I'm updating, Actually pretty surprised i am. hope you like the kind of relationship I created between Anna and Chris and the direction I took his attitude, i thought he might be a bit more sarcastic and tough when he got older but still a sweet heart.

Disclaimer; I don't own Stand by me,

To stand by him.

Anna POV

"Ladies Shuffle." Chris said gesturing to the cards.

"I wouldn't let me if I were you." I teased as I began to shuffle them in my hands. The gorgeous boy raised an eyebrow.

"Whys that?" he asked.

"I'll win." he scoffed at my words.

"Don't you know who the Chambers are?" he asked. I nodded.

"Run down hoodlums." I said with a smirk of my own, he caught my teasing and laughed.

"Got that right, We're the best gamblers this towns got, how do you think we get money?'

"I was thinking you steal it."

"There's that too." I looked at him, his smile was there, and he had the tough guy exterior but I didn't buy it. This kid had a heart of gold.

"I was joking and you're bullshitting it aren't you?"i asked giving the cards one last shuffle and dealing them out. He watched them slide across the table to him and then picked them up quickly and began to sort them.

"Maybe, Maybe not. I have the reputation, anyone would believe I did it. . . even if I didn't." I don't think I was meant to hear the last part so I let it go.

I began to shuffle my own cards.

"Yeah well I've been here less then a week and I already know that I shouldn't be around a low life like you." My tone was disgusted, but not with him, with the people who had said it. Chris' eyes shot up to look at me in shock, like he was surprised I had heard such things about yet here I am playing cards with him. . . well beating him out of his cigarettes but still.

"Then why are you?" his voice much softer, more real then before.

"Maybe I'm a low life too." I shrugged, as I threw in four cigarettes still looking at me quizzically Chris threw down his as well.

"I don't believe that." he muttered.

"What?" I asked almost forgetting that we had left the conversation open.

"That you're a low life like me." this time I looked at him confused.

"And why's that? I'm here gambling, wearing guys clothing in a teen pub aren't I?" I threw down some more cigarettes and Chris raised me two, I called.

"A real low life would have beaten those guys for the shirts off their backs."

"I need them to come back, they can keep their shirts, sell it for more cash so they can come back and then I'll beat them out of that." Chris laughed at that statement.

"I like the way you think. . . . But seriously someone like me doesn't have their grandpa coming to check on them."

"Will? He's not my grandpa, he's only fifty three, and he's not related to me at all, he lives hours from here, just visiting." I explained quickly.

"Either way, there is something too good about you." he shrugged sorting his cards again.

"Maybe I'll become rough like you if I hang around here long enough." I winked.

"You don't want to hang around here, this place is filled with Assholes and pricks bumming around for a good buzz or just looking for fights." he replied with a sneer.

"You must like those kinds of people."

"Why do you say that?"

"You're still here." I replied with a smirk.

"I'm here because I have no where to go."

"You're sixteen right?" I asked, he nodded. "Why don't you just skip town if you hate it that much."
"I couldn't leave my friends."
"The assholes and the pricks?" I ask, he looks up at me and smiles.

"No, the actual and only decent people in this town." I nod.

"Well I don't know a low life that would have friends like that, maybe neither of us are low lifes." he gave me a warm smile and then looked at his cards and back up.

"So how did you get into gambling?" he asked suddenly switching topics. I shrugged.

"A long time ago, I just found it fun, a way to make money, not that my dad would approve." I didn't mean to say it, it just slipped out. I rarely ever mentioned my dad but Chris was easy to talk to.

"You got problems with your old man?" Chris asked solemnly.

"I'm not here to chat about my personal life. . . .Four aces." I said throwing my cards on the table. Chris' eyes widened at my hand.

"What the hell?" he exclaimed. I laughed.

"I told you not to let me deal."

TWENTY MINUTES LATER

"Raise you two." I mumbled as I threw my Cigarettes into the quickly growing pile. We had been raising the bet for at least five minutes now and the lot was ridiculous. Chris smirked at me and threw in his call.

"Call." he said loud and proud, I waited for him to raise it but he didn't just sat there. I turned over my cards.

"Two pair." he smiled and threw his down for me to see.

"Straight."

"Fuck!" I cursed sitting back in my chair roughly. That was our tenth hand and we both had won five now.

"No one beats a Chambers kid." he laughed as he collected the pot.

"Last hand." I said rolling my eyes. I still had a decent keep myself and as long as that didn't happen again I'd be fine. "Ante up." I say, about to throw a float in there but he stopped me.

"I don't want to play for money." he said. I gave him a side look.

"We're playing with cigarettes." I reminded him. Chris rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his blonde hair then let his hands fall to the table making a thud sound.

"You win I'll give you everything I have." he says gesturing to the large pile he had collected.

"Even your shirt?" I joked.

"Sure." he joked back.

"If you win?" I asked.

"If I win, you have to come to this address." he began to scribble something down and then handed it to me. "tomorrow at seven."
"That's it?" I asked looking at the unfamiliar address.
"You have to meet me there, stay until I take you home" he said leaning on his elbows.

"Is this your way of asking me out?"

"No my way of making a bet, if I win it'll be a way of asking you out." he smirked.

'I was always told to never do a bet with a smart ass."
"You're a smartass yourself." he reminded me. "Deal?" I thought about it for a second, I didn't exactly want to have to worry about sneaking out, or my dad, I think tomorrow his friends were coming over and I didn't want to be around for that. But if he called for me and I wasn't I'd be in shit, I needed to be home.. . . Chris had a good pile there and even though I don't smoke a lot I could still sell them or something.

I noticed that Chris had his hand outstretched to me.

"Hey My arms getting tiered." he said waving it around. I sighed and shook his rough calloused hand, no matter how much of strangers we were, my hand in his just felt. . . right.

"Deal."

I let him deal, out of fairness, I mean I could manipulate cards and I had won with his dealing before. As we started to mix our cards, discard and pick up more there was a bit of tension in the air, this was a lot more serious of a bet since it involved us both giving up something or risking something at least in the others we had a chance of walking away with something.

"I hope you can find the address alright." he smirked looking at his cards.

I had a pair and I was shooting for two but it was the last draw and things didn't look too good, I was two cards off from a flush too but I knew it was unlikely I'd get it. I sighed.

"Doubt I will, I might get lost." his smirk stayed plastered on his face.

"yeah like I'd let you skip out on this bet." he said organizing the cards.

"Damn I wish I bet more. . ." he muttered .

"I hope you know that if you win, I'll be risking a lot." I said taking the last draw. Nothing. God damn it.

He smirked and looked up at me but I kept a poker face.

"I'll tell you what, if you fold right now I'll let you come at eight and leave at eleven." that was a lot better, by eight my dad and his friends would be drunk, too drunk to know if I was there or not, and too drunk to even care if I was and being home by eleven was way better then twelve or something, I'd be able to sneak in easier since they'd still be making noise. I only had a pair, he must've had something better.

I groaned and threw my cards to the table.

"I fold." I said. He laughed."What'd you have?" '

"The best winning hand of my life." he stated proudly and turned the cards over. The kid had nothing! NOTHING! A king, ace, two of clubs, ten of hearts and a four of hearts.

"You bluffing bastard!" I exclaimed, Chris stood up laughing and collected his earnings.

"See you tomorrow at eight." then he left the Pub, me sitting there feeling like a complete idiot having lost to a bluffing Chambers kid.

Will was right, I should be more careful with who I gamble with.

There it is, hope you liked it the next chapter will be up soon hopefully let me know what you think.