This Is What A Broken Heart Feels Like

Chapter Twenty Four: Teenage Dream

Toni's POV:

It was summer now and we all took that trip like we planned during winter break. Me and Ronnie were packing up my mustang as we got ready to take the road trip to California. Once we were all packed and ready to go we set off. 

Me, Archie, Spencer, Sweet and Fangs decided to drive straight through. We turned a three day trip into one as we limited our stops. We only stopped for gas and energy drinks. We reached the beach at about Noon the next day. Fuck I was tired and I knew the others were two. We all got a motel room for the three weeks we would be spending here. 

We arrived at our rooms and I crashed. Ronnie slept with me, knowing we wouldn't be doing anything till we woke up sometime the next day. 

I finally woke up around 4 in the afternoon the next day and we all decided to go down to the beach, swim and drink. We would stay on the beach until the sun would rise and we would sleep the mornings away. 

Me and Ronnie would go driving around, site seeing and just enjoying the fact that we were far from Riverdale. We drove to LA and back. We decided after the first week to stay at a different beach for a week until we had to go back home. 

We went from Huntington Beach to Manhattan Beach for our second week then decided to end at Santa Monica Beach and pier. It was even more beautiful in person. Me and Ronnie were on fire. We never felt more alive as we were able to do whatever we want. It felt like we were going to be young forever. In these moments, we were. Neither of us talked about the future of us. Taking a chance with money in our pocket and no one to answer to right now. 

I knew sooner than later, we would have to figure out what we were going to do as far as where we go with our relationship. I spent a lot of time thinking about it but I tried not to let it weigh me down. This was our last week here and I wanted to enjoy it. 

Our last day and night came too quick. I decided to take Ronnie out on a date. We spent the whole day just doing whatever she wanted. We ended up at this little beach shop where she bought us summer of 2021 hoodie with the state logo on the front. I don't know why we always bought each other hoodies, her more so than me but it was our thing. 

After we left the little shack, we headed to grab lunch. Everyone was doing their own thing for our last day but tonight we were all meeting on the beach outside of our motel rooms to have a bonfire and drink before we had to head back home and get ready to start the school year. 

We ate and walked around the pier. We took pictures in this little old photo booth we found, getting enough for both of us to have our own copies. We just looked around and would go into every shop that we liked. 

I bought us dinner and we spent it talking. It was just light conversation, flirting and laughing with each other. We ended up making out in the bathroom and got kicked out after I punched a guy in the face for messing with my girl. We bolted before they called the cops, laughing the whole time. 

We got back to our motel room, showered and got changed. I was wearing tight ripped jeans and the hoodie she bought for me. She was wearing tight jeans as well but they weren't ripped. She had her matching hoodie on and she was taking pictures of us with a disposable camera she bought. She had one thing of film left which she saved for when we met everyone on the beach for the bonfire. 

It was time to leave and we walked down to the beach, barefoot. The sand was cool and so was the breeze as we got closer to the shore where we sat Archie and Jug setting up the fire, lighting it. We hugged everyone and Sweet and I passed out the beers. 

We were all feeling pretty great. Ronnie had got all the pictures she wanted of all of us and she was happy. I mean genuinely happy. Archie broke out his guitar and played 'Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls. I held my hand out for Ronnie to take and she did. We danced in front of everyone causing the other couples to dance.