Rick and Hershel had been planting and tending to the garden almost everyday. Buds were forming on the tomatoes and we'd start seeing them emerge soon.

I had been keeping to my jobs as assigned. I taught the kids every other day and Carol took the others. We both agreed what she was actually teaching them would stay between us. I thought my lessons were really beneficial for the children. I could tell their critical thinking skills were growing which was much needed in this new world. If they were to survive, they needed to be smart.

With much convincing and negotiating from Carl, Rick was letting me train his son in moving combat. Rick agreed that if Carl got 100% on his The Outsiders test and if he weeded the garden everyday he'd let me do it. Carl ended up attentively reading the novel and taking notes. He had a routine where he went out to the garden, pulled all the weeds, then read a few chapters.

I walked to Carl's cell with his make shift test in hand. He perked up when he noticed the paper.

"How'd I do?" he asked.

I held out the paper in front of his face. "Congrats, kid."

Carl snatched it from me with a huge smile spread across his face.  "Awesome! Let's go!"

The boy stood started rushing out of his cell. I leaned back to avoid being slammed into. I saw his hat sitting on his bed and picked it up.

"Carl, wait up."

He slowed and I jogged to him. I placed the cowboy hat on his long head of hair.

"So we can match," I said with a light punch to the shoulder.

The two of us went out to the field. Rick was already outside tending to the pig and her piglets.  Carl sprinted to his dad, waving the paper around wildly.

"Dad! Dad! Look!" he shouted.

I continued walking over to the pair as Rick looked over the test. He smiled at Carl.

"I'm really proud of you. If we had a fridge, I'd stick it right up there," Rick told him.

"Luckily I have a spot waiting on the bulletin board just for him," I said. "Hopefully you'll inspire the others to have as much dedication."

Carl's cheeks turned dark pink. "Whatever." He rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. "So can I have my gun now?"

"I suppose." Rick grabbed a locked tool box, undid the lock, and gave Carl his suppressed pistol.

"Go get Poe ready," I instructed.

I had come outside early in the morning and set up targets after grading Carl's test. Rick had seen me doing this so I knew he knew how Carl had done.

"Good job acting surprised," I said.

"I've had practice," he chuckled. "I don't think I've ever asked you, but why Poe?"

I breathed forcefully out of my nose. "Edgar Allan Poe. When I first saw him he was so dark and mysterious to me. He defied death, just like I did. So I thought that was a really fitting name for him."

"I agree, it does fit." Rick glanced over at his son leading the black horse from the pen. "I don't want to make this habit it with him. He needs to feel like a kid now more than ever."

"I know, Rick. But he also needs to learn how to defend himself," I argued. "I'm trying to find a middle ground here."

"And I appreciate that. But he's my kid and I get to set the rules."

I rolled my eyes. "Obviously he's your kid. But I still have an obligation to protect him too. Even though this world has changed, I'm still an educator. Whether it's teaching him what a noun is or teaching him how to take down a walker, I'm doing my job. I want you to respect that."

Rick nodded, understandingly. "I get your point. And I do respect it. But I don't want to lose my son. I want you to respect that as well."

"Then how about I only take him out four times. Two with the targets and two with the walkers."

"How about three? I think he'll pick up the targets quickly."

I reached out my hand and Rick took it. His hand was calloused from the weeks of labor. We shook on the deal.

Carl climbed up on Poe and I got in behind him. The kid tried his hardest to keep a little space between us. I don't think he had been this close to another woman or girl since Lori. But soon he relaxed when he began focusing on the task at hand.

Rick was right, Carl was able to nail the targets quickly. He already had decent riding skills from our previous lessons with Poe, so all he had to pick on was how to shoot while moving at high speeds. He did just that.

___

On our second day, we went out of the fences and used the training opportunity to clear some of the walker buildup. Carl wasn't perfect hitting the target every time, but he was getting there.

On our third day, I let the kid take Poe out by himself while I road the other horse to watch him and assist in the clearing. We both had silencers on our weapons so we wouldn't draw more in.

Carl and I were riding our respective horses toward the gate when Rick jogged over to us with a machete in hand. 

"Hold on," he called out.

We both signaled for the horses to stop.

"I'll help ya'll clear some. The buildup is getting pretty bad and you could use another hand outside. Let me hop on with you, Carl."

"Dad," Carl wined. "Jo just let me ride by myself."

Rick titled his head to the side, clearly annoyed by his teenage son's attitude.

I sighed. "Rick, you can get on with me."

"You sure?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No. But I'll let you anyways."

I reached down and helped pull Rick up on the animal. He sat behind me closely. I felt like Carl when I first sat behind him, attempting to avoid any touch. I signaled for the horse to move forward. The motion of the him walking pushed Rick and I even closer together. Luckily, the saddle kept us from fully colliding.

Carol opened the gates for us and we went over to the larger cluster. We remained on the outside as the people inside the fences kept the majority distracted.

As Carl improved his aim, Rick and I took down any walkers that got too close to him or us. I shot the ones more at a distance and Rick sliced the ones at arms length.

As Rick cut through the head of a walker, his chest pressed up against my back. I held my breath suddenly. I wasn't used to being touched or someone being this close for a longer period of time. My heart began racing faster than it already was.

We continued this until Carl and I had ran out of the extra bullets we hand brought. We made our way back to the gates.

"How do you feel?" I asked Carl.

"I feel good. Like I got it down," he answered.

"What do you say, Carl?" Rick prompted.

Carl clenched his mouth shut for moment before saying, "Thank you, Jo."

"Not problem, kid."

The three of us got let inside and we went to the pens. Rick was the first to get off our horse. As I was getting down, the man grabbed my waist and helped me reach the ground.

The both us looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Tha-" I began.

"I'm-" Rick started at the same time.

"Sorry," he we both said.

"If you two are done I'd like to go eat lunch," Carl interrupted with a side smile.

Rick nodded. "I'll put him away, you two go grab something."

The man led the horse away. I attempted to hide my amusement as Carl and I went it fill our stomachs.

The kid laughed to himself.

"What?" I questioned.

"Nothing."

I grabbed Carl into a headlock, hit off his hat, and gave him a noogie. "You gonna tell me now?"

Carl struggled to escape from my grip. "Fine! Fine! I'll tell you!"

I let him go and put my hands on my hips. Carl picked up his hat from the ground.

"Well, I-" he said before he sprinted off toward the cell blocks.

"Little shit," I chuckled.

"I couldn't agree more," Rick voiced behind me. "You'll get him back. Let's go get some food first."

As we went inside, I couldn't help but feel like something had changed between the cowboy and I.