Sorry it's been awhile. I'd been putting off writing the rest of this chapter because I was a little stuck, but, since Blue Scrubs PMed me and asked me to continue and update soon, I went back to writing it. So you have her to thank for me updating today. Thanks for the encouragement. Also, iDreamt, you actually guessed half of what I had planned out for this. You guys are way too smart. :) Anyways... here's chapter two.

Chapter Two: I'd Have To Go With Mandy

While Tawni, Mandy, and Grady went off to do who knew what, Sonny, Nico, and Zora met up in the prop room to discuss their current situation.

"So, why do they like Mandy so much?" Sonny asked. "I mean, she seems really sweet and all, but why…?"

Zora looked up at Sonny from her laying down position on the floor. "Well, Grady has always had a massive crush on Mandy, so it's not surprising that he'd take her side."

"As for Tawni, we never could figure out exactly why she liked Mandy so much. Personally, I think it's because Mandy isn't the most talkative person and Tawni can do all the talking. Plus, they both love shopping and fashion, so… I don't know." Nico shrugged.

Sonny thought about her next question carefully before she spoke. "Why aren't you guys on Mandy's side?"

"Well, I don't know about Nico, but, you may not know this, but I consider you to be one of my very close friends, Sonny," Zora said, sincerely. "Besides, Mandy never understood my humor. She never liked the way I did my hair or chose my clothes. She never told me that personally, but Tawni would say it and she'd agree."

Sonny was caught off guard a little. She hadn't realized Zora considered her a very close friend.

"Well, my reason is the same as Zora's. Her first one, anyway. I'd hate it if we kicked you off just because one of our old cast members came back wanting her spot back. It wouldn't be right. Mandy may be nice enough, but she's not as optimistic as you are," Nico complimented.

"Aww… you guys… That's the nicest thing you guys have ever said to me," Sonny said, smiling, fanning her face to keep the appreciative-tears from brimming over.

"Team Sonny has to stay strong and stick together!" Zora said, springing to her feet and punching the air with her fist.

"Yeah!" Nico also stood up.

Sonny stood up. "'Team Sonny'?"

"Yes, that's what we are from now on," Zora stated putting her hands on her hips like a superhero. "Team Sonny."

"Yep, but… speaking of dinner," Nico started offhandedly.

"Who was speaking of dinner? We were just talking about Team Sonny," Zora said seriously.

"Well, since you brought it up, can we go eat?"

Zora started to protest but Sonny cut in before they could get into an argument. "No, dinner sounds good. Let's go eat," Sonny said, feeling a bit more optimistic.

"To the Commissary!" Nico said dramatically.

"Ugh, can't we go somewhere with real food?" Zora complained.

"No, remember, Brenda's sister, Alice is subbing for her today. There is real food being served." Nico led their small group to the door and down the hall.

"Oh, right."

Sonny didn't really hear her two friends talking anymore as she stared at the walls and random pictures they passed on their way to the Commissary. She was the first to round the corner, but the last to see what, or rather who, was coming from the opposite direction.

"Walk much?" Chad asked, steadying Sonny after being smashed into.

Sonny took a tiny step back from him and glared. "No, but I hear its fun. I was going to apologize, but now I don't think I will."

"Ouch," he responded sarcastically. Chad turned around and continued walking down the hallway and out of sight.

"Anyway, jerk-throbs aside, you have nothing to worry about, Sonny," Nico continued assuring her. "There's no way Marshall would let you go. And if he does, then Zora and I will quit too. Right, Zora?"

"Right!" Zora said with great enthusiasm.

"Thanks guys. I think I'm starting to feel a little better," Sonny said, partially telling the truth. In reality, the words were comforting and all, but it didn't change the fact that Grady and Tawni had practically stabbed her in the back, and then turned the knife by asking Marshall to kick her off the show.

"That's what we're here for," Nico said, speeding up his pace almost unnoticeably as they entered the Commissary and could smell the edible food.

Once they had all gotten their food, they took a seat at So Random's usual table.

"I wonder what would happen if I mixed this all up with chocolate…," Zora mused. She rubbed her chin thoughtfully while staring at her plate of spaghetti and meatballs.

"Uh, you'd have spaghetti and meatballs and chocolate," Nico said with a mouth full of food.

"Sounds kind of gross," Sonny commented.

"Okay… But what if I melted the chocolate, and then poured it on? Huh? Huh?" Zora looked to Sonny and Nico.

"Ew, chocolate on spaghetti and meatballs! Gross, Zora!" Tawni complained pulling up a chair at their table with a tray of food also. Mandy and Grady were with her.

Zora just looked away and stabbed a meatball with her fork.

Tawni looked at Sonny who still had the I've-just-been-betrayed-by-everyone-I-know expression on her face. "Sonny, are you upset with us?"

"No, it's just that-" Sonny tried to explain but was stopped short.

"Sonny, no fraternizing with the enemy!" Zora exclaimed.

"Since when are we the enemy?" Grady asked.

"Since you joined Team Mandy, that's when," Nico said.

"What's this I heard about teams?" Chad asked, walking up all the sudden.

Sonny tried to ignore the way Chad putting his hands on the back of her chair and just his presence made her so jumpy. She tilted her head back until she could see him upside down. "Nothing, now leave," she said a bit harsher than she intended.

Not that that fazed him. "Someone said something about 'Team Mandy' and whatnot," Chad continued.

Sonny looked back down at her plate as soon as Chad looked down at her when he started speaking.

"What is…?" he trailed off when he saw Mandy. Chad's eyes widened. "Mandy? What are you doing back here?"

"She's trying to steal Sonny's job," Zora said accusingly.

Mandy winced. "I'm really not. I don't even want the stupid job anymore."

"Mandy, forget what they say," Tawni said, patting Mandy's hand.

"Who do you want to stay?" Grady asked Chad out of the blue.

"Uh…" Chad looked from Sonny to Mandy several times. He shrugged. "I guess I'd have to go with Mandy," he responded.

"What?!" everyone, even Mandy, asked in shock.

"Why?" Sonny hated how she sounded wounded when she spoke. She had meant to sound tougher and like it didn't bother her at all, but now she had given him the impression that she cared about his opinion and was hurt that he chose Mandy. Even though that was all true, it wasn't like she wanted him to know that.

"I did eeny-meeny-miny-mo in my head and Mandy won," he said as if that explained away everything.

"That's it! We're leaving!" Zora shouted, pushing away from the table. She picked up her tray and started for the exit.

Sonny silently picked up her tray and followed her friends out the door after carefully avoiding meeting anyone's gazes. She followed Zora and Nico all the way back to the prop room.

"Oh, this is low!" Zora exclaimed angrily as soon as she walked through the prop room's doorway.

"Yeah, I don't see why Grady had to go and ask for Chad Dylan Cooper's opinion," Sonny agreed. "He's not even on the show, and he's our enemy, so…"

"That's not what we're talking about," Nico said. "We never told you the whole story of why So Random and Mackenzie Falls are rivals."

"There was more?" Sonny questioned.

"Way more!" Zora said, pacing the room.

"You see, Mandy and Chad Dylan Cooper used to date," Nico said, starting his story on So Random history.

"What?!" Sonny exclaimed.

"It's true. For awhile they were disgustingly inseparable." Zora made a gagging noise.

"But what about the rivalry? Didn't that have an effect on their relationship?"

"Sonny, keep up. This was before there was any competition going on between our two shows." Zora stopped pacing to explain to Sonny.

"Oh, right. So, go on. They were disgustingly inseparable…" Sonny prompted.

"Well, that only lasted for about two months. We never did get to know exactly why they broke up; we just know it left them both extremely ticked at the other person." Nico shrugged.

"Wait, wait… I don't remember reading they were dating or that they broke up." Sonny looked from Zora to Nico for an answer.

"Everyone in Hollywood keeps secrets from the press, Sonny, and some do it better than others. We were very good, loyal friends who didn't say a word to the press about any of it," Nico said proudly, gesturing to Zora and himself.

"Anyway, a few out of control pranks from both So Random and Mackenzie Falls later, and we were rivals. Mandy and Chad's broken relationship is the precise reason we have the code, as a matter of fact," Zora said, pulling the scroll out from behind the couch.

"Wow. So that's the real reason we're rivals," Sonny said, still surprised.

"Yeah. That's why it's so low that Chad Dylan Cooper would actually side with Mandy," Nico said, shaking his head.

Sonny frowned. She had forgotten about that little detail. "Why would he do that? I mean, we don't always get along but I never thought he wanted me to leave that much..." She looked down at the floor.

"Okay, pop quiz!" Zora jumped onto the couch. "Do you like Chad Dylan Cooper?"

Sonny jumped slightly. "What?" Her voice was two pitches too high to be truly innocent.

"Sonny, if we want to be a successful team, we have to be perfectly honest with each other, and if you like Chad, that effects almost everything," Zora said, talking with her hands.

"Uh…" Sonny hesitated.

"We won't hold anything against you if you do," Nico assured her.

"Isn't there a rule in the code about dating the enemy?" Sonny joked.

Zora and Nico exchanged a look and Sonny frowned.

"Well, the funny thing about that is… recently… someone took a black Sharpie and crossed that rule out," Nico said too casually to be telling the truth. He looked meaningfully at Zora who winked in return.

Sonny couldn't help smiling. At least she had two friends left.

"So… do you or don't you?" Zora prodded.

"Well… I really don't know. Maybe… I don't know. He's so confusing," Sonny admitted. "Yes, I guess."

"I knew it!" Nico shouted victoriously. "Ha! Grady owes me ten bucks!"

"You're not going to tell him are you?" Sonny asked, panicked.

"Of course he's not. Are you, Nico?" Zora glared at him.

"No, of course not. I mean… who needs ten dollars?"

"That's right," Zora said, hopping down from the couch. "Well, now that we know that, this makes it even more personal!"

"So… what are we going to do? If anything?" Sonny asked.

"Hmm… I'll have to get back to you on that one because I've got nothing," Zora said.

"Oh… great…"

Okay, so, I hope you liked it. Kind of just a little filler chapter to get more background on everything and then of course the shock -gasp- of Chad choosing Mandy. And, because I got bored and wanted to experiment a little more with making banners, I made another banner for this when I should've been writing this chapter. The link's on my profile, check it out if you want... I think that's about it. Tell me what you thought of this chapter. Thanks for reading and I'll update soon. :)