To stand by him

Hey guys I'm back, I feel like I took a long time to update. . . .but I'm pretty sure I only took like nine days :P

Anyways I hope you enjoy the chapter I had fun writing it and I hope you enjoy reading it. Leading up to something really big guys :D

enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Stand by me.

Life should have gotten easier, after I got the key, but it didn't. Not just because I had given Nick the ring, and I was terrified of my dad finding out it was missing, but because things seemed off.

I thought having the key would lift my spirits and the stress, but all it did was scare me, it felt like it weighed a thousand pounds sitting in my pocket. I felt like everyone knew I had it and were ready to jump me for it, either to have it or so I wouldn't give it to Ace.

When Nick told me you could control the police department I didn't really realize what that meant. But then it came to me, hit me like and truck.

Ace was a criminal, if he could control the police department, then who knows what he's gonna get away with. . . .

I had to give it to him, I didn't have a choice because there was no doubt in my mind that if he didn't he'd beat me within an inch of my life and just take the key. And we had a deal, I get him the key he leaves us alone, maybe it wouldn't be too bad, if he does what I think he will, and just cause trouble they'd eventually catch him.

But then something else came to mind, maybe that's why Nick was so sneaky.

Nick wasn't as horrible as Ace I knew that, but maybe no one knew about him or what he did because he had the key to avoid any cop interaction.

I had spent the last two days thinking it over, over thinking it, or being a complete and total wet end idiot as Chris put it.

It scared the crap out of me though, I couldn't help it, Ace could have easily beat me or threatened me to get the key, but he made a deal and that told me this was a lot more serious then just playing some pranks.

The doorbell rang and I had no idea who it could be, hoping to the good lord it wasn't Charlie I opened the door and say that it was Autumn.

"Autumn? How did-"
"Chris told me where you live." she replied. 'Can I come in?"
"yeah sure." I moved aside and let her into the house closing the door as she walked into the living room and looked around.

"Nice place." she said dryly.

"Sorry if I knew you'd be looking me up then I would have pretended to live somewhere worse." I replied sarcastically.

"Don't get smart with me kid." she snapped. I immediately thought back to Ace and how he warned me not only with the same words but with the same tone as well.

I shook my head and reminded myself, that this was Autumn not ace in my house.

"And I wasn't being mean or anything, just it's not what I expected. Though Chris was fucking with me when he told me the address." she said sitting down on the couch.

"Yeah I'm rich, go ahead and judge me." I said bitterly and sighing.

"Hey it ain't like that, you play my boyfriend blind, you're a smartass and you don't back down you're cool in my books." she said in her pretty smooth voice. "Don't care where you live or how much money you got, though it does bother me that you have all this and still con people." she said raising an eyebrow.

"my dad is rich, I ain't trust me I don't see a dime. But I'd feel better if this was between just us and Chris." I said, she mimicked zipping her lips and I smiled. "So not to be rude or anything but what are you doing here?" I asked.

"You got the key." she said.

"yeah?"
"What do you plan on doing with it?" she asked crossing her legs, she was wearing black jeans and a white shirt with the sleeves cut off her red hair pulled back from her face to reveal her full makeup.

"key cars. Be hilarious to break the law with something that leads to the law." I joked she didn't seem amused.

"I'm serious."
"I gotta give it to Ace." I said.

"Why?"
"Cause we made a deal safety for the key." I said. I didn't need to go into details of the bet so I didn't and she didn't seem to care if I did or not.

"Why does he want it?" she asked.

'You'd know better then me probably." I said.

"It doesn't bother you not to know what he wants it for?"

Yes. "No."

"Liar." she smirked.

"It doesn't matter he's not gonna tell me anyways." I said.

"Anna, look I'm not telling you what to do, but I am telling what not to do. I don't think you should give that key to Ace." I gave her a look that old her I wasn't going to listen to her and she sighed. "Anna I dated him, I've known him for a long time and Ace never does this kind of thing."

"What kind of thing?"
"Get others to do things for him, he usually wants to be there and get the bragging rights of breaking the law or coning someone. This makes no sense why would he make you get the key?"

"Maybe he figured since it was Nick he wouldn't get it." I suggested shrugging my shoulders.

"Oh come on we both know Ace has the guys and the power to get that key by force."

"Then what? I don't know why he asked me, nor do I give a damn! He promised he'd leave us alone if I got it, and I got it!"

"Whoa! Calm down, I didn't come here to piss you off." she said raising her hands and standing up.

"Then what? You came here to tell me what I already know? Nothing?" I was mad, I couldn't help it, the added stress of actually having the key and Autumn just voicing everything, was bothering and making me mad.

"Just listen to me for a second will ya?" I shut up and gestured for her continue.

"I know him, and he's planning something for that key, the only thing that makes sense is that he got you to take it so no else would know that he has it. If they did then they would all be panicking, wondering what he's gonna do with it." she said. "Obviously he doesn't want anyone to know until he does it. Which makes me think it's something bad Anna."

"Bad like trying to get me mauled by dogs?" I asked she gave me a confused look. "Ace has tried to kill, more times then I would have liked, he's beaten Chris to an inch of his life while his dad beats him at home. He's threatened me and abused me and my friends, at this point I don't give a damn what he does with the key, he can shoplift, and vandalize all he wants. If I have a chance to stop him from beating us then I'm going to take it." I said glowering at her as she stood stalk still just waiting for me to explode again, but I didn't I took deep breaths and ran a hand through my hair looking all over the room then back at Autumn.

"When do you have to give it to him?" she asked. I shrugged.

"A couple days." I said. She nodded and without a word left the house, slamming the door behind her.

"Well bye?" I called even though I knew she couldn't hear me.

It wasn't any of her business what I was doing, and I don't get why she cares so much. She dated Ace, and now she's onto Nick, two of the biggest hoods in town and probably all of Oregon. Obviously she has a taste for dangerous life so why the hell would she care what they do?

Then again she does make cake for Chris and his brother and never once encouraged Nick or Ace in what they were doing.

So she was nice. . . . and dated assholes? What the hell kind of logic was that?

Before I knew it, it was eleven o'clock and the city was coated in a darkness that hid all the evil in the world in the shadows. I was lying in bed trying to get some sleep when there was a knock at the door. I ignored it, probably some pranksters or drunks.

But the knocking didn't stop and my temper got the better of me as I threw the covers off me and stomped down the stairs ready to tell off who ever it was that would get the fuck off my doorstep.

It was only when I heard the faint desperate voice of Autumn calling my name that I dropped my anger and worry filled me. Although I was still who I am so I didn't unlock the door.

"Autumn what the hell do you want?" I asked seeing her silhouette through the frosted glass of the window.

"Anna open the door!" she called in a pained voice. I didn't think twice I unlocked the door and opened it.

"Autumn what the hell- chris?" I asked, all anger dropping from my mind when I saw my boyfriend, who I was now completely sure I had fallen head over heels for was hanging off her arm.

He wasn't moving but he was standing, I think my heart stopped beating at the sight of him. Blood stained the collar of his white shirt and along his stomach, clothes dirty and ripped, but I was happy that I couldn't see the damage to the rest of his body when I saw his face, purple swollen and bloody. His mouth was tainted red, cuts running across his cheek, his left eye was swollen shut, his lip busted, his nose had a ring of dry blood around it, he didn't look like Chris he looked like he had died and come back.

"Oh my god." I coughed out covering my mouth with my hands and forcing the tears to stay in my eyes.

"Help me." Autumn said I moved slowly helping him to the couch, It felt like was dragging him and it terrified me to think he might really be dead. I shook that thought out of my head right away I managed to get him to sit on the couch and I choked out a sob of relief when I saw that he was awake and the other eye that wasn't swollen, however had a blood vessel burst making the whites look like they were bleeding.

I wanted to throw myself at him but I knew I couldn't do that, he looked in pain just sitting there.

"Chris you need to lie down." I said. He scoffed, and rolled his eyes.

"I don't need help." he said hoarsely.

"Chris please." I said resting a hand on his stomach and he hissed in pain confirming my fears, he had broken ribs and it just made me have to force the tears back harder.

"I don't need you help-"

"Chris this is no time for your God damned to come in!" I yelled at him breaking into a sob at the look of him. He complied and lied down on the sofa after I put down a blanket for him. He looked helpless, close to death in my opinion, I had never seen someone so beaten.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Nothing." Chris said, but it turned into a cough that almost had me falling to the ground in heartbreak.

"I went to talk to Ace, I tried to figure out what he wanted the key for. . .Chris don't give me that look she needs to know." My heart dropped. Ace. "Anyway, I was talking to him, he told me to but out and told me about the deal you made. Chris overheard what Ace threatened you with if you didn't get it. I didn't even see him turn the corner, as soon as he heard he attacked Ace, and they attacked him back. . ." she stopped seeing the tears falling down my cheeks as I looked at Chris. He looked back at me he looked so beaten down, so helpless and I wanted to help him in every way that I could, but with the damage done I wasn't sure I could do anything.

"What did they do?" I asked dropping beside Chris and running my fingers through his hair. Nearly fainting when my fingers came back red with blood.

"Anna I don't think-"

"Tell me." I whispered.

"they beat him, five on one, I tried to stop them I did I screamed and tried to hold them back but nothing worked. They took a metal bar and they. . . , they beat him, until he wasn't moving. I'm sorry I tried to stop them, but they just beat him harder. He tried to fight back but it didn't do anything. When they were just tossing him around like a rag doll I screamed bloody murder and finally they stopped, leaving him in the alley. I got him to wake up and then drove him here." I gripped Chris' shirt and cried into the couch.

"get the first aid kit from the kitchen." I said into the couch. I wasn't sure if she moved or not but I was given my answer when she placed her hand on my shoulder and put the first aid kit down.

"Thanks." I muttered reaching for it but she pushed my hand away.

"No way you just try and calm down, you don't need to see his cuts, I'll do it."
"You sure you can fix him up?" I asked taking some shaky breaths.

"You're kidding right? I dated Ace and I'm dating Nick, bastards get into more fights then the army. I'm more qualified to set bones and sew cuts then a doctor." she said, her voice was sad but there was a hidden pride in there that I found a bit comforting.

I watched as she opened the kit, I felt soft warm fingers on my arm, I looked to see Chris reaching over to me, trying to comfort me.

I don't know what happened to me then, something just seemed to snap. Seeing Chris like that broke my heart, but all pain seemed to wash away, it was replaced with anger. Anger at Ace.

"You can take care of him right?" I asked my rage flaring all around me.

"Uh yeah why?" she asked looking up at me, taking one more fleeting look I responded.

"I'm going to find Ace." I said grabbing my jacket and heading for the door.

"What?! OW!" Chris moaned after trying to get up.

"Anna are you insane you can't go after him!" Autumn snapped.

"I'll be back take care of him."
"Anna. . . .ANNA!" she screamed at me. But she was too late. I was already out the door.

There it is, I promise to update soon, comment and rate and let me know what you think please, the next chapter will be a lot of Drama. So you have that too look forward to:p

If you're wondering how I was trying to Describe Chris, it's like this. Have any of you seen the 1996 movie Sleepers with Brad pitt? Well for those of you who have I'm thinking about what Shakes looked like after the football game and the guards got him. . . and for those of you who haven't go watch it because its an amazing movie, my favorite actually. And if you don't want to, just watch the scene entitled "Sleepers 1996 football game" on youtube and you'll be able to see it.

Warning though, that movie is pretty graphic and gut wrenching in my opinion.

hope you enjoyed and have a great night :)

-Lexi Joe.