Cheryl is numb from the needles, now.
It's only her third day and she's exhausted from having hauled sacks of potatoes around the basement for the majority of the day so getting injected with some weird sleep serum the nuns force her to take because of her eyebags, or something, isn't that bad. Cheryl's slept from eight 'till eight these past two days. It's nice. The slumber is deep and she doesn't have dreams or nightmares or thoughts about Toni, who is somehow always the subject of her daydreams.
Daydreams — they can't take those away no matter how many drugs they pump into Cheryl's body. She daydreams about the Vixens practice at breakfast, about Nana Rose as she works in the basement, about Jason during lunch, and above all, Toni during the movie nights the nuns host for the teenagers.
She regrets not having let Toni stay last Sunday. If Toni had stayed, maybe she wouldn't be here — maybe she and Toni would've ran away together on her motorcycle and never looked back ever again.
But — Cheryl's here. Cheryl's here and she wonders what's going on at school. She wonders if they've noticed her absence, if they've talked about her, if anyone's figured out where she went.
Probably not. The only person who knows where Cheryl is is her mother and Cheryl highly doubts Penelope is just going around telling her classmates that she sent her own daughter away to a gay conversion therapy.
Maybe no one's even asked around.
Maybe they're thinking good fucking riddance or finally, no one could stand that bitch, or maybe even thank God, let's hope she stays gone. It's not like she has a lot of friends who genuinely care about her well-being. There's Veronica, maybe, but she's usually wrapped up in family, friendship or relationship drama that really doesn't let her notice things outside her bubble.
There's also Josie, but she's too into herself to really care about anyone else. Kevin, at least, must've asked Toni about Cheryl–
Toni.
Toni must miss her. Toni, who she spent the night with in bed, who played with her hair until she fell asleep. Surely, Toni is snooping around to find out about Cheryl. She seems genuinely preoccupied for her that morning Penelope found them in bed together and with how close they've been getting...
The room's dark now, and the other kids have started shuffling around, getting up from the benches to go back to their bedrooms. Cheryl stays seated, staring straight ahead at where the projection had been.
Maybe this is what she gets for leading Toni on.
Or, well, not leading Toni on but, like, not telling Toni that she's Cheryl's soulmate. It's the universe's way of calling her out on her bullshit, telling her that fuck, I gave you your soulmate, she's right there and you won't even tell her she's your soulmate?
The universe is right and. And maybe Cheryl doesn't deserve Toni for not being completely honest with her. Maybe Toni deserves better than Cheryl. Better than all this drama.
"How are you, my dear Cheryl?" The nun asks, settling at the edge of Cheryl's bed.
She draws up her knees to her chest, putting as much space between herself and that old hag.
"As fine as I can be in this hell-hole."
Her eyes widen at the mention of hell —
"That's where–"
"–I'm going if I don't repent of my sins and stop having such unnatural thoughts about women, yes," Cheryl finishes for her, rolling her eyes, "you've told me that a million times. You need a new tag line, sister."
A vein pops out of her forehead, similar to her mothers, and Cheryl thinks it's appropriate that such despicable, evil, hateful women have something more in common.
"All those kids you see at lunch, Cheryl, all those kids you watch movies with — they were all like you once, petulant and stubborn," her voice is rising with each word she spits out at her and Cheryl's hands have started shaking involuntarily, as they do when someone yells at her, and she stuffs them under her armpits to hide the fact, "but I got through to them. I always do. And I'll do the same to you, no matter how much it takes. There's only so much a spoiled brat can take before breaking down completely."
The nun moves towards the door and her hands barely touch the doorknob when Cheryl speaks up again.
"Seven o'clock tomorrow, right?"
She twists her head back.
"What?"
"The physical therapy. It's at seven, right?"
The nun scoffs, twisting the doorknob.
"See you then, sister." Cheryl chirps, flinching just a little when the door slams in her wake.
You've survived your mother until now, Cheryl, she tells herself as the drug coursing through her veins lulls her to sleep, you can survive this.
YOU ARE READING
Sick of losing soulmates (Cheryl Blossom & Toni Topaz)
Fanfiction"Toni looks at her - like, really looks at her - long and hard and then she nods as if she understands, as if all of Cheryl's secrets are written all over her face and it just took someone to look closer than usual to discover them all." Or; you hav...
