The Baby Arrangement

Chapter 1: Problems

Chapter 1: Problems

**Her front door slams**

Staring at the ceiling, she can't pin point what's wrong with her life. The last few months have been nothing but guy after guy breaking her into smaller and smaller unrecognizable pieces. Rubbing her face, Beth feels defeated and worn out. Every time she thinks she has a potential future with someone, they turn out for the worst.

Her most recent failure in the realm of fantasy, was Gareth. Yes, he was the one who just slammed her door after realizing he slept over after his fourth time with Beth. She's not a door knob and refuses to believe she is, but at this rate, her other neighbors in her apartment building must believe she is in fact a whore. For her own account, she had been seeing Gareth for a little over three months...she doesn't really know where she went wrong, but apparently it had.

Before Gareth, it was Zach, a weird gamer guy, who may or may not have sold pot on the side of his day job at GameStop. He was also a big asshole, so Beth didn't mind when he left her for good in the middle of the night almost a year ago.

Two years before Zach it was Beth's high school boyfriend Jimmy. Jimmy worked as a farmhand on her daddy's farm. She was 16 and her hormones were peaked, but she held off her urges until after her 18th birthday. She thought he was gonna ask her to marry him, but she caught him cheating on her with a girl named Amy at a party a her friend Rosita invited her too.

So now, laying in bed alone, recounting her terrible memories, Beth feels terrible as usual. Getting up, she shuffles nakedly to the bathroom and takes her birth control and hops in the shower.

Why is this her life? Why can't she meet a proper guy, who loves her enough to marry her? Even if marriage is off the table, Beth has a plan to have a baby before 30 years old, with or without being married. She's always wanted a baby, always wanted to be a young parent...but she feels her time is fleeting faster than she can be present in the days.

Toweling off, she looks at the bruises on her body from last night. She didn't even enjoy it. Gareth was way too boney and rough with her like she was a punching bag. Most men treated Beth this way, yes she's gorgeous, but apparently in bed they require beating her up as a sign of dominance.

Getting dressed in her skinny jeans, America crop top and throwing on a grey beanie with her black converse, Beth sits at the kitchen table and reads the newspaper. A knock on the door takes her attention for a moment until her neighbor and best friend comes lumbering in.

"How'd it go last night?" Daryl Dixon, rocking his classic leather angel winged vest and black jeans, plops down next the Beth and hands her a donut.

"Not good."

"Yeah, I figured when I heard yer door slam this morning. How bad you get ruined this time from his boney shitty body?" He bites his donut and grabs the comic section of the newspaper.

"Pretty bad...pretty sure he ain't coming back either."

"Who needs him anyway? He works at Starbucks. Who fucks someone from Starbucks anyway? I mean come on. And the hipster look? Totally fucking 90's trash." He's been known to be vocal about his opinions, which Beth usually ignores, except when she needs good advice. Daryl is promiscuous at heart, being not only a rebel, but a bit of a manwhore, Beth takes his opinion on sex seriously. It's like googling steps on how to attract guys, but without having to use Wifi, cause he's always around.

"I guess...how was yer date with that Carol woman?"

"No, that was Merle...and are you kidding she was like 49...I ain't into hunting cougars...tried that, hate it."