The Rebel Of Jackson Street

Chapter Two- Devil In Heels

That morning, Deke was already awake. He didn't sleep as much as anyone else. It was almost as if he was nocturnal. Whenever he slept over at Vince's- instead of under a bridge or down a gutter- he'd always just lay on the couch or on the floor with a pillow. He thought it was comfortable, though almost everyone else thought he was crazy. They'd never say it out loud though. They knew what was coming to them if they did.

Three hours later, Vince awoke, coming down the stairs in only his shorts. It was pretty warm in Memphis. It made sense. Stretching his arms, Vince wandered into the sofa room.
"You got a cigarette?" He asked.
Deke passed the pack, fiddling with his ring on his middle finger.
"Thanks. You know the time?"
"Should be around 6 now."
"You want to go for breakfast 'round JC's?" Vince asked, taking a match from the box on the table.
"I guess so. Then we can go to the rails."
"Sure. Just let me get dressed. You need anything?"
"Any plain white shirts would be fine."
"A pair of jeans?"
"Okay. That'll do."
"Wait there."

Vince ran off to get everything, leaving Deke to make smoke rings and hum. Soon after, Vince chucked the jeans and shirt at Deke, Deke not even paying any attention. After a while, the two were dressed and ready, stepping out the door and walking out, being sure to walk tall and tough.

After a quick breakfast of pancakes, maple syrup and bacon strips, Deke got up suddenly, almost as if he forgot Vince was there. Without looking down, he simply said, "Let's split." And began walking out the door. Vince had to hurry along to catch up. It wasn't exactly hard to catch his greasy brown hair in a crowd, though. Especially since everyone slipped past him as if he was the plague.

Upon arriving at the railway, something caught Deke's eye. On the cobble tracks, a chick in a leather jacket with long, lightly curled hair and stood with two other girls, one a ginger and the other a dirty-blonde. When examined closer, you could make up a pin-up girl smoking on the back of their jackets, with the words 'Lollipops' printed on a pink banner at the bottom. This could only mean one explanation. These girls  were new. They didn't know the rules of these parts. So, Deke felt that it was only fair to educate the lasses.

Whistling to get their attention, Deke slid down the side to meet them. Vince wobbled a bit, but balanced after.
"Morning, ladies." Deke announced.
"Who's this?" Said the curly blonde.
"That's Deke Ruxton! That famous hoodlum!" Said the ginger.
"You don't look so tough to me, Mr Ruxton." Said the blonde.
"You must be new. Where you from?"
"Texas. Why? Does everyone get the chills from you?"
"Walk down the street with me and you'll see the truth. This is my town, and you won't change that."
"Don't worry. I'm not here long. Just for a week."
"Introduce yourself. Bit rude, isn't it?"
"I heard you was the king of rude. I'm Callie. Leader of the Lollipops, for your information, honey."
"You better get ready, honey, because the way you're going, you won't get anywhere in this town. We're not like those fancy boys up in Texas. Just make sure you don't learn that the hard way." Deke warned, using his more aggressive tone.

It was obvious to nobody but Deke, but he could sense the fear in Callie's eyes. There was a bit of fright in her eyes. Her muscles tensed and it was obvious what her solution was. Violence.

She tried to swing a punch, getting caught by Deke easily. Deke stared deeply in her eyes, making Callie instantly regret even stepping foot in Memphis. Deke kept cold and unfeeling. Even towards a girl. He twisted her arm, a shattering snap occurred and Callie let out a small whimper. You could tell she was trying for all her might to not break character and ruin her rep. He couldn't understand that. He was naturally a menace. To pretend to be a punk was just insanity to him. He looked down at her, staring deep into her eyes, going down into her soul. She should know better than to mess with the rebel.