"I take it you know these women?" asked Tawni
The women all gave me angry scowls and said in unison "Mmm hmm..."
I gulped "I know a few of them..."
"Well, let's meet the gang shall we?" she asked going back to her peppy voice. We stopped at girl one.
"Hey Chad, remember me? We dated for two weeks in high school...you dumped me for my sister Angela." she said. I couldn't tell you what her name was, because it had escaped me, but I did remember her sister.
"Chad, you remember me" she said as a statement rather than a question. "You dumped my sister Katy for me, and stole me from my girlfriend Paige"
Paige. Good old Paige. It's true, I had converted two lesbian girls who were dating. Trisha, Katy's sister, was not hard to steal at all, it was so easy I even managed to date Paige after Trisha. Needless to say, both Paige and Trisha were suspended for fighting...over me.
Tawni and I walked down the aisle of women and finally reached the end after what seemed like hours. "Well, what did you think?" she asked
"I think...I had a lot of girlfriends...I was the man!" I blurted.
Tawni rolled her eyes then grabbed my shoulder "This is like, not going to be easy..." we zoomed off again and in the blink of an eye we were outside of my house in the backyard. I knew we weren't back to reality because it was daylight outside, and it was beautiful, not snowing and unbearably cold. I looked out at the acres of land that served as my backyard. I remember how much I love playing out here, especially with my neighbor Sonny Monroe.
"Look over there." the angel pointed to two small children on the swing set. A boy and a girl. "It's like, you and Sonny!" she exclaimed
I walked over to the children and knelt beside them. "That's me!" I shouted "Hey!" I called out
"They can't hear you, or see you. You are taking a look at the past, not repeating it. This is sort of like...like a photo! A photo you're like, looking at."
"Stop saying like" I said in my head. I looked at little me and smiled. "Wow..." I then looked over at the cutest little girl I had ever seen. Her face was angelic, and her dark curls cascaded around her face. And her eyes, those eyes were automatically recognizable. "...Sonny?"
"Chad! Let me take a picture!" she called out to smaller version of me. She held the Polaroid camera in her little hands and snapped a picture of little me making a sour face. She laughed.
"My favorite song..." I said to myself knowing Tawni probably heard me.
"Ok, now..." little me said taking the camera. "Smile!" Sonny smiled at the camera with a smile that could break any heart. She was far too adorable to be a spokeschild for Juicy Juice or Welch's. No, no she had to have been an angel and angels didn't model for artifically flavored fruit drinks. Little Chad pulled out the polaroid and shook it to reveal a picture of little Sonny smiling sweetly at the camera. "This is my favorite." Aw, little me already knowing how to woo the women. "I'm going to keep it forever." he said.
I looked at little me and Sonny puzzled and shook my head. "I don't think I said that..." I defended that cheesy line that came out of little me's mouth.
Tawni rolled her eyes and waved her finger in a "rewind" fashion and right before my eyes the "photo" of the past I was witnessing rewound. "I'm going to keep it forever." little me repeated.
"Ok, ok" I said finally realizing that I had actually said it.
"You're my best friend Chad Dylan Cooper." little Sonny said innocently.
"You're my best friend Sonny Monroe." little me added.
I got up and began walking away "This is stupid, that was totally cheesy!" I said to Tawni.
"Really?" Tawni asked folding her arms and looking at me with attitude in her eyes. "Well, we're not done yet my friend." she grabbed my shirt and soon we were on to the next memory. We were now in my house, but this time it was dark out. I looked around the house and soon saw teenage me sitting at the table while everyone around me was crying and in black. I looked at Tawni who looked at me. "You remember this don't you?"
Before I could explain, my past dad walked over to me at the table. "Son, I know Mr. and Mrs. Monroe were like another family to you..." he began his sympathy speech. "...and I know this is hard, but imagine what it must be like for Sonny, she lost her real parents." he added.
I remembered this, the funeral of Mrs. Monroe. They were coming home from a party when they were shot and killed walking to their car. They were like my second set of parents, they had taught me so much. Mrs. Monroe taught me everything she knew about movies and TV; she was one of the main reasons I became an actor. She would also always bake my birthday cake, every year a new flavor. Sonny bakes just like her, she even hums the same song her mom used to. When they died it tore me up inside, but my dad was right, Sonny was hurting worse than I was.
"She's upstairs" my dad added "Why don't you go talk to her."
Teenage me nodded and walked upstairs and I followed. I looked at teenage me walk into my parent's room where teenage Sonny was sitting on the bed with tears slowly streaming from her big eyes. I remember thinking about how much hurt she had, how much pain, I wanted to take it all and feel it myself just so she wouldn't. I wanted to protect her, but I couldn't.
Teenage Chad didn't say a word, instead he walked over to her and sat by her, letting her head rest on his shoulder and cry. I looked at the photo of teenage me and Sonny and remembered perfectly how I felt that day. Teenage Sonny then gently rested her hand on teenage Chad and soon her fingers intertwined with his. It was a perfect fit.
Tawni touched my shoulder "Ok Chad, we have one more stop to make."
I nodded and took one last look at teenage me and Sonny sharing that private moment that I had never forgotten.
