Best Friends to the End
Junior Year
"How about The College of William and Mary? It's still an awesome school, but not pretentious like Harvard or Yale."
"I think yer worried 'bout sumthin' that don't need worried 'bout for 'nother year ana half" Daryl replied opening his milk carton.
It was lunch period, right before Christmas break and Sadie was looking through college information packets, as she had been for the last 3 months.
"It is never too early to start planning where we will go to college" Sadie said giving him an exhausted look.
Daryl knew where this was going, they'd had this argument ever since the catalogs showed up at Sadie's house. She would say she was looking for THEIR college, Daryl would remind her he wasn't going to college, she would insist they would find a way to pay for it, Daryl argued that even if he found a way to pay he didn't have the grades, Sadie would tell him that if he worked hard the next 2 years he would, and so on.
It usually ended up with Sadie and Daryl both glaring at each other before one said "just drop it" and things were tense for a little while.
This time though Daryl just grunted to avoid having to actually answer. He didn't want to argue, but he didn't understand why she couldn't respect his choice. Just like he respected her choice to go to an out of state school. He didn't want her to, but he wasn't going to stomp on her choice because he didn't like it.
Sadie knew that was Daryl's way of ending the conversation. She was frustrated. She wanted out of Georgia, go somewhere that she wasn't defined by who her parents were. But, she didn't want to do it without Daryl. The thought of not doing something with him by her side terrified him. She was pushing hard, but he didn't seem to want to budge. She figured if she started early he would eventually give in. So far she was having no luck.
They sat in silence for a few minutes before the bell rang signaling the end of lunch. Daryl collected their trash and they walked out of the lunchroom, both hoping the other would change their mind.
"Are we still hunting this afternoon?" Sadie asked softly. She was worried he would be upset with her and change his mind.
"Course" he answered as they walked up to the door of her next class.
Sadie smiled, "see you in a bit then."
Daryl smiled back and turned to walk to his class as she went into hers.
It was getting colder outside as the sun started setting. Sadie wrapped her half of the big wool blanket tighter around her body as they sat in the woods almost stone still and silent. Daryl felt her shiver beside him and scooted closer, pulling his half of the blanket a little tighter. He had already nabbed a few rabbits and a couple of squirrels so he wasn't too worried about catching much more. he knew Sadie was ready to be done. He'd let her try for a few of the rabbits, and though her aim was improving she didn't quite get anything. He figured she didn't really actually want to shoot anything. She'd never had to do it to put food on the table like he had.
Sadie buried her face in his neck and warmed her cold nose on his skin. She was cold and ready to go in. She wouldn't tell Daryl that though. She knew this was his food for the week or longer. Now that he was working he could get meat at the grocery store, but still preferred to catch it.
"Ya ready?" Daryl asked just above a whisper.
Sadie nodded, "whenever you are."
Daryl smiled at her stubbornness. He knew she was beyond ready. He stood up and collected his catch while Sadie folded up the blanket and their bag.
When they got back to his house they saw Merle's truck in the driveway once more.
"Good, he can help you clean the catch" Sadie said with excitement. She had never looked forward to this part.
"Tell him ta come help?" Daryl asked, getting right to work.
Sadie nodded before grimacing at the sight. She turned and hurried inside to find Merle standing in the kitchen drinking a beer.
"Hey Merle. Daryl has requested your skinnin' help" Sadie said checking the fire in the woodstove before standing in front of it to warm up.
Merle rolled his eyes, "I guess I can help" he whined before putting down his beer.
"You don't mind eating it!" Sadie scolded him. She didn't mind Merle most of the time but there were some times when she couldn't stand his laziness. Especially when it made life harder for Daryl.
Merle smiled at her as her pulled on his jacket. "Ya sure are a feisty one. Ya make a good match for Darlene, know it?"
Sadie didn't answer him, just stared at him blankly. She wasn't sure where this was going and didn't want to back herself into a corner. You never knew with Merle, he was always trying to spin an angle.
"Ya know he loves ya, right?"
Sadie nodded, still unsure of where this was going.
"No, not like a little sister like me" Merle said shaking his head. "He LOVES you, girl."
Sadie narrowed her eyes a little at Merle, "you drunk?"
Merle laughed a little, "Maybe. What I'm sayin' is still true. I don't know why ya can't see it."
With that he walked out the door to help.
Sadie had a feeling with the little things Daryl had done and said lately that he may like her more than what she thought. However, she wasn't going to do anything to change where they stood. What if her thoughts were wrong? Maybe he was just growing up. Sadie was the only girl he ever really interacted with so it was hard to say if he treated other girls any different. Was she really going to let the words of a drunk Merle change her life? No. More importantly, did she feel something more for Daryl? No, she wasn't going to even think about that. It could only lead to hurt feelings and awkward moments together if one of them didn't feel the same.
Sadie was still standing in front of the stove lost in her thoughts when Daryl and Merle came back in.
"you still thinkin' 'bout what I said ta ya?" Merle asked before laughing a deep belly laugh.
'Definitely drunk' Sadie thought before responding, "shut up you old drunk." This only made Merle laugh harder.
"What'd he say?" Daryl asked, hanging up his coat and going to the kitchen to wash his hands.
Sadie shot Merle a death glare before telling Daryl "nothing."
Merle rolled his eyes at her before heading to wash up himself.
Daryl waited until they were back in his room waiting for the pizza Sadie put in the oven to be done before asking again.
"What'd Merle really say? Was he bein' gross? Fuckin' pisses me off when he starts sayin' perverted stuff to ya, I'll go set him straight."
Sadie smiled at him, "no nothing like that."
"Well, what?"
Sadie thought about tell him for a moment. She and Daryl had no secrets between them. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. Too much could change with just those few words.
"Guess that'll just be between me and Merle" she told him with a smirk.
Daryl rolled his eyes, deciding to let it go. He'd try asking Merle about it later.
"I think yer worried 'bout sumthin' that don't need worried 'bout for 'nother year ana half" Daryl replied opening his milk carton.
It was lunch period, right before Christmas break and Sadie was looking through college information packets, as she had been for the last 3 months.
"It is never too early to start planning where we will go to college" Sadie said giving him an exhausted look.
Daryl knew where this was going, they'd had this argument ever since the catalogs showed up at Sadie's house. She would say she was looking for THEIR college, Daryl would remind her he wasn't going to college, she would insist they would find a way to pay for it, Daryl argued that even if he found a way to pay he didn't have the grades, Sadie would tell him that if he worked hard the next 2 years he would, and so on.
It usually ended up with Sadie and Daryl both glaring at each other before one said "just drop it" and things were tense for a little while.
This time though Daryl just grunted to avoid having to actually answer. He didn't want to argue, but he didn't understand why she couldn't respect his choice. Just like he respected her choice to go to an out of state school. He didn't want her to, but he wasn't going to stomp on her choice because he didn't like it.
Sadie knew that was Daryl's way of ending the conversation. She was frustrated. She wanted out of Georgia, go somewhere that she wasn't defined by who her parents were. But, she didn't want to do it without Daryl. The thought of not doing something with him by her side terrified him. She was pushing hard, but he didn't seem to want to budge. She figured if she started early he would eventually give in. So far she was having no luck.
They sat in silence for a few minutes before the bell rang signaling the end of lunch. Daryl collected their trash and they walked out of the lunchroom, both hoping the other would change their mind.
"Are we still hunting this afternoon?" Sadie asked softly. She was worried he would be upset with her and change his mind.
"Course" he answered as they walked up to the door of her next class.
Sadie smiled, "see you in a bit then."
Daryl smiled back and turned to walk to his class as she went into hers.
It was getting colder outside as the sun started setting. Sadie wrapped her half of the big wool blanket tighter around her body as they sat in the woods almost stone still and silent. Daryl felt her shiver beside him and scooted closer, pulling his half of the blanket a little tighter. He had already nabbed a few rabbits and a couple of squirrels so he wasn't too worried about catching much more. he knew Sadie was ready to be done. He'd let her try for a few of the rabbits, and though her aim was improving she didn't quite get anything. He figured she didn't really actually want to shoot anything. She'd never had to do it to put food on the table like he had.
Sadie buried her face in his neck and warmed her cold nose on his skin. She was cold and ready to go in. She wouldn't tell Daryl that though. She knew this was his food for the week or longer. Now that he was working he could get meat at the grocery store, but still preferred to catch it.
"Ya ready?" Daryl asked just above a whisper.
Sadie nodded, "whenever you are."
Daryl smiled at her stubbornness. He knew she was beyond ready. He stood up and collected his catch while Sadie folded up the blanket and their bag.
When they got back to his house they saw Merle's truck in the driveway once more.
"Good, he can help you clean the catch" Sadie said with excitement. She had never looked forward to this part.
"Tell him ta come help?" Daryl asked, getting right to work.
Sadie nodded before grimacing at the sight. She turned and hurried inside to find Merle standing in the kitchen drinking a beer.
"Hey Merle. Daryl has requested your skinnin' help" Sadie said checking the fire in the woodstove before standing in front of it to warm up.
Merle rolled his eyes, "I guess I can help" he whined before putting down his beer.
"You don't mind eating it!" Sadie scolded him. She didn't mind Merle most of the time but there were some times when she couldn't stand his laziness. Especially when it made life harder for Daryl.
Merle smiled at her as her pulled on his jacket. "Ya sure are a feisty one. Ya make a good match for Darlene, know it?"
Sadie didn't answer him, just stared at him blankly. She wasn't sure where this was going and didn't want to back herself into a corner. You never knew with Merle, he was always trying to spin an angle.
"Ya know he loves ya, right?"
Sadie nodded, still unsure of where this was going.
"No, not like a little sister like me" Merle said shaking his head. "He LOVES you, girl."
Sadie narrowed her eyes a little at Merle, "you drunk?"
Merle laughed a little, "Maybe. What I'm sayin' is still true. I don't know why ya can't see it."
With that he walked out the door to help.
Sadie had a feeling with the little things Daryl had done and said lately that he may like her more than what she thought. However, she wasn't going to do anything to change where they stood. What if her thoughts were wrong? Maybe he was just growing up. Sadie was the only girl he ever really interacted with so it was hard to say if he treated other girls any different. Was she really going to let the words of a drunk Merle change her life? No. More importantly, did she feel something more for Daryl? No, she wasn't going to even think about that. It could only lead to hurt feelings and awkward moments together if one of them didn't feel the same.
Sadie was still standing in front of the stove lost in her thoughts when Daryl and Merle came back in.
"you still thinkin' 'bout what I said ta ya?" Merle asked before laughing a deep belly laugh.
'Definitely drunk' Sadie thought before responding, "shut up you old drunk." This only made Merle laugh harder.
"What'd he say?" Daryl asked, hanging up his coat and going to the kitchen to wash his hands.
Sadie shot Merle a death glare before telling Daryl "nothing."
Merle rolled his eyes at her before heading to wash up himself.
Daryl waited until they were back in his room waiting for the pizza Sadie put in the oven to be done before asking again.
"What'd Merle really say? Was he bein' gross? Fuckin' pisses me off when he starts sayin' perverted stuff to ya, I'll go set him straight."
Sadie smiled at him, "no nothing like that."
"Well, what?"
Sadie thought about tell him for a moment. She and Daryl had no secrets between them. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. Too much could change with just those few words.
"Guess that'll just be between me and Merle" she told him with a smirk.
Daryl rolled his eyes, deciding to let it go. He'd try asking Merle about it later.