CH 3

Tawni talked non-stop the entire car ride to the party.

"Ok so here's the plan! I get out first and blow a kiss to my many adoring fans. Then I will make my arrival speech and step on to the red carpet where the cameras, which love me, will take lots of pictures and I will be on the cover of every magazine in Hollywood!"

Sonny rolled her eyes.

"Do you really need to make an 'arrival speech'? It's just a party." Tawni's mouth flew open.

"Just a party Sonny! Let me explain something to you, OK? Hollywood is about image Sonny and I have one that if I don't keep up, the press will forget me and I will have to move to some place for forgotten and poor people."

"Oh come on Tawni! Isn't that a bit extreme?"

"No. Now if you'll excuse me, we're here and people are lined up on the street waiting to worship me."

"Ugh! You sound just like Chad Dylan Cooper. I swear you two are related or something." Sonny opened her car door and casually followed Tawni down the red carpet, stopping only to smile for a few of the photographers that were crowded at the entrance. The inside of the club was just as loud and crowded as every other party before. She scanned the room for a secluded spot where she could hang out until Tawni was ready to leave. Her eyes locked on an empty wall next to the bar. She sighed as she made her way across the room. I don't get why Tawni makes such a big deal out of this! It's the same thing every time! Same people, same music-

"What up Munroe?" And same annoyances.

"What do you want Chad?" He leaned up against the wall next to her.

"I need a break. You know sometimes it's hard when so many people adore you. It gets a little overwhelming Sonny."

"Yeah I'm sure people are fighting there way through the crowd to talk to you." Chad ignored her sarcastic tone.

"Well I can't stay here long Sonny-"

"Oh isn't that a shame."

"Well I have an image to keep up! I can't be seen hanging out on some wall at a hot party. Not good Sonny. Not good."

"What's with you and Tawni and this whole, 'Image' thing? It's not that hard to keep up a good image!"

"Oh like you know?"

"Well yeah. I just am myself and the press never rags on me for anything. I mean I guess for someone like you it can be a bit more difficult because unlike you, I'm actually nice and I don't gloat for fun."

"Oh really? Well for your information there's much more to it than that."

"Don't tell me it's a hobby."

"Not the gloating! Sonny keeping up an image also deals with bad publicity. The press could take a picture of you eating ice cream and make up a story of how you stole it from some little kid in the park."

"Well that isn't going to happen to me because I don't get bad publicity Chad." Sonny felt a tap at her shoulder. She turned around to see a guy who looked a few years older than her holding a beverage out to her.

"Would the pretty lady like a drink?"

"No thank you, I don't drink." She smiled politely as she pushed the drink away. The guy shrugged and walked past her and Chad to another girl who was sitting in one of the lounge chairs.

A silence fell between the two. Chad stared at Sonny as she played with her hair. Her beautiful brown eyes were focused on the dance floor. When she turned back to him he looked down at his feet quickly. He was pondering whether or not he should ask her to dance when Tawni rushed over to them.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you! We have to get out of here right now!"

"What? Aren't you the one who just had to get her picture taken here so she'd be on the cover of every Tween Weekly in Hollywood?" Sonny mocked Tawni's confidently melodic tone.

"Ok see that girl over there!" Sonny's eyes searched the area Tawni had pointed to.

"Oh you mean the one from the new Tridark movie? I love her!" Tawni shot Sonny an awestruck glare.

"How can you say that Sonny? She's wearing the same dress as me!"

"So?"

"SO?" Tawni folded her arms across her chest and pouted. "If I get seen wearing the same dress as someone else, especially someone really popular, everyone will think I was wearing the same dress as HER! And that can't happen Sonny! Know why?" Tawni paused waiting for Sonny's answer.

"Let me guess, this has something to do with your 'Image' right?"

"Just come on already before someone notices!" Sonny obediently followed Tawni towards the door. She didn't realize she'd basically left Chad there by himself. Oh he'll be fine since everyone here ADORES him…, she thought. Seriously! Why was it that he only talked to her to gloat? Didn't he have anything better to do with his time? Ugh! God I HATE him! She had to move pretty fast to keep up with Tawni. You wouldn't think a girl could move that quickly in heels! But they soon had gotten into their car and pulled away from the lit up streets of Hollywood Boulevard back to their quiet television studio. They didn't notice a pair of eyes watching them leave. And even if they had, they couldn't have seen the evil in them as they watched the two comedy queens drive away, completely unaware of the events ahead.

The next morning, Sonny walked quietly into the prop house with her phone at her ear.

"No mom, I'm not dead! How could I be talking to you if I were dead? What? That's ridiculous mom! No one could have recorded my voice! Well I know it's recorded on TV. Look I'm fine! I promise. How is everyone? Ok well tell them I said hi! Yes I remembered to put on sunscreen! Ok…Ok bye mom!" She put down her phone and sat on the couch. Grady and Nico who had been sitting on the bar chairs plopped themselves on the couch next to her.

"Hey Sonny. How was the party?" Nico asked.

"Do you really need to ask?"

"So same old, same old?"

"Pretty much. Except this time we had to leave early because of a fashion crisis."

"What happened?"

"Tawni caught a girl wearing the same dress as her and went ballistic!"

"NO WAY!" Grady yelled. Sonny and Nico stared at him confused.

"What's with you?" Sonny asked. Grady pulled headphones out of his ears and looked up from his handheld.

"Did you guys say something?" Sonny laughed.

"Never mind. So how did the record breaking go yesterday?" Nico and Grady's faces fell in disappointment.

"We didn't make it." Nico sighed.

"Yeah and now we don't get our $100!" Grady added.

"Awww I'm sorry guys. Well I'm sure you'll get the next one!" Nico's face lit up

"You're right Sonny! We could beat all these other record breaking chumps in our sleep!" Uh oh...this wasn't what I planned on happening. But it was too late. The idea had already set in their heads.

"You thinkin what i'm thinkin?" Grady smiled.

"Well if it involves earnin some dough, I think we're on the same page!" They ran out of the room in the direction of their dressing room shouting out their many ideas to break another world record.

"Wait! Guys? I didn't really mean that you could! I just tried to—"

"Don't waste your breath Sonny." Tawni walked in the room furiously filing away at her nails.

"Good morning Tawni." Sonny smiled brightly.

"Good?" Tawni shrieked. "I'm freaking out Sonny! What if someone knows about my dress last night? What am I going to do?"

"Why don't you check Tween Weekly?"

"I would but I can't find a copy anywhere! We usually get them delivered by now. I wonder where they are." Sonny shrugged and the two of the chatted about whatever they could before rehearsal would start.

Chad dropped yet another pile of magazines onto the couch in his dressing room.

"There!" he sighed wiping the few beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead away. He looked solemnly at the cover. The cover story was the reason he had taken the magazines. Now thanks to him, there wasn't a single copy of Tween Weekly on the whole lot. But still he felt bad if he couldn't aware the person on the cover about the story. What if they got blocked by the paparazzi asking questions about it? He sighed as he picked up a copy knowing it would probably be easier to let them know ahead to protect them from future shock.

As he walked into the prop hose his mind furiously told him to turn around and head back to The Falls. But his feet kept moving.

Sonny looked up to see the familiar face of Chad with an upset look on his face.

"Chad what are you doing here? And what's wrong? Did your show loose viewers or something?"

"For your information thanks to last week's episode, our show has never been more popular! And actually I came here to talk to you. Have you seen the latest issue of Tween Weekly?"

"No! And its killing me!" Tawni whined fearfully.

"Well actually…um…I have a copy here and, well, the cover isn't exactly pretty." He played with the magazine in his hands nervously.

"Oh no! My life is ruined!" Tawni buried her face in her hands.

"Actually," Chad sighed. "It's about Sonny." He held the magazine out to her. "Check it out for yourself Munroe." Sonny leapt out of her seat and snatched the magazine out of his hands. Her heart sank as she looked at the cover.