Inevitable

Apology

Some of the group had gone to kill some man named Negan. I wanted to go with them, but Rick told me it would be better if I stayed to look after the town. Of course, I knew he just thought I would screw things up. It was alright though because Carl was staying behind too.

"Hey, Carl!" I grinned at him as we passed each other on the street.

He raised an eyebrow but kept walking forward. I'd figured that the more I acknowledged him, then he'd eventually try to talk to me. So far he hadn't, but I knew he would. If not, I could always talk to him first.

I was on my way to Denise's to bring her a box of gauze which I'd found underneath the fridge in my house. I figured I wouldn't need it anytime soon, so the infirmary was the best place to put it.

I knocked on the door twice before she opened it. She smiled as I handed her the gauze.

"Come in, Ron," she said, gesturing me inside. I stepped through the doorway and shut the door behind me.

"How's Tara?" I asked as we headed into the dining room.

"She's good. I just hope she doesn't get hurt today."

I nodded, sitting across from Denise at the dining table. She, like a lot of the others, had gotten over what I'd done to Carl and was quite friendly.

"I was wondering something," I told her, folding my hands on the table.

"What is it?"

I bit my lip, thinking of how I should word this. "Well, how do you get someone to talk to you? Like, without talking to them first?"

She chuckled, shaking her head. "Show them with your body language that you want something. If you like them, you can just touch them subtly whenever you're near them. Eye contact is good, too."

"What about as friends? I don't like this person in a romantic way or anything. I just want us to be friends."

"And you can't talk to them first why?"

I pursed my lips. "I don't want to seem desperate, and they already hate me." I looked down at my feet. My ears and cheeks felt hot, and I started to wonder why I even asked her in the first place.

"Well, eye contact is still good for just friends. And if they're ever talking in general, listen to them. Believe me, listening is key, but if you really want to be friends, starting the conversation won't hurt." She stood and patted my shoulder.

I stood up too. "Thanks," I said. "I should probably go now."

"No problem." She led me to the front door. "I'll see you soon, Ron."

"You, too." I walked out the door and across the yard, heading down the street.

As I walked, I heard Denise call after me, "Good luck with your friend!"

With a large portion of the people in Alexandria off killing Negan, I decided it was a great time to go down to the pond without anyone bothering me. I liked watching the sun reflect over the water; it was peaceful.

I sat on the grass by the edge of the pond, taking off my shoes and socks to dip my toes in the water. A group of minnows swam up to me and sucked at my feet. I sighed, closing my eyes. It was so quiet. All I hear was the chirping of birds, buzzing of insects, and an occasional splash from the pond.

   "Hey, Ron!"

   I nearly had a heart attack when Mikey came bustling over to me, carrying a large stick. He plopped down next to me with a grin plastered to his face.

   "What?" I asked.

   "With so many people gone, I was thinking we could sneak out and go hunting."

   "Hunting?"

   "Yep, like for rabbits or something. If we can bring back food, everyone's gonna be so happy!" He smiled, poking me with the stick as he stood. "C'mon! Maybe then people won't be so mad at you."

   "Not everyone's mad at me," I mumbled. Mikey rolled his eyes and pulled me to my feet. I slid my socks and shoes back on.

   "Carl and Enid are, and because of that, they won't talk to me either."

   "Did you guys even talk in the first place?" I scoffed, snatching the stick out of Mikey's hand when he tried poking me with it again.

   He shrugged, knocking the stick away from me. "More than we are now."

   We began to walk towards the gates of Alexandria. I honestly had no idea why I decided to follow him. It was a stupid idea. Yet, I had the urge to do it.

   "I think hunting's just gonna get us in trouble," I said as we slipped through the gate. Of course, my thoughts on this didn't stop me from following Mikey into the trees. It wasn't until we paused at a large bush that I grabbed his shoulder, shaking my head.

   "What?" Mikey questioned, his eyebrows moving closer together.

   I sighed, motioning to the woods we stood in. "This... this is dangerous. What if a walker comes? What if we get bit? No one else knows we're out here."

   Mikey opened his mouth to speak, but someone beat him to it.

   "We do." I spun around to see Carl and Enid marching over to us.

   "What are you doing here?" I asked, crossing my arms.

   "I could ask you the same thing," Enid said.

   Mikey glanced to me before saying, "We're hunting."

   "Hunting?" Enid laughed. "For what?"

   "Food."

   Enid rolled her eyes. "Of course, but why are you hunting for food? We've got Rick and the others for that."

   "It's not like we have anything better to do. And you never answered our question. Why are you guys here?"

   Enid looked to Carl, but he just stared at his feet. Enid sighed before looking back to us. "Fresh air."

   I let out a snort. Obnoxious really, but I couldn't help it. "Fresh air? Seriously?"

   "Yes," Enid hissed. "You have a problem with that?"

   "I just-" I began, but paused to think about what I was saying. "I just wanted to apologize."

   Carl's head shot up, glaring at me.

   "Actually... no," I said. "I need to apologize, and I need you to deal with it. I don't care whether or not you want to be friends with me; I just need you to listen. Listen to what I have to say because I have a lot to tell you."

   Suddenly, the sound of growling snuck up behind me. I spun around just in time to see a walker fall onto me. My back hit the ground hard, and I let out a cry as the walker launched itself onto me.

   I swung my fist forward, hitting the walker in the forehead. It remained 'alive' as it chomped its jaws at me. Luckily, Mikey stabbed it right in the back of the head, sending pieces of bloody brains onto my face.

   I stumbled to my feet, puking and gagging while I wiped the brains off my face. Mikey grabbed my shoulder, pulling me through the trees. When I was able to look up, I saw that we were headed back to Alexandria, trailing Carl and Enid.

   We stormed inside. I was fuming from the fact that I hadn't been able to apologize to Carl yet.

   "Carl!" I shouted as he began to enter his house with Enid. Enid went inside without looking back, yet Carl stopped in the doorway. I waited, watching him from his yard. Mikey stood behind me, staring.

   To my surprise, Carl spun around, ran down his porch steps, and across the yard to me. He leaned forward, pressing his lips to my ear and whispering, "I'll see you at your house tonight."

   Then he turned and ran back to his house, shutting the door loudly. Tonight. Tonight I would see him.