The Note

A/N: This fic was inspired by the Richonne Lessons In Love Challenge on Tumblr which was orchestrated by Carolina-bleus.It was only supposed to be a one shot but Zeejack encouraged me to write more, so here we are. The premise echoes a famous teen movie from the 80s.Enjoy!

The hallway is buzzing with activity as everyone is trying to get their binders and textbooks for their next class. The sound of lockers opening and closing adds to the cluster of noise in addition to the drone of conversation and laughter. Lunch is over and the bell will ring in a matter of minutes but breaking away from friends and the fun part of school proves difficult. They get forty-five minutes of freedom and transitioning from play mode to learning mode is a daily struggle.

Her laughter drifts to him and he recognizes it amidst the chaos and turns to watch her as she talks with two of her co-cheerleader friends. Multi-tasking is some sort of art form for her as she does it almost every day, exchanging one book for another and grabbing an extra binder, her eyes never leaving her friends. He has admired her since they were in grade school but never said anything. He had been attached to Lori Petersen since 10th grade and lately he has been wondering why that ever happened.

The shrill ring of the bell spurs him and others into frenzied action as they complete their tasks and try to make it to their next class on time. He looks up as she slams her locker and rushes off with her friends, oblivious of the folded piece of paper that flutters to the ground. He checks his surroundings quickly to see if anyone else had noticed and on impulse walks over, picks it up and runs to class.

Fifty minutes later, Michonne is walking with her friend Maggie, searching through her bag frantically as they make their way to their next class.

"What's going on?" Maggie asks.

"I can't find the questionnaire Sasha gave me. I filled it out before lunch and told her I'd give it to you in Mr. Horvath's class so you could give it to her in Ms. Monroe's class," Michonne explains.

"You mean you wrote it out on paper?"

Michonne sighs heavily. "Yes. She thought texting wasn't confidential enough."

"Confidential? So what's on this questionnaire?" Maggie inquires.

"Important stuff…." Michonne supplies as she leans in and drops her voice to a whisper "…...like if I was still a V and who I wanted my first time to be with."

"Oh, yeah. That is important." Maggie frowns then smiles brightly. "Well, no worries. It's not like your name or anything was on it."

Michonne stops in the middle of the hallway, swallows deeply and states, "But my name was on it."

"Shit! We gotta find that paper," Maggie commands.

The bell rings and they share a panicked look before rushing off.

Maggie turns back and yells, "Don't worry! We'll find it!"

Meanwhile, Rick Grimes is seated in his last class for the day, basically a free hour as his football coach, Mr. Jones, is the teacher and allows his players to get as much of their homework and other assignments done before practice.

The football captain figures he'd be relatively safe reading the note in this class as Coach Jones does not tolerate any talking and his team mates know they have to keep their distance. He does take precautions and slips it underneath his chemistry book and only glances at it periodically as he does his homework.

His interest is piqued as he reads the question "Are you still a virgin?" and smiles at the answer "Yes". He looks around cautiously as he pushes the paper up, trying to get to the next question. "If yes, who do you want your first time to be with?" His eyes nearly pop out of his head and he gasps loudly when he reads the name listed on the paper. "Rick Grimes".

"Problem there Grimes?" Coach Jones asks.

"Uh…sir? No….no sir. No problem," Rick answers as he swallows nervously. Me? She wants to be with me? He closes his chemistry book and looks at the paper fully, ensuring that it was her name at the top and wondering what, if anything, he could do with this information.

XXXXXXXXXX

Michonne is walking with Maggie and Sasha to cheerleading practice, the three of them baffled as to what could have happened to the note.

"So you know I have to ask….who did you name?" Sasha wonders.

Michonne rolls her eyes. "Can we just focus here? What if someone found it and they tell what was on it? Do you know how embarrassed I'd be? Not to mention Lori and her squad would try to drown me in liquid mascara or something."

The other two laugh and then Maggie gasps.

"You named Rick Grimes? Oh….girl….how could you name him? He's practically taken and he's a senior and you know what we've always said about him and Shane. Although Rick does seem to be the faithful type. I think Lori's the problem in that relationship. Still, you should….."

Michonne and Sasha both yell, "Maggie!"

The latter calms down quickly and utters, "I'm just saying."

Sasha looks to Michonne pitifully, "Let's hope someone thought it was trash and threw it away." She sighs. "I'm sorry. I thought this would be easier and more confidential. We'd be the only ones to see it."

Michonne only nods. "It's my fault. I guess I got in a hurry and…I don't know what could've happened to it. I folded it so maybe it was mistaken for trash like you said."

"Let's hope so," Maggie supplies. "I sure don't feel like dealing with any drama from Lori Petersen."

"Another thing," Michonne says as she looks directly at Sasha. "No more questionnaires."

They make it to cheerleading practice and cringe as Lori, their captain, is already there and warming up. It is in their best interest to make it there before her as she tends to work them harder when they don't. That is exactly what she does as Michonne can feel the sweat trickling down her back. She trumps it up as a good workout and keeps going as do Maggie and Sasha. Coach Peltier, the cheerleading coach, usually indulges Lori so the others have no out especially if you're not part of the inner circle. It was usually juniors and seniors only.

An hour and a half later, they are calling it quits and Michonne, Maggie, and Sasha drop to the field and partake in drinking from their water bottles as they watch the football team finish their practice. They look on curiously as Lori grabs the attention of Mike Anthony and the two carry on a conversation.

"Is she for real right now?" Sasha asks.

The other two only shake their heads as this is an indication that Rick and Lori are on the outs again and she has taken an interest in someone else, something she does every other month. What's even more curious is that everyone knew that Mike had been after Michonne for the longest. The latter wasn't interested but couldn't help wondering what Lori was about.

At that precise moment, Lori Petersen glances over her shoulder and looks directly at Michonne, almost like she was ensuring that the younger girl saw her talking with Mike. Michonne averts her eyes and can't help searching out Rick to see if he was witnessing what she was. To her surprise, he was looking directly at her. She looks around cautiously, wondering if there was someone behind her. She swallows nervously when she realizes there was no one at her back and Rick Grimes was definitely looking at her. She's not sure what is going on and if Rick is playing games right along with Lori but she refuses to be part of it. She grabs her megaphone, water bottle, and pompoms and makes her way to the locker room.

Rick watches curiously, still wondering how he was going to approach Michonne.

Later, luck is on his side as he is pulling out of the school's parking lot and there she was walking down the sidewalk alone. It was still light out but the sun was definitely going down so he pulls up alongside her and offers her a ride.

Michonne doesn't know if she should be flattered or upset that Rick Grimes was offering her a ride home. It just all seemed too coincidental. Lori talking to Mike, Rick looking at her, offering her a ride. All of this on the day she loses that blasted questionnaire. Was the universe truly messing with my psyche or what? "No thanks. My house is just a couple of blocks away."

"Well you mind if I walk with you then?" He puts the truck in park, kills the engine, exits and walks up on the sidewalk.

She closes her gaping mouth and turns away from him. She was about to keep walking when she thinks better of it and turns to face him. "Listen I don't know what's going on with you and Lori or with Lori and Mike but I really don't want to be caught in the middle of anything so I think it's best if you….get back in your truck ok?" She cringes at the sound of her voice. She didn't want to come across as rude but what was he doing?

"How are you going to be caught in the middle of anything? Lori and I aren't together anymore and we're just a couple of friends walking home."

"You don't live in my neighborhood so anyone who sees us is going to know you were walking me home and….I don't think that's a good idea," she explains, her nervousness increasing. Did he just say he and Lori weren't together anymore?

Rick can see how uncomfortable she is and the last thing he wants is to cause her discomfort so he slowly nods his head. "Ok but….we are friends aren't we?"

Michonne's expression softens at his question. He appeared so genuine in that moment. "Of course."

He smiles. "Great. I'll see you at school tomorrow then."

"Ok." She watches as he makes his way back to his truck, then faces forward and starts her walk home. She could've easily hitched a ride with Sasha and Maggie as Maggie's dad picked them up but she really wanted the solitude of walking home alone. She had a lot on her mind.

The slight hum of an engine draws her attention and she looks back to see Rick driving at a snail's pace, watching her.

"Your neighborhood's not in this direction," she speaks so her voice can reach him.

"I know. Just making sure you get home safe," he returns with an equal tone.

She can't help it as she looks away from him and smiles. Just knowing that he is watching her is making her shaky and tingly all over. Thank goodness her house is not a long distance away. She makes it to her front yard and turns to wave at him. He waves back and drives off with a smile as she steps to the door.

The next day, she is more aware of him than ever before. They exchange glances and smiles in the hallway, at their lockers, and even during lunch. She doesn't know what any of this means but she is definitely enjoying it.

Lori is oblivious to the exchanges as she is too busy with Mike. Those that do notice are Michonne's friends, Sasha and Maggie, and Rick's friends, Shane and Tyreese. The latter three are now in the locker room getting ready for practice.

"You gonna tell us what's going on with you and….." Tyreese trails off as Rick gives him a stern look.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Rick admits.

Shane and Tyreese share a look before the latter says, "Yeah ok. I hope you know what you're doing. Don't think for one minute that Lori is done with you, man."

Rick frowns. "Doesn't matter if she is or not. I'm done with her." He grabs his helmet and makes his way toward the field.

Shane smiles and runs to catch up with his best friend. "You don't know how glad I am to hear you say that. Bout time you gave her a taste of her own medicine."

"This isn't a contest, Shane. I'm tired of the fights and the drama, so if Lori wants to play games let her have at it." He looks his friend in the eye. "Michonne is…..different. I've always liked her and I think she likes me so I'm gonna find out."

"Dang. Senior year is looking more promising than ever now," Shane supplies. The two wait for Tyreese to catch up and they all jog out onto the field. Rick can't help but glance over at the cheerleaders, searching for one in particular.

Friday night arrives and it's game night. The band, the football players, and cheerleaders arrive prior to start time and assume their routine positions. They all wait patiently as the opposing team is introduced and takes their place on the opposite side of the field.

The pep squad rushes out carrying a large poster that was created earlier in the week specifically for the game. They unroll the poster as it stretches from one side of the goal post to the other. The game announcer begins his introduction of the home team as the cheerleaders line up by the goal post. At the end of the intro, the band launches into a loud celebratory tribute as the football players rip through the poster and race to their side of the field followed by the cheerleaders and the pep squad.

The band marches off the field to light drumming as they fill up the bleachers, followed by the pep squad. The cheerleaders make their way to their designated area and wait until after the national anthem and prayer before they start cheering.

A little over two hours later, the home team manages a win by six points. The teams congratulate each other before everyone commences on the field to celebrate while the band plays loudly. Michonne tries her best not to specifically seek Rick out but for some reason she already knows he is seeking her out. They meet in the middle of the crowd, exchanging smiles.

She leans forward and yells, "Great game!"

He leans in as well. "Thanks! Hey! Are you coming to Dale's tonight?"

Dale's was a local diner where they would usually go after a game as they had the best burgers and fries in town. Plus, the owner always gave them free milkshakes. She had only gone once or twice since becoming a cheerleader last year but maybe she should change that.

She swallows nervously and gives him a nod.

He manages to tell her he would see her there before his teammates grab him and hoist him above their shoulders, carrying him into the crowd. She laughs as Maggie and Sasha make their way to her side. Before they can ask any questions, Andrea, one of Lori's friends, steps to Michonne.

"I saw that, you know," she states.

Before Michonne could reply, Sasha steps closer and demands, "Saw what?"

"She knows what I'm talking about," Andrea relays.

"And what's it to you?" Maggie wants to know.

Andrea looks directly at Michonne. "You just better back off if you know what's good for you."

"Looks like you need to be watching your own back. Who is that Shane's talking to?" Sasha asks.

Andrea turns around, moving her head from left to right, trying to locate Shane. She huffs when she sees him talking to a cheerleader from the opposing school. She plants her pompom filled hands on her hips and flounces off.

Michonne shares a look with her friends before the three of them burst into laughter and make their way to Tyreese's car. They wait for him as he will drive them home before going to Dale's.

"So do you two wanna go to Dale's?" Michonne asks cautiously.

"Wait. You're going to Dale's?" Maggie counters. With Michonne's nod, she continues. "But you never wanna go to Dale's." Her eyes light up with clarity as she smiles. "Rick asked you to go to Dale's?"

"Is that a date?" Sasha wonders.

"No, it's not a date. Everybody's gonna be there. It'll just be a big group of us like always after a game."

Sasha looks her friend up and down. "You really like him don't you?"

"You have to ask after that questionnaire? We all know what her goal is," Maggie inserts as Michonne gasps.

"We're just friends, Sasha."

"Hmm…hmm….are you going home to change?"

Michonne nods. "I was hoping you could get Ty to wait for us so we could all ride together."

"Girl, all you gotta do is tell Rick…." Maggie begins but Michonne cuts her off.

"No, I'm not riding with Rick. Can we just go together? Please."

Sasha scoffs. "We wouldn't miss this for the world. The most popular senior in school going after a sophomore? This year is going to be so exciting."

Forty-five minutes later, Maggie, Sasha, and Michonne are riding with Tyreese on their way to Dale's. Michonne wore a purple cashmere sweater with a printed scarf, jeans and boots. The weather was getting cooler but she was sure she'd be fine without a jacket for a couple of hours.

They arrive at Dale's and most of the football team and the cheerleaders are already there. Shane and Andrea are off in a corner alone, looking miserable, Lori is sitting next to Mike and Rick is surrounded by his team mates.

His heartbeat quickens when he sees Michonne walk through the door. He wishes they could go somewhere to be alone but he knew this was his best option to see her for right now. He watches as she and her friends squeeze in with the other cheerleaders and start talking.

She glances his way and smiles. He smiles back and tries his best to quell down the urge to make his way over to her. He bides his time and before long, they are seated in the same group. Tyreese pulled a free standing table and some chairs up next to a booth where he, Rick, Abe, and Glenn are sitting with Maggie, Michonne, Sasha, and Karen. They order their customary burger and fries, enjoying the free milkshakes as well.

Not long after that, Shane gets us despite Andrea's protests and announces, "Let's cruise!"

This is the part of the night Michonne really doesn't like as the guys know a recent graduate who now manages a local liquor store. He supplies them with beer without checking IDs and they go carousing around town for hours. She is surprised this still goes on as Bob Stookey, a high school junior, was killed in a car accident a couple of years ago. She did hear that they recruited designated drivers now so that was smart.

The crowd exits the restaurant and branch off to different cars. Sasha stands by her brother's car, arguing with him as he has decided to take Karen and four others with him, leaving Michonne, Maggie and Sasha without a ride home.

Rick overhears the exchange, exits his running truck and tells Tyreese he'd gladly take them home. Sasha sticks her tongue out at her brother as she, Michonne, and Maggie make their way to Rick's truck. Two of the football players seated in the cab frown with disbelief as Rick instructs them to jump into the bed while Michonne, Maggie and Sasha take their place inside the cab, Michonne seated next to him as he drives.

Maggie and Sasha keep the conversation going as Rick drops Maggie off first and then Sasha. Michonne is nervous even though rowdy boys are in the back, erupting with enough noise to wake her entire neighborhood.

"So did you have fun tonight?" Rick asks. "Glad you came?"

She looks over at him in the darkened cab and nods. "Yes, I had a good time."

"Does that mean you'll be there after the next home game?"

"Yeah I'll be there," she answers.

"Good." He pulls up in front of her house and puts the truck in park.

Michonne looks back, trying to distract herself before bringing her gaze back to Rick. "Well, be careful."

"I'm the designated driver tonight so no worries," he assures.

"Thanks for the ride home." She reaches for the handle but Rick stops her.

"Hold on a minute," he tells her as he exits the truck and runs around to open her door for her. Michonne tries her best to keep her surprised pleasure camouflaged. She smiles inwardly as he escorts her to the front door and waits patiently as she inserts her key. They bid each other good night as she enters her home and closes the door. She leans her back against it for just a moment, trying to catch her breath.

Rick smiles as he returns to his truck. He looks back and sees her watching him from a front window. He runs a hand through his hair, glad that his team mates were too busy talking to comment on his behavior. He gets inside, takes a deep breath to calm his racing heart, and drives off to meet up with the others.