All My Days

cheryl and toni...and heather

xxx

"Did you guys hear Heather Hamilton is back in town?" Kevin came bursting into the student lounge. That was all Cheryl had to hear before her mind went blank, unable to hear the lively chatter around her. Heather was back? Heather Hamilton? The same girl she had shared puppy love with just a few years back? The girl who, before Toni, was the one person she shared everything with? She was back?

"Cher?" Toni's voice broke her from her thoughts, her hand running comfortingly up and down her back as they sat in their armchair.

"Yes, TT?" she whispered with a slight gasp, not realizing that she'd been holding her breath.

"You okay, babe? You kinda froze up as soon as Kev walked through the door," the serpent's fingers moved up her back to scratch gently at the base of her scalp, "What's going on?"

"Cheryl, you must be excited about Heather coming back," Betty smiled genuinely over at her from the couch in the middle of the room, "Weren't you guys best friends all through middle school?"

Toni's fingers stilled in Cheryl's hair.

Oh.

This was that Heather.

"Couldn't be more thrilled," Cheryl sent her a fake smile, though she was struggling so much inside. She could feel Toni tense up beside her even as her fingers continued to rake gently through her hair, Cheryl could sense that her demeanor had changed. Shifting in the chair, she maneuvered so her legs were draped over Toni's lap, trying to cuddle up to her side. "TT?"

"Mhm?" Toni mumbled.

Cheryl was just about to speak again when the bell rang, signaling that lunch period was over.

"Do you think we can skip Vixens practice and go to Pop's after school? I can get Veronica to take over the squad today..." Cheryl bit her lip as they got up from the chair, trying her hardest to read Toni's expression.

"If you want," Toni smiled, leaning in to kiss her gently as if she wasn't also struggling inside, "I don't wanna be late for calc. I'll meet you in the parking lot after school, okay?"

And like that, she was gone, leaving Cheryl alone in the lounge as everyone else had retreated.

xxx

The drive to Pop's was silent. Tension filled the small space between them and neither of them could stand it, but neither girl knew how to change it either. Toni wasn't used to this. She felt an odd sense in her chest that made her feel very defensive, like she needed to equip herself with a snarky remark for everything that was said to her to avoid looking vulnerable. And she refused to admit to jealousy.

And Cheryl? Cheryl was terrified. Toni was well aware how close she and Heather used to be, and she never had a problem with it. If anything, she was happy that Heather was around to help Cheryl realize her sexuality. But Cheryl never thought that Heather would return to Riverdale. Not after her mother so cruelly threatened the status of the Hamilton's business and ran them out of town. And now that they had returned, the redhead feared for her current relationship. She'd seen plenty of movies. And old flame comes back into a person's life and steals them away from their significant other. That's just how it goes, right? But she didn't want that. She loved Toni, she wanted to be with Toni for the rest of her days. Heather was just an innocent, childhood crush. But she feared that Toni wouldn't see it that way.

"Afternoon, girls," Pop smiled as they entered the diner, leading them to their usual booth and going to fetch their usual milkshakes after they were seated.