Chapter 2:
"...And so he stops me, and he says excuse me mam, but are you old enough to be in here-"
"I had to ask, I mean, look at her!-"
"Oh stop, Ezzie!"
Rick's top lip quivered with disgust as he watched his mother and her new boyfriend in the kitchen, explaining to he and Michonne how they first met. He glanced down at his girlfriend, who was trying her best to give an interested smile.
"We're going out", Rick announced, interrupting the new couple's moment.
"Oh, already? You just got here!", His mother threw her hands up in the air, while Ezekiel watched the exchange with a disappointed look.
"We'll be back in time for dinner. Promise", Michonne informed, causing Rick to glance at her again.
"Yeah", He snorted, turning and leaving the kitchen before Michonne.
"Bye!", She called following after him. As soon as she was close enough she hissed, "Stop being rude-"
"I said three words-"
"Your face, Rick. You were looking at them like they were a flesh eating bacteria"
He smirked at her reference as they stepped out his home and made their way back to his car, "Are you gonna go see your mom?"
"Yeah, probably when we get back", She nodded, "Her car's not there so she's probably out"
Rick looked over to the other home and also nodded, "Alright"
He hoped her mother didn't have any surprises in store for the two of them either. To come and see his own mother enthralled with a new man made Rick uncomfortable beyond belief. It wasn't that he didn't want her to move on, but with the change of her appearance and Ezekiel's presence, he felt as if it had come out of the blue, and it rubbed him to wrong way.
After making arrangements to meet his friends at the diner, Rick first stopped to pick up Sasha, so she and Michonne could indulge in their catch up session along the way.
"Oh my god! Your hair! I love it so much!", Sasha complimented Michonne as she jumped in the back of his vehicle, "Hey Rick! You look… older?"
Rick gave her a frown and a smile at the same time, "Thanks? I think?"
Sasha still squinted at him, "Is it the hat?-"
"It's that hat", Michonne hurried, "Now tell me everything, what have I missed? How have you been? How's Daryl?!"
"Well first, you will never guess who's pregnant?"
"Who?"
"Karen. And apparently Mike's the dad"
Rick glanced over at Michonne to see her reaction, and her eyes were at their widest. She looked to him, and he just gave a little shrug, "It happens"
"She's like… showing pregnant too. I saw her two weeks ago at the department store with her mom", Sasha continued, "Then I saw Paula and she confirmed it- Oh! Paula's is like some kind of 'punk rock' girl now, she shaved the sides of her head and everything-"
"What? Punk?", Michonne repeated.
"Yeah. We went to a party at Pete's, and Maggie and I were just like- Oh! Maggie! Maggie and Glenn! Full on romancing right now. I think Glenn met her parents and everything-"
"Aww! Sweet!"
"Yeah! They are so cute together! When we were at the party, Lori spilt a drink on Maggie- Oh! Lori! You will never guess who she hooked up with! In front of everyone!"
"Who?"
"Shane!"
"What?!", Rick and Michonne not questioned. Rick tried his best not to listen to the gossip as he drove, but he found himself looking in the rest view mirror at Sasha.
"Yep! She had just got back from camp so she got wasted at Pete's party and Shane was trying to help her off the kitchen counter and she grabbed him by his shirt and started making out with him, and I don't mean like a little kiss, I mean she was grinding on him and everything-"
"What the hell?", Rick frowned.
"Yeah. Shane pulled her off but after like, five minutes or something. Me and Daryl were just like- Oh! Me and Daryl!", Sasha slapped her hand over her mouth.
Rick's glanced at Michonne, and her mouth fell open as she looked back at Sasha. He groaned when he realised what the girls were communicating silently.
"Oh don't worry about him", Michonne waved her hand dismissively at Rick, "When? Tell me every-"
"I would really appreciate it if you didn't tell her eveythan'. I mean, congratulations and all but, I have to look Daryl in the eye", He pleaded.
Sasha gave a shy chuckle, "Fine. We'll save that story for later. Now! Tell me! Why didn't you tell me you were leaving? Where did you even go? Where did you come back from? Didn't your moms freak? My mom would have freaked-"
"We just decided to go on a little road trip", Michonne gave a little shrug, "We went to Macon, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Savannah-"
"What did you do?!"
"Uh… a lot of bars", She squinted at Rick as she tried to remember, "Festivals… Fairs… we stayed by the beach for a couple days and there were a couple parties there-"
"I'm so jealous! I would love to do something like that! Pictures?!"
Michonne reached in her backpack and retrieved her phone, handing it over her shoulder to Sasha, "Loads"
Rick bit his bottom lip as they arrived at the diner, already noticing Shane's car in the lot. He parked next to his friend's car, and the three of them got out. He felt a little nervous seeing his friends, as he had disappeared with no warning, and he didn't particularly give them an explanation either.
He saw Daryl first, and there was hardly any change there. His hair still covered his face, and he sat with one leg up in the booth, picking up a handful of fries and shoving them in his mouth.
Glenn did the same, sitting beside Daryl, appearing just as Rick had last seen him, laughing at something Shane said. Rick's best friend came into view and he almost stopped dead in his tracks when he saw he was bold.
"Well look who it is!?", Daryl called, climbing up to sit on the back of the booth, "Look at these two just strollin' in here like they ain't been gone a while!"
"My, my, my", Shane shook his head at the two of them, "You both got some explaining to do, don't you?"
"Hi guys. We missed you all", Michonne waved as she stopped next to Rick, "It was his idea. Come on Sasha"
Rick's mouth fell open as he watched his girlfriend drag her friend to the next booth to continue their conversation in private.
"Sold out by the little lady!", Daryl chuckled, "I love it!"
"Come on, man! Tell us everything!", Glenn encouraged.
Rick sighed as he took a seat with his hands raised, "Look, it was a spur of the moment thang. It popped in my head the next day we got back from the city and I just thought 'Fuck it -let's go'... so we did-"
"Where did you go?"
"Savannah, Jacksonville, Macon-"
"You party out there?", Shane quizzed, sitting back in the booth.
"Yeah. A little too much…", Rick's eyes trailed past Glenn to the back of Michonne's head, then quickly back to Shane, "I guess we need to plan another trip like that, huh?"
"What the hell do you think?!", Shane barked, "You're out there having the time of your life! And we're stuck here twiddling our thumbs!"
"Not what I heard you were doing?", Rick raised his eyebrow at Shane.
His face fell, "That was different, she climbed me like a damn tree-"
"You should have seen it!", Glenn chortled, holding his stomach, "He looked like he didn't know whether to kiss her back or run!"
Rick snickered at his friend, "It's a shame I missed it-"
"What can I do for you, Rick? Glad to see you back", Jenny was at their table, with her little black note pad in her hand, ready to take his order.
The lady time Rick saw the young woman, she was top less in bed with Shane and himself, so needless to say, it was a little awkward for him, "Thanks Jenny... Uh, let me just get a lemonade, hold on, Cha-cha!"
Michonne swung her head around to look at him, while Sasha leaned over the booth to take a handful of Daryl's fries.
"You want anythan'?"
She shook her head, "No, thanks"
He looked back to Jenny, "Just a lemonade then, please?"
"Alright. When I get back you have to tell me where you went", She smiled, spinning on her heel as she walked away.
He slowly nodded, looking back to Michonne, just as she turned back to Sasha. He had a knot in his stomach whenever he found himself looking at her, and coming back to Kings County didn't seem to help matters.
"So what's the real reason here…", Shane's voice was low enough for only Rick to hear, while Glenn and Daryl engaged in a new conversation with Michonne and Sasha.
Rick sighed, his gaze rolling over to his friend, his voice equally low, "I was out of options"
Shane's eyes darted over to Michonne for a second, "How about now?"
He smirked with disbelief, "Still out of options. I think that little trip even made it worse"
Shane narrowed his eyes at him, "Not that bad?"
"We passed bad a while ago. Now it's just… horrible"
"Damn", Shane muttered, straightening up.
Even though it was only a slither of a discussion, Rick felt a little at ease, having verbalise their problems with his best friend. It was something that he and Michonne had barely had a chance to do.
"Well don't worry about it man", Shane gave him a firm pat on the back, "Now you're home, I got my partner in crime back, and you can give 'Chonne over there a little break"
Rick nodded in agreement, though his body tensed at the prospect.
…
The drive home from the diner was another silent one, with Michonne facing away from him, peering out the window. Rick stole a glance at her a few times, wondering what she was thinking about. It was near enough impossible for him to read her, so much so that he wasn't even sure how she felt about the turn in their relationship. He didn't want things to remain the way they had been, which was leaving him in utter turmoil during his waking hours.
When they arrived at the his home and left his vehicle, Michonne noticed her mother's car in the driveway, and the lights shinning from within the house.
"I'll be over in the little while", She made her way over to her parents' home without a second look.
Rick didn't say anything, he just watched her until she reached the front door. Her mother appeared shortly after, throwing her arms around Michonne. He was happy that she and her mother were working on rebuilding their relationship before they left, and he hoped they could continue to, as he knew how much it meant to her, but it was still one of the many threads that formed the knot in his stomach.
He had reached his own front door, when he heard a the sound of an engine approaching, leading him to look over his shoulder. A small lorry had parked behind his car in the driveway, and he couldn't hold back a scowl when he saw it was his father in the driver's seat. He stepped in the house and slammed the door behind him, heading to the kitchen. The last person he wanted to see was his father.
"Oh good, you're home", His mother breathed as she came into the kitchen after him, tying her new tresses in a ponytail, "I wanted the boxes out front before your father came-"
The doorbell rang before his mother could finish her sentence.
"A little too late for that. He's here", Rick muttered dryly, opening the fridge.
"Great. Just great", His mother growled, marching back out the room.
He took a bottle of water from the fridge and stalked back to the hallway, hoping to make it upstairs without having to encounter her father.
He wasn't so lucky. The older Grimes male was greeting his mother at the door as he approached the staircase, and made the effort to extend the greeting on to him, "Hello Rick"
He said nothing in return as he rested a hand on the rail and began stomping up the steps with a sigh.
"I see you're still being childish!", His father called a free him, angrily.
"And I see you're still the slime ball that cheated on my mom!", Rick called back, not even attempting to stop and face his father.
"You leave him alone!", His mother snapped, "You just get your things and get out!"
He was tempted to wait behind to monitor his mother and father's interaction, but he found himself face to face with Ezekiel when he reached the landing.
"Is everything alright down there?", Ezekiel queried, closing the bathroom door behind him.
Rick glanced over his shoulder, "Somethan' like that..."
The older man eyed him for a few moments, before nodding as he stepped past him. Rick intended to retreat to his room, but instead he decided to take a seat on the top of the stairs, waiting to see the drama unfold before his very eyes.
The front door was open, and his father had obviously began uploading the boxes into the van. Ezekiel hovered at the bottom of the stairs as he waited for the other man to return, and Rick could have thanked the man for doing such a thing. After a few moments of waiting, his father returned, slowing to a halt when he saw Ezekiel.
"Frank, is it? I am Ezekiel", the man announced, holding out his hand.
Rick's father squinted at the man, "Who the hell are you?"
Ezekiel dropped his hand, "I am Eileen's partner"
His father's face crumbled with confusion, "Partner? What? You mean you're her little boyfriend?"
The other man gave a little shrug, "Well, call it what you will, but I haven't been a boy for a long time"
"You're living here?"
"That isn't something I wish to discuss with you-"
"Then get the hell out of my face", His father took a step closer, his fists balled at his sides, "And keep out of my way"
"I think you need to calm down, I mean no offence-"
Rick's father bent his elbow, bringing his hand back to punch Ezekiel, but the other man ducked out the way, catching him by the arm, "Frank! Calm down!"
"Get the hell off of me!", His father pulled his arm out of the man's grip, and attempting to swing his fist for the man again. Ezekiel was fluid in his movement, dodging the second blow and shoving the man away from him.
"Calm down!"
"What on earth is going on here?!", His mother barked as she jogged down the hall and into his view.
"Shit", Rick muttered as he stood up, stepping cautiously down the stairs.
His father gathered himself as Ezekiel put a hand in front of his mother to stop her coming any further, but Frank soon charged at Ezekiel, and the two men locked on to each other. Rick inwardly groaned as he forced himself in between them, grabbing his father's arm and trying to pull him away. His mother yelled over the grunting the two men made, but seemed too stunned to move. Rick had to use all of his strength to pry his father off Ezekiel, which only made matters worse.
"Get the hell off me!", He roared attempting to smack Rick with the back of his hand, but his son jerked back quick enough, and much to Rick's dismay, he caught his mother instead.
She yelped, covering her mouth with her hand as she almost stumbled back, but Ezekiel was quick to her aid.
Rick's eyes darted to his father, and he wasted no time delivering a blow to the side of his nose. He stumbled on to the boxes behind him, clutching at his nose, "Get out! Now!"
It took a moment for him to find his footing, but when he did, the father and son glared at each other, neither showing any sign of ending their feud. His father shook his head with disgust while stalking towards the door, whipping the blood from his nostrils with the back of his hand.
"Looks like a busted lip", Ezekiel examined his mother's face, "Let's just put something cold on that for now"
Rick watched him lead his mother to the kitchen, then turned his attentions to the boxes strewn across the foyer. He growled to himself while he opened both front doors, and grabbing the box nearest to him. He only walked a few feet outside the home before throwing it out on the front lawn. And he did it again with the next box. He didn't know how long he spent ridding his home of his father's belongings, but soon the front yard was covered in a blanket of boxes. Rick heard some contents crash when he hit the ground, but he didn't care, if anything, he wanted to hear items break.
Michonne appeared at the door when he was marching out with the last box, hurling it far enough to that it was almost at the curb. She watched him with crazed eyes, "Rick! What are you doing?!"
"I'm done now, so nothing", He shrugged, closing the doors behind him.
"Why did you-"
"It doesn't matter. Did you speak to your mom? How is she?"
She frowned at him, "Yeah I did, she's fine"
"Good", He nodded, his eyes darting around to check if he had left anything.
"What happened?", She asked in a softer tone.
He sniffed, dragging his hand over his face, "Frank and Ezekiel got into it. He went to hit me but he hit my mom instead, so I hit him"
Her eyes studied him hurriedly, "Where's your mom-"
"Kitchen. It looks like he just caught her lip", He started making his way to the stairs, "I'm gonna have a shower"
"I'll check on your mom", She huffed, pulling off her backpack as she stepped towards the kitchen.
Rick raked his fingers through his hair in frustration. He wanted to do more to release his rage but there was nothing left to destroy and no one left to punch. It was an issue that he was starting to struggle with, hardly ever able to rid himself of all the anger he felt, and even he knew well enough that it was dangerous to hoard his fury, but for the moment, he felt he had no choice but to do so.