Strange Connection

Chapter Eleven

Toni: Are you going to the game tonight?

Cheryl: No, I'm not much of a football game person. Kind of surprised my parents aren't going for the homecoming aspect though.

Toni: I get it. I don't feel like I'm a football game person type of person anymore. Especially if you're not going :)

Toni smiled at her own response. It was true, ever since her falling out with everyone, going to a game would be like suicide. Not to mention it wouldn't be worth the risk without getting to hang out with Cheryl.

They exchanged numbers in the treehouse after Toni had asked her to be her date for the dance. They'd been texting ever since. Toni showed her the dress she was going to wear and Cheryl sent a picture of hers. It was relieving that Toni had finally managed to secure a friendship with Cheryl.

She paced excitedly with her thoughts and went to go set out her outfit for tomorrow's dance. The lights flickered before steading after she flipped the switch coming in. Yellow light filled the room causing an immediate regret to her choice. She decided to turn only a lamp on instead. She hated harsh light and preferred light to be distributed unevenly throughout a room to give it character.

The shaky, old wooden doors to her closet rolled open revealing the small space for her nicer clothes. Everything she didn't care about getting wrinkly went in the drawers. A glint of light purple fabric could be seen in the back, which she pulled out and laid on the bed. It was a lavender dress, shorter, with a white collar and white buttons on the top half. Her hair would be in a high ponytail, showing some pastel pink highlights fading underneath.

She would spend tomorrow morning getting ready and then meet the others at Cheryl's place for the van to drive them to dinner and then the dance. They planned on going with Betty, Archie, and Valerie. Jughead was apparently out of the picture and was set on staying home. Although the group was shaky, Toni knew the potential was there if they could get past any underlying trust issues that lingered from her past mistakes. After all, she and Cheryl were just going as friends, nothing too serious.

...

"Betty I told you I don't know!" Cheryl flopped dramatically on her bed with a sigh.

"Did she ask it as in, I want to go with you or will you go with me?"

"Kind of both I guess-"

"Cheryl!"

"Well, I don't know Betty, I didn't get a chance to read a contract or anything!"

They'd been on the phone contemplating the meaning behind Toni's ask to the dance for about an hour now. Cheryl liked her of course, but she didn't know if the feelings were mutual. She and Toni may have held hands and shared a jacket, but it was also the same day Toni asked to be friends. It was becoming impossible to decode all the signs Toni gave her in that treehouse. Toss in the two's messy history; Cheryl was absolutely lost.

"I'm just going to say that we're going as friends and not get my hopes up. If new information happens to come up then I'll deal with it then."

Betty breathed out on her end, "Yeah I think that's your only option right now. Play it safe."

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Cheryl breathed out and looked to her dress hanging from her vanity chair. Only a couple of hours stood between her and the night of her life, she better start getting ready.