// One Night // It Was Always Her

Chapter 40: Hope

Toni's POV

I just left Peaches' party and was on my way to Cheryl's house. I didn't want to sleep over at her house because, well, she's my ex and I still love her.

But also because I got spammed with pictures from Cheryl and Josh being all cute and shit.

I was pretty drunk but I already drank like a gallon of water to sober me up. I finally made it to the Thistlehouse without falling and I saw that the door was unlocked. Lucky for me, the rest is probably upstairs playing 'seven minutes in heaven' with the shit couple in the closet having sex.

What am I thinking? Josh could never finish in 7 minutes.

I open the door slowly, not wanting to make any noise. Successfully, I go to the living room and flop down on the couch, making myself comfortable.

"You came" I hear Cheryl say.

I stand up and turn around to see Cheryl standing there. I don't say anything, I just stand there. Cheryl looks at me observingly, then has a shocked face.

"Did you hook up with Peaches?" She asks me.

"What? Pshh, what?"

"Well, for one, you have like 12 hickies" She says, pointing to my neck. "Oh, you can see these?" I ask very stupid. "Yes, I can see them. I'm not stupid" She says. "Just to clarify, I did not hook up with Peaches" I say.

"Sure" She says annoyed.

"Why would you care anyway?" I ask her and she gulps. "It's just, when we were dating, you know I didn't like her around you" She says.

"Well, we aren't dating anymore, are we?" I snap at her. "Where is your prince charming anyway?" I add. "He left after the party" She says. "So you hooked up with the bitch" She states.

"You don't know what happened" I say. "Yeah, I do. You guys kissed, hooked up" She says. "We did not hook up!" I yell.

"Then what did you do?!" She shouts.

"She was drunk, I was drunk. We kissed but that was it. Yes, we kissed but I ended it because I knew if you would find out, we were definitely over. I don't want to live, knowing that we can never happen" I say with my head down.

"Toni, I'm sorry" She says softly, making me look up. "You should be. You have no right to accuse me of anything at all, you had no right to send all those pictures of you and Josh in the chat, you had no right to make out in the backseat, you had no right to...break up with me back then...you had no right to do all of those things" I say, ruffling my hair.

"So much for promising to get back together, huh?" I say softly, grabbing my bag and leave before she says anything.

Cheryl's POV

Toni's right. I had no right to do all of those things to him. "You okay?" Kevin asks. I look up seeing everyone by the stairs. "How long were you standing there?" I ask them. "Long enough" Betty says.

"Sorry hun" Veronica says, hugging me.

Toni's POV

After I left Cheryl's house, I went to Sunnyside trailer park. There was like this big park for me to stay. It began to rain, that's fine.

Cheryl's POV

"My dad just saw Toni outside with pouring rain" Jughead says, hanging up his phone. "I have to talk to him" I say and grab my jacket.

Toni's POV

I'm just outside, sitting on the grass.

"Toni" I hear someone say. I stand up, looking to see who it is and I see the one who I expected the least. "Cheryl" I say.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you" I say. "No, I deserved that" She says. "Just to let you know, I do promise that one day we'll get back together" She says, getting closer.

"Don't do that" I say. "Do what?" She asks me confused.

"Don't give me hope" I say.

"I'm sorry I couldn't give it to you earlier" She whispers.

I take off my Serpent ring and put it in the palm of her hand, closing it with my other hand, making my two hands on top of hers.

I kiss her forehead and walk away from her. Maybe for the last time. Maybe for forever.

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