He Use To Be A Son Of Anarchy

Chapter Fifteen: The Ride

Here's a fun fact: Jax Teller can pick a lock.

I found this out when he was standing over my head at 5:30 am.

"What the fuck?!" I gasped out loud as I opened my eyes to find him hovering over me.

"Get up, get dressed, we're going for a ride." He backed off a bit.

"Are you crazy? The sun isn't even out yet. Where could you possible want to go?" I said getting up and throwing the covers to the side.

"Do you want your story or not?" he simply asked.

I didn't have a witty comeback for that. I simply just rummaged through my closet for some clean clothes and beckoned him out of the room. I threw on the clothes and quickly combed through my hair and headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

"Okay," I said after exiting the bathroom.

"You're going to need this," he said holding out a helmet. I looked at him questioningly. He however just made his way out the door.

Once in the parking lot of the apartment he walked towards a motorcycle standing proudly in in the furthest parking spot.

I just stood there gaping at the thing.

"You better close your mouth before you catch a moth," he pointed out.

"I didn't know you still rode one of those," I said.

"Face it, darling, you hardly know anything about me," he said getting onto the machine. I hurriedly put on the helmet and looked confused at him and then the motorcycle.

"C'mon," he said, "I promise I won't bite."

I hesitated, but got on behind him. I wasn't sure what to do with my hands. As if he sensed this, he gently took one of my arms and placed it around his waist. I did the same with the other. He started up the machine and it gave a beautiful roar. I had never been so close to one of these. Then we were off.

He headed down Central Street. And I, well, I had never experienced anything quite like this before. At first I was scared. I pinned my body hard against his back. I had read too many stories of people dying on these contraptions, but as soon as we were out of Georgeville I peered past his shoulder.

It was a thrill like no other. I felt alive, but scared at the same time. And yet, I had to trust that Jax would get us safely to our destination, wherever that was.

A few minutes later he pulled off the highway and took us onto a dirt road. This terrified me a bit, but somehow I knew Jax wasn't going to hurt me; at least not today.

He stopped and switched off the motorcycle. He got off and then helped me, carefully removing my helmet.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Up there," he said pointing to a hill just in front of us.

He helped me up some of the slippery parts and then we sat down on a flat rock right on top of the hill.

"Why here?" I asked after a moment of silence.

"Because we have a perfect view of the sunrise here. And I kind of don't want people to see us together and grow suspicious."

I nodded.

"My story also started in a town much like Georgeville. Charming is also a place where everyone knows everyone else's business. We all grew up together, our parents had barbeques together..." he trailed off, "And we, The Sons, made sure our business didn't interfere with the lives of our friends. At least I thought that's what we were doing until I found a box of my dad's old stuff."

I stayed silent.

"In it was a script of some sort. He had written down what his true plans for the club were. It was the exact opposite of what we had become. It was supposed to be about brotherhood, but instead it turned into a bloodbath over power and money. I wanted to change it. I wanted to make the club what my father wanted it to be. I tried so hard.

"I eventually gave up after I found out my stepfather who was also my dad's best friend was the whole reason for his murder. That made me want to go back to who I was. And I guess I did go back. I almost lost my oldest son you know, Abel, but that's another story. And after Thomas was born I promised his mother we'd get out. I wanted them to have a normal safe live.

"I wish I could've made that possible. I wish I could've been the man Tara knew I was. But I was in too deep. And just when I thought I was out I got drawn back in. She had some hard times too. The things she did for us," he stopped. I could see he had to catch himself before he revealed too much.

"Small towns ruin you, Val. I think it's because you aren't just a part of the masses. People see you for who and what you are. Not everyone can accept who they truly are though. And that's what really gets you. You can't accept the fact that you too wanted money and power. You keep wanting what the next guy has and in the same breath you try to convince him how much better you are.

"It wasn't just a club, it wasn't just a family, it was a horror show. And even though I made some lifelong friends, I lost too many people and I was stabbed in the back too many times. That is what the club is really about."

We both just sat there. The sun slowly started to make its appearance over the horizon. When the last of the sphere peaked over the earth, only then did Jax speak again.

"I can give you what you want," he said still looking forward, "but then I have to go. I am putting myself at risk here. And if you're willing to take the risk yourself you can write your story, but after I'm done, I'm leaving. I've been here too long anyway."

A large lump formed in my throat. Jax was a broken man; a broken man that needed an outlet. Whether I was going to write his story or not I didn't know, but I was going to listen. If he had to go afterwards, I'd understand. He might not think that he deserved happiness, but I did, even if he had his faults.