It started with a text - {Choni}

- Chapter 29 -

Cheryls Pov

Heather told her everything. Stupid fucking heather told my mom everything. Every single detail that she knew about me texting Toni, my mom now knew. As soon as I arrived home, mother instantly grabbed me and dragged me down the garden and threw me into the barn. She took away my phone... infact she took everything away from me except for the clothes on my back. She took my life away from me.

Everyday I sat in that barn, all I could think about was Toni. The pain I had put her through in the past few weeks. I had broken her, she was just a normal teenager before I came into her life. But mainly, my mind was clouded by the ever-staying thought of if she cared about me... if she wanted to know where I was... if she wanted to see me. Then I always remembered what I did to her and started to break down into tears. My life was currently on a never ending loop.

Every so often I would be visited by the devil that is my mother, it was never a friendly visit, it was one of the most painful times of my life. Whenever Toni sent a text message to my phone, Penelope would come in and read it to me, and for every word Toni wrote she would slap me straight across my face. After a week my face was a deep purple colour from bruises, and some deep gashes covered my cheek from the metal rings she wore around her fingers. I had never been in such mental and physical pain in my life.

But today, mother didnt come into the barn like normal. I didnt get to hear Toni one last time. I thought she had given up on me, which caused me to lose my mind. I stood up and started throwing old buckets and chairs around and into walls, causing them to break. I couldnt stop. Every little thing in my sight I threw around or smashed. I was making a ridiculous amount of noise, I was suprised my mother didnt come out and tell me off. When I finally finished destroying everything I could find, I screamed a bloodcurdling scream before crashing to my knees and throwing my head into my hands. The gashes across my face stinging from my salty tears which had seeped into them. I was in hell.

Suddenly my mother came charging into the barn, belt in hand and walked towards me, purposefully cracking the belt like a whip the whole way. I slowly creeped my tear stained face up to see her towering over me, glaring at me with those devil eyes. She let out a weak smirk before slapping the belt in the palm of her hand.

"Oh your in big trouble now Cheryl, deary." I started trembling in fear as she started to edge closer and closer towards me.

"Please...not today mumsi. Anyday but today." I knew she was going to give me payback for trashing the barn, but I didnt think it was going to be this fast. "I get that I ruined this place... but ive had a bad enough day today."

"Oh Cheryl... im not here because you trashed the barn." She laughed at me slightly, almost as if I was stupid.

"Your....your not?" Now my mother was standing inches away from me, ready to attack me at any moment.

"No no... Im talking about how our "good friend" Antoinette turned up at our doorstep looking for you." She didnt give up on me...maybe she does care..

"She....she did?" I managed to let out a weak smile before getting slapped around the face again. "Ow! You old bitch!" My face fell back into the palms of my hands.

"What did I tell you about that girl!" Penelope grabbed my chin and pulled my face up to meet hers, I let out a small quiver.

"That...that.." Mother tightened her grip causing my bruises to ache and I let out a small screech in pain.

"Go on... spit it out then." She lifted my face up even higher.

"That....she's a manipulative serpent that just wants to use me and shes not worth my time.." Finally she loosened her grip, causing me to go crashing back onto the floor.

"Good.. your finally starting to understand me child." Mother turned around and started to walk away from me but before I knew it the tears were flowing like waterfalls again.

"But..but..." Her neck quickly snapped back around to face me.

"But what... Go on Cheryl.. say it.." Step by step, she got closer and closer to me.

"B..but.." She raised an eyebrow at me, encouraging me to say it almost. "But Toni... shes different to all the other serpents! She's kind, the kindest even. She always tries to do whats right, to help those who are broken. Forget Betty or Veronica... Toni Topaz is the only girl I know that has a heart, the only girl who would put someone elses life before hers. I know I side to Toni that no one else knows... and its beautiful. All she wants is for someone to care about her, which I do. She's broken...just like me." I quickly slammed my hand over my mouth, in awe that I just said that.

"Is that all Cheryl...." I just sat in silence, realising the mistake I just made. "Very well then..." I slammed my head on the floor before feeling the sharp pain of the belt striking my back and the loud cracking noise of leather and metal striking against bare skin. I let out a sharp squeal in pain before having the same feeling strike again on my back, just 1000x worse. "Maybe when you finally learn I'll let you out Cheryl." The big doors to the barn slammed shut again, signalling mothers exit from the barn. I couldnt stop groaning in pain from the damage she had done to my back. I couldnt move. I knew the cuts on my back were so deep that if I moved I risked worsening them, so I just sat still, crying my eyes out.

Thats when I felt two, warm arms wrap around my waist.
And the reassuring feeling of a leather jacket wrap around my body.
And the scent of strawberry shampoo.
My hero.

***

A/N: Um... so yeh ive like been dead for the past month oops. Im so so so sorry that I didnt release a chapter in so long, I feel like such a bad person.
But what. the. frick.
Last time I wrote a chapter I was on 5.8k, now im on 11.3k, you guys are amazing!

I think its about time I come back to writing this for y'all since I have been gone so long.

E x 💗

P.s. Thank y'all again! ❤️🙏🏼