"Sonny With a Real Chance"

By tenshi noyo ryu taiga


Chapter Thirteen:

The cast of So Random looked up as a large black SUV squealed into the parking lot loudly, cutting off a gladiator from the other side of the lot.

"Sorry!" Ally called out as she climbed out of the car.

"Woah! That car is awesome!" Nico called out as he ran up to touch it, "What happened to your forest green Mercedes? The one you said you were going to marry?" He laughed.

"It's in the shop," Ally explained, "Some jerk rear ended me at a light last Friday. They gave me a car like this to use while it was in, but I really love this car, so I bought my own yesterday. This is the first time I've driven it though and it's a newer model than the one they loaned me, so I'm still working out the kinks."

"You just bought a new car? ... Like that?" Grady asked from where he was staring intently at the hood o the car.

"…Yes?" Ally asked, worried about the two boys' staring.

"Where have you been getting all this money from?" Tawni asked as she flipped her hair and pretended she didn't care about the answer.

Ally paused, before carefully answering, "My movie."

Grady looked up from where he had been petting the mirror, "How much did you make?! Were you lead or something?"

Again Ally paused. Chad was a major tween star and he had played a mail boy. She couldn't say anything that would lead them to questions, but she also didn't want to lie, "There was a bunch of us. It was a huge group thing. There was like ten of us."

"Really? That's cool," Tawni spoke, relieved that Ally hadn't gotten some huge movie role. She wasn't allowed to be more famous than her. She was Tawni Hart!

Ally quickly made a comment that distracted the group from their original question. She internally sighed. Ally had no idea how much longer she could keep hiding the truth from her friends…


SWARC SWARC SWARC SWARC


"Haha! No, I know exactly what you mean!" Ally laughed, chatting happily into her cellphone as she re-crossed her legs, trying to get into a more comfortable position. So Random was taking a quick break from rehearsals and she was sitting in her actor's chair (the ones that fold up and have their names written on it), when her cell phone had rung.

"Who can she possible be on the phone with all the time?!" Tawni asked, annoyed that Ally was ignoring her in favor of the mystery person.

"It's probably James. Her boyfriend," Zora mocked as she licked her lollipop.

"James?" Chad asked. He had been casually walking by, not spying on the So Random crew at all, when he overheard them talking, "James is on location, filming a movie. There's no way that's him. He doesn't have enough time between sets to be calling so often."

The crew, as one, turned to look at their laughing friend who, by now, had turned sideways and had flipped her legs over the side of her chair as she spoke animatedly into the phone. If she wasn't on the phone with her precious boyfriend, then who was she talking to?


SWARC SWARC SWARC SWARC


An hour later, the crew was sitting at the cafeteria, picking at their disgusting lunch of hotdogs and soggy French fries.

"It's not fair," Grady moaned, "How do the Chads of the world get the good stuff?" He asked, looking longingly at the blonde's rack of lamb.

"I know," Nico moaned, "We have to find a way to get that lamb!"

Ally laughed, having long since given up on the hope of getting good food on set. She sighed as she glanced down at her watch. Fifteen minutes before filming resumed. Perfect.

"I need some air. I'll be back in a sec," She smiled as she stood up. She walked past Chad and the Mackenzie Falls table, barely sparing a glance in his direction, before opening the door to the balcony and stepping into the chilly air.

Unknown to her, the entire crew of So Random had followed behind her and were pressed against the glass door, ignoring the odd looks they were getting from the other actors and even ignoring the insults from their rival 'prep school' class.

Nico, Grady and Tawni all gaped in surprise, eyes wide. Chad let the curiosity overcome him and walked over to where they were spying to take a look at what Ally was doing. As soon as he caught sight, his mouth popped open too.

Ally reached into her pocket and pulled out a silver Zippo lighter that she used to light up the cigarette already positioned between her lips. She took a deep drag before closing her eyes and practically collapsing in relaxation over the balcony railing. All day, the tension of having to lie to her friends and hide the changes that she went through began to overwhelm her. Normally, she waited to smoke until she was home and no one could see her, but ever since the car problem earlier that morning, Ally felt like they were getting closer and closer to her secret. Somewhere along the way, it stopped being a secret she kept just for the company and became a secret she kept for herself. She liked that she had all these new friends and she liked that they shared this secret in common. She wasn't stupid; she saw how her friends all stared at her in awe. Ever since she had come back, they had sensed something new in her; something deeper… darker… edgier. She liked that feeling and she didn't want to give it up. If they knew her secret, the mystery would be gone.

Suddenly, Ally heard a slam and she whirled around in surprise. In the doorway stood Tawni, Nico, Grady and… Chad?

"Chad? What are you guys doing out here?" She asked in shock.

"Us?" Chad asked indignantly, "What are you doing out here? Smoking? Who knew Hollywood's Good Girl had such a bad habit?" He smirked, happy to have gotten the upper hand. His smirk faded when he saw Ally rolling her eyes.

"I really don't care," She replied, leaning over the railing again and taking another drag.

"Sonny! Or Ally…" Tawni shook her head in confusion, "Whatever! The point is; do you know how bad for you those things are?!"

"They kill," Grady adds obviously.

Again Ally rolled her eyes before turning to face them, "I'm not stupid. I know. It's just a nasty habit I picked up on set."

"On set? Who around here smokes?" Chad asked curiously, "I bet it was one of those gladiators…"

Ally turned to look at him oddly before ignoring him in favor of her cast, "Movie set. All my friends smoke and I got curious. I asked to try one and that's pretty much all it took to get me hooked. No commenting on rhyming," She added, seeing Grady's look.

"There are programs, Ally," Nico points out helpfully.

"I wish I could stop, but I just can't seem to shake the habit. I'm sure one day I'll stop, but for now, it doesn't seem like it's going to happen," She replied, finishing off her cigarette.

"What happened to you?" Tawni asked, concern on her face for once in her life.

"I don't know," Ally spoke seriously, "I just grew up."

"Who are you always on the phone with?" Nico questioned.

"A friend," she avoided.

Chad jumped in, eager to get some answers, "What friend?"

"Just a friend," was the annoyed reply, "if that's all I have to go get some gum from my changing room. I hate cig breath," was all Ally said as she left them by themselves on the balcony.