"Allison and Mitchell!" He announced happily.
"What?!" Natalie screeched.
Mitchell and I walked up onstage and accepted the award, $400.
As we were walking off, Natalie ran up to me and started screaming. "How dare you steal my award?! I deserve that money, I was better than you!"
"Not according to the judges." I lifted an eyebrow.
"You cheated, you bribed! You don't even need that money! You're probably just going to spend it on jewelry or something useless! Or you'll get a new nose which you so desperately need!" She scoffed- more like squeaked. "You're so freaking jealous of me because I get everything you don't have-!"
"Why the hell would I be jealous of you?! God, I HATE you! I don't care if we're family, I can't stand you! There's no reason to be jealous of you! I'm a Hollywood star, I'm famous, I'm rich, I'm loved by the entire country, and I'm not you! I'm jealous of other people because they have no idea who you are! I'd rather be rich than a bitch!"
"You are a bitch! You dumped Todd for no reason!"
"You fucking slept with him!" I yelled so loud, everyone silenced. "I dumped him because you went behind my back and slept with him. I've got better now and all you have is trash- odds are, he's going behind your back too. And you're right, I don't need this money. Which is why, every year, I send it off to a charity or homeless shelter." I ran my hand through my hair. "I'm done with you, Natalie."
I stalked off with Mitchell on my tail.
---------------------------------------
"Well, Dad, I'm here…again." I chuckled with no humor, looking at the tombstone. Chad was off to the side, showing respect by giving me a moment. My mom had talked to Dad earlier. "A lot has happened through this year- I finally told Natalie off."
I sighed and wiped my eye, a tear rolling down my cheek. "Why did you do it? Why did you have to drink after I said that?" I took a deep breath. "Why did I even say it? I love you, Dad, and I miss you." I bent down and set a roll of paper on his grave. "Here's your update…Bye,"
Chad heard me say goodbye and came by my side, walking with me to the car where Mom was seated, car idling. We got in, quiet the entire ride to the airport.
About twenty minutes after we got ready to get on the plane, first class was called so we got on the plane and got seated.
After a while, we got up in the air, flying to Hollywood. I rested my head against the headrest and closed my eyes, trying to fall asleep.
"Sonny," Chad murmured.
"Hmm?" I acknowledged. My eyes stayed closed.
"Are you okay? I mean, you were un-Sonny-like back at the competition."
My eyes opened slowly and I blinked before turning my head to look at him. I smiled. "I've never been better."
He raised his eyebrows. "Positive?"
"Yes, I'm finally done with Natalie. I've had to put up with her all my life and now I don't have to. Thanks for coming, Chad. And I'm sorry I neglected you for a while."
He shrugged. "It's fine- I learned some interesting things from your cousins." He had a mischievous smile.
"What about?"
"You-"
"They're not true!"
He laughed. "Relax, it's nothing bad."
I eyed him warily. "Give an example."
"Okay…how you used to beat all the guys during football."
"That's because they never tackled me, they didn't want me to get hurt."
"And how, in all your free time, you would write songs and stories and screenplays." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, purple notebook that had A.S.R-M. engraved in sparkles on the front.
I took it from his hands gently. "My lyric book? But how? It's been missing for years…"
"Chris said that Natalie took it when you were eight. He found it in a box in her room." He cleared his throat. "I actually saw the box…"
I looked in his eyes. "What about it…?"
"Natalie had all your movies and CDs. She also has your books and the DVDs of I Mind- the show you were on. There's posters of you for the movies and for your band tours." He paused. "I'm thinking Natalie was a fan of you. If anything, she wanted to either be you or be like you."
"What makes you think that?" I asked, skeptical.
"Well, think about; she goes after everything you have. You had Todd- she has Todd. You entered a dance contest- she entered. You're friends with Chad Dylan Cooper- she tried to make a pass at me." He fake shuddered. I laughed. "I'm thinking she's the jealous one and she just wants to be like you."
"The thing that proves your theory wrong is that I'm not a spoiled bitch. I'm not a spoiled bitch, am I?" I didn't really know what people thought of me.
"No, you're not. But maybe she thought that that's how famous people are supposed to act. I don't think you should shut her out."
I nodded slowly, letting him know I understood and that I would try to stay friends with her. I sighed and opened my little notebook. Most of the lyrics that I had written down were from musicals I loved.
I started humming the tune of one of the songs, Mom looking at me funny. I stopped and closed the book.
-------------------------------------------------------
About thirty minutes ago, we had landed and gotten our car, driving back to our places. We were going to drop Chad and I off at the studios and Mom would take our stuff home, dropping Chad's off at his house.
I had gotten a call from some Hollywood friends to have a get-together. It was five other people who wanted to meet. My Hollywood friends are different than my Famous friends. These were just kids that I helped with a school musical whom took an attachment to me. I to them.
We were sitting in the piano room in So Random!'s studio. Me and my Hollywood friends- not me and Chad. He went straight to Mackenzie Falls.
Tyler, one of the guys, played the tune to a song and we all sang along.
COMPANY
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Moments So Dear
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure - Measure A Year?
In Daylights - In Sunsets
In Midnights - In Cups Of Coffee
In Inches - In Miles
In Laughter - In Strife
In - Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure
A Year In The Life
How About Love?
How About Love?
How About Love?
Measure In Love
Seasons Of Love
Seasons Of Love
ME
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Journeys To Plan
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure The Life
Of A Woman Or A Man?
TYLER
In Truths That She Learned
Or In Times That He Cried
In Bridges He Burned
Or The Way That She Died
ALL
It's Time Now - To Sing Out
Tho' The Story Never Ends
Let's Celebrate
Remember A Year In The Life Of Friends
Remember The Love
Remember The Love
Remember The Love
Measure In Love
ME
Measure, Measure Your Life In Love
Seasons Of Love...
Seasons Of Love." (Seasons of Love from Rent)
We all LOVED that song. That was one that I had written in my notebook when I was eight.
There was a knock at the door and I looked over to see Chad. My eyebrows drew down; I was confused. I went over to the door and he grabbed me by the elbow, pulling me out of the room and down the hall.
"What, what, what? What's so important- we're jamming here."
He stopped and stood, facing me, eyebrow up.
"Okay, so we weren't jamming but I haven't seen these guys in a long time."
"Sonny, do you have any idea how mad Mr. Condor is? You let in people that he didn't know about."
"So? What's there to be mad about? He didn't mind Lucy-"
"Yes, yes, he didn't mind Lucy because he knew beforehand that she was coming- not a last minute invitation. He knew Lucy was coming but he didn't know these people were. He's furious."
"The- The kind of furious where I could lose my job? That kind of-?"
"Yeah, that kind. He thinks people are just waltzing in off the streets."
"Well, what am I going to do?"
He shrugged. "I don't know, all I did was warn you. You messed up so now you need to fix it."
I thought for a second and then pulled out my phone. "Hey, Dakota, it's Sonny…"
"You have Dakota's number?" Chad whispered. He didn't want Dakota to overhear his voice.
I nodded. "Yes, um, I need to ask you something…well, no, it has nothing to do with Chad- but it does with your father…What's his favorite song?"
Dakota told me and I shut off my phone, smiling. Nodding in relief, I said, "Piece of cake…"
-------------------------------
"Sonny Monroe, what is the mean-" Mr. Condor barged into the piano room and stopped short when Chad made the "quiet" symbol by putting his pointer finger to his lips.
"No father figure in the house
and i'm wonderin' how i'm gonna work it out
oh my friends keep on tellin' me how i don't need that man but they don't really understand
there's far too many presures in reality but dealing with the pain and stress and poverty
and i gotta be myself because there's nobody else for me (ohhhh)
(heading there with me)sometimes it takes a different kind of love to raise a child
(so don't give up)so don't give up
(when presures come down)sometimes it takes a different kind of dream to make you
smile
(so raise it up)so raise
(hang in there with me)sometimes we need another helping hand to show the ways
(so don't give up) so don't give up
(when presures come down)sometimes it seems inpossible and that's why we pray
(so raise it up) we raise
[HOPE] seems to be nothing left for me mommas gone daddy didnt wanna be and now
im all by myself wonderin where is love or
should i just give up
life falls down on me, cuts into my soul but i know i got the strength to make it throgh it
all cause im still standin tall
breaking throgh this wall im gonna give my all
[HOPE] feelin like a motherless child hankered into my soul its bringing me down cant
find my smile on a face of a
motherless child
im gonna break down these walls gonna give it my all ya know
yeah yeah yeah yeahhhh
(hang in there with me)sometimes it takes a different kind of love to raise a child
(so dont give up)so dont give up
(when pressures come down)sometimes it takes a different kind of dream to make a smile
(so raise it up) so raise it up
(hang in there with me) raise it up
sometimes it takes another helping hand to show you the way
(so dont give up, when presures come down)
[HOPE] sometimes it seems impossible thats why we pray
SO RAISE IT UP."
Mr. Condor's favorite song was Raise It Up from August Rush. So, to get on his good side, I called Dakota, got the song, and we already knew it so all we had to do was play for him. Hopefully he wouldn't fire me.
"What…is all this?" He asked, confused.
I stood from the piano. "Well, Raise It Up is one of my favorite songs and they wanted to learn it…I hope you don't mind us practicing here- I don't have a piano at home."
Mr. Condor blinked, apparently surprised. "No, no, it's no problem at all. Great job. And it's my favorite song too." He left.
Once he was down the hall, I high-fived all my friends, happy that we were in the clear. "You guys might want to leave soon."
They left but Chad stayed in the room, looking at me with his head tilted. He chuckled.
I copied his stance, smiling. "What?"
He shook his head. "nothing."
"Really?" I pursed my lips and started walking toward him. "Because that expression didn't seem like it was nothing. Why were you looking at me like that?" I was smiling at the end, showing I wasn't going to be harsh.
He shrugged. "Nothing- you're just the only one I know that's on his good side. Congratulations on not getting fired. I was so SURE you would."
I scoffed, mouth agape. "Hey! If anyone were to get fired, it'd be you for shushing him!"
He went to protest but stopped. "Yeah, you're probably right. C'mon, let's go freak your cast out."
We walked out of the room, his arm around my shoulders. "How are we going to do that?"
"You'll see…" Chad, the forever annoying, Dylan Cooper.
"Chad, seriously, what are you-" He cut me off by spinning me around and kissing me on the lips. I was so shocked and stunned, I froze. He pulled away as my eyes opened. "Oh, that."
I looked to my left to see my cast standing there, all their mouths hanging open. At the same time, as if practiced, they said, "Ew!"
Chad smirked and looked at me. "Later," He pecked my lips one more time before leaving.
I was still recovering from the first kiss that I didn't really notice the second. I turned and stepped toward my cast, face still showing confusion and shock.
"Um, hi?" My greeting came out a question.
"So what exactly happened in Wisconsin?" Nico asked, sitting down to finish a burrito.
"Okay, I already knew you two were together but seeing you guys kiss-" Tawni made a gagging motion. "Gross."
"Together-? No, Chad and I aren't-"
"Sonny, that kiss showed otherwise than not being together. Whether you know it or not, you two are a couple. You guys already have fans because of the movie."
"But we didn't announce anything about the movie yet." I sat down, confused.
"Well, there's websites and blogs that the cast and crew post at showing all you guys. Wanna know your couple names?" Zora asked, cackling in her own little weird way.
"Um, sure?" It came out a question.
"Channy and Chadson. More people like Channy, though."
"But we're not a-"
"Sonny," Tawni put her hand on my knee, stopping me. "you are. You and Chad are a couple. All the tabloids say it."
"That's probably why he kissed me, to fuel the fire."
"Fire?" Grady questioned, scared and alarmed. "What fire?!"
"I meant gossip, Grady, there's no fire."
"Sonny, Chad wasn't doing that to throw fresh meat to the sharks,"
"Sharks?!" Grady interrupted Nico.
"He likes you- a lot." Nico continued as if Grady didn't say anything.
"No, really, man, there's sharks?" Grady was worried.
"Grady, they're metaphors." I told him, rolling my eyes.
Grady jumped to his feet looking terrified. "Metaphors?!" He paused in being scared and turned to us. "What are metaphors?"
"Really, Grady? You don't know?" Zora sounded shocked.
Grady chuckled nervously. "Yeah, yeah, I'm just joking, you guys." He waved his hand in the air, something he does when he's lying. "And, Sonny, Chad does have feelings for you- you should know this by now!"
"By the way, why didn't you tell us you could dance?" Tawni changed the subject, winking at me.
"How did you find out?"
"It's all over the web! You were in a dance contest and someone videotaped it. They posted it everywhere. AND you danced with Mitchell! Isn't he an ex?"
I nodded. "My grandparents choose my dancing partners. Did they post Natalie and Todd and then Terence and Joe and Chris?"
She nodded, showing me the video. "Yeah, they posted the whole competition."
"Oh, God, please! Please, tell me they did NOT post my tantrum!"
"You threw a tantrum?" Zora asked, eyebrows flying up her forehead.
"My cousin was being a jerk and pushed my last button- I yelled and screamed and said things I shouldn't have."
"Did she deserve it?"
"She slept with my boyfriend when I was still with him. Does that answer your question?"
Zora nodded. "Well, there's no tantrum. Do you think you could recognize where the person is standing?"
I looked at the video and saw that the person was surrounded by Mom and my co-stars and people from the crew on the movie. My jaw dropped and eyes narrowed.
I stood. "Yeah, I know who it is…"
I left, in search of Chad.