Crossing A Line

"Hey, you made it." Daryl said, stumbling outside of Shiv's house, bottle of beer in hand and his phone in the other.

"And you're drunk." Punk said, noticing Daryl stumbling a little.

He knew this was a terrible idea when he'd decided last minute that he would come to Shiv's party. He'd messaged Daryl to say he was outside and now only realised how childish it was that he needed an eighteen-year-old to come out and meet him before going into the party. Especially when said eighteen-year-old appeared to be drunk.

"I'm not drunk. I've had a few." Daryl insisted.

"Isn't your mom here?" Punk shook his head.

"Yeah. She's alright, though. I can have a few." Daryl shrugged.

"I think I might just go." Punk admitted.

The house was massive. A modern farmhouse with a whole lot of land surrounding it. Shiv had clearly gone to town with decorating, hanging up string lights and neon party signs outside. The house appeared to be loud and crowded with music playing and chatter. He didn't think he'd be able to walk in and not feel out of place.

"No, don't go." Daryl said, "You've come all this way now. I've been touting our open-mic night to everyone. Lots of people seem interested."

"Really?" Punk asked curiously.

"Yeah." Daryl said, "Come on, I'll get you a beer, it'll loosen you up." Daryl nodded.

"I don't drink alcohol." Punk said bluntly, walking with him toward the front door.

"You don't?" Daryl asked.

"No." Punk said.

"Oh." Daryl said, surprised, "Well, there's pop in here too." He shrugged, leading him into the party.

"He's cute." Becca said, sitting on the outside decking area with AJ in the back yard of Shiv's house.

"He looks like he's eighteen." AJ turned to Becca, not impressed.

"What about him?" Becca pointed over to a guy standing by an ice-bucket, reaching for a beer for himself.

"Can you stop pointing at people?" AJ tutted, pushing Becca's finger down, "I am not here to find myself a boyfriend."

"Lyla said we should get you to mingle." Becca shrugged.

"Well Lyla says a lot of stupid stuff. Ignore her." AJ shook her head.

She had been dreading going to Shiv's party since the moment she allowed the girls to convince her to go. For most of the night she'd just sat with Becca, watching her get progressively more drunk whilst pointing at almost every man in the room and suggesting she hook up with them. The only pleasant conversations she'd had so far were with some of the elderly townsfolk like their regular customer Lou or some of the moms from her Thursday night book club.

"Him." Becca pointed as AJ turned around.

"Becca." AJ tutted, "That's Mister Eckles." She rolled her eyes.

"Hey, girls." The old farmer walked over to them. He looked like he had just come straight from milking the cows and feeding the horses, dressed in his overalls with his straw hat, "Nice day out today, wasn't it?"

"It was." AJ smiled pleasantly, "Are you enjoying the party?"

"Well it's a good excuse for me and the other farmers to catch a few cold ones." Mister Eckles smiled, "Say… what do you know about the coffee shop across the road from you?" He asked, directing his question to AJ.

"We know it isn't as good as our place." Becca nodded.

"It's new." AJ said, "Why do you ask?"

"The man that owns the place… he gave me a call, asked if I'd start delivering him milk. Said he wanted to make use of the local produce in the town." Mister Eckles nodded, "I thought it was maybe you who'd recommended me." He smiled happily, "It's great getting more business."

"So, you're delivering him milk now?" AJ asked.

"Starting from tomorrow. And we agreed on some other produce. Meat and cheese." Mister Eckles said, "Apparently he's doing some sort of open-mic night on Monday."

"A what?" AJ shook her head.

"I'm not too sure what it is exactly but it sounds good for the community, I suppose." Mister Eckles smiled, "He's fitting in, don't you think?"

"Oh, yeah." AJ nodded sarcastically, "He's fitting right in. We're so happy for him, aren't we?" AJ turned to Becca who nodded.

"We're his biggest fan. We want nothing but big things for him." Becca nodded with exaggeration.

"Well, I'll leave you girls to enjoy the party." Mister Eckles nodded politely, walking off back inside the house.

"He is the slimiest little snake I've ever known." AJ turned to Becca.

"Mister Eckles?" Becca asked.

"No. Phil. He's literally copying everything we do. I tried to be the bigger person the other day, I even baked him a god damn cookie… how stupid was I?" AJ shook her head, "How am I supposed to just ignore him like you and Shiv say, when he's trying to imitate my entire shop."

"It'd be easier to murder him." Becca nodded, taking a sip of her cocktail, a fancy one which Shiv had made with a curly straw.

"Yeah, it would." AJ shook her head.

"I didn't know you'd be here." Punk said, spotting Linda sitting on the sofa in the living room of the house. He was taken back by how busy the party was, with all kinds of people from the town. It was certainly like nothing he'd ever experienced before.

"I'm the resident party girl." Linda said, hitting Punk's leg with her stick as Punk chuckled, "When am I baking for you again?" She asked as Punk sat down beside her.

"How about Monday?" Punk asked, "We're doing an open-mic night. It'd be good to have some of your macaroons and fudge. I think those were people's favourites from the Fair."

"I'll see what I can do." Linda nodded.

Since Daryl had led him into the party, he'd had some pleasant conversations with people from the town, all who commended him on his shop. It was a good feeling to hear such kind remarks, especially when he was trying really hard to make the business successful.

"I would have thought an eighteen-year-old hosting a party would have just been for… you know, eighteen-year-olds." Punk admitted to her.

"Yes, I can see why you'd think that." Linda nodded, "Shiv is a kind girl. And her parents are always hosting things for the community. Charity events and such." Linda said, "And it's hard for the kids to have parties here without someone telling their parents. It's probably better this way." Linda shrugged, "Your protégé is having fun." Linda nodded over to Daryl who was singing Daydream Believer by the Monkees on the Karaoke.

"He'll regret that in the morning." Punk shook his head, "Is April here? From The Brewberry Café?" He asked. He couldn't help wondering if this was the sort of environment she enjoyed spending time in.

"I think I saw her earlier." Linda nodded, "Outside with the other girl who works there."

"I might go say hello." Punk said, knowing fine well he was just inviting more hostility between them. Part of him loved the fury he saw on her face whenever he approached her. He knew it was childish, but he couldn't help it.

"You behave." Linda told him as Punk stood up.

"I always behave." Punk assured her, making his way through the house, shaking his head as he passed Daryl screeching into the microphone.

He headed to the door leading out to the back yard, opening up and stepping out into the decking area where a large number of people were also gathered in groups, standing chatting or sitting at the tables and chairs.

He looked around and spotted AJ, only she wasn't sitting with Becca like he thought, but with a man perhaps around her age, both invested in conversation.

He watched her as she laughed at something he said, grinning a little at how funny her laugh was, and how she laughed with her whole mouth. It was infectious, and she was clearly enjoying the man's company, which was annoying for some strange reason.

He went back inside, bumping into Daryl who appeared to be finished his song.

"You were terrible, by the way." Punk told him.

"No, I wasn't." Daryl scoffed.

"You were." Shiv said, standing over in the kitchen pouring a drink, overhearing them.

"Uh… nobody asked you." Daryl looked over to her.

"I'm just saying. You scared my cat." Shiv nodded as Daryl scoffed, noticing AJ out the window sitting chatting to one of the guys who he knew worked in the car garage in town.

"They look cosy." Daryl nodded as Punk turned around and looked again.

"You leave her alone. Both of you." Shiv said sternly.

"Excuse me?" Punk turned to her.

"You've been really stressing her out." Shiv said, "All the games you're playing. It's not nice."

"I'm trying to have a successful business here. And she's hated me from the get-go so I really don't care how she feels." Punk said, walking away back into the living room area, leaving Daryl standing with Shiv in the kitchen.

"You're no better." Shiv said to him.

"What have I done?" Daryl questioned.

"You're playing along with everything he's doing." Shiv said, "You know as much as I do how hard April has worked at making The Brewberry Café what it is."

"Yeah and that's great, Shiv… but it doesn't mean other people can't open up a coffee shop beside her. Phil is right, you guys have hated him from the second he stepped foot here. You did nothing to welcome him. That's not what this town is." Daryl said.

"Don't give me the friendly town spiel. You hate this town. You're just mad you're stuck in it now cause you can't go to college anymore." Shiv shook her head as Daryl looked at her, hurt.

"There's the kind Shiv everyone knows and loves." Daryl nodded, "I'm doing pretty well for myself now actually. I've got something to focus on and I'm grateful to Phil for everything he's done for me." He said, "He's had a shitty time with everything. Moving to a weird place like this. Losing his girlfriend and getting disbarred-" He rambled on as Shiv looked at him with raised brows.

"Disbarred?" She asked with shock as Daryl looked at her, wishing he hadn't had so many beers.

"I didn't say that." Daryl said.

"He got disbarred?" Shiv asked, "Jesus that's… pretty bad." She said with concern.

"That's not what I said." Daryl shook his head, panicking.

"Yes, you did. I heard you plain and clear." Shiv said, "So he was a lawyer?" She asked, stepping closer to Daryl for more information.

"I never said any of that. Don't…" He sighed, running his hand over his face, hating himself and his loudmouth, "Please don't mention it to anyone." He shook his head as Shiv smiled a little, "Shiv, please."

Punk stayed at the party for as long as he could tolerate, mingling with some people who were thankfully his age which was a nice change from venting to an eighteen-year-old all the time. He'd gotten to express thanks for the support everyone had showed the coffee shop, and also invited them all around for the open-mic night. He felt like his work for the night was definitely done.

He was leaving out the front door when he eventually found AJ standing by herself.

"Leaving so soon?" AJ asked.

"Not soon enough." Punk shook his head, taking his car keys from his pocket.

"Don't tell me you drink and drive." AJ shook her head.

"I don't drink. Period." Punk said as AJ wrapped her cardigan around her, folding her arms over her chest.

"Mister Eckles tells me that you're in business together now." AJ said, "Bit strange considering you thought it was stupid of me to have an eighty-year-old farmer delivering milk to me." She said.

"I guess I just want to do my bit for the town." Punk said smugly, "Businesses supporting businesses."

"You're full of crap." AJ shook her head.

"I'm too tired for this." Punk said, "Why don't you go back inside and chat with that tool you were talking to."

"Has anyone ever told you you're extremely cruel?" AJ asked. The way this man had the nerve to disrespect people he didn't even know was a major red flag for her.

"If I'm extremely cruel then so are you, sweetheart." Punk shook his head, "I'm playing the exact same game you are."

"No… no, you're not." AJ said, "You're desperate and it's really just embarrassing now."

"Whatever. I'm leaving." Punk shook his head, beginning to walk away and pausing when she spoke again.

"It all makes sense now." She said.

"What makes sense?" He turned to her.

"You." AJ said, "A lawyer? That's pretty fitting. But a disbarred lawyer?" She said, "Everything about you makes perfect sense now." She nodded.

She knew as the words came out of her that she was crossing a different kind of line. Perhaps she was going way too far. It was becoming personal. Her back was against the wall with everything he'd done so far since coming here. The success at The Fair, stealing her specials menu, not accepting her cookie, using the exact same suppliers from town as her, even after slating them. She couldn't take it anymore and it had all built up to this moment. She finally had the ammunition to score the lowest blow.

To her dismay, he never said a word. He stared at her with a little shock at first, then anger, and then she swore he looked hurt as he began walking away to his car.

She watched as he slammed his car door shut behind him, reversing out of the space and driving off down the dirt road into the darkness.

A/N: Thanks for being patient for this chapter! Back to normality so hope to post as regular as I can. Much love.