She's a Dixon (Daryl Dixon story)

Chapter 31

I watched Alex as he zipped the tent up after we entered. After he zipped it, he stayed crouched down for a few seconds before standing back up and turning around to face me. Alex looked worn out and stressed. I felt slightly bad for him but my anger due to his actions towards Daryl dominated the pity.

Alex looked down to the ground and rubbed his forehead. He took a few breaths before looking back up to me, biting his lower lip.

"I don't get it Julie. I ask you to stay away and you don't listen. You know your parents don't want you around him and yet you don't seem to care. Why?" Alex asks me.

"I mean clearly you don't know them," Alex continues on, not giving me a chance to talk to him, "I just can't seem to understand why you are so sympathetic towards them."

I take a breath and before I can respond to him, Alex begins to talk once again. I cross my arms and roll my eyes at him, but listen to what he has to say.

"And how about that kiss, huh? What was that? Are you really that friendly with people you have just met these days? Has this world just completely changed you? I don't think I really know you anymore."

I just shake my head and turn away from him. I kneel down to prepare my side of the tent for me to sleep. Alex steps closer to me, now aggravated that I am not acknowledging him any longer, but he continues his rant.

"You know, I hate to have to treat you like this. I would really think that you would know what's best for you but apparently you do not. Just know that I am only going to do this for your own good. I forbid you from seeing that guy and his friend. This is the only way that you can be protected and we can go back to the way that we were."

My head snapped up when I heard Alex 'forbid' me from seeing Daryl and Rick. I quickly stood back up and turned to face him. With anger in my eyes and my jaw clenched, I pointed my finger at him and began to yell at Alex.

"Forbid?" I ask, "Oh no, you do not get to forbid me from doing anything! You are not my mother or my father! You are not family! You are nothing to me! You never have been anything to me and you never will be! You have no power over me. You have a lot of nerve thinking that you can pull this sort of thing off. You will regret this," I finished, staring him.

I walked past Alex, trying to get out of the tent. He grabbed my wrist and I spun around, glaring at him.

"Julie, please..." Alex began, trying to reason with me.

I didn't even want to hear what he had to say at this point. Ignoring what he was saying, I shook my wrist from his grip and pushed him back toward the back of the tent. I hurried to the front of the tent, unzipping it and stepping out into camp.

I look around. The site was quiet. There was no one else around, though it still appeared to be early in the night. Outside, the natural light dimly brightened my surroundings, enough for me to see enough of what was occurring around me. I decided to walk around to see if I could find anyone else around. As I was walking to the forest, I heard Alex back at our tent calling my name. I turned around to see that he was sticking his head out of the cover to the tent and was watching me. Though he didn't say anything, I knew he was silently persuading me to go back to him and not wonder off where he couldn't keep an eye on me.

I scoffed at him, annoyed at his attitude toward me. He may be right about some things, but this is not one of those times. I smirked and flipped him off before turning back around and continuing my search.

I walked through the woods, trying my best to maneuver around the boulders in my way and the twigs and leaves. I didn't want to give my location away to anyone, especially walkers.