Chapter Fifteen : A Bittersweet Day For A Bittersweet Girl.
Toni is playing with Junkyard in her trailer one day when her phone goes off.
"Junkyard sit!" She says and the puppy follows orders. "Good Boy!" She praises, taking out her phone.
It's a text from Ellie 'I'm a few trailers down from you. Come find me.' Toni debates on going but finally decides to meet up with Ellie.
As she walks towards the girl she notices one thing right away, her shiny red motorcycle.
"Woah! El, where'd you get this?" She smiles, checking it and her out.
"One of Amanda's dad's friends was selling it. I got a good deal." She hands Toni a helmet. "Hop on." That's when Toni notices a few other things.
For starters, she wasn't wearing a helmet meaning the one she gave Toni was her only one. Then was the fact that her Ghoulies jacket had been replaced with a ripped jean vest.
"Where's your jacket?" She mentions first.
"Can't very well be seen in Serpent territory with a Ghoulies jacket, now can I?" Ellie responds with a smile.
"Okay, and where's your helmet?" Toni asks.
"Don't need one."
"Then I don't either."
"Toni Topaz you will put on that helmet or we will walk." Ellie looks stern but says it lightheartedly. Toni smiles and rolls her eyes.
"Okay, final question." She says, putting on the helmet. "Where are we going?"
"You'll see." Ellie says as Toni gets on the bike, wrapping her arms around Ellie's waist.
Ellie takes off out of the trailer park and down some roads. They pass many Serpents on their ride but stop when they get to a cross street.
"Why'd you stop?" Toni asks. Ellie puts the kickstand up and gets off, helping Toni off too. "I don't get it, where are we?"
"Give me your jacket." Ellie says.
"Why, are you stealing it to sneak back into the Serpents?" Toni jokes. Ellie chuckles.
"You wish. Then I wouldn't have to park three trailers down when I pick you up." She responds. Toni takes off her jacket and hands it to Ellie. "We're about to enter Ghoulie territory. This'll get you killed. That's why you need the helmet, to hide the pink hair." Ellie explains as she puts the jacket in her bikes saddle bag.
Toni's trust in Ellie starts to falter.
"Ellie, why are we going in Ghoulie territory?" She asks.
"Don't worry, we're just passing through." She gets back on the bike and reaches a hand out to Toni. "Trust me?" Toni hesitates but takes Ellie's hand and climbs back on the bike.
Ellie can't help but notice Toni holding her tighter than before as they zip through the streets of the Ghoulie territory. She takes one hand off the handles and puts it on Toni's hand to comfort her, still managing to steer.
They stop at a red light.
"Who's that bitch with Eleanor?" One Ghoulie on the street corner asks his buddy.
"I don't know. Let's ask her." His friends responds. "Hey Eleanor, who's that hot girl!?" He shouts. Ellie tries to ignore them and Toni hides her face against Ellie's back. "Hey, I said who's the girl!" The Ghoulie shouts again. Ellie again doesn't respond. The light turns green before he can ask again and she zooms off.
"Ellie, I changed my mind. Let's go back." Toni pleads.
"We're almost there. Trust me." Ellie promises. That's when they meet another cross street and stop again. Toni instantly gets off the bike before Ellie can even put up the kickstand.
Ellie walks over to her and puts a hand on her cheek. "Hey, they didn't freak you out, did they?" She looks worried. "Don't worry, we're out of their territory now." Toni sighs in relief and Ellie grabs her Serpent jacket and hands it back to her.
Toni puts it on, happy to be back in it.
"Toni Topaz, welcome to the unprotected Southside." Ellie says, turning to look past the cross street.
Toni's eyes narrow with empathy as she stares out on the bullet hole riddled trailers and run down tattoo shops.
"El, I've never been here before. Is it all like this?" She asks, her eyes now focused on the skin and bones children that lay on the streets. Ellie nods.
"Yeah, most of it. We've got a burger place that's pretty nice, only been robbed thirteen times. That's a record low around here." She responds. "Most people don't keep business here anymore. Say it's not worth it because the gangs come in and steal everything. You have to pass through Serpent and Ghoulie territory to get here from the Northside, so most of the people that live here are unemployed."
"What do we have to do with employment?" Toni turns to Ellie.
"It's hell passing through your territory without a jacket. There's no jobs in the Southside." Toni still looks confused. "If we commute to the Northside then everyday twice a day we have to drag our sorry broke asses through both Serpent and Ghoulie territory. We never make it home with our whole paycheck." Ellie says, turning to Toni.
Ellie turns back to the unprotected Southside.
"This is why I joined the Ghoulies. Living here, it made me realize what was going to happen to me if I lived in Ghoulie territory without a jacket. It was worth it at the time." She turns back to Toni and takes her hand. "But it's not worth it if it means I can't be with you."
Toni looks surprised at Ellie's words. She steps towards the blonde Ghoulie girl and takes her other hand so that she's holding both.
"El, I forgive you." She says. "We'll find a way to make this work. I'll tell Jughead off if he yells at me for being with you. I'll take the hits from the Ghoulies when I walk you to class. I'll handle my grandfather staring me down every time you come to pick me up." Ellie smiles. "But I need you to promise that you care about me. That you won't ever hurt me. Not again."
Ellie's smile grows bigger as she hugs Toni close. "I promise. I promise I will never hurt you again, and I'm sorry that I ever did. I love you." She instantly regrets adding that last part and pulls away from the hug, trying to read Toni's reaction.
"I love you too." Toni says. She kisses Eleanor deeply and Eleanor kisses back. Just a kiss; A real kiss. A pure sweet kiss with only pure and sweet intentions. Toni pulls away, biting her lip. "But no more Jingle Jangle." She puts out her pinky towards Ellie.
"You drive a hard bargain, T." Ellie says with a smile before taking Toni's pinky in her own. "Deal."
Ellie takes Toni home, dropping her outside her trailer and trying to avoid eye contact with her scary Serpent grandfather through the window.
"I'll see you at school." Toni says, taking off the helmet and handing it to Ellie.
"See you at school." Ellie smiles. Toni starts to walk up to her door. "No way you think you're getting away without a goodbye kiss." Ellie teases. Toni rolls her eyes and pecks Ellie on the lips before heading inside.
Ellie puts on her helmet with a grin before heading off back to Penny's.
"You look happy." Penny notes as Ellie enters the house.
"I got my girl back, of course I'm happy." She swoons, laying down on the couch and thinking of Toni's soft lips.
"You might not be in two seconds." Penny says, handing her a thin white box
"What's this?" Ellie asks, taking it and reading the label. "A pregnancy test?!" Ellie shoots Penny a look. "I'm gay, what makes you think I'm pregnant?!"
"You've been having migraines for weeks now, get nauseous when you wake up, and haven't used a pad a single time since you've been here. Take the test, Eleanor." Penny says.
"But I've never had sex with a guy before!" Ellie insists.
"Then what was Sharkbait boasting about the day after your initiation party?" Penny questions.
Ellie tries to think, confused and afraid. That's when she starts to remember what happened that night. Only flashes of memory appear in her mind but it's enough to confirm what Penny says.
"I was drunk. I was high." She mumbles to herself, trying to rationalize.
"And you slept with a guy." Penny says. "Go. Take the test." She orders.
Ellie's heart pounds as she walks to the bathroom. All she can think about is her memory. She slept with him. She actually let a guy touch her.
She takes the test and waits the few minutes it asks her to. As she waits she starts to think about the future.
Toni doesn't know she slept with him. Hell, she didn't even know she slept with him. Things just got better between her and Toni, she couldn't tell her if the test was positive.
Sharkbait was dead. He would never know if he had a kid and the kid would never know they had a dad.
She had been doing drugs. What if she ruined the fetus and it would come out with four legs or three eyes or something?!
Ellie starts to panic even more and tears well up in her eyes.
It's time to check the results. She can barely bring herself to look but when she does the tears flow from her eyes and down her face. She can't hold them back and just sobs an ugly cry. She tries to compose herself a little before setting the test on the sink and exiting the bathroom.
"We have a problem." She says to Penny, choking back sobs. She looks to the side and closes her eyes. "Please help me." She asks.
She's expecting warm arms to wrap around her and comfort her. She's expecting calming words and promises to help. Instead she's met with the sting of a slap across her cheek.
"How could you be so reckless?!" Penny shouts. Ellie looks up at her with shocked eyes. "Your first time with a guy and you don't think to use a condom?!"
"I…" Ellie can't speak, to stunned by the results and the slap.
"You've done a lot of stupid shit, Eleanor, but this?!" Penny kinda laughs as she yells. "This is too far! I'm trying to be a good fucking mother but you can't keep it together for even one goddamn second! I mean Jesus, is there one bad choice that you haven't made?!"
Eleanor stares at her mom, still processing what happened. She doesn't know what to say, so she says nothing before grabbing her Ghoulie jacket and leaving.
"You don't come back!" Penny yells after her. Ellie gets on her bike and rides off to Amanda's.
Once outside Amanda's trailer she types out a message, tears falling onto her phone. 'I need you. I'm outside. Please come.'
Amanda slowly steps out of the trailer, whispering to Ellie.
"What is it? My dads inside so be quiet."
"Amanda, I'm pregnant." Ellie whispers quickly. "I don't know what to do."
"Wait, What?" Amanda tries to process what she's hearing. "Ellie you can't be pregnant. You're gay."
"I slept with a guy. It was once, I was drunk. I took a test, Amanda, I'm pregnant."
"Well did you take a second one? Sometimes there can be false positives."
"No, I know it's right. I've been having migraines and getting nauseous and my period is late." Ellie keeps panicking. Amanda thinks for a minute, trying to figure out what to do.
"Okay, I think I know someone who can help you. For now, just go home, alright? I'll text her and see what she can do." Amanda tells her cousin. Ellie takes a deep breath, slightly relieved.
"Thank you, 'Cus." She hugs Amanda before getting back on her bike and heading back to Penny's.
She opens the door, ready to defend her decision to return but she never gets a chance to speak.
"Eleanor!" Penny says, pulling her head up from where it was resting on the table. "Eleanor I'm sorry! I didn't mean what I said about kicking you out." She rushes to the girl.
"But you did mean what you said about my stupid decisions?" Ellie wrinkles her nose at Penny.
"Well they were stupid decisions." Penny says. Eleanor just shakes her head.
"I need a nap." Ellie says, heading off to bed.
"It's two in the afternoon." Penny says.
"That's why I called it a nap." Ellie says back.
Amanda opens her phone and texts Betty. 'I need to talk to your mom.' She types.
'Why?' Betty types back with a quizzical emoji.
'It's for Ellie. Can you keep a secret?'
'Of course.'
'She slept with some guy and now she's pregnant. Her mom is pissed.'
Betty takes a second to respond.
'I'll get my mom.'
'Thank you!' Amanda sends with a heart emoji. Amanda clicks off her phone and waits.
A little while later she gets a text from an unrecognized number.
'This is Betty's mom. Tell the girl she can meet me after school on Monday if she wants to talk. I'll be in the parking lot.' Amanda sighs in relief.
'I will. Thank you.' She types back before sending a message to Ellie.
'Ellie, the person I was talking about just texted me. She says you can meet her after school tomorrow in the parking lot. I'll go with you if you want.'
No response. Amanda figures Ellie just can't get to her phone right now and so puts her own away.
"What the fuck is this town turning into?" She mumbles, laying down on her bed.
Alice Cooper puts her phone back in her pocket and walks towards her friend from the morgue.
"Sorry, that was my daughter. So, what do you have for me?" She asks him.
"This." He pulls back the sheet covering a body to reveal its Sharkbait. "A secret investigation the Sheriff is trying to keep hush hush."
Alice looks disgusted at the body. "What did he do?"
"Nothing." Her contract responds. This catches her interest. "He was a car crash victim."
"What does Keller want with a car crash?" Alice steps in to get a closer look at the body.
"They think it was more than a crash. They think it was a drug smuggling gone wrong." He recovers the body. "You see, in the wreckage they found some backpacks filled with Jingle Jangle. They also found a used up tube in his pocket, but I couldn't find any traces of the drug in his system."
"How do they know he wasn't just a dealer?"
"Because dealers work alone. They found this on the passenger side of the car along with some blood." He says, handing Alice an evidence bag containing a single blonde hair. "I tested the blood from the passenger side and the blood from the victim and they're different types." He smiles, excited about his findings.
"So you think a blonde girl was driving with him when it crashed? Why didn't she take the Jingle Jangle with her when she fled?" Alice questions. The guy just shrugs.
"You're the reporter." He says.
"Who made the 911 call?" Alice asks.
"How do you know there was one?"
"Because otherwise you would have mentioned how they found the body." Her contact grins.
"A Southside Serpent by the name of Toni Topaz. Said the guy was about to hit her when he swerved off the road. Also said he was driving alone." He says. Alice looks back at the hair.
"Doesn't look alone to me." She raises her eyebrows.
A knock echoes through Toni's trailer.
"I got it." She says, opening the door. In the doorway stands Sheriff Keller along with two cops she didn't recognize.
"You Toni Topaz?" Keller asks
"Yes." Toni responds, confused.
"We need to ask you a few questions regarding a drug smuggling case."
Toni's grandfather looks at her with questioning eyes.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Toni says honestly.
"Did you not make a 911 call to us about a car crash where you said a teenage boy driving alone, crashed his car to avoid hitting you?" The sheriff asks.
"I did." Toni responds. "What does that have to do with drugs?"
"In the wreck of the car we found backpacks of Jingle Jangle as well as evidence to suggest he wasn't driving alone." Toni keeps a straight face to mask her worry. "So, we figure one of two things. One, you are lying about what happened that night. Or two, it was dark so you didn't see the passenger. Do you mind if we ask you some questions to find out which it is?"
Toni steps out of the doorway to invite them in.