Not Loveless, But Sensational

4. Good 2 See U Again

Cheryl was back home rummaging through her walk-in closet. Her wardrobe probably neared the total of a quarter million dollars, but all of a sudden, she had nothing to wear for the night.

She prepared everything else from her fib to her mother about going out again with Nick and also letting Nick know that she'd probably be out until after midnight. They needed to be in sync with their new fabricated story of a second date.

She sighed at the two piles of clothes on her bed then concluded that she didn't have to try so hard. Toni and the people she kept in her company aren't about high-end, designer clothing or what season a piece is. Toni has a sexy, edgy, I- care- but-not-really look about her. She pulled out a pair of black linen pants with a subtle sparkle to them. They laced up the sides and her toned, athletic legs were exposed through the diamond designs the lace created.

She paired it with her signature-colored shirt. A blood-red crop that exposed a slither of her midriff when she lifted her arms a bit. Cheryl sat at her vanity and reapplied her eyeliner, mascara, and red lipstick that matched her top. To finish the look she added strappy, red heels.

Picking up her phone and quickly checking the time, it was 7:40. Cheryl wanted to get to the Wyrm a little later than Toni so she wasn't sitting alone. She texted her.

Cheryl: Hey Toni, are you heading to the bar yet?

Toni: I'm here. I'll be waiting for you in the back, corner next to the pool tables.

Cheryl: Okay, I'm OTW.

Cheryl smiled at her reflection in her vanity mirror. She grabbed her black Channel bag and was about to walk out of her bedroom door, but decided to grab a thin ankle-length sweater in case her mother objected to her choice of attire for the night.

With that, she headed downstairs through the sitting room said goodbye to her mother, and headed to the forbidden Southside.

Cheryl found it amusing that her mother never questioned her about hanging out with Veronica or a potential male companion, but any other female "friend" she may have had, she was interrogated profusely and warned about not being in public with them.

At the Wyrm Toni had already told her friends to make themselves scarce when the redhead arrived. She didn't want them to take time away from their one-on-one interaction. They of course teased her about it.
Toni hadn't a clue why she was so taken by the young Blossom girl. Yeah, she was undoubtedly beautiful, but she had her fair share of run-ins with beautiful girls. Why was this one different?

Maybe it was because no one could ever keep her attention, but Cheryl was interesting. Her life seemed so tragic but fascinating and she wanted to know more.

The petite girl would never admit it, but she was a bit nervous. She sat at the table nursing a glass of Lodge Maple whiskey. The whiskey in which young entrepreneur Veronica shopped at the bar.

Now and then she'd look to the entrance through the thin veil of regulars.

Toni kept the company of a few guys and a handful of girls around her, but none of them were like the Blossom girl.
They were usually from the southside like herself, a few from the North, but never from the upper North Side.

Growing up it became an unspoken rule to stay away from Riverdale's elite. So many stories of her people being used for the thrill of dating a bad boy or girl from the South and then throwing them away because they don't fit their lifestyle or have the status their rich Mommies and Daddies would approve of.

They had the reputation of caring for no one, sometimes not even their own, but something about Cheryl seemed quite different to Toni. It could've been the liquid that allowed the redhead to be so open with her, but in their one and only heart-to-heart Toni learned that Cheryl's problems growing up weren't so different from her own.