Chapter Text
riverdale was always known as the perfect town that everyone loved, that was before the day jason blossom was murdered. on July 4th, cheryl blossom, and her twin brother jason decided to take a boat ride across sweetwater river. jason the son of penelope and clifford blossom one of the most well-respected and wealthy families that reside in riverdale, was reported missing after he did not return home from his boating trip with his sister.
his sister cheryl, reported to the sheriff and the town that after their boat accidentally tipped over jason never rose from the water. rescue dogs, towns people and a full on search party searched the perimeter of sweet water river for jason's body. after two weeks of constant searching, no evidence, clues, or even a lead as to where jason might be, the sheriff and the town eventually gave up.
a week after the search for jason blossom was called off, his body was found washed up on the shores of sweet water river. it was later discovered that jason did not drown in the lake as though his sister told it, jason was found with a bullet wound in the center of his forehead between his red brows. it was later discovered that clifford blossom murdered his own son in broad daylight because jason had no intention of taking over his father's drug business.
the night clifford blossom was going to be taken into custody, his body was found hanging in the barn of thronhill. when news broke way to everyone in the town that not only did clifford kill his jason blossom, but that he also took his own life, penelope and cheryl blossom had to endure the whispers and stares that came from everyone within the town.
of course, penelope blossom would take her anger out on her daughter, in efforts to make cheryl pay for her father's sins because he was no longer here and someone had to take responsibility for what he did in the dark. cheryl eventually had to get used to the trauma that her mother constantly inflicted upon her, there was no one to protect her anymore. now that her brother jason was buried six feet under in some grainy dirt, cheryl had no one to save her. she was all alone again.
"cheryl!" the raven girl's voice low and filled with frustration. "yes veronica," the red head says avoiding eye contact because she can tell just by her voice that she is upset about something. not that cheryl actually cares, she just doesn't feel like pretending like she does. "are you really not paying attention to us right now?" she folds her arms, her eyes filled with disbelief and anger.
the 4 girls betty, veronica, josie, and cheryl are all sitting in a booth at pops under the light red shade of flickering lights. strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate milkshakes with candy cane colored straws resting against the rim of the glass. fresh still dripping with grease curly fries lay on top of a red basket that sits in the middle of the table. typically cheryl would spend a thursday night cooped up in her room probably curled up in her 4 poster bed while reading the amityville horror. the redhead loves a good murder mystery book.
but somehow the girls managed to drag her out from her spacious yet empty home and into a booth at pop's so that they could spend time with one another outside of school and cheerleading practice. pop's diner is their typical hangout place, they would spend all their time outside of school here, drinking milkshakes until their stomachs eventually toss and turn because of all the dairy products. they would gossip about what was going on in the town, or about which boys at riverdale high they have their hearts set out on.
but cheryl wasn't doing much talking tonight. while the girls spoke about guys, cheryl was more so staring blanky into space while her thoughts took over her and her attention at the moment. so what if sometimes she decides to escape from the real world and travel to this fantasy world she has created inside her head. the world where her brother is still alive, her family is still together and her life is still somewhat normal. cheryl knows that it's not healthy to always disconnect from her surroundings and the people around her but it's the only thing that brings her a sense of peace. the only way she really feels safe.
"i-umm," the redhead stutters, trying to mentally prepare herself for whatever veronica might say next. "do you even want to be here with us cheryl?" betty argues as she leans in closer to the redhead that sits across the table from her. her eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed waiting for a response.
no. cheryl thinks to herself. but it's probably best for her not to push away the only real "friends" she has left.
"yes betty," the redhead replies while staring down at the half-drunken strawberry milkshake in front of her. "i wouldn't be here if i didn't want to be," she swirls her candy cane colored straw around in her glass, hoping that one of the girls will eventually change the subject since she's paying attention now, that they have called her out.
"hmm," veronica hums. "oh cmon guys," josie chimes in, her voice friendly, unlike the other two girls. "give cheryl a break. she's probably just a little tired today from school and having to coach the vixens," "thank you," the red-head mouths tilting her head left to face the dark skin girl who replies back with a sincere smile.
unlike the other two girls, josie has always been more compassionate and understanding when it comes to cheryl. the two girls became close after sophomore year when josie first joined the vixens. cheryl didn't have to think twice after seeing her tryouts, josie was automatically in, she's a natural when it comes to dancing. since then they have been like two peas in a pod, well that was before cheryl's brother died. the red-head begin to pull away from her friends, building a wall around herself pledging to keep everyone out. including her best friend, josie mcoy.
"well okay," veronica says interlacing her fingers together and placing them upon the table. "the 3 of us were just talking about tomorrow and how you will be joining us in welcoming the south side high students to riverdale," she stares deeply into cheryl's chestnut brown eyes waiting for a response, but the redhead can already tell the raven girl across from her has found it upon herself to answer for her.
cheryl couldn't care less about welcoming the south side students to riverdale high, not because the south siders are known as the most horrible people that has ever lived in riverdale. the south side have been frowned upon by the entire town for years, actually decades. they have always been the cause for the malicious crimes and havoc that takes place in riverdale. the south side is known for having violent gangs, drug dealers, criminals, and murderers that reside there.
but cheryl doesn't necessarily care about the southsiders or the fact that everyone on the north side hates their guts. she doesn't want to welcome them to the school because she can't find it in herself to care. about anything that goes on in life, let alone her school life. if the south siders want to come to an even crappier school just one with cleaner walls and toilets that actually flush, that's good for them but cheryl wants nothing to do with it.
"hmmm," she hums. "i'm not helping. count me out," she watches as veronica's jaw slightly drops open, her eyes fill with disbelief and confusion. before the raven girl can say anything, the red-head quickly grabs her red purse that rests against her thigh, and she climbs out from the booth. she glances back waving her pale white hand in the air insinuating goodbye to the 3 girls that remain seated. cheryl then she pushes through the diner's doors and outside to the parking lot.
she knows it's rude to just leave her friends high and dry in the diner but she really isn't up for a lecture tonight about how she should be friendlier and more involved in student activities. she's already student body president and the vixen's cheerleading coach isn't that enough for them? why must she welcome some troubled teenagers to her school that she doesn't even care about? if riverdale burned down cheryl would throw a party in celebration of never having to step foot in that revolting school again.
her black louboutin heels drag against the asphalt as she approaches her red 1961 chervolet impala, shuffling through her bag for her car keys. she yanks them out, inserts them into the car's door, unlocking them as she climbs inside to sit on the red leather seats. she slams the door behind her, turns the keys inside the ignition, and pulls off from pop's parking lot.
--
the red-head woke up bright and early to start her morning routine before school. she showers, takes care of her dental hygiene, curls her hair, and gets dressed. today she is wearing a black crop top that stops above her belly button, a red plaid skirt exposing her pale slender legs, red louboutin heels, and a black choker across her neck.
as she sits at her vanity reapplying her red matte lipstick and the rest of her makeup, her eyes glance over to a picture with her and her brother jason, the week their family spent at their summer house together 3 years ago.
the picture sits in a black frame on her vanity, it was taken by their mother penelope. cheryl places the palm of her hand upon the frame raising the picture closer to her face. they weren't a healthy family but they were a family..that was before everything went down hill. from her brother's death to her father's then her mother just up and leaving her.
you would think penelope would care enough about her daughter, enough to give cheryl a few hours notice before her departure or at least leave behind a piece of paper probably scribbled in excuses as to why she needed to leave.
excuses she would've probably thought of in a matter of minutes tops, but no. cheryl only came back to an empty oversized house, empty being if you don't count nana rose who can barely remember her name most of the time. the woman is senile and clearly getting older as the days go by.
penelope took all her belongings from thistlehouse, not leaving a trace of herself behind. it was as though she was never even here. not only does cheryl resent her mother for all of the pain she has caused her, the years of self-hatred forcing cheryl to believe that she was nothing other than less than.
no cheryl could move past that, she could move past the fact that her mother hated her with every breath in her body and she wasn't afraid to show it. what cheryl can't move past is her mother abandoning her months prior to her brother and father's death.
yes her mother was emotionally closed off and never spoke about what her daughter was feeling...penelope was too busy not caring about cheryl or what she went through, but at least she was here.
if was enough for cheryl even if it meant her mother would always be absent emotionally, at least cheryl could still have her physically. she'll never be able to forgive her for leaving at a time when cheryl needed her the most.
penelope disappeared from thistlehouse 2 months after her husband's alleged suicide, but every night cheryl's heart still aches. longing for her mother's touch even if that touch would only be the back of her mother's hand striking against her pale white cheek, leaving a bruise that would take weeks to heal it was still a touch.. it was still enough for cheryl to believe that her mother cared. cared enough to discipline her when she made mistakes because hell does cheryl make a lot of them.
the beatings meant that her mother still noticed her, every minute penelope spent bruising her daughter was another minute she spent acknowledging her existence. so to cheryl it was enough. enough for her to believe that her mother still loved her.
but after penelope left, cheryl forced herself every night to relive every putrid moment that her mother spent tormenting her. she memorized her mother's words that were fueled by rage, hate, and jealousy the ones that penelope spewed at cheryl every chance she got.
cheryl could recite the words in her sleep, almost as if she was reciting the words to a poem she needed to memorize to help her fall asleep at night. she needed to remember them because those words and those memories of her mother hating her are the only thing that make her heart hurt more than it already does.
she would rather focus on the pain she feels rather than the loneliness that consumes her every night she is reminded that she is alone in this house that is far from a home.
because a home is a place where you feel safe..where the people inside of it loves you and there is no love left behind in these walls of thistlehouse. there hasn't been...not since the day j.j took his last breath.
he was the glue that kept everything together, the family, even cheryl..he took care of his sister. he protected her from their hatred mother that constantly taunted her day and night.
she lost more than just her brother that day, cheryl lost her best friend, her only friend really. after jason passed away cheryl's world went dark and everyone in her life was too busy with their own to notice.
the red-head clutches her text books in the palm of her hand, holding them against her waist as she closes her locker door. she steps away from her locker, on her way to the student lounge to relax before the first bell for class rings. as she is walking down the halls of riverdale high "cheryl!" a familiar voice calls out.
the red-head glances back to see her cousin betty chasing after her, she stops in the middle of the hall waiting for her to catch up. "hey," betty says breathlessly she places the palm of her hand upon cheryl's shoulder.
"what is it?" cheryl rolls her eyes, assuming she will mention something about her walking out on her, veronica and josie last night at the diner with no explanation as to why. she isn't in the mood for a lecture this morning.
of course, betty doesn't realize it but subconsciously, she is always lecturing cheryl, acting as though they are sisters and betty is the older more responsible one meanwhile cheryl is the careless younger one that constantly needs to be watched and taken care of, but they aren't sisters. only cousins by their father's blood yet, that doesn't stop betty from treating cheryl as if it's her responsibility to take care of her and discipline her the way a mother does their child.
although the two of them have grown closer over time, back then they hated each other's guts. well, it was more so cheryl hating betty guts and plotting to make her life a living hell.
since middle school cheryl has made it her mission to hurt betty, from kissing her childhood crush archie adams, aka the boy next door to rejecting her from joining the river vixens.
eventually the redhead eased up a little bit on betty and let her join mostly because she wanted veronica to join and ronnie said she wouldn't join without betty by her side, so cheryl had no choice but to take the both of them.
but after finding out about their family's heritage the girls became closer, bonding over milkshakes at pops or sometimes cheryl would spend the night at betty's, they would stay up all night, watching sappy 90's movies and fighting over who was hogging the popcorn bowl (typically it's cheryl)
overall, betty cares for the red head, and cheryl tolerates her cousin..most of the time. occasionally betty could be a huge pain in the ass and this was defiantly one of those times.
"i thought you were..." betty says in between breaths still trying to catch hers after running halfway around the school just to find cheryl. "going to help welcome the new southside students today,"
"false," the red-head groans.
cheryl specifically said last night at pop's that she wasn't going to help them welcome the south siders to the school because cheryl doesn't care about the south side. let alone the ones that reside there. of course, veronica and betty love to team up against cheryl every time she isn't interested in whatever non-sense they are babbling on about, but the minute cheryl opens her mouth to express how she feels they don't listen.
ugh, fucking hypocrites
"i said i wasn't going to help with that stupid welcoming committee last night betty. did you forget, or were you just picking and choosing what you wanted to hear?"
"god," the red-head rolls her eyes out of frustration and annoyance. why do they need her to help with welcoming them anyway? just because she is student body president? they can literally find anyone else that would be thrilled to help those gang members find their way around this crummy school.
"i don't care about southside scum betty!"
the blonde's jaw drops open, her words in response to cheryl, on the tip of her tongue but before they can come off, a noise that sounds like two double doors being pushed open startles the two of them causing betty to lose her train of thought.
as the redhead and her cousin both turn in the direction of the noise trying to see where it came from, in walks 3 teenagers wearing serpent jackets.
a boy stomps through the double doors, his hair jet black tucks behind his ears while the rest swoops above his left brow, his eyes filled with anger and confidence. his face covered in scratches and bruises some healed others appear fresher.
he's wearing a gray hoodie beneath a plaid yellow flannel, his serpent jacket drapes over his broad shoulders. he's surprisingly tall, his head almost slams into the exit sign that hangs above the front entrance of the school. he has on dark black somewhat tight pants that tucks above his untied black combat boots.
on the left, a boy shorter than the first one that walked in, his hair covered with gell that cheryl can smell from all the way down the hall, combed over to the right side of his head.
he glances around the school intrigued with his surroundings, he looks nicer than the first guy who came in, his eyes filled with excitement and awe. a red flannel shirt peaks out from under his leather jacket. his pants are baggy, dark denim with a silver chain hanging from his wait. his scuffed combat boots smack against the floor as he parades beside his friend.
cheryl confused as to who these delinquents are and why they are making so much damn noise this early in the morning, she furrows her brow. her eyes glance back and forth between the two serpents until..
uh oh, what is this...
walking in the middle ..
her eyes brown like milk chocolate narrows staring deeply at the taller guy standing to her left. her hair acorn brown with dark pink highlights. some strands are braided down the left side of her scalp while the rest of her soft curly locks fall upon her shoulders. her tan skin glistens from the sun peaking through the window inside the school. cheryl assuming she is anxious because her fingers are trembling as her eyes glance around the school.
underneath her serpent jacket that drapes upon her shoulders, she's wearing a black crop top that exposes her perfectly round breasts that are seconds away from popping out of her black lace bra. a black necklace with a silver snake hanging from it hangs around her neck.
cheryl's jaw drops open, her mouth practically watering
black denim shorts merely stopping right below her crotch. fishnet tights that cover her exposed bronze legs while a red flannel shirt ties around her waist. the redhead's eyes wander down to the serpent's boots, they are healed and have red plaid fabric scattered across them.
who is this girl? s..sh- she's breathtaking.
the pink-haired serpent eyes glance around the school before catching a glimpse of cheryl who stands in the middle of the hall, sweat driping from her pale forehead.
the serpent raises her perfectly arched eyebrow in confusion before running her warm wet tongue over her glittery bubble gum-colored bottom lip causing goosebumps to flare on the back of cheryl's neck, she feels a warm sensation emitting from her crotch.
the girl's eyes fill with pleasure and confidence, the corners of her pink lips turn upwards into a grin exposing her gleaming white teeth.
is that filthy serpent eye fucking me?!
the redhead's heart beat grows rapidly. a frown forms upon her red stained lips.
who the hell is she and why does she think she is worthy enough to even LOOK in my direction
the redhead clutches her books in her hand. her body becomes tense, she clenches her jaw. hatred and anger forms in the pit of her stomach but ...
quickly dissolves.
those eyes..the way they glisten from the sunlight...
her face softens
she just smiled at me ..
the red head can feel the warmth of her pale white cheeks as they flush. she releases the tight hold of the books n the palm of her hand.
those lips! ugh, they are so full and juicy.. i bet they taste like strawberries...god how i wish i could ta-
the red-head shakes her head trying to drown out the sound of her deviant thoughts, the thoughts that her mother would never approve of if she was still here. her eyes wandered back up, she notices the pink-haired serpent brown eyes bore deeply into her soul. she rolls her eyes in disgust, glancing away causing the serpent to giggle before turning away.
"wh-who is that.." the red-head stutters a gasp of breath caught in the middle of her throat. betty's places her hand above her eyes trying to block out the sunlight beaming through the school's window, her and cheryl both watch as the 3 serpents walk in the opposite direction of them.
"oh," the blonde says, her lack of interest evident to cheryl. "those are the south side high students," "uhh," betty trails off before a smile forms across her face. "the serpents," she nods her head after finding the right words to say.
the red-head purses her red-stained lips before turning around to face her cousin. "well duh captain obvious. as if the jackets didn't already give that away," sometimes she worries about her cousin, she really does. "i need a name betty," cheryl demands. her tone persistent and controlling. for some reason, she wants to learn more about the pink-haired serpent. no she needs to learn more.
betty snickers, cheryl on the other hand doesn't find anything funny. "the guy on the right. that's sweet pea. he's-" betty starts to say but she gets cut off by the sound of cheryl's voice. "n-no..not the giant. i don't need his name i need the gi-" she taps her louboutin heals against the floor tiles anxiously waiting for betty to say the girl serpent's name.
"on the lef-" "the one in the middle betty!" cheryl raises her hands in the air frantically waving them in the blonde's face. betty's nostrils flare as her face lights up with embarrassment and anger. "what is the girl's name for crying out loud," the redhead groans rolling her eyes out of annoyance.
maybe if betty would have stopped cutting her off mid-sentence, cheryl could have been told her which name she needed. of course, she doesn't need those two knucklehead's names. she barely looked at them twice, she wanted the pink-haired girl's name. the one she couldn't take her eyes off from, the one who somehow managed to make cheryl's red laced panties wet just by grinning at her.
ugh! she needs the name!
"her name is toni!" betty yells, she folds her arms together against her chest, confused by her cousin's urgency to find out a serpent's name. why the hell does cheryl care about what her name is? didn't she just say like 5 seconds ago she don't care about southside scum?
the red-head can tell that betty is upset about being yelled at but she doesn't have time to care about that now, she's too busy reciting the serpent's name in her head over and over again.
toni. hmmm
toni..toni..toni
cheryl spins around on her heals. the tall guy .. what did betty say his name was again? sweet pea?
she watches as sweet pea and the boy next to him whose name she did not get nor care to get push through the back doors of the school. "she's a serpent?" her voice filled with disbelief and doubt. the two boys strut outside to the school's parking lot while toni follows behind them, a wide grin still across her lips.
how can anyone that small be apart of a violent malicious gang?
she's so tiny..it's actually adorable. cheryl feels a warm sensation grow inside her heart. those boys look like skyscrapers compared to her. her bodyguards..that must be who they are. toni doesn't look like she would hurt a fly. but then again that is just her appearance..i don't know what she's like on the inside.
but she seems friendly.. on a count of she smiled at me a complete stranger ugh i practically melted on this dirt-stained floor tile.
but wait..why the hell are the 3 of them separate from everyone else? weren't the other southside high students still taking the tour around the school? the parking lot is defiantly not apart of the tour.
cheryl turns around to face betty, staring deeply into her dark blue eyes still in disbelief that toni is apart of the serpents. "are you sure she isn't just wearing someone else's leather jacket?" cheryl questions.
ugh, cheryl why are you so worried about whether she's in a gang or not? she's a southsider which means she is trouble so stay away from her. she can already hear her mother's voice.
you loveless...devia-
the red-head shook her head trying to drown out the thought of her mother's voice. now wasn't the time to be thinking about her, cheryl was at school she didn't have time to be emotional..not in front of everyone.
"yea. i'm pretty sure she's a serpent," betty chuckled reassuring the red-head that she knows what she's talking about. "her grandfather thomas topaz is actually like the founder of the ser-," "wait. since when do you even care about the south siders cheryl?"
taken back by her what her cousin said, cheryl realizes that she don't care about the south siders let alone these people who call themselves the serpents.
well there was one south sider she was concerned with..one with pink curly locks that cheryl would love to run her fingers through. and glossy pink lips...full lips that cheryl would crash hers into. her fingers tracing down toni's soft caramel skin as she pushes her way thru her pink parted lips. their tongues fighting for dominance.
ugh.. the red-head could care less about the serpents as a whole but the pink-haired serpent? toni? oh yes cheryl is defiantly intrigued by her. but she isn't going to let her cousin know that. veronica and betty are the queens of sticking their noses in places where they don't belong.
"your right betty," cheryl says, her voice nonchalant and subtle. putting it off as though she is not completely infatuated with just the thought of toni. as if she hasn't stopped thinking about her since she first laid eyes on her approximately 4 minutes ago.
"i don't care," lying straight through her teeth. cheryl does care, she actually cares a little too much. she wants to find out more about this girl but of course she can't make it obvious.
"but you just ask-," interrupted by cheryl's fiery red hair smacking against her parted lips, betty flinches stepping further away from the red-head who waves goodbye as she trots off to class.
--
the red-head's louboutin heels clack against the floor as she walks down the hall. her attention focused on the phone in her hand as her bright red manicure nails tap against the screen responding to josie's text.
josie: r you sure your okay? i know you weren't interested in helping this morning but i haven't seen you all day ☹
cheryl: i'm fine josie. plus I'll see you at lunch like i always do ..
josie: ugh i know i just miss you sm ...
walking past the student lounge with her head buried in her phone, the corner of the red-head eyes catch a glimpse of something pink. pink ...like pink ha-
cheryl's attention being taken away from her phone, she lifts her head up. her heels drag against the floor as she steps backwards, coming to a stop in the doorway of the student lounge.
the pink-haired serpent is laying on a antique red velvet couch that sits in the middle of the room. her head resting against the palm of her hand that is propped up by her elbow that sits on the couch's arm rest. her short legs are stretched out in sweet pea's lap on top his crotch. he is stroking the palm of his hand against her bronze skin.
the red-head clenches her jaw as her heart rate increases.
is that sleezy southsider her fucking boyfriend?!
the red-head swallows thickly as her stomach twists in knots.
the other serpent that was with them this morning is sitting in a red chair closest to toni, cheryl assuming he must be excited about something because he is on the edge of his seat using hand gestures as the other two listen to him attentively.
the pink-haired girl's chest heaves up and down, a sigh escaping from her pink parted lips before her eyes wander over to the doorway of the lounge, spotting cheryl who stands frozen with jealousy painted across her pale white face.
toni's eyes, filled with concern and confusion flicker from cheryl's, down to her red-stained lips then back up again. she winks at her before the corners of her lips turn upwards into a friendly smile.
the anger and jealousy erupting from inside red-head's stomach dissolve at the sight of her smile. her face softens and she can feel the warmth of her cheeks as they begin to flush. her jaw drops open, wanting to speak but too nervous so she doesn't. instead she sinks her teeth into the corner of her bottom lip, almost drawing blood.
the serpent raises the palm of her hand in the air, waving at the redhead as though she is sending her off or letting her know she sees her staring. cheryl can't tell which one it is but the serpent remains laying there with a smile across her lips, her attention fixated on cheryl while sweet pea rubs her legs and fangs continues his conversation. the red-head stands at the door contemplating if she should just go in and talk to her.
"but he is-," her eyes lower to sweet pea's hand.
are they dating?
before she can wrap her head around what is going on, cheryl feels someone's hand smack against her exposed pale white shoulder. her head turns to see veronica standing behind her.
"who are we looking at?" her eyes filled with concern but mostly she's just anticipating the redhead's answer so she can be nosy. see..sticking her nose in places where it doesn't belong.
"no one," cheryl says, obviously lying. she begins walking down the hall as veronica follows beside her. "i'm still upset with you for not helping this morning,"
cheryl too focused on her recent encounter with the pink-haired serpent, doesn't respond to her friend's statement.
she smiled at me, again...
cheryl feels a flutter inside her stomach as a smile form against her red-stained lips. she's never felt this way before. she could never understand when betty and veronica went on and on about the way their boyfriends, archie andrews and jughead jones, the leader of the serpents which cheryl found to be a complete joke, made them feel.
betty always says that jughead is the reason for her happiness, that she finds something new to love about him everyday. the redhead doesn't know how, he's completely repulsive .. veronica speaks about archie like he's the best thing that has ever happened to her. she said that whenever she is with him it feels like time stops, and they are the only two that exist.
cheryl could never relate to the feelings that betty and veronica expressed. she has never had her heart set out on someone before..well actually. there was one person who her heart longed for. her best friend. josie mcoy.
there was a time when the dark skin girl was all that cheryl could ever think about. whenever they were together, she could always feel flutters inside her stomach, her cheeks would flush and she would trip over her words. every moment with josie felt like time had stopped, like nothing else mattered in the world besides the two of them.
cheryl didn't understand what any of those feelings meant, she never had them for anyone before let alone a girl. she became possessive when it came to her best friend.
she didn't want anyone else to spend time with her, cheryl drove away most of josie's boyfriends, she caused josie to push away most of her friends because cheryl hated all of them, and picked fights with them expect for betty and veronica.
she was obsessed with the thought of josie, but can you blame her? cheryl's mother broke her, she left her emotionally starved for any sort of love or affection, something she would never receive from her mother. josie gave her that, even if the affection only came in quantities of crumbs, it was still something to cheryl, she just needed more of it.
as time went on, cheryl became more and more obsessed with josie, she wrote her love letters that she would never deliver and drawings that she kept hidden in a notebook under her bed at thistlehouse.
eventually, penelope found the drawings and letters dedicated to josie and she put an end to cheryl's devious, sinful actions. she threatened to show the work to josie and the entire town unless cheryl forgets about her feelings for josie.
forget about the way she felt when she was with josie. forget about that warm sensation she feels within her body everytime josie so much as even smile at her. cheryl had to forget..she needed to forget, that's when she slowly begin to drift away from her friend.
she couldn't explore the feelings she had for josie. she needed to surpress them, bury them deep inside of her until she no longer felt or else her mother would expose her.
cheryl couldn't let the entire town find out about her deepest dark secret. falling in love with her best friend she couldn't let josie know..so she did as she was told. she ignored the feelings that she felt about her, but that doesn't mean they ever went away..
josie is the only girl that cheryl has ever fell for. yes, here and there she would steal glances at veronica and her amazing body, the way her skin glistens underneath the florescent lights that hangs above their heads during vixens practice. the way her hips grind against the other vixens during the routine. ugh.
of course cheryl would never take it too far, they were only glances. she only looked, never touched. she would never invade veronica or josie's privacy, she never peeked in on them during their after practice showers. watching their bodies become soaked in the water spraying from the shower head.
no cheryl would never stoop as low as being a peeping tom, aka a literal creep. but she would however abuse her power and authority as vixen's head captain.
she would hold practices a little longer than she was suppose to, just so she could spend a few more minutes staring at veronica and josie's body in those tight plaid skirts exposing their underwear and little blue crop tops that stop right above their belly buttons.
yes cheryl is guilty of that, but that all came to an end as time progressed. the redhead realized how wrong it was to look at other females in that way, especially her friends who had no clue of her intentions.
"cheryl," veronica says softly causing the red-head to return back to reality, stopping in her tracks. she turns to look into her friend's big brown eyes. veronica gently places the palm of her hand upon cheryl's shoulder. "i don't care about welcoming the stupid south siders to our school," she expresses.
then why the hell are you breathing up and down my neck about it?
"i only did that because i want to have a good reputation. you know be seen as the girl who unites the two sides, north and south side together in peace and harmony," typical veronica lodge, performing actions to increase her popularity, not for the greater good of the town.
"so i'm not really angry that you didn't help," the red-head raises her eyebrow confused by the raven girl's words. if she isn't upset about the welcoming committee then why the hell is she still talking about it. "i'm just worried," there it is. the lump that grows in cheryl's throat causing her to swallow thickly.
veronica's eyes gaze deeply into the red-head's teary eyes with sympathy. "you don't spend that much time with us anymore. me, betty and josie," she says her voice soft and fragile trying to refrain from upsetting her friend.
"and when you do spend time with us..it's like your not really there," "you are physically but your mind is somewhere else," veronica's eyes lower to the floor then to cheryl again. "i just want you to know i'm here for you. and i'm so sorry for being a hard ass yesterday at pop's," "i just wanted to spend more time together,"
the red-head takes a few seconds to process what was said. she then nods her head, reassuring veronica that she was listening and she understands her concern. "okay," cheryl says her voice soft almost like a whisper.
"i accept your apology," the raven girl's lips turn upwards into a loving smile. "great," she says linking her arm inside of cheryl's. "let's go get some lunch cause i am starrved," a laugh escapes from the redhead's lips.
--
cheryl stares down at the table, an apple, salad with lettuce cucumbers eggs and ham, an orange and a juice box sits on top of a red lunch tray in front of her. she rests her head against the palm of her hand, propped up by her elbow sitting on top of the table, a tired sigh escapes from her parted lips.
the redhead's attention focused on everything else besides whatever conversation her friends are having at the table. kevin keller sits on her right, staring deeply into the brown eyes of archie andrews who sits across from them at the table, next to veronica lodge who is leading the conversation between them. betty sits closest to kevin her best friend, she bites into a half bitten apple whenever she's not laughing at one of archie's corny jokes.
then there's josie who sits on cheryl's right closest to archie. like the red-head, josie isn't engaged in the conversation their friends are having, white apple earbuds lodged within her ears blare billie eilish ocean eyes while josie taps her shoe against the floor.
"i've never fallen from quite this high," josie hums while tapping her fingers against the table, occasionally her knee brushes against cheryl's leg, a chill runs down the red-head spine causing her to shiver. thankfully josie too invested in the song doesn't notice her friend's flustered cheeks.
cheryl's eyes wander around the cafeteria before landing on the pink-haired girl. her butt sits on top of a lunch table across the room, her hands propped up on the table while she leans back on them, boots dangle over the seat her eyes glancing back and forth between sweet pea and the guy cheryl learned his name to be fangs. their bodies propped up in chairs around the pink-haired serpent. a wide smile plastered across her face while they conversate.
the table is filled with other serpents but the 3 of them seem to only be interacting with each other. sweet pea punches fangs in his chest, toni's smile grows wider as she watches, fangs not too happy decides to flick sweet pea's nose with his finger. toni lifts her head, her eyes begin to wander around the cafeteria before stopping on cheryl.
the redhead feels a flutter in her stomach while the palm of her hands begin to sweat. the pink-haired girl gazing deeply into the red-head's eyes from across the room, bends down to sweet pea pulling him away from his conversation with fangs, she places the palm of her hand around her mouth. her lips inches away from his ear begin to move against them. he flings his body around in his chair. his eyes glance around the room before stopping on cheryl. he purses his lips, and glares at her, his eyes filled with disgust.
cheryl's face lights up with embarrassment as toni places the palm of her hand to her mouth, a giggle escapes from her body. "hey," the redhead feels the warmth of someone's breath against her ear, causing her to jump in response. she turns her head to see a smile across josie's lips. "i didn't mean to startle you," she chuckles playfully her voice calm and soft, her earbuds hang around her ear.
"are you okay?" she asks almost like a whisper. cheryl pauses for a second, admiring the fact that josie is so concerned about her, she slighty nods her head. the dark skin girl rests the palm of her hand against cheryl's pale white leg. her leg shivers in response to the coldness of josie's hand. her friend places her earbuds back into her ears and closes her eyes, nodding her head to whatever song was playing from them.
cheyl glances over to toni, who is now fully engaged in whatever her sweet pea and fangs were talking about before. her eyes glancing back and forth between the two. the redhead can't help but feel a little jealous, she wishes it was only her who toni's attention was focused on.
god your pathetic ..
she doesn't even know you she thinks to herself.
the redhead adjusts herself, moving closer to her friend and turning her head away from toni's view. she taps josie on her shoulder, she unplugs one earbud and raises her brown. cheryl points to her headphones, asking if she can listen. josie's lips turns upwards into a smile and she rolls her eyes playfully before using her fingers to place an earbud inside cheryl's ear. she presses play on the music, they both nod their heads and taps their feet as the song blares thru the headphones.