WHO KNOWS, WHO CARES
"Great show man," Nico Harris said, patting Chad's shoulder as the audience began clearing their seats.
Chad stood alone on the So Random! stage, deep in thought. If someone would've told him a year ago he'd be the newest addition to the show, he wouldn't have believed it for a second. Yet, here he was, among the other Randomites (as he once called them) acting "funny" and working in a genre he once loathed. But, for some strange reason, it just seemed right.
Sonny was gone now - she had left months ago. Chad would be lying if he said he wasn't still in shock from the day the girl had pulled him aside after interrupting the taping of Mackenzie Falls to drop the bomb on him. It had come out of nowhere. She was going back to Wisconsin to be with her family and prepare for college. She had told him it didn't feel right being so far away from her family.
Two weeks later he was driving Sonny to the airport. Her mother had followed the moving truck up to Wisconsin a week before, wanting to make sure they were somewhat settled into the house they were renting before Sonny had flown out.
Chad remembered the awkwardness of saying good-bye. They weren't an item anymore, but they weren't friends either - they were much, much more. In the short amount of time he had been dating Sonny, Chad had become a changed man. He wasn't wrapped up in petty things or his massive ego anymore. Granted, he would always be a bit self-centered, but he was actually starting to care about people other than himself.
He cared about Sonny more than anything.
Sonny's plane began boarding as they looked at each other awkwardly. How does one bid another farewell under these circumstances? A handshake? A hug? He wanted to kiss her, he wanted to beg her to stay, but neither seemed appropriate at the moment.
"I'm really going to miss you, Chad," she said, lugging her carry-on bag over her shoulder.
Chad smiled at her softly. "I think I'll miss you more."
Sonny finally leaned in for a hug, Chad pulling her against his chest for the very last time. And that was it, she pulled from his arms and then turned to leave. Chad watched her plane take flight, then sunk into one of the hard plastic seats at the airport, feeling the overwhelming pain of a broken heart.
Chad had remembered when Marshall started auditioning actors. It hurt to see kids of all ages, male and female, tall and short, waiting in line to take Sonny's place. No one could ever take her place. That's when Chad had approached Marshall.
"I'll do it."
Marshall was looking overwhelmed, holding up a clipboard and waiting with the casting director for the next audition when Chad had approached him.
"Do what, Chad?" Marshall asked, not bothering to make eye contact with the boy.
"I'll be your new cast member."
It had taken some convincing Marshall, and a lot of convincing the other Randoms, but in time they had not only accepted him as their new cast member, but had actually embraced the idea.
Things were going good. The show's ratings remained steady. Chad had two shows, which meant twice the fame and an even bigger income. But something was missing. There was an empty place in his heart that could not be filled with the massive amount of work he had taken on or the huge paychecks he was cashing every week. He was lonely. His life was empty. And he still missed her.
They had a few exchanges on Flitter, but it seemed Sonny Munroe was flourishing in Wisconsin. Her life was so full that she probably didn't have time to miss him. She had started performing at many of the clubs located in and around her hometown. It made him happy that she hadn't given up on her music. She was going out with friends every night. Chad wouldn't have been surprised if she had already found a new flame out there. He should've been happy for her. He was happy for her, but sometimes it hurts to be happy for someone.
The feeling of the now empty studio haunted him. Chad slowly climbed down the stairs of the stage, sitting on the bottom step as he buried his face in his hands and sighed. This was his life now. It was a dreary life without Sonny. He was starting to wonder when this pain was supposed to start fading away. Surely heartbreak didn't last forever.
He lifted his face from his hands when he felt someone watching him.
His eyes widened as he stared at the person standing before him. He must've been dreaming. His broken heart must have driven him to insanity, because surely he was hallucinating.
"Hi Chad." Her hair was brown again, her dress was now more casual, but not much else about Sonny Munroe had changed over the past several months.
He stood up, approaching her apprehensively.
"What are you doing here?"
She shrugged, giving him a heart-warming smile. "I came to see the new set."
"That's quite a flight for something you could've seen on TV," he replied, then kicked himself for choosing this moment to be an ass.
"And I came to see you…"
His heart skipped a beat. He had to pinch himself. He had to prove that this wasn't some sort of dream he would be waking up from any minute.
"W-why?"
"Chad," she began, sighing a little bit. "I-I didn't have the nerve to say this the day I left. I haven't had the nerve to say it over the phone. I've just kinda tried to ignore the feeling. To be honest with you, I feel like I'm setting myself up for a heartbreak by saying this but… but I love you." She looked a little self-conscious at the declaration, her smile turning into a look of seriousness. "You don't have to say anything back. You've been on my mind since I left, and it's just something that I thought needed to be said-"
He quickly cut her off by gathering her tightly into his arms, his lips suddenly crashing into hers, causing her to drop her bag on the floor. Her arms wrapped around him as she sunk into the kiss.
Chad separated his lips from hers. "Please tell me that you're staying," he pleaded with needful eyes.
"I'm staying."
He smiled, kissing her again as he lifted her from the ground, spinning her around.
He didn't care how or why, all that mattered was that she was right there, right now.
The End
A/N: I have so many questions that will never be answered. Was having a bit of a writer's block on my story, so I wrote this fic this afternoon. One can dream, right?