Other Worlds - The Wilds

Chapter 3

 "What are you two-" A familiar southern accent shouted in distaste, obviously thinking that Dot and Toni were hooking up before taking note of Toni's battered body. "Lord, what happened to you?"

  Dot stepped back allowing Toni's hoodie to fall back into place.

  Toni stared at Shelby in shock for a moment until she cleared her throat and replied, "A fight at basketball yesterday."

  "Not like you to just take a beating," the blonde girl shot back. With sympathetic eyes she stepped forward and reached for the bottom of the other girl's top.

  Toni slapped her hand away and leapt back, her hip catching the edge of the sink. "What the fuck are you doing?" She yelped, reeling from the unexpected touch. She quickly regained her composure. "Why are you getting involved, I know you don't care. I saw the way you looked at me and Dot before you realised what was going on. You practically shuddered." Toni was seething at this point. 

  "Just because I don't agree with that lifestyle doesn't mean I don't care about-"

  Toni scoffed, cutting her off. Every word out of Shelby's mouth was causing her anger to rise more and more. "Don't do me any favours, we're literally strangers. Just forget about this and get off my back!"

  Dot stepped in, "Look Shelby just... Don't tell anyone about this."

  Toni grabbed her bag and started to walk out of the bathrooms but Shelby stopped her at the door with a hand to her shoulder, "I won't, but should I be worried?"

  Toni clenched her teeth and shoved her away. "Maybe if you got your nose out of everyone else's business you would be able to pay a little more attention to that boyfriend of yours because he's starting the find it elsewhere." With that, Toni stormed off.

  "What are you talking about?" She heard Shelby shout after them. Dot just turned around, gave her a pitying look and followed after Toni.

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  Toni couldn't believe the what she had said to Shelby. Or, she could believe it but she seriously regretted it. She was sure if she looked in the mirror right now she wouldn't be able to see her own reflection beyond that of her mothers.

  She sat in her final lesson of the day, her cruel words floating around in her mind. She beat herself up until Shelby's words resurfaced in her mind, "I don't agree with that lifestyle." she had said. The memory instantly brought Toni out of her state of self-loathing. Who did Shelby think she was saying that to someone she barely knew? One of the most important people in Toni's life had been Christian, and had about 45 years on Shelby, but never had a bad word to say about her sexuality.

  Toni cleared her head of the painful memory of Mrs Conners, now was not the time revisit that grief.

  With her actions justified, Toni managed to get through the rest of the day with very few thoughts of a certain blonde haired bigot. Before long the final bell of the day rang. She was equal parts relieved school was over and dreading going home.

  She quickly exited her final class and made her way to the locker room to grab the thin jacket which matched her school basketball uniform. The snowfall had lightened throughout the day so Toni was sure that the jacket would keep her warm enough to walk home if no one could offer her a lift. She wrestled the jacket on with very minimal grace and made her way to the carpark.

  She pulled her hood over her head and stood under the broken floodlight in front of the library waiting for the others. As she was detangling her earphones she spotted Dot, Fatin, and Martha heading her way.