Daryl had been determined to be up, dressed and at the breakfast table before Carol had to call him the next morning. But when his alarm went off and he went to move every muscle in his entire body protested. He suddenly felt 88 as opposed to a week away from his 18th birthday.
It took so long to get out of bed and waddle to the bathroom that Carol was knocking on his door before he had even finished brushing his teeth. "I'm coming," he mumbled through a mouthful of toothpaste.
Suck it up you big pussy, Daryl said to himself as he winced trying to pull up his pants. His balls seemed to have healed fast. He had given them a little TLC before bed the night before, thinking about the woman sleeping down the hall. But the rest of his body was a write-off. He knew things would improve once he started moving around, but moving around initially was the problem. He pulled on a sleeveless t-shirt with a groan and finally Daryl was ready.
He took a few tentative steps to practice hiding the amount of pain in his ass and thighs but gave up quickly. There's no way he was hiding it, they were all going to notice. In fact, they actually seemed prepared. Cal tossed something at him as he limped into the dining room. Daryl caught it. "This will help, but whatever you do, don't put it anywhere near your ass or your package… trust me," Cal grinned at him. Daryl looked at the tube, it was some type of horse liniment or something. "That stuff works miracles, go use it now or you'll never survive the day."
Daryl crept back to his room and worked the ointment into his muscles. It smelled terrible and within a few seconds he was on fire. "Holy shit, fuck, shit, fuck shiiiiiit," he whined out loud. It took a few minutes but the burn started to ease and he actually found it easier to walk. Daryl went into the bathroom and washed his hands, then headed back to the dining room for breakfast. By that time everyone had left except Carol.
"Better?" she asked with a smile. Daryl felt his cheeks flush when he looked at her, after he'd pictured her naked while he beat off the night before. "You okay?" Carol asked confused at his reaction.
"Yeah, yeah, fine," he croaked. "That shit's amazing," Daryl added, trying to refocus on the conversation.
As he got closer Carol wrinkled her nose, "too bad it doesn't smell amazing." She pushed a plate of pancakes at him, "eat up, lots to do today."
Daryl was almost finished eating when Andre burst in the front door, yelling, "Carol, Carol, we need the rifle, fast." He flew into the dining room as she got to her feet. "Coyotes… pack of them… they have a cow circled…"
"I'll help," Daryl jumped up, suddenly forgetting all about his sore body as the adrenaline kicked in. He ran to his truck and grabbed the crossbow he used for hunting. By that time Andre had brought the rifle to Cal and Daryl ran after him towards the pasture. His heart was thumping with excitement. Hunting had always thrilled him and this time the kill was even more essential.
He saw the pack with a lone cow trapped in the middle. Daryl counted 5 of them. He noticed one was about to lunge so Daryl aimed and fired. He hit the coyote in mid-air and it fell to the ground with a thud. Cal shot him a quick look of shock and appreciation.
"I don't know if I can take a shot without risking hitting her," Cal muttered. "A warning shot might scare them off, but they look too hungry."
Daryl didn't say a word, just took another shot and dropped a second coyote, then a third. There were only 2 left, but the cow was between them. "No," he heard someone call out as he jumped the fence and ran towards them. One of the animals spotted him and started in his direction with a growl, but Daryl was ready. He shot and the coyote fell with a whimper. "Come on bitch, come at me," he called out to the last one. It seemed confused as to whether to ignore him or not. Daryl still wasn't in position to take a shot so he moved closed, circling around the cow. That got the beast's attention and it snarled at him, lunging in his direction. Daryl stumbled as he reeled backwards and ended up flat on his ass. But just in time he shouldered the crossbow and shot. The last coyote lay squirming only a foot away from where Daryl was sprawled on the ground.
Suddenly, people came running towards him. Carol was at his side, "oh my God, are you okay?"
"Yeah," he said, standing and brushing himself off. "I'm good."
"Where the hell did you learn to shoot like that?" Cal asked, clapping him on the back.
Daryl shrugged, blushing at the attention, "Been hunting since I was 7."
He struggled through the rest of the accolades from the others, feeling more than a little embarrassed at the fuss. When it finally died down Carol came over. "I know all that attention bothered you," she said softly. "But I just want to thank you. Saving a single cow might not seem like much but it is important to me and I owe you for what you did."
"You don't owe me nothin," Daryl replied. He looked at her and once again he couldn't help but be completely honest. "I enjoyed it," he mumbled.
Daryl knew Carol was looking at him, but he was afraid to look up and see the disappointment in her eyes at how anyone could enjoy killing things. But when he finally had the nerve to look up he was surprised. There was no disappointment at all, just a knowing smile and understanding in her eyes. "It's okay," she touched his shoulder. "Never be ashamed of who you are."
Daryl had spent his entire life being ashamed of who he was. No one had ever said anything like that to him before. Even after she walked away, he stood there for a long time, her words ringing in his ears. It wasn't until Jeff called out, asking him for a hand moving away the carcasses, that Daryl snapped out of it. With one last look in Carol's direction he went back to work and tried to let go of how much her words affected him.
The day passed quickly and it was soon time to get showered and changed to head to the party. Daryl wasn't sure what exactly people wore to these dances, but it didn't matter because he only had several varieties of the same outfit - jeans and sleeveless shirts. He did bring his leather motorcycle jacket so Daryl added that and looked at himself in the mirror. He didn't usually give a shit what he looked like, but for some reason it seemed more important. His hair was looking a bit shaggy as it dried after his shower so Daryl combed it again. With one last look he was satisfied and headed out of his room to meet the others.
.~.~.~.~.
Carol dug through her drawer looking for the right pair of jeans. She had one pair in particular that fit just a little bit more snugly than the others and she was determined to find them. They happened to be at the very bottom of the drawer and she smiled as she pulled them out. They fit perfectly and Carol was very pleased with the way they made her ass look.
She chose a plaid button down shirt doing up a few buttons then tying the bottom in a knot. It showed a tiny bit of her tummy. Not enough to look trashy, but enough for people to notice. And who exactly do you want to notice, she asked herself. Carol let the question hang in her mind. She wasn't ready to answer that yet.
Cal, Andre and Daryl were all waiting when she walked into the room. She noticed Cal raise his eyebrows a bit, but ignored him. She also felt Daryl's eyes wash over her and her heart rate picked up slightly. "Sorry, I couldn't find my boots," Carol offered a little white lie as an excuse. Usually she was the first one ready. It wasn't like her to keep anyone waiting.
They all hopped into Cal's truck and headed to the dance. Everyone within 20 miles usually worked out to about 40 people and Carol knew every one of them. The only stranger in the room was Daryl and she had forgot to warn him that he might attract some attention. Carol knew he didn't handle it well and immediately felt guilty. She grabbed his hand to stop him and whispered in his ear, "hey, everyone knows everyone here, I should have warned you. You're going to get stared at all night and a few of the bolder ones might come talk to you. If it ever gets too much, find me. We'll leave."
Daryl gave her a thankful look but the moment they shared in itself had attracted attention. He was doing a great job of ignoring it, at least at first. "Come on," Carol said to him, leading him to the bar.
"What? Are you serious? I can't…" he sputtered, obviously wondering why she was leading a minor to the bar.
"Listen, we're among friends, and we're in the middle of nowhere. If you look around there are a lot of teens with a beer. Thing is, their parents are all here too. We don't let it get out of hand and no one drinks and drives. Never been a problem," Carol explained. She handed him a bottle. "You can have a couple, but you're not getting drunk. Deal?"
Daryl smiled and took the bottle, "deal." Carol could tell he'd had his fair share of alcohol in the past but she wasn't worried he would over-do it. He really seemed to respect her and Carol trusted him. They found a seat with Cal, Jeff and Laura. Theresa had stayed home and Andre was off sitting with some friends his own age.
The band started up and immediately there were people two stepping on the dance floor. They always started off with the Classics - Hank, Merle, Willie. Whenever the band would take a break someone would crank up some of the newer artists like Garth Brooks, Randy Travis and Clint Black. Carol took a minute to scan the room and quickly noticed several women staring at Daryl. Most of the eyes ogling him were teens, obviously smitten by his good looks and bad boy image. The motorcycle jacket definitely gave the impression he was a bad ass.
There was one set of staring eyes in particular that annoyed her deeply. She knew Daryl could easily pass for 22 or 23. He didn't look like a teenager, he looked like a young man. She's fucking pushing 40, Carol though with a scowl. She didn't know what it irritated her so much, but Carol just did not like the way the woman was undressing Daryl with her eyes. Fortunately, he was avoiding eye contact like the plague. Carol knew if this woman actually caught his eye she would be over there like a fly on shit.
They listened to a few songs before someone finally came over to their table. It was a guy she'd danced with a time or two in the past. He was interested in her, but Carol had never looked at him that way. He asked her to dance and Carol politely declined. "No thanks. I'm a little tired tonight," she said sweetly. She caught a look from Cal and ignored it again. Carol loved to dance and he knew it. But she didn't feel right leaving Daryl alone. I'm protecting him, she told herself.
When the band took the first break the DJ played one of her favorite songs. It was a new one by Garth Brooks called Learning to Live Again. Carol was listening, singing along when she noticed the annoying woman headed in their direction. "Oh shit," she muttered under her breath. Carol jumped to her feet, "oh my God, I really do love this song. Come on, dance with me."
Daryl looked like a deer in the headlights. "Uh… no… I don't dance…" he replied nervously.
Carol leaned in and spoke quickly, "I'm saving your ass, just trust me." She held out her hand and he reluctantly took it. Carol led him out to the dance floor, with a quick peek over her shoulder to see the daggers being shot at her.
"I really don't dance," Daryl hissed. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do."
"Well lucky for you I'm a great teacher," Carol teased. "Just put your arms around my waist," she said and he awkwardly did as he was told. Carol wrapped her arms around his neck. "Now we just sway to the music, it's easy. Follow my lead." He was stiff at first, but once Daryl relaxed he did just fine. "See, nothing to it," Carol said softly into his ear.
She listened to the song and started to enjoy the dance. She felt comfortable in Daryl's arms. Maybe a bit too comfortable, Carol thought. She forced herself to put a little distance between their bodies, but her breasts were still brushing his chest and her nipples were certainly aware of what was happening. Carol chastised her body for reacting but there was nothing she could do to stop it. Eventually they ended up pressed tightly together once again and Carol just gave in. The song was almost over, she could survive another 30 seconds or so.
But apparently Daryl could not. "I gotta go. I need a smoke," he mumbled, letting her go and heading for the door. Carol stood there, baffled for a moment, before taking off after him.
.~.~.~.~.
Daryl put his head down and headed for the door. He could have smoked inside, but he needed out. He needed away from her and away from people. His dick was hard in his pants just from dancing with her and Daryl was completely mortified that she had noticed. He tried to keep things in check but her boobs keep brushing him and the feel of her hips in his hands, swaying with the music, her arms wrapped around his neck… thinking about it again was only making matters worse.
He had a smoke lit and half gone before Carol found him. He had wandered around the back of the building into the darkness. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked.
"Fine, go back inside. I'll be in when I'm done," he replied, hoping she would leave and give him time to calm his raging hormones. He could smell her shampoo as she came closer and it was driving him crazy.
"You haven't smoked since you got here. Not once," Carol said gently.
"Must be why I needed one so badly right now," Daryl shot back, with a little more snarl than he intended.
"Listen, did I do something to upset you?" Carol asked. "That woman that was headed your way is a piranha. She would have been all over you. And she's like 40," Carol added. Daryl snapped to attention at the mention of age.
"Oh well, another week and I won't be jail bait any longer," Daryl said. The words rolled off his tongue before he had a chance to take them back.
Carol was quiet for a moment before speaking, "another week huh?" He was almost positive he detected the slightest hint of a smile as she left him to finish his smoke.
