Second Chances

14

When Daryl and Billy neared the dining hall, they could hear the others laughing. It was strange almost, nearly putting Daryl in a fight or flight position. Laughter from the group was rare especially the whole group, Billy had found. Most of the time when people laughed it was because they were being petty or sarcastic like her dad used to be; it was never truly because something was funny. The two walked and everyone looked to them, smiles still plastered on their faces.

"Well," Shane chuckled, "Look who's up!"

Billy sat in the open chair by Carl, Lori and Rick on his side and sitting beside her was Dale. She liked that she didn't have to choose like everyone else. There was no one who was her's so she could sit anywhere she'd like. If her father would have been here, she would have felt like she had to sit by him. And she did not want to.

Dale smiled at her and Carl turned to her with a cup, barely filled of wine. Billy knew what wine was, she wasn't stupid and besides she was twelve.

"They made me try it so you have to," he held the cup out to her like it was some kind of prank.
She hated the taste of wine because her father said she would. He had solely drank beer and she didn't mind it that much when he let her try some. She figured though, if he didn't like it neither would she.

And for that matter, she didn't care too much for the way people acted when they drank. The men especially. She had never really been around women so perhaps it was different with them. But Billy saw the men her father had brought home, all long and red-faced. They scared her, even when they did nothing to be scared of.

Before, Billy could even push the cup away however, Shane cleared his throat a little. "I'm not saying Billy can't try it, she just might be a little young C."

Billy nearly sputtered. She wondered how old he thought she was. She didn't figure it would ever matter and honestly, she had no idea what day it was but she knew for a fact that her twelfth birthday had passed a little while ago and Carl was still only eleven.

"I'm twelve," Billy didn't usually care for correcting people and she could not care less about the wine but it seemed as though she'd be treated differently if they thought her the youngest.
She thought it might even be better to claim her age as fourteen, but then again, they'd probably never believe it. She was too short, her eyes too big, her head to small, her limbs too skinny. There was a million reasons they wouldn't take her word for it, she was, after all, a stranger.

"Twelve?" Shane gasped from across the table, drawing everyone's attention towards the girl.
She immediately regretted saying anything based on everybody's stares, she wasn't sure why it was this shocking. She was little but she didn't ever act like it, at least, she didn't think.

"Billy?" Rick asked as if he needed to hear it come out of her mouth in order to believe it.

Billy looked at him and confirmed with a nod.

Daryl looked at her from the other end of the table and though he didn't wear his shock on his face like the others, he was just as surprised. For a second, he thought she might be lying. In fact, a little bit of doubt followed him even after the group accepted it. She was just too small. He considered that there were a lot of factors that go into height and weight. A combination of genes, nutrition and exercise. But still, it was abnormal.

Billy was constantly reminded of it. In the mirror. In fights. In school. Out of school. By her dad. Because of her dad. She had grown not to care as much but this group needed to know she wasn't helpless. She had something to offer. If not they might just leave her behind.

Carl piped in, "No way you're older than me."

Billy just looked at him and then down at her food. They were having pasta. Out of everything she had eaten recently, this was by far the most appetizing and she decided not to dwell on the previous conversation any longer. Everyone watched her as she took her first bite.