Ugh, sorry this is so horrifyingly short. But in case you haven't noticed I'm alternating POV per chapter, don't really want to break the pattern. No "Channy"ness in this chapter, sorry.
Chad
I awoke the morning of the 18th to an empty house. Well, almost empty. There was a sofa, freshly slept in, with a neatly folded blue blanket. On the blanket, there resided a note, explaining why Sonny had left so early. However, it didn't matter the reason. It only mattered that she was gone.
I needed a break from my everyday routine. So, Chad Dylan Cooper set out to do what Chad Dylan Cooper never thought he would. I was going to purchase…
Christmas gifts.
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I hate shopping around Christmas time. It's even worse when you're me. Despite my attempts to keep a low profile, I'd been pestered by crazy fangirls since the moment I stepped inside the strip mall that day.
I checked the clock on the wall as I entered the door, arms abundant with gifts even I was surprised I had looked for. It was five fifteen. Sonny would be heading over soon, and I needed to make sure she didn't leave. I picked up my phone, hurrying to get things in order before I would leave.
"Hey, Vivi, it's Chain."
"Yeah. Caller ID," she replied with attitude, making me feel like an idiot.
"Right. Hey, you still in town?"
The coldness went right out of her voice. "Well, if by 'town' you mean South Lake Tahoe…why, you thinking of coming?"
"You mean like…Nevada?"
"Well, not yet. We're still on the road and we just past Fallen Leaf. That means we're still in California. But we'll be staying at the Ridge View for a couple of days, which is in Nevada, so yeah. Nevada. Did you change your mind?" She sounded hopeful.
"Not quite…you'll see. Ridge View? Which room?"
After acquiring necessary details pertaining to this surprise, I resolved to visit Janna. It took some second-guessing and fighting against my conscience, but I arrived at her door.
You can't exactly say she was pleased to see me. "Well. It's been awhile since I've seen your sorry face. Except in Tween Weekly, but that's different." She folded her arms across her chest. I noticed a gold medallion hanging from a leather cord around her neck and tried not to completely lose it.
Flashing my most attractive smile, I stated more than asked, "I can't come in?"
She let her guard down for a split second, probably due to drifting into my sparkly eyes. But she held her ground. "No, you can't. You're a jerk and I deserve better friends than you."
That stung. "Oh…listen, Janna, I'm sorry about that—"
"You should be!" she fumed. "I was just trying to be a good friend, a good neighbor, and you just take one look at the surface and completely skip me over! No, worse! You stick me with a metaphorical needle and then toss me, metaphorically, out your metaphorical window! Only a jerk would do something like that!"
I took a deep breath and smiled pleasantly. "Right. Because only a jerk would offer to take you to the premier of Alice in Wonderland. When it comes out, of course." Her jaw dropped as I handed her a ticket. "Merry Christmas. I'll call you."
It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be, the whole present thing.
