A/N: Heyy, I know, this ain't too bad of a late update now, is it? I'm quite proud. Well, kinda. It's not as long as some of the others, but hey, it's decent. I was just determined to update something either today or tomorrow, and QTO was the closest to done. Soo... here we are. :P

EYELiNeRLUvEr2411 - Heyy! Haha, I love you too! But not in that way :P I love your reviews just so much... you always make me smile! And I forgot to answer your question from a couple of chaps ago! Yes, I do write songs. I have written one that will feature in this story, in fact, so... keep that in mind... *taps nose secretively*. I dunno whether it's any good or not, but I guess we'll find out when it features in... uh... 10-15 chapters time? Maybe? I'm not sure, I haven't planned that far ahead :P And I saw what you said in your DIKY review... LOVE YOU TOO MUCH!

Clumzee Wumzee - Haha. I always speak out loud when reading FF, like, say "aww" or somethin', and my family just look at me like, "Okay...?" Lol.

swac twilight14 - I've updated... now hold your side of the bargain ;)

k.98'PeaceOutSuckas - Where are you hun? I miss you - you haven't reviewed in ages! Well, not that long, but it feels that way. :P

Okay... this A/N is probably already longer than the chapter, so lemme just say I don't own SWAC and get on with it!


Chapter 28 - Operation: Friendship Flunk

Chad's POV

To: Allison

Zora was acting all weird. I think she might be… suspicious. I think she's seen something.

About 30 seconds after I send my message to Sonny, she replies instantaneously, but she calls me this time.

"Hello?"

"We need a game plan." She says, "Now. We can't let any more people know about this!"

"I know…" I say warily, "Tawni and Zora are all suspicious, and Chastity and her weird little hunches…"

"Oh, we don't have to worry about Chastity anymore." Sonny says sweetly. I blink.

"Uh, what?" I say, biting my lip, "What did you do…?"

"Oh, don't sound so freaked out, Cooper!" She laughs, "It's not like I did something stupid! I just told her the story and made her promise not to tell anyone."

"You… did what?" I ask.

"I just told her the story about… us." I groan at the word "us". It doesn't sound right… Sonny seems to notice my distaste, "You know? The story of our friendship and stuff! She promised not to tell anyone, and Chastity, well, she may be totally crazy and a lover of gossip, but don't worry – I trust her. She's actually the only one of those morons I call my cast who I do trust. She won't tell a soul."

Slightly wary, I nod slowly, hoping that Sonny is right. "Okay… but as for everyone else, we have to cover up our story. If they start asking questions, we're gonna be in trouble."

"Exactly." Sonny sighs, "Which is why we need to sort it out. We need a big fight – a huge fight. Something that'll look good on the enemies side! Something that'll convince the Randoms that I'm that same drama queen and that you still hate my guts." She takes a deep breath, "Listen – I have a plan… Tomorrow, we start Operation: Friendship Flunk."

Tawni's POV

"You chickened out, didn't you?" Nico raises an eyebrow at Zora, who smiles sheepishly at us when she steps through the Prop House door.

"You could say that…" She says, "But you can hardly blame me! Chad, though he may be a traitor… he's still super friendly and scarily innocent. It wasn't the right time, anyway… I need to catch them together, just in case I was wrong…"

I wring my hands together, annoyed. This whole 'Chad and Sonny' thing is really getting to me. It seems like Chad – my cast-mate, my friend, my crush – prefers (and is getting a little too comfy with) Sonny Munroe.

I could hit them both. Hard.

Zora told us that yesterday she saw Chad and Sonny hanging out in Chad's dressing room. She says she didn't hear anything, and she didn't see much (Yup, Zora didn't tell them everything…), but still. They were hanging out. They're supposed to be enemies, for crying out loud!

Something is going on between them…

And I don't like it.


Half an hour later, Chad stomps into the Prop House like a grumpy little kid, arms folded, childish pout fixed on his lips. He slumps down on the couch, sighing loudly, dramatically. See? Sonny's making him dramatic! This. Is. Not. Good.

"What's up, buddy?" Nico asks, giving Chad a weird look. He lies back on the couch, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Sonny's up." He says boredly, rolling his eyes up to the ceiling.

"What did she do?" I raise a cautious eyebrow. Trouble in paradise? Ha. That's what he gets for trying to be friendly with that skank… (Apologies…)

He lets out a deep, cheesed-off breath, "She is the biggest diva you could ever come across…"

"We know that already." Zora says, "What did she do, though?"

We all listen eagerly, wanting to hear what could've got poor Chaddy so peeved about his little friend.

Chad sits up on the couch, putting his hands together and looking it each of our faces in turn with a soft look. He blows his hair out of his face, before speaking.

"Okay, so, it started this morning, at like, nine. She called me, and started complaining about how she 'had nothing to wear'. I was like, I don't care. But, ugh, she honestly gets so worked up about the tiniest of things…"

So true. I remember when we stopped being friends… I hardly said anything to hurt her, and she yelled at me like I'd said something unforgivable! (Yup, Tawni really is that ignorant… *eye roll*) Is she melodramatic or what?

"So, anyway, that was barely anything, but then, I was all ready to leave for So Random, when, guess what? Sonny called me and said her car had broken down and that I, being her servant for the week – I mean, what the heck? – had to come and pick her up. And then, as if that wasn't enough, having Sonny Munroe in my car, she then goes on and on at me about how minor I am and how horrid this week was gonna be and how she was only doing it cos Condor told her to." He finishes with a scoff, lying back in the chair and rolling his eyes rudely. "That girl riles me up the wrong way." He moans, before picking up the Tween Weekly magazine on the table and staying quiet.

Hmm. Nice acting, Chad. I almost believed you for a second.

Sonny's POV

I stand outside the Prop House doors, listening to the Random's conversation, debating when the best time would be to enter. Chad and I have our plan set, pretty much. I just need to make sure I come in at the right moment.

"That girl riles me up the wrong way." I hear Chad say to his cast. A couple of them mumble in agreement – sounds like the boys. Well, that makes sense. The boys don't know anything about Chad and I apart from what Tawni and Zora have told them, which probably isn't much.

Hopefully.

"So, speaking of the diva…" One of the boys – Grady, I think – speaks up, "Where is she now? If you drove her in?"

"In her dressing room." Chad says. "Which is better than her infecting my dressing room again… she'll probably be here soon. And, judging by what I left in there, she's not gonna be too happy when she comes…"

Murmurs of confusion sweep the room, and I pick this moment to make my "big entrance". Holding the fake spider Chad gave me as a "prank" as far from my body as possible, I storm in and shoot him a scowl.

"WHO. DID. THIS?" I scream. I watch as the boy Randoms (including Chad) smirk and chuckle, and I shoot them each a death glare.

"Good morning to you too, princess." Chad smiles in mock-sweetness. "I hope your dressing room was to your satisfaction."

If looks could kill… pretend looks, of course. "Was this you, Cooper?" I spit. He just smiles bitter-sweetly.

"Payback for those few joyous minutes we spent together in my car." He says, his voice dripping with mockery. He gets up off the couch and walks towards the door.

"Don't you walk away from me!" I scream at him, going all-out on a huge temper tantrum. You know – stomping my foot, screaming, and the like.

"You can't tell me what to do." He retorts, not turning back, before striding out of the room, hands dug into his pockets. I snort, turning back to the Randoms.

"What's up with him?" I ask rudely. Tawni scowls at me.

"You, apparently…" She mutters, before picking up the magazine Chad was previously holding and flicking through it. I am fully aware of the angry glares shot my way then, so I flee to the opposite side of the Prop House, sitting there in silence and looking through my texts boredly. My phone suddenly sings out my text tone, and I look at the text.

From: Chad

Phase 1 is a success! Phase 2 later, okay? :)

I smile, typing in my reply carefully, ignoring the odd looks from the Randoms.

To: Chad

During rehearsals. Got it?

From: Chad

Affirmative :P See ya later!

"Who was that, Munroe?" Tawni asks me, raising an eyebrow, "Text from a friend?"

"None of your beeswax, Hart." I spit harshly, before turning my back on the Randoms and closing them out.

They still continue to stare to me.

Feeling their gaze on my back, I turn around slowly, smile at them sweetly, and then stick my tongue out. They gasp and scowl and groan as I slam my mouth shut, smile that same sweet smile, and turn my back to them again.

Ha.


Rehearsals are –surprisingly – not bad.

No, I mean it.

Besides all the rude and vulgar looks and words shared between Randoms and me (which, by the way, are mostly coming between me and Chad – we're that good at our little plan), the sketches are actually really fun to perform. I especially like the Princess one – it's entertaining to put on that accent. I have an aunt who talks just like that, so it's hilarious.

And Chad is amazing, by the way.

As usual.

Duh.

Of course, I can't say that. Chad and I are continuing with our little plan – occasional random remarks and pranks and stuff. It's kind of fun, to be honest. Is that weird? Huh.

Anyway. Phase two – annoying each other during rehearsals – seems to go well. If the Randoms don't believe we hate each other's guts, Marshall sure does. The poor guy keeps wiping his forehead with a handkerchief every time we start a fight. Poor guy.

He has no idea what's coming next.

Phase three – train wreck.

"Okay, great rehearsals guys!" Marshall says with a smile. I think he's just glad we haven't ripped each other's faces off.

Yet.

"The sketches are really coming together, and you've worked really hard on them!" He goes on with his little inspirational speech. I just sort of blank out and let his words grate on… "I am glad to see you working well together… there may be a few problems…" His gaze meets mine and I just smile pleasantly, "…but I know with work, you will have them ready!"

Chad snorts next to me, folding his arms. Marshall raises an eyebrow at him.

"Everything okay, Chad?" He asks. Chad just nods. I let my mouth drop open, before smirking.

"Someone in a bad mood, Chaddypoo?" I ask him, knowing the nickname won't go down well. Tawni sure doesn;t like it; she makes a sad grunting sound. Ha. I know about her little crush on Chad. How sad.

Chad pulls a face. "Do not call me that, Munroe. I will break you for it."

I stifle a laugh, "Chad Dylan Cooper? Harming someone? Ha! I'd like to see that!"

"Oh dear…" Marshall mumbles, and I watch him taking out his handkerchief out of the corner of my eye. I click my tongue arrogantly, resting my hands on my hips and facing Chad. He does the same, but his arms are folded rather than on his hips. He models a look of annoyance, whereas I model the more humoured look.

"What is your problem, Sonny?" Chad hisses, clenching his fists. I watch out of the corner of my eyes as the Randoms begin to form a circle around us, as if we're about to break out into a fight. They watch, eager to see what will happen. "Sometimes you can be nice – like yesterday, for instance – but honestly… what, can you tell me, leads you to be so horrid?"

"What happened yesterday?" Tawni asks curiously. Chad sighs, not averting his gaze away from me. The fire in his eyes looks impressively real. I'm proud of my little Chaddy and his cute little acting…

Okay…that sounded better in my head than out-loud…

…Moving on…

"When Sonny was in my dressing room, she may have still been bigheaded and arrogant, but she was saying how she was excited to work with us. And then, this morning, she was moaning how she didn't want to and was only doing it for her job's sake! Seriously, Sonny… what is wrong with you?"

I let my mouth hang open for a moment, before speaking angrily. "Listen, Cooper, I don't know what you're trying to do here…"

"I'm not trying to do anything!" Chad yells, "I want you to explain to me why you're such a bitch!" (Sorry… It needed to be said)

I gasp along with the circle of Randoms, kind of shocked at Chad's use of a swear word. I haven't heard him swear in ages… at least it helps fuel my false anger next.

"You don't know half of my story, Chad!" I shout, my voice cracking from the volume.

"Well, then, enlighten us." Chad says. His voice isn't raised now… it's low. Dangerously low. It sends a shiver down my spine – this kid is too good.

"Do you think if I wanted to, I would?" I say. He shrugs.

"You tell us. C'mon, Sonny, spill. Or are you scared?" The angry look on his face fades and he sneers. We seem to have swapped expressions suddenly. Huh.

Each Randoms shares the same look of utter shock. They're probably just astonished by Chad's sudden mean behaviour. Not that they disapprove of it though. No – they're probably cheering for him on the inside.

"Chad." I glower at him, "Back off."

"Or what?" He snorts, "I'm not scared of you or your precious little bad girl reputation. So don't think I'm going to cower away from this because you threaten me. Your reputation doesn't even scare me – you're just hiding behind it."

My fists clench along with my teeth. Letting out a deep sigh of "anger", I shake my head. I come right up in front of Chad's face, growling quietly.

"Don't push me anymore, Cooper." I murmur, "It's not funny. I could do a damn sight better at ruining your career than you could mine, and you damn well know it." Before Chad can reply, I push my way between the two girl Randoms, and make my way to Chad's dressing room.

Well… that went well. Maybe a bit too well…

I'm just a little scared by how close to the truth Chad's last sentence was… I just hope the Randoms didn't pick up on that.

Chad's POV

Watching Sonny's retreating figure, I realise just how much fun I was having during our little fight. A bit too much, perhaps? Sonny seemed a little freaked out by what I was saying, but maybe she was just acting? Maybe she was just riding with the fight? I sure hope so…

Well, whether I really have hurt Sonny or not, I know it was kind of worth it. After Sonny has left the room, Marshall tells us to go have a break, walking as quickly away as possible before anything else kicks off. Tawni walks up to me, slowly, leaving the circle that my friends seemed to have formed around me and Sonny. She taps me lightly on the shoulder, looking up at me with those cool blue eyes. Her massive heels make her just a bit taller than little Sonny, so only a little shorter than me. She bats her eyelashes softly before wrapping her arms around me. I try to be careful when I shove her off. She smiles at me gently, not seeming to notice that I'm not really attracted to her like she is to me.

"She's playing you, Chad." She says. I can hear the relief in her tone. "She's been trying to make it seem like she's your friend, like she's on your side, right?"

I nod. Wow, that excuse was practically gift-wrapped for me… thank you, Tawni Hart…

She her smile grows a little. I can see the relief in her eyes. Obviously I can do no wrong to her… and it seems she no longer believes that Sonny and I are "friends".

Thank goodness…

She places a kind hand on my shoulder, "Don't… don't let her get to you, Chad." She says softly, "I'd hate to see her do something to such a great guy like you."

She pats my shoulder once more before turning and walking off, the others following her.

And then, when no-one's looking, I shudder.


I know where Sonny is. I just know her that well, so well that I know that she will be in my dressing room, waiting for me. So when I see her sat on the couch in my dressing room, smiling at a framed photo, I grin.

Got it right.

I stride casually over to the centre of my room, slumping down on the couch next to her. I look at the picture in her hands – a framed one of me and her I left in here. I meant to take it home, in case anyone found it and questioned it. Too late. But hey, at least it's only Sonny who's found it.

This is another picture from that Friday night around my house, before that… odd weekend that followed. We're sat on my bed, her sticking her tongue out, me crossing my eyes, both of us looking hilariously stupid. I love moments when we can just hang out like that – no fights, no hiding, no Randoms… just us.

I put a tentative arm around her back, smiling at her. She looks up at me, smiles weakly, and then looks back down at the photo. I gulp. Uh oh.

"Hey." I say, silently hoping I didn't upset her. She sighs.

"Hi." She says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear nervously. She still continues to stare at that photo.

"Have I done something wrong?" I ask. She sits up, putting the picture back down on the coffee table and laughing gently.

"No, no, sorry!" She giggles, "I was just… deep in thought."

"Oh." I sigh in relief, "Well, what were you thinking about?"

She shrugs, "Just… stuff. Us. The Randoms. What would happen if that little fight back there didn't work…"

"It worked." I assure her proudly, "Trust me. Tawni sure seemed to believe it, and she's our biggest problem. Don't worry – everything's gonna be fine. Even if we do someday get ratted out, well, don't worry. We'll be fine."

"You promise?" She asks, giving me those adorable puppy-dog eyes. I then remember how fragile this girl really is. With a friendly smile, I speak after several seconds of thought.

"I promise."

She grins; a hopeful, happy grin, before snuggling the back of her head into my chest. She sighs quietly, contently, and it feels good.

Unfortunately, it doesn't last long.

A loud knock on the door causes us to pull apart, and our insecurities spring off another fake fight.

"I can't believe you!" I scream into Sonny's face. She scoffs.

"You're pathetic!" She yells right back.

"Stop it, both of you." A small, familiar voice comes from behind the door. "I know your secret, just open the door."

I gulp, turning to face Sonny who is wearing a look of slight fear on her pretty face. Hesitant, I walk towards the door, placing my hand on the doorknob.

"Are you alone?" I ask my cast mate.

"Yup." She says, "Promise."

"Don't let her in…" Sonny whispers.

I just shrug, "You told one of your cast members… now I'm telling one of mine."

After letting out a loud sigh and a head-full of thoughts on how wrong this is, I pull the door open to reveal Zora. She smiles up at me.

"Right." She says, "We need to talk."

So. Maybe the plan didn't work like we hoped.


A/N: Well, that's that! If I'd have continued this chap I would've included Zora talking to them, but I almost have to go watch TV and I just wanted to get this up. I just have a feeling this week's gonna be stressful, until Thursday night, so I might not update... *facepalm*. So... there you go.

Well, what will happen next? Will they come clean to Zora? Will Zora keep their secret if they do? Will anyone else figure it out?

Well... review to find out! :D

~Amy x

PS: Once again, apologies for the few swears there were in there. I'm a real goody-goody, but they were just needed. Hope no-one minds :)

PPS: Anyone notice - Operation: Friendship Flunk = Operation FF? I giggled when I realised :P And it was originally called "Friendship Fail", so sorry if I didn't change it in a couple of places...