To stand by him

Hello Beautiful readers and amazing reviewers. I hurried with my update, earning me a good detention for writing it during class Lol. Anyways I'm updating because of the amazing reviews I got from you guys thank you so much to the guest reviewers, I don't know who you are but you guys are awesome!

Thank you to:

sydneypage

Mrsacemerrill

staceyphoenix

and again to the guests for reviewing :) 3

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Do not own stand by me characters :(

I don't think I could have gotten a worse start in getting that key, the first thing Chris said we should do was ask Teddy, Vern and Gordie what they thought we should do before doing anything, well Teddy wasn't seen for two days and when we finally found him, he had a scratch on the side of his face and new tape around his glasses, the best part though was that he was stone cold drunk. So we wasted three days of our time until we were all at the tree house talking. But even then it was a complete waste of time.

"You ever wish your pet could talk?" Vern asked suddenly.

"What is he blabbing about now?" Teddy asked looking up from an old beat up magazine, so old I couldn't even read the title of it.

"Something about Pussies." Chris said, snickering Vern glared at him before getting back to his question.

"I mean, if they could talk, I think it would be awesome you'd have someone to talk to and they're so loyal you'd have an amazing best friend all the time. What do you think?" he asked not stopping for a breath and talking a mile a minute.

"I think it'd be cool, since my brother is gone it'd be nice to have someone to talk to at home." Gordie said throwing his cards down.

"You out gordie?" I asked him he nodded.

"Ah Gordie gets worse every time we play." Teddy laughed dealing the cards back out.

"Why don't you let me deal?" I asked they all shared a look before responding.

"NO!"

"So what do you think?" Vern asked.

"'Bout what?" Teddy asked him.

"Pets talking."

"I think if I had a pet he wouldn't even talk he'd be out of there faster then Anna's mood swings." Chris said.

"Fuck you!" I snapped throwing my cards at his face as he and Teddy laughed together.

"Looks like you're out." Gordie smirked taking the magazine from Teddy so he could focus on the game.

"What about you Anna?" Vern asked me.

"I had a fish once, if it could talk it'd probably still be alive." I said drawing out my new cards since Chris had seen mine.

"I wouldn't want my dog to talk, considering what it's seen me do." Teddy said. "Plus it's seen me naked, what he sees should remain a mystery."

"What mystery? Everyone knows you don't got much to look at.' Chris said earning a punch in the arm from him.

"And you'd know this how?" I asked.

"Stripping down after getting attacked my leeches." Chris said.

"We weren't naked." Gordie reminded him, how voice soft like it wasn't something he wanted to remember.

"Wait you guys were once crazier?" I asked.

"We matured." Vern smiled proudly I rolled my eyes at that.

"Wait a minute what the hell are we doing?" Chris asked putting his cards down on the table.

"Loosing our dignity to a chick in a bad dress." Teddy said throwing his cards on the table as well.

"My dad wants to have dinner together tonight I don't have a choice." I snapped at him looking down at the soft gray dress I was wearing. And cursing about wearing it here to the tree house. I didn't want to but I didn't have a choice my dad was going to be home early and I wasn't risking being seen in pants.

"No I mean, Anna has to get a key from Nick Todd in less then a month and we're dicking around." Chris said.

"Why'd you even agree to this?" Gordie asked.

"you're right Gordie I should have said no, to Ace Merril, what could possibly go wrong?" I asked sarcastically.

"Well I think its obvious what we have to do, we need to find him first." Teddy said.

"How?"

"Theres three places you could find him, his house, at school, or at Nicklemen's." Teddy responded.

"What's Nicklemen's?" I asked.

"Some place you ain't going." Vern said, I shot him a look and he put his head down.
"Its a hard core party place, its a place Ace goes to party at. Parties every night drunken fights, rooms couples can go to." Gordie said not looking up from his reading, although I doubt he could make out much of it.

"Well if it's where he is then I gotta go meet him at least." I said.

"It's not a good idea Anna, a lot of kids that live near you go there too." Chris said I rolled my eyes at that.

"You got a better idea?" I asked. He shrugged, and lit up a cigarette.
"Well we should all go." Teddy said.

"You just wanna check it out." Gordie said.

"I can't do that while protecting Anna from getting shot?" Teddy asked.

"When should we go?" Vern asked I was surprised he wanted to go, but I was sure he wasn't bringing Marcie.

"I say tomorrow, Better soon then later." Chris said.

"Alright lets meet at Gordies at nine?" Teddy asked.

"You wanna go when everyone is pissed drunk and ready to take anything that breathes with boobs? No we're meeting at seven." Chris said sternly teddy put his hands up in mock defense but his silence meant that he agreed.

"Okay tomorrow at seven but I need to get home now." I said getting up from the floor.

"I don't get why you don't just tell your dad you're a problem child." Teddy said I gave him an odd look. "What? Come on all our parents know it. It's better this way, See when you're a fuck- up like us then they just kind of expect it, and only get mad when you do something worse then what you did last time, when you're good they flip shit no matter what you do. I could burn down a house and get off with a yelling, you break a vase and you get a hiding."

"I'm hanging around you way too much." I said.

"Why's that?"

"Cause that just made sense." I moved the crate away from the hatch and opened it forgetting the ladder and just jumping the short distance.

"I'll give ya a ride." Chris said jumping down behind me.

It wasn't a good idea, I mean Chris' beat up truck at night was fine but during the day it caught a lot of attention. But I wasn't going to pass up him giving me a ride.

"You're dad wants to talk to ya huh?" he asked as we drove.

"Something like that." I nodded.

"You know I've been thinking."

"What?"
"Why don't we tell him we're together?"
"Cause he'd send me to the convent."
"But he let Charlie pay him to-"

"I know what he did." I snapped "Sorry, but he gets too drunk I don't think he remembers." I said which is why Chris only really stayed when a party was going on.

"Well I think he should meet me, and maybe even Gordie."
"yeah I don't think so." I said looking out the window.

"Why?"

"Cause he'd bust you open and probably use Gordie to do it."
"Come on he knows that something is going on cause Charlie must have told him about this guy that saves his daughter all the time." Chris said.

"No he probably says there's some rat assed kid beating the shit out of him.' I said "no offense."
"Been called worse. But I still think he should meet me."
"Are you drunk?" I asked facing him on my knees in the truck lifting his eyelid up to look if he had blood shot eyes. "Should you be driving."
"Stop that." he laughed shaking his head. "I'm serious, think about it if he thinks you have a respectable boyfriend then he might let you out of the house voluntarily."
"And you're the respectable boyfriend?" I asked.

"Yeah and you're the smartass girlfriend, now be serious."

"Chris I am, my dad would up and move me out of here if he thought you were my boyfriend." he was silent for a moment. Sometimes I wanted to know what was going on through that head of his, I mean was he insane? Meeting my dad as my boyfriend?

"Chris my dad doesn't see me as what I am around you, you know that. I'm supposed to always be home, wearing dresses, cleaning, cooking, and being home when he gets home."

"Why do you keep calling him your dad?" he asked hands tightening on the steering wheel.

"What?" I asked trying to ignore the sudden tension on his face and his white knuckles.

"You call him 'dad' I thought he wasn't your dad."
"Well no, but he's the closest thing I've ever had." Chris laughed a bitter laugh. "Hey check your attitude Chris as far as I'm concerned you call your father dad and he ain't much of one either."

"yeah but he's my actual father, John ain't." he stated as we pulled up to the curb where I was supposed to get out.

"I'm sure my actual dad wasn't much better."
"Yeah but you don't know that for sure." he said, as I climbed out of the car.

"Yeah And I'll never know." I snapped slamming the door, so hard I was worried that with the age of the thing it would snap right off, but it didn't.

I was aggravated, I hated talking about my family. Yeah so what I didn't know my mom? Or my dad, as far as I knew my dad could have been the mailman. I didn't need Chris reminding me and picking at me about it.

"Fuck off Chris." I yelled when his truck pulled up beside me.

"Are you mad at me?" he asked, his tone wasn't sympathetic, it never was, rarely anyways, right now it was annoyed and confused.

"No just pissed off."
"Ain't that the same thing?" he asked.

"No If I was mad I wouldn't have left the truck I would have beaten ya right there." I stated looking at the ground keeping my pace slow since I knew I wasn't going to outrun his truck.

"That's bull shit and you know it, you can't fight that good."

"I beat you up before, jeez Chris just go away."
"You're mad at me for telling the truth?" he asked. I stopped walking then, and turned to him.

"Chris I don't want to know the truth, don't you get it? I'd rather not know who my dad was cause he's either worse or better then John, either way I'd still hate him, cause he never stuck around, even if he didn't know about me he's still not here. John ain't my dad I know but at least he's given me food and a home."

"One where you get beaten in." he reminded me.

"Fuck Chris why do you keep doing that?" I snapped. "Don't you think I know that? Five minutes ago you wanted to meet my dad, and now you're getting all pissed off that I call him my dad, and you say I have mood swings." I glared at him through the window of the truck and he was getting his own glare on.

"I have to go." he said shifting the truck into reverse.

'What?" I asked completely confused.

"Your dad will be home soon and I ain't gonna be here when he does."
"Thought you wanted to meet him?" I through my hands up in the air. He looked at me and smirked.

"Not while I'm drunk." then he pulled away from the curb and took off leaving me standing there, still pissed off my mouth gaping at him.

Fucking Chris Chambers.

Can't even hold a conversation with him, let alone an argument.

Still angry I headed for my house, climbing up the tree and into my room, I brushed my hair and took off my jacket shoving it under the bed quickly and then picked some grass off my dress and hiding it in some tissue before throwing it out.

The next hour I spent cleaning the house and cooking dinner for my dad.

When he did come home he called out my name and I told him I was in the kitchen.

He joined me a second later.

Sitting down at the table I served him some food and then sat down myself.

"How was your day?" I asked. He swallowed before he answered.

"It was fine, how was yours?"

"Same as always." he gave me an odd look and I tried not to fidget under his gaze, thankful that we were eating so I could do something to avoid his eye contact.

"Why are you sun burnt?" he asked for a moment I thought he asked why I had a cut on my face, but then I remembered he never asked about cuts he either knew where they came from or just thought I did something stupid.

"What?"

"Your cheeks are sunburnt.'
"Oh I was outside, weeding." I said. I looked at my nails praying to god they had some dirt in them so I had something to prove it.

"I told you I don't like you leaving the house." he said glaring.

"I know but I just went out back." I shoved some more food in my mouth to avoid the topic some more.

"I don't want you to go out back, if the garden is shabby then I will have someone come take care of it." I nodded.

It was silent for a few moments before he spoke again.

"I wanted you to eat with me so I could talk to you about something."

"Oh yeah?"

"Charlie claimed there was a boy in your room a week or so ago." I tried not to freeze my movements, keep them calm and unnoticeable.

"A boy?" I decided playing dumb was the best choice.

"Yes, said he went to see you to say hello and the boy hit him across the face."
"Oh no, there was no boy in my room."
"Charlie claims there was." he said narrowing his eyes at me.

"Charlie had a lot to drink dad, he could have seen anything." I reminded him my whole body was running cold and going against what I wanted it to do my knees were almost knocking together in fear.

"Then how did he get that goose egg on his head?' he asked raising an eyebrow. I was relieved that Charlie didn't notice me gone when he woke up must have just walked down stairs and rejoined the party before telling my dad the following day.

"Oh uh that was me." I squeaked.

"What?"

"I hit him with a picture frame." I said keeping my gaze down. I was no idiot, when I sneaked back in that night, in the morning the frame was gone, I knew my dad took it.

"Why the hell did you do that?" he demanded.

"He was going to grab me and I panicked."
"Charlie wouldn't hurt you." he snapped at me, I gripped my fork hard, being angry at Chris and my dad getting me mad wasn't helping my temper.

"He tried to dad."
"I don't appreciate lying." he snapped at me getting up from the table.

"I ain't lying!" I said with way too much force. He looked back at me before going into the living room for a moment. He came back into the kitchen holding onto Buck. The leather belt with the brass buckle. I stood up sharply knocking the chair over.

"Dad please Don't." I pleaded backing up into the counter.

"I thought I taught you about lying and respect." he asked snapping the belt in his hand coming closer to me.

"DAD DON'T!" I screamed as the buckle came slicing through the air to hit the side of my face, in a harsh painful smack which sent me falling to the ground.

The leather bit into my skin with each slash sending an echoing snap into the air and made it ring through my ears. It attacked my bare arms and legs.

I tried to scream but nothing came out, laying on the ground biting down on my lip until I tasted blood made it harder to keep my tears in my eyes. I vaguely heard the door open, and the sound of multiple voices.

It was John's friends. Time didn't matter to me, it could have been hours, it could have been seconds all I knew was there was five monsters in my house watching it unfold.

"take off the dress." my dad said.

"What?" I asked.

"take off the dress." he repeated the black leather belt hanging loosely from his hands. I looked over to the four men standing there amused. Shamefully I lifted my dress over my head, feeling far too exposed in front of the grown men I tried to cover myself with my arms. The belt came back ripping my skin open with the sharp leather and the rusted old buckle that left welts and ripped chunks of skin from my body. I was on fire, my whole body convulsed when the belt came in contact with my already scarred flesh.

In plain sight of men I was hurt and embarrassed.

"Stop it." I choked out. And to my surprise he did. My dad walked over and bent down beside me.

"Maybe you'll understand now that you have no one else, and I own you." He hissed to me.

He stood up and headed out the door with his friends Charlie holding back to look me up and down before smirking and leaving the room.

Picking up what was left of my dignity I headed up the stairs running the shower hot I stepped in watching the water run red.

Stinging my cuts as the hot water ran over my body I tried to keep calm. But panic ran through me when I saw the shadow behind the shower curtain, before it was ripped open.

"Charlie!" I screamed falling back against the shower wall. Covering myself from his prying eyes.

"Just came to remind you sweetheart, that I remember. I remember what happened, I remember that kid. And I know it was the chambers kid. I have to go, but trust me when I tell you this, it's not over and he won't be there to protect you and when he isn't. . ." he trailed off not needing to finish his sentence, the look of lust and fury in his eyes was enough. He left the bathroom then slamming the door so I knew he left. I waited listening to retreating steps and then another door closing. I sat there for a moment just listening to the running water.

What the hell kind of life am I living?

I don't remember getting up and turning off the water. But I know I did, because the next thing I knew I was sitting in long pants and a sweater my cuts still bleeding the right side of my face swollen and bruised.

Chris came through the window without a word, I turned from the book I was reading to look at him. He too had a welt on the side of his face, just below his jaw. He didn't say anything just nodded towards the window and I got up and walked down the stairs with him out to the truck.

Everything was forgiven in that moment, I didn't give a shit what he said to piss me off it was less important then what we both dealed with at home.

Pain, discomfort, blood, terror we didn't even have freedom. I was threatened twice to be raped in one week. My father beat me and had me strip in front of his friends.

"Can you stop the truck I need to get out." I said fidgeting in my set, my throat felt like it was in my throat, and it was killing me. He stopped abruptly and I jumped from the car. Breathing heavily I gripped my hair in my fists.

Then I let it happen.

I dropped to my knees and screamed.

It ripped through my throat not once or twice but three times. I hadn't thrown a tantrum like this in years. Throwing my head back and screaming at the sky in the middle of a field. Hands were pulling me up and forcing me back to the truck as I continued to scream.

"The fuck did we do?" I demanded when Chris forced me into the truck, finally calming down.

"I don't know." Chris whispered. Running his fingers through my hair he whispered to me trying to calm me down.

"Fuck, Chris." I forced out, pressing the heel of my hand into my forehead. "What the hell are we living for?'

"For each other." he stated firmly. "That's why, I told you before we met for a reason. And I'm going to get you out of this hell, we're both gonna get out of this hell, I promise we just have to stay strong for 's gonna be hard nights and we're gonna wish it would just end but we have each other to get through it now, and no matter what I'm gonna stand by you."
"You'll stand by me?' I asked, he nodded.

"Always."

"Can you do me a favour then?" I asked.

"Anything."
"Kiss me."

and he did.

Tried to give this chapter a bit of everything, friendship, Drama, romance, bringing her dad back into the story, it was a bit of a filler but I hope you still liked it. Next is the party.

Have a great Day. Review and comment if you'd like promise to update soon :)

-Author (L.J)