Author's Note: Before I start this story, I just need to clarify several issues. The first issue is that I know Cheryl Blossom is a lesbian. The actress herself confirmed this. And I know that by even making this fanfiction, I am at risk of being verbally attacked by those that ship Cheryl with Toni Topaz, also known as "Choni" shippers. I already know the backlash that could be caused just for writing this story, so I'm just adding disclaimers in case if anyone is incensed. I think Choni is a better relationship than "Charchie", the pairing of Cheryl Blossom and Archie Andrews. I'm not trying to anger or offend anyone here. That's never the intention. But just think…what if Cheryl wasn't lesbian? What if she was straight or bisexual? Just personal thoughts. I don't expect everyone to agree with me, and I'm not going to exhaust myself trying to do so. And I'm sure there are plenty of others that ship Archie and Cheryl. If there are no more questions, let's start this story…

Chapter 1: The River's Edge

Archie Andrews was in his room, playing with his guitar. He was looking forward to football season and possibly being the starting quarterback or maybe even being the starting wide receiver. With Jason Blossom as the captain, they would surely seem unbeatable.

"Hey, Archie", Fred Andrews said as he walked into his son's room. Fred was Archie's father.

"Hey, Dad", Archie said. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to tell you to have a good night's sleep", Fred said. "Just looking out for you."

"Dad, relax, I'll be fine."

"Ok, then", Archie said. "Good night, Dad."

"Good night, son."

As Fred walked out of the room, Archie laid down on his bed. For some reason, Cheryl Blossom popped into his mind. Archie wasn't sure why. With football season to think about in the fall and his 10th grade year, why would he be thinking about Cheryl? They were on good terms, but they weren't exactly friends.

Yet, Archie couldn't stop thinking about her, even when he fell asleep. In his dream, Cheryl was sobbing and hugging Archie for comfort. The dream seemed so relaxing and comforting. Archie didn't know why Cheryl was crying in the dream. It had to represent or symbolize something. Archie didn't know what it was.

Archie and Cheryl held each other tightly for a few more minutes. Archie wasn't sure why this was happening. True, Archie was willing to help a lot of people, even acquaintances that he wasn't close with, but this might have been going too far.

"Archie, I love you", Cheryl said.

"I love you too, Cheryl", Archie replied.

What the hell was happening? He was in love with Cheryl? Something was seriously wrong with this image. This debacle was not something he would have predicted.

Cheryl then leaned in to kiss Archie.

That's when Archie woke up.

It was probably the strangest and most unexplainable dream Archie had ever had. Archie had talked with girls, but he never had any romantic feelings for any of them. He was just too busy for a relationship. He didn't have time to face anything distracting when he had to study for exams and play football. His future was too delicate to waste.

But later that day, Archie and Fred would be alongside Sweetwater River along with many of the other citizens of Riverdale. Archie saw Cheryl sitting in boat next to her parents. Clifford Blossom was yelling at the coast guard to find his son.

Archie couldn't believe it. Jason Blossom was missing? Maybe that's why Cheryl had hugged Archie in the dream. Archie was always friendly with Cheryl, but he had never viewed her in a romantic way.

At least, not until then. Romance and love may have been foreign emotions and a mystery from long ago, but he thought he was starting to understand it. Maybe Cheryl was the one for him.

Archie started dwelling on that thought. He was in love with Cheryl. He suddenly cared for her, more than he ever did before. He wanted to tell Cheryl about how he felt, that he would always be there for her.

Of course, then there was Cheryl's parents. Archie always respected Clifford and Penelope, but he had to be careful not to say or do anything stupid. They were the richest couple in Riverdale. Even though Jason and Cheryl were from an affluent family, they never seemed to boast about their wealth.

Still, would Clifford and Penelope approve of Archie and Cheryl being in a relationship? Archie could only speculate, but he secretly hoped that they would approve. Although he hated to think on what could happen if they didn't approve.

"Is everything all right, Archie?", Fred asked as they drove back home.

"I was just worried about Jason…and Cheryl", Archie said.

"I was never a big fan of their parents", Fred said. "But Jason's a good kid. And Cheryl seems like a nice girl as well. I hope he returns safely."

Archie secretly hoped so too. But he didn't reveal his romantic feelings for Cheryl to his dad. At least not yet. Archie had to be certain if those feelings were genuine. If he made any mistakes, he would be sure to be filled with regret.

Meanwhile, Cheryl was in the boat, being yelled at by Penelope. Her mother was ranting about Cheryl being so irresponsible and reckless to cause Jason to go missing and possibly drown.

"YOU STUPID, SELFISH GIRL!", Penelope screamed. "What in the hell were you thinking?"

Cheryl didn't say anything. She merely looked down at the ground.

"It was a mistake", Cheryl said.

"Mistake?! You call letting your brother die a mistake? I promise you, Cheryl, you will pay the price for your foolish thinking!"

Clifford said nothing to her during the whole ordeal. Yet, during the search and her awful time in the boat, she thought about Archie Andrews in the back of her mind. That was strange. With Jason's disappearance and possible death, why would she be thinking about Archie? He seemed like a nice boy, but the two of them had barely said a word to each other during the last year of high school.

Anyway, it didn't matter now. Cheryl would have thought her parents would have grounded her for life. But they said nothing to her. They were obviously giving her the silent treatment.

The next day, Archie decided to visit Cheryl. He wanted to be able to comfort her and tell her he would be there for her.

"Hey, Dad", Archie said as he greeted his father.

"Hello, son", Fred said. "What are your plans for today?"

"I'm planning on visiting Cheryl Blossom, if you don't mind", Archie said.

Fred said nothing for a few minutes, merely stirring his coffee.

"That's fine, Archie", Fred said. "But may I ask why?"

"It's just…I feel so much sympathy for her", Archie said. "It breaks my heart. Maybe I could talk to her, offer some words of encouragement."

"Like I said, Archie, go ahead", Fred said. "But be cautious of her parents. You already know what they're like."

Archie finished his breakfast and started walking towards Thornhill, the name for the Blossom estate. His heart was pounding as he approached the front door.

Archie knocked on the door.

A few minutes later, Clifford Blossom opened the door.

"Archibald Andrews", Clifford said. "What bring you here? How may I help you?"

"Mr. Blossom, I wanted to speak to Cheryl, if you don't mind."

Clifford sighed.

"Fine, go ahead. But she's already in a pathetic state after the situation involving Jason. You already know about that."

Archie nodded and walked upstairs to Cheryl's room. He knocked on the door.

"What do you want?", Cheryl asked in an annoyed voice. "If it's you, Mom, I don't want to talk."

"No, Cheryl, it's me…Archie."

Archie heard footsteps and saw the door being opened.

"Archie Andrews…what a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect to see you here."

"Cheryl, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry you're going through this. I admired and respected your brother."

Cheryl managed a small smile at Archie.

"Thanks, Archie", Cheryl said.

"No problem, Cheryl", Archie said. "If you need to talk to anyone, you can talk to me."

Cheryl didn't know why Archie was being so nice all of a sudden. They barely spoke a word to each other during ninth grade. Now, they were talking like they were close friends.

Cheryl then started crying. Archie, without even thinking about what he was doing, put his arms around her and hugged her. Cheryl buried her face in his chest, letting the tears out. She then sobbed on his shoulder.

After a few minutes, Archie then pulled away.

"I'm sorry, Cheryl, I shouldn't have…"

"Don't be silly, Archie", Cheryl said. "You were there for me and you comforted me. No one's ever done anything that nice for me before."

"I'm sure that's not true, Cheryl", Archie said. He wished what he was saying was true. But most of the students at school were afraid to get in Cheryl's way for fear of being chewed out. Archie himself had feared her for worry of looking like an idiot.

Still, Archie knew Cheryl was hurting. The only reason Cheryl was like this was because of her life at home. Archie couldn't recall ever seeing Clifford and Penelope saying that they loved their daughter.

Still, Archie would prove to Cheryl that he would always be there for her. And it would not be such a simple task.

Author's Note: And that was Chapter 1! I'll see when I can write the second chapter, assuming the Choni fans don't crucify me first.