Trouble |The Outsiders|

02. The Curtis Gang

"If you don't wake up right now, I'm gonna pull you out of this bed."

It was warm for a Saturday in September, not even nine in the morning and already sixty-eight degrees. The yellow sun shone through Abigail's thin curtains and onto her face as she pulled the blankets further up around her, ignoring her brother's threat. "Gimme five more minutes, this is supposed to be my day off," she mumbled.

Suddenly, Danny's hands wrapped around her ankles and yanked his sister to the cold floor.

"Are you kidding me, Daniel? I'm gonna have a bruise, you jackass!"

That seemed to be the least of Danny's concerns, he ran out of the bedroom before Abigail had time to even open her eyes fully. "You only have the day off because I killed Aunt Connie!"

Brushing herself off and standing up, Abigail tenderly ran her fingers up the red spot on her forearm. On the other side o the wall, she could clearly hear Danny rummaging through the clothes in his dresser, looking for something to wear over his swim trunks. She decided to do the same and began digging through her own dresser until she managed to find a simple red bikini.

Something simple, not too flashy.

Slipping a pair of denim shorts over her legs and a blue sweater over her arms, Abigail had all she needed and left her bedroom, picking up her brother's backpack as she made her way downstairs.

Danny was at the kitchen table, his eyes glued to the back of the cereal box as he shovelled his breakfast into his mouth. The stairs creaked as Abigail made her way down them and ruffled his hair before pouring herself a bowl. "Dad's in his room?"

Danny nodded as he finished his breakfast. "Yeah, you're gonna ask him about going to the river?"

"Uh-huh, I'll take the truck, I just need to borrow the keys.

Danny combed his fingers through his hair, trying to fix the pieces that stuck out every which way. "Cool, Darry gave me a map and everything, told me to meet 'em there."

Pouring the last bit of cereal down the sink, Abigail rolled over to Danny and brushed down the cow-lick he had at the back of his head. "Okay, I just gotta brush my teeth and talk to Dad."

Eddy Mason was a nice guy. He liked his job at the lumberyard and the people he worked with, he was a friendly guy who would buy you a drink at Buck's if you forgot your wallet. But some nights Eddy came home, his heart breaking while he knew that his wife, the mother of his children, wasn't.

Now, Eddy Mason drowned his troubles in a beer or two before bed. Abigail and Danny weren't afraid of their father, they loved him dearly and knew they felt the same. But they had seen what alcohol could do to some people, like Bob Sheldon, or Johnny Cade's old man.

Abigail and Danny weren't afraid of their father, just cautious.

"Dad? Are you awake?"

Abigail stood on one side of the door, listening to her father's bed groan as he pushed himself off the mattress. The doorknob suddenly twisted, and she moved back to avoid being hit in the face with the door. He wasn't that much taller than his daughter, only by two inches on a good day. He and Danny had the same hair, only his was streaked with a bit of grey. Around his lips and chin was a bit of stubble, his stomach hung over his belt just a tiny bit. Overall, he was in good shape for almost fifty.

"Mornin' Dad, how'd you sleep?" He waved his hand impatiently and passed his daughter while shrugging his shoulders. Abigail sighed and crossed the threshold into Eddy's bedroom before following him downstairs. She stepped over the clothes and bottles on the floor as if walking through a minefield, her eyes glued to the silver keys on the bedside table. "Got the keys, now I just need the truck," she said to no one.