Chapter 17 – Fail

A/N: I'm happy that few people are still reading! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Please Review!

"Hey, I passed."

Daryl smirked as he looked over the last biology test for the year before the big final. He tried not to look like he was too happy as he eyed the big red "73" in the top corner. He crumbled the paper his bag before anyone caught him looking to happy. Carol hadn't turned around yet like she always did when she got her tests back, trying to stay humble but still gloating as she showed Daryl her A's. But she didn't and Daryl raised an eye brow as her tugged on the back of her pony tail slightly.

"Ow! Why did you do that?" She snapped, her head turning only half way to Daryl, but he still caught the glimpse of a tear in her eyes. She reached over to her pale brown hair, massage the crown of her head as she turned back to him. "I don't understand this."

"What?" Daryl questioned, and Carol hesitantly flashed him the top her test, and his eyes widened slightly when he caught the "65" written in the corner, with a little messy note underneath it that said "Private tutoring still available. She was constantly shaking her head as she looked over every single problem on the test. How could she have failed? She studied for hours! She had already slouched in her desk chair, her arms crossing over her chest.

"Woah, looks like I'm smarter than you." Daryl said, stretching back in his chair as he rested his hands behind his head in satisfaction. He waited for her to giggle or roll her eyes with a smile or anything, but she didn't even acknowledge him. He blinked at the back of her head as he reverted into a submissive pose on her desk, like she was trying to be invisible.

"He changed my answers," Carol mumbled, scanning her paper like her life depended on it. She didn't even realize she was crying until a drop of water splashed into her paper, spreading the ink in little swirls around it. She was scared to look up Mr. Peletier, but when she finally did he was already there, making this horrible eye contact that made Carol's skin crawl. "He made me fail." She whispered again, only loud enough for Daryl to hear.

"Huh?" Daryl leaned forward in his desk, his hand reaching around Carol's shoulder. She was almost trembling as she tried to wipe the tear for her flushed cheeks.

"He trying to fail me on purpose. He changed all my answers." She avoided eye contact from anyone, her eyes already down in her lap, her feet dancing around each other under her desk. She didn't even hear Daryl when he replied to her, so many thoughts racing through her head. Was he going to keep Carol from graduating? Why was this happening to her? She shook her head as she blinked back to Daryl.

"Fucking creep." Daryl grumbled, shooting his darting eyes in his teacher's direction. "He's messing with you? You otta go to the principal."

"No." Carol shook her head as she tried to focus back at the front of the class, Mr. Peletier starting up a power point. She let out a heavy sigh, reaching for her favorite note taking pens.

"I'm fine."

How could this have happened? Carol silently scolded herself as she absently stared at her blank notebook paper. What Ed really so sinister that he would try to sabotage the one thing Carol had left? She avoided looking up at her teacher, she was sure he was making constant looks in her direction as he mumbled through a power point, and she tried her hardest to become invisible.

"Mr. Peletier?"

Carol wandered into Ed's class after the final bell rang, apprehensive and scared as he blinked in her direction. He leans against his black chair, his arms resting behind his head as she smiled at her. His beard was unkempt, his hair slicked back. He crossed his legs slightly, his patterned socks peeking through.

"Carol." He said it as if he wasn't surprised. He didn't lose his smile as she trickled in to the class room, protecting herself with her books against her chest. "I had a feeling you would come."

"Please." Carol started, her voice shaky and scared as she let hair fall in front of her eyes. Her foot tapping in place slightly. "I just want to graduate. Why are you doing this to me?"

Ed laughed out loud, like she had just said the stupidest thing in the world. He took up then, and suddenly he was to close her to and she tried to take a subtle step back. He placed his big hands on his straight hips and let out a satisfying sigh. "I've been thinking about you since the first time I saw you, Carol. Something about just turns me on." He laughed as her mouth opened slightly in surprise, taking another apprehensive step back. "I just want you, and if this is what it has to take then I will do it. You could graduate with the top grade in the class if you really wanted to."

"You're sick." Carol said, water forming in her eyes and she tightened her fingers around the books in her arms.

"Watch it," Ed muttered, taking a terrifying stomp toward her, and before she could even process what had happened Ed grabbed onto butt, squeezing hard against her jeans with a satisfying growl.

"Stop!" She said, in a whispered yell as she stumbled away from him, embarrassment stapled across her face as she more tripped than ran out of the classroom.

Carol had just made it outside as the buses taking kids home turned off onto the street. She sighed, realizing she would have to walk home. She was crying, her face red and puffy as she finally felt a sense of relief as the cold winter air hit her.

"Hey."

Carol's head snapped in shock as some spoke behind her. She turned, immediately reaching to rub her red, watery eyes as she met contact with Daryl.

"You cryin?" He cocked his head slightly, and he sure didn't mean to sound rude, but he did and she turned her head away from him. He was still working on this "being nice" thing. "What happened? Why weren't you on the bus?"

"Nothing." Carol mumbled, covering her dry mouth with her hand. "You didn't have to wait for me." She said in defense, dropping her hand to her side with sass as she turned away from him, starting to walk down the concrete pathway.

"The fuck?" Daryl immediately grabbed Carol's arm, slight anger in his voice as she stumbled backwards, meeting eyes with him once again. "Why wouldn't I wait for you? Now what happened?"

"It's…" She stopped herself, her voice shaking as she tried to clear her throat. "Mr. Peleteir..."

"He touched you or something?" Daryl spoke up, and Carol's eyes widened as she could see the anger rise even more. "Hurt ya?"

Carol couldn't even talk, she starting sobbing as soon as she stopped avoiding Daryl's eye contact. The tears ran down her cheeks, mixing with the snot dripping from her nose, and the spit squeezing out her mouth. "He's going to fail me!" She screeched, barely understandable, letting the tears fall as they may.

"What?" Daryl said with anger, his feet became uneasy and his squinty eyes snapping in every direction.
"I'll fucking kill him!"

"Stop!" She yelled, probably louder than she needed to. Carol shook her head, she could feel her body draining, her head hurting. She didn't know how to fix this. She couldn't fix this.

"Well damn, Carol!" Daryl threw his hands in the air. "Well then you gotta tell someone! Get that pervert tossed out!"

Carol stepped away from Daryl as he yelled, shaking her head as she did so. "I doesn't matter!" She yelled, red in her face and water in her face. Her messy hair fell wet around her face, water dripping onto her shirt. "They won't believe me!"

It was then when she sprinted away, darting down the sidewalk, and Daryl could hear her crying until she turned the corner. He stomped his feet hard on the ground, letting out a deep grunt as she turned himself around, running his fingers through his messy hair, as he contemplated running after her, as he contemplated finding Ed and kicking the crap out of him. But instead he stomped home, the back way.

"Why the fuck you keep testing me, boy?"

Daryl could barely hear his dad as he yelled. His dad's foot held his head to the ground, pushing hard against his red ears, his eyes closed as she tried to let out a cry. His dad stood above him like was God himself, his hands in fists, so angry he might as well been foaming at the mouth.

"You take my money, you take my weed!" His dad screeched, as he released his grip on Daryl only to reach down and pull him up to his feet. She shoved him, and Daryl tripped a few steps, almost falling on his ass and it took him all the strength he had to stay on his feet. "Do you really feel like dying?"

Daryl scoffed as it dad, almost laughing in his face as he spoke. He brushed the hairs away from his eyes, making sure his father saw his determined eyes. His black eye has started to heal, and he was prepared to get two more. "Fuck off."

His dad yelled. Like actually screamed in anger as she charged Daryl up, a heavy, drunk fist shooting toward Daryl's cheek. Daryl barely missed the punch as he lunged for the kitchen, sliding slightly on his sides as he entered it, and suddenly he felt the urge to do something he never though he would do in a fight. He jumped for the fridge, and without looking he gripped onto the fresh six pack his dad brought home that evening, tucking his under his arm as he jumped for his dad.

His ran straight into him, his elbows digging right into his dad beer gut, and when his dad fell back, his head hitting the dirty wood floor his a thud.

"Daryl!" He hollered, struggling to get his feet. He finally has gotten up, ready to fight as she caught the last glimpses of Daryl running out the door.