Life I Left Behind (A Daryl Dixon Story)

Chapter Thirty-One

Daryl

15 years old

I slipped the cigarette in between my lips before striking a match and lighting the tip. I inhaled and then released a cloud of white smoke into the fading light.

"God, that's disgusting." Charlie commented, wrinkling her nose at the smoky scent. She waved away the puff of smoke, making a point to hack out a few dramatic coughs.

"Oh shut up, it ain't that bad." I said, cigarette dangling out of the side of my mouth.

"Yeah, okay. Fill your lungs up with that nicotine but one day they're going to shrivel up and die." She said, eyeing the cigarette with obvious disgust.

I rolled my eyes and removed it from my mouth, holding it instead between my fingers. "I'm sorry you feel that way, but it ain't gonna stop me." I said with a shrug.

"You do realize you're only fifteen. Isn't that a little young to be smoking cigarettes?" Charlie asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

I shook my head. "Seems like an alright age to start. Hell, Merle said he started when he was twelve!"

Charlie let out a big sigh. "Well, Merle isn't exactly a role mode. He's too…Merle." She said making a face. I grinned a little, but I knew she was right. Merle was as about as far off from being a role model as someone could get. He went through more packs of cigarettes and cases of beer in a week than most people did in a month. Yet he claimed to be in the best shape of his life. "Where is he anyways?"

I shook my head, hopping up onto the back of the truck tailgate with Charlie. She swung her legs back and forth, a habit that didn't seem to die no matter how old she got. "Dunno. Truck's still here, obviously. Probably off drunk in the woods somewhere."

"That sounds like a very Merle thing to do."

I let out a laugh before taking another puff on the cigarette. "Yeah, he'll show up here sooner or later."

"Much much later, I hope." Charlie added. She didn't try to hide the fact that she wasn't exactly Merle's biggest fan. I tried explaining to her that he was an asshole, yeah, but he really wasn't all that bad. And for some reason, he got a kick out of Charlie. Thought she was the best damned thing since cable television. Or maybe he just knew he got on her nerves and liked that.

"Watcha wanna do tonight?" I asked, glancing at the small, brunette girl next to me.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't care. We could go see a movie. Or get some pizza. Or we could just sit here and do nothin'." She said, giving me crooked smile.

"All of the above." I answered, grinning back. "Lemme grab a jacket and we can go." I stood back up, discarding the cigarette onto the gravel with a flick of my fingers. I went inside the house through the garage, turning on lights as I went. My dad was gone, which wasn't at all that surprising. He wasn't around much to begin with, but after my momma passed he spent as little time around Merle and me as possible. Which was just fine, considering he wasn't exactly fun to spend any amount of time with. He was just a drunk idiot.

I dug through a pile of discarded clothes on my bedroom floor, pulling out an old gray colored hooded sweatshirt. I smelled it to make sure it was clean enough before pulling it on and heading back down the hallway towards the door. As I stepped out into the garage, I heard Charlie's voice. She sounded annoyed which could only mean one thing, that Merle had finally showed up.

"You're drunk." I heard her say as I got closer. "You smell like crap."

Merle was leaning on the truck, shaking with laughter. "Shit, you're fuckin' sassy as hell." He heard me coming and threw a glance over his shoulder. He grin grew. "Baby brother!" He clapped a hand onto my shoulder. "Ya' know yer' girlfriend is a bitch, but I like her anyways."

"How many times do I gotta tell ya, she ain't my girlfriend." I grumbled, though I could feel the blush creeping into my cheeks.

"You're a piece of work, Merle, ya know that?" Charlie said, rolling her eyes. She hopped down off the truck and placed her hands on her hips.

"I'll take that as a compliment." He said. I got a strong whiff of booze and realized Charlie was right. He did stink, but apparently so did I.

"Do I smell cigarettes? I know it ain't goody two-shoes over there. You smokin' cigs now, boy?" Merle asked Daryl. "God damn, that makes me proud. You wanna beer?"

I shook my head and moved to stand next to Charlie. "Charlie and I are goin' into town."

"Alright, alright. I git' the message. Don't gotta tell me twice that you two wanna be alone." Merle's drunken smile grew even bigger.

"Shut up and go take a shower." Charlie snapped at him.

"God damn, you are a sassy lil' bitch. One o' these days ole Merle will grow on ya, you'll see."

Charlie shook her head and grabbed my arm. "Let's go before he asks to come with us."

I was with her on that one. Merle had taken her place sitting on the back of the tailgate, still grinning like a damn idiot. I rolled my eyes and turned to follow Charlie down the driveway, gravel crunching underneath our feet.

"Sorry 'bout Merle." I said, once we were out of earshot.

Charlie shrugged. "Not your fault. I don't really care that much anyways."

"He really ain't that bad." I repeated for what felt like the thousandth time.

"You keep sayin' that, but I'll believe it when I see it." She said, a smile tugging at one corner of her mouth.

I smiled back, feeling in my pockets for my pack of cigarettes. I frowned. I could have sworn I put them in my jacket pocket at some point. Must have left 'em sittin' on the truck.

"Lookin' for these?" Charlie asked innocently, suddenly waving the slightly dented pack in front of my face.

"Hey! Those are mine!" I tried to swipe them, but she danced away.

"You can have 'em back later. If I have to watch you chain smoke anymore tonight, though, I might punch you." She said. "So I'm holding them hostage."

I shot her a half-hearted glare. "Alright fine, keep 'em."

She slung an arm over my shoulder. "It's only 'cause you my friend. And because you reek of smoke." She gave me a big smile.

I couldn't help, but smile back.