The Secrets We Keep: A Choni Story

Chapter 22

Toni's POV
"Miss Topaz, your therapist is ready for you now," a nurse called.

I got up and walked into my therapy room and lied down on the chair.

"So Miss Topaz," she started.

"Call me Toni, please," I insisted.

"Okay, Toni can you tell me why you're here today," she asked.

"I'm here because I attempted suicide and I'm on suicide watch and this is the protocol," I sighed annoyed.

"Okay, would you like to explain to me why you tried to commit suicide?" she asked calmly.

"Because I fell into an abyss of darkness that I thought the only escape from was death," I explained looking down.

"Okay, did you have a history with depression?" she asked whilst writing something on her clipboard.

"Well, the fact that I overdosed on antidepressants might answer your question," I groaned getting more and more irritated.

"Okay, there's no need to get upset, Toni," she soothed.

"Of course there is, I'm here getting questioned like an idiot, this won't help my depression, the only reason I'm here is because of my girlfriend!" I yelled.

"Did your girlfriend force you to come here?" she asked intrigued.

"No, I promised here that I do this after what happened," I explained.

"Okay, so I think the best option for you since you can't take antidepressants anymore would be to write a diary," she said.

"What am I? 5?" I scoffed.

"It's just so you can release your feeling so if you have one bad day the feelings don't linger to make the next bad day worse," she explained.

"Oh, that actually makes sense, but do I still have to go to therapy?" I asked.

"Yes, so I can check on how bad your bad days are and how often you have them," she explains.

She gave me a diary and that was the end of my first therapy session. I honestly feel like talking to Cheryl about my problems would be better than writing but I guess I have to because I promised her.

I rode to Pop's and saw Veronica waiting for me in a booth.

"Hey Ronnie," I said as I sat down.

"Hey Toni," she responded, "Toni I'm really sorry for what I did to you and Cheryl I was just really shocked by Jason's return,"

"It's alright Ronnie I forgive you. So what's the deal with Cheryl and this Nick St Claire guy? She seems to get really worked up when she talks about him," I explained.

"So we were at the SoDale Gala Opening and um I noticed Nick go away with Cheryl so I decided to follow me since the last time he was alone with a girl he got a little handsy, I went with Josie and her Pussycats and when we went in the room Nick was trying to roofie Cheryl he had drugged her drink," Veronica explained.

"Oh, now I feel really bad that I was forcing her to talk to me about it," I confessed, "I'm going to go apologise," I said standing up.

"Bye Toni," Veronica called.

"Thanks, Ronnie, catch you later," I smiled.

I walked out of Pop's and rode to Thistlehouse. I could hear shouting so I opened the door quietly and walked into the house cautiously. I saw Jason and Cheryl arguing.

"Cheryl I am your twin brother are you really going to choose some Serpent scum over me?!" Jason yelled.

"Don't call her that! Why do I have to choose Jason? I love you both is that not enough?!" Cheryl pleaded.

"For the last time Cheryl. Either she leaves or I leave!" Jason threatened.

"I'll go," I said.

"Toni, you don't have to I don't think-" Cheryl started.

"She said she'll go so she's going it's her decision Cheryl, not yours and she made it," Jason interrupted.

Cheryl and I walked upstairs and flopped onto the bed.

"How long were you there?" Cheryl asked.

"Long enough, I told you I'm not messing up your relationship with him," I stated.

"I know I know, but he seems different, he's not the Jay Jay I remember," she smiled solemnly.

I stood up and started packing I didn't have that much stuff so it only took 30 minutes.

"Toni, I don't want you to go," she whined.

"I don't want to leave you either but this was the only option," I sighed, "Cheryl I'm sorry,"

"For what?" she asked confused.

"Like pressuring you into talking about Nick St Claire," I said looking down.

Cheryl lifted my head up with her finger and smiled.

"It's fine, so you spoke to Ronnie?" she asked.

"Yeah after my therapy session," I answered.

"Oh my God, I didn't even ask how was therapy?" Cheryl chuckled.

"It was alright she gave me a diary and told me to write in it but more on how I'm feeling, she said when I go back for my next meeting she'll check how bad my bad days are and how often I have them. They'll probably be more frequent now that I'm leaving you," I divulged.

"Then don't leave," she begged.

"But we already packed," I sighed.

"And we'll unpack," she said.

"Nope, you know I would rather talk to you than write in that diary," I confessed.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Talking to you about my problems, it makes me feel good," I said.

"Aww, can you please not leave, I'll talk to him, just give me a week," she bargained.

"Fine by me, we go back to school next week as well so, yeah," I said awkwardly.

"Jason! Get in here now!" she yelled downstairs.

"What are you doing?!" I whisper yelled.

"You're staying and that's final, I'm getting this over with," she explained.

Jason walked in and rolled his eyes at me.

"What is she still doing here?" he asked clearly annoyed.

"She, is my girlfriend and her name is Toni and you will address her as such. She is staying and that is final," Cheryl declared.

"She said she was going so what's the problem now?" Jason whined.

"The problem is that you not accepting you future sister in law," she said.

"Why would I? She's Serpent scum that you shouldn't be dating, you deserve better. I'm older than you I can see when someone is being used," he stated.

"You're older than me by 5 minutes," she rolled her eyes.

"That may be but as the elder of this house I declare that she is not staying," he said.

"I had a feeling you'd say that," Cheryl said.

She went over to him and whispered something in his ear and she smiled menacingly. I'm guessing she had some dirt on him.

"You wouldn't dare," he said mouth agape.

"I most certainly would," she said walking over to me.

"Okay okay, you can stay and I'm sorry for beating you up I guess," he said.

"It's cool," I smiled.