I finally realized it. Fighting with sonny Monroe wasn't a past-time. Not a silly little tradition. It was a way to be around her. I needed her like air. And since I had dug myself a trench, I didn't think that sonny would believe that the walls around it crumbled overnight.

So, I was in a dilemma. Sonny would never like me the way I liked her, and I needed a plan to prove that otherwise. If only sonny could hear my thoughts. She'd know the pain I, Chad Dylan Cooper, was going through with being at a loss of a plan. She owed me.

Okay, not now, Chad. My latest plans consisted of a bunch of weird stuff that would never work. And then it hit me.

I could get to know her. We could relate! I mean, you know in those cheesy movies where the girl says something about herself, and the guy says, "oh my gosh, me too!"

Yes. My oh-so-brilliant plan. But it wouldn't go away and I knew I had decided on it.

Please, kill me now. Or, you could wait for my cast to. They would put me through more torture. Yeah, good idea. I know. My cast seemed friendly and care-free.... Okay, who am I kidding; they're the most uptight people I know. But either way, they were little demons. Oh, they grow up so fast.... And I knew that the torture would be better when my plan unraveled and began to work.

But, when I walked into the commissary on Monday morning, I realized my plan hadn't been thought through. Great. Another reason for me to be struck by lightning at this moment. Yes, I did one of those 'if I I'm lying may I be struck with lightning....' thingies. Maybe striking me with lightning for the heck of it would be better than this 'confessing' and 'caring' and etcetera, etcetera.

I walked over to where sonny was standing. By the fro-yo. Of course.

"Hey, sonny. So, what's your favorite color?" I asked. I thought I did it pretty slyly. Just snuck it in at the last minute.

At least that's what I keep telling myself. She looked at me weirdly.

"Why do you care?" she sneered. I loved that about her. She was so darn stubborn. Cute stubborn. STUPID CUTE STUPID STUBBORN!

Okay, now that that's outta my system....

"Just because.... You know." wow. That had to be the explanation of the year.

"No, Chad, I don't know." she said, turning and walking away with a fro-yo in her hand. Great.

I was making some progress.

Okay, time to think, Chad. New strategy.

Lunch!

Walking to the food bar, I called to Brenda to make me two orders of my lunch. The perfect plan.

I walked to the table which seated the randoms and set down the two trays. And one 'accidentally' in front of sonny.

"Sorry, Brenda said she had an extra order she needed to get rid of." I said all cool-like. She scoffed.

"Don't try to poison me; my fans would murder you." she sneered. I almost made a comment about the measly amount of fans she had when I remembered to restrain myself. Great.

I sighed and plopped down next to sonny.

"So.... How's your day going?" I asked casually.

"Um.... Fine? Why are you talking to me so much?" she prodded.

"No reason. I.... Lost a bet." I lied. Her frown deepened.

"Oh." she sounded hurt. Wait.... Was she? Did she feel the same way? NO WAY would miss Sonny Monroe feel the same way. I needed to work for my earnings, this one time in my life. Ugh. I hated it already.

She frowned down at her food.

"I hate lobster. It's so.... Fancy." sonny said, wrinkling her nose in disgust. Okay, this was going downhill.

"I know, right?" I said sheepishly, looking away from her.

"Look, I don't know what you're up to with that whole bet thing, but I would stop what you were doing if I were you." sonny snapped, making me flinch at her tone. I swallowed audibly, got up from the table slowly, and walked quietly to my dressing room. I would never come out again.

I was off to a good start.