Chapter 2. The Reunion.
Both Kinzie and the Boss took Chris to the Saints HQ and when Chris finally came round the questions went flying out of Alex's mouth.
Where you been?
What happened?
Did you get raped?
Why didn't you come back?
Why didn't you make contact?
How did you survive?
And Chris's answers were blunt yet completely honest.
In Steelport.
A Gang stopped us.
No, I'm lucky.
I couldn't.
I tried, but it went to voice mail every time.
I became a Thief.
And before Alex could ask any more questions Chris asked hers.
"What happened since I was gone?"
Like Chris, Alex's answer was honest, but more descriptive.
"We all thought you were dead Chris, there was a fucking funeral and everything, fuck I got so low I eventually stopped making contact with mum and dad, and they didn't even bother, I took drugs and shit, one day I went down this street looking for my next fix and this gang fight broke out, I nearly got shot but Julius helped me, he was the leader of this gang called the 3rd Street Saints, one thing led to another and I became their leader, after Julius betrayed me, I went into a coma for 5 fucking years when he tried to kill me and woke up in prison, broke out, and started to get my dead gang running again"
"Story of your life" Chris stated with a chuckle.
"Pretty much" Alex shrugged, "now you tell me your side and how the fuck you ended up banging Miller"
"Hey! I am not banging Miller we've been going out for like 3 months!" Chris yelled as Alex laughed," well, when we arrived at Steelport they stopped the bus and let us go to this nearby place for a toilet break, I was the only one to go and when I made my way back there was this guy sticking stuff under and around the bus, I didn't know at the time that they were explosives, anyway there was a guy on the bus waving a gun around while he was on the phone" Chris explained, she wrapped her arms around herself whilst recalling the memory, "I remember the scared face of my friend Stephanie, I was so scared I didn't know what to do, after a while they started running away from the bus, jumping into a car and driving off whilst shooting people and when I ran towards the bus it blew up, there was blood everywhere, I was so scared I just ran away and I kept running until I was out of breath, and I slept out in the street, not the safest idea but it worked, when I woke I was in a warm bed and I ended up at a brothel, except the prostitutes were nice people and they looked after me, of course they didn't make me do their job otherwise I may have run away again" Chris chuckles, "well, I stayed there until I was 14 and I said my goodbyes and I had a bit of cash that I nicked off of people now and then, so I rented a room at a cheap hotel, that was when I met Matt"
"Wait you said you were going out about 3 months now" Alex exclaimed.
"Yes, I've known him for about 2 years, and we've been going out 3 months, I'm not going to go out with a guy after meeting him for a week you'no"
"Oh yeah"
"Annnyway, I met him...in a comic shop"
"Typical"
"Shh, he actually looked more normal then, just this black T-shirt with some writing on that I can't remember what it said, and some skinny black jeans he pretty much looked emo, but at the time I looked like a dude so I couldn't really say his dress sense was weird, I picked up a comic book and he just turned around and said it was crap I was like, hell nah! So I just argued with him stating that Eternal Darkness was NOT a crap comic! And how dare he! So we just agreed on buying each other's favourite comic and at least read it, thus my obsession with NyteBlayde began"
"Oh god not you too!"
"It's actually a very good story, and the fact that a series is being made" Chris excitedly squealed, "its so exciting!"
"Teenagers" Alex huffed before waiting for Chris to continue to explain her story.
"Well, as you can see I got obsessed and I kept going back to the comic store to buy more NyteBlay-"
"Wait wait wait, how did you have the money to indulge yourself?"
"I told you! I rented a room at a cheap hotel and it was like $25 a week I think, but there was just a bed and a toilet in this small bathroom, I did... Jobs for people and got around $100 a week, $75 after paying the hotel then I'd eat at this diner, it was an alright routine I mostly got $40 spending money" Chris explained as she leaned back on the chair and smiled, quite pleased with herself.
"How on earth did you earn $100 a week? You... Didn't do prostitution right?"
"NO! How could you! I'm still a virgin if you must know! I just stole cars and brought them to this guy who paid me for them, if any of my car jacking failed I would do insurance fraud but that was a last resort"
"You were 14!" Alex exclaimed.
"Well what other thing would you want me to do? You keep telling me I could have come back but could I really? You said you were in a freaking coma! So either way I would have had to defend myself"
"Right, I'm sorry, please just continue"
"Ok, well, when I went back to the comic store one day like 3 weeks after meeting Matt, he was there again, he sneaked up on me while I was playing an arcade game thingy in there and we started talking about NyteBlayde, of course he boasted about him being right and how I was wearing a NyteBlayde shirt and stuff, we ended up walking in a nearby park and when it got dark I suggested we went home, I don't know why but I hugged him when I said bye, I guess after all that time it felt good to have a friend, he was a little freaked out however and asked if I was gay"
"Wait a second, Matt thought you were a boy?"
"...unfortunately" Chris stated. Alex tries to pull a serious face and calm down but the humour of the moment caught up and soon she was on the floor laughing, "its not funny!"
"Yes it is!" Alex giggled as she calmed down.
"WELL, when I told him I was a girl he freaked out again and I sorta stomped off, after that he managed to get my number somehow, I guess that was him being a cyber genius and we made up and became best friends"
"So how did you end up going out with him?"
"Um, well it was sort of awkward..."
"OMG GO NYTE BLAYDE!" Chris cheered at the tv as she and Matt were watching the latest episode of NyteBlayde.
"I knew he wouldn't let the Cardinal capture him so easily" Matt said as he crossed his arms.
"Excuse me you were all like 'no NyteBlayde! It can't end like this!' Crying like a babay"
"I was not!" Matt shouted but the grin couldn't be wiped off of his face as he playfully pushed her.
"You totally were! But unfortunately for you Nyte Blayde cannot return your love, for after loosing Sylvia he ca-"
"Can never love again" Matt interrupted.
"Greatest line ever" Chris stated with a nodding Matt who wore a goofy grin.
"Talking about Nyte Blayde I have something important to ask you" Matt started as he fully turned to her on the couch they were sitting on, "if I were Nyte Blayde would you marry me?"
"Of course, Josh Birk is kind of cute and with a personality like Franklin's it would be a dream come true" Chris dramatically looked up to the ceiling and sighed romantically.
"Not what I was suggesting, I meant if I was Nyte Blayde, and I still looked like me would you go out with me?" Matt rubbed the back of his neck as he silently denied himself to look at her.
"Well, if you were Nyte Blayde you wouldn't let me go out with you cause your heart will always be drawn to Sylvia"
"Screw Sylvia! Would you at least try to go out with me?" Matt started to shout in frustration.
"But, I can't that's impossible cause Nyte Blayde is in love with Sylvia and I'd be like a Marion trying to be your bride but never succeeding"
"GAH!" Matt let out in pure annoyance as the oblivious Chris looked at her best friend in confusion, "asking you out is the most frustrating thing I have ever come across since arguing on a forum about how the Cardinal and NyteBlayde are not going to romantically get together!"
"Well maybe you should just... Wait your trying to ask me out?" Chris asked with a wide eyed expression.
"Yeah, I guess I am"
"Do you want to try that again?"
"Please" he said before they both turned back towards the TV, Matt then shifted so he was facing her, "Chris, we've been friends for a while now and I was wondering if you would like to go out with me?"
"Yes, I'd love to go out with you" Chris replied with a small smile.
"Great" Matt smiled back before turning back to the TV awkwardly. They sat in silence just watching the credits to their favourite show before Matt turned to her again, "sorry I've made it a little awkward, I've never actually had a proper girlfriend before, well I did when I was 8 but I think back then it didn't exactly count"
"That's alright, I'm actually the same, never really had a proper relationship with anyone just promise me one thing"
"What?"
"If things don't work out we'll still be best friends right?"
"Yes, defiantly" Matt agreed.
"Well anyway, what's on next?" Chris asked as Matt used the remote to see.
"Another episode of NyteBlayde, it's a double episode tonight remember?"
"Oh yeah"
"Would you...um... Like me to get a bowl of popcorn, and maybe cuddle whilst watching NyteBlayde?"
"You mean like all the lovey dovey couple kind of things" Chris smiled playfully.
"Well, what else?" Matt smirked as he went to get the popcorn.
"THAT'S SO ROMANTIC" Alex cried out as she dramatically hopped up, clutched her hands together and popped up her foot like a cheerleader.
"Not really, but yeah that's my story, thy end" Chris finished, "well back to the real world, you shouldn't have found me"
"What, why?" Alex asked, obviously confused.
"Well, I'm king of the Decker's girlfriend and you're leader of the Saints, which I'm still trying hard to believe, it just won't happen"
"This isn't some romantic soap opera, you're my family and I'm fucked if I let you go out of my life again, I don't want to..." Alex paused looked sadly at the floor she stood on,"I don't want to loose someone close to me, again"
"Well, how is this going to work out? If I team up with you my best friend will hate me, if I team up with Matt, well it wouldn't happen anyway cause you wouldn't let it" Chris sighed,"do you see the situation I'm in?"
"Yeah I guess, we will figure something out" Alex said before stepping forward and hugging the small teenager tightly, "its fucking good to have you back"
Chris chuckled before hugging the figure she looked up too back in Stilwater, just as tight, "Ditto, big sis"