Reclaiming Maysen: New Beginnings, #1

Maysen

The day I met Maddox will be one I never forget. I was ten-years old and was nervous about being around somewhere so unfamiliar. We were invited to Uncle Braxton’s family reunion in Colorado. I’ve always been on the shyer side compared to my sister and the other girls of the RGMC. It mostly has to do with my early childhood and my mother’s incapability of bonding with me. The doctors have all tried to fix me, but I don’t think anything is broken. I think I’m just a watcher. I like to take in my surroundings and get to know those I don’t by watching how they treat people and their body language.

That’s what I was doing the day I met him. Maddox James Weston. I get lost in the memory of how our friendship came about.

He plopped down next to me and asked, Whatcha doing? I look over at him, and notice that he’s different from the boys I’ve grown up around.

Watching.

Can I watch with you? I looked up at the boy who was a little taller than me, but I’m only ten, so pretty much everyone here is taller.

I guess. Who are you here with?

My mom and stepdad. What about you?

My mom and dad. I don’t see DJ as my step-parent so I never introduce her that way. To me, she’s just Mom.

Want one? he asks, holding out two suckers that magically appeared in his hand.

Yes please, I reply. Which one do you want? I ask. I like cherry and he’s got one of those and a grape one. I’ll take the grape if he wants the cherry.

I like grape but if you want it, I’ll take the cherry, he says. I grin and take the cherry sucker.

We sit and watch everyone while we eat our suckers. Finally finished, I ask, How old are you?

Twelve. What about you?

Ten. Want to be friends?

We live far away, though, he says after nodding his head yes.

I’ve got a phone, we can text and stuff, I reply. I don’t know why I’m so insistent on this because I don’t make friends easily.

Okay.

And just like that, we became friends. Thicker than thieves is what Nan said when we stuck to each other like glue that week. We never went a day without talking to each other or texting each other. I told him everything, holding nothing back. He never judged me or told me how wrong I was about my feelings, he just listened and it became a type of therapy for me.

I started breaking out of my shell and making friends. I have him to thank for turning my life around. He says it’s all me, but I know differently. It was all him, and to this day, I’d do anything for him.

Maddox

Maysen Hatchet, the one girl who owns me heart and soul. We’ve been best friends since I offered her a sucker. I saw her looking at the cherry even though she said grape. I made sure she got to pick, but shoved her towards getting what she really wanted. I saw her sitting alone while all the other kids played. I’m here because my mom married my step-dad, Pete, who’s Braxton’s cousin. And Braxton happens to be the president of the Rebel Guardians MC.

She and I aren’t family by blood. But we formed a bond that’s unbreakable and I dare anyone to try. Her funny quirks and the things she says always puts a smile on my face. She came into my life when I needed her most. I had just moved to a new state with my mom and so many changes were happening that I wanted to just shut down.

I missed my friends from back home, but also understood that my biological father made it impossible for my mom to live in our hometown. When he left her, he also left me. High and dry. Suddenly, he had a new family and I wasn’t worth bringing into the fold.

When my mom met Pete, she had been looking for someone to help her with renovations on our new house. It was older, but had good bones, Mom said. I wasn’t so sure, but my grandpa was friends with Pete’s dad and he hooked the two up. Pete never left, and I’m grateful because he treats me like his own son.

The day I met his extended family, and learned they were bikers, I was a little wary at first. I’ve seen and heard stories about how the MCs worked, and was skeptical that they were good men. But I was proven wrong and am thankful for the fact that that family brought me Maysen.

She became my everything, my reason for smiling, for moving forward, and looking towards the future instead of living in the here and now. I was no longer taking it step-by-step and day-by-day. We talked about what we wanted to do when we were older and encouraged each other to pursue our dreams.

Little did I know how much we’d need that unbreakable bond.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The Beginning

Maysen

It’s the first day of my freshman year in high school and I’m beyond a nervous wreck. I’ve been in school with most of my family and friends, but this year, because of my scores I was shuffled to a new school. One that works with those who are gifted. I don’t like the fact that I’m being separated from everyone, but the excitement of my parents caused me to give in and agree.

I roll out of bed and hop in the shower. I have to leave earlier than my siblings so it is eerily quiet this morning. For once, I’m happy to not be fighting Ralynn for who gets in the shower first. She has to have a shower first thing to be able to wake up properly, otherwise, she’s mean. I’m more of a morning person than she is, so I usually give in and let her go first.

I quickly scrub, shave and wash my hair then get out. I grab my hairdryer and flatiron so I don’t have to fight her to get in later. It really shouldn’t be a problem because Dad had Jaxson and Capone put in double sinks and a vanity, but when she’s in there, it’s all about her! I rush to my room and look at the god-awful uniform our school requires and cringe.

At least the color works with my skin tone, but really? A pleated skirt? I thought those went out in like, the fifties or something. The good thing is I can still wear my keds. Granted, they have to be white, but that’s okay. I would personally like to go all day and night with nothing on my feet. Nan used to tease me about my hot feet and the fact that I can’t stand the enclosure and heat shoes bring.

I try and relax, but know it’s next to impossible. I start to feel overwhelmed and nearly break down in tears until I hear my phone ping and know it can only be one person.

Maddox: You’ve got this. Keep your head held high and do you. Who cares about anyone else? You’ve got this, Maisy-Daisy.

A smile forms on my face. He always seems to know when I need his words of encouragement.

Me: Thank you. Are you ready for Junior year?

Maddox: Locked and loaded. My truck is now ready to rock and roll. Pete and I finally got it running yesterday. Maybe I can come visit you for spring break this year?

Me: I’d like that. If not, maybe I can take a plane out and see you. Grandma Hazel would let me stay with her.

Maddox: Either works for me. Here, sending you a pic.

I burst out laughing when my phone pings and I open the picture. Pete got him a bulldog and he named him Boss Hoss. Hoss is laying on the pillow and even though it’s just a picture, I can just imagine him snoring. Maddox has told me that next to me, Hoss is his best friend. I can see that the loyalty goes both ways. That dog whines all day long driving his mother Grace crazy while he’s at school. She started doing books for her’s and Pete’s business last year so she gets to work from home.

She still sometimes goes out and gets her hands dirty, saying it helps her relieve stress. This summer that just passed, Maddox started working with them. He’s decided to go into the family business because he enjoyed it so much. I volunteered at the local library this summer in the kid’s reading program. Books are my favorite thing in the world next to Maddox’s friendship. I like learning new things and going on adventures with the characters in each book. I haven’t read my mom’s books, not sure if I want to because she mostly writes romance, and who wants to walk down that road?

I’m too scared that a mental image will come into my head and that is something that would require a lot of brain bleach. Anyways, I put my phone down and start drying my hair. It’s long and curly so it sometimes can take up to an hour to blow dry it and straighten it. I turn on my Ipod and put it on the dock. I make sure it isn’t too loud to wake the house, but enough that I can hear it over the noise the dryer makes.

Ralynn and I used to share a bedroom, but as we got older and started to fight, Dad put his foot down and had another bedroom added. I like my space, though. We have different tastes in music and both like our rooms decorated differently. I like quiet and she likes a lot of noise. My decorations are more flowers and compositions and hers is modern and full of colors. Blinding colors might I mention.

I look around my room and smile, because mine’s always clean where hers always looks like a natural disaster has taken place. One of the biggest reasons we used to argue. Since getting our own spaces, we’ve gotten closer and talk all the time. She tells me about Jaxson and how he avoids her at all costs. I’ve reminded her that he’s so much older than she is, but she doesn’t seem to care.

I want someone closer to my age, someone I have more in common with and can grow and mature with. But, she’s the ying to my yang, and I couldn’t ask for a better sister than she is. I tell her about Maddox and Hoss and she listens, what’s happening in my life matters to her. No judgement and she’s my second-best friend next to Maddox.

Without the two of them in my life, I don’t know where I’d be. They both encourage me to be me and not let others make me feel bad about myself. Ralynn tells me all the time that I only talk when something important needs to be said. It’s why when I have input on things in her life, she listens and takes my words to heart.

Once my hair is dry, I straighten it and apply a light layer of makeup. I get dressed and look at myself in the mirror. It’ll do, I say to myself. Finally finished getting ready, I snap a selfie of me sticking my tongue out and send it to Maddox with a note that I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.

Maddox: You look beautiful, Maisy-Daisy.

Me: Whatever. I’m just me.

Maddox: And that’s what makes you beautiful, at least to me.

Me: See! This is why I love you so much.

Maddox: Love you too. Now, get off to your new life and enjoy the new walk of life. You’re going to be amazing and blow everyone away with your smarts.

Me: I will do my best.

I walk into the new school and can already see the cliques. I shrug my shoulders because I’ll find friends or I won’t, I’m not here for that. A few of the girls sneer at me as I walk past but I hold my shoulders back and head high. Fuck them. They don’t know my past and they sure as hell don’t have a clue who I am so if they want to start out being bitches, so be it. I can be a bitch too! I mean, look who my mother is, she can do and teach bitch better than the plastic girls I’m seeing here. You can tell they’ve had a lot of help to look the way they do.

Ralynn has teased me about my resting bitch face for years, guess it’s time to see how effective it truly is. Quickly finding my assigned locker, I open it and put the extra stuff I brought inside, as well as my book bag. No sense carrying that around all day when my purse holds my pens and I can carry my binder for notes. I know I’ll get the school-assigned tablet that will have all my books downloaded. Mom and Dad were a bit shocked when they read that in the handbook, but I think it’ll make life easier. I can put everything in folders and keep things organized.

Walking into my first class, English Lit, I find a seat and sit down to wait. I look around the room and feel weird that I don’t know one single person. I’ve always been in classes with Lily and Ralynn, so this is an odd feeling. I open up my purse and pull out a pen so I can be prepared for when the teacher starts class.

So, some jock comes and sits next to me, who are you? You’re new right?

I want to roll my eyes, because they’re all the same regardless of what school you attend. Yes, today’s my first day.

Cool, well my name is Josh and I’m the quarterback for the football team. What lunch do you have?

B lunch, I respond, hoping he’ll go away soon.

No shit? Me too, come hang out with us. He gets up, winks at me and moves back to his friends. They’re all staring at me, whispering and laughing. He didn’t even