Chapter two: The day Cheryl Blossom the wonderful Toni Topaz
1997.
Sighing to herself, seventeen-year-old Cheryl Blossom stared at the small clock on the wall, relieved to find out that there were only ten minutes left before her shift at Pop´s was finally over. Morning had never moved slower, and it had been a rough one for her; two of the only three waiters had called sick, saying that they would not be able to make it to work. Now, that was definitely not a problem, everybody knew that if they were feeling ill, staying at home was the best thing they could do. So, everyone at the small restaurant wished them a soon and safe recovery, knowing they would find a way to make it.
The problem, instead, was that then Cheryl Blossom would have to leave her safe spot by the cash box and cover one of the waiters. And everybody knew the girl could hardly say two words without stuttering or getting tongue-tied.
"You are gonna be just fine, Cher." Pop Tate, the owner of the restaurant, had told her calmly, being the nice man he always was. "Really, it'll be over sooner than you imagine"
And although his words hadn´t been entirely true, she had really managed to make it with no problems. Of course, part of it was because mornings at Pop's were always smooth, the clients being mostly Riverdale's elder population simply asking for a re-fill of their cups of tea and coffee. Cheryl knew every single one of them, since most of them were acquaintances of the family, and they all had always had a thing for the 'Blossom's little miracle', as they loved to call her.
Still, she knew there were still ten minutes left before her shift finished. And she was almost completely sure that they would not take any longer to show up.
And she was right. A few seconds after she finished saving up some bills in the cash box, she heard how the little bells above the main door jingled, followed by the sound of some laughter she was very familiar with. Her heart started beating at the speed of light. They were here.
Wiping her suddenly clammy palms on the fabric of her yellow Pop's jacket, Cheryl nervously stared at the pack of teenagers that had just walked inside, taking a seat in a booth by the big window. Swallowing hard, she grabbed her pen and small notebook, ready to approach the group of her horrid bullies.
"Remember Cheryl, you'll be fine. Just take and bring their order and we'll do the rest." Pop told her through the small window connected to the kitchen. As a man that truly cared for her, Pop Tate never missed any of the verbal lashing Cheryl took from them whenever they were around. "Don't let them get to you."
"T-thank you." She smiled at him before walking away, now focused on getting her hands to stop shaking.
Pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose, Cheryl quietly approached them.
"W-welcome to P-pop's" The redhead managed to say with her eyes glued to her notebook. Laughter could already be heard across the table.
"Oh, look what we've got here…" Said Reggie Mantle, the brainless jock, as Cheryl and her friends liked to -secretly- call him. "It's B-B-Blossom."
Trying her best not to look afraid, she took out the pen from her pocket, ready to write down the order. But her hands never stopped shaking.
"W-w-what can I g-get for you g-g-u…"
"Are you gonna get that sentence out sometime today, Blossom?" Veronica Lodge, the meanest of mean girls in Riverdale, said between laughters.
"How about you say it this time without stuttering?"
"Oh Sweets, we would have to wait forever for that" Said Jossie McCoy, Veronica's right hand. "We don't have all day Blossom, we are kinda' hungry here."
Once their laughter stopped resonating through her ears, Cheryl found the courage to look up. Reggie, Sweet Pea, Archie, Veronica and Jossie were all there, as usual. Still, something caught her eye, something was out place. There were no longer the classic five teenagers, there was someone else: a girl with brown and pink hair, who was just sitting there with a plain look on her face. Cheryl had no idea who she was, but still, she found her beautiful and intriguing, as if she could not take her eyes off her.
"H-have you d-d-decided on s-something?"
"Yeah, we'll have five chocolate milkshakes" Said Jossie as she looked at each one of the teenagers to see if they agreed. Then she laid her eyes on the stranger girl. "And a vanilla one for our girl Toni"
Toni. Cheryl thought. What a beautiful name.
"I-I'll be b-back in a m-minute."
"Well, you b-better be B-B-Blossom."
Leaving their laughter and the sound of her hands high-fiving each other behind, Cheryl made her way back to the kitchen. With a shy smile on her face, she gave the small paper to Pop, telling him in a way that there was nothing to worry about. Then, she took off her jacket, revealing her striped sweater and black suspenders, before putting it into her backpack. She checked the time on her wrist watch, glad to find out her shift was now over.
"Thank you so much, Cheryl. It's good to know we can always count on you, you never let us down" Said Pop, handing the tray with milkshakes to her. Smiles formed on both their faces. "Go take over the world, kiddo."
"T-thank you, sir. S-see you to-to-morrow."
Making sure her hands weren't shaking anymore, she made her way to their booth, careful not to trip over her own feet and make a mess. Looking around, she spotted Betty and Jughead, pretty much her only friends, sitting on one of the tables, waiting for her. She gently smiled at them, before shifting back her focus to the pack of hungry teenagers.
"Here. E-Enjoy yourselves and h-have a n-nice d-d-d-…"
"Gosh Blossom, and they let you work here?"
"How about finishing a sentence for a change?" Said Veronicaas she laughed along with her friends. Still, Toni remained there silent, staring at the floor, apparently being the only one who didn't find their taunting funny. That warmed Cheryl heart in a way. "Why do you even work here, Blossom? Isn't your family like, the richest in Riverdale?
Now, she was not naïve. She knew and was well aware that she belonged to a wealthy family. She was a Blossom, no one ever allowed her to forget that. But her parents were very strict when it came to life, business and money, and since day one she had been told she had to earn her place in the family, by generating incomes and making her own money. As Penelope and Clifford liked to say to her: 'everything a Blossom has is something a Blossom earned'. So, waking up extra early to take the morning shift at Pop's before going to school was basically her way of proving she was worth a place in her family, as absurd as it seemed.
"H-have a nice d-d-day…" Holding on thigh to the tray, she slowly started to walk away, ready to exit the place with her friends. She was more than used to their mocking, so there was no point in wasting time with them anymore. However, the girl with the pink hair remained trapped in her mind.
"See you and your retard friends at school, Carrot Top!"
"Hey Cher…" Betty greeted her friend calmly as soon as she had approached her and, being aware of the taunting the redhead had just faced, she shot her a comprehensive smile.
"Hi Betts" Cheryl replied, nervously holding the straps of her backpack. "Hey J-Jug…"
"God, I hate those jerks, sorry we couldn't do anything about it. We…" Betty started before being interrupted by Cheryl.
"D-don't worry, Betts. I'm f-fine, really. It was n-nothing." Cheryl said as they walked down the street, heading off to Riverdale High.
"Who was that girl, though? The one with the pink hair…" Asked Jughead, frowning his eyebrows. "I don't think I've ever seen her before."
"M-Me neither…" Said Cheryl, suddenly remembering the beauty of the girl. "But her n-n-name is Toni…"
"Toni? What kind of name is that?" Asked Betty with a smile on her face, trying her best not to laugh. Riverdale High could already be seen at the end of the street. "Well, whoever she is, she is already hanging out with those Neanderthals so, I guess that makes her one of them…"
"B-but she didn't laugh…" Said Cheryl, awkwardly rubbing her forearm with one hand as they entered the school building. She took a deep breath, Veronica's group was probably still at Pop's, so there should not be a reason to be afraid…yet.
"What do you mean, Cher?"
"S-She's not a Neanderthal… She d-d-didn't laugh at me with t-the others…"
"I'm afraid we'll have to wait to find out… But anyway, I have to talk to Miss Brooks before class. See you guys at Science Club in a bit?" Asked Betty, ready to start her way to the History classroom.
"S-Sorry, but I don't think I-I'll make it in time… P-Principal Wetherbee asked me to step b-by his office…I'm n-not really sure w-what he wants" Cheryl said, shrugging while the three of them walked down the hallway to their respective places. "So… I g-guess I'll see you at l-lunch."
"See you, Cher."
"Here she is! Cheryl Blossom, Riverdale High's brightest student!" The redhead heard Wetherbee's voice announcing her arrival to his office with excitement. She looked around nervously, surprised to find out the girl with the pink hair was sitting on one of the small couches. Her palms quickly became clammy. "Cheryl, I want you to meet Mrs. Antoinette Topaz, our new student…"
The redhead stood frozen in place for a second, not sure what to do or say. Toni, the mysterious girl she saw at Pop's was now in front of her eyes, extending her arm for Cheryl to shake her hand. She was still unable to believe how beautiful the girl was, and the power she seemed to have over her, making her heart beat faster and her knees tremble.
She's friends with them, Cheryl. That can't be good. She told herself, hoping her hands weren't as clammy as they felt, before shaking the girl's hand. But she is just so beautiful…
"Nice to meet you, Cheryl"
Her voice. She thought. My name coming from her lips.
"N-n-nice to m-meet you t-too"
"I was thinking maybe you could show her around, the library, cafeteria, her classrooms… You know, maybe introduce her to your friends…Make her feel welcome, Blossom. Make her feel good."
Cheryl swallowed hard at his words. He clearly had no idea how things worked in high school social hierarchy. She knew the girl would never want to hang out with her or her friends, especially when she was now part of Veronica Lodge's famous crew, because that was just how things were and had always been.
But she never laughed. Cheryl thought again, those words stuck on repeat in her head. She never laughed.
"…And t-this one should b-be your l-locker." Said Cheryl, pointing to the green locker that was just a couple feet away from hers, once they reached the end of the hallway. She was proud of herself for trying her best not to let her nerves win, otherwise she would not have been able to pronounce a single word. But she was nervous, for sure. Especially when all eyes were on her since she was walking with the new girl in town. However, Toni never seemed to mind her stuttering, she never asked uncomfortable or mean questions, and she never stopped being polite towards her. "C-classroom 4B is on t-t-the left a-and…"
"Toni?" Both girls turned around as soon as they heard the different voices and laughter coming from behind them, too familiar for Cheryl not to recognize. "We leave you alone for five minutes and you start hanging out with… Blossom?" The redhead glued her eyes to the floor, awkwardly playing with her feet. "Jeez Topaz, you really don't know how to pick."
"Oh, Cheryl here was just…"
"S-She's n-not hanging out w-w-with me." Said Cheryl, pushing her glasses up. "I w-was just s-s-showing her around, like p-principal W-Wetherbee t-told me to."
"Well, in that case…" Said Veronica, softly grabbing Toni by the arm, getting closer to her. "You are done now, Carrot Top. We'll show her the rest."
Reggie then snatched the two books the redhead was holding to the floor, before kicking them out of her reach. Cheryl sighed to herself, hearing their laughter. Things were never going to be different.
But Toni quickly knelt down on the floor at the same time as her, helping her gather her books. She softly whispered in her eyes the words Cheryl would never forget:
"Hope we meet again, Cheryl Blossom."