Tess woke up the next morning and looked around the room. It took some time to remember where she was, but as she looked at the pictures on the wall it slowly came back to her. The pictures of a happy family, of bikers on rides, at dances, at rallies... all things she'd watched from afar but never really had been a part of, stared back at her.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," Rachel, her temporary roommate, greeted her. The woman was already dressed with her jeans and shirt and vest. Tess looked over at the clock and groaned when she saw that she'd slept half the morning away. "I wanted to wake you sooner, but the guys insisted you needed sleep," Rachel explained her unasked question.
"Tell them I love them already," Tess replied with a chuckle as she got out of bed. "So what's going on today? She reached for her clothes on the chair by the bed and changed out of the borrowed pajamas.
"Actually, yeah! There's a dance tonight for Halloween. Costumes are mandatory, and there's a contest! Best costume gets a gift card to Turbo's store. He sells bike accessories like helmets, gloves and stuff!"
"That sounds like fun, but I don't really have anything with me."
"Well, we can fix that with a shopping trip! Can I ask you something?" Rachel leaned back against the desk and looked at her. When Tess nodded she asked, "What's your plan?"
"My plan?" Tess blinked as she did her hair up in a pony tail.
"Yeh. Are you gonna stick around a while? You really should... I know I've only known you for like, a day, but I think you'd fit in well with us."
Tess thought about it for a bit and replied, "I really like you guys too, and I never thought I'd say that about a club again."
"What happened, Tess?" There was pure concern in Rachel's eyes, something else she wasn't used to."
"Let's go shopping and I'll tell you all about it. If I'm gonna be hanging around, I need some other clothes."
The girls spent the day exploring Harlem and shopping for the basic essentials that Tess would need. As they shopped, Tess told Rachel about her family. She explained how her father was the president of the club back home and her brother Andrew was the vice president. She herself had never been allowed in the club, but had watched from afar as her father and brother had found a new family and abandoned her and her mother. When Andrew had been shot the other night and her father hadn't even let them see him, that had been the last straw for Tess. She'd got on a bike, one she'd bought a while ago to spite her father, and rode away.
Rachel was nothing but compassionate as she listened. She didn't try to justify their behavior or even show Tess pity. She just listened. When she was finished her story, Rachel told her that she would always be welcome to stay at Paradise MC while she figured out her next move.
That night, as Tess danced and laughed at the Halloween ball, Tess felt like she was really being welcomed by this group. They laughed at her jokes, asked about her life without prying too much, and even took turns dancing with her so she didn't feel left out. At the end of the night, Tess even won the contest for her cowgirl costume.
When the crowd cleared and people headed home, the vice president walked over to her and introduced himself as Nitro. "Sometime tomorrow, we should sit down and chat. Would that be alright?"
"Sure, we can do that. Where should I meet you?" Tess asked, feeling the nerves return.
"My office, whenever you get up is fine. I'll be there all day." He winked at her and then headed off, leaving her to wonder what tomorrow might hold.
~CIMC Bike Night!~