To stand by him

"Anna wake up!" I grumbled into my pillow and waved my hand in the general direction of where I assumed the person was. "Anna come on." I didn't respond, that is until cold water splashed in my face. I shot up spluttering water, my hair, face shirt and now bed was soaking with cold water.

"What the hell?" I demanded pulling the wet strands of hair from my face to glare at Chris holding flowers in one hand and an empty vase in the other.

"Sorry, but I had to get you up." he grinned stuffing the flowers on back in the plastic vase and put on my bed side table.

"We don't keep flowers in the house." I said confused.

"Which is a darn shame so I brought you some." he plopped down on the bed making it dip at his weight and me bounce from the force.

"You know that would almost be sweet if you hadn't soaked me."
"You wouldn't get up."

"Maybe it's because it's. . . .four in the morning? Chris what is wrong with you?" I demanded, he had dropped me off at home around midnight, my dad still wasn't home and I had gone to bed straight away. "How did you even get in?" I asked. He raised an eyebrow.

"You're kidding right?"

"The window is locked." I pointed out.

"I know so was the door, just a little magic see." he said then held up his right hand showing me a wrench, "Abra." and then his left holding a odd looking piece of metal. "Cadabra."

"You broke into my house?" I demanded, I crawled to the end of the bed and stood up, walking to my dresser I picked up the towel I hadn't bothered to put away yesterday and quickly started to dry myself off.

"I brought you flowers." he said standing up himself and gesturing to the vase.

"You pick them from our neighbors garden again?'

"It's the thought that counts."

"Four in the damn morning chris!" I snapped at him. "Plus my dad should be home now!" his expression turned from a smug smirk to a sheepish almost sad frown.

"Sorry it's just I had a run in with my dad." I stopped towel halfway to my head and stared at him. "Thought I might come here."

I let the towel drop and just looked at him, the light wasn't on but there was light from the moon and stars coming into the room so I could see him alright. I walked over to my door and flicked on the light so I could actually see his face.

"Jesus, chris!" I said walking over to him. He had a cut on his left cheek bone, his dad must be left handed, and that was all he had. Aside from the fast healing bruises on his face he this cut was fresh and it showed.

I gripped him chin in my hand and tilted it to see better. He rolled his head back and out of my grasp.

"I'm alright." he whispered. I sighed and nodded.

"You want ice?" I asked him he just shook his head.

"Nah."

"Wanna tell me what happened?" by the look on his face I rephrased my question. "Will you tell me what happened?"

he nodded and laid down on the bed, I did the same and looked at him.
"He thought I stole some of his money." he simply said shrugging.

"Did you?"

"Psht, he doesn't have money for me to take anyways, just cigarettes he leaves on the counter."

"So you have stolen from him before?" he looked at my carefully, he knew I hated stealing but he obviously had a reason for it.

"Well yah, when he provides only for himself what am I supposed to do?" I nodded, that made sense, Chris had a smoking habit since he was ten I think he said and if he said it calmed and sometimes made him feel full in a way, then taking cigarettes might be better then stealing money. "Anyway, I told him I didn't he called me a liar. I told him I wasn't lying." he paused for a moment. "Then he hit me."
"He just hit you like that?"
"Yeah." he looked at me again and frowned. "What you don't believe me?"
"No I believe he hit you." I said quickly, but he hit you for that? Chris' dad was a jerk and all but he really hit his son for saying he wasn't lying? "Was he drunk?"
"He's always drunk." Chris muttered. "Tonight he wasn't though." he said after a few moments of silence. Now it didn't make sense to me, his dad had a temper but I was under the impression that he was an angry drunk. Not an angry person, if he was sober he might have had his head on enough to realize that his son had beaten him up before and could do it again.

"So he just hit you, for talking back?" I asked, Chris looked almost angry.

"Fuck Anna it ain't he beats on me for a good reason."
"No I know, it's just he wasn't drunk and-"
"And what you think I'm a fucking liar too?" he demanded sitting up from the bed and standing up. "A Bastard liar?" My eyes widened, Chris was clearly using the same words his dad had spoken to him, and I understood why he was so angry but why was he mad at me?

"No .. . ." I replied cautiously sitting up myself.

"Then what?"
"I just think you're not telling the whole truth." damn me and not being able to think twice about what I say with him, I was so used to being open and honest with him I forgot that he was angry and when he was angry he was impulsive. The bruises on him proved that.

"I just told you what fucking happened!"
"Chris please be quiet, my dad-"

"Oh your dad is drunk off his ass down stairs with his friends like he is every goddamn night after he finishes beating you!"

"Shut the hell up!" I demanded.

"You know fuck you, you come to me all the time with your shit the one time I come to you and you actually have the nerve to question me about it."Chris was livid and looked ready to kill or knock something over. I was barely listening to what he was saying.

"Okay I'm sorry-" Chris held his had up to stop me heading towards the door he placed his hand on the doorknob.

"I might as well just go, now I know why your mom left ya." it was dead silent, then.

That hurt. Chris looked at me, and I knew he could see the pain in my eyes the pain he caused. He softened and released the doorknob and took a step towards me.

"I'm so sorry."
"Get out." I whispered looking away from him.

"Anna. . ."
"Out!" I snapped pointing to the door.

"Anna I didn't mean it I'm so sorry." he came over to me and placed his hands on either side of my face, I pulled away from him so fast you would think he had burned me.

"Get out!"

"No! Not until you forgive me!" he gripped my arm and pulled me to him, crushing my hands against his chest so I couldn't move.

"Damn it Chris just get out!" I pushed at him and struggled but he held me firm.

"Anna, I didn't mean it, I was angry and confused and disoriented, please." When I continued to struggle begging him to just let me go. I was angry, I wasn't sad I was angry, I wanted him gone I wanted to be away from him, how dare he bring up my mother! How dare he! "Fuck Anna, I didn't mean it now stop squirming. I'm an ass okay? An asshole with a temper." he paused and let me go taking a few steps back. "Oh my god." he whispered, I looked at him then the pain in his voice got to me. "I'm like my dad. . ." he actually left my room then.

It only took me a second to realize what he had said and then took off after him.

"Chris!" I called running down the stairs, hoping to God I didn't wake my dad. Chris was out the door when I reached the bottom of the stairs. "Chris!" I yelled again, I heard the slamming of his truck door and I took off out the door. I ran to his window and pounded on it.

"Chris open the door!" I pleaded. He shook his head and fiddled with the keys. "Chris!" I pulled on the door handle but he had locked it. He stuck the key into the ignition and I ran to the front of his car, the headlights shone in my face and I squinted into them and rested my hands on the grill of the truck.

No way was Chris getting out of here in the state I knew he was in. he was scared, disoriented and I was too scared for him to let him drive.

I couldn't hear him but I knew he was screaming at me to move, even revving the engine trying to scare me.

In a few minutes the Truck shut off and the door opened, Chris got out and glared at me crossing his arms.

"Anna, get the hell out of the way!" I snapped at me.

"You're not going anywhere!"
'You told me to get out!" he reminded, I looked down and took a steadying breath.

"Chris you are not like your dad." I took a couple steps towards him, he looked down and away from me. "You'll never be like him you got mad, everyone gets mad."

"I hurt you though." he whispered.

"Yes what you said hurt, but the thought of you thinking you're your dad hurts more." he didn't respond so I took that as a reason to keep talking. "You're not him Chris, You're not a monster like him, you're kind and sweet and funny and more of a man then he will ever be." I didn't even have a chance to move as he threw his arms around me and crushed me against his chest, burying his face in my hair.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." he repeated over and over into my neck.

"It's okay, well not okay, but I forgive you."

"I didn't mean It I really didn't mean it I'm a n asshole I'm so sorry."
"Chris I forgive you!" I laughed patting his back. "Just calm down." Chris held me at arms length staring down at me.

"You were right."
"About what?"

"The fight there was more to it."

"Lets go back inside." I suggest and tugged on his hand to have him follow.

We walked into the house closing the door which had been left wide open around a drunken John and Charlie and up the stairs to my room.

"What happened?" I asked sitting down with Chris.

"He thought I stole his money. I asked him what the hell he was talking about. He said that I stole his money I told him I didn't. Then he brought up when I was younger. I stole the milk money at school."

"You what?"

"I stole the milk money, and I felt bad to I tried to return it but the teacher I gave it too didn't return it, she went and bought some stupid scarf or something for herself. I tried to do the right thing the adult I trusted betrayed me!" he seemed to be fighting tears and I knew that it had meant more to him then anything, he had put his trust in someone and it was taken away. "I just didn't want to tell you, I know how much you hate thieves." he whispered.

"Oh, Chris." I whispered wrapping my arms around him. "I don't think any less of you, you tried to return it."

he turned to me.

"But I stole it, and I yelled at you for no reason and-"
"Just shut up okay?" I cut him off, "You tried to do the right thing, and just because she ruined it for you doesn't make you the bad person in this. She took advantage of a kid and for that she is nothing." he nodded at my words seeming to try and believe them. "Don't do this to yourself don't doubt who you are." I pleaded.

"I'm sorry." he whispered and pulled me into his arms kissing the top of my head, I melted into him happy to have his warm body near me. To have him just be with me. I knew everything was forgiven and forgotten, the past meant nothing with each other anymore and we had each other to forget and move on.

Chris and I had enough battles to deal with.

The last thing we needed was for each other to be one of them.

Hope you liked it. R&R please. Thank you to those that have.

Have a great weekend and week.

-Lexi.