Chapter 4:

"You know what we haven't done in a while?"

Rick turned his head to look at Shane as they sat on the wall outside of school, "What?"

"Ran through the girls locker room while they're changing"

A small smile grew on Daryl's face, "What's the point when y'all probably seen everythan' in there already?"

Rick couldn't help but chuckle at Daryl's joke as he wasn't completely wrong, "He's got a point"

"We need to bring that back", Shane grinned as he nudged Rick.

"Nah, Cha-Cha's still mad we did it when her friend Maggie was in there", Rick shook his head at the memory.

"The cheerleader right? She hit me with somethan'... I think it was a shoe?", Shane squinted as he too tried to recover the memory.

"It was a shoe alright", Daryl snickered, "You had a footprint on your forehead for about a week"

Shane sighed as he watched the other students leave the grounds, "The things we do for entertainment"

"Hey, are we getting fireworks for Jessie's party? That would be a crowd pleaser", Glenn looked at the other three excitedly.

Rick looked to Daryl, as the other teen could find a way to get almost anything, "What do you think?"

Daryl nodded, "Think that can be arranged"

Rick smiled as he scanned over the crowd, "Cha-Cha will love that"

"She's gonna be there?", Glenn asked, a surprised look on his face.

"She's coming out with us. Her and her friend"

Daryl perked up, "Which friend?"

Rick smirked, knowing exactly who Daryl wanted him to say, "I think her name's Sasha?"

"Alright then, looks like we're gonna have to show them a good time", Shane clapped his hands together and smiled.

Daryl tried to hide his excitement as he nodded

Rick chuckled. He knew Daryl had been harbouring a secret crush on Sasha all throughout high school, but never plucked up the courage to talk to her.

"Hey boys!"

Karen appeared, with Jessie and Paula in tow. Rick watched awkwardly as Karen walked over to him and Jessie stood back, unaware of what to do with herself.

"What are you up to tonight?", Karen planted herself right in front of him.

"We don't know yet", Rick took a little step back as he looked at her, trying to keep a friendly distance.

"Let's go get somethan' to eat, I'm starving", Daryl insisted as he walked past the two.

"Alright. Let's go"

Rick walked attempted to walk ahead, so he could separate himself from the situation but Karen was hot on his heels. At one point he wouldn't have cared about her determination, if anything it would have turned him on, but for that moment, it did nothing but cause tension. His carefree approach to girls was taking its toll.

After everyone piled themselves into his and Shane's cars, they drove into town to the local diner. Rick was grateful that Jessie got in Shane's vehicle, as it relieved the awkwardness for the moment. He was even more grateful when Daryl sat up front with him so Karen was in the back. He had made a promise to himself to put some distance between them and it was failing miserably.

"So I heard you all went and got tattoo's?"

Karen crossed her leg in the booth as she turned towards him.

"Yeah we did", He nodded, trying to act normal.

"We have to show the ladies now don't we?"

Rick could have groaned at Shane's overly forward attitude. The four of them all adjusted their shirts over their shoulder to show off the arrow. Though Paula and Jessie were there when they were done, they hadn't seen the finished product.

"Wow! I love them!", Karen complimented as she brushed her fingers over Rick's.

He fixed his shirt and gave her a small smile.

"Is that all you got?"

"I'm not gonna cover myself like Daryl if that's what you're wondering", His eyes slid over to his friend, who was shoving fries in his mouth.

"Yeah, yeah", He grunted.

Rick smirked at him as the others broke off into their own conversation.

"I'd love to see the others", Karen ran her foot up the back of his calf beneath the table.

"I've only got one more and-"

"And it's a secret one. He doesn't show it to anyone", Jessie sipped her milkshake from across the table as she interrupted their conversation.

Rick looked between the two girls. He couldn't understand why Jessie was hell bent on seeing it, and it only strengthened his belief that she was trying to take the cover off it when they slept together.

"Oh really?", Karen ran her hand up his thigh, "So we can't see it?"

Rick was too uncomfortable to even respond to her hand, "Afraid you can't"

"That's a shame", Karen pouted at him.

His eyes dropped to her mouth, memories of the things she could do with her lips flooded his mind and he quickly shook them away. His eyes were drawn to the doors of the diner, where Mike and his friends walked in. He appreciated the distraction.

Mike spotted him and scowled before taking a seat. Shane looked back at the other teen, then at Rick, and evil smile appearing on his face.

"What's his problem?", Paula asked as she looked over at the athletes table.

"He's the jealous boyfriend type", Shane answered with a teasing smile as he sipped his drink.

"His girlfriend's that girl you know, right?", Jessie confirmed as she looked at Rick.

"Yeah…", Rick's eyes didn't leave the back of Mike's head.

"Is that why he's looking over here?"

Rick finally tore his eyes away from his opponent, "Yeah, he's insecure"

"Can't really blame-", Glenn's sentence was cut short by Daryl's elbow to his ribcage.

"Someone should probably tell him his girlfriend isn't your type", Karen chuckled, "She's a frigid little book worm, right?"

Rick's eyes slowly crept over to her, an eyebrow raised questioningly.

Karen's smile was replaced with a blank expression as her eyes landed on the other males at the table, who all were tight lipped as they looked at her. She shifted uncomfortably and faced towards the table, "Sorry"

Rick rolled his eyes back to Mike, who was looking at him from over his shoulder. He gave him a taunting smile, which caused Mike to slam his hand on the table and get up. Rick sat back in the booth, wearing the same smile as he walked over to him.

"You think you're funny Grimes?" Mike rested his hands on the table as he glared at Rick.

Rick gave a small shrug, "Yeah, I think I'm hilarious actually"

"Well I don't seem to be laughing right now, do I?", Mike's three friends appeared behind him, "You need to watch yourself and stay away from my girlfriend"

Rick smirked, "Now that's funny"

"You think I'm playing with you?" Mike growled.

"Oh I know you're serious," He tilted his head as he continued to smile, "You and that vein in your forehead are very serious"

"Why don't we take this outside?"

"Who? Me and you, or me and that vein-"

Rick barely got the word out his mouth when Mike's fist connected with his jaw.

"Let's get 'em!", Shane jumped up out the booth, having already found his target.

Rick recovered and followed suit, with Daryl climbing over the table to take on another friend. Glenn reluctantly joined in.

Rick landed a punch on Mike's nose after lunging for him, knocking him back on to the bar and stools. People were crying out in shock and moving out the way as the brawl ensued. Plates smashed and glasses knocked over as the boys wrestled with each other. Rick wasn't aware of the damage they were doing, he just knew he had to come out of his fight with Mike better off, which was proving difficult as the other teen was swift with his movements.

"I'm calling the police!"

It was almost as if the waitress's threat was a code word that deactivated them all, as the boys quickly broke free from each other and ran out the two exits of the establishment. Rick hoped in his car with Glenn and a shocked Jessie, speeding out the parking lot with Shane hot on his tail. He couldn't help but smile as he drove.

…

"What happened to you?"

Rick sighed as he sat down on his bed as Michonne walked over and studied his face, a shocked look on her own.

"Got into a fight with your boyfriend", He winced as she ran her finger over his jaw.

"What?", She pulled her hand away, looking at him disbelievingly.

"Yeah…", He rubbed the back of his neck, "He came over to us at the diner, was telling me to stay away from you… and may I add that he threw the first punch-"

"Oh my god", She groaned as she sat down beside him, smoothing her hair away from her face.

"It's not that bad… we probably left the dinner in a mess though…"

"I can't deal with him anymore", She shook her head as she breathed out her words.

He rested his hand on her knee, "I'm glad I've helped you see the light-"

She knocked his hand away, "Oh, please! You loved winding him up probably just as much as you wanted to fight him"

He smirked, "I was looking forward to fighting him... but he's better than I thought, that first punch hurt like hell"

Michonne tried to keep a straight face as she glared at him.

"It did! I thought I was gonna be spitting out teeth when I got home"

She bit her lips together to hold her smile.

"Hey, what did I tell you about that", He nudged her, "I need to see my favourite girl's smile"

She smiled, and he could have sworn the pain from his early activity eased for the moment.

"Go get some ice", She instructed as she took off her shoes.

"Yes Cha-Cha", He huffed as he stood up and headed out the room.

He winced again as he walked down the stairs, gently touching the bruise on his jaw. He touched the other side of his face and felt the swelling was going down on his cheek. He was glad it was nothing more serious.

He returned to his bedroom, where Michonne was in his bed, under the covers waiting for him. He locked the door and switched off the light.

"What are we watching tonight, Rocky?"

He scowled at her, "Hilarious"

She giggled as he got in the bed, "That's your new pet name"

"No it's not-"

"Yes it is", She took the cloth with the ice pack in it from him, "You call me Cha-Cha so I can call you-"

"Why do I call you that though?" He laid his head on her lap.

"Because you don't let go of the past"

"No… because you were too shy to say breasts when we were kids, so you used to call them Cha-Cha's" He chuckled at the memory, "Remember when you got your first bra? And you came running over to me saying 'Look at my Cha-Cha's!'...Ow!"

She smirked as she placed the ice pack on his face a bit harder than necessary, "Sorry"

"My point was", He narrowed his eyes at her, "If you're gonna name me somethan' then at least let it be from a happy time"

"Fine, I'll think about it"

"Good… let's watch Kill Bill", He sighed as he selected the movie on the screen.

"Good choice"

They were sat watching the movie when there was a knock on the door, causing them both to jump. They looked at each other questioningly, as neither of his parents ever knocked on his door, and neither ever came to talk to him late that night. He climbed off the bed and waited until Michonne hid in the closet before he opened the door.

His mother's eyes popped open, "What happened to you?"

"Nothan', just rough housing" He dismissed, being sure to keep his arm on the door knob, blocking her view of most of his room, "I'm going to bed, what's wrong?"

She frowned at him, then shook her head as if she was trying to remember what she was saying, "Uh, yes, we was thinking of having a barbecue… next weekend, you can invite your friends… just somethan' nice for us to do you know?"

Rick's eyes darted behind her, then back at her, "Okay, sure"

"Alright, good… I'll go get you some ice-"

"I got some already… night"

"Oh okay... night son"

Rick shut the door and breathed a sigh of relief. He locked it again and went over to open the closet door, where Michonne was sat beneath his rail of clothes. He smiled at her and she giggled.

"Well, there's a first time for everything" She shrugged as he helped her get up.

"That was weird", A confused expression covered his face, "I didn't even think she knew where my room was"

"Oh stop"

"Fine"

…

"I heard about the fight in the diner yesterday afternoon, would you care to explain what happened?"

Rick shrugged as he looked at Mrs Niedermeyer, "I didn't do anythan'. I was sitting there with my friends, minding my own business, then Mike came over and punched me. Everything else after that was self-defence"

The principle stared at him as if she was waiting for more, "Why did he punch you?"

"He's insecure"

Mrs Niedermeyer narrowed her eyes, "This is something to do with his girlfriend isn't it?"

Rick slowly nodded.

"God, that boy", She rubbed her temples, and closed her eyes, then they snapped open again, "Don't you go getting involved with her either! I've heard she's a great student, one of the best actually, I don't need you tainting her"

Rick's jaw dropped open in offence, "She's my best friend"

The principle frowned, "What? Since when?"

"Since we were six years old", Rick looked at the woman like she was grossly mistaken.

She stared at him incredulously, "My worst student and one of my best students are best friends? What the heck is she doing hanging around with you?"

Rick's jaw dropped again, "Your worst student? And what do you mean by-"

"Your story checks out, so you can go back to class", She waved a dismissive hand at him, "Go on, get out"

Rick stood, still highly offended by her comments. While he always knew he was a pain, he never thought he was the worst. He thought Daryl was worse than him and Shane was the worst out of the three of them. He also didn't care for her reaction to his admission that he and Michonne were best friends. He decided he was more offended by the latter.

He walked back to his class incredibly slowly, hoping to return when he only had a little time to endure left. It was a nice leisurely stroll, one that gave him time to ponder life and all the choices he had made up to that point. He realised he regretted nothing.

The bell rang just as he reached the hallway where his classroom was, and he was thankful. The students piled out the hallway and Rick saw Shane appear. Michonne walked out the classroom shortly after, talking with Maggie. He was about to call after her when Karen approached her. He realised then that he did indeed have regrets.

"I see you didn't get in trouble-", Shane snickered as he walked up to him.

"Come on", Rick ordered as he shoved students out the way to get to Michonne.

Shane followed his line of sight and saw what he was heading towards, then barged his way through the others also. As they came close to the two, Shane slipped his arm over Karen's shoulder and Rick picked Michonne up by her waist and continued walking.

"Rick what the-", Michonne tried to wrestle out of his grip.

"What did she say to you?", He asked as he looked back over his shoulder at Karen, who was stood talking to Shane.

"Not much-"

"What though?"

"She just introduced herself, said she was a friend of yours, told me how she met you then asked how we knew each other. Why? What's wrong?"

Rick groaned as he looked over her shoulder, "Don't talk to her again"

"Why?"

"I've messed around with her a couple times, she's been trying to worm her way back to me again, I don't want her to use you to do it"

Michonne tried to wrestle away from him again, "What the heck Rick-"

He held her a little tightly, "I know, and don't worry I'll talk to her. I didn't think she'd try to get information from you"

"I don't want to be involved-"

"You won't be alright? If she tries to talk to you again then just say Rick said I'm not allowed to talk to you"

"Because I'm a kid right?", She furrowed her brow at him as she looked over her shoulder.

"No you're just too…", He struggled to find the words, "You're just not used to girls like that, and I don't want them around you"

"You think I can't defend myself-", She attempted to pull herself away from him again but he held her.

"I'm not saying that", He insisted as they reached her locker, "I'm saying girls like her are manipulative, drama hungry wolves, and you're like one of those cute little baby lambs with the long eyelashes, and a pink bow around its neck"

She reluctantly chuckled at his description as he put her down, "Really Rick? A lamb?"

"Yes", He smiled, "Just promise me you won't entertain her again alright?"

She stared at him for a few moments before nodding, "Promise"

"Good", He released a sigh of relief, before leaning on the locker beside hers, "Hey I'm gonna talk to my parents tonight"

She kept her eyes on her locker as she opened it, "Really?…"

"Yeah… how do you feel about that?", He probed, stepping closer to her.

"Fine… honestly, I'm ready"

"Are you sure?"

"I am… it's just a lot to think about...", She explained with pleading eyes.

He nodded slowly as he absorbed her words.

"It will happen though Rick"

He gazed around the hallway for a moment before looking back at her, "Alright"

She closed her locker, "Go find your friends, I'm gonna go study with Lori"

He groaned and rolled his eyes, "God, don't you get sick of reading books"

"If I don't learn then how will you?" She grinned as she nudged him.

"Good point", He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her head, "Later Cha-Cha"

"Later", She called as they went in different directions.

Rick looked back to check on her as she walked away, then turned back and almost jumped as he saw Jessie stood there watching him. He gave her a small, crooked smile.

"Hey", She gave him one back.

"Hey… You alright?", He steps slowed as he got closer to her.

"Yeah", She nodded, "You going to the cafeteria?"

"Yeah I am", He motioned with his hand towards the double doors at the end of the hall.

"Oh okay, I'll walk with you"

He nodded and they walked together down the hall. He wondered if she saw he and Michonne together moments before, not because he was ashamed but purely because he didn't want to have to keep tabs on both Karen and Jessie.

"So…yesterday was crazy", She turned her head towards him.

"It was…"

"Did you get in trouble?"

"Nah, I didn't start it so… Mike's gonna take that one", He smirked as they walked in the cafeteria.

"Oh good… So what are you doing later?"

He looked at her questioningly, "Uh...I gotta go pick a few things up..."

"Oh okay...well if you're free later, call me or something… bye", She gave him a little wave as she walked away.

"See ya".