Author's Note: Happy Friday! Hope you guys enjoy it. I love all the support and it makes me want to write more and more, but please please please review. It motivates me, and Kelsey when we're going through the writer's block. Much love to you all! :)

Chad Dylan Cooper wasn't an impatient guy. Sure, he lost his temper a few times when incompetent pizza delivery boys couldn't count the change properly, or when his Mother proceeded to bore him with details about his brother-in-law's accounting firm. Normally Chad Dylan Cooper was a patient guy, but recently, he seemed to have turned into the person he never wanted to be. He lost his temper more than once at innocent bystanders and once he punched his bedroom wall when he read Sonny's goodbye note.

"Sonny Munroe doesn't live here anymore," he told the man on the phone. It was Mark, her agent, who had called countless times in the past few weeks regarding the status of her career. "She hasn't been home in months, and she's not talking to me right now. I don't know what else to say."

"The show gave her a break months ago when she said she was suffering from stress and exhaustion," he sighed, "But now these photos of her out getting wasted and high with Keisha are going to get her fired!"

"She doesn't give a shit Mark," Chad shrugged his shoulders, picking up a magazine with one of the photos in question. Sonny looked dangerously thin and pale, with unfortunate looking scars on her arm. She looked a shadow of the woman she once was. She looked exhausted and stressed behind her carefree smile. "And frankly, neither do I. She can do whatever she wants."

"You don't mean that Cooper," Mark said, as if he knew him so well. It made Chad fume further. Mark wasn't the only one; everyone seemed to think that he still cared for Sonny Munroe, even his own Mother. "Okay, well if she calls or you talk; will you please ask her to give me a call?"

"And when the four horsemen of the apocalypse call you, will you please tell them that I'd love to have a place on their squad?" He replied sarcastically, hanging up the phone.

He threw the magazine onto the glass coffee table and leaned back, trying not to think of her, because whenever he did, he almost suffocated with the rage he felt. She wasn't worth it, and he certainly wasn't going to choke for her affections. She left when he had been out working and he still didn't know why. She moved in with Ryan Wright and refused to speak to him on the phone, online, or in person. He still didn't understand it, and it confused him. He would stay up late most nights trying to figure out why his best friend treated him like this, but he soon made himself stop. He soon blocked it all out.

"Was that another Sonny call?" Tawni asked, walking out of the bathroom, strands of her platinum blonde hair hanging from the towel she had the rest of her hair wrapped up in. Chad didn't reply; instead he kissed his girlfriend and tried to remember the reason they were still together.

"Who gives a shit?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm so glad you adopted my attitude towards the whole thing," she smiled, kissing him passionately, her tanned hands holding both his cheeks. Her breath always tasted minty fresh, and her hands were always so soft. She was truly beautiful and he was sure that she adored him. "Chad, I'm the star. She wasn't meant for you; I think US Weekly have decided the best celebrity couple."

The magazines had warmed excitedly to the idea of Chad and Tawni dating, because, and even he accepted it, it was the relationship that every tabloid yearned for: the loudmouth blonde and her dreamy stud. What children would they produce? They would have such a lavish wedding and the perfect WASP existence that most of America wanted. Tawni also didn't believe in privacy, which was an added bonus.

"Yeah," he smiled, as they both sat down on the sofa. Chad looked towards his laptop, sitting open at a word document he was desperate to use. Ever since Sonny had fabricated his career as a screenwriter, he thought about the job everyday. His Mother always told him that he could write and he was beginning to believe it, now if only he could think of an idea. "Hey babe, remember I told you –"

"Oh my God! Look at me here!" Tawni gushed, looking at a photograph of herself endorsing some new shampoo product. She looked beautiful, but that was really only because she had been wearing glossy extensions and layers of expensive make-up the common woman or man could never afford. "Wow, now people know what seeing a real live angel looks like. Just think baby, I am all yours."

"Awesome," he replied, putting his arm around her. She nestled into his arms for just a minute, and then she sat up straight, looking confused.

"Oh my God I don't have make-up on! You know I like to look amazing, even when it is just us two!" She exclaimed, looking into the mirror, horrified with her appearance. "I mean I do look like a goddess without make-up I guess, but you know how I feel Chad!"

"I'm going out," he smiled calmly, rolling his eyes as he walked out the door. He had no idea where he was going; he just needed to leave that apartment. When Tawni looked into the mirror, he swore he saw Sonny smiling back at him, her face bare and her lips still red. She didn't care how she looked in the mornings and would come into the living room and sit next to Chad with ease, pointing out the tiny blemishes she wasn't ashamed of. That was a real woman. It was just a shame she was no longer with him.

He walked with oversized shades on and signed autographs for the handful of people that recognized him. He didn't really want to be seen by anyone, except maybe…her. Even if they could talk for just a minute and he could perhaps ask her everything he wanted to ask. Why did she leave? Why didn't she tell him? Why wouldn't she talk to him now? Why did she keep so quiet when he took her home after her hospital trip? Sometimes she would look at him with such pain and desperation, as if she was trying to tell him something.

"Chad Dylan Cooper?" He heard a female voice ask, and he took out the permanent marker he carried around consistently for the fans that didn't expect to run into him. He tried not to sigh, and turned around to face the brunette girl who was smiling at him. Chad took off his shades and noticed the young woman looking at him with a smile on her face. He gasped and felt thankful to see a familiar face.

"Portlyn?" He asked with surprise. It had been so long! The formerly rail thin girl in the school uniform had been replaced with a trim young woman in a pair of skinny jeans and tank-top with golden colored skin. Chad would be lying if he said he didn't feel anything for her. He didn't mean to, but he immediately embraced her, ignoring the suffocating scent of her perfume.

"It's good to see you too," she giggled nervously, and that was when reality hit Chad. He stepped back, and scratched the back of his blonde hair nervously. It wasn't hard to admit that he used to have a huge crush on his co-star before a certain Wisconsin native came on the scene. He'd broken her heart, because she realised her feelings way too late. "God, it's been so long, how are you?"

"I'm okay, and you?" He asked her. "I saw that photoshoot you did for – for – for um-"

"The photoshoot I did for Playboy?" She asked him, smirking. She showed absolutely no shame, despite the fact that the guy she was talking to had seen everything about her body. "It's okay, I'm not ashamed."

"And why should you be? Right?" He laughed nervously, "Um, you looked good Port, is that what you're doing now?"

"Well, after I left The Falls and went to college, I started studying feminism and theories about how women have been regarded as these sweet little virgins," she explained, with absolutely no fear or shame in her voice. "And it spoke to me, so when I graduated, I founded an organization for young women eager to step out of their Virgin Queen stereotypes. So yeah, I guess I'm taking an interest in it."

"Wow, are you seeing anyone? Because that seriously is a guy's idea of heaven," he replied, trying to ignore the feelings below his waist. He had a girlfriend, albeit she had originally been a decoy to make his former roommate jealous. He had been monogamous to her and they had somehow ended up in a real relationship instead of the fling he had intended.

"No, but I want to," she replied. "I admire girls who can sleep with anything on legs, but I'm still rooting for the whole love thing. What about you Cooper? I noticed that you were living with Sonny Munroe and starring in some romcoms. What are you doing now?"

"I have this new sitcom thing," he shrugged his shoulders, because he didn't. Chad Dylan Cooper had been walking around in a daze of photoshoots, peroxide blonde and anger. His career consisted of romantic comedies and guest appearances on pitiful teen dramas that no one watched. He longed to be taken seriously as an actor and as a writer. Now, if only he could convince Hollywood's heavyweights that he was worth their time and had Oscar potential. "It's really no big deal." It was only no big deal, because she wasn't the woman he wanted to share his success with, not that he would ever admit that.

"Do you wanna grab some coffee Chad?" She asked him, taking his arm without a second thought. He allowed her. He didn't give a shit about who saw them, because at that moment he was his own person again and not an accessory for Tawni Hart's arm.

"You're so different," she giggled, sipping on the coffee they were drinking outside in the sunshine. "I remember you used to be so arrogant and self-centered. No offence."

"I can still be an asshole," he sneered. "Port, I still think I look like a Greek God. Is that what you want to hear?"

"It sounds weird," she laughed, her teeth gleaming in the light. "You've changed so much. You actually asked about me when we met! If I met you from five years ago, you wouldn't believe it!"

"I've not changed that much Port," he shook his head. He didn't like hearing about who he used to be, because there was someone to blame for why he wasn't the same.

"Trust me, you-"

"Can we just leave it at that Portlyn?" He asked her, sounding impatient. He knew when his voice reached a frightening sense of normalcy that he wasn't feeling fine.

"Are you okay?" She asked him, as he drummed his fingers against the table. He couldn't understand it, for some reason he was ready to lose his temper again. When she told him he was different, it made him remember things; it made him remember the reason he was so different. "Look, I heard about Sonny and what happened with you guys. Is everything okay?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" He asked, shrugging his shoulders. "Sure, we had sex, stopped talking and then she left when we were meant to be patching things up. But I don't give a shit, honestly."

"She's a real mess Chad," Portlyn shook her head sadly, and it only made Chad's heart begin to race. "No one would blame you for being upset. I take it she's not talking to you."

"Why wouldn't people blame me for being upset?" He asked her, shaking his head. "We were friends, and now we aren't. It happens, and it's sad, but it's a part of life. I'm much happier now, really."

It was at that moment when Portlyn reached across the table, and captured Chad's lips with her own. They were slightly chapped, and her hands were cold despite the hot coffee she had been holding a second earlier. Her kiss was different, with more passion and less public affection. She stroked the back of his head softly, and he placed his hands on her cheeks, feeling the blemishes on her cheeks. It was nice. She was nice. It was everything he wanted, but shouldn't need. He then remembered who he was, and who he was with, pushing her away softly…and reluctantly.

"What are you doing?" He sighed.

"You're not alone Chad," she told him softly. "I know that it's never going to give me anything I want, but I always liked you, I still do. Someone cares how you feel, I promise."

"I have a girlfriend," came his reply. He didn't want to say it, but his moral conscience was pounding against his skull and begging him to acknowledge it, despite the beautiful woman sitting across from him. "And she loves me. I'm sorry, but I can't do this."

"I know," she nodded her head.

"I have to go," he said, forcing himself out of the chair. "I'm sorry."

"Give her time Chad," she suddenly blurted out, biting her lip. "Sonny will eventually come back to you; I just think that she needs some time." He ignored her and walked away. He wouldn't dare admit that he hoped she was right.

The next day, Chad went to visit Connie. They had buried the hatchet since the time he blurted out everything about he and Sonny's destructive liaison. Sonny hadn't visited her in months, and despite trying to disguise the truth from the woman, he was unable to hide it for a long time. After a week or two, she asked the inevitable question, and Chad was forced to admit that his former best friend was no longer living with him, and not even speaking to him. He attempted to edit out the atrocities of her behaviour, but he was unable to do that for long, because Connie really was better than they thought she was.

"She's gong to eventually be okay," she insisted, when Chad replied that they still hadn't spoken to each other. "She needs some time to be a little crazy. She's always had to be so smart and sensible. She's going to come back to me. She's going to come back to both of us."

"You don't need to include me in your hopeful speech," he told her softly. He shouldn't have said it, but it blurted out. Chad Dylan Cooper was furious that the whole world expected his life to fall apart all because she wasn't there. He. Was. Fine.

He had Tawni Hart and a relatively promising career. Chad didn't need anyone in his life, especially so-called best friends who abandoned him for a careless and hollow life of partying and cheap kicks. He was sick of everyone treating her disappearance as a respectable one. She was a bitch, and they had to face it. She didn't deserve anyone's sympathy or understanding, and he knew. She wouldn't appreciate it; she would walk out the door without as much as a goodbye. She would leave a note and expect people to be fine after it. She was a bitch, and it had taken a long time for him to say it.

"I know that you're mad Chad," she told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. Her hands were so bony and fragile, continuously shaking, no matter how warm the weather. "I'm not going to ask you to forgive her, but I need you to have faith in her. She doesn't believe in herself anymore."

"Why won't anyone face the fucking facts?" He demanded, clenching his fists. "She left without saying goodbye to me! She left for that Ryan Wright who is a well-known womanizer and not to mention recreational cocaine user! She won't return my calls, but she manages to party all night and call other people to let them know where she is! It sounds to me like she believes in herself alright! She seems to have more faith than you give her credit for, because she managed to leave a cab with her front entrance hanging out for all to see!"

The words hurt Connie, he could tell by the way her face screwed up towards the end of his outburst. He hadn't meant to upset her, and watching her eyes fill with tears made him feel full of remorse. No Mother should have to hear that about her daughter. She sighed and massaged her forehead, rocking back and forth, and tears spilling down her cheeks.

"I know you're mad at her," she insisted softly, which only infuriated him further. He was about to interrupt her, but she placed a finger over his lips. "You deny it, and I understand. I think we're all in denial Chad. No one expected Sonny to fall apart, and admitting it means admitting that the security's gone. I think about it every night and I'm so angry at her, but I can't hate her. She needs to come back on her own. She needs to hit rock bottom before she can re-surface. She will come back to you."

"I can't even enjoy my new success," Chad said, changing the subject before he allowed his emotions to get the better of him. "This show I'm in is everything I have ever wanted, and I can't even enjoy it anymore. It is all so fucked up!"

"I'm very proud of you," she told him, nodding her head. "I know it doesn't mean much to you, but when I read that in the paper, I felt pride. I know that you'll never admit it, but you know that there's someone else you want to share that success with. I promise you, she'll have read it, and I bet she's so happy for you."

"You think?" He asked her, letting his guard down for just a second, before maintaining his dignity once more. "Whatever, I don't even care anymore."

"Whatever you say," she replied. Chad Dylan Cooper wasn't budging from his stance and there was nothing anyone could do to change that.

Chad walked back to his apartment, with his hands in his pocket, looking up at the night sky. When they were friends, they used to pretend they knew all about astronomy and spend the night on the roof of their apartment. They would drink beer and lie on a duvet, pointing out collections of stars and make up names of what the constellations were called. They would promise to learn more about it, but they never did. They just held hands and looked up at the sky. He didn't care about the stars; he only cared about the girl lying under them.

He shook his head, trying to get rid of the memories. It was time for him to move on. She didn't love him. She never had, and he had spent all of his time on nothing. She was gone, and he was going to have to face it. He was with Tawni now, and he had to be happy. Tawni was happy with him; she expected him not to think of Sonny Munroe. He couldn't think about Sonny Munroe. Never again.

RING! RING!

"Hello?"

"Hello, is that you Chad?" He could hear the frantic tone of Keisha, and suddenly his phone felt very heavy in his hand, and his other hand clenched into a fist.

"What do you want?" He tried to remain calm, but he was essentially having a conversation with the girl who had helped his former best friend lose everything she once held close to her.

"I need to talk to you," she insisted, and she sounded urgent, but the girl was an actress, he supposed that she could easily turn on a tone of urgency. "About So-"

"No! I don't give a fuck anymore Keisha!" He protested. "You guys were the ones who fucking took her into your world, so it's your problem now. I don't give a flying fuck about any of it anymore."

"Chad, please don't hang up on me!" She pleaded. "There's a real problem here! She's in real trouble and I badly need to talk to you about it. Please, don't hang up on me."

He would admit that he was tempted to meet her, but then he remembered the phone call Lucy had received weeks earlier from Ryan, and he feared he would receive a beating. Keisha couldn't be trusted, and as much as he wanted to believe she was being genuine, he couldn't. He just couldn't believe that they were using his former friend to be so violent towards her real friends.

"Wow, would you believe it's 'do the opposite as Keisha says' day?" He replied sarcastically, "I think I'm going to hang up the phone now."

"Chad, please don't, I need –"

He didn't hear anything else that she said, because he hung up. A part of him wanted to call Sonny, whose number remained on his phone under a different name to keep Tawni from suspecting anything. He blocked Keisha's calls and deleted her text messages without reading them. He didn't blame her for all of it though; he just blamed her for not putting a stop to it. Whenever he thought about it, when he let his guard down, he always found he was so mad that he could cry. He shook his head, as if that would shake off the memories of everything. He was determined not to care, and that was how he behaved all the way home.

Chad's denial stance ended the moment he walked into his bedroom. He didn't make a sound as he crept into the apartment, hoping to surprise Tawni. He opened the bedroom door to see her in bed with an unfamiliar man. Chad had probably seen him on TV, because Tawni Hart didn't sleep with anyone unless they were famous. The most difficult thing was keeping quiet. He was in shock, and he felt a little sick. They were kissing passionately, and naked in the bed she and Chad shared. There were candles flickering beside them, making Tawni's eyes light up as she enjoyed every minute. They didn't see him standing there, because there was only a small crack in the door.

The most terrifying thing was how Chad felt. He felt nothing. He was surprised, and slightly angry that he was going to have to wash those sheets later. But he wasn't upset with her. He didn't feel betrayed by her. He was actually surprised that he hadn't learned it sooner. Of course Tawni was going to cheat on him. They were never truly happy.

He left minutes later. He knew exactly where he should be going, but instead he went somewhere else.

"I had to see you tonight," he whispered desperately when she opened the door. He hadn't stopped thinking of her. What happened earlier only strengthened his urge to see her. It had been so long, and surely it wasn't too late to mend fences. She knew how he truly felt about everything, and even though he didn't agree with everything she was doing, he wanted her.

"Do you want to come in?"

"Yeah," he replied, stepping up and kissing her on the lips. He stepped away after a few seconds. "I need someone to understand. I need to block it out. I need to forget everything for just a little while, okay?"

"Okay," she nodded her head, her curls bouncing off her shoulders. "Come on in."

Chad sighed, and followed Portlyn into her home.