Joey- Concrete Blonde
He was the only one who was really trying to help her, and she wasn't always sure what that meant. Carol had the feeling that he was doing it for himself more than it was for her or Sophia; he had the air of someone who had been left behind and kicked when he was down too many times to count. It was a look that she recognized well enough from her own mirror. It was what let her forgive him so easily when he lashed out at her too.
Daryl had a way of distancing himself, and lashing out, like an injured animal being cornered by an unknown threat. It was as though he didn't know what to do with their regard when they thanked him for anything, or were concerned for his well-being, and so it made him angry. Carol understood that far too well also, remembering times when friends or family had wanted to help her escape her marriage to Ed. They had made it seem like such a simple thing, but it was never that easy.
It wasn't just that Ed would have found her and possibly killed her, as he had threatened numerous times, there was more to it than that. Everything in her life was tied up around him, and cutting those ties was harder than just walking away. She would have lost so much. She had tried though, for Sophia, but it was never quite enough to actually break free. Looking at Daryl made her think of all the times in which she had found herself in a new place, unsure of what to expect but knowing that the bad was usually more common than the good.
Carol wanted to reach out and let him know that he was as good as anyone in their group, and that he didn't need to distance himself from them. They needed him more than he needed them. She wanted him to stay and feel like he was accepted. He deserved to find that sense of belonging, of family, even if the only family anyone seemed to have now was found along the roads. If only he would listen.
AN: I wanted to try a new series, based on Spotify prompts, and this one turned out to be an introspective piece but I'm hoping that the majority will involve some action and dialogue instead. I've seen lots of series based on a playlist or musical prompt, and wanted to try something different from the random words now that I've reached 200 shorts in my other TWD series. Hopefully readers will like these too.