Chapter Seven:

"...The essay was only meant to be three thousand words, Michonne, and while I truly do admire your ability to go above and beyond, this is… a lot"

Michonne narrowed her eyes at the silver haired woman, "I did what you asked-"

"And then some…", Mrs Peletier muttered as she turned back to her desk, "Trim it down. And stick to the subject! You have this tendency to branch off into so many different topics and you lose sight of the question you're meant to be answering"

Michonne exhaled tiredly, looking down at the essay in her hand, "I don't see what the problem is, I do the work, I've always done the work, in fact, I do more than just the work and-"

"I know, Michonne. You're the model student. Now go", Mrs Peletier called over her shoulder as she began collecting her belongings together, "Have a nice weekend! And try to enjoy yourself. Don't just sit there working on that"

"I do enjoy myself, thank you very much", Michonne huffed, offended at the insinuation.

The teacher cackled, "Your tone tells me otherwise"

The teen adjusted her backpack as she turned and stalked out the room, "Fine!"

Despite the battles she often had with Mrs Peletier, Michonne liked that she could argue her point with the woman, as most of her other teachers ran when they saw her coming.

"How'd that go?", Glenn queried, waiting for her outside the classroom.

"I have to trim it down", She responded dryly as they strolled down the hall together.

Glenn cringed, "Yeah, I thought that would happen. Rick told me you went over by like two thousand words"

"It's all informative!", She protested sternly, earning her a chuckle from the boy.

"I'm sorry, but it's just funny how you get all mad about your work", Glenn offered an apologetic nudge, "Oh, hey, are you going to the game later?"

"Nah, I've got work", She was being truthful, but the fact of the matter was, even if she didn't have work, she wouldn't go. For reasons she still didn't understand, she managed to distract Rick when he was on the field, which she did find oddly flattering, as it was as if he couldn't be within yards with her and not pay her any attention.

"Ah, that's a shame. I think it's a big game today. Like really big. Rival schools and all that"

Her eyebrows sprung up, "Just like in the movies"

"Just like in the movies"

"So Maggie's practicing again?"

"Yeah. Lori's made them do it every day this week"

Michonne only tensed by a tiny degree when she heard her ex-friend's name, "Ah. That sucks"

"Yeah".

Glenn had somehow managed to become someone she walked to work with, when Rick wasn't around to drive her there. She enjoyed his company, and the two them would often laugh together along the way.

There was no denying that she missed Daryl, though, and she spent a large portion of her waking hours wondering where he was, and if he were safe. She wished he would send her some kind of sign that he were fine, just a phone call or a letter even, something that would put her mind at ease.

Working at the diner wasn't particularly fun for her, and she found herself always tired, with barely enough time to study as she'd like, but bills had to be paid, and until her father found employment again, it would have to do.

He was doing well with his sobriety though, which she was more than happy about. She imagined he was still struggling every now and then, but he seemed determined to get back on his feet, and she was just as determined to help him, so when he sat her down when she got home from work that Friday night, she was more than happy to hear what good news he had for her.

"I met a man today when I was at the bar, just paying off the last of my tab, and we just got to talking and he was telling me that he was here from the city, he came down here to meet with a friend but…", Her father paced back and forth in front of the coffee table, "...He has his own games publishing company and I told him what happened with our games and… long story short, he offered me a job"

Michonne's tired eyes soon popped open, "Really?"

"Yep! He said he they were looking for an associate creative director and- and he even knew my game! He said his son loved it!"

She jumped up out of her seat, "I'm so happy for you dad!"

Her father swiftly stepped around the table, "You know what this means?"

"You have a job!"

"It means we can move back to the city!"

Her smile immediately tightened, "Oh… yeah-"

"I told Jared, his name's Jared, about our situation and he said I could use a company car to get to work for the first three months, and in that time we can sort out where we're going to live and-and-"

"Dad, this is great, really great, and I'm so happy for you-"

"For us! This is for us, honey. We're getting our chance to get it all back", He grabbed her in a bear hug, wrapping his arms around her tightly, "I'm going to take care of you again. You won't have to work and… we can pay for college, you can go back to being a teenager again. I promise that you can"

"Yeah", She sighed, "...I thought you were going to tell me that it's been three months since your last drink..."

"It has, hasn't it?", He chuckled, "I almost forgot. I was too excited to tell you about the job"

"Either way, you're doing great, dad"

Michonne was genuinely glad about his new job, and what it meant for her and her father, but naturally, the prospect of moving wasn't something she was too keen on, for many reasons, and one of the biggest reasons arrived at her home an hour after her father had broken the news.

"Hey", Rick smiled tiredly as she opened the front door.

"Hey", She greeted, stepping aside to let him in, "You look exhausted"

"I am"

"You should have gone home"

"I've barely saw you today", He pointed out, turning to face her as she closed the door.

"You picked me up this morning-"

"We were in the car for ten minutes-"

"We saw each other at lunch-"

"Then you went to study"

"We had class together-"

"Then I had to go straight to practise", He tilted his head at her as he raised his brow, "See?"

She couldn't suppress her giggle in time, "Fine, you're right"

"I am", He soon closed the space between them, taking hold of her waist before he pressed his lips against hers, always managing to send a shiver down her spine with his kisses.

But with her father only in the next room, she didn't wish to get carried away, "I need to talk to you"

His eyes darted all over her face as he watched her pull away, "About?"

She took hold of his hand, leading him down the hall to her bedroom, not entirely sure what his reaction would be. They hadn't put any label on their relationship, as they had agreed to take things slow and get to know each other better. It was something Michonne was comfortable with, and she felt better about them handling things at a snail's pace.

"So…", She began, sitting beside him on her bed, crossing her legs in front of her, "...My dad told me when he got home that he got a job… almost doing what he was doing before"

"Yeah? That's great", He grinned, laying his jacket down beside him.

"It is…", She lowered her voice, though she knew her father was probably fast asleep, "But it's in the city and he's talking us about moving…"

Rick's grin vanished, "Yeah?"

"Yeah"

He slowly nodded as he absorbed her words, making no attempt to speak for a time, before he finally asked, "How do you feel about that?"

She scoffed, "Like I just got given an orange for Christmas"

A chuckled burst from his lips, "That's one way to put it"

"I don't want to move, I actually… I like it here. I like it here more than when we were in the city"

"Did you tell him that?"

"No. Not yet, I didn't want to rain on his parade"

"...I think I'd prefer it if you stayed here"

She bit back a smile, "I'd prefer that too. It's not like I need to go with him… I can stay here. I can take care of myself-"

"Stay here on your own?", The concern was evident in his tone.

"Yeah", She nodded, "I pay the bills… I'm used to being on my own a lot anyway-"

"I don't like that Michonne"

He didn't need to explain why he felt that way, she knew, "Daryl's dad hasn't been seen since that night-"

"Doesn't mean he won't come back"

"That's true. But… I don't think he's stupid enough to come back here again. Everyone knows what he did and… I won't live my life in fear because of him. That's not fair. I shouldn't have to be scared to be on my own because of him-"

"I agree with that. I don't think that should to be the case at all but… the fact is, he's out there somewhere and no one knows where… it'll be dangerous for you to be on your own. It shouldn't be, but it will"

She huffed as she dropped her gaze to her hands, knowing he was right, but she didn't want to discuss the man any further, "How's your grandma?"

"She's doing fine", Rick answered weakly, casting his own gaze elsewhere, "She was watching some old western when I stopped at the house"

Michonne smiled, "Yeah? I didn't know she liked those kinds of movies"

"I'm sure she thinks she's in them. She always gets so caught up with the storyline"

She chortled quietly, "You need to get her a hat and matching boots then"

He began to smile, "She'd love that"

Michonne reached out and took his hand in hers, "Bring her by the diner tomorrow… I can make her one of her favourite shakes"

"...I don't know", His thumb brushed over her knuckles, "She's not… the last time we took her out… she was scared… or nervous… I don't know but, I don't want to see that happen again"

"Then I'll bring it over for her? I finish at three…"

He finally looked at her again, "You don't have to do that"

"I want to see her. It's been awhile since someone's made me laugh the way she does"

His brow furrowed, though he still grinned, "I'm sure I make you laugh"

"Not like Patty", She teased.

He shook his head as he snickered at her, "That's a fair statement"

Sitting with Rick in her room, usually while her father slept, was one of her favourite things to do. It gave her a chance to talk with him, uncensored, about everything and anything she wanted, but still, they would eventually end up rolling around on her bed in a kissing frenzy, and that night would be no different, or so she thought.

She was soon on her back, with Rick laying over her, one of his legs between hers and his hand clamped on her thighs. Kissing him was something she could handle, quite easily, but they often reached a stage where fevers were running high, and between the feeling of his bulge against her hip, and his thigh against crotch, she could only handle so much.

Boys were never a focus for Michonne, and so she had never had a boyfriend, and she had never had sex. She had kissed only two other boys in her life, but never to that extent, and so she felt overwhelmed with the direction of things, yet, not enough to want it to stop. She was curious, and turned on, so she wanted to see how far things would go before she saw fit to object.

However, Rick was a gentleman. His hands only ever rested on her neck, waist, hips or thighs, always above her clothes, and never anywhere else. She adored that about him, but the fire burning in her heat, didn't. She encouraged him to touch her, encouraging him to explore her body further, and she managed to strip him off his t-shirt and jeans and herself of her jersey. He moved between her legs, only two thin pieces of fabric stopping his member from making contact with her centre.

"Condom?", She whispered against his lips, her fingers intertwined in her hair.

She was sure she heard him groan as he whispered back, "Yeah"

He sat up, retrieve his jeans from the end of the bed, while she rolled her underwear off and unhooked her bra. Her heart was thumping in her chest with excitement, and only a little fear. As much as she wanted things to go slowly between the two of them, she felt ready, more than ready. It felt right.

Once his length donned the rubber, he leaned forward over her again, resting on one of his forearms while he took himself in his hands, guiding his organ to her entrance. His steely gaze never left her face, and he watched her carefully as he began to insert himself.

Feeling his tip wasn't so bad. It was strange, not something she was familiar with, and she would have been happy if it stayed that way, but as he sank further, her body tensed, and she yelped in pain, and possibly shock.

He peered down at her with concern, "What's wrong?"

"Yeah… fine. Go on", She nodded, trying to adjust herself to the brand new feeling.

He watched her closely for a few more moments before doing as he was told. He pushed further, and she managed to mask another yelp as a moan.

It was silly, and she should have told him that it was new territory for her, but she was learning that Rick was very much the gentlemen, and would have possibly stopped if he did know the truth.

He began to rock into her, and it made her core ache, feeling a mixture of both pleasure and pain, not an unbearable pain however. The kind one could over look with the right kind of distraction, so she clasped her hand at the back of his neck, pulling him down to kiss her.

It helped, considerably, and she began to loosen up, allowing herself to be enveloped by him. His movements were controlled, as if he knew exactly what he were doing, increasing the pace gradually, while their tongues lapping over one another in time with his thrusts. Her mind was blank, and all she could think about was him, and what he was doing to her.

He upped the pace another notch, and she laced her arms around his shoulders, holding onto him tightly. She couldn't quite believe that she was having sex with Rick, the teen she had thought of for countless days and nights before. As far as she was concerned, he was absolutely beautiful, not just physically but in every aspect, and she couldn't have picked a better person to have the moment with if she tried.

While Michonne wasn't expecting to have an orgasm, she could tell Rick was near his release, as he lavished her with kisses, his thrusts slowed but just as forceful, causing little cries to escape from her mouth into his. He drove deeper and deeper, until she felt his member throb and jerk inside of her, leading his head to bow, falling in the crook of her neck. She held him, allowing him to empty his load while she toyed with his tresses.

"You didn't…", He sighed after a moment of silence.

She frowned for a second, unsure what he meant, but it soon dawned on her, "Oh… It's okay"

"...Did you like it, though?"

She nodded as if he could see her, "Yeah. It was great"

"...It couldn't have been that great"

A barely audible chuckle left her, "Loads of girls don't have an orgasm the first time. It's pretty common actually… even after that"

"Really?... Wait..."His head snapped up, and he sat up, resting on his forearms to look at her, "Excuse me?"

She could have kicked herself, but instead she blurted out, "I'm a virgin. Well, was a virgin."

His eyes widened, and his mouth fell open.

"I know, probably should have told you that a while ago…"

He blew an unsteady breath as he bowed his head a second time, "You know... Lori told me that you hadn't had a boyfriend before… but I didn't really think too deep into it... and we're taking thangs slow… well, not anymore…"

"...It was still perfect though"

"I wish you had told me. I would have been a little more-"

"It was still perfect, Rick", She insisted, cupping his face with her hands, "I swear"

His eyes combed over her face, as if he were looking for any trace of a lie. When he couldn't find anything, he huffed quietly, "Well I guess we aren't really 'just friends' anymore"

Her eyebrows sprung up, "Just friends? I wouldn't have called it that. I don't kiss Glenn or Maggie the way I kiss you"

"...How do you kiss them then?"

She covered her mouth with her hand as she cackled, and he buried his face in her neck, chuckling against her. To say she was happy, would be a huge understatement.

The next day she woke with a smile on her face that spread from ear to ear. She didn't care that she had to be up early for work on a Saturday, or that she'd have to spend the next several hours running around, serving customers, she did it all with the same large smile on her face, her mind often traveling to the night before. She would have preferred if he could have stayed a little longer, but they were both tired after long, tiring days.

It was coming up towards the end of her shift when she knew her good mood wouldn't last any longer. Lori and a friend, strolled into the diner, laughing and joking as they found a booth to sit in. It wasn't anything new, as Lori would often come in on the weekends, and while she'd never do or say anything openly offensive to Michonne, she'd do her best to get under her skin, regardless.

As much as she had grown to dislike the girl, Michonne couldn't entirely blame her. Lori always had an immaturity about her, and coupled with the fact that she knew that something was going on between Michonne and Rick, Lori's behaviour was expected.

It was annoying, very annoying, but expected.

"I asked for a vanilla milkshake. This one takes like chocolate"

Michonne stared at Lori as she folded her arms over her chest, "Your vanilla milkshake tastes like chocolate?"

Lori pushed the cup towards her, by the edge of the table, "Change it"

She took a moment to respond, resisting the urge to empty it on her, "Sure. Right after I'm done with another customer"

"But you came here first, so you deal with me first"

Michonne frowned at her, "Fine, I will deal with you first. How long are you going to keep this up? Is this how you plan to spend your weekends from now on? Revolved around me?"

"My weekends are not Revolved around you", Lori snapped back, her top lip curling in disgust.

"But you're always here? Same booth, different airhead", Michonne glanced in the other girls direction, just as her mouth fell agape.

"I can come in here if I want to. You should be grateful because It's my money you depend on"

"You spend all of five dollars here", Michonne rolled her eyes, "So just cut it out. If you're coming here to make trouble, then I'll make sure that you and the rest of your minions aren't allowed in again"

Lori's head reeled back, "You can't do that-"

"If you keep this up, then I will", She motioned her hand towards the milkshake, "So would you like me to change this for you? Or did you realise how stupid your request sounds?"

The girl was seething, glaring at Michonne from her seat before finally sliding out the booth, hissing to her friend, "Let's go"

Michonne was secretly glad that the girl didn't call her bluff, as she was sure she had no authority to do such a thing, but luckily for her, Lori was the brightest girl. She did think it was a shame that things between them had turned so sour, and she hoped that it wouldn't stay that way. She didn't think they would ever be friends again, but she didn't wish to bicker with her whenever they were in close proximity, either.

Rick was stood by his car, waiting in the parking lot at the end of her shift, and she was glad to see that he seemed pleased to see her too, "Hey"

"Hey", She flashed him a wide smile as she approached, "You look at tired as I feel"

"I was gonna' say the same to you", He snickered, resting his hand on her waist as he kissed her cheek.

"I hope you haven't eaten anything", She held up the white paper bags with food in them.

He froze as he opened the passenger door for her, "You didn't have to do that-"

"I wasn't going to turn up without your grandmother's milkshake"

"She would love that…"

"Exactly"

Michonne had only been to Rick's home on two other occasions, simply because he would often take her home from work after a long day, but the two visits were enough for her to fall in love with it entirely.

She wasn't one for grandeur, even though it was a large property, it was incredibly homely, with plenty of images of his family splashed on every wall. She took her time looking through as many as she can, taking glee in seeing the younger versions of Rick. He didn't understand her fascination, but still left her to it.

When they arrived at his home, they found his grandmother sitting in front of the TV, in what Rick told Michonne was her new favourite chair.

"Hey Grandma", He called, looking at the television strangely as he approached her, "What are you watching?"

"Oh, hey you two! It's uh, a…", His grandmother picked up the DVD case beside her, "A Quentin Tarantino movie"

"I can see that", Rick replied dryly.

Michonne bit back a chuckle, "Are you hungry Patty?"

"Oh I think I could eat", The woman eagerly sat forward in her chair, "Rick, pause that for me, I don't want to miss anythan'..."

"I'd rather you did miss somethan'...", He shook his head as he picked up the remote from the side table, "Where's Grandpa?"

"Around here somewhere. Probably trying to fix somethan' he broke"

Michonne sniggered, leading Rick to look at her, so she shrugged as she whispered, "She's just funny"

"Did you see what she was watching?", He hisses back, tilting his head to the TV.

"I can hear you, you know? And I've seen you watch worse", The older woman called over her shoulder as she shuffled out the room in her pink fluffy slippers, "Come on Mijone, show me what you got"

Michonne grinned as she followed her, "Yes ma'am"

Spending the afternoon was his family was exactly what she expected it to be; fun filled. She enjoyed listening to Rick's grandmother's quips, and despite her declining health, she was quick with her replies and her smile could light up the room.

Michonne couldn't even begin to imagine how Rick felt. She could see he cared about her more than anything, and watching their exchanges was something precious, but she could sense a sadness in his eyes whenever he looked at her. There wasn't much Michonne could offer him to help ease his heartache, but she would still try her best to be present for him, the same way he was with she faced her own problems with her father.

Rick drove her home later that evening, as per usual, but he didn't stay, as her father was home, and she intended to talk to him about his new job offer. After changing into her favourite jersey and socks, she joined the man in the living room, where he was going over an introductory pack from Jared.

"...I missed having to read over things like this. I missed having to read, entirely", He joked, holding up one of the sheets from the coffee table, "It's been so long"

"Yeah… I'm excited for you dad", She began softly, "But I think I want to stay here…"

"Huh? What's that honey?", He looked up from his task.

"I said I want to stay here. I don't want to move back to the city just yet"

His face fell blank, "Wha- really?"

"Yeah", She nodded, her dreads bouncing in its high ponytail, "I like it here… I still have school to finish and I have work, and… I just don't want to leave anytime soon"

His brown eyes darted all over her face, "I can't just leave you here-"

"I'm eighteen, dad"

"That's still too young to fend for yourself-"

"I have a job, I pay the bills here, I've done the cleaning and the cooking and I've taken care of myself since I was fourteen"

"That's not true, Michonne"

"You and mom were always busy with work. I'd be home by myself until seven or eight o'clock at night. I've spent weekends alone, there were times when the most I got from you guys was a text message and that's it. It's nothing new to me, dad"

Her father slowly inhaled, "That was- we messed up there, I get that, I know that, but that doesn't mean I should abandon you-"

"You're not, though. I'd hope that I'd still see you every chance I can"

"You'd be in a whole different town-"

"Dad", She stressed, "This is what I want, please? I'd still call you if I need anything, we'd still talk all the time, but I just want to continue things here"

He shook his head as he dropped his paper on the table, "I can't believe this, Michonne"

She moved from the armchair to the couch, sitting beside him, "Please don't be mad about this"

"I'm not. Just… upset. I would have preferred that you were with me. You're meant to be. You're my daughter and I'm meant to take care of you", He huffed as he turned his head to look at her, "But I can't force you. I can't force you to do anything at all… I'd just hope you wouldn't rule put wanting to come up and join me one day"

"I won't", She dropped her head on his shoulder, "Thank you"

He tipped his head, kissing her on top of hers, "No problem, honey"

While Michonne would never admit to her father, or Rick, that the prospect of living on her own was a little scary, there was no denying that she was looking forward to the new challenge. Like her father, she would have preferred that the two of them were together, but she felt some degree of comfort knowing that her father was at his best when he was needed, specifically in a work environment. He would thrive in his new job, and she looked forward to seeing him do so.

She drifted off to sleep with ease that night, falling into a deep slumber almost immediately, and she would have continued to do so, if it wasn't for the sound of a rattling window. She sat up, looking around her room with narrowed eyes as she listened for any further movement.

When the rattling sounded off again, she kneeled on her bed and peaked through the blinds.

"You gonna' let me in, or what?"

Daryl stood by her window in his usual scruffy appearance, raising an eyebrow at her beneath his dark tresses.

Michonne yanked the blinds up by the cord and pulled up open the window, "You didn't even leave a note or anything"

The teen shrugged, "You saw what I did… I had to go"

She nearly glared at him, "You could have at least let me know you were okay? A phone call?"

"I didn't come here for all that 'Chonne"

"Well you're going to get it", She snapped back, crossing her arms as she leaned on the window ledge, "Where did you go?"

"Around…"

She rolled her eyes at him.

"...He ain't troubled you since?"

She shook her head, "No. Not since. Nobody knows where he is..."

"Good".

Michonne was secretly elated to see him, but due to the nature of their friendship, she wouldn't let him know that, "I think have a boyfriend now"

His eyebrows sprung up briefly, before he frowned, "Rick?"

She nodded, "Yeah"

He snorted, "Thought as much"

"You've missed some stuff"

"So you gon' let me in and tell me?", He rasped, glancing over his shoulder.

"Are you going to run off again?", She quizzed.

"...Not unless you're chasing me…"

A dry chuckle erupted from her, and she gave her best friend a warm smile, "Then I guess you're not going anywhere then"

THE END