Serenades

Two

Summer Saturday nights usually meant piling in Sweet Pea's truck and finding something fun to do from there, at least for Toni, Cheryl, Veronica, Archie, Betty, Jughead, Josie and  Fangs. While they started as a group of unlikely friends, they quickly meshed and found themselves all comfortable with each other. On this particular Saturday night the gang was heading to see a firework display a few towns over when Sweet Pea turned the radio to his personal favorite, Country WXLO.

"Oh anything but country. Not a fan. Neither is Cheryl. Sweets would you mind changing it?" Betty politely requested from her seat next to Jughead.

"No!" Cheryl's outburst was met with incredulous looks from everyone in the truck. "I mean, whatever the group wants, ya know. No need to change it if other people like it."

"Not to make assumptions Cheryl, but didn't you literally burn your own house down for your own agenda? You're not exactly known for saying 'whatever the group wants,'" Sweet Pea said.

"I'm turning over a new leaf, that's all." Cheryl pursed her lips.

"As your best friend, that's suspicious." Josie comments.

"Ok people, theories?" Veronica joked.

"No time for theories, I love this song, Sweets, crank it," Toni exclaimed. A moment later, Something Like That by Tim McGraw plays loudly throughout the truck. Even with their friends present, Toni couldn't resist teasing Cheryl.

"It was labor day weekend I was seventeen, I bought a Coke and some gasoline and I drove out to the county fair," Toni, Sweet Pea, and Fangs belted in unison. The gang gave them a questioning look to which Sweet Pea just shrugged. What? It was one of their favorites. Sure, Toni shared her love for country with them but she shared her country serenades for the redhead beside her. Turning in her seat, Toni started singing the next line looking right at Cheryl.

"She was standing there in the ticket line and it all started right then and there. Oh a sailor's sky made a perfect sunset and that's a day I'll never forget!"

"Does she know all the words to this?" Betty whispered to Jughead. Before he could answer a burst of singing erupted throughout the truck.

"I had a barbecue stain on my white tee shirt, she was killing me in the mini skirt," Toni couldn't resist brushing a hand on Cheryl's exposed thigh, thanks to aforementioned mini skirt, with a wink on this line and Cheryl nearly gasped. Nearly. She and Toni weren't alone after all. Still, her reaction was still noticed by the rest of the gang.

"I think I have a theory..." Archie said as he eyed the couple.

"She had a suntan line and red lipstick- I worked so hard for that first kiss and a heart don't forget something like that." This line and Toni's expression of utter sincerity and sweetness prompted a giggle from Cheryl and many shared questions from Josie and Betty.

"Did Cheryl just giggle? To country music?" Betty had spent many nights with her cousin and never once had she mentioned country music.

"We're all there already Betts. Keep up," Josie said as she pulled her phone out of her pocket to video the moment, "this is snapchat gold"

"I can't wait for this video to be played at their wedding," Veronica sighed dreamily while also making sure Josie was getting good angles.

"We can add this video to our google doc of ideas!" Betty exclaimed.

"You guys have a google doc of ideas for Cheryl and Toni's potential wedding?" Jughead questioned.

"It's not a potential wedding, it's definitely happening. I mean, do they even hear us right now?" Archie pointed out and everyone saw Toni still singing along to Cheryl and Cheryl totally enraptured in her girlfriend's performance.

"Besides," Betty said, "we all keep having ideas for #choniwedding so we may as well collect them now so they'll be useful later"

"You mean you three keep having ideas for '#choniwedding'," Jughead replied pointing to the trio of Josie, Veronica, and Betty.

"Oh not just us! Sweet Pea and Fangs have editing privileges also, right guys?" Josie nudged them over the loud music.

The two serpents nodded and Sweet Pea piped up, "I mean I technically introduced Tiny to country music so I feel like I have an instrumental role in making this wedding happen."

"You do realize we can hear you right?" Toni finally said. Everyone else listened closer and realized the station was in the middle of a commercial.

"Oh busted," Veronica glanced at Betty and Josie with a grimace. Cheryl and Toni exchanged a look.

"Betty, be a dear and share the document, will you?" Cheryl asked.

"Woah, what?! Is there something we should know?" Archie exclaimed. They were seventeen! No one should be getting married, not even Cheryl and Toni.

"No, but this one really does sparkle like a diamond ring and someday I would like to make it a thing!" Toni joked, only to be met with many groans and a swooning Cheryl.

It wouldn't happen for a few years after that drive but Cheryl loved the beautiful engraved diamond ring Toni had picked out that simply read "the way you sparkle" inside the band.

And to think, at one point Cheryl didn't even like country music.