Cherry (Blossom) On Top

16 - the stranger

Those looks. I feel them everywhere. When I'm at school. When I'm at home. When I'm walking around town.
I'm sure I'm being watched. I just can't tell who would like to stalk me. With that weird feeling I go over to the Wyrm as I'm working there now, trying to support the household. Two puberty reaching sixteen year olds and one pre-teen are not easy to manage for a single Dad. In my opinion he should go and look for love. Sometimes he seems so drifted off and lonely, while we all are around our girlfriends and friends, in JB's case.
I reach the bar and open the sticky door. Yeah, sticky. I don't even want to know how much alcohol is on there. When I open it, the familiar smell of alcohol and sweat comes to my nose and I smile, seeing Sweet Pea and Fangs playing Pool Ball. I walk behind the counter and directly grab some glasses which have to get cleaned and the person before my shift didn't do them so now I have to. I feel this look on me again and my eyes wander through all the people. My eyes can't find anyone who seems suspicious though. Some Southside Jocks I know from Southside High order a few drinks which I serve them, but they aren't the ones looking at me all the time. Without a thought I continue working.

My shift ends a few hours later. I grab a Cherry Coke and walk over to my two best friends. "Hey buds, who's winning?" I ask them and get their attention. "I am" Sweet Pea says proudly which makes me chuckle. "Of course you are. Have you ever won a game against him, Fangs?" I ask the one mentioned. He just shakes his head with a small laugh. Suddenly I hear sirens and through the small windows I can see blue and red lights. The sheriff? What would he want to do here? Cuff Serpents for illegal drug trade? C'mon, I don't even know a Serpent who didn't, everyone did it at least once in his life. My eyes focus the door as it got open. "Police, everyone stop moving" I hear someone say. The voice sounds familiar, but over the loud music I'm not able to identify it. The man steps in and I cannot believe what I'm seeing there: Dad in a sheriff's uniform. "Okay, so what's going on here Dad? Halloween is over" I say and chuckle a bit. "It's Sheriff Jones from now on." He answers with a grin and pulls his hat off. The Serpent cheer and I walk up to him. "I'm proud of you, finding an actual job this time. Pop's wasn't yours, was it?" I say pulling him into a hug and he just nods, putting his arm around my waist. He walks away and turns the bright lights off, as someone suddenly taps my shoulder. I turn around and look at a young man who seems oddly familiar to me. I've never seen him but I know there's a connection somewhere. "Are you Toni?" he asks me and I nod. He has very tan skin like me and also hazel-brown hair. If I didn't know it I'd think he's my brother.
He smiles and puts his hand on my cheek. "You've grown so much, TT" he says and I tense up. Who the hell is that boy. I am standing still when someone gets between the guy and me. "Touch the princess one more time and you're out of here" Sweet Pea says and next to him are Fangs and Jug. "Sweet Pea..it's fine" I say and push him to the side a bit to see the guy again. "How do you know that nickname? I only told three people, and even Dad doesn't know." I ask him and look into his piercing brown eyes. He chuckles a bit. "I'm Caleb. Caleb Topaz. I'm your older brother" he says casually and I start shaking a bit. I have a brother? "Brother...?" I whisper more to myself than to anyone else. The world around me seems still. There are only Caleb and Me. "I have..a brother?" I ask him now. He nods. "How come that I don't remember you?" I say to him with a few tears in my eyes. "I was sent to a boarding school in Europe. Couldn't come back even when they told me you were born or when they..um..died. I was six when you were born by the way."
I can't realize this is happening. I just stand there, a few tears in my eyes and shaking.
"Woah what's going on here?" I hear Dad saying. He just came back from outside. "Who are you?" He asks Caleb and before I am able to answer Caleb does. "Hi, Mr Jones. My name is Caleb. And I am Toni's brother"
Dad is surprised. "Brother? You have a brother?" He asks me now. I shrug. "I..don't know.." Caleb smiles at me. "I know it seems unreal, but here." He gives me his ID and I look at it. "Caleb Jonathan Topaz..born August 14th 1995. Born in Riverdale? You were born here?" I say very surprised. He nods. "Oh, I remember you." Dad says suddenly and we all look at him. "When you were like two I used to babysit you. I lost the contact to your parents after they moved away tho." Fp, Dad, knew my parents..This is too much. I need to think clearly. "Excuse me" I say and walk away.
I have a brother. He is real. He is alive. He did not die in the car crash all those years ago. A part of my family is alive, a part which is hopefully not bad-blooded like Theobald's.
I wander around the parking lot where a lot of Motorcycles are parking. It starts raining. The warm rain drips down the tips of my hair. I decide to walk back to the bar but that is when I don't know what will happen next...