A/N: Hellooo~ my wonderful readers whom I love :D

So I'm updating. It's half term and I'm at home chilling. I will try to update Lost Soul again this week, I swear it's almost done.

So I'm excited for this chapter. It's gonna be fun to see your reactions... so remember to review! ;D Reviewing gets you a cookie! (A virtual cookie. Yup. I'm not afraid to play the virtual tasty snacks card :P)

Hehe - I like your theory... we will see if you're right sooner or later...

CDCTheRandomWizard23 - Well I do like 1D, ha :P

Keep calm and read on~

Chad's POV 'cos I haven't written him in forever :P


Chapter 51 - Sassy Sequins and Meatball Maniacs

Chad's POV

"So we have a tradition," Jacob is explaining to Sonny, who is sat next to me in the back of his car. Danny, the only other trustworthy one, is on Sonny's other side, and Terence is in the front with Jacob. "Whenever someone joins our crew, they gotta do somethin' first. It's like a right of passage. Do it, you're in – don't, and you gotta go."

"And don't think 'cos your Chad's girl and a hot celebrity, we're gonna go easy on you." Terence warns, "You're gonna have to have as much fun as the rest of us did."

"Oh, I bet she's exploding with excitement." Danny mumbles sarcastically, earning a chuckle from Sonny. Something unsettling jolts my stomach.

"Guys, I'm not sure about this."

"Why not? 'Cos you're worried that your girl's gonna do better than you did?" Jacob jokes, earning a high-five from Terence.

"No."

I'm actually worried because the last time I went out somewhere I was accused of robbing a restaurant, but I don't say this out loud. I mean, who knows how much damage has been done to my reputation? This poser could've gone round every restaurant in the country, looking like me, doing weird stuff and giving me a bad name. You never know with these creeps.

I can only bet that this guy's out to get me. Whoever he is.

Sonny takes my hand in hers and that relaxes me a little, "So what is this tradition?" She asks curiously.

"Two words." Jacob says slowly. "Meatball. Maniac."

Sonny blinks, "Meatball Maniac…? Is that like, a sandwich or something?"

Terence gasps, "It's not just a sandwich!" He defends, "The Meatball Maniac is the biggest, messiest, awesomest sandwich in the whole of Appleton! Its meaty aroma and perfect taste is second only to its awe-inspiring size! I dare you to find a larger sandwich in the whole of this state!"

"Yeah, it's just a sandwich." Danny mumbles, causing Sonny and I to snicker.

"Only twelve people have ever finished it without throwing up or giving in, and you have the honour of sitting in a car with four of them." Jacob adds smugly. "And your boyfriend was pretty much gagging after eating it, so I personally think he should've never made the list in the first place."

It's my turn to joke this time. "Oh, the horror! What will I have if you take my title away from me?" I wail dramatically. Sonny bursts out into full-fledged laughter this time, making me grin and blush kind of ferociously. Terence turns back and scoffs in seeing my cheeks.

"If only I had that whip sound app." He sighs, "It'd be so useful. I can see myself needing it a lot this week." (A/N: See The Big Bang Theory for reference :P)

"Shut up," is my dignified and brilliant response.


A small bell above the door rings as Jacob pushes it open. A few heads turn our way to see the newcomers, while most stay focused on their sandwiches.

The Medley Hut is the town's most popular sandwich shops, and its funky 50's-style design, delicious food, and acclaimed 'dangerous' special Meatball Maniac just has everyone coming back for more. It was a frequent hang out for me and the boys back before I moved to California, and judging by the smiling faces on the workers and the black, white and red seating which is chocked full of hungry people, its popularity with the public and employees alike has not changed since last July. Well why would it? Despite having only been a restaurant for seven or eight years (and being a rundown factory beforehand), The Medley Hut was as close to a local tourist attraction as anything we had in this little corner of Appleton, Wisconsin.

The heads who turned to see us lose interest in a second, and I find myself thankful of the pairs of shades Sonny and I put on so to not attract attention. I grow even more grateful as I see a bunch of guys who used to be James' friends, and push the shades further up my nose as a smiley girl with bleach-blonde hair hat's tied up in a high bun skips over, taking the fifties sweetheart thing a little too seriously. The façade is halted when the opens her mouth, and her voice I recognise just as well as I do the name on her tag.

"Heya, fellas!" Billie Bailey coos when her eyes land on the three guys in front of me and Sonny, who are hiding us like bodyguards. She rubs a piece of gum across her teeth and I'm surprised she hasn't been complained to for putting guests off their meals. Despite having lived in Wisconsin for five years, the Texan accent is thick and broad – the only thing that fits with the sweetheart look is that outfit that she seems to have borrowed from Sandy off of Grease – from the long, old-fashioned skirt to the friendly smile she's wearing on her lips. She twirls a stray length of her too-blonde, Pink Ladies hair around her finger, her feet fidgeting and changing her position once every few seconds. It makes me almost uncomfortable.

Well, almost. Something entirely different makes me properly uncomfortable.

"Hey, Billie." My three friends greet in unison, Danny giving her a friendly nod that doesn't go unnoticed by Billie. She winks at him flirtatiously.

A small curl of jealousy dredges up from the past, but I push it aside. Sonny's my girlfriend now.

And my relationship with Billie is in the past.

Yeah, so Billie was one of those three girlfriends I had prior to moving to California – the ones that didn't really work out. Billie was more of a friend, hardly even that. She's a popular girl, sure, but she's one of those populars who dares to talk to the 'commoners' like me. She's probably, behind Sonny, the best girlfriend I've ever had. The happiest, for sure, and the nicest. She was probably the only one who didn't date me because I was about to become a star. So I guess I can give her that.

Almost like she can hear my thoughts, Billie's eyes leave Danny's and land on me. Swallowing hard, I push the glasses further up my nose.

"Is that who I think it is?" Billie asks, her chirpy voice going up an octave. She squints her eyes, biting her lip as she examines me over and over, her arms folded seriously. She blinks a couple of times, like she can't quite believe it.

"Is that my little Chaddy behind those glasses?" She questions, removing the sunglasses. I give her a small smile, and she runs a hand through my new (to her) hair, as if she's trying to figure out if it's a wig or something. Her eyes widen and she clicks her tongue.

"Oh my gosh, you!" She flings herself into my arms, hugging me tightly. I politely peel her off, blushing, and shooting an apologetic smile to Sonny.

I'll tell you later. I mouth. Sonny just shrugs, her expression neutral.

"I can't believe it's you!" Billie is saying, her big blue eyes still wide with shock and excitement. "I've watched you every week on So Random! I never realised how talented you are! And I can't believe you write all those sketches with your cast! They're so good!"

"Thanks." I reply with a smile.

"Awh, you're not little Chad anymore! Look at you!" She coos, like I'm her nephew she hasn't seen in years. "You've grown, I swear. And look at your hair! No-one can call you geeky anymore, it's official! You look to sexy to be a geek! Oh, you have to come see everybody!"

"Everybody?"

Billie points over to the corner of the room – the corner I was avoiding – where the popular kids, including James' pack, are hanging out. Their eyes are mostly all on us, probably having been alerted by Billie's cheers. Some of them are studious, others look shocked, and the odd one or two look impressed. James' friends are scowling.

"They'll be so proud to see you again! We're all just so impressed!" She grabs my hand, her advances a little shocking, "Oh, so proud! She repeats, "C'mon!"

I shoot a wary look over to the group again. I swallow hard as my eyes land on the two other ex-girlfriends of mine – Becca, an auburn-haired girl whose hair is tied into a large bun on the top of her head, and who wears so much make-up, it's hard to tell her true skin tone. She never used to wear that much, and I worry about what could've happened since I last saw her – after what I learned from Sonny, I can never be too comfortable around overconfident girls. But my nerves are nothing to do with the sight of Becca – more, the sight of the one ex-girlfriend who I've seen once before since I left Wisconsin.

Veronica Kingston, or as she's more commonly known Ronnie, sits in the very back of the group, sipping a smoothie, her eyes narrow and her stare hard. Her eyes don't leave me, or Sonny, for even a second.

I haven't seen Ronnie since Sonny's party back in August, my first month in Hollywood, when Sonny publicly humiliated Ronnie for cheating on me with a Falls guy.

Well… this isn't going to go well.

Tawni's POV

"So… What are we doing here again?"

Zora rolls her eyes, "Shush!" She hisses.

"Sorry." I whisper this time, "I just wanna know why we're hiding behind a park bench."

Zora sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose, "You really know nothing about spying, do you?"

"Uh, no. That's why I asked you for help, remember?"

"I remember. But you've forgotten the simple rules of spying."

"…The what?"

"…It's like talking to a chimp..." Zora mutters, before holding up a walkie talkie. "You only communicate to me via this."

I blink, "But you're right next to me-"

"Don't question me Tawni, I know what I'm doing."

"Okay." I pause, "Sorry, Zora."

Zora throws her arms up in the air, "And don't say my name! Call me by my spy alias."

"Which is…?"

"Genius one-oh-one." She says, before adding, "And you're Glitter Girl."

"…That's boring." I carp, "I mean, c'mon, how many times has that been used? Can I be like… Something-and-Pretty, because I am always something and pretty, or… Ooh! Sassy Sequins! I like that."

Zora shakes her head slowly, looking exhausted. Don't know why though – we've hardly done anything yet.

"Okay. You're Sassy Sequins."

"Yay!"

"Shussshhh!" She hisses again. I mouth an apology and zip my mouth.

We wait for about two minutes before I get bored.

"So remind me again why we're behind a bench?"

Rather than complaining this time, Zora sighs and answers my question. "I was doing a little research into this James guy. I asked the Falls kids if they knew anything and Skyler told me that he was meeting a girl for a date here at this park. All we gotta do is wait for him, watch his activity, and see if this 'girl' he's meeting with is his 'Wisconsin eyes' that you told me about."

"Ohhh… That's pretty smart."

Zora smiles, almost smugly, "Well, they don't call me Genius One-Oh-One for nothing." She then shakes her head, like awakening from a trance, "Now quiet!" She hisses, "We have to keep our eyes peeled at all times…"

She turns her head to one side, observing the scene with narrowed eyes, like some sort of suspicious detective. It looks kinda silly.

"Zora, you look kinda ridiculous." I warn her. Zora rolls her eyes.

"I'm surveying the area for activity. Have you ever even watched a spy film?"

"Nah." I wave my hand around as a 'no', "Ooh, wait." I backtrack, "…I saw the last James Bond movie! Man, Daniel Craig is hot for an old guy! And he has the coolest accent!" I smile at Zora, "Does that movie count?"

Zora just keeps staring at me like I'm insane. "Yes." She mutters, "So, act like, I dunno, James Bond's girl sidekick or-"

"Camille."

"…What?"

"Her name was Camille. I think she was French or something…"

Staring a blank stare, Zora shakes her head, "Okay, new plan." She decides, "We're gonna split up."

"Why?"

"Two reasons. One, so we cover more ground. Two, so I don't have to hear your yammering anymore."

I stick my tongue out at her and she smiles innocently.

"Ooh, and wear this."

She dumps some hat on my head.

"So you don't draw attention to yourself." She adds.

I take the hat off and scowl, "Oh yeah. Nothing says invisible and inconspicuous like a walking bush. Why does this hat have leaves on it?"

Zora rolls her eyes again, "Just hide in a bush. No-one'll see you."

"Right."

With one last mocking smile, Zora says, "Let's move out, Sassy Sequins."

Chad's POV

After the awkward noticing of Ronnie, I tell Billie that I'll meet up with the populars some other time, and that I'm hanging with my friends and girlfriend now so I can't ditch them to hang with her friends. Billie was amazed and excited to see Sonny when she finally realised it was her, which made me smile. At least Billie wasn't some creepy evil grudge-holder.

Well… I don't know that yet. Rephrasing that – at least it isn't obvious she's some creepy evil grudge-holder.

"Here you go, Sonny!" Billie proclaims as she places Sonny's order in front of her, "Your Meatball Maniac!" She smirks, "Good luck, girl," and then walks off to continue with her job.

Sonny bites her lip as a sandwich bigger than her head, with meatball, cheese, and some sort of secret-recipe sauce that gets changed every few days spilling out the sides, bubbles away in front of her. She pulls a face, pushing the plate further away as if the mere scent of the sandwich is terrifying her.

Jacob smirks, "What's the matter, girl?" He asks, "Giving in before you've even tried it?"

"Stop scaring her," Danny protests, "Maybe we should just call it off. I mean, look at it! It's double the size of her head!"

"Ooh, he's doubting you, Sonny!" Terence grins, "You gonna do something about it? Defend your place as one of us?"

"Does she even need to be one of us?" Danny asks, "I mean… her boyfriend's already passed; shouldn't she be allowed passage because of that?"

"We never agreed to that!" Terence protests. He then stops, blinks, and sits back. "…Crap, we did."

"Damn it." Jacob groans, "I was excited to see her get messy." He waggles his eyebrows.

"Jacob, you're a sick guy. Don't say stuff like that." Danny says, patting me on the back, "Especially when she has a boyfriend. Especially when he's your friend."

Jacob shrugs, "What can I say? I'm a badass. And Chad don't mind. Right, Chad?"

Barely paying attention, I tear my eyes away from Ronnie's, whose cold stare still rests on Sonny's back.

"Huh?"

"See?" Jacob smiles successfully, "Problem solved."

There is a brief pause before Terence yells out, "Dibs on the Meatballs!"

"No fair!" Jacob growls, and they both dive at the sandwich, animalistically fighting over it. With them distracted, Danny and Sonny look over at me.

"You okay, bro?" Danny asks softly.

"Sure. Sure."

Ronnie's eyes soften as she puts down her drink for what seems like the first time to check her phone, her eyes tore from me for the smallest fraction of time before she shoots her gaze back at me, like a threatening gun. I gulp and sink lower into my chair.

I am just about aware of Sonny's hand resting on my lap underneath the table. Danny's scoff makes me tear my eyes from Ronnie, and I notice he's looking in the same direction as I was.

"Don't worry about him, Sonny." He says as if he thinks I can't hear him. "He's just fretting 'bout the Populars over there. He's okay, really."

Sonny follows his gaze too, and lucky, Ronnie and everyone else is not looking anymore. In fact, Ronnie has left to the bathroom. However, Sonny's gasp hints that she recognises at least one of the faces around the Populars' table.

"It's James' Pigheads…" She recalls, her voice a mere breath.

"Oh, the Pigheads." Danny moans, taking a sip out of his Coke.

"They're jerks." Sonny mumbles, like she's arguing. Danny gives a simple nod. "You know that, right?"

"James was an old friend." Danny answers, "A very old friend. 'Til he became a douche-nozzle."

Sonny giggles. "I'm glad you transferred from the dark side." She says.

"Me too." Danny agrees. Sonny settles into her seat at the silence and lets her eyes scan quickly over each of the faces again. She lands on one and her eyes seem to narrow, the edges of her eyes creasing ever so slightly.

"What's wrong?" I ask her, following her gaze. It's only then that I realise her chocolate brown eyes are seeing exactly what I was seeing a few minutes ago.

Ronnie's back in her seat. Staring at us.

"That brunette girl's staring at us." She mumbles, her eyebrows knitting together, "And she looks totally familiar."

I sigh, "Three words. Bitch filled cake."

The chocolate brown eyes widen, "Ronnie!"

"Shush!" I hush her carefully, "She might hear you."

Sonny holds onto her Coke cup tightly, almost shaking, "What is she doing staring at us?"

"I don't know." I reply with a little hint of malice shading my voice. Ronnie seems fully aware that Sonny and I are staring at her, but a friend taps her on the shoulder and she goes back to regular conversation, her gaze never reaching us again.

Danny's phone suddenly jingles. Standing in a hurry, he checks his phone.

"Sorry, guys." He apologises, "Lemme go take this… be right back."

As Danny leaves, the animals that are Jacob and Terence finish Sonny's abandoned meatball sandwich and re-enter the real world.

"So…" Jacob smiles, "What'd we miss?"

Tawni's POV

Well… this is boring.

Having been hiding behind this bush for about thirty minutes now with no progress, I grab my phone and find the voice recorder app. I decided a few minutes ago that it'd be cool and kinda helpful to record any findings to Zora in case they help her in her investigation. Yup. I'm such a good spy.

"Tawni's Log. Entry one. It's… um…" I check the time on my phone, "…Twelve-thirty-two, and I'm bored as hell and nothing's happened. And-"

"You're with them now?"

I gasp and my hand flies to my mouth to shut myself up. Looking out of my bush, I see the one guy I've been waiting for, on the nearest bench, not with any 'Wisconsin eyes', but rather talking to his phone. I hold out my phone, in attempt to catch his conversation.

"What are they doing?" He asks the person on the other end feverishly. "Well, then, pay attention! And make sure to tell me whatever they say! It could be useful… what? You're saying I have no right to be telling you what to do?" He laughs, almost evilly. "I came up with this plan. You're lucky to have me helping you of all people, at all!" Another pause. "Okay, okay. Update me on progress."

He says goodbye to the caller, and addresses them by name, and then he's gone.

The name he addresses them by is overly familiar… I swear I've heard Chad say it before. It was someone he knew in Wisconsin… a friend? I can't remember… unless…

My hand flies to my mouth in shock and I run out of my hiding place as quick as my heels'll take me.

"Zo-RAAAA!"


A/N: Ooh! Who was James talking to? Who does Tawni think it is? And what do you think of Chad's friends and ex-girlfriends? Are they any part in this? Are any of them James' evil accomplice?

FYI - Tawni's opinions of James Bond are totally not mine :P But I do think Daniel Craig's pretty cool. I want to see Skyfall really bad. And so I'm into The Big Bang Theory. Sue me :P

Review to see what happens next! Remember that cookie I promised you? Yeah, you know you wanna :P

Peace! x

~Amy x