Okay, so I finally figured out an actual plot for this little story. Lol That's always a plus. I'm thinking 10-15 chapters so it still won't be incredibly long. I'm not feeling this chapter at all but it pushes things along. Thanks for reading!

Chapter Six

The summer went by faster than any summer Carol could remember. She hadn't spent her days lazing around on her porch with a book shoved in her face. Not that that was a bad way to spend a summer, but it did get a little boring after a while.

"You look great," Jenny said as she breezed into the kitchen and snatched Carol's coffee right out of her hand.

Carol looked down at herself and shrugged. "Thanks for the clothes."

Jenny waved her off, sitting the cup down and then kissing her cheek before grabbing her bag. "I hate the morning shift," she grumbled, shoving her phone into her purse.

Carol's face reddened but she tried to smile through it. "No one told you that you had to switch your shifts."

Jenny gave her a dry look, hands going to her hips. "If someone would have told me that a year ago, I would have agreed with them. But after coming home early and finding my baby sister in bed with a boy, that was a big fat slap in the face."

Carol groaned. "I've told you a hundred times! We were sleeping!"

Jenny nodded. "I know. I saw you, remember? But you still haven't told me what happened before the sleeping part." She held up a hand, stopping Carol's argument. "I love you. I am happy for you. I'll do anything you need me to do to keep you as happy as you've been this summer, but I will not work night shifts so you can sneak your boyfriend in and sleep with him in this house!"

Carol knew there was nothing that she could do to convince her sister that her and Daryl hadn't had sex. She knew that it looked bad but the two of them had fallen asleep many times watching movies in her room while Jenny was at work but Daryl had always left before they were caught. When she had finally caught them she had been cool about it, as in, as cool as any older sibling with full custody of their younger sister could be after catching a boy in her bed.

"It's still a big fat overreaction," Carol mumbled, sitting down with her toast.

"No it isn't. Even if I did believe that a Dixon was capable of keeping it in his pants, it wouldn't matter. I still would have done the same thing. You need to protect yourself and if I think you aren't, I'll take measures to protect you myself. And if nothing has happened, fine. But it will and when it does you'll not end up a single teenage mother. We are not MTV material."

Carol gaped at her, shaking her head. "Can't you leave?"

Jenny smiled, snatched her keys up from the counter and headed for the back door. "I love you!" she called over her shoulder.

Carol sighed into her now empty coffee mug. "Yeah, I love you too."

She couldn't really fault Jenny for worrying but she did wish that she believed her. At least her sister was happy for her and wasn't trying to control how often and when she got to see Daryl. That would have been hard because they spent almost all of their time together. Her sister was just worried that they were getting way too serious, way too fast.

Carol chewed thoughtfully. In a way her sister was right. Maybe what she shared with Daryl really was way too serious, considering how young they were, but it wasn't anything physical her sister had to worry about. She thought that maybe it wasn't normal for a girl her age to care so much for a guy. But he wasn't just some guy, right? And she wasn't just some girl.

A knock at the front door had her flying out of her chair, nearly causing it to crash to the floor. Daryl no longer used her bedroom window to get in since Jenny thought they were a couple of sex maniacs. He didn't want to do anything to make her any more suspicious. She hurried down the hall and threw the door open, feeling stupid that her stomach and her heart decided to do a couple of somersaults as soon as her eyes landed on him.

He grinned that half grin of his and his head moved past her, down the hall.

"It's safe," she said, moving so he could step past her.

When Jenny had caught him in her bed a few months ago Carol had been sure that he would never come over again. He got enough torment from his own brother, but he hadn't stayed away. And, man, had Jenny let them have it too. She had never seen her sister in such a state, ranting and finger pointing and going on and on about how irresponsible she had been, letting Carol spend most nights alone when she knew there was a boy in her life. It was horrible and the two of them had no choice but to sit there on the edge of Carol's bed and listen to it.

"So, the panty police already leave for work?" he asked, heading straight for the kitchen.

She rolled her eyes. That was Jenny's new name when they were alone. "She left a few minutes ago. Are you dreading today?" she asked, double checking her bag to make sure she had everything she needed.

He shrugged. "It's just another day I guess."

She had been nervous all week about going back to school. Spending the summer with Daryl had done wonders for her self esteem, she rarely ever had to deal with that crushing anxiety that used to plague her more days than not, and she had taken her sister up on the offer of school clothes shopping. This wasn't just another year for her. This was going to be a totally new experience for her. She no longer felt on the fringes of things. She felt like being included. But that didn't mean her classmates, even the ones that had always been nice to her would feel the same.

"It isn't just another day," she said, watching as he picked at the remainder of her breakfast. "It's the first day of our senior year. That's kind of a big deal, ya know?"

He shrugged again, that devil may care look that she knew so well now plastered on his face. "You pulled a few strings, right? Other than those dumb advanced classes you're takin', me and you are in all the same ones. It'll be alright."

"Everyone has probably heard about us by now," she said. She wasn't able to keep her fingers still so she fiddled with the straps of her bag.

He looked up then, meeting her eyes and then searching her face. "You afraid people are gonna accuse you of slummin' all summer?" he asked with a grin.

She scowled at him. "Of course not. I just don't want anyone making fun of you because of me." And she really was worried about that. Everyone knew she was a huge nerd and they didn't exactly go out of their way to keep her from knowing that that was exactly how they saw her.

He shook his head. "You're the only person that still sees that, you know. I never really saw it in the first place."

She smiled at that. "Well, not everyone has the imagination that you obviously have."

He tugged on the strap of her bag until she stumbled into him and then his lips were on hers and her worries evaporated. They were pros at this now, having all summer to practice, but this was as far as it went, even when they were alone in her bed. Not that he didn't push his boundaries, but as soon as she called him out on it, he would stop, grinning sheepishly.

As much as she hated to, she broke the kiss, glanced at the clock and nodded towards the door. "We're gonna be late." Once again, as soon as he stepped out of her space her nerves overtook her again, but there was nothing she could do about that.

~H~

All of her harder classes were earlier so it wasn't likely she would see Daryl before lunch and she hated it. She'd never imagined that she would have such a co-dependent relationship with someone. Well, that wasn't exactly what it was, but it felt like it.

"Hi."

Carol looked over, marking her place with her finger. The girl in the seat next to her had never bothered to speak to her before so Carol had no idea why she was now. She did appreciate actual words, though. Since they pulled up at the school she had gotten plenty of stares but no one had bothered to speak to her. It was like she went from being invisible to being a complete oddity that people could whisper about. But the girl had at least spoken and she realized that she hadn't responded yet and she was making herself look like an even bigger freak.

"Hi," she replied, looking back down at her book.

"You're Carol, right?"

She nodded, not looking up. "Yes. And I think we've been in most the same classes since we started high school. You're Amber." She kept reading, diligently taking notes and ignoring the girl next to her.

"Is it true you started dating Daryl Dixon this summer?"

Carol's hand stilled on the paper and she looked over once more. The girl was turned in her seat, waiting for a reply. "Yes, it is. Why?"

Amber was one of the girls that were openly hostile. She had made fun of Carol every chance she got so why the girl was trying to talk to her now was beyond her. She smiled, pushing her long dark hair away from her face. "Because his brother is known for throwing the best parties. You think you could get me an invite?"

She had to be kidding, right? She shook her head. "I have no control over who Merle invites to his parties, sorry."

That friendly smile fell from the girl's face. "Maybe I'll just ask his little brother then. I'm sure he could pull some strings."

Carol almost smiled at that. She wasn't so out of touch with social cues that she couldn't hear a threat. She nodded. "That's probably the smartest thing you could do. I'm sure he could get you into one those parties." Carol wasn't falling for any bait. She wasn't afraid that Daryl would want this girl, even if she was pretty and popular. It took a lot more than that to reel in a Dixon. Or at least to real in the youngest one.

Amber made a face, obviously disappointed that Carol hadn't shown any fear of her talking to Daryl.

"Find him at lunch," Carol went on, her eyes back on her notes. She felt a little smug and this surprised her.

"Oh, I plan on it."

She grinned down at her paper, imagining the look on Daryl's face when Amber approached him. He was definitely not your average teenage boy. He wasn't impressed with the same things other guys were.

~H~

Daryl slammed his tray down next to her and sat down heavily. "I ever tell you how much I fuckin' hate school? New plan. I'm gonna drop out and you're gonna go be a fucking neurosurgeon or some shit and keep me up. To even the score, I'll fix our cars myself to save you money on mechanic bills."

She raised her brows, trying to fight off a laugh and the fluttering feeling in her stomach at the thought of him actually mapping out some sort of future for them. "I can live with that, but you have to do the cleaning and cooking too and since I'd be working so hard, I'd expect you to do it one of those little black maid costumes. Make it worth my while. By the way," she added, pushing her lunch bag towards him, "I packed for two so you wouldn't have to eat school sludge."

"Deal," he grumbled, picking up the sandwich she had fixed for him.

"It must be bad if you're agreeing to dress in drag."

"I got the legs for it," he muttered around a mouth full of food. He snagged a few of her chips, even though he had his own there right in front of him.

She nodded. "So, why the hate? Did something happen?"

He shook his head. "Nothin' happened but all day long I've been thinkin' that there's a lot of other things I'd rather be doin' than sittin' in this shithole."

"Like what?" she asked, raising a brow.

He shrugged. "You."

She choked on her water and then glared at him. He flashed her a grin that disarmed her for a moment and then the sound of someone clearing their throat had them both looking up. To Carol's delight, Amber was there, taking the seat directly across from Daryl.

"How are you, Daryl?" she asked, not sparing a glance at Carol.

Daryl narrowed his eyes before turning his head to stare at Carol. All she could do was shrug before taking a bite of her sandwich just so she wouldn't laugh. He eyed her for few seconds before looking back at the girl.

Amber batted her eyelashes and Carol swallowed too quickly. Did girls really do that?

"Do I know you?" he asked, not looking the least bit impressed.

She shrugged, throwing her hair over her shoulder. "Not exactly but that doesn't mean I can't say hello, does it? We've gone to the same school for a long time now, right?"

He stared at the girl until she started squirming uncomfortably. Amber's gaze flicked to Carol but all Carol could do was give her a knowing smile that had the girl's eyes narrowing.

Carol turned to Daryl then. "She wants to go to one of Merle's parties. I told her I couldn't invite her so she decided to come ask you."

Daryl's brows went up and then he looked back at Amber. "I don't make calls for my brother but the last thing he needs is some prissy ass high school girl showin' up and gettin' him into trouble he won't be able to dig himself out of."

She glared at him before standing up, clearly upset that her little act had no effect on him at all. Carol wasn't surprised, though. She had known exactly how he was going to respond. She stormed off without another word.

"Can you believe that girl?" he grumbled.

Carol nodded. "Yes, I can."

Just then Joe and a few others sat down on the other side of the table, taking Amber's place. He grinned at them. "What's up, losers?" he asked. He had given up being an asshole after Daryl had apparently talked to him over the summer. Carol was sure there was more to it than that but Daryl stayed quiet about it.

"Hi, Joe," Carol muttered, focusing on her lunch. Just because he didn't terrorize her anymore didn't mean that she was okay with him as a person. He was still a complete jackass.

"Rumor is, you two have spent the whole summer getting it on," Joe said with a grin.

Carol felt her face flush. This didn't surprise her in the least, considering that her own sister thought the same thing.

Daryl glared at Joe but Joe only shrugged. "Hey, I didn't start the rumor."

Carol cared. She really did, because she didn't want everyone thinking she had changed that damn much over the summer, or worse, think that her changes were spurred on by a sexual influx. "Who said that?" Carol asked, suddenly not very hungry anymore.

Daryl glanced at her. "Don't worry about it. You know how these fucking vultures are."

Joe grinned. "He's right. Don't worry about it, Carol. Last year you were a nobody and this year you're apparently wild in the sack. I call it a good trade."

Carol gaped. "They're saying I'm wild in the sack?"

Joe nodded and then winced. Apparently Daryl's kick landed.

"Cut it the fuck out, Joe," he warned.

Joe scowled, leaning over and rubbing his shin. "Look, all I know is, Lori told Maggie that she saw you at the doctors office and you and your sister were arguing about what kind of birth control you should be on since she busted you getting the Dixon pound while you two thought she was at work."

Carol's face flamed and she felt Daryl's eyes boring into her.

Joe shrugged. "That's how it started."

"Birth control?" Daryl asked, sounding intrigued.

She looked over sharply. "Really!"

He shrugged. "What? This is the first I'm hearin' of it!"

Joe clucked his tongue. "She's makin' you wrap it anyway, huh? Sore deal, dude."

"Joe, leave," Carol snapped, glaring at him.

Joe snorted and stood up. "Don't shoot the messenger. I didn't have anything to do with this one."

Carol watched him walk away with his friends, a few of which glanced over their shoulder and grinned at her. "This is just fantastic," she muttered, pushing the rest of her lunch away.

"It'll blow over. Shit like this always does. Remember last year when Shane Walsh got caught in the locker room with that German exchange student? He was in there doin' some seriously sick shit and people only talked about that for a few weeks before somethin' else happened and everybody forgot all about it."

She shook her head. "I never heard about that."

He sighed. "You weren't exactly plugged into the gossip network last year. You'll hear all kinds of shit about all kinds of people. Nobody stays on their radar though."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "That's easy for you to say. It's always different for guys. If people think you're getting it on with someone then you're some sort of hero. Someone hears the same thing about a girl and she's automatically deemed a slut."

"You're about the farthest thing from a slut as you can get without being a nun, Carol."

She flushed but forced herself to meet his eyes. "Why were you so interested in the fact that I may or may not be on birth control right now?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

His brows went up. "I don't know. It's an interesting fact is all."

"Jenny just freaks out about us, that's all. She just thinks that since your brother talked his way into her pants that you are talking your way into mine."

He shrugged. "Can't really blame her there. She thinks I'm like Merle."

"But she knows I'm nothing like she was at my age."

"What you should do," he said, as he stood up and pulled her from her seat, "is teach her a lesson."

She snorted at that. "Oh really?" she repressed a grin because she knew where he was heading.

"Yep."

"And how do you think I should teach her a lesson?" She expected him to say that she needed to go ahead and just do it, since she was being accused of doing it anyway.

Shrugging lightly he pulled open the door and followed her through it. "Well, you start acting like her when she was our age, then she'll realize she had it easy."

"Daryl, I've already told you that-"

"Not really act like her. Just let her know how easy she's had it, raising up such an upstanding girl and all. Matter of fact, I ought to do the same damn thing to Merle. Asshole is always goin' on about the shit he used to pull when he was a teenager, like I'm some sort of disappointment. It'll be good for them to know how lucky they are that we ain't a couple of wild ass teens."

She stopped next to his locker and waited for him to grab his books. It really would teach her sister a lesson. She wasn't a bad kid at all and Jenny was forgetting that. "You know what, I'm in. But how do we do it?"

Daryl chewed his lip for a few long moments and then he grinned. "Give me till the end of the day and I'll have somethin' figured out."