Princess of SAMCRO

Best Friends in the City

Jax ended up having to do some club business until later, Welp, there goes that plan I thought with a self-inflicted eye roll. I actually wasn't all that disappointed as I had spent the afternoon feeling nauseous from the anxiety that came with having the talk with Jax about us. The feeling that we were in our own bubble was comforting and I wasn't sure I was ready to pop it yet. Who am I kidding, sneaking around like this is ridiculous. Going between these two thoughts had consumed most of my afternoon and I was drained.

The next morning was Friday, and I decided to ask Gemma if I could take the day off from the garage. This served two purposes, 1. I would be able to avoid Jax, and hopefully avoid the anxiety that came along with that, and 2. I really missed Ava and needed a girl's day with her. Gemma didn't hesitate to agree to the day off and I immediately called Ava who answered on the first ring.

"Well Miss Too Cool For School, thanks for finally calling" she said although I could picture her grinning on the other end.

"I know Ava, I am sorry. I have just been....busy. But can you skip today? I got the day off from work and was thinking we could go into San Francisco?"

"Is that even a question? Of course. Pick me up in half an hour?"

I chuckled at her enthusiasm, "Yea I will see you then."

I got dressed and a half an hour later I pulled up to Ava's house and honked the horn. She was in many ways my polar opposite, with blonde hair and blue eyes and an outgoing and ever positive personality. We have been friends since first grade and although we are different in so many ways, we have always just clicked and have been inseparable since the day we met. She flew out of her door, almost clumsily, with her overflowing bag in one hand and her hair held up in the other. I watched, amused, as she struggled to open the door like this.

"Do you have a hair tie? I swear to god I buy a new pack every week and never have any!"

"Why are you like this?" I tease. "Look in the glovebox".

She found what she was looking for and skillfully put her hair into a purposefully messy bun. This is another thing that is vastly different between us, Ava has an innate ability to make herself look gorgeous without trying hard. I on the other hand, typically have to put in a lot of effort to achieve the look I am going for. Once she has primped her hair into place, we begin the roughly two hour drive to San Francisco.

Ava caught me up on all the happenings at school and it felt great to hear normal, teenager gossip. It also felt great to be with her again, it had been way to long. I would tell her about Jax at some point today, leaving out of course the whole kidnapping ordeal. I knew that I had a considerable amount of time to decide how to approach the topic though, because the thing about Ava is that she has no issues taking over most conversations. This is probably another reason why our friendship is so strong, she is a great talker while I am a great listener.

"... and then she said that the reason she hasn't been talking to me is because she's been 'too busy'. Too busy my ass, she just can't get over the fact that I am dating Colby. God I miss you, why did you have to leave me?"

I swear this girl can seamlessly move from topic to topic without taking a breath.

"I know, I'm sorry Ava. I had just missed so much work already and I had enough credits to graduate early. It seemed like the best option." I explained.

"I know I know, but I just feel like a part of me is missing since you left, ya know?" she smiled over at me. Dramatic as always, but I love it.

"Are you sure you're not just upset about having to deal with Ella by yourself?" Ella was once our best friend as well, until recently when her and Ava had gotten into a fight and she had distanced herself.

"That may be part of it" she mused. "Anyways, what has been new with you?"

"Well..." I started, deciding to just jump right in and get it over with, "...about that. You know Jax?"

"B, are you joking? Obviously. Blonde haired, blue eyed God who is basically sex on legs. Yes I know Jax"

"Yea, him and I are kind of dating." I blurted out quickly and was responded to by a silence that was unusual for Ava. "Well, dating might be a stretch at this point. Sleeping together may be more accurate" I continued and couldn't help but chuckle as I look at the expression on her face.

After a moment she managed to say, "Two questions, how the hell did that happen? And what is he like in bed? Oh, who am I kidding, he is amazing isn't he?"

We both busted out in laughter. I filled her in on the happenings of the past few weeks, changing details to match the 'I got mono' story, as opposed to the 'I got kidnapped' one. I spared few details on the amazing past few times Jax and I were intimate, much to her appreciation.

"Wow" Ava exhaled, "That sounds fantastic. So other than sex, which clearly is amazing, how is the relationship between the two of you?"

I had been thinking of the answer to this question myself over the past few days. I looked at Jax differently now. He was no longer a big brother type figure, but rather someone that I was slowly developing more and more feelings for. I was attracted to him of course, and probably always had been to some degree. At the core of our expanding relationship though, it remained the same and that is that we are friends. I still considered him to be one of my best friends.

"We are friends Ava, we always have been. Now we are just exploring and expanding on that. I like him a lot, and I trust him. It makes me nervous and excited to see what we will become next."

She looked over at me and smiled, "As long as you are happy, I am happy for you!"

It felt good to tell someone, even though I knew Ava would be the easiest person to tell. We went back to gossiping for the rest of the car ride. Once we got into the city, we had lunch at a quaint Brazilian restaurant near Lower Haight. I used to come into San Francisco often with my parents and remember coming to this restaurant on several occasions. Being here again brought back memories that I hadn't thought of in a long time.

Sometime during lunch, I had an unsettling thought enter into my mind, Oakland and the Mayans are just across the bridge. Thoughts of the kidnapping and of masked men rushed into my mind but I quickly had to push them back. If we stay in the areas where tourist frequent, I should be fine. Right? Plus, I knew I couldn't live the rest of my life in fear, I had to move on at some point. I probably should have at least told Jax I was coming here today. Ava snapped me out of my circling thoughts.

"Where should we spend the rest of the day?" She asked.

I quickly spat out the most touristy thing I could think of, "Hey, we haven't taken the ferry out to Alcatraz since that field trip in 6th grade. Let's do it!"

"Really?" She responded, "I was thinking something that would involve a little more shopping."

"Come on Ava!" I almost pleaded, "I love being out on the water. Besides, the tours they give with the headphones are cool. Also, you know I hate shopping." Eye roll, like she cares that I despise shopping, she still drags me along.

"Fine, but you owe me a trip to Lodi to go to the mall soon!"

I nod and we make our way out of the restaurant. We spent the rest of the day exploring Alcatraz and pretending to be tourists visiting from the East Coast. Ava was successful in her New York accent, me not so much. By the time we got back to Charming it was late and I decided to spend the night at her house. I hadn't realized how much I missed her over the past few weeks and spending the day with her was just what I needed. Telling her about Jax and I was therapeutic too and calmed a lot of my anxiety. I think I am ready to tell everyone else now, or at least have Jax them. I chuckle and this is my last thought before drifting off to sleep.