Lola was tired after working four double shifts in a row as she moved in slow motion down the hall to her apartment. It took forever to get down the hall and she was so shot out. It was seven am and all she wanted to do is take a shower and fall into bed, night shifts were the worst, but as a nursing student, she had to take what she could get. She was in class four days a week and worked three nights a week to make ends meet and even then she needed three other roommates to afford to live off campus. This was just the way it was, so she bought darkening curtains and earplugs and tried to live her life.

At noon, on her day off her phone was ringing and she tried to ignore it, first rolling over in bed and pulling the blanket over herself, then a pillow over her head. The phone stopped finally and she sighed in relief, but then the text messages came, five in a row. Throwing the phone out the window seemed like a good option and she sighed as she rolled back.

From under the covers she reached one arm to the nightstand she pulled the phone under the blanket to scroll the messages and find out what was so goddamm important. Frantic Call Me texts showed up one after the other from one of her roommates. She banged on the common wall between their rooms and waited.

Three taps came back and then he was busting through the door and crawling into the bed next to her. This was nothing new, many nights they spent right there watching "Forensic Files" and eating popcorn together. But on this, her only day off Lola did not want Daryl Dixon in her bed.

"I'm trying to sleep Daryl what do you want?" Lola grumbled.

"You," He grinned.

"Fuck off I'm sleeping," Lola rolled over away from him. They had that kind of friendship where she could say that and him crawling into her bed wasn't uncommon either.

"Seriously," He continued as he pulled the blanket down to get her attention, "I need a favor."

"No," She pulled the blanket over her head, "Ask Rick or Shane."

"Not for this favor," This time he pulled the blanket completely off of her and hovered his face over hers, "I need a girl."

"What?" She sat up and backed up against the headboard in a frenzy, "Are you crazy?"

"No, not that," He laughed, "I wanna make Sherry regret breaking up with me. "

Lola sighed audibly and rolled her eyes at her friend. It was always about Sherry with him, and they had been on again off again for so long now. Currently, they were off and he was scheming 24/7 how to get her back.

Sherry Martin was a dumb bitch and Lola couldn't stand her. She was so happy he wasn't seeing her anymore. Now this shit. Lola wasn't sure she could stomach one more word about this bitch or one more of their loud, nasty breakups.

When Daryl started dating her, she Rick, Tara and Lori each bet twenty bucks that it wouldn't last a month. Shane had said it would be longer and he had been right. The whole thing dragged out for thirteen months with Sherry being a bitch to Daryl and everyone else on the regular. She constantly blew up his phone and accused him of all sorts of crazy shit, broke up with him, then came back only to break up again. It was crazy.

"How do you presume to do that and what do you need me for?"

"Well, funny you should ask, she always accused me of fucking you, so I want you to come to the party in the commons with me on Halloween."

"What?" Lola sat up enraged, "She said I was fucking you?"

Daryl nodded, "You and every other girl I come into contact with..."

"Why would she say that about me?" She pointed to herself, "Me of all people like I have time for that and she knows it! If you ask me you don't need her; I bet she was the one doing shit behind your back and that's why she always accused you."

"You don't understand Lo, I'm in love with her, I have to get her back," He answered softly and she understood now, she really did, "If she sees us together acting like we're on a date she'll go nuts," That was probably true, Sherry made no bones about not trusting him, as if she had any basis to it at all, and although she thought he was a fool Lola agreed, mostly so he would let her go back to sleep. But also because above anything else she wanted him to be happy.

"Sweet," He stood up and walked to her door, "I'll let you go back to sleep now, pick out a sexy costume, ok?"

"Fine," She groaned.

"You still got the Harley Quinn one?" He said with a wink, "If you do wear that one, it's hot."

Lola flopped down on the bed as he left the room and shot her middle finger up at him; the things you did for friends.

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The party was that weekend and it was a costume affair, one of the biggest events at their school that fall. Lola did have the costume Daryl mentioned, it was the Arkham Nights dress, black and red and she dyed her pigtails too. Lori and Tara were going to the party also, everyone was, as were Shane and Rick; the four of them were dressing up as police officers.

Daryl was dressing up as the joker to match Lola's costume and really lay it on think for Sherry. She would be his again before the night was over, he was sure of it.
They would meet Eugene and Milton there, who both refused to dress up. At least they were showing up this year, last year neither of them came to any parties, stating they weren't the party kind until Tara insisted that they go to her fourth of July barbecue the summer before and now they were part of the group.

They would bring Lola home, Daryl had already arranged it and everyone knew what he hoped was going to go down.

Daryl had made sure that Lola had a ride home because he was sure he and Sherry would be reunited that night.

Lola still thought he could do better but she shut up about it all week until they were getting dressed that night.

"If you ask me he's an idiot for trying with her again," Tara said as she applied mascara in the mirror she was sharing with Lola and Lori.

"He says he's in love," Lola answered with a shrug, and Lori snickered.

"Like he even knows, and now he's pulled you into it!" Lori exclaimed.

"Its just one night and then hopefully he'll have his hearts desire and he'll leave me out of it." Lola countered as she put on her lipstick.

"I sure hope so," Tara said and the three of them laughed.

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"Damn that outfit is..." Daryl let his eyes wander over her body when she came out of the bathroom and didn't even try to hide it, he rarely saw her in anything but scrubs or jeans, she looked damn good in a dress. That guy Tyreese that she liked was sure to snap her up tonight and he was happy for her. Ty was a good guy and he liked Lola a lot, Daryl and the rest of her roommates approved of her choice to date him, if he would only ask.

He had called her a few times but their school and work schedules were never the same, Ty would be there that night, and Daryl hoped he'd make his move finally.

"Put your eyes back in your head Dixon, this is just for show," She linked her arm with his and he laughed. " But don't worry, I don't plan to leave your side until she's begging you to take her back."

"You're the best Lola, did you tell Tyreese this is all an act," Daryl said placing his hand on her shoulder and squeezing lightly. The two other girls followed behind and Shane and Rick were waiting in the kitchen.

"Yeah, he gets it,"

"Good cause I don't want to fuck up things for you..."

"Let's do this, yeah," Shane said as he grabbed Lori's hand and they all left for the party together.

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Sherry Martin and her posse were nowhere to be found at first so Daryl paraded Lola all around the commons rooms until word finally filtered over that they were at the party together and all over each other. Tyreese had seen them and given her the thumbs up and it seemed he would finally ask her on a date tonight. Just this one little thing had to be handled first.

"She's looking right at us...hurry up kiss me," Daryl pleaded when he saw Sherry come around the corner.

"Fuck no! I didn't sign up for that." Lola howled.

"I ain't got trench mouth for christ sake!" Daryl hissed and

"I don't wanna kiss you, It'll be like kissing my brother!

"Please Lo, please," He begged and Lola huffed, "We gotta make it look real..."

"Fine," She put her hands on her hips, "You want a kiss, you're getting one..."

"Make it believable,"

"You owe me good for this," She answered then Lola reached out, pulled him to her by the tie he wore and planted her lips on his. Instinctively Daryl pushed her back against the brick wall and moved his lips against hers to gain access to her mouth. Their arms went around each other and suddenly it was a real kiss. It was not like kissing her brother, quite the opposite and they were both blown away from it.

"Oh fuck..." Daryl moaned and met her eyes to see if she felt it too, her hands slid into his back pocket and she pulled him against her. She felt it, from the hairs on her scalp to the ends of her toes, all-consuming fire, and desire.

"Kiss me again," She breathed out and he didn't hesitate, this time pushing his tongue into her mouth and devouring her lips with his. The fireworks that he saw before his eyes were like nothing he had ever felt before. This was his friend that he never thought of that way and suddenly he was out of control, hard and throbbing, and wanting only her.

The beating of her heart was rushing through her ears and suddenly Sherry was upon them like a bucket of cold water.

"You fucking asshole!" She slapped her hand on Daryl's back and he sighed, not wanting to stop kissing Lola, "I knew you two were fucking."For the first time in over a year Daryl didn't care what Sherry was saying and barely acknowledged her presence except to say one thing and once he said it Sherry stomped off in a state, yelling for her "friend" Philip.

"No we ain't, but never say never." Daryl grinned at Lola and she smiled back as his lips touched hers once more, finally finding the place where they belonged all along,