AN: Minor slash so if you don't like, don't read. Stephen King owns them. I just bow down to him and Rob Reiner. Will switch POVs.

This "one shot" has mutated into a series, which I FINALLY named!

Please no flames. Don't like slash, don't read, that simple.

-

-Chris' POV-

It was the next day when I saw the guys. Goride said nothing; Teddy and Vern were still oblivious, as far as I knew.

We hung out, nothing out of the ordinary going on, spending the hours in the tree house playing cards and smoking. We talked about girls (well they did) and about how much we need money for random crap.

"I need some more cigarettes," Teddy said, looking at his pack that was down to two.

"I wanted some new shoes," said Gordie.

Vern shrugged. "Pezz sounds good."

"What about you Chris?" Teddy asked. I shrugged. "Come on Chambers, you must need money for something." he said.

I thought about Ace who was currently driving around town, getting ready for a party that night. I was invited and Ace had said I should bring the guys along. I didn't know what was going on exactly, what the purpose of this party was exactly, but it didn't matter.

"Well I need money for beer for tonight," I said.

"Why do you need beer?" Gordie asked.

"Party, my house, Ace and Eyeball are throwing it and I'm going, you guys can come too."

They all looked at me. "What are you cracked?" Teddy asked.

"Yeah Chris, I mean Ace and Eyeball are probably setting us up for some huge embarrassment or something," he said.

"No way man," I said.

"What do you mean no way?" Teddy asked. "This is Eyeball. And Ace for god's sake!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked looking up at them.

"Okay Chris, we understand that after you got the shit kicked out of you and Eyeball saved your ass that you two have some stupid understanding," Teddy began. "But Ace? You really think Ace has changed?"

I could feel my blood start to boil. "What do you know about what happened that night Teddy?" I asked. "Ace got decked in the face by my dad for helping me and Eyeball get away! Ace drove me to the hospital. If he hadn't I'd be dead! What the fuck is wrong with you guys?" I asked looking around at them.

"People change, it's not impossible!" I shouted as I stood up, my cards on the ground forgotten.

"Chris--" Gordie began, standing to try and calm me down.

"Don't try it Gordie," I spat at him. "You think the same as they do, no matter what. But it wasn't you guys that were at the hospital with me, it was Eyeball and Ace."

I opened the door and climbed down the ladder, walking away from the tree house quickly.

"You're picking them over us?" Teddy shouted.

I turned back and flipped him off. "I'm not picking anyone, it's up to you guys to suck it up and show up later," I yelled back. I turned and walked away, heading back to my house.

--

I was walking down the street, kicking the same stone for the last few minutes when I car pulled up beside me.

I stopped walking and looked up. Ace sat in his car, leaning over the passenger seat, a smile on his face. I couldn't stop the smile that came to my face.

"I'm just heading to the store to get a few things for tonight, you wanna come?" he asked.

I opened the car door and got in. Because we were outside I knew not to expect a kiss or anything so I sat there as he drove off, but smiled when his hand found mine. We rode in silence most of the way there until we were about a block from the store.

"I thought you were hanging with Lachance and the rest of them today," he said.

"I was. But when I invited them to the party tonight they started trash talking you so I decided not to deal with it and left," I said.

"You left your friends cause they said something bad about me?" he asked.

"Yeah."

--

-Ace's POV-

When I heard that Chris had left his friends behind over what they had said about me I couldn't help but smile.

I pulled into a parking space and looked over at Chris. He smiled at me and without thinking I leaned over and kissed him very lightly. I would have stayed like that but then I remembered we were in a parking lot where anyone could see and pulled away.

Chris didn't question or protest; he just kept on smiling as we got out of the car and went inside the store. I grabbed a cart and without asking for consent I grabbed Chris under his arms and picked him up, dropping him in the basket. He laughed and swatted at me playfully as I began to push the cart up and down the isles.

We grabbed chips, soda and things like that as we went, me stopping to grab some beer. We were about to pay when Chris remembered Eyeball had said something about no cereal so we went that way.

Chris hopped out of the basket and looked for the right cereal while I checked my wallet for cash.

"Well look at this," came a voice. I turned around and saw Dave Cooley, the leader of the Tigers gang. "If it ain't Ace Merrill and the little Chambers kid."

Chris looked up at the mention of his last name and saw Dave, immediately recognizing him. He came over and stood next to me, cereal forgotten.

"What do you want Cooley?" I asked.

"Nothing that you can give," he said, smirking a little as his eyes fell on Chris. I knew Cooley was a scumbag but what did he want with Chris?

"Hey Chambers," he said. Chris held his gaze. "You really going to hang out with losers your entire life?" he asked. Chris' body stiffened. "You could hang with us, we're not opposed to spitting up families for the gang," he said.

"What are you talking about?" Chris asked.

"You're a tough little shit," Cooley said. "And god knows we ain't gonna be around forever so we're starting to look at some kids your age, to get them on the right side of things, ya know? How about it Chambers?"

Chris scoffed. "You're stupider than you look," he said. "You really think I'd go against my brother?"

"Well from what we hear, honor isn't big with you boys," Cooley said.

"You heard wrong Cooley," Chris said. I smirked a little, letting my arm drape around Chris' shoulders. Chris smirked a little at this too. "Why don't you and your apes leave? Grocery stores are no place for animals," he said.

Cooley showed no emotion, only shook his head and left, his friends following him.

I let out a little bit of a laugh and hugged Chris quickly before running my hand over his short hair and pushing him away playfully.

He smirked and stuck his tongue out at me before grabbing the cereal he wanted and tossing it in the cart.

I just laughed and went to pay for everything with Chris before we went back to his house, the party less than four hours away.

-

AN: I'm sooooo sorry it took so long for this. College is kicking my ass.

Much love to all who read.