Hey y'all! I'm updating again, ain't that neat?
Yeah, so, before you guys read this chapter, I have a request. Before you read this chapter, go read nangelgirl923's story When Paparazzi Invade. Seriously. Because it's based on this story and you won't get this chapter if you don't read it (so, read it before or after reading this... get it?)
Yeah, so, we've kinda collaberated on this (I guess?) So I hope you enjoy it. Credit for, like, half of this chapter goes to nangelgirl923 because the paparazzi-based plotline is pretty much hers (I guess, again). And like she did with mine, I shall put the words she made up in bold.
Hope you enjoy it though! :D
DC-: I don't own SWAC, or nangelgirl923's dialogue, or nangelgirl923 (obviously). Once you've read When Paparazzi Invade it will make more sense.
Chapter 36-Zosh Verses Paparazzi!
Zora's POV (A/N: I've always wanted to do this! :D)
I arrive at Condor Studios, and, as usual, my immediate entertainment is to crawl through the vents. Okay, so I still like crawling through the vents and I'm fourteen… whatever! Of what I know (and, being the sneaky person I am, I know a lot) Sonny and Chad still watch Pauly and Pals… and they're both almost nineteen! I rest my case.
I don't even know why I crawl through the vents. I guess it just gives me time to think about stuff. I don't know what kinda stuff… sketches, friends, anything really. Weirdly, today, I was thinking about Chad (ugh) and Sonny (that makes it slightly better since I consider Sonny to be the sister I never had. All I had was an annoying brother… I repeat – ugh). And then those random thoughts developed into prank ideas (not on Sonny, on Chad and the Falls kids), which then made me think of Josh and the many pranks we've pulled off together, whether they were successful or… not so successful. Okay, so one time we accidentally shaved Chad's hair and he ended up looking like one of the kids in concentration camps from World War Two (he had the frown to match). Sonny may have been mad, but we told her it was an accident and gave her sad-kid faces and she was a sucker for it. Ah, I love pranking with Josh.
A few minutes go by of random crawling through the vents when I arrive just above the Prop House, where I hear a sudden blare of game music. Hmm… that's weird… Nico and Grady are usually in the cafeteria getting fro-yo right now. I know Sonny and Tawni would never touch those games, and it's not like Chad would either, even though I'd have no idea why he'd even be in here if Sonny wasn't.
I peered through the holes in the vent to see a dark-haired boy sat on the couch, yelling "die" at the TV, and I gulp. Intruder. Uh-oh…
I decide not to panic… everything's gonna be fine. I can take this guy. All I need is glue, itching powder, and a sample of his hair…
As I think of my plan, I hear a sudden shudder, followed by a creek. I then notice I'm sat on the door (A/N: I guess? Dunno what it's called) of the vent, and with a shudder and a crash, it opens, and I tumble down onto the couch next to this boy (note to self - you are bigger than you used to be), who jumps back in a familiar way that I've seen Pooper do a thousand times. Luckily, I've had a heck of a lot of practice in tuck-and-roll, so apart from a small pain on my shoulder, I'm okay. But this intruder isn't gonna be…
"Oh my God…" He says, "Are you okay?"
I look up, taking a karate pose, but I stop when I see that the intruder is really…
"Josh?" I ask, "What the heck are you doing here?"
He sighs, "To be honest, I really don't know. Sonny said she was gonna take me to a game store…"
"Sonny?" I ask, and he nods. I smile… that twisted labyrinth that is Sonny's mind. "Say no more."
He smiles, before turning back to face the TV. I copy him.
"So, whatcha playing?" I ask.
"I don't know," He shrugs, "Some over-aged zombie game."
I roll my eyes, "You're obsessed."
He laughs, "Guilty as charged."
Then there's a random, awkward silence, and I gulp. This is seriously weird…
"So…" Josh breaks the silence a few seconds later, "Uh… how are you?"
I smile, "Uh, good. Good… and you?"
"Good." He smiles, and I chuckle a little.
"…Great." I say, "So… uh…"
I feel my face turn red and I turn away, embarrassed. Luckily, Josh isn't looking. This is weird… are we… having a moment? I've never been into boys before… well, except Wesley, but that was a failure. I guess I'm just having fun with Josh… just friends… surely?
"Hey?" Josh asks, and I turn to face him. "Zora?"
My heart starts thumping weirdly, "…Yeah?"
He smiles a little, "You look really cool today. Kinda… pretty."
My heart flutters, and I try to stop myself from looking like a love-struck idiot.
"Hehee… thanks…"
Didn't work.
I start to recognise this from cheesy movies that Tawni and Sonny love, or one of those 'moments' Chad and Sonny have every now and again. Like I said… weird. Weird, and creepy.
But… to be honest… it isn't that bad. I actually haven't noticed before… when Josh isn't screaming at pixels, he's pretty… cute. I try to stop a smile flooding my face, but it really doesn't work. In fact, I even feel a blush creep up on my cheeks.
It's at that moment when we hear a burst of noise from the door, and we turn to see three grown men stood in the door. I jump away from Josh in shock and immediately recognise them. Santiago Heraldo, Ryan Loughlin, and Gilroy Smith. Great… paparazzi. Why didn't I lock those doors? Next headline – Zora Lancaster, making out with kid in Prop House. We haven't even hugged yet! Heck, we're not even a couple!
Santiago smiles at us, and I have a feeling he's not here to see me…
"Hello, kids." He says to us sweetly. Ugh, kids? We're fourteen, hello? I feel Josh tense up next to me and realise he's just as peeved at that as I was. I just want them to get the heck out.
"What do you want?" I ask, eying them suspiciously. He approaches me, his hands up as if to show that he comes in peace.
"We just wanted to ask you a few question… about Sonny." He answers.
"And Chad." Gilroy adds from the doorway. I groan. Great… they want Channy dirt. Why can't these guys just leave Sonny and Chad alone? They've each done enough to both of them – Santiago was the first, with the whole problem where Chad stole Sonny's publicity. Looking back, neither of them enjoyed it in the end. Then Gilroy, who put them on the spot about their relationship on Gotcha. That was cruel. And then Ryan… the worst, who followed Sonny's story that whole time she was accused of stealing and being a liar. Heck, he almost broke them up as well. They got a restraining order after that… so it was tough when Ryan was hosting the Tween Choice Awards… that awful year. What I'm trying to say is, I hate these guys.
"Paparazzi." Josh says quietly, just in case I don't get it.
I decide to play the stupid paparazzi game, "You want me to give you dirt on Channy?" I ask, my left eyebrow raising a little, and the three of them nod, over-excitedly.
I scowl, giving up the act. Who did they think I was? Some trash-talking dirt-disher? I'm not like that, even if I do have the sneaky reputation. All I knew was I wasn't gonna dish anything.
"You think. You really think... that I would sell out the girl who's practically my sister?" I yell, a disgusted expression on my face. It seems Josh is also disgusted, coz he sits up, like I did, sat strong.
"And my own brother?" He adds, enraged. They suddenly gain a look of realisation… and total terror. Just in case they don't get it yet, I decide to spell it out to them.
"You do not. Ask me. To sell out. My friends." I say, my teeth clenched. I hear each of them gulp, loudly. At this point, I'm as furious as it gets. So is Josh, by the looks of it. He grabs a chair in the corner and throws it, it just narrowly missing the TV. Just wanting to let off a lot of steam, I do the same, growling a little. It seems we sure have scared the paps, but they still don't leave, obviously wanting their story. I growl at them, before throwing one more chair. I then look at them each, in turn.
"This is what you get for even daring to ask!" I yell, and Josh nods in agreement. I feel like smiling when I feel his hand grab mine, but I don't take my eyes off the enemy… the paparazzi.
Josh's POV (A/N: Another I wanted to do for ages! :D)
Sigh… I'm getting bored. Sonny's just dumped me here like unwanted luggage and all I have for entertainment is an Xbox. Usually, that would please me, but I feel like actually talking to someone. Don't freak out when I specifically mean Zora. Yes, I'll admit I have a minor crush on her… weird, right?
Speak of the devil…
At that moment, I hear a crash, before a body falls next to me, and I jump back in shock. I notice who it is and gulp.
"Oh my God…" I say to Zora, who's just landed right next to me. Ha, she's fallen for me… now I sound like Chad. "Are you okay?"
She looks up, posing in a karate-like fashion, before she notices me too and looks confused.
"Josh?" She asks, "What the heck are you doing here?"
I sigh a little, "To be honest, I really don't know. Sonny said she was gonna take me to the game store…"
"Sonny?" She asks, and I nod. She breaks out into a grin, "Say no more."
I smile, trying not to laugh, coz I know that she's thinking Sonny was thinking of Sonnying something up, and we really shouldn't try and figure out what.
"So, whatcha playing?" She asks, and I turn back to the game as some zombie comes up and takes me down.
"I don't know," I shrug, "Some over-aged zombie game."
She rolls her eyes. I see she doesn't like those kinda games… "You're obsessed."
I chuckle at her theory. "Guilty as charged."
Then there's a random, awkward silence, and I gulp. C'mon, dude, say something! You're Chad Dylan Cooper's brother – you must have some sort of amazing girl-charming ability in your veins? I don't know…
"So…" I say, trying to be smooth. "Uh… how are you?" Yeah… smooth.
She doesn't seem to notice my desperateness for a good conversation though… still in the game! "Uh, good. Good… and you?"
"Good." I say, and she giggles. Then it goes silent again. Okay, I'm nothing like Chad when it comes to girls.
"…Great." She says, a slight bored tone in her voice. Damn it, you're losing her! "So… uh…"
I suddenly feel my face go red and I gulp, turning away, hoping she didn't see it. Coopers have a reputation of not blushing… so what the heck is this? I fail… I'm an anomaly in my family. Gosh… I hate to say it, but why can't I be like Chad? C'mon, dude, say something… what did Chad say all the time when he was trying to get you into girls and you didn't listen? Compliment her… either that or contemplate her… since I have no idea what contemplate means I'll go for the first one.
"Hey?" I ask, facing Zora, and she turns to face me. "Zora?"
She starts to look a little hot… not in the attractive way but in the boiling way too. Ah, so it's not just me who's nervous… I hope.
"…Yeah?"
I smile. Compliment… "You look really cool today. Kinda… pretty."
She smiles in a really cute way, before giggling. "Hehee… thanks…"
This suddenly reminds me of those chick-flick movies Sonny and Chad always watch together while I barf at them. I hate those movies… just hate.
But… surprisingly, I don't hate this. It kinda feels… good. Now I get why Sonny and Chad are so slushy – it can be fun.
Or… it was.
A few seconds later, some guys burst into the room, and I growl, peeved. Great… who are they? And what are they doing here?
One of the guys smiles at us in a creepy way, and I feel uncomfortable, slightly scared. But then, Coopers are never scared. Maybe just a little… weirded out…
(A/N: I'm not gonna bold them this time... you get the idea, right? Okay, so I get it if you're confused, but once you've read the one-shot, you'll get it. I repeat.)
"Hello, kids." He says, and I gulp. See? Weird. Besides, we're not kids! Even my brother said so! That jerk…
"What do you want?" Zora asks, not taking her eyes off the guys. The one who called us 'kids' walks up to her, hands up in the air, and he's still smiling.
"We just wanted to ask you a few question… about Sonny." He says.
"And Chad." Another one says from the doorway. Zora growls next to me, and I frown a little too. I get who they are now…
"Paparazzi." I whisper, frowning. I hate paparazzi. Whenever I was associated with my brother when I was younger (before Sonny) it was a nightmare. They'd ask me random, awfully embarrassing questions about him, and I got tired of it because I was admittedly jealous of him. I still hate them now, but because they are horrible to my brother, and like it or not, I… love my brother (yuck).
Zora ignores my comment – I guess she knows them. She raises her eyebrow at them, before saying, "You want me to give you dirt on Channy?" She asks, and the guys nod desperately. She then tensed up a little, so did I, before she started to yell. "You think. You really think... that I would sell out the girl who's practically my sister?"
"And my own brother?" I add. There's no way I'm gonna do it – I'm fed up of paparazzi, of the press, of the endless reporters who are obsessed with making my brother's life a misery. Why can't they just leave Chad and Sonny alone?
"You do not. Ask me. To sell out. My friends." Zora spells out for them, her eyes narrow, her teeth clenched. Zora seems mad, but to be honest, I'm worst.
I suddenly have a flashback, of all my past, after Mom died, the nightmare that followed before Sonny came along… I have to get rid of these guys… the only way I know how.
I notice a chair in the corner of the room, pick it up, and throw it with a loud "ugh!", which makes the reporters jump. They back away slowly to the door, raising their hands in form of surrender.
But I'm not done with them yet.
I throw more various props and stuff that I hope won't break (unfortunately, I do hear a little smash, but I don't care), before realising Zora is doing it too. She then glares at them, as I focus on the tower of junk we've made in the middle of the room. Yeah… I'm probably gonna have to clean that up. I don't care though – it was worth it, scaring the crap out of those reporter guys.
"This is what you get for even daring to ask!" Zora yells at them, and I nod, making sure they notice that I'm furious. So I next do what I used to do with Mom, or Sonny, when I was furious.
I grab Zora's hand tight, and she smiles at me.
"Now…" Zora says, "What are the rumours that we're dealing with here?"
"Why would we tell you?" The taller guy who hasn't talked yet says, and I growl.
"Coz we're two scary little kids." I spit. "Tell us. Now."
The first one gulps, obviously choosing his words wisely. "We heard… I mean… they are… getting married? And have kids?"
I roll my eyes. This is gonna take some time.
"They are not getting married." I say, "I know that."
"Oh, really?" The second asks, getting his notebook out, and Zora eyes it suspiciously.
"Give me that." She says, snatching the notebook from him. She reads it through, before passing it to me. "You were eavesdropping on them?" She yells.
They really look scared now. Ha, see, this is what you get when you mess with the Coopers and the Randoms.
I look at Zora, who looks back at me and winks.
"Now…" She says, "We want you to forget everything that you heard. Give us back this story and no-one gets hurt."
"Just out of curiosity…" The third reporter says, "What will happen if we don't?"
Zora grins, "Allow us to give you a demonstration…"
Sonny's POV
Chad and I skid into the Prop House after hearing the explosion to see a sight that could make anyone's mouth gap open in shock. A huge pile of stuff is in the middle of the room, three scared older men are stood in the corner where a wall seems to have exploded next to them, and, the weirdest bit, Josh and Zora are stood right in front of them… holding hands? They're gonna have a lot of explaining to do…
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" Chad yells – obviously he's thinking the same as me. The three men turn to face us and I recognise them immediately – my three least favourite reporters; Santiago Heraldo, Ryan Loughlin and Gilroy Smith. They run straight past us, not before handing us a couple of notebooks. They then make a beeline for the exit.
Chad ignores them running out, and heads straight over to Josh and Zora.
"Joshua Aaron Cooper... What. Did. You. Do?" He yells.
"Why me?" Josh asks, obviously already peed, probably at the paparazzi. "It wasn't all me!"
"He's right," Zora says, softly, "It was my idea to blow up the wall."
"But… I did throw the first chair." Josh admits, and Chad sighs.
"Gee, I wonder what I'm gonna have to freaking pay for here…" He says angrily, and although I'm not gonna start yelling, I'm pretty mad too. I mean, what could the paparazzi have done to get Zora and Josh so fired up? I then read the notebooks and my heart chokes me up in my throat.
Gossip On Channy to sell...
Abby… unknown who she is but seems to have a connection to Tawni Hart, Sonny Munroe and Chad Dylan Cooper.
While listening in on their conversation, we heard Sonny Munroe admitting to having a 'plan'…
"Future wife and kids at home"… Sonny and Chad are getting married, and have children. Also hints that they live together.
I feel a big lump in my throat. The paparazzi, the reporters… they were spying on mine and Chad's conversation earlier. More than that - they were going to sell a story that we were engaged and had kids. Although this is not fully correct, I understand why they'd think so. Chad and I are, in a way, engaged, and we do take care of two kids. But still... why would they do this?
"Chad?" I say, stopping him from ranting at Zora and Josh, who are still, weirdly, holding hands. I smile – I'll focus on that later, after I've shown this to Chad.
"What?" He asks.
"Read this…" I pass him the first notebook, and he takes it from me, his eyes moving along with the words on the paper, and they get wider and more shocked with every word. He then takes it away from his face and looks at me.
"… "Future wife"?" He asks, "And kids?"
I nod, "Remember earlier, when we were talking about the meddling between Zora and Josh and you said that you didn't want an actual fire because you had a future-wife and kids to home?"
He nods, slowly, before gaining the expression of realisation.
"They were gonna sell a story that we were engaged, with kids." I say, just in case he hasn't got it yet. He just stands there, a shocked expression on his face, before he turns to face Zora and Josh.
"…You guys…" He says to them, "…You were stopping them?"
Josh shrugs, "We had good intensions." He admits, "Sorry that we had to do it this way…"
"You mean blowing a hole in the wall and piling up a whole load of furniture, possibly breaking half of it?" Chad says, a sarcastic smile tugging at his face, and Josh shrugs, sniggering a little.
"Yeah…" He says, "Sorry about that. I'll find some way to pay for anything broken."
Chad smiles, "Cool."
"Why did you do it though?" I ask softly.
"We just…" Zora sighs, "We care about you. Both of you… well, you more than Cooper, Sonny."
"Harsh…" Chad whispers.
"But… we were only trying to protect you guys," She continues, "They wanted us to dish dirt on you… I wasn't gonna do that to my friends."
I smile, "You really are an awesome friend, Zora." I say, hugging her tightly, and I feel her smile.
"I know!" She squeaks. We then pull away from the hug, and turn to see Chad and Josh smiling at each other.
"Thanks, bro." Chad says after an awkward silence, shuffling his feet around as if kicking a can about, and Josh smiles a little.
"You're welcome."
I then grin as the two hug it out. It seems like these guys are finally getting along again.
"Now…" Chad says, pulling away from the awkward, but sweet, hug. "…I think you guys have some more explaining to do."
I laugh. I guess he's noticed the hand-holding too. Zora blushes a little, and Josh looks down at the floor, smiling stupidly. They then grab each other's hands in an adorable little way.
"I think it's pretty self-explanatory, Chad." I grin, "…I win."
Chad sighs, "I guess you have…"
"Guys?"
A small voice comes from the doorway, and we turn to see Sara stood there, her expression difficult to read.
"Sara?" Chad asks, quietly, "How'd the audition go?"
She looks up, sad, and I feel really bad but really good at the same time. Something tells me Chad's gonna be on So Random next week. Huh, it's not as satisfying as I hoped. Or maybe…
She then laughs, her sad look breaking completely.
"I did it!" She laughs, "I got the part!"
OMG! So they both won? Or they both lost?
...YAY!
So yeah, if you haven't yet, go read When Paparazzi Invade by nangelgirl923 because it will help this chapter make more sense. And if you haven't already, read her other stuff. Seriously Hannah, I mention you way too much in this story. LOLLAGE.
Haha, see ya guys! And remember to... REVIEW! We're almost at 300 reviews and I'm hoping to get there soon...
G'night! Or day(?)! Or whatever it is where you are! :) And remember, as nangelgirl923 says (I'm obsessed) reviews are love! ;D