Is this the final stop? (Toni Shalifoe)

Chapter 23

Toni and Shelby refuse to talk about it on the way home. They sit in the car in silence. The air wrought with tension. Toni's breath is shaky, like she can't muster the strength to keep it that way. But she digs deeper, and maintains the silence.

Shelby's white knuckling the steering wheel, her hands wringing it, her mind running. She throws a few looks over to Toni, to check in, to see if she wants to talk or to just look at the girl she likes.

But that's all that happens. They pull into the driveway, and before the car is even stopped, Toni is already hopping out. Kind of stumbling out, her feet not quite sticking the landing from the moving car. Like hopping onto the side of a treadmill. The world still feeling like it's moving. Especially for Toni. It's going like a million miles a minute.

Toni even avoids Shelby by merely running away from her up the stairs to her room. Not to be seen until the early hours of sunrise.

At the crack of dawn, Toni's alarm goes off, she swallows hard, garnering the strength to go through this day. The day she has to go hunting with Dave and Shelby. As if hanging around him isn't hard enough, she knows how he brought Marty and Bernice here with some untold motive. And that crosses a line.

It was easier to hide what she had with Shelby from the girls, she didn't know them that well. She can't do that to Marty, who sometimes knows Toni better than herself.

All during breakfast, Shelby attempts to get a word in with Toni, but fails at every chance. Like the moment by the fridge getting milk for their non-sugary cereal. Or by the bathroom door. Or in the mudroom, putting on their shoes.

But while Dave is packing the car, and for the first time, they have a few seconds alone in the kitchen.

"You've been avoidin' me like the plague," Shelby whispers.

"I'm fine."

"I didn't ask you how you were." Shelby says back quickly. This get's Toni's attention, a little startled by her tone.

"Okay, then yes. The answer is yes," Toni responds and turns on her heels.

Dave heads back inside, impatient, "The car isn't goin' to drive itself, let's hurry it up, ladies!"

Toni lets Shelby take the front seat, knowing full-well she would never submit herself to that kind of torture. Maintaining a thirty minute conversation with Dave Goodkind on the way to go kill some animals? No way.

So, Toni sits in the back. Directly behind Shelby. Doesn't even want to look at her. Can't physically look at her. She feels too much shame, feels like she's throwing away something beautiful. Then her eyes shift to Dave. Shifting the blame of her issues with Shelby on him.

He's tapping along to the Christian music. He looks over at Shelby, wanting her to sing along. And she does. Barely. He notices her less-than-enthused state. He turns down the volume.

"Now, what has got you so down in the dumps? Is it still Andrew? Because you know forgiveness is a virtue," Dave starts.

Toni's eyebrows pop. He must not have heard what happened at the school. At the rumors from the bathroom. But if he has and he still wants Shelby to get back together with Andrew, then he's even worse than she thought. Which she didn't even think was possible.

"Oh, I'm just a little sleepy, Daddy. I was so hyped up from Toni's big win last night that my mind kept replaying that final shot."

Toni doesn't know if this is Shelby revealing the truth or masking up with a lie. Because they both know a different reason for why they didn't sleep well last night. But, maybe there's some truth in the statement.