He knew the teacher was speaking but he could quite hear what it was that she was saying, something else held his full attention, or I suppose, someone. She quietly followed him to class that morning and didn't really speak much. She hasn't even told him her name, he couldn't feel any type if way about that because he too hadn't introduced himself.
When they made it to room 204, she smiled at him and said a quiet "thanks" and that was all. He didn't know why he was expecting her to take a seat near him but she hadn't, he took a seat all the way in the back to avoid constantly being called on and she took a seat in the very front.
The desk directly in front of the teacher's in fact. So far she had raised her hand to every single question the teacher asked and answered them all correctly.
So she was smart, that meant they had atleast one thing in common.
She was so pretty... he could only see the back of her head but still, she was pretty. He lifted his elbow to his desk and rested his chin in his hand while smiling softly at her.
"...Grimes..."
He was still in a daze. She was absolutely mesmerizing.
"Richard Grimes."
He wondered what her name was. He bet it was something pretty.
"Mr. Grimes!" The teacher shouted pulling him out of his thoughts.
"Huh?" He said embarrassed that he was caught in a daze.
Everyone laughed at him.
The pretty girl whose name he had yet to discover put her hand against her mouth to cover her soft giggles before she turned back around facing the blackboard.
Jesus. Even her laugh was pretty.
"Rick, read the next passage."
Rick swallowed hard before be started stuttering his way through the small passage, it wasn't that he didn't know how to read, he did. He was just still a little nervous at doing so aloud infront of a class of nearly twenty-five other students.
He heard the girl behind him snicker and call him illiterate. The others in the class soon joined in the laugh fest and he wanted to bury himself and disappear. How embarrassing.
"Excuse me! I believe he's trying to read. Some of us are actually paying attention." The pretty girl said.
Somehow, her outburst caused them all to stop laughing, she sure shut them up. Beautiful and confident.
I think I'm in love he thought as he stares lovingly at her.
"Um..." she cleared her throat. "You can continue."
Oh Rick straightened in his seat and finished reading the passage with more confidence than before. He took a deep breath when he was done and hoped he wouldn't be called on to read again.
Rick followed along as the different students read paragraph after paragraph until he was, unfortunately, called on again.
The girl behind him snickered before he even began and he tries his best to ignore her but the truth was he was always embarrassed about having to read aloud. Reading to himself was different because he didn't have to worry about who was listening and if he was meeting their expectations. It was just him. Moments like this put his nerves on edge.
Again, he stuttered and stumbled through some words but ultimately he did a better job than he normally would. When he looked up, the pretty girl was staring at him. She gave him a thumbs up and a small smile before turning around.
Rick felt his heart flutter in a way it never had before.
The bell sounded dismissing them and he tried to muster up the confidence to start a conversation with her. He didn't want it to be awkwardly silent between them like it was earlier when she asked for directions.
And since she was new, according to her self introduction in class, he could be her first friend. He didn't really need to be told she wasn't from KC, he could tell by looking at the way she dressed and the lack of that typical accent. He wanted to get to her first before she was corrupted by the many toxic teens attending this school.
Instead of speaking up, like a normal person, he tapped her shoulder from behind her causing her to flinch. It was slight, but he noticed.
"I didn't mean to scare you...sorry."
She shifted the books she was holding and shook her head. "It's cool."
"I'm Rick by the way..." He introduced awkwardly.
"I'm Michonne. "
Michonne. He could've never guessed her name if she hadn't told him. It was beautiful and fit her perfectly. It was like she owned that name and it was hers and hers only.
"It's nice to meet you." Rick lifted his right hand to give her a handshake but she looked down at the stack of books in her arms and one of her eyebrows rose slightly.
"Oh, your hands are full." He laughed awkwardly. "Thanks for sticking up for me in class."
"Are those guys always like that? I prayed that I wouldn't end up in the class full of jokesters and clowns but I guess I didn't pray hard enough."
She laughed and Rick laughed too, not because what she said was necessarily funny, but because he'd hoped for the same thing to no avail.
"You have a beautiful smile."
"Oh, you're really forward huh?" She giggled. He was actually anything *but* forward, there was just something about her.
"Just thought after what you did for me in class I shouldn't keep that compliment from you- it's true though. Your smile is..." he nodded his head. "gorgeous."
She turned her head to the left and giggled. "Thank you. Your smile is nice too and hey, don't let those idiots get you down ok? I should head to my next class. If you see me around the halls don't be a stranger ok?"
"Ok." He nodded.
But he wasn't honest. He saw her a few more times that day and he hadn't approached her because he didn't know what to say. What if his conversation was boring? He didn't want her to get bored with him on the first day. She was already way too cool for him, well that's what he thought.
His confidence wasn't the best but he felt comfortable talking to her He didn't want to lose that immediate connection by scaring her away because she was boring.
At the moment, he was looking for his two sisters to walk home. They got a tide to school nut since Herschel was a working man, they had to walk home.
Soon enough he ran into Michonne instead of his sisters.
She held her books with one hand this time so that she could wave at him. She was smiling that beautiful smile of hers while walking towards him.
"I haven't seen you since this morning I was looking for you. I got lost on my way to my sixth hour and it was so embarrassing." She laughed.
He laughed nervously thinking of what to say but before he could say anything he felt a pair of arms around his neck.
"Richard!"
It was Maggie.
Michonne watched the two with an awkward smile.
"Girlfriend?" Michonne mouthed and he shook his head with a disgusted look on his face causing her to snicker.
Maggie then looked over his shoulder and saw that she obviously interrupted something.
"Oh I didn't see you there. I'm sorry, how rude of me. I'm Maggie, you're new?"
"Yes, I moved here recently. I'm Michonne. Nice to meet you." She held her hand out for Maggie to shake it and she did.
Rick looked at her with an amused smile and she shrugged her shoulders then asked. "What?"
"My sister gets a handshake, but I get a nod?"
Michonne covered her mouth to laugh. He noticed she did that a lot and it made him smile.
"My hands were full!" She defended.
"Yeah, yeah. Excuses..."
Then she did it... that thing where girls pushed their hair behind their ear whilst smiling sweetly- if he didn't think she could get any cuter, he was wrong.
His eyes followed her as a smile formed on his face.
She held her hand out to give him his handshake he seemed to want so bad and he eagerly took her hand and shook it firmly.
"Happy?" She teased.
If his smile indicated anything, then he was very happy.
Out the corner of his eye, he saw Maggie's very annoying friends walking over. His smile vanished and Michonne noticed, she followed his eyes to see the girls she met earlier that day. She waved with a smile. They seemed like the popular cheerleader type that you saw in movies but they were nice to her earlier.
The girls smiled and waved back.
"I have to go now. See you tomorrow Rick... would it be too forward to say you're my first friend?"
"Not at all..."
"Okay, see you tomorrow friend." She turned to leave but Rick shouted. "Wait!"
She turned back around to him and he said nervously. "C-can I have your number? I-i mean friends have each other's numbers right?"
"Yeah, you're right."
She pulled a pen, and an index card from her backpack and wrote her number on it with a smiley face.
"Here." She handed it to him.
"Thanks." He said smiling down at the paper. "See you."
When Michonne was far away enough Maggie said.
"I can't believe how smooth you were! I mean, you still need work but wow, she's into you, I'm a girl so I can tell. Good job!"
"Good job on what?" Lori said when she was close enough.
"Nothing." Rick said before Maggie could answer her. He didn't want her to know his business.
Maggie took his hint and said, "Yeah, nothing just teasing."
"Where the heck is Beth?" Rick questioned lowly. Now that Michonne was gone, and the cheerleaders from hell were here, he wanted to get the heck out of this place.
"So Maggie, Rick, you guys want to go to that new diner? I went yesterday and oh my god, that was the best burger I ever had."
"Jessie you say that about everything new that you try!" Maggie laughed then imitated the blondes whiney voice, "that was the best!"
Rick laughed.
"Shut up Maggie! You're so mean!" She whined. "So? Diner or not?"
"Heck yeah, I'm starving." Said Beth who just walked up to the group.
Rick sighed because he was going to say no but since he *was* hungry, why the hell not?
"Okay..."
"Yay!" Jessie cheered and Lori eyed him with a smile.
"To the diner!" Beth giggled.
...
The girls literally talked loud as fuck the whole way there and Rick could only think that this damn burger better be worth it or he was strangling someone.
The door chimed when they entered it and immediately, a mix of delicious smells attacked his nose.
If the food tasted as good as it smelled then it would be fantastic.
"Isn't that the new girl?" Lori asked.
"It is..." Jessie said.
He looked around until he saw that it was indeed her. She was with some other girl with long curly hair and caramel skin complexion. She too was pretty but his eyes only fixated on Michonne.
Chelle gasped and said, "they're holding hands."
"Well she's in my third hour and Shane was blatantly flirting with her and she seemed disgusted, I should have known she was a lesbian."
"We can't be nice to her anymore or people with think we're like that too."
"Oh come on, that's not fair. Don't make her an outcast because of this. You guys are acting like bigots." Maggie rolled her eyes at them. She was usually the one to do the educating in their circle. They lived in a small town and people said very stupid and very insensitive things all the time. It was her absolute least favorite thing about Kings County.
"She's cute, I like the way she dressed her uniform up with her personality. I saw her earlier today in the hall." Beth added.
Rick just observed the two girls and said, "Just because they're holding hands doesn't make them lesbians and even if they are, don't go spreading rumors about her, they might not want people at school to know."
"I hold Maggie's hand all the time. " Beth said and Maggie nodded.
"Look how they're smiling though, they look like a couple to me." Lori said.
Beth sighed. Her sister really needed better friends. Preferably ones that weren't ignorant.
"If they didn't want people to draw their own conclusions, then they shouldn't be holding hands in public. " Chelle said as she snapped a picture.
She didn't know the flash was on and both girls turned around to see where the flash go off.
Michonne had an annoyed look on her face until she spotted him then waved with her smile appearing. She whispered something in the other girl's ear and her brows rose a great deal. She too started looking at Rick then she nudged Michonne.
Michonne walked over to him smiling still. "Are you following me?" She playfully asked.
Lori scoffed and answered before he could say anything. "As if girl, we don't want to be seen with you. People will think we're like that.
"Like what?" Michonne frowned.
"Lori!" Maggie gasped.
Disappointment washed over Michonne's features. Those girls had been so nice to her. Especially the dark haired ringleader who just told her to fuck off. Not in those exact words of course, but that's what it felt like.
"Oh... I thought..." She looked to Rick for him to help her out and he fixed his mouth to say something but the girl she was with earlier overheard them and came over with her arms crossed.
"What the fuck did you just say to my sister?"
"It's ok Sasha." She said grabbing her arm pulling her away.
"No, who are these girls Michonne? Don't let them talk to you like that." She said looking at Michonne, her face turned fierce when she looked at Lori. "Watch your mouth when you talk to my sister and you" she poked Rick. "Grow some balls, you like my sister right? Take up for her."
"Sasha stop."
"Don't touch my brother." Maggie crossed her arms.
Jessie laughed and said. "Rick doesn't like your sister. Did she tell you that? Oh my god how arrogant!" The girls laughed.
"I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask you kids to leave, you are making entirely too much noise and our customers are trying to enjoy themselves. Come back when you've calmed down."
Once they were all out the building, the bickering continued he looked at Michonne and she had her head face downward but he could tell she was angry and embarassed.
"New girl. Why did you tell your sister Rick liked you? I mean that's ridiculous."
"I didn't..." She shook her head, "I just said I think.."
"Why would you think that?" Chelle laughed and that finally did it Michonne said calmly. "Get the hell out of my face."
Michonne had a habit of crying when she was upset- they were angry tears. A sign of her angry tears usually meant a fight was on the horizon. If Sasha saw her sister cry she went into instant attack mode, she didn't care who it was.
But this time, someone else stepped up and she didn't have to.
"Who the hell are you guys to speak for me?!" Rick roared.
This was new. He usually only spoke to his sisters and even they never heard him shout. Raise his voice sure, but *shout*? This was new.
Rick walked to her and lifted her chin so that she was looking at him, he then dried her tears with his thumb. "I do like you." Rick admitted. "You hear me? I do. So don't cry- They're just jealous. You're the prettiest, smartest, most interesting one here and they're jealous."
"Excuse me! Rick what are you doing?" Lori asked with a frown.
He ignored her to continuing tending to Michonne.
"You think I'm pretty?"
"Beautiful actually."
She bit her bottom lip to suppress her smile, it was subtle but he noticed it.
Sasha walked to Maggie and said, "I'm sorry about poking your brother."
"No, I'm sorry for getting mad about it. I would have done worse if I were you and Beth were Michonne. I'm real protective over them. I get it but I had to be on his side you know?"
"I definately know. She's my little sister and as you can see she's not confrontational, she's not a punk or nothing but I do the fighting for me and her. I don't like her to get her hands dirty." Sasha laughed.
"Truce?"
"Truce. I'm Sasha."
"Maggie, and this is Beth. I take it you don't care to learn their names." She said referring to Lori, Jessie and Chelle."
Sasha rolled her eyes. "Girl..."
Maggie and Beth laughed.
This girl was cool, she could tell right away that she wouldn't have to warm up to her. They were going to be quick friends.
"Let's go girls." Lori huffed. And stomped away.
"Why are you friends with them? Both of you seem nice but they seem like they crawled up from hell."
"Here in KC everyone knows everyone and we're all pretty much friends. I guess they're just familiar."
"Well you can do better, find you some better friends. I met a girl earlier at school and she seemed cool. Chick named Rosita. Maybe we can start a new friends group. Me, you, Rosita. Our little sisters can be included I guess..."
"Look at those two." Beth smiled looking at Rick and Michonne.
They were both laughing and smiling and whispering things only they could here.
Sasha wore an amused smile when she saw how they were hitting it on. It was only the first day of school and her shy little sister found a guy before she did.
"Rick's never been like this with a girl. He's usually too shy to say anything to them."
"Michonne is the same way..." Sasha said then switched the subject. "They said to come back when we calmed down. I'm calm now, y'all want some burgers?"
"That's literally all I want!" Beth said.
"Let's go back in."
Rick held Michonne's hand and entered the diner together.
...
