A/N: Another horribly long break, I know! I'm going to be more consistent. I promise. Besides, I'm pretty sure this story's a few chapters or so away from an end…although I'm not sure. Anyways, thank you all for your reviews, you got me to 110! You're amazing. Happy belated Valentine's Day! And SWAC season 2 comes out on March 14th, see my profile for more details! Yay!

If We Were A Movie

Sonny's POV

I've always loved Chad's eyes. After all, what's not to love? They're beautiful and sparkly, and they appear to almost change color in different situations (and, of course, lighting). Not only are they gorgeous, but they also provide something unique: an insight into Chad and his thoughts. He's all but mastered his body language and voice when he needs to lie, so the only clue is in his eyes. They sparkle in times of happiness, and harden when he's angry. Of course, there are plenty more - but the most relevant at the moment is flickering. His eyes flicker around the room when he's nervous or uncertain. How does this tie in with the present situation? Well, Chad's eyes are flickering right now. And I'm guessing that he is both nervous and uncertain.

The only problem is that I don't know what that flickering is supposed to indicate about his decision.

"Well, Chad?" Mandy asks, grabbing his arm and looking at him pleadingly. "You're staying, right?" I drop his hand, not wanting to share contact when she's holding onto him. His initial hesitation to answer does not bode well.

"Well, I - " Chad looks from me to her, eyes flickering more than I've ever seen.

"You're staying? Yay!" Mandy pounces on his uncertainty, giving his answer for him. And he doesn't immediately protest, which is all the confirmation I need.

"You're staying? Very well. Have fun making the movie - without me. I know what's good for me, and I'm not going to spend anymore time catering to the wishes of a b$%* who shouldn't have any control over my life," I spit out, stalking off. "You know," I spin around and face the pair of them, one jubilant and the other dazed, "I think that your decision to stay says enough, Chad. Goodbye. Have fun flirting with your costar, since that's all you want to do, apparently. And it's not even considered cheating anymore! Because you no longer have a girlfriend to cheat on." I turn on my heel and walk out, my head held high. It's a good thing I never unpacked completely. I'm heading back to Condor Studios to beg for my job back. I've had enough of movies. And boyfriends who can't make up their minds.

Chad's POV

Sonny stalks off, and I can't help but admire her bravery. Here's a little-known fact about Chad Dylan Cooper: he is a coward. I can't just walk away from possibly the big break of my career like Sonny can. Mandy tugs on my arm again, forcing me to look at her, and I feel slightly disgusted.

"Thank goodness she's finally gone," Mandy sighs happily, as though she just escaped a dentist's appointment with no cavities. I smirk at the thought, and Mandy's face lights up, thinking I'm smiling at her. Before I know what's happening, she suddenly reaches up, and the next thing I know, her lips are on mine and her hands are tangled in my hair. Once I process what's going on, I wrench away, but it doesn't deter her. She simply wraps her arms around me in a hug, whispering, "I love you, Chad Dylan Cooper."

Oh, this is perfect.

For a moment, I'm lost. What should I do? But then I'm reminded of another girl, another time, another declaration of love.

"It became 'I love Sonny Munroe.'" I looked down at her, my expression full of hope. Surely she felt something? Anything at all? Her face was frozen, her mouth moving wordlessly for a few moments. And then she lit up. It was like watching the sky when the sun rises. A smile spread across her face, her eyes glowed, and her entire aura was simply radiant.

"I love you too," was finally her response. It was plain and simple. But those four little words meant the world to me.

And all of a sudden, Mandy doesn't seem important anymore. And neither does her stupid movie.

"Do you, Mandy? Do you really?" I gently take her hands, removing them from their position on my back. This is my time to prove how well I can act. Chad Dylan Cooper, it's time to charm. "Look, it was sweet of you to say that. Way sweet. But the bad circumstances we were placed in are just too much to be healed by even the truest love. Just because you wish for something doesn't make it so. I'm sorry. I think it's unfair to the both of us for me to continue working on this movie together. So I'm quitting." She opens her mouth to speak, but I know exactly how to stop her. I put up a finger to her lips. "Shh. The time for talking's over. I must go. So go - go back to your daddy. And put your sweet little dreams of love to bed." I hold onto her hand for as long as possible as I walk away, giving her a little wave at the end. Mandy stares after me, wide-eyed. These girls. They never learn, do they?

Half an hour later...

I went straight to Sonny's door once I got away from Mandy, but she wouldn't open up. Of course, it's possible that she had left already - but I doubt it. I think it's more likely that she simply didn't want to speak to me. Which is understandable. But unlike in the past, I'm not concerned about that. Once I meet her at Condor Studios, which I will in a few minutes, everything will be fine.

As I pull into the parking lot, I notice something suspicious. The lot is completely full. Which has never happened in all the time that I've been here. As I wonder what's going on, I notice a figure getting out of one of the parked cars and taking out suitcases from the trunk. It's Sonny.

"Sonny!" I call out, unbuckling my seatbelt and opening the car door to meet her. She turns around and sees me, and I pause for a moment as she takes in the sight of me. Sonny shakes her head slightly before turning back to unload her suitcases. I'm unsure of what that really means, so I rush over to see her. "Sunshine," I say, slightly out of breath.

"Chad," she replies shortly, not meeting my eye.

"I'm – I'm here. I know I should have followed you immediately when you left, but I just – I needed some time to work up to it. You know me. I'm…well, not as daring. I always need time before I can make decisions. But you should know that Mandy never had anything to do with my hesitation. It was all up here." I point to my head. "I'm sorry, sunshine." Sonny finally looks at me, weighing my words in her mind.

"Are you, Chad? Are you - "

"Yes. I am. Really," I cut her off, smiling. She smiles back, hugging me (it feels so much better than Mandy's), and I breathe a sigh of relief. Good. I was worried for a moment there that my charm would fail.

Haha! Just kidding. As if. My charm never fails. It always works. Eventually.

"Really, Chad? Really?" That wasn't Sonny. I turn around to see Marshall standing there, along with the Randoms. Is it weird to say that I'm glad to see them?

…yeah. I think it is. But I'm still glad to see them anyways, weird or not.

"Randoms!" I walk over to greet them, but Sonny is much faster. Within the blink of an eye, she's somehow already hugging all of them at once.

Choruses of "I missed you so much!" and "It's so good to see you!" pour out, but they all seem to be coming from Sonny. The Randoms, on the other hand, are being their usual strange selves by responding completely differently from how one would expect. For example: "My snake missed you." "My dressing room is too pretty; I'm not used to it being like that!" "Sonny, you've got to help me out with this one girl." "Did you bring cheese?"

Mhm. No comment, I know. Marshall welcomes Sonny back with a hug. "Well, kiddo, you came back. Good thing we didn't call in replacements for you yet, unlike Mackenzie Falls. That would be terrible!" I laugh along with everyone else before his words hit me.

"Wait, what? Mackenzie Falls? They're…replacing me?" I ask, panicking.

"Well, of course they are. They need to film, you know," Marshall explained. "That's what all these cars are here for. They're auditioning people right now." Sonny turns to me, her eyes wide. I quickly kiss her on the cheek and wave to the other Randoms before running over to Stage 2. Sure enough, there's a huge line of people who could almost be my clones. If they were better-looking.

"Chad? Chad Dylan Cooper?" My director marches over with his clipboard, looking frazzled. I just realized that I don't even know his name. Is that weird?

"Yup, it's me. I'm back, here to stay." The director – I'll call him D – his eyebrows shoot up. "Mhm. So these CDC wannabes," I gesture towards the sea of blond, blue-eyed heartthrobs, "might as well clear out." D chuckles weakly, tugging at his tie.

"Well, uh, you see, Chad…they're clearing out anyways." I'm confused. I motion for him to continue. "We, uh, well, we just hired someone. Signed the papers half an hour ago. These are just the leftover candidates who are now trying to earn roles as extras." My jaw drops.

"You – you hired someone?!"

"Well, you couldn't expect us to wait around forever, could you?" D replies, still fidgeting. "Sorry, Chad. But now here's an opportunity for you to move on to bigger and better things." Oh, perfect. Just perfect. I'm fired. I never thought I'd see the day.

A/N: Ooh, what happens next? Review, review!