Choni~ a twisted tale

Chapter 3: Let's Go Somewhere

It was Thursday night, a whole two days since the Southside students transferred to my school so tonight was a treat myself night. I was at the the Bijou with my popcorn and cherry cola in hand waiting to get my ticket when Toni approached me.

She's everywhere. It's official I cannot escape this Serpent girl who has now not only invaded the Northside but my mind too. "Oh, my God. what do you want? And why do you keep stalking me?"

Toni wrinkled her nose defensively. "I'm not. I came to see this movie with Fangs and he bailed on me."

I looked at her blankly and didn't say anything.

"Are you okay?" she asked hesitantly.

"I'm alone at the movies and I'm tryin to avoid my mother who has turned out house into her sexual playpen. So no. I'm not really," I say quietly. Not really what I was going for but my mouth and brain had different ideas apparently.

Toni's face softens. "Well I was gonna grab a seat alone. Unless you want some company, no pressure."

I looked at her taking a few seconds to contemplate it. I smiled and raised my straw to my lips. "Let's go," I whispered, walking away into the theater.

I heard Toni's boots right behind me. The theater was packed so I found the only area with two seats available and sat down in one of them. Toni stepped over my legs a few seconds later and sat down next to me. I put the popcorn between us and told her we can share. As the movie starts I look over at Toni who's wrapped up in the movie adn I take a moment to study her profile as the colors light flickers on her face.

She's really pretty, I have to admit. I shake myself out of whatever trance that was and look back to the screen. I reach my hand into the popcorn bucket to grab a few pieces of the butter corn when I feel something warm and definitely not corn in the bucket. At first I think it's a dead body part, that someone dropped a finger or something in the popcorn but then it moves and I realize it was Toni's hand. She looks over at me with a look I can't decipher. Then it hits me, we just shared the cheesiest first date stereotype. Fan-fucking-tastic.

Somehow we ended up at Pop's sitting on the stools in front of the walk up counter with milkshakes and a shared basket of fries between us.

"You may think you've mastered the art of silent tears, but I saw you crying during that movie" Toni said lightly and I froze.

"I never cry during movies. Real life's tragic enough," I retort, trying to get myself to calm down. I feel my head spinning. How does this girl always manage to read me perfectly. It's crazy.

"Oh," Toni whispers.

"Everyone thinks I'm this loveless monster but it's not true," I said, desperately trying to keep my voice from breaking. "I loved someone who loved me and my mother destroyed them."

"You mean Jason? I heard how close you guys were," Toni said softly.

"No, her name was...Heather. One night my mother caught us in the same bed. She said I was...deviant," I said, not bothering to wipe the few tears that fell.

I watched at Toni's face transformed completely, it was like her features melted into understanding and sympathy. She took my hand that was closest to her and held it in hers. "Cheryl, I am so sorry but you have to know your mother's wrong. You're not loveless, you're not deviant, okay?"

She pauses and I look up. Her eyes are clouded over with emotion and intensity and suddenly I feel the tension that Veronica is always talking about. Toni looks me right back in they eye, "You're sensational," she utters.

We stay like that, her holding my hand and us making eye contact, something usaid floating between us.

"Let's go somewhere," I whisper.