i just want you to know who i am

Chapter 3

"Let us bow our heads in prayer for those who stray from the path of righteousness," Clifford Blossom directed the room full of people with his words as he stood at the front of the chapel. Cheryl rolled her eyes a little, hoping no one noticed. But her father was the last person who should be high and mighty about staying on the 'path of righteousness'. She loved her father. She had to, right? But she knew that he wasn't the man all these people thought he was. Some of them worshiped him, but he was a liar and a cheater, using this role as church pastor to cover his own ass in times of crisis.

Nevertheless, she bowed her head, closing her eyes and folding her hands in her lap. She tried to pray, to ask for the courage to deal with her problems. But instead, her mind just kept drifting back to the dream she had the night before. She was almost afraid to think too hard about it, knowing how she managed to get lost in her daydreams so easily. But she couldn't get over how vivid the dream was. Toni's arms were warm around her and her lips were so soft against hers. She had woken up this morning feeling like she had received an electric shock, static rolling through her veins. She wanted to spend forever in that dream, but no, she had to come here to this torture chamber that people found such comfort in.

"Are you going to be joining your father and I for brunch?" Penelope got up from their first row pew, removing her silk gloves to place into her handbag.

"No thank you, Mommy. I have some homework to catch up on with Betty," the younger redhead smiled through her lie, standing up and smoothing out the wrinkles in the skirt of her dark floral dress.

"Well, I expect you to be home for dinner at six sharp. Your grandmother is coming to visit," Penelope huffed. She wasn't the biggest fan of Cheryl's Nana Rose, but Cheryl adored her. Aside from Jason, she was the only family member that treated her like a human being and loved her for who she was.

"I'll be there," she kissed her mother's cheek and made a beeline for Betty and Archie a few rows behind them.

"Hey, do you guys wanna go to Pop's? I'm starving," she whispered.

"I've gotta help my dad paint the garage," Archie shook his head, "Sorry."

"I'll go. Anything to avoid my parents," Betty sighed.

Cheryl frowned and reached out for her arm, "Are they fighting again?"

"Are they ever not?" she scoffed with a light chuckle, "Come on, I could use a milkshake to take my mind off it. See you later, Arch."

"See you at school," the boy waved, adjusting his bowtie as the girls walked up the aisle towards the exit.

xxx

"How did Friday night go?" Betty asked, plucking the cherry from the top of her vanilla milkshake and placing it on top of Cheryl's strawberry one.

"It was okay," the redhead shrugged, sipping at her shake, "I went through a roll and a half of film."

Betty choked on the sip she was in the middle of, "Jeez, Cheryl, how many pictures do you think we need? The newspaper is only four pages long."

"You never gave me a limit, you just said take pictures," she chuckled.

"I didn't think I'd have to give you one. I assumed you would take a few and then go home," the blonde wiped her mouth off and looked across the table at her, "Did you actually get some good ones?"

"I think so."

"Like you actually got out in the middle of everything?"

"Mmhm."