Dixie was ready to return home. She missed her dad, but she wasn't ready to face them - She was such a disappointment. She sat down on a bench at the local zoo. She knew she would have to find somewhere safe to sleep for the night or else she was screwed.
"Are you lost?" A man came up to her and stood in front of her, the zoo was closing soon. He was one of the zoo keepers here, he had on his uniform, and his hair was back in a hair tie holding his dreadlocks from his face.
"I…..Not really." Dixie sighed, lying. She slowly glanced up at the man in front of her.
"Based on how down you look… I call bullshit." He smiled while chuckling slightly, holding out a hand. " King Ezekiel." He smile introducing himself.
"Dixie..." Dixie said going by her middle name, she took his hand and shook it.
"I've seen you here everyday for the past week.." He smiled slightly. "Are...you homeless?"
Dixie bit her lip, and nodded.
King sighed, and pushed his hair from his face. "Well… Lets go, I know the local pastor, and she has a spare room for rent.." He said helping her up.
Dixie hesitated for a moment. "Thank you." She looked around following him.
King took her to the church, letting himself , and got her settled in. "Make yourself at home, Dixie.."
Dixie smiled slightly looking around. "Thank you King."
He nodded as he filled his tea kettle, putting it on the stove to heat up. "Mighty stupid of you to be sleeping outside as the snow starts falling." He grabbed some stuff for sandwiches from the fridge and a loaf of bread. "How old are you?"
" 17.." She said looking down. "Well, wasn't my first choice.."
"No family?"
"I…don't really know anymore.." Dixie said softly, as he poured the hot water in her cup, and sat down. She stirred the tea bag around playing with it.
"Well… Start from the beginning." He smiled slightly.
Dixie gave a firm nod took a sip and….
{ TWD }
One. Year. Ago.
"What where you thinking of getting into a fight?" Lori said harshly driving Dixie home from school. She had 2 weeks until the end of the school year, her sophomore year of school. She had been getting into a lot of trouble lately.
Dixie didn't answer, she just ignored her mom and popped her earbuds in her hear, and turned up her MP3 player.
"Dixie Rose!" Lori scolded looking in the rear view mirror.
Dixie glanced up at her mother and locked her cold eyes with her mother's angry looking eyes. "What."
Lori frowned, and shook her head. "What in the hell is wrong with you?"
"Mainly you." Dixie said coldly, getting out of the car at home, and slammed the door shut.
"Dixie Rose!" Lori hollered getting out of the car
Dixie just waved and started walking. Lori sighed, and went inside the house.
Dixie turned up the music on her player and went up to her room. Carl was 8 and had his babysitter with him, Beth. Beth Greene was about 3 year younger than Dixie whom had just turned 16. Dixie flopped on her bed and stared at the ceiling then slowly closed her eyes.
3 Months ago:
Dixie undid her hair from her ponytail, drama club got cancelled due to the teacher being sick. She glanced at her watch, and it was around 4pm. She wasn't due home from drama club until 6pm She raised a brow seeing Shane's patrol car parked outside of her house, her dad wasn't home yet. She didn't know why Shane was even at the house.
She went into the house, putting her backpack down on the coffee table, and grabbed an apple from the fridge, and started eating it. She could hear music coming from her dad's den. She knew he never left it on when he wasn't home, and mom wouldn't step foot in his den because she respected his place. Mom had an extra spare bedroom upstairs for her relaxation room. She walked down the stairs and went to the den door and opened it.
She walked in, and saw Shane laying on the couch and her mom ontop going at it like crazy. She walked out of the room, and didn't shut the door. She felt sick to her stomach. She grabbed her bike from the yard and took off on it. She was feeling a lot of things at the moment - mostly anger at her Mom and Shane along with sadness for her dad. How could they. Why would they.
She continued riding her bike around town. She felt her phone vibrating, grabbed it and glanced down at it seeing it was mom. She ignored it, and put it back in her pocket, that was the last person she wanted to talk to. She rode to the police station and just wanted to see her dad. She knew Carl was over at the Greene household. She rode by the police station, and didn't seen her dads patrol car, she shook her head figuring he must be around town somewhere. She heard a horn honking at her, and stopped smiling slightly seeing Maggie. She watched Maggie pull ahead of her stopping and waved. She got off her bike, and put it in the trunk bead of her truck and got in. "Hey." She smiled slightly huffing.
"Want a ride home?" Maggie asked smiling.
Dixie shook her head, and sighed. "Not really in the mood to go home - Can we go to your house?" She said buckling up.
"Oh sure, Carl is over there hanging out with Beth and Mama and Daddy anyway." Maggie smiled. "They've been missing you anyway."
"Well. I've missed hanging out with you guys.." Dixie said looking down. "Drama club has been taking up more time than I thought it would." She sighed looking out the window. "Might end up dropping it all together."
Maggie nodded and started driving. "Not enjoying it anymore?"
"Just….a lot going on now." Dixie sighed, rubbing her face. "Gosh." She looked at her phone again feeling it going off. She answered it quickly. "What Mom." She snapped. "No. I'm going to Maggie's… I don
t know yet…." She sighed. "Yeah...No…. Bye." She hung up the phone and shoved it back in her pocket. "Nerve of that…" She stopped herself, and sighed.
"Everything okay? Don't think I've ever heard you snap at Aunt Lori before." Maggie frowned.
"No." Dixie sighed. "Shit isn't okay." She looked over at Maggie. "Just… tension at home right now. I'm sorry Maggie."
"It's alright." Maggie smiled slightly, "Just refrain from snapping like that with your mom around Uncle Hershel."
Dixie gave a firm nod and laid her head back closing her eyes. "I'll try."
Maggie and Dixie were not related by blood or marriage, but they have been friends since they were in diapers, Hershel and Rick eventually became good friends and they treated each others kids like family. They pulled up to the farm, and got out walking up to the house.
"Dixie!" Carl smiled running up from the barn with Uncle Hershel and Beth. "You taking me home?"
"Oh, later… Probably." Dixie sighed slightly.
Hershel glanced at Dixie, then looked at Maggie. Maggie just raised her hands and he nodded. "Doing alright, Dixie Rose?"
"I….." Dixie let go of Carl and shook her head. "Can we go for a ride?"
Hershel nodded, and smiled slightly. "Sure thing, Can you get Ace ready for me also? I know Friday has missed you.."
Dixie nodded smiling back. "Yes sir.. Thank you." She said softly and walked to the barn. She got the horses ready, and waited. Hershel came out a bit later and mounted on Ace, while she got on Friday.
" Trail?" He asked as they left the barn and headed out.
"Sounds good to me." Dixie smiled slightly riding with him.
They rode for a while in silence, finally Hershel broke it by speaking gently. "Dixie, you're so quiet you could hear a moth piss on cotton."
A slight smile formed on Dixie's face looking down. "Just… " She sighed softly, as they stopped to let the horses rest, and they dismounted. She sat down in the grass. "I just….I know something, but it would really hurt someone else...If i told the person.." She was playing with a blade of grass.
Hershel nodded sitting down, listening to her. "Well… The truth's always better than a lie honey." He said watching her.
Dixie nodded biting her lip. "I guess.."
"Then you'll know what to do honey." Hershel smiled and hugged her. Dixie hugged him back.
"Thank you, Uncle Hershel." She said softly, she didn't know for sure if she wanted to tell him really or not.
"Anytime honey." He smiled getting up after a while. "Let's finish the trail and head back."
Dixie nodded, smiling and continued the trail, and headed back to the house with him..
