Rock Show Pt. 1
Toni and her three best friends attend Warped Tour and invited Betty, who invites her cousin Cheryl. When Toni and Cheryl meet, they immediately hit it off and become inseparable.
I PROMISE there isn’t any angst in this one.
---
Summer was finally here. Toni had gotten tired of hanging out behind the Whyte Wyrm, getting drunk with her best friends every Saturday. Yes, it was fun and they had a great time, but she needed to do something different.
So there she was, spending her Saturday with her friends. “Hey, guys. I saw that there’s a concert coming up in a few weeks. Tickets are like $45 each. You wanna go?” she asked between drinks of her beer.
“What kind of concert?” Sweet Pea asked.
“It’s a rock show. It’s called Warped Tour. I’ve never been, but I’ve always wanted to go. I feel like it’d be a good start to our summer before senior year gets here.”
“I’m in.” Fangs said, immediately.
“And is it inside or outside? I need to know how much sunscreen to bring.” Jughead wondered.
Toni laughed, “It’s outside, Jug. And it’ll probably be like 90 degrees, so you’ll want to bring sunscreen.”
“We can probably take my dad’s truck, since he has the weekends off. How far away is it?” Sweet Pea asked.
“It’s about two hours away, in Bonner Springs.”
“We could get a motel so we don’t have to worry about partying too hard and driving back home.” Fangs suggested.
“That’s actually a really good idea.”
“You guys care if I ask Betty to join us? She could probably meet us there, unless we found a vehicle big enough for everyone.” Jughead asked.
“Actually, my uncle has an RV. I can see if we can borrow it. Would save money on a hotel. But we could bring a car, too.” Fangs added.
“I think that’s perfect. There’s probably a campground around there. It’s close to a big city.”
----------
“Cousin Betty, I don’t even know what to wear to this. Or how much sunscreen to bring for us. Do I need a hat? Do I wear shorts? A tank top?” Cheryl impatiently asked her cousin.
“Cheryl, calm down.” Betty said, while placing her hands on her cousins shoulders. “Due to your skin, I’d suggest wearing a t-shirt instead of a tank top. You could probably wear a baseball cap and we’ll definitely bring sunscreen. I’m sure Jug will bring some, too. Just...wear a band tee and some cute shorts or jeans.′ She shrugged.
“Do you really think that I, Cheryl Marjorie Blossom, own a band tee or a baseball cap?” Cheryl deadpanned.
“Fine. You’re right. How about we go shopping, then? I know you love some retail therapy.” Betty smiled.
Cheryl rolled her eyes and groaned, “Fiiiine. You had me at ‘shopping’. Let’s go, Cousin.”
An hour later, the cousins found themselves in the mall at H&M and then Hot Topic. “Cher, this is so you!” Betty exclaimed while looking through a shirt rack at Hot Topic and she held it up to the redhead. It was a red, long sleeve crop top that said ‘Misery Business’ across the front with a butterfly.
“Misery Business? I don’t get it.”
“It’s a song, Cheryl.” Betty said, as if it should be obvious. “By the band Paramore. The red suits you, and I feel like the song does, too. We can listen to it on the way back to mine.”
Cheryl thought for a moment, looking around at other clothing, which was mostly t-shirts with quirky quotes on them, or with Grumpy Cat and other memes. “Hmm...what about this, annnd…” the redhead grabbed a t-shirt and looked around before spotting another shirt, “this!” She now held a tie-dye shirt that said ‘Love is Love’ along with a white and gray plaid button up shirt. “I’ll take that, too.” Cheryl said with a smile as she pointed to the shirt Betty was holding.
Betty just smiled at her. Yes, she knew her cousin was a lesbian and had known for a few years, as Betty was the first person she had come out to. “I’m proud of you, Cher.”
“Thanks, Betty,” she smiled back, “I think these will look great with the red jeans I bought.”
The cousins shopped a little longer and stopped by the food court to grab some pretzels before heading back to Betty’s where Cheryl would be spending the night before their adventure tomorrow morning.
---
“So, girls. What’s the plan for tomorrow?” Alice asked while they sat down for dinner.
“Well mom, Cheryl and I should be leaving around 10am. The show starts at noon, but Jug’s friend said we should get there early so we don’t get stuck in the back of the line.”
“And you’re staying at a hotel, right? You guys don’t need to be driving back when it’s late and after you’ve been out in the sun all day.”
“Actually…” Betty started, getting a confused look from Cheryl. “Another one of Jug’s friend has an uncle with an RV, so they were going to bring that for all of to stay in.”
Cheryl let out a loud groan as she crossed her arms over her chest, “Cousin Betty. I am most definitely not staying in such close quarters with four Southsiders, let alone Serpents.” she spat.
“They’re not all that bad, Cher. Just like all of the Northsider Blossoms aren’t that bad.” Betty grinned.
“She’s right, hun. I actually used to be a Serpent, back in the day. And I know all the kids that are going, as well as their parents. They’re good kids. Unless you do them wrong.” Alice smiled.
“Color me shocked, Alice!” Cheryl smiled with surprise, “Fine, I’ll go. But only because Alice trusts them.”
