When Beth first gets in the car with Maggie, she thinks that it'll be okay. That at the age of near twenty-two, crawling back home to her parents with her tail between her legs isn't such a bad thing. So what if Maggie is engaged to Glenn, the guy she met in college? So what if Shawn is living it big in New York? So what if all the friends she had or the people she knows are working, engaged or married?

So what if she's a little slow on the uptake? If she's still chasing her 'naïve' dream of being a singer? It's fine. Pulling up to the farm is fine, seeing her parents is great. But then her big sister fucks it all up. Because she takes the opportunity of Beth's arrival to announce some big news.

With a ridiculous grin and a hand to her stomach, she shouts, "I'm pregnant!"

Her parents are over the moon, her daddy making comments about how Glenn and Maggie should have waited until they were married and her mama shushing him, then cooing all over Maggie. Looking at them, a smile stretched on her face that feels too tight and wrong, Beth thinks about the snail's pace her life is on and internally, she withers under the beaming smiles of her family.

Everyone is going somewhere, is moving in their life. A new apartment, city, job, partner or baby and where's she? Back on her parent's farm, back in her teenage bedroom with all her teenage posters and back wondering what the fuck happened to her life. She moved out to LA the minute she was of age, put herself out there and worked ungodly shifts in shitty places, not to mention the damn strip club she just crawled out of. Now she's back here, living like a child again.

She can't take it and when her mama turns to her and says, "Bethy, how long you gonna be stayin' with us?"

The first thing that comes out of her mouth in reply is, "oh, not long mama. I gotta sort my new apartment."

Her daddy raises his eyebrow and she smiles sweetly, a chorus in her head of 'liar, liar,' and a sweat pricking the back of her neck. No one questions her though because it's highly unlikely that the baby of the family would lie straight to her mama's face.

Dinner comes and goes, Maggie promises to be back the next day with Glenn and then she leaves. There's no one left but her and her parents, who kiss her on the forehead one after the other and then climb the stairs to bed at nearly nine o'clock on the night. Leaving her alone, with nothing to do and nowhere to be like a thirteen-year-old teenager dying to go out but not being allowed.

It's unreal how young the whole coming home thing is making her feel and now she's lied to her parents and there's no way she can go back on it. So, there's only one thing to do, and that's call Daryl.

He answers on the first ring. "Wow, you been holdin' the phone?"

She smiles when he snorts. "Nah. Knew you'd call me."

"Shut up," Beth laughs, stretching out on the sofa.

"How's the folks?"

"Good," she says enthusiastically before she sighs, losing her peppy tone. "I kinda feel sixteen again. S'equally horrible and nice bein' back home."

He hums and when he speaks there's a little taunt to his voice, "you want that job, huh?"

She bites her lip, glancing towards the stairs and lowering her voice. "Well, you ain't gonna be complainin' when I suck you off every night."

Daryl groans and it resonates in her ear, covering her in goosebumps. "Girl, you only crawled outta my damn bed today, don't make me haul you back there."

She hums now, imitating him as she swirls her fingers over the strip of skin revealed by her jeans. "You make the trip out here an' I'll stay there long as you want me."

He's silent but she waits. "You had 'nough of your folks already?"

Beth shrugs, though he can't see. "Two days is better than anythin'. Last time I visited I stayed for the one night. Plus, my parents are old, they go bed early an' rise early, an' I'm the opposite. I barely even see 'em when I'm here."

Daryl makes a sound of agreement. "Like I said, I gotta place. Little apartment 'bove my bar. Was too small for me an' Merle, would suit you just fine."

She chews her lip. On the one hand, it's really convenient, but on the other, it's like every aspect of her life is entwined with Daryl already and she barely knows him. He's great in bed and he makes her smile, but it's unhealthy to be so tied to him. Even taking his job isn't something she's comfortable with if she's going to keep fucking him and she definitely plans to keep doing that.

"Thanks, but I'll find a place. The job though an' access to your bed, I'm down for."

He laughs but it's rich and merry. "Alrite. You tell me when you're ready to work, an' we'll get you in."

Beth frowns as she grabs the remote and starts flicking through. "That's it? No interview, nothin'? What if I'm shit?"

"Then you get fired," Daryl says bluntly.

She grins because she likes that he's straight forward with her. No bullshit. "Deal. Imma spend some more time with my folks but I'll text you when I got my place an' I'm ready to get in."

"Alrite, I'll-"

"That her? Hey, screamer!" Merle's voice shouts over the line.

"Hey, Merle!" Beth shouts back on a laugh while Daryl cusses his brother out.

When he gets back, he's panting like they wrestled with the phone and she grins at the thought, especially when he grunts like Merle carried it on. "Bye, girl."

"Bye, boys," she giggles.

She's still smiling when the line goes dead.