Author's note: I'm trying something different with this chapter. As the plot thickens each characters POV chapters are becoming longer and longer. Long chapters are nice, but when chapters are too they become a chore to read, so I'm going to be posting Michonne, Rick and Carl's chapters separately.

13. Jeremy Spoke in Class Today

As soon as his dad and Michonne left for their party Carl texted all of his friends to come over and bring some of their movies with them. The funny thing was he had more friends now than he did back home. Duane, Keisha and Tamekia felt like his old friends, and Brady and Brandon, Ben, and Travis felt like his new friends. While everyone was on their way to his place Carl set out pop, chips, and the pizzas he had baked moments before. He brought his sister's art desk into the living room and put it next to the couch so that she could sit there and color but not feel left out. By the time he had everything set up there was a knock at his door.

'What's up Carl?" Duane asked.

Carl stepped back and let Duane in. "Not much, did you bring any movies?"

Duane handed over the stack of movies in his hand. "If I knew I was going to be stuck in quarantine I'd of picked better movies."

Carl took the movies from Duane and put them on the table next to his stack of movies. Brady and Brandon showed up next. They both had a pile of movies that Carl put on the table next to the others. He figured when everyone got to his apartel that they could go through the movies and choose which one they wanted to watch first. Ben Paul and Travis were the last to arrive. Carl found Travis to be annoying because all he ever wanted to talk about was his dad who was in Special Forces. Almost every sentence he spoke started with my dad and ended in special forces.

"So what movie should we watch?"

Everyone began shouting their choices all at once. It took Carl ten minutes to get everyone to stop arguing and they still hadn't picked a movie. The only thing they voted on unanimously was that they didn't want to see Travis's pick, American Sniper. In the end they ended up watching Duane's bootleg copy of Werewolves of London.

"What should we watch next?" Carl asked. He dropped his pizza crust on his plate and wiped his hands off on his jeans.

"Gross! Carl use a napkin." Keisha said handing him one.

"I don't want to watch another movie, Tamekia said, let's play truth or dare instead."

"Yeah." The twins chorused in agreement.

"We've probably seen all these movies anyway." Ben added.

"OK, but who wants to go first?" Carl asked.

"Tamekia since it was her idea." Keisha said.

"Fine, but that means you have to go next."

"So which one is it truth or dare?" Keisha asked.

"Dare."

"I dare you to go across the hall and ask one of the neighbors if you can borrow their microwave." Keisha said.

"Oh my god you are so stupid."

"Do it or do a double dare." Keisha demanded.

"All right. All right I'll do it." Tamekia said. "You and your wack ideas."

Carl cracked open the door and everyone huddled together and peeked out as Tamekia knocked on a random door across the hall. An elderly man with a walker answered the door.

"Excuse me kind sir, I'm sorry to trouble you on this good eve, but may I perchance borrow your microwave?"

"She's a damn fool." Duane said.

"Mah microwave? The elderly man said loudly. "Ya need to borrow some gotdamn manners is what ya need to do. Ya half raised heathen, ya gotdamn kids always knockin on mah gotdamn door fo' some gotdamn foolishness!" The old man shouted and then slammed the door in her face.

Tamekia ran back into the apartel and Carl shut the door behind her and fell against it shaking with laughter. Everyone was laughing, but Keisha was laughing the hardest. She lie on the floor doubled over with laughter.

"Oh shit you pissed him off." Duane announced. "He's probably gonna have a heart attack and die and it's all your fault."

"Your turn now." Tamekia said to her cousin. "Truth or dare?" There was a wicked smirk on her faced when she asked.

Keisha sat up and pushed her hair out of her eyes. "Dare." She said but sounded nervous.

Carl couldn't blame her he'd be nervous too.

Tamekia tapped her finger to her lips in thought."I got it! I dare you to do a cannon ball off the high dive at the pool with all your clothes on."

Everyone looked to Keisha to see what her reaction would be.

"Fine, she said getting calmly to her feet, but I'm taking off my shoes, I'm not about to ruin a pair of Jimmy Choo's for a dare, and I'm wearing a swim cap, cuz I'm not about to get my hair wet."

"Whatever so long as you do it, or else you have to do-"

"I know heifer." Keisha said putting up her hand.

Carl's mouth dropped open was she really going to do it? Everyone rushed to his front door eager to follow Keisha out, but Carl hesitated his dad had told him not to leave their apartel.

"C'mon man I don't want to miss this." Duane said.

"I know,but my dad told me not to leave. I don't think he wants me roaming around because I'm watching Jude."

"For real Carl? C'mon man I know you don't always listen to your pops, besides how's he gonna go out to a party, but tell you that you gotta stay home?"

Carl felt a sudden wave of indignation wash over him. Duane was right why shouldn't he be allowed to go out? He wasn't a baby or even a child anymore, or at least that's what his dad told him whenever he decided he wanted Carl to be a grown up. "I'll have to bring Jude with me."

"No shit man like you were going to leave her here all by herself." Duane replied.

Carl had to laugh at himself or being stupid.

Duane looked at Carl and shook his head. "Come on you goofy motherfucker."

All nine of them piled into the elevator and rode it up to Keisha's suite so that she could get her swim cap. It was amazing to see her stuff all of her thick curly hair into that tiny cap. Once she was sure she had every single strand of her hair tucked into the cap they headed back down to the swimming pool.

The pool was more crowded than Carl had suspected it would be, and he wondered if all the people in the pool would cause Keisha to lose her nerve and go back on her dare.

"Ya'll ready for this?" She asked.

Apparently not. Carl thought.

"Quit stalling and start climbing." Tamekia answered.

Without further ceremony Keisha began to climb the ladder to the top of the diving board. When she reached the top she did a cute little wave from the platform.

"Hi Kitty." Jude called. Carl sighed it didn't matter how many times he told his little sister that Keisha's name wasn't Kitty, she still called her that anyway.

"Hey you up there!" The same lifeguard who had yelled at Carl when Jude ran around naked shouted. "You get down from there you can't swim without a swimsuit on." The life guard started towards the high dive.

Keisha didn't waste any time. She shouted "Cannon ball!" and then jumped yelling all the way down and making a nice sized splash. She backstroked to the edge of the pool and climbed out.

Everyone clapped and cheered. It didn't take much to excite them anymore.

Keisha wrung her clothes out and then did a little bow. "Thank you, thank you. No photographs please."

"My turn! Me next!" His sister shouted.

"I don't think so." Carl said. He was still not over the incident were her diaper had clogged the kitty fountain.

"You kids get out of here, and don't come back until you've all got on swim suits." The lifeguard yelled. "I'm watching you young man." He said pointing two fingers at his own eyes and then pointing those same two fingers at Carl.

"Man he's got it in for you." Brady said.

"My dad would have put him in his place. They don't tolerate that kind of disrespect in special forces."

Duane looked at Carl and rolled his eyes.

After leaving the pool they all headed back to Carl's place.

Keisha squished and dripped a rivulet all the way down the hall.

"Mind if I take a shower?" Keisha asked.

"Of course not. There's plenty of towels in the bathroom closet.":Carl told her.

"Thanks but I'll need a change of clothes, I really don't feel like going upstairs all wet and gross."

"I'll see what I can find." In his room he found a pair of cut off sweat pants that no longer fit him and his Blood Fang t-shirt. He been wearing his Blood Fang t-shirt when he first met Keisha, and even though their first meeting wasn't that long ago it felt like a lifetime to Carl. He went to the bathroom and knocked on the door. "I got some clothes for you."

"Thanks." Keisha said sticking her hand out through the slightly opened bathroom door. "Oh my goodness!" She exclaimed. "You were wearing this shirt when we first met."

"Yeah I remember because you had to wear that punk ass Death Fang t-shirt." A moment later a pillow flew across the room and hit Carl in the back of the head. He spun around to see who threw it. It was Tamekia of course.

"Death Fang isn't a punk ass Carl, you are." She said.

The three of them and Duane started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Travis wanted to know.

"Nothing, it's kind of an inside joke." Carl explained.

Keisha stepped out of the bathroom showered, dried, and fully dressed. "All right Carl it's your turn, which one is it truth or dare?"

"Truth." Carl said because everyone else had picked dare.

"Chicken." Brandon called out and flapped his arms like wings.

'Fine dare!"

"Oh no, now you gotta take the double dare." Tamekia said.

Carl rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"I dare you to go up to the roof, stand on the ledge and pull down your pants stick out your bare ass, and shout at the top of your lungs, the world can kiss my pale white ass." Tamekia said.

"I'll do it." Carl said. There was no way he was going to be the first one to go back on his dare.

Once again all nine of them piled into the elevator. The national guards were no longer posted on the roof now that they had put a stop to Carl and his friends chucking objects off of the roof top. Despite not being able to throw things off the roof they still liked hanging out up there. Shawn had built a pigeon coop and it was fun to feed the pigeons and let them fly around. Ben liked to sing to the birds, and the birds liked his singing. Something about his baritone voice seem to sooth them.

"You know that you don't have to do this." Ben said as Carl climbed up on the ledge of the building. "It's awfully high up."

"We sit on the ledge all the time." Carl told him. "Why should now be any different just because I'm gonna stand up and show my ass?"

"Lterally and figuratively." Keisha agreed.

The ledge was so wide that the only way to fall was if you were trying to, or if someone pushed you. He and his friends often sat on it watching the sun rise or set, or while doing their home work. Looking out over the empty city below and imagining what it would be like to freely roam the empty streets was the closest thing they had to freedom since being trapped inside of the Q.U.A.D.

Carl finally stood up to his full height with his front facing his friends and his back facing the city below. He closed his eyes trying to garner up the nerve to depants and show the world what his momma had given him. He took his belt out of the tab and let his pants drop then yanked the back half of his boxers down, no way was he going to show off more than that, and yelled "THE WORLD CAN KISS MY PALE WHITE ASS!" He slapped his cheeks for emphasis.

"I cannot believe you just did that." The twins said in unison.

Carl quickly pulled his pants back up and buckled his belt.

"You bad!" Jude shouted at him from the safety of Keisha's arms."You said a bad word!"

"Don't tell dad Jude, OK." Carl said. "You can watch Babe when we get back."

"The shame of it all bribing a baby." Duane chastised.

"I not a baby!" Jude snapped.

Duane laughed. "She got me together."

Carl jumped off of the ledge. "Now that you've all seen my pale white ass let's go back inside." He said. He didn't think his father and Michonne would be home yet, but just in case they were he didn't want to be caught outside.

True to his word once they got to his place Carl put babe in the DVD player for his sister. Then he dared Ben to eat a piece of pizza covered with jalapenos which he did and turned redder than a boiled lobster and had a coughing fit.

"I'll never be able to sing again." He moaned while he roll around on the floor. "I'm going to die. I swear I'm going to die"

"My dad always says drinking some milk will help, Ben, and trust me he knows what he's talking about because they always pull crazy stunts like this in special forces."

Carl sighed inwardly. Perhaps the reason that Travis talked about his father so much was because he wasn't here. None of Travis or Ben's family was here with them. Ben had told Carl that their families were back in Stone Mountain and they had no idea what happened to them. They only had their show choir teacher with them. Carl couldn't imagine what that must be like. As bad as things were at least he had his father, his sister and Michonne, who might as well be his mother now.

Keisha got Ben a glass of milk and helped him to sit up and drink it. "I don't think we should do anymore dares like this. Someone could get really hurt."

They decided to give up playing truth or dare and played Uno instead. The game quickly turned into a game of revenge. Everyone started throwing down draw twos and fours, skips and reverses There were so many reverses thrown down that no one could remember the order in which they were supposed to play.

"I think it's my turn." Duane said. "The game is going clockwise, right?"

"No I think it's my turn because after Travis put down a reverse then Keisha did." Brandon explained.

"So then it is my turn because then it would go right back to me, right?" Duane asked.

"Wait didn't someone throw a reverse before that though?" Carl asked.

Tamekia put her head down on the table. "I'm so confused."

"It's not confusing Duane is next." Ben said.

"No, Brandon is." Brady said.

"Of course your going to say he's next." Carl pointed out. "He's your twin."

An argument broke out and instead of finishing the game they ended up running around Carl's apartel throwing Uno cards at each other. Even his little sister joined in. Carl put her on his shoulders and galloped around while she threw cards at everyone.

"Draw four off the floor." Keisha shouted throwing a pile of cards at Carl.

"Draw two off your shoe!" Carl shouted back and threw his own cards back at her. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had such stupid fun.

Monday everyone in his class was still talking about how much fun they had hanging out at his apartel. Everyone except a girl named Jenny Pitcher who never hung out with anyone. She just cried a lot, and of course Jeremy Tramer who Carl had not bothered to invite. Jeremy continued to be a thorn in Carl's side and the biggest dick in their class. So much so that he had earned the nick name King Jeremy the Wicked. Even their teachers didn't seem to like him but were forced to teach him anyway.

"Thanks for helping to stay and clean up." Carl said to Keisha and Tamekia as they walked to class.

"It was no problem, actually it was really fun especially when you-"

"Hey Caaaaaarl." A voice called out. "Caaaaaarl." Jeremy called out cutting Keisha off mid sentence.

Jeremy was not happy that he had not been invited to Carl's party and he was going to make sure that he knew it.

"Just ignore him." Keisha said.

"You can't ignore me Caaaaaarl." Jeremy called out.

"If I keep ignoring him he'll never leave me alone." Carl said getting on the elevator and pushing the doors shut before Jeremy, who was walking behind them, had a chance to board.

"I say kick his ass and call it a day." Tamekia said.

In a perfect world Carl thought, but just like Nick had been, Jeremy was both taller and bigger than Carl. If they got in a fight Carl didn't like his odds.

"Don't tell him to fight." Keisha said as they entered the class room. "He'll get in trouble."

"Why not? Someone needs to kick his ass." Tamekia said. "Beside how much trouble can he get into?"

"They might throw him to those brain dead cannibals, Keisha said, or they might make him listen to Katy Perry's entire discography."

"I'd rather be eaten by brain dead cannibals." Carl replied.

"That sounds like the name of a 90's grunge band." Tamekia said.

A second later Jeremy entered the class room. He walked down the aisle between the desks with his hands straight up in the air. "Don't shoot!" He cried loudly when he noticed that everyone was looking at him. "That's my impression of your dad's girlfriend walking down the aisle at her wedding, Caaaaaarl."

"Shut the fuck up." Carl said getting up from his desk.

"Why?" Jeremy asked getting right into Carl's face. "Is your dad going to use me for target practice, or is that why you have so many black friends?" He asked and laughed obnoxiously.

Carl knew despite what Keisha, teachers, and his father told him, ignoring a bully wouldn't make them go away. If Duane were here Jeremy wouldn't be picking on him like this. He was only a bully to people he could bully.

"How about I use your ugly fucking face as target practice for my fist." Carl threatened. He didn't care at this point if he did get his ass kicked, there was no way he was going to continue to let Jeremy bully him.

"You want a piece of me, bitch?" Jeremy asked shoving him hard. Carl flew back into the desks behind him knocking them askew.

"Don't fight!" Keisha cried and covered her mouth with her hands.

Carl jumped up and grabbed Jeremy by the front of his shirt.

"Ay! Ay! Knock it off!" Mr. Royce snapped. He pulled Carl and Jeremy apart and stood between them. "Now what's this all about?" He asked.

"Nothing." Carl and Jeremy said in unison.

"Well then sit down and act like you got some damn sense. Ya'll want to knock each other out do it in the parking lot after school. "

Carl stomped over to his desk and threw himself into his chair.

"Yo, man what I miss?" Duane who'd come into class late asked when he sat beside Carl.

"Jeremy being a racist bullying jerk." Keisha said.

"You want me to kick his ass man?"

"Wouldn't do any good, and I wouldn't have you fighting my battles anyway."

"That's decent." Duane said.

During lunch the twins Brady and Brandon sat down on either side of Carl. He noticed that they sat down exactly the same way at exactly the same time. It must have been a twin thing. "We want to help you defend yourself against Jerkemy." Brandon said. Or at least Carl thought it was Brandon he couldn't tell them apart because they were wearing matching outfits. "If you want we can show you some moves."

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Carl said. He remembered that Duane had said they were on the wrestling team.

"We go to the gym everyday to lift weights you could lift with us if you want."

"Yeah I'll do it." Carl agreed.

So everyday after school, and after he finished his homework, he couldn't get out of that because Michonne always checked his work, Carl went with Brady and Brandon to the gym to work out. They were like two teenaged drill sergeants. They wouldn't let him get out of lifting weights that they thought he should be able to lift. They gave him chalky protein shakes to drink and nasty protein bars to eat. When they weren't forcing weights in his hands or shakes down his throat they were teaching him wrestling moves and how to escape holds. When he got home he took his shirt off and looked at himself in the mirror and wondered how long it would be before anyone noticed that he started balking up. So far he had the same chicken chest and scrawny arms he'd always had. It was going to take him way too long to build up enough muscle mass to take on Jeremy, but that didn't mean he couldn't learn how to fight.

Shane used to box and Carl knew that if he asked Shane how to fight that Shane would teach him and wouldn't tell his dad or Michonne about it either. He didn't want either of them to know because then they would worry about him instead of getting ready for their wedding. So one day after a grueling session with the twins Carl stopped by Shane's before going home.

"Can you teach me how to fight?" Carl asked Shane.

"What do you want to know that for?" Shane asked.

"Lately it just feels like something I should learn, and I know you used to box"

"You're right about that." Shane said and started boxing the air. "Come on I'll take ya to the gym and show ya what I know."

Shane found some boxing gear in the gym that would fit Carl. Then he took him out to the ring and showed him how to jab and block. After Shane figured that Carl had the jab down they started a sparring match. Even though it was only a sparring match Shane didn't go easy on Carl. If Carl left himself open Shane would strike and not lightly either. More than once Shane knocked Carl on his ass.

It made Carl angry that he couldn't land a blow. He started to swing widely out of anger just once wanting to hit Shane.

"Stop. Stop. Stop." Shane demanded.

Angrily Carl took of his head gear and tossed it to the ground. "This is a waste of time. I suck at this!"

"I'll tell you when it's a waste of time." Shane said. "Stop fighting your emotions first of all. Your wasting all of you're energy with those wild swings."

Carl bit his lip and didn't say anything even though he wanted to cuss Shane out for all the times he'd been knocked on his ass. How did Shane expect him to land a blow when he was older, bigger, and more experienced?

"Don't square up so much." Shane commanded and positioned his arms and legs until he was in the stance he wanted Carl in."Don't throw punches you don't intend to land, wait for an opening and then take it, and when ya do make the hit count." Shane went over the basics with him again. Everything from breathing to eye contact. "Much better." Shane said as they continued on with their sparring match.

Carl had taken all of Shaen's advice to heart, and when he saw an opening he took it. He swung out and landed a full strength jab to Shane's solar plexus. He smiled when he heard Shane grunt. Finally he managed to land a blow!

"Nice one! There's hope for you yet." Shane said. "Now c'mon tell me why you really wanna learn to box." He handed Carl a bottle of water and motion for him to sit down.

Carl ducked under the ropes and sat on the edge of the boxing ring and Shane sat next to him. He didn't say anything right away even though he knew Shane wouldn't tell his father the real reason he wanted to learn to box, he just felt too embarrassed to talk about it.

"Some kid picking on you?"

Carl nodded and hung his head in shame. "This kid named Jeremy, but it happened a lot at my old school too. I didn't tell dad then because mom had just died and I didn't want to worry him, and now he's getting married and I don't want to mess that up, that and it's kind of embarrassing."

"I admire you not wanting to bother your folks, but they would want to know, Shane told him, but ya told me and the two of us will take care of it together all right." Shane said.

"All right." Carl said.

"Good, I'll let ya in on another little secret too."

"Really, what's that?"

"First ya got to promise me ya won't tell anyone, and I do mean anyone, not even your friends."

"I promise." Carl said. "You know I can keep a secret."

"All right then follow me, and remember not a world to anyone."

Carl crossed his heart. He followed Shane curious as to what it was that he was going to show him that he had to be so secretive about. He followed Shane to the Q.U.A.D where they took an elevator down to the receiving dock.

"What are you going to do teach me how to stack boxes or something? This isn't going to be one of those wax on wax off type of things where you're really just trying to get me to do your work for you is it?"

"Carl shut the hell up you talk too damn much." Shane said shaking his head. "Do I look like Mr. Miyagi to you?"

"No."

"I'm not bringing you down here to teach you karate, Carl. I brought you down here to teach you how to kill biters."

Carl's mouth dropped open and he stared at Shane a full minute before he was able to compose himself enough to speak. "Biters? You mean like one of those things my dad hit with his car?"

Shane nodded. "I mean exactly like that."