Cops & Robbers

Chapter Twenty Two

For a cheesy 90's moment midway through the chapter, listen to the YouTube video. lol

It was one of the most surreal moments of my life. For years I’d wondered who Alaina’s father was. Because that’s who the man in the picture was, I was almost positive. Unlike me, she bore little resemblance to our mother. Our mother had had a round face, large brown eyes, full lips and caramel colored skin while Alaina’s face had high cheekbones, thinner lips, pale skin and a longer face. The longer I looked at man in the photo, the more I realized that the similarities between the two were uncanny.

“Ben?”

My eyes didn’t leave the photo until Ben was standing next to me. Alex kept his distance, choosing to lean against the wall next to Ben.

“Who is this?”

I turned the picture toward Ben for clarification and he took it from me for a better look.

“Do you remember the story I told you?” When I nodded in confirmation, he continued. “Well, that’s my dad.”

“D-dad?”

“Yeah, it’s the only one my mother had of him. I figured even though he didn’t really raise me, it might be nice to put his photo on the wall.” He shrugged. “I’m not particularly sentimental, but if I could put a photo of us as children missing our two front teeth, why not a picture of my dad, ya know?”

Rather than reveal my suspicion, I pasted on a fake smile. “For sure. Now that I know he’s your dad, I can, uh, see the similarities.”

“Yeah, but I think I look more like my mom.”

“I agree,” Alex interjected. “You’ve got the same girlie mug.”

“Yeah? Well your mom didn’t have any complaints last night… or this morning.” There was a moment of silence before the three of us burst out laughing.

“That was the worst comeback ever,” I laughed. “And I give you negative five points for originality.”

We chuckled a little more, but on the inside my head was spinning. Ben and Alaina were half-siblings which meant by proxy that he was like family. That was mostly fine by me since the more we hung out, the more he filled the brotherly role I had assumed was Alex’s. In retrospect, Alex hadn’t really acted like a brother in a long time… he was stuck in Limbo – the void in between. Between what exactly, I wasn’t sure, but that’s where he’d been for a very long time.

I attempted a furtive glance at Alex. He was still leaning against the wall, smiling away at something else Ben had said. Watching him laugh and joke around made all the craziness going on seem insignificant and simple. Almost as if I had a chance to make it out of this alive and not locked up.

“Earth to Adrienne.”

Ben waved a hand in front of my face, a stupid grin on his face. “You should take a picture it would last longer.”

I gave him a big shove, willing the blush I could feel creeping into my cheeks away. “Zip it. I was spacing out.”

“Mmhmm.” His eyes narrowed and he smirked. It was obvious that he thought I was full of it.

I pushed him away with a palm to his forehead and he fell into wall of the hallway.

“She’s so violent!”

“Isn’t she just?” Alex pulled me into him, back first, and lifted me in a reverse bone crushing hug. “I tell her that all the time.”

“Put me down!” I heaved, barely able to speak under the pressure. He complied and I took a deep breath to give my lungs the oxygen they screamed for. “You’re not allowed to take his side when I retaliate!”