Coming Home

2

It had been quite a while since Toni had  found herself back in Riverdale, but here she was. She had a break from work and needed a break from how alone she felt in the city. She was borrowing a room at Sweet Pea's for a little while; he spent more time with his girlfriend anyway. Yea, he has one and she doesn't, shocking news, really.

Of course she would find the one and only Cheryl Blossom sat at a stool at the bar. She couldn't see her face but she knew it was her. Her long locks were cut a few inches shorter, and her heels were traded in for black converse. She always did complain about how the heels bothered her feet.

Anyway Toni walked up to the only few seats on the bar, a group between Cheryl and some stranger, of course.

Toni ordered her usual, and tried to avoid looking at her long time ex-girlfriend.

"Huh. I know someone who used to order that drink" Cheryl said, not knowing that the certain someone was right next to her.

Toni cringed and tried to act surprised at the voice she recognized so well, and turned around.

"So you knew someone?" she chokes out and feigned confidence when she turned around, trying to mask the pure shock on her face after looking at Cheryl for the first time in years.

Cheryl's jaw dropped slightly, but she caught it before she exposed the shocked look on her face. Toni caught it and a small smile grew on her face, and watched Cheryl adjust herself properly.

"Oh-uh hi, Toni" Cheryl ducked her head, "how have you been?" she gulped and picked up her drink, chugging nearly half of her beverage.

Toni looked down too, and ran a hand through her hair.

"Um, I've been good. Freelance photography out of college" Toni inadvertently smiled, she loved her job so much.

Cheryl was happy for Toni, really. But she had been left in Riverdale as a social worker who helped foster children. It's not that she hates the town, or her job; its that she used to have a reputation and a visible future here, but now she's not so sure. It's only a little (very) scary that the future she used to know so well is now sitting next to her at a bar.

She doesn't like saying its Toni's fault...but it really was They had tried to work it out while Toni went away to college, but it didn't work out in the end after Toni pretty much abandoned Cheryl.

But here she was right in front of her, and looking as beautiful as ever after all these years.

"How are you? Are you in graduate school now?" Toni questioned back, remembering what Cheryl was studying before they'd ended things.

Cheryl raised an eyebrow, did Toni remember all of these things?

"Um no I just graduated, actually." Cheryl smiled, "I'm working in foster care now. I can always fo to grad school."

Toni smiled even wider, "No way! That's really awesome Cheryl, do you like it?"

"Yea" Cheryl blushed, "I love it so much, sometimes I just want to take the cuties home." she joked, and allowed herself to laugh.

Toni did too, and Cheryl stares as she does. Toni had gotten a nose piercing, and that there was a lot less pink in her hair. It was a darker brown now, with light strands of pink on the sides. She traded her leather jacket in for a dark jean one with patches of locations she'd been. Cheryl wonders if those tattoos Toni always wanted are under her jacket.

"So where have you gone with freelance?" Cheryl asked when the laughter had stopped and conversation had stilled for a few seconds. She was genuinely curious, she knew that Toni had always loved photography- hell she still had plenty of her photos still hanging in her house.