Author's Note: Hey everybody! Sooo I have to say, I kind of LOVED writing this chapter. So, I hope you like reading it! I think this was legitimately been my favorite chapter to write in this story so far. If you like it, please review! :) Speaking of which, thanks to you who did review for the last chapter: immehween, KellyTheLovatic, Bronco'sFan15 (thanks for your awesome song idea by the way! I'm definitely considering it!), usuihentai727, and Mahomie4Ever55. Special shout out to KellyTheLovatic for reviewing on all the chapters up to and including six. I love reading all of your comments and thoughts. I read every single one. Also, thanks to all the people who favorite or even just put my story on story alert, knowing people are reading my stories and are interested them is awesome. Anyway, on to disclaimers! I don't own Sonny with a Chance or So Random, and I don't own the song in this chapter, it is The Only Exception by Paramore. If you haven't heard it, I highly reccomend you check it out. Enjoy chapter seven!
Sonny's POV:
"Okay, let's take five!" I said, trying not to let my voice sound as angry as I felt. So far, rehearsal had not been going well. Everyone nodded half-heartedly, all heading to opposite sides of the room. I sighed as I walked to the corner where my bag and water bottle were. Uncapping the bottle, I took a drink and looked around. Nico and Grady sat on the floor, backs to the wall, talking quietly. Grace sat next to Nico, but her eyes were closed. As I watched she leaned her head on Nico's shoulder and sighed. He barely seemed to notice.
My eyes traveled to Bridget and Zora who sat in another corner, whispering to eachother and staring hard at Audrey, who sat beside Rebecca and Chad. She seemed to be hanging on Chad's every word. As he talked, she put a hand on his arm, and I watched him shift uncomfortably. Rebecca sent her a death glare and Audrey shrank back, quickly removing her hand. Chad rubbed his forehead and Rebecca whispered something in his ear, looking almost as enamored as Audrey. I rolled my eyes, then noticed Chad looking back at me. I stared back at him, not sure what to do. For a second, I almost thought he was going to smile at me. Then he scowled, and I rolled my eyes again and looked away. So much for that.
I looked over at Damien, to see him gazing longingly at Tawni. Tawni didn't seem to notice though, she was too busy downing aspirin and refreshing her Cocoa-Moco-Cocoa after each gulp. I sighed. It seemed like everyone was having a bad day today. Tension was still running high and although we all knew better than to make a scene after last night's food fight fiasco, unsaid words swirled just underneath the awkward silence we had created.
I heard a giggle from one side of the room, and turned, surprised. I couldn't help but smile when I saw Matthew and Celia standing there. Matthew was grinning, but looked slightly shy at the same time, and Celia was smiling and blushing beet red. They are so cute together. I wish Chad and I could be like that again. Woah, what? I shook my head, trying to clear it. You and Chad aren't meant to be together girly. Get that in your head! After what happened with the reporters and the journal, how would you ever be able to trust him again? I mean, hypothetically, if you still liked him, WHICH YOU DON'T SONNY ALLISON MUNROE!
"Alright guys!" I said quickly, to get my mind off of Chad. "Should we try to run the Harry Potter sketch again?"
"Sure!" Shayne bounced over, grinning at me. "That's one of my favorite sketches for this show." He winked slyly.
I nodded, trying to ignore his flirting. "Yeah, well, you're really good in this role. I'm excited to be a part of it."
"And I'm excited for you to be my Ginny." He said, putting his arms around my waist and pulling me close.
"Uh, Shayne, let's try to keep it professional for now okay?" Matthew said lightly. Shayne shot him a look, but Matthew nodded toward Chad, who was glaring at him so hard, I'm amazed he didn't melt. Shayne sighed and released me.
"Oh well, time for all that later." He said, quickly kissing me on the cheek. I nodded, and tried to smile, but inside I was miserable. This will teach you to use people to make other people jealous, I reminded myself. It's not Shayne's fault he thinks your interested in him. You practically told him you were!
"Okay." Tawni said, applying one last coat of Cocoa-Moco-Cocoa. "I'm ready now."
"Alrighty then!" Nico consulted the script. "Sonny, Shayne, you enter from stage left, holding hands."
I took Shayne's hand as we walked toward the middle of the room. Nico continued to feed us our stage directions and the occasional line as we walked through the skit. It was pretty funny in some spots, and I had to hold back my laughter a couple of times. One time when I fumbled over a line, I couldn't help it and burst out laughing. There was a moment of silence, then everyone started laughing along with me. For a second, everything felt right again. We were a team, there was no hidden anger or paranoia. Then the laughter died down, the sketch ended, and the frigid silence enveloped the room once again.
We ran through the sketch a couple more times until we had it down, then moved on to one of my favorite sketches, Possibly Sarcastic Skip. I wasn't in this one, so I sat down on the sidelines and watched as Chad, Nico, Matthew, Bridget and Grace acted out their parts. Chad was the "lead" in this sketch, because he played Skip, and I couldn't believe how well he did. He was funny, and I realized for the first time how good of an actor he really was. Not just because he was Mackenzie of Mackenzie Falls, but because he could really make you believe he was the character he was playing. I laughed quietly as they rehearsed, then re-rehearsed the sketch. Once, while Nico talked briefly with Matthew about reactions to a line in the scene, Chad's gaze flitted over to me. When he saw I was smiling, a brief smile lit his face as well. But the next instant, he was looking at Rebecca, and I wondered if I had just imagined it.
"Sonny?" I looked up to see Shayne standing next to me. "It's our lunch break now. I was wondering if maybe you wanted to grab something to eat with me."
"Uh, well..." I started, trying to think of a delicate way to say no.
"Sonny? Can I speak to you for a minute?" I looked up to see Marshall standing in the room, beckoning to me.
"Sure!" I shot up, eager for the opportunity to get away from Shayne. "Hey Shayne, just go on without me, okay? I don't know how long this is going to take and I can just get something with Tawni later. But thanks!"
I walked over to Marshall just as he called. "And Chad? Can you come over here too please?" I froze.
Chad walked over slowly, looking wary. "What is it Marshall? I kind of had lunch plans." I glanced over to see Rebecca waiting at the doorway, and my heart sank.
"Well cancel them!" Marshall said shortly. "You're staying here for lunch."
"What?" We both said at the same time.
"That's right." Marshall said. "With this extra song in the show you are going to need some extra practice. So grab a bite in the cafeteria and then head back here to work on your duet."
"Oh, Marshall, do we have to?" I said, then instantly felt like a whiny child when Marshall quirked an eyebrow at me.
"Yes you do, Sonny." He looked back and forth between us, then folded his arms across his chest. "Excuse me for saying so, but its your guys responsibility to make this show a great one. If that involves putting in some extra practice time you should be willing to do that, no questions asked. It's part of your job The job, may I remind you, you both almost lost over this duet in the first place." He paused, as I twisted my hands together nervously. Marshall almost never said things like that to us. After a minute he continued, "Listen Sonny, Chad, I'm not trying to be the bad guy here. Mr. Condor is much more cut out for that job than I am. But this is getting serious. A miss-step at this point could mean the end of So Random. I understand it's hard to keep your relationship only professional at this point-" I opened my mouth just as Chad said, "No-" but Marshall held up his hand, stopping us. "I'm not finished yet. I understand things may be complicated right now, but taking time to sort out all your hormone ridden teenage feelings is just not a luxury you two have right now. So take a breath, say a prayer, do some yoga, whatever it takes to get you through the next few days, and then if it's what you want, you two never even have to be in the same room ever again. But if one or both of you want to stay on So Random, I suggest you learn to deal with the other person's existence on this planet. Have a good rehearsal." He turned and walked out.
There was a long moment of very awkward silence until Chad spoke. "Well. That was harsh."
I shrugged. "He's just doing his job."
Chad's voice hardened. "You could call it that. Or you could call it messing in our private lives. Either way."
I sighed, exasperated. "Chad, he's trying to help us. He doesn't want us to get kicked off the show anymore than either of us want to leave."
"Agree to disagree." He said shortly, running his fingers through his hair the way he always did when he was truly annoyed. It's the only time he'll risk messing up his perfect hair, I thought, inwardly rolling my eyes.
"Fine." I said back, annoyed at his tone.
"Fine."
"Good."
"Good."
"Oh great, we're doing it again!" I slapped my forehead, then started walking to the door.
"Hey, where are you going?" Chad yelled after me.
"To the cafeteria. For lunch. Where else would I be going?" I turned around, exasperated.
"Oh, right." He said, looking a little sheepish. "I guess I'll go with you then."
"I couldn't stop you." I said sharply, then marched out the door, hating myself for how I acted when he got me mad.
"Listen, Sonny, will you cut it out?" Chad said, as he caught up to me. "When you talk like that you make me feel like I'm the most insignificant, most annoying person on earth."
I stopped abruptly, then stared at him, trying to see if he was sincere. I have that effect on the great Chad Dylan Cooper? Other than the time he had thrown up on me during our first date, I had never really entertained the thought that I made Chad nervous. My thoughts flashed back to a couple of days ago, when I first saw him. He had run out of the room looking like he was going to... but there's no way that had anything to do with me. Realizing he was still waiting for me to respond I said, "Welll... most annoying I might agree with, but definitely not most insignificant. And I'm sorry if I did make you feel that way. Ever did, actually. No one deserves to feel that way." I saw his eyes register some shock at my civil reply.
"Oh. Well, it's alright." His response was so soft I had to lean forward to catch it.
"Good." I said quietly. I looked up and suddenly realized how close we were.
"Sonny?" He was so near his breath was warm on my face. "I-I, well, you-you were really good. During the rehearsals today."
"Thanks." Before I knew what I was doing my hand was on the collar of his shirt, my fingers resting lightly against his neck. "Your collar is messed up. Let me get it for you."
"Okay." He leaned slightly closer, and I felt my head start to spin. His nearness brought back so many beautiful memories, so many beautiful feelings I had tried to bury in the back of my mind. I tried to concentrate on what I was doing as I pulled the collar up, then folded it neatly back down.
"There." I looked up and realized his face was literally inches from mine.
"That looks great." He said, his gaze never leaving my face.
"You didn't even look at it." I breathed, my head barely registering the fact that I was talking, my heart beating fast. He's going to kiss me. He really is. Do I want him to kiss me? Yes! I mean, no? I don't know! I wish he would just make up his mind already though!
"We should, ah, get going." He cleared his throat awkwardly and stepped back. The second the distance between us widened, my head cleared. I felt myself flush as the full awkwardness of what had just happened settled over me. "Yeah we should. Let's go." I walked quickly toward the cafeteria, keeping my back as straight as possible while total humiliation threatened to bring me to tears. Way to be strong Sonny. Way to take control of the situation. Way to not let him sweep you off your feet. Was he really about to kiss me? He was. He must have been. But that's not the scary part. I inwardly shivered. I was going to let him.
Chad's POV:
"So what song should we sing? Any suggestions?" I kept my tone carefully disinterested as I tried to look anywhere but directly at the angelically beautiful girl seated next to me. This is so ridiculous Cooper. You have Sonny all to yourself for an hour, and in the first five minutes your in the perfect situation to kiss her, and you can't get up enough courage to do it! You are such an idiot! And a wimp. But mostly an idiot! I checked a sigh as I thought about the starkly awkward last twenty minutes as we ate almost silently in the cafeteria. I had been trying to play it cool, and failing miserably. She must know how close I was to kissing her. She's probably sitting over there laughing over how caught up I was in her. I remembered her fingers lightly tickling my neck as she adjusted my collar, the way her beautiful brown eyes stared up into mine, and felt my knees turn into jello just at the thought. Really, Chad, really? Weak knees? Could you get any more lame at this point? As I glanced at Sonny, I realized that that weak knees was just the tip of the iceberg. Come on man, admit it. If Sonny asked you to literally lie on the ground and let her walk all over you, you'd do it. And you'd enjoy it too. I held back a groan. You are pathetic, Cooper.
Sonny's voice snapped me back to the present. "I don't know. You can make practically any song into a duet."
"Right." I said. "So just choose."
She rolled her eyes. "I think its supposed to be a team effort Chad."
"Well, we're sorta on different teams now, aren't we Sonny?" I said, remembering the journal and the feud..
She frowned. "Really, Chad, really? Did you have to bring that up?"
I sighed. "Fine. We should sing one of your songs. There. Problem solved."
She glared at me. "Problem not solved. My songs aren't that good."
"Oh, stop with the bull crap. We both know your songs are a huge hit wherever they're performed." I said, giving a slight nod to one of the last times we had been together before Sonny abruptly left So Random. The time we had bet Mel that she could get a standing ovation at the Patio. I smiled in spite of myself at the memory.
A slight grin appeared on her face for a second, then disappeared. "You certainly learned that lesson, didn't you Chad?"
"Yep." I said, trying to keep my voice natural.
"Fine." Sonny walked over to her bag and pulled out her song notebook. "Let's see what we have here."
"Can I see?" I said, mostly just to tease her. I was surprised when she took the question seriously.
"I guess... but stick to the pages at the front okay?"
"Sure." I said, quickly taking the book before she had time to change her mind. Even when we had been dating, Sonny had never let me see the inside of this book. I turned to a page almost randomly and pointed at the first song that caught my eye. "What about this one?"
She glanced at the song I was pointing at. "No, we can't do that one."
"Why not?" I asked, expecting her to avoid the question, but she surprised me again.
"Because that's the song I'm singing alone."
"Oh." I glanced down at the lyrics, written in Sonny's pretty handwriting. "Can I hear it?"
"Uh, I don't think so." Sonny said, reaching for the book. "I don't think you'd like it."
"Try me." When she gave me a look I shrugged. "What's the harm? Come on, please?"
"Fine. But consider yourself warned." She grabbed her guitar off the floor and pulled it on to her lap. "Here we go." She hummed a little to herself, as if reminding herself how the music went, then began to play and sing softly.
When I was younger,
I saw my daddy cry,
And curse at the wind,
Broke his own heart,
And I watched,
As he tried to reassemble it,
And my momma swore,
She would never let herself forget,
And that was the day that I promised,
I'd never sing of love,
If it does not exist,
But darling,
You are the only exception,
You are the only exception,
You are the only exception,
You are the only exception,
Maybe I know somewhere,
Deep in my soul,
That love never lasts,
And we've got to find other ways,
To make it alone,
Or keep a straight face,
And I've always lived like this,
Keeping a comfortable distance,
And up until now,
I had sworn to myself that I'm content,
With loneliness,
Because none of it was ever worth the risk,
As she sang the chorus again I saw how caught up she got in the music and realized something. Sonny had lived this song. I wondered when she had wrote it and if maybe, just maybe, I was the only exception. My heart pounded as Sonny continued to sing.
I've got a tight grip on reality, but I can't,
Let go of what's in front of me here,
I know you're leaving in the morning, when you wake up,
Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream,
As she sang the final chorus and strummed the last notes on her guitar, I felt as if my tongue had gone numb. She looked up when she was finished, obviously expecting a response. "Sonny... that was good. Really good." Well, that was articulate.
"Thanks." She smiled briefly. "I wrote it awhile ago, but I still love singing it."
"Yeah. You sounded..." Beautiful. Angelic. Amazing. Fantastic. "-good." Fail.
"Thanks. Well, we should probably get started on our duet." Just then, her phone started to moo. She immediately jumped up. "Uh, actually, hold on a second. That might be my dad."
"Yeah, sure." But she was already answering anyway, a happy smile on her face. I wonder why Sonny never mentioned her dad when we were dating. Is that where she went when she left So Random? To see her dad? I sighed. I doubt I'll ever know at this point.
Sonny's POV:
"So, Dad, what's new with you?" I asked, smiling at the familiar tone of his voice.
"Well... actually that's what I called to talk to you about..." He sounded nervous.
"What? Is something wrong? Are you okay? Is Heather okay? Do I need to come home? Are you taking your meds?" I said, my pulse quickening as I thought of the thousands of disasters that might have happened.
"Calm down Sonny, it's alright. It's nothing like that. It's just that, uh, well I don't know exactly how to tell you this but..." He trailed off.
I laughed. "You sound like a kid trying to explain to his teacher why he didn't do his homework. Come on, Dad, just tell me. I'm a big girl."
"Well, Sunshine, the thing is... I'm getting married."
Instantly I felt numb all over. "What?" I gripped the phone tighter, trying to make sure this wasn't a dream. "You're kidding right? This has to be some kind of joke."
"It isn't. I'm sorry to spring it on you like this Sonny, but it... well, it just happened."
"Wh-who?" I stuttered. I noticed Chad giving me a weird look and walked to the other side of the room with my back turned to him, trying to get some privacy.
"My therapist. Lisa. You've met her."
I gasped and laughed at the same time, not believing my ears. The room spun. "You're marrying your therapist? Isn't that like against the law or something?" I blinked hard, trying to stop the tears from flooding my eyes. "When did this all happen? When did you even start dating her? And what about Mom? Does she know? Did she even know you were seeing another woman?"
"Sonny, we're divorced. I don't need to report back to your mother every time I start to date a woman." My dad sounded mildly exasperated.
"Dad, I-I can't believe you would do this to me! You're going to bring some random stranger into my life and expect me to just automatically love her? It doesn't work like that Dad." Tears choked my voice and I stopped talking to wipe my eyes.
"Sunshine..."
"Don't." I stopped him. "I've been trying to piece our family back together for a year Dad! I forgave you for every mistake you ever made. I promised to be there for you and for Heather. But not for this woman. Some psychologist who talked you into buying her a ring."
"Sonny, let's keep calm." My dad's soothing voice only irritated me further.
"I DON'T WANT TO KEEP CALM!" I screamed, not even caring if Chad heard. "Please don't marry her!"
"I love her." My dad's voice, quiet but sincere hit my heart at its rawest point. I felt my head start to grow fuzzy as the situation became too overwhelming to handle. I hit the end button on my phone as my stomach took a dive to my toes and my head spun.
"Chad I-" I tried to take a step forward and swayed helplessly back and forth. "Help!" The world went black.
Chad's POV:
"Sonny? Sonny!" I reached her just as she fell and managed to catch her in my arms at the last second. "Can you hear me?" I laid her gently on the ground and began to do first aid, first checking her pulse and breathing, then lightly smacking her wrists and cheeks in an attempt to wake her up. As I saw her lying there, so pale and still and not responding to me, fear chilled my heart.
I grabbed her water bottle and started to unscrew the cap, thinking the liquid would probably wake her up, when I remembered something my little sister had once told me when she was a little girl. "If a princess ever falls asleep or faints, you've got to wake her up with a kiss. It means you love her. If she wakes up, you know she loves you too, and that she'll be yours forever. If she doesn't, it means you're not her Prince Charming." As I stared down at Sonny, her brown hair spread out over the floor, her lips slightly parted, I realized that this was my chance. It was now or never. I gently touched her face with my hand and whispered the words that had been on my heart for so long, "I love you, my beautiful princess." I slipped my hand behind her neck and gently lifted her head. Then I took a deep breath, leaned down, and kissed her.
AN: So. Much. Channy! :) So what did you think? Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading, and please review!
