Other Worlds - The Wilds

Chapter 26

AN: This is a chapter from Shelby's POV. I debated it but I didn't think you'd want a whole chapter of Toni just being ill and I didn't really want to write that lol. We are in Shelby's mind now so expect some internalised homophobia and such Shelby related things x

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  Shelby reread her last message to Toni.

Shelby: I wouldn't believe me either.

  Followed by:

Shelby: I'll pick you up for school tomorrow.

  Two hours had passed and Toni had still not responded. Maybe she fell asleep? It was only 10pm when she sent it and she knew for a fact that Toni was a night owl.

  She tried not to think too much into it but she found herself restless through the night. Was she too forward? Did she sound desperate? Lord she wished she hadn't sent that stupid text. She resisted the urge to send another message backtracking. She couldn't help but think that Toni suggested friends because she really didn't want to be anything more. The night before their big assignment was really not the time to be pushing the boundaries of their friendship. Waves of shame rolled over her for even sending the message in the first place. She thought she was matching Toni's tone but now all she could think about was how evidence of her... impure feelings were right there on the screen. The more she read it the more sick she felt.

  Self-acceptance was much harder without Toni's validation.

  Now that she had acted on these feelings it felt like pandora's box, like she could never go back and close it again, and had just guaranteed herself a hard life. A profane life.

  As she was rereading her text once again at 1am her phone dinged in her hand. A new message popping up on the already open chat with Toni.

  Oh no! Toni's gonna see that I read that immediately.

Though, once she read Toni's message she felt the veil of shame and humiliation lift just slightly, replaced by worry.

Toni: Shelbs I'm sick I d ont know if ill make it tmmorow.

  Was she drunk? That seemed unlikely, she knew how much was riding on tomorrow for Toni so she would never risk a hangover.

  Then again she didn't really know if Toni would risk that, she didn't really know her. But she felt like she did and she felt like something was wrong.

Shelby: Toni are you okay?

  Shelby bit her lip and waited. Her whole body started to tremble slightly. The three dots appeared on her dimly lit screen indicating that Toni was typing. They disappeared and reappeared several times before Shelby's phone rang loudly in her hand. It was Toni.

  She rushed to answer, praying desperately that her parents hadn't heard it.

  "Toni?" she whispered through the phone.

  The line was quiet for a moment.

  A clattering sound echoed through the phone followed by, "Hey Shelbs."

  Toni sounded terrible. Her voice was rough, horse and barely a whisper loud.

  "What happened? You were fine this afternoon?"

  "Carol-" A dull thump cut off Toni's words. It sounded like she dropped her phone.

  "Toni? Are you okay?"

  The only response was a muted retching. Shelby winced in empathy, pulled the phone away from her ear and waited for Toni to come back to the phone.