Rick kissed Michonne and then left. Carl huffed loudly before throwing a dart at the dartboard. It sailed right past my shoulder with a zing, barely missing me. I gaped at him and he just shrugged.
"You could have hit me, you ding-dong!" I shrieked at him, placing my hands on my hips.
He arched an eyebrow, his ocean-blue eye boring into me.
"Well, maybe you shouldn't be standing so close to it." he grumbled, aiming another dart at the board.
I blew a raspberry at him before walking over to Michonne who was loading up her backpack.
"Chonnie, would you please talk some sense into him?" I pleaded.
Michonne sighed and gave me a pointed look. I'd been with all of them since the prison. Michonne had always been just like a mother to me and Rick just like a father. Of course, Carl had always been different. I'd never seen him as a brother. No, I'd always harbored a bit of a crush on him.
Not that he'd ever known that. Michonne, of course, did know and teased me about it all the time.
"Honey, if you can't, no one can." she winked and I rolled my eyes in annoyance as she walked out the door.
Carl let out a frustrated sigh as he missed the dartboard for the third time. He ran a hand through his long brown hair and I walked over to the window. Gazing out, I noticed Enid strutting over to the wall like she owned this town. Man, I hated that girl. She thought she was so much better than everyone else when really, she was just a little nothing. Carl come to stand behind me and glanced out the window, noticing Enid.
He immediately left the room without a word. I groaned and followed him. That boy would never learn to just stay in the house. Walking out into the bright sunshine, I watched him and Enid exchange words. Apparently, she was going to the Hilltop. I just rolled my eyes and stalked off, leaving them to talk.
I'm sure Carl would want to follow her. That's all he ever did anymore. Sure enough, I was right. Three hours later, we were walking down the road beside Enid. Well, Carl was walking beside Enid, I didn't want to be anywhere near her so I trudged along behind the two of them. I tuned out their conversation as we walked, instead my mind flitted through all of the memories I shared with Carl - the good and the bad.
We'd been through so much together and yet, I'd never had the courage to tell him my feelings. I guess I'd just never wanted to get attached to him in case I'd lose him. And it seemed like we were losing people all the time these days. But instead, I'd only been hurting myself. By not admitting it to him, I'd only let myself get attached and fall for him without the perks of actually experiencing love. And that's exactly what it was, too.
I was in love with Carl Grimes and we all knew it - even Abraham had known, I thought with a wry smile. But all it was was one-sided. And ever since we'd arrived at Alexandria, it had been worse. All because of that little she-devil and his obsession with her. I kicked at a rock angrily with my shoe.
"I think we're here." Carl whispered just then as we stopped in a cluster of trees.
He brushed some branches away to look up at the Hilltop that was teeming with Negan's men.
"I don't think we can see her," he sighed, his eye glued to the men, "I don't see that black truck,"
Enid glanced over at him and I felt a pang of jealousy swell up inside of me.
"You weren't taking a drive," she said softly and looked down, "You weren't coming to get me..."
He looked over at her for a second.
"I-I can't let them get away with this. You know I can't..." he trailed off.
"I know..." she nodded.
"Come with me." he told her.
I felt tears brimming in my eyes and I knew it was my cue to leave. I couldn't stay and watch their romance unfold before me. It was just too much. With that last thought, I took off back through the woods. My feet broke twigs loudly as I ran but I didn't care. Let a walker eat me, what did it matter anyway?
No one would miss me. Least of all, Carl, I thought bitterly to myself. He'd probably be happy if I died. Then he could just be with Enid. Hot tears raced down my cheeks then and I let them fall. No one was around to see me break down anyway. Suddenly, my shoe got caught on a fallen log and I fell face-first on the ground.
I twisted around until I was lying straight on my back as the tears continued to pour from my eyes. A loud sob bubbled up from my lips and I didn't stifle it. I'd been fighting so hard to keep all of this in but I just couldn't any longer. It wasn't fair! Maybe that was childish of me since I'd never told him about how I felt but I didn't care. What did that girl have that I didn't?
All of a sudden, something clamped down onto my arm. I let out a blood-curdling shriek when I noticed a walker's hand pulling at me. I immediately scrambled away from it and reached for my gun...but it wasn't here. I cursed to myself. I'd forgotten it at the house. I had been so pre-occupied with keeping up with Carl that I hadn't even noticed I failed to bring it with me.
I swiveled my head around to try to find some kind of weapon I could use to protect myself but to no avail. There was nothing here but dead leaves and moss-covered tree stumps. As the rotting walking corpse came nearer and nearer, I sucked in a breath. I was going to die like this. And suddenly, I didn't want to. I wasn't ready to die. Not yet.
A lone shot rang out in the quiet forest then and a bullet pierced the walker's head, making him fall to the ground with a thud. I gazed up at my savior to find Carl towering above me, a hand held out to help me up off the ground. I swallowed the lump in my throat and got up on my own, brushing past him as I went. My shoes crunched the dead leaves loudly as I trudged away from him. Away from the boy that had just caused me pain.
"Wait! Wait!" Carl called after me.
I just kept walking though. What could he possibly have to say to me anyway? His hand latched onto my wrist then and he spun me around to face him. I looked up into his cerulean-blue eye defiantly.
"What?!" I hissed and he seemed taken aback.
"Why did you run off like that?" he asked and I could sense the hurt hidden in his voice.
"What? You wanted me to stay and watch the love blossom between you and Enid?" I spat, yanking my wrist out of his grasp.
He stared at me but I couldn't make out his expression.
"That's not what's going on..." he said quietly.
I scoffed and rolled my eyes.
"Isn't it? Because all you ever seem to care about anymore is Enid! What's Enid doing? Or where's Enid going? Oh, wait, sorry, I can't go with you guys because I have to protect poor precious Enid so she doesn't get hurt-" I shouted at him before he cut me off.
"I am not like that! You know I don't care about her that way!" he yelled back, stepping closer to me.
"Oh?! Because if that's true, you've sure fooled me!" I shrieked into his face, our noses almost touching now underneath his sheriff's hat.
"Yes, it's true, you ding-dong!" he said, echoing my insult from earlier.
"Then who do you care about, Carl Grimes?! If it's not precious little Enid who should've died in that stupid closet-" I yelled before he cut me off again.
"I CARE ABOUT YOU, YOU IDIOT!" he shouted back at me.
I gaped up at him. What? Carl...cared about...me?
"What?" I asked, my voice suddenly soft, "What are you talking about?"
He brushed a stray strand of hair away from my face and I felt butterflies erupt in my stomach at his velvet touch.
"It's always been you. Ever since we were kids...just you..." he spoke, his voice hushed in the forest.
"But...what about Enid? And the things you just said-" I started.
"-were just that. Things. I only said that...only tried to start something with her because I didn't think you liked me back..." he cut me off, his breath mingling with mine since we were so close.
Then he did something that changed our whole friendship. He kissed me. Carl Grimes kissed me, his best friend. His lips were soft and tasted like cotton candy as they glided smoothly over my own. I reached up my hands and tangled my fingers in his long hair. I lost myself in his kiss.
It was intoxicating to say the least and my heart raced as he held me in his arms. Suddenly, he broke away and I leaned my forehead against his.
"I still think Enid should've died in that closet," I smirked up at him.
He laughed - a melodic sound that filled the confines of the forest and made my heart beat faster. His hands found my waist and pulled me closer to him, fingers clutching the back of my t-shirt tightly.
"You're so mean," he whispered against my lips, making me shiver.
"But you like me that way..." I whispered back before pressing my lips to his once more.