The Quiet Kid: (choni)

20: Drink

CHERYL POV:

I knock on the door. "Toni. You've been locked up here all weekend." I open the door. He's lying on the bed probably asleep with Netflix running on a loop. "Babe." I sit at the foot of his bed. "What's wrong?" I ask. He doesn't respond except he just shuffles. "Toni." I shakes his thighs. "Leave me alone!" He yells. I nod and get up. Before I leave I place his medication on his desk with a glass of water. "When you're ready to feel human again..." I trail off and walk out. I slowly close the door. I take a deep breath. I walk downstairs. "How is he?" Sarah ask. "He pretty much told me to fuck off." I tell her and sit at the counter. Toni slowly comes downstairs. "Hey bud." Sarah says calmly. He slowly walks over to Sarah. "What's wrong?" He starts crying. Sarah pulls him into a hug. She gives me one of those looks that tells me to leave so I get up and walk out. I go up to Jason's room. I pick him up. "Hey buddy." I whisper. He babbles to himself. I grab one of his toys. He grabs the toy and throws it. "Hey. What was that for?" I ask quietly. He lies his head on me. "You look so much like my brother." I hold back tears. I hear a door slam and I know it's Toni going to his room. I take a deep breath. "Cheryl, dinner is almost ready." Sarah says quietly. "I would check on Toni in a few, these days you're the only one who can get to him." I nod. "I will." I whisper. I rock Jason until he goes to sleep and I lie him down. I go into Toni's room. He's crying so much doesn't notice me. "Toni what's wrong?" I ask. "Why haven't you been taking your anti depressants?" I sit on his bed. "I feel numb." He whispers. I lie down next to him. "You need to take them. Or this happens." I tell him quietly. He rolls over and I smell the alcohol in his breath. "Toni..." I trail off. "I can't do this." He whispers. I wipe his tears. "Yes you can. If I can get through my suicide attempt, you can get through whatever you're going through." I tell him.

"So tell me what happened? Why did you stop taking your medication. The pass few weeks you've been acting so weird lately. I-." He interrupts me. "I've been acting weird?" He ask. "Toni... you need to take them." I say quietly. "Cheryl! You are not my doctor! You can't control me, you're not me! You're not sick! You're just a rich little white girl who has a trust fund because you're daddy made one even if you're his worst nightmare!" I look down. "Cheryl, i-I'm sorry." I shake my head. "No. You need to take a step back." I get up and leave pops. "Cheryl!" He runs after me. "Please, take them. It's for your own good." I place his medication in his hand. "You're not my doctor!" He insist. "But I'm your girlfriend and I care about you and your well being." I kiss his cheek and pull him into a hug. He breaks down crying. "I'm so scared." He whisper. I hold him closer. "Let's go home." I whisper. "Can we go to the drive in. I just want to relax, but I don't want to be around anyone and I know Kevin is still living at your house. I also don't want to be interrupted by Sarah." I nod and we go to his truck and drive to the drive in. We sit in the back of his truck. "Last night, I smelled alcohol on your breath." I whisper. "Cheryl, it hides the pain." He rubs my thigh. "Toni, you promised you would stop drinking you were doing so well." He shrugs. "I thought that to. So I stopped taking my medication. Except the one so I don't faint that's just embarrassing." He whispers. "Promise me something." He nods for me to go on. "I want you to be sober till prom and I want you to stop drinking after that." I tell him. "If you break it's ok. I just want you to get better." He nods. "Please, for me." I whisper. "I'll do anything for you." He whispers. I lie my head on his shoulder, he pulls me closer.

TONI POV:

I'm feeling better, I haven't had a drink a 2 months. I started to taking my medication again, all of them. I'm still trying to get better. "You look amazing." Sarah fixes my tie. "Cheryl hurry up! We're going to be late. And we still need to go eat!" I yell from downstairs. "I'll be down in a minute!" She yells. I fix my hair. "God, Cheryl you're going to be late for your own funeral." I whisper to myself. I hear heals coming down the stairs. I turn to her and holy shit she looks amazing. "Wow. You look- wow." I'm speechless. She walks over to me. "I thought you wanted nothing to do with the color pink." She plays with my suit jacket. "It was my mom's favorite color." I tell her quietly. "You look amazing. Which isn't really hard." Cheryl flirts. "Your Mom would be so proud of you. Even through your worst." I pull her into a kiss. "Lets go."

"Toni. What's wrong?" Cheryl walks over to me. I rub my legs in a panic. "I just- I just need a break." I pace back and forth. She cups my cheek. "You're ok." I nod. "Yeah." She pulls me into a hug. "Take a deep breath." We sit there for a few minutes. "You're ok." I slowly start to calm down. "Do you want to go inside?" Cheryl ask quietly. "No. Not yet. I still need a minute." I say quietly. "Do you want me to leave you for a minute and you come back into the gym when you're ready?" I take a deep breath and nod. "I'll see you when you're ready." She walks away. I go to my locker and open it. One drink can't hurt. I pick up a flask. "Toni." I place it back in my locker and slam it shut. I turn around nervously. "Hey, Veronica." I say nervously. "I won't tell Cheryl. If you don't tell anyone about me being gay." She says nervously. "Yeah. What- what did you want to talk about it?" I ask. "Cheryl sent me out. I'm sorry." I nod. "She doesn't trust me and I don't blame her I don't trust myself." I slide down my locker. "Hey. I'll help you stop drinking if you help me with my coming out process." She tells me quietly. "You need a sponsor. Whatever that means." I laugh. I get up and open my locker. I pull out the flask. "I'm not going to need this."

"I know you almost had a drink. Veronica told me. She also came out to me so you wouldn't get mad. I'm proud of you." She lies her head on my shoulder. We sway to the music until the night is over. Once we're done we go back to her apartment. We didn't do much just got out of our clothes from prom.