The apartment building that Toni Topaz resided in was far from luxurious.

It was freezing, and you could almost always hear some form of disturbance coming from the other residence. It wasn't a pleasant place and it certainly wasn't family friendly. It was a place to stay if you were a small time drug dealer, and needed a place to do business or if you were broke. Toni was the latter.

It was very rare that people would move in or out of the apartments. Most people who set up camp there were set for a very long time, because as Toni knew better than most, it was hard to leave rock bottom.

Toni had ran away from home two years ago. She had left Riverdale, and The Serpents behind… She had also left Cheryl Blossom. Cheryl Blossom who felt like home, and made Toni feel grounded and like her head was up in the clouds all at once. If you asked her why, she wouldn't tell you. She'd shrug, maybe make an awkward joke, and act like the thought alone didn't break her heart into pieces.

Their affair was brief, but magical.

Toni had cut it short before it had even taken off, really. She left without a word, only a note placed on Cheryl's pillow. She apologized, but god, it wasn't enough.

Cheryl had suffered more than enough loss in her life, and Toni knew that. She knew it, and she still left her. That's probably what hurt Cheryl the most.

Toni would say that she doesn't think of Cheryl at all if you asked her. That would be a lie. It's been two years, and she still crosses Toni's mind at least a couple of times a day. Whether it be a song, or the colour red… Everything always comes back to Cheryl Blossom somehow.

Toni wrote to her once. She wrote her a letter, five pages long that expressed everything she had once been afraid to say. It still didn't give the redhead much of an explanation, but it was something. It was progress. Toni woke up every morning for the next few weeks, and checked her mailbox right away.

Nothing came.

Months passed, and nothing came.

She accepted it.

She deserved it.

Toni always hoped for more than what she had. From being a child, she had never had much in terms of possessions or material things and she hoped one day, if she worked hard enough, she could have everything that she had ever wished for. That was a part of why she ran away, actually. As much as she loved The Serpents, she needed out. If you joined the gang, you stuck with the gang. It was a simple as that, and the thought of being stuck on the Southside of Riverdale for the rest of her life drove her crazier than anything.

It seemed like a great idea at first, to run away. She thought she was bettering herself, but she was stuck somewhere that was extremely similar to The Southside. She should have just stayed there. At least back home she had people she could call family, and all she had now was a neighbour, and a couple of girls who tended bar with her.

Said neighbour was currently hunched over the bar, nursing a glass of rum, while Toni talked his ear off about all of her problems. It probably should have been the other way around, but Nate didn't mind. He was actually there for Toni more often than not. He didn't have anyone else either, and they took comfort in each other. It was strictly platonic, and Toni made that clear from the day they met. He was more than okay with that, just happy to have a friend in the building who wouldn't potentially kill him if he looked at them the wrong way.

"Hey, I know what'll cheer you up," Nate offered, a mischievous smirk on his lips.

Toni quirked a brow.

"A saw a hot, redhead moving in across the hall from you this morning. She seems kinda bitchy, but she's easy on the eyes. I asked her if she needed any help moving her boxes, and well… Let's just say she didn't."

I bet she's not as hot as my redhead, Toni thought.

Toni scoffed, imagining Nate getting a telling off from their new neighbour.

"Did you ask her if she needed help, or did you try hitting on her?" Toni asked.

"Maybe a little, but I thought I was subtle. I was just confused, she looks like a city girl."

Toni frowned. "I wonder what the hell she's doing here, then."

Nate shrugged, and his focus went back to his drink. Toni didn't think anymore about it, and just hoped that next few hours would go quickly so she could have a drink herself and go home. It was sad, really, the life she was living. It was very much the same every single day. She would wake up around noon, and get ready to go to work in the evening, then she would drink and go home. Most of her days looked like that, and she couldn't help but think about how she was at least a little happier in Riverdale. Back there, she still had passion. She went out, she took photographs of pretty things, she went on dates, she hung out with her friends. Now… She did nothing.

The thoughts of going back stopped around a year ago. She considered it on and off for a while, but decided firmly against it. She couldn't look back. She had to move forward, even though she wasn't doing much moving at all.

She left her phone behind, so nobody had any means of contacting her.

She could imagine Sweet Pea's frustration. She could imagine Fangs missing her when he went to The Wyrm. She could imagine FP slamming his fist against the wall when he heard the news. After all, she was the only one besides him who seemed to be able to keep them all in line.

They were probably furious with her, she thought.

She wondered if she ever crossed their mind, now that some years had passed.

Toni had a vision when she ran away. She imagined herself travelling from place to place, meeting interesting people along the way and having the time of her life. Some dreams weren't meant to become a reality, it seemed. Every time she envisioned her future though, Cheryl was always right there beside her in the car, turning the radio up and dramatically singing along. Her biggest regret? Not having the courage to ask Cheryl to run with her.

Later on in the evening, after a couple of beers, Toni decided to head back to her apartment. The bar wasn't exactly lively, and she was actually craving her own company. She often did that, just enjoyed being alone. She was used to being on her own now, and for the most part, she preferred it that way.

Of course, the elevator was broken in the building and she was on the sixth floor. It wasn't anything too drastic, but when she was wearing heals it was practically an Olympic sport.

Three… Two…

Almost there, she thought.

A sigh of relief left her lips as she reached her floor, and she began to slowly walk along the hall towards her door. For a moment, she revisited her conversation with Nate about the new girl who had moved across the hall from her. It wasn't exactly the kind of place where you would knock on the door and welcome someone to the building, but still, she was curious.

As she approached her door, a figure came into view.

Red hair. Red leather skirt. Thigh high boots.

God… She was just like her.

It couldn't be…

"Toni?"

Well, shit.