RECAP:
"Sonny." Chad whispered, turning to her. Their eyes locked, and everybody else in the room vanished. It was just them.
"Please tell me you won't give in to him. Or talk to him. He's only trying to tear us apart." His eyed pleaded with her. She bit her lip and nodded.
They hugged, and Sonny closed her eyes. Deep down inside, she was calling herself all the horrible names she could think of.
Because she was going behind Chad's back and doing the one thing he DIDN'T want her to do.
She was doing the one thing she would always regret.
Lie.
My head can't seem to figure out
Why my heart is full of doubt
Maybe we're just tired of the game
Guess you never know what's gonna happen
So you do the best you can
Following your soul might bring you back
Or it may have another plan
Please don't let it fly away, high away
Gotta keep it together
Feel for the flow
Sonny Monroe looked in the mirror of her dressing room, breathing slowly. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, and she was wearing black jeans with a red T-shirt. She carefully applied light eyeliner and mascara, outlining the shape of her eye. She sighed and put the mascara down, closing her eyes.
Would she regret this?
Even if it was only a simple date with Skylar, her instincts told her something would go wrong. She didn't want to mess things up with Chad. She was finally happy. It was as if all the weight she was carrying had suddenly been lifted off her shoulders. There was no more tension, no more confusion between her and Chad. After almost a year of denying it, they had finally admitted their love for one another.
Sonny took a deep breath and stood up, giving herself a once over. Hopefully, Skylar would pay attention to how casually she dressed and realize that she would never fall for him.
She checked her phone for the time, and realized it had no battery. Oh well, too late to charge it now. They could part for a few hours. She quickly texted Chad before it died, telling him that she would be sleeping over Tawni's. She didn't want him to be worried if she didn't answer her phone. Just as she went to grab her purse, someone knocked on the door. Sonny grabbed her purse and opened the door, biting her lip. Leaning on the wall opposite her door was the one and only Skylar. He has dressed nice, with a suit jacket and dressy pants. His eyebrows shot up when he saw Sonny.
"Someone dressed up for our date." He said, emphasizing the word 'date'. Sonny smelled his cologne, and she had to admit, he smelled good. His hair was slightly messy, which looked good on him. Just as Sonny realized what she was doing, she quickly shook her head, clearing her thoughts. She was with Chad. She couldn't be checking out Skylar. It wasn't right.
So is this daaate. Her conscience sang.
"Can't help but check me out, huh?" Skylar said, winking. Sonny rolled her eyes and shut her dressing room door, starting down the hall. "Look," She began. "No holding hands, no hugging, no doing that arm move, and definitely no kissing." She said sternly. Skylar grabbed her arm and spun her around. "I know." He said softly. She lightly pulled her arm away, looking off to the side.
"Sonny." Skylar whispered. She hesitantly looked up at him. "I thought about what you said earlier. You know, about the whole falling for me thing? Don't worry, I won't try anything. Let's just have fun." His eyes were sincere, and she had a hard time not believing him.
"Okay." She said slowly. She had planned this whole night to be tense and awkward, but Skylar's intentions didn't seem wrong.
"Let's go." He said, and began walking. They walked side by side until they got to the door of the parking lot. "Wait." He interjected, holding the door. "Are you sure Chad isn't going to see us?"
Sonny smiled. He did care. He didn't want to cause any drama. What had changed?
"He went home early to rest. He had a long day today." She replied, opening the door. They walked to his car, which was parked near the entrance. He held the door open for her, and she got in. She felt bad for how this was all working out- Chad being tired, him far away, and Sonny going behind his back. Secretly, she hoped he would see them and stand up to Skylar. But after the way Skylar acted towards her, she wasn't so sure anymore.
"So." He said, turning on the engine and putting on his seat belt. "You don't like fancy places, right?"
Sonny's eyebrows furrowed and she looked at him, amazed. "How did you know that?" He smiled at her and shrugged. "I pay attention. You may think all I do around you is argue, but I listen to you."
Sonny bit her lip and laughed lightly. "You're not stalking me, are you?" She said in a playful tone.
"Don't get too ahead of yourself, princess." He joked, pulling out of the parking lot. She rolled her eyes and leaned her head against the window.
They sat in a comfortable silence for most of the ride. It wasn't until Skylar got off the highway that Sonny realized something.
"Where are we going?"
"Somewhere." He replied vaguely. He turned right while all the other cars turned left. Sonny, feeling confused, tried to peer ahead to see where they were going.
"You're not going to see it from here." He said, laughing to himself. Just as they made another right, Sonny felt a sense of deja-vu. She had taken this route before. She pondered when and with who, but nothing came to mind.
"Here we are." Skylar said, driving up a tall hill. Once they got to the top, Sonny realized where they were.
Lookout Mountain.
This was where she and Chad had come when they tried to break up Marshal and Miss Bitterman. Sonny could practically remember everything about that night, as if it were playing in front of her.
"Wow, Chad. Lookout mountain is so beautiful, romantic. All the stars are so bright."
Sonny gulped and looked down. This was a special place for her and Chad. Coming here with Skylar, of all people, didn't feel right.
"Is everything all right?" Skylar asked her. Sonny looked at him and gulped. He had been so nice to her so far, she couldn't let him down. "Yes." She responded, faking a smile. He smiled back and turned off the engine, reaching into the backseat. He grabbed a little basket that Sonny hadn't noticed before. "Open it." He whispered. Sonny smiled tentatively and lifted the cover, peering inside. It contained two cups of frozen yogurt.
"I thought you'd like them." He said, pulling them out. He handed her a cup, and she lifted off the cover. "Sunshine." He said, referring to its flavor. She grabbed a spoon and tried some. It tasted amazing.
"This is really good." Sonny said, taking another spoonful. Skylar laughed. "I said we'd have a good time, right?"
Sonny froze, remembering what Chad had said all those years ago in this very spot.
"Relax, i promised an unforgettable evening, didn't I?"
"Y-yeah." she responded to Skylar. She took another mouthful, trying to make the tasty dessert melt away all of her guilt. But the flashbacks kept on coming, and she couldn't stop them.
"Wow, Chad. Lookout mountain is so beautiful, romantic. all the stars are so bright."
"Yes i am. oh, the stars up there. Yeah, they a-ight. They don't have their own show."
"Sonny?" Skylar said. She quickly snapped out of her gaze and looked at him. "Yes?"
"I'm glad you came." He said earnestly. "You guys may think that I'm just a jerk, but there's more to me than you think. There's a reason I'm like this toward Chad."
Sonny's gaze never left his face. If there was anything she knew, it was that when someone was opening up to you, never act like you don't care. But Skylar didn't look like he was about to continue. He just stared up at the stars. Sonny continued eating her frozen yogurt, giving him some silence to clear his thoughts.
After about a few minutes, Sonny put her empty cup back into the basket. Skylar snapped out of his trance and finished his.
"So." Sonny said. "Where did you come from? Did you live here all your life?" She tried making small talk, hating awkward silences.
"No, actually." He responded. " I lived in Ohio. I went to Julliard and got a major in theater and acting." He frowned a bit. "I landed this job right afterwards."
Sonny grimaced. "You made a big impact in the studio."
Skylar's eyes flashed with guilt, and Sonny regretted saying that. She opened her mouth to apologize, but he spoke first. "You do not even realize how sorry I am." He said sincerely, turning to her. His face was filled with pain. "I never meant for anything to happen to you. When I heard you landed in the hospital, I couldn't believe it." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I only meant to hurt Chad. I didn't mean for anything to happen to you." His eyes never left hers. "Could you forgive me?"
Sonny was shocked, to say the least. Skylar- the same Skylar who had wrecked things with Chad, who's prank had landed her in the hospital (even though that was her doing)- was apologizing to her. And she wanted to forgive him.
She wanted his heart to be at rest. She didn't want him to carry the guilt forever. But at the same time, forgiving him would be like betraying Chad. Chad was everything to her- the sun, the moon, the stars. If she forgave Skylar, it would be like a black hole destroying everything. And she couldn't do that to him.
"Skylar, what about Chad-"
"I promised, didn't I?" His eyebrows raised.
"relax, i promised an unforgettable evening, didn't I?" Chad's voice echoed once again.
Sonny cringed slightly, but continued listening to Skylar.
When she didn't say anything, Skylar tried to ease up her feelings. "Look, didn't we agree that if you agreed to come with me, I'd leave Chad alone?" Sonny nodded slightly. Skylar smiled at her. "Well, I'm a man of my words."
"Well, Im a man of my words-"
'Dammnit! Did he have to sound like Chad?' Sonny thought. Skylar's expression never changed, waiting for her reaction.
"Yes." She whispered, taking a deep breath. "I forgive you."
His eyes brightened and he flashed her a smile. "You don't know how good that makes me feel. After all my mistakes-" He paused slightly. "I just want to start over."
Sonny smiled slightly back at him. She played with the ends of her hair, twirling a strand between her fingers. On the outside, she was calm, but on the inside, her trip here with Chad played over and over again. Should she feel guilty about coming here? Was it like betraying Chad? Like back-stabbing him? Sonny couldn't help but feel like she was violating their memories. This place, this spot, was where she had begun to come to terms with her feelings for him.
She looked up at Skylar, who was looking straight ahead with a blank expression on his face.
SKYLAR'S POV
I can't say I wasn't surprised by how Sonny reacted to my apology. She looked like she wanted to say no, but something was telling her not to. It was like no matter how hard I tried, and no matter how many times she forgave me, there would always be something that made her unsure about it.
I sincerely wanted her to forgive me, and I'm grateful that she did. I didn't want there to be tension between us. I don't really have any friends at the studio, and Sonny seemed like the right person to befriend.
Except that bastard Chad had her already.
Even saying his name made me feel like throwing up.
I looked back at Sonny, and saw that she was looking up at me. I forced a small smile and turned on the ignition.
"To Condor Studios?" I asked her. She nodded slowly, looking back out her window. I saw the way she looked at everything, like she wasn't comfortable being here.
Did I really scare her that much? Or was it something else, but she couldn't say? I really hoped it wasn't the first one.
When we arrived at Condor Studios, Sonny quietly took off her seat belt, turning to me. "Thanks, Skylar. For not being a jerk, I mean. Maybe, if you didn't hate the person I love the most, we could be friends." She didn't say it harshly, just a matter of factually. I smiled and took off my seat belt. "Can I walk you to your dressing room? I would have dropped you off home, but you never told me to."
"That would be nice." She said, opening her door and getting out. I did the same, and we began walking towards the doors. Sonny grabbed the door handle when we reached them, but then paused, looking back at me.
"You know, just because I accepted your apology, doesn't mean Chad does." She said, her eyes showing a million emotions. I nodded slightly.
She opened the door and we began walking inside. She casually said hi to anyone who passed by her. I smiled at this. That's what Angelica used to do.
I froze on the spot.
That's what Angelica used to do.
I processed this. It had been almost a year since I had thought of her like that, let alone compared her to someone else. The only times Angelica really came onto my mind were when I was filming scenes with Chad. Just the thought of him made that blonde haired guy who was sitting with Angelica pop into my mind. I clenched my teeth.
"Skylar?" Sonny asked, turning around a few feet in front of me. Her long brown hair flowed like the waves, bouncing in the light. That was exactly like Angelica's. How had I not noticed this before? And the was her eyebrows furrowed, exactly like Angelica's. Damn.
"I'm fine." I said, clenching my jaw.
She peered at me curiously, but let it go. I sighed. Why did everything have to be so complicated? Why did Angelica even have to come into my life? And why, suddenly, was I realizing that she and Sonny were so alike? Has it always been there? Or am I just missing Angelica too much? I processed this, trying to figure out with one was right.
Suddenly, I heard a loud bang. I quickly turned around on instinct, thinking it was from behind me. But there was nothing there. I looked around, but everything seemed normal. I swirled around to ask Sonny if she had heard it, but suddenly there was a huge dressing cart rolling towards us. Sonny jumped out of the way a second before it hit her. I stumbled back, not expecting it. Everybody ran after the cart, attempting to stop it. I turned to Sonny, who was touching her ankle and wincing.
She had jumped out of the way just in time, but slipped on a banana peel. At any other moment this would have been hilarious, but now I was concerned.
"Are you okay?" I asked her, bending down. I watched as she gently touched her ankle with her index finger, and then pulled it back. "Y-yeah. Just twisted it." Her voice cracked a bit, and I saw her eyes slowly tear up. "Oh gosh, never mind. This really hurts." She whimpered. I kneeled down next to her and inspected her ankle, touching it gently with the tips of my fingers. "It looks like it's bruised." I said, turning towards her. She looked up at me, her eyes filled with worry.
Suddenly, all of my thoughts floated out of my mind. The way Sonny stared up at me widening her eyes made me remember Angelica again. That was the same way she looked at me. I froze and stared back at her, Sonny disappearing from my sight. Angelica stared right back at me, her lips turning into a wide smile. I smiled back at her. "Angelica." I whispered.
"Huh?" She said back to me, but I ignored her and leaned in. All these years of pain vanished, and in came a new surge of love. Her lips touched mine for a mere second before everything came crashing down once again.
CPOV
Ring. Ring.
Ring. Ring.
Ring. Ring.
I'm sorry, but the number you have dialed is not available now. Please leave-
Damnit!
Sonny said that she would be busy today, and I told her that I was tired and would be going home. But I forgot my script in my dressing room, and we're filming scenes early tomorrow morning. Tonight's plans involve a lot of memorizing.
But that wasn't what bothered me. It was the fact that Sonny wasn't answering her phone. Sonny always answers her phone. No matter what. My eyebrows furrowed as I pulled into the Condor Studios parking lot. it was almost empty, but I saw Sonny's car near the entrance. Funny, she said that she was having a sleepover with Tawni. It was already 10:00.
I parked and quickly got out of my car, walking towards the doors. Just as I was about to open them, they flung open and a huge cart filled with clothes came rolling out. I yelped and leaped backwards, watching as a round of employees ran after it.
It was one of the craziest sights I ever saw. I shook my head and went inside, but not before checking to see if the coast was clear first. You never know what you could find in Condor Studios.
As I walked throughout the halls, I decided to pass by Sonny's dressing room first to see if she was okay. I turned the corner and froze.
Right there, in the middle of the hallway, was Skylar, kissing Sonny. But the second his lips touched hers, she pushed him back angrily. Her eyes shone with tears as she yelled at him, asking him what the hell he was doing. She tried getting up, but fell back down.
There have been a lot of times that Skylar pissed the crap out of me. Sometimes I wanted him fired, and others I wanted him to just leave and never come back. But this time, I wanted him to hurt.
He tried kissing Sonny. My Sonny. That was it.
"What the HELL are you doing to my girlfriend, ass-hole?" I yelled, coming up and pushing Skylar. Sonny gasped, noticing my presence. Skylar seemed taken aback and stumbled back against the wall, rubbing his eyes.
"Chad." Sonny said, her voice soft and scared. I turned towards her and saw her grabbing her ankle, which looked swollen.
"What happened?" I said worriedly, dropping down next to her. She smiled through her tears. "N-nothing. I twisted my ankle when I tried to get out of the way of the clothing cart." She whispered, hugging me tightly. "You don't know how much I'm glad you're here."
My heart melted at her words. Her long brown hair fell in front of her face as she bent down, closing her mouth tightly from the pain. I reached out to brush it behind her shoulders. She looked up at me with a worried expression, her eyes flickering betwen me and Skylar.
That's when it hit me. Something just didn't add up.I looked her in the eye. "What's Skylar doing here with you?"
Her eyes flashed with fright and regret. She stared right through me, as if thinking of what to say. At that moment, I knew something had happened. Sonny looked down, her voice raising an octave. "H-He was just passing by when the cart came towards us." She whispered. She looked down and gently placed her fingers on her swollen ankle, avoiding my gaze. She tried getting up, and I helped her. Just as we were both standing, I opened my mouth to argue, but Skylar cut me off.
"Angelica?" He mumbled, staring at Sonny. My jaw clenched and I looked between them. "What the hell is going on?" I demanded, confused. Sonny looked like a child being caught with a cookie from a cookie jar, and Skylar looked confused as shit.
"I told you, Skylar was passing through-"
"Don't like to me, Sonny!" I yelled, and she wobbled backwards.
"I'm not lying!" She protested, her voice getting high pitched. She hastily covered her mouth, realizing that it had given her away.
Sonny was lying to me. Something had happened between her and Skylar. Something she didn't want me to know about. Now it made sense. She didn't answer her phone because she was with him.
I gulped. "Sonny, where were you tonight?" She opened her mouth to speak, but i cut her off. "And don't tell me you were with Tawni, because that is obviously not true."
She closed her eyes, a tear falling from her eye. "I-I was-" A sob broke out. She began crying.
I stared at her in disbelief. "Were you with Skylar?"
Her silence gave me my answer.
I stepped back slowly, all my feelings for her completely vanishing. Anger and betrayal came rushing through my veins. Sonny- my best friend, the one person who said that she would die for me- was cheating on me?
"Chad, please-"
"NO!." I yelled. She jumped. I looked her in the eye, daring her to lie. "Did you, or did you not, go out on a date with him?"
She choked back a sob.
"Yes. But honestly Chad, I didn't cheat!"
Skylar's words the day before flashed back inside my head.
"A little present for your new-found relationship. Let's see if this lasts until tomorrow."
I looked at Skylar, who was still in his own world, and looked back at her.
"You cheated on me with him?" I stated angrily, coming closer to her. She was crying hysterically, tears pooling down her cheeks. But I had not even one ounce of sympathy for her.
"Yesterday in the commisary, that's why he was staring at you like that! How could you? The one person you promised me you would stay away from!" I whispered angrily. She shook her head, reaching her arm out to me. "Chad, you don't understand-"
"No, I understand FINE!" I yelled, taking a step back. "It was all just a game for you, huh?"
Her eyes widened. "No!"
"BULLSHIT! You lied to me, you cheated on me, and now you're denying it?" I shook my head. "Was I ever anything to you?"
"I didn't cheat!" She exclaimed. "I did it for you!"
My jaw clenched. "So let me get this straight. You cheated on me, with the person who almost caused your death and makes my life a living hell, for my well-being?" I hissed at her. "Tell me, tell me how i have the advantage, Sonny!" Never, not once in the entire time I had known Sonny, was I ever this mean to her. But she used me. She cheated on me with the one person I hate with all my core and being.
Sonny was at a loss for words, leaning on one leg because of her twisted ankle. I turned to Skylar, and he looked at me with hatred in his eyes.
"You caused everything!" He yelled at me. "You took her away from me. We had a future! We were in love! And you just took her!"
"What?" I whispered, looking back and forth between them. Sonny stared at Skylar with a confused expression on her face. "Skylar, what did you just say?" She whispered, wiping the tears off of her face. He looked up at her lovingly. "You didn't forget me, did you? Don't you remember what we were before I left? Before he-" He turned to me menacingly. "-stole you away?"
I honestly did not know what to say or do. Sonny and Skylar used to be in love? This didn't add up at all. Sonny didn't even meet Skylar until after her accident.
Or did she?
I turned to her slowly. "Did you know him before you moved here?"
"What? No!" She protested. "Chad, I moved here years ago! Even if i did know him, which I didnt, we weren't in love!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Skylar screeched, coming up to her. "Did you forget me? Did you erase me from your memory?" He grabbed her shoulders and shook them violently. "You told me you loved me! Was I nothing to you?" Sonny was crying hysterically, trying to get him off of her. I felt like every muscle in my body was frozen. I didn't know what to do. It was just too much to process.
Skylar stopped shaking her, and looked at her pleadingly. "Did you ever love me at all?" He asked her brokenly.
"Get off of me!" Sonny exclaimed, pushing him away. His eyes hardened as he stumbled back into the wall.
"You slut! You were probably with him the whole time we were dating!" He screamed, clenching his fist.
Suddenly every ounce of anger I was projecting towards Sonny vanished, and I turned to Skylar menacingly. "What did you just call her?" I asked him in a tense voice. No matter how I felt at the moment, nobody talked to Sonny like that.
"She was always mine." He hissed at me. "Even if she did cheat on me, she was always mine. Angelica loves me more than she could EVER love you."
I didn't know what the hell he was talking about, but I honestly didn't care. I clenched my fist and punched him hard, so hard that Sonny screamed and my knuckles started hurting. He stumbled backwards, wiping the blood off of his mouth. "It was YOU in the cafe, wasn't it?" He yelled at me. "You ruined my life. I was in love with her! I still am!"
Cafe? Skylar was talking insane, but at the moment all I wanted to do was get away from them both. I looked back and forth from each of them. "You can have her" I said, looking at Sonny. She sobbed, wiping away her tears with her sleeve and stumbling towards me. "Chad, please!"
"No." I said, backing away. "I'm done."
I turned and started walking back towards the parking lot, knowing that this moment would change the course of my life forever.
"I'm done."
'Cause we are broken
What must we do to restore
Our innocence
And oh, the promise we adored
Give us life again
'Cause we just wanna be whole
Hey guys. I'm truly sorry for all the hiatuses, but I've just been so busy.
I ALREADY WROTE THE NEXT CHAPTER, DON'T WORRY (:
I'm going to try and finish this story before June. Hopefully I will get all my drafts written this Spring Break, and then publish each chapter one or two weeks apart at the most.
I really want to finish this story because i love where it's going and I can't wait to start writing everybody's reaction to the fight.
REVIEW OR MESSAGE ME ANY SUGGESTIONS (: YOUR FEEDBACK WILL HELP ME UPDATE FASTER.
Please and thank you.