Shattered Smiles (A Choni Story)

Chapter 15

"What can I do to help?"
Betty's POV
"Well, I guess you can just talk to her, be supportive of her. You know?" Toni tells me.
"Of course I know, who do you think was the most supportive of every stupid ass thing she's done in her life?"
I've been supporting Cheryl since I can remember. She's academically smart but also a crackhead and that doesn't pair well together so she ends up making a lot of stupid decisions and has no real family to turn to other than the Cooper's, specifically me.
"Ok, ok, I'm not coming at your cousinly bond, but right now be extra careful, ok?"
"We have the most unstable friend group, I know how to act kindly."
"I think she'll be ok to see you. She mostly slept and watched Disney movies when Veronica came over."
"Damn, you even managed to leave me out," I scoffed.
"Dude, she like just got out of that nunnery. Trust me, it's best that you just stayed home."
"Well then, you make me really consider if it's ok for me to go and see Cheryl," I stopped my play anger and quickly got serious.
"The more I think about it, the more I think you should. Sweet Pea is pretty insensitive, he's trying so hard not to be but it turns out badly and I am invading his home so I can't complain. Maybe you can give him a lesson on sensitivity and how to talk to people that are a little bit damaged at the moment, it'll make it easier on all of us. He won't end up feeling guilty, I can relax when they are together, and Cheryl won't be being put through hell again."
"Definitely, this trip should be fun," I agree, this will definitely be eventful.
"Just don't make her cry or anything. Like please god no. She'll probably have another anxiety attack."
"Toni please, I know my way around emotional conversations pretty well," I told her.
"So," I continue, "Should I come over today or maybe early tomorrow?"
"Maybe tomorrow, you can come over to the trailer in the morning. That is if you're fine to skip school but I think you'll be ok considering that it's a Friday. We can always have Fangs get our school work and I can go to his trailer to pick it up over the weekend."
"Ok, but wh-" I get cut off by Toni's phone going off.
"Give me one second, it's Sweet Pea," She explains.
"What's up?" She answers her phone.

Sweet Pea's POV
"What's up?"
"Um, hi," I started.
"Hi Sweet Pea, did you need something?"
"You left Cheryl and I home alone."
"That was Veronica's idea, not mine. Anyway, what'd you need?"
"Well, you left and I don't now how to not make Cheryl cry apparently."
"What do you mean? Wait. Did she wake up?"
"Uh," I rub the back of my neck, "Yeah, she did."
"It's only been like 45 minutes though. She usually doesn't wake up this soon after a nap. Is she panicked?"
"No-"
"How'd she wake up? How'd you wake up? You sleep like a fucking bear. God I knew it was a bad idea to leave."
"Hey Toni, shut up. Calm down. I just called because I don't know what to say."
"Ok, it's like what? 12? Ask her if she wants lunch then have her make it with you."
"What does she like? I only have frozen food."
"Um, what do you have in your fridge?"
"There'a chicken somewhere," I begin digging through my small fridge.
"What else? What's in the cabinets?"
"I have pasta, rice, pasta sauce and peanut butter."
"Ask her to help you make a pasta dish."
"Ok. Thanks Toni, I'll call if anything goes wrong."
"See you soon, plus Betty is gonna come over tomorrow. She's gonna try to get through to Cheryl then give you a lesson on how to properly converse with Cheryl."
"Sounds good," I told her and hung up.
Here we go.
Pasta dish, pasta dish, ask her to make a pasta dish with you.
"Hey Cheryl," I walked over to the couch Cheryl was previously passed out on, "Can you help me make a pasta dish for lunch? Toni told me you were a good chef and that I should take notes, I wanted to see you in action."
"Uh, I guess. What am I working with?" She got off the couch and walked into the kitchen.
"Ok, I have olive oil, parsley, spaghetti and garlic," I answered her and pulled the ingredients out.
"Nice."
She grabbed everything from off the counter and immediately got cooking, she was in her own zone. And I had finally established some sort of comfort between us so I just stayed out of her way and didn't interrupt.
About a good 30 minutes later, she was already done.
Cheryl served us both and we sat down at the table where everything seems to go wrong.
"So, why'd you learn to cook?" I ask, trying to strike up some conversation.
"Well, my family aren't exactly good people. I was neglected while Jason was honored. If I wanted to eat at all, I had to learn how to cook myself."
"We learned kind of similarly then. My mom kicked me out of the house a lot, if I wanted anything, I'd have to go see Toni and she forced me to cook with her."
"That's cute. Wait, she always told me that she couldn't cook. Can she really?" Cheryl asked just a little bit shocked.
"Truth is, neither one of us can really cook compared to you," I tell her while eating, "The most we can make is a gourmet mac and cheese that Betty's mom taught us one day."
"Huh, ok."
"When did you learn to cook?" I inquired.
"Um, when I was five it started out as a hobby that I only enjoyed observing but then I actually had to learn how to do it when I was like seven."
"I'm sorry, seven?"
"Guess I had sapphic tendencies then," she jokes.
I can't really react so I just laugh at what I assume was her humor.
"So, did Toni tell you to have me make a pasta dish?" she asked with what seemed to be the world's slightest smile on her face.
"What do you mean?"
"I overheard your conversation. "I don't know how to not make Cheryl cry apparently,"."
"Ah yes, I just wanted make sure that I wouldn't trigger you again with no one around to properly help you," I said.
"Ok. Ooh, can we watch tv?" Cheryl asked me and clapped her hands together.
"Um sure. What do you wanna watch?"
"Criminal Minds."
"Good one, what's your favorite character?"
"JJ, duh."
"Mine too!"
Cheryl and I put our plates in my small sink and head over to the living room to watch Criminal Minds together.

Veronica's POV
I pull up to Kevin's dreamy little home and lay my hand on my car's horn.
Kevin comes stumbling out in a gray shirt and boxers with messy brown hair. He walks towards my car and if I'm being honest, he doesn't look as happy to see me as I am to see him.
"Veronica what the fuck?!"
"Were you sleeping? Dude, it's like 11, you're lucky I woke your ass up,"
"Ass hat."
"Shut up, turn around and go get dressed."
"Why am I getting dressed?"
"You, my friend, are going grocery shopping with me."
"Do I get to pick the music?" He asks suspiciously.
"Yes."
"Are you gonna fill me in on all the tea?"
"Yes Kevin, now go get dressed before I drag your ass back upstairs and to your room."
"Fine."
"Run along now, hurry up."
10 minutes later
Kevin swings open the door to my car and hops in.
He closes the door and I take that as my cue to start driving and switch on the music playlist Kevin and I made together.
"Where are we going?"
"The store."
"I know dumb ass, which one?"
"Target, duh."
"Ah yes, your go to."
I just nod my head and smirk, remembering the last time Kevin and I went to Target together.
It was last week, Tuesday, and we got yelled at for me pushing Kevin around in the shopping cart and him breaking a lamp while looking for fairy lights in the decor section.
"Can you not get another coffee this trip?" He asked jokingly.
He was mentioning the last time I bought a coffee from Target. It was so hard to open, he had blisters left on his hand from trying to screw off the cap and I ended up taking a knife and stabbing the bottle open.
"Aw, why not? You're no fun."
"You are gonna stab yourself on accident. But anyway, fill me in on anything and everything that I missed with Cheryl."
"Ok, she's had nightmares for the past two nights, Sweet Pea keeps triggering her on accident, she had a anxiety attack hours ago, she sleeps a lot and now I'm living with the three," I inform him on everything that seems important in the moment.
"Hold up, hold up," Kevin says as he turns the music down but only so much so I'm still able to hear Gwen Stefani's voice, "You're telling me that Cheryl had a anxiety attack hours ago and that you are living with Sweet Pea?"
"More like 45 minutes ago, rounded up is an hour."
"Veronica you dumb bitch, 1 hour does not equal several."
"Close enough, she did have an anxiety attack though," I shrug.
"Oh god, is she ok?"
"Well, her and Sweet Pea should be sleeping so I assume they are ok."
"Has she done anything other than sleep?"
"Watch Disney movies with me."
"So no?"
"Not really."
"You have to get her moving, go get her car, make her drive you around so you don't have to honk at my house anymore."
"Oh no, I'll forever do that."
"Fuck off."
"Yeah, yeah. Moving on, I am living with Sweet Pea. Hiram found out about Betty and I and kicked me out."
"Fucker, he did that because you were gay?"
"Yep, can't possibly have a lesbian living with him, it'll ruin the family name."
"You could've come to me you know."
"You dad hates me," I sigh.
"He also has a soft spot for gay children that are treated like shit by their parents," Kevin counters.
"Well, I'm ok.
"Are you sure?"
"Eventually it'll get too crowded at Sweet Pea's trailer so many when that happens I'll take you up on your offer."
"Fine by me."
Kevin turns the music back up and it's switched to a Katy Perry song.
We give each other that look to confirm we are both thinking of the same thing then burst out singing.
"I hope you hang yourself with your h&m scarf," Kevin starts.
The songs starts to wrap up and Kevin and I start laughing at each other.
"God, our lives our so uneventful, we laugh at each other singing."
"Biggest lie of the century. We just broke Cheryl out of a nunnery, I mean that's pretty damn eventful."
"True. Look it, we are here."
"I see," I tell him and look up at the Target sign.
"Let's just run in, grab a couple things then we can hang out at your house for a while?"
"Only for an hour, I have to go see my mom today."
"Let's hurry up then."
We get out of the car that is now in the not-too -crowded parking lot and run into the store.
"What are we getting?"
"Everyone's favorite snacks then some other stuff for meals."
"That means lucky charms, bread, twizzlers, half gallon of milk, barbecue chips, salads, 2 slabs of ribs, dark chocolate, frozen waffles, eggs, peanut butter, cherry cola, bottled water and pop tarts?" Kevin guessed.
"Spot on dude."
"Now we just have to find everything and we are good to go."
1 and a half hours later
"Bye Kevin, I'll see you soon."
"Bye V."
I walk out of Kevin's house with all of my bags then head on my way to pick up Toni from Betty's house.