Thank you all for reading, thank you for the follows and favourites. I would especially like to thank xCrescentMayFluffynessx for her fantastic help and support, so I dedicate this one to you. There is more abuse and a bit of a broken heart xx
The cold air raced over Beth's bare arms, she felt the goosebumps rising, as she jumped around with the others coaxing the crowd into enjoying themselves, she threw herself into a line of back flips in front of all the others, landing lightly on her feet as she finished, Beth looked before her and spotted him hidden in the shadows, watching her, she saw a larger guy come up behind him sticking his hand on his shoulder, she saw him flinch and then shrug the older guys hand off, he turned and she saw them fighting.
Beth ran towards them, she couldn't help herself it was just a reaction, as she made it there she threw herself in between them, screaming.
"Stop" she shouted turning her back to Daryl and standing with her hands on her hips glaring at the older man, she felt herself back up a little making contact with Daryl's chest.
"Who the fuck do you think your talking to blondie?" he growled.
"I don't know and I don't really care" she shrugged grabbing Daryl's arm and starting to pull him away, she heard the older man start to laugh, Daryl flinched under her touch, bur she ignored it and pulled him to the bottom of the stairs that went up to the stands, then lent against the metal railings looking at him expectantly, waiting for an explanation.
"Why you do that?" he asked her angrily.
"Why thank you, Beth. Well any time Daryl." she glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest. He stalked towards her slowly putting a hand on either side of her gripping the metal barrier, he pushed his forehead against hers looking down at her.
"I asked why?" he spoke again, she didn't have an answer, she didn't know so she just stared back, they stood that way for a while, she felt nervous there was a tension in the air between them she was having difficulty understanding what was happening at that moment, he opened his mouth to say something but he shook his head and started to pull away, he started up the steps slowly looking down at his feet.
"I don't know" she answered him quietly to his back, walking away to her socially acceptable group Beth glanced up at the steps and saw as he stood on the top step, then disappeared over the ridge, forget about she told herself, just forget, and for the next four days she did, he wasn't in school till Thursday morning.
Thursday Morning Beth stood in Biology waiting to see if Daryl would come in and as he walked through the door she felt a sigh of relief close over her, he sat down quietly at the table taking out his folder, he placed it on the table.
"Daryl?" she questioned looking at the front not making eye contact "You weren't here?" she questioned.
"Sick" he said but when she finally looked into his face she realised it was a purple green colour, bruising fading, her eyes suddenly felt heavy as she shook her head with sudden understanding, she raised her hand to touch his face "Don't" he said frowning at her.
"Daryl?" she could feel her heart beat faster.
"I said fucking don't" he shouted swiping everything off of the table, the teachers head snapped up.
"Office Dixon" he quietly said, Daryl nodded and stood picking up his things and making his way out of the room, Beth hesitated for just a moment the screamed at the top of her lungs, the teacher looked at her in disbelief and she shrugged her shoulders.
"Should I just go to the office?" she asked and he nodded, she threw her things into her bag and marched out of the room, running down the corridor to catch up with him.
"What are they going to do?" she asked him.
"No one ever does anything" he sighed.
"You know you've been a real arsehole right?" she asked, he nodded.
"Habbit" she couldn't help but smile at him, in her surprise a small grin appeared on his face for just a second then it fell away.
"Might not be in again tomorrow" he said, she paused then pulling a piece of paper from her folder she scribbled her number and address down for him.
"This is me, if you need me come and get me, I even have a barn you know if you need it" she shrugged he took the paper and shoved it in his back pocket.
Beth sprawled out on the couch watching late night television, her father called out on an emergency and her mother staying with old Mrs Jones, who she understood was dying, the programme was pretty crappy really but she wasn't tired. There was a tap on the front door and she sighed standing up and making her way there, pulling it open, a pair of very swollen grey eyes stared back at her, scared, unsure.
"Daryl" she whispered trying to keep the shock out of her voice, she pulled open the fly door grabbing him by the arm she pulled him in and sat him down on a kitchen stall, then collected some things from the closest cupboard, she turned around taking him in. With a deep breath she walked towards him tentatively placing the things down on the breakfast bar, she empty some disinfectant onto cotton wool and held it up.
"Going to sting, alot" she breathed, he just nodded so she swiped at the cut above his eye brow, he hissed and pulled away a fraction then lent back in, she finished the job and inspected the cut.
"Not going to need stitches" she explained taking a band aid from the small box tearing it open, he sat dead still as she nervously stuck it in place, she went back over to the sink pouring some water into a bowl, then returned she whipped the blood from his face as gently as she could.
"Wanna stay here tonight?" she asked him, he looked down at his hands. "It's ok you can stay in the stables, no one will know your here." she shrugged. He stood up and silently followed her out to the barn, she pulled a couple of blankets down into an empty stall and set up a bed for him.
"I...I never thanked you, for the squirrel" she said not looking at him, as she stood from where she had made the bed up, she came face to face with him, she raised her hand tracing the contours of his face.
"S'ok" he said to her, then led down on the bed.
"Well good night Daryl" she went to walk away.
"Good night Beth" he whispered, she pulled the door shut behind her leaning against it, taking a second in the darkness to let the tears fall down her face. What the hell had she gotten her self into? When her alarm clock went off Beth threw herself out of her bed picking up anything she could find, she put them on quickly and ran out to the stables, to her surprise he was gone, the blankets folded and put back where she had found them last night, on a small pile of hay she found a small wooden deer, she picked it up and stood just staring it at, that one little gesture made her heart ache.
Daryl led in the hay, smelling the freshness enjoying the peace, tonight had been one of the worst nights of his young life, his father had really lost it when he had found out that Daryl had been to the principles office, in the end Merle had stepped in pushing Daryl towards the door, telling him to run, so Daryl had taken off like a jack rabbit. He walked the streets for hours, no where to go, no one to care, then he remembered, she had given him her address, he pulled the small piece of paper from his pocket staring at it, he decided to try, she couldn't do anything worse to him than they had.
Unsure of himself, the house was dark, should he have called first, that was a joke, you had to have money or a phone to do that shit. He knocked on the front door, getting ready to run, she was probably out with her friends, probably was just trying to be that sort of nice that meant I am offering you help but don't ya never take it.
When she pulled open the fly screen and pulled him through the door, she hadn't asked him a question, she had just lightly cleared up his face and then asked him to stay, panic shook through his body at the thought of her being anywhere near him when he slept so he had hesitated then she had offered him the stables, so here he lay safe in the hay, he could actually sleep for the first time in days, exhaustion had taken him quickly but he had woken with the first birds, taking the small deer from his pocket that he had been working on for days he placed it in the hay, knowing she would find it, he tided up after himself and left before anyone woke up.
He made his way back home, collected his things he flipped his fathers wallet open and took some money, he didn't care if he noticed, he was going to be normal today. He jumped on his bike starting the engine then went off to school, today, today he would ask her to go out with him somewhere to thank her for her kindness, he was determined, but that didn't always go well for him.
He sat on his bike for what felt like hours, waiting for the other kids to start coming to school, he watched her truck pull into the parking lot, climbing off of his bike he went to make his way over to her, when she became surrounded by her friends, all screaming and happy so he decided to bide his time and walked straight past.
Beth came into Chemistry and sat down next to Daryl, she took her books out and then settled in for the lesson.
"How you feeling?" she asked him, she saw out of the corner of her eye that he stiffened.
"Tired, but I'm good, thanks by the way" she smiled at him and looked back to the front, they had a practical today so she went and collected the equipment needed while he cleared the desk of their things, as she set up she noticed he was watching her avidly.
"Umm you going to that party tonight?" he asked.
"Don't know" she replied.
"Go" he said quietly, she looked over at him.
"What?" she asked.
"Come to the party, come with me" she froze, mid way pouring the solution into a flask.
"What about your hard boy rep? You'll ruin it turning up with a cheer leader." she smirked.
"Ain't got no reputation." he shrugged.
"Tell Zach that" she finished pouring and added the heat from the burner.
"Oh, well still come with me please" his voice was so quiet, she was having problems hearing him.
"I will be there" she said sighing, she didn't promise to be with him, just that she was going to go.
Daryl went straight home and changed into his cleanest and tidiest clothes, he had to quell his excitement, he stormed out of his room, walking into the living room.
"Where ya going lil brother?" Merle asked him.
"Out" he grumbled.
"What's with you dressing up like some little play boy?" he started laughing.
"Ain't doing shit" he snapped and walked out of the house, he jumped on his bike and pulled away making his way to the party.
He pulled up and jumped of his bike, walking towards the house, he slipped through the door searching through what felt like hundreds of people he finally spotted her and his heart sank, she was sat on that kid Jimmy's lap, kissing him, Daryl turned on his heel and left straight away, he jumped on his bike and he rode, he opened his bike up as fast as she would carry him trying to wipe the image from his mind, the pain from his heart, he prayed for the hell he lived in to just end.
