Trouble |The Outsiders|

24. Love Is Strange

The first thing Abigail noticed when she stepped inside the diner was the smile on Evie's face. Her dark eyes were bright and excited as she walked around her booths refilling the cups of the older couples here for their breakfast. Abigail did the same thing on her side, giving the customers kind smiles and their meals, then accepting the tips they left behind.

For a Monday morning, the Dingo was surprisingly busy. People were constantly coming and going, never leaving a booth open for longer than ten minutes. Fortunately, Abigal never saw Will. It was nearly noon before either girl got to take a seat, but Evie started sharing the latest gossip the second Abigail sat in a booth, coffee cup in hand. Evie's tongue ran over her lips at a mile a minute, never really giving Abigail a chance to comprehend what she was saying. Until she took a deep breath and dropped her voice to a little more than a whisper.

"When were you gonna tell us you're related to the Shepards?"

A devilish smile crossed Evie's red lips as Abigail choked on her coffee. "Who told you?" She hissed. "Dallas got drunk last night with some guys from the River Kings," Evie whispered back. "Sylvia said they were asking if you were going out with Tim since you left the bar with him a while ago. That's when Dallas yelled you two are brother and sister!"

"Of course it was Dallas," Abigail mumbled into her cup. She raised her eyes back to Evie with a hint of a smile. "But he's right. We've got the same dad but different moms," she explained. Evie nodded understandably, another thin smile pulling at her lips as she rose from her seat. "You might wanna turn around."

Before she even had a chance to, a figure sat in Evie's vacant spot.

"What are you doing here, Micheal?"

He laughed and leaned back in his seat, dragging his fingers through his greased-up hair messily. "First you got mad I didn't come by, now you're mad that I did? You gotta pick a side here, doll."

Abigail rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not the only one who's gotta pick a side," she muttered. Micheal's grey eyes seemed to glow with amusement as he smiled at her. "Is that all you wanna talk about?" He teased. 

"You said you'd think about getting involved, Micheal," Abigail persisted. "I just wanna know whose side you're on."

He didn't respond. Instead, he dug through the pocket of his leather jacket until he found a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. "I'm allowed to smoke in here, right?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "Only if you share."

"Why are you so interested, anyway?" Micheal asked as he lit his cigarette. "I never thought you'd be interested in gangster politics." Abigail took a quick drag off her smoke as she studied his face. He and Johnny looked kind of similar. They had the same dark skin and too many scars to count. The only difference was Micheal earned his scars, Johnny just got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"I'm interested because if the River Kings side with the Tigers, that means you could have a smoke with me today, and beat the shit outta my brother the next. And I'm not doing that."

"Which one?" Micheal asked with a smirk. The cigarette nearly fell out of Abigail's mouth as her jaw dropped. "You son of a bitch, Micheal Keen, what's it matter to you?"

"No wonder Tim got so pissed when I took you to the Drive-In," Micheal laughed, "I was there with his sister!"

"You also had your hands in my bra, my shirt on the floor, and your belt was undone," Abigail responded with a fake scowl. As much as she tried to fight it, Abigail couldn't help but feel a blush rise to her cheeks as his fingers brushed over hers.