Disclaimer: I don't own TNA.

A/N:Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Keep them coming! I know this might be a tad confusing with the constant, future/present thing, but it should all be cleared up in time.


Chained

Chapter 2: Speechless


-Blue's POV-

"Hey, how come you didn't show last night?" I turned quickly away from the book I'd been reading at the lunch table to see Chris glowering down at me. Shifting uncomfortably, I held my place with my finger and placed the book on the tabletop.

I hadn't gone to his house to watch Nitro as I'd been offered, but I had only told him maybe. Things hadn't gone as planned yesterday afternoon when I got home and it wasn't really something I planned on telling him or anyone else about. "Um, I couldn't. Chores and homework and stuff..." I mumbled, always having been the worst liar.

His blue eyes rolled and he sat down in the chair beside me. "You could've called and told me. I did give you my number."

I sighed and slapped my forehead. "I'm sorry. That was rude. I just didn't think it was a big deal. I figured you only invited me over to be nice."

He snorted and leaned back in the chair. "Yeah, I don't do anything just to 'be nice'. Don't worry about that." He smirked slightly, looking at me through the hair that hung in his eyes. "I invited you cause I think you're cute. I was trying to be subtle about it."

I blinked a few times, surprised at his confession. I didn't really know what to say. "Oh. Well... thank you." I pursed my lips as soon as the words left my mouth. That was a stupid thing to say. The guy just told me he's attracted to me and I thanked him! He probably thinks I'm an idiot.

Scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, his eyes shifted to the cover of my book and he grinned. "Orwell, huh? Love that book." I too glanced down at my tattered copy of Nineteen Eighty-Four and smiled up at him in agreement.

"Yeah, it's something. You didn't really strike me as the reading type," I admitted, hoping I didn't offend him.

He just shrugged his shoulders and leaned on the table. "Hey, I'm not just all good looks and witty remarks you know." I had to laugh a little at that comment.

"Have you read Animal Farm?" I questioned, enjoying the topic of yet another common interest between the two of us.

"No. Should I?" I noticed the way his eyebrows rose over his blue eyes as he awaited my reply and found it unusually attractive.

"Um, yeah. I can lend you my copy if you want." I suddenly felt shy under his gaze and things got quiet.

"Do you wanna come sit with me and my friends?" he finally asked, breaking the slightly awkward silence. I followed his jutting thumb over to a group of rowdy adolescent boys and cringed. That wasn't exactly how I preferred to spend my lunch hour.

"Um, thanks but... I don't think I'm really comfortable going over there..."I rubbed at my neck a little before I pushed my hair behind my ear, thinking that Chris now probably thought I was some anti-social weirdo. But men just make me so nervous now. I was surprised that Chris was able to engage me in interesting enough conversation to distract me from the fact that he was a guy who was obviously trying to initiate some sort of relationship here.

"Okay, well, do you care if I sit here with you and we talk or something?" My teeth pressed into my full, lower lip as I looked up at him, taking in the sandy, shaggy hair that was peeking from under his beanie and obstructing his hopeful, blue eyes. I probably could've said no f I hadn't looked into them.

"Sure. That'd be... cool." My heart was thumping in my chest. I had always been quiet, always tried to keep to myself. I had far too many issues to want to live casually by other people. And here I am, getting involved with this random guy. Initiating some kind of friendship or relationship or... who knows what is going to come of this. It must be a subconscious cry for help I won't accept once it's offered to me.

And then, when he got up and left the table without a word, I felt disappointment wash over me. All that dread and worry had been so false. I had honestly thought he might be interested in me as a person, but he just walked away...

And then came back.

Plopping the tray of food he'd retrieved from his previous table down, he sat back next to me and shoved a ketchup covered French fry into his mouth.

"So, did you even get to watch WCW last night?" A feeling of relief settled within me, which only once again triggered the foreboding sense I had in the back of my head. But I tried my hardest to ignore it and for once act like a normal person and make a friend.

"Most of it. I saw Bret's match. And Jericho's." Our conversation only escaladed form there throughout the entire lunch period. He even walked with me to my locker afterwards, fending off his friends who admittedly made me uncomfortable with their taunting of Chris 'having a girlfriend'. I'd soon get used to it though.

It's hard to believe we were like that once. It seems so long ago. Now, we can barely stand to look at each other, yet we can't help but do so. That's why I'm in this mess now.

And I have no idea how he knows. The only people who know are Jeff and Traci, and I'm positive neither one of them would open their mouths; it's far too unprofessional for either one of them.

Two sets of eyes were wide on me as I stepped back into the Knockouts locker room. Taylor and Daffney stood there, looking at me like deer caught in headlights.

"Blue! Here, do you want to sit down?" Taylor offered, moving to stand from the bench she was on so I could sit. "Do you need a water or something? Craving anything? I could go get it!" And that's when I knew.

Sighing, I took the offered seat and hung my head, fingers lacing through my hair. "Who told you?" Might as well track down the source.

"Well... um... I kind of overheard you on the phone in the bathroom." I tossed my head back and groaned, knowing I couldn't say anything about Chris being involved in this whole situation to anyone. No one knew outside of the two of us and Alex. And that's how it had to stay.

"So, your good-for-nothing boyfriend's being a jerk about it, isn't he?" Daffney accused, correctly unfortunately.

"Please guys. Don't," I begged, near tears just from the mere mention of Lance. God, he was being a jerk about it. He wasn't interested in having kids. He was signing a contract with the WWE and god knows he didn't want to be worrying about a child while he was getting into their grueling schedule.

Daffney snorted and rolled her eyes. "That guy must have a big dick, otherwise, you're seriously fucked for staying with him."

-Chris' POV-

"So... so what do I do?" I'm still trying to take it all in. Blue is pregnant. And it definitely could be mine. We're not careful about it. We never use condoms. And most of the time, I don't bother to pull out. She's supposed to be on the pill and it's supposed to work.

I looked up at Alex and saw the uneasy look on his face as he raised his hands in surrender. "Uh, bro, that's not really something I can answer for you. This one's kinda on you man."

I knew he was right, as badly as I wish he wasn't. "She just wants to pretend it's his whether it is or it isn't."

Alex let out a huff of air and shook his spiked head. "That's harsh. But I mean..." He sighed and I looked at him expectantly, waiting for whatever he was going to say. "Do you really wanna have to take care of a kid right now? Especially with Blue?"

I leaned my head back and let it clunk against the locker I was standing in front of. I really feel like I'm gonna be sick. I should've just left her alone and stayed away. She had a boyfriend and I knew it. If she wanted me, she would've still been with me. We'd just been through too much to really even stand each other and that's where we should've left it...

"Ew, you smell gross Chris," she giggled as I tried to give her a sweaty hug when I got home from my soccer practice. We'd been hanging out a lot now. My house had become a home away from home to her. She definitely didn't get along with her parents, so my parents said it was fine that she came over whenever necessary because they already loved her.

She was always at my house when I got home from soccer or track unless she came to watch. I think it was weird for her at first, but she'd gotten used to the idea since my mom always made her feel so welcome.

I sat down on the arm of the couch she was on, knees up to her chest balancing a school book she'd been reading, but decided to close when she realized I wasn't about to go jump in the shower just yet. "So guess what?"

She arched her all too perfect eyebrows and stared up at me. "What?"

My eyes kind of stopped checking her out when they got distracted by the purple mark on her neck. It was light, but dark enough for me to notice. And it wasn't very big. It looked like a hickey.

I kind of lost my train of thought at that realization. I wanted to interrogate her. I wanted to find out who gave her that hickey. I mean, she's with me all the time! She doesn't really talk to anyone else at school but me and rarely some of my other friends. But fuck, I like to think none of my friends would do that to me! They all know I like her. "Earth to Chris."

"Oh, uh..." I couldn't bring myself to mention it. I'm such a chicken shit sometimes. I don't wanna scare her away or make her think that if she doesn't like me back we can't still hang or something. "I found a wrestling school."

At least that was a brighter subject. Her eyes got wide and she sat up straight, "Really? How much? Where?" We'd both been talking about going for about a month now.

"It's kind of expensive..." I muttered, knowing she probably couldn't afford it unless she got a job. I didn't want to rub it in. I mean, I would barely be scraping by to pay for it with my shithole job at Subway.

"Shit," she hissed, falling back into the couch. I slid down next to her, throwing an arm over her shoulders, her hair covering up that ugly, purple thing I couldn't stop thinking about.

"Don't worry about it Blue. I can go and I'll teach you everything I learn. You'll be so good they'll be beggin' you to wrassle for them," I joked, trying to lighten her mood and lift her spirits.

It worked a little, and she kind of smiled, moving away with a squeal when I grabbed at her middle, trying to put her in a wrestling move.

I never knew something was wrong until this moment, when I had her with her stomach to the couch, her shirt riding up enough for me to see like five dark purple and blue bruises all down her skin.

I froze and she quickly pulled her shirt down straightening herself out as I backed off. I tried to look her in the eye, speechless as I was, but she blinked nervously, gathering her things from the coffee table.

"I have to go," she muttered, standing and putting her things in her bag. And like a moron, I let her leave without even trying to get an explanation out of her.