Frenemies-(Choni)

Chapter 31

*this is not baby vanessa on the picture. i couldn't find one of her so just imagine that it is her*

"So...do you want to come in?"-Celeste asked Cheryl, pointing to the door.

Cheryl looked at her hand, and she noticed that she was shaking.

"Yes, if you don't mind."-Cheryl said.

"Is-Is she okay?"-Celeste asked regarding Toni before entering.

"Yeah, she's good."-Cheryl smiled at her.

They went in and Celeste went in the kitchen to make tea. Cheryl was looking around. There wasn't one picture framed, anywhere.

"So, you're Toni's friend?"-Celeste asked, offering her the drink.

"Thank you."-Cheryl said. "Yeah, we're in college together."

"She's in college...that's good."-Celeste asked. "What brought you here Cheryl?"

Cheryl took a deep breath again and then let it out.

"Look I, maybe you don't want to tell me but..I've heard the story of how you left from Toni, and I heard it from her grandfather. I would really like to hear your side of the story."-Cheryl said.

"From their point of the view, you must not be my biggest fan."-Celeste nodded and smiled at her.

"Yeah..."-Cheryl said. "But I still want to hear it."

"Why? I'm sure that everyone blames the parents that abandons their kid. Why do you want to hear what I have to say?"-Celeste asked.

"Because...I think that there's more to it than I already know."-Cheryl said.

"Toni's dad and I, we met in high school. I used to be a girl who always followed the rules and never went against my parents. He used to follow me around, asking me to be his girlfriend but I was afraid. He was in a gang, they were known everywhere. I used to think that he would hurt me or kidnap me at night..."-Celeste laughs. "But then he showed me a side of him that nobody had ever seen. He was a good man. I fell for him. My family was against it so I ran away from home. When we got married, we were so in love. And then I got pregnant with Toni. But unfortunately, it happened in an inconvenient time. Her father got into big trouble with his crew and his mind wasn't on the right place. He was actually in prison when I had her. It was a stressful time but I had my baby and she kept me strong."

Celeste got up and went to grab her purse. She pulled out her wallet and she took out a picture of Toni when she was a baby. She handed it to Cheryl. Cheryl looked at it and smiled.

"She was beautiful, wasn't she?"-Celeste said and Cheryl nodded. "We were living with Clyde. My husband wasn't making money, he had no place of his own. His time on that gang kept being more consuming of him and I was so unhappy. Toni was only four and I would yell at her or be mad at her because of my own problems. I was a terrible mother. Her dad and I would fight all the time and eventually it became too much for me to handle. I had no money of my own so I left without Toni. But I didn't leave with the intentions of never going back."

Celeste started crying and then she quickly wiped her tears away.

"Then what happened? Why didn't you go back?"-Cheryl asked.

"I did. I came in this city to live with my sister. I had nowhere else to go. I hadn't talked to my parents since I had gotten married. When I heard that Toni's father was dead, I went to get my baby girl. Even though I still had no conditions to raise her well, I still went to get her. But Clyde didn't let me. He actually threatened me. He said that if I took the only thing he had left, I would pay for it. And he said that she wasn't mine anymore, since I had left her with him."-Celeste said. "After that, I came back here. I looked for a decent job for years. I worked as a waitress, I cleaned other people's houses but I still couldn't afford my own."

"Clyde said that the last time he saw you was when Toni turned nine. Is that true or was he mistaken?"-Cheryl asked.

Celeste started crying again.

"Clyde was a powerful man. He had Riverdale in his hands. Every Serpent did and god help whoever went against them."-Celeste said. "When Toni turned nine, I had a well enough job to take her in. I had gone to Clyde's house before but I had never seen her. Until that day. I knocked on the door and from the outside window, I saw Toni sat on the floor, playing. Clyde opened the door. He started shouting immediately and told Toni to go to her room. I told him that I was going to take her this time. And I would fight in court for her, if I had to. But, of course, Clyde had people everywhere. He told me that I would never win against him, I wasn't present for my kid for too long. He made several points. And then he said that Toni doesn't even remember me and she'd never love me."

Cheryl's heart was aching hearing Celeste tell her story. It hit close to home since Penelope had her but never wanted her.

"He lied."-Cheryl said, raising her head to look at her. "Toni talked about you for a very long time. And a part of her was always empty. And it still is."

"When Toni got old enough to be able to see me without her grandfather's consent, I was convinced that she hated me. I never dared to go and look for her again. What was I supposed to say, she'd never forgive me."-Celeste said. "All I could do was spend my days thinking of what she looked like now, how she was doing."

"Do you want to see her?"-Cheryl said, taking out her phone.

"Yeah, I'd really like that."-Celeste said.

Cheryl showed her a bunch of pictures of Toni. She was always smiling, in every single one of them. Celeste shared a few more tears.

"She's really smart. She has amazing grades, and she's the kindest person I know. You'd really be proud of her."-Cheryl said.

"Is she happy?"-Celeste asked.

"Yeah."-Cheryl said, smiling. "But, nothing can ever replace what she lost fifteen years ago. Toni needs to know what happened and she needs to hear it from you."

"Did she send you here? Is she looking for me?"-Celeste said.

"No."-Cheryl said. "But she has a lot of questions that I just got the answers to. I don't know if she'll forgive you and how she will take it, but she deserves to know the truth."

"It's been way too long. I don't want to mess her life up now."-Celeste said, getting up.

"Look, my mother is an awful one. She never raised me well and she never wanted me. And even with that, she's still my mother and I still tremble when I hear her name or see her."-Cheryl said. "Toni thinks that you left her and never wanted her again. She needs to know that you regret it and it wasn't what you wanted but what you had to do. Please."

Celeste looked at her then smiled.

"I'm guessing you're not just a friend for Toni."-she said to Cheryl. "I don't know any friend who'd do something like this and try this hard."

"I love her. More than anything. I'm not trying to fix your relationship with her or fix her as a person. She's flawless to me. I just think that you both need closure. And only you can make it happen."-Cheryl said.

Celeste pulled out a card with her number on it.

"Here you go. Talk to Toni and if she wants to meet me, call me. I will be there at anytime."-Celeste said, smiling.

"Thank you, I will. And thank you for telling me your story. I know it doesn't seem like it but, it's not too late to make things right."-Cheryl said and then left.

Cheryl believed Toni's mom. She could see pain in her eyes and there was something about the fact that she carried a picture of her daughter everywhere, even after all these years. She didn't know how she was going to tell Toni that her, Sweet Pea and Fangs had been keeping a secret for so long and that she went and met her mom, but she knew she had to. She just kept hoping that her girlfriend would understand and agree to see Celeste. That's all she cared about.