A/N Thanks so much to all of you. Our story is going to continue. This chapter picks up right where we left off, Beth and Daryl are Juniors in High School. We're going to follow them on quite a life journey. But for now, let's see how they handle their new found love.
Nobody in the Greene family was the least little bit surprised by Beth and Daryl's realization that they weren't just best friends, it was more. They loved each other.
The family had been waiting for them to come to that awareness for years.
But to the young couple it was big news. And as much of each other as they'd been seeing, now they wanted to spend even more time together.
His older brother had gotten out on parole a month earlier. He'd been in the pen 10 long years and he wanted to make this new freedom work. An old friend in the sheriff's department believed in him. He'd helped him land a job with a big construction outfit and Merle had been towing that line.
He got to work early, stayed late and he kept his mouth shut and his nose clean. It was working out.
He rented what he could afford at the time, an efficiency apartment. It was small but it was big enough for him and Daryl. And that's how it went, he had Daryl move in, away from the shack, away from their poisonous old man. "A little more time on the job little brother and I can get a bigger place for us."
When the foreman mentioned they were looking for part time help to do cleanup work Merle immediately thought of Daryl, and sure enough the kid had been hired.
He worked a couple of hours after school each day and all day Saturday. Most of his time was devoted to cleaning up construction sites, but the boss had promised him that if he kept at it, proved he was dependable and interested, eventually he'd put him on as an apprentice carpenter.
He and Beth had talked and agreed he'd save as much of his money as he could and when they had enough for a down payment on a little house, they'd take the plunge. They'd get married, buy the house, have kids, all of it.
In the meantime they were still in High School, still mostly care-free and just enjoying being together. He was still coming to the farm three nights a week, but rather than after school it was after work.
Mama would hold dinner until he got there so they could all eat together. Then he and Beth would race through their homework so they could go walking.
They'd walk through the peach orchard or down near the creek, holding hands when they did. They'd share the high school gossip of the day and talk about their plans and how great their life was going to be as soon as they were married. They even knew how many kids they wanted, three, and what their names would be.
Two boys, Max and Wes, and a little girl named Anabelle. It was going to be perfect.
And they'd kiss and fool around a little, but they'd agreed, they were waiting until high school graduation to take that big physical step. They weren't even sure why that seemed like the right thing to so, but they thought it was.
All the love and sweetness and caring did not go unchallenged, it wasn't as though they never disagreed or got jealous.
She was madder at him than she'd ever been at anyone when he absolutely refused to go the Sweetheart's Ball for Valentine's Day. But no matter how angry she was he just kept saying "No."
She'd gotten so upset she hadn't spoken to him in a week.
And then Valentine's Day had rolled around. That morning a delivery car had showed up at the farm first thing. The delivery was for her, a dozen red roses and a box of chocolates. The note said, "I know I'm a dick. Sorry. I love you, D."
And she'd cried and been mad at herself for being mad at him and she could hardly wait to text him. She told him how much she loved him, and that she didn't care about the stupid dance. She asked him to come for Valentine's Dinner and she'd make his favorite dessert, brownies with vanilla ice cream.
On his lunch break he'd texted back, "You know I'll be there, can't wait."
And the second happiest couple in the world was Mama and Daddy because her moping around for the last week had been driving them up a wall. Heck, Mama was so relieved she even cooked their favorite meal, fried chicken.
And then there was that time he got so jealous of the new guy at school, Zach.
Why the fuck was she being so nice to that pretty boy? Did she like him? Did she change her mind about everything they were, everything they felt and all their plans just because some new guy showed up?
But what pushed Daryl over the edge was when she said she couldn't have lunch with him because she'd promised to help Zach with his English homework. No, oh no, that would not do.
"What the fuck Beth? Yer my girl, why ya givin' that pretty boy yer time? What? Ya like him or sumthin'? Want him more than ya want me?"
"Daryl I can't believe you're acting like this! I promised I'd help him with his homework, not kiss him!"
And that just made him more mad and he stormed off campus. And she started to cry.
Amy saw her crying and rushed over to comfort her, "What happened Bethie? Why the tears?" And she told her friend what had happened and Amy put her arm around Beth's waist and she smiled at her sweetly and she asked, "Do you know that new girl, Andrea?"
Beth was a little confused, "Well yeah, I have two classes with her." She couldn't figure out why Amy would change the subject like that, and during her darkest hour and all.
"She's pretty isn't she? And she has those big boobs she's not afraid to show off a little."
"Amy do you mind telling me why you're talking about her when I'm pouring my heart out to you?"
"Well I was just wondering how you'd feel if Daryl told you he couldn't have lunch with you because he was going to help Andrea with her math homework, that's all." And Amy just raised her eyebrows at her.
And Beth ran off campus, pretty sure she knew right where he'd be.
And he was there, at "their" little spot in the woods next to campus, sitting with his knees up and his back leaning against a tree, a cigarette between his lips and tears in his eyes. He looked up and saw her and she ran right to him. She got down next to him, put her arms around him and told him, "Daryl I never want to have lunch with any boy but you! I love you. Please don't be mad. I guess I just didn't think about your feelings enough."
"I ain't mad at ya Beth, I'm mad at me. I shoulda just talked to ya 'bout how I's feelin' 'stead a yellin' at ya an runnin' off. I wish you'd tell me ta go fuck myself when I pull that shit."
And she was laughing through her tears when she said, "Well I couldn't do that Daryl, I don't use that kind of language."
They both laughed then and the mood shifted back to happy and in love teenagers. They stayed in "their" spot, just talking and kissing until he had to leave for work.
But when they finally pushed Mama's last button and made Daddy cuss out loud was the last day of school before spring break.
The juniors and seniors had been whispering about it and plotting for weeks, they were going to make it a ditch day. If they all just didn't show up for school what could the principal do about that?
They weren't going to suspend half the school, why it would probably just be a slap on the wrist and everyone would go back to the usual routine. Yeah, no problem.
Everyone was meeting up at the lake. Wear your bathing suit, bring your beach towels, girls bring food, boys bring the coolers full of sodas. It was going to be perfect.
And everyone showed up except for a few goody-two-shoes types who went to school. Losers.
There were tubes and floats and all kinds of other water toys. There were chips and sandwiches and cold fried chicken, cookies and brownies. It was a teenage feast.
Sure there were some cokes and sprite, but the majority of the boys seemed to think something with a little alcohol might be more fun.
There was lots of beer and wine coolers. Bobby Ray's family had an apple orchard and he brought several gallon jugs filled with hard cider.
Daryl and Beth had done some floating out on the lake and they swam and played around in the water a little. Then they made their way back to their spot off to one side of the lake front. He was drinking beer, she was having hard cider and they were just taking in the fun and every ones' craziness.
As the afternoon passed and the effects of the alcohol came into play, there were couples sneaking off together into the trees, and boys and girls who weren't even couples before were coupling up to go to the woods together for a while.
Two of the senior boys were mooning girls, and a couple of girls, who'd maybe had a little too much hard cider, took their bathing suit tops off. One of them was that new girl, Andrea. Shane Walsh grabbed her right up and they laughed and kissed all the way into the woods.
Daryl was starting to think maybe this party had gotten a little bit out of control. He didn't really want Beth around all that. But he couldn't leave now they'd both been drinking, they couldn't be driving.
Then Bonnie Jones and her boyfriend Sam Johnson got in a big fight. It seems Bonnie thought Sam may have gotten a little feel of some other girl's bottom. Bonnie, she was known for having a real hot temper, she was ready to kill Sam and that sleazy girl both.
He was telling her she was crazy and she was telling him he'd better take her back to town or she was breaking up with his stupid ass right here and right now.
Sam was all in love with Bonnie so of course he said he would. They got in his truck and off they drove.
No one thought a thing about it really. Bonnie and Sam's fights were legendary. In fact everyone kind of smiled thinking they'd probably end up back at the lake in an hour or so, kissing and acting like nothing ever happened.
Bonnie and Sam didn't come back. It turned out they'd had a little run in with a deputy when they hit town, and in an effort to save herself Bonnie had spilled the beans about where they'd been drinking.
An hour and a half after Bonnie and Sam left, the party was descended upon by what appeared to be every law enforcement officer in five states.
Kids were scrambling trying to outrun the law but it didn't work out for them. It was no more than 30 minutes until the police had them all corralled in one spot.
Even the few kids who hadn't had a drop of alcohol were hauled in. They were held on some throwback truancy law from God only knew when.
Of course Daryl blamed himself that she was caught up in this and he was immediately apologizing to her, and she had to remind him, "Daryl it was my idea to come, remember?'
But when they tried to split everyone up, boys together and girls together, that's when Daryl got stubborn with the law. He was not leaving her alone. It was his fault, his responsibility and he would be taking care of her, period.
What the fuck were they going to do, arrest him twice? Well probably not, but that didn't mean they weren't going to add charges.
They got what seemed like every teenager in town to the station. It turned out the cops never had any intention of charging any of them. No the punishment was far worse than that. They called everyone's folks.
The cops knew who Daryl's Dad was and there was no sense calling him, he was in the drunk tank himself. So they called Daryl's older brother, at work.
And of course they called Dr. Hershel Greene, the local veterinarian.
In other words, it was ugly.
Mama and Daddy and Merle all arrived at almost the same moment. Mama and Daddy were mad, Merle was mad, but he was also scared. He didn't want baby brother falling into all the traps he had.
He did feel a lot better when he realized it wasn't that Daryl had been drunk and disorderly, or drunken driving, it was just dumbass teenage horseshit with a lot of other dumbass teenagers. Well he'd put the fear in the kid and see if he couldn't nip this shit in the bud.
Before Daryl left with Merle, Daddy told him, "You and I will be having a very serious discussion about this shit real soon son." Daryl was thinking that was pretty fucking great, he not only had to take shit from his brother, but from Beth's Daddy too.
On top of everything else, Beth could not stop crying.
Mama took her by the arm and told her in no uncertain terms, "You think you're sad and miserable right now young lady, but you'd better believe your misery is just beginning!"
They took her phone away and grounded her for a month. School, home and church, that was it. They'd talked to Merle and he agreed, Daryl was school, work and home, period.
She begged, she pleaded, she cried, she tried to make deals, but they were not giving in on this one. She and Daryl had gotten themselves into this trouble and maybe they'd think twice before they got involved in such things again.
Daryl had fought with his brother about it, yelling at Merle that he was an asshole and he couldn't hold him prisoner. Well that set Big Brother off in a big way.
"Ya think this is like prison do ya? Think ya got it rough? Fuck kid, this here is a goddamn cakewalk. How'd ya feel if ya couldn't hug or kiss yer girl for 10 years? Ya think she'd wait? How ya thinkin' you'd like ta spend yer days watchin' yer back an fightin' for yer right ta exist? All locked up in a tiny cell with some murdering asshole ya don't even know, just tryin' ta get through it all day by day. Marking off them days til you could board that greyhound an get as far the fuck away from that joint as possible. Ya think this is prison?" And Merle had let out a disgusted laugh.
That's when Daryl charged at him, he was going to get tough with Big Brother. Merle immediately got him in a headlock.
"Ya think you can kick my ass? Well I'm sure the day will come when ya can son, but today ain't that day. I been fighting for my life everyday for 10 years, I've forgotten more about fighting than most guys have ever known. I can make yer life a whole lot more miserable than this here. Trust me kid, just fuckin' backtalk me one more time n it's on!"
Merle didn't like having to get tough with his brother, didn't want to have to be mean to the boy. But he felt he had to teach him a lesson, he didn't want the kid fucking up his life like he'd fucked up his.
They cherished that little bit of time they had together at school, and their one big break, Mama and Daddy had invited Daryl and Merle to Easter Dinner.
They couldn't take their eyes off each other all during that big dinner. Everyone else was concentrating on ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans, biscuits and deviled eggs. They were just concentrating on each other.
And when Daddy said they could take a walk, but just for an hour, they were so happy.
They practically ran into that peach orchard, and they didn't stop kissing and touching for a 45 minutes when they had to run all the way back.
And they'd agreed, they were never doing anything again that could cause them to be separated.
A/N Next chapter, summer. Thanks so much, please review / comment xo