A/N: Hello lovelies. Do you hate me for not updating sooner? You totally should! I need a harraser for this story. :) Someone who will send me a message every couple of weeks and be like "UPDATENOWZ! D". Enough author talk…I know that's not what you "tune in" for.

Oh, a little note for you guys.

Italics- Sonny
Italics and Bold- Chad
Underlined- Both

Disclaimers: I do not own Sonny with a Chance or any of its characters. I am too poor for that.


Don't Stop Believing
by 0TwistedAngel0
Chapter 7: The Smell of Wine and Cheap Perfume

Sonny grinned as she shook Marshall's hand. She had just finished her audition and she felt increasingly confident about it. "Thank you so much, Mr. Pike. It means the world to me…"

"Sonny, I told you, it's Marshall. We have two other girls auditioning for the spot but you are by far my favorite." He told her as he leaned in a little closer as if it were a secret.

Sonny blushed under the praise. "Thank you, Marshall…do you know when the spot will be casted?" she asked hesitantly. How long would she have to agonize and ponder? How long would she have to wait until she found out if her dreams were coming true or if they were going to be crushed?

"Well, Mr. Condor himself is going to be here in a week to look at the audition tapes and choose the actors for several shows on the lot. So, probably a week, or week and a half before you know." Marshall said. Sonny's nerves began to kick in. A week? However, she smiled professionally and nodded her head.

"Thanks again, Marshall. Have a nice day." Sonny said as she gave him a hug. Marshall seemed surprised by her sudden show of affection and sonny smiled bashfully as she quickly pulled away. "Sorry, I'm a hugger." She admitted with a nervous laugh.

Marshall laughed it off and then said goodbye to Sonny before heading back to work. Sonny quickly took out her cell phone and sent Chad a text.

'I just hugged the producer of so random…will it hurt my audition?'

The girl pressed send and then began to make her way towards the Stage 3 exit. Her phone vibrated and Sonny saw she had received a reply from Chad.

'hahaha, you dork. Don't worry, it probably just added to your charm. ;D'

Sonny knew the text was completely innocent and that Chad could be a total flirt. So she didn't understand why she felt her cheeks warm up and a grin grow on her face. So what if Chad thought she was charming? It wasn't a big deal…Sonny pushed those thoughts away and texted him back.

'why thank you! Meanwhile, I'm starving. Let's meet up for an early dinner! :D'

Sonny waited for a moment and quickly received a reply.

'sure thing but off the studio lot. Remember, the commissary food is disgusting. Meet me out front.'

Instead of replying Sonny put her phone away and power walked to the studio entrance. There- leaning casually against a wall, looking more like a model than a bystander was Chad. Sonny smiled and called out his name. He turned at the sound and returned her smile. Chad wouldn't admit it, even to himself but being away from Sonny made him anxious. Sonny was just too naïve to be left alone in LA without some kind of escort. She couldn't believe that she had lived her entire life without mistrusting people, or doubting people's intentions. In Chad's world, everything was cut throat and gossipy. Sonny was so completely oblivious to his world that it actually scared him.

"Hey, ready to go?" he asked her as she came to a stop in front of him.

"Sure thing! You seem to be in a much better mood. What happened?"

Chad shrugged. "I'll tell you about it over food. Where do you want to go?"

The two of them made their way back to the limo. Chad opened the door for Sonny and she giggled. Her day was really going amazingly well- even in spite of the bus troubles from that morning. She slid inside and then Chad joined her a moment later. "Surprise me. I want to go somewhere fun though…no fancy stuff, okay?"

Chad stared at the girl in front of him for a moment. Suddenly, the perfect place came to mind. He knew Sonny would enjoy it. He told Benjamin the directions to the place he had in mind and then leaned back with a confident smirk on his face. Sonny raised an eyebrow at him. "What's up with you?"

"Oh nothing. I'm just going to prove that I know Allison Munroe amazingly well for someone who she just met a few days ago," he smirked as he pretended to flip his hair. "I am so amazing."

Sonny rolled her eyes. "Oh please, Chad. You're taking me to dinner…it's not like you've won the Nobel Peace Prize or something…"

"Oh maybe not, but I am confident that you're going to adore this place I'm taking you to. And you're going to have an amazing first day in LA." He spoke confidently as he leaned closer to her. Something about the way he was looking at her made Sonny's stomach flip. She opened her mouth to say something but nothing was coming out. Chad had her captured with his intense blue eyes and he didn't even realize it. Sonny quickly looked away and felt her cheeks turn red. What was that?

Chad gave Sonny an odd look. He was confused about what had just happened. One second the air between them was light and joking and the next… Well he wasn't too sure how to finish that sentence. He glanced away and looked out the window hoping to find a way to bring things back to how they had been. As he was thinking, Sonny broke the silence.

"My audition went really well. I have about a week before I found out if I made it." She said.

Chad turned to look at her. He nodded his head. "That's great, Sonny."

Sonny glanced at him and then looked away again. "So, where are we going?"

"That's for me to know, and for you to find out."

"Aw, come on! Why won't you tell me?"

"It's a surprise." Chad chuckled. The limo came to a stop and Chad grinned. Benjamin opened the door for them and they slid out. "Call Jason and have him make reservations at a hotel. One room, two beds. Take our things there would you, Benjamin?" Chad said as he pulled out his wallet and gave Benjamin a tip. The chauffeur nodded his head and then returned to the driver's seat. Sonny glanced up at the name of the restaurant they had arrived at.

"Orchid Restaurant and Café?" she asked as she gazed at Chad questioningly. Chad smiled and placed his hand on the small of Sonny's back.

"You'll see."

They walked up to the hostess and Chad gave her one of his charming grins. "Table for two, please." He asked her. The hostess appeared to be in her mid-twenties but that did not stop Chad's charm from working on her. The girl had that typically pretty look to her. She had green eyes and long black hair.

"Hi, I'm Cassie. Welcome to the Orchid." She said flirtatiously. Sonny rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. The woman was bordering on being a pedophile. Why couldn't servers just do their jobs instead of trying to get a date with every single one of their customers? A little voice at the back of Sonny's mind told her that this probably only always happened to Chad, and that's why it upset her, but she ignored it.

"Great. I'm Chad. Could you please seat us, Cassie?"

"Certainly." Cassie said as she grabbed a couple of menus and led them to a table near a stage. Sonny wondered why there was a stage in the middle of a restaurant but didn't worry about it too much. She focused her attention on Cassie and how disgustingly obvious she was being about Chad.

Sonny sat across from Chad and they both glanced at Cassie who stood in front of them with a small smirk. "We're running a bit low on waitresses tonight, so I'll also be your server." She glanced at Chad. "Would you and your girlfriend like to order now or do you need a few minutes?"

"Oh, she's not my girlfriend." Chad said as he opened one of the menus. Sonny didn't know why she felt the urge to kick Chad's knee when he said that. Now, the waitress was going to be hitting on him all night! 'Not that I care or anything…' she reassured herself. It was just annoying.

"Oh. My mistake. Would you like to start with some drinks?"

"Yes, I'd like a coke, and Sonny?"

Cassie turned her attention to Sonny and smiled in a way that almost seemed smug to the Wisconsin girl. "I'll have a coke too. Thanks." She said doing her best to be polite. She couldn't make a scene like she had with the Denny's waitress.

"I'll be right back with that." Cassie said as she walked away swinging her hips seductively as she did so. Sonny noticed that Chad's eyes wandered after their waitress for just a moment.

"You're a pig." Sonny said as she rolled her eyes and opened her menu. Chad looked at her with surprise and hurt.

"What?" he whined.

"I saw you checking out our waitress. You're so obvious, I'm surprised you weren't drooling on yourself." Sonny said.

Chad chuckled. "Hey, she's hot, and I'm a guy. I'm sorry…was that insulting to you?"

Sonny glared at him. "Whatever…so what's so special about this place?" she asked cooly. She didn't want to fight with him even if he did seem to have a double personality. Chad glanced behind her and then smiled. "You're about to find out…"

The brunette turned her head to follow his gaze and saw a young man standing on the stage. "All right. Ladies and gentlemen welcome to the Orchid. While you wait for your food, or simply if you feel like letting loose, please come on up and tell our DJ to play your song! The Orchid's karaoke bar is now open! Please enjoy your food, and the rest of your night!"

Sonny's eyes widened and she let out a laugh. She turned to face Chad who was smirking at her. "No way…this is a karaoke restaurant?"

"Do you like it?"

"Do I like it? I love it! Haha, Chad this is awesome. Come on!" Sonny suddenly stood up and grabbed Chad's arm taking him by surprise. What was the most shocking of all was the tingling that was going up his arm at her touch. His heart started pounding as he watched the smiling Sonny drag him towards the stage. She went to the DJ and glanced through their selections. Chad chuckled. "Sonny, I can't sing…" he said. The most singing Chad had ever done was in the shower, and he didn't feel like embarrassing himself in front a whole bunch of strangers. Sonny glanced at him and rolled her eyes. "Who cares? It's your fault for bringing me here anyway….did you expect us not to sing?"

"I expected you to be singing a solo…come on, Sonny…please?"

"Nope." Sonny handed him a microphone and motioned for the DJ to start the music. An instrumental beat filled the room and Chad raised an eyebrow at Sonny.

"Journey?"

"My mom always played classic rock for me while I was growing up. What can I say, I'm an old soul. Besides, Don't Stop Believing is like…the karaoke song. You can't not sing it! You go first!" Sonny whispered. Chad glanced at the room and took in a deep breath. If it were anyone but Sonny…

"Just a small town girl…living in a lonely world. She took the midnight train going anywhere."

"Just a city boy…born and raised in South Detroit. He took the midnight train going anywhere."

Chad was amused by how well the song described them in the beginning.

"A singer in a smoky room"

"The smell of wine and cheap perfume"

"For a smile they can share the night, it goes on, and on and on, and on! Strangers waiting up and down the boulevard, their shadows searching in the night. Street light people living just find emotiong. Hiding somewhere in the night!"

"Working hard to get my fill, everybody wants a thrill!"

"Paying anything to roll the dice, just one more time!"

"Some will win,"

"Some will lose. Some were born to sing the blues. Another movie never ends it goes on, and on, and on and on."

Sonny twirled her way around stage and got the crowd moving and singing along. She was shaking her hips and grabbing Chad and moving him as well. Chad laughed as he watched Sonny do a couple of silly moves just to get a laugh out of the crowd. She was born for the spotlight. He grinned as he watched her and sang alone. He let her take the lead on most of the vocals if only to avoid singing. Sonny seemed to be in her zone.

After the song the two of them received a standing ovation, and Sonny laughed and thanked the crowd graciously. They went back to their seats and Carrie was waiting for them to take their orders. She seemed changed though, she was being increasingly professional. Sonny was surprised that she wasn't hitting on Chad. Carrie took their orders and went to get their food. Chad glanced at Sonny and laughed again.

"You have an amazing voice."

Sonny blushed. "Thanks, you're not so bad yourself."

"I'm mediocre compared to you…in singing anyway…I think I'm the better ac-tor." He smirked as he ran a hand through his hair dividing the word "actor" into two syllables.
"You just totally ruined a potentially sweet moment, Chad." She said shaking her head and taking a sip of her drink.

"Chad?" a voice called out. The two teenagers turned their heads and saw a smiling brunette make her way over to them. Sonny glanced at Chad to see if he knew this girl who obviously knew him. Chad smiled as he recognized the girl approaching them.

"Portlyn, hey!" Chad stood up and gave the girl a friendly hug and Sonny was shocked by the pang of jealousy that hit her stomach. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just grabbing a bite to eat. I saw your performance. Who's your friend?" Portlyn asked as she turned to look at Sonny. "I saw your performance, it was amazing!"

"This is my friend, Sonny Munroe. Sonny, this is Portlyn. I didn't get the chance to tell you about her yet…" Chad said.

"Nice to meet you, Portlyn. So, um how do you know Chad?"

"Oh, I just met him today. I heard that he missed his audition for the show I'm on, and I decided to see if I could pull some strings...and…" she paused for dramatic effect and grinned at Chad.

"What? Come on, Port, don't keep me in suspense!"

Sonny gave Chad an odd look. Port? He had known her for a day, and Portlyn already had a nickname? He had known Sonny longer than that, and she didn't have a nickname. The other two teens didn't sense Sonny's hostility and went about their conversation.

"My uncle is letting you audition again! Mr. Condor is coming to the studio in a week, and you get to audition in person with him!" Portlyn announced. Sonny's eyes widened and Chad cheered as he pulled Portlyn into another hug. "That is amazing! Thank you so much! I can't believe you…my God, thank you!" he laughed. He turned and looked at Sonny. "Sonny, isn't this amazing!?

Sonny smiled. She was very happy for Chad. She just had some mixed feelings at the moment. "Chad, I am so excited for you!" she grinned. Now was not the time to be feeling confused, so she was just going to do what all great actors do. Play it off! Portlyn smiled at both of them and suddenly looked at her watch.

"Oh darn. I have to go. I'm glad I ran into you Chad. I wasn't planning on telling you the news until tomorrow." Portlyn paused to smile at Sonny. "It was great meeting you, Sonny. I hope to see you around." She gave them both a wave and then left the restaurant.

"She seems…nice." Sonny said after a moment of silence.

"Yeah. She's pretty cool. Way too nice." Chad agreed as he lifted his hand. "Check please!"

Carrie came quickly and handed Chad the check. "Here you go. I hope you enjoyed your meal." She smiled. Chad nodded his head. He pulled out his credit card and handed it to Carrie. He glanced at Sonny. "I'm going to the bathroom for a second. It won't take long…" he said getting up.

Sonny nodded her head and then sighed. Carrie's eyes followed Chad and then she sat down quickly in front of Sonny. The girl raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing?"

"I have to make this quick, but I saw that other girl come in…don't give on up on that cutie just yet , okay?"

"What are you talking about? There's nothing going on between Chad and me…" Sonny said. She was completely freaked that the waitress was talking to her like this. What was wrong with her? "And anyways, you were the one totally flirting with Chad earlier…"

"Yeah, that was until I saw the way he looked at you up on that stage." Carrie said. Sonny kept staring at her. "Girl, that boy is totally into you. He might not know it yet, but he really likes you…a lot. That's why I backed up. I don't like being the girl the guy realizes later he's not interested in." Carrie explained. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and then glanced behind her. She saw Chad exit the men's room and quickly stood up.

"Whatever happens, don't give up on him." Carrie quickly went to go pay for Chad and Sonny's meal with Chad's credit card while Chad stood in front of Sonny.

"Ready to go?" he asked. Sonny glanced up at a moment trying to process what Carrie had said. She shrugged and decided that the waitress was obviously reading too much into things. "Yeah," she smiled. "Let's go."

Carrie gave Chad his credit card back and gave Sonny a knowing look that made her uncomfortable. Benjamin picked them up and took them to their hotel. Chad got the keys from the chauffeur and Sonny wished him a good night. They went up to their room and Sonny glanced around. Her eyes landed on a clock. "Wow, is it nine already? Man, the time passes by fast!"

Chad nodded his head. "Yeah, man, it's been a long day."

Sonny nodded her head. Suddenly, her phone started mooing. She quickly picked up without glancing at the caller ID. "Hello?"

"Sonny? Thank God, you're okay! Why didn't you pick up when I called you earlier?"

"Lucy? What's wrong?"

"Sonny, I called you earlier and you didn't pick up, so I got worried and I told your Mom…"

"Lucy! You didn't!"

Sonny heard the shuffle of the phone being passed. "Lucy?"

"Sonny. It's your Mom. Lucy and I are coming to L.A."

In the background Sonny heard a voice over an intercom. 'Flight 465 to Los Angeles, California now boarding'

"I have to go, honey. I'll see you soon."

Sonny hung up the phone in shock. Chad watched her with a worried expression on his face. When she didn't speak, he broke the silence. "Sonny? What is it?"

"My mom is coming to California."


A/N: Wow. That turned out a lot longer than I expected. Please review! I worked hard on this chapter! :] Let me know what you think of it!