Trouble |The Outsiders|

04. Damn Brats

The Dingo. A popular diner on the Eastside most commonly known for fighting, the thick layer of grease coating all its food, and the ridiculous uniforms the employees had to wear if they wanted to keep their jobs. Bright fluorescent lights hung overhead, a jukebox sat beside the door. To the right of the double doors were booths one through five, six to ten were on the other side of the diner.

It was a slow and quiet Sunday morning, most people were either in church or sleeping off their hangovers. Not Abigail though, she was carrying a pot of coffee over to booth number seven and the young man who sat there. "Morning, Mr. Richardson," she said automatically as she poured the beverage into his cup. "You're up early."

He glanced up at her from the newspaper on the table, a smile on his lips. "Well I had to see what was so special about the breakfast special," he joked. She returned the smile with a quick nod of the head and made her way to the kitchen, ignoring the way her skirt seemed to ride up her thighs.

The Dingo was constantly being passed around to new owners, no one seemed to keep the place for longer than a year. That was mainly because of all the fights customers got into, a waitress was even shot a few years back. These new owners were a pair of young men, brothers, who decided the best way to get business booming again, was dinner and a show. Now Abigail and her partner, Evie, marched around the diner in a short red skirt and white blouse. They used to wear heels, but that changed after both the girls twisted their ankles the same night.

Evie was currently wiping down the booths on her half of the diner, Mr. Richardson was the only customer in at the moment. Evie and Abigail became friends in their youth, around seven or eight years old. Their bond only grew, however, when Evie started dating Steve. They almost looked similar, Abigail liked to think so. They both had dark hair that held a tight natural curl, and both had dark eyes. Evie's face was much rounder than her boyfriend's, and she grew her hair out so it curled just under her chin. They were a cute couple, too.

Abigail's own dark hair swished around her shoulders in its ponytail as she crossed the floor, her converse smacking against the white tile with every step she took. There was a bar with a few red stools at the back of the diner, a coffee pot and few baked goods sat on display. The most important part though was the thin window that connected the diner to the kitchen. This was where orders were placed and food was received. Thanks to budget cuts, one of the owners, Jamie, filled in as cook.

"I need a breakfast special for table seven," she called through the window. Jamie flashed her a toothy grin before covering the griddle in oil. "Comin' right up, an' remember Abigail, don't be afraid to show some skin!"

Evie sighed next to her friend as Abigail rolled her eyes. "Yeah, show some skin, show some teeth, what's the worst that can happen," she mocked. Abigail bit down on her lip to muffle her laughter as they walked away from the bar and busied themselves with mopping the floor.

That was another thing that was annoying about this job, the top three buttons of her shirt had to be undone at all times. Four was even better if she wanted good tips. Jamie and his brother, Jason, were constantly encouraging the girls to smile more, too. "Show some skin, show some teeth." The mantra was practically burned into her mind by now.

"Hey Abigail," Mr. Richardson called as she passed his table, "I've been coming here every day for the past week, call me Will."

By mid-afternoon, most of Tulsa had woken up. Kids ran up and down the street, occasionally looking through the window of the diner and dirtying the glass the waitresses had spent an hour trying to clean. "Those damn brats," Evie muttered as she returned to the bar and filled the coffee pot. Abigail nodded her head silently, all her focus on the bag of salt in her hand and the empty salt shaker in front of her. She let out a sigh of relief once the job was done and brought her eyes up when the door opened.