𝐔𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 ➶ 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐢

t h i r t e e n

"So..." The brunette started slowly, swallowing the bacon she'd shoved embarrassingly fast into her mouth. Her hunger getting the better of her. "How old are you? You don't exactly look like a typical English professor."

"Really? What does your typical English professor look like?" Cheryl smirked, an eyebrow raised in question as she tried to stifle a laugh at her student before her. Toni shrugged, cutting around the yolk of her egg, eating the whites first.

"Old, wrinkly, grumpy as hell let's not forget a sight that hurts the eyes...basically Mr Weatherbee. You're certainly not what I pictured on the first day of semester."

"I'm going to assume that's a good thing." Cheryl giggled lightly, her eyes falling on the brunettes plate as her eyebrows scribbled in confusion. "Who eats their egg like that?"

"Oh no, you don't get to ask me a question. You haven't answered mine yet." Toni quipped her eyes locking with Cheryl's with a twinkle of excitement in her eyes.

"I didn't know we were playing twenty questions..."

"Would it hurt if we were?" Toni asked cautiously, not wanting to overstep the teacher student line, if it wasn't something Cheryl wanted. But all she received was a mischievous smirk from her professor, sparking something within the pink haired girl.

"I'm twenty-four, I graduated from Columbia three years ago." The redhead finally answered, watching with intrigue to see the brunette's reaction.

"Wow."

Cheryl pulled a face at her words, "I should hope you didn't think I was over thirty."

Toni snorted out a laugh, "I literally thought you were some stuck up student at River Valley, I think that tells you I thought you were young."

"Hm." The hum left the two in silence for a moment as they finished up their food, the apartment was peaceful now that Heather had left.

Toni couldn't help but be in awe of the home the redhead worked to stay in. Its ten foot windows convey the small town of Riverdale in all its beauty. It almost matched the view from her abandoned factory, a sinking feeling filled her gut as she realised she'd soon have to return home.

"I'm sorry about barging in on you that day...in the shower." Cheryl eventually spoke up, her cheeks warm with a blush. Toni's mind took her back to that moment, remembering the simmer of anger in her eyes as the two glared at one another. The thought enticed a chuckle from the girl.

"I'm just glad you weren't some perv," Toni smirked, her brown eyes drifting from Cheryl's face to her body for just a second before glancing back up. Only to be caught, "Sorry, I uh, thought you had something on your gown."

Cheryl bit her lip momentarily, knowing her words were a lie. "I believe it's my turn to ask a question?"

Toni nodded nervously, "Go ahead."

"What are your plans after college? I know you have a remarkable talent when it comes to words, what are you planning on doing with that?" The woman wondered with interest, she knew a lot of her students had dreams to be reporters. But something told her it wasn't the path Toni wanted to pursue.

Toni sucked in a breath, it wasn't often someone was curious of her future plans. "I want to be a writer. To publish something that will lift the hearts of people who need it - whenever I'm going through something, I find myself lost in a book that takes me somewhere that feels like home. I want to create that for someone else."

"That's a beautiful thought, Toni." Cheryl spoke honestly, a soft smile playing on her lips. Whenever she came across the pink haired girl outside classroom hours, her nose was buried in a book. It was nice to finally know why. It was Toni's escape - much like teaching was for her. "If you get published one day - which I'm sure you will - I'll be first in line to buy your book."