Been Here All Along: Shadow
Disclaimer: I don't own SWAC.
Previously on Been Here All Along:
""Sonny! Wake up!" Tawni yelled as she shook Sonny rapidly until awakening. She dragged Sonny to the window and showed her the scene, although the body was gone. Sony looked at Tawni with fear in her eyes, and silently, asked the one question she was dying to know. Tawni nodded and grabbed her purse. Sonny quickly pulled off her sweaty shirt and grabbed a new one. As she raised her arms, Tawni noticed marks on Sonny's wrist.
"Sonny...what's that?""
Sonny stared at Tawni with fear in her eyes. Tawni slowly walked over to the girl, and Sonny stepped backwards until she hit a wall.
"What are you talking about?" Sonny asked nervously, covering her wrists and placing her arms behind her back.
"Those cuts on your wrist." Tawni grabbed Sonny's arm, pulled it forward, and exposed the cuts.
"It's...uh..." Sonny remained silent and began to cry. "I'm sorry." Sonny ran to a corner and huddled, while sobbing. Tawni sat next to her and hugged her tightly.
"You don't have to apologize! We're gonna get through it. I promise." Sonny, who was in Tawni's arms like a defenseless child, looked up at Tawni. "We can get you help, Sonny. Just promise me you'll stop. "
"I will." Sonny replied, wiping the tears. "Can we please go see Chad?" Tawni nodded, and both girls were on their way out.
Sonny & Tawni grabbed a taxi and rushed to the Metropolitan Hospital of Miami, the closest to the hotel. The hour-long ride was in complete silence, except for the taxi driver's incessant music in Spanish. By the time they arrived, Chad was stationed in the ICU, and the girls had to wait outside.
Four hours later - after pacing back in forth, asking the nurses how he was, and half-heartedly eating an apple - Sonny finally sat down next to Tawni. Tawni gripped her coffee roughly and sighed, realizing the dilemma the girls had gone through in the past week. As she huddled into a ball, Sonny spoke to Tawni.
"Tawni...what's going to happen?"
"He'll be fine. I promise. Lots of people survive car accidents."
"He was struck by a goddamn truck, Tawni." Sonny said, bluntly.
"Be positive, will you?" Tawni replied. After that short conversation, the girls sat in silence. Over half an hour passed when Sonny's phone rang, and both girls jumped. Tawni left, leaving Sonny with some privacy. Sonny reluctantly picked up.
"Hello, Winona." It was Sonny's manager.
"Darlin'! Great news!"
"Yeah?" Sonny asked uninterested.
"Work of Art went platinum!" Winona cheered, referring to Sonny's second single, after 'Me, Myself and Time'.
"That's great." Sonny replied. They sat in silence until Winona broke the ice.
"Do you even remember that the release party for 'Break Away' is this weekend in Dallas?" Sonny stared at the wall. She completely forgot.
"No. Can we actually shelf the album for a while?"
"Why the hell would we do that?" Winona asked.
"Emotional issues." They were both silent.
"Alright, darlin'. I have faith in you. May the good Lord protect you, honey."
"Thanks." Sonny replied, smiling at Winona's Southern charm.
Chad opened his eyes and stared up. He was in a dark room surrounded by medical equipment. He tried to sit up, but his body wouldn't respond. He looked down and saw nothing restraining him. He struggled to free himself, but invisible chains bound him to the hospital bed. He felt like he had been hit by a truck because, well, he had. Suddenly, a quick flash of light filled his vision and wrapped around him. Looking to his right, he saw a portrait of Sonny and smiled as everything went to black once again.
"I love you."
Meanwhile, Tawni herself was on the phone, but with her "So Random!" castmate Zora. She hadn't checked in on the show in a while, and they were just showing re-runs. The show itself was on hiatus until January.
"How's Chad holding up?" Zora asked.
"How do you know?" Tawni asked surprised. She and Sonny hadn't told anyone.
"TMZ has got you surrounded, girl." Zora replied. Tawni hid behind a bush, because she didn't want the paps to see her in sweats and a white tank top.
"He's in the ICU. Deep coma."
"Oh," Zora started. After a while she continued. "The whole cast of the Falls left for Miami earlier in the day. Nico and Grady hitched with them." Tawni brightened up.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I'm in LAX waiting for my flight now. The private jet was full."
"Thanks. That's going to help Sonny a lot." Zora and Tawni finished talking and Tawni went inside, to find Sonny shouting and shaking uncontrollably.
"Sonny!" Tawni shouted, running to restrain her friend. "What's wrong?"
Sonny fell into Tawni's arms and started bawling. A dark thought haunted Tawni, but she refused to believe it. After minutes of crying, Sonny confirmed her nightmare, and Tawni too started bawling.
Chad Dylan Cooper, actor of age 17 - born on September 23, 1993 - died on August 4, 2010.
It had to be done. Don't hate me. It just had to be done. The story couldn't end with Chad alive!
Signing off!