Toni's POV
I have beat Reggie up before. But that was 1 v 1. Now, he has 3 bulldogs and the serpents are already waiting for me in the lounge. The 2 blonde haired bulldogs lift me up and slam me against the lockers. I gulp- this isn't gunna end well.
"So Snake, first you come in our school and then you embarrass me, and now you're gunna pay,"
"Put me down," I yell trying to kick at the bulldogs.
"DO you have a blade on you snake?" He asks shoving his hand in my pocket
"No, I don't bring it to school asshole,"
He punches me square in the face.
"SWEETPEA!!" I yell trying to get them to hear me in the lounge
He punches me a few more times before I see my red-headed girlfriend turn the corner.
"What the actual hell is going on here?" She asks walking towards us
"Teaching the snake a lesson," Reggie says punching me in the gut
"Put her down before I make you Reggie," She says calmly
"Why the fuck do you even care blossom?" He says as his friend starts hitting me
"Because she's my girlfriend and as much as I think the bruises are a turn on- I'd rather her face not be smashed in. Pre Pubesent Justin Beibers leave," She snaps at them
The two boys pinning me top the locker drop me and leave, the 3rd boy stands behind Reggie.
"You- if you don't want your mother to find out about all the weed you smoke, leave,"
The boy behind Reggie runs away at full speed
"That's ridiculous- now your stealing our girls?" Reggie spits towards me
"Oh Mantle I wouldn't date you if you were the last person on earth," Cheryl says sweetly
he mumbles something and walks away.
"Oh Tones look at your face," She says touching the new forming bruise on my cheeks and looking at my black eyes.
"Ya well, I'll be fine. Thank you for helping," I say kissing her
"No problem,"
She puts her arms around my ribs and I wince.
"Oh I'm sorry T did that hurt?" She says pulling back
"Ya but it's ok baby girl,"
She laughs and grabs my hand. We walk into the lounge.
"Tiny what's wrong with your face,"
"Bulldogs decided to pick on the runt again," Cheryl says
"BABE! I'M NOT A RUNT!" I yell
"Yes you are,"
"No I'm not,"
"Sweetpea get over here," She say rolling her eyes
"Cheryl what are you doing?"
She ignores me and looks at Sweetpea
"Sweetpea does not count he's a giant,"
They exchange a look and Sweetpea raises his arm so its a straight line horizontally
"T you must be this tall to ride the roller coaster," He says looking me dead in the eye
"That happened once, once, and I still went on the ride,"
They laugh
"Lets go beat up some dogs," jughead proclaims
"DIBS ON MANTLE," I yell after them
We find them behind the portable classrooms, Reggie was talking shit about me.
"Hey bulldogs why don't you shut the hell up?" Sweetpea says as we approach them
"Oh, so you dont just use your girlfriend as protection, you also use snakes," He says tauntingly
"You were so afraid of her you needed to take her 4 v 1," Jughead recants
"Oh, and were scared off by a cheerleader," Fangs continues
"Then lets settle this, me and Topaz 1 on 1 tomorrow after school at Sweetwater river," Reggie says smugly
"Deal, " I say back
"Oh and loser, has to publically announce the winner is better than them in every single way," Fangs says from the back
"No no no, were not fighting for bragging rights," Reggie says smirkingly "were playing for Cheryl Blossom,"
"No way in hell am I going to bet my girlfriend on a fight," I say
"Why Runt? Scared ya going lose her to the mantle," He says lifting his shirt showing abs
"Reggie even I have abs it's not that hard," I say doing the same with my shirt
"Your girlfriend and bragging rights," He says
"Fuck you, I'm not betting Cheryl,"
"What about, if I win I get Cheryl but if you win, you get starting QB for the rest of the season,"
Reggie and I alternate QB starts all season.
"If I win you quit the football team," I say back
"Fine, but if I win you break up with Cheryl and i get to date her,"
I stutter, not weighing my options, I would never think of doing that to Cheryl. But I try to find another solution.
"Deal Mantle," Jughead says
The bulldogs hoot and holler as we walk away. Once we are in the school away from the bulldogs i throw Jughead into a locker.
"What the hell jughead? Why the fuck would you do that?" I yell
"Because you're going to beat him,"
"So you would bet your fucking relationship with Betty on a fight with someone a foot taller than you when you have bruised ribs? Ya I've beat him before but that means absolute shit. If I lose tomorrow, it's not just the fight, not my dignity, not just my pride, I'll have to break the heart of the one person outside of this gang I love, the only person I can talk about everything with Jug. What the fuck? Cheryl means everything to me, if I lose tomorrow, I lose her to Reggie Mantle, think of it, what if it was Betty?" I finish my rant by slamming my fist into a locker
"I'm sorry T but it's a good deal, you will win,"
"What happens when I lose? And I want you to tell Cheryl that it wasn't me that agreed with this deal,"
"Come on T, you were considering it," he says rolling his eyes
"No jughead I fucking wasn't, I was trying to find a way out of that bet. I would rather cut my arm off than dump her,"
"Tiny calm down,"
"Don't fucking Tiny me Jughead, Cheryl is gunna be pissed at me and then at you. And when Cheryl's pissed, Betty's pissed so why the fuck would you do that?"
"Why am I going to be mad?" I hear a voice say from behind me
I turn to see Cheryl, already pissed at me.
"Do you want to tell her?" I look at Jughead
"Oh.. um.. uh, Reggie said to settle this he wanted to fight Toni tomorrow at Sweetwater River after school, we were discussing what we would win and he brought you into it, Toni was saying no and stuff and eventually I cut in and agreed for her," He says
"So what happens if you lose?" She asks me crossing her arms in front of her chest
"If I lose I have to break up with you and apparently you have to go out with Reggie, and i have to publically explain why Reggie's better than me in each and every way," I say quietly
"And if you win,"
"Reggie has to explain why he's better than me in every way possible and then quit the football team,"
She begins walking away.
"Cher wait," I say
"No Antoniette, I will not wait because I can't with you right now. I can't fight with you, I can't believe you! I'm going to find my cousin so leave me alone Topaz," she says and then storms off
I shove jughead in the the lockers again.
"Fuck you Jughead,"
I say walking into the women's bathroom so no serpents could follow me
The part of the school we were in wasn't used for classes or anything so no one but the serpents ever came down here, which meant i thought I was gunna be alone for a while. So I cried and punched a wall, and cried some more. That's when Veronica walked in.
"Toni?" She says approaching me crying on the ground
"Veronica how'd did you find me?" I ask
"Fangs told me where you were," She says "I heard what happened from Betty, why are you crying?"
"Because Jugdickhead probably just cost me my girlfriend," I say
"Cheryls not upset at you anymore," She says
"Oh ya? Then why isn't she here?"
"Well one, she's in the office for yelling 'Why the fuck are you such an asshole? Why don't you understand I don't want you or yourfucking toxic masculinity any where near me, I hope my girlfriend murders you tomorrow,' at Reggie in front of Weatherbee and two she thought you were angry at her for storming off,"
"She's an idiot, I could never be mad at her," I say shaking my head
"And Betty and Jughead are fighting," She says
"Well I feel bad for Betty, but not Jug he's an idiot," i say getting up to fix my makeup
"Cheryl also slapped him, and Betty,"
"God I love them," I say laughing
"I know they're the best,"
We laugh and i fix my makeup to go find Cheryl. She's in the hallway leaning against her locker. I see Betty in the lounge crying.
"Go help B," I say to Veronica
"Go get your girl," She winks running into the lounge
I run over to Cheryl and immediately hug her as hard as i can.
"Hey Baby"
"Toni I'm so sorry, Sweetpea and fangs explained it all, I just got scared and frustrated," She says hugging me back
"It's ok, I love you, and that's what matters to me ok? Remember what I promised you on July 11th?"
"That when we are 18 we will have a wedding, because you already know we will be together for the rest of our lives,"
She says breaking the hug and looking at me
"Exactly, thats the plan,"
"What about the fight?" She whispers as our foreheads touch
"Tomorrow I'm fighting for you, and for us, and that's how I know I will win, I promise you ok?" I whisper
"Ok,"
We kiss and press our foreheads back together.
"T, I put all my cards on you,"
