Katelyn sits on my bed staring down at the latest Teen magazine, which I only purchased because the cast of Roswell was in it.

"If I tell you something will you not judge me?" I ask her.

"Have I ever?" she asks.

"Well no, but..."

"Exactly so shoot." She stops talking for a second to look at a picture, "Which one would you do, Max or Michael?" she questions staring at the picture on the cover.

"Michael definitely Michael," I answer.

"Mmm that's a hard call, I mean sure Michael is all badass, but Max is like sweet and is someone who could sweep you off your feet," she rambles.

I roll my eyes and shake my head, then sit down next to her on the bed.

"Wish I looked like her," I say pointing to the actress that plays Isabel.

"Girl you look better than her." She looks at the magazine for another second before looking up at me. "I'm sorry you were saying. These hotties distracted me," she says.

She places the magazine next to her on the bed as I shift uncomfortably.

"Okay, so don't kill me or anything, but do you remember those assholes in the restaurant a month or so ago?" I ask. She nods. "Well the guy you met at the Halloween party was one of them. They ended up being the tenants that Travis rented out the basement to."

"No way!" she says.

"Way," I tell her.

"Tell me more," she pleads. "Oh my god you kissed him!" she yells before I can say anything.

"I was totally drunk..."

"How did it happen," she cuts me off.

I tell her the whole story, how I kissed him in the bathroom while he patched up my knee. I tell her also about the fight with Ethan and the intense kiss outside. It's been a few days and I still haven't processed that kiss. I tell her that the asshole from that table is his brother and that he's here too. I don't tell her about the fights I've had with him, just that he and I don't get along. It's November, but it's not freezing so I have my bedroom window open to allow the cool fall breeze to flow through. She's about to respond to my insane story when I hear his voice out the window. Daryl is talking to someone and when I peak outside I see the back of Liam's head. I shoot up and rush to the window to see what's going on. They are both huddled down low in the grass looking out beyond the small woods area behind our house. Liam is watching Daryl closely as he explains something to him. I open up my window a little more to listen in.

Katelyn comes rushing over and looks out with me. We both stay quiet watching.

"You have that look on your face."

"What look?" I question.

"You like him don't you?" she teases.

"Do not!" I yell.

"You do too, I can see it in your eyes. The way you're watching him while he's talking to your brother."

"Oh quiet you, I barely know the guy. I mean he's so closed off like he's got this wall up and no one can tear it down," I say.

"You could totally tear that shit down," she says loudly.

Daryl must hear us because he turns and looks as both Katelyn and I duck under the window laughing. I cover my mouth with my hand to try and control my laughter, and she does too. We both have our backs up against the wall on either side of the window. I look over because it's now quiet outside, and she nods. We both go up at the same time when Daryl and Liam shout. Liam just growls and Daryl yells, "BOO!" Katelyn and I scream.

I reach through the window to push Daryl, as I do I nearly fall out the window. Daryl grabs me holding me so that I don't tip forward. Katelyn pulls my legs down and laughs.

"What are you two doing out there anyway?" I question propping my head up with my hands as I lean my elbows on the sill.

"Tracking," he says.

"People?" I ask.

I look between the two of them and Liam signs animals. I squint my eyes in confusion. "Why?" I ask.

"Dinner," he tells me.

"And what do you plan on killing for dinner? Deer?"

"Squirrel," he says.

"Oh my god you're gross," I say as Katelyn and I laugh.

Liam taps Daryl on the shoulder and he does a dumbed down version of his signs to tell Daryl he wants to go back to tracking.

"Alright big guy lead the way," Daryl says staring right at him so he can read his lips.

Liam smiles and waves to Katelyn and I. Daryl turns back for a second.

"Be careful with him please," I warn.

"Of course," he whispers.

I've been staring at this damn ceiling for hours now. Light rain and a dense fog linger outside my half open window. I can't get the look on Liam's face out of my head, the way he looks at Daryl is how he should be looking at his absentee father. Our father walked out when Liam was a baby. I think him being deaf scared him away, they didn't fight much until he was born. Dad wanted to get him an implant so that he could hear, and my mother fought him saying he was perfect just the way he was. Ironically she is doing the same thing to him that our father did, she's abandoning him. I can't remember the last time I saw them really bond. I'll admit Liam was not an easy toddler and even up until last year he'd throw a lot of tantrums because he had trouble communicating, but I know I'd never give up on him.

My alarm clock says it's only two in the morning, I have work in a few hours and this sucks. I rip the covers off hoping maybe a late night snack will help me fall asleep. I open the door and head down the hallway towards the kitchen. I flip the light on and nearly do one of those horror movie screams. Daryl's sitting at the table staring out the window eating my fruit loops.

"Jesus you scared me," I say holding my hand over my heart.

"The names Daryl, did you forget?" he teases.

I roll my eyes and walk over to get a bowl. I guess if I'm going to eat anything might as well be sugar to keep me up even longer. I sit down at the table with a bowl and spoon and snatch the box from him. He ignores me as he scoops some into his mouth. I barely finish pouring when he takes the box away to add more to his bowl.

"What are you doing up?" I ask.

"Same as you I guess," he says.

"Eating your feelings?"

He chuckles lightly, and I can't help but smile. I don't know what's going on between us, hopefully it's just nothing but I can't get his lips out of my mind. The way he kissed me turned something on inside of me, I've been trying to shut it off since but I can't. Stupid hormones. It's not like anything good could come from the two of us being together.

"Thanks for today," I tell him.

"Mmm?"

"With Liam." I take a bite of cereal. I finish chewing before speaking again. "Travis barely notices him, and my mom well hasn't really done much for him since we moved here," I confess.

"He's a good kid," Daryl says in between bites.

I nod. Neither of us say anything for a while. I pour myself another bowl and continue eating, as he does the same and stares out the window some more. The fog is so thick that it's hard to see anything a few feet away.

"What happened to him?"

"Excuse me?" I ask dropping my spoon.

"What happened to Liam?"

"Like why is he deaf?" I ask. He nods. "He was born deaf."

"He taught me some signs today," Daryl tells me.

"Oh yeah. Did he show you this one?" I question shooting him the finger.

I try to be serious for a minute, but my lips defy me and I'm smiling. He softly chuckles as he lifts his bowl to drink the left over sweet milk from the bowl.

"What happened that day?"

I look at him and for a minute I think he's talking about the kiss. He clears his throat, "I mean that day when I took you to pick him up. You were pissed," he says.

"Oh, that." I start. "Well Liam may be one of the brightest kids in his class, but he's a target for the bully's at school, being "different" and all," I say using air quotes around different.

"Kids are assholes," he says.

I almost spit my cereal out, and laugh. I nod in agreement, "Yes they are. I should know I was bullied pretty badly back in New York," I confess.

Why the hell am I telling him this? Chloe shut your damn mouth he doesn't need a whole sob story about your childhood.

"How did you learn what you taught him today about tracking things?" I question.

He shrugs his shoulder and retreats back into his shell.

"Boy Scouts?" I ask.

Daryl looks amused by my question and shakes his head. "Do I look like a Boy Scout?" he asks.

"No, I guess not," I say.

"Was on my own a lot." Part of him looks like he wants to say more, but he shuts down again.

"Why are you here?" I hear myself question.

He pushes some hair out of his face and his eyes land on mine. I can't tell what he's thinking.

"I'm eating cereal," he says.

"No dumbass why are you here? What made you come here, it's not like this town is a big spot on the map of Georgia," I say.

"You running from something?" I seem to not have a filter, and sometimes that's not a good thing.

Now he looks pissed. He sits back in his chair arms crossed at his chest staring out the window. I remember the first few days he was here and I know he's not afraid to tell me to fuck off. Seems like this is the way Daryl is, he can ask questions about someone else's life, but when it's about his he refuses to answer. He stands up and pushes the chair out from behind him and walks to the sink with his bowl. I hear a loud crash and wince.

I stand up as he reaches the table and step in front of him. My hand rests gently on his chest. He stops and stares down at my hand and then back up at me. He doesn't remove my hand, but I can tell he wants to.

"Look I'm sorry I thought we were having a normal conversation," I say.

"Normal? So now that we've made out twice you think we should get to know each other or something make a relationship out of it?"

"So what if we did?" I question.

"Look I'm not looking for anything, I'll be gone soon and I don't need some crushed girl stalking me from afar," he says.

I remove my hand from his chest and laugh, I can't help it. Does he really think that I'm looking for a relationship? Did he not witness the end of a disastrous relationship?

"Why you laughing?" he grumbles.

"Do I look like the kind of girl who would stalk someone? Honestly?"

"I don't know!" he almost shouts, but stops himself.

"Why are you such a dick all the time?" I don't have any problem getting in his face. He's living in my house and I'm the one that pretty much provides all the meals for him and his shithead brother, he could at least respect me a little bit.

"The same reason you're a bitch!"

I laugh, "Oh, okay then. I hope you enjoy living here for the next few weeks without any food on the table," I threaten.

"I'll just go buy some McDonalds."

"Well fine!" I shout.

"Fine!"

He walks around me, I follow him craning my neck so I can watch him go. He stops at the doorway and turns back to look at me for a quick second then leaves the room. I throw the box of cereal across the room and it hits the fridge with a louder bang than I'd expected. I wince as I hear mom and Travis's bedroom door open.

"What in the hell?"

Travis appears in the doorway wearing only sweatpants. His scraggly old hairy chest is out for all to see. I think I might puke.

"Sorry Travis, I just dropped the cereal," I say bending down to pick it up.

"I swore I heard two voices in here," he says.

"Nope just me," I tell him.

He gives me a look, but then turns back to the bedroom and slams the door. I jump from the sound. Breathing a sigh of relief I continue to pick up the cereal all over the floor.