Charming Town
1995
Kassie knew something was up the moment she stepped foot into the clubhouse. The music was loud, the smoke was thick, and the smell of alcohol hung thick and sweet in the air. The club was clearly throwing a party, croweaters were scattered everywhere as the guys whooped and celebrated.
"Babe!" She heard him before she saw him, smiling as Jax reached an arm around her, pulling her into a quick kiss. "I was about to come and get you," Kassie's heart sank as she realized what it was they were celebrating.
"Ope and I got our patches!" His face lit up as he spoke the last words Kassie wanted to hear at that moment, followed by a chorus of more whooping and hollering.
"That's... great!" She forced her face into a smile, grabbing her boyfriend's hands in her own. "Hey, can we talk?"
Jax's face fell instantly as he directed his full attention on Kassie.
"Why? Is something wrong?"
"No! I just," Kassie gave a quick look around the room to make sure no one was listening. She hadn't meant to worry him, but what she wanted to talk about was an important topic. "I just wanted to talk to you about something."
Jax looked at her a moment longer before nodding and tucking a lock of her brown hair behind her ear.
"I'll be back in minute." He informed Ope who was laughing with a few other members at the bar, clearly drunk though he was only seventeen.
"Don't have too much fun, brother!" Ope shouted after them as Jax led Kassie back to his room, flipping Ope the finger as he did so.
"Ha," Kassie shouted back, giving Opie an exaggerated eye roll.
"Alright," Jax closed the door behind him and though the music was still loud, it was significantly quieter. "What's the matter, babe?"
Taking a deep breath, Kassie nervously clasped her hands together. She wasn't generally nervous to talk to Jax about anything, only today was different.
"Do you remember, last week when I was talking about moving to L.A.?" Jax crossed his arms, giving her a nod.
"Yeah, to pursue a... modeling career? Or something like that?" Kassie's heart sank at his tone. He was making it sound as if she'd only been daydreaming, as if it was some delusional fantasy she was just talking about but had no intention of actually pursuing.
"Yes, well... I'm leaving," she paused for a moment, waiting for some sort of reaction from Jax that never came so she added, "tonight."
It was a moment longer before a smile slowly spread across Jax's face.
"Ha, ha," he walked over to her, gently grabbing hold of her elbow to bring her into him. "Seriously, what did you wanna talk about?"
"I'm being serious Jax, I'm leaving." He gazed down at her in silence before his eyebrows knit together in confusion. "I want you to come with me,"
It was then Jax released her, placing one hand on his waist before running the other through his blonde locks.
"Are you serious, Kas? Please, tell me your joking." His words hurt, but Kassie wasn't going to let him see that they did.
"We could start a new life," she stopped herself as her voice was sounding pleading, "you said yourself you didn't want to be trapped in Charming forever." Kassie didn't want to even think about being stuck in a little town her whole life.
"This club is my life! My family!" As if raising his voice wasn't enough, he had to throw in that 'F' word.
"You said I was your family." Kassie had no family, Jax knew that. She'd been tossed from foster home to foster home until she finally landed in little Charming. Kassie refused to stay put long enough to be tossed somewhere else.
"And you wait until I'm finally patched in to come up with this crazy plan?" Jax continued, ignoring the clearly hurt expression on Kassie's face.
"Excuse me for wanting my boyfriend to come with me!" She finally shouted back, her anger beginning to bubble over.
"Are you insane?"
"I must be to think that you would ever choose me over this stupid club!" She was pissed off, at Jax for being such an inconsiderate asshole and herself for ever thinking that maybe he was different, maybe she really did love him.
Without another word or even glance at him, Kassie started for the door. She'd had enough, he wanted the club he could have it, she had her own dreams and she wasn't going to let them go for Jax or Samcro.
"Wait, babe," she'd barely reached the door when Jax's hand caught the crook of her arm, spinning her around to face him. "I'm sorry. I love you." She wanted to stay mad, she wanted to slap him across the face and tell him to screw himself, but she didn't pull away as Jax gently tucked his index finger beneath her chin, raising her lips to meet his. She wanted him to come with her, she wanted to run away, just the two of them against the world like he'd told her so many times before. "But you can't honestly expect me to walk away from Samcro, the club is everything."
Kassie leaned away at Jax's words, "so what am I?"
"Kassie," he hesitated and she could see the frustration in his face.
"You son-of-a-bitch."
"Be pissed off at me all you want," Jax pressed both hands above her head, against the door as Kassie had turned once again to walk out. "I'm not letting you walk out of here. Don't be stupid Kassandra."
Kassie spun around, placing both hands on Jax's chest to forcefully push him away from her.
"I'd like to see you stop me." No sooner had Kassie's hand grasped the doorknob, Jax's hand was around her upper arm. Almost instantaneously, Kassie spun around, slapping Jax across the face.
He didn't move, but his nostrils flared as the red imprint of Kassie's hand appeared on the side of his face. She wanted to say something smart, something to hurt him even more. She wanted his heart to break as he had just broken hers and for him to feel the weight of betrayal hang heavy in his chest.
Then again, maybe he did. Kassie didn't care.
"If you leave, don't come back!" The door was open and the silence that followed Jax's voice was instant, engulfing the entire club as all focus had been shifted to the two. The music still blared somewhere in the background, alone as everyone now watched. A single path cleared for Kassie, leading straight to the door.
Lifting her right arm as high above her head as she could, Kassie raised her middle finger in response, not once looking back.
"Asshole." Kassie growled to herself, speeding down the empty streets of Charming. She felt a stray tear begin to fall and wiped it from her face before it had the chance. She had one last order of business to take care of before letting this town disappear in her rear view mirror.
A red light caught her and Kassie found herself digging through her glove compartment for her cigarettes. Nyla hated her habit but she'd rather deal with her bitching about her smoking that trying to comfort her over Jax. At least Gemma will be happy, she thought to herself with a small chuckle, lighting her cancer stick as she quickly checked her appearance. Her eyes were a little red, and maybe she looked a little exhausted, but relatively fine. There was a chance she could get away without reliving the night's earlier events to her best friend.
Nyla was on her porch waiting as Kassie's noisy, '75 Pinto came to a stop a few houses down. Nyla's parent's didn't exactly approve of Kassie and it was way after Nyla's curfew.
Gently closing her car door behind her, Kassie hurried down the street nearly tackling her best friend in a hug.
"So what?" Nyla pulled away, motioning back towards Kassie's car. "Am I not good enough for the big, bad, biker to say bye to?" Nyla half laughed before folding her arms across her chest to fight the night chill. She never exactly liked Jax
"Well apparently neither of us is good enough for him." Kassie feigned a smile as she gave Nyla a shrug before adding, "he's not coming."
Nyla never exactly approved of Jax or his affiliation with the Sons, especially since her father was a cop, but she knew how Kassie felt about him and she couldn't understand. Jax was crazy about Kassie, it didn't make sense that he would say no, let alone let her leave without him.
"Aww, sweetie," Nyla's entire demeanor changed as she embraced her friend, "are you okay?"
"Yeah, screw him." Kassie shrugged out of her arms, trying desperately not to let Nyla know the truth. It was painful enough saying goodbye to her, she didn't want Nyla feeling sorry or worrying for her too. "Plenty of hot guys in L.A.."
Nyla knew she was lying though, she always knew when Kassie was lying.
"You want me to kick is ass?" Nyla wasn't a very large or fierce girl, nor was she the type to turn to violence, yet she meant it. She knew Kassie was hurting and she was more than willing to kick Jax Teller's ass for it.
"Tiny Tim could take you."
"I resent that." Though she feared it was probably true. "I'm really gonna miss you."
"Don't," Kassie's smile fell as she wrapped Nyla in another hug, "I'm gonna call all the time and as soon as I make it big I'm gonna fly you out in a private jet and we'll eat caviar and drink expensive champagne." Nyla laughed, a few tears escaping down her cheeks.
"You know I hate fish,"
"It's the eggs, it doesn't count." Kassie responded with a smile as she pulled away. "I better get going though,"
"Let me start up the bean, one last time." Nyla stated rather than asked, making her way to Kassie's beat up Pinto. It started with a loud bang every time without fail and everyone hated it her obnoxious ride; you could hear her approaching from a block away.
The bang echoed through the night as Nyla climbed back out with a smile, handing Kassie's keys back to her.
"Be safe," she cautioned, closing the door for Kassie as she had crawled into the driver's seat. Kassie smiled, grabbing her sunglasses from the passenger's seat and placing them on her face even though it was pitch black out already.
"Aren't I always?" Kassie smiled, pausing a moment before pulling her sunglasses back off, "actually it's really dark, I can't see with those things on."
Nyla laughed, shaking her head at her friend.
"I looked cool though, right?" Nyla rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest.
"Get outta here." She laughed, giving the roof a quick tap before stepping back.
"I love you!" Kassie shouted, tossing her hand out the window to wave as she took off.
"I love you too!"
Though neither girl knew it then, it would be another thirteen years before Kassandra Chaplin set foot back in Charming.
"Babe!" She heard him before she saw him, smiling as Jax reached an arm around her, pulling her into a quick kiss. "I was about to come and get you," Kassie's heart sank as she realized what it was they were celebrating.
"Ope and I got our patches!" His face lit up as he spoke the last words Kassie wanted to hear at that moment, followed by a chorus of more whooping and hollering.
"That's... great!" She forced her face into a smile, grabbing her boyfriend's hands in her own. "Hey, can we talk?"
Jax's face fell instantly as he directed his full attention on Kassie.
"Why? Is something wrong?"
"No! I just," Kassie gave a quick look around the room to make sure no one was listening. She hadn't meant to worry him, but what she wanted to talk about was an important topic. "I just wanted to talk to you about something."
Jax looked at her a moment longer before nodding and tucking a lock of her brown hair behind her ear.
"I'll be back in minute." He informed Ope who was laughing with a few other members at the bar, clearly drunk though he was only seventeen.
"Don't have too much fun, brother!" Ope shouted after them as Jax led Kassie back to his room, flipping Ope the finger as he did so.
"Ha," Kassie shouted back, giving Opie an exaggerated eye roll.
"Alright," Jax closed the door behind him and though the music was still loud, it was significantly quieter. "What's the matter, babe?"
Taking a deep breath, Kassie nervously clasped her hands together. She wasn't generally nervous to talk to Jax about anything, only today was different.
"Do you remember, last week when I was talking about moving to L.A.?" Jax crossed his arms, giving her a nod.
"Yeah, to pursue a... modeling career? Or something like that?" Kassie's heart sank at his tone. He was making it sound as if she'd only been daydreaming, as if it was some delusional fantasy she was just talking about but had no intention of actually pursuing.
"Yes, well... I'm leaving," she paused for a moment, waiting for some sort of reaction from Jax that never came so she added, "tonight."
It was a moment longer before a smile slowly spread across Jax's face.
"Ha, ha," he walked over to her, gently grabbing hold of her elbow to bring her into him. "Seriously, what did you wanna talk about?"
"I'm being serious Jax, I'm leaving." He gazed down at her in silence before his eyebrows knit together in confusion. "I want you to come with me,"
It was then Jax released her, placing one hand on his waist before running the other through his blonde locks.
"Are you serious, Kas? Please, tell me your joking." His words hurt, but Kassie wasn't going to let him see that they did.
"We could start a new life," she stopped herself as her voice was sounding pleading, "you said yourself you didn't want to be trapped in Charming forever." Kassie didn't want to even think about being stuck in a little town her whole life.
"This club is my life! My family!" As if raising his voice wasn't enough, he had to throw in that 'F' word.
"You said I was your family." Kassie had no family, Jax knew that. She'd been tossed from foster home to foster home until she finally landed in little Charming. Kassie refused to stay put long enough to be tossed somewhere else.
"And you wait until I'm finally patched in to come up with this crazy plan?" Jax continued, ignoring the clearly hurt expression on Kassie's face.
"Excuse me for wanting my boyfriend to come with me!" She finally shouted back, her anger beginning to bubble over.
"Are you insane?"
"I must be to think that you would ever choose me over this stupid club!" She was pissed off, at Jax for being such an inconsiderate asshole and herself for ever thinking that maybe he was different, maybe she really did love him.
Without another word or even glance at him, Kassie started for the door. She'd had enough, he wanted the club he could have it, she had her own dreams and she wasn't going to let them go for Jax or Samcro.
"Wait, babe," she'd barely reached the door when Jax's hand caught the crook of her arm, spinning her around to face him. "I'm sorry. I love you." She wanted to stay mad, she wanted to slap him across the face and tell him to screw himself, but she didn't pull away as Jax gently tucked his index finger beneath her chin, raising her lips to meet his. She wanted him to come with her, she wanted to run away, just the two of them against the world like he'd told her so many times before. "But you can't honestly expect me to walk away from Samcro, the club is everything."
Kassie leaned away at Jax's words, "so what am I?"
"Kassie," he hesitated and she could see the frustration in his face.
"You son-of-a-bitch."
"Be pissed off at me all you want," Jax pressed both hands above her head, against the door as Kassie had turned once again to walk out. "I'm not letting you walk out of here. Don't be stupid Kassandra."
Kassie spun around, placing both hands on Jax's chest to forcefully push him away from her.
"I'd like to see you stop me." No sooner had Kassie's hand grasped the doorknob, Jax's hand was around her upper arm. Almost instantaneously, Kassie spun around, slapping Jax across the face.
He didn't move, but his nostrils flared as the red imprint of Kassie's hand appeared on the side of his face. She wanted to say something smart, something to hurt him even more. She wanted his heart to break as he had just broken hers and for him to feel the weight of betrayal hang heavy in his chest.
Then again, maybe he did. Kassie didn't care.
"If you leave, don't come back!" The door was open and the silence that followed Jax's voice was instant, engulfing the entire club as all focus had been shifted to the two. The music still blared somewhere in the background, alone as everyone now watched. A single path cleared for Kassie, leading straight to the door.
Lifting her right arm as high above her head as she could, Kassie raised her middle finger in response, not once looking back.
"Asshole." Kassie growled to herself, speeding down the empty streets of Charming. She felt a stray tear begin to fall and wiped it from her face before it had the chance. She had one last order of business to take care of before letting this town disappear in her rear view mirror.
A red light caught her and Kassie found herself digging through her glove compartment for her cigarettes. Nyla hated her habit but she'd rather deal with her bitching about her smoking that trying to comfort her over Jax. At least Gemma will be happy, she thought to herself with a small chuckle, lighting her cancer stick as she quickly checked her appearance. Her eyes were a little red, and maybe she looked a little exhausted, but relatively fine. There was a chance she could get away without reliving the night's earlier events to her best friend.
Nyla was on her porch waiting as Kassie's noisy, '75 Pinto came to a stop a few houses down. Nyla's parent's didn't exactly approve of Kassie and it was way after Nyla's curfew.
Gently closing her car door behind her, Kassie hurried down the street nearly tackling her best friend in a hug.
"So what?" Nyla pulled away, motioning back towards Kassie's car. "Am I not good enough for the big, bad, biker to say bye to?" Nyla half laughed before folding her arms across her chest to fight the night chill. She never exactly liked Jax
"Well apparently neither of us is good enough for him." Kassie feigned a smile as she gave Nyla a shrug before adding, "he's not coming."
Nyla never exactly approved of Jax or his affiliation with the Sons, especially since her father was a cop, but she knew how Kassie felt about him and she couldn't understand. Jax was crazy about Kassie, it didn't make sense that he would say no, let alone let her leave without him.
"Aww, sweetie," Nyla's entire demeanor changed as she embraced her friend, "are you okay?"
"Yeah, screw him." Kassie shrugged out of her arms, trying desperately not to let Nyla know the truth. It was painful enough saying goodbye to her, she didn't want Nyla feeling sorry or worrying for her too. "Plenty of hot guys in L.A.."
Nyla knew she was lying though, she always knew when Kassie was lying.
"You want me to kick is ass?" Nyla wasn't a very large or fierce girl, nor was she the type to turn to violence, yet she meant it. She knew Kassie was hurting and she was more than willing to kick Jax Teller's ass for it.
"Tiny Tim could take you."
"I resent that." Though she feared it was probably true. "I'm really gonna miss you."
"Don't," Kassie's smile fell as she wrapped Nyla in another hug, "I'm gonna call all the time and as soon as I make it big I'm gonna fly you out in a private jet and we'll eat caviar and drink expensive champagne." Nyla laughed, a few tears escaping down her cheeks.
"You know I hate fish,"
"It's the eggs, it doesn't count." Kassie responded with a smile as she pulled away. "I better get going though,"
"Let me start up the bean, one last time." Nyla stated rather than asked, making her way to Kassie's beat up Pinto. It started with a loud bang every time without fail and everyone hated it her obnoxious ride; you could hear her approaching from a block away.
The bang echoed through the night as Nyla climbed back out with a smile, handing Kassie's keys back to her.
"Be safe," she cautioned, closing the door for Kassie as she had crawled into the driver's seat. Kassie smiled, grabbing her sunglasses from the passenger's seat and placing them on her face even though it was pitch black out already.
"Aren't I always?" Kassie smiled, pausing a moment before pulling her sunglasses back off, "actually it's really dark, I can't see with those things on."
Nyla laughed, shaking her head at her friend.
"I looked cool though, right?" Nyla rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest.
"Get outta here." She laughed, giving the roof a quick tap before stepping back.
"I love you!" Kassie shouted, tossing her hand out the window to wave as she took off.
"I love you too!"
Though neither girl knew it then, it would be another thirteen years before Kassandra Chaplin set foot back in Charming.