"Good morning, beautiful." Cheryl whispered as she rolled over to face Toni.
"Hey there, Miss Bombshell." Toni replied with that crooked smile.
The morning sunshine flooded the small apartment, with its view of the train tracks and the river, which split the North side and the South side. From the window, you could see what remained of Sunnyside Trailer Park, Southside High, and the Whyte Wyrm, where the Southside Serpents met biweekly.
Cheryl stood in front of her wardrobe, sifting through clothes until she found an outfit that suited her mood that day. "Toni, would you get the paper from downstairs?"
"All right."
Toni stepped into a worn pair of slippers that once belonged to Cheryl. She descended the 5 flights of stairs, and grabbed the paper from The Riverdale Register. The paper was sprinkled with dew, and almost slipped out of Toni's hands as she climbed back up to their apartment. When she opened the door, Cheryl greeted her with a kiss on the cheek and a mug of coffee. Toni handed her the paper and they both sat down at the kitchen counter. Cheryl flipped through the paper while Toni stirred her coffee. Suddenly, Cheryl dropped the paper. It fluttered to the ground softly. Cheryl's face turned white as a sheet. Toni looked down at the paper. The page it was open on had a headline that read, "Penelope Blossom Found Dead at Thistlehouse". Although she barred her mother out of her life few years ago, Cheryl still had to live with the constant knowledge that she'd always be less than a mile away from her and her girlfriend. Cheryl looked like she did when Claudius Blossom walked into Jason's will reading. She reached her arms out towards her girlfriend, and Toni enveloped her in a hug. A single tear streamed down Cheryl's face. She was confused. Why would she feel any sympathy for her god-awful mother, who shipped her off to a mental ward and hated every bone in her body?
"Authorities found her at the foot of the grand staircase in her home, and later studies show she suffered a fatal fracture in her neck," Toni quoted.
"Hey, this article is by Jughead!" Jughead went to their school, and was the leader of the Serpents. Cheryl was still staring off into space.
"She's dead. I'm the only pure Blossom left." She mumbled, her eyes still fixed on a point somewhere in the distance.
"But you hated her," Toni reasoned. "Aren't you glad?"
Cheryl nodded. "I guess. As long as I have you, I'll be fine."
"Good." Toni said as she took both their mugs and placed them in the sink. "Come on, Bombshell. We're going to be late for class." They put on their Southside Serpent jackets and were out the door.
The cold air greeted the girls as they made their way across the parking lot, and to Toni's motorcycle. Cheryl grabbed the two helmets and handed one to Toni. 15 minutes later, they pulled into Riverdale Community College, where Cheryl studied design and Toni studied mechanics. They dropped their helmets on the handlebars and went into the large brick building. They had math and history together. When they entered the classroom, everyone turned to look at Cheryl. Of course they had all heard about Penelope. Cheryl just smiled and sat in her usual seat in the front of the class, right next to her one and only.
Classes went by fast that day. With Cheryl in tow, Toni marched out to her motorcycle, which was actually a birthday gift from none other than "Miss Bombshell" herself. Traffic was extremely light, but the weather was plain horrid. "TT, I can feel my eyelashes freezing!" Cheryl exclaimed.
"We're almost there." Toni said in her naturally reassuring voice. They passed the apartment, and instead traveled the familiar road to Pop's Chock'lit Shop. "Some hot cocoa?" Toni suggested.
They parked and walked in, the little bell tinkling as they opened the door. They were greeted by warmth and smells of hot foods and coffee. Cheryl sighed. "Our usual seats at the counter?"
Toni and Cheryl sat down, and ordered two hot chocolates with extra whipped cream. Ever since Pop Tate passed away over the summer, Pop's didn't feel the same. But it was the same diner. The same diner where Fred Andrews was shot, the same diner where Cheryl hung out with her backstabbing high school "friends", the same diner where Toni had comforted Cheryl and told her that she was sensational.
A waiter slid them two large mugs of cocoa, each with a monstrous mountain of whipped cream atop it. As they took a sip, the bell jingled again. Two of their fellow Serpents, Fangs and Sweet Pea, walked in. Sweet Pea, at a staggering 6'5", had to duck under the small door to get in. Fangs placed a hand on Cheryl's shoulder. "I heard about your mom, Cheryl. I'm sorry."
Cheryl and Toni both chuckled. "What?" Fangs looked puzzled.
"Are you kidding?" Cheryl sighed. "I hated her. In my opinion, she should have died sooner."
Fangs and Sweet Pea stood there, identically shocked. Cheryl never discussed her family among the other Serpents. The boys sat on either side of Cheryl and Toni. Sweet Pea stuck a finger in Toni's whipped cream, licking it with satisfaction. "Get your own!" Toni laughed.
There they were. Four Serpents at the counter of Pop's, laughing. A strange sight to most Northsiders. Cheryl took a sip of cocoa. She looked over at Toni, who was staring at her. "What?" Cheryl asked, blushing.
"You're just..." Toni stammered. "God, you are gorgeous." Cheryl blushed even harder.
"Back at you, Topaz." She said. "Wow, that was super lame, I'm sorry."
Toni giggled. She placed her hand palm-up on the counter. Cheryl put her hand in Toni's and it felt just like that night, after they saw that movie together. "I ship it!" teased Fangs. Both Toni and Cheryl shot him a glare. "I think we'll have the check," Cheryl said to the waitress, who took the empty cups. Sweet Pea dug in the pocket of his jacket and handed Cheryl two 5 dollar bills. "I have my own money. Thank you though, Sweet Pea."
He stuffed the cash back in his pocket and Cheryl put her credit card back in her wallet. Toni and Cheryl got up, and arm in arm, walked out to the motorcycle.
When they got home, it was close to 7pm. Cheryl changed into her silk pajama set, and Toni changed into an old t-shirt and her old cheerleading shorts. Toni microwaved some leftover casserole, while Cheryl sat wrapped up in a blanket, totally spaced out. "Cheryl," Toni said from the kitchen. "You're staring into space again."
Cheryl jumped at the sound of Toni's voice. "Oh." she looked flustered. "Sorry, T."
Toni sat down next to her, and Cheryl placed her head on Toni's shoulder. Toni stroked Cheryl's fiery red hair, which cascaded down to her waist. The microwave beeped, and Toni returned a few seconds later with two plates of egg casserole. They sat on the couch, silently eating. Cheryl placed the plates in the sink, turned off the kitchen light, and sat back down. Toni snuggled into Cheryl's shoulder, and soon she was completely laying on top of her. She placed her head on Cheryl's sternum, and in that moment it felt as though time had stopped entirely. Cheryl craned her neck up so their lips grazed. Toni slid her fingers along Cheryl's jaw, and they were trapped in a kiss. After being entangled for about 2 minutes, Cheryl's phone rang. "Who the hell is it?" Toni asked as she sat up and handed the phone to Cheryl. "Oh, it's Polly. I'm going to have to take this." Cheryl stepped into the bedroom. "Cousin Polly!" she exclaimed cheerfully.
"Cheryl, are you okay?" Polly asked.
"Oh, please don't tell me that you saw-"
"I did. I'm sorry."
"No, no, Polly." Cheryl chastised. "I hated her. I hated her with all of my heart."
"Are you sure you're fine?" Polly asked.
"Yes, I'm sure." Cheryl began to get annoyed.
"Well, then maybe you can attend the twins' 4th birthday party?" Cheryl's eyes lit up.
"Of course, Polly! Is it okay if Toni comes?"
"Who's Toni?" Polly asked. Cheryl sighed.
"My girlfriend." she said. The was a second of silence on the line.
"Oh, yes, she can come too! The more the merrier!" Polly replied over-enthusiastically.
"Wonderful. When is the party?"
"It's the 7th. Two weeks from now." Polly said cheerfully.
"Okay. Thank you, Pol." Cheryl said. "Toodles!"
She hung up the phone. Toni was still sitting and waiting patiently. "What was that about?" she asked.
"Polly invited us to the twins' birthday party!" Cheryl smiled.
"Us? As in... us?"
"Pretty sure there's no other 'us' in this scenario, T."
Cheryl yawned. "I'm tired," she mumbled, stretching her arms up above her head. "I have a literature test tomorrow." she added.
Toni got up and followed Cheryl into the bedroom. The covers were cold, just like outside. They both read on their phones for a while, until they were both struggling to keep their eyes open. "Goodnight, Cheryl." Toni whispered.
"Goodnight, Toni. I love you." Cheryl replied back. They kissed for a brief second before going to sleep.
Around midnight, Cheryl jerked awake, gasping. Toni bolted up. "What? What is it, Cheryl?"
Tears were streaming down Cheryl's face. Toni grabbed her shoulder and locked her in a hug. "It's okay, you're safe, you're with me. I've got you."
"Th-the Sisters." Cheryl stammered.
"You're not with The Sisters, you're with me. You're safe."
Cheryl had nightmares constantly. They usually featured Jason, her parents, or The Sisters of Quiet Mercy, the conversion camp Penelope shipped her off to.
"I'm sorry, Toni." Cheryl was still crying.
"No, Cheryl, you don't have to be sorry. It's totally understandable. You are so strong, you know that? Not many people have been through what you have. You have nothing to be sorry about." Toni felt tears on her shoulder as she cradled Cheryl, protecting her like a shield.
After a few minutes, Cheryl fell back asleep, while Toni watched her peacefully for as long as she could, before her eyelids felt heavy. The next morning, when she woke up, Cheryl was gone. She momentarily panicked before she heard the TV on in the living room. Cheryl was curled up on the sofa, where she was watching Game Of Thrones. Toni gently placed a hand on her shoulder, and she jumped. "Toni!" she shrieked.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to startle you." Toni started backing up.
"No, it-it's fine." Cheryl shook her head. "Come sit and watch with me." She patted the couch cusion next to her, and Toni plopped down beside her, laying her head on Cheryl's shoulder. "JJ and I used to watch this all the time, freshman year of high school. On weekends we'd binge until we got caught up."
Toni nodded microscopically. "It's 8:05, better get ready." Cheryl looked at her phone.
The school day went by extremely quickly, even faster than yesterday. After classes, Toni had trouble getting the motorcycle to start because it was so cold, but after a few tries, she finally got the engine running. "I need to teach you how to drive this thing." Toni said as they approached a red light.
"You're kidding." Cheryl laughed.
"No, I'm serious."
"Maybe we just get a car." Cheryl suggested. Toni rolled her eyes.
"Says the one who bought this thing!"
They laughed as they pulled into the parking lot of Sweetwater Apartment Complex. They hopped off the bike and raced each other to the stairwell. "No fair!" Cheryl called. "I'm wearing heels!"
Toni sat down on the foot of the stairs, laughing as she caught her breath. "I won!" she said as Cheryl stomped over next to her. She shivered. "Come on, T, let's get inside already."