A/N Thank you so much for the wonderful response to Chapter One. This chapter we'll get Daryl's POV of their walk and learn quite a bit about him, before picking up where we left them Monday morning at school. I hope you enjoy! xo
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Friday afternoon he had to stay after school and talk to the boy's vice principal. Something about too many absences. The Boy's VP wasn't nearly as angry with Daryl as Daryl was with himself. He should know better.
If he wanted to continue flying under the radar he had to take this stuff a lot more seriously. He had to get to school on time and stay there all day. He had to act like he gave a shit about his classes, and he had to pass them.
He promised himself he'd do it.
He'd been pretty good about keeping up appearances so no one would get suspicious, it had been going good so far. He didn't need trouble now. He'd already had way more than his share of that in his short life. What he needed to do was think things through. He had to do things the way regular people do things. The right way. Not the Dixon way.
Besides, there was a big bonus attached to going to school, it meant two free meals a day. Breakfast and lunch.
Even as hungry as he always seemed to be and how often he'd gone without, at first he'd been reluctant to even ask for the meal program form. It bothered him to think he was some kind of charity case. Then one day he heard a voice in his head, it was Merle's voice telling him, "Don't be a dumbass Little Brother. If the system's willin' ta feed your ass, you take what you can get from em."
He filled out the paper, signed the old man's name on it and turned it into the office.
Anyway, he made up his mind he was going to do a lot better about this school thing. He took the paper Mr. Monroe gave him and promised to have his Dad sign it and he'd return it first thing Monday morning. He and the VP walked out the school's side door, the VP locked it behind them and Daryl was free for the weekend.
Mr. Monroe nodded his head and started walking toward his car, and Daryl went around the building in the opposite direction. He had no desire to be around authority figures any more than he had to be.
He didn't see another soul on the school grounds, everyone else was long gone that Friday afternoon. Until he got to the front of the building.
That's when he saw her.
Even though her face was buried in her hands it didn't matter. He didn't need to see her face; he'd have known that girl anywhere. He didn't even bother trying to deny it to himself anymore, he'd been having some kind of feelings for her since the very first time he'd seen her, the first day of school.
He found it impossible to explain the feelings he had even to himself. It was as if he felt a powerful longing and the only thing that would ever be able to ease it was her. He didn't particularly care to talk to people, but he wished maybe they could talk to each other. Or…maybe he could hold her…or...well, he just didn't know. He'd never felt those kinds of things for anyone else and it left him confused and a little unsettled.
That girl though, she had a way about her.
It was the way she moved and the way she smiled, and he liked the way she always seemed to be pushing her blonde hair back and off her face.
She wasn't all made up and done up and trying too hard to be sexy. She was pretty in the sweetest kind of way, and man, she had those warm blue eyes and those curls looked so soft. It was hard to imagine hair that could be any prettier than hers.
All those things were just what made her, her. And everything about her got his heart pumping harder.
She seemed to mostly keep to herself, he understood that. He kept to himself too. For him keeping to himself was the way it had to be. It was the only way that made sense if he wanted to keep living like he was. In her case she seemed kind of shy, but he also felt that in one certain way she was like him, she was a little different and didn't quite fit in.
He managed to find out her name, Beth Greene, and that she was in 7th grade. A year behind him. That about covered his knowledge of the life and times of Beth Greene.
He'd never spoken to her. He wasn't one of those kind of guys who feel comfortable walking up to a girl and striking up a conversation. He didn't know shit about casual conversations and he damn sure didn't have any of what Merle called "pick up lines."
This day though, things were different. She was sitting all alone on the stairs and crying. Right away he felt angry and concerned. Did someone hurt her? Was she sick? Whatever might be going on didn't really matter, there was no way in hell he could just leave her sitting there crying.
He did his best to forget his nerves and he went up to her. They talked a minute and it turned out she'd missed her bus. The only way she was going to get back home was to walk. She was a little scared about walking alone. He wasn't scared of anything except watching her leave without him.
He did what he had to do, what he wanted to do. He offered to walk with her.
He liked it right away, them walking together that way. She was easy to be around and easy to talk to. He liked just shooting the breeze with her, and he liked it even better when she spoke. Her voice sounded just as sweet and pretty as the rest of her looked.
It felt nice and he wasn't even aware he was talking so much, at least not at first. It was because of her. That way she had about her. It was even more appealing now that he was getting to know her a little.
To his way of thinking one of the best things that happened was when they crossed the little creek. He didn't plan it, it just seemed to come naturally the way he took her hand to make sure she didn't fall. He was glad he did. Her skin was so soft and her hand felt so small and delicate in his. He never wanted to let go of that small hand. But he supposed once they were safely across he had to.
He had every intention of walking her right up to her door like he was some kind of gentleman or something. That was until he saw the sheriff's car. Shit. He just couldn't risk it. What if the sheriff started asking him a bunch of questions? All the wrong kinds of questions. Nah, as much as he wanted to walk her all the way to her door, he couldn't take the chance.
He made it back to town, made it back to the trailer park, and once inside the decrepit old single-wide the first thing he did was open two small cans of Dinty Moore Beef Stew. He didn't even bother to heat it up; he was too damn hungry. In no time at all he'd woofed down both cans of cold stew and a half a loaf of bread and butter. He was still a little hungry but that was the last of the food.
He took a shower, gathered up his basket of dirty clothes, a small jar of change and the detergent and walked to the trailer park laundry room. He had to get all of his chores finished up that night. The next day he was starting a new job.
He was supposed to arrive no later than 9:00am for his training. The training was scheduled to last until one that afternoon. He didn't mind. They were paying him for his time and they said there was going to be lunch.
The work wasn't exactly the kind he'd ever planned to do, but it didn't seem too bad and the hours were right so he could still make school. He just had to get used to talking to people a little more. Thank God that didn't mean making conversation, it was more like question and answer stuff and being helpful. He'd make himself do it.
Whatever it was they wanted him to do he was going to do it; he was damn grateful to have the job.
He'd be working at a real classy restaurant, The Rancher's Cut Steakhouse. It was the hottest dining spot in the county. His shift would begin at 4:00pm and most nights he'd be done between 10 and 11. The lady that hired him was honest, she warned him that he might work as late as midnight on a Friday or Saturday. He told her he didn't mind.
His official title was Back Waiter. He'd be filling water glasses, replenishing the bread, cleaning up spills and other mishaps, bringing people the extra napkins and silver they asked for, but he'd also be the Runner. He'd bring the hot part of the meal, the main course, to the table. The only thing he couldn't bring them was alcohol.
He even had to kind of dress up. Thank God they furnished the black pants, white dress shirt, tie and red apron. They had a dress code and everyone would look pretty much the same, except the Front Waiter also wore a vest. He didn't mind wearing the uniform if it was part of the job. He needed work and this was by far the best job he'd come upon.
All he'd had to buy for himself were black shoes. They told him they could be athletic shoes as long as they were solid black and looked nice. Professional. He'd bought the cheapest pair of shoes he could find with a plan to get himself better ones after he had a couple paychecks under his belt.
The job paid really well compared to the going rate, a dollar an hour over minimum wage. That wasn't all, the lady who hired him said the Front Waiter would give him a nice cut of the tips. The other good news was, he got a meal on his shift and the lady told him sometimes he might even get to take home leftover side dishes, salad, potatoes, bread and the like.
The only other thing he had to do was, he had to tell a lie.
He had to say he was 17, not 14. Since he didn't have ID he also had to bring a letter from his Dad saying how old he was. No problem. He'd been writing notes and signing papers as "Will Dixon" for years.
Weekdays he'd have to rush to the job straight from school, but his days off were Mondays and Tuesdays so he'd have a little time for schoolwork, laundry and such.
He knew it wasn't going to be easy working full-time and going to school full time. That didn't matter, he didn't have much choice. There was park rent to pay, propane and electric bills and he needed to eat. Work meant survival for young Daryl Dixon.
He just had to make it four more years. Once he was 18 he'd be set. He could move along, maybe join the army or something.
There was one problem though. He was never going to have any time to get to know Beth Greene. School was about the only chance he'd ever have to see her.
Saturday morning he was up early and out the door before seven. He got the old bicycle and some canvas shopping bags out of the storage shed and he was ready for the grocery store. The bags made it a lot easier to get his weekly groceries home. He could hang them from his handlebars.
He bought what he needed. He was running low on money and he wouldn't get paid on his new job for a week. His first check would go for the park rent and there wouldn't be much left over. He was glad for all the meals he'd be getting at school and work. If not for that he wouldn't be eating at all.
He wasn't going to be buying much. He only needed something to eat that morning, Sunday breakfast and lunch, and Monday and Tuesday dinner.
With that in mind he bought two boxes of cereal, a gallon of milk, two loaves of white bread, a big package of bologna and one of American cheese, a large can of chili and one of ravioli. He also bought a family-sized bag of potato chips, a double chocolate cake from the bakery and half gallon of vanilla ice cream. Because despite all of his adult responsibilities, Daryl Dixon was still a 14 year old boy.
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He asked, "So Beth Greene, where's your homeroom?"
She smiled, "Room 8B."
He gave her that smile she was already so found of and teased, "I guess I'll walk with you, ya know, so ya don't get scared."
She kept smiling as she elbowed him in the ribs, "You're not as funny as you think you are Daryl Dixon."
He teased back, "Yes I am," as he slipped the backpack off her shoulder. This time she didn't question him, she let Daryl Dixon be a gentleman.
They stopped at her locker first and she smiled, "I was hoping I'd see you today. I brought you something."
He seemed genuinely surprised, "You're kiddin'. Like what?"
"Me and Mama made a whole bunch of chocolate chip cookies this weekend and I thought you might like some."
She saw his awkwardness and thought maybe he wasn't used to receiving gifts, even small ones. "Heck yeah I'd like some, thanks Beth that's real nice of ya."
She reached in her backpack, took out the plastic container and handed it to him.
Daryl Dixon had his way and he showed her again just who he was when he said, "Wait now, lemme give ya some a these back. It ain't fair for me ta have em all."
She giggled softly, smiling that sweet smile and admitted, "It's okay. I ate twice that many cookies yesterday. I made myself sick. And guess what else? I have more in my lunch bag for later."
He smiled that little smile back at her, and said, "Good. I don't want ya goin' hungry," then he mustered up enough courage to ask, "So, ya wanna meet in the quad at lunchtime?"
She couldn't believe it, Daryl wanted to have lunch with her! She tried to hide the level of excitement she was feeling as the heat rose from her neck to the top of her head. She barely managed to get the answer out, "Sure, yes."
"Okay, well I gotta eat lunch in the cafeteria but that don't take me long. I'll be out there ta see ya right after." He smiled as the tips of his fingers lightly touched the back of her hand and asked, "Wait for me, k girl?"
He didn't have to ask her, she would wait for him all day and all night if that's how long it took. There was just something about that boy that warmed her heart. She smiled and said, "Yes, of course I'll wait for you Daryl."
The warning bell rang just as they got to her homeroom and he told her, "I gotta go girl, I can't be late," and he was gone.
She felt like every eye was on her as she walked in the classroom and straight to her desk. She told herself it had to be her imagination, why in the world would they all be looking at her?
During the day she saw him a couple of times in the hallway but there was no time to talk. They both had classes to get to. He would smile that tiny smile and nod his head and she would smile her biggest and brightest smile back at him.
When lunchtime came around she went to the quad and sat on a concrete bench near the big oak tree. She wasn't there a minute when Amy came rushing over and sat next to her. Her friend seemed excited and half-giddy when she asked, "My gosh Beth, just what is going on with you and Daryl Dixon? You two are the talk of the school!"
"Nothing's going on Amy, we're just friends."
Amy nearly laughed out loud, "You and Daryl are friends? How in the world would that have happened? I want to know the whole story."
Beth supposed that's what being friends is all about, talking and laughing and sharing stories and so she said, "I'll tell you Amy, but can you please keep it a secret? You know, just between us?"
"I promise I will Beth."
So as the two girls ate their lunch Beth told Amy the story. Not everything, she and Daryl had shared a secret or two. She only told her friend how she missed the bus and that she was so upset she started to cry, and how Daryl Dixon came along and offered to walk her home.
Amy's eyes got huge, "Are you kidding?! He walked you all the way out to the farm? Geez Beth, he must really have some serious feelings for you."
"I don't know about that Amy. I think he's just a very nice boy."
Amy smiled, "Yeah, sure. You think what you want Beth, but I think that boy has a big fat crush on you. I saw the way he was looking at you this morning. If a boy ever looked at me that way I'd melt for sure."
Those words had no sooner passed Amy's lips than Daryl Dixon showed up and said, "Hey."
Beth smiled, and remembering her manners answered, "Hey Daryl, do you know Amy Harrison?"
"I don't think so, hey Amy nice ta meet ya."
"Hi Daryl, nice to meet you too." Then Amy made her excuse, "Well I'd better go. I need to study for a history test. I'll see you two later, and Beth, I'll call you tonight."
"Okay, bye Amy and good luck on the test!" Knowing full well Amy had no test that day.
When Daryl Dixon sat down next to her the tips of his fingers grazed along her hand and he smiled, "Them cookies was the best thing I ever tasted." Then he wrinkled his forehead and said, "Wait now, lemme say that again. They told me on my job I have ta try not ta talk like I'm a bumpkin." He actually chuckled at that and said, "What I meant is, those cookies were the most delicious I've ever eaten."
He smiled again and teased, "I guess I'm gonna have to read my English book cover to cover."
"A job? You already have a job? Tell me all about it."
"Well I was working before, doing janitor work at a factory, you know, sweeping up at night, vacuuming the office and cleanin' the bathrooms. It wasn't bad work but it was only three hours a night and minimum wage. This weekend I started a new job, I think it's gonna work out much better."
He told her where he was working, what his job involved and all of his duties, then said, "I get paid more an hour and what surprised me most was, I never expected my cut of the tips to be so much, plus I'm gettin' a free shift meal."
"That sounds great but gosh Daryl, you sure don't have much time off between work and school. How are you going to be able to do that?" she was genuinely concerned for him, but also disappointed for herself. School was the only place she would ever see him.
"It's gonna be a little tough but I'll make it work. There's no choice, I have to. I have rent and bills and all that." Oh shit, he messed up.
"Your Dad makes you pay rent?" She realized after she asked she should not be inquiring about something so personal.
She was about to tell him, "Never mind," but before she could say it, he answered. He did his best to cover himself, "He don't make enough to pay all the bills. I hafta pay my share."
She felt awful and said, "I'm sorry Daryl, I shouldn't have even asked. It's none of my business."
He didn't want her feeling bad, it wasn't her fault he was in the situation he was in. He took her hand and held it, telling her, "Hey girl, don't be sorry. It ain't your fault and I don't mind workin', I like it. And this new job I got, I think it's gonna turn out pretty good."
They promptly changed the topic of their conversation, but Daryl never let go of her hand. He held it until the bell rang and they had to go their separate ways. When they stood he smiled and said, "If I don't see ya before you go home, you have a nice evening Beth Greene."
"You too Daryl Dixon."
And all of the other kids, and a teacher or two, had seen that boy holding that girl's hand.
She saw him briefly just before she got on the bus. He was across the lot and he lifted a hand to her and nodded his head. She smiled at him and waved back.
It was the strangest thing when she got on the bus, so many of the other students on board actually acknowledged her existence. They said, "Hi Beth," or just smiled her way. Some even scooted over like she was welcome to sit next to them.
That had never happened before and now she was beginning to understand why all eyes had suddenly turned to her that Monday.
She'd gone from being the quiet, different and never noticed girl, to being the girl that was friends with Daryl Dixon. She was the only person, boy or girl who Daryl had ever spent any time with. The whole student body seemed intrigued by whatever was going on between her and him.
Now that she knew him a little bit she realized just how funny that was. Daryl Dixon would be shocked to know he was the subject of so much interest, rumor and speculation.
For herself, she could only think of one person who'd noticed her or tried to be friendly with her before everyone saw her and Daryl together. That person was Amy. That was a little fact Beth would never forget.
Beth was happy though, ridiculously happy. She now had two people in her life she had feelings for, both were her friends and she was anxious for those friendships to deepen.
One of them though, he had her wondering and even daring to hope, that someday they might become more than just friends.
Amy did call that evening and they talked for 45 minutes, they would have continued talking if Daddy hadn't put a stop to it, "Enough is enough now, you have other things to do besides being yakking on the phone all evening."
Over the next few weeks the two girls would be on the phone often. They'd talk about everything, including the boys they liked. Beth shared so much of herself with Amy, and Amy so much of herself with Beth.
They spent their Saturdays together too, with Amy visiting the farm or Beth visiting Amy's house in town.
Although Amy's Mother and Annette Greene had very little in common, one thing they were in total agreement on were strict rules the girls had to follow. Because of this neither Mother worried about their daughter spending time in the other girl's home.
As for her school days, every free moment Beth had was spent with Daryl Dixon, before school, lunch time and in between. There was even a Monday afternoon she and Daryl had been talking and they were so distracted by each other, Beth missed the bus.
Thank goodness Mama made sure Beth always had money to call home. When Daddy came to get her she didn't exactly lie, she just didn't tell the whole truth when she apologized, "I'm sorry Daddy, it's all my fault. I was talking to a friend and I lost track of the time."
She felt pretty darn guilty when Daddy didn't get mad.
But Beth made a mistake so many young people make, she didn't think her Mother had any idea how much interest she had in Daryl Dixon. But Mama knew her little girl and she was well aware something was going on. She thought it would be a real good idea if she and Daddy got to know this Dixon boy themselves.
At Sunday dinner Mama said, "When you see Daryl at school tomorrow why don't you ask him to ride the bus home with you Tuesday. He can have dinner with us and Daddy will give him a ride home."
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A/N I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that you'll leave me a comment. As always, the chapter photo is on my tumblr blogs, gneebee and bethylmethbrick, please check it out. I'll be back next Friday with a new chapter of I'll Walk With You and I hope you'll be here too! In the meantime, thank you, stay safe and remember, I love ya large! xo gneebee