"We have to do something."
Veronica sat with Archie and Reggie at a table in the outside cafeteria. They had been the first ones on the table, which was unusual because Toni was usually always the first one om the lunch table. Veronica was going to take complete advantage of the opportunity though. Reggie simply sighed as Archie shook his head, he had only been filled in by Veronica over the weekend and he wanted no part in the mess that was going on between Cheryl and Toni.
"Believe me, I've been trying." Reggie said with a shake of his head as he glanced around the open area as it began to fill with other students. "But Cheryl doesn't want anything to do with Toni right now. Which is understandable." He said as he brought his drink to his lips. "I really think we should give them some space."
"I don't think we have time for that." Veronica said with a small laugh. "Toni had completely lost her marbles. I noticed it Saturday when she spent the night. She's totally in a darker place right now and this morning she showed me that she wants to take Cheryl down with her." She said before shivering at the look that had been on Toni's face.
"Well, what can we do?" Archie asked.
"I don't know. I guess we can show them what it was like when they were just friends. We could all hang out together and just have fun like we used too." She said with a nod of her head and looked at the two boys for approval, but Reggie was shaking his head in disagreement while Archie looked unsure.
"We can't force them to be friends, V. Someone just needs to sit Toni down and talk to her." He said with a shrug of his shoulders.
"And who better to do that than Cheryl?" She shot back and Reggie sighed while running his fingers through his hair.
"I just think-"
"Hey guys!" Toni chirped as she sat down next to Archie. The three immediately grew silent as she shifted in her seat before opening her apple sauce, completely oblivious to the fact that they had been talking about her.
"Hey, T. How's it going?" Veronica smiled as she turned her attention to her food for the first time since sitting down.
"I got a D on my science test." She pouted slightly with a small shrug of her shoulder. "My parents are gonna be mad at me again." She said rolling her eyes, and Veronica reached over to pat her hand on the table.
"Hey, no worries. I'll go over some of the material with you and you can retake it." She said and Toni immediately perked back up.
"Thanks, V!" She exclaimed before Jughead was sitting down next to her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. She smiled over at him and he returned it before turning towards the others and pulling them into a conversation. Veronica watched as she turned her attention back to her food until Cheryl slid into the seat next to Reggie. The entire table took notice of her foul mood though she hadn't spoken a word.
"You okay?" Reggie asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm fine." She scuffed and glanced around at the table. Her eyes narrowed. "What the hell is wrong with all of you? If I wanted to be stared at all the damn time then I'd join the fucking circus." She snapped and they all turned their attention away from her before she looked at Reggie. "Is there something on my face?" she asked as she motioned towards it and he quickly shook his head. "Jesus" She sighed.
Veronica cleared her throat as she looked up once more. "So... this Saturday you guys should all come over. We haven't really gotten to hang out together in a while." She said with a shrug of her shoulders while looking around at all of them. Reggie was frowning as he stared at her. Toni clapped her hands together in excitement.
"That sounds fun!" She said with a smile before she looked over at Jughead who nodded his head, smiling as well. Archie still looked unsure, but nodded his head anyways. Reggie sighed as he looked over at Cheryl who was gripping her fork so tight her knuckles were turning white, her brown eyes on Toni who had turned to whisper in Jughead's ear as she combed her hand through his hair.
"You don't have to go if you don't want to." He mumbled as he leaned into her.
"What about you, Cheryl? You coming?" Veronica asked with a hopeful glint in her eyes as she looked over at Cheryl. The raven-haired girl clenched her teeth as she looked at Veronica.
"No."
Veronica's eyes widened slightly at her answer and Toni stopped giggling with Jughead at the answer as well. She looked at Cheryl and bit her lip as the older girl refused to meet her eyes. "Why not, Cher? It'll be fun." She said as she leaned across the table towards her. Cheryl stabbed her salad before looking up at her.
"Because I have better things to do with my time than watch you suck face with girly-boy and listen to Lodge talk about herself." She gritted through her teeth and Veronica's mouth fell open at the jab towards her. Toni pouted slightly, sticking out her lower lip as she slumped back in her seat.
"Do you always have to be so nasty?" Jughead asked with knitted eyebrows as he wrapped a protective arm around his girlfriend. Cheryl released a cold chuckle as she arched an eyebrow.
"I'm not nearly as nasty as the things your little princess likes to do behind closed doors. Isn't that right, TT?" She asked with a small smile and a tilt of her head. She watched as Toni's entire face fell. The color left her cheeks and her eyes dulled. "So nasty she should probably get a good spanking for it." She went on and Jughead looked confused along with the rest of the table as they looked between the two of them.
"Stop it, Cheryl." Toni whispered through clenched teeth.
"Maybe you should ask him to do that the next time he's handling it." Cheryl used air quotes around her words before she grabbed her tray and rose to her feet. "You know what? On second thought, Lodge, I'll be there. I think it will be fun." She said with a smirk before she turned and walked away from the table with her barely eaten salad.
The table was silent for a few moments as Jughead looked over at Toni, confused. She lowered her eyes to her tray and pushed her food around pretending not to feel all of their eyes on her. The color had returned to her face full force and she was actually flushed from Cheryl's words. She was even a little hot and bothered because it had been a good two weeks since the last time she was spanked and she'd be lying if she said she didn't miss Cheryl's palm against her backside.
"What in the world was she talking about?" Jughead finally asked through the silence.
" Um... I have no idea." Toni giggled softly with a shake of her head though she kept her eyes down. Everyone at the table could tell she was lying. Jughead frowned and his shoulders slumped slightly as he watched her longer while Veronica quickly brought up another topic for them to talk about.
The rest of the lunch period went by with small talk though everyone's thoughts were still stuck on Cheryl. Toni swiftly made her exit the moment the bell rang, not even giving Jughead time to ask her if she wanted him to walk her to class. "I hope this plan of your works." Reggie said as he dumped his tray next to Veronica, who took in a deep breath, clearly having second thoughts.
"Me too."
-
The rest of the week went pretty much the same way. Toni and Cheryl ignored and avoided each other the best they could.
Saturday came quickly and Veronica set up her home with chips, drinks and cookies. She moved her coffee table so that they all had room to sit on the floor with each other and put on some music before Archie showed up at her door. She smiled and allowed him in. He went right to the table that was full of food and she shook her head before moving to open the door again, allowing Jughead and Toni inside next.
Reggie and Cheryl followed half an hour later and the group sat in the middle of her living room, talking and laughing with each other just like old times. Veronica smiled because Cheryl seemed content to talk with Reggie and even Archie while Toni giggled and spent her time with Jughead on the other side of the room. They weren't talking to each other but at least they weren't glaring and sending out snippy remarks to each other like they had done all week at school when they weren't avoiding each other.
"Okay let's play a game!" She said as she clapped her hands together, getting everyone's attention. She watched Cheryl roll her eyes but choose to ignore her. They sat around and played Uno for a good hour and Veronica tried to stop herself from grinning as Cheryl and Toni even spoke to each other during the game. Maybe they could actually be friends again.
A few hours later Cheryl looked over the half eaten junk spread across Veronica's table before someone slid up next to her. "I don't think she has anymore Coffee Rio candy, Reggie." She said with a shake of her head.
"Good thing I don't like those things." Toni laughed as she reached over her to pick up a bag of gummy bears. Cheryl looked over to her as she frowned slightly. Toni watched her as she opened her bag and popped one in her mouth. "Want one?" she asked with a tilt of her head as she held them out for her.
"No, thank youu."
Toni watched her before she glanced over to the others to make sure none of them was paying them any attention before looking back at Cheryl "So are you and Reggie..." Cheryl's eyes narrowed slightly before she looked over at her quickly.
"No." She shook her head quickly. "He's always been good with break ups and right now he's being a good friend." She said as she eyed Toni before glancing at the others as well. "Shouldn't you be sucking Jughead's dick or something?" she asked and watched as Toni's eyes narrow, a look of disgust crossing her face a Cheryl's crude words. She dropped the gummy bear she was holding back into the bag.
"Isn't that what you wanted, Cheryl? I don't think you have a right to be mad at me for sleeping with Jughead when you basically threw me at him." She hissed back and Cheryl stepped up to her so they were only a breath away. Toni's breath hitched because she hadn't been this close to Cheryl in a long time and the smell of her shampoo, the feel of her breath against her cheeks was overwhelming. She felt her body grow weak slightly from it all.
"Because I thought he was better for you, Toni, but I didn't ask you to flaunt him in front of me." Cheryl growled as she glared down at Toni, who tried to stand a bit tall once she collected herself once more.
"Well I didn't think it'd matter since you're not in love with me." Toni shot back and she watched as Cheryl grit her teeth, eyes narrowing.
"That's not fair."
"No, what's not fair is that you didn't allow me to decide what I wanted. You decided for me." Toni allowed her eyes to go over every feature in Cheryl's face because she didn't know when they'd ever be this close again. It might be never. Her eyes really focused on her lips and her chest constricted when Cheryl licked them.
"Hey girls." Veronica called from the living room and they jumped apart from each other. They looked to the others to find all eyes on them. "Everything okay in there?" She asked and Toni nodded her head quickly. "Okay well we're going to do karaoke next so..." she trailed off hoping they'd catch her drift.
"Nice!" Toni said as she clapped her hands together before quickly going back into the living room. She jumped onto Jughead's lap and he smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her cheek. Cheryl's eyes narrowed slightly before she slowly walked back into the room as well. She sat down next to Reggie, who looked at her expectantly for his candy but she crossed her arms and brought her knees up to her, watching as Veronica looked through the songs to sing first.
One of them quickly caught Cheryl's attention and she shot up and to the touch screen. "I'm going first." She mumbled as she pushed Veronica out of her way who looked slightly confused but mumbled in agreement as she sat down next to Archie. took the microphone off it's stand before she turned towards the group as her chosen song began to play. "I'm singing Heart Attack by Demi Lovato." She smiled before bring the microphone to her lips.
But you make me wanna act like a girl
Paint my nails and wear perfume, for you,
Make me so nervous, that I just can't hold your hand
You make me glow,
But I cover up, won't let it show,
So I'm puttin' my defenses up
'Cause I don't wanna fall in love
If I ever did that, I think I'd have a heart attack
I think I'd have a heart attack
I think I'd have a heart attack
The feelings got lost in my lungs
They're burning, I'd rather be numb
And there's no one else to blame
So scared I take off and I run
I'm flying too close to the sun
And I burst into flames
You make me glow,
But I cover up, won't let it show,
So I'm puttin' my defenses up
'Cause I don't wanna fall in love
If I ever did that, I think I'd have a heart attack
I think I'd have a heart attack (heart attack)
I think I'd have a heart attack
Oh I think I'd have a heart attack
Cheryl tossed the microphone down when she was done and everyone stared up at her silently, though she had kept her eyes on Toni as she took her seat next to Reggie. Veronica cleared her throat as she quickly jumped up and picked up the microphone. "Well, that was great, Cheryl. I think it'll be hard to follow that up." She chuckled before Toni was jumping off Jughead's lap and taking the microphone from Veronica's hand who looked only slightly less offended than when Cheryl did it.
"Me next!" She smiled and Veronica nodded her head.
"Sure T, take it away."
"Okay. Well I want to sing a song written by my wife, Ariana Grande." She said, chuckling a little. Veronica's smile grew as she nodded her head. Her eyes showing her excitement. Cheryl's eyes narrowed. She didn't like Ariana Grande. "I wanna sing it with the piano, so Archie, would you please help me?" She asked and he jumped to his feet.
"Sure thing, dear T." He said as he rubbed his hands together before jumping onto the piano. "Not really the best piano player in the world but it'll have to do." He said with a smirk on his lips. "When you're ready." He said as he looked up to her. She took in a deep breath before she nodded and he began to play. All eyes turned back to her as she brought the microphone up to her lips.
I've been living with devils and angels, angels, angels
Realize you and I are in the same boat, same boat, yeah
Kills me, how you love me, then you
Cut me down, I'll do the same
We been living like angels and devils, devils
I'm loving the pain
I never wanna live without it
So why do I try
You drive me insane
Now we're screaming just to see who's louder
So why do I try
You got me like na na na na
Na na na na na
Na na na na na
Oooh yeah
You and I redefine being love sick, love sick, love sick
Through it all you could still make my heart skip, heart skip
Oh yeah
Even when you're yelling at me
I still think you're beautiful
Through it all you could still make my heart, skip, heart skip
I'm loving the pain
I never wanna live without it
So why do I try
You drive me insane
Now we're screaming just to see who's louder
So why do I try
You got me like na na na na
Na na na na na
Na na na na na
She lowered the microphone to her side once she was done. Her eyes on Cheryl like how they had been the entire time. The room was silent and Archie shifted at the piano with a frown of his own. Jughead began to clap his hands with a grin on his face, the only one in the room that didn't know Toni's song was for Cheryl.
"That was um... great Toni." Veronica said as she quickly stood up from the floor and took the microphone from her. Toni slowly made her way over to Jughead and sat down beside him as she fiddled with her fingers feeling Cheryl's eyes burn a hole in the side of her head from the other side of the room. "So who's next?" Veronica asked with a chuckle and Archie quickly jumped up if only to stop the room from sinking into complete awkward silence.
They continued the Karaoke for a few more rounds that Cheryl refused to take part in. She sat on the sofa with her arms and legs crossed and stared at Toni for the most part. The others all tried to ignore it the best they could and it worked for the most part. Once they were done with the karaoke Veronica cut the lights and put on a movie. It didn't take long for Jughead to fall asleep and he was soon followed by Archie.
Toni rose from the sofa halfway through the movie, rubbing her sleepy eyes as she excused herself to the bathroom. Cheryl watched her every step, still wide away with her arms crossed. She stood up when Toni had disappeared all the way up the stairs. Reggie quickly caught her arm.
"Cheryl don't." He whispered with a shake of his head. Veronica watched her also with a small frown on her lips.
"I'll be back in a minute." She scuffed as she pulled her arm free and jogged up the stairs after Toni. Reggie sighed as he leaned back into his seat and looked over at Veronica.
"Well this is going well." He whispered and she sighed before shoving a handful of popcorn into her mouth.
