Chapter 10:
Rick woke up in his bed at his mother's house feeling groggy. He regretted going to a party the night before, and didn't know why he let Shane talk him into it.
He groaned as he left his room, squinting when he made his way to the stairs. He trudged down the steps carefully, his body still tired from sleep. He decided in that moment, that his late nights would have to come to an end, as he was sick of feeling so drained in the mornings.
"So he finally surfaces", His mother mocked from the breakfast table, looking at some sort of brochure, "It's two in the afternoon"
Rick groaned at her, stepping over to the fridge.
"Fun night, I take it?"
"Somethan' like that", He growled in a throaty tone, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.
"Well listen, I would like for us to go out to dinner tonight. The three of us, that is"
Rick sighed heavily as he popped the lid open.
"Oh stop that. You've had more than enough sleep"
The water barely even touched Rick's throat as he drained the bottle. He straightened up and looked at his mother with a slight frown, "Do I have to-"
"Yes. You do. You can go do whatever it is you do, when we're done. You're gone all week, so what's wrong with spending two measly little hours with us on the weekend? You're probably just going to wolf down your food and leave anyway…"
He rolled his eyes at her, shutting the fridge door with his foot.
"Oh, and we need to go out and get you a new desk chair soon. I can't believe the state of the one up there"
"It's that damn cat"
"And it's just that chair that she's ruined. She doesn't touch anythan' else around the house"
He nodded in agreement as he took a seat at the table opposite his mother, "I need to lock her out my room before I head out"
"Well you'll be fine for today. Michonne came and took her this morning. I don't know how she can just walk around with that cat..."
Rick stared at his mother, "She was over here?"
"Yeah. She came to see me", His mother smiled, still flicking through the booklet, "We only caught up for a little while- hey, tell me somethan', do her and that Jessie Anderson not get along?"
He frowned at his mother, "No. Not at all, why?"
His mother's face fell, "Ah, well, that explains it. Jessie's mother Patricia, she's starting up a little beauty business, and she said she'd drop off her catalogue over, but Jessie came instead-"
"When? Today?"
"Yeah, just this morning. So she came over and Michonne came over a second later, and I could sense somethan' was off between them"
Rick groaned for a countless time that morning, rolling his head back, "That's just what I need"
"What is it?"
"Jessie's nothing but trouble. I don't want her over her again"
His mother pursed her lips at him as she thought, slowly nodding her head, "I see"
Rick rolled his head back up again, "Is she staying with her mom?"
"Michonne? Oh no, she said she was staying the night at Paula's"
Rick frowned, "Shane said Paula ain't coming down this weekend?"
His mother's eyebrows sprung up, "Oh?"
"Yeah."
"...Well Patsy probably wouldn't mind her staying there-"
"Tell her she can stay here", Rick issued, standing up from his seat, "I'll stay with Shane"
"The two of you can stay in the same house, you know"
"Nah", Rick shook his head, "I know how she is, she wouldn't even-...Just tell her I left"
His mother sighed as she watched him leave the kitchen, "Alright… I'll try"
Rick could only hope that Jessie didn't say anything to Michonne when they were in his home. He knew that the blonde could be spiteful, and the last thing he needed in his quest to win Michonne back was the girl's interference. He also hoped that Michonne would take his mother's offer to stay at their home, as he didn't want her sleeping over at Paula's on her own. Or in general, for that matter.
After taking a shower and dressing for the day, Rick left the house and made his way to the diner, where Shane and Glenn were already waiting to meet him. He immediately saw that he wasn't the only one suffering from the night before, as both of his friends looked as worn out at he felt. Neither even bothered to speak when he sat down, instead they just gave him a pathetic attempt at a wave.
"What's going on?", Rick queried, sliding into the booth.
"Food", Glenn mumbled.
Rick eyed him, "Yeah. You should definitely eat something… you drank a lot"
"I need ah Advil or somethan'...", Shane groaned, rubbing the back of his head, before his eyes lit up, "You see who I left with last night?"
"Jenny", Rick breathed dryly, "I saw"
"And take a look at this", Shane turned in his seat and pulled up the back of his shirt, exposing the scratches and welts on his back.
"Jesus Christ", Rick muttered, "She still scratches, huh?"
"Hell yeah she does", Shane grinned, sitting back in his seat, "She ain't even coming into day. I gave her the 'Shane special' this morning-"
"The 'Shane special'? What's that?", Glenn frowned.
"Oh god", Rick sighed, "Don't ask him-"
"The 'Shane special', is when you give a girl a quick, but powerful performance", Shane picked up a ketchup and mustard bottle, "Now, I know that you ain't that experienced Glenn, so you still have to learn how to get your thrust game going-"
Glenn's mouth fell open in shock, while Rick huffed, "I told you not to ask"
"Even someone as well seasoned as Rick here, still needs a bit more practise to master the 'Shane's special'", Shane continued, lining the condiments up, "See what you have to do is, you have to set the pace quick and build up from that"
Rick and Glenn both watched in horror as their friend re-enacted his endeavours with the bottles.
"Even when you start to feel that pain in your hips, it don't matter, you keep going, you push through it, and I promise you, by the end of it, your lady friend won't even be able to walk straight. You hit her in the right place and you can gave her legs shaking and everhthan'. So that's the 'Shane Special'"
Glenn tore his eyes away from the condiments, "...That was… so wait, do you have a menu?"
"Oh my god", Rick dragged his hands over his face.
"Of course, I also have the 'Combo deal', which is where you're entertaining a girl from the back and also have two fingers in her-"
"Good afternoon boys!", The waitress smiled as she approached them, retrieving a pen from behind her ear, "What can I get you?"
Rick had never been so relieved to order food before. The last thing he needed to hear about before he ate, was his best friend's sex life in such graphic detail.
The three of them spent the rest of their afternoon in the eatery recovering, and waiting for Daryl's arrival. Rick was sure the fourth member of their group was with his girlfriend, glad to have her back for the weekend.
"I'm thinking about growing a beard…"
Both Shane and Rick raised their eyebrows at Glenn after his announcement, and it was Shane that snickered first, "You don't like the baby face look anymore?"
"I don't have a baby face", Glenn touched his cheeks as he rebutted the remark.
"You do.", Rick cringed, "You… really do."
"Don't sweat it. You got a nice looking girlfriend so obviously somebody likes that shit", Shane shrugged, taking a sip of his lemonade.
Glenn's mouth fell open once again.
"Look who decided to show his face, finally!", Shane pointed out, tipping his head towards the entrance of the diner.
Daryl strolled in, holding the door open for Sasha as she followed, "What's going on?"
"Nothing", Glenn answered for the three of them.
The duo joined them in the booth, and Rick gave his friend a single nod, and a brief smile to Sasha, "Hey"
Sasha scoffed, sending Rick a pointed look before snatching the menu off the table and holding it up in front of her, blocking Rick from her view.
Rick's head jerked back as her frowned, confused by Sasha's frosty reception. He looked to Daryl, who kept his head down, while Shane and Glenn both wore the same confused expression. Rick cleared his throat, "Uh… Sasha? Problem?"
The menu dropped down and the girl gave Rick a glare, "You have some nerve"
Rick's eyes widened, "I do? Why is that, exactly?"
"Jessie", Sasha snapped, cocking her head at him.
He frowned at her, "What about Jessie?"
"Don't act like you don't know-"
"I wish I was acting. What are you talking about?", He squinted at her as he tried to find the source of her anger.
"I get that you're single now, but really? Of all people? Her?!"
"What are you-", Realisation hit him, "Wait, wait, do you think I messed around with Jessie because she was at my house? Is that what Michonne told you?"
Sasha rolled her head, and Rick took that as a signal for 'Duh?'
He balled his fists in frustration under the table, "I didn't even see her. I woke up, my mom told me she was there dropping off somethan'. If my mom didn't tell me anythan' then I wouldn't have even known she was there! Do you really- do you really think that's somewhere I'm trying to go? Really? You have that little faith in me?"
"Told you", Daryl gruffed, side eyeing his girlfriend.
Sasha's stern expression softened, "...So you wasn't-"
"No!", he barked, causing Daryl to give him a warning look. Rick held his hands up as he took as deep, calming breath, "No, Sasha. No. Nothing like that"
"Oh okay", She cringed, "Well, sorry about that then… and I take back everything I said about you to Daryl"
He narrowed his eyes at her, "So what did she say to you?"
"You know we're still here, right?", Glenn issued dryly.
"I don't care", Rick replied, not taking his eyes off Sasha, "Can you tell me please?"
The girl huffed, "Well she said that she said to her that you two were at a party last night and you were still sleeping"
"Who said what?", Shane frowned, "Can you use names please?"
"Michonne said that Jessie said that", Sasha explained.
"Jessie said that we were at a party? Together?", Rick repeated, "And that I was still sleeping? As if she had stayed the night or somethan'?"
Sasha nodded, leading Rick to groan, running his hands over his face. He never knew he could dislike someone as much as he disliked Jessie. The fact that he had slept with her before disgusted him, and he only wished he could turn back time, so he could avoid the girl like the plague.
"So what are you going to do?", Glenn asked eagerly.
Rick bit his lip as he thought, averting his gaze back to Sasha, "Where is she?"
The girl looked at her phone screen, "I think she's at Maggie's house? She said she was heading over there"
Rick pursed his lips as he decided what to do next, and finally he climbed out the booth, "Alright"
"I'm coming", Glenn crawled out behind him.
"Oh great, I don't wanna be third wheel to these two", Shane sighed, glancing at Daryl and Sasha, who both gave him identical snarls back.
"I'll be over at your house later", Rick called to Shane as he pulled open the door.
"Fine!"
Rick wished he was one of those people that didn't have a problem explaining themselves. While he was confident most of the time, even cocky at times, he hadn't been in such a situation before. He knew Michonne didn't want to speak to him, especially if she bumped into Jessie at his home, but he still felt compelled to explain to her what had happened, and hoped to proclaim his innocence.
"So what do you think she'll say?"
Rick exhaled through his nose, "Probably nothing. Or probably a whole lot. I don't know"
"...Well at least you know she still cares if she was upset", Glenn offered from the passenger seat of his car, "Maybe you can stop being stupid and be friends again?"
He was tempted to send his friend a cautionary glance, but he kept his eyes on the road, "I need to get my shit together first"
"...This is like a movie. So you're going to get your shit together and then go to her, and be like 'I got my shit together for you'?"
"Somethan' like that Glenn", Rick sighed turning onto the road that led to Maggie's house.
"I hate to play devil's advocate…", The other teen shrunk in his seat, "But what if she moves on? Gets a new boyfriend? What then?"
He shrugged, "Easy, I beat him up"
Glenn began to chuckle, but when he saw Rick's blank expression, his smile vanished, "Oh god, you're serious aren't you?"
"We're here", Rick announced, ignoring the last question his friend asked. He knew he would have no grounds to attack any new partner of Michonne's, but if history taught anyone anything, it was that he simply didn't care.
Maggie's family home was on a farm on the edge of town, on a picturesque hill. Rick had only been there on one occasion, which was to drop the girl's home after a party, and he actually felt better having Glenn with him.
"So how are we going to do this?", Glenn queried as they climbed the porch steps.
"You are going to go hang out with your girlfriend", Rick ordered as they reached the front door, "You've been more than enough help"
"I feel so involved though-"
"Ring the damn doorbell"
Glenn did, and they both took a step back, straightening their posture. The house sounded lively, as if quite a few people were home, which didn't make Rick feel any better.
The door swung open, and a young blonde opened the door, "Glenn! And… Rick Grimes?"
Rick tried not to look at her strangely for knowing his full name, "Hey…"
"Maggie's sister, Beth", Glenn introduced quickly.
"Oh, nice to meet you, Beth", Rick smiled politely.
"You too. Come on, in", The girl moved aside to allow them in.
Glenn walked ahead first, and Rick followed, starting to wonder if he should have waited until Michonne was elsewhere to speak to her.
"Maggie! Come down! You have visitors!", Beth yelled up the staircase, "She'll come down. You boys hungry?"
"Nah, we just ate. It's okay", Glenn politely declined.
"Oh okay, well come take a seat in here"
Glenn lead the way again, and Rick trailed behind, his eyes roaming the large living area. The wall was covered in family photos, which Rick found sweet, as it wasn't something that was done at his own home.
Footsteps could be heard skipping down the stairs, and soon enough, Maggie appeared with a smile that slowly faded away, "...You have a lot of-"
"No, I don't. I really don't. I'm sure Glenn will fill you in on everythan', but in the meantime, do you mind calling Michonne down here please?", Rick kept his tone light and friendly.
Maggie eyed him suspiciously for a moment, before looking at Glenn. Her boyfriend nodded at her, so she backed up towards the staircase again, "Michonne! Can you come down here please?!"
"Thank you, I appreciate that… And do you mind if I wait out on your front porch?"
She narrowed her green eyes at him, but still tipped her head towards the front door, "Alright. Go on"
"Thanks again".
Rick inched past her and back out the home, hoping to get some privacy, if only for a few moments.
He grew more and more nervous with each passing second. His plan to give her some space was backfiring, and he could have just asked Sasha to pass on the message, but he wanted her to see that he was genuine, and that he still cared about her substantially.
The door clicked open, and Michonne stepped out with a small frown, looking from one end of the porch to the other, but stopping when she saw Rick.
He slowly inhaled, "I'm just asking for a minute here. That's it"
"No", She responded, turning back to the house.
Talking to her would be harder than he thought. Rick knew he had to get her attention, so he called out weakly, "Cha-Cha, please-"
It worked. She spun around with angry eyes, her finger pointed in his direction, "Don't you dare call me that! You are not allowed to call me that!"
"I know-"
"No, you don't!"
"I do!", he insisted, taking the smallest step forward, "Look, all I'm asking for it a minute to clear a few thangs up, and that's it. That's all I'm asking for here"
"What, about Jessie? I don't care, do what you want-"
"If that were true, then I wouldn't be here, because Sasha wouldn't have acted the way she did towards me, because she wouldn't have known about what happened with you and Jessie, because you wouldn't have told her, because you wouldn't have cared", He expressed hurriedly, riding his lungs of all oxygen to counter her point, "So I don't think that's true"
She stared at him with cold eyes filled with hurt, as she crossed her arms, "What do you want?"
"Jessie, was over at my house because she was dropping somethan' off for my mom. I didn't see her. I didn't talk to her. I didn't have a damn clue that she was there. I was asleep. She was at that party we went to yesterday but that's all that was. She was at the same party as us. Nothing else"
Michonne shifted from foot to foot as looked back towards the house, "Are you done?"
"No. I wanna know if you accept what I'm saying here?"
"I got it. Are you done?"
"No", He was, but he wasn't ready to admit that, "Are you alright?"
She scoffed, shaking her head at him, "You have some nerve-"
"I'm getting really of hearing that", Rick sighed, scratching his brow with his thumb.
"Because you do-"
"All I have been doing is trying to give you your space while I get my act together! That's all I've done here!"
"Well it's too late for that!"
"It's not! And I will prove to you that it's not", He voiced with conviction, his steely blue eyes pleading with her. She dropped her gaze, turning her head away from him a second time. He sighed, exasperated, "This is why I'm trying to keep away here, because I don't-... I'm staying at Shane's tonight, I know Paula aint in town and her mother's probably not home so the house is yours. You can stay there. My mom already knows"
She didn't attempt to speak, instead she placed her hand on the handle of the front door.
"You don't have to, but the option's there. The option's always there. That doesn't change, alright?"
She turned the handle to the door, but Rick quickly closed the space between them in one stride, placing his hand in front of her, causing her to stop.
"Alright?", He repeated, waiting for her confirmation.
"I heard you", She replied, obviously annoyed.
He moved his hand out the way, feeling some degree of relief, "Good".
Rick waited for her to disappear back inside the house before making his way back to his car, hoping that she took his words seriously, and that he could repair their bond.