The Broken But Strong

First Meetings

(Clementine's Pov)

I looked over to AJ as he sat next to me in the front of the car, I had my hand over his as we shifted the gears into thirty and he smiled at this.

"I did it." He says as I take my hand off of it and I put it back on the steering wheel. I smile at his excitement and I look at him with my good eye.

"Yea you sure did Goofball, when you get taller, I'll let you in this chair." I tell him and he just looked up at me and his smile got bigger if possible and god did that make me feel happy.

"Awesome." He says and I chuckle as I keep driving.

"So, where we headed now?" He asked and I looked back to the road.

"Well, we've been heading north and we passed a sign saying we were in Virginia, you should pull the map from the glove box." I say and I hear him open it and the paper crumple a bit. I look to him again then back to the road.

"You remember what I taught you about the maps?" I asked.

"Yep.... uh." He says and I hear the map move a bit so I take a look at him and see that he has the map upside down.

"The map is upside down Goofball." I say.

".... I don't like Goofball." He says and I look at him sadly.

"Well.... Would you rather I call you shitbird?" I joked.

"No.... AJ is fine though." He says and I sigh a bit.

"you know I've always called you Goofball.... Why the change now?" I asked honestly.

"I'm grown."

"Is that right?" I asked.

"Yep... I can take care of myself you know." He says and I rubbed my neck a bit.

"I know you can bud.... But you need people to help you sometimes, it's not a bad thing you know.... When I was younger I always needed help." I tell him.

"Like Lee?" He asked and I nod slowly.

"You know, he trusted me a lot, when things got tough, he trusted me to make some tough calls, he didn't want me to go to Crawford.... I know he didn't but yet he trusted me.... Even when he." I stop as I watch the road and leaned forward a bit.

"But do you trust me?" AJ asked and I nodded a bit.

"I do.... But there are some things you should never have to do if I can do it myself you know.... People rely to much on a kid and... bad things happen to them or the kid." I say.

"Like you and your eye?" He asked and I nod.

"Yea... like me and my eye.... Some adults just don't care if you're a kid.... They just don't.... and I don't want what happened to me, happen to you.... Do you understand?" I asked.

"Yea, I do... but at some point, I'm going to have to make some calls that you can't." he says and I don't say anything. I hear his stomach growl a bit and I chuckle.

"Hungry hu?"

"Yea, a little." He admits and I nod.

"The chips we found last time should still be in the back if you want, just let me." But before I could say anything else he unbuckled himself and went into the back seat and I stopped slowly as I look at him.

"Alvin Lee Junior, you don't do that you hear me." I say loudly and he looked to me scared and I stop as I sigh.

"Just.... let me pull over next time ok?" I asked and he nods as he gets back in the front seat and I look at him. I start driving again and I look to the road.