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"I hate him.""I know, honey," Beth placated, rolling her eyes behind her boyfriend's back. She was so use to his grumbling that she didn't even look up from the worksheets she was grading.Daryl--too busy plotting their neighbor's doom to notice her condescension--stood at the window, glaring through the open blinds at the whistling man decorating his house for Christmas. "It ain't bad enough that he took Halloween from us?""You, Daryl. He took it from you." You obsessed weirdo that I love for some reason was implied in her tone."And then he took Thanksgivin'!" Beth casually corrected a wrong answer. "Does anyone even decorate for Thanksgiving, Daryl?""I do!"Beth thought of the pumpkins, cornucopias, and the abundance of paper turkeys that littered her beautiful wraparound porch. "I stand corrected.""And he stole Glenn," he grumbled, watching his friend help the enemy secure Santa to his roof. Traitor."He didn't steal Glenn."Daryl wordlessly gestured to the window and raised his eyebrows."You're right. Glenn, your best friend/neighbor and my brother-in-law, has thrown away years of friendship for Sheriff Grimes and his Winter Wonderland."He nodded before realizing she was making fun of him. "You're a mean little schoolteacher, Ms. Greene. You this mean to your students?""Only the ones that don't share," Beth retorted, giving him an angelic smile that didn't match her level of sass."Hmph."
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"Nope." Daryl crossed his arms over his chest, standing his ground. "I ain't no den mother.""Don't be normative, Daryl. It's Room Volunteer," Beth chided. "And it would really help me out. I'm already down one volunteer and my class is a zoo.""What about Glenn or yer sister?""They already volunteered for the field trip.""Ugh.""Did you just 'ugh' me?""Maybe," Daryl snarked, leaning his head against the arm of the couch. So cocky. So unprepared for what was to come. "Okay, you don't have to help me--your future wife and possibly mother of your children--if you don't want to," she guilted. "But can you live with yourself?" Beth batted her eyelashes and gave him the full force of her puppy eyes. "Yup." Unfortunately, Daryl was immune.But, fortunately, Beth and her class of adorable monkeys had one last card to play. It was dirty. It was underhanded.Casually, she pulled out her phone and made to dial. "I guess I'll just have to ask Judy and Carl's dad..."It was war.Daryl fell off the couch in his hurry to grab the phone away. "I'll do it!""Aww, are you sure? I don't want to be any trouble." Her smile said 'sweet' but her eyes said 'devious.'"I'll do it, but I ain't makin' cupcakes." He put his foot down. "Of course, dear." All of her students agreed that Daryl made delicious cupcakes.