Innocence | Choni

Three

"Blossom." Toni called for Cheryl as she strutted over to the redhead. "Here, I washed it. Thanks." Toni smirked as she handed back Cheryl's soft pink jumper from the day before. "Oh, thank you." Cheryl smiled as she clutched the jumper to her hear, inhaling the sweet, yet toxic, sent of Toni.

As Toni walked away, she hard Veronica calling for her, so she went over. "Toni why are you being nice to Blossom? Do you l-like her?" Veronica asked the girl. Toni sighed and rolled her eyes with a small smile. "That bitch? Never. Plus, I'm straighter than the pole your mother dances on." Toni smirked before setting off to her next lesson, leaving a shocked Veronica behind.

"So Ms Topaz, what is the answer to question four?" Mr Benson asked Toni, awakening her from her Cheryl-based daydream. "Oh, erm..." Toni began.
"Twenty six." Cheryl whispered to the girl who sat opposite her. "Twenty six." Toni smiled proudly with an innocent smile. "Correct." Mr Benson smiled surprised. "Thanks Red." Toni smiled at Cheryl, Cheryl replied with a smile.

As Cheryl picked up her lavender backpack, Toni ran to her side. "What've we got next? History?" Toni asked Cheryl since they had the same timetable.
"Oh, y-yes." Cheryl stuttered as she mentally cursed herself for acting this way around the girl. "Ok, see you there!" Toni smiled at the younger girl before rushing ahead to join her friends.

As Cheryl entered the room, Mr O'Leary told her to sit next to Toni. 'Great.' Cheryl thought to herself.
"Hey Red." Toni smirked ash she flipped her pen around her knuckles. "H-hi." Cheryl chocked out as she pushed her glasses up her nose.

"So can anyone tell me what Harald Hardrada did in an attempt to get his weapons and armor to Stamford Bridge?" Mr O'Learys soft, yet deep, voice asked the class. Cheryl immediately raised her hand.
"Cheryl?" The man asked the ginger girl as he sat back down at his desk. "He went his fastest riders on his fastest horses to gather them from the ships." Cheryl smiled proudly. "Well done Cheryl." Mr O'Learly smiled at the girl.

"Maybe one day I can ride you?" Toni smirked into the younger girls ear as she softly touched her thigh.
"Umm, I-I." Cheryl stuttered but was interrupted by Toni's hand pressing firmly on her thigh. "T-Toni." Cheryl chocked out. "Yes baby girl?" Toni smirked into Cheryl's ear as her lips delicately traces over Cheryl's ear, making Cheryl giggle. "You're so cute." Toni smiled as she pulled away.

"So your homework is to write/ make a history project or essay, with your partner, about the Southside Serpents history. It's due in exactly one week." Mr O'Leary told the class.

"Wanna go to Pop's after school to talk about the homework?" Toni asked Cheryl once they left the class. "R-really?" Cheryl asked in disbelief Toni took a few steps closer to the girl. "Yep." Toni laughed.
"I mean, I'll have to check with my parents, but if it's for homework then I'm sure it'll be fine. Where do you want to meet?" Cheryl replied to the older girl.
"At the bike racks?" Toni asked as she played with the hem of Cheryl's blue jumper. "I'll see you there." Cheryl smiled as she scratched her jeans that she had convinced her mother to let her wear.

XXX

"Hey beautiful." Toni greeted Cheryl at the bike racks after school. "My parents are allowing me to go." Cheryl smiled at Toni as they began to walk to Pop's.

"So, What do you want to order? I'll get it while you find us a table." Toni smiled at Cheryl, who looked back into the chocolate swirls that filled Toni's eyes. "A strawberry milkshake please." Cheryl smiled at the girl. "Coming right up." Toni grinned at the Blossom.

Cheryl then turned to find an empty booth. As she sat down, she pulled out her phone.

JBlossom: Where u at?

CBlossom: At Pops doing history homework with my partner.

After she replied to her brothers texts, she saw Toni walking over with their milkshakes. "Here you go Blossom." Toni smiled as she placed win both of the milkshakes. "Thank you." Cheryl smiled as she took a sip.
                                        XXX

"Anyway... the Serpents are currently a violence-free gang, unless you take one of their family. Blood for blood, life for life." Toni finished.

"How do you know so much about the Serpents." Cheryl smiled as she finished writing their essay.
"My grandfather was one of the founders, so he'd tell me all about his adventures when I was a kid." Toni smiled as she sipped her now melted chocolate milkshake.

"Really? My family aren't the... most interesting." Cheryl sighed as she put the paper in her bag. "Your fathers the priest of Riverdale's SweetWater Church!" Toni exclaimed as she sat up straight with a cheeky grin. "He's not what you think. He's strict. So, so strict." Cheryl told Toni whose smile instantly vanished. "What do you mean?" Toni asked the redhead. "He hurts me. When I do something wrong he hurts me." Cheryl whimpered to the older girl.

"How?" Toni asked Cheryl witch a concerted look in her eyes. "He burns me with hot water, he forces me to sandpaper my own skin, he'll pinch my skin until it leaves deep marks... and so on." Cheryl sighed.

"Cheryl that's... awful." Toni told Cheryl who was silently crying. "I'm used t-." Cheryl began as she smiled and whipped her tears away. "No Cheryl, if he does that again ring me and I'll pick you up, no matter what, ok?" Toni told me as she took my phone and put her number into it.

"Oh no." Cheryl frowned as she saw the time on her phone. Ten past eleven. Her bedtime was ten minutes ago. "Toni I need to leave, I'm late for my curfew. Thank you for eve-." Cheryl began as she picked everything up in a hurry. "Che, stop talking and get back home, I'll cover the bill." Toni smiled as Cheryl stood up. "Oh, and don't forget about what I said!" Toni referred to what she had said about picking Cheryl up if she needed anything. "Thank you Toni." Cheryl smiled before rushing out.

Cheryl ran all the way back home until she came face-to-face with the door. She quietly opened it, trying to be as stealthy as possible, but all failed when she was met with her father in his armchair.

"Where have you been Cheryl Marjorie Blossom!?" Clifford yelled at his daughter in anger. "I was doing homework with my history partner. I-I told y-you." Cheryl stuttered. "Now you're talking back to me!? Follow me." Clifford ordered, big really giving the youngest Blossom woman a chance as he gripped her tightly by the wrist and dragged her to the basement.

Cheryl watched as her father pulled out a piece of sandpaper and handed it to her. "You know what to do." Clifford told his daughter as she started to rub the paper of her lower arm. "Faster!" Clifford ordered as Cheryl did so. "Harder!" Clifford yelled as Cheryl scrubbed harder.

By this point Cheryl's arms were bloody and scratched, and her tears were painful and desperate.
"Now go to sleep child!" Clifford screamed at his only daughter, making her scurry back up the stairs and into her lilac bedroom.

Cheryl remembered what Toni told her, but her father had taken the phone off of her. Cheryl undress carefully, trying not to discomfort the wounds.

As Cheryl got into bed that night, she cried. She cried and cried and cried. She cried until her tears drowned her in her own sorrow. She was so used to this by now, but something she'd never get used to was the pain.

"Toni." The redhead whimpered desperately.