Is this the final stop? (Toni Shalifoe)

Chapter 73

Dot stands at Shelby's door with fidgeting hands. There's worry plastered on her face, her shirt is half tucked into her pants, the sleeves are haphazardly rolled, and she's sweaty. Dot has clearly dropped everything to make her way over here.

This look startles Shelby into silence. Her voice gets caught in her throat, and her eyes are wide and scared. Dot immediately reads them as trouble. She goes into protection mode.

Dot barges into the house, "What's the emergency? What happened to Toni? Toni!" She yells up to the second floor to her, expecting to hear that something is wrong. She tries to listen to any groans and whimpers of pain. But she only hears the ticking of clocks in the room.

Dot deems this silence as the worst possible option and flings herself towards the stairs, ready to take them by twos. But Shelby jumps in front of her, putting both her hands on Dot's shoulders, stopping her.

"She's fine. She's not here—"

"Toni's not here? Where is she? I thought they released her?" Dot asks, her voice is wavering. This week has been stressful for the short-haired girl, too.

Shelby blows out a frustrated breath, exhausted by her own mishandling of the situation. She exasperates, "Everythin's fine, she's livin' with—Dottie, this isn't really how I pictured this goin'. Can we take a breather?" She hopefully raises her eyebrows at Dot, offering her a small smile.

Dot scoffs and pushes back the hair that's sticking to her face, "You can't just text 'I need you' with no followup, no information, and not expect me to freak the fuck out. Got it?" Dot scolds.

Shelby slaps a hand to her forehead in embarrassment, "Noted. Got it. Yes, Dottie."

Dot takes a moment, working to calm herself down and let her heart rate return back to normal. Once she doesn't feel it trying to jump out of her chest, her eyes connect with Shelby's, and that's when she sees it.

There's a look in her eyes and Dot can't decide if it's a sparkle of hope or a glint of fear. Dot finally notices how Shelby's hair falls across her shoulders. Enough alarm bells are ringing in her head that she says, "You need me?"
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Shelby and Dot sit on the swings, moving ever so slightly, toes just brushing the wood chips. It's still warm, so the shorts they are wearing are still comfortable. Although, Shelby wishes she had offered the bug spray before they sat at the playplace.

But Shelby hasn't been thinking many things through.

"Do you think they'll adopt her?" Dot asks optimistically.

Shelby nods, biting her lip, still holding back. It was so easy to bring Dot down from off the ledge of worry by explaining everything that has happened in the last two hours. But the sun is setting and Shelby feels like she's losing her chance.

Maybe she feels like she's losing her boldness, like she's cashed in enough of it to last her a lifetime—given the circumstance of Jobeth and the picture frame and the bracelet and the un-ending acceptance from her immediate family. And she's not wearing that bracelet now because she needs to say the words. Shelby knows she can be brave enough to not rely on its symbolism.

But coming out to Dot somehow seems different. This girl has known Shelby for her entire life. Dot knows how Shelby grew up, she knows first-hand how she pushed her away in middle school, opting for popularity over friendship. Dot knows Dave, his beliefs, and his... extracurricular activities.

And yet, she doesn't know this.

"There's somethin' else," Shelby chokes out. "About Toni." Shelby braces a hand tightly onto the chains of the swing. She can feel the metal pressing hard into her skin, not enough to draw blood, but there's still time. She avoids Dot's serious face, but can feel the brown eyes boring into her.