The Past is The Past

Chris woke up early Friday morning and ran his fingers through his hair. He sat up and pulled on his black skinny jeans and white converse. After he did so he walked to his mirror and looked at his reflection. Black hair with blonde tips, eyes as blue as the morning sky with purple bags under them, and a tall but skinny body.

He looked like any normal teenager if you didn't know him, but if you knew who he really was you would know that he was nothing close to normal. Every day he woke up early to go get stoned with his "friends". He lived on his own and barley talked to anyone.
Chris grabbed his hoodie and pulled it on. He walked to his window and opened it. "Perfect morning to get stoned." He smiled slyly and climbed down the tree that was close to his window. When his feet hit the ground he ran off into the woods that were down the road to meet his friends and smoke a joint.

"Morning fellas," Chris smiled as he reached them.
He took a joint from his friend Josh and lit it then brought it to his lips and took a long drag. He looked at all the surrounding trees and the moss covered ground. "Well, I must get to school." He finished off his joint and headed for school.
The bell rang as soon as he got on school grounds. He ran to his first hour Biology class. "Late again, I see. Can you ever make it to class on time," complained his teacher. He headed for his seat but found a new person sitting in it. He saw that the seat next to the new girl was empty and decided to sit there.

Chris looked over at her and smiled. She moved her blonde bangs to the side and smiled in return. She pulled a piece of paper out of her notebook and began to write on it with her favorite red pen. It read:
Well hello there. My name is Annabelle.
She folded it up neatly and handed him the paper. He read it then smiled and wrote back:
Hiyaa. My name is Chris. And it's really nice to meet you. You should give me your number and we could hang out tonight.

He handed her the paper and she wrote her number down and gave it back to him. When the bell rang she smiled and waved goodbye.
At the end of the day Chris rushed home to get ready. He straightened his hair then slipped on a pair of white skinny jeans along with a white v-neck. He grabbed his converse and put them on then picked up his cell phone and dialed Annabelle's number. It started to ring.
"Hello?" Anna answered in a sleepy voice.
"Hey. It's me Chris from you biology class. Sorry if I woke you. Would you like to go to the beach or something?" His voice was shaky and it was easy to sense that he was nervous.

Anna looked around her room for something to wear then smiled and replied, "Umm, yeah, sure. Let me change. Did you want to walk the shore line? Or would you rather swim?"
"We could walk the shore line and look for shells," Chris replied.
"Okay. Sounds nice. Meet you up there soon." She smiled and hung up then walked into the bathroom to get ready. She ran a brush through her silky black hair then pinned her blonde bangs to the side and put the rest of her hair up in a pony tail. She took off her t shirt and jeans and slipped on her favorite short shorts along with a pink tank top then slipped on her flip flops and headed off to the beach.

As soon as Anna got to the shore she saw Chris walking her way and smiled. She walked a little faster to meet him half way. "Hey," she smiled.
Chris smiled. "Hello. I already found you a shell. It reminds me of you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small but pretty white shell. He took her hand and placed it in her palm. "It's small and pretty just like you."
Anna blushed and smiled as the wind blew her hair around. "Wow. Is it just me or do you smell weed?"

Chris looked down to the ground. "Umm, well, my friends are kind of waiting for us to get high with them." He bit his lip and looked up at Anna, waiting to see her reaction.
Anna looked down at the shell then back up at Chris. "Your telling me you want me to go and get stoned out of my mind with some of your friends? Not going to happen." She took his hand and placed the shell back into his palm. "And if you think anything will happen between us now, you are way wrong. You are the lowest of all people I know. You won't get anywhere in life with a lifestyle like yours. I'm leaving. Goodbye." She walked off and headed in the opposite direction.

Chris watched her walk off and smiled. He didn't need a girlfriend when he had some pretty amazing friends to get stoned with. He ran over to his friends and smoked a couple joints with them then headed home.
The next morning Anna crawled out of bed lazily. She grabbed her phone off her night stand. She had a couple texts from friends at her old school and one from Chris. Curiously, she clicked on it and read it.
Thanks for blowing me off the other night. I had a great time getting stoned with my friends. If you change your mind about me feel free to join us anytime, Chris.

She hit the 'reply' button and typed her response.
You are a low life. I won't ever change my mind about being with you. Drugs are bad and they can cause so much trouble. Trust me, I would know. My dad is in prison for doing stupid stuff like that. I do believe people can change though. If you decide to change your lifestyle then feel free to talk to me. Until then, leave me alone.

Anna hit 'send' then walked into the bathroom and turned on her hair curler. She went back into her room and grabbed a pair of blue skinny jeans, a blue tank top, and a blue Hollister hoodie. She went back into her bathroom and set everything on the toilet and got undressed then hopped in the shower. When she got out she got dressed and curled her hair then sprayed some hair spray in it and headed off for school.

Chris waited at the doors for Anna. When he saw her he rushed over to her. "Hey. About last night, I'm sorry. I will try to change. You just can't shut me out when you don't even know me. Can I have a chance?"
Anna bit her lip and sighed. "Of course. Meet me at the beach tonight. We can take a walk and look at the stars."
Chris took her hand and smiled. "Here, take this." In her hand he placed the shell from the night before. He had drilled a little hole into it and added a golden chain. "Can I put it on you?"

She nodded and smiled. "Sure."
He took the shell out of her hand and placed the chain around her neck and latched it in the back. "There." He stood in front of her and smiled. "You are prettier then this shell though. You put it to shame."
Anna blushed and smiled. "Oh stop. Flattery doesn't work well with me. And we better get to biology."
The both rushed off to class and met up at the end of the day.
"So I will see you in like 15 minutes. I just have to take my books home then we can go." Anna began to walk to her house but Chris walked with her.
"Here, let me have those." Chris took her books and smiled. "You might need some company walking home."

They made small talk on the walk. Anna told Chris about her old friends and old school and Chris talked of why he started doing drugs. When they got to her house she set her books on the counter then they both headed down to the beach.
The waves washed on shore and left seaweed and shells behind. Anna smiled as she breathed in the ocean air. "Mm, I love living this close to the ocean. It's so calming and beautiful."
Chris nodded in agreement and took Anna's hand. "So why did you move to California?"
Anna looked up at the sky. "Well, I just turned 17. I wanted to be on my own. I love my parents to death but I felt that it was time to spread my wings. I wanted to escape and the ocean is where I want to be."

Chris smiled and looked at the waves. "It must feel good to live on your own. No worries and freedom all the time. I would love that."
Anna smiled in return then sighed. "I do get lonely though. I get home from school and there's no one there. So I just do my homework, watch little TV then go to bed. Occasionally I work. My parents have this business online and they pay me to help."
Chris looked at Anna and nodded. "I believe you." He ran his thumb along her knuckles and looked ahead. There was a blanket and a bonfire which he had his friends set up for them. "Let's go relax and look at the stars."

Anna smiled and ran for the blanket with Chris. She landed on top of him and giggled loudly. "Opps, sorry." She pushed herself off him and laid back on the blanket. "Wow, these stars are beautiful."
Chris scooted closer to her and smirked. "Your beautifier." He smiled and played around with her fingertips.
Anna blushed and flipped over so she could face him. "So what made you want to stop with the drugs?"
Chris shrugged and looked into her eyes. "No one has ever said anything like that to me before. I guess you made me open my eyes and look at reality. I have gotten turned down by so many girls because of what I do and it sucks. I do want to have a chance with you though. You speak your mind and I like it."

Anna nodded and looked up at the stars. "What a perfect night." She sat up and wrapped her arms around her knees. Chris sat up with her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
"I totally agree," he smiled. "I wish we could have done this the other night."
"Well tonight is better. The stars are clear of view and they sparkle beautifully. I couldn't ask for a more perfect night." Anna smiled and leaned into Chris.
Chris looked up at the stars once more and sighed. "Well, I better get you home. It's getting pretty dark."

Anna took Chris's hand and smiled. "It's the weekend. I don't have a curfew. Let's just sleep under the stars." Anna smiled and laid back.
Chris laid back and hugged her close. "Sounds good to me." "Good night Anna."
Anna yawned and smiled. "Night Chris." She laid back down and rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes.
When Anna awoke in the morning, Chris was nowhere to be found. She jumped off their blanket and ran around the beach looking for him. There were no footprints showing that he possibly left or a note saying where he was. Anna grew worried and looked harder. "Chris," she called out. Silence. She sighed and decided to head to her home.

She walked to the front door and realized that it was partly open. "Hm, I must have forgotten to lock it the other night." She walked in and closed the door behind her.
Anna walked up the stairs to her room. She stopped dead in her tracks. "Oh my gosh." She ran over to the body laying face first on the bed. It appeared to be alive but possibly hurt badly. She flipped the person over and saw that it was Chris. Tears filled her eyes as she looked at Chris's face. He had a black eye and his jaw had a bloody cut. She rested her hand on Chris's cheek and leaned in close to him. "Chris, it's me, Anna. Wake up please."

Chris's good eye fluttered open and he looked up at the worried Anna. "How did I end up here? I thought we slept out at the beach. And oww. It feels like I have a hangover and I didn't even do anything last night."
Anna looked around the room. Everything was in order and nothing appeared to be stolen. "We did sleep at the beach. But I woke up this morning and you weren't lying next to me. I looked all over the beach for you but got tired of searching and just came home. Is there anyone that would want to beat you up? Do you owe someone money or something?"

Chris sighed and looked at the wall. "Well, I owe one of my drug dealer's money and he said if I didn't get it to him soon I was going to have to pay for it another way."
Anna put her hand over her mouth and gasped quietly. "Well, we should clean you up and go to the police station to file a report."
Chris shook his head and looked up at Anna. "No way. I can get in so much trouble for all the things I've done. They could send me to Juvi and I wouldn't ever you again. Please just keep this between us." He took Anna's hand and squeezed it lightly. "Promise me that you will never tell anyone. I will come up with the money, pay the guy back, and get away from this town."

Anna nodded and sat down next to Chris. "Okay. I promise I won't tell anyone. It will be our little secret as long as you decide to stay clean." She got up from the bed and went over to her dresser and pulled out a little musical box. She opened it and a lullaby started to play. She pulled out 200 dollars and brought it over to Chris. "Here take this to pay him back. Just promise me you won't go blow it on more drugs."
Chris sat up and hugged Anna tightly. "I promise. I should go pay him now. And thank you for everything."
Hours went by and Chris never came back. He must have gone home, Anna thought to herself. She grew sleepy and decided to head to bed.

Anna walked into the bathroom and slipped on her pajamas and brushed her teeth then walked into her room. She crawled into her bed and shut all the lights off.
In the middle of the night she heard a knock on her window. She decided that it had to be Chris and walked over to it and opened it enough so he could crawl through. When one of his druggy friends crawled through she screamed and ran to her bed. He ran over to her and picked up a blanket then wrapped it around her whole body. She panicked and tried to escape but he only wrapped her up tighter. His friend found some string and tied her up so it was impossible to move. "Stay there princess," he laughed evilly.

Anna laid on her bed wrapped and tied and began to cry. I should have never trusted Chris, she thought to herself. She heard footsteps coming up the stairs and tried to scream but realized it was no use. She heard the footsteps getting closer. Suddenly, she felt something hard and metal strike her head. She passed out from the hit.
The next day Anna woke up around noon. She felt the sun shining on her body. She tried to stand up but everything hurt. She opened her eyes and looked around her room. All the things she worked hard to get were gone. On the pillow next to her there was a note. It read:

Anna,
Oh boy, did I get you good. I took all things valuable inside your house. And don't bother looking in that little music box of yours. I took the money inside. Don't worry, your precious little Chris didn't tell me anything. I figured it all out on my own. And if you ever want to see Chris again, I suggest you get out of town. Meet me in the woods and I will have Chris with me. Bring five hundred dollars or he will just get hurt more.

Sincerely,
Josh

Anna rushed into the bathroom and looked at her reflection. She had bags under her eyes but no bruises. There was a bump that was slightly noticeable on the top of her head but she ignored it. She took a couple aspirins, brushed her hair and headed off to meet Josh.
"Well, hello there," smiled Josh.
Anna walked closer and looked behind him and saw Chris. He looked like he had the day before. "So do you have the five hundred I told you to bring?" asked Josh. Chris looked up at her and sighed.

Anna looked down to the ground and began to cry. "No. You took all the money I had. I will leave town and never speak of this again. Please don't hurt Chris. And Chris, please don't come looking for me. I'm pretty sure I made it clear that I didn't want to live a life like this. I'm sorry. This is just too much drama for me to handle and I can't be a part of it anymore." Anna turned around and began walking home.

Josh pulled a gun out and Anna heard a clicking noise. She turned around long enough to watch Chris get shot. She turned around again and ran for her house. When she got there she made sure all doors and windows were locked.
Anna picked up her phone and called 911. When someone answered she sighed with relief. "Hello. My name is Anna. I live close to the woods down Rover Street. There was a shooting in the woods. And my friend Chris could be dying right now. Please get someone out there to help him."

"Calm down mama. We have an ambulance on the way. And the cops are heading to your house to question you. Thanks for calling. Goodbye." As the operator hung up, the cops pulled into her drive way.
Anna heard them knocking on the door and rushed over to open it. She saw the cops and began to cry. "Hi. My name is Anna. I called because my friend Chris got shot."
The officer took out a note pad. "My name is Officer Kelly Santiago. I need to hear everything about this shooting so we can figure this all out."

Anna looked down and sighed. "Okay. But is Chris okay?"
Officer Kelly looked over to Anna. "He was shot in the chest. Right now, he could possibly die. And there is also a possibility that he could live. Can you tell me the whole story now?"

Anna looked at the officer with tear filled eyes. "Sure. I can tell you what I know. I guess Chris is heavy into drugs. He told me and I told him he had to quit before I would even consider talking to him. So the next day he told me he was going to quit and I went to the beach to get to know him. He wasn't high or drunk but he disappeared in the middle of the night. In the morning, I woke up and he was nowhere to be found. I looked all over the beach for him but gave up after a while. Then I gave up and went home. When I got home I went upstairs and found him lying on my bed. He had a black eye and his face was cut up. I asked him why he looked the way he did and he told me he needed money to give one of his drug dealers.

I gave him the money and he never came back so I went to sleep. In the middle of the night his friend was throwing rocks at my window. I walked over to it and opened it, thinking it was Chris. Then his friend crawled through my window, wrapped me in a blanket and tied me up. He went somewhere in my house then came back and hit me in the head with something metal. I passed out. And when I woke up in the morning, some of my expensive things were gone." Anna got up and ran up to her room. When she returned, she had the letter from Josh. She handed it to the officer. "Then I got the letter and went to meet Chris and Josh in the woods. When I got there I told Chris I didn't want anything to do with him and he got shot." She sighed and began to cry again. "And now I feel really bad. He may not be alive for any longer. I messed up with him."

The officer looked at Anna. "Well, I just found out that he's going to be fine. He just got out of surgery. But he will get in some trouble for doing drugs. You can go up to see him right now if you would like."
Anna stood up and nodded. "Thanks."
They both walked out the door and Anna headed for the hospital. When she got there she found Chris in his room and walked in. He was awake but looked like he was in pain.
Anna walked over to the chair that was next to his bed and sat down. She took his hand and smiled. "Hey you. How are you feeling?"

Chris sat up a bit smiled weakly. "I hurt all over but this pain medication is helping a lot."
Anna placed her hand on his cheek and smiled. "Well, I'm glad your fine. I was so scared that you weren't going to make it."
Chris took his hand and ran his thumb across her knuckles. "I'm sorry I got you involved in all of this. I would understand if you never wanted to talk to me again."
Anna took her other hand and ran it across his cheek. "Well, when I woke up this morning I thought about everything. I told you I was going to leave but I just couldn't bring myself to do so. And I should have just got that money this morning. It's my fault you are hurt." She pulled her hand away from his and looked down.

Chris sighed and lifted her chin up. "Don't blame yourself. You didn't get yourself involved in drugs. You don't owe people money. I did." He looked into her eyes and stroked her cheek. "Thanks for coming in to see me. I'm probably going to be in some trouble for a while."
Anna smiled. "Well, I just can't stay away from you anymore." She took his hand and smiled again.
Officer Kelly walked into the room. "Sorry if I'm interrupting anything. You are Chris right?"
Chris looked at Anna then over to Officer Kelly. "Yes I am. And I know I'm in trouble."

The officer sat on the chair next to Anna. "I talked to the people up at the station and we all agreed that you can be put on probation. You will have a curfew and there will be places you won't be allowed.
Chris smiled. "That is so much better than being put in jail. And my senior prom is coming up soon. Will I be able to go then?"
Officer Kelly looked over to Anna then Chris. "There will be officers there so it is possible that you can go. Well, I have to go now. I hope you feel better soon. See you in court Chris." She stood up and left the room.

Chris looked at Anna and smiled. "Well, parole is good with me."
Anna took his hand and smiled. "Why do you want to go to prom?"
Chris sat up and moved over. "Sit next to me."
Anna got up and sat next to him. "Well are you going to tell me?"
Chris smiled and wrapped an arm around Anna's shoulder. "Well, I was hoping you would go to prom with me?" He looked into her eyes and stroked her cheek.
Anna smiled and rested her cheek against his hand. She sighed happily and closed her eyes. "I would love to. I always dreamed of going to prom."

Chris lifted her chin up and pressed his lips to hers. Anna wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him closer. He placed his hand on her cheek, deepening the kiss. Soon after, Chris broke away from the kiss and smiled. "That was perfect," Chris whispered.
Anna smiled in return and hugged Chris. "I totally agree." She looked at the time on her cell phone. "Crap. It's getting late. I guess I should go home and go to bed." Anna stood up and stretched. "I will be up here bright and early tomorrow."
Chris sighed and grabbed her hand. "Come on, babe. We just kissed. You can't leave. Spend the night?"

Anna looked down at their hands and frowned. "If I stay I won't be able to sleep. I have back problems. And I don't want to go to the emergency room because of it. I want to be with you as much as possible."
Chris groaned and pushed her hand away. "Whatever. Go home but don't bother coming back because it will just hurt your back to much. And don't bother showing up in court for me. I don't need your sympathy."
Tears filled Anna's eyes. "What is your problem? You're really going to get mad because I won't stay the night with you?"

Chris took Anna's hand again and lifted her chin up. "I'm sorry. All of that was way out of line. I just wish you would stay with me. I'm scared."
Anna sat back on his bed and played around with his fingers. "Why are you scared Chris? Are you scared of being put on probation? You shouldn't have messed up in the first place."
Chris sighed and looked at the blank wall. "I'm scared of losing you. I'm scared you're going to run off and never come back."
Anna pushed his hand away and stood up. "You can't lose what was never yours. And I'm going home and packing all of my things. I won't ever come back. I promise." She walked out of his room and exited the hospital.

When Anna got home she got all of her bags out of the basement and began packing. After she finished packing, she got ready for bed and went to sleep. The next morning she crawled out of bed and smiled. The sun was shining and it was warm. She changed her clothes and headed outside. She walked down to the beach.
When Anna arrived at the beach shore she smiled out at the waves. They washed over her feet and she sighed happily. Chris walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Please don't go. If you left, I would go mad. I need you in my life Anna. You changed me and I like how I am with you."

Anna turned around to look at Chris with tear-filled eyes. It appeared that he was crying before he came out to talk to her. "Chris," she whispered as she touched his cheek. "You are one of the sweetest guys I know. When you got hurt yesterday, I almost died. I will stay here. I want to be with you."
Chris smirked and hugged Anna closer. He rested his head against hers and kissed her temple. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

Anna didn't move. She just nodded and smiled. "Of course." Chris lifted her chin up and kissed her softly. "You just made me really happy." He took her hand and kissed her fingertips. "So prom is next Friday. Did you still want to go with me?"
Anna stroked his cheek with her free hand then kissed him deeply. "Yes," she whispered against his lips.
He broke away from the kiss. "I got released this morning so now I can go home. Want to maybe hang out?"