Promising Young Women | Sons of Anarchy Fanfiction | Jax Teller x OC

Chapter One: California Dreamin'

On a Saturday, 7:09 am

A warm breeze lifted the leaves in a delicate dance. Bright sunshine peered out in between a smattering of clouds in a way that made the heat kiss the skin instead of bruising it. Birds chirped happily somewhere above. It was peaceful here. Quiet.

Too peaceful. Too quiet.

But Javi had a long list of things to do this morning - too many to worry about the eerily peaceful quiet that had settled on the rows of apartment complexes hovering in front of him. The leaky faucet in 27B wouldn't fix itself. Same thing with the stove on the fritz in 33A. And then there was 11C - the tenants had just moved out two days ago, and the boss was on his ass to patch some holes and refresh the paint before the new tenants moved in next week.

Too many things to do and too many distractions to appreciate the warm breeze and that bright sunshine. Besides, in just a few hours, the heat that kissed his tanned skin would turn into a sweltering, punishing bruise. All the more reason to hustle through that leaky faucet in 27B so he could move on to the next thing on his list.

Just as he was about to round the corner, he ran nearly headfirst into the guy he recognized from the next building over - always heading out for his morning run, always lost in another world with his earbuds in.

"Aw, shit, bro," Javi pushed out. "Sorry 'bout that."

"No worries," the jogger just lifted his hand in a wave, side-stepping around him to carry on with his morning routine.

Javi turned his head for just a moment and lifted his eyes to the clear California sky above him. The guy's Adidas running shoes probably cost more than his rent on the other side of town in South Charming, where the air was a little grimier and the sun a little more punishing. What in hell was this town coming to anyway? Three years ago, all these bolillos were nowhere to be found, still lingering in their fancy high-rises in Palo Alto or Monterey or some shit like that with their big-time office jobs.

But ever since that goddamn development deal with Oswald Construction broke ground, Charming had become fractured. Quickly divided, territory lines drawn too easily, and the message was clear. No one needed to say it out loud - what North and South Charming meant. Which one was more affluent and worthy of development; which one was shittier and best put out to pasture.

This new development deal brought just that to the town - newness. And an avalanche of opportunity to open new businesses, to be part of something. To get it while it was hot. And suddenly, their little town seemed like a pretty charming place to be, from a certain point of view - a blank slate, a fresh start, a chance to leave the big city behind and settle down in a cozy suburban life blanketed by self-indulgence and over-confidence.

Those little tiny cracks just splintered through the town once this apartment complex started going up, brick by brick - brand new, fresh paint, unstained carpets, not a whiff of cigarette smoke burning through the walls - that was the life. That was something to aspire to. Something to dream about when the town's lifers, long-beaten down by choice and fate, stayed on their side and yearned for the time when they could jump the fence, so to speak, and join the other half in North Charming.

They were all hustling for the good life in South Charming anyway. There was no shortage of million-dollar ideas or best laid plans as long as they worked and as long as they didn't get caught. Some of them had legit businesses and legit jobs, just like Javi. Some of them roamed the streets, looking to get a score or looking to sell one. Some of them rode around on motorcycles and wore leather on their backs, too. But they were all the same - all working toward one goal and one goal only.