It wasn't odd for the two Landons to spend the night out. In fact, most of the kids spent time away from the house. Their grandmother was insufferable, the TV was staticy, the radio crackled, there was no air conditioning, most of the time the food was gone, the dishes weren't done and two many people lived there. Branda preferred time away herself, considering her grandmother. Grandmother Theresa had taken them all on about five years ago, but she didn't do much parenting. She was a firm believer, after raising six boys herself, that you could rub a little dirt on it and walk it off when you got hurt. Or that letting them all fend for themselves would get them ready for the world, to be independent. Brenda, however, stepped in soon after when Bennie set a fire in the boys bathroom at school when he was six an almost got expelled and Roy didn't show up to school at all for three months.
It wasn't like their parents were dead. No, her parents had grown up here just as about everyone else's families did. Her father and his five brothers had grown up here, hoods like the boys she knew now. Her mother had grown up with an alcoholic father they sometimes saw around town and a mother who was too drugged up half the time on medication for some mental thing to notice she even had a kid. Her father, Ricky Landon, had had a reputation around town as a real tough guy. Even now. But he got into some trouble. He didn't kill a guy, but close enough, and they sent him packing to the big house for twenty years to life. her mother, Sally Owens, liked to drink a little too much, tried to kill herself once when Brenda was seven in the bathroom and then eventually skipped out right before Ricky went away. They hadn't seen her since. Grandmother never let them forget their parents were fuck ups.
Which is why Brenda was constantly trying to make sure the kids wouldn't end up like them. So when Connie didn't turn up that night but made it home in the morning, make-up smeared darkly around her face with matted hair, Brenda was a little less than thrilled.
"You staying or strolling right into first period?" she asked sarcastically.
Connie stuck her tongue out at her and hunched over at the table.
"Where were you?"
Connie shrugged.
"Told Kay to tell ya I'd be out."
"It's not Kay's job to report your social life to me. Where were you?"
Connie turned her head up to look at Brenda and scowled. She launched up from the table, knocking the chair over backwards and Sonny shot into a sitting position on the couch. Brenda's eyes rounded as she regarded her sister who muttered something angrily about getting dressed and stormed off to her and Roy's room. Sonny leaned his head back to give her a raised look and Brenda raised her hands abover her head as she shook it. She'd deal with whatever Connie was up to later.
With a sigh she started breakfast and Sonny turned on the TV, blasting it as usual. The man was deaf, she swore by it. Roy came out a minute later, scowl on his face now.
"And what's wrong with you?" Brenda asked.
Roy threw a dirty look over his shoulder.
"That bitch has something up her ass." he said.
"Hey. She's your sister, don't call her a bitch." Brenda scolded as she turned back to the stove. "Even if she is one."
Roy gave a small small at that and slumped down in a seat at the table.
"Not going to take a shower?" She asked.
"What's the point? Not like the hot waters going anywhere...there is none."
"Ha-ha."
The front door slammed and Brenda glanced up to look up to see Evie Michaels striding through the living room, snapping her gum and twirling a lock of brown hair around one of her fingers. And Sonny thought Connie's clothes were bad. Brenda didn't mind Evie much, she was a pretty alright kid when she wasn't getting into some fight with another girl. Their parents had gone to school together, or more specifically their mothers had. Evie was relatively tiny, petite looking, with a cute face and very light green eyes that told you she was looking for trouble. She looked exactly like her mother, Elizabeth. Evie liked to have fun and was constantly looking for a new way, more times than not, illegal, to find it. Which is why she hung around Connie.
"Mornin' Bren." she said, hopping onto the counter.
"Alright, Eves?" Brenda asked, slipping another egg into the pan.
Evie kicked her legs, almost like a small child, so her heels hit the cupboard doors with a steady beat.
"Fine, fine. Con ready?"
"I don't know. Go ask her. I warn ya, she's in a mood again."
Evie nodded, uneffected, and hopped to the floor, walking towards the bedroom door.
"You staying for breakfast?" Brenda called out.
"Eggs?"
"Yup."
"Sure thing!"
The door banged open from the hall and there was a sound of crashing objects swiftly after, some loud cussing and then creaks from the mattress. Brenda rolled her eyes. Connie did this. She'd get all up in a mood, then Evie would come to sort her out, almost like she had a radar for it but more likely she'd been out with Connie and knew about it already, and then Connie would throw a full on tantrum, complete with flying projectiles before Evie would settle on the bed while Connie got ready.
Kay stumbled out from the bathroom, rubbing her eyes sleepily before giving Brenda a smile. Brenda ruffled her hair and set down a smiley face chocolate chip pancake in front of her. The rest filed out soon before they bickered and headed out the door, this time with no car. James was the only one that could drive them to school besides Sonny, but Sonny wasn't going to work and James was M.I.A So Brenda laid out a beer for Sonny, got him a pack form the counter and laid out Grams' medication on the table before taking the keys and her apron and driving to the diner.
It generally wasn't a place for Soces to go. It could get a little rough sometimtes, depending who was in there, but they served decent food for decent prices. Probably helped that Evie's older sister Gloria and Brenda's best friend Sylvia worked there. Gloria was beautiful, whereas Evie was cute. Gloria was nineteen, a year older than Brenda, two more than Sylvia. She was tall, thin, delicate looking and had a look about her that was classic hollywood, like that real classy vintage look Brenda sometimes saw in the magazines with her long, shiny black hair and her light blue eyes and gentle features. Her laugh was real soft and she didn't dress like other girls they hung around with.
Sylvia Jones was another matter entirely. Sylvia was the other type of girls they hung around with. Sylvia was tall and blonde with a tough feel to her. While Gloria could fit the description for tuff, Sylvia was tough. Brenda had known Gloria for forever, because of their mothers who had actually gotten pregnant in highschool together, and she knew Sylvia since first grade when Sylvia beat up some kid who lifted up Brenda's skirt on the playground. She had these dark blue eyes that Brenda had seen turned black too many times to count, since she was always mad. Sylvia was always looking for a fight. Infact, unlike most girls who put up a good talk, Sylvia was one of the few who could actually hold her own against most guys in the neighborhood. Probably why she had a thing for Dally Winston. Though she didn't like to be told what to do, live up to anyone's expectations or be tied down, so every time Dally was away, Sylvia liked to take a walk around the local market until he came back.
"Landon, what's with the truck?" Sylvia asked first thing, snapping a bubble at her as she headed to the back with some dirty dishes.
"Sonny fell off a ladder. Broke his leg we think." Brenda said, tying the apron around her waist as she went to take an order of some young couple in the corner.
The rusty haired guy gave a loud laugh at something and the obviously fake blonde gave an obviously fake laugh in response, pretending to blush.
"Take your order?" Brenda asked.
"Hey, baby. Yeah, take two burgers. Whatcha' want, baby?" he asked, looking at the blonde.
"Salad for me." she said without looking at Brenda.
Brenda nodded.
"Nothin' to drink?"
"Pepsi, Two."
"Sure thing. Back in a second."
Brenda headed over to the revolver to pin the order.
"Sonny alright? Not too bad a break, yeah?" Gloria asked, sliding a dark strand of hair behind her ear.
Brenda shrugged.
"Did what I could for it. Can't take him to get it checked out, not with what they're charging these days."
"Specially not since he won't be able to work for awhile." Gloria said in agreement. "You guys gonna be okay until then?"
Brenda sighed and nodded.
"How'd you get him home if he had the truck?" Sylvia asked, coming to stick up another order as Gloria left to deliver one.
"Curtis boy. The older one. Dropped him off. He was one of the roofers on the project."
"Darry Curtis. He's cute." Sylvia said with a suggestive raise of her eyebrows.
"You think anything with a prick is cute, Sylvie."
Sylvia whacked her with an old rag but smirked. She knew she did.
"How's Dally?"
Sylvia shrugged.
"Still in the cooler, ya know? What's a girl to do?"
Brenda gave her a good humored laugh as Sylvia walked away to a table of guys she went to school with. "Gee, I don't know, wait for him?"
Sylvia gave a laugh over her shoulder, flipping her hair.
"Yeah, alright Bren." she mocked before leaning over to take an order, giving the guys a great view.
"She's unbelievable." Gloria muttered.
"She's Sylvia." Brenda replied, grabbing the now ready order and heading to the couple again.
Connie sat up in the bed, the sheet falling off her body as she ran a hand through her tangled hair. She glanced down at the broad shouldered figure beside her who was snoring lightly. Mikey was fast asleep, sweat sheened and exhausted. She made sure of that. She placed her feet on the floor and padded over to his dresser, opening the drawer and reaching in for the stash of condoms he kept hidden there. She bent down and stuffed a few in her jeans pocket, securing a few, before taking a safety pin from her pants and skillfully poking holes straight through every single one. When she was finished she shoved them back inside the drawer and crawled back into bed, laying her head on his chest and closing her eyes, satisfied smirk on her face.