CHAPTER 4 – BIZARRE CONFERENCES
4 days before the surprise party and 5 days before the fake party.
"Why do I have to come to these things anyway? Chad says complaining.
"Really Chad! It's been a while and you still want to do this?" Nico says, bored.
"Yeah Chad! You're a 'secret hideout meeting' pooper!" Grady says, earning a *hi5* from Nico.
"Yeah Chad, you're the worst partner anyone could ever have!" Zora says angrily.
"Plus Chad! These meetings would do you good. It's good for you to spend time with human beings!" Sonny says slowly, sounding like a therapist.
"Wow! Four consecutive insults! This has never happened before!" Chad says astonished.
"Okay! Let's get to business. I think we are facing a few problems. Tawni wanted me to order from her favourite restaurant, Cornucopia. But they say that for any catering services, we must make the order at least 3 weeks prior. So, I guess we are pretty late. How about we order from Little Italy?" Sonny asks.
Chad yawns.
"Awesome! Tawni loves that place too!" Zora says.
Chad leans on the wall and puts his hands behind his head.
"Yeah, that place has the best spinaci salsa. Let's order that as our appetizer, among other things!" Grady says, rubbing his stomach.
Chad closes his eyes.
"So that's settled. Catering from Little Italy. I checked with them and they don't have any problems." Sonny says, grinning wide.
Chad starts clapping. "Problem solved! Lets leave!"
"Chad go back to sleep!" Sonny says and continues. How are the decorations coming you guys?"
"That's another problem Sonny! Because the party is in our parking lot, the lights Tawni asked for cannot be set up, so that's a dead end." Nico finishes.
"Oh no! I hadn't thought about that!" Sonny says sadly.
"Sonny! About the parking lot…how did you get Marshall to agree?" Zora asks curiously
Nico and Grady turn to look at Sonny and she looks shocked.
10 second pause where everyone is just staring at her except Chad who looks like he might cry.
Sonny smiles sheepishly.
Chad's upside down smile suddenly turns into a huge grin and he starts laughing, earning a slap in the arm from Sonny.
"You didn't do it?" Grady asks, worry all over his face.
"Oh no!" Nico says dejectedly.
"Sonny! What would you do without me?" Zora asks exasperatedly.
"Okay, I'm sorry. It just didn't strike me. I'll go see him now. We'll continue with this meeting after that!" Sonny says and everybody leaves.
After an hour.
Sonny is on a conference call with Nico, Grady and Zora.
"What's going on?" Zora asks.
"We were supposed to meet up and it's been an hour!" Nico says.
"I'm hungry!" Grady whines.
"Sorry guys! Marshall was busy. I was just going to go see him when you guys called. Wait! Chad's calling. Let me put him on the conference."
"Sonny! Where are you?" Chad asks angrily.
"Chad, I…" Sonny starts but Chad continues.
"The Randoms are troubling me for the last half hour, trying to find out if Marshall agreed. Why would they think I know?" Chad asks.
"Don't you think it's time you stopped calling us that?" Nico retorts angrily.
"What trouble…" Grady asks as Nico talks
"Guys…" Sonny starts.
"We're on conference? Oh good lord and NO! Randoms suit you guys perfectly!" Chad says haughtily.
"Actually, I made them call you, told them that Sonny did not have her phone with her!" Zora says laughing out loud.
"Marshall is…" Sonny tries again.
"We did not trouble! Zora told us to call you." Grady interrupts Sonny.
"Yo! Pooper! Can't take a few calls!" Nico yells over Grady.
"Chad! You're so easy to bug!" Zora says over Nico.
"Marshall is…" Sonny tries again just as Chad says, "You guys have to stop!"
Grady says, "It was just a few calls…"
Chad's saying," Because I was in the middle of rehearsing…."
"You rehearse…?" Nico asks surprised.
"Why do you suck so much then?" Zora laughs loud drowning Nico.
"…And Zora made us do it." Grady is still saying.
"ENOUGH!" Sonny yells.
Everybody shuts up.
"Marshall is waiting to see me. For the past hour I've been planning the fake party with Tawni and my head is all jumbled and you guys are just making it worse. SO will you all calm down, I'm going to go see him now. Chad, come to his office... We'll meet you guys in 15 minutes. And no more conference call mumblings. It's really annoying when you're not the one mumbling." Sonny says and hangs up.
"Wait! Why should I come? Sonny...? Oh no she did not just hang up on CDC!" rushes Chad before hanging up.
"Man! What is she so disappointed about?" Nico says.
"Yeah, if she wanted to say something, why didn't she?" Grady asks confused.
"Guys! Some people just don't do well under stress." Zora says knowledgeably.
Sonny is waiting outside Marshall's office when Chad walks to her.
"Now why should I be here, Sonny?" he enquires.
"Oh I thought if I could not convince him, you could use your 'I-know-a-lot-of-important-people' & 'This-could-be-a-good-thing-for-us!' talk", she replies, smiling up at him.
"Oh come on Sonny! I am bored!" Chad whines.
"Really Chad? You're not having even a little bit of fun?" she asks teasingly.
"Of course NOT!" he replies, a bit too quickly.
"Touch your heart and tell me Chad"
"Of course I do NOT!" Chad replies back, holding his hand to his left shoulder.
"Ah yes! Chad Dylan Cooper has his heart in his left shoulder! I should have known!" Sonny laughs.
"Oh ha ha ha Sonny!" Chad says sarcastically, "I do not! That is final!" he finishes haughtily.
"I do not have a leash over your neck you know..." she continues, a teasing smile in place.
"What? Ummm... yeah! Exactly... so..." Chad starts mumbling.
"Okay... enough with the mumbling! No more questions, just stay. Cause I am starting to not having fun!" she says, turning away from him.
"You? Seriously? How come?" he asks, moving in front of her.
"Well, remember on the phone I said I was stuck for an hour with Tawni planning the fake party?" she asks.
"Ummm... yeah...?" he asks, looking guilty.
Sonny scowls at him and says, "Well anyway, I was... and now my mind is all confused. I do not know what is for the fake party and what is for the real party..." she finishes dejectedly.
Chad grins and says, "Easy Sonny! Just do what I do! Tune out!"
"Tune out?" she asks, confused.
"Yeah... just nod your head like you are listening to them but in your head you're actually thinking... whatever you want, probably your dinner for the evening!" he laughs, sliding his hands in to his pockets.
Sonny begins laughing. After catching her breath she says, "Seriously Chad? That works?" she asks amused.
"What works?" Chad asks, as though he was woken up from a dream, looking at Sonny like she just got there.
Just when Sonny got over her initial reaction to that and was about to retort, Marshall walked out of his office.
"Hey kids! Sorry to have kept you waiting, come on in!" he says, and follows them into the room.
Half an hour later.
At the hideout.
Nico, Grady and Zora are staring at Sonny and a disgruntled looking Chad!
"You're late!" Zora says accusingly at Sonny.
"Sorry guys, we had to wait a while. But then it went on smooth. Thanks to Chad here!" Sonny says looking at Chad.
The rest of them turn to thank Chad as Sonny adds, "AND me too you know!" which makes Chad laugh out loud.
"Okay! While you were making us wait…" Nico starts and Grady completes, "Another problem came up.
"Oh no! What?" Sonny asks worried.
"So, remember, you asked us to call Mandy and invite her, because you did not know her that well?" Nico asks Sonny.
"Yeah..." Sonny says as Chad realizes what this is about. (A/N: In context with my story 'Something's just don't matter')
"Well, she says she won't come if you're there!" Zora says looking embarrassed.
"Seriously?" Sonny says astonished.
"Yeah! We knew she did not take to you that well when she visited but..." Grady mumbles sadly.
"Even I knew! But I did not know she hated me so much!" Sonny says, still looking astonished.
Nico, Grady and Zora put their heads down, embarrassed that their good friend Mandy was behaving this way.
Chad stares at Sonny and realizes that she was actually feeling bad about this. Just when he decides to tell her 'Not to give a damn!', he sees her frown break out into a grin, and he almost starts laughing.
"SO what's your plan?" Chad asks her, curious.
"It's perfect! I won't be there but I actually will!" Sonny says, as if that explained everything.
The three of them stare at her confused when Chad says, "Hide and seek?"
"Precisely! But she'll never find me!" she says and the two of them *hi5*!
At the hideout, again.
"Okay! Did you guys speak to Mandy? Did she buy it?" Sonny asks eagerly.
"She was eating out of our hands!" Zora says happily.
"I knew she was pretty dumb…" Chad adds, laughing.
"Good! Now about those decorations, I was thinking… What about those park lights? The string of small yellow lights. It will look beautiful! What do you think?" Sonny asks excitedly.
"It will look great!" Zora says and the boys agree.
"We'll take care off them. They are easy to get!" Grady says.
"And one more thing, get a red carpet. You know how Tawni likes an entrance. Picture this, Tawni getting out of a white limo, walking on a red carpet and pictures being taken!" Sonny says bobbing up and down excitedly.
"Oh yes wonderful! Now I am leaving!" Chad starts, but Grady puts his hand in front to stop him!
"She'll love that!" Nico says.
"Pretty yellow lights, red carpets and photographers. Done!" Grady says.
"Zora, I know you're only in charge of 'Tawni Watch'. But there's a small thing you need to do. Tawni gave me the songs she wants played. Can you make me the cd?" Sonny asks.
"Sure!" Zora says.
"Foods taken care of. They will arrive at 5 pm on Saturday…and yes, I have asked for the spinaci salsa too…yes, extra!" Sonny says, before Grady and Nico could interrupt.
"I have made a list of everyone Tawni and I MIGHT know mutually. I have already called some of my people too. I have not taken care of the people you said you personally wanted to invite, Sonny. Okay... I have given my report. NOW can I leave?" Chad asked.
"No! You cannot. Meeting is not dispersed. Anyway, we're going now for those particular invitations and we're leaving as we're done here." Sonny says, smiling sweetly at Chad.
"Why don't you , actually, put a leash around my neck?" Chad says sarcastically.
"I though of it but I didn't think you would agree! If you do not mind then…" Sonny grins teasingly at Chad as everybody starts laughing.
Chad and Sonny are going around inviting the people Sonny wanted to do personally.
"Hello!" Sonny says, as she answers her phone.
"Hey Sonny!" came Grady, Nico and Zora's voice.
"The Randoms? What now?" Chad asks, as he puts his ear to Sonny's phone ear to listen in.
"I called to say that the lights have been taken care of and…" starts Nico.
"We got the lights…" starts Grady.
"About that leash around Chad's neck …" starts Zora
"Did she say leash?" Chad asks, incredulously.
Sonny groans.
"Wow… who is saying what?" Chad questions, looking confused.
"… And we are going to try them out in a while…" Nico's voice drowns Grady's voice.
"… I do have one and I have a great idea how to…" continues Zora.
"Oh good lord! Is she serious?" Chad exclaims to Sonny.
"But we'll try it out secretly so Tawni does not find out…" Grady's voice came over Zora's.
"Oh not this again! No way!" Sonny exclaims and hangs up. "It'll be a while before they realise I am not on the line!" Sonny grins up at Chad.
"That IS really annoying!" says Chad, looking back at Sonny.
A/N: So what did you think? I know it is not bizarre enough... Leave your suggestions :) Thanks a ton for reading :) Thank you again MeggzLOVESchanny :)