The final bell rang, Susanne getting his things together and shoving them in his backpack.
"Hey."
Susanne looked up to see Josh coming towards him. "You mean you actually want to talk to me again?" he muttered.
Josh shrugged. He knew the whole snubbing thing was childish and it was actually Eva who told him to knock it off. Not that he'd ever tell Susanne that. "You want to go do something?"
"Sure," Susanne said.
Josh followed Susanne to his locker and waited, the two leaving and heading out the school gates.
They started to walk from the school when Susanne looked back, stopping and watching as Glock walked up to Eva, the two embracing and kissing.
Josh stopped and looked back at Eva and Glock and then at Susanne. "Come on," he said, turning and walking off, Susanne following.
Cecil leaned against the front counter of the flower shop and sighed. "Another boring day," he said, glancing at the phone as it rang. "Frolic'th Flowerth," he answered.
"Hey, Cecil."
Cecil froze. "Oh, um, hi, uh, Jigen." He hadn't seen much of Jigen lately and hoped that the stalking phase had worn off. 'Withful thinking,' he thought.
"Hey, I was wondering if you were free tonight," Jigen said. "Thought we could go out for a few drinks. You do drink, right?"
"Occathionally." There was a long pause as Cecil stared off in thought. "Oh! Um, yeah, I gueth I'm free tonight. Wath going to clean my floorth, but I could do that another time."
"Great. What time do you get off? I'll come and pick you up."
"I get off at eight."
"All right. I'll see you then. Bye, Cecil."
"Bye, Jigen." Cecil hung up the phone and sighed.
This was the first time that Jigen had suggested they do something together. Usually he just came to the shop or called, wanting to talk but neither finding anything really interesting to say.
"Maybe Uncle Fujiko wath right," he sighed. "Maybe I do need to give him a chanthe. It would be nithe to have a father, I gueth."
Nerves kicked in the longer the day wore on. "I-I can't do thith," Cecil panicked, getting his things together and leaving, locking up the store an hour early.
Cecil sat and tried to relax in his hot bubble bath, the strong smell of lavender filling the bathroom. As much as he tried, he couldn't get the feeling of guilt to go away.
"I've alwayth wanted thith. Everything ith telling me to accthept it, but..." He closed his eyes and sighed. "It wathn't hith fault, but it'th not that I blame him. It'th jutht...doeth he really want to accthept me ath hith thon? We're tho...different. He'th probably jutht being nithe. He probably hateth me inthide. But...what if he doethn't?" He glanced at the clock on the wall and saw it was almost half past nine. "Nithe firtht imprethion," he said with a laugh.
His words, his uncle's words and Jigen's word all nagged at him until he finally decided to just go to the bar.
He picked out some nice clothes to wear and spritzed with some cologne, picking over his hair to get it perfect and neatly combing his beard. He grabbed his keys and forced himself to leave the apartment.
Not knowing what bar to go to, he started to canvas them all, finally seeing Jigen's car parked in front of one. Taking the empty space behind it, Cecil parked and sat, continually telling himself to go inside, his body not wanting to listen. Growling in anger and giving in, he stepped out of the car and inside.
Jigen sat at the bar, talking to the bartender, who suddenly looked up and stared at Cecil as he walked in. Jigen turned and smiled on seeing him.
"You never told me you had a twin," the bartender said as Cecil approached.
"That's because I don't," Jigen said as Cecil sat next to him. "This is Cecil, my son," he said proudly as he smiled at Cecil.
Cecil looked at him in shock, figuring he'd be mad. 'He lookth happy that I came...he lookth...almotht proud...' Cecil smiled slightly and looked down at the bar. "I'm thorry I wath late," he said in a low voice. "I...I wathn't feeling good and...I thould have called and-"
"Don't worry about it," Jigen said.
"Did you want something, kid?" the bartender asked.
"A vodka, pleathe."
The bartender nodded and got busy getting his drink.
"Your dad's not gonna be mad?" Eva asked as Glock sat on the floor in her room.
"No, he's not even home." He shrugged and looked up at her as she layed on the bed. "He went out drinking with Ce-, with some friends."
"Oh. Something bothering you? You've been quiet all day."
Glock stared off. 'It's not like she'll never find out anyway. And I guess it's better she hear it from me now, since she asked...' He sighed quietly. "You know that freak that works for Frolic?"
"Oh, that's nice, Glock."
"What?" he asked, looking up at her. "Have you seen and heard him?"
"So, he's a freak because he talks and dresses different from you? Do you see me as a freak, too, Glock?" Her voice became angered as she now glared at him.
"What? No! Look, just...just nevermind. It doesn't matter."
Eva closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Glock. I'm...I'm not mad at you. It's just...things with my dad and everything."
"My dad isn't the same, either," Glock said sadly. "Some days I just don't even want to go home."
"Yeah," Eva sighed.
"Cecil...Cecil is my half brother."
Eva jerked her head towards him, staring in confusion.
"I just found out last night. That's where my dad went. He went out drinking with him."
Eva was quiet as she looked away, not knowing how to respond.
"I should probably go," Glock said as he stood. "I'll see you tomorrow." He waved and walked out of her room, Eva not responding or even looking at him, her mind thinking of other things.