A/N: This book only has two more chapters left..
Cheryl and Toni sat outside on the couch in front of Toni's trailer, simply passing the day by and watching as the sun traced across the sky. It was the Friday before spring break and both girls had decided to skip school that day in order for Cheryl to get more control and also come to terms with her powers. She had only gotten them the day before, so everything was still pretty new to her. That and the fact that her hair was now red, and while she loved it and it actually fit her better than the brown hair that she had for all of her life it was just a little off-putting every time she looked in the mirror. It was like she would look in the mirror and see a stranger staring right back at her. It was like she was a stranger to herself, in appearance, abilities, and even personality. Sense getting her powers, and meeting Toni as well, she had noticed she had become a bit of better version of herself, the version of herself that she had always wanted to be, but never was.
Cheryl noticed that she had tons more sass then before, and just overall a lot more confident then she had been in the past. It was better, and she loved this new version of herself and hoped that she would continue to grow and change for the better.
Part of the reason that she was the way that she was, was because of Toni and support that she had gotten from her. Since their first kiss, they hadn't really left each other's sides. The pink haired girl was going to let Cheryl stay with them for, well no one really knew how long Cheryl was going to be staying, but both Sweetpea and Toni didn't mind Cheryl living with them for however long.
In fact, Toni was happy to have Cheryl around, the girl was really falling for her and wanted to be around her a much as she could for however long she could. With spring break coming up so soon, it would mean that they got to spend even more time with each other and with their other friends.
"Hey Cher," Toni said, looking up at Cheryl with her brown eyes. The two girls were currently tangled between each other, holding onto each other as if for dear life.
Cheryl looked down at Toni, her red hair flying a bit with the wind, "Yeah," She said calmly, acting as if everything in the world was fine and to her it was.
"I have two questions for you miss Cheryl Blossom," Toni said, she held onto Cheryl's hand and rubbed her thumb against the paler girls' hand.
Cheryl smiled, "Ok," She said, "but first, I get to ask you a question,"
Toni pretended to ponder the offer, as if she had something to lose by allowing Cheryl to ask her question first. She acted as if this was a negotiation and Cheryl had just made an offer that she could not refuse and with Cheryl's charm it was hard to refuse, "Fair enough," Toni said.
Cheryl laughed and turned to look Toni directly in the eyes, "Will you, Toni Topaz," She started. Cheryl was clearly nervous by whatever it was that she was going to ask Toni, "be my girlfriend?" Cheryl finished,
Toni felt her heart stop, not out of fear like it normally was when her heart did what it just did. It was out of shock and surprise, sure they had kissed, and Toni was hoping that Cheryl was wiling and ready to move forward in their relationship, but she didn't really expect Cheryl to be the one to ask her. Then again, Cheryl had been doing things that Toni never really thought that she was going to do to, so she wasn't that surprised at the same time.
Toni smiled boldly and laughed, "There goes one of my questions," She said, hoping that Cheryl was going to catch onto what she was getting at.
Cheryl did, though Toni wasn't that surprised that she was smart enough to catch on about it, "Was that a yes?" She asked, rising one of her eyebrows at the smaller girl.
Toni reached out and cupped Cheryl's face in her hands and pulled her down to her and kissed her passionate, "Does this answer your question?" Toni asked in return, smiled against Cheryl's lips.
"Yes," Cheryl said simply, kissing Toni again, but she soon stopped and looked Toni in the eyes, "You said you had a question,"
That reminded Toni of what she wanted to ask, she had forgotten after kissing Cheryl, no her girlfriend. She had forgotten after kissing her girlfriend. Toni was happy to have the title and to be able to call someone else her girlfriend.
Toni smiled, "I was thinking," She started, and Cheryl raised her eye brows at the smaller girl once more while she smirked a little bit, "about how you are pretty much living over here with me and the serpents and I got to thinking. Thinking about how it's a little crazy that you haven't joined the serpents by now, considering how your pretty much and honorary member already. I was thinking that we just make it official,"
Cheryl looked away, Toni knew that she was actually thinking about the offer and what it might mean, "Are you for real?" She asked, not really sure if Toni was being honest with her.
Toni looked surprised that Cheryl wasn't sure if she was being true to her, "Of course I am, I want you to join the serpents,"
Cheryl smiled, "I would love to," Cheryl said, earning a shocked expression from the smaller girl.
"Really?!" Toni yelled, "This is the best day ever,"
. . .
Three days later, they were at the serpent hang out, the one in the woods and the one that Toni had taken Cheryl to that very first day that she had given Cheryl a ride of her motorcycle. It was crazy to the smaller girl how much Cheryl had changed and how much everything had changed in the very little time that she had known her. Cheryl had gone from behind afraid to even ride a motorcycle to starting to learn how to ride one herself. With Cheryl working to become a serpent, Toni thought that it was important that she know how ride a motorcycle on the her own. In fact, Cheryl was proving to be a quick study and was making very quick progress.
They sat on the same bar that they had the day, but the difference was that Toni didn't need to make a shield a few feet below them, Cheryl was no longer afraid that she was going to fall and for that Toni was happy.
Cheryl had her arm around Toni's shoulders while she used her other arm to support them so that they would not fall. While she did not need the shield below them, she was not going to risk them falling to the ground and getting hurt.
Sweetpea stood in the center of the clearing, working on his power with Jughead and Betty. It was common for Toni, Sweetpea, Fangs, and Jughead to come to the area to practice their powers and train however they could. The kids on the southside could not afford the trainers that most of the northside kids got, so they had to earn their powers the old-fashioned ways; whatever training methods they could come up with. Betty, Kevin, and Cheryl had only started to come to their training sessions, Betty and Kevin being the only ones to actually participate. Betty would just practice mind reading and such while Kevin would heal up any and all wounds that the group might have to endure.
Cheryl was the only one who had not started to train with them, but Toni was determined to get her to use her powers in any way that she could. Cheryl hadn't actually used her powers all that much and that was very surprising for the pink haired girl. Toni would have thought that after having to live a whole life outcasted for one having a power and then finding out that she did have one might mean that she would be more inclined to use it, but it was the exact opposite. Cheryl didn't use her powers, at least not purposefully. She had overheated a little bit and set fire to a few things, small things and no one got hurt so it was ok. Cheryl just did not have control over her powers yet, but it was clear that she wanted to learn how to use her power completely so that she would not hurt anyone else. It made sense when Toni thought about it, but she still wanted Cheryl to learn how to use her power and she really wanted to see it in action.
"Hey Toni!" Sweetpea shouted, bring Toni back from the dream world that shew as currently in, "Come over here and practice!"
Toni smiled, "I'm good," She said and when Sweetpea gave her a look, she turned to her red-haired girl friend, "You wanna show us what you can do, babe?" Toni asked.
Cheryl looked at Toni, clearly a little nervous about the idea of using her powers, "I don't know Toni, what if I get someone hurt?" she asked, speaking quietly so that no one else could hear.
Toni thought for a moment as she tried to come up with the best thing for her to say in the situation, "How about I stay by you side and protect everyone if, and that is a strong if because I know that you are more than capable of doing this without hurting or harming anyone," Toni said with strong conviction and hope that Cheryl would believe her.
However, it didn't work as well as she thought it would. Sure, the pink haired girl was able to get through to Cheryl a little, but it just wasn't enough. The red-haired girl looked at her with her large brown eyes that had a small bit of fear in them and Toni knew that she had to do something to reassure her girlfriend of her strength and power, "Cheryl," She started, "you are one of the strongest people I know, you have more control then I ever will. You stayed calm and kept strong even when everyone was beating you down, quite literally I might add. But things are different now, you do have power and you don't have to push all of it down anymore, you can do this," Toni said, smiling at the girl she cared so much for.
Cheryl looked at Toni with sadness and despair and Toni feared the worst, "No Toni I can't," She said, her voice cracking a little as she spoke, "I haven't been able to use my powers sense I got them,"
Toni looked at Cheryl confused, "What do you mean?"
"I've tried to use it so many times and the most that I have been able to do it make my skin hot, but nothing else. I am still powerless, just not in the same way," Cheryl said, looking at Toni. A single tear ran down her cheek as she did so, and, in that moment, Toni knew how much this was hurting her girlfriend.
Toni could practically feel the pain that she felt but could sense something else. Toni could sense that Cheryl was still pushing it down, not letting whatever pair was feeling come to the surface and be released. That must be her problem, Toni realized, Cheryl isn't ready to let all that go. The pink haired girl had to wonder why it was that way, why Cheryl wasn't ready for it and she wasn't sure that she would ever be able to.
"Don't worry," Toni said, grabbing onto Cheryl's hand and holding it tight, "You still have the fire and I'm going to bring it out of you Bombshell, I promise," Toni said, declaring the promise that she was oh so ready to make.
Cheryl gave Toni a small and sad smile as she nodded her head and Toni sealed it with a kiss.
. . .
Across the town of Riverdale, something much more sinister was going on, something much more dangerous than some teenagers hanging out. In the Blossom residents, Jason Blossom stood in front of group, a club that some would call or an army as others would say, but the name of what it was does not matter. Jason stood, in all of his glory and spoke to the group.
His red hair was perfect as ever and he spoke with such conviction that he was able to convince most people who heard him of what he believed, it was a useful skill to have and a sinister one too, "We have to stop them," He said, his eyes flashing just a little as he spoke.
Everyone around him nodded in agreement, "They are hurting us, putting our lives at risk and now they have taken my sister," He grimaced slightly at calling Cheryl is sister. He hated her with a passion, as did most people there, but it was something that everyone could rally behind, "as well as other members of our community and twisted them in the dirt that they are. We have to stop them before they twist everyone else,"
Everyone nodded once again, "We're with you Jason," Archie Andrews said as he stood up and took a step toward Jason, "So what do you want to do?"
Jason smirked and the glow in his eyes grew stronger and stronger as white smoke came off of his hands.
