◤ chapter fourteen: ❛ toni was bored... (pt. 2) ❜ ◢
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IF TONI HAD TO EXPLAIN HER ACTIONS FOR THE DAY IN ONE WORD IT WOULD COME DOWN TO THE FACT THAT SHE WAS BORED. Deeply and incredibly bored because not only was her best fucking friend on the entire planet in Washington D.C. being a fucking badass smart woman dominating another Decathlon team, her other best friend in the entire world was doing some brotherly bonding or whatever his excuse was.
And yeah, it sucked knowing that Atlas had clearly lied to her and was keeping something from her because never in her life had she heard Atlas Wilder say that he was having some bonding time with Colin, even though she knew those brothers were as thick as thieves, but she didn't want to dwell on that fact. She had lied to plenty of people before so she didn't want to pry when she was also keeping something from them (aka the identity of Spider-Man), so she let it be and tried to push it all down and bottle it the good ole Irish way.
She wasn't exactly a stranger to the bottling method of dealing with pesky feelings. Sometimes they spilled over when she bottled too much, like the resentment she felt towards her family, but most of the times it was manageable and she could just push it all away and forget that they ever existed in the first place. It was only when she had reminders of the reason she bottled it down in the first place that they sprang back up to bite her in the ass sometimes.
So no, she wasn't upset or hurt at all that Atlas was keeping a secret from her - she would never. Why would the untouchable princess of the Alderson family ever be hurt by anything? She was an impenetrable force, a stone cold bitch, and nothing could touch her. Ever.
No, she didn't have breakdowns. No, she didn't want to cry when her friends kept secrets. And no, she would never feel absolutely and incredibly guilty - like that type where it just overtakes you at every moment - that she was keeping a secret from her friends even though it was the identity of another person and she was being a decent human being by doing so.
Antoinette Alderson was utterly untouchable at this point. Nothing could get through her walls.
So it didn't hurt at all and she was absolutely bursting with joy because Sabrina had just called and said that they won the competition (which she knew they would, of course) and that they were going to the Washington Monument to celebrate. Super exciting stuff really.
And Toni was so happy for her because she knew that they would crush it, but she was also utterly alone since Atlas was fucking off to who knows where and lying and she had kicked Caden out of her life, which was her go-to distraction when she couldn't call up her friends. Not that she regretted that decision. Caden was an absolute prick and cheater and she was glad that she no longer associated with him, but it also meant that she was alone.
So, what do you do when you have no one to hang out with? You go to your favorite local diner, of course, and annoy your cousin since he's not exactly the devil anymore but he's still a bit of a demon. Not that Toni was exactly an angel herself. She was nowhere near that holiness, she only portrayed herself as an angel.
She hoped that Finn was working otherwise this would be utterly pathetic but she also didn't want to call Davina or her Aunt Lucy to ask because that was also pathetic. God, she sounded pathetic herself like this but she really wasn't. Toni Alderson was the opposite of pathetic. That word could never describe her in any way shape or form.
She took a seat at the counter, looking around until she saw her cousin, almost letting out a sigh of relief when she did see his scrawny figure because that meant she wasn't a total fool and completely pathetic. See? She wasn't pathetic in the slightest - completely untouchable by that word.
Finn raised an eyebrow when he saw her. It wasn't like she was regular or anything, but she had to admit that she was coming here more often than not some nights when she didn't feel like getting drunk and dealing with a hangover and Sabrina was busy being a boss ass bitch and studying.
It was nice. Finn was nice and he was chill and he only made fun of her a little bit. That was probably the greatest compliment she could give him. Toni felt like her life was insane, a total high all the time even in the lows - she knew Spider-Man for fucks sake! - and Finn just felt calm.
Yeah, he wasn't exactly bland or anything seeing as he was an ex-drug dealer and almost went to juvie and that wasn't something bland people dealt with, but the atmosphere around him was calm. Toni was in a whirlwind or thrills and Finn was the waves crashing against the shore. There was just something about him and being in a shitty diner with apple pie and milkshakes that made her feel calm and like she was taking a break.
Like the thrills had gone home and she was in the aftermath, the low part but she didn't feel low, and she wasn't hiding anything. It was a weird calm, but she liked it.
"Funny seeing you here," Finn commented, "This becoming a thing."
Toni brushed her hair from her hair. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she said innocently, brushing off the question because she didn't want to admit that it was becoming a thing. This was becoming a thing for her - this fucking diner that she had been to so many times as a kid with Finn to see Davina working because they were thick as thieves back then.
That was before growing up and growing apart, when everything was just so simple and she didn't feel like her life was a fucking rollercoaster.
Finn gave her an amused look, shaking his head at her. "What do you want?"
"Shouldn't you be kinder to your customers? You don't know, I might give you a bad Yelp view for your rudeness," Toni joked with him, though she sounded complete serious.
But even though to someone else she might have sounded so serious and truthful, Finn knew her better and part of her hated that he still knew her so well while the other part was a mixture of happiness and sadness. Yeah, they still knew each other and knew how the other joked, but they didn't really know each other now...did they?
"Sure you are," he teased her back, as if daring her to do so. She huffed at him and he laughed, knowing that he had seen her bluff, "Now, what do you want?"
"Fries and a strawberry milkshake," she answered, not feeling particularly hungry but still wanting something to munch on because food always made her feel better when she was pushing down negative emotions (aka the sadness and hurt Atlas was sending her way.)
Finn raised an eyebrow. "Strawberry milkshake, really?" he questioned, looking skeptical and almost disappointed at her choice.
Toni rolled her eyes. "What? You gotta problem with it? I don't want another stupid cookies and cream and vanilla by itself is disgusting and you know I hate chocolate shakes so yeah, strawberry."
He made a noise showing her he still didn't agree with her choice but she didn't say anything about it. He could judge her all he wanted, she was still going to get that shake and drink all of it just to prove how good it was to him.
"Whatever, you're the one who's gonna have to suffer through it," he shrugged, putting in the order as she glared at him.
He was such a little shit that it was no wonder why she compared him to the devil itself - but no, she could concede that Finn was more of just a demon than anything else.
"So," Finn turned back around to her, "Have a fight with your friends or something?"
Toni gave him a confused look. "What do you mean? Of course not."
"Well, you're here willingly on a Saturday in the afternoon which means that your friends aren't hanging around you for whatever reason...so a fight. Seems plausible enough," Finn explained himself and Toni wanted to huff at his explanation but it was pretty good because why would she willingly go to him when she could be with people she didn't compare to demons?
"For your information, Sabrina is on a school trip to Washington D.C. for Decathlon and Atlas had some...thing with his brother," Toni told him, although she knew that she didn't have to and she didn't really know why she was offering the information.
Finn raised an eyebrow. "You look like you don't believe that," he pointed out.
"Stop reading me," she snapped, hating that he could know her so well to tell when she didn't believe something she was saying, "That's what he told me and it's complete bullshit because he never has anything to do with Colin but whatever. It's not my place to call him out and demand an explanation. If he doesn't wanna hang out with me, then he doesn't wanna hang out with me. I'm a big girl and I can handle that."
"Even when it comes from one of your friends?" Finn asked.
"Well, last time I checked you got like one friend, so shut up," Toni snapped at him again, "It sucks, but it's whatever. At least I could count on you to be here working."
Finn shrugged at that, seemingly unhurt by her words that he was her last choice. It wasn't like he didn't know that already, they both knew their relationship with each other was very strained.
"Could've called up Harry," Finn offered, "You know, because you like him."
"I don't like him," she corrected him with a shake of her head, "He's annoying and rude...and beside, he's also on that Decathlon trip with Sabrina."
"Guess not then," Finn muttered, "But, I mean, if you hate someone you don't talk about them constantly."
"I don't. I didn't even bring him up - you did," she reminded him, immediately putting a straw in her milkshake once Finn brought it to her, sucking up that strawberry glory and making sure to make a noise of contentment to show him that strawberry ruled.
"But you've done in here plenty of times just to complain about him. Harry came up to me in the hallway today or Harry winked at me and said that he doesn't make me and it's infuriating, like come on," Finn made a noise that was supposed to sound like her voice as he impersonated her, "If you hate him, you'd try to forget that ever happened. Not go to someone else you claim to hate and start talking about him over and over again."
"I hate you," she deadpanned, "And I also hate Harry. He's the worst - like the absolute worst, alright? There's no other feelings inside me about him other than hatred because he's fucking annoying and he called a bitch the first time we met."
"Plenty of people have called you a bitch before. I've called you a bitch," he pointed out.
"And, like I said, I hate you," she reminded him, though she didn't necessarily believe that herself since while Finn was a demon, he was still this light to her dark family that definitely Lucifer material. Compared to the Alderson/Patterson clan, he was a fucking angel, although that wasn't necessarily high praise.
"But why does it matter that he called you a bitch? I remember you coming in here the first time when you opening up to why you hate him oh so much and saying how everyone thinks you're a bitch," Finn recalled, "So what does it matter that he also said that? You don't hate everyone else for what they labeled you, do you?"
"Maybe I do," she shrugged, "But like, it's because I didn't do anything that would warrant him calling me that. Everyone else...sure. I've been pretty mean to them so it's warranted, but him? No. So, I hate him."
Finn shrugged. "Nobody's perfect," was all he had to say.
Toni rolled her eyes. "Since you're so interested in my love life - which is nonexistent because I don't have feelings on anyone, thank you very much - tell me about yours. You got anything going for you right now?"
His cheeks turned to a light blush color and she gasped. "Wait, you do?" she asked, her tone surprised because honestly she wasn't expecting that to happen or for him to actually crush on anyone.
"Oh, shut up," he tried to wave her off but she would not be pushed away so easily especially after all the talk of Harry he had put her through.
"No, Finn Patterson you tell me right now who they are," Toni demanded.
"You probably wouldn't even know them," he shook his head, still trying to hold on from telling her who his mysterious crush was.
"Doesn't matter. I can look them up so quickly and know just about everything about them," she discredited his argument, "So tell me. Come on, it's the least you could after grilling me about someone I hate."
Finn rolled his eyes at that, clenching his jaw for a couple moments before releasing it and shaking his head. "Fine. His name is Peter Parker and he goes to your school but I don't know if you know him," he relented, "He's cute and smart and he tutors me. Don't go screwing with him because I really need his help to pass Biology."
Toni's eyes widened and she just felt so incredibly shocked. Of course her cousin had a crush on Peter Parker, the guy with the most complicated life ever because he was also a vigilante. God - of course her cousin would fall for fucking Spider-Man. Only Finn, really.
"Peter Parker?" she repeated his name for clarification.
Finn nodded, his cheeks getting to a deeper red, "Yeah, why?"
"Nothing," she said quickly, shaking her head, "It's just, well, I didn't know nerdy was your type. I always thought you had a thing for the bad boys."
"No, I was a bad boy and nerdy boys don't go to parties so I can't hook up with him," he corrected her, "But I like Peter, so please don't screw this up for me."
"Fine," she put her hands up to let him know that she wouldn't try anything, "I won't fuck this up for you, but damn...really?"
She couldn't help it. Yeah, Peter was kind of cute like a puppy and a little bit attractive, but he wasn't her type personally. She needed someone with an edge and Peter just seemed too cookie-cutter and not butcher knife. Plus she could not be a girlfriend to a superhero. That's too fucking exhausting and she would not be able to handle everything that comes along with superheroing without strangling her partner for getting into the business.
"He's cute," Finn defended himself, "And he takes the time to get to know me and doesn't judge me based on all the shit in my life. I like him."
"Fine, alright then. Could've done worse, at least," and that was probably going to be the greatest compliment from her towards his crush on Peter Parker - like really, him.
Finn rolled his eyes at her, though it was with a bit of gratitude hiding in his features as he knew that this was just her way of saying that she supported his endeavor in her own Toni Alderson language. Even Sabrina sometimes couldn't read her like that and it annoyed her that he could.
She felt her phone buzz in her pocket, so she frowned. "One moment," she told Finn, getting up and stepping outside of the diner, looking at the ID and seeing Sabrina's contact appear.
"Hey," she greeted her friend over the phone, "What's going on? I talked to you, like, an hour ago."
"Okay, so you know how I told you we were taking a tour of the Washington Monument? Well, there was like this bomb or something inside and there was this huge explosion while we were in the elevator and - oh my God, Toni we almost died! And then like Spider-Man came out of nowhere and saved us, and like why the hell is Spider-Man in D.C.? I don't know, but like I have a rush of adrenaline right now and I'm rambling, I know," Sabrina quickly spoke over the phone.
"Wait, wait, wait," Toni needed a moment to process, "You almost died? What the fuck? Is everyone alright?"
"No one got hurt but Liz was like the last out of the elevator and she had the closest call to dying. It was so scary, Toni, like I thought that this was the end for me. Fuck, I-I don't know what to do or say," Sabrina told her, "I mean, if Spider-Man hadn't appeared I'd be a goner."
"Yeah, thank God he was there," she muttered, now incredibly thankful that Peter hijacked the trip for his own personal mission or whatever because otherwise her best friend would be dead and she didn't think she could ever handle that happening, "Are-Are you okay? All things considered, of course."
"Yeah, I'm fine. No injuries or anything. I mean, I'm just so freaked out and I called Julius before this and I think he was about to cry and like...I've never come that close to dying and it scared me so much," Sabrina admitted.
"Well, at least you're not hurt. Just calm down, alright? And when you get back here I am going to give you the biggest hug and never let you out of my sight, got it?" Toni tried to lighten the mood, still freaking out herself that her best friend almost just died.
"I think you and Julius have the same plan," Sabrina laughed, "Alright. I gotta go now, we're finally allowed to go back to our hotel. I'll talk to you later, alright?"
"Okay, talk later," Toni promised, waiting for Sabrina to hang up the phone before staring at it.
Holy fuck, her friend almost died. Her friend almost died. Everyone on that trip almost died and Harry - Harry almost died. Holy fuck, she cared about whether or not Harry died. She didn't want him to die, and she didn't like to think about him on the elevator almost dying.
Holy fuck, she had feelings for Harry!