Page 4 of Bart (Hades Rejects MC)
“I was just getting her moving, explaining to her that she was gonna miss her own party if she kept sleeping. She better do something with that hair though, because she looks like she’s been sleeping for days instead of a few hours.” He pushes against my shoulder and I finally look down to see that I’m still in my graduation gown, I reach up to touch my hair and it feels like a giant rat nest, great, just what I needed.
“Hey be nice it’s my special day remember.” I give them both a pout as they laugh at me, it felt like we were back on stable ground, compared to just moments ago when the ground shifted beneath me at the prospect of Bart kissing me.
“Hurry up baby girl; we’ll leave for the clubhouse in thirty minutes, that should be enough time for you to do something with that rag mop on your head.” That wasn’t nearly enough time to completely redo my hair to perfection, like it had been for the ceremony. I planned on partying, so a simple pony tail would work better. In no time flat I was out of my graduation gown, ponytail done, and ready to party my ass off.
“Come on Pops, you can’t let her wear that to the clubhouse! She’s barely dressed, I’ll have to stand guard over her all night to keep the other assholes away from her, make her change.” I’d reached my limit of his bullshit about my outfit; I got right up close poking my finger in his chest.
“Listen mister party pooper, I never asked you to be my bodyguard; you decided to take that upon yourself. I’m going to party my ass off tonight, so you take the stick out of your ass, and let me be for once.”
“Come on Bart, let her have this one night. I’ve already warned the guys, and I’ll keep an eye on her. You can do whatever or whomever it is you want to do. Come on you two, let’s get out of here.” Sticking my tongue out at Bart may have been slightly childish, but he deserved it for acting like he had to be my shadow all the time.
“Be careful with that tongue little girl, someone might bite it off.” I turned my back on him and stomped out the door behind Castor.
“You two stop acting like children, you’re both adults now, start acting like it. I swear you two bicker worse than me and my siblings ever did.” Running past me, Bart swatted me on my ass as he slid into the front seat of the truck.
“Tell him to quit spanking me like a child and maybe I’ll stop acting like one.” Huffing, I jumped into the back seat thumping the headrest of his seat. Castor merely shook his head and laughed at us, he loved hearing us fight, no matter what his complaints said; it reminded him of when Isabel was alive and Bart would play with her.
In no time flat we were pulling up to the clubhouse, it was all decorated with streamers and congratulation signs with balloons. Outside even the dozens of bikes didn’t escape the festive decorations, I was pretty sure there would be some pissed bikers come morning. There was food, cake, and then the presents came. Castor bought me a brand new Jetta diesel for me to use at school, complete with a massive red bow on the hood. All the guys and their wives gave me small mementos or money for school supplies. I would say this was unusual for celebrations, but my birthdays since coming to them, were always like this, filled with love.
I was dancing with some of the wives when Bart touched my arm. “Hey, can you come with me; I want to give you my gift?”
Yelling over the music to be heard, I told him he could go ahead and give it to me, but something in his face said he’d rather do it in private, which made me curious.
“Alright, you lead, I’ll follow.” We took the hallway down to what was now considered my room at the clubhouse, but I still considered it Isabel’s room, even after so many years. I followed him inside and waited. When he turned around to face me I saw something in his eyes, the same look he had earlier when he was about to kiss me. There were only a few feet separating us, but it felt like a football field.
“Bliss, I...I thought long and hard about what to get you for graduation. I wanted it to be....no, I needed it to be special. In two months you’ll be leaving for college, but I’m leaving next week; Pops wants me go to Italy to secure our reach there. I won’t be here to say goodbye; I won’t be here to hug you before you go off to start your new life.” He’s reaching inside his leather jacket to pull out a small black box. His hand is shaking, like he’s uncertain of the gift he’s about to give me.
“Come on Bart, don’t act like you are going to miss me. You’ve been in a hurry for this day to come since I came to live here. You know, the day I’m out of your life, and it can go back to being just you and Castor.” I laugh at him, hoping to lighten his somber mood; I’ve never seen him so sincere in the entire time I’ve known him.
“Leave it to you to mess up a moment Bliss, fine here, take my gift.” He’s handing it to me as he rushes out the door behind me, what the hell had I just done? I’d ruined this moment with him, damn it.
Looking down into my hand, I’m not sure if I want to open it and make myself feel even worse, but curiosity gets the better of me. Lifting the small lid, I peer inside at the most beautiful locket I’ve ever seen, it looks like it’s white gold, with filigreed hearts carved into the outside, inside the hearts are two dates, one is my graduation date, and the other one.... the other one makes me drop to the floor crying, it’s the date I came to live with Castor and him. I turn it over in my hand, and on the back is another heart but without a date inside it, opening the locket I find an inscription“One date for the day you brought light back into my life, one date for when you came into your own light, one date yet to be determined, but we will make it together.”Beside it was a picture taken of the two of us at my senior prom. I’m smiling at the camera while he has me in a hug looking down at me with that same look he was giving me earlier, somewhere between ownership and lust.
I want to cry, to stomp my feet, because I just ruined this moment with him by acting like a child, so instead of rejoining the party I chose to lie down in bed, holding the locket as I fell asleep.
Chapter Two
