The brunette was bombarded with questions the moment she returned the keys to SweetPea. As she stepped into the rustic trailer, it's cream paint job peeling. She was forced to take a moment to gather herself - both Fangs and SweetPea speaking over one another. Toni held up her hands in defense, waiting for them to notice the signal to shut the hell up.
"One at a time, I'm not a mind reader!" Toni called out over their gruff voices, thankfully getting through to them. "You're acting as though I died."
"We thought those assholes, the ghoulies came after you again." Fangs sighed, annoyance laced beneath his words.
"You can't just disappear like that, Toni." SweetPea snarled in anger, it was clear to her that he hadn't slept. His eyes glazed with a panic she'd only seen a handful of times.
Toni discarded her jacket, tossing it onto the couch as she sat before them. A feeling of guilt hitting her as she realised she'd scared the life out of them - the last time she said she'd be back and didn't show, she was off her nut in a gutter.
"I'm sorry, I meant to call, I just..." Toni confessed, quickly realising she'd been too caught up in Cheryl to remember to contact them. "Cheryl was at Pop's she was drunk...I couldn't just leave her there, anything could've happened..."
Fangs expression fell sympathetic, resting his head in his hands. Finally allowing himself to catch a breath and relax. He pulled himself to his feet, letting out a final exhale before coming over to Toni. His arms wrapping around her, giving her a comforting squeeze, thankful she was okay.
"Now that I know you're fine, I need to let Kevin know. He's been ready to put out a missing person report for the past two hours." Fangs cracked a smile, his hand running over Toni's loose waves before placing a friendly kiss on her forehead. "I expect to meet this woman of yours soon."
The brunette felt her cheeks light on fire at his words, scrambling to correct him but he was already gone. "She's not my—"
"He's messing with you." SweetPea interjected coldly, unlike Fangs he didn't appear to forgive her so easily. Toni rubbed the nape of her neck.
"If you're worried about your bike, it's in perfect shape." She started, watching as the ruffled haired boy turned away from her. Toni shuffled awkwardly, not used to the eerie silence between them. "Listen Sweets, I really didn't intend to frighten you g—"
"Do you remember the time I found you bleeding out?" The boy almost spat, his words feeling like a knife to her heart. Subconsciously reaching to trace the scar just below her ribs. "Or foaming from the mouth? Drenched in sweat or shaking profusely from withdrawal?"
"SweetPea..." Toni tried to speak, taking a step towards her friend.
"You might not remember that one time we were almost too late. Fangs had found you choking on your own puke." SweetPea had turned now, towering over her with a pain behind his eyes. "He didn't sleep for weeks, he didn't leave your side even if it meant he slept on the floor beside you."
The brunette's head bowed as shame clung to her, all of those memories were still a haze in her mind. Their hospital bills were still through the roof because of all of the times she'd needed medical attention.
"You promised us you'd never disappear like that again, we know you still have a debt with the ghoulies." The older boy kept his eyes focused on the girl before him, ignoring the way she begged him with her eyes to leave it be. "They're impatient assholes, something you learned the hard way."
"I know, I was there, SweetPea. Whether I was functioning through it or not, I have the scars. I know what happened." Toni finally argued back, tears brimming at the edge of her eyes. "I'm paying them back, where do you think a quarter of my money went? I give them what I can, whenever I can."
Something twisted inside her, not wanting to bring back whatever haunting memories were locked away in the back of her mind. But for a split second, they fell free.
Toni's bloodshot eyes bored out of the far window of a house she'd not bothered to get the address of. The darkened sky casting down upon her. She'd never been a religious girl, yet looking towards the sky now, it felt as though someone was staring down at her. Disgust smeared along their expression, disapproving of her pointless existence. She was a waste of oxygen and she knew it.
Silence spilled into the room despite the echo of the party raging on downstairs. Toni felt sick to her stomach - the amount of alcohol she'd consumed catching up to her.
The failing coping mechanism taunting her, taking away her pain momentarily. Ripping her sanity from her bare hands, urging her to take one more sip until she was left with an empty bottle clasped between her hands. Her reflection mirrored her through the gleam of the window, the shadow of who she used to be had faded. Lifeless brown eyes staring back at her. She hated herself just a little bit more in this moment. So she did the only thing she was good at, pressing the bottle to her lips and drinking.
It had been hours later when she'd woken, a stranger beside her in bed. A dark haired girl she'd never met in her life, Toni barely remembered the girl stumbling into the room. But in a matter of minutes, the fact that she was a stranger didn't matter. All she needed was a distraction. The girl wasn't even gay, but Toni was sure after their encounter, she'd reconsider.
The noise that had once been booming through the floorboards had now subsided. The brunette gathered the remainder of her clothes, tugging on whatever was missing. Not bothering to check if her belongings were still intact. She didn't own anything worth stealing anyhow.
As she staggered aimlessly down the unfamiliar staircase, her eyes fell upon a small crowd jotted around the couch. None of them looked her way even as she stumbled down the final stair. A tremor in her voice as she muttered an apology to no-one in particular. The orange hue of the sunrise flooded the streets, a groan erupting from Toni. Her uncle was going to beat her half to death. Adding to the many bruises already scattered across her body.
What was worse was the fact she could barely stand straight. Her feet struggled to carry her as she wavered down the street, her boots scuffing as she tripped down each curb. If she'd been sober, she knew she'd care what the people passing her were thinking. But she managed to push away anyone asking if she needed help. She'd be fine. She always was. And if she wasn't no one cared enough to notice anyway.
The drugs blurred her vision, morphing things as simple as lamp posts into objects that barely made sense. Toni gritted her teeth in irritation, she was just a few blocks from her uncles place. Somewhere she didn't want to return to, but finding it was only home she'd ever known.
"Topaz."
The sound of the gravelly voice stopped Toni in her tracks. Her heart that had already been hammering rapidly, dropped to her stomach. It was the voice of someone she'd been avoiding for months, diving behind dumpsters whenever the sound of a ghoulie passed by.
"One of my boys thought they saw you around here." Malachai called out to the intoxicated girl, the strangers chuckled coldly to themselves watching her sway. "It's time to pay that money you owe."
Before Toni knew what was happening, she was circled by more people than her mind could process. The only working part of her mind, shoving her hand into her purse clutching ahold of her phone, calling the only number she had on speed dial. Things only ended one way with the ghoulies.
"I-I don't have your money." Toni's voice wobbled, fear dripping from her lips. Her mind too fucked up to be able to turn and run. "Give me more ti—"
That was when they'd swung their first hit. A bat to the back of her left leg - her whole body toppling to the floor. The impact knocking the air from her lungs. Pain shot through her body in waves as they all appeared to take a hit. After what Toni thought was the fourth hit, her body almost became numb. That was until the shear sound of a blade caught her hearing, sharp and swift and before she could even attempt to crawl away. It was too late.
That was where SweetPea found her lying face down on the concrete. Her eyes closed, already growing swollen as they shined in the morning sunlight. Blood pooled on the ground from the corner of lip, yet no one around who would have witnessed the incident. Every muscle in her body refrained from movement, her arm limp as the hand pressed to her wound soon became drenched in blood.
"S-sweets..." Toni coughed out, choking on her own saliva as he lifted her gently in his arms. "Mala—it was Malachai..."
"I know. I know, Toni. Just breathe, stay with me. The ambulance is coming, just hold on." The brown eyed boy's voice broke beneath the pressure.
The tanned girl's skin ran pale, all of the blood focusing on leaving the gaping wound on her abdomen. SweetPea had no other choice than to tear off his shirt, bundling it up to use to slow down the bleeding. But it was clear - if no one showed in the next few minutes, Toni would run out of time.
It wasn't fair how memories managed to have such power over someone. They were deep and horrible, and they ceased to heal overnight. It was since that moment, after she'd spent several nights on an IV drip in the hospital - that SweetPea had forced her to sober up. Some nights she'd pleaded with him to give her something, an ounce of alcohol, anything that could get rid of the shakes or stop the spillage of vomit. When he refused she screamed, cried, and yelled out all of the curse words under the moon. But despite it all, he never left her side.
When she met SweetPea's eyes now, she knew that his trust in her was wavering.
"I'm sorry, SweetPea. I really am, for not telling you...for the drugs, the drinking, the late nights." Toni let out as she turned to sit down, running her hand through her slightly matted hair. "For all of it, but you don't have to worry about me anymore. I'm sober, I wouldn't willingly fall down that path again. Not after the last time."
SweetPea let out a painfully sarcastic laugh, "An addict almost always slips up, Toni. I'll never stop worrying about you, you're my family."
"I know, Sweets. I know, okay?" The frustration began to grow within Toni as every minute passed. "Do you think I wanted things to be the way it was? I haven't had a relapse in over a year."
"I hope for Cheryl's sake it doesn't happen again." SweetPea finally said after taking a minute. His words caused her eyebrows to furrow in confusion.
"For Cheryl's sake?"
"You like her, don't you?" SweetPea asked, his brown eyes staring back at her. The brunette swallowed, not knowing whether to admit it. "You wouldn't have forgotten something important, if you weren't so wrapped up in her."
"It doesn't matter whether I like her or not, we can't be together. Even if that's what she wanted too." Toni rolled her eyes, not wanting to get into something that'll just lead her down a tunnel of pain. Unrequited love was nothing more than a cycle of heartache.
Yet even at those words, SweetPea still shook his head. "If you two wanted to be together, I have no doubt that you'd find a way."
Deep down Toni knew he was right, because anyone who truly loved one another found a way. Except Romeo and Juliet she supposed - it didn't end too well for either of them. Toni knew if Cheryl ever gave her the chance, she'd do everything within her power to protect their relationship.
"Maybe." Was all the brunette said, wringing her hands tightly. "But I won't screw that up, not like I screwed everything else up."
A sad smile crossed her friends lips as he looked down at her, "You don't screw everything up, Toni. Far from it. The woman would be lucky to have you in her life like that."
"I'd be the lucky one..."
[x]
Sorry for the crappy chapter, i dont like this chapter at all, but for now it's a filler chapter cherylxtoni will be together again in the next one