The week went by without event. Cheryl decided not to tell Toni the truth about what she had done. The redhead didn't see a point. As Jughead said, it would only make things worse. She needed Toni, and she wasn't about to mess everything up when they were finally making progress.
The pair had yet to attempt to work on their project since Monday, but they had been talking more and more during school. A plan was in place to meet tomorrow, but today was Saturday, and Cheryl had other schoolwork to finish.
She had brought her laptop, one of the items she purchased at Southside Pawn with her store credit, to Rose Lane Café, the closest location with public Wi-Fi. Cheryl had purchased a vanilla latte and got to work, typing up her American History paper.
"Well, well, well," a voice said, causing Cheryl to look up and meet eyes with Storm. "Since when does Cheryl Blossom have a laptop?"
"Just got it," Cheryl answered, turning her attention back to her work. She did not need this right now.
"Never thought I'd see the day," Storm said, taking the seat next to her. "Didn't you have sentimental value to that tower?"
"I... I couldn't remember the password," the redhead answered honestly.
"Unless you changed it, it was phoenix," the other girl responded. "You know... 'cuz I'm Storm, and you're Jean Grey. At least... we used to be."
"I changed it after we broke up," Cheryl said quickly, clearing her throat. She made a mental note to try that password later on, still wanting access to the machine.
Storm smiled, "At least you're acknowledging we dated now, babe. That's better than you pretending you don't know me."
"Yes, well."
"Cher, come on," Storm begged. "Talk to me. I miss us."
Cheryl pursed her lips, feeling uncomfortable. "I really must focus on this. I have a lot of work due Monday."
"Worst thing that ever happened was you going to that Northsider school. If you had been transferred to Seaside with me... well... things may have turned out differently," Storm sighed, getting up from her chair. "I'll see you around I guess."
The redhead took a deep, relieving breath upon the other girl's departure. She couldn't help but think of the other her and what had transpired to break up her relationship with Storm. Of course, Cheryl didn't care that much. That wasn't her life. Toni was all that mattered.
-
Saturday night was like any other: weed and alcohol with the boys. It was quickly becoming Cheryl's favorite part of the week, and that fact slightly terrified her. Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Jughead were somehow her best friends, and she loved their company. More times than not, hanging out with them reminded her of Toni and their past. It was a feeling she didn't mind revisiting as often as possible. The intoxication was just an added bonus.
The group conversed outside of the Whyte Wrym. They each had a bottle of Budweiser in their hand while a freshly lit joint was being passed around.
"She's the hottest girl in school. That's all I'm saying," Sweet Pea said before taking a swig from his bottle.
Fangs rolled his eyes, "Dude, are you capable of talking about anything besides how hot you think Lodge is?"
"What?" the boy asked. "Okay, point. But it's not just her looks. She's so smart, and she's nice."
"Dude, let it go," Fangs pleaded.
"Let a man dream, would you?"
"So where to from here?" Jughead asked, changing the subject as he accepted the joint from Cheryl. He took a hit before sending it onward to Fangs.
Cheryl ran her hand through her long, red hair. "My trailer is always an option," she offered.
"We've already gone through all your movies, Goose," Sweet Pea complained. "I want something different."
"Right," Jughead scoffed, "because there's not a Redbox two blocks from here."
They ended up renting The Happytime Murders, a demand from Sweet Pea, who was way too excited about puppet crime, but his insisting paid off since that was what they ended up selecting, if only to shut him up.
Just as they turned to leave, Cheryl's phone dinged. The redhead took the device out of her pocket and gasped when she read the notification. Cheryl stopped walking and stood frozen on the sidewalk as she stared down at her phone.
TT💕 [10:04pm]: Hope its ok for me to text you
TT💕 [10:04pm]: I just needed someone to talk to and you offered
Cheryl reread the messages three times, in disbelief that Toni actually reached out to her.
Cheryl [10:04pm]: What happened? Are you okay?
TT💕 [10:04pm]: Heather and I broke up
Toni and Heather were broken up, and Cheryl wanted to cry. Despite the joy she felt, she couldn't help but feel pain knowing the girl she loved was hurting. She brought her hand to her mouth and silently stared at the words, not being able to truly process the whirlwind of emotions she was feeling.
"Cheryl?" Jughead asked, putting his hand on her shoulder.
She looked at him, her eyes watery. "I've got to go." Cheryl pulled her keys out of her bag and slid the house key off the ring. "Here, you boys can still use the TV."
"Is everything okay?"
"It will be," Cheryl answered before taking off without another word.
-
She drove straight to Thornhill, not even caring about showing up at the place she burglarized. Toni needed her. The blonde was already waiting outside the gate when Cheryl pulled into the long driveway.
Toni got in the car and slid on her seatbelt. She turned to Cheryl and gave her a watery smile, "Thanks."
"I said I'd be here for anything, Toni," Cheryl responded. She reached over and took Toni's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Why don't we go get a drink or two to help numb the pain?" she suggested, both for Toni and herself. She knew it would be difficult listening to Toni be heartbroken over someone else, and it was taking everything she had to not kiss Toni's pain away.
"That sounds great," Toni blubbered, trying her best to stay composed.
Cheryl wasn't sure about the best course of action; it was unfamiliar territory. At home, it was Toni who always kept it together; it was Toni who was the strong one. Toni was never the one who cried.
"You care about being seen on the Southside?" Cheryl inquired. "The Wyrm doesn't check ID."
"She cheated on me," Toni deadpanned. "She's been cheating on me for weeks."
"What?" Cheryl asked, not believing she heard that right. No one would cheat on Toni; she's too perfect.
"With Reggie," the blonde continued. "She's been cheating on me with Reggie."
"She doesn't deserve you Toni; she never did," Cheryl said. "She's vile."
"How about that drink?" Toni asked, attempting to smile and failing miserably.
-
They ended up at the Whyte Wrym, at the bar ordering round after round from Hog Eye. Toni had stopped crying and progressed into using extroverted behavior as a coping mechanism.
"Please, Cheryl," she begged. "One song! Just one."
Cheryl smiled, "You're drunk."
"So?" Toni laughed. "Come on."
The redhead scoffed, "Fine, but only one song."
The things I'll do for this woman.
Toni instantly grabbed her hand, sending a jolt through Cheryl's body. The smaller girl stumbled, basically dragging Cheryl onto the stage. She grabbed one of the mics, a drunken grin upon her face.
Cheryl calmly took the other, her heart beating in her chest. She had no idea what was in store. She felt butterflies in her stomach, but that could have just been the alcohol.
Toni glanced through the option of songs as the patrons of the Whyte Wrym waited patiently for a show. The blonde's eyes lit up as she decided on a song. Toni clicked the button, finalizing her selection without consulting her singing partner.
The redhead eyed the screen nervously, but soon a familiar beat played over the loudspeaker. She inwardly thanked the heavens that her friends were safely back at her trailer and not still at the bar. She did not want them seeing her make a fool of herself. She began to relax upon glancing over at Toni. She watched the shorter girl with a small smile as Toni began to rock her hips back and forth to the beat. It felt like old times, before she got stuck here. It felt right.
Words appeared on screen and Toni confidently belted out the first verse, her melodic voice ringing out pleasantly despite her inebriated state, "Well you're a real tough cookie with a long history of breaking little hearts like the one in me." She looked towards Cheryl with a pointed finger, signaling her to jump in.
As Cheryl shyly sang the next part, Toni's eyes lit up, clearly impressed by her voice. "That's okay, let's see how you do it. Put up your dukes, let's get down to it."
When they reached the chorus, they joined together, belting out the words as a unit, "Hit me with your best shot. Why don't you hit me with your best shot. Hit me with your best shot. Fire away." Cheryl went high, while Toni's raspy voice went low.
The drunken girl nearly fell into Cheryl as she threw an arm around her shoulders, making the redhead also sway to the beat. She knew Toni wasn't in her right mind, drunk and grieving a breakup, but Cheryl couldn't help but enjoy the contact.
"You come on with it, come on. You don't fight fair," Toni belted out, her arm tightly wrapped around Cheryl. "That's okay, see if I care."
The redhead struggled to sing the next line, "Knock me down, it's all in vain. I get right back on my feet again."
The continued on, singing the rest of the song as they swayed against each other, mics held up to their mouths. Cheryl didn't want the moment to end, it was perfect... or it would have been if Toni was sober and not heartbroken from someone else. She continued to remind herself why they were there, but with Toni pressed up against her side, it was a difficult task.
"Hit me with your best shot. Fire away," they sang out the last part of the song together, a light sweat forming on both of the girls. Toni laughed loudly, pulling the redhead into a quick hug as small claps filled the dingy atmosphere.
Toni replaced her microphone and sauntered off of the stage with Cheryl in tow. "That... was so... fun," the girl slurred, her face slightly flushed.
"It truly was. Do you feel better?"
"I gotta say I do, Cheryl," Toni admitted honestly, her face beaming. "I love that song."
The redhead grinned, hoping that Toni's radiant, intoxicating smile would last.
"Good, Sir," Toni called to the bartender. "Another round!"
"Some water, I think, Hog Eye," Cheryl laughed.
-
Later that night, they sat in an open booth in a quiet corner of the bar. Toni had started to sober up, switching to beer rather than shots. Cheryl still couldn't believe she was here, at the Whyte Wyrm with her. It felt like a dream, spending time with the shorter girl. More than once she had to stop herself from staring. Of course, the redhead wished it was happening under more pleasant circumstances, but she wasn't picky. She'd spend time with Toni no matter the reason.
"Thanks again for coming tonight," Toni said, breaking the silence.
Cheryl smiled, "Of course. But if you don't mind me asking, why me?"
The shorter girl shrugged, "I don't really have anyone to talk to... "
"What about your friends?" she asked.
Toni scoffed, "What friends? My friends are Heather's friends."
"What about Veronica?"
"We aren't as close as we used to be," Toni explained. "We um... we used to date when she first moved here."
"Wait," Cheryl stopped her. "Veronica's gay?"
Toni laughed, "Nah, she's bi. She prefers guys, but I think they're all too intimidated of her."
"Oh my God," the redhead exhaled. "And you dated Veronica?"
The question caused Toni to laugh again, a welcome change from her tears from earlier. "Yeah, I asked her to the back to the school dance after cheerleading tryouts. We're friends now, but I don't know, we haven't talked in a while. Heather," she sighed, "she always got so jealous whenever I talked to girls, and with Veronica and my history it got worse. I sort of just started cutting off friendships and pushing people away."
"Why would you put up with someone treating you that way?" Cheryl asked, empathetic pain in her voice.
"I guess I didn't want to be alone," she admitted meekly.
Cheryl reached across the table, placing her hand on top of Toni's. "You aren't alone, Toni."
"It's not the same," she said, "but thank you. It's just hard... Ya know? I thought I had found the real thing, but I thought that with Veronica too. She only wanted something going casual. Apparently, she never goes for commitment with girls."
"You're worth the commitment," Cheryl assured.
They stared at each other for a moment, something heavy was in the air. Cheryl swore she felt something flicker between them, swore she saw something in Toni's eyes, but she knew it was probably just the alcohol. It was too soon for anything to be happening, at least on Toni's end. Still, it took her breath away.
"You're too nice to me," Toni said as she pulled her hand away.
"I'm not," the redhead insisted. "You deserve someone to be nice to you, Toni."
"How can you care after everything I've done?" The blonde slide out of the booth and downed the rest of her bottle.
Cheryl quickly followed her, grabbing her by the wrist to stop her from walking away. "You're a good person. I know you are."
"I'm a bitch," Toni said, her good mood quickly disappearing. "Fuck, do I deserve this happening to me? Is this karma?"
"No," Cheryl insisted, pulling her into a hug.
The shorter girl was stunned for a moment before lifting her arms and embracing Cheryl in her own arms, crying into the redhead's shoulder. "I'm sorry."
Cheryl pulled back, confusion in her eyes. "What?"
Toni wiped her face with the sleeve of her designer pullover. "I'm sorry for... for causing everything at school. If it hadn't been for me, Heath— she wouldn't have made your life so awful."
"That wasn't your fault," Cheryl argued. "She's a horrible, vile person who feeds her own ego off the misfortune of others."
Shaking her head, Toni continued, "I put you in the crosshairs."
Cheryl placed both of her hands on either of Toni's shoulders and looked her square in the eye. "Toni Topaz, you are a good person. You made some mistakes, but you do not deserve this. You can't control what she did."
"But I—"
"No," Cheryl reiterated. "I forgive you. Okay?"
"Okay," Toni said, her eyes watery.
"How about we get you another drink, hm?" The shorter girl nodded in response, and Cheryl led her to the bar and ordered another round of shots, wondering how she was possibly going to sober them back up enough to get home later that evening.
-
Taking Toni home turned out to be something Cheryl should have been more concerned about. They were both far too drunk to drive by the time they left the Whyte Wyrm, and Cheryl suggested the only logical solution she could think of: letting the girl crash at her trailer.
Please be gone. Please be gone. Please be gone.
As she swung the door open, Cheryl was relieved to find the small space empty. Jughead, Sweet Pea, and Fangs were long gone, and her key sat safely on the kitchen counter. They must have left the door open for her, knowing she would need a way back inside.
"You have anything else to drink?" Toni slurred as she stumbled inside. They had shut down the bar, and the shorter girl still wanted to indulge.
"I suspect the boys cleared me out," Cheryl laughed, also slightly inebriated.
Toni flopped down on the couch, "Damn. So... what do you do around here?"
"Watch movies or draw," the redhead answered. "Nothing too exciting."
"You can draw?" Toni's eyes widened. "That's so cool!"
"It's alright."
"We should do a comic for our project, and you can draw it!" the blond exclaimed overenthusiastically due to her drunken state.
"Oh," Cheryl blushed. "If you want..." She looked over to see Toni had passed out on the couch. The blonde's head was thrown back and her jaw hung slack. "Perhaps it's time to turn in for the evening. Academics can wait until tomorrow," she sighed, not being able to tear her gaze away from the slumbering girl sitting a foot away.
Cheryl nudged Toni awake, wanting to put the girl to bed so she could sleep more comfortably. "Toni," she coaxed. "Wake up."
"Hm?" the blonde answered, slowly coming to. "Cheryl?"
"You remember coming back to my trailer?"
Toni nodded and yawned animatedly.
Cheryl helped her up and supported the other girl's weight as they sauntered into the bedroom. "You can take my bed."
"Mmm," Toni hugged the pillow. "Where will you sleep?"
"I'll take the couch," the redhead smiled warmly. "I care more about your comfort."
"You're so nice," she said. Toni reached over and took Cheryl's hand, causing the redhead to inhale sharply. "Thank you."
Cheryl swallowed, her throat dry, as she tried to compose herself. The small action caused a lot of emotions to swirl within her, similarly to the contact Toni had initiated during their karaoke performance. "It's what you deserve, Toni."
The shorter girl quickly drifted back off to sleep, her grip releasing Cheryl's hand as unconsciousness took hold. Cheryl smiled softly. She reached up and brushed a strand of bleach blonde hair back from Toni's face.
Progress.
The night had been a mess. Toni's breakup and drunken antics, but one good thing came from the heartbreak. Now, Toni knew she cared. Toni knew she could count on her. Toni knew Cheryl was there, willing to do what it took. And that, Cheryl knew, was more than worth the astronomical bar tab she was sure they had amassed earlier that evening.