A/N My internet is broken right now. So while I'm writing this, I don't know how long it'll be until I can actually upload :( Dedicated to randomsmileyperson for leaving a super long review :) I love getting things like that!
Chapter 22
This Song
SPOV
After many, many nights of no sleep, I'd finally finished my song. (The one that only had the chorus in chapter 16- lol)
It was of course, dedicated to, and inspired by my best friend. I couldn't wait to play it for Chad. After all, he had written me a song. For my eleventh birthday. I smiled at the memory- we hadn't been able to be together on the day for my birthday, but the on the day, a package arrived in the post, containing a video. It was simply labelled 'Happy Birthday Sonny!' and when I played it; it was a video of him playing the song. One of the best presents ever!
So, after weeks, it was finally finished. I was very pleased with my work, for once; usually I hated my songs. But this one was my pride and joy. And for Chad.
At the end of lunch, just as I walked into the Prop House, I yanked out my phone.
To: Chadday :P
From: Sonnnnaaayyy :D
Hey, wanna hang at mine tonight? Gotta surprise and I refuse to give you it at your house :L xx
To: Sonnnnaaayyy :D
From: Chadday :P
Sure. What is it? xx
To: Chadday :P
From: Sonnnnaaayyy :D
Ah buh bah! It's a surprise! xx
To: Sonnnnaaayyy :D
From: Chadday :P
Pleeeeease? xx
To: Chadday :P
From: Sonnnnaaayyy :D
Haha, wait and see. My house, eight thirty? xx
To: Chadday :P
From: Sonnnnaaayyy :D
... Fine. xx
The rest of the conversation was just 'fines!' and 'goods!' Ha. Good times.
So I was very excited; my song was hard work for once.
"Hey, Allie... do you have any plans for tonight?" Tawni asked me. Uh oh. Yes I did have plans, but Tawni couldn't exactly find out who with, could she?
"Um... yeah, actually." I said calmly, and got a little annoyed at the look of surprise across her face.
"Jeesh, Tawn, just because you never ask me to hang, doesn't mean the one time you do ask me, I'll be free." I snapped, annoyed.
"Alright, then Allie. What plans do you have?" She snapped back. Oh, man. What to say?
"I'm... meeting with an old friend." A look of curiosity crossed her face. "No one you know, Tawn," Well, technically it was true. Chad Goldfarb was coming to visit me, and Tawni didn't know him.
"Hm. So why don't we all meet up?" She suggested impatiently. Whoa. She must be desperate!
"Uhm, sorry, Tawni, I just need a chance to be with them for a bit, y'know? Just me and my friend." She glanced up at me, looking a little hurt.
"Oh... okay then." She mumbled. I felt bad, but I hadn't spoken a word less than the truth... I shook the thoughts off.
"Anyway, it's the show tomorrow!" I said brightly. "We all need a good sleep." And with that, I skipped to our dressing room to change for afternoon rehearsals, the guilt weighing down my on my shoulders.
CDC~SM~CDC~SM~CDC
Knock, knock.
I grinned, and Mom beat me to the door. She loved Chad.
"Hello, Chad, honey!" I heard Mom greet him.
"Hi, Connie," He replied nicely.
"Sonny's just in her room. Do you want anything?" I rolled my eyes. Typical Mom. If she likes a guest, she fusses over them. Way, way too much.
"No, I'm good," Ha. He usually asks for coffee or something. He wants his surprise! Chad barged through my door, not bothering to knock.
"Hey!" I complained. "Don't you knock? What if I'd been changing or something?"
He opened his mouth to reply, then went a little pink in the face. I decided not to pursue whatever he'd been about to say... Dirty minded boy.
He ambled over and sat beside me on my bed, looking at me expectantly.
"Well?"
"Well what?" Recipe #1 for an annoyed Chad. Ask stupid questions. Recipe #2. Pretend you don't know what he's talking about. Recipe #3; combine 1 & 2. Irritated Chad is entertaining to watch. For me, anyways.
"Surprise?"
"What surprise?"
"The surprise you said you were gonna give me?" He was talking through clenched teeth now. Lol. This is fun.
I stared at him blankly.
"The one you refused to give me at my house...?" He practically growled at me. I made a scence of acting like I'd just realized something huge.
"Oh, that surprise!" I exclaimed in mock victory.
"Yes, that surprise," He imitated me. I raised my eyebrows.
"Want your surprise or not?" I asked. He immediately held his hands up in surrender.
"I'll be good!" He said, and I smiled.
"Good boy." I crawled along the floor over to my guitar case, and opened it, pulling my beautiful guitar and some (non-existent) sheet music out. He grinned.
"Oh, you're playing a song?" He asked.
"Correction. I wrote a song," I smirked, then paused. "Actually... I wrote you a song," I grinned at his expression, and then started strumming.
I know what I said
All those years ago
But, I'm, gonna be honest here
And say
That I never really forgot, you
Cause after all that we'd been through
Didn't ever want to let you go
Though, you had run free
"Don't forget" was what you asked of me
So I lied, but I never really let you go
Oh, you know
With that first sight, of your face
All my memories
Hit back at a pace
Didn't know, what to say
What to do... about you
Cause after all that we'd been through
Didn't ever want to let you go
Though, you had run free
"Don't forget" was what you asked of me
So I lied, but I never really let you go
Oh, you know
[Bridge]
Yes I know
What I said
And my heart
Filled with dread
I wasn't sure
I didn't know
What to expect,
What to ignore
But after all these years
Of being alone
I was finally home
Cause after all (after all)
That we'd been through
I wasn't about (not a chance)
To let go of you
And you ran free (away from me)
But you were back (as was I)
I didn't forget (not about you)
So I told the truth
Said I'd never let go of you
Now you know
Oh, you know
I finished the last note (which was hard, by the way) and opened my eyes to see a beaming Chad clapping for me. I smiled back at him, then realized with a start that he had tears in his eyes. I let go of my guitar and wiped his eyes.
"Did you like it?" I asked softly.
"No," He told me. My heart dropped. All that work-! "I loved it!" He finished, grinning like crazy. (Alright, that line is dedicated to every single one of you who said something like that in a review. I was reading through all my reviews, and there were actually quite a lot. They're soooo nice to get. Love y'all!)
I felt a smile light up my face, and next thing I knew I was basically strangling him in a hug.
"Ah. You're my best friend," I mumbled into his shoulder.
"Same. Now, you know what we need to do?"
"What?" He smiled mischievously.
"We needa plan out our duet. Any ideas?" He asked, as I released him.
"Ugh... no, actually."
"Me either," He said, then his eyes lit up and I could practically hear the light bulb ding above his head.
"What are you thinking?" I asked curiously. He pulled out his iPod.
"Let's see how similar our music tastes are..." He grinned, plugging his iPod into my speakers. He started fiddling with it, and next thing I knew, he thrust it into my hands. I his the shuffle button, and flicked a few times. Immediately, an amazing song came on.
"Oh, my gosh! I love this song!" I yelled, getting up and dancing. Chad laughed and I yanked him to his feet. Pretty soon we were both singing (or yelling) the words along to the Rd Jumpsuit Apparatus's song 'Atrophy,' (If you've never heard that song, listen to it. Actually, if you like music like Paramore and Flyleaf and Secondhand Serenade and such, you should like the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus!)
Panting, Chad reached over and changed the song, just as it got to the bridge.
"Hey!" I yelled. He shrugged.
"We couldn't do that one, Son," He reminded me.
(Now here's a song I'm considering changing the words to a little and actually considering using!)
'Seventeen Ain't So Sweet' came blaring on. I grinned.
(Chad, Sonny, Both)
Well she never was the best
At following the trends
Stayed one step above the rest
And even though it seemed
Like the world was crashing on her
Didn't let it hold her down
Didn't hold her back oh no
Don't worry you'll show them
There's a fire in your eyes Don't worry you'll show them
And I hope you'll let it burn
There's a scream in your voice
And I hope you will be heard
There's a fire in your eyes
And I hope you'll let it burn
Until you're heard, you're heard
Seventeen is just a test
Yeah and I would recommend
That you live with no regrets
And even if it seems
Like the world is crashing on you
You shouldn't let it hold you down
Shouldn't hold you back oh no, woah oh
There's a fire in your eyes
And I hope you'll let it burn
There's a scream in your voice
And I hope you will be heard
There's a fire in your eyes
And I hope you'll let it burn
Until you're heard, you're heard
Relax girl, turn down the lights
No one can see you shining
Relax girl, it'll be alright
No one can stop you if you try
Point of rhythm is to follow it in time
To listen to the beating in your mind
Remember if you seek then you shall find
Woah oh
There's a fire in your eyes
And I hope you'll let it burn
There's a scream in your voice
And I hope you will be heard
There's a fire in your eyes
And I hope you'll let it burn
Until you're heard, you're heard
There's a fire in your eyes
And I hope you'll let it burn
There's a scream in your voice
And I hope you will be heard
There's a fire in your eyes
And I hope you'll let it burn
Until you're heard, you're heard
...until you're heard...
As the instruments crashed to an end in the background, our eyes met. We were breathing hard.
"Well that's..."
"Definitely a possibility, yeah," I mumbled, panting.
Before he could catch his breath enough to respond, however, my mom popped her head around the door.
"Hey, kids, I'm going out to grab some coffee. Want any?" I ordered my usual double mocha with extra cream and sprinkles. (Does that sound right? Because I ain't no coffee drinker, so I don't have a clue what I'm talking about here. My brother loves mocha though xD)
Chad said he didn't want anything, and Mom nodded and left. She'll probably get him his usual anyway. Better not tell him that. It'd burst his bubble.
"What do you wanna do now?" I asked him, smiling. He grinned lazily at me... Uh oh. He's up to something.
"I'd like to hear more of your songs," He said sweetly. Oh no. Not the puppy eyes!
"Noo... they're all totally... crap." I admitted. He poked my cheek with his finger.
"After that one you just sang, I doubt it," Awwww...
He continued to stare pleadingly at me, until I gave in with a groan.
"Fine!" I said. (Song randomly made up on the spot)
Ohhh, whoa
Whoa oh, oh
Here you are
Comin' round again
I see what you are
You kissed me in the rain
It was so cliché, but then
I couldn't take the pain
You kept on taking, taking, taking
I couldn't stand under the pressure
And my heart was breaking, breaking, breaking
You used me to your leisure
Well, no more, no way
I've seen your faking
It's not so hard to break away
It's not my heart you'll be breaking
Whoa oh, oh
You took me in
Caught me in your power
I noticed when the veil was thin
Saw you in your darkest hour [Hour pronounced ou-er here :)]
You let her in
And I saw you for you really are! [Are a biiiig note here]
You kept on taking, taking, taking
I couldn't stand under the pressure
And my heart was breaking, breaking, breaking
You used me to your leisure
Well, no more, no way
I've seen your faking
It's not so hard to break away
It's not my heart you'll be breaking
It wasn't the greatest thing you've done
I know you've done a lot of things but
This really takes the cake
You're really just, one big fake!
Can't believe I took your lie
You played me from the start and I, well I!
Couldn't stand under the pressure
My heart was breaking, breaking
You used me to your leisure
Well no more, not today
I know you're faking
(It makes it soo that)
It's not so hard to break away
It's not my heart, no
It's not this heart you'll be breaking
I finished the last line of the song, feeling tears pool in my eyes, as the old memories flooded back. That was one of the first song's I'd ever fully written, back when I was fifteen. I was brought back to the present by Chad taking my hand.
"What's that song about?" He asked me softly.
I wiped the tears.
"My... my first boyfriend," I mumbled, then bit my lip as Chad unexpectedly let go of my hand and balled his hands into fists.
"Chad?" I asked, my voice sounding a bit scared. Heck, I was a lot scared. Suddenly, Chad was radiating fury. Fury. He moved one of his hands, and pinched the bridge of his nose. (Lol. Nose bridge.) He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Who was it, Son? And... what exactly did he do to you?" I shifted my legs, trying to get a more comfy position for story-telling. I curled my legs up under me, and pulled the blanket off my bad and wrapped it round me.
"His name was... Josh." (Not that I like a guy named Josh or anything... ;)) "You didn't know him, he was... after your time." I swallowed the lump in my throat at those last words. Chad flinched very slightly, but his fingers found his way into mine again. They were warm. Comfort.
"Well, anyways... I'd just started at West Appleton High. He started school a few weeks after everyone else; he'd just moved from somewhere else... Texas, I think he told me," Chad started at that; his blue eyes opened slowly and he stared at me.
"I'd long since... dumped the nickname 'Sonny'" I explained, rather awkwardly. His big blue eyes were boring into mine, now. "And he was in a few of my classes. We were partnered for a project," I suddenly remembered. "And he was... really nice. He soon decided to give me a nickname... Sonny," I flinched slightly at how it had felt when he'd first called me that. "I was still in a... bitter stage. I was determined to forget, but I guess the reason I first let him so close was cause... well, he reminded me of you," I admitted in a low voice, glancing down at our intertwined fingers. "We became pretty good friends... and then he asked me out." Chad's fingers; actually, whole body- tensed up a little. "I said yes. He was nice, sweet, charming... he was the first guy to ever really show... that kind of interest in me," I muttered the last part, remembering how stupid I'd felt for years; Lucy had her first boyfriend when she was twelve. I cleared my throat, still not able to meet Chad's eyes again. "He seemed like a nice, sweet boyfriend. He told me his... 'background'" My voice became bitter. "He told me he'd been abused as a kid. He told me he'd never really felt close to anyone... 'til he met me," I laughed sarcastically. "Apparently, I was his first girlfriend. I was thrilled. It seemed like he really liked and trusted me. After all, who else knew about his abusive background? Who else had he asked out?" I found the strength to look up. I met Chad's eyes, feeling the defensive look in my eyes.
"After five months... it turned out... he'd taken comfort in another girl as well." My fingers clenched involuntarily. Chad rubbed his thumb in comforting circles on the back of my hand, biting his lip in an effort not to flinch. I slowly loosened my fingers again, and forced a smile.
"Sorry." I muttered. "Anyway... he'd spun a whole story to her too. Told her he'd been orphaned at age five. And he was... he was dating her too. She was older than we were... and apparently, he liked her even more. I just... when it happened, I snapped. I'd had enough of pain," I stared into the distance, remembering, and gave a lopsided grin. "So, I gave him a piece of my mind. I kept up the pretence, then on our next date, I sang him that song." I grinned at the memory. "Then, he had the nerve to say, "Son- are you... breaking up with me?"..." I laughed at how shocked I'd been. "And then I answered him... I was like, 'Heck yeah... I deserve better than you!'" Chad squeezed my hand, a small grin lighting up his face as he pictured the scene. I smiled back at him, then my grin slid from my face. "The thing was... I didn't really believe it... It took me a while to get over the heartbreak. But then I realized..." I paused, and knew Chad expected some emotional life-lesson line. I smirked. "Then I realized he was an ass!" At this, Chad burst out laughing.
Slowly, he calmed down.
"Oh, Sonny. Ya know, I was scared of how you'd cope without me... Looks like I was just being arrogant again, huh?" He smiled at me. "You're my good girl. The first guy to break your heart, and I didn't even have to be there to serve a knuckle sandwich! Awww, Sonny, I'm so proud!" He pretended to wipe his eyes. I punched his shoulder playfully.
"Aw, shut up!" Then I realized some of what he said.
"Chad," I said seriously.
"What, dear?" Lol. Dear. Anyways, back to the subject.
"You were right and wrong," I said softly.
"Huh?"
"When you thought I'd struggle without you, you were right. When you said you were just being arrogant, you were wrong. I was so... different with you gone. Truth was there was the little piece of me that was broken. The part of me that was holding onto you with all ten... metaphorical fingers." I smiled at him, and I took his hand, just as he took my other hand.
He smiled back at me.
"See, this is the reason Chad Dylan Cooper is a mess," He announced randomly.
"What's the reason?" I asked, smiling. Who knew with Chad? Well... other than me.
"Isn't it obvious? The CDC missed out on something when he was born. Chad Goldfarb got it growing up..." I stared at him, suddenly worried about his mental health. He flashed his perfect teeth at me. "You, Sonshine. If you'd been with me when I started Hollywood, I'd not be Hollywood's Bad Boy. I'd be the nice one..." He mused. This made me beam at him.
"Hey Chad?"
"What?"
"Come here." I demanded, opening my arms. He hugged me, and I wrapped my arms around him firmly.
"You, Mr Goldfarb, are the best, nicest, most awesome guy in my life. No Chad Dylan Cooper is gonna change that. No matter what, you're my best friend."
Chad pulled back from me slightly.
"No matter what," He agreed softly.
A/N So what you think? The songs in this chapter are 'Seventeen Ain't So Sweet' by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, the first song by me is called 'You Know' and the second is... 'To Take and Break'. I honestly made it up during this chapter- it wasn't prewritten. Did you like it? :) I think this is my longest chapter so far! Okay, so tomorrow evening I'm leaving for my YF weekend. I may or may not update tomorrow, but I can't update Saturday through Tuesday. Soz guys :( But make me really happy and review, please?
Nangelgirl x