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Chris Chambers had long since given up hope of leaving Castle Rock. Sure Gordie had encouraged him. He had told him that he could leave Castle Rock but that involved school and that wasn't Chris's strongest talent. It's not that he was stupid, he wasn't, his leadership skills alone proved that. But Chris had a rough home life. With a dad like his he needed time to rest. He couldn't rest when he was home or his dad might lose it. Chris didn't sleep for fear that his father would beat his younger sister or his younger brother. He stayed awake at night, not by choice but because he had to. So Chris slept through all but one of his classes. His teachers didn't mind, they had grown used to it with Eyeball and with Frank before him. But Chris paid attention in music class. It's not that he really had a choice; no one could ever sleep through the racket the musical instruments made. But whatever the reason he did pay attention in music class. He had always paid attention in music class, ever since that first day of junior high when he picked up a guitar for the first time. When Chris played the guitar he escaped Castle Rock for a while. When Chris played the guitar he wasn't just some no good Chambers kid. He was somebody.
Savannah Harrigan met Chris Chambers on her first day high school. He was in her music class and she fell for him. It wasn't his looks that drew her in, though he was quite handsome. It was his guitar playing that set him apart from all the other guys in school. Savannah sang and wrote songs and played guitar. But she could go on stage by herself. She dreamed of finding a boyfriend who would perform with her. And Savannah had to perform. It was her calling, her faith, her destiny and her ticket out of Castle Rock. She had moved to Castle Rock to move in with her grandmother. She had been living with her father in Harlow but he had been arrested for murder, sentenced to 25 to life and she had been shipped to her grandmother. Moving from one small town to another small town made her more desperate to get out of small towns and leave them behind forever. She dreamed of being able to play country music professionally. It would be a dream come true if she could play the songs she wrote in concert and hear her music on the radio. She often dreamed of marrying Chris and moving away with him. They would be the next June Carter Cash and Johnny Cash. They had a lot in common, where as Chris would always be the no good Chambers kid, Savannah would always be the girl who father was in jail. She would hear the whispers when she went to the store or when she was at school. "There goes Savannah Harrigan, the girl whose father killed ol' Mr. Wilson." Savannah very well knew that her father was insane. She knew that he had ended a man's life. She never pretended that she didn't know those things. But that isn't to say that she had to be reminded of them every second of the day. Savannah wasn't her father. She was somebody all on her own.
Chris and Savannah had been dating since their freshman year. They were both in their junior year of high school currently. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays they would practice play guitar together. Savannah would play basic chords and sing and Chris would play complicated collections of notes. Savannah's guitar was a beautiful sunburst pattern guitar. Her father had brought it as a "I'm sorry I gave you a black eye" present. Chris was black and covered in scratches. He had paid 10 dollars for it. The music teacher at Castle Rock High School had sold it to him. Even though the guitars were different, one beautiful and one old and broken they sounded beautiful together. Savannah often joked about how the guitars were a metaphor for her and Chris. He had scars and she was beautiful. But when one looked past the Savannah she projected out to the world they saw a girl with scars too.