Happily Ever After

26: Stressed Out

CHERYL POV:

Toni hasn't gotten out of bed in a week. It's starting to concern us. "What was in that book?" I ask Kate quietly. "Everything. I don't even know where to start." She whispers. "Mom said everything from telling us about us to our family history to stories she never wanted us to know about but knew we needed to hear." She says sadly. "Trust me, I looked in all 3 of them there's some stuff in Toni's that she won't ever mention and that's probably the stuff that has her in such a depression." She stands up and walks around the kitchen. "What was the relationship between them?" I ask quietly. "Toni was mom's favorite. I'm not gonna lie. Toni loved mom more than anything and when she died... I honestly don't know how Toni was able to handle it as well and as long as she has. She was there when our mom died, she was the one who had to come home and tell us. I just feel so bad because my response was to walk out and get drunk. I don't remember her funeral I was so drunk." She tells me honestly. "What was your relationship with her?" I ask hesitantly. "Horrible. I didn't like mom and she didn't like me. It was all my fathers fault, I put everything I hated about him on her." She whispers. "I'm gonna go upstairs and make sure she's ok." I stand up and go upstairs. I walk into the our room. "Toni, do you want to talk?" I ask quietly. She shakes her head. I sit on the bed. "You need to do something." I tell her. She rolls over. She's obviously been crying for a while mow. "Like what?" She ask quietly. "Take a shower you smell awful." I whisper. She shakes her head. I get up and walk over to her side of the bed. "What?" She finally speaks. I grab her arms and force her up. "Time to get up." She sits up. She looks so defeated. I take a deep breath. "Come on." We walk into the bathroom. "Please don't make me do this." She whispers. I get her in the shower not even taking off her clothes. I turn on the shower. "Shit it's cold!" She throws off her clothes. Once she's done she sits down on the toilet and I help dry her off.
"Feeling better?" I ask quietly drying her hair. She shakes her head. I pull her into a hug. "What's really bothering you?" I ask quietly. She sighs. "I feel like everything that's wrong with my life has finally hit all at once." She whispers. "Like everything with me and you, you being pregnant with my best friends child, everything with Thomas and that stupid book." She stands up and walks to the door. "I'm just tired of fighting, Cheryl! I've never hated life more than I do now." She whispers holding back tears. I take a deep breath and go to the cabinet, and pull out her meds. I slap them in her hand. "Take them!" I insist. "You'll feel better." I whisper in her ear. She smiles sadly and nods. "Ok." She nods more. "Ok." She grabs the glass next to her and takes her meds. There's a knock on the door of my room. "Toni, Officer Keller is at the door asking for you." Her face drops. "We'll be there is a minute!" I yell. Toni walks out and throws on her clothes. "Come on." She whispers and wipes her tears. We walk downstairs. "Hey." Toni whispers. "Antoinette Topaz you're being arrested for attempted murder." I see her heart drops. "Call a lawyer." She whispers to me.

TONI POV:

I walk into the station completely emotionless. "Toni, we found your finger prints on the gun." Officer Keller sits in front of me. "Honestly, I don't think you would shoot your brother, but I had no choice to do this." He tells me. "I've had everything taken away from me. Send me to jail I don't care anymore, I'm numb." I whisper. "You're a great kid Topaz, I'm with you. But you have to cooperate." I shrug. "Sure. but I still want a lawyer!" I insist. He nods. "I'll get on that, but you're going to have to stay in the cell." He tells me. "Ok." I whisper.

"Toni, what happened?" Cheryl ask quietly. "I don't know but, I'll probably be better off in jail." I whisper and walk over to sit on the bed. "Toni you're not going to jail!" She insist. "Cheryl! I can't do this anymore! I have no will to live!" I yell and start crying. "I can't do this Cheryl. I'm serious! Everything in my life besides you is unbearable! It's all because of that, fucking book!" I yell the last part. "I hate her! She ruined everything." I whisper walking over to her. "Toni..." she cups my cheek. "Cheryl, I can't do this anymore." I shake my head. "Yes you can. Think about me, Kate and your brother. How lost we'll be without you. Trust me when I tell you this. It gets better! It might not seem like it now, but it does." She whispers. "I'll see you tomorrow, I have to get to school, that we have all seemed to forgotten about." She looks at me. "I dropped out, even if everything gets cleared. I'm not going back." I walk over to the bed and sit down. "When everything gets back together you're going to school!" She walks out and Officer Keller walks over. "Before I feed you. I need to know about allergies and medication." He says pulling out a notebook. "I have no food allergies and I think my medical records are all already here." I whisper not wanting the say everything. "Ok." I take a deep breath. "Are you ok?" He ask quietly. "I'm not talking to you about my feelings." I whisper. "I can get a phycologist or something in here." I shake my head. "I'm fine. And why being nice to me?" I ask quietly. "Because, I- I went to school with your mom and also your girlfriend is best friends with my son."