Enlightened

Chapter Four: Fashion Faux Pas

"I hate her."  Cheryl said crying into her best friend's shoulder.  "Or at least, I should hate her.  I just can't make myself dislike her.  As much of me is hurt, I can't not think about her Heather."  The two were sitting on Cheryl's bed back at Thistlehouse.  After her disastrous date, the red head wanted to do nothing but cry.  So that's what she did.  She cried... and cried... and cried.

"Oh Cher, she doesn't know what she's missing.  Boss or not, you're a smoke show and she sees that.  Anyone with eyes sees that.  Whether or not that insecure cowboy cop likes you or not, you're amazing Bombshell."  The blonde said stroking the taller girl's hair.   Cheryl continued to cry lightly into Heather's shoulder, soaking the blonde's shirt in the process.  "Here, you get out of this dress and into something more confortable.  I'm pretty sure there's some ice cream in the freezer and we can put Clueless on Netflix.  Sound good?"  

Cheryl nodded into Heather's shoulder and drew back, wiping her eyes.  "Thank you Heather.  I love you so much."  The blonde gave the red head a loving, saddened smile and left to the cellar in the basement.  Cheryl trudged slowly over to her closet and pulled out a red and white checkered hoodie and a pair of black sweatpants.  She sat at her desk and took her makeup off while staring her reflection down.  Only looking away to throw or take out a removal wipe.  She decided to leave her hair up in the ponytail, tightening it slightly.  When she was finished, she put a moisturizer on and went to lay on her bed.  

The red head lay on her bed staring at her ceiling.  As per usual, the whole room was tinted red.  A stray tear rolled down her left cheek as she continued to stare upwards.  Why was she so hung up on Toni?  They'd had one date and never really had anything in the past.  It shouldn't matter so much; yet the little pink haired cowboy wouldn't leave Cheryl's thoughts.  Did she overreact at dinner?  Was it okay for Toni to not want to be seen with her?  Was she really as undesirable as her mother had told her all her life?  The tears came faster now.  Cheryl's expression did not change.  She just continued to stare at her ceiling.  The uneven, abstract designs that were etched into the roof, beginning to be etched into her mind as tears rapidly rolled down her face and onto the comforter below her.

"Why is it called a comforter?  Is it supposed to help me?"  The red head thought.  It sure wasn't helping right now.  Cheryl's inquisitive period was broken by the sound of a strong, urgent knock hitting the front door.  The red head wiped her face and walked downstairs.  "I've got it!" Cheryl called down to Heather as she turned into the living room.  She walked over to the door and swung open the door.

"Sorry, I'm in a bit of emotional turm-.  T-Toni?"  The red head said feeling her eyes water.  "W-why're you here?"  

~

Toni had just driven back to her house after her failure of an outing with Cheryl.  She picked up her phone and called her very best friend, Jughead Jones.  Jughead was still a serpent, but the two of them were still as close as they'd always been, maybe even closer.  Tears were streaming down the pink haired girl's cheeks.  

Tears of anger.  She was angry at herself.  Angry that she'd let her job get in the way of yet another relationship.  Angry that she had been so self absorbed, that she didn't even consider how Cheryl would feel.  The Sheriff paced around her kitchen as she waited for Jughead to pick up.

"Hello?" Jughead asked as he answered.

"I fucked up Jughead.  I screwed up everything and I don't know what to do about it."  Toni said pressing her back to the counter and sliding down to sit on the floor.  She continued to cry into the phone.

"Woah, woah.  Slow down Topaz.  I can feel you crying through the phone.  What exactly did you fuck up?"  The black haired boy said, calming his best friend down.