Will through his backpack through the door of the cramped terrace house. He grunted something about making themselves at home as he disappeared into the cloud of fine wood dust that appeared as he stormed up the stairs. Robin stood on the doorstep, slouching against the frame. The last time he'd been here Will had gone mad at his father, and he had been the sole witness of a fight involving the sharp instruments of his father's trade. He shuddered at the memory of watching his friends welcoming father shrink away from his oldest son.
"Not being funny but we're allowed in…" Allan pushed past Robin and opened the door, which led to the living room. "You o'ryt Luke?" He heard him chirp cheerfully to Will's bright 14-year-old brother. Allan was welcomed here, as a sunny reprieve from Will, and his sullen moody temper, he'd always seemed calm except when he was at home, then he was just angry. Allan stuck his head back through "Are you lot coming or what?" He shook his head and disappeared from view.
The rest of the gang watched Robin take a hesitant step through the door. Will was always at other peoples houses, rarely spending anytime here, Robin had only been here the once before, and the rest bar Allan never been further then the gateway. Allan was chatting to Luke, who was stuffing a sandwich down his throat before meeting Tom at the local chippie. "You stay out of trouble with him mind, I can't afford to bail him out again…" Much was nervously perched on the sofa as the sounds of a chainsaw echoed through the house, Marian and Djaq were laughing at a private joke. Robin slumped on the sofa, while John silently observed the room.
"Errm don't you have a TV?" Much nervously pointed to the dusty space on the TV cabinet, which was surrounded by a few stray shards of glass. Luke stiffened his jaw set and Allan rolled his eyes at Much, the room quietened as they waited for the reply.
"Not anymore" Luke mumbled "Will smashed after It happened…" he trailed off, the awkward silence hung in the air. It, Will & Luke's mother, a kind lady who they had all spoken to at some point through Will, she had often given them some of the little her and her husband earned to chip in for chips, and the things in her sons lives she didn't know about, the fags and the drink. She had passed away 6 months ago, and the subject still hung awkwardly in the air. It had cracked the fragile balance that was the Scarlet household and Dan Scarlet had never gained control over his eldest son, who now stayed away from the house as much as possible, only returning for fresh clothes and money. Robin knew he spent a lot of nights at Allan's, a few at his, John's and Much's houses every month, but for whole weekends Will knew how to slip off the radar so no one had a clue where he had gone. The sawing stopped, they could here the shower on upstairs and in a cloud of wood dust Dan Scarlet broke through the door.
"AH, Allan, Robin, that time of the week again, I assume my son is upstairs?" He grinned to the two of them he knew, but they could all see the sadness in his eyes. Introductions where made, and everyone laughed politely about the jokes on Wills appearances at the house. Luke slipped away, and Will appeared at the door. He nodded towards his dad and then turned to leave.
"I got what you wanted" wheezed his dad, waving towards the kitchen before disappearing out the door to his workshop with a sad smile. The gangly, sixteen year old sighed before heading to the kitchen with Allan. They were all in the first year of sixth form expect Will and Much, who were in year eleven and year thirteen. They returned with Allan clutching four large bottles of Vodka, and a packet of fags stuffed in a pocket yelling "We're gunna have a good start to this week end at least!" cheerily.
Whilst will chucked a pack to Robin and stuffed two into the pockets of his baggy jeans along with his phone. He grabbed his bag again, stuffing another bottle in. Then left the house the rest following.
"I thought you two were quitting" whined Much, giving Will and Robin distraught looks, Will shrugged his shoulders uncaringly as he lit up, stuffing his lighter in his pocket and running a hand through his long half dry hair. Robin gave Much and Marian a boyish grin, "I'm cutting down first okay?" Marian scowled at him.
"You'll be cutting down on something else soon, ya know, I don't like kissin' an ashtray." She stormed off next to Djaq, who laughed with John at the hurt look on Robin's face as Much sneakily hid Robin's lighter. Will's house had been they're last stop, them all being six formers who didn't have uniforms to change out of. Will and Allan had pulled ahead of the rest and turned into the Locksley skate park first. Allan pulled a skate board out from a boarded up public loo, abused for too long by the gang, while will pulled out spray paint to finish his graffiti masterpiece on the back of their favourite ramp, brining a bottle of vodka with him. The rest of the gang climbed to the top of the ramp and began a loud conversation as Allan shot round on his stake board bottle in hand, joining in by shouting quips back at them. Will quietly listened as he finished what he been working on for the week. In graffiti style he had sprayed the members of the gang in, with Robin in the front with a bow and arrow drawn at the assumed viewer. This was all outlined with yellow, red and white, with "The Outlaws" Written roughly across the bottom. He took a swig from bottle, stamping what was left of the cigarette out.
He stood back and looked at the picture, checking all their faces where pretty inaccurate so it would be harder for them to be identified. Stuffing the cans into his bag after signing with a red "W" the mark all his graffiti carried. He pushed the bottle through the bars of the ramp and swung himself up, broodingly staring at his feet. The gang laughed loudly as Luke and Tom, and a few of their friends crossed the park, Allan darting in between his little brothers mates and scaring them. Will stared blankly at them before turning for the bottle of vodka, he caught hold of it just as Marian bent for it Robin and John hogging the bottles already in the standing gangs hands. He let go, watching as she took a swig from her perfectly glossed lips, she flashed him a smile as she passed the sullen looking boy the bottle. He gave her a grin back that melted her heart she stood up straight just in time to avoid having her head taken off by Allan turning at the top of the ramp to stop. He dropped beside Will watching their brothers make their way over, no doubt to beg a bottle of drink of Will.
In the corner of Allan's eye he could see (not to mention hear) the half drunken Robin and John jeer at Guy and Vasey and their idiots of a gang hitting on Alice and Eve in the kiddies park. He knew their would be a half drunk brawl soon so took a long swing out of his bottle which he assumed his brother would filch off him.