Ok, before everyone starts yelling at me for stealing someone else's story, I am the original author of COW, Crush Of the Week. I took it off FF for personal reasons, but so many of you have requested to have it emailed to you that I have decided it will be much easier just to re-upload. Thank you for your continued interest in this story! It really warms my heart that you guys care enough about my stories to request them even when I've taken them off the site. Seriously. I could reach out and hug every single one of you right now - That's how happy I am!
Since I've decided to continue writing CALF, the third chapter in the COW and BULL series, I've decided I will be re-uploading not only COW, but BULL as well. That way, it'll be a great way to catch up if you're interested in reading CALF. This may take me quite some time to re-upload though. Turns out COW was saved on my old computer and I can't open the files on this laptop, so I have to type everything all over again. Please, be patient with me. Once COW is up, it should not take nearly as long to get BULL back on the site as well. I do have all those chapters on this computer.
Without further ado, I present COW, which is dedicated to anyone who has ever read even one word of my writing. Thank you soooooooo much!
Disclaimer: All I own is the plot.
Prologue
As much as my cast didn't want to believe me, I did not try to meet up with Chad Dylan Cooper on the way to lunch every day. It just happened. Was it really my fault if I wanted to stop by my dressing room and take a quick break before meeting back up with my cast?
Maybe Chad went back to his dressing room, too, because just like me, he was always alone as he walked to lunch. Somehow, we met up along the way to our shared destination every day. I didn't time myself down to the second so I could leave my dressing room when I knew Chad would be walking by. Actually, I did the opposite and tried to leave at different times every day.
It didn't matter how long I took. Chad was always either a few steps in front or behind me.
Why Tawni, Nico, Grady, and Zora didn't believe me about not trying to meet up with Chad was beyond me. Didn't they see the way Chad and I fought every time we saw each other? Couldn't they tell I was angry by the time I finally joined them at the lunch table? They knew I thought he was just as much as a jerk-throb as they all thought he was, right?
If they knew all that, why would they think I tried to meet up with him? Why would anyone try to meet up with him?
Tawni tried telling me once no one believed me because they all thought I have some kind of secret crush on Chad. I didn't even get a chance to reply to that one; once I started laughing, I couldn't stop. Just the thought of me ever having a crush on someone like Chad was…was…Well, it was crazy!
Sure, Chad was the best looking actor at Condor Studios. He was an alright actor, although he wasn't anywhere close to the greatest of the generation. His one sparkling blue eye was enough to drive me crazy sometimes, during those few moments when he was actually nice to me. The nice Chad was someone I could handle.
But when he turned into the person who started shouting at me for no reason, picking fights when I hadn't done anything wrong, and demanding I was going to fall in love with him by the end of the week when we both knew he was the one in love with me, not the other way around, he transformed into a personality I didn't like and wanted nothing to do with.
His evil side came out a lot more often than his good one.
Even though it was a Saturday, I had a feeling Chad wasn't going to break his habit of meeting up with me on the way to the lunch room (it was his habit, not mine. He must've been the one who worked hard on his timing every day). In the olden days, we hadn't shown up at the same time, although he usually talked to me while I was in line, waiting for my awful food while he received steaks and what not. Since he'd guest starred on So Random! though, he'd been meeting up with me along the way instead. Did he think he had some sort of special invitation to walk with me just because I'd been his co-star for a week?
Apparently that's exactly what he thought. As I stepped out of my dressing room, pulling the door shut behind me, I heard his voice call out my name.
He was early today. Usually we didn't meet up until I was off the So Random! set.
"Should I feel honored today?" I asked sarcastically as I walked to the end of the hallway, which was where he stood waiting for me. "How long has the great Chad Dylan Cooper been waiting for my presence?"
"You should feel honored every time I talk to you. I am me, after all," he replied as we headed toward the lunch room. I rolled my eyes, but he went on before I had a chance to say anything. "And I wasn't waiting for you, Munroe. I just wanted to let you know that today is your last day to say goodbye to your friends."
He kept walking as my feet stopped, not even glancing over his shoulder to make sure I was alright. Stupid Chad and his I-only-care-about-myself attitude.
"What do you mean today's the last day to say goodbye to my friends?" I demanded, running to catch up with him again. "Did you get me fired or something?"
Laughing loudly, Chad stopped walking long enough to put a hand on my shoulder. It wasn't one of his cute moments; he was only using me so he didn't fall to the floor from his laughing fit. I let him use me, waiting for him to stop. As soon as I knew what was going on, I could leave him and forget the conversation had ever happened.
"Funny, funny little Sonny," he said once his laughter died down, moving his hand so he could wipe the corner of that sparkling blue eye. "If I wanted to have you fired, I would've done it a long time ago."
I should've known that wasn't what he was talking about. After all, even if he wouldn't admit it, I knew for a fact he did have a crush on me. Whether it was a big or small crush I didn't know, but it was enough that he wasn't going to get me kicked out of the studios and sent back home to Wisconsin. He'd never get to see me then and would have to find someone new to pick on.
"Well, wait a minute!" I called, following him as he started walking again. "Why do I have to say goodbye then? Chad?"
Another game he liked to play whenever I was around was called Never Tell Sonny What She Wants To Know. I disliked this game even more than Fight With Sonny About Everything. It was too much like the silent treatment.
Unfortunately, Chad liked both games. He kept his mouth shut as I repeatedly asked him what was going on, that stupid smirk of his never leaving his lips. When he realized I wasn't going to shut up anytime soon, he switched games.
"Don't you ever shut your mouth?" he asked me. "You go on and on just like a three year old."
"At least I don't act like a three year old!" I shot back.
"Actually, you just proved yourself wrong by even saying that. A three year old would fight back. Someone your age would know enough to drop it."
We were still fighting by the time we reached the lunch room. I could see my cast, all sitting at the same table we sat at every day, roll their eyes as I passed them. I ignored them, too busy arguing to stop long enough to tell them once again that I wasn't in love with Chad. Besides, I still had to find out why I had to tell them goodbye.
As Chad and I made our way across the room to the place where food was served, I decided it was time to get back to the topic at hand. I'd be leaving him soon so he could sit with his cast and I could join mine, so if he was going to tell me the truth, it was going to have to be now.
"Alright, Chad, enough," I said, putting a stop to our current fight. "Tell me why I have to tell my friends goodbye today."
"I almost forgot about that. You see, Sonny, I-," He stopped talking as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "Ohh, hold on for one moment, please. I have a text message to answer."
"You've avoided my question long enough, Cooper! You can answer your text after you talk to me!"
Did I really think Chad would listen? As though he couldn't hear me at all, he kept typing into his phone. At least he was a fast texter; he slipped the phone away less than thirty seconds later.
"What was I saying?" He studied me before holding a finger into the air, nodding his head happily. "Ah, yes, why you have to say goodbye. It appears that my guest starring on your show brought in quite a few viewers."
"We get a lot of viewers every week," I protested. "Believe it or not, Chad, but some people do like to laugh."
"Although I would love to argue with you about that, I would like to eat my lunch before it gets cold," Chad explained, rolling his eyes again. "Anyway, since my director saw how high the rating on So Random! were after my episode, he wanted to know what would happen if So Random!'s best actress guest starred on Mackenzie Falls."
Instead of finishing his explanation, he looked at me, waiting to see if I was going to catch on.
My worst nightmare was coming true. If Mackenzie Falls was anything like So Random!, it took them a week to shoot an episode. Was Chad really trying to tell me I was stuck for an entire week? A week of hanging out with his cast instead of mine. A week of him being around me way, way, way too much. A week of serious acting instead of making my viewers laugh.
Couldn't he have gotten me fired instead?
Before I could say a word, a loud scream echoed through the room. When I turned to around to see who it was, I saw a girl running away as fast as she could, a cell phone that must've been hers left lying on the floor.
"Did you just break up with that girl?" I asked Chad, remembering the text message he'd just answered.
"That's not important," he said, holding his head a little too high. "What is important is that, starting tomorrow, you will no longer be funny. You will sit by my cast during meals, hang out with us during your free time, and you will do the best acting of your life on filming day. Do you understand me?"
Oh yeah, I forgot the absolute worst part of joining the Mackenzie Falls cast for a week: Chad was going to be my boss. Although the show did have a director and camera crew and everything to tell the cast when it was time to film, Chad was the one who ran the rehearsals and the lives of his cast mates. If I didn't do whatever he told me to do, I would be in some deep water when Marshall got word of it. As a guest, he'd expect me to be on my best behavior.
Chad must've been able to tell I wasn't having pleasant thoughts. He smiled, placed his hand on my shoulder again, and tried in his own way to cheer me up.
"I'm looking forward to working with you again, Munroe," he said. "Only this time, I'm glad it'll be my way and not yours."
Giving my shoulder one last tap, he finally walked away, leaving me so he could join the rest of his cast. The cast I would be sitting with starting tomorrow for the next seven days of my life. The cast who didn't like me simply because I was on a funny show.
The cast who was going to kill me by the end of the week.
Sighing loudly, I sat down with my cast, not bringing any food with me. I was too depressed to eat.
After receiving bear hugs from me, Nico, Grady, and Zora had all headed home for the night. Tawni was still with me in our dressing room. She had some sort of date in an hour and wanted me to help her pick out an outfit. As she modeled for me again and again, I sat on the couch, not really paying attention.
"Goodbye, couch," I said sadly. "Goodbye silver letters spelling Tawni's name. Goodbye strange picture of a tree with random leaves falling off. Goodbye vent where Zora always came whenever she visited. Goodbye-,"
"Will you cut it out? You're not dying, Sonny. You'll be back here a week from now," Tawni interrupted me. "Now, let's concentrate on something besides you, like what you think of this outfit!"
She stood in front of me, smiling brightly as she showed off a bright blue dress that was more so made for a dance than a date.
"Goodbye to you and all your over priced clothes!" I cried out instead of giving her my opinion. I finally got up from the couch so I could wrap my arms around her. "I'm going to miss them so much!"
"Sonny, you're wrinkling my dress!"
I could feel her struggling to exit my hug, but she was leaving soon and it might've been my last chance to hug her for an entire week. I kept my arms around her, squeezing tighter the more she tried to get free.
A knock on the door was what made me finally let Tawni go. As she ordered me to answer it, thinking her date might be super early, I had to wonder if she was right. Sure, her date still had 55 minutes before the time he'd told Tawni he would arrive, but who else would be knocking on the door this late?
There wasn't a man standing on the side of the door. Instead, the visitor was a girl with long dark hair and a worried expression on her face.
"Portlyn?" I asked slowly, unsure if that was her name. "What are you-,"
"Oh, I was hoping you would still be here!"
Without another word, she pulled me in for a hug, wrapping both of her arms around my neck and almost dragging me to the ground with the force behind it. I stood there, too shocked to ask why she was hugging me.
Was I having some kind of weird dream? Maybe the whole day had been a dream and Chad had never really told me I was going to be on his show. Maybe I would wake up soon and everything would go back to normal and-
"Portlyn?" Tawni's voice cut into my thoughts. "You're not Robby."
If I was dreaming, would Tawni sound just as clueless as I was? Shouldn't she be welcoming the Mackenzie Falls actress since she was a dream and everyone was out of character?
Finally letting go of me, Portlyn turned to the still open door, sticking her head out and checking every direction before coming back, leaving it partly ajar behind her.
"I have to make this quick," she explained when Tawni and I both stared at her. "I stole this from Chad and I have no idea how long it will be until he figures out I have it. I don't think he would come over here to look for it, but just in case he does…"
It wasn't until that moment that I noticed Portlyn was clutching something in her hands. The item looked like some sort of book, a book she shouldn't have. On the cover, in all capital golden letters, three initials stood:
C.D.C.
Chad was the only person I could think of with those initials, and everyone knew he didn't like his things being touched. How Portlyn had gotten hold of the book was a mystery I didn't want to find out. The less I knew, the less I would be held accountable for when Chad barged into the room, wanting to know who had taken his missing item.
And of course, I knew eventually he would come baring into the room. Instead of thinking a cast member had taken the book, he would think of me right away. I was always his prime suspect simply because I was the only person from another set he talked to. In his eyes, working on another show made me the most likely criminal.
No way was I getting blamed for this one. Portlyn had stolen the item and if she was looking for somewhere to hide it, she could look somewhere else. When Chad came in looking for it, if he went through the room and ended up finding it, I would get blamed before having a chance to explain it wasn't my fault. I wasn't going through all that just to keep Portlyn out of trouble.
"Chad better not come here," Tawni said, motioning to the dress she was still wearing. "I have a date to get ready for, and Sonny is too busy saying goodbye to everything to have visitors."
"I don't think you guys will be saying that after you know what's in this book," Portlyn argued, holding up the book so Tawni and I could both see it. "This is Chad Dylan Cooper's book of official crushes. Or, as I like to call it, his C.O.W. book."
She spelled out the letters instead of just saying cow, and that was what confused me even more than her suddenly being in my dressing room with Chad's stolen item. If it was just a book, why did she call it a C.O.W. book?
Why did I want to look at it when I'd wanted to push both the girl and the book out of the room only seconds ago?
"C.O.W." Portlyn tried again, this time smiling. "In case you're wondering, it stands for Crush Of the Week."
"I'm bored," Tawni sighed, pushing Portlyn toward the door. "Thanks for stooping by, but you can tell Sonny all about Chad's little book tomorrow. Right now, we have more important matters to-,"
"Did I forget to mention that you're in the book?"
Tawni ripped the book out of the other girl's hands. I rushed to her side quickly, grabbing half of the book so I could help hold it. If she got to see what was inside, it was only fair I got to see, too.
Not that I really wanted to see the book. According to Portlyn, it was full of Chad's crushes. I didn't care who he liked. I was only looking because it was the polite thing to do. After all, Portlyn had gone through all the trouble of smuggling it in.
It didn't take long to see exactly what the book was doing. At the top of every page, someone had written the word 'Name' and next to that was the name of some girl. Below that, in seven different boxes, were the days of the week, each of them with an added on word in front. Next to the day were sentences I didn't have a chance to read. Tawni was flipping through the pages too fast.
"I don't see my name in here," she whined after only a few second of searching.
"That's because you're looking too far back," Portlyn explained. "Every girl Chad has ever liked is in that book in the order he liked them. You were a childhood crush."
Her hope renewed, Tawni opened to the first page of the book. She had to keep flipping, but after only five or six pages, she found her page.
"'Macaroni Monday,'" she read aloud, a huge smile overtaking her face. "'Tawni and I share a bowl of macaroni and cheese on the set of The Goody Gang.' I remember that day! I wanted him to share his macaroni with me because my mom wouldn't let me eat any!"
"Why wouldn't your mom let you eat macaroni and cheese?" I asked. "I thought all kids loved that stuff."
"I did love it, but my mom said it had too many carbs," Tawni replied before turning to Portlyn. "How did you find out about this book? How come no one told me I was in it?"
Portlyn pulled the book from Tawni and my hands before answering.
"I found out about this book because Chad and I are best friends who tell each other everything," she said. When I gave her a dubious look (Chad wouldn't even tell a best friend about every single girl in his life), she shrugged. "And I snuck into his dressing room. The point is, Chad's been playing this game for years and I think it's time we put a stop to it."
I exchanged a look with Tawni. Good, she looked just as confused as I felt.
"What game has Chad been playing for years?" I asked. "Keeping track of girls?"
Shaking her head back and forth, Portlyn opened the book and held it up again as she flipped through several pages.
"What do you notice about every page?" she asked as she continued to flip.
"A different girl's name?" Tawni guessed.
"Chad's handwriting getting sloppier and sloppier?" I tried.
"No! you notice that each page has Sunday through Saturday on it under the girl's name with a description of what took place on each of those days," Portlyn explained, slamming the book shut so she could look at our faces. "I call this Chad's C.O.W. book because for each of these girls, he spent a week trying to win them over just to dump them on the last day."
I understood what Portlyn was saying. Basically, since Chad was little, he picked out a girl, spent six days getting her to fall for him, and then broke her heart on the seventh and started the chain all over again.
It was a horrible thing to do…But why was she telling Tawni and I about it?
Tawni's mouth fell open in shock and for a second, I thought she was wondering the same thing I was.
"Wait a second!" She pulled the book from Portlyn's hands again, opening it to her page. "Are you telling me Chad tricked me back then? He never really liked me, did he? He was just using me in his sick little game!"
Was I the only one in the room who didn't care about Chad? Why was it a big deal if he had a new girl every week? He was Chad Dylan Cooper. Even if he was just using the girl, she would probably let him do it, even if she knew the truth. A lot of girls, including several of my friends back home, would give anything to be with Chad for an entire week.
Tawni didn't feel the same way, evidently. Her mouth was still hanging open as she read through the rest of her week, memories probably flooding back to her. She cared that Chad had used her, and it had been years ago when he'd done it. If she cared, what about all the other girls on the list?
It wasn't any of my business what the other girls thought about Chad's game. If Portlyn and Tawni wanted to tell the other girls what had happened, that was up to them. It wasn't like anyone was going to want-
"Revenge!" Tawni's face was serious as she closed the book, clutching it tight enough I thought for a moment she was going to rip it in half. "We need a way to get revenge on the three named jerk-throb!"
"I was hoping you would say that," Portlyn said, smiling in victory. "All of us on the Falls are getting sick of Chad doing this every week. We don't like how he can hurt so many girls and not even seem to care. What we need is a girl who will let Chad think she's into him so she can turn him down before he breaks her heart. If we beat Chad at his own game, maybe he'll be too embarrassed to play again."
I was still confused why Portlyn was showing the book to Tawni and me. It sounded like she already had a plan to stop Chad from playing his game. What did she need the two of us for?
"Who are you going to get to pretend to fall for Chad?" I asked, not able to hide my laughter. "She'd have to be someone who can act extremely well. I mean, come on, it's Chad…Dylan…"
My voice trailed off as Tawni and Portlyn looked at me, both of them smiling in a way I hadn't seem them do before. Suddenly, I understood why Portlyn had come to us:
I was the one she wanted to pretend to be in love. She wanted me to be Chad's new Crush Of the Week.
"Wow, will you look at the time?" I said quickly, looking at the invisible watch on my arm. "I should really be going, there's a big day tomorrow since it's my first day at the Falls. I'll catch you guys later."
I didn't get to take two steps before four arms grabbed me, pulling me backwards. They forced me onto the couch I'd been sitting on at first, two hands staying clutched around my arms in case I tried to run again. Portlyn got down on her knees in front of me, once again holding up the book.
"Look at this, Sonny," she said, turning to the back of the book. "Check out how many times Chad's written your name and then had to cross it out!"
Sure enough, on pretty much every page she turned to, I could see my name, each time scribbled out or with lines drawn through it. A different name was always there with the days filled in underneath, but my name was always first.
Chad had been thinking about making me his Crush of the Week for months now. I'd known he liked me, but seeing the proof of it as Portlyn flipped from page to page to page…
I couldn't stop myself from groaning loudly.
"Why me?" I begged, looking from her to Tawni, who was still standing behind me, holding my arms prisoner. "Why can't you guys find someone else to pretend to like Chad? I'm sure there are a million other girls who would love the chance to do this."
"Because you're the only girl Chad has liked for longer than a week," Portlyn answered. "And, besides that, you're the only one who has never fallen for his charm."
"You're guest starring on his show this week anyway, Sonny," Tawni added on. "It'll be easy for you to make him think you're falling for him."
I wanted to tell them no. I wanted to demand that they find someone else to do it, that if they wanted to get back at Chad so badly, they could do it by themselves. Part of me knew they were right. Even if they did find another girl to play the part, it wouldn't be as effective as having me do it. If they really wanted Chad to stop, I was going to have to be the one to break his heart. I was the only person who could really hurt him.
Seeing that I was starting to cave, Portlyn started going through the pages slower, listing off the names one by one.
"Think of all the girls he's hurt so far," she told me. "Tawni, Tisdale, Hudgens, Montana, Gomez, and even me! If you go through with this, you'll be not only getting revenge for all the girls already written in this book, but for any that Chad might otherwise add in the future."
She stared up at me, making her eyes as huge as she could. I was a sucker for the puppy-dog face. Glancing over my shoulder to Tawni, I saw she was giving me the same look. There was no way to escape their pleading faces.
Like Tawni said, I was already stuck on the Mackenzie Falls set all week anyway. Why not have a little fun with Chad while I was there?
"Alright, alright," I sighed loudly. "What exactly do I have to do?"
"Sunday is always called Selective Sunday," Portlyn replied, smiling again as Tawni finally let go of me, not worried about me running away now. "Don't worry, I'll take care of making sure he picks you this week. The rest of the days he changes around depending on the girls, so I can't really tell you what to expect except a ton of flirting. Be ready, and flirt back with him. He needs to think you're falling for him for this plan to work. Oh, and next Saturday, make sure you break things off with him before he does with you."
I didn't join in with the cheering as Tawni helped Portlyn to her feet, clapping her hands in excitement.
"I can't believe we're finally getting back at Chad after all these years!" she exclaimed, actually jumping up and down. "This is going to be perfect, Sonny!"
She and Portlyn started going over last minute plans. I sat on the couch, not joining with them or listening, really. All I could think about was what I had just agreed to.
I was going to have to pretend to be in love with Chad. He was already in love with me, so I had a feeling pretending to feel the same way was going to take a lot on my part. He would probably want to hold hands, hug, and maybe even-
Oh, I couldn't even think about the k word. Chad had already thought about it. He'd probably been thinking about it since the night we were supposed to do it. Just thinking about actually having to follow through with it, maybe even more than once…
The only good thing that was going to come out of this week was the part where I got to break his heart. After all the times he picked on me, started fights for no reason, made fun of my show, and put me through all the torture he could possibly think of, breaking his heart was going to feel pretty good.
If I survived until the end of the week, anyway.
"ALLISON MUNROE!"
The shout was loud enough to not only make me jump out of the chair, but to make Tawni and Portlyn drop the book as well. I scrambled to my feet, rushing to the door, wanting to lock it. I knew who that voice belonged to and I didn't want him coming into the room when he was that mad.
"I think Chad found out his book is gone," Tawni stated the obvious.
"Wow, that boy has it worse than I thought for Sonny," Portlyn agreed. "Look at him, blaming her right off the bat. I thought for sure he'd come to me first and then go off to find her."
"It doesn't matter who he comes to first," I argued, forcing the door shut and reaching for the lock. "All that matters is he doesn't get in before-,"
I was too late. On the other side of the door, a force hit strong enough to push me off my feet. Tawni caught me before I could land on the floor, and we both watched as Chad entered the room. His face was red, but whether it was from anger or running all the way to my dressing room, I wasn't sure. Either way, I knew I was in trouble as he grabbed my shirt, pulling me out of Tawni's grasp.
He kept hold of my shirt as he forced his face close to mine, so close in fact that his forehead lightly set against mine. It might've been a cute moment if he hadn't been panting into my face.
"I know you have it, Munroe," he said, his voice thick with anger. "Tell me where it is, or I'm going to-,"
"Let go of her, Chad. I have your book, not her."
Portlyn was standing beside the two of us, holding the book where Chad could see it. Instead of letting go of me so had a hand free to grab it with, he stared at his co-star.
"Portlyn?" His voice was slow as he studied her, almost like he was trying to figure out if it was really her or not. "What are you doing in Sonny and Tawni's dressing room?"
What was she going to say? That she'd come so she could let Tawni and me in on her plan? If she said that, she would blow the plan before it could even begin. Not that I would mind the plan getting canceled. It would be in my favor if it was.
Unfortunately, Portlyn didn't slip up and give away the real reason she was in my dressing room.
"Chad," she said in an innocent voice, "You warned all of us today that Sonny's joining our cast tomorrow. I wanted to get a head start in making friends with her."
It was a believable excuse. Slowly, I felt Chad's grip on me start to loosen until finally, I was able to smooth my shirt down in the place he'd grabbed it. As I did, he ripped the book away from Portlyn, glaring at her instead of me.
"Why did you take this?" he demanded, shoving the book into her face. "More importantly, you didn't look in it, did you? Did you show it to the two of them?"
"Chad, would I do something like that to you?" she asked, her voice completely serious.
He didn't look sure about her answer, and he glared at both Tawni and me before turning his attention back to Portlyn.
"Get back on our set," he ordered her, pointing to the door. "And stay out of my dressing room from now on, got it?"
I was going to have to live under that control for an entire week?
Portlyn started toward the door, but instead of going into the hallway, she stooped and took one last look into the room.
"It was really nice talking to you, Tawni," she said despite the fact Chad was coming up behind her, trying to push her out of the room. "Sonny, I can't wait to work with you tomorrow!"
Chad still looked rather puzzled as Portlyn finally left. He didn't follow her at first, instead looking back and forth between Tawni and me.
"Well," Tawni said after several silent moments. "I have a date to get ready for!"
She skipped into her 'changing room', pulling the curtain shut behind her. Chad and I were alone, but Tawni could still hear every word we said. He knew that as he stepped toward me.
"Just because Portlyn's pretending to be your best friend doesn't mean she really is," he said. "You're only going to be at the Falls for one week. Don't get used to it because no matter how much you beg me, I'm not going to let you stay. You're coming straight back to Chuckle City as soon as possible."
"Good, because I don't want to join your cast of egotistical actors," I retorted.
"Good," he replied.
"Good."
"Fine."
"Fine."
"Just be at the Mackenzie Falls set tomorrow morning at eight sharp," Chad reminded me. "We like to start our day on time."
"Oh, good, that'll give me a few extra hours of sleeping time than what I'm used to at So Random!"
With one last glare at me, Chad left the room, tossing his book into the air and catching it as he did. I closed the door behind him, rolling my eyes.
It was going to take a lot of work to make him believe I was really falling for him. He was a jerk-throb, my boss for the next seven days, and someone who I really, really, really wanted to ignore. Was it possible to make him think I was in love with him?
"Have fun on your date, Tawni," I called before grabbing my jacket. "I'm going home so I can get some sleep. Tomorrow, my acting skills are going to be put to the test."
Chad Dylan Cooper was going to believe I was madly in love with him by the end of the week. He was going to fall just as much in love with me. And then, exactly one week from today, I would tear out his heart and stomp all over it like he had done to hundreds of girls before.
Payback was going to be sweet.