Hopelessy Devoted

Chapter 20: Goodbye and Hello

When he woke up, Daryl was in Georgia once more. He was dazed and confused as he slowly sat up and realized the room he was in was exactly like his old one. He must have thought he was dreaming, because he pinched himself quite a few times. With the smell of bacon in the air, he got out of bed and headed down the narrow staircase to the kitchen.

"Hello?" He asked the gray haired woman at the stove. Her hair was slightly cut above her shoulders and when she turned around, he met her bright blue eyes.

"Aw, I was wondering if you were gonna sleep all day?" The woman jokes with him as she places a plate of food in him as he sits at the table.

"I'm sorry Ma'am." Looking down at the food, he feels confused yet happy.

"Oh no need to apologize for it. You and that girl  had a long night last night."

"Girl? What girl?" He perks up and then calms once he realizes it isn't who he thinks it was.

"You're going to make it right aren't you?"

"Umm..."

"When things like this happen- it's only right that you take responsibility for it. You may be a ward of the state, but you won't act like those other hooligans you find running about in the streets." Daryl takes a bite of food and just takes in the woman's chatter. "Yer gonna have to be a man someday. I was hoping it'd be later, but if God allows it then by God you must too I suppose."

"I'm sorry Ma'am. Maybe I am just too tired to understand the conversation, but what were we talking about again?"

"We were talking about you taking that new girl to that Line Dance. What was her name? Greene....?"He is out of his seat and runs from the kitchen as fast as he can. Racing down the road, Daryl sprints down the driveway and as he's about to knock, the door opens up and knocks him down the porches steps. Holding his nose, he rolls back and forth in the dirt- eyes glued shut and groaning through the pain.

"I am so sorry! I didn't see you there. Are you okay?" Her voice is melodic and soothing. When he finds enough strength and pride- he fights through the pain and opens his eyes. There in front of him is the most beautiful girl he's ever seen. "Oh...it's you. From school. Art class."

"Beth?" Her cheeks become red and she looks down a bit.

"Um...no...my name is Genevieve...Genevieve Greene. My family and I just moved in a few days ago. Yer Daryl Dixon? Right? We met." He looks at her with blue eyes and she blushes some more.

"I'm sorry...I just...I thought I met you before- yer name was Beth."

"My middle name is Beth...Bethany Anne." She smiles sweetly and he doesn't know what to do.

"Yer foster mother just called and invited my brothers and parents over for dinner tonight before that line dancing thang. I'm really excited and glad you asked me."

"Yeah...no...uh...I'm excited too. I'm sorry it's just yer so familiar. It's like I've gazed into those deep blue eyes before and saw the whole world in them."

"Oh yer such a flatterer Mr. Dixon. Must be that college boy attitude."

"College?"

"Yes. Did I give you like amnesia from hitting you with the door?"

"I guess so...

"Well it's Brighten Falls University...you play in a band and we take Dr. Hoverath's art class together? Any of this ringing a bell?"

"Ye..yeah. Oh yeah. Right. Sorry, just uh...just couldn't remember."

"Must have been spending too much time at Zwiller's. Haha. Anyway- I'm going to go exploring in the woods if you'd like to come. I hear there's a magical place back there." She smiles sweetly at him and he smiles back.