"You sure ya don't just wanna come stay with me an' Glenn in Atlanta?" Maggie spoke to Beth as if Beth was a scared little puppy that would run away from her if she made any sudden moves. Beth had been through hell this past year but she was stronger than Maggie thought.

"Don't worry about me, Maggs. I'll be fine here with Rick. I just have to finish this last year at school then…"

"There's high schools in Atlanta, Beth." Maggie interrupted as they placed a couple of the boxes into the back of the pickup truck.

"Maggie, I'm a semester and a half behind on all my classes and the only reason I haven't been kicked out for lack of attendance is because the principal knows my situation." Beth argued.

Beth had stopped worrying about school when her mother's condition got worse. After Annette lost her battle with cancer, the small town's only high school had given Beth some time off to be with her family. Once she finally felt like she could join her peers in class again without breaking down at any small reminder of her loss, her father's own medical conditions took a turn for the worse. Hershel had his foot amputated only two months after his wife's death. He had always managed his diabetes well but with the stress of his wife falling ill then passing shortly after, he neglected his own health more than he should have.

"That's the last of the boxes." Glenn approached the Greene sisters and packed the final box into the bed of the pickup truck that was parked in front of the farmhouse that the girl's called home. It was painful to see their childhood home empty and lifeless now but Beth couldn't stay there alone because she's still a minor and Maggie wasn't going to move back in so the girls agreed to sell the house and the land. So they packed most of the home's items into Maggie's U-Haul truck and Beth's pickup and donated the rest.

The three of them stood around the back of the truck in an awkward silence. It was time to go their separate ways but Maggie wasn't ready to say goodbye to her little sister yet and she definitely wasn't ready to cry for the one hundredth time since she got the call about her dad. Both girls felt like the past couple of weeks had drained the life out of them.

"I'll be fine, Maggs." Beth repeated when she noticed the tall brunette staring at her own feet uncomfortably. Finally tears fell from both girls at the same time and Glenn walked away to give the sisters some privacy. They spent another fifteen minutes hugging and reassuring each other that they would be okay and stay in touch.

Beth put on a tough act in front of Maggie but once the older sister drove off with Glenn, she allowed herself to sob in the pickup as the farmhouse shrank in the rear view mirror the further down the road she got. Beth was strong, she would get through this, but it still hurt like hell and she had no idea what the next year had in store for her at her new home.

Although Rick just lived in the next town over, it was still a 45 minute drive from the farmhouse to the Sheriff's house. By the time Beth pulled into the driveway, the sun had begun to set. She could see the lights on in the house and realized that Rick had probably just woken up and was getting ready to leave for work. The sheriff started working the night shifts after his wife, Lori, left him for his deputy, Shane, and took their only son with her. Beth couldn't imagine what it must be like to have to work with someone who would do that to their "friend" so she definitely didn't blame Rick for switching shifts.

Beth got out of the truck right as Rick had come outside to greet her.

"Hey." His hair was wet, probably from just showering and he looked like he could still use an extra couple of hours of sleep.

"Hey." Beth repeated his greeting as she made her way to the bed of the truck to grab a box.

"Here, let me help with some of those." Rick grabbed a box and placed it on the ground then grabbed another and placed it on top of that one. He picked them up by the bottom of the first box and made his way up the concrete steps towards the front door. Beth followed him to the only bedroom that was on the first floor of the home. The walls were painted light blue and the bed was dressed in all white bedding with a white-painted metal headboard. Opposite of the wall that the bed was pushed up against was a large window in the middle of the wall that looked out to the front yard and house across the street.

"This was the guest bedroom but it's yours now. You can decorate it however you like. My room is upstairs and so is Carl's. He's here every other weekend so you won't see much of him." He placed the boxes down on the floor and stood in place for a moment waiting to see if Beth had any questions. When she didn't say anything, he cleared his throat and made his way out of the bedroom.

"I'll go get the rest of your boxes."

"Thank you." She was glad that her room was downstairs and Rick's was upstairs. She loved Rick like an uncle but she needed her space.

The rest of the night was spent unpacking after Rick left for work. After feeling satisfied that everything was in the right place, she decided to take a look around the house. It wasn't as large as the farmhouse she was used to but it was a nice house and felt cozy. After browsing the house, she ended up in the kitchen and realized she was actually quite hungry. However, when she opened the fridge, the most she found was some eggs and a gallon of milk. She made a mental note to tell Rick that they needed to make a trip to the grocery store.

She decided to just take a shower and get some sleep. She had to wake up extra early the next day to make the 45 minute drive to school. She hadn't been to school since her mother died and she was nervous about what being back would be like. She hadn't talked to her old friends in what felt like forever and she wasn't even sure if she felt like being social anymore. She'd rather just get caught up with her assignments then come home and be alone.

She wasn't the same girl that she used to be. She wasn't even sure who she was anymore.

Two weeks had gone by and Beth and Rick had already fell into a comfortable routine. She would wake up early in the mornings and make breakfast for her and Rick to eat together in comfortable silence when he got off of work. Then she would go to school, come home, do homework, clean up and do laundry, start dinner, eat with Rick before he left for work, then rest for the evening. She felt more comfortable here in her new home than she had expected originally. Carl had spent last weekend with them and she was surprised at how much he kept to himself. She didn't mind though, she mostly kept to herself too.

It was now Saturday and Rick didn't have work so she wouldn't need to wake up early and make a meal. Beth was thankful for the extra sleep she was getting this morning. That was until she heard a knock at the door. She threw the blankets off of her body and dragged herself to the front door, groaning the whole way. Her hair was a mess and she was only wearing a tank top and short cotton shorts but she didn't care. The person at the door would be lucky if she didn't yell at them for showing up unannounced so early. But of course she wouldn't do that. Beth had been through a lot this past year but that didn't make her bitter. It made her stronger.

She reached the door and played with the locks until she got it unlocked and opened. A man's chest covered with a sleeveless flannel shirt and a leather vest was what she saw at eye level. She had to lift her chin and raise her eyes to meet the face of the visitor. The man was tall and unfamiliar to Beth. He had long brown hair and squinty blue eyes that looked confused at the sight of her. He looked like a rough biker guy that she would avoid at all costs if she were walking alone outside at night. She realized instantly that she should have looked through the peep hole before answering the door.