M i d n i g h t T r a i n
(by ohhMOONshoesPOTTER, completed at 1:00am)

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Sonny looked up from the new sketch she was writing, wondering what the tapping on the window was. She turned off the glow of her lamp, and tumbled across her bed over to the window. She looked down over the backyard, and opened her window.

"Chad?" she said in a hissed whisper. "Are you trying to break my window?"

Chad, who was standing below her window, broke out in a grin.

"Glad I guessed the right window. It would have sucked if it was your brothers. That would be really awkward."

"Again, why are you throwing rocks at my window? You're going to break something."

Chad shrugged his breath coming out in puffs of white in the chilled night air.

"I thought it was romantic. Don't you think?"

Sonny raised her eyebrows.

"We hate each other, remember?"

"We do? I just thought it was more of a friendly dislike."

"Why are you here?" Sonny demanded.

Chad grinned.

"I want to show you something."

"For the last time, I don't want to see your---"

"No! Not that! I mean, something else. So come down here."

Sonny glanced behind her at the clock. It was 11:30. Her mom wouldn't notice she was gone, seeing as she was already asleep... Sonny just had to be really quiet. Maybe she could sneak... wait, she wasn't actually consider going with him, was she?

Or was she?

"Sonny?"

She had gone silent. On one hand, she could go with him and see whatever it was he was so adamant about showing her that he threw rocks at her window... on the other hand, she could finish her sketch.

Even Chad sounded better then cramming up on angles and degrees.

"Fine. I'll be right down."

Sonny dashed down the stairs, quietly passing her brother, Jarom's room (it didn't matter, he was on the phone with Sarah Parker anyways) and out the front door.

"If I'm not back by 12:00, my parents will most definitely kill me. And then do the macaraena on my grave."

"Relax, Sonny," Chad said, smiling. "We won't be late. It's about a twenty minute walk from here."

Sonny sighed, and followed him through the very thin layer of trees in her backyard. Chad climbed up to the top of the fence and dropped down to the other side. Sonny looked at the looming metal structure nervously.

"Sonny, you'll be fine," Chad assured her through the bars. Hesitantly, she climbed up towards the top. She looked down, feeling nervous. It was about six feet, but when Sonny didn't have both feet on the ground, she was nervous.

"Chad," her voice cracked. "I'm going to fall."

Chad stood below her.

"You don't have to drop down. Just climb down, slowly."

Sonny hesitantly stuck one foot over the edge, firmly placing her boot in one of the fences rimmed holes. It stuck well to the metal, and she felt a little better. Until she lost her balance. She felt herself let go of the railing at the top and using her foot as an anchor, pivoted down the fence. Before she could shout, she felt Chad grab her by the waist and shoulders, preventing her from a full on collision with the fence.

"I told you so," she managed to say to tone out her rapidly beating heartbeat which, ironically, had nothing to do with the fence. Chad dislodged her boot from the fence and set her down on her feet.

"Wow," he said. "You weren't kidding. You are afraid of heights. Even six feet."

Although there was a hint of teasing in his voice, Sonny could sense he wasn't kidding. As they started to walk into the field behind the house, Sonny shivered. Of course. She forgot her jacket. It was hard to remember that even the hot desert got cold at night. Noticing, Chad started to shrug his black leather jacket off.

"No," Sonny interrupted him. "This isn't a date. We need to remember, we hate each other."

Chad looked like he wanted to protest, but he didn't say anything. He knew she was continued to walk in silence for a couple minutes, till they passed through the houses on the other side of the field. Now, Sonny knew, they were near the edge of the townquart. Beyond the edge of town was pretty much just desert. Rocks, dirt, and the occasional cactus.

Finally, Chad broke the silence.

"Sonny..." he faded off as if he was embarrassed. She looked up at him. "I've been meaning to tell you. I'm really sorry about James."

"It's fine." Sonny assured him. "He was a jerk anyway. I guess I didn't realize it until you made it bluntly obvious. So I guess I should be saying thank you."

Chad smiled at that. They continued walking, passing through a couple yards, before they reached the desert. They stopped and stood on the edge, looking at... nothing. Nothing, except for the occasional tumbleweed.

"This is it?" Sonny asked, and couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Chad laughed.

"We're not there yet."

She followed him around the edge between the houses and the desert when they finally reached the train crossroads. Basically where the train entered town.

"Ooh," Sonny said. "Railroad tracks. How fascinating."

Chad grinned.

"You may laugh now, but without these, you'd get lost. Everything is pretty much the same when you're in the middle of nowhere."

"So that's where you're taking me? In the middle of nowhere to see nothing?"

"You'll see. Patience, young grasshopper."

Sonny followed Chad as he walked on the railroad tracks. They walked for a good ten minutes, until even the houses were out of sight. Now, they really were in the middle of nowhere. Looking at nothing. Of course, Sonny could look at Chad, but it wasn't really a good think to be checking out the star of your rival show when you're on So Random. If Tawni could see her now...

"Well, this is... fun?" Sonny couldn't see what the point was.

Chad smiled at her, taking amusement from how confused she was.

"Now, I want you to look up."

Sonny looked up, and gasped. There were so many stars! She realized that the reason he dragged her into the middle of nowhere was because all the cities lights probably drowned out the smaller stars. This, she realized, was the first time she'd ever seen the Milky Way. And it was a mere 20 minute walk from her house. It had been here the entire time, and no one probably took time out of their busy lives to notice what was floating above their heads. As Sonny was staring, wonder eyed, at the millions of stars, when she realized Chad had draped his jacket over her shoulders. She looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Just because we don't like each other doesn't mean I don't have to be a gentleman."

"Thanks, Chad," Sonny said, oddly touched.

"But that's my favorite jacket, so don't ruin it."

Sonny rolled her eyes, and they continued walking in silence for a little while. Finally, Chad broke the silence.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Chad asked.

"Sure," Sonny smiled.

"I don't want to be a actor. I want to be an astronomer."

"What?" Sonny said. Chad's pride and joy was acting... it was what put him above everyone else.

"I know I shouldn't be telling this to a cast member of So Random... but sometimes, I think I could tell you anything."

That's when it dawned on her. That he was actually right. Because face it, sometimes, Sonny felt like that too. In between the pranking, the fighting, and the teasing, Chad was actually a really nice guy. Which he was proving to her right now. Why, oh why, did there have to be a stupid rivalry? If Tawni found out about this walk, Sonny would most definitely be kicked off So Random, as well as being exalted as perpetual outcast.

"That's really great Chad. I think you should go for it. But I don't think you should throw away acting. You're really good. And you know it, too."

Chad looked at Sonny. Really looked at her. As if he was trying to see past her eyes into her soul. That kind of looking. The one thing he always could tell about Sonny from the day he met her was that she was a mystery. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure out what was going on in her head. Girls like Portlyn were easy to read. Sonny was never easy.

"I never thought of it that way," he said. Because he hadn't. He didn't hate acting, but he didn't want to be stuck doing that for the rest of his life.

"Well, never give up on something you're good at."

"You're not giving up on singing then, right? I know you take classes."

Sonny was taken aback by Chad's bluntness.

"Yeah, I do. But Tawni wants me to quit. She says it's taking time away from So Random, but... I don't know."

She went silent. All of the sudden, they heard the train in the distance.

"If you stand by the track and feel the train come by, it really gives you a rush."

"I take it you come here a lot?"

"Yeah. A lot."

They listened to the train whistle again, and they saw the light coming closer.

Sonny stood on the metal railing still, watching it come closer. Chad noticed something glint in the moonlight in the dirt on the other side of the track.

"No way," he said, then crossed over to pick it up. It was his cellphone, broken into three pieces. He bent down to pick them up, placing them back together. The train was now close. He bent up straight, watching it.

"Sonny, you might want to move out of the way now."

Sonny didn't move. She was staring at the train light deer in headlights.

"Sonny, move," Chad said. The train was rushing towards them now. Sonny glanced down at her boot, which was firmly lodged in between the tracks.

"Chad!" she panicked. "My boot is stuck! It won't budge!"

The train was almost at them. At last second, Chad launched himself at Sonny, tackling her to the ground as the train whooshed past them in a whirlwind of chilled air and dust. They laid there until the train was gone, and Chad rolled over. They were both out of breath.

"Chad, I'm sorry, your jacket..." Sonny said, fading off. His jacket was ripped in two shreds on either side of the track. Sonny's boot had been ripped off her foot, but was still lodged firmly in place (and in one piece) in the middle of the tracks, with only an oil stain on the top.

"My jacket?" Chad asked. "Screw my jacket, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Sonny said, her heart rate finally returned to normal.

They were both still on the ground, covered in dirt.

"Don't ever scare me like that again, Sonny," Chad said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Sonny sat up, but before she realized what was happening, Chad was kissing her.

And it was the best thing in the world.

Okay, phew, glad I'm done with that haha. This was originally a scene from a book I'm writing about a guy and a girl from rival high schools... but then I decided it was perfect for channy!

Anyways, poll time!

1)What was your favorite line?

2)What was your favorite part?

3)Did you watch Guess Who's Coming to Guest Star? If so, what did you think?

Thanks!

-Chelsea

(PS Check out my challenges for Channy! The Swine Flu challenge and the Green Eggs and Ham challenge)