Chapter 4: Chase Off

Danny and company left the CD store carrying a couple of bags full of CD's and magazines.

"What do y'all wanna do now?" asked Alex swinging a bag around.

"I don't know. Let's go to my uncle's bar or something."

"Alright."

As Danny and company were walking towards Two-Bit's bar, Danny stopped and noticed something. He backed up on the sidewalk and looked through the window of the restaurant. There sitting in the back of the restaurant, was Maria. Sitting there with some boy. Danny continued to stare at them. She was laughing. They both looked like they were having a good time.

"Danny! Watch it!"

Danny swirled around suddenly and three water balloons splashed onto top of his head. Soaking his entire body. He saw a couple of little kids running down the street and he walked to his group shaking the dampness out of his hair.

"Man, they nailed you," said Jack smiling. None of them could help but smile, including Danny.

"Yeah, I know. I guess this is my cue to head on home."

"Are you gonna come back out?" asked Keith.

"I don't know. Might listen to this CD I just got."

"Which one did you get?" asked Jack.

"I just grabbed a Link-N-Park. They didn't have anything new I wanted. I'll see y'all later."

Danny walked towards his neighborhood carrying his now soaked bag and soak clothing. He reached his household thinking about Maria. She had already gotten a date. That quick. Danny realized that he really must have been hurting over this situation. And he was trying to forget about her. His summer really got started off pretty bad. The last time, his summer got started off badly was when he and Alex were nearly robbed in the street. Good thing Tay came along.

Danny started to think about Tay as he entered the house. Then he started to think about Matt. He hadn't heard a thing about Matt. He was in the hospital that whole while. But Tay, he was going to do about thirty years. Big drug dealing and lots of other stuff.

Danny threw his clothes off and took a shower. All the while he was thinking about his days back in Atlanta. His mother once said that he was starting to grow up. At that time, he didn't understand what she had meant. Now he did. He was less rowdy now-a-days. He wasn't too active.

He stepped out and went directly to his room. He had to find some clean clothes to put on. He slipped on some blue jeans and grabbed a white T-shirt. He heard something. His head jolted around to the hallway to see what was going on.

Danny slipped on his t-shirt and slowly crept into the hallway. His parents were still at work. They shouldn't be home this early.

He stuck his head around but still didn't see anything. But then he noticed that a vase table was turned over. Someone was definitely in the house. He turned around and froze. There was a guy standing right there. He had a scar over his left eye. He smiled when he noticed Danny.

"Little Curtis," he said in a cold voice.

Danny backed up and little and yelled,

"Who the heck are you!"

"An old friend of your dad."

"Well, he ain't here. So I suggest you leave."

"You plan on kicking me out, squirt."

Danny knew he couldn't take this guy. He was pretty large and had a good build. He was clad in some jail pants and a muscle t-shirt. The guy took a couple of steps forward. Danny reached into his room and grabbed a baseball bat. The guy smiled.

"That isn't gonna hold me."

"Watch it!"

Danny swung low and hit the guy in his knee caps. He nearly fell and Danny took a swung at his head. The guy grabbed the bat and wrenched it from the teenager's hands. Danny took note that he couldn't hold this guy with anything so he ran to his room and locked the door. He grabbed some spare change and climbed up his window. By the time he was halfway through, he heard the door burst open.

He was able to slip out the window before the guy could grab him. Danny fell and hit the grass below him. He instantly got up and ran. He couldn't understand why this guy would be after him. Everything was supposed to calm and normal. Why is the start of his summer getting worse everyday?

He slowed down to a jog a while up the road, guessing that the guy lost him. He stopped at rested at Two-Bit's bar. He sunk down and sat on the pavement. He decided that he would run to the Curtis house and tell his uncles about the situation. His uncle Darry was home too. He had enough muscle to handle the guy.

He then turned his head and saw the guy walking out of a car. What was this guy's deal? The pulled out a lighter as he approached him. The guy threw a lit lighter at him.

Danny didn't know what this guy was doing and he quickly moved out of the way and continued to run. The lighter broke through the window and as Danny was running the bar caught fire.

The young Curtis turned around. The man torched Two-Bit's bar! Danny cut through the woods. He was a while from the Curtis house.

He was running so fast that he tripped over his own feet and rolled into the street. A car was coming but stopped down the road. Danny shot up and ran towards the car, hoping for a ride.

When he reached the vehicle, he recognized it as Maria's car. Just great, she was driving. He knocked on the window, and she unlocked the door.

"Danny! What are you-"

"I don't have time. Let me in."

Maria noticed the fire and then noticed the man walking towards them from his car.

"Who is that? Did you start that fire?"

"Scoot over!"

Maria did so and Danny got in the driver's seat and burst into speed. The man followed in his car. They were both speeding down the road.

-I know. Cliffhanger. I had to shorten it because it was dragging on.