A/N: Hey guys! Thank you again for your lovely reviews!
I'm sorry for the wait. December's been choked full of me just being lazy and me having to revise for my mocks. Also I have my one-shot Secret Santa to write for one of my lovely FanFiction family members, so I've been working on that this week. I had this whole chapter written and wanted to write more but I decided to end this wait and just post it for you guys :)
So how's everyone doing? Excited for Christmas? I could explode with excitement, I swear :P Only one more week of school until I'm off! Then I have a sixth form application to write for a very high-achieving, sophisticated school... anyone imagine lil' old me there? ;D
Well, enough about me and my life... nattering here, pretending I have friends :P Let's get this going! :D
Lover53 - Thank you! Hope you continue to enjoy it :)
MacyZC55 - Oh my gosh missed ya girl! :D Sleep! It's important :P Ooh, I honestly can't wait to read it! Congrats on the A :D
Disclaimer: I don't own Sonny with A Chance. Enjoy! x
Chapter 53 - Deceit and Denial
3rd Person
The package is sat in front of the accomplice on a coffee table, taunting them and mocking them. Get on with it, it croons mockingly, just do it. Open me and start the plan. Now.
Eager to see what is inside the package James dropped off this morning when he arrived in Wisconsin, his accomplice rips open the brown paper concealing the object that would begin the destruction of Channy.
An old video tape falls into the mystery person's lap, and they blink, bemused. They hadn't seen one of these since the late nineties. Picking it up and turning it over, the accomplice notices a yellow Post-It note. A date is on it – 1/18/12 – along with the word "Play". Of course, this means the mystery assistant has to find the old video player to view the tape and check the content, but the story of the tape is soon discovered. The black-and-white scene is of a restaurant, and while it takes James's partner in crime a little while to see the connection, one figure on the scene is finally recognisable. The figure is Chad, and he is huddled with a group of people – girls. Still a little bemused, the accomplice picks up the wrapping that the tape came in, looking for some kind of hidden note, describing their next instructions. What are they supposed to do with this?
Squinting, the conniving cohort finds what they are looking for. What first seemed like a random array of black scribbles turns out to be another message. Why James hadn't written this on the Post-It is unknown but the instructions are written clearly on the brown paper:
"This is the outcome of our fake-Chad plan the other day.
Just a shame it didn't make the tabloids.
That can be changed though.
You know what to do.
J."
Chad's POV
"Good morning, everybody!"
Sonny skips into the room, the picture of happiness bundled into one petite, pretty girl. Obviously in a good mood, she approaches my seat on the couch and perches next to me, kissing me softly on the cheek and wrapping one arm around my neck.
Dad had to leave early for work, but Mom arrived a little while before Sonny woke up to say hi, and so the two of us were waiting for her. I've just been eager to check that she's okay after Ronnie slapped her yesterday… I felt bad after it that I didn't do anything to stop it. I still do.
Looking at her smiling face now, though, nothing seems out of shape – well, apart from the faint pink shade of her cheek that anyone who didn't witness the slap yesterday would mistake for blush.
Regardless, when Mom gets up and heads to the kitchen after offering to get Sonny a cup of coffee, I have to ask, just to check. After all, we all know how good Sonny is at hiding things.
I put a hand on her lap, which is in my own lap – she's sat on my knees like I'm Santa or something, with her hand wrapped around the back of my neck and her lips only a couple of inches from mine.
"Sonny,"
"What's up, buttercup?" She asks, a little giggle in her words. I swallow a little, her smile making it difficult for me to be serious.
"Are you… okay? You know, after yesterday?"
Sonny stares at me, blankly, not quite understanding, before she scoffs, like she finally gets it.
"Ohh!" She exclaims, pushing my shoulder playfully, "No need to worry, Chad. I'm fine. That girl can't hurt me – she's too pathetic. What's been her lowest point? Breaking a nail? I've been to hell and back in comparison. I can take her."
I can't help but gawk at her in awe; baffled that someone who's been through as much hell as she has can still be so strong, so powerful – especially considering that strength and power has only been built up in the last few months. It's inspiring.
"What are you staring at, Chaddy-o? Close your mouth; you'll attract flies."
"How am I so lucky to have you?" Is my sappy, ridiculous response. Sonny scoffs and rolls her eyes, the pink in her cheeks darkening to a red.
"Shut up." She sighs, pushing my shoulder again, before collapsing her head onto it. She squeezes me into a tight hug and I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her close, making the space between us almost non-existent.
Of course, Mom comes back in the room with two mugs of coffee then – one for Sonny, and one for herself, and Sonny and I part a little, Sonny taking a seat next to me on Dad's brown leather couch rather than using me as a couch. Mom passes the coffee to her, smiling, which is good; Mom sure seems to have warmed to Sonny since the day they first met, which I'm glad of. It's nice to have both parents' blessings on Sonny.
Yep. Everything's working out fine.
…Or not.
The doorbell goes, and each of us give each other a look of befuddlement. Sonny glances towards the hallway, staring at the doorway like an alien's stood in it, and I, myself, get up, heading for the front door.
Danny's the one I greet when I open the door, but from the serious look on his face I can tell he's not up for a menial chat. In fact, he looks more than serious. He looks… angry. He steps inside, inviting himself in, and Terence and Jacob follow, the usually-bundling boys looking as equally serious and worried and furious as Danny.
"Whoa, guys, what the-?"
"Have you got a laptop 'round here somewhere?" Danny questions the inhabitants of the house. Sonny, Mom and I each give each others of confusion before Sonny's hand shoots up in the air.
"I brought mine from California."
"What's the problem?" Mom asks, her eyebrows knitting together with concern. Jacob tries to force a smile on his face, like he's hiding something.
"Oh, oh, there- there's no problem, Mrs C." He assures her, holding his hands up in a comforting gesture, "We're not gonna accuse your son of anything." Accuse? "We, uh, just need to show Sonny and Chad something. Don't mind us…"
Jacob strides over to Sonny, who is still on the couch, and murmurs in her ear as he picks her up off of the couch; "Where's your laptop?"
"Uh, in Chad's room…" She says, puzzled as Jacob pushes her towards me. Terence spins me around and pushes me towards the stairway, while Danny says assuring words to my mother.
"Everything's fine, Mrs Cooper," He smiles while backing out of the front room, "We just, uh, have something very important to show Sonny and Chad. No need to worry – we'll see ya later! Okay, bye."
He slams the door behind him, a look of determination crossing his face.
"'Kay guys, let's get this done."
Jacob and Terence nod, prodding me and Sonny in the back, ushering us up the stairs like fugitives. Sonny exclaims in protest a couple of times, like "Hey!" and "What's wrong with you?" I stay totally silent, trying to think of what could possibly be the matter.
We enter my room, Danny shutting the door behind himself and Terence and Jacob sitting Sonny and I down on the bed, standing to either side of us, like bodyguards (or goons), folding their arms, synchronised.
"Okay, Sonny," Danny claps his hands together, his eyes darting around my old room in a hurry, "Where's the laptop?"
"Why don't you tell us what's going on first?" She retorts, raising an eyebrow at them in disgust.
"We'd rather show you," Jacob answers, "It's… kinda hard to explain."
"In fact, I dunno if you're gonna like what we have in store…" Terence adds, shooting a dark look in my direction, "But it has to be done."
"Guys, we said we wouldn't accuse him until we had the whole story." Danny proclaims, holding his hands up as if to try and calm them. Terence's eyes leave me, still dark, and I swallow hard.
"Guys?" I ask, my voice a little shaky in worry, and fear. They just ignore me.
"Sonny?" Danny asks, his voice very persistent now, "The laptop?"
"Can I just ask first what you're accusing my boyfriend of?" She asks sternly, "He's already had one accusation this week, and he doesn't need another."
"Another accusation, hmm?" Terence raises his eyebrow at me, his eyes hinting malice and disgust. "Fascinating…"
Sonny growls at him in my defence, "Just tell us!"
Danny swallows hard, turning to me, for the first time, with a rational look, "Chad… we have a problem, buddy."
"Chad Dylan Cheater?!"
Sonny's eyes widen as she scans the Tween Weekly Online article, her eyes darting side to side like race cars. I snatch the laptop off of her lap as she exclaims the header.
"A friend emailed the link to me." Danny explains lowly, sourly, "Apparently, it's footage from a restaurant in California that no-one got their hands on. Until now, that is."
Too engrossed in the words, I ignore my friends, reading aloud.
"We all know Chad Dylan Cooper – star of So Random, Wisconsin cutie who joined his favourite TV show back in August of last year. Sweet, charming, and funny, Cooper has stolen both the show and our hearts. Not only that; he's the picture of innocence.
…Right?
Wrong."
Sonny gasps, like a sob, peering over my shoulder to read for herself. Unable to continue aloud, I read in my head.
We are sad to admit, readers, that the goody-goody we've all loved for months on end has stolen a little more than we thought…
We received this mysterious video (see below) last night; mysterious because it seemed to be on an outdated form of screening: tape. Nevertheless, for our dedicated readers, we checked out the inexplicable evidence, to discover something veeery interesting…
The video showed Cooper at a restaurant, a week or so ago (a day after his date with fellow teen star Sonny Munroe) surrounded by chicks. Nicely done, Cooper, nicely done, you must be thinking. After all, our sources have before claimed that the date went awfully (which is why the beautiful Munroe ended up performing an adorable, tear-jerking song on Cooper's show that made us all bubble up like the fan-girls we all are on the inside.)
So we would've thought – so what? He's out having some fun – he deserves it, right?
Well, ours sources clarify that Chad was, indeed, still with Munroe when he went to this restaurant – a friend close to Cooper claims that he was, quote, "Sick of Sonny and wanting some time away from her. She was driving him insane." Ooh, bitchy.
So, clearly, here we have evidence of Chad being a little more bad-boy than good-guy, but is that it? Nope.
Firstly, he kissed one of his company, laughing slightly insanely (somebody say, drunk?) and then he left, after ordering and eating – not paying a single cent. And this was a pretty hefty sum that he was leaving behind, too.
So what do you guys think of this? Chad Dylan Cooper – goody-goody, or just a superficial jerk? Or maybe Hollywood really has changed Cooper – something we all dreaded. Oh, Hollywood, you heartless monster. Another one left behind.
No statements have been released from either Cooper, or his "girlfriend", Munroe – who ours source has said is still unaware of Chad's party-party night.
Pfft. Not anymore.
Now be sure to comment! What do you think of all this? Has Chad been framed? Or do we need to go searching for a new hot good-guy? My sources say – hell yes.
Too bad.
See ya next time with all the new stories! And, rest assured, they will be as hair-raising and eye-popping as the last! And if you wanna check our evidence for yourself, check out the video below!
Good day, readers!
…
The room is silent. I lift my head from the screen to see three expectant pairs of eyes on me, arms folded, circling me like a culprit.
"So," Jacob is the first to speak, "Explain yourself, Mister."
"…" I honestly don't know what to say. My hands are shaking, my heart is pounding, and my brain is throbbing.
Sonny next to me gasps again, a sob escaping her mouth. She clamps herself against me, hanging on tight like she's worried of one of us breaking in two.
I just let my eyes drop to my lap. Why? I thought that was all over with. The money was paid, I was let out, I wasn't arrested… I thought it was all over now. Turns out I was wrong. Horribly wrong.
Who did this? Who got their hands on this footage and wrecked it all for me? Who's made me out to be the enemy, the bad guy, the rebel? Who would do that? Was it that worker-girl who seemed to despise me with a passion? Was it Tony, the boss, or the other worker, Gino? Or Chastity or Skyler? Or was it someone who wasn't even in the room at the time of the accusation?
And did they mean any harm? Did they do this just by accident? Or to be funny, or to just get a reaction? Or is someone really out to get me?
Either way, I know I should be worried about the release of this video.
The silence is disturbed when someone clears their throat, demanding an explanation. My friends' glares are hard and impatient when I look up again. Even Danny, the most rational one, looks pretty furious.
"Well?"
"He didn't do it." Sonny is the one to come to my rescue, and while her voice is shaky and her tone is weak, her words are sure.
Jacob's arms fold across his chest. It's hard to see him like this – the jokester, the funny guy… Angry. Cold. Hostile. "Sonny, you saw the video. It's staring you in the face."
"No," Sonny shakes her head, sounding like a crazy person, "no, no, no, there's a solid explanation for this."
"And would you like to explain it then?" Danny raises an eyebrow, "'Cos if so, you have the floor."
Sonny shuffles in her chair, uncomfortable, unable to come to my defence. She bows her head, defeated. "Chad didn't do it." She insists, in a quiet, defeated voice.
Danny's eyes shift to me. "Well, let's ask Chad himself, hmm? He's awful quiet."
I swallow, the moisture not assisting in the rehydration of my bone-dry throat. "Guys, I don't know."
"You looked pretty hammered, dude." Jacob points out, "Do you remember any of this?"
Knowing that claiming my innocence repeatedly would be anything but fruitful, I just shake my head.
"I don't remember a second of that."
Jacob scoffed, "You must've been plastered, dude…"
"NO!"
Sonny stands, rooting herself in front of me in a protective gesture. She gives each of my friends hard, long looks, warning them off.
"He didn't do anything!" She exclaims, "He doesn't remember it because it wasn't him! If you were really his friends, you'd believe us!"
Sonny's words seem to sting. Jacob, Terence, and Danny give each other a long stare, a whole conversation loaded in their eyes. They nod slowly – a decision – and with that they turn and head out.
"We'll give you some time to think." Danny says as he heads for the door, "Next time we come, we want the truth."
Tears are welling in Sonny's eyes. She turns to me, mouth wide open, unable to speak but trying to urge me to stop them. They won't listen to her. They'll think she's crazy and in denial.
"Danny, wait!"
My voice cracks on "wait", but he hears it regardless. He turns, just in the doorway, face a different mask than before; this time one of concern.
I bite my lip, "Please…" I sound weak, pathetic, "you have to believe me, I didn't do it."
Danny sighs, looking down and pinching the bridge of his nose.
"I'll come over tonight." He decides, "We'll talk then."
And then he's gone.
And when he leaves, Sonny begins to weep, tears streaming, and she wraps her arms around me and throws herself into my chest, sobbing on my shoulder.
A single tear rolls down my own cheek as I comfort her.
Everything I built for myself. Every good thing I've done since I came to California. The friends I have, my life, my reputation… I imagine it all going up in flames in the aftermath of all this, like a forest fire.
No one will see me the same way again, that's for sure.
Clinging onto Sonny like she's my last lifeline, I bitterly hope that, whoever let that tape out, they're happy.
Because I see dark times coming. This story has poisoned my friends' mind (and my fans', looking at the infuriated comments at the bottom of the article) – what's next? My cast? My boss? My family?
The wildfire will spread, rapidly and uncontrollably, turning everything into cinders and ashes of what once was. And I know that, unless I can stop it, the paradise that is my life will be burned to a crisp.
Tawni's POV
Zora and I supposed it was going to happen. I mean, after tracking James' every move for the last couple of days and attempting to keep an eye on his partner in crime (to no prevail – we had no contact in Wisconsin apart from Chad or Sonny and we really wanted to keep them out of this), we supposed that something was coming. We knew that they were after Chad and Sonny, and we knew that they were both doing it for their own selfish reasons.
But we had no tab on what exactly they were planning. That is – we had no tab, until a few minutes ago, when Grady and Nico walked into the Prop House with solemn looks, Nico passing us his laptop.
"We have a bit of a problem." He'd informed us, before the two of them just stood there silently, waiting for our response.
Chad Dylan Cheater was the headline, and as Zora and I read the article, we looked at each other with suspicion at the word 'source', which was planted in there every so often, giving us Goosebumps. 'Source', huh? I gave Zora a dark, knowing look.
Knowing what, you say? Knowing exactly who this 'source' is.
Now, we've finished reading the article, sent Nico and Grady off to ponder on what the heck is going on with Chad (they seem more confused than that time when I told them how to really spell 'island'), and are now straight on the case again. Ha, it's kinda cool – me, spying. Like a special agent.
A pretty one, of course.
"So, what do you think, Sequins?" Zora begins, raising an eyebrow in thought.
I open my mouth to answer, when my phone bleeps arrogantly, signalling an incoming email. I check the I.D. and shudder.
Giving Zora a wary look, I open the email, swallowing hard.
A/N: And that'll have to wait 'til next time.
So... what's going on? Anyone's ideas changed on who's the baddie? I can't wait for next chapter, because if it goes the way I think it's gonna go, we're gonna have a reveal next time!
See you guys! I hope I'll update again before New Year's, but if not, I'll see you next year, QTO fans! (Can I call you fans? :P)
Byeee! x)
~Amy x
