fierce ↠ sweet pea [1] [✔]

|| FORTY-FIVE ||

"Toni Topaz," Lauryn chirped, leaning on the lockers by her best friend whose eyes were stuck to her phone, and an unusual smile glowing from her face. "Could the reason behind that smile be a text?"

Toni giggled, shutting her locker before putting her phone in her pocket. She blushed hard. "No."

"You're lying," her best friend suspected, and then she came to the realisation of who it was from. "No way. Cheryl Blossom, isn't it?"

"It's nothing," Toni chuckled, but the grin she couldn't get rid of said otherwise. "Wow, Lauryn, you look better."

"Yeah, I think I finally grasped the concept of sleep," she said, before folding her arms. "But, I want to hear more about you and Cheryl. Is she into girls?"

Toni chuckled under her breath, shrugging bashfully. "I guess so? I, uh, wasn't sure how you'd feel about it since she's been giving you a hard time ever since we got here."

Lauryn frowned. "Come to think of it, she's been pretty quiet lately."

"You're welcome?" Toni replied, tightening her bag strap over her shoulder. "She asked me to be her emotional support at her dad's secret will reading or something?"

"Just when I was starting to forget that she's a Blossom."

"So," her best friend inhaled. "What made you suddenly hit the sack?"

"Well," Lauryn began, choosing a starting point. "I put a stop to my mom's games, mainly. I relied so much on her being in my life that it actually started to suck when she ghosted for the second time."

"Why would you let yourself do that?" Toni asked, screwing her face up as the girls began walking together. "God, Lauryn, if you'd have let me at her--"

Lauryn laughed lightly, pulling her sweater further over the bump instinctively as she noticed a couple students throwing looks in her direction. "That's exactly why I didn't. It was hard for me not to throw one of her crystal bowls at her, and by the way, it would've been a hard choice as to which one."

"Damn," Toni chortled at her. "So, she really was a product of why we hate the Northside?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "I don't know why I ever gave her a second chance."

"Don't throw yourself under the bus like that. The last time you'd seen her, you were a kid. How were you supposed to know that she hadn't changed?"

"I guess," Angel Face shrugged, sighing. "I should've been thankful for what I had already. I didn't need her at all, especially not before I'm supposed to become a mother as well."

Toni stopped suddenly, examining her best friend. "That's why her return meant a lot to you."

Feeling transparent, Lauryn chuckled at herself in self-pity. "What can I say? I literally only had Bumblebee as a role model, and bless her heart, she overworked herself daily. I guess I was just hoping that... I don't know, I'd learn from my own mom."

"That's understandable," Toni comforted, linking her arm through Lauryn's. "But, you have nothing to worry about. You're gonna be great."

"I keep waiting for everything to just implode," Lauryn admitted. "I know this isn't easy as it is, but, I kick myself daily for thinking that this isn't as bad as I expected it to be."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Toni nudged her, but her facial expression didn't alter. "You've been through hell already. Trust me, the next part is gonna be easier than you think."

"I want to believe that, honest, I do," she said helplessly, lifting her eyes from the polished floor to see Sweet Pea standing by the doors waiting for her with his back leant against the wall. "I gotta go help Sweet Pea and Fangs move my stuff over to Sweet Pea's trailer. You want in?"