Cheryl and Toni

"Cheryl, I am so sorry. But you have to know your mother's wrong. You're not loveless. You're not deviant. Okay? You're sensational."

- Toni to Cheryl

The relationship between Cheryl Blossom and Toni Topaz has progressed rather fast. What began as a friendship quickly turned into a romance. Despite Cheryl's feelings towards Southsiders and the Southside of Riverdale in general, she and Toni have become quite close.

History
Cheryl and Toni have very little history as the two had never interacted with one another prior to the Riverdale Drag Race, where Cheryl took Toni's place as flag girl for the race between Archie, Jughead and the Ghoulies. Admittedly, Cheryl and Toni didn't start off on the right foot, but they have since resolved any differences.

First Impressions at the Drag Race
Usually, the honors of flag girl go to Toni, but Cheryl felt as if she was born for the moment. So she informed Toni, who she referred to as "Cha Cha" (the "First Lady of Drag Racing", Shirley Muldowney) that she would be replacing her this time around. Cheryl took to the center of the road, asking both drivers if they were ready before waving her flag, signaling the start of the race, which was later intercepted by Sheriff Keller and the police department, thus ending the event as everyone scattered at the news of police involvement.

Transferring to Riverdal High
Toni, Jughead, Sweet Pea, Fangs and the other transfers from the Southside arrived at Riverdale High following the closing of Southside High. They were greeted by Veronica and the welcoming committee. To ease their transition to Riverdale High, she had set up a registration desk in the hallway, where they could get locker assignments, class schedules, and a list of sports and extracurriculars. Cheryl and Reggie interrupted just as Veronica was encouraging each of them to drink deeply from the cup that is "fair Riverdale". With the River Vixens and Riverdale Bulldogs in tow, Cheryl approached the registration desk hurling insults at the Serpents, referring to them as "Southside scum" and "raggamuffins". Cheryl refused to allow Riverdale High's above average GPA to suffer because of overcrowded classrooms with underachievers such as themselves. Cheryl told them to find another school to deface. Toni was offended by Cheryl's choice of words and decided to confront her. Just as the two were about to face off, Archie stepped in the middle of them, hoping to put their differences aside so that they could start over. However, the rivaling sides continued to go back and forth until Mr. Weatherbee arrived.

Choni: A Brewing Romance
Toni confronted Cheryl in the girls' restroom at school after overhearing her tell Jughead about Betty and Archie's clandestine Christmas kiss outside of Thistlehouse. When she asked what was Cheryl's reason for suddenly deciding to expose this secret now, Cheryl replied by introducing herself as "Cherry Bombshell" and stated that she needed no reason to do what she does. She simply does it. However, Toni saw beyond her defenses, suggesting that Cheryl tell her what was actually bothering her as Toni could tell that she was in a lot of pain. Unsurprisingly, Cheryl was reluctant to do so, instead, she resorted to name calling and demanded that Toni get her hands off of her as she stormed out the bathroom.

The following night, Toni was persistent in getting to the cause of what was hurting Cheryl. So she approached Cheryl yet again at the Bijou despite their previous encounter ending terribly. Cheryl initially thought she was being stalked, but Toni assured her that this wasn't the case. She originally came to see the movie with Fangs but he bailed on her at the last moment, forcing her to see the film by herself. Cheryl is visibly troubled and Toni can see that, looking past her mean girl facade. So Toni asked if she was alright. Cheryl replied that she was at the movies alone while also trying to stay away from her mother, who had turned their house into her sexual playpen. So to answer Toni's question, she wasn't alright. Hoping to lift Cheryl's mood, Toni suggested that they see the movie together considering that neither had a date.

After the movie, Cheryl and Toni stopped by Pop's for milkshakes. Toni joked that Cheryl hasn't quite mastered the art of silent tears as she saw Cheryl crying during the movie. Cheryl revealed that she usually never cried during movies because real life was tragic enough. But when Simon's mother (characters from the film they saw at the Bijou) said that he used to be such a carefree kid, growing up, and then at a certain point he stopped being that happy kid because he was hiding a secret, it brought up a sore subject for Cheryl. She proceeded to cry as she explained to Toni how people in town viewed her, as a loveless monster. But Cheryl insisted that this wasn't true. She loved someone who loved her, but her mother destroyed it. Toni assumed that Cheryl was referring to Jason after hearing how close they were. In actuality, Cheryl was referring to a girl named Heather who she was best friends with in junior high. She used to sleepover at Cheryl's house every weekend until one night when her mother caught them in bed together and called her deviant. Toni was saddened by Cheryl's story. She told Cheryl that she was neither loveless nor deviant, and that she was sensational and deserving of love.

Cheryl invited Toni over to Thistlehouse as her emotional support for her father's upcoming will-reading. Toni helped her prepare for the reading. As they were deciding on wardrobe for the occasion, Cheryl's mother barged into her room without so much as knocking and demanded to know what was going on. Toni introduced herself but Penelope didn't care much for introductions. Penelope then told Cheryl to be downstairs before the guest started to arrive as she wanted to present a united front. She's a nightmare, Toni commented as Penelope exited the room.

The will-reading began once all the guests had arrived. Clifford's first declaration was that ownership of Thistlehouse remain with his mother and Cheryl's grandmother, Nana Rose Blossom. With Cheryl's mother, Clifford left ownership of Thornhill, which Cheryl had burned to the ground though Toni, along with the rest of the town, was not aware of this. In regards to the other guests who had been contacted per Clifford's request, they were to receive half of his remaining assets of his fortune. The first half would be distributed equally to anyone in town who could prove with medical authentication that they were of Blossom blood. The will-reading was unfortunately interrupted by Betty's mother, Alice Cooper. She came to confront her husband over him asking for a divorce for the sole purpose of cutting her out of the will. This led to an argument between Cheryl's mother and Betty's, which Toni thoroughly enjoyed.

Once Alice was escorted off the premises, it was determined that the second half of Clifford's fortune would go to Cheryl alone as Jason was no longer with them. And so Cheryl approached the podium. As the one, true Blossom heir, she felt it was her duty to say a few words. However, her speech was interrupted by Clifford's estranged twin brother, Claudius Blossom.

The following night, Toni was invited to dinner with Cheryl and her family. She asked what brought Claudius back to Riverdale after all that time away. Penelope suggested that Claudius ignore Toni as Penelope had assumed that it would be a family only dinner. But Claudius didn't mind. He even told them about his journeys as a sailor when he came upon an Island named "Lesbos", in reference to Cheryl and Toni's relationship. He claimed it was the most beautiful and natural place on earth. Claudius then announced that he would be staying in Riverdale to assure that Rose and the house was well cared for. And so Penelope reluctantly invited him to stay in the room over the garage which was freezing in the winter and boiling in the summer.

With her integration into Riverdale High going so well and a newly-formed friendship blossoming with Cheryl, Toni tried-out for the River Vixens. Impressed with her routine, Cheryl granted her a spot on the squad. In honor of Toni becoming a Vixen, Cheryl invited Toni, Betty, Veronica and Josie over to Thistlehouse for a mandatory slumber party.

That night, Toni attended the slumber party at Cheryl's along with Veronica, Josie and Betty. During which time, Cheryl revealed her true intentions behind inviting them over. It wasn't to celebrate. In actuality, Cheryl was terrified of being alone at the house with her uncle Claudius, who was crazy and a complete stranger to her. Cheryl had overheard her mother and uncle plotting against her and her Nana. Josie asked if she was simply imagining things. But Cheryl was sure that she wasn't. Later, as Cheryl and Toni laid in bed together, Cheryl shared that she didn't want to invite the other girls to the slumber party. Only Toni. But her mother would've never allowed it. As the two of them were about to kiss, a loud thud could be heard outside Cheryl's room. The girls rushed into the hallway to find Nana Rose unconscious at the bottom of the steps. It would seem she had fallen or even been pushed.

Cheryl and Toni stood outside Thistlehouse as the paramedics put Nana Rose into the ambulance. Fortunately, she had survived the fall. As her mother and uncle spoke with the paramedics, Cheryl noticed that her uncle was wearing her father's pajamas. Cheryl feared that they pushed her Nana down the stairs and that she was next.

Later in the week, Toni stopped by Thistlehouse to see Cheryl. However, Penelope told her that Cheryl was gone at an all-girls boarding school in Switzerland. She claimed that Cheryl had left the night before though Toni wasn't buying it. Nonetheless, Penelope requested that she never come by again before shutting the door in her face. Little did Toni know, Penelope had been admitted into the Sisters of Quiet Mercy of conversion therapy.

Realizing that something wasn't quite right, Toni went to Veronica and Josie for help in finding out what truly happened to Cheryl because she was certain that Cheryl wasn't at an all-girls boarding school in Switzerland like her mother claims. Toni, Veronica and Josie began their investigation with questioning Cheryl's mother at Thistlehouse. Penelope revealed that Cheryl had begun to exhibit strange, deviant behavior. So, she was sent abroad to a private wellness institute where they were trying to help her. However, Toni later learned from Nana Rose that this was the furthest thing from the truth. Rose told her that Cheryl had been admitted into the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. With Kevin's help, Toni and Veronica sneaked into the Sisters of Quiet Mercy through an old tunnel to rescue Cheryl. Toni eventually found her in the room with other patients watching a movie. The two of them shared a passionate kiss before regrouping with Veronica. Together, the three of them went back down through the tunnels where they reconvened with Kevin on the other side and made their escape.

The next day at school, Toni asked Cheryl what her next move was going to be. Cheryl explained that if revenge is a dish best served cold, then her mother and uncle better brace themselves for a polar vortex. But more importantly, Cheryl was back just in time for "Carrie: The Musical". Which Kevin was directing. She approached him in the student lounge and told him to cancel auditions for the lead role because she was so clearly Riverdale High's Carrie White.

Quotes
"Cheryl, I am so sorry. But you have to know your mother's wrong. You're not loveless. You're not deviant. Okay? You're sensational."

- Toni to Cheryl