Roommates | CHONI |

Seven

The pair enjoyed the afternoon together eating pizza and watching movies. After the third movie finished Toni spoke 'I think we should get prepared for tomorrow so we're not rushing in the morning'. 'Yeah you're right' Cheryl smiled. She'd made time for a shower before the pizza arrived so she could feel a little more human. They both got out of Cheryl's bed and got everything ready for the following day, including outfits. 'Toni?'. 'What's up?'. 'Can we keep what's happened to ourselves?'. Toni turned to look at Cheryl, she was wringing her hands together. 'Cheryl I won't tell anyone but I have to admit Fangs and Jughead know you kissed me last night. I promise you though, it'll not go any further, Serpent code and all that'. Cheryl's eyes looked down to the floor, she was worried. 'Look' Toni stepped forward using her finger to gently lift the other girls chin, her touch nothing like she had experienced that morning with Nick 'Hey take all the time you need, no one's forcing you into anything and if the last 24 hours has been a momentary blip don't worry about it. It doesn't need to happen again if that's what you want. Everyone needs someone to rely on sometimes'. 'So friends?' Cheryl smiled. 'Friends' Toni smiled back before rubbing the pad of her thumb on Cheryl's cheek and moving away. Cheryl immediately missed Toni's touch but she had a lot to concentrate on with college and whatever was happening with whatever it was she felt for Toni. 'Oh hey, I hope you don't mind but Jughead, Fangs and I were going to meet here tonight if you don't mind? Or I can always arrange to go over to their place?'. 'That's fine Toni, this is your room too'.

Cheryl had excused herself to the bathroom before Toni's friends arrived. Toni may have seen her at her worst but she was damn sure no one else would. She tied her hair in a high pony tail and applied a small layer of make up covering the dark circles under her eyes. She wore a simple outfit a white shirt and a red skirt. While she was still in the bathroom she heard Toni answer the door to her friends. She suddenly felt nervous. As Toni opened the door she warned them not to mention anything that happened last night. They both nodded moving passed Toni, kicking off their shoes and getting comfortable on her bed. Toni rolled her eyes before telling them to make some space for her. They were in the middle of a conversation when the bathroom door opened. With all eyes on her Cheryl walked over to her bed with a nod to Toni's friends 'hello boys'. Toni was shocked how quickly Cheryl had gone from being emotional and unsure to the self assured and confident person she was now portraying. Maybe Cheryl wasn't as one layered as Toni originally thought. She never seen someone wear a mask as perfectly as Cheryl did, maybe she didn't have the easiest life. 'Cheryl this is Fangs, Fangs this is Cheryl' Toni said as Cheryl sat at her desk, her back as straight as a rod. 'Pleasure' she said with a tight smile, she wasn't trying to be rude she just didn't have the best social skills when it came to talking to people on a neutral level.

'So Cheryl how are you finding living with our Toni here?' Fangs asked. Toni knew exactly what he was doing, trying to dig out any information he could without being overly obvious and bringing up last night. 'She's not as insufferable as I'd first imagined' Cheryl's eyes lifted to look at Toni for the first time since she'd entered the bedroom. 'I don't know about that' Jughead said pushing his friends shoulder 'she's pretty messy and annoying' he laughed. Toni pushed him back with a laugh. It was nice for Cheryl to see Toni comfortable with her friends she had never had that herself. If she ever playfully fought with Jason she was corrected and told that it wasn't ladylike. Toni decided to shift the conversation away from her 'so Jug any girls caught your eye?'. 'There's a cute girl in the coffee shop you work at, mind putting a good word in for me?'. 'Oh Betty? I don't know Jug she seems a little too goody goody to date a Serpent'. 'You never know, I'm charming' he smiled. Toni just rolled her eyes 'how about you Fangs? Any worthy gentlemen that's caught your eye?'. 'Not yet, I'm not looking for anything but we'll see'. 'What about you Topaz?'. Toni's eye's widened at Jughead's question making a mental note to kill him later. She saw Cheryl in the corner of her eye stiffen. 'What? We always talk about this stuff? So any guys or girls that's caught your eye?' he smirked. She could feel Cheryl's eye's on her 'who knows at the moment, I've just been enjoying the college experience. A lot of people to get to know'. She didn't know how to answer that question with Cheryl sat right there. 'Fair' he said, Toni thankful he didn't push, that was until his next question. 'What about you Red? Anybody caught your eye?'. Toni was definitely going to kill him now. Toni noticed Cheryl's eye slightly flinch for just a second before opening her mouth to speak. Toni interrupted 'Ignore him Cheryl'. 'It's fine' she cleared her throat 'Firstly my name is Cheryl and secondly there may be someone but I can't clarify his name'. Toni's ears perked at 'his' hoping that was just a decoy. 'That's cool Red' Jughead completely ignored what she had said about her name.