Cheryl was freaking out. She was suppose to be studying for her Bio exam, but it was no use. All her thoughts were on the serpent she had separated with a few hours earlier. The gravity of the situation hitting her the more she thought about it. Toni had been trying to seduce her and then asked her on a date. And Cheryl had agreed . Not only that, she let Toni see her cry. It's like for those few minutes with Toni someone had possessed Cheryl's body. She realized she was playing a dangerous game. The blissful bubble she had been in popped as soon as she walked through the doors of Thistle house.
"What are you smiling about?" Her mother questioned. Cheryl hadn't even seen her sitting in the foyer when she walked in.
"Nothing, mother. Just happy about being done with school for the day," Cheryl answered and wiped the smile off her face. It was careless of her to let her mother see it in the first place.
"How very lazy of you. Oh well, I'd expect nothing less from you. Don't come out of your room tonight. I have a client coming over," Penelope snarked before turning back to drink her wine. Cheryl had walked up the stairs without another word.
That is what led to her spiraling into a panic instead of studying. Her and Toni hadn't even agreed on an exact day for their date and Cheryl was already plotting how to cancel. She needed to go back to ignoring Toni. It would end badly for both of them if Cheryl continued on with this reckless behavior. Before they had parted ways Toni had slipped her a piece of paper with her number on it. At that moment she was thrilled to have that little piece of information. Now, it felt like it was burning her hand as she stared down at it.
With shaky hands she grabbed her iphone off the bed next to her. After reluctantly saving the contact as 'Toni Topaz' she brought up imessage. Without giving herself a chance to talk herself out of it she typed out a text.
This is Cheryl. I can't go on a date with you. I'm sorry, please just leave me alone.
Hitting send felt like someone knocking the wind out of her. She threw her phone to the side. Telling herself that she wouldn't reply to whatever Toni texted back. There was nothing Cheryl wanted more than to drink milkshakes with Toni. To have a normal date with someone who she actually had wanted to spend time with. Any dates she had been on with guys in the past always ended in disappointment. They'd spend the night bragging to her about nonsense and then kiss her with their chapped lips. Toni's lips looked soft. She had seen the girl applying lip gloss in the hallway at school once.
She wanted to kiss Toni.
The thought made her feel nauseous the minute it popped into her head. She needed to get control of herself. Not just for herself, but Toni too. Her mother was capable of hurting both of them if she felt like it. Before she could dwell on it more, Cheryl felt her phone vibrate. She slowly picked it up and unlocked it.
Toni Topaz: If you truly want me to leave you alone then I will. I just don't think that's what you want.
Cheryl made no move to respond to the text. She promised herself she wouldn't. Toni was right, of course she was. That didn't matter, though. What mattered was getting her emotions under control and keeping her mother happy. With those thoughts in her mind Cheryl grabbed her textbook and began studying again.
The next morning Cheryl awoke with a migraine. Everytime her alarm rang it felt like an axe was being dug into her skull. She reached for her phone and quickly turned it off. Her head felt like it was going explode as she slowly sat up in bed. During the night she hadn't gotten a lot of sleep. Between thinking about Toni and the noises coming from her mother's room, it was impossible. Nevertheless, she stood up from her bed and began preparing for school. She wouldn't risk her GPA because of a silly headache.
After brushing her teeth and popping some Advil she made her way back over to her phone. There were no texts from anyone. No texts from Toni . Maybe the girl had finally given up after Cheryl hadn't responded to her last night. She couldn't help the sinking feeling of disappointment. Shaking her head, she put her phone aside and continued getting dressed.
By the time she made it to Riverdale High there was still a few minutes before her first class. Luckily, she hadn't seen any sign of Toni or any of the other serpents for that matter. It was ridiculous to her how aware of her surroundings she had become over the last few days. For instance, she spotted Veronica charging towards her from the otherside of the hallway. Cheryl rolled her eyes, not ready to deal with gossip this early in the morning.
"Hey, glad I could catch you before class started," Veronica said, clearly out of breath. "Listen, Archie is having a house party tonight and of course you're welcome to come. My old friend Nick from New York is in town and I want you to meet him." The redhead already knew where this was going. Veronica loved playing match maker, especially with Cheryl. It was a challenge to her, a game.
"If you're going to try and hook me up with your, most likely, subpar friend all night then count me out," Cheryl retorted, feeling her migraine starting to make a comeback. It was Friday and she had been planning to spend the weekend alone at Thistle House. If she stayed in her room then she could avoid her mother and enjoy herself.
"Come on, Cheryl. I honestly just want you guys to meet. I promise not to bother you for the rest of the night," Veronica pleaded. It was a lie and Cheryl knew it. The minute Veronica had enough alcohol in her she'd be shoving the two of them together. Trying to be drunk cupid.
"I'll think about it," The redhead answered just as the warning bell rang. She grabbed her books and walked away from her locker, not sparing a second glance at Veronica. In the back of her mind she noted that Toni hadn't texted her again and made no attempt to find her at school.
By the end of the school day Cheryl was confused more than anything. She hadn't seen Toni and the girl wasn't in the two classes they shared together. Actually, all the serpents seemed to be missing from classes and the hallway. It surprised her how strongly she felt the urge to text Toni and ask if everything was okay. She pushed it down as she grabbed her books to head home for the weekend. Veronica had continued to pester her at lunch about Archie's party. At this point, she felt that she needed to go just to take her mind off things. Even if Veronica was going to try and pawn her off like a hunk of meat.
___________
By the time Cheryl arrived to Archie's house the party was in full swing. After getting home from school she had taken her time getting ready and decided to show up fashionably late. Her mother luckily hadn't been home as she slipped out the front door. Now, she was pushing her way through drunk Riverdale students. Some were laying around on the furniture while others were dancing like complete idiots. Cheryl could already feel the regret creeping up on her. She wanted to go home. Eventually, she spotted Veronica across the room talking to Archie and a boy she didn't recognize. When she reached them Veronica's face immediately lit up.
"Cheryl, glad you could make it! This is Nick, my old friend!" Veronica yelled over the blaring music, gesturing to Nick. The boy was handsome and wore a suit despite the casual tone of the party. He smiled and stuck out his hand for Cheryl to shake.
"Lovely to finally meet you. Veronica has told me a lot about you," He explained, flashing a charming smile. If Cheryl had any interest in him she'd be swooning. Instead, she politely returned the handshake and smiled.
"You as well," Cheryl responded, faking her interest. "If you'll excuse me for a moment, I'm gonna go get a drink from the bar." Before Nick or Veronica could offer to go with her she was off. As she was making her way through the crowd she ran face first into Betty. The blonde looked upset and clearly didn't want to be there.
"Hello, cousin Betty. Is there a reason you're sulking in Andrew's living room? You're sucking the fun out of the room." Cheryl's words didn't seem to upset Betty in the slightest.
"It's Jughead. He's joining the serpents," Betty answered bitterly while wringing her hands together. Cheryl had to strain to hear her over the noise of the party. "They're probably sucker punching him as we speak. I just don't understand." Despite the fact that Jughead had grown up on the Northside, his dad was still the leader of the gang. Cheryl wasn't surprised the boy had finally made the decision to join, regardless of the reason. She just wondered what drama this would lead to.
"Like father, like son, I guess," was all Cheryl offered before wandering away. She continued towards the bar as her thoughts turned to Toni. That's why her and the serpents must have missed school today. So they could initiate beanie boy into their cult of a gang. Cheryl ignored the relief she was feeling at knowing Toni was safe.
Before she had a chance to grab a cup from the messy table someone grabbed her arm. It startled her enough to twirl around quickly, only to be met with a smiling Nick. God, she really needed to leave this godforsaken party.
"Hey there, I saw that grumpy blonde holding you up so I figured I'd get you a drink. Just some light vodka and soda," Nick said, handing the drink over to Cheryl. She smiled in thanks and took a sip before responding.
"Thanks, she's having boyfriend troubles. I'm sure she'll be over it by Monday," Cheryl answered and rolled her eyes. That was a lie, though. The drama come Monday would be out of control. She just didn't feel like explaining those things to Nick.
"Ah, men are horrible," He said jokingly as he raised his cup to cheers against hers. They both took a gulp before Cheryl laughed.
"Yeah, they really are." Nick didn't realize how true that statement actually was coming from Cheryl.
"So, does this mean that you are currently..single?" Nick asked coyly. Cheryl knew that question was coming before Nick even asked it. She also figured that he already knew the answer. Veronica had most likely given him the same speech before the party.
"Luckily for you, I am," Cheryl flirted back. She didn't know why she was even bothering to flirt with Nick. It would only lead to him shoving his tongue down her throat. Then, when his hands would try and stray away from her waist, she'd push him off. It was her routine, an unpleasant one. He had a flirty response ready before his attention turned to behind Cheryl.
"Woah, who invited the hobo squad?" Nick said, letting out a laugh at his own joke. Cheryl was confused until she turned around and saw serpents. She noticed Toni first, the pink haired girl sporting her jacket proudly. Behind her was two taller boys, both with bored expressions on their faces. Cheryl had seen the three of them hang around school together before. Lastly, there was Jughead. His face was battered and bloodied. She took notice of the serpents' jacket around his small frame. In that moment she could feel the pride radiating off of him.
Everyone that wasn't completely hammered was staring at the four of them. They all ignored the stares and continued into the party. Then suddenly, as if out of thin air, Archie appeared in front of them looking shocked and angry. Jughead and him clearly hadn't talked about this. Betty was nowhere to be seen, which was probably for the best.
As much as Cheryl wanted to see what was going to happen she felt a lurch in her stomach. She looked back to where Archie and Jughead were having a heated conversation. It almost felt like she was watching this unfold through a movie screen. As her stomach lurched again, she suddenly felt dizzy. It confused her because she only had a few sips of her drink. She shouldn't be feeling drunk.
"Archie, you invited me to this party."
"That was before you decided to do whatever the hell this is."
The two boys were getting more heated as other Bulldogs gathered behind Archie. Cheryl took notice of how Toni stood her ground, not looking afraid in the slightest. The girl was tiny, but obviously tough. It made Cheryl swallow hard, thinking of the times when that intense stare was directed at her. As if sensing Cheryl's eyes watching her she turned her head. Toni had an unreadable expression on her face as they made eye contact. Cheryl felt her breath catch, the fact that she was feeling drunk was not helping.
"I'm one of them now, Archie! Don't you see that this feud is stupid?"
Jughead's outburst caused Toni to look away from Cheryl reluctantly. The redhead felt Nick laugh from somewhere behind her. He sounded miles away. She turned around to look at him and the motion made her nauseous. He met her eyes and smirked lightly.
"This is really really entertaining," Nick said, gesturing to the stand off behind Cheryl. She could barely focus on what he was saying as she shook her head to clear it. It only made the dizziness and nauseous worse. "Are you alright? You look like you need some air." Nick grabbed her arm and started gently pulling her away from the crowd.
"I'm not going to let you guys fight each other! Not like this!"
Cousin Betty's voice was the last thing she heard as Nick began pulling her towards the stairs. She couldn't focus on where they were going as Nick basically dragged her up. At the top of the steps Cheryl rested herself on the banister, not able to hold her own weight. She felt Nick begin to try and move her again, but heard a voice. Toni's voice.
"You have three seconds to get your hands off of her," Toni spit out angrily, her rage not hidden at all. Cheryl couldn't see what was happening. It felt like to much of a challenge to open her eyes. Nonetheless, she felt Nick let go of her waist.
"Who the hell are you? Why don't you piss off and mind your own business," Nick retorted. It made Cheryl shudder in fear at how his voice had changed. He no longer sounded like the charming boy she had first met.
"I hate to break it to ya, but she is my business," Toni answered, not backing down in the slightest. Cheryl was drifting in and out of consciousness, unable to open her mouth. "And my friends downstairs wouldn't like it very much if they knew what you were planning up here. So I suggest..." There were footsteps and voices coming up the stairs. The sudden fear made Cheryl a bit more coherent.
"Um excuse me, you can't just bust into my boyfriend's house and...what's going on? Nick?" It was Veronica's voice and most likely Toni's friends. Cheryl felt her mind slipping as she fully hunched over the railing. Knowing that she'd be safe with all these people surrounding her. Toni's voice was the last she heard as she finally succumbed to the darkness.