Just Met You | Choni AU

14

No matter how much Toni dreaded for the day they were having the Pep Rally, nothing she could do would prevent it.

Even so, she had already and embarrassingly mastered the Bulldog's dance moves in sync with the Vixen's cheers.

Cheryl completely ignored her the next fews days they had for the rehearsal.

The good news was that the preparations for the Annual Dance were temporarily on hold due to the Pep Rally and the upcoming football game with Greendale's Baxter High Ravens.

The bad news was that she still had to see Cheryl Blossom everyday.

This was slightly better because there were other girls around, in case Cheryl started doing or saying anything insulting.

Friday night came, and Toni was now sitting on one of the locker benches, her bulldog head in her hands, waiting for her cue.

Several boys and girls were nice enough to wish her luck for the performance and others, to put it in a nice way, simply didn't give a shit.

She could hear Mr.Weatherbee handing over the microphone to Mayor McCoy, who took her sweet time giving a well thought speech.

Once Josie and the pussycats started their performance, Toni put on the head and joined the Bulldogs out on the field.

A couple boys saw her and cheered, her as in the dog.

' Welcome to the Team, BoBo.' Reggie smirked.

Toni just nodded. Mascots weren't supposed to talk.

They were now waiting for their introduction from the band when the school started to cheer and chant for the Pussycats.

They could hear Coach Clayton clearing his throat.

Toni flexed and extended her fingers, preparing herself for one last time.

' All right, you all ready?' Let's make some noise! Put your hands together for the Riverdale Bulldogs and their beloved mascot BoBo!'

At the sound of the Bulldog's name being called out, adrenaline rushed through her.

The crowd was cheering so loud but Toni thought her heart was beating louder.

She calmed herself down for a split second before sprinting out on the field together with the bulldogs.

The crowd's cheers got louder as they saw her and for a moment she thought Mr.Weatherbee had forced them to cheer but no, it was all them, of their own will.

It was glad to know Mayor McCoy's speech didn't go to waste afterall.

She could hear someone telling her to do a backflip, which caught the attention of several other bulldogs, who shouted the same.

Reggie, that asshole.

He probably thinks girls are incapable of doing such things.

So she did it, just to and only to prove that misogynistic jerk.

The crowd literally went wild. Even the actual bulldogs.

She could see Reggie's jaw drop through the sieve in the dog's eyes.

Toni, unintentionally, searched for Cheryl, some part of her wishing for her approval on her performance.

It was then that she saw a figure that obviously looked like Cheryl running towards the girls bathroom across the field.

Toni, not thinking twice about how Cheryl has been shit to her and the serpents, sprinted her way towards the same direction that Cheryl did.

Veronica had the same idea too, but at the sight of Toni aka the Bulldog, she stepped back. She probably had no idea it was her.

Toni panted as she reached the locker doors, that backflip did her good.

She took off the head and took in the fresh air.

Slowly and quietly she made her way inside.

Cheryl had her back turned, but Toni knew she was sobbing.

' Cheryl?' Toni managed to say.

Cheryl turned her head for a second then went back to wipe her tears.

' Cheryl, what is it?' Toni asked, sounding softer than the last.

' What happened?' She asked again as she sat down behind her and set the dog's head aside.

The locker room was stuffy and Toni was sweating as shit.

' Jason, he's gone' Cheryl replied as the sobs came back.

' I know, I know he is.'

' No you don't. You don't understand. He was supposed to come back.'

Toni was trying to process the words in her head when Cheryl said in the smallest and softest voice possible that she was alone.

' I'm alone.' She said again as she cried again.

Toni had never seen her so broken before it actually hurt her to see her like this.

' You're not alone.' Toni said gently.

If only you knew. She thought.

' It's okay.'

She tried to reach out to touch her but seeing as she had no hands but dog paws,
thought the better of it.

To Toni surprise, Cheryl turned around to hug her, breathing between sobs.

Just when Toni thought her heartbeat couldn't get louder, it did.

' It's okay. Let it all out.'