To stand by him

I'm actually upset with myself that i took this long to update so i apologize but i had alot of homework and i was kind of distracted with Baseball picking up now, so i updated and i hope you like the Chapter Chris and Anna are heating up a bit and getting to know each other.

Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: Anna is mine, everything else sadly is not :(

The morning was hell, I didn't bother changing I was way too tiered, so when I woke up I was still in my bloodied, disgusting clothing. I trudged to the shower and turned in boiling hot. Everything on my body stung when the water hit it, but I got used to it gentle washing my body so I don't reopen my cuts. When I stepped out of the shower I grabbed the tube that Chris had given me, I squeezed out its contents and placed it on the cut on my eye, then the one on my lip, then the others that I could reach. Chris had said not to complain about it, but he didn't tell me that this stuff would burn like a hot poker touching my skin.

It took all I had not to wipe all the stuff off of me, I walked back to my room and ran a brush through my wet hair.

I looked a lot better, but considering how I looked last night, that wasn't saying much.

I quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and a red t-shirt, I kept my hair down. Hoping it would cover my face a little bit.

I didn't have to climb down the tree thankfully because my dad was out at work all day.

Corbetts park happened to be in the other side of town, I was lucky it was a rather warm day. At the park it was pretty much deserted, since school was going on at the moment most of the kids would be in school.

I took a seat on a swing at the end of the park and slowly let my body move back and forth.

I was there for ten minutes and I had closed my eyes, wishing I could just be home and in bed. I ached all over and I wanted nothing more then to enjoy the silence and relaxation of not having to worry about my dad coming into my room.

"Winston!" someone screamed in my ear, I jerked on the swing and shot my eyes open. I twisted my body to see a laughing Chris.

"I almost died last night and how you're trying to give me a heart attack?" I glared, standing up from the swing and fully facing him.

"Aw come on you weren't going to die." he said lighting up a cigarette. With both hands. . . .

"Wheres my jacket?" I asked, this brought a huge smile to his face he took a long drag from his smoke and blew it out slowly. "Chris where the hell is my jacket?"
"Hey relax, I said I'd give it to you and I will."

"You said you'd give it to me at the park."

"I said no such thing." he smirked.

"yes you did!"

"No I said. Meet me at Corbetts park tomorrow, and I'll give it to you. I never said I'd give it to you at the park."

"How many times are you going to screw me over Chambers?" I asked crossing my arms, he let out a loud laugh and took another drag.

"Guess you have to wait and see." I shook my head and started walking away, this was ridiculous I wanted my Jacket back and he didn't have it, there was no point in me staying.

"Hey where you going?" He asked catching up to me.

"Home, I'll get my jacket back later."
"Who said I'd give it to you later?" he asked cracking a cocky smile.

"I'll find that stupid tree house myself." I snapped.

"well good luck." he laughed.

"What?" I asked stopping in my tracks and facing him.

"It's not around here, and trust me when I say this. You can search this town for a week, but without me you'll never find that tree house. It was dark and you couldn't see anything remember? You won't know the area the tree house was in even if you looked right at it." I knew Chris was right, I was completely out of my element last night, I was distraught and in pain, I have no idea what the town looks like, barely know how to get home from here. "Why do you need it back so bad anyways?" he asked. Truth is, the jacket had a pocket I sewn into the inside above my left side. It was a thin piece of close completely stitched around the perimeter, inside was a small pendant I got when my mom was still around, I always had it not too sure where it came from but I had cherished it for a very long time and if my jacket was gone then so was it.

"You know what? I don't need it." I stated, hoping my lie would have a reverse effect on him, as I continued to walk he just stood there, I didn't want to go far, I didn't want to give up my jacket.

"Anna!" he called. I turned around relieved.

"What?" Chris sighed and walked up to me, when he was a foot away he stopped.

"I promise you, I will give you back your Jacket. I just thought that if I brought it here you'd leave right away, I want you to come somewhere with me. Please? Then I promise to give you your jacket." I sucked in a breath thinking it over.

"I promise I'm not screwing you over again."

"Whatever." I said restlessly. "Where did you want to go?"

Where he lead me to happened to be a small diner, no bigger then my living room. We sat in a booth for a little more privacy, that was Chris's explanation to why he had shaken off the table the waitress had shown us to. When I questioned him about why he wanted privacy he said that he didn't want people to see all beat up and that being seen with him would harm my reputation before I even had one.

I sat in the booth with my arms crossed, looking down at the table when the waitress came over. She was pretty blonde girl, clearly loving her job as a waitress to meet guys.

When she came over she seemed excited to be serving a guy however when she saw Chris a little more clearly she scowled and very reluctantly took our orders then left like we had stuck a red hot rock down her short skirt.

"I don't get it." I said, Chris looked up and gave me a confused look.

"Don't get what?" he asked.

"Chris don't let this go to your head, but you're good looking and you have the tough guy look to you, and you're a good guy, why haven't I seen any girls flaunting over you? That waitress ran out of here like you were diseased or something."

"What are you getting at?"
"I guess I don't get how you can be a good guy and good looking yet not have a girlfriend or a fan club."

he looked back at the waitress and then shrugged.

"Girls around here just stay clear of me."

"Why?"

"Chambers don't have the best reputation, you know that. The girls see me as a good for nothing hoodlum. They wouldn't be caught dead with me." Chris wasn't looking at me, he seemed to be very interested in the menu even though we had already ordered.

"So you've never had a girlfriend?" I asked, my curiousity getting the best of me.

"No I've had a couple, never lasted long though." he sat the menu down and looked at me finally.

"You?"

"I'm not a lesbian Chris." he smiled and bowed his head quickly before pulling it back up.

"That's not what I meant I mean have you ever had a boyfriend?"
'Oh, well not really."
"Not really?" he asked.

"No."
"So you've never been kissed or anything."
"Why did you take me here is the waitresses don't like you?" I asked trying to change the subject.

'I wanted to get to know you better and it's fun to watch them be uncomfortable." he replied without emotion. "Why are you changing the subject?"

"I don't want to talk about it okay?" I snapped leaning my back against the booth.

"Oh so you haven't been kissed." Chris teased I scowled at him.

"I don't want to talk about this."

"It's okay you know a lot of people haven't been kissed." he smiled enjoying my moody nature to his questions.

"Chris I don't want to talk about it." my teeth were clenched and it came out broken and angry.

"No need to be embarrassed."
"For your information I have been kissed." I cracked, Chris was annoying me and I hated the smug look he got on his face when he knew he was getting to me.

"So who was the guy?"

"No one." I muttered.

"Oh so it's the guy you're ashamed of." he laughed.

"Chris seriously stop."
"It was a jock wasn't it? A pompous jock, the typical football player, has to get with all the girls but has the I.Q of a peanut?" I didn't answer, and he continued. "No it was a prince wasn't it? Someone so high up, and snotty that the very air around him was worth thirty bucks, the kind of guy that has his nose so far up in the air that if it rains he drowns, I'm right aren't I?"

"No." I said simply, I was getting really angry and upset now as he continued to try and guess who my first kiss was. He wasn't close, my first kiss was a lot worse then anything he could come up with.

"No I got it, it was a low life like me." he smirked "That's it isn't it? I greasy kid you're daddy would never approve of, or you lost a bet and had to you were thirteen at the time. . .no fourteen. . . . no it was this year-"
"It wasn't any of those kinds of guys!" I shouted at him, I quieted down when I saw all the people staring at me. Chris looked shocked at my outburst too, I shrunk in my seat until everyone turned away then I straightened up.

"You want to know Chris? Fine. No it wasn't last year or this year or anything. I was seven, and it wasn't any of those kinds of guys he was my dads friend." the second I said it I couldn't believe it, I sat there probably more stunned then Chris was.

My mouth moved but nothing came out, my small eyes were probably bigger then my face. My breath hitched in my throat and I threw myself from the booth and headed for the door.

"Wait, Anna!" Chris's voice called behind me.

"Oh man she found out about your daddy eh Chris?" someone asked.

"hey Fuck off!" Chris yelled back, as I threw the door open and quickly walked down the street.

"Anna? Anna!" I kept my head down as I head his feet pounding on the pavement behind me. "Anna wait, please."

"Chris go away." I said keeping my pace.

"No, just wait please." he said coming up to stand in front of me causing me to stop.

"I don't want to hear it Chris." my voice was breaking and I tried really hard not to let it, I wanted to be as far away from him as possible. "You can't tell anyone Chris." I didn't know I said those words until he responded.

"Why would I tell anyone? I mean besides the cops." I grabbed his collar and pulled him to my eye level.

"You tell them and I won't be in there for sexual assault it will be because I committed murder." Chris pulled my hands away from him and slowly lowered them.

"Hey, whats going on? Sexual assault?"

"Isn't that what kissing a seven year old when you're thirty four is?" I demanded tears threatening to fall.

"Well yeah, but-" I pushed past him and kept walking.

"Anna please stop, I just, I'm sorry." he said pulling on my arm.

"For what?" he was a little taken aback by my question obviously not expecting me to question him on it.

"For making you say that." he said quietly. "I never. . . I would never force you to say something so personal and hurtful, I was just joking around."

"Yeah I got that." I said.

"Anna I'm sorry, I don't have any right to be hearing about your private life. And I shouldn't be bothering you so much that you have to say them to get me to shut up."

"Can I leave?" I asked my voice cracking, Chris's face was filled with Sorrow and worry he went to say something but I cut him off.

"Chris I just want to go home!" he moved out of the way and I continued to walk away.

"Anna!" he called I turned around Sharply. "Uh, your house is that way." he said nervously pointing the other way. I sighed and started to walk back to where he was pointing. As I walked past him he caught my arm. "Hey. . . I thought you wanted your jacket back."

"Are you going to give it to me?' I asked. He nodded, so I stood there and waited for him to lead the way.

"We'll get there faster in my truck." he said, "come on." he started to walk and I followed him, we walked in silence he looked back a few times to make sure I was still following.

We arrived at a pretty rundown small house. I knew that it wasn't really rundown just looked it because the lawn wasn't the best kept thing in the world and the house needed a new paint job very badly. Chris's truck was a simple red pickup with some rusted areas but it was still in really good shape.

"This your house?" I asked.

"yeah sorry it ain't a palace." he said scornfully.

"hey drop the attitude Chambers I wasn't judging you or anything." I glared.

"I didn't say you were." he snapped back. I rolled my eyes and walked up the driveway with him. "Hang on I have to get the keys. I nodded and leaned against the truck as Chris dissappeared into the house, he wasn't in there for more then a minute before he came running out leaving the door wide open running down the short path cutting across the over grown lawn.

"get in the car." he said quickly and authoritatively fumbling with his keys.

"What-"

"did I stutter? Get in the car." he almost yelled at me. Still messing with his keys.

"Chris!" a voice yelled.

"Shit" Chris muttered, I looked towards the door of the house and saw a huge man blocking it. In a way he looked like Chris, only his skin looked worn and sickly. His eyes blood shot with dark circles around them, he wasn't shaven so rough stumble covered his face, his hair was thinning but blonde like Chris's there was too much to be considered bald but it looked almost translucent. He was in a white muscle shirt, but he didn't have big muscles, he was just big in general. He had a slight gut on him and he stood tall at at least 6' 5'' in his left hand was a bottle of oh too familiar alcohol. This man was an alcoholic but he looked nothing like my dad.

My dad was a drunk too, and he scared the hell out of me. My dad was always the most dangerous person I knew, but if you put him next to this man I was looking at, my dad looked like a little insect.

"Whose that!?" the man yelled his voice carrying through the air in a scratchy loud voice.

Chris finally opened the door to the truck and tugged on my arm pulling my gaze from the man and to look at him.

"Get in the truck!" Chris demanded and without my consent my feet moved me to the other side of the truck and I got in slamming the door.

"You little shit, get back here don't you dare ignore me!" I could hear the shouts through the closed door they were louder when Chris opened to the door and quieted down when he closed it again. He fumbled trying to get the key in the ignition but then finally turned the truck on.

"I'll beat your ass until you can't even look at your little whore if you leave!" his dad yelled coming towards the truck.

"Chris." I warned.

"Yeah we're going." he said stepping on the gas a little to hard causing my body to jerk forward.

"You little fuck get back in the house!" he yelled, then I heard something thump and shatter against the truck I looked back terrified his dad might have gotten into the bed.

"Don't worry it was just the bottle." Chris said calmly as we created more and more distance from his house.

"Was that your dad?" I asked breathing a little too hard out of fear.

"Yeh." Chris whispered.

"I won't ask why you didn't introduce us." that made Chris chuckle. "he beat you?"

"Of course we discussed that yesterday." I was silent for a moment or two before Chris spoke again. "Think your old man and my old man should have dinner sometime?" he asked that made me burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"Might just scare my dad into obscurity." I said between laughs, Chris was smiling broadly as the truck bounced along the road.

"Hey they could drink together, might kill each other, would solve our problems." he was joking and it made me laugh more.

"My dad has more then enough friends." I said calming down.

"Is that guy that. . . you know kissed ya is he still around?'
"No, he sobered up and my dad dumped him."

"Oh." was his answer.

I felt a wave of guilt and sadness come over me. I don't know why, maybe it was the large purple bruise I saw poking out from under his sleeve, but I felt a deep sentimental feeling for Chris. I thought my dad was bad, and look at what he has, a way worse drunk then my dad ever is and his dad is always home, at least I get a break from my dad.

I watched as the world blurred around me. Soon we had arrived back at the tree house and Chris stopped the truck and got out. I followed. I then noticed that we weren't really in the town, it was on a hill that over looked the town. Chris was right, I would never be able to find this place. As I looked over the small town I didn't notice Chris had gotten my Jacket.

"here." he said I jumped completely surprised, he chuckled and I took my jacket from him.

"Thanks."
"Don't thank me, I practically black mailed you with it." I smiled and turned the Jacket in my hands. It was only ripped a little but it was stained with blood. I sighed and slung it over my arm. "Do you want me to take you home?" he asked. I looked back down at the town of Castle Rock. I shook my head, I didn't want to go home, I was out and about now.

"No not really."

"Then what do you want to do?" he asked. I wasn't sure I just didn't want to be alone for the moment which was weird because almost my whole life I wanted to be alone.

"Have you ever thought about running away?" I asked, Chris, who had been looking out at the town looked at me.

"Everyday."
"Why haven't you?' I asked. He shrugged.

"No where to go I guess how come you haven't?"
"Same reason I guess."
"What about will?"
"What about him?"
"He looked like a good guy."
"yeah he's great, but I could never live with him, I need to get out of his life, he's done way too much for me and I just feel like I'm a nusense, if I lived with him he'd want me to change and I can't do that." I said.

"Well what about living with your mom?"
"I can ask you the same thing Chris." I said.

"My mom ain't alive.' he told me. "Wheres your mom?'
"You tell me." I shrugged responding with attitude. "She walked out when I was young."

"So your dad stayed?"

somehow between that question and my contemplating whether or not I should tell him, we ended up sitting in the bed of the truck.

"No my dad never stayed.' I answered leaning my back against the side of the truck one leg extended with the other bent under it.

"That doesn't make any sense.' he told me.

"John isn't really my dad. He's the closest thing I've ever had. My mom walked out and John had been her most recent boyfriend, so he kind of took me in. My mom had a lot of guys so your guess would be as good as mine as to who my real dad is." I told him.

"He just took you in like that?"
"yeah, I never really questioned it because I didn't want to ruin it you know? Like he's just drunk and if I bring it up he'll sober and kick me out."

"Why would you want to stay with him? I mean I'm sorry but, he beats you, controls you, is never home, and when he is he's piss drunk with his friends abusing you."

"I can't leave." I said.

"But why?"

"Cause He stayed. And no matter how he treats me that'll always be in my mind. My mom walked out, my other family walked out, my friends did too, but he stayed and he had no reason to he just did. He took my in and never got rid of me he stayed when no one else did."

"But he beats you."

"Yeah I know but I just can't leave."
'It just doesn't make sense." he muttered.

"It doesn't have to make sense, it's how I feel, you wouldn't get it, If you ran away you'd be running from your family but you'd also be running to a better life. Me i'd be running from nothing to nothing. Whats the point? At least with him I have a roof over my head. I have no family where would I go?"

"I have the same problem I have no where to go either."

"Then it looks like we're both stuck."

it was silent again as a cool breeze started to pick up blowing my hair around my face which I was now constantly pushing out of my face.

"What do you want to do with your life?' Chris asked.

"Pro poker player." he laughed.

"No seriously."
"I don't know, I've never had the best grades. I hate the thought of making a lot of money, I hate money."
'How can you hate money?"

"You haven't seen what it can do to people." I said, distantly. "But seriously I don't know, I couldn't teach with my hatred of school, I love sports but have never really played any since I'm stuck at home, what do you want to do?"
"I want to be a lawyer." he answered I was shocked.

"A lawyer?"

"yeah, I can't stand the thought of people getting away with things that they shouldn't. I hate seeing people fight, I kind of want peace in the world you know?"

"Maybe you should join the peace core then."
"Nah then I'd just be annoying." he said with a bright smile to let me know he was joking. The wind had finally drove me insane so I switched positions and sat beside him so the wind was blowing in my face instead of behind my head.

"So what kind of lawyer do you want to be? Divorce?"
"No, I'm thinking more settlement cases."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"I think I might want to be a social worker, or private investigator. You know help kids like me out, find their parents."

"That'd be cool."
"Or maybe a public speaker I love to talk in front of people. But I don't know what I'd talk about." I said leaning my arms on my bent knees and tilting my head back a bit.

"You could be a motivational speaker, you know those people that tell their horrible life story and scare people into the straight and narrow." I laughed.

"I don't think that's what a motivational speaker does. ." I said while laughing. He shrugged his smile staying strong. "But being a lawyer. . Is that a set goal?"
"yeah Gordie got me into getting my grades up, I really want to show this town that they don't decide who I am. I do. And when they're all in shit and need a good lawyer I'm just gonna laugh in their faces,"

finally the real Chris has come out!

"i like the way you think Chris. You mentioned Gordie whats he like?" Chris's eyes lit up when he thought about Gordie.

"Oh man, whats not to say about him, he's brilliant with words. He's gonna be a famous writing one day I just know it, but he doesn't want to do it. He thinks he should just be bumming around us for the rest of his life but he's got so much more going for him. Part of why I stepped up is so he isn't hanging with such a lost cause."
"Us?"

"What?"
"You said bumming around us."
"Oh yeah Verno and Teddy and me."
"Whats wrong with them?'
"Nothing, well not really. I haven't been seeing them much last night was the first time I saw them in a few weeks. Teddy has been hanging out with these other guys, just as crazy as him but a lot heavier on the smokes. And Vern has a girl now, and spends all his time with her."

"Vern has a girlfriend?" I asked Chris Chuckled.

"Don't act so surprised."
"I didn't mean it like that he just seems a little . . . awkward."
"Yeah well his girl is really great, perfect for him she's quiet which is good cause he doesn't stop talking. She likes to listen, you'll see them around town eventually it's like they're attached at the hip."

"Thats kind of nice."
"yeah it is I'm happy for him." he took out a cigarette and lit it he offered me one but I declined.

"When did you guys start to split up?"

"I don't know it just kind of happened, I'd like to say it was when they met their other friends but it wasn't we had started to drift away sooner then that. But either way we'd do anything for each other even if we don't see one another."
"It must be nice to have friends like that." I whispered.

"It is, so what kinds of friends did you have?"
"A strange array, assholes, wastes, but I also had the good friends that didn't understand what I went through and ended up leaving in the end anyways."

"Sorry to hear that. But I promise I won't leave." I looked up at him.

"Did you just decide that we're friends?" I asked raising an eyebrow. Chris smiled and then I felt his rough hand take mine. His touch was gentle and I almost didn't feel it.

"Yeah something like that." he smiled.

Chris Chambers was going to be the death of me.

Hope you liked it; next chapter will be some more drama :D

Review and comment please :D let me know what you'd like to see happen and what you like or don't like. have an nice day :)