𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬.

𝟏 | 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥.

Injuries. It's not the pain that makes them a nuisance. More than anything, it's the recuperation period. For me, at least. Everybody's experience is different. There are those who view it as an opportunity to rest up and get away from the daily stresses that they place on their bodies. However, I find it incredibly difficult to stop doing anything for that long. I'm always reminded to avoid overdoing it, which makes rehab the worst. My body refuses to be down that long.

That, or occasionally, time would fly by, causing me to lose days entirely. That's what I hated about being on the road. Without the farm, we had nowhere to go, which led to us traveling in circles, seeking whatever shelter we could. Winter had come and gone, which was one of the two indications that a significant amount of time had passed while being homeless. Andrea used to keep track of the days but stopped after Amy died. So along with the seasons, we now tell time through Lori's pregnant belly. She wasn't far along when we had to leave the farm. She had just found out. But recently, she's really popped. I'd say that in the last couple of weeks, I've really noticed the biggest change.

We weren't really sure it was the correct day, but we celebrated Beth's eighteenth birthday based on those indicators. Life like this hasn't been kind to us, especially lately as far as food goes. On a good day, we'd find something to feed Carl and Jamie. It was never enough, but they at least had something in their systems. On our best day, there'd be enough to give Lori some of it. With it even becoming harder for Daryl to hunt, I never thought I'd miss the squirrels, but listening to my stomach beg for any sort of protein would have me devour three or four whole ones. To say we needed some kind of good moment was an understatement.

"Happy Birthday, Sweetheart." Her beautiful blue eyes peered into mine, forcing herself to give me a smile. "Thank you."

With how low morale was, she had been preaching to me about not wanting to celebrate since the early morning hours. But she should've known when we declared it her day; I wouldn't be able to resist. It felt like this was for me as much as for her. I was in desperate need of a mental break.

"This is for you." She glanced down at the gift I held, wrapped in a small hand towel. "Wait, you got me something? But I thought..."

"I would say déjà vu, but did you really expect me not to get you even something small to celebrate your eighteen year? So come on, Sunshine. Take it."

"Is it more jewelry?" She asked. I shook my head and extended my arm out to her. "Open it and find out."

Once she took the cloth from me, Beth tried to guess by feeling the shape of the item. She opened it, a big grin on the surface of her face, having no desire to wait any longer. Memorized by the small tube of black unopened mascara, she looked up at me. "Where did you find this?"

"Why did I not pick out the right one? I don't have a receipt. But I can try returning it if you don't want it." My playful grin widened at the sound of her giggle. "I should've seen the woman trying to fight me for it."

"Seriously, how did you find this?" She was nearly bouncing into me with her excitement.

"When Daryl and I went out yesterday, I found it and wanted to give it to you when we got back. But it was too late since you found your way into my sleeping bag again. It's like you're trying to get me in trouble with your dad." My amusement level was at full capacity. The smile she wore, however, started to fade to her normal level of evenness. "Sorry. Jamie and I must've fallen asleep when trying to ignore the hunger pains."