Work Text:
Nothing wakes you up like waking up alone
And all that's left of us is a cupboard full of clothes
Cheryl Blossom.
22 years old.
The memory of her first night without Toni felt like it would be permanently seared into her brain.
The fight that started it all and then the eventual breakdown of Toni throwing only her necessities in her bag and storming out.
5 years together and it was all crashing and burning now.
The pain of being completely alone was hitting her like a ton of bricks and she hated it.
She just wanted Toni back
The day you walked away and took the higher ground
Was the day that I became the man that I am now.
22 years old (right before Toni left.)
“Cher, I love you I do but we can’t keep living like this. I’ve stuck around for 5 years and those years may have been some of the best of my life but they were also the worst because I can’t keep hiding our relationship not to mention it’s not fair on you. You need time to be able to be on your own and figure it out. You don’t have to come out under any circumstances but I think a break away from me muddling your thinking will be good for you and maybe even us.”
“You know if I could I would come out but I’m just not comfortable yet and I’m just waiting for when I feel like my mother wouldn’t blow a gasket when she found out about us.”
Toni sighed and yanked one of her overnight bags out from the cabinet and stuffed a shirt, pants and a pair of shoes in it.
Cheryl swallowed nervously.
“What are you doing TT?”
“I’m leaving Cheryl. I don’t know if it’s temporary or permanent yet but I can’t take this anymore. I love you but seriously I can’t take this anymore. It hurts too much and I don’t think it’s good for either one of us.”
And with that Toni was walking out of their house and all Cheryl could do was sit there stunned.
But these high walls, they came up short
Now I stand taller than them all
These high walls never broke my soul, and I
I watched them all come falling down for you
Cheryl Blossom.
25 years old.
“Thank you Dr.Jacobs I’ll see you in a few weeks.”
“Alright, Ms.Blossom. Remember you can call me if anything becomes too much for you at the funeral.”
Cheryl smiled at the doctor and then turned to leave.
She was eternally grateful for the therapist who seemed to come into her life at just the right time about a year ago.
However, sometimes it made Cheryl's stomach turn knowing that she had opened up to this total stranger, sure it had helped her but like Dr Jacobs always said she couldn’t help trained behaviour.
Cheryl turned the radio up as loud as it would go as she drove home trying to distract herself from the one thing she could not get off her mind no matter how hard she tried.
Nana Rose.
Not only Nana Rose but having to see her mother for the first time in over a year.
She just knew her mother was going to ruin the funeral meaning to honour her Nana and make it about herself.
Her mother was still yet to fully accept Cheryl's sexuality even though she had come out a year ago.
To this day her mother refused to talk to her and had blocked her on social media but continued to post awful things about her.
When she came out to her mom and she started acting the way she did it sent her into a spiral which Toni would have helped with but at that point, Toni had been gone for a year so she did what she should have done from the start.
Started going to see a therapist.
And that small decision had helped Cheryl.
She felt so much freer and more open.
Some days she did miss Toni.
She was her high school sweetheart after all.
But that chapter of her life was closed, Cheryl had moved on.
Nothing makes you hurt like hurtin' who you love
And no amount of words will ever be enough
Toni Topaz.
22 years old.
If Toni was being completely honest the thought had been weighing heavily on her mind lately. She loved Cheryl but she couldn’t do this anymore.
They lived together but every aspect of their life was so secretive and she just couldn’t take it anymore.
It wasn’t good for her.
It had taken years for her to grow comfortable with her sexuality and to come out and she needed to do that on her own and her own time.
She couldn’t help but feel like she was holding Cheryl back from that by them being together so no matter how much it hurt they had to break up.
It wasn’t healthy for them maybe if it was meant to be they’d find their way back together but for now, Cheryl needed time to truly find herself.
So that’s exactly what she did.
She broke up with Cheryl.
I looked you in the eyes, saw that I was lost
For every question "why" you were my "because."
19 years old.
Toni startled awake at her doorbell ringing and slapped her hand around on her nightstand & grabbed her phone to check the time.
5:42 am.
Alright, who the fuck was disturbing her this early on a Saturday.
When the doorbell rang again Toni pulled herself up from the bed and quietly groaned as she made her way to check who was outside.
It wasCheryl.
Immediately she opened the door “Babe what’s wrong? Do you know what time it is?”
She knew it was a dumb question to ask but it wasn’t very often that Cheryl showed up at Toni’s place this early in the morning.
“I’m okay I just needed to get away from my mom for a little bit. I was going to wait until tomorrow to come over but I just couldn’t sleep at all.”
Toni wordlessly stepped to the side and allowed Cheryl to come in.
“Um did you just wanna go to bed or something? It is still early.”
“Can we move in together?” Cheryl blurted out.
“Cher it's late and this is very sudden and abrupt we can talk about it when we're both more conscious”
“I know it seems sudden but I’ve thought about it for a long time and we were even talking about moving in together someday. We could find a nice apartment or even just live here if you don’t want to relocate.”
Toni rubbed her temples.
She loved Cheryl and did want to live with her but this was so sudden.
However, she couldn’t deny that she did think it’d be best for Cheryl to be away from her mom.
Fuck her mom.
“What are you gonna tell your mom? You’re not even out yet you can’t exactly just call her up and say “Hey mom I’m gay and moving in with my girlfriend.”
“My mom doesn’t know I’m gay so to her you could just be a roommate.”
Toni sighed “Okay but we need to wait at least a couple months so that we can find a place.”
Toni knew realistically this was sudden but she loved Cheryl and wanted her to be happy.
So this one is a thank you for what you did to me
Why is it that 'thank you's' are so often bittersweet
I just hope I see you one day and you'll say to me, "Oh, oh"
Cheryl Blossom
25 years old.
Cheryl was standing at the front of the funeral hand tightly grasping her fiancé Marianne’s hand.
Surprisingly her mother had not said a word to Cheryl or Marianne for once reading the room for what was appropriate for the situation.
“Hey, Cher.”
Cheryl startled slightly at the all too familiar voice and looked up to meet Toni's eyes.
Right beside Toni was another girl who truly was beautiful with wide brown eyes & long dark hair.
“Toni what a surprise to see you here,” Cheryl said.
Cheryl had never taken a moment to think about what it be like to see Toni again but somehow, she didn’t feel sad or even angry.
The event from 3 years ago was nothing but a dull feeling that didn’t even hurt anymore.
“YourNana Rose was a favourite in Riverdale so I figured I’d come and show my respect.”
Cheryl smiled at Toni.
Silence settled over them but before Toni could walk away Marianne reached out her hand to introduce herself as Cheryl’s fiancé and Toni warmly introduced herself in return.
“Oh, and this is Sarah my girlfriend”
Toni’s eyes sparkled with love and admiration when referencing the girl beside her and it made Cheryl feel warm.
After a few minutes of small talk and an agreement for the four of them to get dinner at some point while Toni & Sarah were in town, the two of them walked off.
Years ago, Cheryl thought that when she saw Toni again it would hurt too much to even be in the same room as her.
However, her feelings were nothing but joy not only for Toni but also for herself.
But these high walls, they came up short
Now I stand taller than them all
These high walls never broke my soul
I watched them all come falling down for you