Guys My Age

1-Carl-1

It was all happening too fast. I could barley wrap my head around anything anyone was saying to me. My father got shot and is now in a coma. Judith doesn't really understand what's happening, and Michonne is doing her best to keep it together, for both of us. My dad's partner, Daryl, he was the one to break the news to us.

He pulled into our driveway and got out of the police car slowly. Walking up the porch even slower. He raised his fist and gingerly knocked on our door. Michonne was the one who answered it, Judith resting comfortably and contently on her hip. Michonne had called me downstairs per Daryl's request.

Daryl sat us all down an began to tell us what had happened. They were in the parking lot of a gas station when their radio went off, telling them there was a car chase in progress, and that back up was needed. Without any hesitation my father and Daryl threw the remainder of the their meals into nearby garbage can.

They sped down the road, following the directions the other police team gave them. Once they knew they were where they were needed, they set up spikes to stop the car and backed up to join the other officers. Everyone got into possistion and waited. He said it didn't take long for the vehicles to get there, less than a minute.

The car drove over the spikes and flipped over, rolling into the field by the road. Two men got out and started shooting. They returned fire. At first, my dad just got hit on the vest and he was fine. When they weren't paying attention, a third guy slipped out of the car and shot my dad right through the left shoulder. Daryl killed the man and instantly rushed to my father's aid. Dad blacked out on the scene, and flat lined once they got to the hospital. The doctors managed to revive him, but not wake him up.

When Daryl finished explaining what happened he hung his head low, his long, dark hair covering his face mostly. Judith didn't get it. She just kept asking when daddy would wake up and come home. All she knew was that dad was sleeping. I was a mess. I'd grown extremely close to my dad throughout the years. Especially when mom and Shane died. Dad was pretty messed up over that one.

Shane was my dad's best friend and partner. Shane died during a mission. My mom died giving birth to a child that wasn't my dad's. Judith isn't my dad's, she's Shane's, but neither of us care about that. As far as I'm concerned she is my full blooded sister. I know my dad feels.. felt? No feels the same way.

Daryl apologized over and over again for not paying more attention to the scene. Michonne and I told him not to be worried. After a lot of hugs and tears Daryl went home to his wife Beth. This all happened about a year ago.

Today marks one marking period into the school year, and one whole year since my father slipped into his coma. The doctors told us a thousand times to take him off of the machines, but neither Michonne nor I will let them.

As I walked to my gym class that was all I could think about. I had never felt more alone. I felt stupid for feeling alone, all of my friends were there with me. Enid, Ron, Scarlett, and Tawnya, Daryl's daughter, but I couldn't help it. Ron opened the doors for all of us. We entered the room and stayed together. I made a point to at least try to keep my hair in front of my face so no one could see my pained expression.

"Aren't we running the mile today?" Scarlett asked her girlfriend Tawnya.

"I'm not sure. We got a new gym teacher right?" She replied.

"Yeah we did, his name is Coach Negan, or at least that's what everyone says." Tawnya scoffed slightly.

"What, is his first name Coach or something?" She replied sarcastically.

"Actually, my first name is Negan." A deep voice bellowed behind me. I nearly jumped out of my skin, as did my friends. We all took a step or two back and just stared at him. Coach Negan didn't say anything else on the subject.

"You should pull your hair back kid." Negan said, nodding at me before walking away. Enid chuckled slightly at the comment and gave me the extra hairband she always carried around. I pulled my hair back into a gay as hell messy man bun. Ron pretended to cough while muttering 'gay boi.' under his breath. I just chuckled and punched his shoulder.

Coach blew his whistle and gestured for everyone one to come closer. We all moved a few feet towards the main group of students and waited for Coach Negan to start talking. He just explained that we all still had to run the mile even if he was new. Which only made my day worse. Tawnya and Scarlett partnered up, Enid and I partnered up, and Ron was with a guy we talked to sometimes named Jimmy. Scarlett and I went to the group of people that were forced to run first by their partners, while said partner gets to sit on their ass and track out laps.

Coach Negan blew the whistle and everyone took off at a jog type pace, to conserve energy. Scarlett an I talked the whole time. It took us both about thirty minutes to complete the twenty laps it took to make it up to a mile. We switched places with our partners and sat down.

"How are things with you and Tawnya?" I asked. Scarlett smiled a little before giving me a thumbs up.

"And what about you? How are things going with you and your right hand?" She asked laughing at herself.

"He plays hard to get." I said before busting out laughing myself. I found it amazing, that no matter what mood I'm in, my friends always make it better and make me happy again. Coach Negan walked over to us. I assumed to tell us to shut the hell up. Instead he asked.

"The hell's so funny?" He said before continuing to watch the other students run.

"Oh nothing, Carl just said something about gym teachers being sick sociopaths for getting a job that involves forcing lazy good for nothing teens like us to exercise." Surprisingly that made Negan laugh.

This guy wasn't too bad.