A/N: Yeah… I'm not sure how long it's been, but here's another chapter :D Hope you like it, it's a little sloppy.

Enjoy!

***

In the end, Sonny was late for rehearsal by two minutes. She'd spent those two minutes slumped on the hallway ground, trying to justify what she'd just done, trying to remember what Chad had said…

He'd told her that yes, he did have something to do with the video leak that was, by now, spread all over the world. Well, it's not exactly a bad thing, Sonny thought after getting up and remembering she had a place to go. Grady is right, the world will get over it. It's no big news. Not to everybody else, anyways. She'd walked into rehearsal looking no less upset than she had before Chad had interfered.

But why would Chad do this to me? Sonny thought during rehearsal. There was no way her mind could focus on reality in her state of mind. He knew perfectly well that I didn't want to be so public -I told him so.

By the time lunch break rolled around, Sonny had come up with two answers: One, Chad was just a jerk, like everybody kept telling her, and was just trying to annoy her; or two, he was so self-centered as to use her to boost his own fame and popularity. The second option, the one Sonny shied from thinking about, made more sense. After all, everyone knew that MacKenzie Falls and So Random!, although produced by the same company, competed against each other for popularity. Now that she'd thought of it, Chad could be using her against her own show.

She wondered what she'd do if that was the case…

You are so naïve, Tawni's voice echoed in her head. Maybe she was -maybe Chad didn't feel any love towards her, and was only using her to get to So Random!.

Sonny say down in her usual spot, feeling incredibly depressed. Her castmates had already arrived and were eating lunch. She looked at her tray of…what? Bad idea, looking at my food, now I'm even more depressed.

At least now they were ignoring her, and for today, that was perfectly fine with her. Sonny's doubts circled dizzyingly around in her head.

Chad chatted smoothly with his own cast members, but looked her way as Sonny watched him. He looked into her eyes as he talked to his neighbor, winking at her sweetly. Before her heart could react, Sonny ducked her head and hurriedly began eating. Peaking through her curtain of dark brown hair, she saw that Chad was trying to hide a confused -and hurt- expression. But maybe she was just imagining that.

***

During the rest of the afternoon, Sonny seemed to be in a zombie-like state. Marshall dismissed them all at 4pm, an hour and a half earlier than usual. Sonny's attitude had not made the rehearsal in any way productive. Somewhere in her crammed head, she felt a twinge of guilt for ruining the afternoon. After all, she was usually the most enthusiastic one.

Sonny felt like cursing Chad for bringing the mental crash down on her as she walked through the hallways back to the dressing room. No point in visiting the props room; nobody wanted her there anyways.

Sonny rounded the last corner to her room, and there was the person in question, leaning against the dressing room door. Her heart caught in her throat as she thought about how beautiful his face was. Sonny continued walking, looking down as she approached her door.

Sonny ignored his presence completely as she unlocked the door, but as she began to open It, Chad place a strong hand over hers on the doorknob, trapping it there. Finally, she looked up into his eyes. They were troubled, she observed, with no hint of the smirk that always seemed to be hiding in Chad's featured when Sonny was around. She remained silent, waiting for Chad to loosen his grip.

Using his free hand, Chad tilted Sonny's chin up to look at her. She spoke before he did.

"What do you want with me, Chad?" she asked in a sullen voice. Sonny watched as Chad's eyes saddened further. It could all just be an act, she reminded herself.

"I want you," Chad replied in an earnest whisper, bending his head down closer to hers, "I want you and me… to be happy together."

Sonny almost jerked back in surprise. Chad Dylan Cooper would never say those words to her, not unless they were in a script. She had no outside reaction though, and staying completely still, she allowed Chad to kiss her gently.

Snaking his hand on hers up her arm, he brought it around the back of her neck, deepening the kiss. Sonny kept her eyes wide open, trying desperately not to react in any way, though her heart was pounding deafeningly in her chest, ready to explode. She was hyperaware of his body only millimeters away from hers. She could just reach out with her hands and hold him closer…

Sonny was able to keep frozen for another minute before she shoved hard against that perfect chest. At first, Chad refused to budge, but after Sonny began exerting all of her strength, he pulled away, the hurt evident in his sparkly eyes.

Sonny looked into those beautiful, confused eyes and her own began to brim with tears. With apologies and regret in her eyes, Sonny yanked open the door, threw herself inside, and looked it behind her. With all of her energy used up, her tears overflowed as she slumped to the floor in exhaustion.

***

A/N: I know it's sad, but don't worry, okay? There will be a happy ending! It's also a bit short, but whatever :D

--SherriLee