"You know what, Chad? I hate you!" Sonny screamed. Tawni, sitting right next to her at the table in the cafeteria, cowered and covered her ears. She had never heard so much venom come from the cowgirl's mouth before.

Chad broke inside, but outside, as far as everyone else could see, he was CDC, the boy that never was affected by bad comments.

But Sonny saw.

Sonny knew.

But she didn't know the reason.

"I gotta go memorize my lines." Chad muttered, walking as fast as he could get out of that horrible place with the girl whom he loved who hated him! His cast mates barely heard him. He was already far gone.

Sonny smiled in satisfaction.

But she didn't know how much she had really broken him.

Outside on the back steps of Condor Studios, Chad sat down and what she had screamed replayed in his mind over and over again.

You know what, Chad? I hate you!

How could he ever see her face again after knowing that she hates him?

"Chad?" He heard a voice behind him. No! No one could see him cry! He wouldn't let them.

"Chad, please." He knew it was Sonny now for sure, and he buried his head in between his legs even more.

His voice cracked when he finally decided she wasn't going away, and he needed to say something. He lifted his head up and turned to her, but he couldn't meet her eyes.

"Sonny, why do you hate me?" He cringed. He sounded so weak, so vulnerable.

"I don't hate you, Chad." Sonny said.

"But, in the cafeteria – "

"When I said that, I was hating myself. Hating myself for hurting you." Sonny explained. "I don't hate you at all. As a matter of fact – "

Thunder rumbled overhead. Then lightning.

"I'll tell you when we get inside." Sonny said.

"No, tell me now. Besides, I don't want to go in there looking like this." He pointed to himself, with his glassy eyes and red face from crying.

"I love you." Sonny said.

"I love you too." Chad replied. Then the rain came down on them, and they both laughed.

They stood there for a few minutes until they were soaked. Then Sonny suggested they go inside.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Chad said, and then he sneezed. "But I can't go to rehearsal like this." They walked into Sonny's dressing room, and Tawni immediately screamed.

"Ah! Get away! Don't get me wet!" Tawni exclaimed, running out of the room.

They both laughed, and Sonny pushed him onto the lounge chair, kissing him. His arms wrapped around her waist.

He wasn't broken anymore. He was whole once more.