The song for this fic is Davina Michelle - What About Us (Pink Cover)

CHERYL'S POV:

The start to my day had been a rocky one no less. My crab of a mother criticizes my red underwear as being too sexuals, as if my master plan in the locker room would be to seduce every single girl.

"Sin is sin, Cheryl." She simply said with a parting glare.

My eyes couldn't roll hard enough. I persisted with my outfit, a black top that buttoned down the middle with a red pleather skirt and black high heels. My long red hair curled down my sides. I sat in my vanity chair to apply my makeup. On my right eye, I missed my eyelashes and stuck the brush into my eye. The pain wasn't terrible but I used the sudden burst of feeling and latched onto it. My eyes leaked, then tears slid down my face. The reflection that stared back at me was as still as a statue. A statue that now had to reapply her foundation due to discolored streaks down her face.

I didn't bother bidding a goodbye, for we weren't ever that close to suddenly miss each other's presence.

The driver waited for me to get comfortable and obligatorily asked, "Where to, Miss?"

I had half a mind to tell him to drive as far as the tank would allow, then I'd figure it out from there...but I told him my obligatory answer, "School."

My scowl had taken over my face when he walked around to open the door for. I marched through the throng of miscreants while I attempted to reduce contact. Poor decisions were contracted upon touch and influence. Believe it or not, I wanted to keep my head down most days, command the River Vixens at practice, and try to not make every minute count until I had to go home where the excuse of schoolwork and coeds would dwindle away.

I spotted Josie by her locker, my chest perked up as I walked up. "Hey," My heart beat a bit faster at the sight of her. "How's this pussy cat this morning?" I said cheerily.

Her eyebrow cocked as she tilted her head my way. "I'm a pussy cat no more, remember?" Slight irritation worked in her voice. She shut her locker. "But I'm doing fine, even though the girls won't talk to me." Sadness rang in her eyes.

My hand went to her shoulder and rubbed up and down. "I'm sorry. Anything I could do?" The hope in my voice was evident. I just hope it didn't scare her away. I leaned my back against a locker.

"As long as we're still on for this afternoon session after practice? I need the distraction." She took in the probably sad expression on my face and backtracked. "Not that you're a distraction, Cheryl. We're friends. I like helping you with your music, feels like it's giving me a purpose outside of my own music quandary." She glanced at her phone, then perked up. "I've got to meet up with Chuck before first." She gave a thrilled grin that reached her eyes.

Now that they were dating I felt a stab in the chest at every realization that she wasn't into me or into girls. However, I was a glutton for punishment so I sought out her affection anyway.

I gave a friendly smile because Chuck had done a one-eighty personality wise in the past few months. Did I trust him to not break Josie's heart? But who was I kidding? Everyone's heart broke at some point.

With my gaze forward, I concentrated on not cracking under the pressure around me be perfect all the time, to look a certain way, to like a certain person, to have a certain net worth. What if I was none of those things? Or worse, what if I turned out to be all of those things?

My self-examination had broken when I felt a heavy pair of eyes on me from all the way down the hall. I looked up as Toni Topaz clunked down the hall like she didn't give a flying fuck that anyone that wasn't a Serpent was judging her by the quality of clothes she wore, the pink tinged hair, and the girl gang attitude she emanated.

Her dark eyes slid up and down my body in admiration without fear that anybody would see. The closer she got the more my body heated up under her gaze.

I could feel my body tighten and relax at the same time, but I wasn't sure which I was supposed to follow through on.

My frustration came out as, "What?"

She didn't walk my way. Instead, she kept on down the hall. "Nice outfit, Cherry Bomb." She gave a small grin that could only be described as teasing. By her locker, she took out a few materials.

I swept my eyes over her flannel, mesh aesthetic a few times. More times than I should've. Enough times that I felt a bead of interest form in my mind and in other places.

The last time she looked up and caught my gaze, which didn't break for several seconds until Jughead and Sweet Pea came up to her with scowls that had nothing to do with our staring contest.

I used her distraction to escape this sexually frustrating nightmare. It wasn't a secret that Toni was into girls as well as guys. She even directed her interested gaze at my ass before, but for some reason I hadn't considered her to be out. Maybe it was because I wasn't out and my attention had been on another friend that could claim Black Girl Magic.

My head dropped to my desk after the bell rang.

"Psst."

I ignored it.

"Cheryl, are you okay?" Veronica asked quietly.

I put on a fake yawn when I sat up, my hand covered my mouth as I would do if I yawned in public. "Just tired."

From the holes drilled into the side of my face I could tell that she didn't believe me. Many times I considered telling Veronica about my interest in girls. Well, it was more than interest. Whenever I was about to unload I couldn't help but assume she'd think I had a thing for her. That was a rational fear, wasn't it? To be fair, I sort of had when she first moved her, but it quickly dissipated when I got to know her more. She actually had been there for me quite a bit, whether she realized it or not. So, no. I didn't see her as anything more. Besides, her and Archie were clamoring to bang each other around every dark corner.

"We can talk later," She left it at that as class started.

I skipped lunch today. Sitting around and making small talk wasn't in me today. So I sat in the student lounge with a pen and paper. I'd been trying to write my own song but so far nothing came to me. Goes to show how little inspiration was actually in this small, drab murderville after all. It was so boring it drove people to kill for entertainment. Thankfully, that had been behind us now.

I tried to get more comfortable in the chair, so I brought my legs over the arm of the chair and tried to relax. My pen tapped the empty notebook for most of lunch. I was about to get up when Toni entered to get something from the vending machine. I was a bit embarrassed to admit I was frozen in place by my rapidly beating heart at the sight of her. Part of me couldn't believe that I checked her out earlier, where had those balls gone?

She bent down to get her snack, her eyes came to mind to find me yet again checking her out.

I looked away quickly while I tried to hide my reddened face. I hummed to try and ignore the tension in the air, the tension I wasn't sure I wanted to feel. Least of all with her.

My body tensed even more when she walked over to me.

She stopped a few feet in front of me, her eyes on my legs for long enough for me to know that she wanted me to know. "What are you working on?" She bit into a small cookie.

The heat that emanated from my pussy was outrageous and I wasn't sure why. Why this sudden attraction to Queen of the Buskers?

"Nothing."

"Doesn't look like nothing." She persisted.

My eyes roamed over her face. Although, very beautiful, I couldn't figure out what laid behind those eyes or that mouth. I watched her lick a few crumbs off her bottom lip that arguably made me clench. Out of frustration, I pointed one high heeled foot in the air then swung over my legs so I could sit up.

"Hot panties."

I stood, not expecting to stand so much taller than her when I looked down on her. Albeit, there was a sliver of me that liked the power it represented over us. "What are you doing?"

Her amusement signified that she wasn't all that intimidated. "Trying to make friends." She offered one of her cookies super close to my face. It wasn't meant to make me uncomfortable but it had.

My hands smacked it away from me, then I backed away. "Sorry, Biker Babe. We'll never be friends." I said confidently.

She cracked a grin at me. "Well, this 'Biker Babe' likes a challenge." Her voice not shy of sexual interest.

I was halfway convinced that my pussy would leak the precum down my leg on my way out and give me away but thankfully that didn't happen. What did happen was that I was a mega bitch to the girls during Vixen practice.

To them, it was just another Tuesday I'm sure. I hadn't meant to direct my confusion and swirling urges at them but they were in direct line of sight. I could yell at them and tell them how much they sucked without anyone really being surprised.

At the end of practice, I spotted Josie and Veronica talking quietly in the locker room. I focused on getting dressed in my clothes, they were a mask as good as any.

I hated to actually give off malice vibes to my actual friends but I didn't know what else to do. I wanted all of the control and none of it at the same time. Making life decisions were hard, especially when you were a teenager. I wasn't quite sure if I wanted to come out to anybody yet, but I didn't want to become bitchier because of it. So I made a silent agreement to myself that I'd try to tone it down and try my hand at finding happiness within myself.

The very thought made me want to dance, but dance on someone's face. Maybe I'd dance on mommy's face. Or Nick St. Clair's. Or Toni's. I was surprised at myself for quickly dismissing her from the category of vile hell-beasts that those two were. Frankly, I didn't know much about her other than she was a Serpent, ergo she was from the South Side, and she was Bisexual. I was almost envious that she knew so much about her sexuality to put it out there for everyone to judge. I wondered what experience had she had that made her realize she wasn't strictly dickly.

My head shook at Josie's calling. "Yeah?"

She eyed me warily. "You okay?"

I nodded. "Of course." I plastered on a smile. "You ready for some girl, music bonding?"

The look on her face was one of fear or disappointment. "Actually, Cheryl, I'm going to have to reschedule. Chuck planned this awesome secret date for us tonight that I need to get ready for. You know my mom's out of town so we kind of have to maximize our time together. Please don't hate me." She tacked on for good measure.

Inwardly, I wanted to scream because I'd been looking forward to this all day. Outwardly, I offered a supportive smile.

"Totes understand you want to spend time with Bae. We can reschedule for another day."

She exhaled a breath of relief. "I'm so glad you're not mad."

Try ripping heads off of barbies angry, but I couldn't show it. I tucked it down deep so no one would know I was crazy off my rocker.

"Do you want to help me get ready?"

My anger subsided at the offer because it would involve my seeing her change into many possible outfits and touching her to do her makeup. However, there was a sore knot in my chest that I wouldn't be able to get out by going to Josie's whilst singing Tegan and Sara songs in my head.

"Thanks for the offer but I need to sing for a bit."

Her chocolate brown eyes held something akin to pride. "Well, then go get it." She pulled me into a hug.

I sunk into it because I needed the comfort from someone that cared about me.

She squeezed me tight in a playful manner but there had also been a worrying seriousness on her end. She could tell something was going on with me.

"I'm fine," I assured her but it fell flat.

She didn't believe me in the slightest. "Alright, I'm about to cancel so you can tell me what's going on."

"No!" I said a little too loudly. It came more from a place of fear and unreadiness to talk more than it did from my wanting her to spend less time with me and more time with Chuck. I stroked my hair. "I mean, I actually could use the alone time with music. You should go have fun with your man." I hoped I kept the jealousy out of my voice.

A huff left her. "Okay, but only if you're sure?"

I nodded. My hand went to her shoulder. "I'll text you later." I said before I walked. Tears stung my eyes as I walked down the lonely, darkened halls of our near empty school. Liking someone that didn't like you back was one heartache but liking someone that didn't like you back because you were the same gender was another heartache. One that I didn't wish on my worst enemy.

I was thankful that it was getting late in the afternoon as it usually did after I did my homework in the school library. It beat sitting in my enormous, gothic, cold room in an even bigger house that didn't hold a piece of love in its walls.

I waited until I was sure the school was empty because I knew Josie had a deal with the janitor to lock up the only open door left for her. I had imagined this session would go differently. That Josie would be on the piano or guitar and I'd be the one singing covers because I couldn't come up with stupid words of my own.

One thing my mother didn't know was that I pulled out my old keyboard at night, plugged in my headphones, then practiced until my eyes could barely stay open. The last few weeks I'd been practicing Pink's 'What About Us'. I'd been excited to let Josie finally hear it but I guess it would have to wait.

My attempts to write my own song died off. I finally stop sneaking peeks at the grand piano and rushed my way over. I wanted to tell Josie how I felt but I knew there was no way she'd feel the same. So I was stuck to admire from beside her and watch her and Chuck be happy. What about my happiness?

A breath of exuberance left me at the stroke of the keys. The lyrics fell from my memory as I played. "We are searchlights, we can see in the dark. We are rockets, pointed up at the stars. We are billions of beautiful hearts. And you sold us down the river too far. What about us? What about all the times you said you had the answers? What about us? What about all the broken happy ever afters? What about us? What about all the plans that ended in disaster? What about love? What about trust? What about us?"

I tried not to think about Josie but it was hard. She'd been my point of focus while I practiced this for weeks. All that emotion poured out.

"We are problems that want to be solved. We are children that need to be loved. We were willin', we came when you called. But, man, you fooled us, enough is enough, oh. What about us? What about all the times you said you had the answers? What about us? What about all the broken happy ever afters? Oh, what about us? What about all the plans that ended in disaster? Oh, what about love? What about trust? What about us? Oh, what about us? What about all the plans that ended in disaster? What about love? What about trust? What about us?"

Something in my broke and I suddenly didn't give a care about who knew what I preferred. I wanted to take my hands off the wheel and let the car do the rest of the steering. I was so over fearing rejection or love. I was giving up my own sanity to keep this part of me from the world when there was a strong chance the world wouldn't care nearly as much as I thought. I had to believe that.

My head flew back in enthusiasm as my fingers worked the keys. "Sticks and stones, they may break these bones. But then I'll be ready, are you ready?" I smiled to myself. "It's the start of us, waking up, come on. Are you ready? I'll be ready." I was emboldened by the flood of emotions. "I don't want control, I want to let go." Tears pricked my eyes. "Are you ready? I'll be ready." I felt a weight lift from my shoulders. "'Cause now it's time to let them know. We are ready, what about us? What about us?" What about all the people that didn't have control over who they loved regardless of gender. Didn't we get to be happy? "What about all the times you said you had the answers? So what about us? What about all the broken happy ever afters? Oh, what about us? What about all the plans that ended in disaster? Oh, what about love? What about trust? What about us? We are searchlights, we can see in the dark."

The song ended and ease off my chest felt like a breath of fresh air. I just wish I could actually put that confidence in practice. At the end of the day, I didn't think I could brave this coming out. Not when I wasn't certain that no one would stick by my side. Kevin probably would. "Nice song,"

I turned around so fast it was wonder I didn't snap something.

Toni leaned in the doorway with her bag over shoulder. Her petite arms crossed over her chest in her Serpent jacket.

My face immediately reddened. "How much of that did you hear?"

"Pretty much like all of it." She gestured to me. "You can really sing."

I quickly gathered my things. "I need to get home, it's late."

She walked into the room and it suddenly felt a lot smaller. "You don't sing with that much emotion without going through something."

I ignored her as I headed for the door.

Her hand reached out for my bicep and it stopped me cold. "I don't think you're as She-Devil as you want everyone to believe, Cheryl Bombshell." Her eyes ran over my face. "I've had that look on my face before." She closed the distance between us. "If you ever want to talk I'm around."

I looked down at her hand on me, my heart tripped over itself. Out of self-preservation, I slapped her hand away. "Get your sapphic, Serpent hands off me." I chilled my voice so she'd get the message, then stomped away.

I tried to ignore the heat on my back as I texted the driver to pull up in front of the school. I was ready go home to get away from Toni's flirtatious hounding. Quite honestly, I wasn't sure what would result in a talk between us, but I wasn't ready to find out.

A/N: I've been planning on writing this for about two weeks. I delayed on it cuz I need to finish my Troy x Nick fic for FTWD. I've been completely scatterbrained about all of my ships. I think I might be the only person that ships Fangs x Archie. Yall have to admit that would be hot. Anyway, I plan on making this longer so please let me know what you think. For the record, I might've been the first person to stan Cheryl doing the Serpent dance for Toni. Not sure why I had to get that out there, but in case it actually happens I want to be able to say I called it cuz I'm a petty bitch.

You can follow my Tumblr: Scaliarunsmylifenowareyouhappy (I'm thinking about changing it to Chonirunsmy...) I started making Choni aesthetic boards about a week or so ago and no one stopped me so they kept coming. As a result, I made an Instagram for them as well: CheriBombshell. I've explained my sexuality in my first Choni aesthetic that was actually Toni Topaz aesthetic and in my Love, Simon review on my tumblr. So if you're curious go search my page for those. :)