The Party
Well, here is chapter 2. Like I said, the chapters get longer from here as we get more into the story. Enjoy! :)
Carl didn't see Lucas after that first meeting but he had enough of a problem adjusting to life in Alexandria that he didn't think much of it. Though, it would have been nice to talk to him because he went through the same thing.
Plus, he had something else to worry about today. Tonight was the big party that Deanna was throwing for them to welcome them to Alexandria. That meant one thing. He would have to socialize and the thought of that terrified him. It was bad enough with just Ron and two other teens but all of Alexandria? He shivered just at the thought. And to make it worse it was only a few hours away.
"Hey, Carl. Are you okay?" His father asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Carl lied.
"No you're not."
"Then why did you ask if you already knew, dad?" Carl replied, sounding more aggressive than intended.
"You look just like you did when we brought all those people back from Woodbury. You're nervous about the party and having to talk to these people, aren't you?" His father nailed it right on the head. "You had a hard time talking with the people from Woodbury at first. It just took time, remember?"
Carl shook his head at his father's words. This wasn't like the prison. It just wasn't. "This is different. These people are...different." The teen protested.
Rick just simply sighed. "Everyone will be there, Carl. You won't be there alone."
"Bullshit, I bet Daryl won't be there."
Rick let out a small laugh. "No, you're probably right. It's probably a safe bet that Daryl won't be there. But that doesn't mean you're allowed to not go."
"Why?" Carl argued. "If Daryl is allowed to be antisocial then why can't I?"
"Because I said so, Carl." Rick said in his stern fatherly voice. "You'll be fine. Just give it time." He placed his hand on his son's shoulder to comfort him. Carl shrugged and gave in, knowing his dad was going to make him go no matter what he said.
"Alright, dad." Carl said. It was going to be a long night and he already wished it was over.
"Why don't you go take a shower? It's time to start getting ready and a shower might calm you down. I have to go check on Judith."
Carl nodded and made his way upstairs. Like a shower was going to make him calm down, ha!
Showers. Another one of those luxuries he thought was long gone. Sure, they had showers at the prison but that was more like just dumping water on yourself. The last hot shower he remembered was back at the CDC all that time ago.
As he walked into the bathroom he heard his baby sister laughing in the other room. His dad must have been playing with her. He made sure he had everything he needed for his shower, got undressed and got in. He turned the faucets until it was at a temperature he liked and just let the water hit him. He wasn't going to lie, the water did feel nice. Really nice to be honest but his mind just kept wandering. Talking to people about things that had nothing to do with walkers or surviving? How was he supposed to do that?
Carl eventually finished his shower and got dressed in his room. He just waited for his dad to call him, laying in his bed as he tried to think how this night was going to go.
"Carl! Time to get going!" He heard his dad call up to him after a few minutes.
Carl got out of his bed and put on his brave face and made his way downstairs to where Rick and Judith were waiting.
"Ready?" His father asked.
Carl shrugged at the question. "Ready as I'll ever be."
Before Carl knew it they were out the front door and on their way to Deanna's house. On the way they passed close by to Lucas' house. He didn't see Lucas on the roof like the first time but he thought he saw a light on in the house.
"So maybe he was home and not at the party?" Carl thought. Probably felt the same as him. The teenager felt a little disappointed but he couldn't figure out why. Well, maybe Enid would be there. They were similar as well.
When they arrived at Deanna's house Carl felt his nerves hit again. He tried to calm himself but failed as they walked inside.
The party was a nightmare as he thought it would be. Carl tried his best to stay by his dad but eventually he walked off and told him to go socialize. Even if Carl tried to stay by someone in his group it didn't last because they would always walk off as well. He was by himself most of the time because Judith was with his dad but that may have been a blessing. Whenever he had Judith he was the center of attention which was the opposite of what he wanted to be.
The people were all nice to him but as soon as one of them started talking to him he would blush, his palms would get sweaty or he'd start shaking and would quickly excuse himself and find another room. Even Ron tried to get him to hang out with some of the other teens but even that didn't work and he had to leave the area. This went on for a while and he eventually found himself near the front door. The urge was big to just walk out and go back to the house to hide, regardless of the wrath he'd probably face from his father. The teen kept thinking of leaving when the door opened and inside walked another teen.
Lucas Grey.
Carl actually felt a little relieved when he walked in. Now at least he wouldn't feel like the only outcast in here.
He saw that Lucas had on a white button up shirt with a wolf on the back with the word "Loyalty" over it. He also had a pair of blue jeans on and the same sneakers he had on yesterday. On top of his hair (which was actually slicked back tonight) was the same blue and gold hat he had on when he met him.
Lucas walked in and looked around and quickly noticed Carl. When their eyes met Lucas seemed relieved as well and started to walk towards him.
"Well, I'm glad you came, Carl. Now I won't have to feel like an outsider by myself." Lucas said giving a quick dry laugh.
Now that Carl was able to get a good look at the other teen he could tell there was something wrong with him. Had he been crying? Lucas didn't seem like the kind who cries. He definitely didn't seem like the kind who'd want to talk about it if he did.
"I didn't think you would be here." Carl told him.
"To be honest, I didn't plan on coming." Lucas replied after a few seconds. "But something told me to come so I put on the nicest clothes I could find and found my way here."
"Hey, Carl. Are you doing okay?" It was Maggie. He hadn't seen her all night but he was glad to see her now.
"Yeah, I'm okay." That was partially true but he wasn't going to try and explain the whole situation to her.
"Who's this?" Maggie asked looking over at Lucas, this being the first time she has seen him.
Lucas looked back at Maggie and gave a slight bow but Carl could tell that he was a little nervous. "My name is Lucas Grey. I was pretty much the new guy until you guys got here."
"You were't here from the start?"
"Yes, Ma'am. I've only been here for about a month." Lucas answered, same thing he told Carl. "Started in Rochester and found my way here."
Rochester? He came all the way from Rochester?
"New York?" Maggie sounded a little bit surprised. Carl was as well to be honest.
Lucas just simply nodded at Maggie then looked over at Carl. "Figured that D.C. was the safest place so I came down here and stumbled upon this place."
There had to be more to it then that because that wasn't a short or easy trip in this world, especially if it was on foot. Not to mention that if he has only been here about a month then he had to have held up somewhere like Carl had. Carl wanted to ask about it but he didn't think it was a good time right now.
"Maggie. Can I speak with you for a quick moment." Carl heard Deanna from the other room.
"Excuse me, guys. I'll see you later, Carl." Maggie said then turned to walk away, heading to the room where she heard Deanna call her.
It was just the two of them again, left alone by everyone else. But at that moment Carl had no idea what to say so he just threw something out there.
"Um, you want to meet the rest of the group? Judith and my Dad?" Carl asked.
"Actually, Carl. I kind of just want to talk to you right now if that's okay." Lucas replied catching Carl off guard. "Mind if we talk outside? Just too many people in here and I get uncomfortable around a lot of people."
Carl looked around for his dad but he was no where in sight. "Sure, just as long as we don't go too far."
Lucas smiled slightly. "The front steps work." He said then made his way out the door, followed by Carl. They sat on the steps about a foot apart from each other and just sat in silence for a few moments.
Lucas broke the silence.
"This place is really unbelievable." Lucas said looking around at the houses. "Most of these people have no idea what life is like outside those walls."
Carl sat there and listened to his words, just letting him talk.
"Most of the time I hate them for their ignorance. Not knowing what we went through and talking to us like nothing ever happened." The teen sat there for a few moments then sighed. "But then again I envy them for the blessing they got."
"I think it's a curse." Carl finally spoke. "They're weak. I don't want to become weak like them."
"That's the problem with this place. It's safe enough to relax, but you just never know what's going to happen. I think we are the same on this that a lot needs to change here."
Lucas was right and his whole group saw it as well. Things had to change and he knew his father was going to do what he could to make sure of it. While Lucas was making a point, Carl wondered if this is what Lucas brought him out here to talk about.
"You're right...but is that all you wanted to talk about?" Carl asked but actually did not even intend to say it. Something inside him forced him to speak. Lucas looked over at Carl and laughed.
"Sorry, I have a knack for doing that and that was just the easiest thing to bring up. I'm just not used to having someone to talk to that's my age. Heck, someone that was out there like me. I've been by myself for so long. That's what I really wanted. Just someone to talk to that knows how life is now. Enid was the only one I could talk to but she's never here it seems like."
Someone to talk to? So that was the reason. Again, he couldn't blame him for that when he wanted the same thing. They had practically nothing in common with anyone in Alexandria except for Enid. They were probably the most similar people here now that Carl thought about it. He just didn't know how similar they truly were.
"But the question is...what do we talk about?" Lucas asked with a sigh. "I was never good with small talk or anything that doesn't include those things on the other side of those walls."
Carl sat there and looked at Lucas who had his head down slightly. He wasn't sure what to say. What do you talk about with someone who has spent just as much time as you outside the walls that doesn't involve walkers? Carl wasn't really able to think of anything so they just sat in awkward silence again but the thought of asking him how he got here from Rochester crossed his mind.
About a minute later Lucas finally broke the silence again.
"Um...alright. I think I got something. What's with the sheriff's hat I've seen you wearing?" Lucas lifted his head and looked at Carl.
"M-My hat?" Carl asked. Of all the questions, that's the one that he asked? Then again, it was better then nothing so he answered. "It was my dad's hat. He was the sheriff's deputy back home in Georgia before the outbreak. He gave it to me after I woke up from being shot."
Lucas looked surprised when Carl said he was shot. "You were shot? Where?"
Carl pointed at his side where the bullet hit him and Hershel pulled the fragments out. This caused him to remember the farm that seemed so long ago. "I saw a deer then the next thing I remembered was waking up in bed. My dad gave me the hat not long after that."
"Wow, must have left quite a scar." Lucas said then looked ahead instead of at Carl.
"Yeah." Carl replied. "What about your hat? Is there a story about it?"
Lucas lowered his head then took his hat off his head and just held it in his hands, looking at the front of it, running his thumb across the logo. The teen took a deep breath then let it out. "Yeah, there is a story about it." Lucas finally said.
"Like yours, my hat was my dad's. He had it when he was a kid. He grew up in Buffalo and was a big Sabres fan. His first Sabres game was during the '75 finals and my grandfather bought him the hat the same day. They won that night in a crazy game." Lucas started explaining but looked like he had a problem getting the words out. "I was always wearing it as a kid and on my eleventh birthday he gave it to me as a gift. It was one of the greatest days of my life."
Carl listened to his story but as he talked Carl had a feeling that there was a lot that Lucas wasn't telling him. Not to mention the slight tang of sadness he heard in his voice. What did Lucas go through before Alexandria?
The two boys ended up just sitting there enjoying the break from reality and the quiet of the night. They could hear the party still going on back inside the house, not knowing how much time had passed before the boys started speaking again.
"You should probably get back inside." Lucas said. "They're probably looking for you."
Carl looked surprised and a little nervous at the thought of going back in. "What about you?"
The teen replied with another sigh. "I'll be in in a moment but I don't think I'll stay long. Too much stuff on my mind and too many eyes on me."
Carl was a little disappointed but Lucas had a point. They couldn't spend all night out here when his dad wanted him to socialize with the Alexandrians "Alright, guess I'll see you later." He said standing up.
"Yeah." Lucas said then as Carl turned to go back in Lucas spoke once more. "Hey, Carl. If you ever have a night when you can't sleep, I'm usually up late either on the roof or something along those lines. You're um...more then welcome to come over and join me. That roof above the porch is a good spot to collect your thoughts when you want to think and to clear them when you don't."
Lucas mumbled something else that Carl wasn't sure on but he thought he heard something about enjoying the company. "I'll remember that." Carl told him and was actually thankful for the offer. He already had times when his mind wouldn't stop racing and prevented him from getting sleep, Lucas must have been the same.
Carl opened the door and walked back inside, already feeling the nerves hit him again. Why didn't his nerves act up when talking to Lucas? Was it because they were alike or a different reason? He fought through it and made it through the rest of the party making no real progress with the people of Alexandria.
Another chapter down and now I'm able to get more into things. I felt like this is how Carl should have been in the show when it came to social situations and I just played a little more on how Carl acted when he met Ron and co. As I said, I welcome all comments, suggestions, and also questions.
