Is this the final stop? (Toni Shalifoe)

Chapter 9

tw: small warning here just for the very last few lines for mentions of conversion therapy.

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Toni doesn't sleep that night. She tosses, and she turns. But she can't shake the fear and impending doom that one little message evoked. Then again, she didn't have that much time to sleep anyway, given the 6am cycling class.

Toni is paranoid that morning, and closed off from the rest of the world. From Shelby. From anyone. She refuses to contribute in any small talk with her. Which she knows she shouldn't do, given what she said last night about a fresh page. But that was before she was threatened.

And Toni is justified in her fear. Her foster father is someone who follows through on his words. And those chilling words: "I'll make you pay for what you did," scare her.

Shelby was ready to have a sweet, light morning conversation but as Toni leaves her room to go downstairs, she breezes past Shelby. Her eyes linger on the brunette, a bit disappointed, but sensing a larger issue.

Toni's not listening closely to the conversation at breakfast. She attempts to nod at places she thinks is right, but she's really just guessing.

Her head is too loud.

Until she hears a bowl slam on the counter.

"How many times have I told you that we don't buy this sugary crap?" Dave growls.

Now Toni has to pay attention. Shelby flinches slightly as Dave shoves Shelby's ceramic bowl of cereal into the cardboard box it came from and slams it into the trash can.

Toni lowers her head, avoiding any eye contact with Dave, but she tries looking at Shelby. To make sure she's okay, but Shelby looks straight ahead, becoming very still.

"I didn't want to waste it since Momma bought it," Shelby confesses, a way to shift blame away from her. She still doesn't move, doesn't even look up to her own father.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Toni," Dave swallows hard. "My wife can get a bit... tempted."

Toni looks in between Dave and Shelby.

"Now, come on, girls, eat faster. I will not be late." He swallows hard.

Shelby goes to grab an orange from the fruit bowl, and quickly begins to peel it. She hides her disappointment of her cereal well, giving a forced smile to Dave as he checks in on her.

"I love the taste of an orange after wakin' up. Especially after brushin' your teeth," Dave says, then whistles, "Woo, no better way to alert the senses."

Toni is disgusted, that is literally the worst combination of tastes, she thinks. And of course Dave would be the psychopath who likes it.

Toni just throws away her remaining food, which was most of it, her thoughts distracting her from eating. She doesn't want to hold anyone up. Dave is already irritated and she doesn't want to make it any worse.

Dave looks down at the trash can, inspecting Toni's uneaten breakfast.

"Are you feeling sick?" Dave interrogates.

Toni goes to answer, but he cuts her off with, "Because if you're healthy and you're hungry, I expect an empty plate. We don't want to be wastin' any offerings."

She steals a look at Shelby. He literally threw away a $20 beautiful cereal bowl. Full of food. And now he has the audacity to judge me? Toni thinks.

His demeanor is familiar. Toni's seen this behavior before. But not in houses like this. It reminds her too much of her own previous foster father.