I groaned, rolling over. The sun was barely coming up behind the rolling hills in the distance. I sighed. I didn't know I'd stay waking up early. I was lookin' forward to catching a few more z's than I'd been getting. I groaned again, pushing myself off the bed and stumbling towards the bathroom.

I glanced down the stairs after I finished, seeing pop and Merle passed out on the couch. I nodded. That was okay. Maybe they'd both sleep off the hangover. I looked at the clock. Almost six. I dressed quickly in clean clothes. I was gettin' a job today if it killed me. I quietly snuck out of the house and walked into town.

The only thing open at six was the mom and pop place. I nodded to the hostess, sliding into one of the seats in view of the clock. I didn't have much money on me, but I figured I could buy a cup of coffee and a couple eggs.

The waitress took my order and a half hour later, I'd finished my meager breakfast. It was easier than having to explain to Merle or pop where I was going or why I didn't wanna stay at home. I had just barely enough to cover my breakfast and I left the rest for the waitress.

I walked through town, hitting every place that was open. It took me about three hours, but I finally got around to the repair shop off 3rd street.

The owner was a grizzly bear of a man that didn't like outsiders. He didn't mind workin' on cars for the local folk, but he hated workin' on a car for a tourist. He had rough edges like a saw blade and he knew when you were lyin' to him. So when he stared down at me and asked outright why I wanted the job, I didn't know what to say.

I stalled, trying to think of an answer. But the only thing I could come up with was the truth. "I wanna buy a truck."

"Why ya need a truck? Yer feet work fine." He said, spitting out a mouth full of tobacco.

I nodded. "Yes sir, they do. But I wanna ride my girlfriend 'round. She's got a car and all, but I don't think it's right, her drivin' me places." I said, hoping I didn't sound like a pansy. I heard Merle's voice in the back of my head, telling me I was pussy whipped and I needed to nut up.

Ralph, the owner, watched me for a minute. "What kinda truck ya lookin' after?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "The kind that runs and don't look like it's fallin' apart."

"Ya go to school?" He asked me.

I shrugged again. "I was in school. I ain't really lookin' to go back though."

Ralph nodded and rubbed his grease covered hand against his chin. "I'll make ya a deal, son." He said, putting his big hand on my shoulder and walking me out to the lot. "Ya see that rig over there?"

My eyes trailed to where he pointed and I saw the old gray pickup sitting abandoned in the lot.

"That there's a 1973 Ford pickup. You come to work at 10 every morning, Monday through Friday. You work here until four and I'll let you borrow tools to fix her up. Once you get her fixed up, you're a good employee that works hard and ya still want the job, I'll put ya on payroll." Ralph told me.

I looked up at him in surprise. "Ya mean it?"

"I ain't promisin' ya shit, son. I'm givin' ya the opportunity to do somethin' with yer life. That means no fuckin' up and expectin' somebody else to carry it. Ya fuck up, ya own it. Ya hear?" Ralph said sharply.

I nodded.

Ralph nodded his head slowly, his hand rubbing his chin again. "Get yer ass back here tomorrow, ten a.m. sharp and we'll see what ya got."

I nodded again, shaking his hand. "Thank ya sir." I told him, before walking off the lot.

I walked through the front door of the office at 9:45. There wasn't a snowball's chance in Hell I was gonna be late for the only job that would take me. Ralph looked up from his desk with a pair of reading glasses and a half smile.

"Well, boy. I said ten."

I nodded, suddenly worried. "I know. I heard ya. I didn't wanna be late, s'all."

"You always this early?" Ralph asked.

"Only when it's important." I told him with a nod.

He looked be over again. "Aight. Lemme show ya the back." He told me, standing up from his desk and led me into the back of the building. "Jesse!" He hollered. It took a minute, but a scrawny blonde guy came out from underneath a Jetta.

"Yeah boss?" The Jesse guy said, wiping his hands on a grease rag.

"This here's Daryl. He's workin' for us now." Ralph told him.

Jesse eyed me. "You the youngest Dixon kid?"

I nodded, ducking my head a little. I had been worried about this. "Yes sir."

"That ain't a problem, is it son?" Ralph asked, but his tone gave no room for argument.

Jesse shook his head. "No sir. Just makin' sure I know who I'm workin' with. You want me to show him the ropes?"

Ralph simply nodded and gave a little push on my shoulder in the direction of Jesse.

"C'mon then boy. We ain't got all day." Jesse said. I nodded and hurried to his side. "Ya know anything about cars?" He asked me.

I shrugged. "I can change the oil and replace an alternator."

Jesse nodded, apparently impressed. "More than ya look like ya could do." He said. "So what'd ya tell Ralph to get ya the job? He don't much like kids in the shop."

"I told him I needed a truck to drive my girlfriend around in." I told him. I knew I shouldn't be calling Emma my girlfriend, but we went on a date. That counted for something right?

Jesse nodded. "Aight. Good enough reason. Help me change the oil." He said, nodding towards the Jetta.

I was glad he was starting me off with something I knew. Probably as a test, but I was okay with that.

I worked until a quarter after four before I wiped down my hands and went to find Ralph in the office. I stopped, seeing Emma at the counter. She turned to leave, seeing me. Her eyes roamed over me, covered in blue coveralls and a smile slowly crept onto her smile.

"Daryl Dixon. Did you go and get yourself a job?" She asked.

I nodded, ducking my head. I smirked. "Only 'cause I look damn good in coveralls."

She laughed and smiled at me. "Well, can't argue with that reason."

"This your girlfriend?" Ralph smirked.

"Yeah, boss." I said, looking over at her and hoping she wouldn't get mad.

"Well, now that you got a job, you can afford that picnic basket." She said, walking over to me and kissing me on the cheek. "You best stop by after work, you hear?"

I nodded quickly. "Yes ma'am."

She smiled and turned away from me. "Thank you for fixing my baby, Ralph. I'll be by to pay for it tomorrow." She said before walking out the door.

It took me a minute to realize I was still watching the door before I glanced over at Ralph and cleared my throat. "Uh, sorry, boss." I said, reaching up to rub the back of my neck.

"Son, you got it bad." Ralph smiled and I was starting to see a little bit of the gooey center inside the saw blade edges.

I nodded.

Ralph just watched me for a minute.

I sighed. "She's goddamn perfect, boss. I don't even know why she hangs around my sorry ass. I'd try my damnedest to rope the moon if that's all she wanted from me."

Ralph laughed then nodded. "Married twenty-two years next month. I still feel the same way. Don't you go lettin' go of that girl. If she's outta yer league, but still hangs around, it ain't got nothin' to do with yer looks. Trust me." He said with a smile.

I nodded. "I uh, finished helping Jesse. I didn't know where you wanted me to pull the tools out of."

Ralph nodded. "You can use mine. I find one screw drivers bent or missing and yer ass is outta here so fast, yer head'll spin." He said sternly, pointing a finger at me.

I nodded. He showed me where his tool box was and I got to work.

I stopped working on the truck when it got dark. There wasn't much else I could do when I couldn't see it. I told Ralph I was goin' home and he reminded me to stop and see Emma. So I walked down the road, leading to her house. I was nervous, standing in front of her door. My palms were starting to sweat and I wiped them on my dirty jeans before knocking.

An older lady answered the door and I figured this was her mom. I realized I could've picked a better time to be wearing torn jeans and a dirty shirt. "Can I help you?" She asked.

"Uh, yes ma'am. I um, I'm lookin' for Emma." I told her.

"And you are?" She asked harshly.

I felt her words like a slice. "Daryl, ma'am. Daryl Dixon."

"Mom? Is that Daryl? I told him to come by!" I heard from inside the house, accompanied by the sound of running feet.

She smiled when she got to the door, looking at me through the screen. "Mom, Daryl needs a tutor for Math. I told him if he came by, we could talk about a schedule in the front yard and figure out what time works best for the both of us."

"You best keep your hands to yourself." Her mom said sharply before nodding to Emma, who smiled and stepped outside.

We walked down to sit on the sidewalk so her mama wouldn't over hear us.

"So, ya get a job and don't even tell me, huh?" Emma asked with a smile, leaning into me so that I knew she was joking.

I nodded. "I swear, I went to every business around tryin' to find some work."

"You do that so you have enough money to get out of your dad's place?" She asked.

I hadn't thought that far ahead, but I didn't wanna tell her about the truck. I knew she'd say I was bein' silly. So I nodded.

"And we're datin' now, huh?" She asked with a smile, leaning in to me again.

I blushed and rubbed the back of my neck. "I'm real sorry 'bout that. He asked what I wanted the job for."

"And you said me?" She asked, curiosity dancing in her brown eyes.

I ducked my head. "I told him I wanted to be able to buy my girlfriend some nice things." I said with a shrug like it wasn't a big deal.

"Do you?" She asked.

I nodded, not even having to think about it.

She blushed and ducked her head. "Sorry 'bout my mom. She doesn't like the idea of me having a boyfriend before I graduate."

I shook my head. "If I had a daughter as pretty as you are, I'd wanna protect her from guys like me too."

"Better than the last guy." Emma said, cringing.

I shook my head again. "He don't count. Wasn't a man at all. Just some jackass punk. You ain't supposed to treat nobody like that." I said, feeling the anger warm my chest.

Emma set her hand on my shoulder and I could feel myself cool down a little bit. "You're a good person, Daryl Dixon."

I didn't know what it was about the way she said my name, but I wanted to hear it every day for the rest of my life. "You're better." I told her, gently pushing against her shoulder with mine.

She smiled. "Can I eat lunch with you tomorrow?"

I shrugged. "If you wanna."

"I wanna. I'll bring you lunch, sound good?" She asked.

"Anything you want." I said, hopping up so I could help her up off the curb.

She smiled and glanced back at the house. Her mom was standing by the screen door, but turned and left when she say Emma looking. Quickly, she gave me a peck on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow then." She told me, running off to her house.

I wasn't sure how, but I somehow managed to avoid running into my pop or Merle. Pop was passed out drunk by the time I got home and Merle's motorcycle was gone. I didn't care, as long as I didn't have to explain where I was, I was happy.

I woke up early the next morning and Merle was still gone. By the time I got to the shop, it was almost eight thirty. Ralph looked confused when I walked through the door, looking at the clock. "Yer awful early, son."

I nodded. "I was wondering if I could work a full shift. I figure if I work the full ten hours, maybe you could pay me under the table for five of 'em and the others I could use for borrowin' the tools."

"Ya wanna work ten hours and only get paid five?" He asked.

I nodded. "It ain't even gotta be minimum wages. I could work half that. Just so I had a little money in my pocket."

Ralph seemed to be considering this. "Aight. Ten hours a day, startin' tomorrow. I'll pay ya for whatever ya work over five today, under the table 'cause I ain't doin' the paperwork."

"And, I uh…" I trailed off, not knowing how to word it. "I gotta 'nother question."

"Spit it out." Ralph said.

" 'Bout Emma's car. Ya think I could work that off too?" I asked nervously.

"Payin' off yer girlfriend's bill?" He asked like he was clarifying.

I nodded. "I'm just tryin' to do as much for her as a can. She uh… she helped me an awful lot when I got in a tight spot. I owe her my life, boss."

He nodded after a minute. "You best not skip out on me or I'll kill ya." He said sternly, pointing his finger at me.

I smiled at him. "Thanks boss." I told him, heading for the back. I pulled on my overalls and found Jesse under the belly of a little Ford car. "Mornin' Jesse."

He paused and pushed himself out from under the car. "Whatcha doin' here so early?"

"Boss said I could work a full day." I told him.

He nodded, adjusting his beany on his head. "Grab a set of Allen wrenches and 'mere." He told me, ducking back under the car.

I helped Jesse with the Ford until we finished up with it and moved onto an old red Chevy pickup. I was leaning over the hood, wrenching on a tight bolt when somebody socked me on the shoulder, nearly knocking me over.

Anger flooded my chest and I was ready to throw punches when I turned to see Emma with her arms crossed.

"What the hell was that for?" I asked, still surprised.

"You paid for my car repair." She told me, moving her hands to set on her hips.

"What? No, I didn-" I stopped, seeing Ralph at the doorway, laughing. "Aight. I did."

"Why?" She asked, hands still firmly planted on her hips.

"Remind me not to get her mad." Jesse mock whispered, leaning over my shoulder.

I blindly connected with his shoulder and gave him a shove. "I told ya I was gonna pay ya back."

"Daryl Dixon, what are you talking about?" She asked.

I ducked my head, feeling my chest warm up in frustration. "For the night at the library. I'm gonna spend every day repaying you and if that means payin' off your car repair or buyin' you nice things or takin' you out to dinner that doesn't involve hot dogs, that's what I'm gonna do. And if you got a problem with that, I think you best get." I said, gesturing to the door.

"I told you that you didn't have to repay anything." She said, still looking flustered.

She was starting to piss me off. "Goddammit woman. Quitcher bitchin' and say thank you."

Slowly, her lips turned up in a smirk. "Thank you." She said, kissing my cheek. "Ready for lunch?"

I couldn't help but smile as Jesse burst out in laughter. "Ya'll need to be gettin' married 'cause ya'll are perfect."

"Shut your trap, Jesse." I said, kicking him in the leg before I took Emma's hand and led her to the front of the building. "Hey boss. I'm takin' lunch." I called to Ralph.

"Ya see yer girl yet?" Ralph called back, not looking up from his papers.

"Yes sir. I'll be back in half an hour." I told him. I then led her outside towards the back of the building.

"So. Jesse seems like a charmer." Emma said with a smile as she sat down at the picnic table across from me.

"Yeah, he thinks so." I said as she pulled sandwiches out of a cooler I hadn't noticed her carrying. "Ya know ya didn't have to bring me lunch."

She smiled. "I wanted to. Besides, I eat by myself at school anyway." She shrugged.

"Ya don't got no friends?" I asked her, taking a bite of my sandwich.

She kind of shook her head a little bit. "Not really. They keep telling me I talk funny, even though I've lived here since freshmen year."

I felt a wall go up. Was she getting' picked on? "Tell 'em to shut their faces 'cause they sound just as funny to you. I bet I sound like a downright freak."

Emma smiled, but shook her head. "I like your accent a lot."

We finished our sandwiches in silence and I walked her back to her car, carrying the cooler for her. I opened the door, tossing the cooler into the passenger seat before standing back to let her get in.

"That was awful sweet of you, paying for my car repairs." She told me.

I shrugged. "Ain't nothin'."

Her hand gently touched my arm and I had to stop the shivers running up my spine. "No, Daryl. It means a lot to me. I know you're not well off and you're trying to prove something. But you don't have to prove anything to me. I just want you to know that."

I smiled. "You make me wanna prove everybody wrong."

She grinned. She pushed up on her tippy toes and pressed her lips to mine. My left hand set at the small of her back and my right hand tangled in her hair, pulling her closer to me. Ever so gently, I pulled away from her, taking a big breath.

Her smile stayed on her face.

"Dixon! Get yer ass back to work!" Jesse hollered from the open bay.

"Aight." I yelled back. I sighed heavily.

"Be a good boy, Dixon and go make some money." Emma smiled up at me, giving me one more kiss before she fell into her car and drove away.

"Ya got it bad, son." Jesse said with a smile and a shake of his head as I reached the open bay.

I worked later than I had the day before. I was covered in grease and all I really wanted was a shower, regardless of how much of it came off. I walked up my front steps heavily and the smell of hard liquor hit my nose before I could register what this meant.

I'd forgotten, honestly.

Not being in the house all day. Not being at school where everyone talked behind my back about who I was, or who's kid I was.

I forgot what happened when you came home late to find your pop boozed up on the couch. His head whipped around when he heard the screen door bang shut and he was on his feet.

"Where the hell you been, boy?" He said, slurring every word.

I was scared. "Out." I said, swallowing the lump in my throat.

"Where the fuck, out?" He spat.

I shrugged. "Not here."

His fist collided squarely with the left side of my face and I collapsed onto the ground. My breathing was heavy and all I wanted was the pain to fade away. I took a breath and stood back up. The anger and rage boiled in my chest like hot water.

Before I knew what I was doing, my hand curled into a fist and my brain sent it rocketing through the air towards him. I hit him in the jaw and he fell back, not expecting retaliation. He stared at me in shock from the floor. Out of anger, and trying to tell myself not to beat the man to death, I sniffed hard and spat on his shoes.

"I'm goin' to take a shower. You best stay here." I told him sternly.

I didn't know what he did, but he didn't follow me and I took my shower in peace, except for the burning pain in my face.