Red River Blue

Chapter 37

"They're up to something," Beth whispered, gesturing discretely towards Rachel and the small group of her friends from Oceanside. The girls were sitting at a picnic table together, pretending like they were just chatting. But they kept glancing over at another table across the way. The one where Lydia was sitting. Lydia hadn't noticed that their attention was focused on her. But they weren't being as sneaky as they thought they were. Especially given what just happened near the front gate.

When the small group gathered to welcome the rest of Alexandria's council to the fair, Rachel was among them. She greeted Sam with an enthusiastic hug and a kiss. Sam seemed surprised by this. But Harley wasn't sure why. He'd been sleeping with Rachel since last summer's fair. She even visited him at Alexandria and had dinner with their whole family. Twice. He should have expected that she'd be excited to see him. When Sam brushed Rachel off and headed straight for Lydia, Harley could tell the young woman was devastated. And probably embarrassed too. Feelings that quickly turned to anger as Rachel watched Sam sweep another girl up into his arms and spin her around in a circle.

"Maybe we better go sit with Lydia," Beth suggested. Harley shook her head.

"Let's wait and see what they're up to."

Harley heard Beth let out a small sigh and she could practically feel the other woman rolling her eyes. Harley shifted her tall lanky body slightly to the side, bumping it into Beth's smaller frame. Her sigh turned into a low rumble of laughter. And Harley knew that whether Beth agreed with her tactics or not, she was willing to go along with them and wait the situation out.

Beth breathed a sigh of relief when Rachel and her friends got up from the table and started walking in the opposite direction of the table Lydia was sitting at. They were whispering together as they walked. And casting glances back in the other girl's direction. But Beth hoped they were just talking crap about her. Maybe they didn't actually intend to start any trouble. Beth started to move away from the shady area they were standing in. But Harley held her back.

"Let's give it another minute," Harley whispered. Beth nodded.

The two women didn't have to wait long. The youngest of Rachel's group, a girl that would have been about middle school aged if school was still a thing, hurried back from the direction they left in and approached Lydia's table. Harley couldn't hear everything the girl was saying. But she heard Sam's name mentioned a few times. Since Lydia got up from the table and began to follow the girl, Harley assumed that she must be under the impression that Sam sent the girl to fetch her. Or that he needed her for something. Since he just arrived, he was unpacking his stuff and helping Daryl and Merle set the rest of the tents up. Lydia was waiting on him at a table in the center of town, enjoying just watching everyone come and go from the area.

Harley and Beth followed Lydia and the girl, staying back far enough not to arouse suspicion. When the girl started leading her down into an alley between the buildings, Lydia hesitated. But after a little coaxing from Rachel's junior lackey, Lydia continued down the narrow passageway. Harley heard Beth's sharp intake of breath when Rachel and the rest of her friends suddenly appeared. They'd been hiding on a nearby porch. And they quickly filed into the alley behind Lydia and the younger girl.

The younger girl reappeared, hovering in the mouth of the alley. Harley assumed the girl was supposed to be acting as a lookout. But she was so concerned with watching the action that she didn't see Harley and Beth approaching until it was too late. Harley tapped the girl on the shoulder. When she spun, startled by the sudden unexpected contact, Harley was already leaning down into her face.

"BOO!," Harley barked, speaking directly into the girl's face. The girl squealed and immediately turned to run. But she didn't plan her escape very well. Because she bolted headfirst into the brick siding of the building. Her face and arm took the brunt of the hit. And the girl flopped to the ground, crying and holding her bloody nose and lip.

Harley heard Beth laughing behind her as she stepped over the girl. And she shook her head at the scene that was playing out further down the alley. What a pack of weak ass little bitches, Harley thought.

If Rachel wanted to have a go at Lydia for stealing her boyfriend, that was her business. At least as far as Harley was concerned. And if the two of them wanted to catfight over a boy who still needed his mother to remind him to wash his armpits, they could go right ahead. Personally, Harley wouldn't bother. She had very little patience for men. And no patience at all for a man that wanted to entertain other women. Her issue was that this wasn't a fight between Rachel and Lydia. Rachel's friends weren't just there to watch. They were dog-piling on Lydia and beating her ass. They weren't even giving her a chance to fight back. And Harley was not okay with that.

"Punk ass little sluts," Harley grumbled. Beth laughed again, struggling to keep quiet as they headed down into the alley.

Harley leaped into the fight without warning, making sure that Rachel took at least one hard hit to the gut. Beth grabbed one of the bigger girls, dragging her backwards by the hair. The girl turned and they grappled with each other. Beth was smaller. But she had more hand to hand fighting experience than her opponent. The other girl only got a few hits in before Beth swept her feet out from under her and knocked her to the ground.

With the fight suddenly more fair than it was before, some of the Oceanside girls were starting to back off. They were glancing nervously at each other, trying to decide what to do. None of them wanted to fight Harley, who was not only known for being vicious but also taught hand to hand combat lessons.

"She deserved it," Rachel huffed, pointing at Lydia. "You little walker fucker slut!"

Lydia was leaning against the building, wiping blood off the corner of her mouth and hugging her body around the middle with her other arm. Her shirt was ripped open and her hair was ruffled up. Since she didn't look like she had much fight left in her, Harley was surprised when Lydia launched herself at Rachel, shoving the girl back a step. Rachel pushed back. And then the two of them started swinging wildly and yanking at each other's hair.

"Stay the fuck back," Harley warned, pointing at Rachel's friends. A few of them nodded, taking a step back and giving the two scraping girls some room to maneuver. Beth offered her hand to the girl she knocked down, helping her back up onto her feet.

"Beat her slut ass!," the girl said, hollering some encouragement to Rachel as she backed slightly away from the fight.

"Lydia!," Harley yelled. "Ball up yer fist. Quit slappin' at her like a girl!"

Aside from the fact that she was trained to fight and Lydia wasn't, Rachel also had an obvious weight advantage over her slimmer opponent. When she managed to wrestle Lydia into a lopsided headlock and got ready to start punching her in the head, Harley figured the fight was pretty much over. But then Rachel started screaming like it was the end of her life. Lydia bit her in the fleshy part of her upper arm, leaving a ring of indentations and a giant bruise that was already turning dark and painful. As Rachel gripped her arm, Lydia turned and raked her nails down her face. A row of bloody scratches welled up and Rachel fell back, holding her face and screaming.

"You bit me! You crazy bitch!," Rachel squealed as two of her friends stepped in and drug her back onto her feet. "This isn't over bitch!," she added, wiping the blood away from her eye with her shirt.
"I don't even know why it started, bitch!," Lydia hollered back. Harley fought back a laugh. Lydia was spicier than she looked. Harley set her hand gently on the girl's slim shoulder, prepared to pull her back if she decided to have another go at Rachel. Fighting at the fair was against the rules. And as loud as they were all screaming, if the two of them went at each other again, they were going to get everyone caught. And Harley had about as much patience for Ezekiel's lectures as she did for cheating men.

"You fucked my boyfriend," Rachel accused. Lydia looked confused for a moment. Then her face finally lit with the realization of why the other girl was angry with her. Lydia saw Rachel hug Sam when he arrived. But everyone was hugging. She didn't think much of it. Especially since Sam pretty much pushed past the girl to get to her. And then kissed her in front of everyone.

"HEY! What's going on here?"

The girls turned towards the voice, trying not to snicker as Jerry picked his way down the alley towards them. The large man took in Lydia's bedraggled appearance and the large bloody scratch down Rachel's face.

"Dudes! There's no fighting allowed during fair week. His majesty said anyone that gets caught fighting this year is getting kicked out," Jerry groused. And since the fighters in question included two members of the leaders council, Jerry didn't want any part of this mess.

"Guess it's a good thing we were only sparring," Harley said, offering him her most insincere smile. Jerry raised his eyebrow at her. Then he glanced at Rachel, the one that seemed to have sustained the worst of the injuries.

"That's right," Rachel said, "...we were just playing around."

Jerry looked around at the small crowd of women. He knew they were lying. It was obvious that the girls were fighting. And he suspected he knew the reason why. But the fight was already over. And they were all telling the same story.

"Dudes," Jerry huffed. "Seriously?" He looked around one more time before he finally just shrugged his shoulders. "There better not be any more playing around or next time I'll have to report it."

Harley kept her hand on Lydia's shoulder, holding her back a moment and making sure that Oceanside headed out of the alley in front of them. She didn't think they were ready for round two right now. But she still wasn't going to turn her back on them. Once they were a few steps ahead, she slung her arm around Lydia and led her out of the alley behind them.

"Thanks for the help," Lydia offered, speaking quietly even though the other girls were well out of earshot. "Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

Lydia was getting her ass kicked at the time. But that didn't mean that she missed the way Harley and Beth handled the other girls despite being seriously outnumbered. If she could fight like that, she might have stood a chance when they jumped her.

"She taught me," Beth admitted, pointing at Harley. Lydia nodded, looking at the woman with curious interest.

"When we get home, I'll give you some lessons," Harley offered, smiling at Lydia's grateful smile. "But fer now maybe we better getcha a new shirt before everyone wants ta know how this one got ripped."

"Thanks," Lydia said, "...I'd like that."