The most stinging pain there is is the absence of someone that was once always there. It was hard for Chad the next few days. He never saw Sonny. Or, his Sonny at least. Sure, he saw her at lunch ignoring him. But he didn't get his Sonny; the one who stuck her tongue out at him, or held his hand out of comfort, or the one who smiled at his cockiness. The one who goofed around with him. The one who made him smile when no one else seemed to be able to. Now he just stared at her from afar and wished he could take everything back. He wished he would have smiled when she came into his dressing room that one day.

He wished he would have kissed her when she greeted him.

He wished he would have said "I love you" when she asked what the kiss had meant.

He wished she was his.

But instead, he was wallowing in his regrets.

She had pretty much told him she loved him and he had acted like he was too good for her. Like always.

And it was awful having to watch her have fun with her friends and knowing he had no one.

He did love Sonny. More than anyone. So shouldn't he just tell her that? He played with his fingers at his lunch table a few days later and kept glancing over to Sonny. He shook his head and decided to do something about all of this. He stood up and strolled over to her lunch table.

"Hey, Sonny!" He said, his voice dripping with fake enthusiasm and his hand resting on the back of her chair.

Sonny turned her head and shot a glare at Chad.

"Chad."

"Sonny." He beamed at her. His smile seemed plastic. Everything seemed so wrong.

"Chad." She replied; going back to the fruit she was eating.

"Let's talk, huh?" Chad asked. Except it didn't come out as a question. It was more of a statement as he cocked his head to the side; gesturing for them to go to an empty area.

Tawni and Nico were giving each other confused looks as Sonny and Chad conversed.

"Chad, I'm busy-"

"Please." His expression became more serious instead of playful. She paused for a moment before dropping her fork on her plate and standing up; harshly throwing her napkin on the table. She ignored Tawni's glare of protest and followed him to an empty corner of the cafeteria.

"What?" She suddenly snapped quickly; crossing her arms.

"Sonny, I didn't mean what I said the other day." Chad insisted. He moved an inch closer to Sonny, and she took a step back.

"What?" She gaped at him.

"I didn't mean it. I do like you, and that kiss meant that I lo-" He stopped himself. Him saying 'I love you' for the first time shouldn't be in the cafeteria. "I love spending time with you and holding your hand and kissing you and laying with you. And I just want to be with you." He said in one breath. And he swore his heart was stopped right at that moment.

Sonny continued to stare at him. "What?"

"Do I really need to say it again, Monroe?" He replied sassily; raising an eyebrow.

"I just don't believe it." She replied quietly. She looked at the floor for a moment, and then back into Chad's eyes. They were so lovely, as always. But Sonny knew not to fall for it. She would just get her heart broken again, just like the night Chad had rejected her.

"Believe what?" Chad inquired.

"That you would lie to me like that. After all this craziness, I thought you and I were…friends." She said the last word like a quiet secret. Like if she said it any louder, everything around them would collapse.

"Sonny, you're my best friend. I thought you knew that."

"Well, now I'm not so sure." Sonny spat; starting to walk away. Chad grabbed her wrist fast and pulled her back to him. He gazed into her brown eyes. They looked sad and unforgiving. Chad gulped. "Sonny, I thought that if you and I dated, I would just screw it all up. I didn't want to hurt you." Chad's grip on Sonny's wrist tightened and he gave her a pleading look.

Sonny's brow crumpled into a baffled look. "You didn't wanna hurt me?" She scoffed and ripped her arm away from Chad's grasp. "Well, congrats. Chad. You did." She gave him one last hurtful glare before marching out of the cafeteria.

And like Chad had previously felt, there was nothing more painful than the absence of someone who was once always there. And there's nothing more heartbreaking to watch than the one you love walk out of your life.