This is kinda based on the Jules special for Euphoria.
CHERYL POV:
"How are you doing today Cheryl?" My therapist ask quietly. "Better." She nods. "Do you think I'll ever forget her?" I ask quietly. "Do you want to?" I shake my head. "No. It was always the small stuff. Like how she would always forget to wipe her face after she brushed her teeth."
I walk into the bathroom. "Hurry up, we're gonna be late if you don't get in the shower now!" I say to Toni. She looks at me. "What?" I smile. "You have toothpaste," I say motioning to her mouth. I grab a towel and wipe it off. "Where are we going aways?" She ask quietly. "Veronica's birthday party." I say quietly. She smiles. "What do I need to wear?" She ask. "It's on the bed." I tell her before walking out.
"She never had her life together. I would tell her we were going one place and she would accidentally make plans with Fangs!" I smile. I look at the therapist. "She was almost late to prom, when we won prom queens she was in the bathroom." I explain. "Veronica who was in charge of prom was gonna kill her." I laugh a little. "She was such a dumb ass but she was my dumb ass."
Toni walks onto the stage. "What did we win?" She ask quietly. I look at her. "Prom Queen." Her eyes widen. "Oh cool." She smiles. I look over and see Veronica fuming. I smile a little. "Come on, let's dance."
"Toni would always come home from school and almost immediately go to sleep." I say quietly. "Like I would have cheer and when I came home from school she'd be sound asleep in bed with the tv on because she couldn't sleep without background noise. We had a bit of a mouse problem and you could hear them through the wall and it freaked her out so she would put a show on usually Friends to drown it out." I say quietly. My therapist looks at me. "It was stuff like that. The stuff that made her human." I whisper. "You didn't see her as human?" She ask quietly. "Like I did obviously, but it was like she was like she was untouchable." I explain. "She was perfect." I whisper. "She never sat still for more than 2 minutes. When she was asleep it was the only time she was truly chilled out." I say quietly.
I walk into the bedroom and see Toni sound asleep in bed. I find the remote and turn down the tv so she doesn't wake up with a headache. I kiss the top of her head, she moves a bit but doesn't wake up. I smile and go back downstairs. After an hour or two Toni finally comes downstairs. "How was practice?" She ask quietly. "Good! Veronica almost broke her knee a few times." I say. "How was your day?" I ask quietly. She shrugs. "It was ok." She says awkwardly. "I got in trouble." I look at her. "I was being distracting." She explains. "What were you doing?" I ask. "I was messing around with my papers and kicking the chair in front of me." I look at her. "I couldn't focus." She whispers sadly.
"How's your son Jason taking all of this?" My therapist ask quietly. "He's ok." I say quietly. "He was the light of her life." I explain. "I really think he's going to take after Toni." She smiles. "He doesn't really get the whole photography thing but he definitely enjoys making little movies and stuff." I smile. "Toni was so happy to see him do stuff like that."
"Jason! Come downstairs and have dinner!" I yell. A few minutes later Jason comes downstairs with his computer. "No computer." Toni says quietly. "I'm editing." She sighs. "Save it and work on it after dinner." I say quietly. He nods and give me his computer. "It's for school, it's due in a few hours." I look at him. "How long have you had this project?" I ask quietly. "A few days. I've been working on it as much as I can! The stupid program kept crashing!" He explains. "Come on eat." I say. We all sit down and Toni immediately stands back up. "There's only one fork." I sigh. Toni walks back over with another fork. She looks at me.
"I think Jason still blames himself for Toni's death." I say quietly. "If it wasn't for her bipolar, she wouldn't have done it." I explain. "When Toni wasn't unable to get out of the bed and be happy! She was such a good person, she was happy sh-." I explain. "She was manic." She says for me. I nod.
"Toni, come on." I whisper. She shakes her head. "Toni..." I look at her. I rub her back. "Did you take your meds?" I ask quietly. "They don't work." I look at her. "Toni, you're in bed not wanting to get out after months of being ok." She looks at me. "No, I took them, they are just ineffective again. I need to talk to my doctor again." She explains. I smile sadly. "At least you realize what's going on in your head." She nods. "I have to go to work, do you want me to make an appointment for this afternoon and have Veronica drive you?" I ask quietly. She nods. "Ok." I kiss her. "I'll see you when I get home. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."
"I didn't realize that was the last time I was going to talk to her. If I knew, I would have been there to stop her or if I couldn't, I would be the one to find her not Jason." I explain. "Can I see Jason at some point?" My therapist ask quietly. I nod. "Yeah. I was planning on getting him to come in sometime this week." She nods. "Is he planning on going to college?" She ask quietly. I nod. "Yeah, he just sent in his application to Full Sail University a few days ago. He has the advantage of going to a trade school that has Digital Media."
The next day
Jason walks downstairs. He looks like he hasn't slept in a month. "What do you want to talk about?" He ask sitting down at the counter. I put the envelope with his college application in front of him. "I thought you sent this in." I whisper. "I can't." He says horrified. "Jason, you need to get out of this town!" I say quietly. "I-." He stops himself. "I-I can't." He says about to cry. "Why?" I ask. "Because I'm not going to get in!" He lies. "Is it because of mom?" I ask awkwardly. "I got a call from your teacher, you haven't been doing any of your work in Digital Media." I say quietly. "It's hard work." He says quietly. I look at him. "Tell the truth." He looks at me. "It was just something mom and I had in common." I nod. "It's just hard to do the one thing she truly loved doing." I take a deep breath. "That's why you should do it. For her." I explain. "And when you win the Oscar for best motion picture you honor her and let everyone know that if it wasn't for her and everything she has done for you, you wouldn't be up there excepting that award!" I tell him. He nods. "Do you want to go bring this in now?" He nods again. "Can we go to Pop's after? I could go for some curly fries." I smile. "Yeah. You know those were mom's favorite thing at Pop's." He looks at me. "I know." I kiss the top of his head. "I love you kiddo." He smiles a little.
A few days later
JASON POV:
I sit down in front of Mom's therapist. "How are you today?" She ask quietly. "I've been better." I say quietly. She nods. "How have you been doing since your mom died?" She ask concerned. "It's hard. I feel like I can't breathe sometimes." I say. "I can't help but think of that day." I whisper. "When you found your mother?" I nod. "I just wonder if I had gotten home earlier, would everything be different?" I say quietly. "Where you supposed to be home earlier than you came home that day?" I nod. "I decided to go to the mall with my girlfriend at the time instead." I whisper. "At the time?" She ask. "We broke up a few weeks ago. Everything with my mom and school, it was too much." I explain. "I'm sorry." I shrug. "It was my decision." I say awkwardly. "What is something that you and your mom liked to do?" She ask quietly. "Go to Pops." I say quietly. "She would always help me with school stuff like video projects and stuff like that." I explain. She smiles. "What projects are you working on now?" She ask quietly. "I haven't been able to even open my laptop for school." I say quietly. "Is it really that hard?" I nod. "I don't know why." I whisper. "Because it was something you and your mother had in common. It'll get easier over time." I take a deep breath.
"Mom! I'm home!" I yell putting my keys on the table next to the door. I sigh and go into the kitchen. I see a note from Veronica to check on mom when I got home so I do so. I go into their room and go into the bathroom in their room.
"Do you wish you could not come home when you did?" The therapist ask quietly. I nod. "I don't know if I could have talked her out of it, but I think if maybe I got home after my mom than I wouldn't have been the one to find her." I explain.
15 years later
CHERYL POV:
"Mom would have loved to be here for this." I whisper. "She is." Jason says quietly. I look at him. He pulls out his necklace from under his shirt. I grab it gently. "I found it in some of her stuff and it looks cool." I smile. "I gave that to her when on our anniversary, She felt so bad afterwards because she hadn't gotten my anything to expensive because she just couldn't afford it. But she got me one of my favorite mugs, I stopped using it a while ago because I didn't want to ruin it but still have it." I explain to him. He looks at me. "I'm just going to warn you, nothing on the necklace is from the original one, mom wore it all the time and had to get it fixed all the time." He smiles. "When you are up on that stage excepting your first Oscar, you are going to mention how amazing both your mom were raising you and how if it wasn't for Toni you wouldn't be on that stage excepting that award!" I tell Jason as I fix his tie. He takes a deep breath. "What if I don't win?" He ask quietly. "Than you congratulate the winner because I raised you to better than a sore loser." He smiles.
"Cheryl they're about to announce the winner!" Veronica says. I go over to the tv. "Antoinette! Come watch dad!" I say excitedly. "And the winner for best picture is... The One The Lonely: Jason Topaz!" An actor I've never heard of announces. I watch Jason stand up and hug his wife. We all celebrate and Jason goes up on the stage and excepts the award. "Um... I honestly don't deserve this award. This is more for my mother than for me. She died when I was 17 and if it wasn't for my other mom I wouldn't be up here excepting this award. This is for my moms!" Jason says. I take a deep breath.
"He's going to to make it." Toni says quietly. I look at her. "You think?" I ask quietly. She nods. I lie into her. "Toni, he's 12 you don't know that." I smile. "I have a hunch."
Jason walks into the apartment with his Oscar. He's still clearly in shock. I go over hand hug him. He looks at me. "She knows." I whisper.