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She was in the distance, our friend Paige had been standing out in the e point the Route 80 train tracks She’d called us out here, completely in hysterics, and when she explained what she wanted to do, I went into hysterics I admit I lost it, left the conversation

There was another way…

She didn’t seem to feel that way She believed this, and the Court was the only way I wouldn’t lie I alanted Paige to join us I had alanted her to be a part of Court and that bond that united the other guys and h It’d been before all the constant obligations and phoniness of the brotherhood There was a lot of power in our ranks, a lot of dark deeds and corruption we constantly had to ignore A drugged-out prostitute found in a random bedroo Word of one of our dads or uncles fucking around with someone at the office behind their spouse’s back? Definitely didn’t make a note of it We couldn’t, repercussions too severe That’s how things alere, and with that,in the Court basically gave you perot to play God while being ato do on my own for soirl as currently irl never wanted to be saved People didn’t save Paige Lindquist

She saved her fucking self

I couldn’t even watch the guys as they left e and e ultiet all this out of the way, and though there was a process into the brotherhood, the end result was all the sae of a haze now, it’d be under at least our control We’d do it for her and with her It’d be done, and then she could go through all the easy stuff later She’d be one of us

I braced ht, the headlights of e, her back to us all Knight put a hand on her shoulder, and when he pulled her around, she pushed her ar body

“I’ll be fine,” I heard her say to hio over there, not ready What she anting to do was crazy and banned for a reason So

The sickness of ht step ahich allowed LJ in for his own hug Paige actually lifted the uy had on her She liked to show her strength, that she wasn’t weak, but she didn’t need to do things like that to prove her place with us We kneho she was, stronger than all of us

After putting LJ down, she grabbed Jax’s basically buzzed head He always had his hair shaved down so he didn’t have to do anything with it, the lazy shit She pulled hi her to be safe, Jax let go of her The guys ca Paige and me a moment My friend stood before me in her jeans and a dark hoodie It was the start of suht

“You don’t have to do this,” I said, one final plea “We can find another way”

We could find another haze, not one that had been banned by the brotherhood Raet out that he’d been challenged with this haze, failed by denying this haze, and though I resented hiet someone hurt, even killed It didn’t ot used That’s why they’d been chosen for this haze, but still, shit could happen

Instead of talking, Paige carabbed her by the back of the neck, pulling her intoto let me

“That’s why I’ like candy I always loved that, how she could smell so sweet but still be such a badass She braced my back “You know those assholes will never accept it if I do anything else”

Her doing the one haze that was banned aet her acceptance Not one woman had attempted to be a part of the brotherhood, an