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It was the end of the school day, and Toni and Cheryl were heading over to Thistlehouse to get a start on homework before all the other girls arrived for Cheryl's "mandatory slumber party".
It had been a very good day overall, Toni decided. She had successfully auditioned for the cheer squad, recieved an A- on her oral history presentation, and then at lunch, she had been able to hang out with all her friends, and they'd had heaps of fun.
And now, just to add an extra cherry on top of an already incredible day, Cheryl Blossom was sitting on the back of her bike, with her arms wrapped around Toni, and her head buried in the girl's shoulder. It was bliss. Toni was actually pretty sure the red-head had fallen asleep.
When Toni pulled up at Thistlehouse's gates, she had to gently shake Cheryl awake, since the gates were locked, and Toni didn't have the key card.
Cheryl looked up at her groggily, rubbing her eyes with her hand.
"Cher... beb, I need the key card for the gates."
"Mmm, s'in my bag. Hold on one second. I'll get it." Standing from the bike, slightly unsteady on her feet, Cheryl grabbed her bag from where it was strapped to the bike, rumaging through it. Pulling out a small black plastic card, she handed it Toni.
"You remember how it works?" She asked, and Toni nodded, smiling.
"Yes, Cher. I got it. Are you gonna try driving my bike like last time? Or are you gonna wait?" Cheryl lit up, grinning and clapping her hands together.
"Can I?"
"Go for it. Just put the helmet on first. And don't force the clutch, and be careful of the brake. Go slow..." Toni demanded, her face set in a frown.
"Hey.. calm down," Cheryl interupted, smiling softly as Toni moved to open the gate. "It's literally 200 metres. I'll be fine."
Cheryl hopped back on the bike, reving the engine, and, once Toni had pushed the gate open and moved inside, the bike lurched forward a couple times, then smoothly sailed through the gates, past Toni, until Cheryl stopped nicely about 100 metres in front of her house.
She grinned, taking off the helmet and grabbing both their bags as Toni ran over to help her prop the bike up.
"You're getting better, Blossom! That was really good." Cheryl smiled, handing Toni her bag.
"I guess I must have a good teacher," she replied with a wink over her shoulder as they walked over to Thistlehouse's huge, imposing double doors.
Toni had been teaching her friend how to ride a motorbike, and so far, Cheryl was proving to be a quick study. One lesson in, and she was better than Fangs had been when he started. Cheryl seemed to be a bit of an adrenaline junkie, and biking was probably good for her. It took the edge of some of her more dangerous urges, Toni had realised. Also, she was incredibly sexy on Toni's bike, which was an extra bonus.
Cheryl opened the door quietly, listening for any trace of her mother and uncle. Hearing nothing, she put her keys down near the door, and walked towards the kitchen, pulling out a bunch of snacks. She then proceeded to stuff them into her bag, and when Toni asked why, Cheryl informed her that she didn't feel like coming back down here. So Toni let it drop.
When Cheryl was done, she shouldered her bag and together they moved back into the hall, climbing the stairs to the second floor where Cheryl's room was.
Toni knew the way to Cheryl's room by heart, as the two girls came back to Thistlehouse every day after school now. They would hang out, do homework or just chat, until Cheryl's mother called her for dinner, which was when Toni would climb out Cheryl's window and run through the forest to where her bike would be stashed just past Thistlehouse's gates. Then she would wave to Cheryl, who would be watching from her window, and ride away, back to the Southside. Toni essentially lived at Thistlehouse now, and she honestly didn't mind the shadows anymore.
Arriving in Cheryl's room, she flopped down on the red-head's huge canopy bed. Cheryl laughed at her, before taking off her own shoes and jumping onto the bed beside Toni. She lay on her stomach next to the girl, and kicked her legs up into the air.
"What's on the agenda for today?" Toni asked, running a hand through her pink tipped locks and turning over.
"Well, TT, we have to sort out some things for tonight," Cheryl sat, up ticking things off on her fingers. "Food, games, the TV for the movie, oh god, I need to tell my mother too." Cheryl rested her head in her hands.
"Cher, that's why I'm here. To help," Toni reassured her. "Why did you invite everyone over if it was going to stress you out?" Toni asked confused. Cheryl looked at her, frowning slightly.
"Oh yeah, that's another thing I have to do. I'll tell you when I tell the others," she sighed. Looking down, Toni realised something.
"Oh and Cher? I know your bed is huge but I don't think 5 girls will be able fit in it. Do you have, say, four other matresses we can drag in?" Toni said. "Just tell me where they are and I'll go get them."
Cheryl shook her head, smiling.
"Thanks Topaz. Once again, I don't know what I would do without you. But.." she frowned slightly, then grinned.
TONI'S POV (cos I can)
"We only need 3 extra matresses. Josie, Veronica, and Betty." Toni frowned opening her mouth to object, when Cheryl stepped forward, grinning evilly.
"You, of course," she whispered, " get to sleep," she ran a finger down Toni's cheek," with me." she finished, her mouth hovering near Toni's ear, as the pink-haired girl stood frozen, her mouth wide open.
Suddenly Cheryl laughed, stepping back and shaking her head.
"Too easy, Topaz. Sweet Pea was right: you're a sucker for a hot girl!"
Toni groaned, shaking her head.
"Wait, what!? He said that?" Cheryl nodded.
"Oh yeah, by the way, can I have his number? I keep forgetting to ask him. I wanted to ask him to go to Pop's the other day, but my mother was on the war path sooo" Cheryl told her, lying down on her bed again.
"Uh, yeah," Toni said, fighting to keep a smile on her face. "Hold on, give me your phone and I'll put it in."
Cheryl got up, Iooking around the room, before cursing out loud.
"I left my purse downstairs," she told Toni, who was still staring sadly at the ground. "I'll be back in a minute." Toni nodded, still not looking up.
When Cheryl left, Toni sat down on the other girl's bed, trying not to cry. Of course Cheryl would hit on one of her friends. And, since Cheryl was so confident and sexy, Sweet Pea would have been more than happy to go out with her. It hurt that Sweet Pea would go behind her back with the girl he knew she liked. But the red-head was still into guys, and Toni cursed herself for thinking the girl was even remotely attracted to her. Flopping backwards, she lay on her back, just staring up at the bed's canopy. Toni started analysing every moment they had spent together, but she realised, Cheryl was a naturally teasing person. She always looked like a million bucks, and definately knew it. But then again, there were all those flirty moments, the gay jokes, the unnecessary touching, almost everything pointed to Cheryl feeling the same way. So why would Cheryl ask for Sweet Pea's number? Toni sighed. She was probably just reading into it. But then again what if she wasn't? And what if she did something stupid, something akin to confessing her feelings for her best and only girl friend (as she had been considering) and Cheryl didn't reciprocate? Toni didn't want to ruin their relationship. So, she resolved to keep her mouth shut, and just continue to be a living version of that lesbian-in-love-with-her-best-friend trope.
CHERYL'S POV:
"We only need 3 extra matresses. Josie, Veronica, and Betty." Cheryl said smiling. She saw Toni frowning, and knew exactly why. The other girl opened her mouth, probably to explain to Cheryl how basic addition works, with some snarky comment about GPA's and "the wrong sort".
So, making a split second decision, Cheryl stepped towards her friend, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"You, of course," she whispered, trying to make her voice as sexy as humanly possible. "get to sleep," she lifted a finger, running it down Toni's cheek, as the other girl stayed stock still. " with me." she finished, her mouth hovering near Toni's ear, as the pink-haired girl stood with her mouth wide open.
Liking the reaction very, very much, Cheryl stepped back, smirking at Toni and shaking her head. Phase 1: Complete! She had this girl in the palm of her hand. The guys were telling the truth when they had said Toni would melt at any remotely sexual advances made by Cheryl. She was gonna have to tell them the good news.
"Too easy, Topaz," she grinned. "Sweet Pea was right: you're a sucker for a hot girl!"
She watched as Toni groaned, shaking her head, probably to clear her head. Then she remembered she didn't have the guy's numbers.
"Wait, what!? He said that?" Cheryl nodded.
"Oh yeah, by the way, can I have his number? I keep forgetting to ask him. I wanted to ask him to go to Pop's the other day, but my mother was on the war path sooo." Cheryl asked, flopping down on her bed again. Ok, she was kinda lying. Her mother hadn't been angry or anything when she was supposed to go to Pop's with him, she had actually been hanging with Toni, but Sweet Pea had understood. He was, afterall, "pro-Choni", as he had said when she had explained why she blew him off. But Toni wasn't about to find out any of that. "He's pretty cute!" She said, lying through her teeth, hoping Toni wouldn't notice.
"Uh yeah," she heard her friend say. "Hold on, give me your phone and I'll put it in." Toni continued.
So Cheryl got up from her bed, trying to remember where exactly she had put her phone. Suddenly remembering, she cursed out loud, something she almost never did.
"I left my purse downstairs," she told Toni. The serpent girl wouldn't meet her eyes, and her shoulder's were slumped slightly. "I'll be back in a minute." Toni nodded, still not meeting Cheryl's eyes, and the red-head couldn't read her friend's face.
So instead of pushing Toni to talk, Cheryl headed downstairs, trudging down the dark halls, filled with monsters she knew so well. She shuddered, missing the warmth and brightness Toni's presence gave her.
Eventually coming to the main staircase, Cheryl descended it, looking for her purse, which would likely contain her phone. Finding it near the door with her keys, Cheryl grabbed her phone from inside, before turning and heading back to her room, where Toni was waiting.
*END OF SPLIT POVS*
Toni was still lying on Cheryl's bed when the red-head returned. She sat up, surreptitiously wiping her eyes, noting the way Cheryl's eyes caught the action, and the other girl's face fell slightly. She shot a questioning look at Toni, which she ignored, holding out her hand for the phone, and smiling half-heartedly. Cheryl dropped it into her outstretched hand, jumping up onto the bed beside Toni.
"Thanks TT. I think I'm gonna get some homework done. Schnauzer gave me so much english lit. stuff. I'm drowning in Dicken's novels," Cheryl said with a sigh.
Dr. Schnauzer was the girl's Literature teacher, and, unfortunately for him, he looked uncannily similar to the dog he shared his name with. Normally, any mention of him would bring a smile to Toni's face, but today, she just wasn't in the mood.
Finishing with Cheryl's phone, she handed it back before getting up and grabbing her homework.
"You and Sweets, huh?" Toni asked innocently as she rummaged through her bag for her laptop. Cheryl immediately sat up, looking at her incredulously.
"Are you kidding me? Your friends, cool as they may be, are really not my type," she explained. Toni shrugged, not wanting to believe her.
"Cheryl, I would totally support you guys if you were going out. You don't need to lie to me." Toni said, hoping that, even if she couldn't be with Cheryl, she could at least support her.
But Cheryl was frowning now. Her arms crossed.
"We're not together, Topaz. What's up with you? Why are you pushing me and your best friend? I don't get it!" Cheryl complained. Toni swallowed, shrugging, trying to hide how conflicted she was right now. First, this girl makes it seems like she wants to go out with Toni's friend, then she flips out at the mention of said friend.
"Sorry Cher. But, honestly, if there is anything between you guys, just tell me. It'll be easier on everyone." Toni said, exasperated. Some part of her felt bad for pushing Cheryl like this, especially since the girl was so stressed. But at the same time...
"Toni, please stop! I don't even like guys!" She yelled, then slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide and panicked, turning away from her friend. Toni just stood there, confused, frozen by Cheryl for the second time today.
After a few seconds, she started moving towards Cheryl, who now had her head buried in her hands, lying down on the bed.
"Cher..." Toni said softly. "I'm so sorry. I didn't, oh god, I didn't realise, and I know that's no excuse, but..." Toni sighed dragging a hand through her hair. "I understand if you need some time, but if you want, I'm here if you wanna talk about it?"
Cheryl lifted her head slightly, meeting Toni's worried gaze. She nodded, just barely, dragging herself to the head of the bed where she propped herself up on a pillow. Twisting her fingers together, she took a deep breath.
"Ok. So...," she blew air out between her lips, forcing herself to meet Toni's concerned, questioning gaze. "So basically, as I said, I don't... I don't really like guys.. like that," she said, hesitantly. "At first, I did actually think I did, but now... I just don't feel anything. With boys now.. it's nothing but physical attraction, and, you know, that's not the kind of relationship I want." Again, she sighed deeply. "I think, for ages I was lying to myself, but things have changed; I've changed, and now I can kinda see that, and accept that. So.. yeah," she finished, and Toni took one of Cheryl's hands in her own.
"That's fine. I'm so sorry for pushing you like that, but I'm so glad you're ok... with everything." Toni told her. Cheryl sat up, and crawled onto Toni's lap, throwing her arms around Toni's neck, and nestling into the other girl's shoulder.
Her body was shaking, trembling, and Toni was happy just to hold her. She felt like a terrible friend, but she was just thankful Cheryl had forgiven her. So they sat together like that until they heard a car pulling up in the drive.
Cheryl pulled back, looking up at her friend, smiling softly.
"Thanks TT."
"Hey... it's the least I can do," she smiled in return. "But Cheryl... I do think we, or at least me, should start getting stuff ready. If your mother is home, then it'll be around 6, right?" Cheryl nodded shifting off Toni's lap. "So, I'm gonna head to some of the smaller rooms and steal a few matresses. Do you want to come, or do you need to hang here a little while longer?"
Cheryl got up of the bed, straightening her clothes and wiping her eyes. She headed towards the door, calling back over her shoulder for Toni to follow.
"I'm going to stick by you in case my mother finds you. That would be ugly."
How did I do? I don't really know what happened in this chapter. Honestly, there was no plan other than "sleepover prep" so if it doesn't make sense or something, please tell me.Also, important news:I have an AO3 account now! It's under the same username (TooGayToCare). I'm so excited to start posting there. The audience seems really different, but I hope they all still like my work.And apparently a few of you thought I wouldn't be posting on FF anymore. That is definitely not the case. FF is my first love, but also I'm still figuring out how to post on AO3. All updates for Missing Pieces will be here, so you all have nothing to worry about.Anyway, you guys are actually the best. I've been getting so many wonderful comments and PMs which is absolutely incredible! I love how positive this fandom is! Keep it up, y'all.Xxx-G