.:Daryl | Age 21:.
The sound of my boot tappin' against the greasy tile floor in Mike's Auto Shop was f' to sound like a broken record, but it was the only thing keepin' my mind busy. It was 4:05, and I still had two hours left to sit here. On a Sunday, when we never got any damn business.
Normally, I didn't mind workin'... So long as I had something to do. Just sittin' here twiddlin' my thumbs was about to drive me bat shit crazy, though. And it didn't help none that it was my birthday... my 21st birthday. All I wanted to do was close up the shop, jump in my truck, pick up a 24 pack of Budweiser and head on home to get wasted with Merle an' Raelyn.
It really wasn't too different than any other night, except now Rae an' I didn't have to beg Merle to go up to the corner store and buy us beer or booze... usually havin' to scrape together a few extra bucks to bribe him to do it, but most of the time he did, seein' as the pills he liked were only five bucks a pop.
We also always had to pay him an extra "two beer" tax, but it was worth it. A lot better now that I didn't have to worry about it, though.
I let out a frustrated sigh, wishin' I could just leave, and maybe even considerin' it a little bit. I knew I couldn't, though. Mike, my boss an' the owner of the shop, would skin me alive if he found out I knocked off early... Even though he always left by 3:30 on Sunday afternoons, claimin' he had "stuff to take care of at home". I knew he was really just tryin' to make it out to cheat on his wife, and not get home too late... Lousy bastard.
I managed to waste about a half hour just goin' through shit in the drawers, playin' paper basket ball, and doodlin' on a stack of faded yellow sticky notes. But then, it was only 4:38 and I was still bored as hell. I groaned and let my pen drop onto the desk with a clatter, then propped my elbow up on the old wooden desk, usin' it to hold my head up by the chin.
My eyes peered out the window into the tiny parkin' lot. Just as I thought, completely empty except for my rusty blue truck sittin' all by itself under a shady tree in the far right corner.
I kept my eyes out the window for a few minutes, just watchin' our small town windin' down from a busy Sunday afternoon.
It was a warm, sunny summer day... The grass an' the trees were so green an' healthy lookin', and I could see a breeze flowin' through their branches. There were a couple wispy clouds driftin' around in the blue sky, but not too many. Everyone I could see walkin' by the store outside was dressed in shorts, tank tops, and dresses... It was so damn muggy, I'm sure no one could tolerate much more than that. Everyone had sunglasses on, and some women even wore those big floppy straw hats to keep the sun off their faces.
Those hats always reminded me of my grandma. I didn't think they looked real good on any woman, but I guess my opinion didn't really matter much, did it?
Just past the tall pines and the old Mobile gas station, I could see just the tip of the town church's pointy roof, lookin' like it was about to puncture a hole in the sky and deflate it like a balloon.
Finally I turned my attention back inside the dusty shop, glancin' up at the old black an' white clock. 4:55. Still had an hour and five minutes before quittin' time, so I decided I'd just lay my head down on the desk for a couple minutes. Sittin' there doin' nothin' was startin' to put me to sleep, anyway.
Not even two minutes after I put my head down, I heard the door swing open, jinglin' the little bell over top to let me know someone had walked into the shop. My first instinct was to jerk my head back up, blinkin' my eyes at the speed of light to get the sleep out of 'em.
"Welcome to Mike's, what can I do for ya?" The usual greetin' I used to reel a customer in automatically flew outta my mouth as I slid the chair backwards and stumbled to my feet.
But when I saw who it was that had walked into the shop, my body instantly relaxed, totally unravelin' from work mode.
Right next to the door, there stood the blonde teenager that I had always called my best friend, ever since I was a scruffy little freckle faced kid. Rae smirked at me, her long blonde hair twisted up into some sorta messy bun that she always did, dressed in a green tank top and a pair of ripped up blue jeans that just kinda hung off her thin hips.
A yellow plastic grocery bag dangled from the skinny, curled up fingers of her right hand. It looked like there was a couple small things inside, little bottles of God knows what, and a tiny cardboard box, but I couldn't see what was inside.
"Yea, I think there's somethin' wrong with my... oh, what do ya call 'em? The spinney, wheeley things that make the car drive around?" Raelyn responded in a sarcastic, overly exaggerated southern accent, battin' her eyelashes, "Could ya take a look for me, mister?"
"Aw, shut up, weirdo." I scoffed at the seventeen year old, givin' her a little grin at the same time. "I thought you were my boss. Or a customer walkin' in on me nappin'. Coulda announced yerself, or somethin'."
Rae plopped down in one of the old, faded leather chairs we had set up for a waiting area, right next to the little wooden table covered in old, outdated magazines.
"Y'know, that's not a bad idea," Raelyn contemplated thoughtfully as she set the grocery bag down at her feet, "I mean, I'm a pretty big deal. I oughta let people know when I'm about to enter the room so my amazin' presence doesn't overwhelm them."
I rolled my eyes at the skinny blonde girl, and her grin only grew wider. I knew she was kiddin', but she could be such a damn smartass sometimes. Probably half the reason I liked her so much... But I couldn't ever tell her that.
"Oh! Happy birthday, by the way." Rae added in with a real smile, then started shakin' her head. "21. Lucky bastard."
"Why?" I asked, kinda scrunchin' my eyebrows up, "Just another year closer to dyin'."
"But you get to drink! Legally!" Realyn countered, leanin' forward in the chair. "So not fair."
"It's not like you don't drink with me every night, anyway." I replied back, pacin' over to the window and peerin' outside, makin' sure no one else was walkin' up into the shop. The coast was clear, so I turned back to my blonde haired friend.
"Yea, I guess," She agreed, pickin' at a tear in the leather next to her leg, "But you can, like, go to bar and order a beer. I can't do that for another four years."
"I think you'll survive." I said to her with a bit of a smirk, and decided to change the subject."What's in the bag?" I asked her, noddin' at the plastic bag.
Raelyn glanced down and tucked a strand of loose, wispy hair behind her ear. "Oh, nothin' really. Just some stuff I picked up at the store for my Aunt Laura. Y'know, lotion, lip wax... old lady stuff. I haven't even been home yet, she's probably wonderin' where the hell I am."
I shrugged, leanin' down and snatchin' one of my failed paper basket balls off the floor, "Or maybe she's just sittin' in front of the TV, smokin' and watchin' the Price is Right like she always does."
I lifted my arms above my head and flicked the paper ball toward the trash can, only to miss by a good foot or two again. "Damn."
"You suck." Rae laughed at me, ignorin' my sneer as I leaned up against the desk, "But you're probably right. I swear that woman thinks she's actually on the show, the way she screams at that damn TV."
I nodded, then took a look at the clock. 5:15. "Wait, if you haven't been home, where the hell ya been? School let out at 2:00."
Raelyn was still in high school, she was a senior.. but that didn't bother me much. She was really the only person that ever understood me and all my moods, and knew exactly how to treat 'em all. Even better than Merle, my own brother. So, I never really let age determine our friendship.
"Well, ain't you nosey?" Rae teased, still pickin' at the tear in the chair, "Nah, just kiddin'. I had detention."
"Again? The hell did you do this time, girl?"
"Told Mr. Sanders to fuck off."
Raelyn just shrugged her answer off her shoulders, like it was no big deal. All I could do was laugh.. She reminded me a lot of myself, and some of me had probably rubbed off on her over the years. Oops.
"Well, I best get goin' so I can get this shit home to Aunt Laura." Rae sighed as she stood up from the chair, grabbin' the grocery bag from the floor. "What time should I come over tonight?"
"Umm.." I wondered, chewin' the inside of my lip and starin' at the clock for a few seconds. "Well, I'll probably be home by 6:30. So just come over then."
"Oki doki," My best friend replied, pullin' the door open and jinglin' the bell again, "See ya later, birthday boy."
"Later, kid."
She gave me one last little glare before walkin' out the door. It made me chuckle softly to myself... She hated it when I called her 'kid', but of course I always did it anyway to tease her.. She was just too fun to pick at.
I watched Rae out the window, walkin' across the parkin' lot, diggin' in her pockets for her set of car keys. She pulled 'em out of her jeans right as she got to the driver's side door of her old red ford focus, twistin' the key into the lock, then poppin' the door open and slidin' inside. Once she drove off, I took one last glance at the clock; 5:27. Only about a half hour left... I could do this.
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There was no better feelin' than bein' fresh outta work, drivin' home with my first legal alcohol purchase sittin' on the passenger side of my truck's bench seat; a nice cold 24 pack of beer. Tanya, the cashier down at the Mobile, even threw in a free bottle of Captain Morgan since it was my birthday. Rae always tried to tell me that lady had a weird crush on me.. Maybe she was right. Either way, I didn't care. I got free booze out of it, so it was just fine with me!
The drive home was about twenty minutes long, so I leaned up and grabbed my pack of smokes off the dashboard, flippin' up the lid of the carton and snatchin' one out. I made a mental note to grab another pack soon, since this one was almost half empty.. I went through smokes like they were nothin'.. Didn't help none that Rae was always bummin' 'em off me, I guess.
After slowin' to a stop at one of the only traffic lights in town, I dug around in my pocket until I pulled out my green bic lighter. My thumb automatically found the little gear ontop of the metal head, and flicked it as I held the flame up to light my smoke. When I could feel the harsh, satisfyin' burn at the back of my throat, I let off the lighter and dropped it in my center console, just as the light switched to green again.
The time was 6:10, so I had just enough time to get home before Rae got there. I never liked her sittin' there alone with Merle... He always hit on her, and even though I knew she'd never give into to my brother, it still irritated me. But that's just how Merle was, and I knew Rae was too much of a hot headed smartass to put up with his bullshit.. I'd been witnessin' their bickerin' back and forth for almost three years now, so I was pretty confident that nothin' would ever happen.
And even if it did, I wasn't scared to beat my brother down. I'd do anything for that girl.
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Just like I thought, it took me about twenty minutes to pull up to the driveway, right at 6:30. I saw Merle's motorcycle parked in the open garage, surrounded by all the clutter of our old power tools, huntin' gear and worn out furniture, but I didn't see Rae's little red car. So, that meant I still had a little time before she got there. I pulled up to the garage, stoppin' just short of it and put my truck in park, shuttin' off the engine. The door made it's usual loud creak as I shoved it open, stepped out, and it creaked again as I slammed it shut, with my beer and liquor tucked under my arm.
My work boots made hollow thuddin' sounds against the old splintered wood of the front porch, and as I passed the front window I could see a light on inside, shinin' through the yellowed curtains.
"That you, baby bro?!" I could hear Merle callin' me the second I stepped foot inside the house, lettin' the withered screen door clatter shut behind me. "You ready to get this party started?!"
His voice was comin' from the kitchen, and I could hear him fumblin' around makin' a bunch of racket. I rolled my eyes, knowin' exactly what he was doin' in there.
"Ain't gonna be much of a party with three people." I replied back to him as I made my way passed the living room, through the dimly lit hallway and into the kitchen.
Just as I thought, Merle stood at the counter, hunched over with his back facin' me. I brushed passed him on my way to the fridge, just as he pressed his face to the counter and snorted a line of crushed up pills.
"Three, huh?" Merle grumbled, snifflin' a bit and rollin' his head back and forth on his shoulders, "You bringin' that little girlfriend of yours?"
He smirked at my instant scowl as I shut the refrigerator door and turned to him, closin' my case of beer inside to chill a little more.
"I've told ya about a hundred times before, she ain't my girlfriend." I protested, watchin' my brother's pupils dilate. The poll was already startin' to kick in.
"And I've asked you about a hundred more times," Merle came back at me, turnin' back to the powdery lines and inhalin' another one, "Why the fuck not? That girl's a fiiiine piece of ass. Can't believe you ain't bumped uglies with 'er yet. Hell, if you wait much longer, I'm gonna make my move."
"She's seventeen, Merle." I grumbled back in disgust, listenin' to my brother snicker, "You're 36, ya damn pedophile."
My brother just turned away from his drugs and grinned at me, high as a kite. He was 36 but he looked more like 46.. Dark, baggy circles swallowed up his blue eyes, and his sandy blonde hair was thinnin' out with each passin' year. His teeth were yellowin' from smokin' cigarettes, crack, meth... Whatever was smokeable, really. All my life I watched my brother wither himself away, so by now I was used to this.
"Hey, less than a year she'll be legal. I'll put on the ol' Merle Dixon charm... Her tight little body won't be able to resist." My brother hissed, makin' motions with his hands as if he were gropin' Rae all over her body.
Just the thought of it made my blood boil.
"Shut the hell up, Merle." I snarled back at him, rippin' the refrigerator door back open and yankin' a beer from the 24 pack, makin' all the other glass bottles clank and jangle together.
I twisted the top off, tossin' it in the general direction of the trash can. I heard it bounce off the rim and clatter against the tile floor as I took a swig from my bottle. It was a little warm, but I didn't care. My brother was pissin' me off like always, and I needed a little alcohol to calm me down and keep me from bashin' his rotten teeth in.
Merle chuckled then waltzed over and pushed me away from the fridge, openin' the door and grabbin' another slightly warm beer out for himself.
"For a girl that ain't yer girlfriend, ya sure are a sissy when anyone talks about her." He observed with a snide smirk, leanin' against the counter and poppin' the top off his beer bottle.
I narrowed my eyes at him, about to make a comeback when I suddenly heard a car door slam in the driveway.
"Oh, there she is, baby brother," Merle whispered sarcastically to me, "Go git 'er! Go git 'er, boy!"
Ignorin' him was hard, but I managed to do it as I passed him, leavin' the kitchen and stompin' through the hallway as he sat there and laughed to himself.
"Stupid fuckin' asshole..." I mumbled to myself, takin' another swig of my beer and yankin' the screen door open.
From the front porch, I could see Raelyn's little red car parked behind my truck, and the blonde girl squeezin' her way through the gap between her front bumper and the tailgate of my truck.
"Hey!" She called out to me with a smile as she made her way up the wooden steps, her light brown cowboy boots makin' hollow tappin' sounds as she got closer.
My mouth was full of beer, so I just lifted my hand in a wave and watched Raelyn approach me, secretly takin' in her every little detail.
Her long, straight blonde hair was hangin' down passed her shoulders, still a little damp from the shower she had probably taken a little while before. She was wearin' a loose, kinda flowy white shirt that kept swayin' in the summer breeze, lettin' her tan belly play peek-a-boo with me. A pair of dark blue jean shorts were showin' off her long legs, and the cowboy boots just pulled everything together.
God damn, she was beautiful. I could feel my face gettin' warmer and prayed to God that she didn't notice me blushin'. That girl had no idea what she did to me on a daily basis.
"Good lord, this heat!" Raelyn groaned when she got close, reachin' up and takin' my beer outta my hand. Before I could say anything, she tilted the bottle back and took a big swig, but made a disgusted face as she shoved it back into my hand. "Ew, Dare, that's warm as all Hell!"
"Yea, well I woulda told ya that if ya woulda asked for a sip." I replied to her with a chuckle, "There's colder ones in the fridge, I just couldn't wait for this one."
I held the door open for Rae, and she waltzed on inside. Ever since my dad disappeared and Merle and I had been livin' on our own, it was easier to have her over to the house... So long as my pig of a brother kept his dick zipped up in his pants.
I followed Raelyn through the house and into the kitchen, where she made a B-line for the fridge. Merle was still standin' there of course, two empty beer bottles sittin' on the counter behind him, and a half empty one in his hand. Never took him long to chug a few beers.
"Well hey there, sweet cheeks." My brother greeted Rae, shamelessly gluein' his eyes to her ass while she grabbed a beer for herself and shut the refrigerator door.
"Ew. Hello, Merle." She greeted him back, raisin' her eyebrow at him as she twisted the cap off her beer, "What brings you outta the swamp today?"
Merle frowned, but I was grinnin'. That right there was exactly why I knew I didn't have anything to worry about with Rae and Merle. She thought he was just as annoyin' and repulsive as I did at times. But, for some reason we still loved the guy. Go figure.
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"Another shot for my baby bro, the birfffthmmday boooy!" Merle was hollerin' and slurrin', his shit eatin' grin illuminated in the glow of the bonfire we'd all built in the backyard. He stood up from his lawn chair, stumblin' about with the half empty bottle of captain morgan gripped in his hand.
Next to us was a pretty good sized tree stump that Merle and I had sawed and sanded down, turnin' it into an awesome table. Perfect for nights like these, for holdin' our beer bottles and shot glasses.
Merle was piss drunk, staggerin' over to the table to pour us another round of shots. I thought about it for a minute, but shook my head. "Nah, bro.." I sighed, definitely feelin' my head swimmin' from the alcohol. "I think I'm.. I think I'm good."
"What?!" Merle roared out, "C'monnnn, don't be a pussy, Dare Bear. What about you, sweet cheeks?"
He looked over to Raelyn, swayin' to the side a little and holdin' himself up with our makeshift stump table. Rae just giggled at him and shook her head. Even in the orange glow of the campfire, I could see the rosiness in her cheeks from all the drinkin' we'd been doin'.
"I'm definitely good, Merle." She said, her words slurrin' just a little bit. "Gonna have one hell of a headache tomorrow mornin' as it is."
My brother scowled at the two of us, sittin' side by side in our lawn chairs, before just shruggin' his thick shoulders and takin' a long swig from the Captain Morgan bottle.
"Suit yerselves." He grumbled before staggerin' back over to his own lawn chair and takin' a clumsy seat. "Buncha damn pussies makin' me drink by myself.."
It didn't take long for Merle to pass out, right in that lawn chair, leavin' only the sound of the fire cracklin'. It was a calm feelin', even though my head was spinnin' and swirlin', swimmin' in alcohol. When I took a peek over at Raelyn, I could tell she was feelin' the same way. She was kind swayin' side to side in her chair, her green eye fixated on the flickerin' flames in front of her.
I didn't notice I was starin' at her until she suddenly turned her head toward me, makin' her soft blonde hair fall over her shoulder. Her eyes looked a little glassy, her cheeks gettin' rosier by the minute, and then she smiled at me... Maybe it was the heat from the fire, but I swear I melted right there on the spot. My stomach was doin' flips, no matter how hard I tried to calm it down. But, I was really good at keepin' my cool, so I just smirked back and asked her, "What are you smilin' at, kid?"
Rae rolled her eyes, but her grin didn't fade away.
"You were starin' at me first!" She giggled as she reached over and nudged my arm, "I was smilin' at your face."
"What, am I funny lookin' or somethin'?" I chuckled back, feelin' my buzz die down a little.
Raelyn's eyes crinkled up as her giggles turned into the raspy laughter that I was so used to hearin', "Yup. Real funny lookin'. It ain't Halloween, Daryl. Why're ya wearin' that mask?!"
She exploded with cacklin' laughter at her own lame drunken joke, and I just rolled me eyes, tryin' not to laugh along with her. Eventually she calmed down a little, still gigglin' while she smoothed her hair back away from her face. Surprisingly through all that racket, Merle hadn't even batted an eye. He was still out cold, snorin' a little bit from across the fire in his lawn chair.
"Ya done now?" I asked Raelyn, who nodded her head back.
"Oh! I damn near forgot," Raelyn suddenly piped up, springin' up from her chair with a bit of a wobble, "Come out to my car with me, I got you somethin'."
I made a puzzled face, scrunchin' my eyebrows up as I followed Rae around the cracklin' fire and through the backdoor of the house.
"What do ya mean you got me somethin'?" I muttered.
"It's yer birthday," Rae replied from a few feet in front of me, just above the sound of her boots shufflin' on the wood floor. "Why wouldn't I get ya somethin'?"
I was glad it was dark in the house, because it was hidin' the small grin on my face. I never wanted or expected anything from anyone on my birthday, but Rae was the only one who ever even gave the idea half a thought, somethin' my own brother never even did.
She did it every year, and it was usually somethin' silly, like a toy out of a $25 cent machine or a bag full'a tootsie rolls, my favorite candy.
But no matter how small the gifts were, they were still great gifts to me because they came from my best friend.
"Ow!" Rae suddenly yelped in front of me, and I heard her bump into somethin'. I heard some change scatter onto the floor, so I could only guess it was the little wooden table against the wall in the hallway. "Shit!"
"Well, watch where you're goin', klutz." I snickered at the sound of her cussin' up a storm.
"Shut up Daryl, it's dark as hell in this damn house!" Raelyn snapped back at me, which only made me laugh harder.
"We're almost to the front door, relax." I assured the frazzled teen girl, nudgin' her toward the pale moonlight shinin' in from the front window.
The screen door clattered shut behind us, soundin' as loud as gunshots in the peaceful quiet of the Georgia country side. The night air was thick and muggy, makin' it feel like my shirt and jeans were damp and stickin' to my skin.
I followed Raelyn across the porch and down the steps, listenin' to the gravel crunch under our feet.
"Okay, wait here an' I'll go grab it." Raelyn muttered, then left me waitin' by the tailgate of my truck.
She walked over to the driver's side door of her car and popped it open, leanin' inside and reachin' into her center console. It only took her a second or two to waltz back over to me with a small box in her hand.
Raelyn stopped in front of me with a smile on her face, holdin' the box out to me. It was wrapped in a shiny blue wrappin' paper, with a tiny silver now stuck to the top.
I blinked at it, sorta confused. I wasn't expectin' anything quite that fancy.
"Happy birthday, Dare." Rae said, holdin' the box out a little closer to me, "C'mon, open it."
Slowly, I reached out and took the box from Rae, givin' her a skeptical look. She just stood there patiently while I shredded the wrappin' paper and tore into the cardboard box.
"Whoa..." I heard the whisper squeeze from my throat as I pulled out a shiny silver zippo lighter. It glinted in the moonlight, and I could see a loopy "D" engraved in the bottom left corner.
I turned the lighter over in my hands a few times, watchin' the silver glint in the pale light of the moon.
"I saw it in the glass case down at the smoke shop a couple months ago," Rae quietly explained, "So I saved up some money, 'cause I knew you'd like it. You can refill it an' everything!"
She leaned over and showed me the little pin sized hole on the bottom of the lighter where I could fill it back up with butane. She grinned up at me and I was just sorta speechless, starin' at her sparkly green eyes.
When I didn't say anything, Rae's face fell a little bit. "You do like it, don't ya...?"
"Yea! Rae, hell yea I do," I assured her, my smile spreadin' across my cheeks, "It's awesome.. Thanks, kid."
Rae didn't even seem to mind that I called her kid this time, just smilin' from ear to ear. "Happy birthday, Dare."
The next thing I knew, Rae was pressed against me, her arms wrapped around my waist in a hug. It caught me off guard, but after a second I returned the gesture. She was so soft and fragile feelin', and her hair smelled like strawberries... It made my heart feel all fluttery, and I just hoped she couldn't hear it through my chest.
After a few seconds, Rae pulled away and glanced up at me with a sly smirk on her lips. "Now let me bum a smoke off ya so we can test your birthday present."
I rolled my eyes and chuckled at her, pullin' out my pack of cigerettes and tossin' it over to her. Then, we each lit up a smoke, and listened to the crickets chirp.
I couldn't think of a better way to end my birthday, even if I tried.