-1So Cold

Chapter 9: I Can't Hate You Anymore

Previously:

She then heard the door come open and her mother let out a loud gasp, followed by something she would have never expected.

"Chad?" her mother gasped.

Sonny got up at a lightening fast speed, throwing her room door open, then proceeding to bolt down the stairs.

"Sonny, how many times do I have to tell you to be careful! You cannot get hurt!" Ms. Monroe directed her attention back to her daughter.

Sonny ignored her mother and stared at the boy in the threshold of their home. He was wearing his usual "Falls" outfit, except he had no jacket on and his shirt was drenched with water. His hair was a tousled mess, his hands clenched into fists.

"Look," he said, "I know I didn't agree to help Sonny, but I think, because of certain circumstances that I should. Today, I found out I was going to become a father, I lost my job, and my parents kicked me out. I have no place to go, and I'm sorry."

Sonny's eyes turned into little slits.

"Get out." she said coldly.

"Sonny please!" he begged.

"You never cared about me or our baby! Why would it change now?" she exclaimed.

"I don't have any place to go. It's a sign, Sonny!" he replied.

"Allison Sonny Monroe, let him inside now!" her mother said, "He's dripping wet! He's going to get sick!"

"Come on." she said.

Chad walked in the door and wrapped his arms around himself as Sonny's mom looked over at her.

"I'm going back into the living room, you guys work things out." she said.

Sonny glared at him again. A shiver rippled through Chad's body as he met Sonny's glance.

"I'm sorry." he said quietly, "I don't know what else to do. I got to thinking, on the way down here. If the universe wanted me away from you and…our…baby, then I wouldn't have gotten offered that job on 'So Random' and my parents wouldn't have kicked me out."

Sonny listened intently. "The chill from his clothes has bound to be making him a little crazy. This is not Chad Dylan Cooper standing in front of me." she thought.

"I'm throwing the white flag, Sonny. I'm here. I'm involved. Please don't turn me away." Chad said, "I know, with what all I've said in the last day or so probably makes you want to hate me, but I'm so sorry."

Sonny's eyes started to well up with tears as she looked at the boy, "Chad, I was so scared. I thought I was going to be all alone. I thought I was going to be looked at as some sort of slut because you weren't around, and that when the baby grows up, he or she will wonder where you are and I'll have to say that I don't know and…and…"

Chad stepped forward and did something, up until now, he would've never thought of doing. He wrapped his arms around Sonny and held her close to his chest as she cried.

"I'm really sorry." he said, rubbing her shoulder gently.

"It's okay. It's like you said. You're here now and you're involved and that's what matters." she sniffled.

She pulled away from Chad and looked at him. He was still as big of a mess as he was before.

"Do you have any of your stuff?" she asked.

Chad shook his head, "I've got nothing, really. I think I might have one 'Falls' shirt in my car. I got home and the first thing I did was tell my parents what had happened before my mom had to leave for a nighttime photo shoot. She's a model."

"There's Chad." she thought sarcastically.

"Is there anytime you'll be able to go back and get it?" she asked.

"They're jetting off to Milan for fashion week next week, so I guess, if the gardener's not working I could get in then. I still have my key." he said.

"Is your undershirt dry?" she asked.

"I don't know." he said.

She held out her hand, "Give me your blue shirt and I'll go stick it in the washer."

"That'll take too long, won't it?" he asked.

"What does it matter?" she asked.

"I've got to go find a hotel that will only accept cash, because if I use my card my parents will cut it off." he said.

"You don't have to do that."

"Why?"

"'Cause you're staying here." she said.

"You honestly want me around?" he asked, sounding shocked.

"Yeah, Chad, I do." she half smiled, "I think it would be nice if our baby could grow up with a real family."

Chad bit his lip to keep from smiling, "Yeah, the Coopers. That sounds cool."

Sonny paused, "Did you just hint that in the future, you want us to get married?"

Chad glanced at Sonny and shrugged innocently before finally taking his blue polo shirt off. He handed it to Sonny with a partial smile.

"Thanks, Sonny." he said.

"Anytime." she replied.

Sonny headed off to the small room towards the back of the house, unable to stop smiling. She had no clue how to think of the last ten or so minutes of her life.

"It's just Chad." she thought, putting a other things in the washer along with Chad's shirt, "He probably didn't mean anything. It was probably just something random. I'm just going to stop thinking about it. I shouldn't even be thinking of Chad. We didn't sleep together because we're in love or anything. He doesn't love me. He just feels bad."

She began to walk back into the living room where Chad was staring at the TV motionless.

"Chad, what's up…" her eyes wandered to a bold red headline at the bottom of the screen.

"CHAD DYLAN COOPER: THE DOWNFALL OF THE DECADE"

"Oh Chad, I'm so sorry." she walked over to the couch and sat down beside Chad.

"I can't believe this is happening." he said, "All of America hates me now."

Sonny sat silent, unsure of what to say to him.

"The sad part is, I deserve this." he said, "I deserve what I'm getting. I did this to you, naturally, I'm going to have problems too."

"It's going to be okay." Sonny said quietly, "We'll go on that episode of 'So Random' and you'll look better to the viewers than you do now."

"Nothings going to help. I'm the biggest douche bag in America right now." he said, "There's nothing anyone can do."

"Chad, you've gotta stop feeling sorry for yourself. You've got to be the first person to overcome this to change other people's minds. If you think you're a….yeah, that….than that's what others are going to see. If you think of yourself as a supportive dad, than that's what the others'll see."

"I guess." Chad said, putting his head in his hands.

Sonny reached over his lap and grabbed the remote. She turned the TV off and looked back over at Chad.

"It's all going to be okay, Chad." she said.

"If you say so." he replied.

"Look," she said, "I'm going to go get your shirt and put it in the dryer, why don't you sit tight and I'll come back and get you some blankets and a pillow and you can sleep here."

Chad nodded, "Okay."

Sonny got up and walked back towards the washer and dryer when Chad called out her name.

"Huh?"

"Thanks."