March 1994-

Skyla had a boyfriend and Daryl was jealous.

His name was Brian Allen and he was a senior. This was a big deal to Skyla, seeing as she and Daryl were only freshmen. He played baseball and was going to be graduating at the end of the year. He drove a blue Chevy and he picked Skyla up for school in it every morning. Most days Daryl rode the bus, but some days he rode with Skyla and Brian.

Daryl hated Brian. He hated the cocky, possessive way he treated Skyla, like she was his property just because she was his girlfriend. He could never love her like Daryl did.

They were riding the bus home from school together. Brian had baseball practice and wasn't able to give Skyla a ride.

"You wanna come over for awhile?" Daryl asked her. She nodded.

"Sure, but only if you'll help me with my history homework."

Daryl was good in history and science. He enjoyed those classes, even though he'd never admit to anyone but Skyla.

"Yeah, I'll help you." He said as the bus stopped in front of the trailer park.

They climbed off together and started walking down the pavement. It was that time of year when its freezing cold in the mornings, but by the time school lets out, it's nice and warm. Both of them had their jackets tied in knots around their waists. Daryl felt a wave of relief wash over him to see his daddy's truck was gone. At least he didn't have to deal with that. Merle's bike was sitting in the driveway, along with Baby's little red sports car.

Baby practically lived with them, but her daddy, who lived in Savannah and felt guilty about leaving her, showered her with expensive gifts, the car being one of them. It looked weird to see the shiny, red thing sitting amongst the neighbor's beaters, but after awhile people got used to it.

Daryl and Skyla set up shop at the kitchen table, both of them pulling out papers from their backpacks. They'd only been at it a few minutes when Merle came out of his room. He wasn't wearing anything but a pair of worn boxers and the sight of his bare, muscular chest made Skyla blush and looked down.

He grabbed a can of beer out of the fridge. "What's goin' on, nerds?" He asked.

"History homework." Skyla sighed. "I don't know why they make us learn this shit. God, it's already happened and you can't live in the past."

Merle laughed. He didn't drink his beer so much as he poured it down his throat. "You're a funny kid, Sky."

She shrugged. "I try."

"Merle?" Baby was standing in the hallway. She was wearing a pair of flimsy panties and one of Merle's overlarge t-shirts and that was it. "You coming back to bed?"

"Yeah, baby." He told her. "Be there in a minute."

He grinned at his little brother. Daryl felt his own face growing hot. He knew what Baby and Merle were doing in there and he couldn't help but be curious about it. He glanced at Skyla as Merle left the room, wondering what it would be like to touch her in that way. She was so pretty, so soft, and Daryl felt himself grow hard in his jeans just thinking about it. He closed his eyes for a minute, trying to think of something else…anything else.

"Hey," Skyla was looking at him. "You okay?"

"What? Oh yeah, I'm fine." Daryl nodded. "Peachy fuckin' keen."

"Makes you uncomfortable, doesn't it?" She asked. "Knowing what they're doing in the other room."

Daryl shrugged. "Kinda, I guess. I mean, he's my brother, so it's weird."

"At least they're quiet about it." Skyla said, just as Merle's headboard began to bang rhythmically against the wall.

Daryl and Skyla looked at one another and started to laugh.

After they'd sobered up, Skyla looked up from her homework.

"Brian wants me to do it with him." She said.

"Do what?" Daryl asked.

Skyla rolled her eyes. "You know…it."

"Oh." He felt as though there were a hard knot in his stomach. "Are you going to?"

She shrugged. "I don't know…I don't think I'm ready yet."

"Did you tell him that?" Daryl asked. Again she shrugged.

"He said that if I really loved him, I'd let him go all the way."

This time it was Daryl who was rolling his eyes. "Don't fall for that line of shit." He said. "You tell him, if he really loved you, he'd wait."

Skyla cocked her head to the side. "If you were my boyfriend, would you wait till I was ready?" She asked.

"I'd…I'd wait forever for you." He said. She smiled.

"Really?"

"Of course."

Skyla reached out and touched his face. "You're a real sweetie, you know that?"

It was only a few days later that Skyla and Brian broke up. He told everyone that he had dumped her, but Daryl knew the truth. He was there when it went down; Skyla had dumped him.

It was a cool Saturday night, just before 10:00. Baby had gone down to Savannah to visit with her Daddy, and Merle and Daryl were sitting on the front porch. Merle was drinking a beer and Daryl had a can of Coke. He was reading a book about Native American legends, and if he came across a really neat one, he'd read it out loud to Merle.

He was in the middle of a particularly scary one when Brian's pickup rumbled past. Merle whistled.

"That's a nice lookin' truck." He said. Daryl scowled.

"That's Skyla's boyfriend." He said. "Dickhead."

Merle chuckled. "Why don't you just ask her out, Little Bro?"

Daryl glared at him. "Things ain't like that between me and Sky and you know it."

"You want 'em to be though, don't you?" Merle winked at him. "Come on, Daryl, I ain't stupid. I got eyes."

Daryl opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, he heard a muffled shriek. It came from the cab of Brian's truck. He and Merle looked at each other and Daryl knew they were thinking the same thing. They both stepped down off the porch.

"I said, get the fuck off me!"

It was definitely Skyla's voice. Without even stopping to think, Daryl dropped his book and ran to the truck, Merle on his heels. He wrenched the drives side door open just as Brian slapped Skyla hard across the face.

"Don't you touch her, you son of a bitch!" Daryl practically leapt at Brian, who'd had no idea he was even back there.

"What the-?"

Daryl managed to get a few good shots in before Brian got his footing.

Merle helped Skyla from the truck. She was crying and there was a red mark on her cheek. They watched together as the two boys tussled on the ground.

"Help him!" Skyla demanded of Merle, who shook his head.

"Nah, he's holdin his own pretty good." Merle told her. "If he starts to get in over his head, I'll jump in, but I don't think I'll have to."

He didn't. Daryl was small, but he was fast and strong and the years of dealing with his big brother had taught him how to fight. Both boys had bloody noses and Brian had what looked the beginnings of a black eye when they were done.

Skyla rushed to Daryl, ignoring Brian all together. "Are you all right?" He asked him. He wiped his nose with his shirt sleeve.

"I'm fine."

"So that's how the wind blows, huh?" Brian said loudly. "Should've known that's why you wouldn't give me any. You been fuckin' that little bastard all along, haven't you? Haven't you, you bitch?"

This time it was Merle who stepped up. Instinctively Brian stepped back.

"You wanna be real, real careful what you say, you little fucking piss ant." Merle told him, getting inches from his face. "'Cause that beatin' my kid brother just gave you ain't nothin' compared to what I'll deliver if I see you around that girl again."

Brian left real quick after that and Merle went back to his beer. Daryl took Skyla inside so he could clean up.

Skyla was crying. Daryl reached up and wiped the tears off her face. "Forget him." He told her. "He's a prick."

She wrapped her arms around him. "You're my hero." She whispered in his ear. "Like, my knight in shining amour or something."

She kissed his cheek and clung to him. He held her in his arms, already becoming sinewy with muscle, and closed his eyes. Maybe he should take Merle's advice and just tell her how he felt. Maybe….

"You're my best friend." She said into his chest and he even though he smiled down at her, he knew that that's all he'd ever be. Her friend.