Hey guys! Yup, it's that time! UPDATE TIME!

I'm updating because I am SOOOOO thankful of all of you - In his review, MrB.o.B1990 said this story was "almost as good as the real SWAC show. Wow. Just... wow. That is amazing! :D

Also, thanks to k.98'PeaceOutSuckas, who was BEGGING me to update for the weekend. Well, here it is, especially for you! And all my other reviewers... you guys rock! And everyone else who's favourited or alerted me or my stories... this is for you! :D

Enjoy!

Chapter 14 - A Cousin and A Fan-Girl

Chad's POV

After Sonny and I sort out the Eliza/Derek situation, we decide to leave the Arcadia. To be honest I'd much rather continue the 'date', but I wouldn't expect Sonny to want to, especially since it's just a fake date, and nothing more.

Oh well, someday…

We're walking towards my car – because Sonny and I thought we'd look more the part if we arrived together – just talking. I know, you guys are probably fretting coz I don't have my driver's license yet and last time I drove with Sonny we almost died. But I've practiced since then, honest. I drove Sonny here, and no-one died, so… result!

I then start to think about what I'd just done. I just dated Sonny Munroe. Sure, it wasn't meant to be a real date, but all the feelings that I didn't want to feel were boldly on show for everyone there to see. Specifically – when she kissed me.

Oh yeah. Sonny Munroe… kissed me. Be jealous.

And I know the above sounded totally big-headed, but y'know, it was in the moment. I sure know that before I met Sonny I'd have been jealous if someone I knew told me they'd kissed Sonny Munroe.

The Sonny Munroe.

"That was quite a kiss." My ego says out of nowhere. I didn't even think I had an ego before now. Huh, guess I do, because after that I feel a smirk come on, "I never knew you'd be that passionate, kissing me."

Whoa… out of character, much? Oh well. Sonny smirks at my words, before laughing. I try not to chuckle as she snorts. She covers her nose with embarrassment, but clearing her throat and looking up at me, boldly.

"Please, Chad." She says, "You think I enjoyed that kiss?"

I nod, smirking a little, with the intention of messing with her in a friendly joking way. It's kinda fun to challenge Sonny – someone who's so secretive. I don't hate her, of course (quite the contrary, actually), but it's obvious by her body language that she's hiding something, and being the nosy, meddling guy I am, I can't help but want to know what it is. Especially if it's about me.

Sonny scoffs at my cockiness (unintended cockiness) before, sighing, looking down to her boots shyly and then looking back up. "It wasn't even real." She defends herself timidly, "I put my hand over your mouth."

I try not to laugh at possibly the worst excuse ever, before thinking it over. Huh… her lips did feel a little weird… more like hands than lips, so I suppose that 'excuse' makes sense.

"I'm sure you wish it was a real kiss though." I say, before immediately wanting to slap myself for being so rude when I know I was raised differently. Maybe I'm going a little over-the-top with this cocky persona. I mean, sure, he'd be good to use for protection against any mean Hollywood people, but not when I'm using it on my best Hollywood friend…

Sonny's reaction is weird. She looks at me – first with shock, then with humour, and then she bursts out laughing, snorting again. You'd think all this snorting would creep me out, but to be honest, it isn't bothering me. She still looks cute.

Stupid cute.

"Please! You're so not my type, Chad Dylan Cooper. I mean, you could sweep me off my feet, kiss me, and I wouldn't feel a thing…"

Hmm… sweep you off your feet, huh? Without warning, my body acts before my mind. I grab Sonny, dipping her like they do in those romantic movies, gazing straight into her eyes. She looks up at me, smiling meekly, and I smile back, before the cockiness emerges again and I say;

"Really, Sonny? Really?"

It seems my brain really isn't in control of my body today. After saying that, I decide to see if Sonny's prediction is true, and kiss her. On the lips.

What. The. Heck?

And what makes it weird? I enjoy it.

A lot.

And the worse part… I don't care.

At all.

I pull away from the kiss, trying to keep the smile from my face. It's just… just so wrong! Sonny is friend (enemy, evidently to others) yet I enjoyed kissing her? What the heck is wrong with me?

Probably the fact that I'm well and truly attracted to Sonny Munroe.

Sonny is smiling at me too; shyly, but still smiling. Then she looks down, avoiding contact with my eyes, and I feel my heart sink. Does Sonny not feel the way I do? Have I just made a total idiot of myself?

"I-I'm sorry, Chad… I can't do this." She says, and I feel sick with embarrassment and exasperation. It meant nothing. That moment – that kiss – it was all just a big joke to her. She fixes her hair, straightens her shirt, wipes her mouth so that all evidence that we ever got close has disappeared. It's like we never kissed in the first place. Well, you have to give it to Sonny – she's good at hiding things.

She then runs down the street, leaving me – and her only ride home – behind. I watch her, confused.

I just don't understand this… Sonny and I are such good friends, and we've only known each other for over a month. Yet our relationship is already on thin ice…

When I kissed Sonny, I was so sure it was right, and seeing that smile on her face afterwards made it even more plausible that we could be together.

But then… her reaction afterwards? It proved to that tiny seed of doubt inside me that I was just kidding myself that Sonny and I could even be more than friends. Although, she seemed so confused, heartbroken… the look in her eyes was completely alien. I've never seen Sonny like that – damaged in that way.

It's strange. Why was she so different after the kiss – so hurt? Had I reminded her of a previous relationship that went wrong? Or did she have that same doubt inside her – that we are friends and friends only? That we're supposed to be enemies, so we were already risking it with the friends thing – let alone it growing to something more?

I sit in my car, my head in my hands, and I start to worry about Sonny before realising I have no way of getting home. I'm not allowed to drive without a responsible adult with me – I was already pushing the limits with Sonny, who's only just got her driver's license herself. Now that I'm on my own, I'm really breaking the law.

I fish my phone out of my pocket, and call my mother.

"Mommy?" I ask childishly as she answers. I may be a Hollywood boy now, but nothing stops me from being that Momma's boy I've always been.

"Hi, sweetie!" She says, "How's that thing with your friend going?"

"It's going great, Mom." I lie, "Can you come pick me up?"

I can hear the hesitation in her reply, "Sure… sweetie… what happened to your ride?"

Uh-oh. Mom doesn't know I drove myself here without a proper adult – she'd be pretty mad if she knew I broke the law.

"Uh… she went home." I say, flatly, because frankly, I don't want my mother to start questioning me on my 'date'.

"Aw… that's a shame." She says, "I'll be right there."

I sit for about 10 minutes, twiddling my thumbs and listening to the radio, before she arrives in her own car, smiling at me.

"Hello, sweetie!" She says, "Hop in!"

I smile, getting out of my car and heading towards hers, and I settle in the passenger's seat with a relaxed sigh. My mother is smiling at me, before her gaze drifts from me to behind me before looking back at me angrily.

"Chad, dear…" She says, "Why is your car here?"

Crap. I knew I wouldn't be able to pull this off. I shoot her a totally innocent face and say, "Someone must have stolen it! Shock!"

Mom rolls her eyes, shooting me the 'look' and I sit back in my chair, sighing.

"I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

"Yup." Mom says flatly.

"In my defence," I say, "I was driving with someone who already had a license."

"Mmm-hmm?" She murmurs, and I nod, "And was this person a responsible adult…?"

"Uh, no…" I say timidly. Mom glares at me, before putting the car into gear and sighing.

"Sometimes I don't know what to do with you, Chad Dylan Cooper…" She says. I smirk internally, remembering the abandoned car behind us as she drives off.

"And what do we do with my car? I ask, "Just leave it here?"

Mom shakes her head, "I think Beth works here, and she only lives down the road from us. She usually walks to work, but I'm sure she can drop your car off for you."

I tilt my head, surprised. Beth is my cousin (frankly I completely forgot Beth lived here. I know – I'm a great cousin) – her Mom is my Mom's sister, and she moved with her husband to California and gave birth to Beth, who is now 18. Hmm, I suppose that would work. Beth usually walks to work, so she wouldn't have her own car to take anywhere, and she's over 16 so she has her driver's license.

Mom calls Beth, asking her when her shift's over to bring my car back, and she says it's no problem. Mom gives her our address (we haven't given it to her yet – it's only a new house).

I've completely forgot about Beth over the years. I haven't seen her since I was 13 and she and her parents visited us in Wisconsin. I remember she reminds me a whole lot of Avril Lavigne – the hair, the style, but that's about it. Once again – the perfect cousin) and she says she'll be right over when her shift is over. Mom drives me back to the Arcadia and I drop the keys off with the manager, asking him to give them to Beth when she leaves. With that finished, we head home.

About an hour later, at 9pm, I hear a car pull up outside, and look out of my bedroom curtains to see my crappy little car pull up, and a blonde haired girl with a pink strip step out and walk towards the front door. I smile a little – Beth.

"You really shouldn't be drivin' on your own at your age, Chaddy." She says to me with a smirk, and I try not to laugh. "There are laws against it."

"Since when are you one to care for the rules, Bethy?" I ask, making her laugh. She used to call me 'Chaddy' as a kid, so I'd retaliate with 'Bethy'. Neither of us liked our nicknames, but it was funny to call each other that. Some habits never die. She throws me the keys with the 'Wisconsin cheese' keychain my Uncle James (Beth's dad) gave me a few years back before inviting herself in.

"Hi Auntie Dianne!" She yells, receiving a hello from my Mom before twirling around to face me, grinning. "I saw you at the Arcadia today… with a girl! We need to talk – NOW!"

Uh-oh… I suddenly feel very uncomfortable. My family are really close, so when something as small as a dentist appointment comes along, everyone wants to know everything. I remember my first date – the interrogation wasn't fun afterwards, believe me. It would've been even worse if I'd brought the girl home…

Anyways, Beth drags me up the stairs, scanning the first floor until she gives up trying to guess which one's my room, and just lets go of my arm.

"Which is yours then?" She asks, and I point to the one furthest from the staircase. She walks over and kicks the door open (literally – lucky it was already slightly open or she may have broke it off the hinges). She sits on my bed, twirling a length of pink-dyed hair around her little finger as I take a seat on my blue beanbag.

"So…" She says, a gossipy tone to her voice, "Tell me… what's this girl like? Where did you meet her? Is she famous?"

I roll my eyes, "She's cool. I met her at work, and yes she is."

Beth gasps, her eyes going wide, "Aw, my little cousin's got himself a famous girlfriend!"

"No, she's not my girlfriend." I correct her, which makes her face fall.

"Damn! She says, "I was all proud and stuff…"

I sigh. Beth can be way too gossipy… all the time. And she gets so excited over all her family's love lives. She says her love life stinks, so why not support everyone else's? Coz it's weird, that's why. I try for a smile.

"So what were you doing with your arm around her? And didn't she kiss you?"

I sigh again. "Okay, Beth, here's the story. That girl was Sonny Munroe…"

Beth squeals, like she's watching a stupid rom-com, and I glare at her, telling her to shut it. She's obviously heard of Sonny, then. She 'zips' her mouth and smiles innocently.

"Sorry. Continue." She says.

"I went on a date with Eliza Markowski…"

Another squeal. She's obviously heard of Eliza too. "Sorry… I didn't mean it."

"…But she ditched me."

Beth's eyes flash with anger. "That little weasel! Who could wanna ditch you?"

I snort, "Thanks, kiss-up. So, Sonny's a close friend of mine, even though our two shows state that we're pretty much meant to be enemies. She comforted me when Eliza dumped me for one of her cast-mates, before offering to go on a fake date with me to get revenge on Eliza."

Beth grins evilly, "Brilliant plan. Did it work?"

I shrug, "If you mean the date fooled Eliza, then yes. But the whole 'fake' bit didn't go so well…"

Beth gasps, before moving closer with anticipation.

"Sonny pretended to kiss me, to make it more believable. I didn't know at the time, but then after she told me… I kissed her."

"Oh… my… God…" Beth gasps, "So what did she say?"

I sigh in memory of the moment, "She seemed happy at first, but then she just left and ran down the street. She seemed so… so upset. I don't know what I did, or why she ran off…"

"Aw, sweetie…" Beth says, collapsing on the beanbag next to me as I try not to let a tear escape. I don't wanna fall apart in front of my cousin – she'll worry about me. When one member of the family is upset, it's like a domino effect for the whole family. We all go down. I don't want to bring anyone down, coz this is mine and Sonny's business. "Don't worry about it. Maybe you reminded her of something bad from her past. Or maybe it just wasn't the right time… I don't know. But I do know that that girl must have a screw loose if she wouldn't want to kiss you! And I mean that in a family way, not in a way that says I wanna kiss you…"

"Yeah, I thought not." I chuckle, "Thanks, Bethy."

"No prob, Chaddy." She giggles. "Well, I've gotta get home, but I'll see you around?"

"Sure." I say. I watch my cousin leave out the window before lying on my bed, sighing.

What's wrong with me? Why did I upset Sonny so much? I don't know what to do… call her? Ignore it all? Wait until tomorrow? I really don't know…

Out of curiosity and slight desperation to talk to Sonny, I sent her a quick text.

Hi, Sonny. I just wanted to talk about what happened earlier… text me back or something? Thanks. Chad.

It's not much of a surprise, but I don't get a reply.

Sonny's POV

I wake up the next morning, early in the morning, with the memory of yesterday floating around me, giving me a headache. My phone is flashing next to me, and I pick it up in my tired state, before growling at the phone when I realise Chad has sent me a text. I throw my phone on the floor before mentally swearing, apologising to the phone (I'm going crazy) and picking it up to read the text.

Hi, Sonny. I just wanted to talk about what happened earlier… text me back or something? Thanks. Chad.

I groan reading the text. Chad wants to talk. Great. What am I supposed to say to him? He'll want to talk about why I was so hurt, and that road of conversation is a possible secret-revealer. And I can't let Chad know my secret… whether he's a friend or not.

And after I ditched him last night, it's probably the latter.

I get out of bed at about 8:30am, only because that's when my alarm clock starts to ring. Usually I either press the sleep button or throw it across the room and then go back to sleep, but today I just couldn't get back to sleep, and I couldn't muster up the energy to throw it and shut it up.

Mom is downstairs, in the kitchen, and I groan when I see her. Last night wasn't great – I heard yelling coming from hers and Johnny's room. That's never good. I'm freaking surprised she hasn't kicked him out yet. But then, she has a habit of clinging on to the men she's married to, even if the relationship isn't going well…

"Morning, Allie." She says brightly when she sees me, and rather than replying with some mean comment, I sit at the breakfast table, tucking into an apple in the fruit bowl. She's my mother – it's not worth the trouble.

Afterwards, I head back upstairs. I take some clothes into the bathroom and lock the door, getting in to the shower. After showering, I put on make-up (too much, in regular Sonny Munroe style, to hide the bags under my eyes and the weary, defeated look), before pulling on a short flowery dress and light denim jacket. I leave the bathroom, heading to my room and searching for today's Melody Falls' script. When I finally find it in one of my many handbags (it was a bribe from Dad so I'd take his side. The only reason I haven't thrown it away is that it's kinda cute), I leave the house without a word to my mom, and make my way to the studio.

I arrive at work on time, for once, and head straight to the set, where I'm the only cast member there. As more and more of them trickle in, they each give me looks of confusion, amusement and worry. I just shoot them vulgar looks.

"Take a picture, weirdoes." I snap, "It'll last longer. I'm not coming in this early again if it gets you guys so bemused."

They all then turn away to talk to each other, just out of fear of losing their jobs. But I'm sure I notice a few strange glances towards me every now and again, along with laughs and random chatter. I put my head in my hands, hoping to hide the embarrassment and the redness in my cheeks. Luckily, at this moment, the new director – Daniel – arrives, and we get to work.

After rehearsals, I end up hidden away in my dressing room, with a guitar by my side and a bunch of half-written sheet music sprawled across my piano. I'm lying on the sofa, with a half-finished Coke can at my side and a pen and paper in my hands. I chew on the end of the pen, in though, before writing a little, and then crossing it out. Realising the sheet now looks like a mess with all the scribbles, I scrunch it into a ball and throw it across the room, annoyed. I should've used a pencil. Ugh.

The song started, the other day, about Chad – about love, loss, wanting someone who was way out of reach. But then it became a revenge song – for Eliza, for hurting Chad. But now… I'm having so many bad moments that it's hard to choose which to make into a song.

"Miss Munroe?" A voice says hesitantly from behind the door. I recognise it straight away – Daniel, the new director. He's a twenty-something guy who Mr Condor, the head of the studio, owed a favour to. But, to be honest, he's pretty good. He's helped breathe some new life into the show. The plotline already seems better since he joined – not just the usual questions of "will Melody and Trevor go out?" and "how can Melody protect the Falls from Penelope?" et cetera, et cetera…

"Come in!" I say in a careless, bored way, and he opens the door. Behind him, I see a small figure of a girl.

"Hello, Miss Munroe." He says with a kind smile, "This is Dakota, and she's from a charity called 'Children Having a Dream'. Your publicist things it would be good for your image if you spent a day with her."

Children Having a Dream? Never heard of it. I scan the little girl with confusion. She looks about nine years old – she's about four foot high, has mouse-brown hair tied up in pigtails and a baby-face. She looks up at me and I feel my heart jump a little. She looks so… down, yet hopeful. A girl who's having a dream… and wants it to be fulfilled.

The girl I used to be 'aw's in my head, and the girl I have to be now tells her to shut up before shooting this 'Dakota' a mega-watt grin. Well, anything to make Sonny Munroe's publicity a little better, sure. I may need the bad-girl thing to protect myself, but sometimes I can't resist going back to the caring girl I used to be.

"Why, hello!" I say, "I'm Sonny, the greatest and most beautiful actress of her generation, and I will be taking care of you today!"

The girl scans me with judging eyes, before dragging me off to the cafeteria. I suddenly feel kinda intimidated – she isn't what I expected…

We arrive at the cafeteria, and are eating burgers, when the most alarming thing about this girl is truly revealed.

She looks at me and gasps before grinning, and it's then when I notice she's not gasping at me. I turn around to see the large poster of So Random, with Chad in the middle, a cute, innocent grin on his face, his fingers in the 'peace' sign. I feel my heart skip a beat just looking at it. I mean, those sparkling blue eyes, that soft blonde hair… he's so, so cute…

"So Random films here?" Dakota asks, surprised, waking me from my 'Chad trance', before adding dreamily and innocently, "I had no idea! I love Chad Dylan Cooper!"

I roll my eyes lightly. Believe me, girly, you're not the only one…

"Wait…" I say, astonished at what my ears just heard "You… love Chad Dylan Cooper?"

Dakota nods, grinning, and I just feel totally awkward and weird about the situation. I mean… a 15 (going on 16) year-old hottie and a 9 year-old mega-fan? This is not the image for a perfect relationship… in fact, no. Just no. Sure, I'll never get a date with Chad, but if I have no chance, Dakota has next to no chance…

Dakota is oblivious to the odds though – she's smiling at the poster before she looks at me with hopeful eyes and says, "Do you think maybe you could introduce me to him?"

I sigh. This girl isn't gonna give up. Although, maybe it's not as bad as I first thought. Maybe she's not scary obsessed/wants to have a relationship (once again, mortifying thought) – maybe she's just a fan-girl. I know that nine is a little young to be a mega fan girl, but I remember the feeling from before I was super famous – you see the person on TV or in magazines and get all embarrassed, the person influences everything you say and do, you dream about them all the time, you want to watch every TV show they appear on, even if you usually think it sucks (cough, So Random, cough)…

Huh… I suppose I am still a fan-girl.

To Chad Dylan Cooper.

Weird…

Trying to ignore my creepy previous trains of thought, I take out my cell and call Chad. After a few rings, he picks up.

"Hello?" His voice answers, a little hesitant. I start to worry.

"Chad? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Sonny," He says nastily, and I panic. What if he's mad with me for last night? "I'm busy, actually. In rehearsals for my job." I sigh with relief. He's not mad - he's just with his cast mates.

I try not to laugh. As much as I enjoy our fake-fights, I should get this meeting with Dakota organised before she has a fan-girl break down. Creepy. "Um, Chad, could you excuse yourself for a minute? I want to talk to you about something, but it isn't the kind of thing you can reply crudely to."

"You're unbelievable." He mumble, keeping up the act, before saying something to his friends that sounds slightly like, "I'll be right back. Sonny's having a diva crisis and is blaming me with no evidence. Typical diva thing."

I chuckle under my breath. Yup, that sounds a lot like the Sonny Munroe.

"Okay, the coast is clear." He says, "Wassup?"

"Well, I've been given this little girl from a charity to take care of for the day. She's a fan…" …Understatement of the century… "…of yours and she wants to meet you."

"Aw…" Chad coos, "Well, not right now. I'm kinda busy – rehearsals and stuff. Later, maybe?"

I sigh. Great. That means I'll probably have to live with Dakota whining for hours. This whole time I've been on the phone, she's been gripping onto my leg going "Please, please, please!". It's passed annoying and is now just creepy. Man, I don't like this girl…

About an hour later, I arrive back at Melody Falls taping. I tell Dakota to be quiet and watch the show, and she sighs.

"Is Chad gonna be on the show?"

"No." I say simply.

"Then I don't want to!" Dakota pouts, crossing her arms, and I feel like I'm gonna barf. This little crush she has is being taken waaaaaay to far…

I leave the little brat and get into position. I'm facing the wall of the set, but will turn around as soon as Marta/Penelope enters the scene. I turn around to see her studying Dakota along with two of the other cast members – Chastity and Skylar – and I sigh.

"Are you guys just gonna stand there like posts or are we gonna get this scene done?" I ask rudely as the diva inside me gets impatient. Marta – who plays Penelope, Melody's half-sister – rolls her eyes in a bored, listless way, before flicking through her script. Chastity stares me down, as if she's telling me to not be so rude, and Skylar just smirks at my comment and elbows Marta, whispering something into her ear. She sniggers and I roll my eyes again. Get a freakin' room…

"Okay, let's get this started!" Daniel says, "Action!"

"Melody!" Marta/Penelope's voice calls from behind me, angry, and I turn to face her over-dramatically. It's a good think I'm a good actress – I can hide the fact that this melodramatic show is boring. Even for me – the star.

I go to deliver my line, but in the corner of my eye, something – more someone – is distracting me. Dakota is sat in one of the director's chairs, yawning… looking through my phone.

My phone.

That little weasel!

I run off the stage and snatch the phone from her. Daniel sighs, exasperated, and calls cut, but I'm too busy giving Dakota a stare-down to pay much attention to everyone's irritation.

"Do not. Touch this phone. Got it?" I say sternly. She just shrugs and sticks her tongue out, and I make a mental note to punch her later. Then I remember my morals Chad has brought out and erase the idea.

A few hours later, the hell that is rehearsals with Dakota ends and the hell that is free time in my dressing room with Dakota begins. I call Chad, who says he'd be happy to come meet this little girl now he's finished rehearsals. Believe me, Chad; you'll change your mind about that.

He arrives a few minutes later, with a smile and a little muffin basket, courtesy of the cafeteria staff. I smile a little – you can say what you want about Chad, but he sure is giving. And sweet. And down-right adorable. I know that has nothing to do with our situation, but it's totally true.

"Hey!" He laughs, as Dakota's mouth drops open, "Where's this little girl?" He then gets attacked by a bundle of nine-year-old fan-girl material, and laughs, slightly more uncomfortably this time. "Hi there…" He says, "Dakota, right?"

"Mmm…" Dakota says, burying her head into his shirt, and Chad clears his throat, awkwardly, before motioning to me to do something. I shake my head, smirking. Gosh, I would so be enjoying this right now… if I didn't still have that damned crush on my best, and maybe only, true friend. Hey, at least she's not bugging me anymore. Well, sorta. It's bugging me that she's getting to hug him longer than I ever have. He pushes her off, awkwardly, clearing his throat, and that grim part in my core, the part that only has eyes for Chad, takes a satisfaction to that.

"Well…" Chad stammers as Dakota latches herself onto him again, "I've gotta get back to work…"

Chad makes a break for the door, but Dakota is fast. And strong. She pulls him back, and Chad falls backward onto my couch. He yells out in shock, before looking up at Dakota irritably.

"What the heck?" He yells. He gets up, but Dakota is blocking the door. I begin to feel very freaked out. And sick. Overly sick.

"Hey!" I yell, causing Chad and Dakota to jump to attention. I turn to Dakota, wanting to give her a piece of my mind for crushing on my Chad. "Dakota, you're just… creepy! Weird and creepy and obsessive and rude and…"

At that moment, the door opens and a familiar man in a suit comes in. Mr Condor, the head of the studios. And then, the most bizarre thing happens…

"Daddy!" Dakota yells, running over to Mr Condor. He picks her up, and she smiles. Chad and I gulp.

"Daddy?" We stutter, synchronised.

"What is going on in here? I heard yelling." Mr Condor bellows. I cringe. Chad and I are dead in this town, if Mr Condor knows the truth. Well, considering I was the one yelling, I'm dead.

"Oh, Sonny and I were just in disagreement on who thought you're little daughter was the cutest! Weren't we, Sonny?" Chad says with a grin. Huh, that's a good plan! I nod to Mr Condor, smiling.

"We sure were, Chad!" I say, with an equally bright grin. Mr Condor nods, confused, before leaving with Dakota at his side. The moment he closes the door, Chad and I sigh in relief, flopping down on the couch.

"That…" Chad exhales, "…was frightening."

"You got that right." I agree, and he laughs.

"But thanks for sticking up for me, with Dakota." He says, "I knew Children Having A Dream wasn't a real charity…"

"Yeah…" I say, "I'd never heard of C.H.A.D."

Chad groans, "C.H.A.D. I don't mean to sound big-headed here, but, do you think she made that up… coz of me?"

"Yup." I say, shuddering at the thought. Gross little girl…

"Sonny!" A voice yells outside the door, making Chad and I jump in shock. "Rehearsals! Leave that guy you're talking to alone and come on!"

I gulp. Skyler. If he finds out Chad's in here…

"Hurry up!" He yells, more persistent this time, "If you don't come out, I'm coming in after you!"

I turn to Chad, panicking, but he winks, hinting me to play along.

"Oh, go on, Sonny!" He yells, "Before your boyfriend gets angry!"

"He's not my boyfriend!" I reply, turning my voice volume to high. Very high.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sorry." Chad yells, "Your boyfriends don't work on Melody Falls."

"I don't have boyfriends! In fact, I don't have a boyfriend!" I reply, standing up and throwing my hands in the air for emphasis as Skyler opens the door, curious.

"Oh, yeah…" Chad says, "Now I remember. You don't have a boyfriend, because no-one loves you!"

The mean scowl on my face suddenly disappears as the tears brim in my eyes. Chad's words sting like a slap, and remind me of my past, or Tawni, of the dream I had the other night where Chad said those exact words. No-one loves you… is that really the truth?

"Sonny?" A voice wakes me from my awful nightmare – the same voice that was mean, cruel, hurtful, nasty only a few seconds ago. Now he's upset, curious, apologetic. I look up to see Chad, frowning. "Sonny, I'm so sorry, I…"

Chad goes to hug me, but I push him away, shoving my way past Skyler.

"Tell Daniel I can't make it to work." I tell him. It's not a lie exactly – I'm not going to work. Not now. Not after that.

I'm going home.

Chad's POV

Sonny and I are really getting into the fight thing! We're pretty good, I have to say. Well, we both are pretty good actors anyway, so it isn't too hard.

"I don't have boyfriends! In fact, I don't have a boyfriend!" Sonny yells. A small part of me smiles in victory – she's single – but I stay in character.

"Oh, yeah…" I say, "Now I remember. You don't have a boyfriend, because no-one loves you!"

The scowl on Sonny's face flees, and so does the act. Her eyes start to brim with tears and I realise what I just said. Oh no…

"Sonny?" I ask, checking if she's okay. She looks up at me, angry, hurt, and I sigh. "Sonny, I'm so sorry, I…"

She pushes me away as I try to comfort her, heading out of the door. She tells Skyler she's not going to work, and Skyler watches her leave, before turning to me, shocked.

"Dude, what was that?" He asks. I open my mouth to explain, but remember I can't. Skyler is a Fall guy… I can't tell him anything.

"I don't know…" I say, trying to not let the friend in me take over. "I'm just gonna go…"

"Whoa, whoa, wait." He says, stopping me at the door as I try to follow Sonny to see if she's okay. "Don't you dare follow her, Random."

"I wasn't gonna." I lie, "My work is that way. Duh."

I head towards So Random until I'm out of Skyler's view. I then text Tawni, telling her I can't make it to rehearsals before heading to Sonny's house, with a mission to apologise, and figure out what's wrong.

Aaaand that part will have to come later, because this chapter is freaking long enough. TEN PAGES, on Microsoft Word. Meh. SO. MUCH. TYPING!

Please make it worthwhile with one of those lovely reviews? Pwetty pwease?

Thanks ;) Love you all :D

~Amy x