Chad woke up with the sun in his eyes. At first he was confused- where's the ceiling? Where's my bed? But then he saw Sonny's face and remembered. He had no idea what time it was, or what he looked like from sleeping in a truck. But for once, the high and mighty CDC didn't care about his appearance. That definitely meant something.

Sonny snored softly with her head on his stomach. One of her feet peeked out humorously from under the blanket. And somehow, her hand was still intertwined with his. After who knows how many hours of sleeping, they hadn't let go. That also meant something.

Chad looked down on Sonny's perfect face and couldn't help but smile. He lightly traced her nose and mouth with his finger, and she laughed in her sleep. Her laugh gave Chad a weird and warm feeling inside.

For some reason, he remembered a dream he had last night. He couldn't quite remember what it was about, but it bothered him. It rapidly came to him, and he cringed when he remembered. Unfortunately, he knew he would have to face it some time.

Chad hated his house. Ever since his dad's... accident, Mom had always been on edge. If he did one little thing wrong, she would get out a belt and beat him. That's why he worked so hard on his acting lessons, his grades, and keeping his girlfriend a secret.

Every day, he thought about running away. And today, he was planning to do it. So he went inside, grabbed the $50 he saved from mowing the neighbors' lawns, packed his clothes and some candy bars in a backpack, scribbled an explanation note for his mother, and climbed out the window before his mother could see.

Sophie was waiting at the end of his driveway. They ran and ran together until they reached the highway. From there, Chad was going to hitch hike.

"Oh, Chad," Sophie cried, "Please don't go. I just know something bad's going to happen to you."

"I promise, Sophie, I'll call you from the pay phones and write you letters from my fake name. And once I land an acting job, I'll invite your family to come live with me in Hollywood."

"I know, I know. But what if you don't get an acting job? What if you get hurt or killed or kidnapped?"

"My family taught me how to live on the street when we were poor. I know what to do."

"Chad..."

He grabbed her arms and kissed her with all the passion in his body. His eyes fluttered closed and they just stood there, kissing, on the side of the freeway. Finally, they had to come back up for air.

"Sophie," Chad said, "Take that as my proof. I love you and I'll try my best to stay safe."

"Chad..."

But he was gone.

Sonny's eyes started to open, and Chad tried his best to cheer up for her. Just hours ago, he was ecstatic. How could he suddenly be so depressed? The past was the past, and he needed to live in the present.

"Hm... mmm... Where am I?" Sonny mumbled, half-asleep. Then it hit her. "Oh my God. Chad. What... What did..."

Chad chuckled. "We slept together." Her expression made him laugh. "Not like that. We just fell asleep lying on your truck."

Sonny sighed. "Wow, Chad. You scared me for a second!"

"Hey, do you have your phone? Mine's dead and I don't know what time it is."
"Oh shoot. It's 11:00! What time does your rehearsal start?"

"Um... 11:00."

"Jesus, Chad."