The F a l l i n g Game

Sonny Monroe is not a tease. At least she claims she's not a tease. Chad Dylan Cooper begs to differ by the way her skirt is raising up against her bare thigh and her lips are feverishly attached to his.

AN: Wow! Thanks for all the great response for this story! It makes me even more eager to continue. I want to thank everyone who reviewed/added to favorites/alerted, especially those who have PMs disabled, so I could not personally thank (I think this list includes, and sorry if I miss you: MiaPatli'sBlackMoonroses, wacogirl16, VioletSilk, Olivia3love, youveforgotten, and BlackBloodedMagic). And, of course, thanks to my lovely beta, Lori, for all your patience, and overall awesomeness.

Chapter 2

In which Sonny Monroe talks hookers (and is struck by figurative lightening.)

Sonny Monroe would be the first to admit that she's not as, er, sexually advanced as most girls her age.

She's a little naïve and innocent, and she's only had one boyfriend in her sixteen short years of life, which was when she was fourteen.

Since she's so loving, and caring, and kind, and naïve, and yes, you get the picture, she really didn't think it would be a big deal to invite said ex-fourteen year-old, ex-first boyfriend to visit her for two weeks in Hollywood.

After all, they were now friends, and it's normal to invite friends to visit you while you're making it big, so Jack Wheatley was no exception.

Right?

Well, that would be Sonny's first mistake.

It starts with Sonny's second mistake:

She gets to the studio bright and early on Tuesday morning, to make sure everything is all perfectly ready.

From an early age, Sonny has known her manners and all the steps to being an ideal hostess, the first step being to ensure everything is ready for your guest, and in this case, it includes her dressing room, because he's probably going to be spending the most time there. She's just finished vacuuming, and is about to start dusting, when her blonde best frenemy walks in.

"Hey, Sonny! I had this great idea about a skit for-" Tawni pauses, her face scrunching as her perfectly shaped nostrils inhale a deep breath. "What's that smell?"

Sonny smiles brightly, holding up a tall, silver can. "Oh, it's my new air freshener, Glade's Lovely, Luscious, Lively Lavender." She sprays it once, closing her eyes as the aroma filled her nasal passages. "Now with extra lavender! Don't you love it?"

Tawni sneezes, shaking her head rapidly, causing her blond curls in a whirl through the air. "No!" She blinks, coughing a couple times, as Sonny sprays more of the sweet toxin into the room. "It smells like I just stuck lavender plants up my nose." She snatches the can from Sonny, rereading the label. "And the title makes it sound like some stripper show or something."

Sonny promptly snatches the can back, rolling her eyes at Tawni's comment. It did not sound like a prostitute's show title. Glade's Lovely, Luscious, Lively- Ok, so maybe it sounded a little like it should be a show at a gentleman's club, but who would automatically think that. Quickly putting the can back down on her dressing table, Sonny begins to wipe down her furniture with a dust rag, before making her way over to Tawni's side of the room.

"Tawni, can I quickly dust off your dressing table?" Before waiting for an answer, she begins, causing her companion to furrow her perfectly plucked brow.

"Uh, Sonny, why are you cleaning?"

"Oh, I thought I had told you, my friend Jack is coming to visit for two weeks."

And that innocent comment? That would be the start of her second mistake.

"Oh yeah, you're little friend from Wisconsin. You mentioned something." Tawni smacks her lips uninterestedly, and begins to look at her nails, picking up her nail file.

Sonny shakes her head. "Ha, he's hardly little. He's about six feet."

Tawni's head whips up. "Six feet?"

"Yep." Popping the 'p', Sonny stops dusting, raising an eyebrow. "Why the sudden interest?"

"How is he six feet?"

"I don't know! He just kind of shot up when he turned fifteen, I mean it is-"

"Wait," Tawni cut Sonny off, crumpling her forehead in confusion. "How old is he now?"

Sonny rolls her eyes, beginning to wonder if the blonde actually listened to anything said, or just filtered out anything except compliments. "Seventeen."

"Seventeen?! I thought he was seven!"

And why would a seven year old be visiting her in Hollywood? Yeah, Sonny didn't know the answer to that question.

Walking over to the other side of the room, Sonny picks up a photo frame containing a picture taken right before she joined 'So Random!'. It was of her fifteen year old self and Jack, their arms wrapped loosely around each other, big smiles taking up their faces. With the photo in hand, she crosses back over to Tawni, before handing the frame to the awaiting girl. "No. He's seventeen, and six feet of pure gorgeous." Judging by the look on Tawni's face, Sonny begins to wish she had not added the second part of that sentence, or given her the picture.

"Oh!" Tawni claps excitedly. "Six feet of gorgeous for two weeks? Tawni like-y!" Sonny winces, mentally slapping herself for the plain stupidity of starting to dig a hole she wouldn't be able to get out of.

"No, Tawn, he's off limits." She snatches the picture from the smirking blonde.

"I get it. You still like him." Sonny huffs as she turns around, ignoring Tawni's smug look. She certainly did not like Jack that way. Sure, he was nice to look at, but their relationship was purely platonic.

"No I don't. Please, we went out like years ago. I still thought I was going to marry Jesse McCartney." She plopped down into her dressing table chair, placing the dusting rag on the arm rest. "Besides, I'm pretty sure he has a girlfriend now."

Sonny jumps a little, feeling a hand rest on her shoulder. How the hay did Tawni get to her so quickly? She's like some ninja or something, and it's just a little freaky.

"Sonny, Sonny, Sonny." The blonde ticks her tongue in a degrading manner, and Sonny has a really bad feeling about what this conversation is about to transpire into. "Now, you're just making excuses."

Sure, ok.

"Uh, no. I'm serious. I have no romantic feelings for him what so ever."

"Sonny, ok, let's be honest." Tawni pats Sonny's shoulder lightly, before retracting her hand, and flipping her hair so it trails down her back. "You're romantic life is a fail."

Before she can even open her mouth to protest, Sonny is cut off.

"Sonny, don't even try. The only 'relationship' you've been in since you've been here is with James, and let's face it, it was a fail." Tawni pauses. "And even if it did count as a 'relationship', it'd still be a fail."

Sonny grimaces at Tawni's air quotes around relationship, because it really was a fail. But that was only one out of two relationships in her life that had been a fail! So it doesn't mean her whole love life is a fail. Right? Of course.

And even if her whole love life was a fail, she certainly isn't going to waste any time pining over random guys, like, per say, in a totally, random example, Jack. Because she doesn't like Jack like that. And if she sounds like she does, may lightening strike her.

Not literally, of course, because that might hurt.

But figuratively.

Let figurative lightening strike her.

See? No electricity!

She doesn't like Jack.

And she doesn't need to like him! Or any particular males at this point!

So what if she doesn't have a good relationship track record! Or if her romantic life is non-existent! It doesn't matter! Because she is a strong, capable, single woman!

Who's occasionally lonely and sings songs like 'All By Myself' in the shower.

Ugh. Darn Tawni and her stupid pity seeds she plants. Lightening should strike her instead.

Sonny narrows her eyes, pointedly shooting a scrutinizing glare at Tawni. "So maybe you're right, but I don't see you in any relationships."

"Puh-lease." Rolling her eyes, Tawni scoffs. "Tawni Hart doesn't do relationships. She does non-committed agreements. It just works."

"Well being single works for me!" Sonny snaps.

"Yeah right," Tawni sighs. "You just don't have the option to be in a relationship."

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!" As she stands, Sonny crosses her arms against her chest, her lips forming a small pout. "I just haven't found the right person yet!"

"Sonny, you haven't found anyone yet." Tawni looks down at her nails, huffing out a breath. "Not anyone willing, anyway."

"I could totally be in a relationship if I wanted to be!" Ignoring Tawni's mocking face, Sonny starts to rearrange a couple of items on her dressing table.

She totally could be in a relationship if she wanted to be. Anyone would be lucky to have her as a girlfriend! She's loving, and kind, and caring, and innocent, and- Well, that's what her mother told her. Of course her mother also told her Santa Clause was real (which he is), but then there was that time she told her that her Aunt Susie was normal (which she isn't), and she guesses there was that time when her mother told her- Ok, so maybe her mother isn't always the most reliable source, but the point is, Sonny just needed to find a lucky someone.

"I bet you wouldn't last a week in a relationship." Tawni breaks the silence, pulling the brunette out of her thoughts.

"Try me!"

"Fine! I want you to get someone to be your boyfriend by the end of the week."

Sonny scoffs, her eyes finding the ceiling. "That's easy! I could-"

"You have to get a certain someone to be your boyfriend by the end of this week. Jack to be your boyfriend by the end of the week" Tawni stops, twisting her mouth in thought. "And he has to fall in love with you by the end of the second week." The idea rolls off the blonde's tongue like it was actually possible.

Which it wasn't.

"What? Tawni! That's completely unreasonable! A. Jack's my friend, and nothing more." Sonny holds out one finger, and begins to tick off reasons. "B. He has a girlfriend." She scrunches her face. "C. Above all, you can't fall in love in a week."

"Yeah you can! Just ask my mother and her new husband! Met three days ago, Vegas, and BAM! Hopefully he'll last longer than the last, God bless him." Tawni mutters the last part, shaking her head. She looks up upon hearing Sonny sigh, opening her mouth to object. "Fine, I'll make it slightly easier. I bet you can't get Jack to be your boyfriend, and almost fall in love with you, in two weeks." Tawni sighs, shaking her head a little.

"Tawni-"

"Someone's chicken!"

Jumping at the accusation, Sonny places her hands on her hips. "I'm not chicken, it's just impossible!"

"I'll help you. Am I not the boy guru?"

Boy guru? Really?

"Tawni-"

"Sonny-"

"It's completely unfair."

"Aw, poor, little chicken Sonny. You just can't get a guy, can you?"

"I can too!"

"Prove it!"

Sonny doesn't like being called a chicken, but she still weighs her options. It's just a wimpy little bet, how hard could it be, right?

Right.

"Fine, I accept your bet. Jack will be dating me, and almost in love with me, by the end of his visit."

"Good, we'll discuss terms later. But right now, time to start operation jealousy." Clapping her hands excitedly, Tawni bounces back to her side of the dressing room, and opens one of her many drawers.

Suddenly, Sonny wishes she had just grown a few feathers, and dealt with it. Bawk, bawk.

"Operation jealousy?"

"I didn't have a lot of time to think of a name!"

"Sure you didn't." Sonny mutters under her breath.

A small smile grows across the older girl's face, and Sonny realizes she must have found what she was looking for.

"Just put this on!"

Shades of pink are tossed into her arms, and Sonny has a really, really bad feeling about what's about to happen.

Now, this is where everything falls apart, and Sonny had really wished Tawni had kept her perfectly glossed mouth shut and perfectly manicured hands out of it, because if she had Sonny wouldn't be dressed head to toe in a slutty, pink outfit, heading to the cafeteria, with a devious plan running around in her head.

And if you think it sounds bad now, wait until the story continues:

Sonny reaches the cafeteria, inhaling a series of deep breaths.

She cannot believe she actually agreed to this.

Seriously?

She looks like she should be one of those girls called Stacy, but spells it as 'Stacii'. A double 'I', and a heart.

Yeah, like, totally, seriously.

If it wasn't for the given consequences, the plan might not be too bad. For its cause, that is. And Sonny's part was simple, really.

Step 1: Wait for confirmation text.

Step 2: Storm through the doors and grab first male she sees.

Step 3: Make-out with said male until Tawni walks through the doors with newly arrived Jack.

Step 4: Embarrassedly break away from said male, acting as said male is boyfriend.

Now, step 5? That's when the steps start to vary.

Tawni's (amazing, bet winning, sure to work, dating worthy, totally not slutty) Step 5: Watch as Jack boils with jealousy, and later explain to said male that he is now her boyfriend.

Sonny's (reasonable, actually sure to work, bet losing, non-forced love, totally not tease-like) Step 5: Watch Jack stare at her in disgust of slutty ways, and explain it was a misunderstanding.

Tawni's (most probable) Step 6: Have said 'boyfriend' break up with her at end of week, leaving Jack to pick up the pieces.

Sonny's (wishful thinking) Step 6: Brush the incident off like it never happened, and enjoy the next two weeks.

The only problem Sonny faced with her plan was the fact that it wouldn't help her win the bet, and then she'd have to side with Tawni on her skits, and deal with doing whatever Tawni told her to do.

And that so wasn't what Sonny wanted.

Feeling a buzz, she looks at her glowing phone, reading the text quickly.

One last deep breath and she walks through the door, looking towards the first male.

Or rather, males.

Nico and Grady.

No, no, no. Not going to work, and Tawni's going to be there any minute, and she won't be kissing anyone and-

Well, you could call it a lapse of judgment, or a blonde moment, or a complete whim, or a stupid mistake, or a recipe for disaster, or maybe Sonny's brain stopped functioning for a tiny, itty-bitty minute.

But somehow, she finds herself straddling Chad Dylan Cooper, whispering to him just to go along with it.

That? That would be Sonny's third mistake, otherwise known as six easy steps that might just lead to the end.

AN: Not my favorite, but it will get better. I'm just getting warmed up. Very excited for where this story will take us. Next chapter? Along comes Jack.

But, anyways, constructive criticism welcome, and preferred! Tell me what you want from this story, tell me what you'd change, and tell me what you like. Please drop a review on the way out. Thanks.