those very attractive firemen to get donations or..."

"Well," Gemma hitched a hand on her hip as she stirred one of the chili pots with her other hand. "I want them to get donations, sure. They're the fire department for chrissakes. But I don't want them to get more donations than us."

Dan stared at Gemma for a beat, then swiveled his gaze to the fire department's booth across from them before waving brightly at them. "Mmmkay."

"Who's side are you on here?"

Dan's eyes widened comically and he glanced over his shoulder at Allie to mouth, "I love her."

"Of course I'm on your side," Dan told Gemma placatingly. "Always."

Allie shot Lyla a knowing glance and they both started laughing behind Dan and Gemma. They'd been stationed behind the main action on prep duty, which mainly consisted of rolling napkins and keeping the little thank you bags stocked and ready to be handed out with each chili purchase. Gemma ran the show at the front table, with Dan and Bobby dutifully doling out cup after cup of her chili, and Piper stationed at the end of the table to take payment and make change.

"Gemma really pulled out all the stops this year," Lyla murmured to her as she dropped another thank you bag in their pile. "I feel like every year this whole production gets bigger and bigger."

Allie just grinned back at her, careful not to say too much since they were well within earshot of Gemma. Knowing what she knew now, and knowing that it really was important that the community saw the club in a different light, she understood why Gemma took this so seriously every year. This fundraiser was really the club's one, legitimate shot every year at being seen as something other than that lawless MC in town. It was no wonder Gemma stayed up all night the night before, slaving away in front of her stove to perfect her chili - which, incidentally, was still very much a secret family recipe. Dan had tried, pretty valiantly and politely, to get even a hint at some of the ingredients Gemma used, but she hadn't budged an inch.

"Well, well, well," a familiar deep voice called out behind them.

Allie's heart stuttered and her hands froze in mid-air for just a second, holding onto one of those little thank you bags for dear life, but when she felt Lyla's eyes drift in her direction, she snapped herself out of it.

"This looks absolutely fantastic, Ma."

"I know," Gemma replied easily. "What did you expect, Jackson?"

"Somethin' pretty much like this."

At this point, she couldn't really ignore the fact that they had guests in their booth now. Lyla had already sprung from her seat to get to Opie, leaving her stranded and feeling a little out of sorts. But, since Dan and Gemma were effectively blocking her from view, and since she had her back to the table anyway, couldn't she just pretend she wasn't there?

And then she saw a ringed hand reach for a cookie on the plate next to her shoulder.

"Hey!" Dan shrieked, and Allie turned her head to see Dan swat the chocolate chip cookie right out of Jax's hand. "Those are for the volunteers! Not you!"

Jax's hands immediately flew up in the air in defense, despite the smirk on his face. "Sorry! Jesus."

"No, my name is Daniel. Thank you very much."

She could hear Gemma cackling next to Dan, and now, she couldn't really put it off any longer. Her gaze shifted right to Jax, almost on reflex, and found him staring back at Dan with his eyebrows lifted high into his forehead. He glanced at her for a moment, as if he could feel her eyes on him, and then shifted his gaze back to Dan. Almost instantaneously, Jax's eyes slammed back to her.

His lips twisted across his handsome face into a lop-sided smirk as his eyes swept across every inch of bare skin he could find, starting with her exposed shoulders, her neck, and finally drifting downward to the lower cut neckline of her dress. All she could do was chew on her bottom lip and hope no one else was watching.

So maybe Dan was right. Maybe she'd purposefully chosen this exact dress, with matching lipstick, for this exact reason. He'd have to wrangle it out of her before she'd ever admit that out loud though.

At this point, there was nothing left to do but stand up. It was hard to ignore the way Jax's blue eyes sparked when he saw the flash of skin at the slit by her thigh.

Definitely made the right choice. She wasn't going to think about why. Couldn't she just revel in the knowledge, even just for one second, that she had his attention? It probably helped - or maybe it didn't - that this dress was obviously designed for someone much taller, so the thigh slit hit a little bit lower on her than it would on someone with longer legs.

"Hey, Allie," Opie was calling out to her now, drawing her attention away from the blonde biker in front of her. "Why are you two ladies relegated to the back of the booth like this?"

Allie just shrugged. Then, because she just couldn't help herself, she answered honestly with an easy grin, "Oh, you know," she gestured to the still-lingering purple bruise on the bridge of her nose, "I think it's probably on account of our banged up faces."

"That's true," Lyla nodded from underneath Opie's arm, gesturing to the very obvious remnants of bruises on her own face. "It's bad for business."

Gemma hitched both hands on her hips, turning a sharp eyebrow at them. "That had nothin' to do with it. I'm the face of this operation here, and you all know it."

Dan nodded in solidarity. "It's true."

"But," Gemma allowed. "Maybe it's time for a break."

She shifted on her heel, sweeping a hand out to the open space in front of her. Then, because Allie clearly couldn't take the hint, or maybe she didn't want to, Gemma put her hand on the small of Allie's back to give her a gentle push to the front table - and incidentally, directly in front of Jax.

His lips curled up the side of his face, and he pushed his hands into his front pockets. "Hey, Allie. Long time no see."

"Sure, Jax," she laughed.

His use of her actual name set her a little off-kilter. It always did - she'd half-expected him to call her darlin' like he usually did. She was prepared for that. Knew how to react. How to manage it. This felt different...especially the soft lilt in his voice when he said her name.

Now, she gestured to the huge slow cooker in front of her. "Would you like a bowl or...?"

He just lifted a shoulder, but that grin still hadn't left his face. "Sure, darlin'."

Allie pushed out a heavy breath, shaking her head a little as she picked up an empty plastic bowl and started filling it for him. She waited expectantly to see if he wanted her to add any toppings, and he pointed to the cheese and onions with a smirk, clearly enjoying the fact that she was basically waiting on him right now. He shook his head at the sour cream, signaling that she should skip it. Then she threw on some extra cheese just for good measure, and he winked at her when she handed him the bowl.

"That will be $100, Mr. Teller," Allie told him flatly, and without a hint of irony.

Jax narrowed his eyes a little, but the playfulness there and the ever-present smirk on his face told a different story. Then, without missing a beat, he handed the chili bowl back to her so he could dig into his back pocket for his wallet. He made quick work of counting the 20s and promptly handed them over to Piper, shooting the shy teen a sly wink as she took the bills from his fingertips.

At this point, it was obvious that all eyes in that booth were on them.

Then, Jax lifted his eyebrows and gestured to the bowl in her hand. "Well, can I have my chili? I think I earned it."

She huffed out a laugh but handed it over.

"I think that might've been our biggest donation yet," she heard Gemma mutter from over her shoulder.

And then Dan's voice: "Does it count if it's technically from us?"

"Oh, it counts."

Jax winked at Allie again as he brought a big spoonful of chili to his mouth, stepping off to the side so she could get a bowl for Tig, who was next in line.

"I have to say, sweetheart," Tig leaned in to murmur to her, "you look good enough to eat today, but if you charge me $100 for a bowl of chili, I'm walkin' over to those firefighters for a hot dog."

***

With their booth all cleaned up and mostly loaded up into a van by the prospects on duty, Allie collapsed into a chair next to Dan and threw her feet into his lap. She'd expected to be tired, but being on her feet for so long really made her wish she'd brought a change of shoes. However, anything less than chunky heels would do a disservice to her outfit, so she'd sacrificed comfort for fashion today.

That was a sacrifice she could live with.

Dan took his cue, gently working the tired muscles in her calves. "Well, that went better than I expected. I made a new best friend and you...I don't want to talk about you right now."

She chose not to acknowledge him, instead closing her eyes so she could just focus on this brief reprieve. This day had already been...a lot, to say the least, and they hadn't even announced who the biggest donation earner was - as if that was some sort of prize that could be won. Well, in Gemma's mind, it definitely was. Allie didn't really want to know what was going to happen if the club didn't come out on top. Apparently, Gemma's rivalry with the fire department was no joke, and she was a little worried Gemma might set fire to their tent - for real - if the club didn't win.

"Oh my God," Allie muttered under her breath. "I have to go to the bathroom so bad, but this feels so good right now. I don't want to move."

Dan unceremoniously pushed her legs off his lap and shooed her along. "If you fall asleep right now, Alexandra, I am not responsible for cleaning up after you. I don't have a change of clothes for you in the car."

Allie just rolled her eyes and slid off her chair. It was still too hot for her leather jacket, and by now, any self-consciousness she'd had over her dress was long gone. With the heat scorching down on her shoulders, she was more concerned about sunscreen now than anything, and was grateful for the airy dress around her body. Besides, she looked good. Why ruin a good time before it even started?

As she headed for the line of port-a-potties at the end of the parking lot, Allie stopped short and crinkled her nose up at the sight. Long lines of carnival-goers graced the side of the parking lot, all waiting for their turn in the dirty, stinky makeshift outhouses.

Pass. Hard, hard pass.

Besides, she also really had to pee and waiting that long in line was most likely not going to end well for her.

A low whistle sounded at her in her direction, and she immediately whipped around to face whoever was stupid enough to whistle at her. Allie really shouldn't have been surprised to see Jax meandering toward her, and away from the small group of Reaper cuts off to the side, his hands in his pockets, and a sexy smirk on his face. Of course. Why would it be anyone else?

"Did you just whistle at me," Allie called out to him, her hands on her hips, "like I was a dog?"

Jax just shrugged, even as he closed the short distance between them, his blue eyes sparkling with amusement. "Got your attention, didn't it?"

Allie stared back at him in exasperation with her hands still perched defiantly on her hips. "I'm pretty sure that's not my point."

He nodded easily, his eyes trailing up and down the length of her as he came to stand right in front of her. Even though she was technically fully clothed, she'd never felt more exposed in that moment. Maybe it was just the feeling of his eyes sweeping over her exposed skin. That was it.

Then he tipped his chin to her. "Where you headed?"

"Well, I'm not sure."

Jax's eyebrows dipped into a small frown, but that grin still hadn't left his face. "What do you mean you're not sure?"

She gestured to the long line of port-a-potties about 30 feet away from them. "I was going to go to the bathroom, but that just seems like a terrible choice for so many reasons. And now I don't know what to do because I have to pee like nobody's business."

He seemed to give that some consideration, tilting his head to the side in thought until he sidestepped around her and motioned with his head for her to follow him. "Come on now. This way."

Against her better judgment, she trailed after him, stopping long enough to slip her chunky heels off her feet - which was both a relief to her aching toes and let her catch up to Jax even faster.

"Where are we going?"

He pointed to the school with a ringed hand, lifting his eyebrows at her expectantly from over his shoulder.

"What? Jax, no. There's no way the school's open right now."

"I never said it was open," he tsked at her, gesturing with his head for her to hustle along.

"Well, then, what..."

"Don't worry about it," he told her as they rounded a corner of the building. "I may or may not know that there happens to be a window right around this corner here that is open, more often than not."

"What do you mean, more often than not?"

"Well," he explained with a smirk as he pointed to a window just ahead of them. "There might've been occasions when Ope and I skipped out on a few periods. When we wanted to sneak back in, we went this way. That old bastard who taught in this room was too drunk off his ass in the afternoons to know any better."

"You mean Mr. Collins? Wouldn't he be retired by now?"

"Fuck if I know," Jax shrugged as he reached up to tug on the window to slide it open. When it didn't budge, he frowned and started pulling on it even harder, bringing a foot up to the wall to really throw his weight into it, muttering under his breath, "Shit."

Allie just stared at him with her hands on her hips. "Nice, Jax."

He gave the window another tug before stumbling back from the wall a little. He shoved his hands deep inside his pockets, almost sheepishly, and rocked back on his heels. When he finally turned his head to her, his lips pulled apart in a grimace.

"What am I supposed to do now?"

"I guess you're stuck waitin' in line," Jax smirked.

"Ugh," Allie jutted out her bottom lip. "I cannot believe this. Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome."

She huffed out a laugh, shaking her head at him. "I guess this is what I get - listening to you. You just had to show off, didn't you? I can't believe you really thought that was gonna work. Now, my bladder's gonna explode and you don't even care."

Jax's hand flew into his chest. "That hurts. That really hurts. Of course I care."

"Okay."

Allie started to head back around the building, only to stop short when she saw the long, winding line for the port-a-potties by the parking lot's edge that had seemed to grow by about 50 people since they'd walked away.

"That's it. It's official. You're officially the worst."

"Aw, come on," Jax nudged her with his elbow. "You really thought you weren't gonna have to use those things at some point? Were you planning to hold it all through Fun Town too?"

"I don't know," she shot back. "I hadn't planned that far ahead."

"Well, there's a gas station about two blocks away. Can't imagine it would take you longer to get there than it would to wait in line, crossin' your legs."

Allie pushed out a rough sigh. "I don't have my keys or my purse. Besides, I'd never find a parking spot again. I'd have to park at that gas station and walk back."

His lips twisted into a cocky smirk as he rocked back on his heels again. "I do have a bike, you know. And a helmet. I'll even let you wear it."

"Right," Allie laughed. "Like I'm getting on your bike."

Jax just frowned back at her, that cocky smirk slipping a little. "Why not?"

"Well, for starters," she gestured to her summer dress. "I'm not exactly dressed to get on the back of a bike."

His blue eyes flicked down to her dress before meeting her in the eye. "I disagree."

"And even if I was," Allie rolled her eyes at him. "I'd never get on the back of your bike anyway."

Jax's eyebrows lifted into his forehead. "Never?"

"Never," she smirked back. This was fun. Maybe too much fun, but today, she was giving herself permission to have a little bit of fun. Just a little.

"And why is that?"

She just shot him a wary side-eye as she stepped around him to head down the opposite side of the parking lot, where she could hightail it to the sidewalk and sprint to that gas station if she had to. At this point, if she waited in line, she might really need that change of clothes Dan had joked about before - and he'd been telling the truth. There was no change of clothes waiting for her in her car. So, the gas station it was.

Then she heard light footsteps jogging behind her to catch up.

"I don't need a chaperone, Jax," she called over her shoulder, clutching her heels even tighter in her hand to distract herself from the fact that she really, really had to pee.

"Like hell you don't," she heard him laughing behind her.

Now, she just couldn't wait anymore. Even though she knew Jax was right on her heels, she broke out into a light sprint, with her heels in one hand, and the hem of her dress in the other so she could run a little bit faster.

"Wait up, Allie," Jax called out behind her.

"I can't! I literally can't!"

He was still laughing when he caught up, jogging next to her until they stopped right at the gas station's main entrance. Jax pulled the door open for her, waving her in with his free hand and a wide smile on his face. Hopping from foot to foot, she debated how smart it was to walk in there without her shoes on, gave up, put her shoes back on using Jax's shoulder as a lean-to, and then speed-walked straight for the women's restroom at the back of the gas station.

When she was done, and feeling a little more like herself, she glanced at her reflection in the mirror as she washed her hands. For a second, Allie almost didn't recognize herself. Her cheeks were flushed, her hair was a little tangled and disheveled at her shoulders, her breath a little ragged from all the adrenaline and the running. She looked...alive. And happy.

Smiling to herself, she ran her fingers through her hair to smooth some of the tangles. It didn't matter to her anymore that her lipstick had long worn off or that her carefully applied mascara had flaked a little - okay, she was going to fix that - or that her dress was a little wrinkled in the back or maybe really did expose more skin than she was comfortable with.

She felt like herself. And that was all that mattered.

When she left the women's restroom, she easily found the back of Jax's blonde head, where he was standing at the counter, that Reaper emblem on his leather-covered back on full display for everyone to see. He'd thrown a pack of gum and a king-size package of Reese's peanut butter cups on the counter. The clerk behind the desk was just reaching up to grab a pack of cigarettes for Jax as she made her way over there and rested an elbow on the counter.

His head immediately turned to her, and he flashed her a grin. "Feel better?"

"You have no idea."

Jax huffed out a laugh as he tipped his chin to the counter. "You want anything?"

"Nah," she batted a hand at him. "I'm good. Thanks."

He just lifted a shoulder, digging into his back pocket for his wallet when the clerk set his cigarettes down by the rest of his purchases. Then, he caught her off-guard by leaning in to murmur in her ear, "You're lucky I have any cash left to pay for this shit."

"Hey, it's not my fault you actually paid $100 for one bowl of chili," she laughed.

"Like I had a choice," he huffed back, but as he leaned away, his blue eyes glinted with amusement. She found herself immediately missing that closeness, that heady scent of spice and gasoline, and then shoved it down just as quickly.

She could hear his phone buzzing inside his cut as he tossed a few bills on the counter to pay, then he tipped his chin to the clerk, sweeping his cigarettes and gum up in one hand and handing the peanut butter cups to her with the other. He reached inside his cut for his phone before tossing his cigarettes and gum in his inside pocket, gesturing for her to head toward the door as he flipped his phone open.

"Yeah, Ma?"

Even as he answered, his eyes met hers and he grinned before pushing the door open to let Allie pass through first.

"Yeah, I got her."

At this point, Allie was acutely aware that their presence at this gas station had drawn a little bit of attention. Several people's heads turned at the sight of Jax's Reaper cut, and then, almost on reflex, their focus shifted to see the girl the infamous Jax Teller was here with. Maybe 15 years ago, if they'd been at this gas station together when they were either coming or going from the high school, she might've been more than a little embarrassed to be seen here with him. That only would've been fodder for the never-ending rumor mill surrounding her, and no excuse or backstory would've been enough to convince people, at the time, that they weren't at that gas station to pick up something like...condoms.

Now, she didn't care.

"Well, she had to go to the bathroom," Jax was saying into his phone now as they headed for the sidewalk. "So I found her one."

He winked at her knowingly, and she just rolled her eyes. Sure, because that was exactly what had happened.

"We're on our way back right now. Oh...that fucking sucks. Sorry, Ma. Yeah, I'm sorry we missed it too. We'll be back soon. Okay, bye."

Then he snapped his phone shut and tossed it back inside his cut as he told her. "Apparently, the firefighters won this year."

"I bet she's pretty pissed, huh?"

"Yeah," he grinned. "And then some. And, apparently, you had some people pretty worried about you too. I guess Dan was losing his mind trying to find you because you didn't have your phone on you."

And, Gemma's first inclination was to call her son, because she figured they'd be together...?

"Which was all your fault, by the way."

Jax frowned back at her, but his eyes still held the same playfulness that had been there before. "Hey, I tried to help you. I couldn't have known it would blow up so epically in my face."

"Right," she eyed him warily. "Because if Mr. Collins was really that old, and really that drunk all the time, he wouldn't have been fired or at least retired by now?"

He just lifted a shoulder good-naturedly as he reached for the peanut butter cups in her hand and tore open the package. "It was worth a shot."

"Well, maybe it's for the best that we weren't breaking and entering into the high school anyway."

Jax just shrugged again as he passed her a peanut butter cup and then started to unwrap one for himself. "If we'd gotten caught, at least I would've had my lawyer with me."

"Sure," Allie laughed. She took a bite of the peanut butter cup Jax had given her and closed her eyes as the chocolate and peanut butter melted in her mouth. So good. She couldn't remember the last time she'd let herself have one of these. "It would've been weird walking around in there though."

"You been back since we graduated?"

"No," she shook her head quickly. "I've never really had a reason to. I don't really want to either."

Jax nodded, his lips curling up in a sad, knowing smile. "Yeah, I get that. You're right, though. That would've been a weird blast from the past, huh?"

It definitely would've, considering in the past, they'd never actually walked around those school hallways together in any way. They'd always been walking in opposite directions, never side by side.

"Yeah, well, I spent more time there trying to be invisible than I care to remember."

Jax huffed out a laugh as he reached for his cigarettes inside his cut. "Trying to be invisible? I never got that impression from you. If I remember right, you spent more time in the library than anything - and when you weren't in the library, you were on some committee or some shit like that. And then, when you weren't doin' that, you were actively avoiding having anything to do with us at school."

Alright. So he really went there. If he wanted to play, then she'd play too.

"And why would you have even cared?" she prodded. "You were too busy walking around like you owned the place to notice I avoided you and Ope like the plague."

"That's because I did own the place," Jax grinned as he slid a cigarette out of the pack. "And, I guess if there was one thing you failed at in school, it was being invisible."

Her head turned to look at him, but he'd already busied himself with bringing his lighter to his cigarette, holding a hand around the open flame to get it to light. Then he took a few long pulls from the cigarette, pushing out smoke through his nostrils, and keeping his eyes fixed firmly on the sidewalk in front of them.

Allie's first inclination was to feel a little wounded that for all her efforts to stay as under the radar as humanly possible, for her at least, she'd failed miserably. She didn't like to fail at anything. And, apparently, no matter what she did, people saw her and talked about her and laughed about her. She'd stuck out like a sore thumb - that girl whose parents were porn stars. There'd been nothing she could do to change that and all her efforts were just wasted time.

And then, as his words swam around her mind, it became clearer and clearer that he hadn't been talking about other people. She'd failed at being invisible to him. He'd noticed her. He'd seen her, whether she'd wanted him to or not.

Then her mind drifted back to the time they'd spent on her patio not that long ago, when, after eating takeout tacos and guacamole together, Jax had nonchalantly enlightened her on the real reason he'd gotten suspended for a week all those years ago. While she'd obviously heard about the fight between him and what's-his-face, and had heard that guy had been talking about her, she'd never put two and two together about it. At the time, she'd never had a reason to believe Jax would've ever done anything like that because of her. He never noticed her, right? And when he did, he'd always dismissed her and treated her like a piece of dirt under his shoe. What did he care if some idiot was talking shit about her?

But almost 15 years later, he still remembered that night. Remembered seeing her there, when she didn't even remember seeing him. He'd even remembered what she was wearing. He'd noticed her. He'd gotten into a fight for her. He'd gotten suspended for her. And she'd never known any of it.

And now, she was starting to wonder if her crush had been as hopelessly one-sided as she'd always thought.

Not that it made sense. Or even remotely computed. But it was there...lingering in her thoughts as they ventured closer to the high school's parking lot again with an uneasy silence permeating between them.

***

"I can't believe you won't even try it! It's delicious!"

Dan eyed the greasy corn dog in Allie's outstretched hand like it was filled with ebola. Or a whole bucketful of trans fat. "You couldn't pay me enough to put that thing in my mouth."

Allie snickered at that, and then took another bite of her corn dog just to rub it in his face.

"Ugh. That's disgusting."

"It is not."

"Whatever," he batted a hand at her before his eyebrows darted around conspiratorially. They'd gotten separated from the group briefly, as some drifted to different food stands to get their dinner. Then after figuring the coast was clear, Dan nudged her with his elbow, "So we're not even going to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?"

Dan's dark eyes narrowed dangerously. "Your little disappearing act. That's what."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Mmmkay," he nodded bitchily as he pulled out a long chunk of cotton candy from the cone in his hand and plopped it in his mouth. "That's incredibly disappointing, Alexandra."

"Whatever, Daniel."

Now, Dan's eyes lit up a little at something over her head, and Allie turned to see Piper walking their way. Only she wasn't alone - there was a very lanky, very nervous-looking red-headed boy walking next to her, who looked a little like he was on the verge of vomiting. And then she realized there was a bunch of gruff, stone-faced bikers in leather Reaper cuts headed right for them.

Piper made a beeline over to where Allie and Dan stood, and the boy with her was right on her heels. Almost like they were running for cover. By now, Lyla and Gemma, who'd paired off together to grab something to drink from a stand on the other side of the ferris wheel, joined up with them. Lyla's narrowed eyes looked the boy up and down, as if she was trying to size him up to determine if he was really good enough to even be standing next to her daughter. Gemma, for her part, just looked amused by the whole thing.

"Hey, Pipes," Opie called out, stepping forward so he was walking ahead of Jax to close the space between them. "Who's your friend?"

Piper swallowed tightly and bravely gestured to the boy next to her. "This is Dylan."

Opie's face might have spread apart in a grin, but there was nothing friendly or welcoming about his smile. "Hey there, Dylan."

Dylan waved shyly, and Allie heard Tig chuckle somewhere off to the side. Even Jax tilted his head a little to the side, sizing Dylan up, with his arms folded tightly across his leather-covered chest.

Poor, poor Dylan.

"Hi, Mr. Winston," Dylan nodded shakily before finding Lyla in the crowd and smiling painfully at her. "Mrs. Winston."

Allie had to bite back a grin at hearing Opie called Mr. Winston, by a teenager no less. He didn't look particularly amused by it though.

"Hi, Dylan," Lyla called out to him. At least she was cordial enough to at least pretend to be friendly. "What are you kids up to tonight?"

"We were just gonna go on a few of the rides," Piper jumped in quickly. "Maybe watch the fireworks later."

Lyla nodded easily, but she was still watching Dylan like a hawk. "Okay. That sounds like fun. And we're still meeting at the truck at 10:30, right?"

"Right, Mom," Piper told her exasperatedly. "I'll see you at the truck at 10:30."

"And keep your phone on. You need to answer when I text you, okay?"

"Okay, Mom."

Now, Piper's blue eyes frantically searched through their small crowd before landing on Allie, as if to say help!

Allie smiled at her reassuringly, stepping around Opie, and narrowly brushing past Jax's shoulder, to get in between Piper and her sort of, kind of boyfriend and these intimidating bikers and their women. She dug into her purse, groping for something and anything that she could use as an excuse, unearthed her lipstick and handed it to Piper.

"You were asking me about the lipstick I was wearing before?" Allie threw out, eyeing Piper carefully to make sure she understood. "This is what I was talking about, if you wanted to see the color."

Piper grinned back, her shoulders relaxing a little now that there was a buffer in between them all. She took the lipstick and slipped it into her jeans pocket. "Thanks, Allie."

"You know," Allie leaned in. "I think I saw a bowling game over on the other side of the carnival. Are you headed over there to give it a try? I've got lots of tickets if you need them."

Piper laughed a little, glancing at Dylan shyly, who just bit down on his lip to keep from reacting. "I think we're good with tickets for now. And yeah. We'll head over to that bowling game."

"Just bowling, right? That's the only game you're planning to play tonight?"

Piper just laughed again, some of her long blonde hair shaking out in front of her. "That's it."

"Alright," Allie smiled back at her warmly before putting a hand on her shoulder to give her a little shove. "Go have fun."

Piper gave everyone behind her a little wave goodbye and then immediately turned on her heel to get as far away from them as possible. Not like Allie really blamed her because when she turned around again, she found Opie staring down at her with an annoyed eyebrow cocked her way.

"What?"

Opie just shook his head at her. "Don't be giving her makeup, Allie."

"Oh, come on," she laughed. "She's 15, not 10. Besides, if you see Dylan walking around this carnival later with lipstick all over his face, then you know what they've been up to."

Opie rocked back on his heels as he considered that thought before nodding to himself. "Alright. I guess I see your point."

By now, she realized that Dan and Gemma were walking somewhere in the opposite direction, arm in arm. Tig and Happy had found a rifle-shooting game a few booths away. She was also pretty sure she heard "Your Love" by The Outfield blaring from the loud speakers around the carnival. Things were going to start deteriorating around here pretty quickly, she could feel it.

Then, a ringed hand reached out to her.

Luckily for her, that hand also belonged to Bobby.

"Whatdya say, sweetheart?" he grinned broadly at her and pointed to the ferris wheel. "You wanna go for a spin?"

She gingerly slipped her hand into his to let him lead her towards the ride. "I'd love to."

"You know," he wagged a finger at her as they boarded the ride and slid their guard rail in place. "I figured it out. It was streaking, right? Public indecency or somethin' like that? I'd like to think that would be enough to get kicked out of a sorority."

"I think it probably would be," Allie laughed, even as her stomach flipped a little when the ride started. "But that's not it."

As their car shuffled backward to let the next riders on, it stopped right at eye-level with the small group they'd left behind - mainly, just Opie, Lyla, and Jax since everyone else seemed to be doing their own thing right now. Opie had his arms wrapped tightly around his wife, murmuring something into her ear that made her smile and kiss his cheek. Jax stood off to the side of them with his hands in his pockets and his back to the ride, and as their car stopped next to them, he turned his head to face them.

Allie waited, expecting him to see that ever-present cocky smirk on his face. Instead, his eyes softened when their gazes met, and his eyes still followed them just long enough until the ride carried them farther away and up the first climb to the very top of the ferris wheel.

"Well, I'm gonna figure it out eventually," Bobby was telling her now.

"You won't," Allie replied softly, her eyes still unable to tear themselves from Jax, who'd long since turned back to talk to Opie and Lyla. She sucked in a long breath - she really needed to get a hold of herself.

"You know, sweetheart," Bobby murmured. "I haven't gotten a chance to tell you this yet, but you're doin' a helluva job."

"I haven't done all that much, Bobby."

"Sure, you have," he grinned brightly, his wiry hair floating in the breeze as they reached the top. "It may not seem like much to you because, to you, you're just doin' your job, right? But to us...I can say with complete confidence that you've been a lifesaver, both figuratively and literally speaking."

She felt her lips curl up into a soft smile, even as Bobby's eyes dropped to the figures on the ground, who looked a lot less intimidating now that she was up high and with considerable distance between them.

"And," Bobby went on. "You can take this however you wanna take it, but our prez is a better man with you around. You've got a good head on your shoulders, girl, and you're makin' him stop and think about things differently. There's nothin' but good that can come of that."

"Thanks, Bobby," she smiled back at him.

While she wasn't quite sure exactly how he'd meant it, or how she should really take that, she'd still take the compliment for what it was. As the ride slowed down, she pulled her leather jacket around her a little tighter. She'd told herself she could have fun today, and somehow, things had taken a turn pretty quickly. It was somewhere during her walk with Jax back to the parking lot, before the carnival had really gotten underway, right around the time he'd told her she wasn't invisible and then refused to make eye contact with her. As if he'd said too much and he knew it. As if he'd crossed some invisible line that wasn't so invisible to either of them anymore.

It didn't help that, for the next few hours of the carnival, the group was mostly scattered, with each little faction doing their own thing. After their ferris wheel ride ended, Bobby had waved goodbye and then left her to her own devices to meet up with Tig and Happy at the rifle-shooting game. Dan and Gemma had long since disappeared, probably on some grand adventure. Juice and Chibs were nowhere to be found. And then Opie and Lyla disappeared inside the photo booth...and were still in there.

Leaving Allie standing in the middle of the carnival, staring back at Jax, who just rocked back on his heels with his hands on his pockets.

"Well, darlin'," he grinned at her. "Looks like it's just me and you."

She let herself smile back at him - this was supposed to be fun, right? Her heart fluttered in her chest at the way he nudged her with his elbow, the way he smirked down at her, the way he seemed to be looking at her like she was the only other person at this carnival.

"Looks like it," Allie told him, and then she started toward the bumper cars, knowing he was going to follow her over there. She tipped her chin to the ride's entrance. "You up for it?"

Jax's lips spread apart in a cocky grin. "I was born ready."

"We'll see about that."

They were still laughing as they handed their tickets to the kid at the entrance, taking off to jump into the low bumper cars on opposite sides of the little arena. When the cars came to life, Allie didn't waste a second, pumping the pedal with her heel to race right into the back of Jax's car, sending him lurching forward from the impact.

"Oh, you are dead!" he yelled out from over his shoulder, spinning his car around to ram it right into her front bumper before she had a chance to whirl out of the way.

Her head tipped back as she laughed, and she kept laughing when he backed up and then rammed into her front bumper again. Some kid bumped Jax from behind, giving her the opening she needed to get herself back in gear and attack him again, and then again. When the cars' electricity shut off, signaling that the ride was over, Jax hopped out of his bumper car, light on his feet, and jogged over to her car.

He held out his hand to her, his blue eyes glimmering with amusement, and she playfully batted his hand away as she unbuckled her seat belt and got out of the bumper car on her own, and without flashing anyone her underwear in the process too. Still, as they made their way out of the little bumper car arena, she felt his hand ghost over the small of her back to steer her toward the exit.

Allie kept walking right toward one of the food carts off to the side, knowing full that he was going to follow her. She had a feeling he'd follow her just about anywhere she went tonight.

They were silent as they moved along the line at the food cart, shoulder to shoulder, and his closeness momentarily flooded her senses. There it was...that scent of spices and gasoline again. Her chest was rising and falling a little more rapidly now, and she just...let herself feel and not think so much.

And when Jax reached for his back pocket after she ordered a bag of kettle corn, Allie was tempted to roll her eyes at him, to tell him that she was an independent career woman who was more than capable of paying for her own kettle corn. She didn't need him to pay for her. But she let him do it anyway.

"Thanks," Allie told him as he handed the guy behind the food cart a couple bills to pay for her kettle corn. "I was worried you didn't have any cash left, you know, after your chili purchase earlier today."

Jax huffed out a laugh as he shoved his wallet into his back pocket and then reached for some popcorn from the bag in her hand. "No problem, Allie."

"You mind if we find a picnic table or something? My feet are killing me."

He grinned at her as he tossed a few pieces of popcorn into his mouth, gesturing for her to lead the way with his other hand. It took a little while, but she finally found an empty picnic table behind a long row of carnival booths and games, just in front of the school's baseball diamond. She sank down into the picnic table with her back to the table, pushing her feet out in front of her as she kicked her heels off, acutely aware that Jax had followed her lead and now sat about six inches away from her.

"That's better," she sighed, resting her elbows on the table behind her.

"I don't know why you ladies bother with heels if they hurt that much," he laughed next to her.

"Because heels make our outfits look better," Allie shot back. "And, besides, I need the extra height, if you know what I mean."

"Sure," Jax chuckled as he grabbed another handful of kettle corn from their bag. Just as he brought his hand up to his mouth, his movements froze in mid-air, and then he nudged her with his elbow, pointing at two figures moving around in the distance. "Look! You see that?"

Allie leaned forward, squinting a little, despite the fact that it was too dark out now to even really see what he was pointing at. But that long blonde hair was familiar. "Oh, wow. Is that...?"

"Sure looks like it," Jax murmured. "But, hey, at least we can keep an eye on them. Make sure that kid she's with keeps his hands to himself."

"Do you think they can see us?"

Jax leaned a little to one side, as if to gauge whether or not Piper and Dylan were really close enough, or aware of their surroundings enough, to figure out they were being observed. "Nah. I don't think so. Even if they could, I don't think that's exactly what's on their minds right about now."

"Then I guess it's a good thing we're here."

"Probably."

Allie shrugged. "So what do we do if they start making out or something?"

"Well, Allie, you take one of those heels, and I'll take the other and -"

She smacked him in the chest before he could finish that thought, and he laughed heartily before snatching the popcorn bag out of her hand to help himself.

"We don't have to take it that far," she informed him with a grin. "I wouldn't tell Lyla or Ope if all they were doing was kissing anyway. If that's as far as it goes, then I say good for Piper."

"Maybe we'd give 'em a little bit of privacy then?"

"Sure. But with a safe distance away so we could come after him with my heels if we had to."

"Right," he laughed brightly. "The fireworks should be startin' soon anyway."

Allie's eyes drifted back to the young couple in the distance and she smiled wistfully. "I hope she's having a good time. I remember what that's like, you know? Being 15 and having absolutely no idea what I was doing about anything. You're just sort of flailing around, hoping you figure it out before you do something really stupid."

"How is that any different than being 32, huh?" Jax laughed. "I thought I'd have this adult thing all figured out by now, but look at me," he gestured to himself with a small smile, "I'm definitely a work in progress."

"I think that's okay," she told him and found herself smiling right back at him. "I don't know if we're supposed to have it all figured out anyway. At least we have the advantage of already having made some mistakes that we can at least try to bounce back from. They might not be that lucky yet. Or," she swallowed tightly, "maybe they are lucky. Luckier than us, I mean."

"Well," Jax allowed as he handed the popcorn bag back to her so he could reach inside his cut for his cigarettes. "I know what I was doing when I was 15. And I'd like to think I was gettin' pretty damn lucky then."

Allie huffed out a laugh, but her eyes still drifted back to where Piper sat by the baseball diamond. "Easy for you to say."

Jax shot her a wary side-eye. "Why? 'Cuz it's different for girls?"

"Sure," she shrugged. "But even then, don't you think, knowing what we know now, that 15 feels a little...too young?"

"Too young for what?" Jax lifted his eyebrows in amusement.

Allie pushed out an exasperated sigh. He knew full well what she was talking about, but he was going to make her say it out loud. "More than kissing."

"Ah," he nodded as he lit up a cigarette. "Well, now that I think about it...maybe," then he glanced at her with a glint in his eye, "so how old were you when you started doing...more than kissing?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "How old were you?"

"Do you really wanna know the answer to that?"

"I don't know," Allie wavered a little at that. Maybe she really didn't want to know the answer to that.

"I'll tell you if you tell me," Jax grinned knowingly, and then, without hesitation, he jumped right into it, "I was 13," he shrugged as he flicked some ash from his cigarette. "Piney pushed some croweater at me in the clubhouse, she took me back to some empty room, and that was it."

"Huh," that was about the best she could offer. That actually sounded a little horrifying. "Thirteen is...that's young."

He was silent for a few moments, quietly taking a drag from his cigarette and blowing out the smoke through his nostrils before she heard his voice again. "Yeah."

Then Jax shifted gears, turning the tables on her now, gesturing to her that it was her turn. "So?"

"Oh boy," Allie sighed, even as he chuckled next to her. "I suppose fair is fair. If you really want to know, I was 18."

"Eighteen, huh?" Jax cocked an eyebrow at her. "I don't know. That doesn't sound quite as bad as 13, now that I'm sayin' it out loud."

"Maybe not," she shrugged. "But I guess...at that point I just wanted to get it over with. It was my second weekend at college, I went to my second party on campus, took a few shots, and just wanted to get it behind me, I guess. And now that I'm saying it out loud, that sounds kinda bad too."

"Maybe just a little," he grinned back at her.

"In my defense, I did try to date the guy for a couple weeks after that. I just figured that was what a person should do after having sex with another person, especially after the first time. Ugh, he was so boring though."

Jax huffed out a laugh, despite the fact that he shifted uncomfortably next to her.

"He really was. All he did was sit around and play Call of Duty with his football buddies and drink beer. That's pretty much it. Needless to say, it did not last long."

"Well," Jax chuckled as he flicked some more ash from his cigarette. "His loss."

"Maybe," Allie allowed with a small smile. "But, maybe it doesn't matter if you're a boy or a girl, right? Whether you're 13 or 15 or 18...but that being said, it really is different for Piper. Because not only does she have to sit there and worry about if he's going to kiss her, does she want him to kiss her, does she want it to go any further, and how far she's willing to let him go, she also has to worry if this kid has seen any of her mom's movies. If he's expecting her to do anything that Lyla's done on film and what he's going to do if she doesn't. If the only reason he's sitting there with her right now is because she's a porn star's daughter and then he can go tell all his friends he hooked up with her."

Jax's gaze drifted over to where Piper and Dylan sat by the baseball diamond, a long trail of smoke billowing from his nostrils as he exhaled. He stared at the two teens for a few moments, flicking some ash from his cigarette in thought, and then he shifted his gaze back to her.

"And how long do you think it's gonna take until she stops worrying about that?"

Allie smiled at him sadly. "Definitely through high school. All of college too, that's for sure. It gets worse in college. A lot worse."

He nodded tightly, his eyes dropping down to their feet as he took another long pull from his cigarette. "And after college?"

"It's a little easier," she just lifted a shoulder. "The rumor mill isn't quite as active, and you can be a little pickier about who knows what because your social circle shrinks to about five people the second you graduate."

He huffed out a laugh, but there wasn't a whole lot of humor or amusement in it.

"But," she smiled. "I guess, for me, I signed myself for a whole lifetime of being sexualized when I started working for my dad at the studio, didn't I?"

Now, his head turned so he could look at her again. "Why do you work at the studio anyway? I mean, don't take this the wrong way, darlin', but you're not really the type of girl I would expect to see walkin' around a porn studio, even as a lawyer," and then he smiled a little as he corrected himself, "an actual lawyer. Not just one in The Hung Jurist or somethin' like that."

"Okay, so Lyla is the type of girl you'd expect to see walking around a porn studio?"

He shot her an exasperated look. "You know what I mean."

"You're right," Allie sighed heavily. "I guess...I've just always been around it, you know? This might come as a shock to you, but it really doesn't bother me. I mean, I would rather wash my eyeballs with bleach than watch one of my dad's or Dan's movies, or Lyla's, for that matter, but beyond that, I really don't think there's anything wrong with it. People are allowed to be into whatever they're into - within reason, of course - and so what if that's what they're into? I think a healthy sexual expression is always a good thing, and if our movies help people figure out what they're into, in a safe, controlled way, then I don't see why that's a bad thing."

Jax's lips curled into a sexy smirk. "A healthy sexual expression, huh?"

"That's what you took from what I just said?"

He held his hands up in defense as some more smoke pushed out of his nostrils. "Alright, alright."

"I guess," she shrugged. "The easiest way I can explain it is...it's sort of like you with the club, right? It takes a certain kind of person to actively seek it out, but it's different for you because you were born into it. That's what you know. That's what you grew up around. There's nothing wrong with that. And it's the same way with me and the studio."

"Alright," he allowed, tilting his head to the side as he regarded her thoughtfully. "I can get behind that. But all that being said, I have to say, I would've expected you to run the opposite way...just get as far away from it as possible and never look back. I mean, you could be kickin' ass at some fancy firm in LA or something like that, but you're here, in Charming, workin' for the studio and the club."

She knew exactly what he meant by that. Given the way she'd tried to separate herself from her parents' legacy as much as humanly possible, the way rumors had trailed after her left and right, why, after all that, would she consciously choose to work for a porn studio?

It was a fair question, and one she knew she couldn't really answer honestly. At least not completely. If she did answer honestly, he would just have more questions. And those questions were ones she'd never answer.

"I guess, somewhere in between high school and college, I figured out that nobody's opinion of me matters more than mine."

It was a cagey response, at best. She knew that. But it was the most she was willing to give him.

He studied her for a few long moments before his mouth curved into a soft smirk. There was definitely some amusement in his blue eyes, but she saw some other things too...there was some understanding there. Maybe a little bit of sympathy. More than a little respect.

"A'ight," Jax smiled. "Fair enough."

They sat there at that picnic table for a few moments. That uneasiness she'd felt earlier with him, when they'd walked back together from the gas station...that was gone now. This was a comfortable silence. Without any tension or misunderstanding. Or, newfound understanding that still didn't quite compute. They just sat there, reaching into the same popcorn paper bag, keeping an eye on the young couple just beyond them, and watching as some of the firefighters started their final preparations for the fireworks to come as a John Mayer cover of a Beyonce song echoed softly over the loudspeakers behind them.

"You know," Jax nudged her with his elbow. "I know a little bit about what you were talkin' about before. I know it's not exactly the same 'cuz I'm a guy, but I think I know what you mean when you said you were signin' yourself up to be sexualized for the rest of your life."

"Oh really?" she laughed.

"Now, just hear me out," he grinned. "I'll be the first to admit wearin' this cut has a lot of perks, okay? I've never had any problems..." he trailed off, frowning as he fumbled a little for the right words.

"Getting laid?" Allie offered lightly.

His lips twisted playfully, and he shifted his elbow next to her as he leaned back against the picnic table. "Exactly."

"That's what I thought."

Of course you don't have any problems getting laid, she thought wryly.

"Right," Jax laughed. "That just always came with the territory, you know? The second you put that cut on, chicks practically start undressing themselves in public as soon as they see you."

"So..." she tilted her head to the side to shoot him a wary glance. "This is bad?"

"No," Jax laughed again. This time, he shifted his elbow again so that his forearm fell onto the table behind her. "It's not. And it definitely wasn't a problem when I was 15 - like our buddy, Dylan, over there - or 16, or 21...you get the idea. I mean, sure, hook-ups are fine. That's what I would consider a healthy form of sexual expression if that's what you're into," he grinned at her, and that grin only widened when she swatted him playfully on the shoulder. "But at some point, that stopped being so much fun. At least, not as much fun as it used to be. It just sorta becomes part of the lifestyle, part of the culture, but that doesn't mean that's somethin' I want anymore."

He paused then to take another long drag from his cigarette, and didn't speak again until he blew the smoke out in pillowy rings in the air.

"I guess what I'm tryin' to say is...at a certain point, that starts to get old pretty damn fast. It's kinda like you said - are guys only tryin' to get in your pants because of who your mom is and because they think that makes you just like her...or do they actually wanna be with you? It's the same thing - all those chicks who're throwin' their panties in my face...is that only because of my cut? My bike? My patch? Is that really all they can see about me?"

Allie watched him carefully, taking in the way he kept his eyes focused on what the firefighters were doing off in the distance, the way his shoulders stiffened a little when she shifted next to him, the way his right forearm had drifted lazily behind her back, and her heart stuttered a little in her chest.

Then the arm behind her back reached up to her shoulder to give it a little shake as he pointed at Piper and Dylan with his other hand. "Oh...oh, he's goin' for it. He's gonna do it..."

Allie grimaced a little as Dylan awkwardly leaned in and kissed Piper on the lips. She sucked in a breath, feeling kind of like a voyeur watching these teenagers kiss in the distance, and trying not to wait for the other shoe to drop. Trying not to wait for the moment they really did need to go running over there and beat Dylan over the head with her heels.

"I kinda feel like we shouldn't be watching this, Jax."

"Hey, you're allowed to be into whatever you're into. This is kinda boring though."

"Definitely pretty vanilla," she smiled.

"Definitely."

It was then that she realized Jax still hadn't moved the hand he'd put on her shoulder before. In fact, it had drifted over the side of her shoulder, with his fingertips lazily draped against her leather jacket.

And then, it ended almost as quickly as it started. Piper leaned back, cutting their kiss short, and Dylan followed suit, dutifully leaning away with his hands firmly in his lap, and nowhere near Piper.

"Good for you, Pipes," Allie whispered into the night air.

Jax leaned in a little, his forehead creasing into a frown. "What was that, Allie?"

"Nothing," she smiled back. "She's bowling."

"What?" he laughed.

Allie just smiled softly at him. A lone firework flew up into the darkness, whistling through the night sky and erupting into a crackle of waterfall sparks. Bright colors lit up the night, reflecting off Jax's face and illuminating everything she'd always seen in him, even when she was just a stupid kid, flailing around without a shot of doing anything right.

The hand draped lazily over her shoulder tugged her in just a bit closer, drawing her in against his warmth, and the safety she found there. And then, she let her instincts take over from there.

Her head lowered down until it rested gently against his shoulder, turning her face up to the night, and seeing the world a little differently for the first time.