This is another entry in My "Failed" Love Life series.
I had this written manually for a while and it took another while to type it. Then I had to pick a publication date so why not the season four finale? I thought it was going to be delayed due to the pandemic and production closing down, but the season is being cut short so here we go.
Okay, this event is unlikely to happen in the show because it's more realistic than whatever the show is. I stopped watching the show after season two but I still keep up with what's going on. Whatever. I hope you enjoy this one-shot.
Disclaimer - I don't own the characters.
Rubbing Off On You:
"That's insane," Jughead comments as he types away on his laptop.
"I'm serious!" Toni responds. "Write that down word-for-word in your story. Let's have Riverdale shaking in their spine."
"I'd have to sign an NDA if anyone comes after me. Maybe you'd have to as well."
Toni flicks the straw in her milkshake. "Freedom of speech, baby."
Jughead stops typing and gives her a face. "Toni, you and I both know that right doesn't exist anymore."
Toni purses her lips together as she shrugs one shoulder. Jughead laughs to himself as he continues typing his next exposé piece. Even if his words did come back to bite him, he wouldn't expose Toni as the source. He would send the feds down the path of where Toni got the information. See what those mouths have to say when they could no longer deny what's happening out there.
Then, Cheryl enters Pop's Diner. The bell rings for the second time as the door closes behind her. Cheryl looks around and smiles brightly when her eyes land on Toni.
Cheryl makes her way over. She listens to Toni and Jughead's laughs grow louder the closer she gets to them. Then, she notices Toni get up from the booth to grab something at the bar. Cheryl takes that chance to quicken her pace and slide into Toni's spot at the cushioned booth.
Cheryl pops her lips as Jughead continues to type. His eyes flicker up at her for a split second but he doesn't react. He returns to his story as if Cheryl was always there.
"What are you writing?" Cheryl asks.
Jughead's eyes remain glued to the screen. "That's classified."
Cheryl nods, understanding. She likely wouldn't be interested anyways but she still wanted to know. She leans forwards across the table, tapping her manicured nails on the top of his laptop's screen.
"I'll be at your door with a sharpened pitchfork if I'm mentioned in any way I don't appreciate," Cheryl threatens with her usual charm.
Jughead still doesn't look away from his screen. "So scary…"
Cheryl narrows her head at Jughead's focused yet deadpanned expression. As she leans back, she keeps her eyes fixated on him. A small grin creeps onto his face when he makes eye contact with her. She rolls her eyes in annoyance but her irritation turns into joy when Toni returns to the booth with a strawberry milkshake for her.
"Calm down, Miss. Bombshell," Toni says.
Cheryl scoots to the edge of the booth and Tony wraps her arm around her, hanging it off her shoulder. Cheryl rests her head against Toni's torso, feeling the coarse fabric of her mesh crop top against her cheek.
But when Cheryl sits up straight again, she glances over at Toni and notices a white smudge stain on her shirt. It was right where she was resting! At first, Cheryl feels her cheek to see if anything transferred onto her face, but it's clean.
Could the stain be from the milkshakes? No, the cup is only wet from water droplets. Powdered sugar? No, where would Toni run into that between here and the bar? Drugs? She should stop questioning.
Wait … powder. Cheryl feels her cheek again and her eyes almost pop out of her head when it hits her.
That stain is the exact shade as her makeup. No wonder it was right where her head was. She put it there. How embarrassing…
"You know," Cheryl starts as she grabs a napkin from their table's dispenser. She dabs it on her tongue. "Style-stealing is the highest form of flattery but, my dearest Topaz, that's not your shade."
Toni washes as Cheryl dabs the damp napkin on her shirt. She wasn't aware of the stain but is glad it's being taken care of.
A smile crawls on Toni's face. "It's not your shade either."
Cheryl stops doting and looks up at Toni in shock. Her face turns as white as the foundation stain. It's not the she's offended for being called out on mismatched makeup (which she would argue against), she's more impressed because Toni said that. Forget the makeup, maybe Cheryl's sass rubbed off on her as well.
Besides, not all girls are made of sugar and spice. The best ones are made from the finer things in life: makeup and milkshakes.
"But don't fret," Tony continues as she slides into the booth beside Cheryl. "I fell in love with you and not your looks, but you're beautiful even with your mismatched makeup."
Cheryl bites down on her bottom lip. "You'd better call me beautiful as if it's my name."
Toni starts to lean in closer, mimicking her lip bite. Their faces are now a whisper apart. "I will love you the way I want to be loved, My Beautiful Bombshell."
And on that cue, Cheryl silences the whisper by kissing Toni. The milkshakes they had made their lips taste so much sweeter, making this moment more desirable. It's another reason why this kiss is so appetizing.
Jughead looks up from his keyboard for a second and smiles at his friends before going back to his article.
"I hope they remember you, Cheryl Bombshell," Jughead starts. "Not for whom you pretended to be with the wrong foundation shade, but for who you really are."
Cheryl breaks from the kiss for one second to pluck the cherry from the milkshake. She quickly eats the fruit and spits the pit at Jughead. Although she could've done that while kissing, she wanted to watch the pit bounce off his nose and leave a mark.
She might as well rub off on him while she was still here.
If only this moment happened to me like this. To read how a moment like this happened to me, check out My "Failed" Love Life on my wattled!
Thank you to everyone who read this story! Please let me know what you thought. If you have a story idea that you want me to write or a story that needs a beta reader, don't be afraid to ask.
~ MysteryGal5