When you think about Anthony Padilla and his track record, you thought about his goofy nature, his love for video games, and how you could trust him with anything and knew it would stay with him.
But if you really dug beneath the surface of it all, you see him as the caretaker of his little sister, and the shelter for his fiancé.
Stirring the pasta that had just been doused in tomato sauce, and then adding some seasoning, he turned the dial to a simmer and walked over to get some plates.
"Hey Kalel," he said as her made plates. She stood still in her tracks, hoping she didn't have the scent on her body.
"Hi Anthony, look, I have to go back pretty soon and do some paperwork!" Kalel announced as she ran through the house. She grabbed onto some of her things. She then felt something slightly grab on to her hand, which made her turn that way.
It was Anthony.
"Why don't you stay in your own house anymore?" he asked her, eyes filled with hurt. Kalel looked into them, and tried to smile, but it came as a grimace.
"I'm going to be late," was all she said.
And Anthony let her go. He knew exactly what was happening, but he didn't want to believe it.
"See you tomorrow then," he told her, putting away her plate.
He heard footsteps. Tori's footsteps running down the stairs. He set two plates on the kitchen table and turned around to find her waiting in her coat, carrying a backpack.
"Oh," she said, blinking at the food. "Zoe invited me for a sleepover."
"Well, eat dinner first, and then I can bring you.
"Her mom thinks I'm coming for dinner, besides, I'm capable of walking." Tori lied.
"I'll just save the leftovers." He stood up, fishing for his car keys.
"I just said I could walk to here house, it's a block over."
"Yes, but you can't do that while it's night out," Anthony explained.
"I'm not a little kid any more Anthony," Tori said tiredly.
"Oh you're not? Can you drive yourself over to Zoe's house?" Anthony challenged his little sister.
Knowing the answer to that, Tori unbuttoned her jacket, and sat down at the dinner table with him.
"Thought you were eating at Zoe's," he asked her.
"I still will, but I'd feel bad if I let you eat by yourself, so I'm going to stay here until you're done," Tori told him. Anthony looked over at his sister and her big brown eyes.
The innocence that seemed to radiate off of her, made him want to reminisce in that moment.
To all the moments when they were younger, and he would find her safe asleep in his lap.
To the times when he teased her just a little too much, to a point where she'd get frustrated and cry, and he'd make her feel better.
To the time when she was first born, and he held her in his arms for the first time. Anthony was about eleven at the time, and her remembered the first thought that ran through his head.
To always protect her no matter the circumstance.
"Earth to Anthony!" Tori exclaimed. He zoned out again, and she was just staring at him. His plate of pasta sat in front of him.
Anthony began taking big bites, before sliding the remainder of it onto one side of his plate.
"Okay, you're officially free."
She bounced up and grabbed her pack, heading toward the front door.
"Thanks, Anthony!" she smiled at him.
"Anything for you," Anthony spoke, but the words turned up at the end. Like he was asking her for time that were no longer hers to give away.
...
Tori wasn't exactly lying. She was just telling Anthony what he wanted, more like needed, to hear. The best relationships between younger and older siblings, were the ones where you'd do anything to make the other happy.
Tori did plan on staying the night at Zoe's house, but the thing was, Zoe's parents and brother Joe weren't home.
Tori wasn't the only person who had been invited to Zoe's place.
Handfuls of upperclassmen were making their way over, those including seniors. Ken was a senior.
Ducking behind her neighbour's house, Tori began to peel off her sweatpants, pulling out a pair of Kalel's low rise jeans.
The jeans covered up so little, that she ended up having to ditch her undies just so she wouldn't look like a complete idiot.
Dammit, it was cold out.
Tori then pulled out a mesh shirt that she threw over her pink tank top. Though the shirt was mesh, you couldn't see the spiderweb design of cuts Tori had made right before she left the house.
Replacing emotional pain with physical pain was becoming a bit unnerving. Stuffing her old clothing into her bag, and wrapping her body with her oversized hoodie, Tori continued to Zoe's house.
Various thoughts and scenarios raced through her mind.
Tori knew that illegal substance were going to be involved; drugs and alcohol. They were suppose to take the edge off of life, make you someone different from who you truly were
Being someone else. Anybody else, even for one night, would beat being Tori Padilla.
...
"It's over."
Kalel ended what they had, and needed to get it together, so she ran into the bathroom to empty the contents of her stomach and soul as she had said.
"I can be whatever you want me to be," he'd promised.
"Please."
It didn't even sound like he was asking anymore. It was him demanding, but he wasn't, he was pleading with all he had.
When the doorbell rang, he nearly didn't answer. The last thing Tom needed was some kid a this door asking for a hook, but this person was persistent, so he answered.
A twenty-dollar bill was pressed into his hand immediatly. "Look, I said I don't have anything" Tom said with a sigh.
"You've got to have something for me man." Forty more dollars were pushed at him.
Tom Casell hesitated. He hadn't been lying, he'd been out of his stash for the past coupe days.
But sixty fucking bucks?
He'd managed to have cereal as his main diet.
He wondered how much time he had before Kalel came out of the bathroom. "Wait here," he said.
He stashed it in his broken X-Box console
Tom remembers the first time he had Kalel over at his place, and he came to find her with the control in her hand. She had asked him if he had played.
He told her, it all depended on the game.
He began rummaging through the broken console to grab something. It was a desperate measure, but he needed something.
School loans were a bitch when it came time for him to pay it all back, and his job at a law attorney's office wasn't paying him much anything, other than just enough to pay any bills.
Then he also dabbled in selling any drug that some teenagers need, as long as he name never came up, which also brought up the fact not many people knew about him.
Tom found the vial he was looking for. "This is powerful shit, " he warned, passing it outside.
"What does it do?"
"It takes you away, " Tom answered
He heard the water stop running in the bathroom. "Do you want it or not?" The teen looked over the vial, and then gave a shy smile before creeping back into the night.
"Who were you talking to?" Kalel's voice rang out. Tom turned around to see Kalel a foot away from him with a confused, but saddened look on her face.
He should have known that someone trying so hard to keep from being noticed would never really be able to see him.
"No one, " he said bitterly. "Your little secret is still safe."
He turned away so that he would not have to watch her leave him. Tom heard the door open, felt the gust of cold air hit him.
"You're not the one I'm ashamed of, " Kalel whispered, then she left his world.
...
This is like a filler chapter, but then again it's not because it's still a very important chapter. I've been seriously busy as of lately, and updating was the last thing on my mind.