Chapter 27
Beth knew that shit was about to hit the fan. The look on his face when she got off of the bike was unreadable. If he was being careful about which expression was on his face, he had taken time to think about what had happened on the ride home and had determined what he was going to do. Beth figured he was gonna give her a stern talking to and probably even yell at her. What she wasn't expecting was the silent treatment that he threw at her.
After they went inside, he grabbed a beer out of the fridge and sat at the table, staring at her. She grabbed one and sat across from him. As she drank, she realized how deafening the silence was. If a pin had dropped during this time it would have sounded like an explosion. She looked up at him and saw the way he was staring at her and couldn't stand the silence anymore. He was looking at her like she was some weird species of animal he had never seen before in his life.
"Let's get this over with. Go ahead, yell at me and tell me off. I'm an idiot, stupid, crazy, whatever else you wanna add. I'm ready for it. I won't negate anything you say and I promise I will sit here and take it." Beth said after taking a sip of her beer. She sat it down on the table and looked up at him and seeing the look on his face, she blanched. It was an expressionless mask. There wasn't a single emotion she could use to describe it. It was impassive to the point she wanted to poke him to see if he moved.
When he still didn't respond, she leaned forward onto the table and began playing with her fingers. She looked back up at him and he still was staring at her. She began to wonder what was going through his head. She figured that they would have been in a screaming match by now but nothing had happened. It was almost worrisome that he hadn't muttered under his breath, grunted or groaned since they had gotten home. He just was drinking his beer and watching her.
"Ya gonna say anything or just give me the silent treatment. 'Cuz I figured you would have something to say at the least. Maybe even a few choice words that ya wanna call me. " Silence was the response she got again. Beth guzzled the rest of her beer and got up from the table and grabbed another one from the fridge. "Good to know I can come save ya ass and I don't even get a proper thank you."
Beth turned to go upstairs, frustrated that he was so unresponsive. She was ready for the yelling and fighting but it seemed like he was throwing her for a loop. It was unnerving and unsettling and worried her immensely. She stopped at the top of the stairs, waiting to see if he was coming after her. After a moment of standing in the hallway, she shook her head and walked into her room. Slamming the door behind her, she went over to her phone charger, plugged it in and looked through her music, picking out the song she wanted to listen to. Cranking up the music, she sang along.
"Sometimes the things get so jaded
Still my heart slowly beats
Sometimes life gets complicated
Still the world around me sleeps
I'm ashamed, not to blame
Don't wanna think about it
Who I am, what I've done
How do I carry on?
Wanna change, turn the page
Don't wanna think about it
How do I undo what's done?
Undo what's done"
Beth began to feel better after belting out to the song. She felt almost bad now that she had followed him and helped him. She just wanted to keep him safe like he had done for her. It wasn't his fault that his brother had racked up a big tab with that group. But she knew that they would gladly have taken it out on Daryl if he hadn't had all of the money. Lost to her thoughts, she laid down on her bed and slowly turned on her side away from the door. She was coming down off of the exhilaration of what she had just done.
She had taken drama classes in high school but it had been nothing like going up in front of that group. She had known if she had showed up, looking like she normally did, they would have laughed in her face and most likely still hurt him. She looked too innocent to be in those surroundings and they would have probably done something to quiet her also. She would have been considered a loose end. But showing up as his hot biker girlfriend, who seemed to be a handful and a half, made her seem less of a threat and maybe ended up saving them both.
Her old drama teacher would have been proud of her in that moment. He used to always tell Beth to act like her life depended on it. And that she lacked a certain motivation in the characters she had portrayed. Tonight her life had depended on her acting and she had aced it completely. The one thing that made her nervous about what had happened, was the way she had felt when she acted like that. It felt like she had liquid fire running through her veins and she felt invincible. It was incredible how clothes, makeup and a new personality could change how she felt. She had no longer been Beth Greene, the girl who lost her father. She had been Beth Greene, the girl ready and willing to take the world on and wasn't about to let anyone stand in her way.
Daryl watched Beth from the doorway. He was six beers in and starting to feel better. He finally figured out what he wanted to say to her and was ready to get the conversation started. He had given her more than enough time to beat herself up over it.
"Ya didn't save my ass 'lil girl. Ya almost got it beat. Didn't I tell ya not ta stick ya nose in my business?" Daryl said as he walked into the room. He smirked when she jumped and placed her hand on her heart. The shock didn't last long as he watched the anger flash across her face as she jumped up from the bed.
"Last time I checked, it wasn't your business either! Your brother is the one who made the mistake, not you. And I don't think it's fair that you should have to take the repercussions of his actions. They coulda killed ya!" Beth began gesturing around the room as she paced the floor, yelling.
"My brother is my responsibility. He is my family and family takes care of their own. You should know all about that." He spat back at her.
"Your brother is older than you. That should mean that he has shit together more than you. But I get this distinct feeling that this isn't the first time you had to go behind him and clean up his messes. If I had to take a guess, this is one of the many times you have paid off some people to get them off your back." Beth countered. Daryl shook from the anger seeping through his body at her tone and words.
"You don't know nothing, girl! You don't get the right to judge people. And ain't nobody gonna talk 'bout him like that. Don't care who ya are." Daryl yelled as he stepped closer to Beth. He expected her to flinch or take a step back. Instead she took a step forward and poked her finger into his chest.
"You may think you scare me. And you make think you can make me break. But one thing you don't know about me is that I'm one determined woman and ya can't take that away from me." Daryl looked down at the finger on his chest and growled. She quickly pulled it away but didn't back up.
"Why? Why did you do it?" He mumbled as he tried to calm himself down. He was certain that between the alcohol and the long day, that his temper wouldn't take much to lose.
"I did it because you are my friend and I didn't want you to get hurt. If I would have been in that situation, I would have wanted someone to help me out. And I wanted to show you that you don't have to hide things from me. You can't scare me off like ya tend to think. I will always stand beside ya and be there for you." Her voice was almost a whisper by the end of her rant.
"Is that what friends do? Pay off drug dealers and dress up like that? Do they normally make out with friends just to make a point?" Daryl replied sarcastically. He hadn't had many friends, but he was sure that crossed some boundaries.
"When ya put it that way I would have to say no. Most friends wouldn't do that. However, each situation is different and has to be treated that way. And maybe the kiss was more for my benefit than anything. Those guys were really creeping me out. Plus I figured that they would be less likely to hurt a girl who they thought was hot than a innocent farm girl. And if I showed them that you were mine then they wouldn't touch you, knowing it would make me hate them if they did. Then they wouldn't have stood a chance. I was just trynna use their heads against them. Well at least the one between their legs." She giggled at the last part and shook her head. Daryl was baffled by her response. He had known that their situation was different than most but he had thought she was making moves on him rather than trying to keep them safe. Once he realized what she had been trying to do, everything clicked into place.
"You thought that if I didn't have all of the money it wouldn't have ended well didn't you?" Daryl asked as he turned his back to her. He didn't want her to see his face. He was full of confusion and uncertainty and knew he couldn't mask it this time.
"Ya, when I overheard the conversation you had at the pharmacy, I figured that you needed to make sure to pay them so they would leave you alone. It was almost like a thinly veiled threat. I knew you wouldn't tell me what was happening so I took matters into my own hands. I didn't do it to upset you. I did it so I could go to sleep knowing you were alive and well. I did it 'cuz you shouldn't be having to deal with his problems when you have enough of your own. I did it because you are a good guy and I really care about you." As Beth told him why she did it, his shoulders tensed up. She was lying to him. She couldn't care about his well being that much. Three thousand dollars wasn't pocket change.
"I'll pay ya back. Even though you didn't have to do it." Daryl muttered, still keeping his back to her.
"I don't want the money. That's not why I did it." He heard her reply in a soft, almost unsteady voice. He whipped around and stepped towards her. She was idiotic if she thought he wouldn't understand what she was wanting instead. She just wasn't going to get it that easily from him.
"Then what do ya want from me girl? Ya want me to warm ya bed? Keep ya entertained till ya find another guy to keep ya busy? Ya willing to pay three thousand for something ya could easily find at a bar for free?" Daryl spat as he leaned over her.
"If ya really think that low of me after all this time, then you don't really know me and you prolly never will!" Daryl watched her eyes full up with tears as she ran from the room. It felt like his stomach dropped to his feet. He had pushed too far this time and he wasn't sure how to step back from this one. There was a weird feeling flowing through his body and he didn't know how to name it. He knew it stemmed from her caring for him but he wasn't sure why that would make him feel weird. It was something new and he would have to wait a little longer and try to put a name to it.
Author's note : You guys are so awesome with all your reviews :) it truly made my day and as a thanks for that, I put together this chapter as quickly as possible
