Beth stood at the empty counter, trying to concentrate on the small stack of crumpled bills in front of her, desperately wishing each time she counted her tips that they would miraculously add up differently, add up to something that made her shift worth the effort she'd put into it. Of course they never did. Her feet ached in her beat up Converse, the sweat wouldn't stop dripping from her brow, and even her face was stiff from smiling at customers for twelve straight hours. And somehow all she had to show for it was twenty-three whole dollars, five of it all in coins, the change stuffed into her pockets making her feel even more weighed down than she already was.

Earlier in the week her boss had regretfully informed her that they were cutting her, and if she'd needed any other sign that her time had come to an end, this was it. Summer had officially arrived and the diner's business had been painfully slow, the proof was stuffed into her apron as she finished her last day, wiping down the counters, taking her frustration out on the stains and grime that had collected over the course of the day.

"You're gonna break your arm before you get all that dirt off."

Tara's voice made Beth startle, dropping the rag on the floor by her feet.

"Don't bother picking it up. It can your little fuck-you to the boss man for giving you the axe."

Beth laughed, bending over to retrieve it anyway. As angry as she was to suddenly find herself without a job, she couldn't take it out on the owner. Plus, it was only fair. She was the newest waitress there and they simply didn't need her anymore. It was time to move on.

"It's alright. I'll find something else. I have to." Beth told her friend while they finished up for the night.

"You haven't even started looking yet, have you?"

"Well...no."

Beth really didn't want to talk about it, she knew she was up shit creek without a paddle. The past year she'd been tinkering around with odd jobs, had been relieved when she'd gotten the waitress position. But now it was over too, and she'd be back to twiddling away in her lonely apartment until the final notices started piling up in her mailbox.

But it was a nice apartment, at least. She'd spent every dime from her father's estate decorating it, picking out just the right accessories, had even splurged on a new piano that was siting in her living room untouched, not once had she pressed her fingers against it's dusty keys.

She'd known it was a mistake to blow through all the money that she'd gotten from her and her sister selling their father's farm. But the truth was, Beth hadn't had any better plans. Lost without her father and the farm she grew up with, she'd packed up and moved with money in her pockets to burn. Why she hadn't seen a disaster coming still amazed her. A small town in King County was not the place to run to, she realized that now. There were no jobs, hardly any people her age, no opportunities for the music she desperately wanted to pursue. Beth had choosen it simply because the houses had been cheap and there hadn't be a soul there that knew her. No one on the street stopped to ask her how she was coping without her dad, her older sister wasn't lurking behind every corner coming to harass her about what she was doing with her life. It had seemed like a good idea. Until her bank account had gotten dangerously close to zero with no way to replenish it.

"You any good with high school English?"

Tara's question raised Beth's eyebrows, it was random and not exactly the type of thing they usually talked about while finishing up for the night.

"I guess, why?"

"I actually heard about something you might be interested in. A tutoring thing."

Sadly, the mention of any type of job caught her attention. She had enough money maybe for one more month's worth of bills but she knew she needed pocket money until then too. Gas added up quick and now she didn't even have free meals from the diner to count on.

"Tutoring? Don't you need like, qualifications for that or something?" Beth asked skeptical.

Tara just laughed, and shook her head.

"Not for this. It's my little brother's best friend. He's in summer school trying to play catch up so he can pass. Just needs some extra help. He's having a hard time finding someone who will to do it."

"Why?"

Beth was imaging a giant ninth grader that probably ate the other kids for lunch and smelled like cigarettes and stolen booze. She wasn't sure if she was quite that desperate yet. If she'd ever be. Especially for a gig that probably wouldn't add up to much cash.

"Well, it's Carl Grimes that's looking." Tara told her, said in it a way like the name should explain it all.

"Okay...and?"

"The son of Rick Grimes. You know."

Beth didn't know. It was one of the things she hated about this small town she'd landed herself in. Everybody knew everybody, except for her. Already she'd heard the way the customers at the diner gossiped. This was a place where no one had secrets. The good part was that no one knew her secrets yet, but she was often left feeling very much like an outsider when someone would ask if she'd heard about so-and-so and she never had a clue.

"No, I don't know."

Tara sighed in frustration, hopping up on the counter getting comfortable, about to let Beth in on something that she was clearly supposed to already know.

"You've heard about that woman that died last year, right? The deputy's wife. Killed in a car accident with her husband's best friend behind the wheel. Rumored they were having an affair."

"I've heard something like that, yeah."

"Well, that was Lori Grimes. Rick's wife."

Beth still wasn't making the connection. So the kid had a dead mom, so what? It was tragic sure, but she didn't understand why just that fact alone would turn people off from helping him.

"I don't get it."

"Of course you wouldn't. Rick used to be adored around here, ya know? Probably the best cop we had in town. After Lori died, he just kinda shut down. Quit the force. Word around town is that he's kind of a dick now."

The story did ring a bell and Beth realized she had heard about it before. How the woman's death had caused the town to lose two good cops in one fell swoop. Everytime she'd heard the story whispered in the dinner, the husband's tale seemed to get more and more terrible. She'd always assumed it was just one of those stories that had been whispered so many times that no one even knew the truth anymore, that it kept growing larger and larger.

"What's that got to do with the kid though?" Beth asked, still confused.

"Nothing really. Just that Rick's been pushing everyone away for so long that there aren't many people that even wanna deal with him anymore. Carl's a good kid, but his dad is a different story. People can't see past that."

It sounded entirely unfair to Beth. Plus, she doubted this infamous Rick Grimes could be as terrible as they were making him out to be. Maybe they were all just so used to the man they used to know that they couldn't accept the man he was now. She was an outsider with no expectations.

Even if what everyone was saying was true, she figured she'd mainly have to deal with the son. So what if he had a grumpy dad. She could ignore it, so long as the guy paid her.

"I'll do it." She finally agreed, already feeling somewhat relieved at the idea of a little bit of money headed her way.

"You're sure? I'll call my brother and tell him. But you're positive?"

"Yeah. How bad could it be?"


It turned out not be nearly as terrible as Tara had made it sound.

Much to Beth's surprise when she'd called the number her friend had given her, a young teenage boy had answered and pretty much hired her on the spot. She had to admit it was odd that she'd hadn't needed to speak to his father, but when the kid had told her his dad was going to pay her twenty dollars for an hour's worth of work, five days a week, she'd stopped caring. So long as the man was willing to write her a check, she'd happily brush his questionable parenting techniques under the rug. The money wasn't great, but it was better than the zero dollars she was currently earning.

Even when she parked her in car into the driveway of the house her GPS had led her to, she was still hopeful. Sure, the house looked rather unkempt with it's overgrown lawn and mailbox stuffed close to bursting, but it wasn't her place to judge. Maybe they were simply too busy.

She knocked on the door, full expecting to finally meet the man everyone was always talking about, but instead was greeted by the teenager she'd spoken to on the phone. The kid was almost as tall as her, his thin frame making him seem taller, his brown hair long and shaggy, hanging in front of his eyes. His overall general appearance looking just as disheveled as the lawn. But when he spoke, Beth was surprised by how happy he seemed, how welcoming.

"You must be Beth." He said, smiling at her and opening the door to the inside.

"Yeah. Carl, right?"

He just nodded, offering her a hand a shake like a person twice his age would. She was a little put off. Most kids his age would treat a tutor with distaste, but this kid seemed pleased to see her.

"Is your dad home?" She asked, her curiosity finally get the best of her.

Where was the man that was responsible for the weird kid and the ugly house? Better yet, why the hell wasn't he there making sure the stranger his son had hired to tutor him wasn't a complete idiot? She was starting to wonder if the guy even existed.

"He's not home. But don't worry, he left me a check to give you. He went ahead and made it out for entire week. If that's okay."

Beth just nodded, not sure what else to say. She'd never tutored anyone before, and she'd definitely been led into a strange man's house with only his teenage son home. But if he didn't care, why should she?

"Come in, get out of the heat. He probably won't be home so we should just get started."

She let him lead her inside, and the moment she stepped over the threshold she suddenly understood why this man she'd never met wouldn't care who his son had picked to help him. Because he clearly didn't care about anything.

The place was a mess, something worse than a bachelor pad but not quite bad enough to alert child protective services. Her shoes were sticking to the hardwood floors as she followed the boy into the kitchen where the sight of a stack of dirty dishes and an overstuffed garbage bin greeted her, giving off a smell that made her wanna breathe through her mouth. Even the counters were sticky, covered in coffee grounds and dried up spills from the Coke cans that looked like they'd been piling up for weeks. She had to fight every urge in her body not to pick up a towel and scrub the place, but the only dish rag in sight was hanging over the oven's handle, covered in stains and looking like it was about to grow legs and walk away.

"Sorry about the mess. My dad's just been busy and I stopped trying so I could focus on school."

Never in her life had Beth felt so bad for someone, the kid was clearly embarrassed by the disarray of the place. She was trying hard not to judge his father. Told herself that maybe the guy was busy at work. Just because he'd quit being a cop didn't mean he had no job. Or maybe they were having a hard time adjusting to not having a woman around. But even so, it was getting harder and harder to give this guy the benefit of the doubt.

"Don't worry about it." She said, faking a smile for Carl's benefit.

One he didn't even seem to believe, his young blue eyes telling her all she needed to know. He was mortified.

"It's okay, I know it's a wreck. You don't have to be nice."

He was so blunt that Beth realized there was no point in playing childish games. Even if he was failing English, he was smart and demanded her respect in a way that she knew she couldn't lie to him. She wondered what all this kid had been through to have grow up so quickly. It had to have been something other than his mom dying, and she had a funny feeling it had something to do with his father.

"You're right, it's gross." She finally agreed, deciding honesty was best.

It made him laugh, glad to see that she was done handling him with kid gloves.

"You still wanna help me? If not, I understand."

Beth just shook her head, refusing to let the state of this house stop her from helping this amazing kid. It wouldn't have mattered if cockroaches were climbing the walls or if his father turned out to have devil horns and a spiked tale. Someone had to have his back, she figured it may as well be her.

"No, it's fine. Doesn't matter. I was raised on a farm. I'm used to bad smells and pig pens."

And it didn't matter in the end. She took her place at the kitchen table across from him, and quickly fell into the work, helping him along. Carl was smart, it just seemed like he'd missed a lot and now playing catch up was effecting his grades. He eagerly listened to her advice, followed directions well, and stressed when something wasn't perfect. They chit chatted through the work, him finally revealing what Beth had started to suspect. Getting a tutor had been Carl's idea, his dad had simply agreed to pay for it.

It broke her heart to imagine this young man parenting himself. She couldn't imagine how it felt to have to worry about your own grades, clean up after your father, all the while have the whole town gossiping about you. Beth didn't like to pity people, but she was pitying Carl Grimes.

So much so that when their hour was up, she hesitated before she left, not wanting to leave the kid alone when he was eagerly still talking her ear off.

"Are you any good at video games?" He asked, finally shutting his textbook and looking up at her with a boyish energy that was refreshing to see.

"Not really. I stopped playing video games when Mario was no longer two dimensional."

"That's alright. I can teach you."

"You mean like...right now?" She asked, not sure if it was appropriate.

"Sure, I mean if you have time. I can't ask my friends to play with me, I refuse to let them even come in."

The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. The boy was so damn lonely he was willing to play video games with his tutor. That the friends he did have he had to keep at a distance. She knew better than to mix business with pleasure, but she couldn't say no. She didn't want to say no.

Pushing away every voice in her head that was telling her to run for the hills before she got deeper into the situation, she agreed. It was just video games with a lonely teenager. She'd play for a few minutes, pretend she had plans and then leave before getting anymore concerned. Whatever was going on in this house wasn't any of her business. Her job was to help Carl pass English, nothing more. She could humor him for a little while, then go home to her own clean apartment and forget the way her heart ached for the boy sitting across from her.

Unfortunately, one game turned into two, and before Beth knew it the sun had went down and her stomach was growling, her back stiff from sitting in the floor of the living room for so long.

"We can order a pizza if you want." Carl told her, his ears finally picking up on the noises her stomach was making.

She knew it was the perfect chance to leave, knew that she probably should. Even if it'd fun to get her ass kicked for hours on end, it was still unsettling to be in a stranger's house playing with his kid, debating what was for dinner. But she didn't feel right leaving him before making sure he'd eaten either. Did anyone ever worry if he ate dinner?

"Yeah, I guess." She finally agreed, telling herself she was doing it for him.

"Just call the number on the fridge. They'll know the usual order. I'll get the game ready."


By the time Beth got off hold and actually placed the order, twenty minutes had passed and she realized Carl had fallen asleep on the sofa, the controller still in his hand. She told herself she'd wait for the delivery guy, pay for the food with the money his had left him, and take her exit, locking the doors behind herself. It didn't feel right leaving him home alone all night, but it seemed like something he was used to.

She began looking around while she waited, her eyes once again taking in the state of the place. It was a mess. Not even just the kitchen, everything. And it wasn't just dirt or grime, it just felt so neglected. It was a nice place, it just needed work. Beth imagined at some point another woman had taken great pride in the upkeep, but now she was gone and so were the warm touches.

Before she could stop herself, she started cleaning. Unloading the dish washer, filling it back up again before starting a load. Wiping down the counters with some Clorox wipes she found stuffed in the back of a messy kitchen cabinet. It took two separate trips to take out all the trash, but it was worth it, the smell was already improving. She even found a broom and a Swiffer Jet and before she even had time to talk herself out of it, she'd cleaned the floors, removing months of dirt. It was insane how much of a difference it made just to tidy up one room, already the place seemed have more life.

It wasn't her place to do it, she knew that. And just when she was starting to realize she might've really overstepped her boundaries, she heard the front door open and slam shut, Rick Grimes finally making an appearance.

He wasn't anything like she'd imagined. She'd alway pictured cops as being pudgy with short crew cuts and permanent smirks on their faces.. But this man didn't have any of those things.

Rick was slim, his hair over grown and his beard on it's way to getting there. Wearing a wrinkled blue colored plaid button down and a pair of a well worn jeans, he walked into the house with a dominance about him, his lean legs moving with a purpose. It was easy to see that at one point he'd been the force to be reckoned with that people always spoke of. But right now he just looked exhausted, like he was tired of being...him.

It took him a moment to realize Beth was there, giving her the chance to observe him as his glanced over at his sleeping son, sighing at the sight. And just as she was about to announce her presence, she felt his icy blue eyes land on her, clearly not happy with the intrusion.

"I'm Beth. Carl's tutor." She told him as he made his way into the kitchen, bringing the scent of stale alcohol with him.

"I know who you are."

His voice was colder than his stare as his eyes moved around the room, picking up on all the things she'd cleaned and moved around.

She knew she didn't have a good excuse, but in that moment she really didn't care. She'd spent all night wondering who Rick Grimes was, giving him the benefit of the doubt as to why his house was a wreck and his kid was begging for attention. But now the truth she'd been denying was staring her in the face. He was nothing but a cold, unwelcoming, drunk of a man.

They both just stood there for a moment, him trying to intimidate her with nothing but his icy blue eyes and her refusing to back down.

"I don't remember hiring you to clean my house." He finally told her, tilting his head as the words escaped his lips. "Don't expect me to pay you extra for it."

"I don't"

If she hadn't just spent her entire night with his amazing kid, she might've bit her tongue. Might've stopped the next words from tumbling out.

"I did what needed to be done. Your son was embarrassed by the place. You're welcome."

His jaws clenched at the words and she seen the anger his eyes. This man wasn't used to being called out on his bullshit but she didn't care. She may have only spent a few hours with Carl, but she knew he deserved better than what his dad was giving him.

"We don't need your handouts." Rick told her, his voice so hard it sent a shiver down her spine. "You came into my house, cleaned it like we're a charity project and you expect me to thank you?"

He took a few steps closer, but Beth stood her ground. Let him stare her down while his sour breath blew hot against her face. She couldn't believe this was the person that had ever been capable of all the good things people had told her about. It was no wonder Tara had tried to talk her out of the job. Rick Grimes was exactly what everyone had said. A bitter man without even a trace of who he used to be left in him.

"You should go." He finally growled into her ear before taking a few steps back, clearly frustrated he hadn't gotten a rise of her.

She didn't have to be told twice. Grabbing her belongings off the kitchen table, she quickly headed for the front door, trying to fight off the tears that were about to start at the thought of leaving this kid alone with such a monster of a father.

"And consider yourself fired."

It was the last thing she heard as she shut the door behind herself with a bang, her tears hot on her face.