Is this the final stop? (Toni Shalifoe)

Chapter 4

It's late. Toni hasn't seen Shelby since she dropped the L bomb. Shelby's door is closed. The hallway is empty, so she starts looking at the pictures on the wall. Most of them are school portraits, a wide grin from Melody, a smirk from Spencer. And Shelby.

Shelby's pageant queen smile. Toni looks at it for a moment.

She doesn't recognize this smile. She's made Shelby laugh, and that's not how she looks when she smiles.

Toni hears the turn of a doorknob. She doesn't turn around. Won't take the chance that it's Dave.

"I need to tell you somethin'." It's Shelby.

Toni remains facing the wall.

"I gotta go to bed. School tomorrow and everything," Toni answers, her tone even.

"You need to know—"

"I don't need to know anything. Whatever it is, let's just leave it alone," Toni interrupts. She, frankly, doesn't want to hear it. Doesn't want to hear Shelby's internalized beliefs.

Shelby finally takes the not-so-subtle hint and leaves, dejected.

Toni hears the door close. She exhales, not realizing she was holding her breath in the first place.

She enters her room, and closes the door. Notices there's no option for a lock. Shocker, Toni thinks.

She gets into the bed and groans, annoyed at how nice it feels. This all could be worse.

It already has been. She can do this. She can handle Shelby, for sure. But there's more to maneuver with Dave.

Toni turns out the light. There are glow in the dark stars on her ceiling. In their respective astronomical patterns, she realizes.

Her eyes get heavy.

In the morning, she's slow out of bed. Feeling the pressure of starting over.

Toni's has had her fair share of first days at new schools. Although some of those memories are foggy. Like when she was 6 or 7, she was being plunked into and out of a handful of schools in one year. It was hard to make friends.

She liked making enemies better. It was faster, easier, and free entertainment. Toni was usually the best at gym, so new competition calls for new rivals. It wouldn't be long until someone established themselves as a member of the "I don't like Toni Shalifoe" fanclub. Which was an ever-growing one.

As Toni got older, she transferred less and less, and felt the same way she cared about school.
Toni stayed at each home longer and longer, and sometimes that was even a good thing. Well, an okay thing. A good thing would be if she had a normal family, with normal jobs, attending her basketball games, cheering her on.

But that wasn't the case. So, she devoted the minimum time required to school and homework, not like her homes were ever great learning environments, anyway.

Until Marty. Who would always check up on Toni to make sure she was completing and comprehending the homework. Who would stay up late to reteach the lessons she slept through. Who would always save a seat for lunch. Or let her house be an escape. And Marty was the only one she shared her Takis with. An honor, Toni thinks.

She hears a knock on the door, "I'm serious, we gotta talk," Shelby whispers.

Toni rolls her eyes. And doesn't open the door.

Toni really misses Martha. And the Takis. But she knows Martha's finally free of her burden.

She feels vibrating in her pocket as she brushes her teeth.