What Changed Your Mind? [Wattys 2017]

Chapter 7: You and the Redneck

Beth:

Leigh and I walked for a few minutes, then she turned around like to see if someone was following us. When she decided that no one was she turned to me. "So what's up with you and the redneck?" I looked at her. Was I that easy to read? "Daryl?" She nodded. I looked up. "Oh, god I don't know." She pursed her lips as I looked back to her. "Do you like him?" I nodded. "Like-like?" Yes! I thought. But I didn't say that, of course. "I. . . I think so. But, he doesn't feel the same way, I'm sure." She stopped, stopping me with her. "Are you serious? Have you seen the way he looks at you when you're together? That man is obviously crazy about you!" And there I was, turning beet red again. I was really bad about that. "Okay. . . so. . . what do I do?" She just looked at me with a blank expression, which changed quickly to excitement. Was I going to have a best friend? "Make. A. Move! Duh!" I sighed. Maybe. "The age difference doesn't bother you?" She shrugged. "Who the hell cares anymore anyway. What's the difference in age between you two anyways?" I stayed quiet for a minute. "Well. . . I'm eighteen and he's thirty-five." She shrugged. "Seventeen years. I've seen much bigger gaps." My eyes widened. "Really? What's the biggest gap you've ever heard of?" She thought for a moment. "Forty-four years." I laughed. "What? No way!" She nodded with a smug look on her face. "Yes way!" "Where?" She giggled. "So, on TV, did you ever watch a show called 'Cougar Wives'?" I shook my head. "Well this one lady was like sixty-six and her husband was like twenty-two." Really? So Daryl and my age difference wasn't that bad. "Really?" "Yeah. If you ask me, he was a total gold-digger. This lady was loaded." I nodded. I couldn't believe I was having a teenager-like conversation in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. It felt good to be normal for at least a little while. My legs started to feel numb the farther we went. "Hey, can we turn around? My legs are starting to sorta give out on me." She nodded. "Sure." She turned us around and we walked back to camp.

Daryl jogged over to us and picked me up when we got back. "You alright?" I nodded. "Yeah. I'm okay. Just tired. I promise." He nodded and sat me down by the tent, sitting down next to me. "Where's Andy?" Daryl looked at me. "He took Noah and they went huntin'." I was surprised. Hunting was usually Daryl's thing. "Without you?" He nodded. "Said I needed to be here when you guys got back. So he wouldn't let me go. Honestly, I didn't really wanna go. I wanted to make sure you came back safely." Leigh went inside the tent and I assumed she went to sleep. I slid away from Daryl and lay down, my head on his right leg. He put his hand on my head and rubbed circles behind my ear with his thumb. I smiled and fell asleep after a while.

Daryl:

Beth was still asleep and Noah and Andy still hadn't gotten back when the first drop hit my face. It was gettin' cold and it was gonna storm. It was probably 'round November by now. Probly had been when we got to the James' house.

I slid my arms under Beth and lifted her off the ground, steppin' into the tent and puttin' her back down with her head sideways to miss her cut. I sat down next to her, pullin' a blanket over her as the air got colder. Her sleeve slid up a little and I ran my finger over the thick scars across her wrist. "Daryl." I hadn't noticed she'd woken up. She sounded almost sad. I looked at her. "That Beth is gone now. I replaced her with the me that's here now." That's all she had to say. I believed her. I looked back at her face and she smiled at me, tellin' me it was alright. I smiled back at her and slid my hand from her wrist into her palm. She closed her fingers and intertwined them with mine as I lay down next to her.

Beth:

I looked over at Leigh, who was hunched over at the other side of the tent. Her shoulders were shaking, small sobs escaping with her breath. I sat up, patting Daryl's wrist with my free hand and sliding my hand from his. I crawled over to Leigh. "Are you okay?" She shook her head and looked at me, her eyes red and her face puffy, tear streaks down the sides of her face. She didn't need to say anything. I knew it was about her mom. She'd been holding back her emotions since her mom died almost two days ago. "Leigh. . . " She looked up at me. "She didn't deserve to die like tha-" Her sentence was cut off by another fit of sobs that shook her whole body. I wrapped both arms around her shoulders, pulling her into me and holding her while she cried. She eventually cried herself to sleep, but I wasn't strong enough to lay her down without dropping her or waking her up. I looked back toward Daryl, who was looking back at me. I jerked my head a little toward Leigh and he got up onto his knees, crawling over to help me lay her down. When she was lying down and covered up, Daryl and I crawled back to our side of the tent. I couldn't help but wonder where Noah and Andy were and hope they were okay.

"What's up?" I looked over at Daryl, jumping from my thoughts. "Hm?" He sat up onto one elbow. "You're thinkin' 'bout somethin'. What's wrong?" I closed my eyes and squeezed them shut, sighing. "Andy and Noah aren't back yet." "They'll be okay. It's just takin' em a while, that's all." I opened my eyes back up and looked him in the eyes. "Okay." Before I knew what was happening, I had closed the gap between us and my lips were on his. He didn't pull away, he just stayed there for a minute. I smiled through the kiss as he started to kiss me back hesitantly, and not long after he got bolder, kissing back a little harder. When he pulled away he looked down at the ground and grinned from ear to ear. It wasn't the kind of smile I was used to seeing him make, and it was an amazing change. When he looked back up at me I grinned at him and pressed my lips to his again.

Daryl:

When Beth's lips hit mine I froze. When I realized what she was doin' I wasn't afraid anymore to tell her how I felt and I was glad I didn't have to say anythin'. I told her by kissin' her back. I rolled over onto my back and tried to sleep, knowin' I wouldn't.

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And I didn't.

Beth:

I opened my eyes, sitting up, getting to my feet, and stepping outside the tent. Daryl followed me out. "Still no Andy or Noah." It had been two days since they left. I looked at Daryl and he read into my expression, putting his hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him then down to my feet. Just then, the bushes by our camp started to rustle. Daryl loaded his crossbow, lifting it quickly as Leigh came barreling out of the tent. "Wha-" I put a finger to my lips, signaling for her to be quiet, and pointed at the bushes. She nodded and covered her mouth. I put my hand on Daryl's back, more for my own comfort than for his. He wasn't afraid and I knew that. But I was, and so was Leigh.

We stood there for what seemed like hours but couldn't have been more than five minutes, waiting for something to happen. My heart was racing, my other hand on my chest as if I could slow it down. The rustling got closer and Daryl tensed up a little, while I was rigid, frozen in place. Finally the rustling was right at the edge of the bushes. Even though I was scared to death of what could come out of the bush, I wasn't quite ready for what I saw.