Bleeding Love | Daryl Dixon

Chapter Six

Age 18:

"Who the hell would have thought we actually would make it here" Daryl said beside me, I looked over to see him fiddeling with his cap. Tonight was our graduation from high school, and honestly I was as surprised as he was that we were actually graduating. Daryl and I weren't known for our attendance, and surely not our supreme grades, but somehow we managed to pull enough passing grades out of our asses to pass for the year. Daryl was standing beside me outside the gym as we waited for the rest of our class so we could walk. "Yeah definitely not me" I said as I twirled my square cap in my hands, these things were atrociously ugly and I don't understand why we had to wear them.

"So, I had an idea I wanted to run by you" I said turning against the wall to face my best friend who was now texting on his phone. "What's that?" He asked as he slapped the phone closed and slid it into his pocket. "Merle texted and said he's here" Daryl said surprised, Merle for weeks kept saying there was no way in hell he would come to graduation, I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that he never did.....Merle didnt pass enough classes his senior year and decided not to go back. "Great!" I said with a smile, I was genuinely happy Merle was coming, he was my family as well.

"So what was that idea you had?" Daryl asked before reaching out and playing with the strands of my long brown hair. I blushed slightly before turning away and answering "Well since were done with school and everything, and my rent isn't exactly easy by myself...I was wondering if you-" I said looking down at the ground suddenly nervous to ask Daryl what I wanted. I wanted to ask him to move in with me.... After I killed my father two years ago I moved out of my house and into a small apartment closer in town, Daryl practically lived there anyway...But I wanted to ask him officially. I got a job at the bar a couple blocks from my apartment, and I barely made enough to pay for all my bills.

Over the past year of so though, I had started to have different feelings for the man beside me. I had started to feel romantic feelings for Daryl, no matter how hard I fought them they wouldn't go away. I hated feeling those things for him, because Daryl and i were one in the same....we were two damaged beings who didn't know how to except love. So me feeling those things for him, whether they were reciprocated or not would just end up breaking both of our hearts. We had been best friends for over ten years now, and for years we were the only people the other had to rely on....having a relationship would ruin what we had.

When my dad died, no one cared....nobody even batted an eye. Daryl helped me bury him in the woods, and I told the cops I hadn't seen him in weeks....that he was drunk on some bender and never came home. The cops didn't care, my dad was always giving them grief and they barely spent time looking for him before labeling him a lost cause. I hated moving out and leaving Daryl next door alone with his horrid father, he was angry at first but soon turned happy when he realized me moving out was the best thing to happen to the both of us. 

Daryl was at my place constantly, had clothes there, ate dinner with me, he could be himself and make as much noise and say whatever he wanted without the worry of getting beat by his father. Like I said he basically lived there anyway, but i wanted to make it official. "What is it vannah?" Daryl asked softly bending down slightly so he could look me in the eye. "Move in please, you basically do anyway but I need help with rent and-" 

"Yes" Daryl said cutting me off with a smile. My head snapped up and my blue eyes met his, "Really?" I asked hesitantly, knowing Daryl and his many jokes. "Of course, I have to get out of that fucking house" He said shaking his head before looking down at his worn brown boots, They still had a few red stains on them from his many hunting trips. "What about a job?" I asked him seeing as Daryl's current occupation was getting drunk with me on the weekends...and every weekday pretty much. "I'll just work down with Merle at the shop" He said casually. Merle was currently working as a mechanic at the local auto shop, and Daryl knew as much if not more than his older brother about the finer working's of auto repair.

"Ms.Montgomery, Mr.Dixon!' I heard someone call, and turned to see our principle yelling for us to get in line. I rolled my eyes before following behind Daryl who had already started to walk away. Our class was small, maybe thirty people at most so graduation hopefully wouldn't take too long........

"Hey baby brother" Someone shouted from behind Daryl and I, we were outside the school hitting each other with our new diplomas, yes immature we know. Merle was walking over to us, cigarette in hand and still checking out some of the senior girls even though he was over twenty two. I shook my head and threw my pointy cap at his head as he was trying to see under some girls gown. "Ouch princess!" Merle shouted at me before grabbing me cap off the ground and throwing it back at me, me barely catching it. I shrugged and tossed it into the trashcan beside me not really caring about it anymore. 

"They hiring down at Joe's?" Daryl asked when Merle took the seat beside me on the bench. Merle flicked his cigarette bud into the trash before lighting another one and handing it to me. I smiled and greedily took it between my fingers as I haven't had one in a few weeks. "Were always hiring baby brother" Merle said chuckling, once again checking out a group of senior girls who were stripping out of their graduation robes. "Good, I'll come in tomorrow. Oh I need you to help me move my shit out tonight" Daryl said stealing the cigarette in my fingers. 

"Where you going Darlina? Ole Merle ain't got no room you know" Merle said looking finally over to his brother on my other side. "He's coming with me Merle" I said nudging my shoulder with his. Merle looked to me before throwing his arm around my shoulders and pulling me into him. "Ya finally getting with ole vannah, proud of you baby brother. Ya know I love little Vannah!" Merle said squeezing my shoulder. I rolled my eyes and pushed out of his grasp, "No Merle, He's just living with me nothing more" I told him trying my hardest to keep the disappointment out of my voice that it was truly nothing more than friendship. 

I looked over at Daryl and saw he was shaking his head at his brother with a smirk on his face. "We should probably wait till dad's asleep" Merle said looking to Daryl who nodded in response. I wrapped an arm around each other the Dixon boys shoulders as we made a plan of how we would get Daryl's things out of their old house, and just hoped we wouldn't run into the oldest Dixon in the process......

"Home sweet home" I said as i put the last of Daryl's boxes in the spare bedroom. Merle and Daryl had just finished putting together Daryl's bed and dresser. I was curious if Daryl and Merle's father would ever even realize that Daryl and all of his things were gone...I doubt he would care if he did notice. My apartment was small, two bedrooms and one small bathroom. A tiny kitchen attached to the living room.  I looked up and saw Daryl plop backwards onto his bed and sigh, a smile I could see was clear on his face. I walked over and layed down beside him seeing as Merle left a few minutes ago claiming he had a "Date" that was just code for a one night stand. 

Daryl looked over and smiled at me, rolling over to lean his head against his elbow. "Thanks Vannah" He said reaching out and squeezing my hand. I smiled and placed mine against his "Anything for you Dare, Pizza for dinner?" I asked with an eyebrow raised. "of course" Daryl said before pulling out his phone and dialing the number...