Cheryl had been pummeling her Vixens sneakers into the tiles of the empty school hallway, her observant eyes peeled and ready. It had only been a few weeks since the Southside scum had inevitably moved their filthy, unintelligent presence to Riverdale High and she was still on extra-high alert to reinforce her HBIC status, lest they think that they were anything more than mere charity cases visiting in her school.
She'd known, through Ginger who'd been told by Josie who'd heard from Betty who'd spoken to Jughead, that the group had taken to ghettoising themselves in an old classroom on the second floor and she'd honed in on the door as it came into view, the sound of unrefined cackling and leather boots scuffing marks against the polished floors floating towards her.
She had been on a mission.
She had been determined to exert a power move, drop by their domain in her Vixens practice uniform and let them see for themselves who the true poster-child in charge of this fucking place was. And to see if the restrictions that her and her mother had gently suggested to Principal Weatherbee about the Serpent students had been enforced. But more so, however, she had been on a mission to recruit.
One of the girls.
The one with the pink hair.
The one who had stepped out of formation on Welcome Day and given as good as she'd gotten back to Cheryl.
The little one who had piqued her interest.
The Queen of the Buskers.
The pretty one.
Control yourself, Cheryl.
Cheryl had been told that her name was Toni, by the serpent girl's new biggest fan Veronica, and since their suitably hostile first meeting they had only exchanged words twice.
The first had been in the cafeteria. Cheryl had been waiting in line for a cookie, staring daggers at the Serpent insignia plastered to the back of a denim jacket which stood forebodingly in front of her. Then, as if summoned by the god of irritation themselves, the one they called 'Fangs' had bounded into the line, pushing his way between them.
"Toni come in here, we can have cuts with Sweets."
Cheryl had, quite literally, seen red.
She had been nanoseconds away from unleashing all hell upon him, her perfectly painted lips parted and pulled into a sneer, the breath in her throat locked and loaded to tear him the fuck apart, when a calm voice from her beside her had lilted deeply into the air.
"No, Fangs. We're going to the back."
Cheryl had turned to see 'Toni' next to her, big brown eyes frowning at the stupid boy before softening, locking with Cheryl's.
"She was next, Fangs." Toni had tugged him out of the line by the sleeve of his jacket, holding up an apologetic hand to her, "Sorry," before retreating to the back with her grumbling companion.
Cheryl had been utterly stunned and just a little bit aroused.
The second instance had been in Mr Dullard's history class when Toni had been passing her desk. She had bent down to retrieve a pen that Cheryl had dropped onto the floor moments ago and her soft pink curls had brushed against Cheryl's arm, goosebumps erupting on the bare skin immediately. She had smelled of citrus and leather and as she'd looked down at Cheryl, standing to place the pen on her desk, she had smiled.
"Think you dropped this. I assume it's yours, it's got your name engraved on it."
A small chuckle had left her full mouth and a dark little freckle just to the left of her top lip caught Cheryl's gaze, her tongue suddenly dry and her words missing.
