A/N: Sorry it took so long, here it is. ENJOY!
Disclaimer: I don't own the Walking Dead Game.
It Just Happened
Daisyfan5534
Chapter 17
Clementine and her friends found a time get together and hang out, no work, no adults, just them and some games. She was really excited! Finally, she'd get to experience what it's like to be a kid! She's never done anything like this before; a night with just her and her friends. This was something she never got to experience while growing up while the world was ending. At least now that they're safe they can hang out without it being them entertaining each other at work.
"Remember, stay safe and don't do anything that makes you uncomfortable. If anything happens-"
"I know, Luke!" she said with excitement. "I know." she couldn't hide her smile.
"I'll leave the door unlocked for you. Just don't try to stay out too late, okay?" Luke asked.
"Okay." Clem assured him.
Luke pulled the bill of her hat down over her eyes and placed a hand on her head and shaking her head. "Have fun, sissy."
Normally she'd tell him not to call her that, but she was too happy to do so. She said her goodbyes to Luke before she left then headed up the streets to her group's clubhouse. Clementine stood in front of the door and before she could knock, the door flew open and a hand grabbed her arm, yelping as she was pulled inside. After the light scare, she yanked her arm free from the grasp of her friend
"Fucking hell, Andie! You scared the crap out of me."
"Sorry, just excited!" She apologized as she closed the door.
"Clem! You made it!" Tyrone said.
"Come on, I'll deal you in!" Tad said holding a deck of cards in the air.
"What are we playing?" Clementine asked as she and Andie joined the boys.
"Texas hold'em. Maybe you can beat Andie." Tad responded.
"Doubt it, Andie cheats!" Tyrone said.
"I don't cheat!" Andie responded. She sat down on a little stool and pulled out another stool for Clem to sit down on.
"Aren't you from Vegas?" Tyrone asked.
"Technically yes, but moved to Oregon when I was five." Andie explained.
"See? She's from Vegas." Tyrone said to Clem while Andie rolled her eyes at the comment.
"You're going down Andie. Deal me in!" She said to her best friend.
The four of them played a couple rounds as they waited for the fifth member of their friend group. Andie won both games resulting in Tyrone getting pissed.
"Andie, you can't play anymore!" Tyrone announced.
"Why? It's not my fault you fucking suck at this game!" Andie said back.
"If you children can't behave, I'm going to put the cards away and send you both home." Tad told the two.
"Or we can play a different game." Clementine suggested.
"Okay, mom." Andie teased. "How about spoons?"
"Spoons is fine." Tyrone agreed as he stood up to look for spoons.
"Glad you two can get along." Tad said as he began to shuffle the cards
"Where's Rodney by the way?" Clementine asked.
"He said he was getting something." Tad said. "I don't know what though."
"I have an idea. We should ambush him and throw him in the pool when he comes." Andie suggested.
"Why?" Tyrone asked.
"Because his ass is late."
"Better late than never!" Rodney called after he opened the front door before walking in with three backpacks; one on his back and him carrying the other two. "And before you throw me in the pool, I have a good reason."
Rodney walked over to the table and gently set one of the backpacks down on it so he could unzip it. He then pulled out glass drinks, full of a pale yellow liquid, one-by-one handing them to his friends.
"Lemonade? You're late because you had to get lemonade?" Tad asked as he and the girls stood up.
"Not just lemonade, my friend, hard lemonade. This shit's alcoholic!" Rodney corrected as he set the other backpacks down on the floor. "Do you know how hard it was to sneak all of these out of my house? As cool as my dad is, he'd have my head if he caught me drinking."
"Fuck yes! Hey, Ty, get a bottle opener while you're up, will ya?" Andie called.
"Already on it!"
Clementine skimmed the label of the bottle in her hand. This was the last thing she expected from tonight. Drinking with her friends, as fun as it sounds, it worried her a bit. Luke did say that she didn't have to do anything that made her uncomfortable, her tongue remembered what that whiskey tasted like when she tried it with Nick and what rum tastes like after a sip with Jane, but this was lemonade… sort of… it shouldn't be bad right? A sip won't hurt.
"What's the occasion? Or are we just drinking for the hell of it?" Clementine asked.
"A bit of both, actually." Rodney responded.
"Ha!" Tyrone exclaimed as he popped the lid off the bottle then passed the bottle opener to his brother. "Are you going to explain?"
"Speech!" Andie said aloud.
"I'm not at my dad's level of speeches, but I'll give it a try." Rodney said as he opened the bottle and dropped the opener on the table now that everyone had an open one. "Tonight's a night celebrating us. We're fucking awesome. We saved our town, our home! Saved it twice if you count the hospital."
"We are not bringing up the hospital again!" Tad said.
"Oh, yeah. Fuck that place! Anyway, we're celebrating us being teenagers… almost all of us." Rodney paused to pull the bill of Clem's hat down over her eyes.
"Hey!" She exclaimed. Clementine felt a huge smile spread on her face.
"Don't worry, you'll be one in a few months. Anyway, fall is right around the corner, and I have a feeling it's going to be a good harvest! So to us and for the next harvest. Cheers!"
The five of them clinked their glass bottles together and they all took a sip, swallowing the carbonated drink. It wasn't anything like they expected, it was actually kind of pleasant, more like soda actually.
"Are you sure this is alcoholic?" Tad asked after he got a good taste of it.
"Yeah, I'm sure! Did you not feel the kick?" Rodney assured him.
"It says alcoholic on the bottle." Clementine added before she took another sip. It was good, kind of sweet, and it didn't taste gross or burn her throat.
"See?" Rodney pointed to it on the label. "Now shut up and drink man!"
"I'm drinking!" Tad said.
"Are we still playing spoons?" Tyrone asked.
"Why not poker?" Rodney asked.
"Because Andie cheats at poker." Tyrone explained.
"I do not!" Andie retorted. "Ty can't bluff, that's his problem!"
"Screw cards, we have Jenga, Clue, Monopoly." Tad suggested.
"No one likes Monopoly." Clementine added.
"That's the fun of it though, it's the perfect game that makes you want to drink. That's the point." Rodney said. "I've got a shit ton of this stuff, more than enough for each of us to take some home afterward."
"How much of this stuff did you find?" Andie asked. "Actually, how long have you been stashing it?"
"Not important." Rodney said quickly before taking another sip. "Now let's play some fucking Monopoly."
Clementine sighed to herself as she sat down on the stool. The last time she played Monopoly with her parents, she fell asleep in the middle of the game. Maybe now that she's older, it won't be so bad? She listened to the guys bicker about how long the game will take, but they all agreed to stop playing when they get bored. It didn't take long, Tyrone went bankrupt and in result jokingly flipped the table as slow as possible. They didn't care, they all hated the game, but they were cracking jokes and laughs with each other as they moved on to other games.
The five of them got very tipsy very fast. They all just sat around laughing at stupid jokes and dumb stories while they played games. It was fun. They were all smiling in this dark world. Clementine was happy, she was able to be a kid for one night. Her eyes looked at Rodney on the other side of the table from her, watching him attempt to pull out a Jenga block from the tower. She felt this weird feeling in her stomach, it was tingly and it made her smile then it grew when Rod pulled the block out and stacked, a smile of success spreading on his face. It's probably just the alcohol.
Eventually, their fun had to stop and the five of them went home. Andie and Clementine walked each other home, both with two bottles in their hands for themselves. They were giggling and shushing each other as they walked the streets. Clementine finally made it home. She put the bottles down in the other bedroom and greeted her cat and realized how soft she was as she pets her. Her cat was so, so soft. Like a blanket. The thought of blankets made her tired, but it also reminded her of who was in bed.
Clementine walked into the bedroom and got under the covers. With only the moonlight shining in, she saw Luke facing her, lightly snoring. She brushed his hair out of his face and she poked his cheek then giggled at his unmoving face. She loved him so much! Clementine poked his cheek again and Luke woke up with a jerk.
"Clem?" He asked with a yawn. "Is everything okay?"
She breathed out a laugh and she nodded.
"Did you have fun?"
Clementine nodded again then smiled ear-to-ear.
This was odd, he's never seen her this happy, she's being a bit, dare he say it, silly. Which was weird considering how serious she is. Even though he's half awake, it didn't take Luke long to figure out what's up.
"Are you drunk?"
"Shhh…" Clementine put a finger to his lips. "It's a secret…" She said before giggling again.
That was enough for him. Luke smirked, it was good that she got to be a kid for the night and do dumb stuff like getting drunk. "At least you're home safe. You feel okay?"
"Uh-huh."
"Not feeling like you're going to puke?"
"Nuh-uh."
"Alright, now get some rest kid, we got work tomorrow."
Luke rolled over to go back to sleep, soon after she felt Clementine cuddle up against him, her arms wrapped around him and she had a bent leg on his hip, almost as if she was a backpack.
"Hey, kid, what are you-"
"Can I just…" her face buried into his neck as her hold on him tightened. "You're so warm." She breathed out before she fell asleep.
Luke sighed as her steady breathing confined that she was out. It was weird to have her cuddle like this, the fact that she's drunk explained it. She's never this cuddly, he didn't really have an issue with it. Peeling her off of him would be difficult, especially with her hold, not to mention he could risk waking her up still with alcohol in her system. Clem is happily sleeping, and Luke's just relieved she's okay and not throwing up in the backyard. In the end, he's just tired, he just wanted to go back to sleep. And it didn't take long for him to give in.
Clementine thankfully didn't get a hangover in the morning. She and Andie spent the day joking about last night while they both babysat for the children. They needed that, to be kids for a night. It felt like things were normal, it even made them forget about the horrors of the dead walking. At this rate, walkers will be a distant memory… hopefully anyway.
"See you tomorrow, Andie!"
Now that the day was over, Clementine started to head home. She was going to play with her cat, start dinner for her and Luke, maybe even start reading a book.
"Hey, Clem!"
She turned to Rodney who was wheeling a wheelbarrow full of bags down the street.
"Hey, what are you doing?" She asked.
"Delivering rations, speaking of which." Rodney picked up a bag from the wheelbarrow and gave it to Clem. "Those are yours and Luke's."
"Thanks!" Clementine felt her stomach flutter, similar to last night. Again, she couldn't explain it. "Do you need any help delivering the rest of the rations?"
"Nah, I got it. Thank you, though."
His thanks made her smile.
"I better finish these, I'll see ya around, Clem."
"See ya."
Clementine watched him walk past her and up the driveway to a house. She let out a happy sigh before continuing back home. After she got inside and set the rations down by the kitchen, she laid down on the couch, her kitten quick to jump up on her stomach. Clem smiled again as she stared up at the ceiling, petting Boots while she got lost in thought… and she couldn't figure out why.
It was only a week after their encounter with the rations that Clementine figured out what made her so giddy, then another week to actually admit it to herself: she had a crush on Rodney. At first, she felt kinda stupid, after everything she's seen with Lee and Carly, Kenny with Katjaa and Sarita, she should know better. Then she tried to ignore her feelings for him, but it only made it worse, her heart would skip a beat faster every time her walkie-talkie came to life hoping it'd be Rodney's voice. Then she came to terms with it; her crush on her friend wouldn't go away, she just had to live with it, even though it annoyed her so much.
As of now, the harvest season had begun. Luke came home with a couple apples last night and tossed one to her. He knew her love for apples. The harvest season is the most important season because without it there'd be no society. They had to make sure that they get as many crops as they can and make sure they'd survive the winter. Because of how stressful it is, day offs are rare, thankfully Clementine had one today, which would probably be her last one before things get more stressful down at the farm.
She had her day all planned out; she was going to cuddle her cat and start reading a book she's been meaning to start. Luke found her the book Hatchet and gave it to her, he said she'd like it since it was about survival in the wilderness.
Clementine already said goodbye to Luke before he left for work and she's now three chapters deep into her book with a cat next to her. It was so nice to relax for a day knowing she's safe; it felt normal. She wouldn't give up this day for anything.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
She exhaled a sigh of annoyance. Clem put a bookmark in the book then set it down on the coffee table before she got up and walked to the door. Whoever the hell this is should know that she has a day off! This better be important! Clementine opened the door and her heart instantly sped up.
"Rodney!" He's here? Why? What was he doing here? "What are you doing here?"
"Hey, Clem. Sorry to bother you on your day off, but I'm trying to get the cider mill back up and running. The twins and Andie are busy today, so I was wondering if you could help?" He asked. "You don't have to, you probably don't want to waste your-"
"I'd love to!" she said quickly. Maybe too quickly.
"Really?" he asked in surprise.
"Yeah, I was bored anyway." She said to make up for her last response.
"Great, come on then!"
So much for reading all day, she was enjoying the book too. But she'd choose to work with Rodney over that any day. Internally she was ecstatic, it was like a dream come true for her, however, she had to remain relaxed and calm to not embarrass herself. Clem closed the door behind her and followed Rodney to the farm. She should say something to him so they could talk like normal people, but what could she say that wouldn't be stupid. Come on. Come on. Come on. Wait, where did he say they were going? Oh yeah.
"So you wanted to get the cider mill running?" She started.
"Yeah, and if we get it working, we can have apple cider! I fucking missed that shit."
"Is it good?"
"Yes, it's good! You'll be the first to try it when we get some!"
"It better live up to it then."
"I promise it will."
She was so happy! Just her and Rodney, it was almost like a date. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered faster at the thought of a date with him. Clementine followed Rodney to a smaller barn than the main one on the west side of the property, the red paint on it was faded and peeling like the other barn, and the letter 'D' from CIDER and the first 'L' from MILL were gone.
"My dad was too focused on the crops that the mill was deemed unimportant. I think that we deserve a nice treat after working on this place for about four-five years now." Rodney explained.
"So what do we have to do to get it back up and running?"
"Well, my dad had to take some parts out of some of the machinery for the farm so we have to find replacements for all of that stuff. Not to mention that it hasn't been touched since it all started, so hopefully, it still works after we replace everything." Rodney told her. "You sure you want to help out? I know this doesn't sound 'apple-ing' and that pun was bad, but tt can wait until tomorrow."
"No, I-I want to help you. We'd get more done… y-you know?" She's stuttering over her own words, surely she sounds stupid.
"Great!" Rodney said, completely oblivious to her voice.
He led her into the mill, and Rodney, out of habit, reached for the light switch then remembered that there was no power.
"Hey, can you find something to prop the door open?" He asked.
Clementine nodded and opened the door, quickly finding a rock and used it to keep the door open. Now they had more light in the mill. They both began cleaning up the mill. There was a lot of dust from it not being in use for so long, not to mention cobwebs.
"AH!"
Clementine turned her head to Rodney who was panicking over a spider on the ground. She grabbed a nearby glass that was there for some reason and put it over the spider to trap it.
"I didn't know you were scared of spiders." she said.
"I'm not scared of spiders!" Rodney said back.
"You screamed and you were shaking."
"It surprised me, that's all.
"Alright, then I guess I'll let it roam free."
"No! Please!"
Clementine smiled, doing what he asked and left the spider in the glass.
"Fine, I'm fucking freaked out by spiders. They're creepy, and they move their legs all weird, and they're fucking fast." Rodney shuddered, and Clementine found it adorable.
"Alright, just give me a piece of paper so I can throw it outside." Clementine told him.
"Fuck, I don't think there are papers here."
Clementine grabbed the glass covering the spider and jerked her hand, making Rodney jump.
"Clem, I swear to god!" He exclaimed making her laugh.
"Don't worry, I'll put it on your pillow later."
"I will kill you!" Rodney shuttered again. "Let's just get this place back up and running.
She let go of the glass and went by Rodney's side as he opened up one of the machines. Clementine couldn't help but look at him as he checked it, he made her smile and she was getting her confidence back with being around him. She enjoyed spending time with Rodney. As long as she doesn't let her feelings get in the way, then she'll be fine.
A week passed and her feelings for him got stronger. Clementine and Rodney have been doing their best to getting the cider mill back up and running by going through the machines, exploring the town for parts, with a bit of goofing off here and there, she was having fun with him. All it made her do was fall more in love with Rodney than before.
She couldn't help it, all she could think about was his dark, short hair, his gorgeous, green eyes, the little scar on his cheek, his fading southern accent, his leadership, his dedication, even his stupid puns, she loved it all. He even asks about her work and how Andie's doing. Unfortunately, she had no idea how to deal with it. Clementine wanted to jump around and throw up at the same time, it was weird, but she enjoyed the feeling.
"Clem?"
The girl looked up at Luke standing by the front door. It was a new day and they were both getting ready for work. Luke called the girl out after he noticed that she's been in the middle of tying her shoe for two minutes.
"You okay?"
Clementine looked back down at her foot, then remembered what she was doing and tied the laces. She couldn't help but think about him.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"You sure?" Luke gave her a curious look. He's noticed that Clem's been a bit spacey, which wasn't like her. He wasn't entirely worried, but he could tell that something was bugging her.
"Yes." That was a lie. Actually, maybe he'd know more about this. "Luke? What's it like to have a crush on someone?"
Out of all the things she could have asked, that was not a question he expected.
"Where is this coming from?" he asked.
"A-a book." Clem was too shy to admit it to him. "I was reading it and… just what is it like?"
Luke didn't know if he fully believed her, but her question did intrigue him. And if anyone knew anything about crushes, it's no wonder she came to him.
"Crushes are one of the most amazing and heartbreaking things about love." He started as he walked over to her, sitting next to her on the couch. "They can make a person feel so happy then make them sad like that. I wasn't exactly a ladies man, but crushes were definitely something I went through."
"But, what do you do though? If you have one?"
"In my experience, I never acted upon them. I was too worried about being rejected. Although the one time I did, it was with Abby and it actually turned out well, as you know."
"So, it's best just to tell them?" she asked.
"I mean, to get it off your chest, yeah, but sometimes it's not-" Luke was interrupted by a peck on his cheek.
"Thanks, Luke!"
Clementine left the room as fast as she could. Luke was confused at the action and at the conversation in general, but he was glad he could help her with whatever she had on her mind. He didn't give it more thought, he had work and he could ask when they both get home tonight.
The shade from the forest trees covered the backyard, and the sound of the little stream separating the yard and the forest wasn't as relaxing as one would hope, just background noise. Clementine walked around the shed they had in the yard and sat down on the side closest to the stream, plopping the bag she had next to her.
Clementine reached into the bag and pulled out a bottle of the hard lemonade from the party. She used her pocket knife and used it as a bottle opener. The lid flew off and landed in the stream and she bit down on her lip as she focused on the little cap float sink in the water. She took a good sip before bringing her knees to her chest. She didn't know how to feel, there were so many different emotions. How could she have fucked it up so badly?
They were just hanging out and then it happened. It wasn't like she told him, no, she fucking tried to kiss him. After she and Rod took a break, they rested against the wall of the mill to relax, and they started talking. There was a moment of silence between them and they smiled at each other and she was reminded how much she loved him, and something came over her and she…
Rodney stopped her, his hand on her should keeping her at a distance.
"Clem, I… uh."
But by then it was already too late.
"Sorry, I- I don't know what came over me…"
"Yeah… just, I don't… feel the same way."
She was keeping herself from shaking so hard then in their awkward silence.
"I- I should go."
"Clem…"
"No, it's fine." It wasn't. "Really."
Then she left and she walked all the way home. Now here she is, drinking in her backyard, feeling… god, she didn't even know, but it was bad. She wanted to crawl into a hole and die. She could drink to that, and she did. Clementine gulped down her drink and dwelled more on the situation. She didn't know what to do. How the hell is she supposed to face him? What if he tells their friends? It would be embarrassing!
The cold air nipped at her nose and she sniffed. She told herself she wouldn't cry over this, she'd just drink away the pain. What else could she do? She's never experienced this before. Clementine finished the bottle, tossed it aside, and opened another. Her arms wrapped around her knees and she tucked her head down, hiding from the world.
"Clem?" Luke's home, but she wanted time alone. "You out here?"
The cold air caused her to sniff again and soon enough she heard footsteps coming towards her. She didn't want to tell him what happened. It was still too embarrassing.
"Clem?" He was next to her, looking down at her curled up form. "Kid, are you okay?"
Luke sat down next to her. He watched her shake her head as a response to his question. Even when she's upset, she can't lie to him.
"Did something happen?"
She paused then nodded.
"You want to tell me what happened?"
Another head shake.
Luke thought for a moment at what could be wrong. He thought back to a couple mornings ago when she asked him about crushes. He told her that it was best to go for it so you get over it, and even though he didn't finish what he had to say, she accepted that answer and ran off. Now she was upset, and it was all too familiar to him. Shit…
"Oh, Clem." He sighed. "Come here."
He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to him. Her head buried itself in his chest. He understood what she was feeling, and it was one of the worst feelings in the world.
"It'll be okay." Luke said to her as he rubbed her back.
"Why does it hurt so much?!"
Heartbreak was really something. It was the one thing he couldn't shield her from, no matter how hard he tried. The emotional pain of it was rough, he remembered the break-ups and rejections he had been through, it never got any easier. Poor Clementine had to experience what it was like, it sucks the life out of you and makes you feel shitty.
"I don't know, Clem, but it'll get better. I promise." Luke noticed the drink in her hand. "What are you drinking?"
Clementine pulled her head away from him and took a deep breath to calm down a bit before speaking. "It's alcohol. We were drinking it and we all got to take home a few." She held the bottle out to Luke.
He took it in his hand. "Clem, you shouldn't be…" he got a good look at what she was drinking. "Was this stuff was why you came home drunk the other night?"
"Yeah."
Luke held back his smile. The kid got drunk over this light shit, he knew she was small but still, he was holding back his laugh.
"You got drunk over this?" Luke asked her doing everything to let his snickers about it not be heard through his voice, but failed.
"Why are you laughing?" Clementine asked.
"I'm not laughing."
"You're trying not to!"
Luke cleared his throat. "Sorry kid, just with how you came home drunk, I didn't think it was because of this."
"You're such an asshole."
"I know." Luke stood up. "Come on, let's go back inside."
Clementine shook her head as she curled up again.
"You're gonna freeze out here, kid." He said to her.
"Let me be miserable."
"I guess I'm carrying you then."
Clementine didn't protest as Luke picked her up. Once he got inside, he set her down on the couch and took the bottle out of her hand and set it down on the table. She buried her head in the pillow she was resting on as he covered her with a blanket.
"I'm never going outside again!"
Luke rubbed her arm. "I know, it sucks."
"How could I've been so fucking stupid?!"
"You're not stupid, Clem. Love is." He cupped her cheek, causing her to glance at him.
"I just… why doesn't he… I just wish I knew why…"
The look in her eyes caused a pain in him, she was so confused about everything. Luke's hand made its way under hat, curling and uncurling his fingers in her hair.
"You gotta take it day by day, kid. Just get some rest, for now, I'll be here."
Her eyes closed and her small form curled up in a fetal position under the blankets. His soothing voice and the scalp massage making her sleepy. Luke tucked the blanket under her body as she fell asleep, he felt bad for her. With all the good things she's experienced, she's been able to have somewhat of a normal life, but with that, she got to experience rejection. He knew the pain all too well.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Luke checked Clem, making sure she was still asleep before he went to the front door. He opened the door to see Rodney standing there. Luke thought back to his and Clem's conversation, she never mentioned who broke her heart. However he did know that Clementine has been working with Rodney a lot lately, and Clem's been so pumped to go to work, a lot more than usual. If he could guess, he would put money on the teenager in front of him.
"Hey, Luke, is Clementine here?" Rodney asked. He was nervous, only slightly though.
"She's asleep." Luke told him.
"Oh… Well, can you tell her that she has the day off tomorrow?" He said.
"Didn't she already have one a week ago?"
"She did, but she worked instead. So she doesn't have to work tomorrow."
Clementine used her day off to spend time with him. He didn't even have to say it, Luke knew.
"Rodney, we need to talk about Clementine." Luke started as he stepped outside and shut the door behind him and his arms folded. "Care to explain why I found her drinking in the backyard?
The teenager slumped his shoulders down. "We were drinking when we all hung out that one time, and-"
"That's not what I meant." Luke interrupted. "I don't care about her having alcohol, that's not what I'm concerned about. I want to know why she was so upset that she had to drink."
The teenager slumped his shoulders down at his tone, he was a bit scared. Luke was always nice to him and his dad, he was a good guy. Then Rodney thought about how protective he is over Clementine and how tall Luke was in front of him. Yeah, he was terrified.
"Did… uh… Did she tell you…"
"No, she was too busy drinking and feeling like she was stupid to tell me what happened." Luke explained to him.
Rodney looked down at his feet. He felt bad that he did that to his friend.
"I want to know what happened." Luke demanded.
Rodney sighed. "We were just hanging out and out of the blue, she tried to kiss me…"
Luke closed his eyes. God, he'd feel like shit if he did that, no wonder why Clem's having it rough. He remembered he she suddenly kissed him in the back of the truck, it was out of the blue, too.
"Look, it's nothing against her, just I don't like her like that." Rodney told him.
"Why?"
"What?"
"She was asking herself why you don't like her, and I want to know."
"Why would you want to know that?"
"You've been having Clem work with you for the past week, just the two of you. Obviously, that's going to cause some confusion in her, especially if she's liked you for a while."
"I didn't know she liked me, I swear. I was only spending time with her because-" he cut himself off.
"Because of what?" Luke was stumped. Rodney was too embarrassed to finish the sentence or he's too shy. Why would he spend time with Clem? What purpose would it serve?
Luke heard some yelling. He looked up to see Andie walking her grandmother back home, the girl was yelling back at Debbie. All of a sudden it hit him. There wasn't anything wrong with Clementine.
"It's not that I don't like Clem… I do, just…" Rodney tried to explain, but he didn't want to admit it.
It was clear to Luke. Rodney didn't like Clem because he liked someone else.
"I just wanted to know more about… Andie." Rodney said shyly.
It's why he spent time with Clem. She and Andie were best friends, she showed him her half of their friendship necklace when he pointed it out. He was happy that she had a best friend, but if Clementine knew that this was why Rodney was hanging out with her, that could damage it.
"I'm sorry."
"I'm not the one you need to apologize to." Luke told him.
"I know."
"Rodney, listen. Clem and Andie are best friends. And at this point, you need to hold off on what you're feeling for her, especially now more than ever. I don't want Clementine in a fight with any of her friends, and I'm sure you don't want to be the source of it."
"I don't."
"You can easily fuck up their friendship, you know that right?"
"I do."
"Are you going to fuck this up?"
"No…"
"Alright, now if there's nothing else, I've got to take care of a sleeping upset kid."
Rodney's head fell and he nodded before turning away.
Luke sighed before going back inside. Clementine was still asleep on the couch, he watched her little cat jump up on the couch and curl up next to her. Clem was going to need a lot of love to heal her broken heart and he needed to be there for her.
Luke reached his hand down into the stream, bowl in hand then scrubbed the crusted chili off. He then handed the bowl to Clementine who was sitting next to him so she could dry it off, as he did the other bowl. Generally, they did dishes together. It was faster and they both hated it anyway, so they did it with each other. They would use the stream in their backyard wash them. Since there was only two of them, they didn't have a lot of dishes to wash, either because they didn't need dishes or they didn't use a lot. They both agreed to the limit for not washing the dishes was one week.
"How you feeling?" Luke asked her. It's been a day since Clementine got rejected. She spent it at home, doing who knows what.
"I don't know…" Clem continued to dry the dish in her hand.
"Did you read anything new today?"
"I didn't feel like it." Clementine sighed. "Luke?"
"Yeah, kid?"
"Am I pretty?"
Luke's mouth went dry at the question. "Why would you ask that?"
"I just want to know why he doesn't like me, and maybe it's because…"
Fuck no! No way in hell he'd let her think bad about herself! But he can't tell her why Rodney doesn't like her.
"Clem, there's nothing wrong with you. You're perfect just the way you are."
"But, am I pretty?"
Luke paused. "That's not exactly a question I can answer, you know."
Clementine set the bowl down. "Is it because I'm not?"
"God, Clem, no! It's not that! Just… it's weird for me to answer that question because you're like a sister to me." Luke thought for a moment. "You're a beautiful kid, Clem. I don't just mean that in looks, you're smart, tough as hell, a little badass at times. If Rodney can't see that then that his problem, it's got nothing to do with you."
"Thanks, Luke."
"You feel better?"
"A little bit, I guess."
Luke hated it when she was upset, and this broken heart of hers would be hard to heal. "I mean that, Clem. You shouldn't let this get you down."
He finished cleaning off the last bowl and gave it to her to dry. Once they finished the dishes, they carried them back inside and put them away. As Luke opened the cabinet he noticed a bunch of bottles of alcohol stashed on the top shelf. He found them when they first moved in, but he never drank any. He didn't have a reason to and Clementine was underage. However he couldn't get over the fact Clementine got drunk off of light stuff, and maybe now would be a good time to show her what it's like to be drunk.
"Hey, have you ever had this?" Luke pulled down a bottle of Tennessee whiskey to show her.
"No."
"You want to try some?"
"I don't know…"
"It might make you feel better. It's not as bad as you think."
"I've had whiskey before with Nick when we were trapped in that shed."
"That stuff was homemade whiskey."
"What's the difference?"
"Homemade alcohol is stronger. I could tell from just a whiff of him." Luke informed her. "But this will taste better. I promise."
He grabbed two glasses from the cabinet and began pouring the whiskey. Luke gave one of the glasses to Clementine and she held it in her hand as he grabbed his own glass.
"Cheers." Luke said as he clinked his glass with hers.
Clementine watched him drink then looked down at the glass in her hand and brought it to her lips, taking a slow sip. She grimaced a bit at the taste, but it wasn't as bad as she thought.
"Damn, this brings me back…" Luke said aloud. "How is it?"
"It's… okay." Clementine responded.
"You like it?"
"Yeah, I guess so."
"I remember the first time I drank this it was with me and my dad. Finished high school and he poured me a glass and just talked about life, my future, where we'd be in ten years."
"Where did you think you'd end up?"
"I don't know, good job, decent place to live, but I was mostly aiming to end up with a girl I loved." Luke pulled Clem's hat over her eyes. "Guess this works, too."
Luke walked out of the kitchen and over to the couch to sit down. Clementine followed him after she fixed her hat. She sat next to him and her cat immediately jumped up on her lap. She scratched the cat's ears before she took another sip.
"Can you tell me another story?" She asked him.
Luke thought for a moment, deciding what story to tell. "How about the time I did my first drinking game?"
"Drinking game?"
"It's a party thing. You'd play a game, but there'd be other rules that would make you drink or do something stupid." Luke told her. "The first drinking game I did was drunk Jenga."
"What did you do?"
"Well, before you play you write on the blocks. It would be something like 'take a shot,' 'take off your shirt,' 'shotgun a beer,' shit like that. Then you stack them and whatever you pull, you had to do what the block said." Luke thought for a moment. "You know, I probably shouldn't be telling you this."
"Why not?"
"You might get ideas."
Clementine scoffed as she took another sip. "So what happened when you played?"
"Two of the blocks had seven minutes written on it. So whoever drew those two blocks had to do seven minutes in heaven with each other."
"What's that?" Clem asked.
"God damn it. You see? This is exactly why I shouldn't be telling you this."
"Tell me. Tell me. Tell me." She chanted, mimicking a shouting voice.
"Fine. Seven minutes means you spend seven minutes with someone else in a closet or something doing whatever. It can range from you both doing nothing to sex."
Sex wasn't something they talked about since it brought up memories about the shack. She knows what it means, and Luke planned to talk more about it with her when she's a bit older so the topic isn't as much as a downer if it ever gets brought up again. They both just wish it wasn't thrown at them the way it was.
"Oh… so, did you pull one of those blocks?"
"… Yeah, I did. The girl who also pulled it was someone I didn't know, I think she was a friend of a friend. We ended up kissing, but that's about it, we mostly talked."
Clementine took a long sip, Luke was right, this was good. "Do you have any other stories?"
"I don't know, kid."
"Please? I love it when you tell me stories!"
Luke glanced at her for a moment, the tone of her voice becoming a bit more cheery. Clementine was giving him puppy eyes, too.
"I can't say no to that face." he sighed. "When I was in second grade, Nick and I would play kickball at recess. I was on third base and I was ready to run to home. Nick was kicking and once he kicked the ball, I booked it to home base. Then all of a sudden, one of the kids threw the ball at me to try to get me out, but it hit my legs and I tripped over it and fell on the pavement."
"Did it hurt?"
"Hurt like a bitch. I scraped my chin and my knee was all bloody. I ended up crying and a teacher had to help me to the nurse."
"That's horrible!"
"It was. My mom hated seeing the giant ass scab on my knee. I ended up playing kickball the next day, despite my mom telling me not to until my knee was healed up.
"I'm so sorry!"
"It's fine, kid." Luke looked over at Clementine seeing her glass now empty. "How are you feeling?"
"I feel bad now, I made you tell that story."
"It was a long time ago, Clem. But I meant are you feeling okay? Do you feel sick, do you need anything?"
Clementine shook her head but it was more like she was swinging it side to side, but then paused so she could look at her glass. "Luke, can I have some more?"
"You want more?"
"Please?"
Luke finished his drink as he thought about the question. "You can have half a glass more, but that's it."
"Okay…" Clementine sounded bummed out at the response.
"Stay right here?" He said as Luke got up and took both their glasses back to the kitchen to refill them. Luke came back with Clem's half glass and gave it to her as he drank his full glass which Clem took notice of.
"Why do you get more than me?"
"Because I can hold down my alcohol, and you shouldn't be having any in the first place."
Clementine shifted on the couch so her side was against the back of the couch to face Luke more. As she moved, her cat hopped off her lap.
"No, Boots, come back."
"Your cat's not a dog, kid."
"But she's so soft!"
"Hey, Clem?" Luke started. "I think you're getting drunk."
"No… I think you're crazy." she said back as she drank more, her voice echoing in the glass.
"Well, that was fast." Luke said to himself as he drank too.
"Luke, what did I do to deserve you?"
The question caught him off guard, but she continued before he could say anything.
"I love you so fucking much, you know?"
He smirked, she was definitely drunk now. "I love you, too, kid."
"See? You're so always so nice to me!" Clementine told him before she finished the last of the whiskey in her glass. Luke took the glass out of her hands and set it on the coffee table, he didn't want her drunk ass accidentally dropping it. "Why are you so nice to me?"
"Because you're my friend, Clem."
She smiled ear-to-ear, it was a smile so rare. This was her being so pure and child-like; so obliviously happy that it made him forget that the world was shit outside. He wished he could capture this moment, wait he could. Luke reached over to the tall table behind the couch and took a hold of a small tape recorder he found in the drawers in the kitchen from earlier that week. He wanted to give it to Clem, but he kept forgetting to. Luke pressed the record button before turning back to Clementine who started to climb on his lap.
"Clem, what are you doing?" he asked.
"You're like… the bestest ever!" she poked his chest. "You tell me stories, and you're pretty, and you're always there for me!"
"You think I'm pretty?"
She cupped his cheeks with her hands, lightly squeezing them together. "You're so pretty! You have nice hair and I love your smile because it makes me smile! I always look up to you because you make me so happy!"
Luke propped his knees up as he leaned back slightly, pushing Clementine back against his legs. He made a mental note to himself that Clem becomes very affectionate when drunk. Occasionally, he'd get called an asshole or she'd want to cuddle up next to him because she's cold or tired, but now she's just babbling compliments to him while drunkenly explaining to him why she gave the compliments. It was really sweet and kind of hilarious to him, he had no idea she looked up to him as much as she did. He's so glad he's recording it all, it'll be another thing to taunt and bug her about.
After about ten minutes of her babbling, Clementine leaned forward and rested on his chest as she wrapped her arms around him, Luke doing the same to her. She lifted her head up for a brief moment and kissed his cheek then rested in the crook of his neck.
"Why can't other guys be like you?" she muttered before she immediately fell asleep.
Luke leaned back more so he could lay down. He reached back up to the table behind the couch and stopped the recording now that the kid was asleep. His hand began rubbing her back and she unconsciously cuddled closer to him. It was nice to not see her be so serious. Clem genuinely a sweet-hearted kid, which was evident in her drunken state. Luke had always wondered what she'd be like if all of this never happened. Maybe she wouldn't be as affectionate as her drunk-self showed, but she'd definitely be caring and kind.
Clementine didn't remember much from when she got drunk with Luke, from what she does remember was her smiling and giggling and his stories. However, Luke told her that she was babbling compliments to him. Actually, telling her wasn't the right word to use, he was teasing her the next morning about how she thought he was pretty, she didn't believe him so he started mimicking her as well as mentioning that she talked about how pretty he was for a solid two minutes. A bit embarrassing, but she knew he meant well.
It's been a week since Rodney turned her down, and Clementine's been busy babysitting during that time. Andie was happy to see her come back to work with her and Clem was happy to be with her best friend again. Of course, Andie asked what she has been doing with Rodney and why she wasn't working with him anymore, and Clementine half-lied and told her that Rodney wanted help getting the cider mill off the ground, then stopped working with him because she wanted to work with Andie again.
Her friend bought the lie, that's all that matters, she didn't want to talk about what happened between her and Rodney. At least Clementine didn't have to work with him, that would have made the situation weird. It'll just be her and Andie, and she wouldn't have to see Rodney again.
"Girls, there are two boys outside looking for you." A said to Clementine and Andie. "You both did well today, I'll take it from here."
The two of them smiled at each other from their freedom from babysitting then headed out the front door of the house only to see the twins waiting for them. Figures, they go everywhere together, Clementine has never seen them apart, and when she heard Tyrone went with Rodney and a few other guys back to the hospital to get supplies from there, she was shocked; the brothers were like glue, and it made sense because they only have each other in regards to family.
"What's up, boys?" Andie asked.
"Eh, the sky. A couple clouds, though." Tyrone responded. He's always been the jokester of their friend group and tended to take life as it comes.
"So what do you need?" Clementine asked.
"Well, we were going to check on the walker pit to see how it was holding up." Tad started. He's more serious than his brother and tends to be more analytical about things. "But Rodney wanted us to come down to the cider mill he's been working on."
"All of us?" Clementine asked.
"Yep, so come on!" Tyrone said as he led the way to the farm.
She didn't want to see him. What is she supposed to say to him? What would he say to her? Why was this so stupidly hard? Luke said she had to take it day by day and it'd get better. She hasn't seen him in a week so she had no clue what would happen, which worried her. This was inevitable, though, she couldn't avoid Rodney forever. Eventually, she'd have to face him, and today was that day.
The four of them made it to the cider mill, the door propped open by a rock to provide more light inside. And there he was, working on one of the machines.
"Rodney!" Tyrone called.
He turned around to face them with a small smile on his face. Clementine avoided eye contact, and instead looked at the other machines. Rodney's been working his ass off to get this place up and running. He tried his best to explain how everything works to her when she was working with him, but he was young when his dad explained it to him, and it all went over Clem's head. It was a long process, and Rodney said that a lot of these machines wouldn't be useful.
"Hey, guys!" he greeted.
"So care to explain what this is?" Tad asked.
"Welcome to the cider mill! Aside from the farm business, my dad would sell apple cider, and this is the building is where we'd make it.
"So you're hyped up about glorified apple juice?" Andie asked.
"It is not just apple juice!" Rodney exclaimed. "This will benefit so many people in town!"
"Explain then." Tyrone said.
"I've been taking parts from the of the machines that are for branding and packaging, and trying to fix the other stuff with it. I think we just need the apple cutter thing and the juicer." Rodney said. "It's just figuring out how to do that."
"And this benefits us how?" Tad asked.
"First off, we get a drink that isn't water! Plus the leftover apple guts from juicing it becomes compost to grow more shit on the farm!"
"Alright, so apple juice and compost. Nice work, Rod!" Andie said.
"Andie, if you can't respect the greatness of cider then you can leave."
She smirked in response.
Clementine thought this was a great idea, she just wishes that what happened between her and Rodney didn't happen.
"Out of curiosity, how did this whole thing work?" Tad asked.
"I spent most of my time trying to figure out what everything is, so I think I have a basic clue to how this all works." Rodney said.
"So you have no clue what you're doing?" Tad asked again.
"Give me a break, the first time I stepped foot in this place was when I was five. Both my parents wouldn't let me come here because they were afraid I'd get hurt."
Andie huffed and looked around the building as they Rodney explained how the mill worked. Her eyes got caught on a ladder leading up to an attic loft above the mill. "What's up there?" she asked Clementine.
Clem looked up to what she was talking about. "I don't know, the ladder was broken when we were working together. I guess he fixed it."
"Well, come on then. I don't care about Rod's love for apple juice, let's explore." she said as she took her hand and pulled her over to the ladder.
This was one way to avoid Rodney: letting her best friend pull her into shenanigans. They both climbed up the ladder and took in the untouched loft full of crates, hay, and tarps covering who knows what. Clementine looked around and went through the crates only to find empty plastic bottles and caps and some farm tools. They could use the bottles for water storage since they are bigger than the normal plastic bottles they have.
"Hey, Clem, look at this!" Andie called.
Clementine turned to Andie, watching her yank the tarp off of what she found. It was a lot of things. There was a table with a small hole on one end, and connected above it were two different things with wheels, one had a crank the other was one you turn with your hands. There was also a barrel resting on the table under one of the things with some sort of lid on it that connected to one of the things. Whatever it was, it was old, although it looked like it could still work… if they knew what it's for.
"What the hell is this?" Andie asked.
"Beats me." Clementine said as both of the girls inspected it as they listened to Rodney explain how the mill works, then it hit her. "Actually, I think I know what this is. Or at least an idea."
"I'm getting the same thought. That idiot. Yo, Rod!" Andie yelled.
"What?"
"When was the mill built?" she asked.
"Uh… I think like ten years before I was born."
"How did they make cider before then?"
"Well, we weren't selling the stuff before the mill. We made it for ourselves. 'Ourselves' meaning my grandpa and my dad. I'm guessing they had something to make it."
"Yeah well, I think we found that something!"
There was a moment of silence before Rodney spoke again.
"What?!"
"We found the thing they used to make cider with!"
"No fucking-!" Rodney cut himself off, and soon enough he was climbing the ladder to the loft.
"Seriously, Rod, how the fuck did you miss this?" Andie asked.
Rodney began looking over the old contraption as the twins climbed the ladder to join them on the loft.
"Yeah… this would work…" he sighed in annoyance. To think he wasted two weeks working on the mill when the answer was right here. "We just need to get this down to the ground floor and we can test it."
"And how do we do that? The thing looks heavy." Tyrone asked.
"Rope. We'll just tie a bunch of knots and lower it down." Tad said. "Although it would be best if we use the post so it doesn't yank us all down."
"There was rope in one of the crates." Clementine told him.
"Perfect."
Clementine retrieved a few bundles of rope from the crate and tossed them to Tad. As a team, the five of them secured the rope around the old machine and attached another rope to it so they could lower it down. The plan was to have three people up top using the post as support to lower it down while the other two help guide it down. Clem said she'd be on the ground floor to make sure it gets down safe, and as she got down the ladder, Rodney said he'd be with her.
Her heart dropped. She looked up at him coming down the ladder then looked away once he got down. She couldn't look at him in the eye, it was weird, awkward, and everything felt bad. Did he move on already? She couldn't even get the courage to talk to him. Clem could feel his eyes on her for a moment then he sighed.
"You guys ready?" He asked.
"Yeah!" Tad said. "We're gonna push it off slow so it's easier for us."
"Okay."
Clementine watched Tad slide the heavy table off. He pushed one leg off, then the other. Tad grabbed the bundle of knots to help get the other two legs off and lower it slowly before going to help Andie and Ty lower it. She and Rodney could hear their grunts.
"Clem." Rodney whispered. "Is everything-"
"It doesn't matter." she interrupted.
"Can we… you know, talk?"
"Rodney, I…"
"I didn't mean to- shit!"
"Rodney it's-"
"Walkers!"
Clementine turned towards the door to see a few of them wander in thanks to the open door.
"Excuse me?!" Tyrone yelled.
"Oh, fuck!" Andie exclaimed.
"Don't fucking drop that thing!" Rodney called to them.
"Tell that to fucking gravity!" Tad told him. "Just hurry!"
Clementine whipped out her icepick and Rodney grabbed a nearby crowbar and they started killing the dead. One by one the walker bodies fell to the floor, but they kept coming. How this many got on the farm property, they didn't know, but they had to kill them. The number of walkers dwindled down after Clem's fifth kill and she saw Rodney finishing off a walker just as the last one came up behind him and caused him to trip backward with the walker on top of him. She had to act fast.
Rodney was doing his best to keep the walker from biting him, but he could only keep the distance away for so long and its neck was lunging at him. Clementine grabbed the back of the dead walker's shirt and stabbed her icepick in its head, killing it. She tossed the walker body off of him and extended her hand out to Rodney to help him up. He let his adrenaline die down as he looked up at her. She saved his life, despite what happened. Rodney accepted her hand and she pulled him up.
"I'm sorry for making you feel shitty." Rodney said to her.
"It's okay." Clementine responded.
Are we good?" he asked.
"We're good." she confirmed.
They both smiled. They both can move on from this. It was a step forward and they can put this behind them.
"Guys!" Tyrone called.
Shit, the machine!
"We're okay!" Clementine yelled as they ran back under the machine. She and Rodney reached their hands up ready to catch it.
"Lower it a bit more!" Rodney said. He and Clementine were able to grab the table ends. "We got a hold of it. Just keep lowering it slowly!"
Finally, they were able to get it down on the ground, much to Tyrone, Tad, and Andie's relief. They complained that their arms felt like jelly as they climbed down the ladder, but on the bright side, they are now able to make cider on a manual machine.
"I'm never doing that again!" Andie said.
Rodney and Clementine begin untying the knots on the machine.
"Well, it's not the big mill I hoped for but we can have cider now! And we don't have to rely on electricity." Rodney said. "We can start tomorrow. I'm done for today."
"You're one to talk!" Tad said.
"Yeah, you can explain how this rig works when I get the feeling back in my arms." Tyrone added.
"I need to get apples first anyway so it works out." Rodney said.
"Can we go now or are you going to confess your love to apple juice?" Andie asked.
"Cider!" Rodney corrected again. "But, yeah you can go."
"Cool, see you tomorrow, Rod." Andie said as she linked arms with Clem.
"Bye, Rodney." Clementine said as her friend dragged her away.
"Clem, I have no idea how you were able to stand him for a week." Andie said to her as they left.
"He's not that bad." Clementine said back.
The two girls walked along the fenceline. They found how the walkers got in, the fence broke. It was weird though, normally the walkers would just trip over the fence, but it was broken, both the top and the bottom rods. At most the top rod would be broken, but both were broken, almost in half… It was odd. But still, a broken fence is a broken fence.
"I didn't think the walkers would be heavy enough to break the fence." Andie said aloud.
"I've seen walkers break the fence of the Gardners." Clementine said. "But that fence was pretty old and this one was pretty strong."
"And?" Andie asked.
"I don't know, it looks more… smashed." Clem pointed out.
"You right… the twins could have been messing around or it was some sort of accident?"
"Andie, I don't think the fence was like this when I was working here. Was it like this when we came down?"
"I… I hope not…"
They looked at each other then looked back at the cider mill seeing how close it was as the twins and Rodney come out. The boys notice the girls then the broken fence. They said that they'd have to notify Rodney's dad about the walker break in, but they saw that the fence kind of looked smashed, too. Something was off, and they knew it.
After Rodney's dad came down to inspect the fence, he instructed them to go back to work. And they did with a small uneasy feeling.
A/N: The end of this chapter! Hope you enjoyed, and sorry it took so long. I will release another one soon! K, bye!
